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‘Facing the Middle East’ Examines Iran’s Repression, Black-Jewish Solidarity, and Regional War Risks  Ashkan Rostami discusses alleged Iranian regime appeals to expats for wartime support, Omid Habibinia reports from inside Iran, Spill the Honey preserves shared history, and Jonathan Conricus weighs the ceasefire’s limits  By Felice Friedson/The Media Line  Episode 21 of Facing the Middle East with Felice Friedson moves between war, repression, memory, and moral responsibility. I begin with the Islamic Republic’s efforts to reach […]

NEW YORK (AP) — Allison Hill, CEO of the American Booksellers Association, is used to strangers expressing sympathy when they learn what she does for a living. “It’s all so funny,” she says. “When I tell them I run the trade association for independent stores, they’ll say, ‘It’s just so sad that they’re disappearing.’ I don’t think they’re really keeping track, or they just know about a store that closed […]

BEIRUT (AP) — The Israeli military on Wednesday told residents across southern Lebanon to leave as it expands its operations there. The statement says the military will “work with extreme force” against Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group. The warning is the first since a ceasefire that went into effect on April 17, and came amid rising escalation in the Israel-Hezbollah war, with Israeli troops crossing the Litani River, edging closer to […]

A South Carolina jury heard opening statements Wednesday in the trial of a store owner charged with murder in the 2023 fatal shooting of a Black 14-year-old, with the prosecutor calling it unprovoked and “heinous” while a defense lawyer insisted it was an act of defense. Chikei Rick Chow, 61, who is Asian, shot Cyrus Carmack-Belton in the back during a foot chase in Columbia on May 28, 2023, believing […]

CAIRO (AP) — Iranians began to regain internet access on Wednesday after authorities ended a monthslong shutdown. But users said service was slow and spotty in some areas, with apps like YouTube and Instagram heavily restricted, as they were before the cutoff began during nationwide protests in January. Authorities justified the outage as a military imperative after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Their decision to […]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Travis Kelce is a three-time Super Bowl champion, four-time All-Pro and fiance of music superstar Taylor Swift. On Wednesday he added minority investor in the Cleveland Guardians to his resumé. The Guardians announced before their game against the Washington Nationals that the Kansas City Chiefs tight end has purchased a minority share in the franchise. The Cleveland Heights native bought a small share of David Blitzer’s 35% […]

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s governor announced a state of emergency Wednesday to fight a surge in coastal erosion along the U.S. territory ’s north coast. Gov. Jenniffer González said the executive order would allow her administration to accelerate projects to protect natural resources and vulnerable coastal communities. The government said in a statement that rising sea levels, storm surges and other factors have intensified coastal erosion […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a generational contest between sitting congressmen, freshman Rep. Christian Menefee defeated veteran Rep. Al Green in a Democratic primary runoff for a Houston-area district created last year by an unusual Republican-led redistricting effort. Green, known for his protests during President Donald Trump’s speeches, has served in Congress since 2005. He became a standard-bearer of progressive legislation on racial justice, often drawing the ire of Republicans. “I […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alabama on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to allow it to use a congressional map favoring Republicans in this year’s elections, despite a lower court’s ruling that the redistricting plan intentionally discriminates against Black people. The state’s Republican leadership filed an emergency appeal with the justices a day after a three-judge court refused to let the state use a map it adopted three years ago that has […]