Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Armed men have killed at least 35 people and burned homes and shops in Woro, a remote village in Nigeria’s north-central Kwara State, authorities said. … It was the deadliest assault this year in the district bordering Niger State, which armed gangs have attacked increasingly. Villagers fled into the surrounding bushland as the armed men attacked Woro, [lawmaker Sa’idu Baba] Ahmed told the Reuters news agency by phone. Several people were still missing, he said.” (02/04/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/4/gunmen-kill-more-than-30-people-in-nigerias-kwara-state-authorities
Source: Antiwar.com
“US Shoots Down Iranian Drone in Arabian Sea, Russia Says US Silent on New START, and More.” (02/04/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rC4lZw28uM
Source: The Dispatch
by Jonah Goldberg
“I should be clear that I do think the Biden family’s business dealings were corrupt, whether or not laws were broken. Others disagree. I also think Trump’s business dealings appear to be worse in many ways than even what Biden was alleged to have done. But none of that is relevant. The standard set by Trump and Republicans is the relevant political standard, and by the deputy attorney general’s own account, the Trump administration is doing ‘exactly the same thing,’ just more openly. Since when is being more transparent about wrongdoing a defense? Try telling a cop or judge: ‘Yes, I robbed that bank. I’ve been completely transparent about that. So, what’s the big deal?'” (02/04/26)
https://archive.is/LaZmr
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Have you ever noticed that in the tug of war beteeen federal and state power, politicians of all stripes support the Constitution’s balance when it suits them and ignore it when it doesn’t?” (02/04/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/02/04/federal-election-takeover/
Source: The Atlantic
by Jonathan Lemire
“Anger about the scenes of unrest and violence amid ICE deportation operations in Minnesota? Well, the Trump administration has telegraphed that it would like to carry out a crackdown on Haitians in Ohio next. Concern about brandishing military force after the U.S. removed the leader of Venezuela and then threatened Greenland? Trump has sent an ‘armada’ of warships to the Persian Gulf to intimidate Iran. A sense that the president has lost focus on what got him elected as he takes on vanity projects such as the White House ballroom? Well, he’ll see you that and raise you both the Kennedy Center renovation and the construction of a giant arch that no one seems to want.” (02/04/26)
https://archive.is/FIILn
Source: SFGate
“The U.K. government agreed Wednesday to release documents casting light on the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States, despite his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, as it tries to stem mounting anger over the revelations. Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced the wrath of opposition lawmakers, and his own Labour Party backbenchers, after acknowledging that he had known at the time of the 2024 appointment about Mandelson’s friendship with the convicted sex offender. Starmer said that he was unaware of the depth of the relationship, and that Mandelson ‘had lied repeatedly’ about his ties to Epstein. A trove of documents about Epstein released last week by the U.S. Justice Department has finished off Mandelson’s long political career — and left Starmer facing angry questions about his judgment in making him Britain’s envoy to the Trump administration, the country’s most important ambassadorial post.” (02/04/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/uk-will-release-files-related-to-mandelson-s-21332865.php
Source: ABC News
“A Serbian government minister and three others went on trial on Wednesday on charges of abuse of office and falsifying of documents to help pave the way for a real estate project that was to be financed by a company of Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. Kushner has since withdrawn from the planned multi-million investment that envisaged building a high-rise hotel, a luxury apartment complex, office spaces and shops to replace a sprawling bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade. … Culture Minister Nikola Selakovic, who is a close ally of [Serbian president Aleksandar] Vucic, and three other officials are accused of illegally lifting the protection status in 2024 for the site by forging documentation. If convicted they could face up to three years in prison. They pleaded not guilty as the trial opened.” (02/04/26)
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/serbian-government-official-faces-forgery-trial-withdrawn-kushner-129842015
Source: National Review
“Lemon’s Run-In with the Law.” (02/03/26)
https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/the-editors/lemons-run-in-with-the-law/
Source: Antiwar.com
by JD Hester
“With resources dwindling and rampant foreign military aid corruption, Azov has increasingly relied on donations from individuals and companies. According to reporting from Svidomi, which included interviews with founders and project managers, a new project, Strum, has become the ‘driving force’ behind the Brigade. The platform operates as a subscription service like Netflix or Spotify, but with some substantial differences and additional features.” [editor’s note: I’m not a fan of Azov, but this is the way ALL military organizations should be funded – TLK] (02/04/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/jd_hester/2026/02/03/inside-strum-how-a-subscription-platform-funds-ukraines-neo-nazi-azov-brigade/
Source: Washington Monthly
by Paul Glastris
“Democrats have a stronger hand. They should raise their bets.” (02/03/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/02/03/affordability-bidding-war-democrats-trump/
