Trump at center stage, but Cruz in spotlight
Trump at center stage, but Cruz in spotlight
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump will stand at center stage, but Ted Cruz will be in the spotlight at today’s Republican presidential debate.
The Texas senator is challenging Trump’s lead in the kickoff Iowa caucuses, and he has the money, campaign infrastructure and conservative appeal to compete deep into the GOP primary season. Those assets now make him a target for his rivals, most notably Trump and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
Another intriguing dynamic in today’s prime-time debate in Las Vegas involves Cruz and Rubio. Both are first-term senators and Cuban Americans who see themselves as alternatives to Trump, who has baffled Republican leaders with his political durability.
Abbas: Palestinian violence is ‘justified popular uprising’
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas referred to the last three months of violence Monday as a “justified popular uprising”.
Abbas’s comments came as a new poll shows widespread Palestinian support for ongoing attacks on Israelis. Later Monday, a Palestinian from east Jerusalem rammed his car into a crowded bus stop, wounding nine before bystanders shot him dead.
Israeli leaders have accused Abbas and other Palestinian leaders of inciting the violence with incendiary rhetoric. Abbas has previously refrained from either endorsing or condemning the attacks, often referring to the wave of violence as understandable but not in the best interests of the Palestinian people.
“We cannot ask the youth why they are going out (to revolt),” Abbas said in Ramallah. “They just despaired of the two-state solution.”
A poll released Monday found that two-thirds of Palestinians support the current wave of stabbings. Most Palestinians believe if the current individual attacks develop into an armed intifada, the violence might serve Palestinian national interests more than negotiations would.
Bergdahl to face desertion charge in general court-martial
WASHINGTON (AP) — Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was held captive by the Taliban for five years and freed in exchange for five detainees in Guantanamo Bay, will face charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy in a general court-martial, the Army announced on Monday.
If convicted, Bergdahl could get life in prison on the misbehavior charge and up to five years for desertion. He also could be dishonorably discharged, reduced in rank and made to forfeit all pay.
Bergdahl, 29, of Hailey, Idaho, walked off his post in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktika province on June 30, 2009. He was released in the prisoner swap in late May 2014 that touched off a firestorm of criticism, with some in Congress accusing President Barack Obama of jeopardizing the safety of a nation for a deserter.
A date for an arraignment hearing at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, will be announced later.
Bergdahl’s attorney, Eugene Fidell, said the convening authority — a high-ranking officer charged with deciding whether evidence warrants a court-martial — did not follow the advice of a preliminary hearing officer.
In schools, on streets and TV, children feel Muslim backlash
(AP) A backlash against American Muslims is leaving a mark on some of the nation’s youngest minds.
After seeing presidential candidate Donald Trump call on television for barring Muslims from entering the country, 8-year-old Sofia Yassini checked the locks on her family’s home in Plano, Texas, imagining the Army would take them away. She raced to her room and stuffed a pair of Barbie dolls, a tub of peanut butter and a toothbrush into a bag. She insisted on bringing boots for the long boat ride she imagined was coming.
When her mother, Melissa, arrived home from her work as a human resources manager, Sofia ran into her arms and cried.
“I want people to understand the impact that their words have on these children,” said Melissa Yassini, who described the experience in a Facebook post that had been shared more than 21,000 times as of Monday. “We often forget, we’re waging war on one another with words, and we’re adults. We can take it. The kids are suffering with this. They go to school every day and they’re afraid to tell people they’re Muslim. This has to stop.”
Anti-Muslim sentiment was building in the days before 14 people were killed Dec. 2 in the massacre at a disability center in Southern California by a Muslim couple investigators say were inspired at least in part by the Islamic State group. Some governors had already said they wouldn’t allow Syrians fleeing civil war into their states because of extremist fears. Experts say Trump’s call Dec. 7 to keep all Muslims from entering the United States — a plan he said would apply only temporarily and to non-citizens — only fanned the flames.
Hollywood ready for world premiere of “The Force Awakens”
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A half-mile section of Hollywood Boulevard has been closed to traffic and a giant opaque tent now lines four blocks of the famous thoroughfare. Fan bleachers are up and spotlights are everywhere.
Could the Academy Awards be coming early to Hollywood? No, bigger: On Monday evening, three theaters will roll out red carpets for the world premiere of the hugely anticipated “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
Many of Hollywod’s top stars will join hundreds of costumed fans at what could be the largest Hollywood premiere ever. One of the participating theaters — the iconic TCL Chinese — hosted the premiere of the original “Star Wars” in 1977.
Los Angeles Police say extra vehicle patrols and more officers on foot are being assigned to the area.
Police dogs checked areas adjacent to the massive tent shrouding the red carpet, and pedestrians in the area had to go through metal detectors.