At least 26 tourists have been killed and 36 wounded in Indian-controlled Kashmir in the north after gunmen opened fire at a beauty spot near the resort town of Pahalgam, nicknamed 'Mini Switzerland.' The nationalities of the victims haven't been disclosed yet. Authorities blamed it on the resistance fighting Indian rule which deploys 500,000 soldiers in Kashmir. The attack seemed to have been timed to coincide with JD Vance's four-day tour of India and PM Nahendra Modi's visit to Saudi Arabia. Read more
For the next five months, a custody battle raged between the boy's father and his relatives, between Cuba and the U.S., until April 22, 2000, when a SWAT team of federal agents rushed the home of the boy's Miami relatives with semi-automatic weapons in a predawn raid. He was reunited with his father within hours. The Herald went to press that morning with a front page that said "SWAT team takes Elian." Here's an excerpt from one of the related stories: Read more
The Japanese have just been in Washington. Their experience apparently was they went to talk to the American leadership on this matter, and the American leadership said 'what are you offering?' And the Japanese said 'well, what is it that you want?' And the Americans could not explain what they wanted.'
A swimmer is missing following an extremely rare shark attack off the coast of northern Israel about 25 miles north of Tel Aviv. Sharks are known to gather there where warm water is discharged by a local power plant, and especially at this time of year, but they are usually harmless. There have been no recorded fatal shark attacks in waters off Israel since the country was founded in 1948. Below Israelis admire a shark in the same area in 2021. Pre-attack video of the shark captured here: twitter.com Read more
An effigy of Donald Trump was marched through the streets before being shot and burned as part of Easter Sunday celebrations in Spain. Every Easter, locals in the town of Coripe, Seville, string up a Judas' figure representing a public figure whose actions are deemed to be morally reprehensible'. Video shows the Trump doll, sporting a dark navy suit, red tie and unmistakable shock of blonde hair, leading a town parade at gunpoint before being hung from a tree in the town square and shot at with rifles from close range.
The burning of Judas' effigies is a common ritual amongst Christian communities as part of traditional Easter celebrations.
1) President Zelensky will attend Pope Francis' funeral at the Vatican, as will Trumpf and King Charles. The sidebar conversations will be something to note. Lipreaders might be helpful to some intelligence agencies. 2) The Kremlin is satisfied with US statements that Ukraine will not join NATO. Trumpf considers Ukraine's non-membership of NATO to be part of any diplomatic settlement to end the war. 3) Russia lost 1,130 soldiers KIA and WIA over the past day. Total Russian losses since Feb 2022: 943,060 (+1,130) troops. 4) Japan's Kyushu University Institute has agreed to provide Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery. Note Bene: Russia and Japan never signed a peace treaty at the end of WWII so technically they are still in a state of war. 5) Poor little puppy rescued under rubble after Russian missile attack in Sumy Oblast: t.me Read more
Passengers aboard a Delta Air Lines flight evacuated on emergency slides onto the Orlando International Airport tarmac in Florida after an engine caught fire. Flight 1213 was pushing back from the gate for departure at 1115HRS when the emergency began. 282 passengers were on board the full-capacity flight (an Airbus A330), as well as ten flight attendants and two pilots. There were no initial reports of injuries. Read more
Former Tesla Engineer Says Elon Musk Threatened to Deport Her Team for Pointing Out a Problem With the Brakes "
He's pure evil."
Bitcoin and crypto prices are treading water after U.S. president Donald Trump's trade war sparked market chaos that's threatening to spiral into a full-blown "U.S. dollar confidence crisis."
It's always interesting when a Republican says what many other Republicans are thinking, out loud. Read more
The White House has begun the process of looking for a new secretary of defense, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly
NPR has reached out to the White House for comment.
This comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth continues to find himself mired in controversy. NPR has also confirmed with the same official that Hegseth shared details ahead of last month's Yemen strikes with his wife and brother in a Signal chat on his personal phone, minutes after being updated by a senior U.S. military official. The news of the second Signal group chat about the mission was first reported by The New York Times.
In March, Hegseth shared details about action against Houthi targets in Yemen in a Signal chat with top White House officials that accidentally included a journalist.
The mayor of Lancaster, Rex Parris, has ignited a controversy after musing during a council meeting that one approach to homelessness would be to "give them free fentanyl ... all the fentanyl they want." Parris, a larger-than-life trial lawyer, made the incendiary comments about the drug " responsible for tens of thousands of overdose deaths " during a February City Council meeting, in a retort to a resident who objected to his musings of congregating unhoused residents into an "encampment." It wasn't until Parris doubled down on his remarks during an interview with Fox LA that his statements went viral, provoking ire far beyond the high desert city, where he has been mayor since 2008.
A former top Pentagon spokesperson has slammed Pete Hegseth's leadership of the department of defense, as pressure mounts on the US's top military official following reports of a second Signal chatroom used to discuss sensitive military operations. John Ullyot, who resigned last week after initially serving as Pentagon spokesperson, said in a opinion essay published by Politico on Sunday that the Pentagon has been overwhelmed by staff drama and turnover in the initial months of the second Trump administration. Ullyot called the situation a "full-blown meltdown" that could cost Hegseth, a 44-year-old former Fox News host and national guard officer, his job as defense secretary.
He said he was starving and led us into the dining room, where he gestured for me to sit next to him. Gring immediately grabbed a slice of pumpernickel, whereupon Hitler turned to me, gave me an eye roll, then whispered, "Watch. He'll be done with his entire meal before you've taken two bites." That one really got me. Gring, with his mouth full, asked what was so funny, and Hitler said, "I was just telling him about the time my dog had diarrhea in the Reichstag." Gring remembered. How could he forget? He loved that story, especially the part where Hitler shot the dog before it got back into the car. Then a beaming Hitler said, "Hey, if I can kill Jews, Gypsies and homosexuals, I can certainly kill a dog!" That perhaps got the biggest laugh of the night " and believe me, there were plenty.
Here we go again. For the second time, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth " a man whose chief qualifications appear to be a chiseled jawline, a job at Fox News, and a boundless confidence unencumbered by expertise " allegedly leaked details about upcoming military strikes in Yemen over a Signal chat.
In a statement marking Easter, USSECSTATE Marco Rubio called for "all nations to respect the right of Christians to declare Christ is King. Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the king of kings and lord of all nations," Rubio posted on 'X'. Rubio's implication is that Christian freedom of worship is under threat. But he ignores the fact that Palestinian Christians are being attacked by both Israeli civilians and the IDF. You can see the video of one such incident here (there are others): www.aljazeera.com Read more
