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Israel’s Herzog to address Congress amid tensions with Washington

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Israel’s Herzog to address Congress amid tensions with Washington


WASHINGTON, July 19 (Reuters) – Israeli President Isaac Herzog will address Congress on Wednesday, completing a visit aimed at reassuring the United States that Israel’s democracy remains strong despite government attempts to overhaul the country’s judicial system.

On Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden met Herzog, whose position is largely ceremonial, and stressed their countries’ close ties despite U.S. tensions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

“Israeli democracy is tough and resilient and we should definitely see the current debate in Israel with all facets as a tribute to the strength of Israeli democracy,” Herzog told reporters at the White House grounds after meeting Biden.

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Herzog follows his father, Chaim Herzog, who as president in 1987 was accorded the same rare honor of addressing a joint meeting of the U.S. House and Senate, one of the highest marks of esteem Washington affords foreign dignitaries.

The invitation was extended by the leaders of Congress last year to mark the 75th anniversary of Israel’s founding.

The speech is not without controversy.

Ties have been strained over Israeli settlement expansion on the occupied West Bank and what Washington sees as dimming prospects for a two-state solution to relations with the Palestinians as well as a judicial overhaul that for months has drawn protesters into Israel’s streets who decry it as anti-democratic.

A handful of the most progressive Democrats in Congress said they would boycott Herzog’s remarks.

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Representative Rashida Tlaib, who is Palestinian-American, said on Twitter she would not attend. “I urge all Members of Congress who stand for human rights for all to join me,” she said, with a picture of herself holding a “Boycott Apartheid” sign on the Capitol steps.

Representatives Ilhan Omar, Jamaal Bowman and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also did not plan to attend.

Omar said on Twitter “there is no way in hell” she would be at the speech.

“Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s address comes on behalf of the most right wing government in Israel’s history, at a time when the government is openly promising to ‘crush’ Palestinian hopes of statehood — essentially putting a nail in the coffin of peace and a two-state solution,” Omar said.

It is not unusual for members of Congress to miss foreign leaders’ addresses. Several skipped Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech to Congress in June, citing issues including rights concerns.

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More than 50 Democrats stayed away from a 2015 speech to Congress by Netanyahu that was seen as an embrace of congressional Republicans and snub of then-Democratic President Barack Obama’s Iran policy. Biden, who was vice president and thus president of the Senate, also did not attend.

Biden and Herzog last met at the White House in October. Netanyahu returned to power in December.

On Monday, Biden invited Netanyahu to the United States for an official visit later this year.

Biden had held off extending the invitation out of concern over Jewish settlements and the planned judicial overhaul. Israelis have protested the plan for months, including on Tuesday.

Proponents of the Israeli government’s judicial overhaul say the country’s Supreme Court has become too interventionist and that the change will facilitate effective governance.

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Opponents say the change will weaken the Supreme Court, which in a country that has no constitution and a one-chamber parliament that is dominated by the government – has a critical role in protecting civil rights and liberties.

Reporting by Patricia Zengerle
Editing by Don Durfee and Howard Goller

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Patricia Zengerle has reported from more than 20 countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and China. An award-winning Washington-based national security and foreign policy reporter who also has worked as an editor, Patricia has appeared on NPR, C-Span and other programs, spoken at the National Press Club and attended the Hoover Institution Media Roundtable. She is a recipient of the Edwin M. Hood Award for Diplomatic Correspondence.



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4 Third Basemen the Washington Nationals Need To Pursue This Offseason

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4 Third Basemen the Washington Nationals Need To Pursue This Offseason


There is a lot to like about the Washington Nationals in the future. They are loaded with young talent up and down the roster, whether it is in the lineup or on their pitching staff.

However, there are a few areas of concern heading into the offseason. One of the positions that could use an upgrade is third base.

Who could the Nationals look to add to their roster at the hot corner? Here are four players they need to pursue in the winter to upgrade their lineup.

One of the most accomplished players hitting free agency, the Houston Astros star is going to get paid a large sum of money. A two-time World Series champion and turning 31 right before the 2025 campaign, he can lock things down at third base for years to come.

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His market is going to be robust as the clear-cut No. 1 option at the position that is hitting the market. A ton of teams are going to try and land him and it will take a ton of money to pry him away from the Astros.

If Washington wants to go to the top of the market, there isn’t a better option that will be available. However, it could be argued that they would be better off spending top dollar at first base; at least there are options in-house at third who could handle innings here such as Jose Tena, Ildemaro Vargas and prospects Brady House and Cayden Wallace.

The veteran hitting free agency is not yet a sure thing. The Arizona Diamondbacks have a $15 million club option that can be exercised and retain him for 2025.

Even if that does occur, Suarez could be made available on the trade market. Rumors swirled about him being a trade candidate ahead of this past summer’s deadline when he was struggling. 

He ended the season on a high note, restoring his value. The Nationals won’t find a better answer to their home run problem at third base than the veteran righty, who has hit 21+ home runs in every season since 2016, excluding the COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign. In only 57 games that season, he did launch 15 homers.

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Intra-divisional trades are quite rare. Seeing the NL East rival New York Mets make a deal to strengthen Washington’s outlook would certainly be a surprise, but if the right deal is there to be made, why not pull the trigger?

Baty is someone that could be mentioned in trade rumors all winter given the emergence of Mark Vientos at third base. While there are some concerns about Vientos’s glove long-term, the bat certainly plays.

Anyone acquiring Baty would be buying low after his chance to lockdown third base long-term in Queens didn’t come to fruition. But, it wasn’t long ago that he was a top 100 prospect in baseball. 

A change of scenery could help him get back on track and he would fit in perfectly on the timeline the Nationals are now operating with.

Washington has aspirations to turn things around quickly. For that to happen, they need some veterans who can lead the young guys, showing them exactly what it takes to succeed at the Major League level.

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While not exclusively a third baseman, Enrique Hernandez can fill the void there adequately, providing leadership and guidance while also possessing World Series experience. After logging 529 solid innings at the hot corner with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he can keep the seat warm until a young guys is ready.

After that, he can shift into a super-utility role, as he has logged at least one inning at every position except catcher in his professional career. Hernandez would provide insurance in the outfield and middle infield and is once again proving to be a clutch postseason performer.



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VOA reporter shares early voting experience in Washington, DC

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VOA reporter shares early voting experience in Washington, DC


Early voting is underway in Washington, DC with voters casting their ballots ahead of Tuesday’s November 5th general election. VOA’S Anthony LaBruto gives viewers an inside look at some of the specifics of the voting process as he casts his ballot for the first time in the U.S. capital.



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After DC apartment explosion, I-Team finds missed warning signs and no insurance

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After DC apartment explosion, I-Team finds missed warning signs and no insurance


An explosion shook an entire apartment building in Northwest D.C. the morning of Sept. 20 and residents ran. It felt like an earthquake, one resident told the News4 I-Team.

D.C. Fire blames the explosion in Columbia Heights on a gas leak from a stove inside an apartment. The woman using that stove was sent to the hospital. No one else was hurt, but D.C.’s Department of Buildings said no one could live in the building at 1433 Columbia Road NW until repairs were made and 41 building code violations found after the explosion were fixed.

Following the explosion, D.C.’s Office of the Tenant Advocate, a city-funded office, snapped into action and spent more than $250,000 on emergency housing for the tenants. It’s money it would get back with liens on the building, but that’s a court process and the building already has been tied up in court for years. Additionally, the OTA supplied rental vans to help tenants move to new housing.

More than a month later, District-funded emergency housing for the residents has run out but needed repairs haven’t even begun, according to the city. The I-Team found it’s not the only obligation the building’s owners, Helenia and John Steininger, a mother and son, have ignored.

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A lawsuit filed last year claims the Steiningers owe D.C. Water $81,019.33 in delinquent water bills. D.C. Water asked the court to appoint a receiver but kept the water on. Property tax records show the family owes $206,655.68 in property taxes. The records show they haven’t paid taxes in the past three years, possibly longer. A tax sale is pending.

Maybe most concerning, the property has no insurance to pay for repairs. Court records in the property tax case show Ms. Steininger and her son told the court they had no insurance on the building and according to court records, “repairs will be expensive.” There is no law in D.C. requiring landlords to have insurance.

The News4 I-Team called and emailed the owners and attorneys who represented them in the past. We didn’t get any response to our questions. A visit to Ms. Steininger’s Northwest D.C. home didn’t yield answers either. A caregiver for the elderly owner wouldn’t let our team speak with her and didn’t say when she could.

Minutes after our visit, the owner’s son emailed, not to answer our questions but referring us to an attorney who indicated she doesn’t represent them on these issues. Her son didn’t reply to our questions either.

Residents had described substandard conditions for years

The conditions are no surprise to Abel Núñez, executive director of the aid group Carecen. Núñez said the group has tried for years to help the tenants deal with the conditions and a landlord who they said didn’t insist on safe repairs.

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“The conditions are horrible,” Núñez told the I-Team. “This is a place that you would consider being run by a slumlord. But it wasn’t that black and white because the owner wasn’t necessarily exploiting them, more than just allowing them to do what they would do.”

He explained tenants told him they were allowed to do illegal sublets and make their own repairs to the building. One tenant told us, “We were very worried because they don’t say nothing about the lights, about their repairs, because they don’t do nothing.”

The building was last inspected in 2018, when 30 violations were found. Online records don’t show if repairs were made. City law makes it the landlord’s responsibility to maintain a safe building.

Speaking last week, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters, “I am not sure what the viability of that building is at this point. It’s in really bad shape.”

As he was helping his aunt move out of the building, part-time resident Stanley Valencia told the I-Team he felt D.C. officials could have forced the owners to do more.

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“They definitely should have done more,” he said.

Carecen’s Núñez said, “The city should create mechanisms to identify the owners, to either help them get right with the law and do what they need to do for their property or transition them out.”

Núñez told the I-Team, “They were willing to sacrifice good standard of living because they could afford to live in a neighborhood that they wanted to live.” In doing so, Núñez said, they sacrificed their own safety.

After the explosion, the D.C. Department of Buildings ordered the owners to submit a plan to fix the building and start repairs by mid-November. They still haven’t submitted a plan, let alone fixed anything.

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DC’s Department of Buildings turned down an interview offer from the I-Team but explained “since day one … the District government has been working with residents. The Department of Buildings is ready to issue the permits to the landlord to do the necessary repairs and, until that happens, the building unfortunately must stay closed. In the interim, the District government is working with the tenants on removing their belongings if they desire and is also connecting them with community resources.”

The Department’s written statement didn’t say anything about the years before and it’s unclear if the residents, who were paying below-market rent, complained – seemingly trapped by low rent in a high-cost city.

“That is the tragedy,” Núñez told the I-Team, “because if they’re saying, ‘If I fight, but in the end, I win, but lose my apartment… I really lost.’”



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