By Jonathan D. Salant, Star Ledger Staff -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced a new program to help victims of Hurricane Sandy and other participants in the National Flood Insurance Program. An interim office will begin operating Dec. 22 until the agency can fulfill its congressional mandate to set up a permanent Office of the Flood Insurance Advocate. The independent office will report directly to top FEMA officials. David Stearrett will be the acting flood insurance advocate an... Read more

BY MIKE DAVIS, TIMES OF TRENTON STAFF - U.S. Rep. Chris Smith on Tuesday was named grand marshal of the 30th annual Hamilton St. Patrick's Day Parade. "I'm honored and humbled to be a grand marshal," Smith (R-4th Dist.) said on Tuesday. "I look forward to marching with you and celebrating our Irish heritage. It's a tremendous culture that we celebrate, and a saint who is second to none." Smith was selected to lead this year's parade, scheduled for March 14 at 1 p.m., because of his legislative w... Read more

By Ken Serrano at APP — The hulking gray aircraft lined a portion of the the flightline at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst as Air Force One touched down Monday, perhaps just a customary display of hardware for a visiting dignitary or maybe more than that. But did the commander-in-chief inside the presidential jet notice? President Obama in his speech at the Joint Base Monday did not mention the planes, refueling tankers that the Department of Defense has considered retiring. But jobs connected ... Read more

NICOLE GUADIANO, USA Today - Lawmakers are investigating whether academic freedom is being threatened at universities building campuses in China and partnering with the Chinese on "Confucius institutes" in the U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., chairman of a House subcommittee focusing on human rights, said at a hearing before the panel Thursday that he will seek a Governmental Accountability Office study of agreements between U.S. universities and China that allow China to promote its culture and l... Read more

China defended its relationship with U.S. universities on Friday after critics of Beijing told a panel of U.S. lawmakers that those growing ties challenge their commitment to academic freedom. The hearing held Thursday by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) – who has held a number of hearings on China’s human-right practices — took a critical look at the increasing ties between U.S. universities and Chinese schools, including Chinese-funded language and culture institutes at U.S. campuses as well as ... Read more

China's authoritarian government is gaining a foothold on American campuses by funding dozens of institutes that project a rose-tinted view of the Asian nation that compromises the academic integrity of U.S. universities, a congressional hearing was told Thursday. Scholars of China testified that these state-funded Confucius Institutes teach nonpolitical subjects like Chinese language and culture but suppress discussion on sensitive topics like Tibet and the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown on democracy... Read more

By MATT HANSEN of the LA Times - The Chinese government's influence over American universities is broad and deep, ranging from such subtle pressures as the denial of visas for vocal American scholars to more overt efforts, including opening Chinese cultural institutes on U.S. college campuses, experts on human rights and education told lawmakers Thursday. That influence has become more pronounced as American universities open satellite campuses in the country and welcome Chinese government-funde... Read more

(Reuters) - China defended its government-funded Confucius Institute programs on Friday after new questions were raised in the United States about their transparency and effect on academic freedom. China says its Confucius Institutes around the world are established by universities voluntarily, and that such centers promote Chinese-language learning and academic and cultural exchange. But the institutes have raised concerns that they threaten academic freedom, conduct surveillance of Chinese stu... Read more

WASHINGTON — The cutouts of human figures stood in neat rows in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, each decorated by a group of New Jersey middle and high school students paying tribute to 800,000 Rwandans massacred two decades ago. More than 70 such figures, each 5-feet tall, some covered in black with drawings of skulls and others with doves flying in bright blue skies, stood on exhibit in the Rayburn House Office Building here to remember the 100-day period beginning in April 1994 where the majo... Read more

The week of Thanksgiving is often a difficult time for the daughters of Walter Patterson, who was attacked on Nov. 23, 1962, at his Wall gas station and died two days later, Nov. 25. Those sad anniversaries are made worse because they know that their father’s killer, George Wright, lives freely and defiantly today in Portugal. In recent years I have been pushing the Obama administration to ramp up efforts to seek extradition of American fugitives who have taken refuge in other countries, with Wr... Read more