DEARBORN, Michigan: Osama Siblani’s phone won’t stop ringing.
Just days after President Joe Biden withdrew his bid for reelection and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic presidential nomination, top officials from both major political parties have been asking the publisher of the Dearborn-based Arab American News if Harris can regain the support of the nation’s largest Muslim population located in metro Detroit.
His response: “We are in listening mode.”
Harris, who is moving to seize the Democratic nomination after Biden stepped down, appears to be pivoting quickly to the task of convincing Arab American voters in Michigan, a state Democrats believe she can’t afford to lose in November, that she is a leader they can unite behind.
Community leaders have expressed a willingness to listen, and some have had initial conversations with Harris’ team. Many had grown exacerbated with Biden after they felt months of outreach had not yielded many results.
“The door is cracked open since Biden has stepped down,” said Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud. “There’s an opportunity for the Democratic nominee to coalesce the coalition that ushered in Biden’s presidency four years ago. But that responsibility will now fall on the vice president.”
Arab American leaders such as Hammoud and Siblani are watching closely for signals that Harris will be more vocal in pressing for a ceasefire. They’re excited by her candidacy but want to be sure she will be an advocate for peace and not an unequivocal supporter of Israel.
But Harris will need to walk a fine line not to publicly break with Biden’s position on the war in Gaza, where officials in his administration have been working diligently toward a ceasefire, mostly behind the scenes.
The divide within Harris’ own party was evident in Washington last week during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to address Congress. Some Democrats supported the visit, while others protested and refused to attend. Outside the Capitol, pro-Palestinian protesters were met with pepper spray and arrests.
Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress whose district includes Dearborn, held up a sign that read “war criminal” during Netanyahu’s remarks.
Harris did not attend.
Some Arab American leaders interpret her absence — she instead attended a campaign event in Indianapolis — as a sign of good faith with them, though they recognize her ongoing responsibilities as vice president, including a meeting Thursday with Netanyahu.
Her first test within the community will come when Harris chooses a running mate. One of the names on her short list, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, has been public in his criticism of pro-Palestinian protesters and is Jewish. Some Arab American leaders in Michigan say putting him on the ticket would ramp up their unease about the level of support they could expect from a Harris administration.
“Josh Shapiro was one of the first ones to criticize the students on campus. So it doesn’t differentiate Harris very much if she picks him. That just says I’m going to continue the same policies as Biden,” said Rima Meroueh, director of the National Network for Arab American Communities.
Arab Americans are betting that their vote holds enough electoral significance in pivotal swing states like Michigan to ensure that officials will listen to them. Michigan has the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the nation, and the state’s majority-Muslim cities overwhelmingly supported Biden in 2020. He won Dearborn, for example, by a roughly 3-to-1 margin over former President Donald Trump.
In February, over 100,000 Michigan Democratic primary voters chose “uncommitted,” securing two delegates to protest the Biden administration’s unequivocal support for Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. Nationally, “uncommitted” garnered a total of 36 delegates in the primaries earlier this year.
The groups leading this effort have called for — at a minimum — an embargo on all weapons shipments to Israel and a permanent ceasefire.
“If Harris called for an arms embargo, I would work around the clock every day until the election to get her elected,” said Abbas Alawieh, an “uncommitted” Michigan delegate and national leader of the movement. “There’s a real opportunity right now to unite the coalition. It’s on her to deliver, but we are cautiously optimistic.”
Those divisions were on full display Wednesday night when the Michigan Democratic Party brought together over 100 delegates to pitch them on uniting behind Harris. During the meeting, Alawieh, one of three state delegates who did not commit to Harris, was speaking when another delegate interrupted him by unmuting and telling him to “shut up,” using an expletive, according to Alawieh.
The call could be a preview of tensions expected to surface again in August, when Democratic leaders, lawmakers, and delegates convene in Chicago for the party’s national convention. Mass protests are planned, and the “uncommitted” movement intends to ensure their voices are heard within the United Center, where the convention will be held.
Trump and his campaign, meanwhile, are keenly aware of the turmoil within the Democratic base and are actively seeking the support of Arab American voters. That effort has been complicated by Trump’s history of anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy during his one term as president.
A meeting between over a dozen Arab American leaders from across the country and several of Trump’s surrogates was convened in Dearborn last week. Among the surrogates was Massad Boulos, a Lebanese-born businessman whose son married Tiffany Trump, the former president’s younger daughter, two years ago. Boulos is leveraging his connections to rally support for Trump.
Part of the pitch that Boulos and Bishara Bahbah, chairman of Arab Americans for Trump, made in Dearborn was that Trump has shown an openness to a two-state solution. He posted a letter on social media from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and pledged to work for peace in the Middle East.
“The three main points that were noted in the meeting were that Trump needs to state more clearly that he wants an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and that he supports the two-state solution, and that there is no such thing as a Muslim ban,” said Bahbah. “This is what the community wants to hear in a clear manner.”
Before a July 20 rally in Michigan, Trump also met with Bahbah, who pressed him about a two-state solution. According to Bahbah, Trump responded affirmatively, saying, “100 percent.”
But any apparent political opportunity for Trump may be limited by criticism from many Arab Americans about the former president’s ban on immigration from several majority Muslim countries and remarks they felt were insulting.
“I have not heard any individuals saying I’m now rushing to Donald Trump,” said Hammoud, Dearborn’s Democratic mayor. “I have yet to hear that in any of the conversations I’ve had. They all know what Donald Trump represents.”
Siblani, who organized Wednesday’s meeting with Trump surrogates, has spent months serving as an intermediary between his community and officials from all political parties and foreign dignitaries. Privately, he says, almost all express the need for a permanent ceasefire.
“Everybody wants our votes, but nobody wants to be seen as aligning with us publicly,” Siblani said.
Arab American leaders are listening as Kamala Harris moves to shore up key swing-state support
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Arab American leaders are listening as Kamala Harris moves to shore up key swing-state support
- Top officials from both major political parties have been asking Arab American leaders if Harris can regain the support of the nation’s largest Muslim population located in metro Detroit
- Kamala Harris appears to be pivoting quickly to the task of convincing Arab American voters in Michigan
South Korea’s acting leader Han resigns amid reports he will run for president
- Han, who Yoon had appointed prime minister, the country’s No. 2 post, is expected to align with the People Power Party to launch a unified conservative campaign against liberal front-runner Lee Jae-my
- Han is to formally end his term at midnight after he signs a related document
SEOUL, South Korea: South Korea’s acting leader, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, said Thursday he is resigning to take on “heavier responsibility” amid expectation he will run in next month’s presidential election.
Han has emerged as a potential conservative standard bearer as the main conservative People Power Party remains in disarray over the recent ouster of President Yoon Suk Yeol. Observers expect Han to officially launch his presidential campaign on Friday.
“I have two paths ahead of me. One is completing the heavy responsibility that I handle now. The other is putting down that responsibility and taking a heavier responsibility,” Han said in a nationally televised announcement. “I’ve finally determined to put down my post to do what I can and what I have to help overcome the crises facing us.”
Han, who Yoon had appointed prime minister, the country’s No. 2 post, is expected to align with the People Power Party to launch a unified conservative campaign against liberal front-runner Lee Jae-myung, observers say.
Han, 75, is a career bureaucrat with about 40 years of public service and a Harvard doctorate in economics. He has held many top posts under both conservative and liberal governments, including trade minister, finance minister and ambassador to the US He’s served as prime minster twice, first under liberal President Roh Moo-hyun from 2007 to 2008 and later under Yoon.
Han’s supporters say his extensive government experience, especially on economic affairs, would make him the right leader who can deal with President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff policies and other economic problems. But his critics say Han — who has never had an elected post — has no strong political support base and is too old to become president.
Lee’s main liberal opposition Democratic Party lambasted Han’s move. “Only the people’s severe punishment awaits Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is blind with greed and abandons state affairs,” party spokesperson Cho Seung-rae said.
Han is to formally end his term at midnight after he signs a related document, according to South Korean media. With Han’s resignation, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok becomes acting president until a new leader is elected on June 3.
Lee, who won the nomination of the Democratic Party on Sunday, has been favored to win. But his campaign suffered a blow Thursday after the Supreme Court ordered a lower court to review its earlier cancelation of his conviction over election law violation charges.
While it’s unclear the Seoul High Court will come up with a new ruling on Lee before the June 3 election, the development provided his conservative rivals with fodder for a political offensive. Under South Korean law, anyone who receives a fine exceeding 1 million won ($683) for election law violations is barred from running for elections for five years.
The Democratic Party condemned the Supreme Court for allegedly trying to interfere in the election.
After the liberal opposition-controlled parliament impeached Yoon on Dec. 14 over his martial law declaration that plunged the country into turmoil, Han began serving as acting leader.
But Han quickly clashed with Lee’s Democratic Party over his refusal to fill three vacant seats on the nine-member Constitutional Court, which was deliberating whether to formally dismiss or reinstate Yoon. A court decision to dismiss Yoon needed support from at least six justices.
In late December, the Democratic Party and other small opposition parties voted to impeach Han, accusing him of obstructing the restoration of the court’s full membership and abetting Yoon’s martial law decree. In March, however, the Constitutional Court overturned Han’s impeachment, reinstating him as acting president. The court in early April ruled to dismiss Yoon.
Yoon separately faces a criminal trial for rebellion in connection with his martial law decree. On Thursday, prosecutors added charges of abuse of power, according to a Seoul prosecutors’ office.
Attack in Russian-occupied Ukrainian region leaves 7 dead, Moscow-appointed officials say
- The attack in the Kherson region, which struck a market in the town of Oleshky, killed seven and wounded ‘more than 20’ people
KYIV: A Ukrainian drone attack left at least seven people dead in the partially-occupied Ukrainian region of Kherson Thursday, Russia-appointed officials there said.
The attack in the Kherson region, which struck a market in the town of Oleshky, killed seven and wounded “more than 20” people, Moscow-appointed governor Vladimir Saldo said.
“At about 09:30 Moscow time in Oleshky, in the area of the central market, Ukrainian forces carried out a massive strike with FPV drones on civilians. At the time of the attack, there were many people in the market,” Saldo wrote on Telegram.
Meanwhile, a Russian drone strike on the Black Sea port city of Odesa early Thursday killed two people and injured 15 others, Ukrainian emergency services said.
Regional Gov. Oleh Kiper said the barrage struck apartment buildings, private homes, a supermarket and a school.
Videos shared by Kiper on Telegram showed a high-rise building with a severely damaged facade, a shattered storefront, and firefighters battling flames.
A drone struck and ignited a fire at a petrol station in the center of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia sent 170 exploding drones and decoys into five Ukrainian regions in the latest wave of attacks overnight into Thursday. It said 74 of them were intercepted and another 68 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed. In addition to the drones, it said Russia launched five ballistic missiles during the overnight assault.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that air defenses shot down eight Ukrainian drones overnight.
The latest wave of attacks came after the US and Ukraine on Wednesday signed an agreement granting American access to Ukraine’s vast mineral resources, finalizing a deal months in the making that could enable continued military aid to Kyiv amid concerns that President Donald Trump might scale back support in ongoing peace negotiations with Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire next week in Ukraine to mark Victory Day in World War II as the US presses for a deal to end the 3-year-old war.
The Kremlin said the truce to mark Russia’s defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 — the country’s biggest secular holiday — will run from the start of May 8 and last through the end of May 10.
Ukraine, which has previously agreed to US President Donald Trump’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, dismissed Putin’s move. In response, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called for an immediate ceasefire lasting “at least 30 days.”
New Zealand hit by destructive winds, heavy rain and snow and high waves
- Thursday’s red wind warning for Wellington, at the southern end of New Zealand’s North Island, was the first time the capital has ever faced the most severe alert level
WELLINGTOn: Severe weather warnings covered swathes of New Zealand on Thursday with heavy downpours prompting a state of emergency for the South Island’s largest city, Christchurch, while forecasters recorded “destructive” gales in the capital, Wellington.
Heavy snow and large waves lashed other parts of the country. No deaths or serious injuries were reported. The extent of damage was not clear by afternoon, but evacuations were not widespread.
Thursday’s red wind warning for Wellington, at the southern end of New Zealand’s North Island, was the first time the capital — famous for its gusty gales — has ever faced the most severe alert level. Residents were urged to stay indoors, avoid travel and keep away from doors and windows as gusts of up to 150 kph (93 mph) posed a “threat to life” from falling trees and flying objects, the forecaster Metservice said.
Flights to and from Wellington were canceled throughout Thursday and passenger ferry sailings between the North and South Islands were halted until at least Friday afternoon. Metservice expected 5 meter (16 foot) swells in the Cook Strait, the body of water between New Zealand’s two largest islands.
About 1,000 properties were without electricity Thursday afternoon in the wider Wellington region, which has a population of 550,000. The city’s largest university closed for the day, the Royal New Zealand Ballet canceled an evening performance, and several schools sent students home.
Wellington is New Zealand’s windiest city — registering gusts at gale speeds of 63 kph (39 mph) on about half the days of the year. But Wellington’s emergency management chief, Dan Neely, warned residents to take the warnings seriously because the southerly tempest was unusually strong and could threaten lives, Radio New Zealand reported.
In the city of Christchurch, the largest on the South Island, and in some nearby rural areas, heavy deluges caused rivers to spill over their banks, closing roads and prompting fears the floodwaters could reach homes. Local states of emergency were declared Thursday, including in Christchurch, Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell told reporters.
Orange-level warnings — the second most serious — were issued across parts of both islands for severe rain and large sea swells, and in some South Island districts for heavy snow. The storm system that lay across much of the country Thursday was due to ease Friday.
New Zealanders are accustomed to wild winter conditions because of geographic features that produce variable and sometimes extreme weather across the country of 5 million people. But it was unusual that such widespread warnings were issued.
Man arrested in Japan after car plows into children
- The driver was a 28-year-old man who lives in Tokyo
TOKYO: A man was arrested in the Japanese city of Osaka after allegedly plowing his car deliberately into seven schoolchildren on Thursday, local media said.
The children, who had been on their way home from school, were injured and rushed to hospital but all seven remained conscious, public broadcaster NHK and other outlets said.
Police could not immediately confirm the reports to AFP.
The driver was a 28-year-old man who lives in Tokyo and Osaka police have held him on suspicion of attempted murder, the reports said, citing unidentified investigative sources.
NHK said the man admitted the charges to police and stated that he was “fed up with everything, so he rammed the car into them thinking to kill someone.”
The car was “zigzagging” as it hit the children, with one girl “covered in blood and other kids suffering what appeared to be scratches,” a witness told Nippon TV.
The man was wearing a surgical mask and “looked like he was in shock” after he was dragged out by school teachers, Nippon TV quoted a witness as saying.
Violent crime is rare in Japan but shocking incidents do sometimes occur.
In 2008, Tomohiro Kato rammed a rented two-ton truck into a crowd of pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, before getting out and going on a stabbing spree, in an attack that killed seven people.
“I came to Akihabara to kill people. It didn’t matter who I’d kill,” he told police at the time.
Kato was later sentenced to death and hanged in 2022.
Japan and the United States are the only two members of the Group of Seven industrialized economies to retain the death penalty, and there is overwhelming public support for the practice.
Prior to the 2008 attack, Kato complained online of his unstable job and his loneliness.
Prosecutors said his self-confidence had plummeted after a woman he chatted with online abruptly stopped emailing him when he sent her a photograph of himself.
Top South Korea court overturns not-guilty verdict of election frontrunner
- The latest Gallup poll shows the 60-year-old Lee in a considerable lead with 38 percent of support while all his rivals are locked in single digits
- The election was called in the wake of Yoon’s impeachment over the martial law attempt
SEOUL: South Korea’s Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a ruling that found a presidential frontrunner not guilty of violating election law, potentially scuppering Lee Jae-myung’s chances of running in the vote.
The June 3 election will decide who replaces impeached ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol, who was removed from office over his ill-fated declaration of martial law.
Former opposition leader Lee was cleared by a lower court in March of making false statements during a previous campaign, removing a major legal hurdle to his latest bid.
But the Supreme Court has now ordered a retrial that could see Lee, who is leading in the polls, barred from the election.
The top court ruled there had been a “legal misunderstanding” resulting in his acquittal.
Lee’s statements during his unsuccessful run for president in 2022 were “deemed false claims concerning matters of sufficient significance to mislead voters in assessing the candidate’s suitability for public office,” the court ruled.
“A candidate seeking public office cannot be granted the same scope and degree of freedom of expression as that afforded to ordinary citizens when they express opinions or beliefs on matters of public interest,” it said.
If found guilty by a lower court, Lee would be prevented from running for office for five years and could face a prison sentence or a fine of more than one million won ($700).
The latest Gallup poll shows the 60-year-old Lee in a considerable lead with 38 percent of support while all his rivals are locked in single digits.
The election was called in the wake of Yoon’s impeachment over the martial law attempt.
While Thursday’s verdict was a blow to Lee, political commentator and attorney Yoo Jung-hoon told AFP: “It usually takes about three months for a lower court to deliberate on a case remanded by the Supreme Court.
“It will be extremely difficult for the court to issue a ruling before the election.”
Even if the court does rule against Lee, he could still appeal, which would “buy him enough time to win,” Yoo said.
Aside from the election law violation case, Lee also faces a string of other trials on corruption allegations.
Should he win the presidency in June, these proceedings could be suspended under presidential immunity, and would resume once his term concludes.
Acting president Han Duk-soo meanwhile resigned on Thursday, hinting at a possible presidential bid.
“Two paths lay before me: one is to carry on in my current role, the other is to step down and take on a greater responsibility,” Han said in a farewell address.
The 75-year-old is expected to formally announce his candidacy on Friday.
