Obed Manuel

2 days ago | wusf.org | Steve Inskeep |Obed Manuel

Updated June 4, 2025 at 2:34 PM EDTAllegations that Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza are "insane" and "ridiculous," an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told NPR. Just a day after reports that Israeli military forces killed 27 people near an aid distribution site, Caroline Glick, an Israeli American conservative journalist who serves as international affairs advisor to Israel, said in an interview on Morning Edition that the reports are false.

1 week ago | opb.org | Steve Inskeep |Obed Manuel |Reena Advani

With elite U.S. universities in President Trump’s crosshairs, the leader of Harvard University says institutions need to double down on their “commitment to the good of the nation” and be firm in what they stand for. The Trump administration, acting on its claims that Harvard has failed to stamp out antisemitism on campus, froze more than $2 billion in research grants and contracts in April and attempted to revoke the school’s ability to enroll international students last week.

2 weeks ago | boisestatepublicradio.org | Leila Fadel |Obed Manuel

Updated May 20, 2025 at 10:52 AM MDTIsrael – facing intense pressure from some European countries – has agreed to allow a "basic quantity" of food into Gaza after an almost three-month long blockade on supplies into the war-torn area. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated the move was in part a response to U.S. senators, whom he did not name, telling him that the U.S. would not be able to continue providing military aid and diplomatic support if Gaza faced mass starvation. But Sen.

4 weeks ago | opb.org | Obed Manuel |Steve Inskeep

Clerics wave US flags during the speech of the newly elected Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, Thursday, May 8. The election of Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV to lead the Roman Catholic Church raised an immediate question:What does this signal to the U.S. and President Trump? On Truth Social, the president called Leo’s election a “Great Honor for our country.” But there are obvious signs Trump and the new pope — who in his first statement urged peace and unity — are immediately at odds.

1 month ago | wusf.org | Leila Fadel |Obed Manuel

Updated May 1, 2025 at 11:05 AM EDTColumbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi walked out of a federal courthouse on Wednesday afternoon after a Vermont federal judge found that his two-week detention demonstrated "great harm" to someone not charged with a crime. Mahdawi, a lawful permanent resident detained over his pro-Palestinian activism, was greeted by a crowd of cheering supporters gathered outside the courthouse. "I am saying it clear and loud.