Hundreds of families displaced by fighting in a neighborhood on the edge of the Syrian capital returned to their homes Wednesday as part of a truce between the government and local rebels reached last year.
Their return to the Qadam neighborhood is the latest in a series of ground-level local agreements to end fighting and ease suffering in the war-stricken country.
State news agency SANA said 25 buses transported the returnees from nearby areas after final arrangements had been made for their return to homes fled in 2013-2014 battles that transformed Qadam into a ghost town. The area was largely destroyed by intense fighting that ended with a cease-fire in August 2014 after months of negotiations.
The government has struck several similar deals with rebels in other neighborhoods and suburbs of Damascus, usually after besieging them for months and pounding them into submission, opposition activists say.
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Friday, January 22, 2016
Lawmaker: Obama Admin Fueling ‘Campaign to Destroy Israel’
A leading member of the congressional Israel caucus says the Obama administration is fueling hatred against the Jewish state following comments by a top U.S. diplomat accusing Israel of not upholding democratic rule of law, according to a letter sent Wednesday to the State Department and obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
Rep. Peter Roskam (R., Ill.), co-chair of the House Republican Israel Caucus, lashed out at the administration, chastising it for seeking to inflame a diplomatic fight with Israel as the Jewish state grapples with a new wave of Palestinian terror attacks that has killed and wounded many civilians.
Dan Shapiro, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, elicited a sharp rebuke from Israeli leaders Tuesday when he accused the Jewish state of failing to properly investigate crimes committed against Palestinians.
“Too many attacks on Palestinians lack a vigorous investigation or response by Israeli authorities, too much vigilantism goes unchecked, and at times there seem to be two standards of adherence to the rule of law: one for Israelis and another for Palestinians,” Shapiro said, referring to this as “unacceptable.”
Shapiro’s comments came the same day that Dafna Meir, an Israeli mother of six who was stabbed to death last week in her home by a Palestinian terrorist, was buried.
Israeli leaders accused Shapiro of promulgating lies used by Israel’s critics to delegitimize the Jewish state.
Shapiro’s comments prompted Roskam to write Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday to demand that he distance the Obama administration from Shapiro’s remarks.
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Rep. Peter Roskam (R., Ill.), co-chair of the House Republican Israel Caucus, lashed out at the administration, chastising it for seeking to inflame a diplomatic fight with Israel as the Jewish state grapples with a new wave of Palestinian terror attacks that has killed and wounded many civilians.
Dan Shapiro, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, elicited a sharp rebuke from Israeli leaders Tuesday when he accused the Jewish state of failing to properly investigate crimes committed against Palestinians.
“Too many attacks on Palestinians lack a vigorous investigation or response by Israeli authorities, too much vigilantism goes unchecked, and at times there seem to be two standards of adherence to the rule of law: one for Israelis and another for Palestinians,” Shapiro said, referring to this as “unacceptable.”
Shapiro’s comments came the same day that Dafna Meir, an Israeli mother of six who was stabbed to death last week in her home by a Palestinian terrorist, was buried.
Israeli leaders accused Shapiro of promulgating lies used by Israel’s critics to delegitimize the Jewish state.
Shapiro’s comments prompted Roskam to write Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday to demand that he distance the Obama administration from Shapiro’s remarks.
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New Iranian-Backed Terror Group Makes Inroads in West Bank, Gaza
Iran moving to bolster presence in Gaza
A new Iranian-backed terror group is making inroads in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, where it operates underground with the potential capacity to deliver devastating attacks to Israel, according to regional experts who have been investigating the organization’s rise.
The group, which goes by the name Harakat al-Sabireen, was established around May 2014 but has begun in recent months to boost its public profile on social media and brag about its plots to wage jihad against Israel, according to information gathered by regional analysts and provided to the Washington Free Beacon.
Al-Sabireen is believed to receive $10 million a year from Iran via funds that are smuggled through a large network of tunnels built by terrorists to facilitate illicit travel beneath the Gaza Strip, according to estimates disseminated in the Arab language press.
Like Hezbollah, the Iranian-funded terror group that controls territory along Israel’s northern border, al-Sabireen is being used by the Islamic Republic to indirectly wage war on the Jewish state and foster unrest in the Palestinian territories, according to experts, who view the group’s rise as a sign that Iran is not interested in scaling down its global terror network following the recent implementation of the nuclear agreement.
Read More Here
A new Iranian-backed terror group is making inroads in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, where it operates underground with the potential capacity to deliver devastating attacks to Israel, according to regional experts who have been investigating the organization’s rise.
The group, which goes by the name Harakat al-Sabireen, was established around May 2014 but has begun in recent months to boost its public profile on social media and brag about its plots to wage jihad against Israel, according to information gathered by regional analysts and provided to the Washington Free Beacon.
Al-Sabireen is believed to receive $10 million a year from Iran via funds that are smuggled through a large network of tunnels built by terrorists to facilitate illicit travel beneath the Gaza Strip, according to estimates disseminated in the Arab language press.
Like Hezbollah, the Iranian-funded terror group that controls territory along Israel’s northern border, al-Sabireen is being used by the Islamic Republic to indirectly wage war on the Jewish state and foster unrest in the Palestinian territories, according to experts, who view the group’s rise as a sign that Iran is not interested in scaling down its global terror network following the recent implementation of the nuclear agreement.
Read More Here
'What Really Scares Me Are Those Visa Overstays'
The Obama administration has "no way of knowing" which illegal aliens have overstayed their visas — and that's perhaps far more dangerous than those who are crossing the southern border, political strategist Dick Morris told Newsmax TV on Wednesday.
"None of the 9/11 terrorists came over the Rio Grande. They all came from visa overstays," Morris said on the premiere episode of "Dennis Michael Lynch: Unfiltered."
"There are two ways that illegal immigrants come into the U.S." Morris said. "They go over the border, which is about two-thirds of them, or they come here legally on a visa and they overstay the 90 days or whatever.
"That's about a third. All of the political attention is on the first group, none on the second group — and yet that's where the terrorists are."
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"None of the 9/11 terrorists came over the Rio Grande. They all came from visa overstays," Morris said on the premiere episode of "Dennis Michael Lynch: Unfiltered."
"There are two ways that illegal immigrants come into the U.S." Morris said. "They go over the border, which is about two-thirds of them, or they come here legally on a visa and they overstay the 90 days or whatever.
"That's about a third. All of the political attention is on the first group, none on the second group — and yet that's where the terrorists are."
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Ocean City Prepares for Winter Storm Impacting Area Friday through Sunday
According to the National Weather Service, the storm is expected to start this afternoon, Friday, January 22. Motorists are urged to stay off the roads during the height of the storm, as driving could be dangerous once the snow, rain and wind begins. “The Town of Ocean City continues to take action to prepare for this storm and we are working closely with our local and State partners to ensure we have the resources we need,” said Emergency Services Director Joseph Theobald. “At this time, it’s imperative for residents to be prepared and to stay off the roads during the height of the storm later today and Saturday.”
Residents and property owners, specifically in Zone A and B locations, should be prepared for moderate flooding and high winds. Citizens are encouraged to Know Your Zone and Division and be prepared for any impact the storm may have on Ocean City. To begin preparing, citizens should build an emergency kit and make a family communications plan for potential relocation during a flooding event. In addition, preparedness efforts should include tying up water vessels, removing outdoor furniture and securing objects susceptible to wind and flooding.
The Town of Ocean City will be posting storm related information on various websites, social media outlets and through the Emergency Alert system. In an effort to keep citizens informed with the most updated and accurate information, the Town of Ocean City will be posting storm related information on the following outlets:
• City Wide Emergency Alerts: Citizens can sign up for emergency alerts by visiting: http://oceancitymd.gov/enews and subscribing to “City Wide Emergency Alerts.”
• Town of Ocean City Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TownOfOceanCity
• Town of Ocean City Twitter: @townofoceancity
• Town of Ocean City website: www.oceancitymd.gov
• FM Advisory Radio Station – 99.5
• Town of Ocean City Access Channels 4 & 15
• Emergency Management Hotline: 410-723-6666
Additional information can be found on the Ocean City Emergency Management website atwww.ocmdemergency.com.
Two Arrested in Millsboro Area Meth Lab Operation
On Thursday January 21, 2016 at approximately 4:00 p.m., members of the Georgetown Probation and Parole responded to the 29000 block of Hickman Lane in order to conduct an administrative probation check on John E. Jones, 53, who is currently on Level 3 probation stemming from a 2015 drug conviction. As probation officers were conducting a search of the residence, they located various rounds of ammunition as well as equipment and component mixtures of the manufacturing stages of Meth along with key ingredients in making the drug. Jones, as well as his girlfriend, Erica A. Wildes, 38 of the Hickman Lane address, were immediately taken into custody and the residence was evacuated.
Detectives assigned to the Delaware State Police Sussex County Drug Unit, with the assistance of DNREC, responded to the home to assume the investigation and a consent search was obtained in response to the on-going investigation into the manufacturing of meth at the house.
Both subjects were transported to Troop 4 in Georgetown where John Jones was charged with Operating a Clandestine Laboratory, two counts of Possession of Ammunition by a Person Prohibited, Possession with Intent to Deliver a Counterfeit Controlled Substance (Meth), Conspiracy 2nd , three counts of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Possession of Methamphetamine. Erica Wildes was charged with Operating a Clandestine Laboratory, Possession with Intent to Deliver a Counterfeit Controlled Substance (Meth), Conspiracy 2nd , three counts of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Possession of Methamphetamine. After being arraigned at JP2, they were turned over to the Delaware Department of Corrections in lieu of $59,000.00 (Jones) and $39,000.00 (Wildes) secured bond respectively.
No evacuations were ordered as it was determined that there was no immediate hazard to nearby residents.
Released 012216 1100
Wicomico Recreation’s Kids Klub After School Closed Today
SALISBURY, Md. - Due to inclement weather, Wicomico Recreation’s Kids Klub After School is closed today, Friday, January 22.
81% Would Restrict Abortion, Including 66% of Pro-choicers
Americans for years have been split on abortion, but a deeper dive into the issue finds that a remarkable 81 percent favor some kind of restriction, according to a newly-released survey.
A Marist poll conducted for the Knights of Columbus in advance of the annual March for Life to the U.S. Supreme Court Jan. 22 found that even 66 percent of pro-choice supporters would restrict abortion to the first three months of pregnancy.
The poll, done for the Knights since 2008, looks beyond the longstanding 44 percent to 50 percent divide between pro-life and pro-choice advocates.
Their goal is to wake Americans up to the results that the issue is more complicated and that there is a national consensus on some limits and much agreement between pro-lifers and pro-choicers.
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A Marist poll conducted for the Knights of Columbus in advance of the annual March for Life to the U.S. Supreme Court Jan. 22 found that even 66 percent of pro-choice supporters would restrict abortion to the first three months of pregnancy.
The poll, done for the Knights since 2008, looks beyond the longstanding 44 percent to 50 percent divide between pro-life and pro-choice advocates.
Their goal is to wake Americans up to the results that the issue is more complicated and that there is a national consensus on some limits and much agreement between pro-lifers and pro-choicers.
More
Delmar Closing All Schools
Texas AG: Obama 'Clearly Violated' Constitution With Amnesty Order
President Barack Obama "clearly violated the Constitution" when he bypassed Congress with his immigration action sparing illegal immigrants who are parents of citizens or lawful permanent residents from deportation, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Wednesday.
"He made a massive change in immigration law that Congress should have done, [which] authorizes new benefits for these people including work permits, unemployment insurance, Social Security, Medicare, driver's licenses and even international travel," Paxton told Fox News' "America's Newsroom" host Bill Hemmer. "We think Congress has to do that, not the president."
Fourteen months ago, Obama said he took the initiative for the program, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Relations, or DAPA, because Republicans in Congress had refused repeatedly to support updates to immigration laws, The New York Times reports. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to the law, filed by a Paxton-led group of 26 states.
Paxton said Wednesday that Obama had said for six years that he did not have the authority to change the law, before deciding to make the change.
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"He made a massive change in immigration law that Congress should have done, [which] authorizes new benefits for these people including work permits, unemployment insurance, Social Security, Medicare, driver's licenses and even international travel," Paxton told Fox News' "America's Newsroom" host Bill Hemmer. "We think Congress has to do that, not the president."
Fourteen months ago, Obama said he took the initiative for the program, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Relations, or DAPA, because Republicans in Congress had refused repeatedly to support updates to immigration laws, The New York Times reports. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to the law, filed by a Paxton-led group of 26 states.
Paxton said Wednesday that Obama had said for six years that he did not have the authority to change the law, before deciding to make the change.
More here
Worcester County Schools Closing Early Today 1-22-16
Playground Spat Looms as Key Church-state Separation Case
The U.S. Supreme Court teed up the battle when it agreed last week to consider Trinity Lutheran Church v. Pauley, a 2013 lawsuit filed by the church after the state of Missouri rejected its application for a grant to replace its preschool’s playground pebbles with repurposed rubber from old tires.
State officials said the preschool was ineligible because it was run by a church, citing an 1875 Missouri constitutional amendment — known as the Blaine Amendment — prohibiting public funds from being used “in aid of any church.”
Three dozen states have similar amendments, but they “shouldn’t be applied in a way that would treat churches and religious organizations worse than everybody else simply because they’re a church,” said Erik Stanley, Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel.
“Taken to the extreme, it could even mean that a state could justify not providing fire protection to a church,” Mr. Stanley said. “They could say, ‘That’s aid to a church. And so we’re not going to do that under our state constitutional provision.’”
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Chinese Military Officers Implicated in Theft of F-35 Designs
Two members of the Chinese military have been implicated in the theft of plans for the Lockheed Martin F-35 joint strike fighter and other aircraft, court documents revealed this week.
The documents, obtained from a Vancouver court by Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail, show that two unnamed co-conspirators worked with Su Bin, a 50-year-old Chinese aviation industry entrepreneur living in Canada, to steal the plans in 2013.
According to the documents, Su directed the hackers to the American aviation engineers he believed would hold the most value. They then targeted their email accounts, and after breaking in, used the accounts as leverage to access corporate networks for information on designs for the F-35 and F-22 Raptor, both by Lockheed, and the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III designs. Throughout the process, they conferred with Su as to what information they should seize. Besides Boeing and Lockheed, Airbus was also targeted.
Plans for the B-2 stealth bomber and the Space Based Laser were stolen the same year, in addition to information from the systems that operate nuclear submarines and anti-aircraft missiles.
One of the co-conspirators was identified through an intercepted messages that contained "Chinese military identification showing his photograph, name, rank, military unit, and year and month of birth."
More here
The documents, obtained from a Vancouver court by Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail, show that two unnamed co-conspirators worked with Su Bin, a 50-year-old Chinese aviation industry entrepreneur living in Canada, to steal the plans in 2013.
According to the documents, Su directed the hackers to the American aviation engineers he believed would hold the most value. They then targeted their email accounts, and after breaking in, used the accounts as leverage to access corporate networks for information on designs for the F-35 and F-22 Raptor, both by Lockheed, and the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III designs. Throughout the process, they conferred with Su as to what information they should seize. Besides Boeing and Lockheed, Airbus was also targeted.
Plans for the B-2 stealth bomber and the Space Based Laser were stolen the same year, in addition to information from the systems that operate nuclear submarines and anti-aircraft missiles.
One of the co-conspirators was identified through an intercepted messages that contained "Chinese military identification showing his photograph, name, rank, military unit, and year and month of birth."
More here
DHS Official: ICE Investigated Less Than 1 Percent of Visa Overstays
The Obama administration investigated just 3,000 visa overstays out of an estimated population of some six million illegal immigrants who remained in the U.S. after their visa expired last year, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official testified before a Senate panel Wednesday.
“So for FY ’15 sir, just a snapshot that I alluded to earlier, so roughly we have about 3,000 that are still under investigation right now. 1,626 leads have been what we call exhausted, meaning that we haven’t been able to locate the individual. It comes back to us, into a continuous monitoring status,” Craig Healy, the assistant director of ICE’s National Security Investigations Division, said in response to questions from Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) (D-GA).
Healy was testifying at a hearing before the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest examining the decades-long absence of a congressionally mandated biometric tracking system for foreign nationals coming and leaving the U.S.
“So, 3,000 were investigated, are under investigation right now. But those 3,000 could’ve come in in any one of the years in the last 20 years, correct?” Perdue asked.
Healy indicated that the Georgian’s assumption was correct.
“Alright, so my question is, if it’s 40% of whatever that top number, we have 4, 5, 6 million people here who overstay their visa. Directionally, that’s fairly correct. And last year, we identified and investigated 3,000?” Perdue asked.
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“So for FY ’15 sir, just a snapshot that I alluded to earlier, so roughly we have about 3,000 that are still under investigation right now. 1,626 leads have been what we call exhausted, meaning that we haven’t been able to locate the individual. It comes back to us, into a continuous monitoring status,” Craig Healy, the assistant director of ICE’s National Security Investigations Division, said in response to questions from Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) (D-GA).
Healy was testifying at a hearing before the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest examining the decades-long absence of a congressionally mandated biometric tracking system for foreign nationals coming and leaving the U.S.
“So, 3,000 were investigated, are under investigation right now. But those 3,000 could’ve come in in any one of the years in the last 20 years, correct?” Perdue asked.
Healy indicated that the Georgian’s assumption was correct.
“Alright, so my question is, if it’s 40% of whatever that top number, we have 4, 5, 6 million people here who overstay their visa. Directionally, that’s fairly correct. And last year, we identified and investigated 3,000?” Perdue asked.
More here
What does a “State of Emergency” mean?.
What does a “State of Emergency” mean?
In preparation for the upcoming snowstorm, Governor Larry Hogan has asked State agencies to launch a coordinated effort to keep Marylanders safe and informed in the upcoming days. Earlier today, Governor Hogan signed an Executive Order declaring a state of emergency in Maryland beginning Friday, January 22 at 7a.m. Here is information on what a state of emergency means.
Not all states of emergency are the same. Each state of emergency is different and can change depending on the severity of the event or emergency. Be sure to check with your local news and with MEMA for updated information related to states of emergency.
A state of emergency has been declared in order to allow Maryland to coordinate and request emergency resources and support. A state of emergency allows the Governor to access certain resources, like the National Guard, in order to increase the State’s response.
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