“At least four people have been killed in Kyiv after Russia launched a major offensive across Ukraine with drones and missiles. Alongside the attack on the capital, Russia struck critical infrastructure in the western city of Lviv using an Oreshnik hypersonic missile. A total of 278 missiles and drones were fired by Russia overnight, according to Ukraine’s military, which said it downed 244 of them in flight. … Russian drone strikes knocked out power to the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions of Ukraine, leaving more than 600,000 households without electricity in a cold snap, with temperatures in some parts of the country below freezing.” (01/09/26)
“Israeli strikes across Gaza have killed at least 13 people, according to health officials, as U.S. President Donald Trump was expected to announce his Board of Peace to oversee the fragile ceasefire. Health officials and family members said at least one child was among the dead in northern Gaza following several strikes there as well as east of Gaza City. Israel’s army said Friday that it struck Hamas infrastructure and fighters in southern and northern Gaza in response to a failed projectile launched by militants from the Gaza City area.” (01/09/26)
“Federal agents shot two people in Portland on Thursday during a traffic stop, a day after the fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis stoked outrage over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. A Homeland Security Department spokeswoman said in a statement that U.S. Border Patrol agents were conducting a ‘targeted vehicle stop,’ and that an agent fired a shot after the driver tried to run them over. The spokeswoman, Tricia McLaughlin, described the agents’ target as an undocumented immigrant and member of Tren de Aragua, a gang with roots in a Venezuelan prison that has been a frequent target of President Trump. She provided no immediate evidence that the person who was targeted was affiliated with the gang.” (01/09/26)
“A federal judge said Thursday that John Sarcone, the top federal prosecutor in Albany, is serving unlawfully as acting U.S. attorney and cannot participate in an investigation into state Attorney General Letitia James. U.S. District Judge Lorna Schofield quashed two subpoenas seeking records of James’[s] previous investigations into President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association. She said Sarcone wasn’t properly appointed to his position last year. ‘Mr. Sarcone’s service was and is unlawful because it bypassed the statutory requirements that govern who may exercise the powers of a U.S. attorney,’ Schofield wrote. ‘The subpoenas are quashed, and Mr. Sarcone is disqualified from further participation in the underlying investigations.'” (01/08/26)
“Five Senate Republicans voted Thursday to advance a bipartisan resolution on the War Powers Act to block President Trump from using military force against Venezuela, a proposal that if enacted would unravel the administration’s plan to take control of Venezuela’s oil exports. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the sponsor of the bipartisan measure, voted with Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) to discharge the resolution out of committee and bring it to the floor. A vote to pass the resolution itself is expected next week — or possibly later Thursday, if there is bipartisan agreement to speed up its timing on the floor. The resolution still needs to pass the House — where a similar measure failed in a close vote last month — and it faces a certain veto from Trump.” [editor’s note: This is bass-ackward. Unless Trump gets affirmative permission in the form of a declaration of war, he has no authority to attack Venezuela – TLK] (01/08/26)
“Farmers in Greece escalated nationwide protests Thursday, launching a 48-hour blockade of major highways, junctions and toll stations over soaring production costs and a contentious European Union trade deal with South American nations. Tractors lined key routes across the country, halting all traffic except emergency vehicles. Police directed traffic to secondary routes when possible and did not intervene to counter the blockades. But the country’s conservative government has warned that it would not tolerate more extended blockades. The country’s main highway connecting Athens to the northern city of Thessaloniki was shut in both directions at several points, as farmers demanded stronger state support and the rejection of the EU-Mercosur agreement.” (01/08/26)
“They’re officially ‘klosed’ for business. Quality ‘Learing’ Center — the shady Minnesota day care at the center of the state’s mushrooming fraud scandal — shuttered for good this week, according to records. The much-ridiculed day care, which operated under a misspelled sign until it was fixed last month amid national outrage, closed Tuesday after it requested a closure of its license, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services and the state Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). The center found itself under the national spotlight after conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley featured the facility in a video highlighting day care centers in the state that were allegedly receiving public funds but were not providing any services.” (01/08/25)
“A spacewalk planned for Thursday outside the International Space Station was called off late Wednesday because of a ‘medical concern’ with an unidentified crew member, NASA said in a statement. An update shortly before midnight said the agency was exploring ‘all options, including the possibility of an earlier end to Crew 11’s mission.’ … Going into the new year, the crew expected to remain in space until their replacements arrive in mid-February. Crew 11’s return to Earth is expected around Feb. 20. That’s still the official plan.” (01/08/26)
“Colombian President Gustavo Petro struck a relatively diplomatic tone Wednesday at a rally in Bogotá, where he spoke about the Trump administration’s threats to launch military strikes against his country—but thousands of people who gathered in the Colombian capital and across the country were happy to say exactly what they thought of US President Donald Trump’s recent attack on neighboring Venezuela and his saber-rattling across Latin America. ‘He’s a maniac,’ 67-year-old José Silva told the Guardian at a march in the border city of Cúcuta. ‘The US Congress needs to do something to get him out of the presidency … He’s a thug’ … Colombians were rallying after Petro called for a mass mobilization days after Trump ordered a military attack in Venezuela, including a bombing and the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.” (01/08/25)
“The union representing British nurses is under fire from some of its own members over what they say is an opaque investment strategy linked to companies investing in Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territories. A report sent to Royal College of Nursing (RCN) management by activist group Nurses for Palestine and NGO Corporate Watch, and obtained by POLITICO, argues that the union’s choice of investment managers Legal & General and Sarasins is at odds with its own ethical investment policy. … The report points to a list of companies held by the RCN’s fund managers, including U.S. tech firm Palantir and Israeli arms-maker Elbit Systems, which activists say should be enough for the union to put its money elsewhere.” (01/08/26)
