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Roughly a third of Democrat voters revealed that they feel President Joe Biden should be “tougher” on Israel, according to a recent poll. A Politico/Morning Consult poll conducted between April 5 and 7, which surveyed 6,004 registered voters, found that 33 percent of Democrat voters felt that Biden has not been “tough enough on Israel” in regards to the Israel and Hamas war, while eight percent felt that he has been “too tough.” Meanwhile, 42 percent of Democrat voters expressed that they felt Biden’s approach has been “just right.” When asked, 12 percent of Republicans and 19 percent of independents...

President Biden on Wednesday said the Ukrainian people have exceeded his expectations at a dinner with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and other military officials. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve been to Ukraine a number of times. I’ve spoken with them a lot. I was deeply involved. And I knew they were tough and proud. But I can tell you what, they are tougher and more proud than I thought,” Biden said.

Newly appointed White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci has posted his support for stringent gun-control laws – a position that would be at odds with President Trump’s views. “I have always been for strong gun control laws,” Scaramucci tweeted after the December 2012 shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in which 20 kids were gunned down. In August 2012, he tweeted: “We (the USA) has 5% of the world’s population but 50% of the world’s guns. Enough is enough. It is just common sense it apply more controls.”

The Middle East Quartet, made up of the US, EU, UN, and Russia, is scheduled to release a major policy report later in coming weeks, and senior diplomats involved in its drafting have indicated that the US is taking a far harder line on Israel than in the past. The report, which is likely to be released in late May or early June, will focus heavily on Israeli construction in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem, senior diplomats told AP. The Quartet’s report will also take Israel to task for the demolition of illegal Arab buildings – many of which were built...

JULIA Gillard admits Australia is a long way from consensus on climate change - and says the debate may become ever tougher for Labor - as new polling reveals her behind Tony Abbott as preferred prime minister for the first time. ..... Ms Gillard said today the polling was a result of her plan to put a price on carbon, and that while it was a tough reform "it may get even tougher, before it gets easier". “I believe that once carbon pricing is in place people will see how the system works and the benefits of it,” the Prime...

San Joaquin Valley dairies should keep cows in enclosed barns and use special waste collectors to reduce air pollution, say critics of existing dairy air standards. The Fresno Healthy Dairy Commission, an advocacy group including doctors, business and religious leaders, says dairies cause harmful emissions in Fresno County, which has some of the nation's worst air pollution. The group said Friday a proposed county dairy ordinance needs tougher air quality regulations. The commission cited recommendations for enclosing dairy barns and cattle waste in a report it requested from the California Institute for Rural Studies, based at the University of California,...

WASHINGTON - A White House management official said Thursday there is "very little real accountability" in the federal government, and he welcomed the tougher oversight the Democrats have promised now that they control Congress. "There cannot be enough accountability in the federal government," said Clay Johnson, deputy director of the Office and Management and Budget, which supervises executive branch agencies. "There is very little today. Very little real accountability." Yet Johnson challenged Democratic lawmakers to help solve problems — not just hold hearings about them. Democrats now control Congress for the first time in Bush's presidency, and they are promising...

Vatican has adopted a tougher line with Islam By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent (Filed: 18/09/2006) At first sight, there may seem to be little divergence between Pope Benedict XVI's approach to Islam and that of his predecessor. The present Pope, a scholar who has made an extensive study of the faith, is clearly keen to promote understanding between Christians and Muslims and has many personal contacts. At his inaugural Mass as Pope in April last year, he made a point of welcoming Muslim leaders. In reality, however, Benedict XVI has adopted a far more cautious approach than the late John...

SAN DIEGO – Rep. Brian Bilbray called Wednesday for increased immigration enforcement well beyond the border, but local law enforcement leaders said they could not take on a federal mandate to arrest suspected illegal immigrants. Bilbray, R-Carlsbad, made his comments during a hearing held at the Border Patrol station here within site of the U.S.-Mexico border, one of several such sessions Republican leaders in the House of Representatives plan to hold around the country to focus more attention on the immigration issue. Bilbray said the recent debates on illegal immigration show that not enough has been done to find and...

SAN DIEGO ---- County supervisors today could ask the state to toughen election laws by requiring people to show proof that they are U.S. citizens when they register to vote and identification at the polls before being allowed to vote. Under current law, people are not required to show proof of citizenship, and only first-time voters who register by mail are required to show identification ---- which does not have to include a photograph ---- at the polls. Supervisor Bill Horn, who recommended the Board of Supervisors petition the state to change state voting laws, said having to show birth...

NEANDERTHAL LIFE NO TOUGHER THAN THAT OF “MODERN” INUITS COLUMBUS, Ohio – The bands of ancient Neanderthals that struggled throughout Europe during the last Ice Age faced challenges no tougher than those confronted by the modern Inuit, or Eskimos. That’s the conclusion of a new study intended to test a long-standing belief among anthropologists that the life of the Neanderthals was too tough for their line to coexist with Homo sapiens. “Looking at these fossilized teeth, you can easily see these defects that showed Neanderthals periodically struggled nutritionally,” Guatelli-Steinberg said. “But I wanted to know if that struggle was any...

Near-flawless silicon carbide crystals bring extreme electronics a step closer. A method to make virtually perfect crystals of silicon carbide could revolutionize the electronics industry. The technique may pave the way for tougher and more efficient circuits. Silicon carbide (SiC) is much better than silicon at carrying current in an electronic circuit, so it could potentially reduce the amount of energy wasted in every electronic device in the home or office. It can also operate at much higher temperatures, meaning that silicon carbide-based sensors could even monitor jet engines from the inside. Scientists have long recognized the potential of silicon...

<p>SACRAMENTO, Calif. (McCLATCHY) - In order to graduate, all California high school students would have to complete tougher course requirements - now only required of the college-bound - under a proposal to improve high schools outlined Wednesday by State Superintendent Jack O'Connell.</p>

Crime-racked Basra calls on British troops to get tougher By Bill Neely in Basra 12 October 2003 By the still waters of the Shatt al-Arab waterway, a few dozen university lecturers and professors gather with black banners to protest at the armed British troops manning the ornate gate of Basra's presidential palace. Their colleague, the head of the engineering department, has just been murdered. They know who the killers are, they say, and accuse the British of doing nothing about it. "If you can't keep the peace," Dr Aziz al-Hilfi shouts at the soldiers, "we shall turn against you!" Like...

A bipartisan group of legislators and some citizen groups, concerned that current legislative proposals to combat e-mail spam are inadequate, are engaged in a major push for tougher alternatives. The moves come amid intensified lobbying and political maneuvering over the issue. With outrage over spam at fever pitch, Congress is widely expected to pass the first national anti-spam law this year. In the House, a new bill is likely to be introduced this week that its sponsors promise is tougher than legislation offered last month by Reps. W.J. "Billy" Tauzin (R-La.) and F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.). Although Tauzin and...

Putin tells army to take tougher line in Chechnya By Julius Strauss in Moscow (Filed: 29/10/2002) President Vladimir Putin ordered his generals yesterday to draw up new measures to deal with the Chechen threat hours after the rebel republic's leader offered unconditional talks. President Putin: 'Russia will never give in to blackmail' After Russia observed a minute's silence in memory of the Moscow theatre siege victims, Mr Putin addressed the nation. He said: "Russia will never make any deals with terrorists and will never give in to blackmail. "If anyone tries to use such methods against our country Russia will...