ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

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February 19, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) - East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen on important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

WORLD

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

U.S.

FBI informant charged with lying about Joe and Hunter Biden's ties to Ukrainian energy company (ABC News)

An FBI informant has been charged with lying to authorities about a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme between President Joe Biden, his son Hunter and a Ukrainian energy company, a claim that is central to the Republican impeachment inquiry in Congress.

Officials sound alarm about new Russian ‘space threat’  (Washington Post)

Russia is developing a space-based military capability that members of Congress and U.S. officials worry could pose a significant threat to the United States and its allies, possibly by damaging critical intelligence or communications satellites with a nuclear weapon, according to officials familiar with the matter.

Stalled US aid for Ukraine underscores GOP's shift away from confronting Russia (ABC)

Republicans have been softening their stance on Russia ever since Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election following Russian hacking of his Democratic opponents... Now the GOP's ambivalence on Russia has stalled additional aid to Ukraine at a pivotal time in the war... The Senate last week passed a foreign aid package that included $61 billion for Ukraine on a 70-29 vote, but Speaker  Johnson was one of a majority of the Republicans to vote against the bill after their late-night stand to block it.

Trump Ordered to Pay $355 Million and Barred From New York Business (New York Times)

A New York judge on Friday handed Donald J. Trump a crushing defeat in his civil fraud case, finding the former president liable for conspiring to manipulate his net worth and ordering him to pay a penalty of $355 million that could wipe out his entire stockpile of cash..Not only did Justice Engoron impose a three-year ban preventing Mr. Trump from serving in top roles at any New York company, including his own, but the judge also applied that punishment to the former president’s adult sons for two years and ordered that they pay more than $4 million each.

Donald Trump's NATO Comment Sparks Furious Backlash: 'Unhinged' (Newsweek)

Former President Donald Trump has sparked fierce backlash after he suggested he would "encourage" Russia to attack NATO countries falling short of guideline financial contributions to the alliance... "Encouraging invasions of our closest allies by murderous regimes is appalling and unhinged—and it endangers American national security, global stability and our economy at home," said White House spokesperson, Andrew Bates.

2024 poll: What matters to voters and what could change if it's Biden vs. Trump  (NPR)

Preserving democracy tops the list of issues for voters in this election year, but not for Republicans, who are most concerned with immigration, a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll finds.  For Democrats, they said preserving democracy is top of mind for them when thinking about voting in this November's election, followed by inflation. For independents, it was preserving democracy, followed by immigration and inflation. After immigration for Republicans, it was inflation, and nothing else came close.

Senate Republicans block bipartisan border deal and foreign aid package following months of negotiations (CNN)

Senate Republicans blocked a major bipartisan border deal and foreign aid package with assistance for Ukraine and Israel in a key vote on Wednesday amid a torrent of attacks on the bill by former President Donald Trump and top House Republicans. The failed procedural vote amounts to a stunning rebuke by Senate Republicans of a deal that would have enacted restrictive border measures and was crafted in part by one of their own members ...

US drone kills Iran-backed militia leader in Baghdad  (BBC)

The Pentagon says the Kataib Hezbollah leader was responsible for directing attacks on American forces.

Biden classified documents probe ends without charges (Politico)

An independent investigation into classified documents found at the home of President Joe Biden and a think tank office he used has concluded, a letter sent to Congress on Wednesday said, without indication of any criminal charges being brought.

All four of Trump’s criminal cases reach inflection points this week (Politico)

Judges will face choices that affect when, and whether, Trump stands trial.

Trump Asks Supreme Court to Intervene on Immunity Claim  (Wall St. Journal)

Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Monday to block a recent ruling that denied him blanket immunity for alleged crimes he committed as president, a move that could further delay proceedings on charges he plotted to overturn the 2020 election results… / Two lower courts have rejected Trump’s immunity claim….

Trump's sweeping immunity claim rejected by US appeals court (Reuters)

Donald Trump does not have immunity from charges he plotted to overturn his 2020 election defeat, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday, bringing the former U.S. president a step closer to an unprecedented criminal trial.

Inside the White House, confidence grows that a strong economy will sell itself to Americans (NBC)

Senior administration officials say a surprisingly solid run of economic data is finally catching up to their messaging, months after “Bidenomics” slipped from the president’s lexicon.

Mayorkas escapes historic impeachment vote in major setback for House GOP (Time)

... the House on Tuesday narrowly rejected impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the southern border after a small group of Republicans broke with their party. The deeply partisan effort charged Mayorkas with failing to properly enforce the nation’s immigration laws amid a record surge of immigrants...But constitutional scholars warned that the evidence amounted to a policy dispute that does not reach the high bar of impeachment and could degrade the seriousness of the impeachment process.

WORLD

Brazil's ex-leader Bolsonaro surrenders passport over coup probe (BBC)

Brazil's ex-President Jair Bolsonaro has surrendered his passport as the investigation continues into the 2023 storming of Brazil's Congress by his supporters.  Police accuse him of having led a failed plot to remain in power after losing the election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Over 300 Detained In Russia As Country Mourns Death Of Alexei Navalny, Putin's Fiercest Foe (Huffington Post)

Over 300 people were detained in Russia while paying tribute to opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died at a remote Arctic penal colony, a prominent rights group reported Sunday.The sudden death of Navalny, 47, was a crushing blow to many Russians, who had pinned their hopes for the future on President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe. Navalny remained vocal in his unrelenting criticism of the Kremlin even after surviving a nerve agent poisoning and receiving multiple prison terms.

Hamas had command tunnel under UN Gaza HQ, Israel says (Reuters)

Israeli forces have discovered a tunnel network hundreds of metres (yards) long and running partly under UNRWA's Gaza headquarters, the military says, calling it new evidence of Hamas exploitation of the main relief agency for Palestinians. Army engineers took reporters for foreign news outlets through the passages at a time of crisis for UNRWA, which has launched an internal probe and seen a string of donor countries freeze funding over allegations last month by Israel that some of its staff doubled as Hamas operatives.

Mexican president proposes sweeping reforms increasing pensions, minimum wage (NPR)

NPR's Debbie Elliot speaks with Reforma columnist Carlos Bravo Regidor about Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's new constitutional reforms.

King Charles in first public outing since cancer diagnosis revealed (BBC)

King Charles has attended church in Sandringham in his first public outing since Buckingham Palace announced his cancer diagnosis.

Israeli forces rescue 2 hostages in dramatic Gaza raid that killed at least 67 Palestinians (AP)

 Israeli forces rescued two hostages early Monday, storming a heavily guarded apartment in a densely packed town in the Gaza Strip as airstrikes carried out to cover the raid killed more than 60 Palestinians, including women and children.... Israel says about 100 hostages remain in Hamas captivity after dozens were freed during a cease-fire in November. Hamas also holds the remains of roughly 30 others who were either killed on Oct. 7 or died in captivity.

Jordan's King Abdullah Participates in Gaza Aid Airdrop  (US News & World Reports)

Jordan's King Abdullah participated in an airdrop of humanitarian aid to Gaza, in a move highlighting his kingdom's role in pushing Israel to stop restricting efforts to help fend off illness, hunger and starvation in the war-torn enclave, officials said on Sunday. A video released by state-owned Al Mamlaka showed the monarch in military gear on board a plane in the latest mission by the Jordanian air force to drop urgent medical supplies to field hospitals it runs in the enclave. 

Is Iceland entering a new volcanic era? (BBC)

This week, Iceland woke up to yet another day of fire, as towering fountains of lava lit up the dark morning sky...It is the third short-lived eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula since December 2023 and the sixth since 2021. But scientists think this is just the start of a period of volcanic activity that could last for decades or even centuries.

Kremlin confirms Putin gave interview to ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson (Reuters)

 President Vladimir Putin granted an interview to U.S. television host Tucker Carlson on Tuesday, the Kremlin said, his first to an American journalist since before Russia's invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago.  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had agreed to the Carlson interview because the approach of the former Fox News host differed from the "one-sided" reporting of the Ukraine conflict by many Western news outlets.

Danish defence minister warns Russia could attack NATO in 3-5 years  (Reuters)

Denmark should speed up its military investments after new intelligence indicates that Russia is rearming faster than expected and that it could attack a NATO country within three to five years, the Danish defence minister said on Friday.

The head of UN's nuclear watchdog warns Iran is 'not entirely transparent' on its atomic program  (AP)

The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog warned Tuesday that Iran is “not entirely transparent” regarding its atomic program, particularly after an official who once led Tehran’s program announced the Islamic Republic has all the pieces for a weapon “in our hands.”

Russians freeze as Putin's war and aging pipes reveal cracks at home (ABC)

Across Russia, creaking infrastructure and a wave of accidents have plunged households into the cold in the depth of winter, fueling rare showings of anger and irritation in a country where public criticism has been increasingly quashed.



 

 


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