“Armed to the teeth with M4 rifles and Glock pistols and pockets stuffed with their $10,000 advance plus some, 96 former U.S. special forces veterans are currently stationed in Gaza. These mercenaries have been hired by UG Solutions, a North Carolina-based military contractor, to patrol the intersection that Israel used to separate the north from the south of Gaza. What the Occupation called the ‘Netzarim Corridor’ split Gaza with a fortified, wide road to resupply weapons and tanks as well as providing a vantage point to launch attacks on both the north and the south. Named after the settler encampment in the same area from 1975-2005, the area was once again made into a violent and deadly zone. After the occupation forces withdrew from the intersection, the decomposing bodies and skeletal remains of Palestinian people were found.” (02/19/25)
“Colorado is poised to see a major change to its gun laws after the state Senate passed a bill that would effectively ban AR-15s, AK-47s, shotguns and pistols that hold more than 15 rounds. The new bill would not impact the current possession of these guns, but it would prohibit the manufacture, sale and purchase of them going forward. In addition to its ban on new sales and purchases of AR-15s and other rifles that hold high-capacity magazines, the new bill also prohibits the sale or purchase of certain after-market gun accessories that increase a firearm’s rate of fire. The state Senate passed the bill on Tuesday, and it now heads to the lower chamber, where Democrats have a big majority and the bill is expected to pass.” (02/19/25)
“One predictor that a country will move to democracy after a civil war is whether activists relied on nonviolent tactics. The people of Syria, newly liberated from a violent dictator, are now trying to prove this point – that peace begets peace. From small villages to the famed Al-Rawda café in Damascus, civil society groups that kept the cause of nonviolence alive during 14 years of conflict are now convening in peaceful public forums around the Middle East country. They invite citizens to freely discuss issues and help make a transition from the current rule by a former rebel group that liberated Syria Dec. 8. They want the democracy they sought during the peaceful protests of the 2011 Arab Spring against the Assad regime. Damascus has become ‘a large workshop,’ Alma Salem, executive director of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement (SWPM), told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. last month.” (02/19/25)
“A Justice Department official told a federal judge Wednesday that granting its request to dismiss corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams was his only option after the Democrat said under oath that ‘no other agreement’ was made with the government in return for the charges being dropped. Judge Dale E. Ho ended Wednesday’s hearing by saying he wouldn’t ‘shoot from the hip’ and rule immediately but was aware that ‘it’s not in anyone’s interest here for this to drag on.’ Adams appeared in high spirits during the more the 80-minute hearing …. the judge asked Deputy U.S. Attorney General Emil Bove, who represented the government, whether he thought he could consider a written submission by three former U.S. attorneys and a separate one by a former Watergate prosecutor in making his decision.” (02/19/25)
“On Tuesday, Judge Tanya Chutkan declined to issue a temporary restraining order sought by 14 states that would have blocked Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) teams from the internal IT systems of multiple federal agencies. The denial was mostly on standing grounds, with Chutkan ruling that the plaintiff states did not establish irreparable harm from funding shortfalls or data vulnerability, just the possibility of it. Yet the case has thus far yielded some valuable information about Musk’s role in the government. In her ruling, Chutkan states clearly that Musk was not appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate …. any appointee ‘exercising significant authority pursuant to the laws of the United States’ would need to receive Senate confirmation.” (02/19/25)
“Two British nationals detained in Iran have been charged with espionage after they allegedly gathered information in different parts of the country, the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported on Tuesday. The two were named as Craig and Lindsay Foreman, and their family said on Saturday they were engaging with relevant authorities to ensure the pair’s well-being and safe return home. ‘The detained individuals entered the country as tourists and collected information in several provinces of the country,’ Mizan said, without giving further details. British media have said they are a married couple.” (02/19/25)
“The left is screaming that President Donald Trump is on some kind of ideological crusade. Some recent headlines: ‘Trump and Musk’s Purge Isn’t Cost Cutting — It’s a Coup;’ ‘Doge is About Ideology and Mindless Budget Cutting;’ ‘Elon Musk’s Indiscriminate Carnage;’ and ‘Dems Must Stand Up Against the Bully in the White House.’ It’s sort of like labeling a company CEO ideological because he is driven to keep his company profitable and competitive. One column in The Guardian says Trump is ‘lacerating the structures of U.S. democracy.’ In other words, protecting [sic] taxpayers and running the country efficiently [sic] is anti-democratic. But forgiving $189 billion of student loan debt — done under Biden — and dumping it all on taxpayers is not. Or government spending trillions and larding it all onto the federal debt rather than raising taxes is not.” (02/19/25)
“Apple has announced a new iPhone which brings artificial intelligence (AI) features at a lower cost than its flagship handsets. The iPhone 16e has the same processor as the larger iPhone 16, Apple said, with similar storage options, though a lower spec elsewhere, including fewer cameras. Apple has been struggling to find a new product that excites consumers — sales of iPhones dropped at the end of last year. It will be hoping that bringing enhanced AI functionality to a less expensive phone will address that — however analysts have been cautious about the sales boost such tools bring. Its name is clearly a nod to its iPhone SE series, which were released from 2016 to 2022, and similarly priced significantly lower.” (02/19/25)
“U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will skip a two-day meeting of foreign ministers from the leading rich and developing nations that starts on Thursday after criticizing host South Africa’s policies as anti-American. Instead, Rubio was headed back to the United States on Wednesday from his first trip to the Middle East as America’s chief diplomat, and after leading a U.S. delegation in talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia over the war in Ukraine. Rubio spoke with the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the European Union’s foreign policy chief to brief them immediately after Tuesday’s meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the State Department said. Top European diplomats, as well as Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are all expected at the Group of 20 meeting in Johannesburg while the U.S. will be represented by a lower-level delegation.” (02/19/25)
“It was June in northern Norway, a time of year when there’s little night to speak of anyway, and Tommy Olsen had spent most of it fielding distress calls from migrant boats crossing the Aegean Sea into Greece. Like most mornings, the schoolteacher and father of five awoke to dozens of WhatsApp messages. This, too, was usual enough. He made coffee and settled into what stood for his office — a desk crammed into a narrow hallway between his daughter’s room, the kitchen and the family bathroom — and got to work. One message was from a group of refugees from West Africa who were in the southeastern Aegean Sea off the small island of Kos.” (02/19/25)
