New legislation in Washington state went into effect this week that legalizes for the first time in ages the possession of marijuana. Federal law still says otherwise, though, setting up the Justice Department to make some serious determinations. Even as smoking up became protected by state law in Washington starting Thursday, coast-to-coast prohibition as provided by a long-standing federal ruling... 

Iranian Troops US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has recently described Iran as the hardest issue she has been dealing with as secretary of state. In 30-minute keynote address at the annual US-Israeli forum, Clinton clearly enunciated that she has failed to find a solution to Iran issue. “Iran is the hardest of the hard boards because of the dangers its behavior already poses and the geometrically... 

Israel fell into a carefully laid trap today by refusing to allow inspections of its weapons of mass destruction facilities. This has opened the door for the only possible response. It is sanction time for the Israelis. Let them reap what they have sown. And let us do what we must do. If the shoe were on the other foot, the Zios would be screaming to have the facilities bombed, but we won’t do that.... 

The US may soon name the Syrian rebel al-Nusra Front, one of the strongest among the opposition, a foreign terrorist group. The designation is likely to complicate the opposition’s fight against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The US Department of State has been collecting evidence against the group for several months to classify the Islamic radicals as a foreign terrorist organization. Officials... 

A “doomsday prepper” in a rural area of Maryland became a target for police and the FBI after he told an undercover cop that he was “very irritated” about Barack Obama’s re-election, sparking an investigation that eventually led to 46-year-old Terry Porter being thrown in prison and having his home raided by 150 armed officers. The series of events began when an anonymous... 

The United States Senate, Washington, DC The US Senate has passed by an overwhelming majority a new bill normalizing trading relations with the Russian Federation, while at the same time criticizing its former adversary’s human rights record. In response, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia would take similar, reciprocative actions. “During a meeting with Hillary Clinton in Dublin,... 

A crane completes a section of the Israeli regime’s separation barrier in Jerusalem, December 5, 2012. The European Union will consider passing a series of sanctions on the Israeli regime over its plan to construct thousands more illegal settler units on the occupied Palestinian land, a report says. The Israeli daily Maariv reported on Thursday that the EU move next week would include marking and... 

US President Barack Obama US President Barack Obama surmises that Damascus might have plans to use chemical weapons against foreign-backed militants in Syria. On Monday, Obama, whose country is accused of being a key member of an international coalition attempting to destabilize Syria, warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad not to use chemical weapons against the militants. There would be consequences... 

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has captured a US ScanEagle drone over the Persian Gulf waters upon its intrusion into the Iranian airspace. IRGC Navy Commander Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi made the announcement on Tuesday, adding that the Iranian armed forces enjoy full intelligence command over foreign movements in the Persian Gulf region. Referring to the captured ScanEagle drone,... 

The Israeli government’s decision to expand settlements is “a slap in the face for [the] US president,” according to former PM Ehud Olmert. He is the latest to join both domestic and foreign criticism of Israel’s punitive actions against Palestine. ­The Israeli government is unfreezing a controversial construction project in the occupied territories in retaliation for the Palestinian success... 

The Senate side of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. The US Senate has unanimously approved a motion to bar the Pentagon from purchasing any kind of military items from Russia’s major arms exporter Rosoboronexport over the firm’s weapons sales to Syria. The amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act authored by Republican Senator John Cornyn needs to be approved by the Congress. The... 

The building of the US White House The White House was reportedly opposed to a new round of sanctions against Iran that the Senate approved in its latest efforts to mount economic pressure on the Islamic Republic. On Thursday night, US senators voted 94-0 to a new round of sanctions against Iran’s energy, port, shipping and shipbuilding sectors in an amendment to the National Defense Authorization... 

North Korea says it will launch its second rocket this month to make up for a failed April attempt. North Korea is set to launch its second long-range rocket carrying a satellite by mid-December in a bid to make up for a failed attempt in April, official sources report. North Korea’s Korean Committee for Space Technology announced on Saturday that the country would launch its Unha-3 rocket between... 

Palestinians celebrate in Ramallah on November 29, 2012 after the upgrade of Palestine’s status at the United Nations by the UN General Assembly. The United Nations General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to upgrade Palestine’s status at the UN from “observer entity” to “observer non-member state” despite strong opposition by Israel and the US. On Thursday, the 193-member assembly voted... 

Leading US strategist Zbigniew Brzezinski rejects Israeli pressure to form American national security policy by beating the drum for war on Iran. Washington would not blindly follow Tel-Aviv if Israel chooses to unilaterally strike Iran, he said. Brzezinski said he would not advise President Barack Obama to back military action against Iran if Israel initiates a war. The observation was made at a...