“A Paris appeals court said Wednesday it will rule on July 7 in a fraud case against far-right leader Marine Le Pen in what is expected to be a pivotal moment for French politics. A lower court last year handed the 57-year-old veteran politician a five-year ban from public office over a fake jobs scam at the European parliament, dashing her presidential ambitions. If the appeals court upholds last year’s bombshell ruling, the three-time presidential candidate would be banned from running in 2027, widely seen as her best chance at the top job.” (02/11/26)
“Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino praised a federal agent who shot a Chicago woman during an immigration crackdown last year, according to evidence released Wednesday by attorneys who accused the Trump administration of mishandling the investigation and spreading lies about the shooting. Marimar Martinez, a teaching assistant and U.S. citizen, was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in October while in her vehicle. She was charged with a felony after Homeland Security officials accused her of trying to ram agents with her vehicle. But the case was dismissed after videos emerged showing an agent steering his vehicle into Martinez’s vehicle. Her attorneys pushed to make evidence in the now-dissolved criminal case public, saying they were especially motivated after a federal agent [murdered] Minneapolis woman Renee Good under similar circumstances.” (02/11/26)
“The House on Wednesday passed a resolution disapproving of President Donald Trump’s tariffs against Canada, a blow to Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and a rare Republican rebuke of the president’s signature economic policy. The resolution cleared the House 219-211, with several Republicans crossing the aisle to support it. One Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, voted against the measure. The tariff resolution, introduced by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., was considered a day after a procedural vote on a rule that would have barred House challenges to Trump’s tariffs failed with the support of three Republican members. Trump warned Republicans during the vote that there would be consequences for overriding him on tariffs. ‘Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time, and that includes Primaries!’ Trump posted to his TRUTH social account during the vote.” (02/11/26)
“A U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that the U.S. military earlier this week shot down what was later determined to be a party balloon near El Paso, Texas, after initially assessing it as a possible foreign drone. The misidentification eventually led to a total shutdown of airspace around the El Paso airport. A separate U.S. administration official had told Fox News that Mexican cartel drones breached U.S. airspace near El Paso and that counter-drone measures were taken to disable them. The Pentagon has been testing out new counter-drone technology, including a high-energy laser, near the Army base at Fort Bliss, Texas. That laser was used to shoot down what appeared to be foreign drones — and was later identified as a balloon — prompting the airspace closure by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), an official told Fox.” (02/11/26)
“Kosovo’s parliament elected Albin Kurti as prime minister on Wednesday, securing his third term and ending a year-long political stalemate. Kurti, who had served in a caretaker role, won 66 votes in the 120-seat assembly after his Vetevendosje party topped December’s snap election, prompting applause from supporters. … A general election a year ago had left Kurti without the majority needed to form a government – leading to months of parliamentary stasis. Deeply divided lawmakers eventually forced a December snap poll, which Kurti’s party won with over 51 per cent of the vote, securing 57 seats.” (02/11/26)
“A Sri Lankan court on Wednesday sentenced 12 men to death for the killing of a lawmaker and his bodyguard in May 2022 during violence that erupted at the height of the island nation’s economic crisis. The Gampaha High Court convicted the men for unlawful assembly, assault and the deaths of Amarakeerthi Athukorale and his bodyguard, who was a police officer, said senior state counsel Oswald Perera. Athukorale, who was a ruling party lawmaker, and his guard were attacked and killed in Nittambuwa, about 30 kilometres (18.6 miles) north of the capital, Colombo, after the car they were travelling in was intercepted by a crowd. Police at the time said Athukorale or his bodyguard had fired gunshots at the protestors who later chased them and trapped them inside a building where their battered bodies were later recovered by police.” (02/11/26)
“Hiring grew a little warmer last month after a chilly year in 2025. A report from the Labor Department on Wednesday showed U.S. employers added a better-than-expected 130,000 jobs in January — but an annual update shows hiring last year was much weaker than initially reported. The news comes amid worries that the nation’s jobs engine has been sputtering. Employment gains for November and December were revised down by a total of 17,000 jobs. Once a year, the Labor Department updates its jobs tally with more accurate but less timely information drawn from unemployment tax records. Wednesday’s revision shows there were nearly 900,000 fewer jobs in the economy last March than originally counted.” (02/11/26)
“Pope Leo XIV has sent 80 generators and medical supplies to Ukraine to support the country’s civilians as its war against Russia and cold winter weather continue. The aid comes as bishops talked about how Russia’s attacks have put a strain on the country’s energy infrastructure. The deliveries came Monday to the cities of Kyiv and Fastiv, which have seen the brunt of the war. Medical supplies, including thousands of antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, supplements and melatonin, also followed. According to local outlet Kyiv Independent, Vatican officials said melatonin was in high demand because Ukrainians have struggled with sleep deprivation.” (02/11/26)
“Russia will continue to observe the limits set under the recently-expired New START nuclear arms reduction treaty if the United States does the same, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday. … The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) was signed in 2010 between the U.S. and Russia. It limited the number of strategic nuclear warheads that both countries could have deployed to 1,550, and included verification measures such as on-site inspections and data exchanges designed to ensure compliance. The pact was originally set to expire in February 2021, but it was extended for five years by former President Joe Biden, keeping it in force until February 2026.” (02/11/26)
“NATO on Wednesday launched a new military effort dubbed Arctic Sentry aimed at improving security in the High North, a month after U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up tensions within the alliance over his threats to annex Greenland. Initially, Arctic Sentry will be the NATO label for national military exercises in the region, such as Denmark’s Arctic Endurance — which angered Trump so much that he threatened to slap tariffs on allies taking part — and Norway’s Cold Response drills. Arctic Sentry does not involve the permanent or even long-term deployment of troops to the region under a NATO banner. NATO’s role in this series of military activities, which will be coordinated through its U.S. headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, is aimed at countering Russian and Chinese influence in the High North, which includes Greenland.” (02/11/26)
