Important Takeaways:
- “We are serious about welcoming students that have been suspended from U.S. universities for supporting Palestinians,” an official at Sanaa University, which is run by the Houthis, told Reuters. “We are fighting this battle with Palestine in every way we can.”
- Sanaa University had issued a statement applauding the “humanitarian” position of the students in the United States and said they could continue their studies in Yemen.
- The U.S. and Britain returned the Houthi militia to a list of terrorist groups this year as their attacks on vessels in and around the Red Sea hurt global economies.
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- A deputy U.S. Marshal, two North Carolina Department of Corrections officers and a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) officer were fatally shot in the line of duty on Monday afternoon in east Charlotte while serving a search warrant for a felon in possession of a firearm at a single-family home on Galway Drive.
- CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings on Tuesday said more than 100 rounds were fired between the suspect or suspects inside the house and responding officers. Investigators recovered an AR-15 and a .40-caliber handgun from the scene.
- “[T]hese were brave men that came out here to do a job to protect this neighborhood and these citizens.”
- Suspect Terry Clark Hughes Jr., 39, died at the scene Monday
- Two additional persons of interest – both female, one only 17 years old – were taken into custody. Authorities have yet to determine whether there are any additional suspects who can be charged in connection with the mass shooting.
- “As more and more comes out about this incident, not only when you see how brave they were,” USMS Director Ron Davis said Tuesday. “You will see examples of their courage and bravery. Let there be no mistake. They represent the best of us. They are truly America’s finest, and it’s just an honor to serve with them.”
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- Powerful storms unloaded flooding rainfall that swept away vehicles and triggered evacuations, delivered hail the size of softballs and spun up at least one damaging tornado in Texas Thursday.
- Dozens of tornadoes have hit from the Panhandle to the Gulf coast and months of rain has fallen in East Texas in intense spurts, causing rivers to rise to levels not seen since the devastating floods of Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
- Mandatory evacuations were ordered Thursday in parts of Harris County
- “We want you out of this area… this is a life-threatening situation,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said at a news conference.
- Mandatory evacuations due to flooding were also ordered for parts of San Jacinto County and Polk County, with voluntary evacuations for Montgomery County.
- Several more sites are forecast to experience major flooding by the weekend and could meet or exceed record levels set during Harvey.
- A “large and extremely dangerous” tornado impacted the towns of Hodges and Hawley – about 10 miles north of Abilene – Thursday evening.
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- The ban, which dates to early territorial days in 1864, forbids doctors from providing abortions except when necessary to save the life of the mother.
- The repeal will allow a 2022 law permitting abortions through 15 weeks of pregnancy to take effect.
- The Arizona House voted to repeal the ban last week, and the Senate followed suit on Wednesday, paving the way for Hobbs’ signature.
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- Emmanuel Macron has said he would be prepared to send troops to Ukraine if Vladimir Putin’s forces break through the front lines – further raising the risk of NATO forces clashing with Russia’s armies.
- In an interview published today, the French president said the issue of sending troops would ‘legitimately’ arise if Kyiv and President Volodymyr Zelensky made such a request.
- The Economist said Macron gave the interview after delivering a keynote speech last week where he declared that Europe is ‘mortal’ and could ‘die’ partly due to the threat posed by Russian aggression after its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
- It also came as Russia claimed its forces had taken another town in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, with Moscow’s armies continuing to push against Kyiv’s defenses.
- Russia is rushing to advance against struggling Ukrainian forces ahead of the long-awaited arrival of the bulk of US weapons to the front for Kyiv’s outgunned troops.
- ‘I’m not ruling anything out, because we are facing someone who is not ruling anything out,’ Macron said when asked if he stood by comments earlier this year not excluding the sending of Western troops that sent shockwaves around Europe.
- Such a move would see NATO troops go head-to-head with those in the Russian army, dramatically increasing the risk of an escalation.
- ‘I have a clear strategic objective: Russia cannot win in Ukraine,’ Macron said.
- ‘If Russia wins in Ukraine, there will be no security in Europe,’ he warned.
- ‘Who can pretend that Russia will stop there? What security will there be for the other neighboring countries, Moldova, Romania, Poland, Lithuania and the others?’
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- Arab Unofficial Reports: Hamas to Reject Ceasefire Deal as Israel Readies Rafah Forces
- Israel and the U.S. say the ball is in Hamas’ court as the world watches and waits for a response to Israel’s ceasefire offer.
- According to reports, that would see the release of some of the hostages as well as more aid for the people of Gaza.
- Arab media reports suggest Hamas will refuse the deal, though no official answer has been given.
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicates Hamas’ response will show whether or not the Iranian proxy has a heart for the Arabs it rules over.
- “Hamas has to decide whether it will take this deal and actually advance the situation for people that it purports to care about in Gaza,” Blinken stated. “There is no time for delay. There’s no time for further haggling. The deal is there. They should take it.”
- He continues to insist the soon-to-come Rafah invasion is a bad idea, but Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant insists invading the last Hamas stronghold is the best way to find and free the hostages.
- At the same time, the Biden administration is considering measures to help Palestinians – especially in the U.S.– to get their relatives in Gaza out and into America.
- It’s also considering action to let Palestinian visitors in the U.S. stay longer instead of deporting them.
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- A significant number of small businesses across the nation are struggling to pay rent due to skyrocketing costs, a recent study by business networking platform Alignable found.
- The company’s latest Small Business Rent report, published on Friday, found that 43 percent of small business renters in the U.S. were unable to pay their rent in full and on time in the month of April. Such a high delinquency rate hasn’t been reported in the U.S. since March 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it reached 49 percent.
- The delinquency rate was also four percentage points higher than in March, making it the largest month-over-month surge in over a year, according to data analyzed by Alignable. Newsweek contacted Alignable for comment by email on Tuesday morning.
- The state with the highest delinquency rate in the country was Texas with 52 percent of small business owners unable to pay their rent in full and on time in April, followed by Massachusetts (47 percent), California (46 percent), Maryland (42 percent), New York and Washington State (39 percent). The lowest delinquency rate was in Colorado, with 26 percent.
- Troubles among small businesses is trouble for the entire country’s economy, as small businesses employ nearly half of the entire American workforce, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and represents 43.5 percent of American GDP.
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- At least 200 people were arrested at UCLA Thursday, bringing the nationwide total of arrests to more than 2,000 at dozens of college campuses since police cleared an encampment at Columbia University in mid-April, according to a tally by The Associated Press.
- Demonstrations — and arrests — have occurred in almost every corner of the nation. But in the last 24 hours, they’ve drawn the most attention at the University of California, Los Angeles, where chaotic scenes played out early Thursday as officers in riot gear surged against a crowd of demonstrators.
- The arrests came after officers spent hours threatening arrests over loudspeakers if people did not disperse. A crowd of more than 1,000 had gathered on campus, including inside a barricaded tent encampment. Protesters and police shoved and scuffled as officer’s encountered resistance. Video showed police pulling off protesters’ helmets and goggles as they were detained.
- [According to NBC News: Campus protest encampments continue at more than 40 colleges nationwide, despite the breakup of the Columbia building occupation, as well as widespread arrests and threats of suspension or expulsion there.]
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- The tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in late March sadly claimed the lives of at least six people, including construction workers who had been repairing potholes on the bridge.
- Had the 985-foot-long cargo ship struck the bridge during rush hour or midday instead of the wee hours of the morning, the human carnage would have been unthinkable. As it is, this maritime disaster at the 20th largest port in the nation could have severe economic and supply chain implications for years to come.
- As I think about the ripple effect of consequences for local commuters in Maryland and the transportation industry at large, I’m reminded how some strategically placed bridges are an economy’s lifeline, both globally and domestically.
- If you think about, it could be said that the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is in the bridge-building business—connecting people to Almighty God exclusively through repentance and faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, every person who makes a decision for Christ at one of our Festivals, Celebrations or Tour events receives our Living in Christ discipleship booklet, which includes a diagram that illustrates how the cross of Christ bridges the vast chasm between us and God, and how we can cross the bridge through repentance and faith.
- After all, Jesus declared in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
- And like the emergency responders who warned drivers to turn away from the impending doom of the collapsed bridge, I am compelled by God’s love to warn and encourage people across the U.S. and around the globe to repent of their sins by turning from the wide path that leads to destruction and instead follow Christ’s narrow path to God’s forgiveness and healing.
- Unlike man-made bridges that collapse under extreme forces, Jesus bore the weight of humanity’s sins—past, present and future. The Son of God, who never once sinned, shed His blood and died for every single one of our trespasses—“for the wages of sin is death,” (Romans 6:23).
- Yet the grave could not hold our Savior and Lord, whose resurrection power remains alive and well. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22).
- While longstanding pillars of civilization become increasingly unsteady with society’s rejection of God’s Word as absolute truth, people are longing for an unshakable foundation.
- As our country observed the annual National Day of Prayer on May 2, may we continue to faithfully intercede daily on behalf of our nation, its leaders and lost souls everywhere? I still believe that God longs to fulfill His promise and answer the prayers of His people if they are willing to humble themselves, and pray and seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Read the original article by clicking here.
Important Takeaways:
- US retailers confirmed another 169 closures last week – bringing the total so far this year up to almost 2,600.
- Physical stores in shopping malls, strip malls, downtown centers and on Main Street in towns have been under threat from online retail and changing tastes.
- ‘Year to date, in 2024, major US retailers have announced 7.4 percent fewer openings and 12.3 percent more closures compared to the same time last year,’ read a report by Coresight Research on closures announced over the week ending April 26. The full list is below.
- The total of 2,587 closures in the first 17 weeks of the year is almost 300 more than at the same time last year, but a thousand less than the number of openings.
- Announced week ending April 26
- Express’s additional 103 store closures planned for this year
- Outfox Hospitality’s 35 store closures
- Ashley’s 13 store closures
- Urban Outfitters’ estimated seven (additional) store closures planned for this year
- Anthropologie’s estimated five (additional) store closures planned for this year
- Free People’s three store closures planned for this year
- In addition, Shop ’n Save, The Buckle and Walmart announced the closure of one store each.
Read the original article by clicking here.
