Opinion

WASHINGTON —  The Biden administration is facing mounting criticism that its support of Israel is ignoring massive civilian casualties, a potential war crime, while it also confronts ripples of dissent within its own governing ranks.After days of pointed complaints from King Abdullah II of Jordan, the United Nations and international humanitarian agencies, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Tuesday made his deepest plea to date for the safety of Palestinian civilians living under steady Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip.“Every civilian life is equally valuable,” Blinken told the U.N. Security Council. “We know Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people, and Palestinian civilians are not to blame for the carnage committed by Hamas. Palestinian civilians must be protected.”Tha...

The political fight over whether workers on strike should be allowed to collect unemployment benefits is reigniting in Washington.U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who is running for Senate, is planning to introduce legislation on Tuesday that would provide unemployment benefits nationwide to workers on strike. Most states don’t allow striking workers to collect unemployment with the exception of New York and New Jersey. Eligibility requirements and the amount of weekly unemployment pay also varies by state.Under the Empowering Striking Workers Act of 2023, workers would be able to collect unemployment pay after two weeks on strike, according to a draft of the bill viewed by The Times. Workers would also be eligible for unemployment benefits starting on the date a lockout begin...

Israeli diplomat Abba Eben famously said that the Palestinians “never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” Watching events in the Middle East over the last two weeks, that quote might seem newly relevant.But it seems even more fitting for the House GOP.At a time of international and domestic turmoil, with an unpopular incumbent Democratic president languishing in the polls, and the Republican presidential primary dominated by a many times-indicted election denier, it doesn’t take a Solon to realize it would be a good idea for the Republican House majority to strike a collective pose of reassuring competence.But they chose to go another way.As of Monday, nine House Republicans had announced they would seek the job of House speaker. This came after weeks of turmoil launched by Rep. M...

WASHINGTON —  He built his brand on being a roaring archconservative unafraid to take on liberals. He was a pioneer of this new right-wing faction that has become the face of the Republican Party. He was former President Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. House of Representatives. And now, he’s put California Republicans in a tough spot.Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan ended his bid to lead the lower chamber Friday after facing stiff opposition from moderates and other lawmakers in key districts.But all five California Republicans from districts President Biden won in 2020 — Young Kim of La Habra, David Valadao of Hanford, Mike Garcia of Santa Clarita, Michelle Steel of Seal Beach and John Duarte of Modesto — stood firmly behind Jordan throughout his three failed attempts to secure the gavel.The five Calif...

WASHINGTON —  Joe Biden didn’t set out to be a wartime president, but he made himself one.Last week, the president staked his place in history on the outcomes of two conflicts: Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine’s war against an invading Russia.When Biden came to the White House in 2021, his foreign policy goals were more modest. He wanted to rebuild alliances that had frayed under his predecessor, Donald Trump. He wanted to refocus on great-power competition with China. And he wanted to withdraw the last U.S. troops from Afghanistan — a mission he accomplished in chaos.Two events have changed the landscape.Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, seeking to turn an independent country into a colony. Last week, Israel prepared to launch a ground of...

President Biden’s voice may be more of a whisper than a roar these days, but on Thursday night, he was as loud and strong as he’s ever been.“The terrorist group Hamas unleashed pure unadulterated evil in the world,” Biden said. “But sadly, the Jewish people know, perhaps better than anyone, that there is no limit to the depravity of people when they want to inflict pain on others.” Opinion Columnist Robin Abcarian Condemning the corrosive forces of antisemitism and Islamophobia, he said the United States would continue to support and arm Israel as it wages war against Hamas, and would also send millions of dollars in humanitarian aid to Gaza to help ameliorate the effects of Israeli’s airstrikes and expanded blockade, which has cut off food, medicine, water...

WASHINGTON —  The Supreme Court agreed Friday to hear a second major case on social media and will decide whether the Biden White House violated the 1st Amendment when it urged platforms to take down “misinformation and disinformation” about COVID-19.Three conservatives dissented and said the court should have kept in place a judge’s order that barred administration officials from contacting social media sites.“Government censorship of private speech is antithetical to our democratic form of government,” Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil M. Gorsuch wrote, calling the court’s move to rule on the issue “highly disturbing.”The justices now have before them two contrasting views of how the 1st Amendment’s right to free speech applies to social media, bot...

WASHINGTON —  President Biden used a rare Oval Office address Thursday to urge Americans to support more military funding for Israel in the wake of a deadly Hamas attack and more aid for Ukraine in its protracted war against Russia, warning that both conflicts pose a threat to U.S. national security.“Our alliances are what keep us safe. And our values are what make us a partner that other nations want to work with,” Biden said in only his second address from behind the Resolute Desk. “We put all of that at risk if we walk away from Ukraine or turn our back on Israel.”Biden said he planned to send an emergency funding request to Congress that would provide more assistance for U.S. allies. The request, which the White House is expected to unveil Friday, totals more than $100 billion. The pro...

Baseball players are often averse to voicing political stances or taking sides in conflicts that don’t take place on a diamond. Fans, after all, come in all stripes. Backing Israel in its bloody conflict against Hamas is proving different. Former MLB infielder and current Texas Rangers executive Ian Kinsler wore the jersey of the Israeli national team Wednesday when he threw the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3 of the American League Championship Series. Kinsler managed the Israel national team during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. On Thursday, Israel Baseball posted a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, that featured 19 current and former major leaguers stating they are Jewish and asking viewers to “stand up against antisemitism” and “support Israel.” Houston Astros All-Star thir...

RAMALLAH, West Bank —  With each passing day, clashing narratives put forth by Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas about their bloodiest war to date have diverged ever more dramatically.But a dozen days into the conflict, after a lethal conflagration in the Gaza Strip, these dueling realities presented the starkest contrast yet — and underscored the danger that an already chaotic and unpredictable war could widen regionally.In the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank and across the Arab world, furious condemnation of Israel erupted over the deadly blast Tuesday night on the grounds of a Gaza hospital packed with Palestinians driven from their homes. Hamas blamed an Israeli airstrike.In Tel Aviv on Wednesday, a visiting President Biden firmly backed Israel’s content...