At summit with Russia, Israel and US demanded Iran leave Lebanon, Iraq

(Worthy News) – During a trilateral meeting between the national security advisers of Israel, the US and Russia in late June, Jerusalem, and Washington demanded that Moscow ensure the withdrawal of Iran’s forces from Lebanon and Iraq, as well as from Syria, Channel 13 News reported Tuesday.

The demand was seen as a condition for US and Israeli support for a long-term arrangement to secure peace in war-ravaged Syria.

US National Security Adviser John Bolton and his Israeli counterpart Meir Ben-Shabbat specifically mentioned Iran’s construction of precision missile facilities for Hezbollah in Lebanon, and its arming of Shiite militias in Iraq with long-range missiles capable of reaching Israel. [ Source: Times of Israel (Read More…) ]

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Poll: Kingmaker Liberman surges to 10 seats, left and right mergers ineffective

(Worthy News) – Exactly two months ahead of the September 17 elections, a poll published Tuesday showed Avigdor Liberman still holding the deciding say in coalition negotiations as his Yisrael Beytenu party surged to 10 seats after winning just five in April. The survey also revealed that mergers between smaller parties on the left and right would not increase the sizes of their respective blocs.

The poll, commissioned by Channel 12 news, showed that a bloc formed of the right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties would still only hold 55 mandates without Liberman — not a majority in the 120-seat Knesset — and the center-left bloc would not increase in size. [ Source: Times of Israel (Read More…) ]

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Trump administration plans to divert $40 million in aid to Venezuela’s opposition

(Worthy News) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration plans to divert more than $40 million in humanitarian aid for Central America to support the U.S.-backed opposition in Venezuela, according to an internal document obtained by Reuters on Tuesday.

The $41.9 million had been destined for Guatemala and Honduras, two of the three Central American countries at the center of a migration crisis in which thousands of people have fled poverty, violence and corruption and attempted to cross the southern U.S. border.

The congressional notification from the U.S. Agency for International Development said the money will instead be used for salaries, travel, communications equipment, technical assistance and training for the management of a government budget and other needs for the Venezuelan opposition. [ Source: Reuters (Read More…) ]

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Federal judge blocks Trump from placing citizenship question on 2020 census

(Worthy News) – A federal judge in New York has blocked the Trump administration from adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census.

The order from Judge Jesse Furman comes a week after President Trump announced he would collect citizenship data by other means, effectively ending the administration’s attempt to update the coming census.

The order bars the Commerce Department “from including a citizenship question on the 2020 decennial census questionnaire; from delaying the process of printing the 2020 decennial census questionnaire after June 30, 2019 for the purpose of including a citizenship question; and from asking persons about citizenship status on the 2020 census questionnaire or otherwise asking a citizenship question as part of the 2020 decennial census.” [ Source: Washington Examiner (Read More…) ]

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Britain Plans Additional Warship Presence in Gulf

(Worthy News) – Britain will send a third warship to the Persian Gulf, though the move is not related to the current Iran crisis, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said on Tuesday.

The MoD said HMS Duncan, a type 45 frigate, is transiting to the region to ensure Britain maintains a continuous maritime security presence while HMS Montrose, a type 23 frigate, undertakes planned maintenance. [ Source: Algemeiner (Read More…) ]

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Franklin Graham warns Equality Act would be ‘catastrophic’ for Christians if it becomes law

(Worthy News) – The Equality Act, a bill that would add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as protected classes under federal civil rights law, would be “catastrophic” for Christians and churches if it becomes law, evangelist Franklin Graham warned.

Graham, in a recent op-ed for Decision Magazine, warned that the bill, which was introduced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in March, would grant the same protections afforded to racial minorities and women under the Civil Rights Act to the LGBTQ community, causing significant legal problems for Christians who hold a biblical worldview.

He also noted that if Democrats get control of the Senate and the White House, the bill is likely to become law. [ Source: Christian Post (Read More…) ]

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US fears Iran seized UAE-based tanker that vanished in Persian Gulf

(Worthy News) – A small oil tanker from the United Arab Emirates traveling through the Strait of Hormuz entered Iranian waters and turned off its tracker two days ago, leading the US to suspect Iran seized the vessel amid heightened tensions in the region, an American defense official said Tuesday.

Iran offered no immediate comment on what happened to the Panamanian-flagged oil tanker Riah late Saturday night, though an Emirati official acknowledged the vessel sent out no distress call. Oil tankers previously have been targeted in the wider region amid tensions between the US and Iran over its unraveling nuclear deal with world powers. [ Source: Times of Israel (Read More…) ]

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North Korea suggests it may resume nuclear, missile tests

(Worthy News) – North Korea on Tuesday suggested it might call off its 20-month suspension of nuclear and missile tests because of summertime US-South Korean military drills that the North calls preparation for an eventual invasion.

The statement by the North’s Foreign Ministry comes amid a general deadlock in nuclear talks, but after an extraordinary meeting of the US and North Korean leaders at the Korean border raised hopes that negotiations on the North’s growing nuclear and missile arsenal would soon resume. [ Source: Times of Israel (Read More…) ]

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House Passes Text Condemning Trump’s ‘Racist Comments’; Democrat Pushes For Impeachment

(Worthy News) – The Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, joined by four Republicans and an independent, voted Tuesday to condemn President Trump for comments about Democratic congresswomen which the resolution described as “racist.”

The resolution passed 240-187, with no Democrat voting “nay.” The four Republicans to vote in favor were Reps. Susan Brooks (Ind.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Will Hurd (Texas), and Fred Upton (Mich.), who were joined by Republican-turned-independent Rep. Justin Amash (Mich.). Six Republicans did not vote. [ Source: CNS News (Read More…) ]

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Opioid Shipments Increased by Over 50% as Addiction Crisis Grew, Federal Data Shows

(Worthy News) – Newly released federal data shows how drugmakers and distributors increased shipments of opioid painkillers across the U.S. as the nation’s addiction crisis accelerated from 2006 to 2012.

The data, released this week by a federal court in Ohio as part of a far-reaching opioids case, shows that companies distributed 8.4 billion hydrocodone and oxycodone pills to commercial pharmacies in 2006 and 12.6 billion in 2012. That’s an increase of over 50%.

Over that seven-year period, 76 billion pills were distributed in all, according to an analysis by The Washington Post, which had sued along with another outlet, HD Media, to obtain the data. During the same timeframe, prescription opioids contributed to more than 100,000 deaths in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [ Source: TIME (Read More…) ]

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