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Google removes AI weapons ban from updated principles – Gamereactor UK
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Google has made a significant change to its artificial intelligence ethics, removing a longstanding pledge that the company would not use AI for weapons or surveillance purposes. This update, made to Google’s AI principles, eliminates clauses that had previously prevented the tech giant from developing technologies that could cause harm or violate internationally accepted human rights.

Instead, the updated principles are said to focus on responsible AI development, emphasising human oversight and alignment with international law. While Google claims the revisions reflect the rapid evolution of AI technology since the principles were established in 2018, the move has sparked concern among experts and former employees.

The shift comes at a time when artificial intelligence is advancing quickly and raising important questions about the balance between innovation and ethical responsibility. Some argue that the removal of these safeguards opens the door to potentially harmful AI applications, while others believe the new framework is simply an attempt to align with global industry standards. With this change, will other companies follow suit, and what impact could it have on the future of AI?

State Farm seeks 22% emergency rate hike after receiving 8,700 wildfire claims – OCRegister
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State Farm General requested a 22% emergency rate hike in California on Monday, Feb. 3 to cover losses from the Los Angeles County wildfires and stop its “financial deterioration,” the company wrote in a letter filed with the state’s insurance commission.

The property insurer, the state’s largest and a subsidiary State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., said it has received more than 8,700 claims from the Jan. 7 fires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas. The company said it has paid more than $1 billion to customers.

The company is seeing signs of rapid deterioration of its capital structure, according to the letter sent to Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara by Dan Krause, State Farm’s president and chief executive officer.

Krause wants Lara to take “emergency action” to help protect California’s fragile insurance market by immediately approving interim rate increases on its filings, with rates to become effective May 1. Besides the average 22% rate increase in homeowners’ insurance policies, State Farm requested a 15% hike for renters, 15% for condo owners and 38% for rental dwellings.

“We know we will ultimately pay out more, as those fires will collectively be the costliest in the history of the company,” wrote Krause. The rate increases are needed to help avert a dire situation for more than 2.8 million poli

U.S. Department of the Treasury Announces Plans to Borrow $1.665 TRILLION Over Next 6 Months– conservativeroof.com
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The U.S. Treasury plans to borrow $1.665 trillion over the next six months, the department announced on Feb. 3 in its first estimate under Secretary Scott Bessent.

According to the Treasury Refunding Estimate, the Treasury projects borrowing $815 billion from January to March. This is $9 billion lower than the October forecast, driven by a higher beginning-of-quarter cash balance.

In the April to June period, the Treasury anticipates borrowing $123 billion.

The Treasury confirmed that it borrowed $620 billion during the October to December quarter, $74 billion higher than initially estimated. Additionally, it finished the three-month span with a cash balance of $722 billion.

Police arrest six people as Tommy Robinson supporters enter counter-demo area at London protest – MSN
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Six people have been arrested after thousands of Tommy Robinson supporters marched in central London on Saturday, with some caught entering a counter-demo area, said the Met Police.

Hundreds of police officers were deployed in response to the protest, organised under the name “Stop the Isolation” or “Unite the Kingdom” in support of Robinson, as well as a separate counter-demonstration.

Chants of “We want our country back” and “We want Tommy out” were sung as the demonstration set off from outside Waterloo station before marching towards Westminster and assembling at the Parliament Square end of Whitehall.

The counter-protest organised by Stand Up To Racism also marched to Whitehall to stand “together against racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism and to say that we won’t let the far right divide us”.

Fetterman says he’ll oppose Gabbard, RFK Jr.– www.politico.com
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Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who has been willing to buck his party to confirm some of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks, is ruling out voting for two of the president’s most controversial nominees: Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Fetterman said in a post on X Thursday night that he won’t vote to confirm Gabbard as director of national intelligence or Kennedy as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Both are now expected to be confirmed after their nominations had been seen to be in jeopardy.

“I have met with most of the cabinet nominees and have carefully watched their confirmation hearings,” Fetterman wrote. “After considering what’s at stake, I have voted against moving forward to the confirmation of Ms. Gabbard and Mr. Kennedy, and will be voting NO on their confirmations.”

South African president warns ‘we will not be bullied’ amid feud with Trump, Musk– www.washingtonexaminer.com
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South Africa “will not be bullied” by President Donald Trump, the leader of the nation declared in a national speech.

President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged the United States government’s newfound hostility to South Africa’s domestic policies on Thursday during his State of the Union address — stating that his government and people will not buckle under pressure from the White House.

“We are witnessing the rise of nationalism, protectionism, the pursuit of narrow interests, and the decline of common cause,” Ramaphosa said. “This is the world that we as South Africa, a developing economy, must now navigate, but we are not daunted. We are, as South Africans, a resilient people, and we will not be bullied.”

“We will speak with one voice in defense of our national interest, our sovereignty, and our constitutional democracy,” Ramaphosa continued. “By staying true to our values, by harnessing our unique strengths and endowments, and by forging a common purpose, we can turn these trying circumstances to our advantage and propel our country forward.”

It’s the latest rhetorical swing in a developing feud between the U.S. and South Africa — kicked off when Trump announced over the weekend that he would be cutting all future foreign aid to the country due to its new Expropriation Act, which will allow the confiscation of private property without reimbursement.

Trump White House Reveals Its New Tax Plan for Americans– townhall.com
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We knew this was coming, too. One way to revamp the American economy is to create a better tax and job-creating environment. The first Trump presidency did that, which led to bonuses for workers, billions in repatriated cash from overseas, and small business and consumer confidence reaching historic highs. Unemployment across the board reached all-time lows, and then the COVID pandemic happened, thanks to shoddy Chinese lab workers not following or having proper containment protocols in Wuhan.

Now, flush with victory after the 2024 election, the Trump White House is making it a priority to extend their initial tax cuts, which have since expired. It should be made permanent when this budget reconciliation duel begins, and it will be a tough slog. Like completing the border wall and enforcing federal immigration laws, making the 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent should be a top domestic agenda item.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added that there will be a concerted push for no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security for seniors, no tax on overtime pay, tweaking the caps on SALT, nixing the breaks for billionaire sports team owners, and ending the carried interest loophole.

 

Polls Show Americans Overwhelmingly Support Voter ID Laws– thefederalist.com
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On Jan. 1, California’s new anti-election integrity law went into effect, prohibiting local governments in the Golden State from requiring voters to show identification to cast ballots in elections. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the restrictive legislation into law a little more than a month before November’s historic presidential election.

It’s certainly not the first time the far-left governor with higher political aspirations has been on the wrong side of American sentiment.

A new Rasmussen Reports poll finds that more than three-quarters of likely U.S. voters (77%) say requiring a photo ID to vote is a reasonable way to protect the integrity of elections. Just 17 percent think such measures are unreasonable. The latest numbers are up from 74 percent support in 2021, according to the pollster.

The survey of 1,229 respondents, conducted Jan.26-28, also found 60 percent believe voter ID laws do not “discriminate against some voters,” with 30 percent saying they do.

AfD remain on course for record result in YouGov’s second MRP model of the 2025 German election – YouGov
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Germany’s parliamentary election is now just two-and-a-half weeks away, and YouGov’s second MRP of the campaign shows the Alternative for Germany (AfD) remain on course for the best result in post-war Germany for a party to the right of the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU).

Our model’s central estimate projects the AfD will finish in second place, with 142 of the 630 seats in the Bundestag, as well as winning 20% of the vote. This would be roughly double the 10% they won in 2021 and matches the 20% estimated by our first MRP three weeks ago.

Nonetheless, the conservative CDU/CSU retain a clear lead on 29% of the vote (-1 compared to the first MRP) and are projected to win 207 seats.

There’s been no improvement from our first projection for the two centre-left governing parties, the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens, with YouGov’s second MRP model placing them on 15% and 13% of the vote respectively.

‘China Wants to Get Rid of the US’: Beijing Spending Hundreds of Billions to Undermine America– www.cbn.com
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RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil and NAIROBI, Kenya – China is aggressively expanding its global influence, specifically through control of key shipping ports.

It’s part of Beijing’s ongoing agenda to use economic, military, and infrastructure projects as leverage to overtake the United States as the world’s leading superpower. CBN News traveled to Brazil and Kenya for a closer look at China’s growing influence around the world.

What is clear from experts though is that China wants to dominate the high seas, and so far, it’s succeeding. Seven of the world’s largest shipping ports are in China, with the Port of Shanghai topping the list

It’s the ports outside of the country’s borders, though, that retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery tells CBN News concerns Washington and its allies the most.

“China’s primary goal is access,” said Montgomery. “Access for resource extraction, access to displace the United States position, access for future operations, but that access acts as the long-term goal of China displacing the United States as the economic partner of choice globally.”

Winning: Trump To Lay Off 1,000 Useless Environmental Protection Agency Employees– lidblog.com
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…And the winning keeps going as Donald Trump is now laying off one thousand useless employees of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

I am not tired of winning yet, are you?

The Trump administration to more than 1,000 EPA laggards that they can expect layoffs at any moment.

Per Just the News:

The email was the latest effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to downsize the federal government. Dozens of Justice Department attorneys and FBI agents were already fired last month, and most federal employees were offered a buyout option if they resign by Feb. 6.

EPA employees are among those who can opt out of working for the government by resigning by next week. Those who take the deal will be allowed to retain benefits and be paid through September.

The email was sent to roughly 1,100 EPA employees who fell under the “probationary/trial” window, according to NBC News. But Marie Owens Powell, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Council 238, said the government would need cause to fire the employees.

“As a probationary/ trial period employee, the agency has the right to immediately terminate you,” the email said. “The process for probationary removal is that you receive a notice of termination, and your employment is ended immediately.”

 

Bankruptcy Judge Blocks Settlement Between Sandy Hook Families Who Sued Alex Jones | The Gateway Pundit– www.thegatewaypundit.com
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Alex Jones

A bankruptcy judge blocked Sandy Hook families from a settlement with Alex Jones on Wednesday.

The New York Post reported:

A US bankruptcy judge on Wednesday blocked a settlement between families who have sued Alex Jones over his false claims about the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting, saying their attempt to divide the bankrupt conspiracy theorist’s assets exceeded his court’s authority.

The decision complicates a proposed sale of Jones’ Infowars platform, and could spur divisions between families who sued Jones and won nearly $1.3 billion in Connecticut court cases and those who won $50 million in Texas courts.

The two groups of families had proposed a settlement that would guarantee the Texas families a 25% share of Jones’ future payments made to the Sandy Hook families, with the Connecticut families taking 75%.

US Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez rejected the settlement at a hearing in Houston, saying the families were asking him to also divide up the assets of Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, despite the fact that the company had been dismissed from bankruptcy last year.

“I can’t do that,” Lopez said. “That case is closed.”

NASA has increased the likelihood of Asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting the earth from one-in-83 to one-in-77. The asteroid is of significant concern because it’s nearly 200-foot-wide diameter means if it hits near a city, it will level it completely, For this reason, this is an asteroid that fits into the category of “city-killer.” If it hits, it will be on December 22, 2032.

NASA: Chances of ‘city-killer’ asteroid hitting Earth have increased – MSN
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The odds of a ‘city-killer’ asteroid smashing into the Earth on December 22, 2032 appear to have ticked up slightly. NASA previously estimated that Asteroid 2024 YR4, a nearly 200-foot-wide space rock, has a one-in-83 chance (1.2 percent) of striking our planet. But now, the agency’s ‘Sentry’ Earth Impact Monitoring system reports a one-in-77 chance (1.3 percent) of a direct hit.

Mexico has avoided a U.S. tariff by sending 10,000 Mexican troops to the U.S. border to help prevent the flow of fentanyl going into Mexico. The Mexican troops were sent to Mexican border states Baja California, Sonora, and Tamaulipas.

Mexico deploys 10,000 troops to US border- Washington Examiner– www.washingtonexaminer.com
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Mexico has begun to deploy 10,000 military troops to its border with the United States as part of the country’s effort to deter illegal immigration and drug smuggling northbound.

Mexico has launched Operative Frontera Norte, Spanish for Operation Northern Border, as part of an effort to bolster security along its northern cities and towns.

The move comes following weekend negotiations with the Trump administration. President Donald Trump demanded Mexico crack down on the movement of fentanyl over the border or face 25% tariffs on goods sent to the U.S. from Mexico.

Mexican army soldiers and National Guard troops were deployed to Mexican border states Baja California, Sonora, and Tamaulipas on Tuesday, according to Mexican military officials who spoke with Reuters.

Within those regions, troops will be sent to Tijuana, across from San Diego, California; Mexicali, across from Calexico; Nogales, across from southeastern Arizona; Nuevo Laredo, across from Laredo, Texas; and Reynosa and Matamoros, which are across the border from the Rio Grande Valley of southeastern Texas.

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After Panama effectively ended China’s authority over the canal built by the American republic, the Panama Canal, they followed up with another concession to the Trump administration.  The Panama government announced U.S. warships can now use the canal freely, as it was intended to be according to the contract that saw the U.S. hand over the canal to Panama under the Carter regime.

Panama eliminates charge for US government ships sailing through canal: State Department – Le Monde
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The Panama Canal Authority on Wednesday, February 5, denied it will allow US government vessels to transit the interoceanic waterway for free, as the US State Department announced earlier. “The Panama Canal Authority, which is empowered to set tolls and other fees for transiting the canal, reports that it has not made any adjustments to them,” the agency said in a statement.

The United States earlier claimed that its government vessels would be allowed to sail for free through the Panama Canal, following heavy pressure from President Donald Trump. “US government vessels can now transit the Panama Canal without charge fees, saving the US government millions of dollars a year,” the State Department said in a post on social media platform X.

It was the first public announcement of promises hinted at by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said that Panama offered concessions during his talks on Sunday. Rubio said he had told Panama that it was unfair for the United States to be in a position to defend the vital waterway and also to be charged for its use.

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Despite a judge’s order to extend the deadline at least until next week, President Trump’s “Fork in the Road” deferred resignation has already seen 40,000 government employees take the offer. U.S. District Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. extended the deadline to allow unions a chance to sue.

White House says 40,000 federal workers accepted deferred resignation– www.washingtonexaminer.com
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On Thursday, U.S. District Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. ruled against President Donald Trump’s “Fork in the Road” deferred resignation offer deadline, extending it from Thursday to at least Monday to allow labor unions to challenge its legality. Before he could extend the deadline, however, tens of thousands of employees had accepted the offer.

According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, 40,000 federal workers accepted the deal — eight months of pay and benefits until September. The total represents about 2% of the federal workforce.

The White House’s reported goal was between 5% and 10% of the federal workforce.

Certain specifics of the plan haven’t been disclosed, such as whether workers who accept the offer can go into the private sector while still receiving paychecks from the federal government or how pensions and other benefits are affected. Labor unions cast doubt that Trump would stay true to the agreement.

The offer was emailed to all federal employees by the Office of Personnel Management on Jan. 28. The memo, titled “Fork in the Road,” demanded that employees begin to adhere to a much stricter code or resign.

The memo said that the “reformed federal workforce” would be built around four pillars: return to the office, performance culture, a more streamlined and flexible workforce, and enhanced standards of conduct.

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After the FCC-ordered release of the CBS interview with Kamala Harris, President Donald J Trump accused CBS of engaging in “election interference.” The video shows the originally released video was highly edited to make Kamala look as good as possible. During the interview, Kamala often seen lost and answered questions almost incoherently. The edited video made her seem at least competent.

Trump said in response, “CBS and 60 Minutes defrauded the public by doing something which has never, to this extent, been seen before. They 100% removed Kamala’s horrible election-changing answers to questions, and replaced them with completely different, and far better, answers, taken from another part of the interview.

This was Election-changing ‘stuff,’ Election Interference and, quite simply, Election Fraud at a level never seen before. CBS should lose its license, and the cheaters at 60 Minutes should all be thrown out, and this disreputable ‘NEWS’ show should be immediately terminated.”

New Video Shows CBS Deceptively Edited Kamala Harris Interview– thefederalist.com
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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ordered that CBS News release the entire “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, which the network withheld during the campaign. On Wednesday, no one was shocked to learn what everyone knew all along: CBS deceptively edited the interview to help the Harris campaign with her comically poor ability to answer questions coherently.

During the 2024 presidential campaign, CBS released only 20 minutes of a nearly hour-long interview with Harris. While calls to release the entire interview went unanswered at the time, the full video shows that CBS not only spliced her answer on American-Israeli relations in favor of Harris — the initial video that landed the outlet in hot water — but hid other key moments displaying her incapability.

“The video proves beyond a reasonable doubt that CBS News lied to the American people when they claimed they didn’t edit anything out of the video,” Nicholas Fondacaro, associate editor with MRC NewsBusters, told The Federalist. “It’s now confirmed that not only did they clean up Kamala’s word salad answers for the 60 Minutes airing, they also edited one of Whitaker’s questions because it called out the administration for getting ‘blindsided’ and ‘rebuffed’ on the international stage. Essentially, things that wouldn’t sit well with American voters ahead of what was thought to be a very tight election.”

The release of the full transcript and video interview comes after Trump sued CBS for “deceptive doctoring” of the video, which many said at the time was done essentially as a contribution to the Harris campaign. The Center for American Rights, a right-leaning law firm, also filed a complaint with the FCC to get the full interview released.

Trump-appointed FCC chair Brendan Carr obtained the full versions after pressuring CBS, which had consistently defended its decision to withhold the full versions. After the cuts, former CBS reporter Catherine Herridge — who was fired after investigating the Hunter Biden laptop — said that for CBS to release the footage or transcript would have normally been the common practice.

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The month of December in 2024 turned out to be the best recruitment month for the U.S. army in 12 years. In January of 2025, that jumped to 15 years. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted on x, “BOTTOM LINE: America’s youth want to serve under the bold & strong “America First” leadership of @realDonaldTrump.”

Trump is Elected and BAM: Best Military Recruitment Rate in 12 Years– lidblog.com
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… Per our news Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, the totals in December after Trump’s election were the best seen in over a decade.

According to Military.com:

The Army is set to dramatically expand how many new recruits it can send to basic training this spring, riding the momentum of recent gains toward reversing a recruiting slump it has struggled with in recent years.

By April, the service expects to have 10 additional basic training units established across Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and Fort Sill, Oklahoma — some of which are already established. In total, that would allow the Army to train up to 9,600 new recruits per year, according to Lt. Col. Randy Ready, a service spokesperson.

The move comes as the Army hit a major recruiting milestone. In January, Military.com was first to report the service reached the halfway mark toward its ambitious goal of bringing in 61,000 active-duty soldiers this fiscal year, which began in October. With recruiting numbers trending upward, officials are banking on a surge to sustain momentum and close the gap left by past shortfalls.

 

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After DOGE accessed the Treasury Department’s payment data when Homeland Security Officers had to be called to remove resisting bureaucrats from the premises, they discovered a far-left slush fund called USAID. Soon after, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly halted the operation.

Now, the operation, the forensic investigation of government budget by DOGE, can continue after the DOJ agrees to a proposed order that would allow only two Musk-approved, but Treasury Department employed people to have access to the data, but only in read-only mode. These two special employees are Tom Krause and Marko Elaz.

DOJ agrees to proposed order to limit DOGE’s access to Treasury data – ABC News
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In a filing late Wednesday evening, lawyers with the Justice Department agreed to a proposed order that would largely prohibit the Treasury Department from sharing sensitive financial data with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

The agreement allows two individuals associated with Musk but employed by the Treasury Department – called special government employees – to have “read only” access to the sensitive data.

Once approved by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who is overseeing the case, the agreement will stay in place until Feb. 24 when both sides return to court to argue about a long-term preliminary injunction.

The two special government employees allowed to continue seeing Treasury Department data are Tom Krause and Marko Elez, according to the filing. Krause is the former chief executive of Cloud Software Group, a Silicon Valley tech company. Marko Elez is a 25-year-old engineer who used to work for Musk’s X and SpaceX.

Sweden, which has been overrun by mass migration from Islamists that hate their country, and are now proceeding to rape and plunder it, is looking to disarm its citizens after the nation’s worst mass shooting in history. The shooting at an adult center left 10 victims dead, with the shooter committing suicide.

The government response to the tragedy was to state, “There are certain types of weapons that are so dangerous that they should only be possessed for civilian purposes as an exception,” while Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said, “We have to ensure that only the right people have guns in Sweden.” The opposition party is aboard with the plan.

Death Toll in Swedish School Shooting at 11 as Authorities Slow-Walk the Truth About the Incident – PJ Media– pjmedia.com
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We believe that 11 people, including the shooter, were killed at Campus Risbergska, a school for adults in the city of Örebro, about 125 miles from Stockholm. “At least” six people were seriously wounded, according to the police.

In this case, local media is filling in some of the blanks.

The police say that the attacker “acted alone.” They say he was “unknown to the police.” They say the attack was not based on ideology. They claim the attacker did not belong to a gang.

The police also say that this information may change.

“At the moment, the police believe that the perpetrator was acting alone, but we cannot rule out more perpetrators connected to the incident,” police said Tuesday.

“The reason it took so long to give a death toll was due to the size of the school premises, according to local police chief Mr. Forest,” reports the BBC. There were four other schools on the Risbergska campus with about 2,000 students. It’s large, but they couldn’t search all of it in 24 hours?

The attacker is still a mystery.

BBC:

In an interview with the Aftonbladet tabloid, a relative of the suspect says he had not had much contact with family in recent years and was unemployed.

“As a child he was different but lively. He did well at school. But recent years were tough for him.”

Another relative says the man, who allegedly changed his surname eight years ago, was a “recluse” and may have had mental health problems.

“Before, he had a friend he spent he spent a lot of time with, but not now. He wants to be on his own. He doesn’t seem to like people much.”

Hours after the attack, heavily armed officers raided a flat in Orebro believed to be registered to the man, using drones and a ladder truck, according to Swedish Radio.

The broadcaster found he had no convictions to his name and had declared no income over the past few years.

 

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The mid-air collision over the Potomac River that led to the deaths of 67 people, 64 people on the jet and three on the helicopter, was caused by pilot error an initial NTSB report claims. The report cites the altitude of the helicopter, which was at 300 feet, 100 feet over the 200 feet limit.

Video of the crash leaked by airport workers shows the helicopter appears to have had plenty of time to see the plane and get out of the way. The airport workers were arrested. The pilot is Rebecca Lobach, whose social media presence appears to have been scrubbed before her name was released. Her family, reportedly, was worried she would be called a DEI hire.

NTSB Update Confirms Black Hawk Helicopter Made Crucial Error Before Plane Crash– www.westernjournal.com
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The National Transportation Safety Board released an update on Tuesday informing the public that the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines plane in Washington, D.C., last week was flying too high at the time of the crash.

The agency found that the Black Hawk was positioned at 300 feet on the air traffic control display.

That is 100 feet higher than the ceiling of 200 feet for helicopters in the National Capital Region, according to a report from Fox News.

The report confirms earlier analysis of the crash, including from President Donald Trump, who wrote in a post on Truth Social that the “helicopter was flying too high, by a lot. It was far above the 200 foot limit.”

But it leaves key questions unanswered, particularly the cause of the error: Malfunctioning equipment? A mistake by the pilot? Some other reason?

The NTSB also recovered various parts of the Bombardier CRJ700 operated by American Airlines from the Potomac River.

The parts include the “right wing, center fuselage, part of the left wing and left fuselage, significant portions of the forward cabin and cockpit, vertical and horizontal stabilizers, tail cone, rudder, elevators, TCAS computer and quick access recorder.”

 

Two DC Airport Workers Arrested Over Plane Crash Footage

But he said that the American commercial air travel system remains safe.

“We have the safest skies in the whole world. Traveling by air is the safest mode of transportation,” Duffy said.

“It’s not just air traffic controllers, but we do have technologies on airplanes to keep them separated,” he added. “So, yeah, no, this is the safest system.”

Duffy also criticized the diversity hiring that has occurred for air traffic controllers and said that the country should instead focus on hiring the most qualified candidates.

“You can’t focus on diversity, equity and inclusion when you try to hire air traffic controllers. You focus on the best and brightest,” Duffy added.

“I mean, again, some people like me like to have this conversation around equity. But if it’s your pilots or if it’s your air traffic controllers, you want the best. You want the brightest protecting yourself and your family. That’s what we’re going to do with the department.”

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Representative Al Green (D-TX) has filed his third set of impeachment articles against Donald Trump. This time, he filed the articles in response to his call for the Palestinians to be moved to a new land permanently. He called the reasons “dastardly deeds.”

He said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. and injustice in Gaza is a threat to justice in the United States of America. I rise to announce that the movement to impeach the president has begun. I rise to announce that I will bring articles of impeachment against the president for dastardly deeds proposed and dastardly deeds done.”

Rep. Al Green is filing new impeachment articles against Trump– www.politico.com
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Excerpt:

Rep. Al Green said Wednesday he was introducing impeachment articles against Donald Trump after the president said the U.S. would “take over” Gaza.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. and injustice in Gaza is a threat to justice in the United States of America,” Green said in a floor speech Wednesday morning. “I rise to announce that the movement to impeach the president has begun. I rise to announce that I will bring articles of impeachment against the president for dastardly deeds proposed and dastardly deeds done.”

The Texas Democrat launched multiple longshot impeachment bids during Trump’s first term using procedural maneuvers meant to circumvent House leadership and bypass committees. Similar to his last efforts, there’s not much appetite among Democrats to impeach Trump as of yet.

Asked Wednesday about Green’s measure, Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), the No. 3 House Democrat, said it wasn’t a focus for the caucus.

In Joint Presser With Bibi, Trump Says US Will Turn Gaza Into ‘Riviera of the Middle East’– freebeacon.com
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Excerpt:

President Donald Trump outlined ambitious plans to resettle Gaza’s population, “take over” the war-torn strip, clear out “unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site,” and spearhead “economic development.” A rebuilt Gaza, Trump said, could be “the Riviera of the Middle East.”

Trump’s remarks came during a Tuesday evening joint press conference with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who became the first foreign leader to visit the White House during Trump’s second term. Trump spoke at length about his call, first floated last week, to resettle Gaza’s residents. The strip, Trump said, “has been a symbol of death and destruction for decades” and “should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people who have … lived a miserable existence there.” Instead, he said, the United States “will take over the Gaza Strip” through “a long-term ownership position” and lead the rebuilding process.

“It just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years,” Trump said of Gaza. “We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal, and I don’t want to be cute, I don’t want to be a wise guy, but the Riviera of the Middle East—this could be something that could be so magnificent.”

Rubio Says People Will Have To Relocate In “Interim” While Gaza Is Rebuilt– www.ndtv.com
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Excerpt:

Marco Rubio was answering reporters’ question during a visit to the Dominican Republic on Thursday.
Santo Domingo: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that Gaza currently is “not habitable” due to dangers such as unexploded weapons, and that people would have to live elsewhere while the area is rebuilt.

Rubio, answering a reporter’s question during a visit to the Dominican Republic, encouraged other countries to step forward and offer to help rebuild Gaza, but did not say whether Palestinians would be able to return to the area under a proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump to take over and develop the Gaza Strip.

“I think that’s just a realistic reality, that in order to fix a place like that, people are going to have to live somewhere else in the interim,” Rubio said.

US a ‘very long way away’ from deploying troops in Gaza – Defense Secretary — RT World News– www.rt.com
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Excerpt:

Donald Trump’s Tuesday proposal to take over the enclave has sparked international scrutiny and criticism

US President Donald Trump is a long way off from deploying American soldiers to Gaza, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump proposed that the United States take control of the Gaza Strip, suggesting the area be redeveloped following the demolition of structures damaged during the 15-month Israel-Hamas conflict. He reiterated his earlier stance that Palestinians should be relocated to neighboring countries at those nations’ expense. When questioned about the potential deployment of US troops to facilitate this plan, Trump stated he would “do what is necessary.”

The following day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared on Fox News to clarify the president’s remarks regarding the possibility of US military involvement in Gaza.

“I think we’re a very long way from that,” the top defense official replied, adding that “robust discussions” between Trump, national security officials and allies would have to precede such a decision. Israel wants to “finish the job against Hamas” and get the hostages back, and the US will help them do so, Hegseth said.


 

“What happens after that is a longer conversation… You don’t want to have to use American boots at all if you don’t have to,” he added.

“As he said, think outside the box,” Hegseth said in a nod to Israeli Prime Minister’s statements about Trump’s thoughts on Gaza. “Recognize that you can, through these sort of discussions… also move the Overton window of what’s possible,” Hegseth added.

On Tuesday, Netanyahu praised Trump for his unconventional thinking, adding that the US president’s decision on Gaza could “change history.”

Trump’s proposal has sparked significant international criticism. The Palestinian leadership has denounced the plan as “a significant violation of international law.” Surrounding Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Jordan and Egypt have spoken out for allowing Palestinians to stay in Gaza.

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Trump repudiates Rubio’s attempt to repair Gaza foolishness– www.washingtonexaminer.com
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Excerpt:

President Donald Trump has repudiated efforts by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt to row back his foolish comments on Gaza.

At a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, Trump said he wanted to see Palestinians “permanently” relocated out of Gaza and the United States take a “long-term ownership interest” over the Gaza Strip. Refusing to rule out deploying U.S. military forces to secure control over the Palestinian territory, Trump further suggested that he might grant U.S. recognition of full Israeli sovereignty over the Palestinian West Bank.

Trump’s ambitions lack either political or historic justification. If actively pursued, they would greatly fuel both violent jihadist mobilization and moderate Muslim antagonism against the U.S. Trump’s plans would also require U.S. troops to engage in ground force combat operations against Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist organizations. Put simply, Trump’s Gaza proposal runs dangerously counter to U.S. interests while being utterly at odds with the president’s oft-stated pledge to avoid “stupid wars.”

Israel follows US lead, withdraws from UN Human Rights body citing ‘blatant anti-Semitism’ – What this means for Gaza? – Mint
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Excerpt:

Israel has withdrawn from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), following a similar move by the United States. Israel’s UN envoy Danny Danon has said his country will “stand with” the US and “not participate” in the “biased” UN Human Rights Council a day after Trump also quit the Geneva-based body. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar published his letter to UNHRC President Jurg Lauber that says the decision to withdraw from the Geneva-based body “was reached in light of the ongoing and unrelenting institutional bias against Israel in the Human Rights Council, which has been persistent since its inception in 2006”.

Trump says no US soldiers needed in Gaza, US would take over after war – Reuters

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Excerpt:

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Israel would turn the Gaza Strip over to the United States after the fighting ends and that no U.S. soldiers would be needed there.
“The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting. The Palestinians … would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region,” Trump said in a Truth Social post building on his controversial comments about Gaza’s future this week.

Trump’s Radical Plan to Take Over Gaza – PJ Media– pjmedia.com
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Excerpt:

It was too much even for some die-hard Donald Trump supporters when he said Tuesday that the U.S. would “take over” and “own” the Gaza Strip, using American forces to clear out the weapons and unexploded ordinance. My colleague Robert Spencer reported all the gory details for you last night, so I won’t go over those again.

But you do need to see some of the reactions before we get to what’s really going on here.

Varad Mehta, a generally pro-Trump conservative, said that “the idea the US should play a predominant, let alone the leading role in said reconstruction and effectively colonize Gaza, is bonkers.”

Cynical Publius is one of my go-to guys for sharp conservative commentary, and even he admitted that “Trump is testing my limits on this one.” And while Publius “will follow my own advice for now” and give Trump the benefit of the doubt, he is “deeply concerned that we are introducing US troops into the Gaza quagmire, which goes against the ‘No more forever wars’ mantra we all got behind during the election.”

And Another Thing: “Forever wars” is a lazy accusation, in addition to being ahistorical bunk — but I still find myself using it sometimes and won’t criticize Publius for using it.

Congresscritter Rashida Tlaib (D-Caliphate), showing her usual restraint, said, “This president can only spew this fanatical bullshit because of bipartisan support in Congress for funding genocide and ethnic cleansing.” It also didn’t take long for anti-Israel protestors to show up at the White House last night, waving their Hamas flags.

Everybody, left and right, please take a deep breath and relax. Trump’s opening bid is almost never his play — and I think I have his play figured out.

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Right in front of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump stunned the world by declaring the U.S. would take over Gaza and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” Netanyahu appeared somewhat stunned, but otherwise seemed to embrace that idea, an assumption that would officially be confirmed later on.

The statement has created dissenting voices on both the right and the left, including among Trump’s MAGA base. Trump has stated there will be no troops involved, as this will come after the war is over, but some remain skeptical. America will clean everything up and be able to set up an enterprise zone. Eventually, Israel would gain sovereignty over Gaza.

A conflict may be emerging between Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who seemed to suggest the Palestinians would eventually be able to return. They can return after Gaza is rebuilt, but until then, they’d need a place to stay. Trump doubled down on his assertion that the plan includes the Palestinians never returning. Another State Department statement suggested Trump was merely forcing the region to come up with their own solution, but again, Trump seemed to double down on his original statement.

In Joint Presser With Bibi, Trump Says US Will Turn Gaza Into ‘Riviera of the Middle East’– freebeacon.com
Source Link
Excerpt:

President Donald Trump outlined ambitious plans to resettle Gaza’s population, “take over” the war-torn strip, clear out “unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site,” and spearhead “economic development.” A rebuilt Gaza, Trump said, could be “the Riviera of the Middle East.”

Trump’s remarks came during a Tuesday evening joint press conference with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who became the first foreign leader to visit the White House during Trump’s second term. Trump spoke at length about his call, first floated last week, to resettle Gaza’s residents. The strip, Trump said, “has been a symbol of death and destruction for decades” and “should not go through a process of rebuilding and occupation by the same people who have … lived a miserable existence there.” Instead, he said, the United States “will take over the Gaza Strip” through “a long-term ownership position” and lead the rebuilding process.

“It just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years,” Trump said of Gaza. “We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal, and I don’t want to be cute, I don’t want to be a wise guy, but the Riviera of the Middle East—this could be something that could be so magnificent.”

TRUMP’S GAZA GAMBIT TRIGGERS ANOTHER IMPEACHMENT FILING FROM DNC – Representative Al Green (D-TX) has filed his third set of impeachment articles against Donald Trump. This time, he filed the articles in response to his call for the Palestinians to be moved to a new land permanently. He called the reasons “dastardly deeds.”

He said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. and injustice in Gaza is a threat to justice in the United States of America. I rise to announce that the movement to impeach the president has begun. I rise to announce that I will bring articles of impeachment against the president for dastardly deeds proposed and dastardly deeds done.”

Live briefing: Israeli military to prepare ‘voluntary departure’ plan for Gazans, echoing Trump proposal– www.washingtonpost.com
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Excerpt:

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday that he has instructed the military to draft a plan to “allow voluntary departure” of Gaza residents from the enclave — days after President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal for the United States to “take over” the Gaza Strip and remove all the people living there.

“I welcome President Trump’s bold plan, which could enable a large segment of Gaza’s population to relocate to various destinations around the world,” Katz said in a statement.

The Israeli plan would allow Gazaresidents to depart for “any country willing to receive them,” via land crossings or through “special arrangements for departure by sea and air,” he said. Palestinians in Gaza have mostly not been able to leave the enclave since the war began in October 2023, with some exceptions such as limited medical evacuations.

Rep. Al Green is filing new impeachment articles against Trump– www.politico.com
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Excerpt:

Rep. Al Green said Wednesday he was introducing impeachment articles against Donald Trump after the president said the U.S. would “take over” Gaza.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. and injustice in Gaza is a threat to justice in the United States of America,” Green said in a floor speech Wednesday morning. “I rise to announce that the movement to impeach the president has begun. I rise to announce that I will bring articles of impeachment against the president for dastardly deeds proposed and dastardly deeds done.”

The Texas Democrat launched multiple longshot impeachment bids during Trump’s first term using procedural maneuvers meant to circumvent House leadership and bypass committees. Similar to his last efforts, there’s not much appetite among Democrats to impeach Trump as of yet.

Asked Wednesday about Green’s measure, Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), the No. 3 House Democrat, said it wasn’t a focus for the caucus.

Rubio Says People Will Have To Relocate In “Interim” While Gaza Is Rebuilt– www.ndtv.com
Source Link
Excerpt:

Marco Rubio was answering reporters’ question during a visit to the Dominican Republic on Thursday.

Santo Domingo: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that Gaza currently is “not habitable” due to dangers such as unexploded weapons, and that people would have to live elsewhere while the area is rebuilt.

Rubio, answering a reporter’s question during a visit to the Dominican Republic, encouraged other countries to step forward and offer to help rebuild Gaza, but did not say whether Palestinians would be able to return to the area under a proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump to take over and develop the Gaza Strip.

“I think that’s just a realistic reality, that in order to fix a place like that, people are going to have to live somewhere else in the interim,” Rubio said.

Trump repudiates Rubio’s attempt to repair Gaza foolishness– www.washingtonexaminer.com
Source Link
Excerpt:

President Donald Trump has repudiated efforts by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt to row back his foolish comments on Gaza.

At a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, Trump said he wanted to see Palestinians “permanently” relocated out of Gaza and the United States take a “long-term ownership interest” over the Gaza Strip. Refusing to rule out deploying U.S. military forces to secure control over the Palestinian territory, Trump further suggested that he might grant U.S. recognition of full Israeli sovereignty over the Palestinian West Bank.

Trump’s ambitions lack either political or historic justification. If actively pursued, they would greatly fuel both violent jihadist mobilization and moderate Muslim antagonism against the U.S. Trump’s plans would also require U.S. troops to engage in ground force combat operations against Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist organizations. Put simply, Trump’s Gaza proposal runs dangerously counter to U.S. interests while being utterly at odds with the president’s oft-stated pledge to avoid “stupid wars.”

Trump says no US soldiers needed in Gaza, US would take over after war – Reuters

Source Link
Excerpt:

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Israel would turn the Gaza Strip over to the United States after the fighting ends and that no U.S. soldiers would be needed there.
“The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting. The Palestinians … would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region,” Trump said in a Truth Social post building on his controversial comments about Gaza’s future this week.

US a ‘very long way away’ from deploying troops in Gaza – Defense Secretary — RT World News– www.rt.com
Source Link
Excerpt:

Donald Trump’s Tuesday proposal to take over the enclave has sparked international scrutiny and criticism

US President Donald Trump is a long way off from deploying American soldiers to Gaza, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump proposed that the United States take control of the Gaza Strip, suggesting the area be redeveloped following the demolition of structures damaged during the 15-month Israel-Hamas conflict. He reiterated his earlier stance that Palestinians should be relocated to neighboring countries at those nations’ expense. When questioned about the potential deployment of US troops to facilitate this plan, Trump stated he would “do what is necessary.”

The following day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared on Fox News to clarify the president’s remarks regarding the possibility of US military involvement in Gaza.

“I think we’re a very long way from that,” the top defense official replied, adding that “robust discussions” between Trump, national security officials and allies would have to precede such a decision. Israel wants to “finish the job against Hamas” and get the hostages back, and the US will help them do so, Hegseth said.

Trump’s Radical Plan to Take Over Gaza – PJ Media– pjmedia.com
Source Link
Excerpt:

It was too much even for some die-hard Donald Trump supporters when he said Tuesday that the U.S. would “take over” and “own” the Gaza Strip, using American forces to clear out the weapons and unexploded ordinance. My colleague Robert Spencer reported all the gory details for you last night, so I won’t go over those again.

But you do need to see some of the reactions before we get to what’s really going on here.

Varad Mehta, a generally pro-Trump conservative, said that “the idea the US should play a predominant, let alone the leading role in said reconstruction and effectively colonize Gaza, is bonkers.”

Cynical Publius is one of my go-to guys for sharp conservative commentary, and even he admitted that “Trump is testing my limits on this one.” And while Publius “will follow my own advice for now” and give Trump the benefit of the doubt, he is “deeply concerned that we are introducing US troops into the Gaza quagmire, which goes against the ‘No more forever wars’ mantra we all got behind during the election.”

And Another Thing: “Forever wars” is a lazy accusation, in addition to being ahistorical bunk — but I still find myself using it sometimes and won’t criticize Publius for using it.

Congresscritter Rashida Tlaib (D-Caliphate), showing her usual restraint, said, “This president can only spew this fanatical bullshit because of bipartisan support in Congress for funding genocide and ethnic cleansing.” It also didn’t take long for anti-Israel protestors to show up at the White House last night, waving their Hamas flags.

Everybody, left and right, please take a deep breath and relax. Trump’s opening bid is almost never his play — and I think I have his play figured out.

Israel follows US lead, withdraws from UN Human Rights body citing ‘blatant anti-Semitism’ – What this means for Gaza? – Mint
Source Link
Excerpt:

Israel has withdrawn from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), following a similar move by the United States. Israel’s UN envoy Danny Danon has said his country will “stand with” the US and “not participate” in the “biased” UN Human Rights Council a day after Trump also quit the Geneva-based body. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar published his letter to UNHRC President Jurg Lauber that says the decision to withdraw from the Geneva-based body “was reached in light of the ongoing and unrelenting institutional bias against Israel in the Human Rights Council, which has been persistent since its inception in 2006”.

Saudi Arabia says no Israel normalisation without Palestinian state – War on Gaza – War on Gaza  Ahram Online

Germany Says Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem Belong to Palestinians  Asharq Al-awsat – English