2+ hour, 3+ min ago (513+ words) Netanyahu, who has been at war against the country's legal system over the charges, said the request would help unify the country at a time of momentous changes in the region. But it immediately triggered denunciations from his opponents, who said it would weaken Israel's democratic institutions and send a dangerous message that he is above the rule of law. In a statement Sunday the prime minister's office said that Netanyahu had submitted a request for a pardon to the legal department of the Office of the President. The president's office called it an "extraordinary request," carrying with it "significant implications." Netanyahu is the only sitting prime minister in Israeli history to stand trial, after being charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases accusing him of exchanging favors with wealthy political supporters. He has…...

1+ day, 19+ hour ago (187+ words) Any Lucia Lopez Belloza, 19, had already passed through security at Boston Logan International Airport on Nov. 20 when she was told there was an issue with her boarding pass, said attorney Todd Pomerleau. The Babson College student was then detained by immigration officials and within two days, sent to Texas and then Honduras, the country she left at age 7. "She's absolutely heartbroken," Pomerleau said. "Her college dream has just been shattered." According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an immigration judge ordered Lopez Belloza deported in 2015. Pomerleau said she wasn't aware of any removal order, however, and the only record he's found indicates her case was closed in 2017. "They're holding her responsible for something they claim happened a decade ago that she's completely unaware of and not showing any of the proof," the lawyer said. Lopez Belloza, who is staying with her…...

4+ day, 18+ hour ago (1057+ words) You know what bothers me? To have cannabis on my mind the first thing in the morning," he said, sparking a blunt in his Brookline, Massachusetts, apartment. I'd like to get up one day and not smoke. But you see how that's going." Overall, alcohol remains more widely used than cannabis. But starting in 2022, the number of daily cannabis users in the U.S. surpassed that of daily drinkers " a major shift in American habits. Researchers say the rise has unfolded alongside products that contain far more THC than the marijuana of past decades, including vape oils and concentrates that can reach 80% to 95% THC. Massachusetts, like most states, sets no limit on how strong these products can be. Laboy, a retired chef, began seeing a substance-use counselor after telling his doctor he felt depressed, unmotivated and increasingly isolated as his drinking and…...

5+ day, 21+ hour ago (521+ words) " Follow live updates on President Donald Trump and his administration It is extraordinary for the Pentagon, which until President Donald Trump's second term had usually gone out of its way to act and appear apolitical, to directly threaten a sitting member of Congress with investigation. It comes after Trump ramped up the rhetoric by accusing the lawmakers of sedition "punishable by DEATH" in a social media post days after the video was released last week. In its statement Monday, the Pentagon suggested that Kelly's statements in the video interfered with the "loyalty, morale, or good order and discipline of the armed forces" by citing the federal law that prohibits such actions. "A thorough review of these allegations has been initiated to determine further actions, which may include recall to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures," the statement said....

1+ week, 21+ hour ago (148+ words) Security staff at the base reported the drones between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Friday, prompting the air force to fire ground-based weapons to take them down, the ministry said in a statement. "The drones left the area and were not recovered," the statement said. In recent weeks, a series of incidents involving unidentified drone flights have been reported near military sites in the Netherlands and neighboring Belgium. Both the Dutch military and civilian police were investigating, according to the ministry, which said it was unclear why the drones were flying above and around the air base. No further details were provided, citing security reasons. Volkel Air Base is used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force. In the Netherlands, the use of drones near all airports is prohibited for flight safety reasons in addition to other security reasons around military facilities, the statement…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago (1756+ words) The predictive intelligence program has resulted in people being stopped, searched and in some cases arrested. A network of cameras scans and records vehicle license plate information, and an algorithm flags vehicles deemed suspicious based on where they came from, where they were going and which route they took. Federal agents in turn may then flag local law enforcement. Suddenly, drivers find themselves pulled over " often for reasons cited such as speeding, failure to signal, the wrong window tint or even a dangling air freshener blocking the view. They are then aggressively questioned and searched, with no inkling that the roads they drove put them on law enforcement's radar. Border Patrol is using hidden license plate readers to track drivers and flag "suspicious" travel patterns, an AP investigation found, raising concerns over secret surveillance. The result is a mass surveillance…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago (908+ words) Across the military, the rate of severe accidents per 100,000 flight hours rose 55% in the 2024 budget year compared with four years earlier. The Marine Corps saw the highest increase, nearly tripling its rate over the same period. But the rising number of serious accidents has some in Congress looking for answers. The data was released to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, in January after her office asked for the figures after a spate of deadly mishaps involving the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. Warren's office provided the data to the AP, which reviewed it independently. The statistics cover the full budget years 2020-2023 and then the first 10 months of the 2024 budget year, through July 31. In those 10 months of last year, 25 service members and Defense Department civilian employees were killed and 14 aircraft were destroyed. "These accident rates are incredibly troubling and demand action," Warren…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago (436+ words) Those problems, wrote Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick, include "fundamental misstatements of the law" by a prosecutor to the grand jury that indicted Comey in September, the use of potentially privileged communications during the investigation and unexplained irregularities in the transcript of the grand jury proceedings. "The Court recognizes that the relief sought by the defense is rarely granted," Fitzpatrick wrote "However, the record points to a disturbing pattern of profound investigative missteps, missteps that led an FBI agent and a prosecutor to potentially undermine the integrity of the grand jury proceeding." The 24-page opinion is the most blistering assessment yet by a judge of the Justice Department's actions leading up to the Comey indictment. That case, along with a separate prosecution of New York Attorney General Letitia James, have stirred concerns that the Justice Department is being weaponized to pursue…...

1+ week, 6+ day ago (44+ words) Palestinian deaths in Israeli custody have surged... (Second column, 4th story, link) Related stories:Prison guard describes rampant abuse... Drudge Report Feed needs your support!" Become a Patron Palestinian deaths in Israeli custody have surged. A prison guard describes rampant abuse - AP explains...

1+ week, 6+ day ago (661+ words) Israel's Prison Service said it operates in accordance with the law. It declined to comment on the death count and directed any inquiries to Israel's army. The army said it is aware some detainees have died, including people with preexisting illnesses or combat-related injuries. But army spokesperson Nadav Shoshani said the death count in the PHRI report is inflated, while declining to say what the army believes the real number to be. The army also said allegations of abuse or inadequate conditions are assessed, and that those who violate the army's code of conduct are punished and sometimes subject to criminal investigations. Of the 98 prisoner deaths PHRI documented since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war, 27 occurred in 2023, 50 in 2024 and 21 this year, the most recent on Nov. 2. PHRI says the actual death toll over this timeframe is "likely significantly higher,…...