According to the statements of local authorities, Zabadani resort town in Damascus province, which is located 25 kilometers from the Syrian capital, is now fully liberated after the fierce clashes between Syrian Army and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants (ex. Al-Nusra front). Residents who left the city more than five years ago began to return homes and manage their further life.

It is worth noting that prior to the outbreak of hostilities Zabadani regarded as one of the flagship resort in Syria. The town was popular due to its favorable location near the Barada River (not far from the Syrian-Lebanese border) and attracted tourists with its extraordinary mountain scenery and picturesque landscapes.   Continue reading “Flagship Resort in Damascus Back to Peaceful Life”

The Weather Channel

More water rescues are underway now in Port Arthur, Texas, where Harvey evacuees thought they had escaped the storm’s worst.

Two senior care facilities in Port Arthur – Cypress Glen and Lake Arthur Place – took in water overnight, and residents are trapped as the buildings are inaccessible. Senior Care Centers said in a statement, “We will evacuate if rescue teams can make it to the buildings. We are notifying families this morning.”   Continue reading “‘No One Can Get In and No One Can Get Out’: 2 Port Arthur Nursing Homes Taking on Water”

New York Times – by Sabrina Tavernise

GEORGETOWN, Del. — One of the proudest moments of Robert Eldreth’s life was erecting a Confederate monument on a patch of grass behind the Georgetown Historical Society in 2007. It was the first monument to Delawareans who had served the Confederacy, and the fact that it came 142 years after the end of the war hardly mattered.

“It’s a lesson in history,” said Mr. Eldreth, who led the group that put it up. “It’s about our roots and the sacrifices that those citizens here in Delaware made. To me that’s so honorable.”

But amid the furor over Confederate monuments, touched off by the violence in Charlottesville, Va., two weeks ago, an unexpected reality has largely been overshadowed: While old monuments erected in bygone eras are coming down, new ones continue to go up.

Continue reading “A Boom in Confederate Monuments, on Private Land”

ABC News

A mysterious chemical haze that left scores of people on the English coast with streaming eyes, sore throats and breathing problems has dissipated, but its cause remains a mystery, police and emergency services said Monday.

The gas cloud appeared Sunday, sending people fleeing from the beach and cliffs at Birling Gap, a coastal beauty spot about 60 miles (100 kms) south of London.

Life boats were dispatched to help clear people from beaches, and Eastbourne District General Hospital said it had treated more than 130 people. Sussex Police said the injuries were mostly minor.   Continue reading “Scores treated after mystery ‘chemical haze’ hits UK coast”

Mail.com

CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) — The teenager suspected of killing two people and injuring four others in a public library had been searching for “inner peace” shortly before the shooting, the youth’s pastor said.

Nathaniel Jouett, 16, started attending Living Word Church of God three months ago and appeared to be turning his life around after having contemplated suicide several months earlier, Pastor David Stevens said.   Continue reading “Teen mass shooting suspect was searching for ‘inner peace’”

Mail.com

With a new school year dawning, education officials are grappling with whether to remove the names, images and statues of Confederate figures from public schools — especially since some are now filled with students of color.

The violence at a white nationalist rally over a Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, is giving school officials a new reason to reconsider whether it’s appropriate for more than 100 schools to be named after Confederate generals and politicians from the Old South.   Continue reading “Public schools grappling with Confederate names, images”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will kick off his lobbying effort for a tax overhaul at an event with a Midwestern manufacturing backdrop and some economic tough talk. The one thing missing? A detailed proposal.

Instead, in Springfield, Missouri, Wednesday, Trump will give remarks the White House said will focus on his “vision” for spurring job creation and economic growth by cutting rates and revising the tax code. Details will come later, officials said, when lawmakers work them out.   Continue reading “Trump pushes tax overhaul, says it’s ‘badly needed’”

LA Times – by WJ Hennigan

Pentagon officials said Tuesday that National Guard assets are at full readiness to assist in the unfolding disaster in Texas wrought by Tropical Storm Harvey.

Maj. Gen. James C. Witham, director of domestic operations for the National Guard, told Pentagon reporters that up to 30,000 guardsmen as well as a U.S. naval amphibious assault ship could be called upon to help out in rescue efforts on the ground.

There are 30 National Guard helicopters flying in Texas in support of relief efforts surrounding the hurricane and subsequent tropical storm, with 24 more requested, he said.   Continue reading “Pentagon says up to 30,000 National Guard troops prepared to assist in response to Harvey”

USA Today

The largest refinery in the U.S. is temporarily shutting down following devastating local floods from Hurricane Harvey and the aftermath, adding to a raft of factors driving gasoline prices higher.

The Saudi-owned Motiva refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, began what it called “a controlled shutdown” at 5 a.m. Wednesday.

The closure marks the latest in a series of outages at Texas Gulf Coast refineries that have led to a nationwide spike in gasoline prices.   Continue reading “The nation’s largest oil refinery shuts down as Hurricane Harvey floods Texas”

Daily Mail

People are impersonating Homeland Security special agents and telling residents to evacuate in order to ransack their homes in a sinister twist to Tropical Storm Harvey that has left at least 18 people dead.

An overnight curfew has been imposed in Houston after a spate of robberies and looting.

City officials announced the midnight to 5am clampdown after police arrested a crew of armed robbers who were hijacking vehicles and reports of thefts from some of the thousands of homes that lay partially underwater and abandoned by fleeing residents.  Continue reading “Fake Homeland Security and immigration agents are ordering Houston residents to evacuate in a bid to rob their houses, report warns”

Fox News – by Alex Pappas

The FBI is declining to turn over files related to its investigation of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s emails by arguing a lack of public interest in the matter.

Ty Clevenger, an attorney in New York City, filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in March of 2016 asking for a variety of documents from the FBI and the Justice Department, including correspondence exchanged with Congress about the Clinton email investigation.   Continue reading “FBI shuts down request for files on Hillary Clinton by citing lack of public interest”

The Organic Prepper

While it’s true there are a lot of stories about division and heartlessness, there are many stories coming out of storm-torn Texas that will give you hope for humanity again. Kindness and love for our neighbors isn’t dead, despite a politically divided country. This is proof that we can work together and give selflessly.

This isn’t to underplay the death and destruction, but to highlight our humanity in the face of disaster.   Continue reading “10 Hurricane Harvey Stories That Will Give You Hope for America”

Liberty Blitzkrieg – by Michael Krieger

This past weekend, my brother and his girlfriend came out to visit and it once again reminded me of what really matters in life. I’ve noticed that having friends and family in town forces someone like me to disconnect from the 24/7 news cycle more than usual, which I always find to be extraordinarily healthy.

On the few occasions that I checked in with Twitter, it seemed as if half the stream was yelling hysterically about antifa and the other half was fear-mongering about neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Both groups seemed utterly deranged and intent on fostering the very destructive environment they claim to be fighting. As I’ve made clear since I started writing many years ago, I’m completely against violent solutions to our problems. It doesn’t make a difference to me whether that violence comes from insecure white dudes with swastika tattoos, or cowardly “anti-facsists” dressed up like video game ninja characters assaulting people. Why does it seems so difficult for people to just condemn both groups for the unconscious goons they are without picking a side.   Continue reading “Stop Asking the Federal Government to Label Groups You Dislike ‘Terrorists’”

AOL

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is urging illegal immigrants to seek flood-related assistance in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, reports the Washington Examiner.

His message comes amid rumors that those reporting to shelters would be asked about their immigration status and asked to produce documentation.

The City of Houston noted in a duo Monday night tweets, one in Spanish and one in English, “We will not ask for immigration status or papers from anyone at any shelter. This rumor is FALSE!”    Continue reading “Houston mayor works to dispel deportation rumors, urges illegal immigrants to seek flood assistance”