“Pakistan’s military says it has arrested four ‘facilitators’ who helped the attacker in Friday’s deadly Islamabad mosque bombing as authorities intensify a security crackdown amid rising concerns over cross-border attacks. Thousands of mourners gathered in the capital on Saturday to bury the victims of the attack, which killed at least 32 worshippers and injured 170 others, officials said. … The military alleged that the ‘planning, training, and indoctrination for the attack took place in Afghanistan,’ adding that under ‘Afghan Taliban patronage, extremist groups continue to pose a serious threat to regional and global peace.'” (02/07/26)
“Be vigilant, be imaginative, but also remember that everything Trump is doing to impose restrictive voting measures is backfiring on Republicans, just like his previous efforts.” (02/06/26)
Source: The American Conservative
by Ted Galen Carpenter
“Accusations have burgeoned that President Donald Trump is determined to destroy the ‘rules-based international order’ established after World War II. Some of his actions certainly resemble old-style, 19th century imperialism. His initial demand that Denmark sell Greenland to the United States fits that description. One could readily envision previous presidents such as Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, or William McKinley making a similar move for U.S. territorial aggrandizement. Trump is a rather unashamed imperialist, willing to use threats or even military force to bully other nations. However, despite the recent surge in warnings around the world (especially in Europe) that his actions are wrecking an effective, rules-based international system, that allegation is unfounded. The so-called rules-based system that the United States and its Western allies established has always been fraudulent and self-serving.” (02/06/26)
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“Bitcoin bounced from a 16-month low on Friday after testing the key $60,000 level, as a global rout in technology stocks that washed out risky bets across asset classes showed tentative signs of easing. The world’s largest cryptocurrency was last up 3.3% to $65,198.20, clawing back its losses after having slid 5% to hit a low of $60,008.52 earlier in the session. Still, bitcoin remains pinned near its weakest level since October 2024, a month before Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election, having signalled his intention to support crypto on the campaign trail.” (02/06/26)
“There are, of course, outstanding issues in the Epstein files that need to be addressed — people who committed crimes in legal terms, people who engaged in morally reprehensible behavior, and people who themselves are not individually guilty but who condoned what was happening. The Epstein files are not about individual guilt or innocence; they are about the nature of collective power. And when, within that collectivity, elites abused sexual, financial, legal, political, and even intellectual power without shame and with impunity, one has to wonder whether the Roman historians were onto something: They envisioned empires collapsing when elites could no longer restrain themselves in any aspect of their lives. An elite so needy, greedy, and now so vulnerable can hardly be trusted to exercise good judgment.” (02/05/26)
