US News
- Hedge fund Alden Global Capital will buy Tribune Publishing – publisher of the Chicago Tribune and other papers – for $630 million. Alden Global Capital already owns Digital First Media. DFM includes papers like The Denver Post and Boston Herald. [Link]
- The FBI arrested and raided the home of a left-wing activist for posting anti-police statements online. [Link]
- A California police officer is seeking qualified immunity after he shot at a fleeing car and killed a passenger. [Link]
- The Covid lockdowns are pushing more young people to remain in the military. [Link]
- Biden called the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline a “bad deal for Europe.” Biden is still deciding if he will continue to sanction the pipeline that will lower energy prices in central Europe. [Link]
Afghanistan
- NATO says the Taliban must do more to meet their commitments under the “peace deal.” [Link]
- The Taliban threaten to launch an offensive against US forces if the US keeps troops in Afghanistan past the May 1st date agreed to in the US-Taliban agreement. [Link]
Middle East
- The White House Press Secretary says the US will recalibrate its relationship with Saudi Arabia. [Link]
- Israel is planning to buy another squadron of F-35 and four KC-46 refueling takers. [Link]
- Israel says it will not engage with the US on Iran if the US reenters the JCPOA. [Link]
- Iran informs the IAEA that it will limit inspections starting on February 23rd. [Link]
- The State Department approved a $200 million sale of rolling airframe missiles to Egypt. [Link]
Iraq
- The Acting US Ambassador to the UN said the US must address Iran’s destabilizing activities in Iraq. [Link]
- The Biden Administration says it has the right to respond to the rocket attack that killed a contractor and injured a US soldier in Erbil. [Link]
- NATO is expected to increase its troop deployment in Iraq from 500 to 4,000 – 5,000. [Link]
