Al Jazeera America
Senior staff writer at Al Jazeera America and author of A Crazy Occupation: Eyewitness to the Intifada; former contributing editor at Atlantic Media; former White House Managing Editor for National Journal; former Baghdad Bureau Chief for National Public Radio
Obama Promises No Ground Troops in Iraq Yesterday, General Martin Dempsey, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate committee he might have to ask the President for ground troops to go back to Iraq, this time to fight the extremist group ISIS. Today in Florida, after meeting with senior commanders there, Mr.
Has Democracy Come to Afghanistan? With Hamid Karzai termed out of office, eight candidates are running for president of Afghanistan. Some US officials claim this weekend's election will accomplish "the first, peaceful, democratic" transition of power in that country's history. But it might not turn out that way.
The Reclusive Preacher Who Holds Sway over Turkish Politics Fethullah Gülen is an Islamic spiritual leader said to influence millions of Turks, including members of the police and the judiciary. He has followers all over the world, and they've established 130 charter schools here in the US.
President Obama Signs the JOBS Act It's called the JOBS Act , but it's not what it sounds. "JOBS" stands for "Jump Start Our Business Startups." Majority Leader Harry Reid had to beg Senate Democrats to vote for it, so President Obama could sign it today. Jamie Tarabay is White House Managing Editor for the National Journal .
Obama Salutes Returning Troops at Ft. Bragg President Obama who won office in part by opposing the war in Iraq today celebrated its end with thanks to a crowd of soldiers at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The President alluded to nine years of controversy over the war but told the soldiers their sacrifices help to unify the country.
President Obama Pushes His Jobs Bill in WH News Conference At a White House news conference today, President Obama felt comfortable the Senate Democrats' plan for a surtax on millionaires to help pay for his jobs plan.
Obama Lays Out Plan to Cut Deficit President Obama offered his deficit reduction program today: $4 trillion over 10 years. In a White House speech full of passion and political talking points, he wants to cut federal taxes for middle class workers and increase them on the wealthy, a move Republicans call "class warfare."
National Security: An Adult in the Room America’s mainstream media are obsessed with President Trump’s off-hand policymaking in military and foreign affairs. But his mistakes don’t justify the unquestioned authority given the Pentagon, the CIA and the FBI. William Arkin is quitting NBC News with a scathing assessment. He says the national security state has created a condition of “perpetual war” without making America safer--and that the media are failing to report it. L ater on our Climate Change Update segment: how the government shutdown is hurting American science.
The last time L.A. teachers went on strike L.A. teachers last went on strike in May of 1989, and what L.A. Unified teachers demanded back then isn’t that different from what they’re demanding 30 years later.
Trump‘s Wall and the Politics of ‘Us Versus Them’ Politically, Trump’s great wall may not be worth the government shutdown. But it appeals to his base, including evangelical Christians. As the country’s white, protestant majority gives way to diversity, some fear that the essence of America is changing. Opposition to immigration in Western Europe is no coincidence.
Politics, the World Order and Donald Trump’s New Year Newly divided government could mean change in this new year… or not. House Democrats don’t always stick together--and presidential campaigns could get in the way. The GOP might not heed Mitt Romney’s call for respectability. Meantime, will America’s allies unify to sustain world order without America’s leadership?