Politics

"The next twelve months will be an especially dangerous time for Americans who treasure our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms," warns Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas), chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the Justice Department (DoJ). As The Hill reports, his warning, in a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, follows a threat to block President Obama's executive order on guns by defunding the DoJ.

Thousands took to the streets of  Baghdad  and Southern Shi’ite cities in Iraq on Monday in protest over the Saudi execution of Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Demonstrators carrying portraits of Nimr rallied outside the Green Zone, a heavily fortified district that houses government departments and diplomatic representations, including the newly reopened Saudi embassy.Police guarding the zone pushed back a group that attempted to cross a line of barbed wire as they chanted “Damned, damned be Al Saud!,” referring to the Saudi ruling family.

U.S. neocons are livid over a report that U.S. intelligence spied on Israeli efforts to sabotage the Iran nuclear talks, though they are curiously silent on evidence that Israel spies on the U.S. Ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar says it would be a mistake to let this pressure blind U.S. leaders on what Israel is up to.…

Kuwait has recalled its ambassador from Iran as the regional row over the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia deepens. Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran was stormed and set alight by angry protesters  on Saturday, following the execution of Shia Muslim cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others. Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties with Iran in response, followed by its allies Bahrain and Sudan. The BBC reports: Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran are major rivals for power in the Middle East and back opposing sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen.

China has expressed ‘concerns’ over the escalating tensions in the Middle East between Iran and Saudi Arabia, after both countries severed diplomatic ties with eachother following the execution of top Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.  “Like the international community, China is highly concerned about the developments and expresses concern that the relevant event may intensify conflict in the region,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.