Fort Bliss in Texas Becomes Ground Zero for Resettling Afghan Refugees During Chaotic Exit

Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, is best known as home to the Army’s tank division, the revered Old Ironsides military insignia and the country’s largest military-controlled airspace. But the Biden administration’s botched exit from Afghanistan is turning the vast installation into ground zero for the evacuation of Afghans who spent two decades helping the United States fight the war against terror.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn says the fort is preparing to receive 10,000 Afghan refugees, and military officials have hinted that number could reach much higher.

It’s the second major wave of civilian guests to be hosted at the fort, which began this spring helping the Homeland Security and Health and Human Services Departments to house thousands of unaccompanied minor children who were brought across the border.

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US to Remove All Diplomatic Personnel from Venezuela

The United States says it is removing all remaining personnel from its embassy in Venezuela. In a statement issued late Monday night, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the personnel will be pulled out of Caracas this week. Secretary Pompeo said the decision to shut down the embassy “reflects the deteriorating situation in Venezuela” as well as the conclusion that the presence of the diplomatic staff “has become a constraint on U.S. policy.” The State Department ordered all non-emergency personnel to leave Venezuela back in January, days after President Nicolas Maduro ended diplomatic relations with Washington and ordered U.S. diplomats to leave after President Donald Trump officially recognized Juan Guaido as interim president. Guaido had declared himself president after claiming Maduro’s re-election was illegitimate. The U.S. announcement that it was closing its embassy comes as Venezuela enters the sixth day of a nationwide power outage Tuesday. Desperate residents are fetching water from a polluted river and drainage pipes, with schools and businesses closed and stores unable to keep cold and fresh whatever food is on hand. Some hospitals have generators and doctors are hoping to be able to transfer patients who need operations to save their lives to those…

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Another American Confirmed Hurt by Mystery Attack in Cuba

US Embassy - Havana, Cuba

One more U.S. Embassy employee in Havana has been affected by mysterious health incidents, the State Department said. State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the second of two Americans recently evacuated from Cuba was “medically confirmed” Thursday to have experienced effects “similar to those reported by other members of the U.S. Havana diplomatic community.” The other evacuee was confirmed to have experienced similar symptoms a week ago. The latest case brings to 26 the number of Americans affected by the mystery ailment in Cuba. The United States has said that the Cuba incidents started in late 2016. The State Department calls them “specific attacks” but has not said what caused them or who was behind them. Cuba has adamantly denied involvement or knowledge. Initial speculation centered on some type of sonic attack owing to strange sounds heard by those affected, but an interim FBI report in January found no evidence that sound waves could have caused the damage, The Associated Press reported. The new confirmation comes less than a month after the U.S. renewed demands on Cuba to determine the source of the “attacks” on U.S. diplomats. Cuba responded by once again denying any involvement or knowledge of any such…

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Israeli Soccer Team Adding ‘Trump’ To Name To Celebrate Embassy Move

by Peter Hasson   An Israeli soccer team is adding “Trump” to its name in celebration of President Donald Trump’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, the team announced on Sunday. Beitar Jerusalem, will now be known as “Beitar Trump Jerusalem,” according to a statement the club posted on Facebook. “For 70 years has Jerusalem been awaiting international recognition, until President Donald Trump, in a courageous move, recognized Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel. President Trump has shown courage, and true love of the Israeli people and their capital, and these days other countries are following his lead in giving Jerusalem its rightful status,” the statement said. “The football club Beitar Jerusalem, one of the most prominent symbols of the city, are happy to honor the President for his love and support with a gesture of our own. The chairmen of the club, the owner Eli Tabib and the executive manager Eli Ohana have decided to add to the club’s title the name of the American President who made history, and from now on will be called Beitar Trump Jerusalem,” the statement continued. (Editor’s note: The english translation follows the hebrew language announcement.) Trump announced the…

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Lee Thomas Miller, GOP 7th Congressional District Candidate, Strongly Supports President Trump’s Decision to Recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital

Conservative Republican songwriter Lee Thomas Miller, a candidate for the Seventh Congressional District GOP nomination, issued a statement of strong support Friday for President Trump’s announcement that the United States will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and that the U.S. embassy will be relocated to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv: As President Trump said in making the announcement, failing to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has not led to lasting peace in the region. The Trump Administration action is consistent with current U.S. law and reaffirms what we already know: Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people and Israel for thousands of years in every way but modern political designation. I support President Trump’s decision and applaud him for his courage and for keeping his often repeated campaign promise to do exactly what he has done. I am proud to stand with him and Israel, which remains our strongest ally in the region. President Trump also noted in his historic announcement that The Jerusalem Embassy Act was passed in Congress by an overwhelming bipartisan majority. In the Senate, the bill passed on Oct. 24, 1995, by a 93-5 margin. Later that day, the House followed suit,…

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In US Congress, Robust Backing for Trump’s Jerusalem Move

US lawmakers across the political spectrum reacted positively to President Donald Trump’s announcement Wednesday that he is recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, although some warned the move would enflame tensions and stall peace efforts. Several Democrats and Trump’s Republicans hailed the move as long overdue. “Jerusalem has been, and always will be, the eternal, undivided capital of the State of Israel,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement. “Today’s announcement is a recognition of reality that in no way inhibits efforts to reach a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”

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