CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Former US president Bill Clinton may wish there were a few more degrees of separation between him and the next speaker at the Democratic convention on Wednesday.
Shortly after "Bubba" takes to the stage in Charlotte, North Carolina to give his prime-time address in defense of President Barack Obama, rabbi David Wolpe will come to the podium to deliver the evening's closing benediction.
As well as being widely touted as one of America's most influential religious figures, Wolpe was also rabbi to a young Monica Lewinsky, the White House intern who was at the center of a White House sex scandal.
"The (Lewinsky) family grew up in my synagogue," he said in a 2009 opinion piece which repeated his long-standing criticism of Clinton over the episode, which led to the 42nd president being impeached.
Lewinsky, a California native, attended the Los Angeles temple, as well as its religious school.
"During the Lewinsky scandal, it was the lying and smearing of Monica Lewinsky that marked the low point of the event, not the sex, which was primarily an issue for the individuals and families involved," the rabbi said.
Michigan State Police initiated a high-speed chase when a 10-year-old boy was spotted driving on a highway over Memorial Day weekend, Mlive.com reported.
According to reports, the boy said he was going to see his mother.
The SUV the child was driving had been stolen from outside a home before police received reports of a child driving recklessly on the highway. The vehicle was stopped after it was disabled by the in-vehicle security system OnStar. The child ran into some woods before being caught, the report said.
The child was uninjured and is being held at the Saginaw County Juvenile Detention Center.
A Florida man was arrested recently after he pointed a gun at a woman's head and threatened to kill her after her friend accidentally backed into his driveway.
ClickOrlando.com reports that 60-year-old Palm Coast resident Terry Vetsch grew aggravated this past Saturday when an unidentified man pulled into his driveway by mistake.
Vetsch started banging on the man's car, which prompted the man's friend to come out and confront him.
Vetsch started to walk away from the woman, who proceeded to follow him toward his property -- and at this point, Vetsch pulled out a handgun, pointed it at the woman, and threatened to kill her, the report said.
Police were subsequently called to the scene, where they arrested Vetsch who told them that he had mistakenly believed the man in the car to be one of his neighbors with whom he'd had "many incidents in the past."
He was charged with one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, and he has been granted bail at $50,000.
He has also been ordered to have no contact with his victims.
Jordan celebrated its biggest royal wedding in decades on Thursday, as Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah and his Saudi fiancée Rajwa al-Seif got married.
The Islamic marriage ceremony took place in the garden of Zahran palace in Amman, which had also seen the wedding of Hussein’s parents, King Abdullah and Queen Rania, 30 years ago.
Rajwa wore a long-sleeved white dress, with a tiara and long train, while Hussein wore a ceremonial military uniform, similar to the one his father wore in his own wedding.
Shortly afterwards, a royal decree was issued to bestow on the bride the title of Her Royal Highness Princess Rajwa al-Hussein.
Royals and dignitaries from all over the world attended the ceremony, including Britain's Prince William and his wife, Princess of Wales Kate Middleton, US First Lady Jill Biden, Malaysia's King Abdullah, Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Belgium’s King Philippe.
Jordanians took to the streets to enjoy the public celebrations held across the kingdom. The government declared Thursday a public holiday.
Many gathered in different areas enjoying music and dancing while carrying Jordanian flags. Others carried Saudi flags.
Others have lined the streets in Amman to catch a glimpse of the royal procession of red vehicles, which took the newly-weds to another palace for the dinner reception.
The highly anticipated ceremony comes as a sign of stability for Jordan and a chance to rally people around the future king, after a 2021 palace feud described as the most serious political crisis in Jordan since Abdullah took power.
The king’s half-brother and former crown prince Hamzah was accused of being involved in an alleged coup attempt. Two prominent Jordanians were jailed for their role in the alleged plot, however, Hamzah, never faced trial.
Jordan blamed "foreign parties" for involvement in the plot, but reports suggested Saudi involvement as the two men jailed had links to Saudi Arabia.
Therefore, the marriage is seen as a step to solidify relations between the two countries and their rulers.
Hussein, born on June 28, 1994, is a captain in the Jordanian army. He was named crown prince in 2009, five years after Abdullah stripped his half-brother Hamzah of the title.
Riyadh-born Rajwa, 29, has a degree in architecture and likes horse riding. Her father, Khaled, is a businessman.
She has royal links through her mother Azza al-Sudairi, who comes from the same maternal family of Saudi King Salman.
"I met Rajwa through a friend from school," Hussein said at a recent conference in Jordan.
"I consider myself lucky because you do not meet someone like Rajwa every day," he added, while she was sitting among the audience.
Social media users have highlighted a resemblance between the bride and Queen Rania.
At a dinner henna party last week, Rania said Rajwa was "the perfect answer to all [her] prayers."
The engagement took place in August with a family gathering at Rajwa’s home in Saudi Arabia.
Since 2017, Hussein has been appearing more intensely on the international stage and accompanied his father on the majority of his official engagements. He is named after his grandfather, who died in 1999, but remains popular and respected in the Hashemite Kingdom.
Hussein is the oldest of Abdullah and Rania's four children. His sister, Iman, got married in March.
Jordan is a mostly desert-covered US ally that has maintained relative calm while surrounded by several conflicts for decades.These have led to an influx of refugees which in turn has put pressure on the country's economy. The kingdom is largely dependent on foreign aid.
Saudi architect Rajwa Alsaif (L) and Jordanian Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II wave during their wedding in Amman. -/petra/dpa
