The Cutting Edge

The UN says militant Islamist group Isis, the so-called Islamic State, has ordered all women and girls in Mosul, northern Iraq, to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM). The procedure involves the surgical removal of the clitoris and, in some cases, the labia of the victims. According to a BBC report, Jacqueline Badcock of the United Nations said that the religious edict applied to females between the ages of 11 and 46.

Badcock expressed grave concern over what she termed an unprecedented fatwa decree issued by the Islamists who control the city. Badcock, who is the UN's resident and humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, told reporters via videolink from Irbil that the practice "is something very new for Iraq... and does need to be addressed." "This is not the will of Iraqi people, or the women of Iraq in these vulnerable areas covered by the terrorists," she added. Read more ..

On July 20, the self-proclaimed "Islamic Caliphate" took possession of the ancient Syrian Catholic monastery of Mar Behnam, ten minutes from the city of Qaraqosh.

Syrian Catholic Archbishop Yohanna Petros Moshe of Mosul told the Fides news agency that armed Islamist militiamen of the Caliphate "imposed on the three monks and a few families living in the monastery to go away and leave the keys." Christians fear that the Islamists will desecrate and vandalize the monastery in much the same way they have done so at other Christian sites as well as places revered by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam such as the tomb of the Prophet Jonah.

Mosul has been emptied of Christians ever since they received word from the Islamists on July 18 that they must leave, convert to Islam or face death. Christians of Qaraqosh, a city only a few kilometers from Mar Behnam, are increasingly alarmed. Christian residential and business properties were marked by the insurgents so as to identify them for dispossession by Muslims once the owners have fled. Read more ..

9:04 AM ET July 24, 2014. The IDF is now focusing on mapping out and destroying the terror tunnels they have uncovered. So far, 31 tunnels have been uncovered and nine have been destroyed. A major tunnel was uncovered yesterday, containing maps, IDF uniforms, and weaponry for an imminent attack. In one incident, a Combat Engineers unit spotted terrorists emerging from a tunnel. They called in air support and the cell was hit. Over the past 24 hours IDF ground forces have arrested 150 terrorist in the Gaza Strip, including one dressed in an IDF uniform. Over 200 terrorists were killed since the beginning of the ground operation. Overnight, the IDF attacked 35 terror targets, bringing the total to some 3,400 terror objective targeted by the IDF. -Tazpit

6:14 AM ET July 24, 2014. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said today, "The US, Turkey, Qatar and Egypt have been working for the last five days to ensure an immediate cease-fire," adding Turkey was in constant contact with Palestinian leaders.

6:10 AM ET July 24, 2014. Rocket sirens heard in Ashkelon, Kfar Saba, Netivot, Petah Tikva, Sderot, the Sharon region, and communities near Gaza. Rocket shrapnel land in Tel Aviv. Iron Dome intercepts 6 missiles. Rocket barrage fired from Gaza reaches as far as Emek Hefer and Binyamina, while explosions were heard throughout Tel Aviv area. Sirens heard in Ramat Gan, Givatayim, and Herzliya. Read more ..

2:33 PM ET July 23, 2014. Secretary Kerry met with Israeli PM Netanyahu, Palestinian President Abbas, and UN Sec. Gen Ban today as hopes sore that a ceasefire may ensue. "We have certainly made some steps forward, but there is still work to be done," Kerry said as he met UN chief Ban Ki-Moon for the second time this week. "We are now joining our forces in strength to make a ceasefire as soon as possible," Ban said. Kerry said to Palestinians following a meeting with Abbas, "We have in the last 24 hours made some progress in moving toward that goal." He later returned to Cairo to continue negotiations --  i24 News.

2:15 PM ET July 23, 2014. While Sec. Kerry confered with political leaders about peace, Islamist Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri hailed the suspension of Tel Aviv flights by many world airlines as a "great victory." Said Abu Zuhri, "The success of Hamas in closing Israeli airspace is a great victory for the resistance, and is the crown of Israel's failure."  The FAA had placed a ban on US flights to Israel and  renewed the ban for another 24 hours today, citing the "potentially hazardous situation." Its European counterpart advised all carriers to avoid Tel Aviv "until further notice." Netanyahu praised former NYC Mayor Bloomberg as a man of "principle" for defying the ban by flying to Israel. The fighting has so far claimed the lives of 685 Gazans, 34 Israelis and a foreign worker. -- i24News.

2:14 PM ET July 23, 2014. Israeli military field hospitals continue to treat wounded Gazans. In Gaza City hundreds of  women and children have taken refuge inside Saint Prophyrios Greek Orthodox church. "Many of them, their houses are destroyed. Many people have been injured or killed. So we try to help these people," said Archbishop Alexios, one of Gaza's tiny community of 1,500 Christians. --i24 News.

2:13 PM ET July 23, 2014. UN rights chief Navi Pillay condemned Israel and Hamas at an emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Pillay said Israeli attacks on civilians, among them children, "could amount to war crimes" but also denounced Hamas for its "indiscriminate attacks" on Israeli civilians. The Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights said 81.5 percent of the dead were civilians, 24 percent of them children. Of the 3,457 wounded, half were women or children. The UN Human Rights Council voted to launch a probe into Israel's Gaza offensive: the United States was the sole member to vote against, while European countries abstained. -- i24 News.

8:36 AM ET July 23, 2014. After days of incessant terrorist gunfire emanating from the Waffa hospital the IDF has responded. For days terrorists have been using the Waffa hospital in Gaza as a military post, firing small-arms fire and anti-tank rockets at IDF forces. Moreover, the lower levels of the hospital are being used by terror organizations as a command and control center. The IDF has refrained from responding until now. Earlier, the IDF’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) approached several international Palestinian organizations and contacted the hospital Director, but to no avail. Today, the fire intensified, and the IDF finally decided to respond attacking the hospital complex with accurate fire. -Tazpit

8:26 AM ET July 23, 2014. The Iron Dome shoots down four rockets, two of them over the southern city of Ashdod -Channel 2.

7:45 AM ET July 23, 2014. The Transportation Ministry and Foreign Ministry are set to send four El Al planes to Turkey tonight to bring home the thousands of stranded Israeli passengers, Ynet reports. -Times of Israel

5:58 AM ET July 23, 2014. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Israel via air despite an FAA ban. He said that progress had been made towards a cease fire. Before meeting with UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, he said: "We have certainly made some steps forward. There is still work to be done." He will also meet with Israeli President Peres and PM Netanyahu. -- The Guardian. Read more ..

12:54 PM ET July 22, 2014. US airlines suspend Israel flights after home near airport hit by shrapnel.

11:14 AM ET July 22, 2014. Al-Jazeera shutters Gaza office after coming under fire. -Times of Israel.

9:05 AM ET July 22, 2014. IDF names Oron Shaul as missing soldier presumed killed in Gaza and in the hands of Hamas. --Times of Israel.

8:22 AM ET July 22, 2014. Iraeli Prime Minister  Netanyahu told NBC News that Hamas wants to â€œpile up the bodies” of the Palestinian people to generate sympathy while it fires more rockets. He said that Israel has to defend itself and said Hamas is responsible for the mounting civilian casualties. "They just don’t care," said Netanyahu. "It’s important to make that clear. They are responsible for all the civilian deaths, which we seek to minimize."

8:30 AM ET July 22, 2014. U.S. satellite imagery revealed at least 60 Hamas tunnels leading into Israeli territory. In an incident last week, Hamas terrorists dressed as Israeli soldiers emerged from a tunnel to engage in a deadly firefight. -- Jerusalem Post.

6:30 AM ET July 22, 2014. According to the Lebanese-based Al Mayadeen network, a ceasefire will be signed in Cairo, when Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal arrives there. Under the agreement, the network reported, both sides will stop the fighting and agree on the lifting of the restrictions on Gaza. However, the agreement will not stipulate when the crossings into Gaza will be opened. Even so, Hamas rockets continue to rain down on Israel. Read more ..

Funeral of Israeli Maj. Amotz Greenberg

4:45 PM ET July 21, 2014. The number of Israel troops killed so far in Operation Protective Edge has reached 25. Seven were killed today. Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel had scored "significant achievements" and its operation in Gaza "would be expanded" despite the heavy losses.

Both Secretary John Kerry and UN leader Ban Ki-Moon are expected to arrive in Cairo on July 22 to discuss ceasefire terms with Egyptian leaders. Egyptian public opinion appears to be on the side of Israel in the current conflict. -- i24News and Jerusalem Post. 

12:06 PM ET July 21, 2014. Deputy chief of Hamas' politburo Ismail Haniyeh said today that IDF forces were being defeated by the Palestinian resistance at the Gaza border. Haniyeh said the “Palestinian resistance will meet the demands and expectations of the Palestinian people.”  Hamas demands must be met, he said, for any truce to prosper. â€œOur people’s sacrifices are headed to triumph,” he said. -- Ma'an News

12:05 PM ET July 21, 2014. An IDF investigation revealed that Hamas terrorists who infiltrated Israeli territory via secret tunnels were wearing Israeli helmets and replicas of Israel army uniform. -- Times of Israel.

9:01 AM ET July 21, 2014. A large explosion in a Sudanese ammunition warehouse last Friday was the result of an Israeli attack targeting weapons intended for Hamas, and not a fire, as claimed by the government, an Arab daily reported. -Times of Israel Read more ..

4:27 PM ET July 20, 2014. President Obama expressed "serious concern" to Prime Minister Netanyahu  over the growing number of civilian Palestinian casualties in Israel's Gaza operation. Meanwhile, 2 of the 13 IDF soldiers killed overnight were American citizens. -- Jerusalem Post.

4:24 PM ET July 20, 2014. PA President Abbas called for all parties engaged in fighting in Gaza to cease fire, honoring an Egyptian-proposed truce. He condemned IDF operations in the Shejaia district that killed dozens of Palestinians as an "ugly crime," charging that the "perpetrators won't escape punishment." -- Jerusalem Post.

4:14 PM ET July 20, 2014. A ceasefire requested by the Red Cross lasted only 30 minutes as thousands of Gazans fled from deepening conflict. At least 80 Palestinians and 13 Israeli soldiers were killed as IDF ground and air forces fought Hamas in close combat in a Gaza neighborhood in the deadliest day of fighting. --- France24.

2:55 PM ET July 20, 2014. PA President Mahmoud Abbas meets Hamas political chief Khaled Mashaal on Sunday in Doha, Qatar to discuss a ceasefire with Israel. An Abbas aide says: “The president will meet Mashaal to discuss ways of reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.” – AFP

Read more ..

2:23 PM ET July 19, 2014. Egyptian soldiers in north Sinai prevented an aid convoy of activists from reaching the Rafah border crossing with the embattled Palestinian Gaza Strip on Saturday. An army officer at the Balloza checkpoint, one of many along the desert highway to Rafah stated the security situation in the restive peninsula was too unstable to allow the convoy of 11 buses and 500 activists to pass. There was a brief scuffle between some activists and soldiers but no arrests were made. Egypt usually keeps the crossing closed, citing a counter-insurgency operation against militants in north Sinai, but has allowed entry to Palestinians wounded in the 12-day conflict between Hamas and Israel. - Lebanese Daily Star

1:21 PM ET July 19, 2014. The attackers used grenade launchers and heavy machine guns when they attacked the desert post some 390 miles (630km) west of Cairo, officials said. It is not yet clear who carried out the assault. Militants have intensified a campaign against the security forces since the Islamist president Mohammed Morsi was ousted from power just over a year ago. -BBC

12:06 PM ET July 19, 2014. Two IDF soldiers, including an officer, were killed this morning when Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israeli territory through a tunnel from the central Gaza Strip and ambushed a military vehicle patrolling on the Israeli side of the border. The deaths were the first of soldiers killed by Hamas since Operation Protective Edge began on July 8. This morning, the terrorist cell infiltrated Israeli territory through an underground tunnel, in an apparent attempt to carry out a major attack on one of the nearby communities. The gunmen encountered an IDF patrol and opened fire with machine guns and anti-tank weaponry, killing the two officers, moderately wounding two other soldiers and lightly wounding two more. -agencies Read more ..

6:15 PM ET July 18, 2014. Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades takes responsibility for latest volley of 10 rockets fired at southern town of Ofakim. Unconfirmed reports say three of the rockets were intercepted by Iron Dome. - Times of Israel

5:01 PM ET July 18, 2014. Israeli drones and helicopters, in addition to ground forces and fighter jets, are firing are on targets in the Gaza Strip. --Sky News

12:34 PM ET July 18, 2014. A fallen IDF soldier was identified as Eitan Barak, 20, from Herzliya. The IDF says he killed at around 3am in the northern part of the Strip. The army is investigating the possibility he was killed by friendly fire. -Ynet

9:26 AM ET July 18, 2014. An IDF soldier was killed in the early hours of Friday and five other soldiers sustained light to moderate wounds in separate incidents. Palestinian officials say that at least 24 Gazans have been killed since the ground operation began, including three children. -Ynet

10:16 AM July 18, 2014. Seven rockets were intercepted over Ashdod. -IDFBlog

Read more ..

4:45 PM ET July 17, 2014.  IDF Spokesman made a call to the people of Gaza and asked that they leave the area. He said that the military was ready and prepared for this incursion.

4:26 PM ET July 17, 2014. Israel has coordinated with Egypt and PA President Abbas a resolution blaming Hamas for deaths incurred by the ground invasion. i24news.com

4:10 PM ET July 17, 2014. Israel's ground invasion has begun.

3:39 PM ET July 17, 2014.  The Prime Minister of Israel approved a limited ground offensive to destroy the tunnels that lead from Gaza to Israel.  One adult and three teenagers were indicted today in Israel for the kidnapping and murder of the 16 year old Mohammed Abu Khdeir. The government of Israel is considering this an act of terror.

3:31 PM ET July 17, 2014. IDF shot down a Hamas drone over Israel territory. In the past 30 minutes, a barrage of 10 rockets was fired at Tel Aviv and seven were knocked down by the Iron Dome.  No injuries reported.

2:34 PM ET July 17, 2014.  Heavy fire is reported in Gaza from Israeli air strikes over the past 30 minutes.  There is "a lot" of activity in Gaza and it appears that power may be out in Gaza near the border. -i24News.com  Read more ..

A Malaysian Airlines jetliner flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed Thursday in eastern Ukraine, and Ukrainian government officials said pro-Russian insurgents had shot down the plane.

The Boeing 777, carrying 295 people, went down in a rural part of the Donetsk region, not far from the Russian border, where the Russian-backed fighters have battled Ukraine governement troops in what increasingly resembles all-out war.

Malaysia Airlines said in a statement that the plane had 280 passengers and 15 crew members and lost contact with Ukrainian air-traffic control at around 2:15 p.m. UTC. Anton Gerashchenko, a top aide to Ukraine's interior minister, said the airliner was hit by a surface-to-air missile.

In a posting on his Facebook page, Gerashenko said the plane was flying at 33,000 feet when it was hit by a missile fired from a Buk launcher. The Buk is a sophisticated, medium-range, Russian-designed surface-to-air system that can fire missiles up to 72,000 feet. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he didn't rule out that the airliner was shot down. Read more ..

6:47 PM ET July 16. The evening is so far relatively quiet in Israel and Gaza.  Hamas has yet to accept the humanitarian ceasefire proposal, while Israel has. Saeb Erekat, speaking to Wolf Blitzer on CNN believes that Hamas will ultimately agree to the proposal temporarily.

3:02 PM ET July 16. Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that the Zionist regime has shown that they do not care for women or children, and continues to indiscriminately fire illegal weapons at children. -- i24News

3:02 PM ET July 16. An array of rockets were fired into Ashdod and Ashkelon. One landed on an Ashdod school which housed a bonm shelter. No damage to the building and the Iron Dome knocked out severeral more rockets. Read more ..

6:12 PM ET July 15. Gaza fired close to 95 rockets into all parts of Israel today, following a day when there could have been a cease fire.

4:31 PM ET July 15. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon on Tuesday night over the latter's publicly declared opposition to cabinet's decision to accept a cease-fire with Hamas. "At a time when Israel and the Israel Defense Forces are in the middle of a military campaign, it is unacceptable for the deputy minister of defense to attack the national leadership," Netanyahu said in announcing the dismissal. - Haaretz

3:25 PM ET July 15. Iron Dome shoots down rocket over Kiryat Gat. Iron Dome shoots down a rocket over Kiryat Gat, after sirens sounded in the city and the surrounding area. - Times of Israel

2:45 PM ET July 15. A US State Dept. spokesperson said of the Israeli response to Hamas' rejection of a ceasefire "The Israelis welcomed the ceasefire, the cabinet supported it and as Hamas continued to fire rockets, Israel declined to respond for several hours." - Jerusalem Post Read more ..

8:55 PM ET July 14, 2014.  Rockets from Gaza hit the resort city of Eilat for the first time.  Five people were wounded and at least a dozen more were being treated for shock.

5:24 PM ET July 14, 2014.  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is heading to Egypt to help broker a 12 hour truce to begin at 9AM Jerusalem time on Tuesday.

2:57 PM ET July 14, 2014.  Egypt is reporting a Israel Hamas "truce" to begin 6:00AM Jerusalem Time Tuesday, July 15, 2014.  Al Arabiya claims that Israel and Hamas agreed in principle.

11:34 AM ET July 14, 2014.  One rocket intercepted over southern city of Be'ersheva.

11:10 AM ET July 14, 2014. IDF Reports that it is conducting airstrikes on Gaza targets every 4.5 minutes now.

11:00 AM ET July 14, 2014. IDF intercepted one missile over Ashdod a few moments ago. Read more ..

3:15 PM ET July 13. 20 rockets from Gaza launched toward Israel, as sirens were hear in Jerusalem and environs. Sirens heard in Yavne, Gan Yavne, Modi'in, Ariel, Kiryat Malahi, the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council, Ashdod, and the Eshkol Regional Council.  -- Jerusalem Post. 

Iron Dome intercepted 2 rockets over Gan Yavne, one rocket was intercepted over Ashkelon and another rocket landed in an open area in the Ashkelon Coast Regional Council. -- Jerusalem Post. 

3:00 PM ET July 13. Hamas denied that its leader, Khaled Mashaal was visiting Turkey to seek a ceasefire and end the current hostilities. -- Jerusalem Post.

2:30 PM ET July 13. Secretary of State Kerry phoned Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to convey U.S. concern over ground warfare. -- Martin Barillas. Read more ..

9:30 PM ET July 12. Israel has carried out its first ground operation against Hamas militants in Gaza since launching Operation Protecttive Edge. Commandos raided a rocket site, sustaining casualties: four Israeli soldiers were slightly wounded during an exchange of gunfire with Palestinian fighters.

6:40 PM ET July 12. Some four thousand Palestinians evacuate their homes in the northern Gaza Strip following an IDF warning, taking refuge in UNRWA facilities in the coastal enclave, Israel Radio reports. The Beit Lahiya residents head to six centers in Gaza City, and one in Jabaliya. Earlier, the army dropped leaflets, and sent text messages and voice messages to residents, urging them to depart before noon due to an impending strike. As of 2009, Beit Lahiya had approximately 75,000 residents. -Times of Israel

2:35 PM ET July 11. Hamas instructs Gazans how to manage world opinion on social media. "When referring to casualties in Gaza, the term "innocent citizen" should always be added to the name," a video says. "Begin your coverage of the resistance [Hamas] activities by writing ‘in response to the brutal Israeli attack’ and end it with ‘more than X martyrs have been killed since Israel began its aggression against Gaza'."

11:35 PM ET July 11. Sirens are ringing in Tel Aviv right now, asking people to take shelter. PM Netanyahu said that Israel is intensifying the air strikes and that a ground invasion may be necessary.

11:27 AM ET July 11. PM Benjamin Netanyahu said that the radicalization of the Middle East is becoming more evident, and Israel will not drop its guard and will fight for its people. He said that removing long range weapons from Gaza and Hamas is of primary importance and that will have to be part of any cease-hostility deals. Read more ..

Read more ..

6:22 PM ET July 10. AP reports President Obama has told Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu that the US is willing to negotiate a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

5:50 PM ET July 10. The Israeli Parliamentary Chair, MK Ze'ev Elkin is investigating the source of a leak of their high level meeting in S'Derot earlier today.

5:30 PM ET July 10. Three people injured, one seriously on the Gaza Border this eveing in Israel.

1:00 PM ET July 10. S'Derot has been a focus of many bombs from Gaza.  There is one report of an impact with no injuries.

12:57 PM ET July 10. Six Missilies intercepted above Tel Aviv, and a heavy barrage of bombs have been launched deeper into Israel in the past few minutes.

12:42 PM ET July 10. 
Code Red rocket siren sounds in Dimona, Mitzpe Ramon, and Beersheba. Read more ..

5:30 PM EST July 9. IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, has approved all of the plans for an IDF ground offensive into Gaza, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Moti Almoz said Wednesday evening. He added that the pressure on Gaza will grow in the coming hours and the IAF attacks will become even more intense. -- Arutz7

 3:00 PM ET July 9. Two Hamas Terroists attempted to ifiltrate Kibbutz Zikim near the Gaza border by way of sea, again. They were stopped my IDF troops. - i24 News

Rockets from Gaza came close to Ben Gurion Airport and were deflected by the Iron Dome. - JTA

1:49 PM ET July 9. The US condemned rocket fire from Gaza as the "deliberate targeting of civilians," while the EU denounced the "indiscriminate" fire and the "growing number of civilian casualties... caused by Israeli retaliatory fire," and demanded an immediate ceasefire. -- France24.

1:45 PM ET July 9. Hamas says that Israeli President Shimon Peres' threats to launch ground attack on Gaza Strip are silly and don't scare them. -- Jerusalem Post. Read more ..

11:00 PM ET July 8, 2014. Seaborne raiders from Gaza were killed in a firefight with Israeli defense forces just north of the Gaza border in Israel. Four Hamas terrorists were on their way to Kibbutz Zikim when they were met by Givati infantry brigade. -Israel National News.

10:56 PM ET July 8, 2014. Israeli air strike in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza kills senior military commander of Al-Quds Brigade of Islamic Jihad in night raid. Six people killed, including two children. -- Israel National News.

9:41 PM ET July 8, 2014. Eyewitnesses tell The Cutting Edge News that no air raid sirens have been heard over Jerusalem for the last 9 hours.

9:09 PM ET July 8, 2014. Residents of southern Israel encounter garbage-strewn bomb shelters and are exposed to Hamas rocket fire. -- Times of Israel.

8:54 PM ET July 8, 2014. Overnight Israeli airstrikes killed at least nine Hamas militants in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Islamist group, as tensions soar in the region in the aftermath of last week’s grisly murder of a Palestinian teenager. -- France24 Read more ..

The White House said Monday that most of the thousands of unaccompanied minors flooding across the border would likely be deported.

The statement from White House spokesman Josh Earnest, who said most of the children crossing the border won’t have a legal basis to stay in the United States, comes after criticism from members of both parties, and ahead of President Obama’s trip to Texas on Wednesday

“Based on what we know about these cases, it is unlikely that most of these kids will qualify for humanitarian relief,” Earnest said. “And what that means is, it means that they will not have a legal basis for remaining in this country and will be returned.”

All minors automatically get a chance to apply for asylum in the United States, but the chances of it being granted are slim. To qualify, an applicant must prove they are part of a targeted class that is suffering persecution at the hands of the government and that their home government is unable or unwilling to protect them. Read more ..

Passengers taking international flights into the United States now must have their cell phones and other electronic devices pass additional inspection before boarding planes, as part of the Transportation Security Administration’s most recent strategy to protect against the threat of a new type of terror attack.

The TSA said Sunday it is requiring only some overseas airports to conduct the additional inspections. The agency also said devices that fail to power up won't be allowed on planes and that their owners might have to undergo extra screening before boarding. “As the traveling public knows, all electronic devices are (already) screened by security officers,” the agency said in a release.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on Wednesday ordered the TSA to put extra security measures in place at some international airports with direct flights to the U.S., based on intelligence that suggests new Al Qaeda efforts to produce a bomb that would go undetected through airport security. Some experts have suggested such a device would be planted in a laptop or other such electronic devices. Read more ..

A video posted online on Saturday purports to show the leader of the Islamic State extremist group that has overrun much of Syria and Iraq delivering a sermon at a mosque in Iraq, in what would be a rare — if not the first — public appearance by the shadowy militant.

The video was released on at least two websites known to be used by the group, but it was not possible to independently verify whether the person shown was indeed the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. It bore the logo of al-Furqan, the group's media arm. Through brute force and guile, the Islamic State group has seized control of a vast swath of land straddling Syria and Iraq, and has declared the establishment of an Islamic state, or caliphate, in those territories. It proclaimed al-Baghdadi the leader of its state and demanded that all Muslims pledge allegiance to him.

"The mujahedeen have been rewarded victory by God after years of jihad, and they were able to achieve their aim and hurried to announce the caliphate and choose the Imam," he says in the video, referring to the leader. Read more ..

Before one even begins to discuss the root causes of rape-- the personal motivations, the sociocultural beliefs and practices that may attribute to the act; one has to realize and acknowledge that rape is a brutal act of violence. Rape, which can be defined as, penetration no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without consent of the victim (Per the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program), can affect victims for many years after initial contact, and after any physical wounds have healed. Many rape victims subsequently have to cope with a form of post-traumatic stress disorder referred to as post traumatic rape syndrome; and the hallmark of this disorder is that it is psychological reaction to being exposed to an event (a brutal act of sexual violence) which is outside the range of normal human experience. The assault and trauma impacts the brain in such a way that it often leave victim's with impaired verbal skills, short term memory loss, memory fragmentation, and delayed recall, which exemplifies why rape victims have a great difficulty functioning and responding to a line of questioning in a courtroom setting. The following symptoms are often present in Rape Trauma Syndrome: Read more ..

Huge volcanic blasts occur less frequently than scientists would expect, and now volcanologists think they can explain why: super-eruptions and smaller eruptions are triggered by fundamentally different processes.

Small volcanoes, such as Italy’s Stromboli, erupt when molten rock rises from deep within Earth and then stalls in an underground chamber until enough pressure builds to blast it out to the surface. But the magma chambers of giant volcanoes—such as the one that erupted 2 million years ago beneath what is now Yellowstone National Park in the western U.S.—are too large for pressure from magma squirts to cause an eruption. Instead, the molten rock accumulates until its sheer buoyancy creates a different kind of stress, one that cracks open the top of the chamber and starts an eruption, researchers report. Read more ..

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday night said that “Hamas is responsible, and will pay the price” for the deaths of the three youths abducted on June 12. ‏Hamas officials warned that if Israel strikes Gaza in retaliation for the deaths, or for the past two weeks of rocket fire into Israel, then “the gates of hell” will open.
“If the occupiers carry out an escalation or a war, they will open the gates of hell on themselves,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told AFP, according to the Palestinian Ma’an News Agency.

“The body of three settlers discovered,” Hamas MP Mushir Al-Masri wrote on his Facebook page, according to The Times of Israel. “Better luck next time, God willing,” Al-Masri wrote, mockingly. Read more ..

The al-Qaida breakaway group that has seized much of northeastern Syria and huge tracts of neighboring Iraq formally declared the establishment of a new Islamic state on Sunday and demanded allegiance from Muslims worldwide.

With brutal efficiency, the Sunni extremist group has carved out a large chunk of territory that has effectively erased the border between Iraq and Syria and laid the foundations of its proto-state. But the declaration, made on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, could trigger a wave of infighting among the Sunni militant factions that formed a loose alliance in the blitz across Iraq and impact the broader international jihadist movement, especially the future of a-Qaida.

Read more ..

President Obama said that the U.S. has been seriously threatened by terrorists for his entire time in office and even since before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

“They’re gaining strength in some places,” Obama said on ABC’s “This Week.”
Obama added that his administration is trying to boost its response to terrorists trained in Iraq and Syria who, because of European passports, would have little trouble getting to the U.S.

“We’re spending a lot of time, and we have been for years, making sure that we are improving intelligence so that we can respond to that,” Obama said. “There are going to be times where we take strikes against organizations that could do us harm.” Read more ..

The Supreme Court's rebuke Thursday of President Obama's appointments to the National Labor Relations Board has thrown hundreds of decisions made while the agency was unconstitutionally constructed into doubt.

Having to revisit those verdicts could draw the labor board away from its agenda, to the delight of Republicans and business groups who have assailed it as a tool of Democrats and big unions, especially under the current administration.

The NLRB is now scrambling to determine what is required following the finding that the board contained members whose appointments exceeded presidential authority under the Constitution’s Recess Appointment Clause. Read more ..

A breakthrough in U.S.-Cuba relations may be in the offing. On June 14, Uruguayan President Jose Mujica delivered a letter from U.S. President Barack Obama to Cuban President Raul Castro, according to Uruguayan media June 20, containing an offer to begin talks on a variety of issues, most prominently Washington's longstanding economic embargo.

According to Uruguayan media, Obama had asked Mujica to help him improve relations with the island nation when Mujica was in Washington in mid-May. If the report is true, the transaction could be the first step toward reconciliation. Read more ..

Assuming a final Iranian nuclear agreement is achieved, whatever the details, the task of the United States, the rest of the P5+1 (Britain, China, France, Russia, and Germany), and U.S. allies and friends in the region to manage the threat of an Iranian nuclear program will not slacken. Thus, the arrangements to encourage Iran to stick with an agreement will be every bit as important as the specifics of an agreement itself. It is thus important to begin thinking about these arrangements now.

Furthermore, even with an agreement, the United States and its partners will face a long-term Iranian push for hegemony in the Middle East. That fact, plus analogous recent Russian and Chinese behavior and questions about U.S. responses, offers the context within which any nuclear deal, and plans to maintain it, must be considered. Read more ..

The Associated Press has called the race for Rangel nearly a day after polls closed, with him leading New York state Sen. Adriano Espaillat (D) by 47 percent to 44 percent with 100 percent of precincts reporting.
Rangel declared victory Tuesday night, but Espaillat refused to throw in the towel, citing outstanding absentee ballots.

The win means Rangel, 84, is all but guaranteed a return to Congress after one of the toughest challenges of his career.

"Words cannot describe my overwhelming gratitude to the voters of the 13th congressional district of our great state for standing with me to the very end and giving this veteran his one last fight," Rangel said in a statement released after the AP call. "I am grateful for this special privilege to continue serving my beloved community and friends, both my dearest old friends in Upper Manhattan and new ones in the Bronx, whom I have had the greatest honor of representing in Congress. I've got a lot of fight in me and will not let them down."

Rangel faced a tough reelection battle in a district that became significantly more Hispanic and less African-American after 2010's redistricting, and has been rapidly changing due to gentrification.

Espaillat, a hard-charging young lawmaker, had held him to a slim victory in 2012 and was back with more name recognition this time around. The changing district and questions about Rangel's ethics set up a tough race. Read more ..

In recent weeks, some of the international system's unfinished business has revealed itself. We have seen that Ukraine's fate is not yet settled, and with that, neither is Russia's relationship with the European Peninsula. In Iraq we learned that the withdrawal of U.S. forces and the creation of a new Iraqi political system did not answer the question of how the three parts of Iraq can live together. Geopolitical situations rarely resolve themselves neatly or permanently.

These events, in the end, pose a difficult question for the United States. For the past 13 years, the United States has been engaged in extensive, multidivisional warfare in two major theaters -- and several minor ones -- in the Islamic world. The United States is large and powerful enough to endure such extended conflicts, but given that neither conflict ended satisfactorily, the desire to raise the threshold for military involvement makes logical sense. Read more ..

The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed a White House lawyer to testify Tuesday about the IRS’s inability to recover Lois Lerner’s missing emails.

The administration declined to make Jennifer O’Connor available for testimony, prompting the subpoena from Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.).

Issa said O’Connor is a key witness because she helped the IRS respond to document requests about its targeting controversy. O’Connor started at the IRS in May 2013, shortly after the controversy broke, before later joining the White House counsel’s office. Read more ..

Sunni fighters led by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have expanded their offensive in Iraq, capturing more territory from the government. ISIL, an al-Qaeda breakaway group active in Syria and Iraq, has taken the towns of Qaim, Rawah and Anah in Anbar province. Qaim, located on the border with Syria, hosts a key crossing between the two countries. Fighters also claim to be in full control of the northern city of Baiji, which hosts Iraq's biggest oil refinery, though the military denies the rebels control the refinery itself.

The Associated Press news agency, citing Iraqi miltary officials, reported that Sunni fighters captured two border crossings, the Turaibil crossing with Jordan and the al-Walid crossing with Syria, on Sunday. Read more ..

Between legalizing gay marriage and sparring over campaign finance limits, the U.S. Supreme Court kept busy — and made money — outside the marbled halls of One First Street last year.

All but one of the nine high court justices earned teaching income or book royalties in 2013, hauling in a quarter of a million dollars for their work shaping young legal minds in the classroom or through the written word.

Top earner Justice Antonin Scalia raked in more than $100,000 in book royalties for his 2012 tome "Reading Law: Interpretation of Legal Texts" and teaching wages from Southern Methodist University, Duke University, Tufts University and Pennsylvania State University, according to new financial disclosure reports just released . Read more ..

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen on Friday denied that his agency is covering up Lois Lerner’s emails and told Republicans his agency has nothing to apologize for.

“I don’t think an apology is owed,” Koskinen said at a hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee.

The hearing quickly grew heated, with Republicans audibly gasping when Koskinen said that Lerner’s crashed hard drive — which kept her archived emails — had been “recycled and destroyed,” something the commissioner said was standard procedure.

Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) told Koskinen he found it too convenient that an unknowable number of emails from the central figure in the agency’s targeting controversy can't be found during a time span, from 2009-2011, that Republicans believe is crucial to their investigation.
“It is no wonder I have heard the word ‘cover-up’ thrown about a lot this week,” Camp said at a Ways and Means Committee hearing that was Koskinen’s first public reply to the lost emails. Read more ..

Congressional Republicans are hunting for hard drives, smartphones and maintenance logs that they think could yield emails from former IRS official Lois Lerner.

Two House committees — Ways and Means and Oversight — are investigating IRS claims that Lerner’s hard drive failed in 2011, likely erasing emails they believe to be relevant to their probe of the scrutiny that was given to Tea Party groups.

The IRS says backup copies of the emails no longer exist because until last year, it only kept such tapes for six months before recycling them. The agency has yet to say what became of Lerner’s hard drive, though Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah), the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, and several GOP aides say they have been told the drive no longer exists. Lerner, the central figure in the IRS controversy, and other agency staffers discussed the drive going to the “hard drive cemetery” in 2011 if its contents couldn’t be saved, according to emails released Friday. Read more ..

Events in Iraq over the past week were perhaps best crystallized in a series of photos produced by the jihadist group the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. Sensationally called The Destruction of Sykes-Picot, the pictures confirmed the group's intent to upend nearly a century of history in the Middle East.

In a series of pictures set to a purring jihadist chant, the mouth of a bulldozer is shown bursting through an earthen berm forming Iraq's northern border with Syria. Keffiyeh-wrapped rebels, drained by the hot sun, peer around the edges of the barrier to observe the results of their work. The breach they carved was just wide enough for the U.S.-made, Iraqi army-owned and now jihadist-purloined Humvees to pass through in single file. Read more ..