April 9, 2026 (San Diego) -- 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.

• Trump's VA killed a home loan program. Vets are now losing their homes because of it (NPR)
• Eligible young men will automatically be registered for US military draft later this year (NY Post)
• Trump fires Attorney General Pam Bondi after criticism over Epstein docs  (USA Today)
• Trump administration can't make colleges provide race-related data, judge rules (Reuters)
• Looking to limit birthright citizenship, Trump turns to an 1884 Supreme Court ruling against a Native American man (NBC)
• Judge deals Trump setback in civil suits over Capitol riot        (Politico)
• Board of Immigration Appeals transforms law behind the scenes  (NPR)
• Judge sides with New York Times in challenge to policy limiting reporters’ access to Pentagon (AP)
• Judge orders Trump administration to bring back DACA recipient deported to Mexico (Politico)
• Prosecutor conceded lack of criminal evidence in Federal Reserve investigation, transcript shows ((AP)
• US Treasury plans to put Trump's signature on new paper currency in first for sitting president (AP)
• Judge Halts Construction of Trump’s White House Ballroom (Associated Press)
• Epstein survivors sue Justice Department and Google over release of private information (CNN)
• Beer cans, helium balloons and mortgages: Unexpected costs of war  (NPR)
• Eulogy for the CIA Factbook: The free standard for world facts, long an educational staple, is gone (AP)

• WORLD
• G7 agrees to secure Strait of Hormuz but only after war in Iran ends  (Euro News)
• Israel says it will begin direct negotiations with Lebanon as US prepares for Iran ceasefire talks  (CNN)
• Trump compares attack on Iran to Pearl Harbor in meeting with Japanese PM (BBC)
• Exclusive: US can only confirm about a third of Iran's missile arsenal destroyed (Reuters)

By G. A. McNeeley 

Photo:  fighter jets aboard USS Abraham Lincoln Feb. 27; via Dept. of War

April 4, 2026 (Iran) -- Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, said Tehran is “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire,” in a published message broadcast on Iranian state media on Sunday, March 29, according to The Independent. 

By G. A. McNeeley 

Image: Havana, Cuba by Anselmo Guvaldo via Pixabay

March 17, 2026 (Washington D.C.) -- Cuba’s power grid has collapsed, leaving the island nation without power CNN reports, as the result of a  U.S. blockade that has shut off oil to the Caribbean nation.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said regarding the prospects of taking over or liberating Cuba, “I think I can do anything I want.”

The fervent, if intermittent, hostilities between the United States and Cuba spanning six decades have been marked by pressure campaigns, antagonism, and the occasional bursts of violence, according to USA Today. 

By Miriam Raftery

March 4, 2026 (Washington D.C.) – Following the U.S. and Israeli military attacks on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory bombings in cities across the Middle East, the U.S. State Department is urging Americans worldwide to be cautious. Americans in the following Mideast nations are urged to depart immediately via commercial means due to “serious safety risks”:  Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.  

Iran retaliates with strikes targeting U.S. military bases, Israel and civilian targets

By Miriam Raftery

Photo via U.S. Navy:  USS Abraham Lincon aircraft based in San Diego has been dispatched to the region

February 28, 2026 (Tehran) – The U.S. and Israel today launched massive air strikes in Iran. President Donald Trump has said the operation aims to overturn Iran’s government. Trump and Israeli sources have said that Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, was killed in the air strikes, CNN and Reuters report.

Iran has retaliated with unprecedented attacks targeting U.S. military bases, Israel, and civilian targets across the Middle East.  According to the BBC, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait - all home to US military bases - said they had intercepted missiles fired towards them, however black smoke was seen rising from a U.S. base in Bahrain and an explosion was heard in Kuwait. A luxury hotel in Dubai and the Abu Dhabi international airport were also struck. In Israel, one person died and 25 were injured in an attack on Tel Aviv, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

The U.S. State department is advising Americans around the world to “exercise extreme caution.”  The military conflict has also resulted in disruptions to air travel.

Iranian-Americans in San Diego march for peace after Iran kills thousands

By Alexander J. Schorr

February 2, 2026 (San Diego) — After thousands of protesters and others were killed in Iran, Iranian-Americans have taken to the streets across the United States. including here in San Diego to take a stand for freedom.

Tensions have been rising between Iran and the U.S. since the June 22, 2025 military offensive, Operation Midnight Hammer. That attack, which targeted three of Iran’s critical nuclear facilities, follows the US reinforced support of Israel's offensive against Tehran and its regional proxies. The Trump administration has also sent a Naval “armada” to Iran, led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, further escalating fears of potential military confrontation.

By Alexander J. Schorr

January 8, 2026 (Washington, D.C.) — After repeated threats by Trump administration officials to invade Greenland by military force if necessary, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers the President hopes to purchase Greenland, not attack it. 

Rubio’s statement came after  Denmark’s Defense Ministry’s confirmation that its military is under a standing order to “shoot first and ask questions later” if any foreign force, including the United States, attempts to invade Greenland, which is owned by Denmark.

But other officials include Vice President  J.D. Vance continue to keep a military option on the table.

December  16,  2025 (San Diego) -- 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.

• Trump's DOJ has sued 18 states to try to access voter data  (NPR)
• Trump Sued By Preservationists Seeking Review Over White House Ballroom Project (Huffington Post)
• Rob Reiner's son Nick arrested on murder charges after director and his wife found dead at their L.A. home (Yahoo news)
• Trump drops tariffs on beef, coffee, tropical fruit as pressure builds on consumer prices (KSBW)
• Epstein Alleged in Emails That Trump Knew of His Conduct (New York Times)
• State Department to deny visas to fact checkers and others, citing 'censorship' (NPR)
• Supreme Court rejects call to overturn its decision legalizing same-sex marriage  (AP)
• Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment Arrives, But Price Data Isn’t Being Updated (NOTUS)
• NTSB warns that defense bill could undermine aviation safety changes after DCA crash (NPR)
• Trump administration limits refugee admissions to mostly white South Africans (AP)
• Trump administration moves to overrule state laws protecting credit reports from medical debt (AP)
• Steve Bannon Reveals ‘There’s a Plan’ for Third Trump Term (Daily Beast)
• Hegseth declares end of US 'utopian idealism' with new military strategy   (Politico)
• Citing AP investigation, senators demand answers on use of full-body restraints during deportations (AP)
• Republican lawmakers lash out at Pentagon for keeping them in  dark (Reuters)
• Trump’s Own Mortgages Match His Description of Mortgage Fraud (ProPublica)
• Congress to withhold Pentagon travel funds until it sees boat strike videos (Politico)

WORLD

• Putin directs drills of Russian nuclear forces as his summit with Trump is put on hold (AP)
• Foreigners allowed to travel to the US without a visa could soon face new social media screening (AP)
• Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada will double its non-US exports as Canadians can't rely on US (AP)
• Protests erupt after police raid in Brazil leaves 119 dead and draws accusations of excessive force (AP)
• France adopts consent-based rape law in the wake of landmark Gisèle Pelicot case (AP)
• Russian bombers join Chinese air patrol near Japan as Tokyo-Beijing tie strains (Reuters)
• Magnitude 7.5 quake in northern Japan injures 23 people and triggers a 2-foot tsunami (AP)
• As Russia’s Africa Corps fights in Mali, witnesses describe atrocities from beheading to rapes (AP)
• More than 60 dead as typhoon wreaks havoc in the Philippines (BBC)
• Iranian capital faces water rationing and evacuations if it doesn't rain soon, president warns (AP)
• Mexican president says Mexico will send more water to US but not immediately (AP)

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October 22,  2025 (San Diego’s East County) -- 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.

• Judge halts Trump’s planned layoffs of federal workers during government shutdown, calling them unlawful (CNN)
• Appeals court allows Trump to deploy National Guard in Portland  (CNN)
• Journalists turn in press passes as Pentagon clamps down on access in ‘unprecedented’ move (CNN)
• Judge orders Chicago deportation agents to wear body cameras after seeing ‘startling’ images of arrests (Independent)
• 'Substantial' Federal Firings Begin Amid Shutdown (Newsweek)
• Trump promised farmers a bailout. Time is running out. (Politico)
• Trump’s Directive on ‘Organized Political Violence’ Could Lead to Increased Surveillance of His Critics (NOTUS)
• Trump Says He’s ‘Only Cutting Democrat Programs’ During Shutdown (NOTUS)
• Federal Judge Questions Trump Admin’s ‘Credibility’ While Pausing Chicago Deployment (NOTUS)
• Kansas Young Republicans shut down after Politico report on racist, violent encrypted chat (Kansas Reflector)
• US anti-fascism expert blocked from flying to Spain at airport (The Guardian)

WORLD

• The planet has entered a ‘new reality’ as it hits its first climate tipping point, landmark report finds (CNN)
• Trusting Trump: Why  Hamas gambled on giving up Gaza hostages (Reuters)
• Hamas carries out public executions — just hours after peace treaty signing (New York Post)
• Trump's quest for the Nobel Peace Prize falls short again despite high-profile nominations (AP)
• Pope Leo XIV says 'inhuman treatment of immigrants' in the U.S. isn't 'pro-life' (NPR)

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October 3,  2025 (San Diego’s East County) -- 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.

Immigration and detention

• Hundreds of Alligator Alcatraz detainees drop off the grid after leaving site (Miami Herald)
• 'It was heartbreaking': Naked zip-tied children dragged from homes in 'surreal' ICE raid (Raw Story)
• ICE May Be Breaking the Law to Stonewall Reporters (Columbia Journalism Review)
• 11 N.Y. Officials Arrested Trying to Access ICE Detention Cells (NY Times)

Economy and jobs

•  Grocery prices have jumped up, and there's no relief in sight (NPR)
• After cuts to food stamps, Trump administration ends government's annual report on hunger in America (AP)
• Trump signs proclamation adding $100K annual fee for H-1B visa applications (AP)
• Trump's $100,000 H-1B visa shock: Why US may lose more than India (BBC)

Travel

• Republican Plan Would Make It Easier to Revoke US Passports: What to Know (Newsweek)

Corruption and lack of transparency

• Billions in Taxpayer Dollars Have Become Virtually Untraceable (NOTUS)
• Tom Homan (White House Border Czar) was investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover FBI agents. Trump's DOJ shut it down. (MSNBC)
• The Justice Department Had 36 Lawyers Fighting Corruption Full-Time. Under Trump, It’s Down to Two. (NOTUS)
• ‘Hobbled’ Campaign Finance Regulator Cancels Public Meetings Until 2026 (NOTUS)

• Military and defense
• Trump says US cities should be military training grounds  (BBC)
• Trump Tells Congress U.S. Is at War With Cartels: What That Means (Time)
• Defense Secretary Hegseth requires new 'pledge' for reporters at the Pentagon (NPR)
• Trump Sends Troops to Portland, Authorizes ‘Full Force, If Necessary’ (Time)

Hirings and firings

• Trump is breaking US diplomacy, State Department staffers say (Politico)
• Trump’s Federal Workforce Cuts Are Stymying Firefighter Safety Fixes: GAO (NOTUS)
•  Supreme Court allows Trump to fire -- for now -- remaining Democrat on FTC  (NPR)
• Ben Carson Joins the Trump Administration in New Role at USDA (NOTUS)

Court actions

• Reagan-Appointed Judge Gives Trump a Lecture on the First Amendment (NOTUS)
• Trump asks Supreme Court to let him end birthright citizenship  (Politico)

INTERNATIONAL 

Cyberattack disrupts check-in systems at major European airports (AP)

• Mystery drones over Denmark are 'hybrid attack,' defense minister says  (ABC)
• Denmark warns that Russia is waging a hybrid war on Europe, as EU leaders gather for security talks (AP)
• World leaders rally behind Palestinian statehood at UN, defying US and Israel (Reuters)
• Hamas under pressure as Trump issues deadline on Gaza peace plan (Reuters)
• Putin offers Trump one-year extension to nuclear weapons treaty (Reuters)
• Russia revives Soviet-era tactics to quash dissent, says UN expert (Reuters)

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September 3, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) -- 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. 

• Epstein accusers put pressure on Congress to release the files (NBC)
• DHS to States: Follow our rules or Lose Out On Voting Security Money (NPR)
• Former CDC directors slam RFK Jr. in op-ed: "Endangering every American's health" (CBS)
• Trump blocked by judge hours before deporting 600 unaccompanied children (RawStory)
• Trump administration expands ‘good moral character’ requirement to become naturalized citizen (CNN)
• Trump approval holds at 40%, lowest level of his term, Reuters/Apses poll finds
• 'The Last Dance': North America’s largest powwow to close (Fox 10)
• Chicago mayor defies Trump's immigration crackdown plan for the city (AP)
• What to know about how Trump’s judicial picks could reshape abortion rights for decades (AP)
• ICE sent 3 U.S. citizen children, including boy with cancer, to Honduras with their deported moms (NBC Miami)
• Federal judge blocks Trump's effort to expand speedy deportations of migrants (NPR)
• FBI searches home of former Trump adviser John Bolton  (NPR)
• In huge win for Trump, court throws out half-billion-dollar fraud penalty (Reuters)
• Trump weaponization czar urged New York Attorney General James to resign over mortgage probe (AP)
• 2020 Election Denier Given Key DHS Post Overseeing Election Integrity (NOTUS)
• Two Trump Appellate Judges Halt Court’s Criminal Inquiry Into Defiant DOJ Officials (NOTUS)

WORLD

• China's Xi projects power at military parade with Putin and Kim (Reuters)
• U.S. shoppers see order cancellations as world shuts down America-bound shipments (NBC)
• Putin wins Ukraine concessions in Alaska but did not get all he wanted (Reuters)
• Why Russia Is Building a $25 Billion Nuclear Power Plant in a NATO Country (Wall St. Journal)
• Israeli military prepares to relocate residents to southern Gaza, spokesperson says (Reuters)
• Far fewer Canadians are visiting the U.S. this year 
• Denmark summons US envoy after report of Americans carrying out influence operations in Greenland (AP)
• Israeli airstrike kills Houthi rebel prime minister in Yemen's capital (AP)

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President says kids in Gaza need to be fed, while making contradictory statements about his stances on Israel 

By G. A. McNeeley 

Photo via United Nations Relief and Works Agency: a 4-year old Palestinian girl who died of starvation in 2024 (CC by SA 4.0) 

August 5, 2025 (Gaza) -- President Donald Trump acknowledged on July 28, that there is “real starvation” in Gaza, as Israel faces intense pressure to lift restrictions on aid, while hunger spreads in the besieged enclave, according to NBC News. 

July 16, 2025 -- 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. 

Detentions

• ‘We are not safe in America today:’ These American citizens say they were detained by ICE (CNN)
• ‘They're Not Breathing’: Inside the Chaos of ICE Detention Center 911 Calls (Wired)
• Federal data reveals the truth about immigrant detention  (KPBS)
• Trump’s Immigration Agenda Is Now Sweeping Up Military Families (NOTUS)
• Detainees describe worms in food, sewage near beds in ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ (SP)
• ICE detains Marine Corps veteran’s wife who was breastfeeding their baby (AP)
• U.S. holding detainees from Asia, Africa and Europe at Guantanamo Bay  (CBS)
• Immigration Agents 'Abduct And Disappear' Southland Residents, Class-Action Suit Alleges (Patch)
• Kilmar Abrego Garcia suffered psychological and physical torture in El Salvador prison, attorneys say (MSN)

Other national issues

• As Flood Deaths Rise, Texas Officials Blast Faulty Forecast by DOGE-Gutted National Weather Service (Common Dreams)
• Elon Musk announces new 'America' party after slamming Trump's megabill (USA Today)
• There's far more to Trump and Epstein's relationship: Trump biographer (Alternet)
• Supreme Court takes up a Republican appeal to end limits on party spending in federal elections (AP)
• ‘DHS Is Taking Over DOJ’ — Former Officials Warn About Trump Consolidating Law Enforcement (NOTUS)
• Supreme Court sides with parents on keeping their kids out of LGBTQ instruction (MSNBC)
• Justice Department abruptly fires 3 prosecutors involved in Jan. 6 criminal cases, AP sources say  (AP)
• Trump's appeals judge nominee to face tough questions in Senate  (NPR)

WORLD

• Global leaders pledge development push as US shuns UN summit (Reuters)
• Rising poverty in conflict zones causes ` a billion people to go hungry’ (Guardian)
• Hamas studies Gaza ceasefire proposal labelled 'final' by Trump (Reuters)
• Trump signs executive order ending Syria sanctions program (CBS)
• Costa Rican court orders release of migrants deported from U.S. (BBC)
•  UN nuclear watchdog chief says Iran could again begin enriching uranium in ‘matter of months’ (CNN)

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June 25, 2025 -- 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.

• DOGE Is Busier Than Ever—and Trump Says Elon Musk Is ‘Really Not Leaving’ (Wired)
• 128 million Americans under heat advisories as scorching temperatures break records (CBS)
• Protests grow across the U.S. as people push against Trump's mass deportation policies (NPR)
• Trump directs ICE to expand deportations in Democratic-run cities (10 News)
• DHS Issues New Guidance Limiting Lawmakers’ Visits to ICE Facilities (NOTUS)
• Islamist terror leader calls for Trump, JD Vance assassinations over pro-Israel views in disturbing video: ‘Take revenge’   (New York Post)
• Judge blocks administration from enforcing anti-diversity and anti-transgender executive orders (AP)
• More than a dozen lawmakers tied to stock trades, transactions ahead of Trump’s early tariff pause (CNN)
• Minnesota assassination suspect charged with lawmaker's murder (USA Today)
• Judge blocks administration from enforcing anti-diversity and anti-transgender executive orders (AP)
• A 2nd judge halts more of Trump’s voting executive order  (NPR)
•  American Bar Association Sues Trump Over ‘Unprecedented’ Threats to Legal Profession (NOTUS)
• Supreme Court upholds Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth (CNN)
• Federal Watchdog Agency Finds the Trump Administration Illegally Impounded Library Funds (NOTUS)

WORLD

• Winners and Losers of '12 Day War' After Iran and Israel Agree Ceasefire (Newsweek)
• US strikes failed to destroy Iran's nuclear sites, intelligence report says (Reuters)
• Trump says U.S. will talk to Iran next week (NBC News)
• As Trump shuts out migrants, Spain opens its doors and fuels economic growth (Washington Post)
• Knesset set to vote on disbanding in first step to possible Israeli election (Reuters)
• At least 200 killed in Air India plane crash as one British passenger reportedly survives (BBC)
• Families of missing Ukrainians gather as prisoner exchange begins (BBC)

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By Miriam Raftery

Image: Screenshot from BBC video of Iranian nuclear facility bombing by U.S.

June 21, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – The U.S. has bombed three Iranian nuclear sites,  President Donald Trump announced tonight on social media.  The BBC confirmed the action, posting video of smoke rising above an Iranian nuclear site.

The action, done without Congressional approval, has drawn mixed reactions from lawmakers. Some praised the destruction of any potential nuclear weapons development by Iran, a state supporter of terrorism, while others voiced concerns over escalation of tensions in the region.  Some Congressional members also denounced the action as unconstitutional, since it was done without the approval of Congress, which the Constitution requires for acts of war.