“A global push for AI governance hit a snag at the now concluded AI Action summit in France as the US and UK declined to join other nations in signing an international declaration on artificial intelligence (AI). The AI declaration, signed by 60 countries including France, China, and India, outlines a vision for an ‘open, inclusive, and ethical’ AI ecosystem. However, the UK government has decided against backing the agreement, stating that it lacks ‘practical clarity’ on global governance and fails to address pressing national security concerns. … Similarly, the US refused to lend its backing to the agreement, with Vice President JD Vance arguing that excessive regulation could stifle AI innovation.” (02/12/25)
“More than two-dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans — ranging from the Episcopal Church and the Union for Reform Judaism to the Mennonites and Unitarian Universalists — filed a federal court lawsuit Tuesday challenging a Trump administration move giving immigration agents more leeway to [abduct people] at houses of worship. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, contends that the new policy is spreading fear of raids, thus lowering attendance at worship services and other valuable church programs. The result, says the suit, infringes on the groups’ religious freedom — namely their ability to minister to migrants, including those in the United States illegally [sic].” (02/11/25)
“US President Donald Trump has halted the enforcement of an anti-corruption law that allows the prosecution of Americans accused of bribing foreign officials. The law has been in place for around 50 years and prohibits US firms from trying to retain or win new business with other countries by bribing government figures. ‘It’s going to mean a lot more business for America,’ Trump said when signing the executive order on Monday. A White House statement said ‘over-expansive’ and ‘unpredictable’ enforcement of the law risked the ‘economic advancement of the US.'” (02/11/25)
“A top Democratic senator has asked the Justice Department’s inspector general to investigate after he says he received information that President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, had been ‘personally directing the ongoing purge’ of agents at the bureau. The letter Tuesday from Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, asserts that Patel may have misled the panel at his confirmation hearing last month when he said in response to a question that he was not aware of any plans inside the FBI to punish or fire any agents. The hearing took place just hours before news broke that a group of senior FBI executives had been told either to resign or be fired …” (02/11/25)
“The leader of the Houthi [regime] in Yemen warned Tuesday that they are ready to mount an attack on Israel if the war in Gaza resumes after a recent breakdown of the fragile cease-fire agreement. Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the chief of the Iran-backed terror group, said they would go back to attacking the Jewish state and wreaking havoc in the Red Sea at the first sign of conflict in the Gaza Strip, after Israel warned that war would resume if Hamas doesn’t release more hostages by noon Saturday. The [regime] leader mocked President Trump as a ‘fool’ for giving a similar ultimatum as Israel to Hamas and for his controversial proposal to evacuate Gaza so that the US can take control of it.” (02/11/25)
“The Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have attacked Congolese government forces in the South Kivu province, breaking a two-day lull in fighting. Heavy shelling began on Tuesday morning, three days after a summit of East and Southern African leaders called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. The rebels have seized vast swathes of land in the eastern DR Congo, including the major city of Goma. They are now pushing towards Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu – another key city in the region. Around 2,900 people have been killed since early January as a result of the hostilities, the latest UN figures suggest. Approximately 700,000 others are estimated to have been forced from their homes and thousands more injured.” (02/11/25)
“Around 130 people were arrested on Tuesday in a large-scale sting against the Sicilian mafia in Palermo, indicating that it has remained a significant criminal force despite setbacks in recent decades. ‘Cosa Nostra,’ the mafia syndicate based in and around Palermo, terrorised Italy in the 1980s and 1990s, but has since been overtaken as Europe’s most powerful mob by the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta. The suspects apprehended on Tuesday were charged with various crimes, including drug trafficking, attempted murder, extortion, illegal online gambling and illegal possession of firearms, Carabinieri police said in a statement. Additional arrest warrants were issued for 33 suspects who were already in prison for other crimes.” (02/11/25)
“President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan says he is closing in on the individual believed to be responsible for leaking details of a major ICE operation in and around Aurora, Colorado, that tipped off [immigrants the gang planned to abduct]. ‘We think it’s coming from inside. And we know the first leak in Aurora is under current investigation. We think we’ve identified that person,’ Homan said on ‘Hannity,’ Monday. The leaked information reportedly allowed members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TDA) to evade capture last week as federal agents were met with mostly empty apartments and buildings. In the end, about 30 people were [abducted].” (02/11/25)
“North Korea on Tuesday accused the United States of a ‘hostile military act’ after a US Navy submarine docked in arch rival South Korea to replenish supplies. ‘We express grave concern over the U.S. dangerous hostile military act that can lead the acute military confrontation in the region around the Korean peninsula to an actual armed force conflict,’ a defense ministry spokesperson said in a statement carried by state news agency KCNA. They warned the United States to ‘stop provocations stirring up the instability any longer,’ accusing it of ignoring North Korea’s security concerns.” (02/11/25)
“House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) floated a framework for advancing President Trump’s legislative agenda during a private meeting of panel members Tuesday morning, sources told The Hill. Arrington explained the latest blueprint to committee members shortly before he told lawmakers during a closed-door meeting of the broader House GOP conference that his panel will take up a budget resolution on Thursday, an ambitious timeline for the group that has thus far struggled to coalesce around a plan. The committee has officially scheduled the Thursday meeting. The framework Arrington outlined — according to two sources and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), who sits on the panel — includes a $1.5 trillion floor for spending cuts with a $2 trillion target, a structure meant to give committees flexibility when crafting the package, one of the sources said.” (02/11/25)
