Obama honors 4 for protecting JewsWASHINGTON — As he honored four people Wednesday for risking their lives to protect Jews, President Barack Obama warned that anti-Semitism is on the rise and that an attack on any faith is an attack on all faiths.Obama spoke Wednesday evening at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, the first sitting president to speak at the embassy. He was introduced at the event by Steven Spielberg, the Oscar-winning director of the Holocaust film “Schindler’s List” and the founder of a Holocaust history foundation.“Too often, especially in times of change, especially in times of anxiety and uncertainty, we are too willing to give in to a base desire to find someone else, someone different, to blame for our struggles,” Obama said. “So here tonight we must confront the reality that around the world anti-Semitism is on the rise. We cannot deny it.”The United Nations has designated Wednesday as International Holocaust Remembrance Day to commemorate the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp in 1945. Six million Jews were killed by Nazis and their collaborators during the Holocaust.Recognized posthumously for protecting Jews from harm during the Holocaust were Roddie Edmonds of Knoxville, Tennessee; Lois Gunden of Goshen, Indiana; and Polish citizens Walery and Maryla Zbijewski of Warsaw. The honors were bestowed by Yad Vashem, the world’s Holocaust education and research center, based in Jerusalem.

Top commander for Afghanistan namedWASHINGTON — Amid growing concern about setbacks in Afghanistan, the Obama administration has chosen Lt. Gen. John W. “Mick” Nicholson, Jr., a veteran of multiple Afghan war deployments, as the next top American commander in Kabul, officials said Wednesday.If his selection is confirmed by the Senate, Nicholson would succeed Gen. John F. Campbell, who is expected to retire.The Pentagon was expected to announce the Nicholson nomination Wednesday. Three officials confirmed it on condition of anonymity in advance of the planned announcement.

Coal exec demands industry tax breakCHARLESTON, W.Va. — The chief executive of one of the nation’s largest coal producers, Murray Energy, made an emotional call Wednesday for steep cuts in state mining taxes to support an industry in free-fall.Raising his voice frequently during a 38-minute speech, Robert Murray blasted politicians for “platitudes and lip service” as the coal industry sheds thousands of jobs and producers go bankrupt. He called on state leaders to drop the coal severance tax from 5 to 2 percent, saying coal has paid more than its fair share to West Virginia already.“These government officials can no longer say that they support coal people in this state” if they don’t, Murray told the West Virginia Coal Mining Symposium.