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Palestinian American girl sues school after refusing Pledge of Allegiance

Palestinian American girl sues school after refusing Pledge of Allegiance

Washington Post4 hours ago

The father of a 14-year-old Michigan student is suing his daughter's school district and teacher on her behalf, alleging she was repeatedly humiliated and told to 'go back to your country' when she refused to stand for and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
The complaint was filed Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and the Arab American Civil Rights League acting for Jacob Khalaf on behalf of his daughter, Danielle Khalaf, who is a U.S. citizen of Palestinian descent. She was attending East Middle School in the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools District at the time of the incident.

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Former Supreme Court Justice Kennedy says ‘democracy is at risk'
Former Supreme Court Justice Kennedy says ‘democracy is at risk'

Politico

time15 minutes ago

  • Politico

Former Supreme Court Justice Kennedy says ‘democracy is at risk'

Former Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy warned Thursday that acrimonious political discourse and threats to judges are eroding the ability of the United States to serve as an example of democracy worldwide. 'Many in the rest of the world look to the United States to see what democracy is, to see what democracy ought to be,' Kennedy said during an online forum about threats to the rule of law. 'If they see a hostile, fractious discourse, if they see a discourse that uses identity politics rather than to talk about issues, democracy is at risk. Freedom is at risk.' Kennedy, who stepped down from the court in 2018, avoided specifics during his 10-minute speech as part of a series of presentations by current and former judges. However, the Reagan appointee's remarks appeared to be triggered at least in part by strident attacks President Donald Trump has mounted against judges, including some whom he appointed during his first term, who have ruled against the administration's policies on immigration, firings of federal workers and his implementation of broad-based tariffs. In March, Trump attacked U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg as a 'radical left lunatic' after he attempted to block the administration from deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members under a wartime presidential power Trump invoked. Trump also called for Boasberg, an Obama appointee, to be impeached. Last month, Trump issued a social media post denouncing 'USA-hating' judges as 'monsters who want our country to go to hell.' The extreme rhetoric has come alongside a spike in threats against judges, although administration spokespeople have said the president opposes any threats and the Justice Department will prosecute them. 'Judges must have protection for themselves and their families,' Kennedy said. 'Our families are often included in threats.' Some other participants were more explicit in calling out Trump's salvos at the courts. While also not mentioning Trump by name, U.S. District Judge Esther Salas invoked the president's statements more directly, arguing they are akin to attacks on judges that have caused other countries to slide into authoritarianism. 'Judges are rogue. Sound familiar? Judges are corrupt. Sound familiar? Judges are monsters. … Judges hate America,' Salas said. 'We are seeing the spreading of disinformation coming from the top down.' Salas, whose son was killed and her husband wounded by a disgruntled litigant at their New Jersey home in 2020, said the U.S. Marshals Service has tracked more than 400 threats against judges so far this year. 'We're going to break records — and not in a good way,' said the judge, an Obama appointee. In his remarks Thursday, one day before his former Supreme Court colleagues are set to deliver their final rulings of the current term, Kennedy did offer some indirect praise for Trump. The retired justice repeatedly said he welcomed the ceasefire in fighting between Israel and Iran — a deal brokered by the White House. 'The world is celebrating what looks like, what we hope might be, peace for a period of time in the Middle East,' Kennedy said. 'Peace is what gives us the opportunity to make democracy stronger, to make freedom more attainable, to make freedom greater for ourselves and the rest of the world. We must always say no to tyranny and yes to truth.'

Joint Chiefs chair spotlights 44 heroes who defended US base from Iran missile attack: 'Absolutely crushed it'
Joint Chiefs chair spotlights 44 heroes who defended US base from Iran missile attack: 'Absolutely crushed it'

Fox News

time16 minutes ago

  • Fox News

Joint Chiefs chair spotlights 44 heroes who defended US base from Iran missile attack: 'Absolutely crushed it'

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine revealed details of the young skeleton crew who were left to defend Al Udeid Air Base as they faced an incoming barrage of Iranian missiles on Monday. "We believe that this is the largest single Patriot engagement in U.S. military history," Caine said, referring to the U.S. surface-to-air missile defense system. "We were joined in this engagement by the Qatar Patriot cruise." Caine said the 44 soldiers left on base after it was evacuated ranged in age from 21 to 28. They were left with only two Patriot systems to defend the base, which is a major headquarters in the Middle East and home to 10,000 deployed American soldiers. "Imagine you're that young first lieutenant. You're 25 or 26 years old, and you've been assigned as the tactical director inside the command and control element. You, at that age, are the sole person responsible to defend this base," Caine said. He did not say if any of the Iranian missiles got through the Patriot defense systems. The Qataris have claimed one missile penetrated air defenses. "There was a lot of metal flying around. And yet our U.S. air defenders had only seconds to make complex decisions with strategic impact." "Simply stated, they absolutely crushed it," he concluded. Iran launched a missile attack on the Qatari-based U.S. base in response to U.S. attacks on its nuclear facilities. President Donald Trump revealed that Iran had given the U.S. a heads-up on the attack, in an effort to symbolically hit back at the strikes without escalating the situation. Iran used short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles to attack Al-Udeid Air Base, but no casualties were reported. The Al-Udeid base serves as a hub for logistical operations for the U.S. mission to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria. It also hosts Central Command's forward headquarters, as well as its air forces and special operations in the region. It has also been used as a headquarters for British involvement in airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq.

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