Steve Benen: A Trump loyalist is helping lead the CIA. The same Trump loyalist is also apparently in control of CIA's legal judgments. What could possibly go wrong? read more
Russia is carrying out a "massive attack" on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, leaving parts of Kiev without power. The Kremlin appears to again be using a tactic deployed in previous years, depriving Ukrainians of power and heat ahead of the bitter winter months. Russia started attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure in late September. The attacks have been almost daily since then, with targets including energy generating facilities, including gas production and distribution. At least eight people were injured in Kiev during Friday's attack, which had cut some power supplies. He said that the left bank of the capital is without power, with the city also reporting water supply issues. Zaporizhzhia governor Ivan Fedorov said Russia had also targeted "private sector and infrastructure facilities" in the southeastern city, killing a seven-year-old boy. "The doctors fought for the child's life until the very end, but the injuries were too severe," Fedorov said. read more
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has long enjoyed bipartisan support, serving nearly seven million pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and children under five, is on hold due to the Republican Party's government shutdown. Beneficiaries are expected to feel the impact within one to two weeks. With a yearly budget of $8 billion WIC provides vouchers for infant formula, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables, skim milk, and other healthy staples " foods that are significantly more expensive than ultra-processed, high-calorie products and therefore often out of reach for low-income households. WIC has been shown to improve the health of low-income families. If a funding agreement is not reached soon, states will have to either use their own funds to keep WIC running or shut it down. If they choose the first option, states could seek reimbursement once the federal budget is approved, but not all are able to front the money. read more
The Republican government shutdown has entered its second week and shortages of air traffic controllers have strained operations and disrupted flights across the US. More workers are calling in sick, leaving fewer staff to handle demand. Within 72 hours travelers endured nearly 12,000 flight delays and 200 cancelled flights. Travelers are starting to cancel trips and avoid airports until the Republicans reopen the government, which may not happen for several more days or weeks. That means a longer stretch of time for key workers, air traffic controllers and security screeners, to go without pay. Travelers will see "erosion of service" as frustrated air traffic controllers and TSA officers get tired and call in sick. Reagan National Airport became the latest this week to report delays because of staffing issues. Other affected hubs include Chicago, Newark, Denver, and Nashville, and the tower in Burbank CA had to shut down for several hours. read more
Low-income people over 60 years old die an average of nine years earlier than high-income older Americans. Middle-income older Americans are also dying younger than wealthier people. About 15% of seniors with annual household incomes of roughly $60,000 died during the four-year study period, compared with about 11% in households with incomes of around $120,000. As the US population ages, many seniors reach retirement age without the money to handle shocks like a health emergency or the loss of a spouse. The difference in average mortality age by income could be due to a lack of preventative care for low-income seniors, an inability to pay for care as they age, or the stress of financial instability. The poverty rate among US seniors rose to 15% last year from 14% in 2023, the highest among all age groups. About 80% of people over 60 have few, or even zero, financial assets and would struggle to cope with a financial shock like the loss of a spouse or needing long-term care. read more
Here is the 40-year-old Deputy Director of CIA and now its top legal official: media.executivegov.com
Dummkopf Trumpf will be sending 200 US Soldiers to Israel to help support and monitor the Gaza ceasefire deal. Sure, sending in hyper-Christian American Soldiers will be objective and neutral dealing with the Israelis and Palestinians, like the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) security personnel who were real pilgrims.
Sources:
Link One;
Link Two
Move over Aesop, here is a sour grapes story for you. A Republican has already slammed the Nobel Peace Prize as 'useless' knowing that Dummkopf Trumpf won't be getting it: www.mediaite.com
Note AIPAC whack-job Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) wants the Dotard-in-Chief to get the Nobel Peace Prize, like ICC-indicted war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu.
I don't recall any intelligence reporting of "hit lists" against anonymous USAF air crew flying missions in Iraqistan or Pashtunistan.
Vladimir Putin was reported to have offered a bounty to kill US personnel in Afghanistan, which I read about after I retired: www.newsweek.com
US personnel wear their ID tags ("dog tags") that has our name, SSN, religious preference, and blood type in case we are captured or wounded, so the enemy could ID us anyway, masks or no masks: upload.wikimedia.org
Dummkopf Trumpf is getting a second "annual" physical examination at WRAMC: x.com
The Dotard-in-Chief may want to wobble victory laps over the corpses of dead Muslims in Gaza while his vulture-in-law Jared Kushner starts divvying up their land with the odious Bezalel Smotrich and the abominable Tony Blair.
"The Israeli military has continued its attacks on Gaza in the hours since Israel's government ratified the first phase of its ceasefire with Hamas. Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues now report that a short while ago Israeli forces carried out further rounds of shelling and heavy tank fire north of the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza."
Who in the heck trusts the Israelis?
www.aljazeera.com