“US President Donald Trump has appointed right-wing commentator Dan Bongino as deputy director of the FBI. Trump posted on social media that Bongino was ‘a man of incredible love and passion for our Country’ and would serve under newly confirmed FBI Director Kash Patel. Bongino, 50, has worked for the New York police department and the Secret Service — as well as having been part of the protection detail for two presidents, George W Bush and Barack Obama. He hosts a self-titled podcast whose Facebook posts often attract more attention than those of Fox News and CNN combined.” (02/23/25)
“Last year was the worst on record for government-imposed internet shutdowns, with at least 296 outages across 54 countries, according to a new report from Access Now. Governments are increasingly shutting down the internet to silence dissenting voices during conflicts, protests and elections. … Seven countries joined the first-time offenders list, including El Salvador, France, Malaysia and Thailand. For the first time since 2018, Myanmar overtook India as the worst offender, imposing 85 shutdowns — one more than India.” (02/24/25)
“Russia launched 267 drones into Ukraine on Saturday night, according to the Ukrainian air force, in the largest such attack of the war, as both nations prepare to mark three years since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of its western neighbor. Russian drone and missile attacks have for months been a nightly occurrence. But Saturday night’s 267 drones were the largest-ever such bombardment, breaking the previous record of 193 drones set in a December attack. Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 138 Shahed attack drones, with 119 others lost in flight without causing any damage. Three drones flew into Belarus, the air force said in its statement to Telegram.” (02/23/25)
“Pope Francis remained in critical condition Sunday and blood tests showed early kidney failure but he remains alert, responsive and attended Mass, the Vatican said, as the 88-year-old pontiff battles pneumonia and a complex lung infection. In a late update, the Vatican said Francis hadn’t had any more respiratory crises since Saturday night but was still receiving high flows of supplemental oxygen. Some blood tests showed ‘initial, mild, kidney failure,’ but doctors said it was under control.” (02/23/25)
“Houthi rebels [sic] for the first time fired surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) at a U.S. F-16 fighter jet on Feb. 19, three senior U.S. defense officials tell Fox News. The jet was flying off the coast of Yemen over the Red Sea when the SAM was fired. The missile did not strike the jet. Houthis fired another SAM at an American MQ-9 Reaper drone that the U.S. was flying over Yemen outside Houthi-controlled areas on Feb. 19. This is the first time the Houthis have fired a SAM missile at an American F16 fighter jet, a significant escalation in the ongoing military interactions between the Iranian-backed group and the U.S. Navy and Air Force, according to senior U.S. defense officials.” (02/22/25)
“The Associated Press claimed in a Friday lawsuit that the Trump administration broke the law by banning AP journalists from White House events after it refused to adopt President Donald Trump’s renaming of the ‘Gulf of Mexico’ to the ‘Gulf of America.’ Trump signed an executive order on his first day back in office, Jan. 20, making the change. … ‘The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government,’ the AP said in its lawsuit. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.” (02/22/25)
“A French convict who went on the run after escaping a police van in a deadly ambush has been arrested in Romania, French authorities have said. Two prison officers were killed and three others injured when a vehicle carrying Mohamed Amra was attacked by men using military-grade assault weapons in May 2024. Amra, known as La Mouche, or The Fly, has links to a major drug gang in Marseille, according to French police. … Amra was arrested in Bucharest and had been identified through facial recognition tools and his fingerprints, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said. He had changed his appearance and dyed his hair. On Sunday, Beccuau announced the arrest of 10 people ‘suspected of having helped in the preparation and execution of the escape, and having helped the fugitive to hide.'” (02/23/25)
“Justice Department supervisors are directing employees to hold off on replying to the federal government-wide mandate to describe recent job achievements — an Elon Musk order that DOJ staff worry will trigger ethics violations. At least five DOJ office leaders quickly responded to the HR email — the latest mandate from Musk’s government efficiency team — by telling their staff not to detail their work until they receive further clarity, said five people familiar with the situation. Among them, two US attorneys offices messaged workers that the support office for all 93 US attorneys was trying to gather guidance from DOJ leadership about how they can comply or whether the email was even legitimate, said two individuals.” (02/23/25)
“President Donald Trump fired Chair of the Joint Chiefs Gen. C.Q. Brown on Friday night, and said he intends to dismiss the Navy’s top admiral and the Air Force’s second in command — an unprecedented shakeup of the Pentagon’s top brass that will trigger ripple effects throughout the military. Trump, in a Truth Social post, said he was nominating retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan ‘Razin’ Caine to take Brown’s place. Caine is a partner at Shield Capital, a venture capital firm. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, minutes later, said in a statement that he is ‘requesting nominations’ for replacements for Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti and Air Force Vice Chief Gen. James Slife. The Pentagon chief also said he was also looking for new nominations for senior judicial officers — the services’ top lawyers — for the Army, Navy and Air Force.” (02/21/25)
“Hadi Matar, the man who stabbed and partially blinded prize-winning novelist Salman Rushdie at an event in New York, has been found guilty of attempted murder. Jurors delivered the verdict on Friday for Matar’s assault on Rushdie on stage at an arts institute’s event in August 2022. The Satanic Verses author, 77, was stabbed with a knife multiple times in the head, neck, torso and left hand, blinding his right eye and damaging his liver and intestines, and requiring emergency surgery and months of recovery.” (02/22/25)
