France: As Le Pen’s appeal trial ends, her presidential bid is at stake

Source: SFGate

“A Paris appeals court set a verdict date of July 7 for Marine Le Pen in her European Union misuse of funds case, a crucial decision that could derail the far-right leader’s presidential bid. The trial ended Wednesday with one question looming above all others — whether Le Pen will be able to run for president next year. Le Pen, 57, is challenging a March 2025 verdict that found her and other members of her National Rally party guilty of misusing European Parliament funds in the hiring of aides from 2004 to 2016. She denies accusations that she was at the center of a fraudulent system meant to siphon off EU funds. Asked by the court whether she’d like to say anything in conclusion, Le Pen declined to speak. She quickly left the courthouse without stopping in front of a crowd of reporters.” (02/11/25)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/as-far-right-leader-marine-le-pen-s-appeal-trial-21346723.php

Steve Trinward

Lemon hires federal attorney who quit over handling of inquiry into Renee Good’s murder

Source: The Guardian [UK]

“Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has hired a federal prosecutor, who quit amid the White House’s immigration blitz on Minneapolis, to defend him from charges related to his coverage of a church protest. Lemon officially brought Joseph H Thompson on to his legal team, according to a Tuesday court filing. Thompson, who Donald Trump had appointed acting US attorney for Minnesota in June, reportedly resigned in January over the justice department’s treatment of immigration enforcement. A federal grand jury in Minnesota indicted Lemon, now an independent journalist, on charges of conspiracy and interfering with congregants’ constitutional rights to freely exercise their religion during an 18 January protest at the Cities church in St Paul.” (02/11/26)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/11/don-lemon-hires-federal-prosecutor-quit-ice-surge

Thomas L. Knapp

“Free” Surveillance Tech Still Comes at a High and Dangerous Cost

Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation
by Beryl Lipton & Sarah Hamid

“Surveillance technology vendors, federal agencies, and wealthy private donors have long helped provide local law enforcement ‘free’ access to surveillance equipment that bypasses local oversight. The result is predictable: serious accountability gaps and data pipelines to other entities, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), that expose millions of people to harm.” (02/11/26)

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/02/free-surveillance-tech-still-comes-high-and-dangerous-cost

Thomas L. Knapp

Trump Should Revive the JCPOA To Prevent War With Iran

Source: Antiwar.com
by JD Hester

“One of the biggest criticisms of those who opposed the JCPOA is that it did not meaningfully prevent Iran from supporting its regional proxies: the Yemeni Houthis, the Lebanese Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Hamas. While these proxy groups threaten Israel, they do not constitute a threat to the United States. The second Trump administration must not make the same mistake as the Biden administration: prioritizing foreign nations over stopping nuclear proliferation. Reviving the JCPOA is not idealism; it is a pragmatic solution to the threat of nuclear proliferation.” (02/11/26)

https://original.antiwar.com/jd_hester/2026/02/10/trump-should-revive-the-jcpoa-to-prevent-war-with-iran/

Thomas L. Knapp

Yemen: Several killed and wounded as crowd linked with STC storms regime building

Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]

“A crowd linked to Yemen’s separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) has attempted to storm a local government building in the southeastern Yemeni city of Ataq, leaving several dead, according to local authorities and sources. The security committee in Shabwah governorate said armed fighters assaulted security and military personnel and fired live ammunition during Wednesday’s attack, resulting in casualties as official forces intervened. … Rami Lamlas, deputy head of the Shabwah General Hospital Authority, told Al Jazeera that five people were killed and 39 wounded when security and military forces dispersed demonstrators affiliated with the STC.” (02/11/26)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/11/five-killed-in-yemen-as-crowd-linked-with-stc-in-south-storm-govt-building

Thomas L. Knapp