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Today: Crew of Artemis II Set to Return to Earth
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The Orion spacecraft with the four-member crew is set to splashdown off the coast of San Diego at 8:07 p.m. ET, 5:07 p.m. PT. The re-entry is perhaps the most delicate part of the mission: The Artemis II heat shield, NASA agrees, is flawed. The heat shield is the critical layer at the bottom of a spacecraft that protects it — and the astronauts inside — from searing temperatures upon re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere. If the shield fails, the underlying metallic structure could melt, rupture and disintegrate. And there is no backup, and no way for the astronauts to escape. NASA officials, however, are confident that despite the known shortcomings of the heat shield, the four Artemis II astronauts will remain alive and comfortable as they arrive at Earth on Friday evening at a speed of nearly 24,000 miles per hour, concluding a 10-day trip to the moon and back. Extensive analysis and testing of the heat shield material “got us comfortable that we can undertake this mission with lots of margin to spare,” Jared Isaacman, the NASA administrator, said in an interview in January ( New York Times). NASA describes what the last few minutes should look like: As Orion descends through about 400,000 feet, the spacecraft will enter a planned six‑minute communications blackout at 7:53 p.m. as plasma forms around the capsule during peak heating. The crew is expected to experience up to 3.9 Gs in a nominal landing profile. After emerging from blackout, Orion will jettison its forward bay cover, deploy its drogue parachutes near 22,000 feet at 8:03 p.m., and then unfurl its three main parachutes around 6,000 feet a minute later at 8:04 p.m. to slow the capsule for splashdown off the coast of San Diego ( NASA).
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Today: Deadline for Hamas to Agree on Disarmament
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It’s not an easy thing for a terror group to give up their weapons. Israel Hayom: Israel is bracing for a return to full-scale fighting in the Gaza Strip as the deadline given to Hamas to comply with the US demand to disarm expires Thursday. Nickolay Mladenov, head of the Board of Peace, is set to meet with Hamas representatives in Turkey on Thursday and receive their formal response on the demand – a condition tied directly to the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Based on statements from senior Hamas officials in recent days, the organization’s opposition to the move appears firm, as expected. It should be noted that the Gaza ceasefire agreement is contingent on Hamas’ disarmament. In Israel, preparations are underway to resume combat operations should Hamas maintain its refusal after Thursday ( Israel Hayom).
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Trump: U.S. Forces to Stay Near Iran Until ‘Real Agreement’ Reached
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Trump knows well the Iranian regime can’t be trusted. Our forces will serve to keep them somewhat close to honest. Breitbart: Trump used social media to say U.S. forces including troops, aircraft and naval assets would stay in position until what he described as the “REAL AGREEMENT” is fully implemented in the wake of Operation Epic Fury which swept across the region ( Breitbart). More from the President, referring to the agreement: If for any reason it is not, which is highly unlikely, then the “Shootin’ Starts,” bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before. It was agreed, a long time ago, and despite all of the fake rhetoric to the contrary – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS and, the Strait of Hormuz WILL BE OPEN & SAFE. In the meantime our great Military is Loading Up and Resting, looking forward, actually, to its next Conquest. AMERICA IS BACK! ( Truth). This weekend: J.D. Vance to lead American delegation with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Pakistan. Representing the U.S.: JD Vance, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner. Representing Iran: Mohammad Ghalibaf, Parliament Speaker, Abbas Araghchi, Foreign Minister ( Daugherty).
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NATO Head Mark Rutte: Trump Wants Commitment From Member Nations Within Days
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The Secretary General’s comments come in the wake of his meeting with Trump—where the president was, let’s say, candid in his disapproval. Reuters reports: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has told European governments that U.S. President Donald Trump wants concrete commitments within days to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, diplomats said on Thursday, as the alliance faces U.S. threats to leave. Rutte, known in Europe as a “Trump whisperer”, is working to defuse a crisis after Trump said he was considering withdrawing from the 32-member transatlantic alliance, arguing that European allies have relied on U.S. security guarantees while providing inadequate support for the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign in Iran…. NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said on Thursday: “The secretary general is in contact with allies about his discussions in Washington” and “it’s clear that the United States expects concrete commitments and action to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz”. The tensions over the Iran war follow a series of challenges for the alliance, including Trump’s stepped-up threats in January to take Greenland from Denmark ( Reuters).
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Would Support From NATO Nations Be ‘Too little, too late’?
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Ed Morrissey of Hot Air: Facing an enormous amount of pressure from all directions, NATO chief and so-called Trump whisperer Mark Rutte tried meeting yesterday with the president to soothe hard feelings over refusals to cooperate on the Iran war. Unlike in past meetings, Rutte faced a hostile Trump and a resistant White House in yesterday’s meeting, with administration officials much more focused on payback than cooperation. Wall Street Journal: “The White House is considering a plan to punish some members of the NATO alliance that President Trump thinks were unhelpful to the U.S. and Israel during the Iran war, according to administration officials. The proposal would involve moving U.S. troops out of North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries deemed unhelpful to the Iran war effort and stationing them in countries that were more supportive.” Trump can’t pull out of NATO, as I have noted before, but he can redeploy American troops. Given the nature of Europe these days, it makes more sense to redeploy those troops further east anyway. We should have rethought the strategic layout of our forces on a continent where the threat exists much farther away from the middle of Germany than it did 40 years ago, anyway, but it’s not just combat forces that matter in this equation either. We provide nearly all of the heavy logistics for NATO in Europe, which means a shift away from countries like Spain, France, and the UK would leave them without the ability to move their forces in any significant quantity, let alone quality. To his credit, Rutte knows this and has been making this point to our allies on the Continent all along. He has spent the last few months reminding NATO countries that the alliance has no real deterrent value without the US as an Article V partner, and that these nations don’t have the military infrastructure to mount a coordinated defense for themselves, let alone other countries in Europe…. Rutte has his work cut out for him on both sides of the Atlantic ( Hot Air).
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Israel Opens Direct Talks With Lebanon
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In recent months, Lebanese leaders have been condemning Hezbollah. Israel has been pushing them to actually do something about it. Prime Minister Netanyahu: In light of Lebanon’s repeated requests to begin direct negotiations with Israel, I instructed the cabinet yesterday to open direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible. The negotiations will focus on the disarmament of Hezbollah and the establishment of peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon. Israel appreciates the call made today by the Prime Minister of Lebanon to demilitarize Beirut ( Segal). Jerusalem Post adds: The negotiations, expected to begin on Tuesday, will be conducted between Israeli ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese ambassador to the United States Nada Hamadeh Moawad, Israeli sources told The Jerusalem Post ( Jerusalem Post). Lebanon’s government continues to make progress towards become the sole source of military weapons: Lebanon’s cabinet had earlier instructed security forces to restrict weapons in Beirut exclusively to state institutions, a move that falls short of full demilitarization of the capital. “The army and security forces are requested to immediately begin reinforcing the full imposition of state authority over Beirut Governorate and to monopolize weapons in the hands of legitimate authorities alone,” Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said at the end of a cabinet meeting ( Times of Israel).
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Trump Admin Strips Federal Backing of Transgender Policies in Public Schools
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The Trump administration has pulled federal support for transgender school policies, launching a probe into districts enforcing them without parental input. Ben Smith at RedState: The Trump administration has opened a federal investigation into Los Angeles public schools and, within days, pulled federal backing from policies tied to transgender student protections, putting those policies under direct federal challenge. The Justice Department is now examining the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest school system in the country, over a policy that allows school officials to withhold a student’s gender identity from parents. The probe follows a lawsuit from parents who say they were never told their child was transitioning at school and were cut out of decisions involving the student’s care and mental health ( RedState). More the New York Post: Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights, confirmed the investigation Thursday in a blistering statement against the policy. “These woke policies don’t just defy science, eviscerate constitutionally-protected rights — they put girls at risk of physical violence and sexual assault,” Dhillon said. “This Justice Department WILL NOT STAND FOR IT!” ( New York Post).
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Does Blanche Have the ‘Inside Track’ to Be Trump’s Next Attorney General?
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That’s what the Washington Times is reporting: Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has the inside track on getting the full-time job after the ouster of Pam Bondi, insiders tell “Seen, Heard & Whispered.” “I love working for President Trump. It’s the greatest honor of a lifetime. And if President Trump chooses to keep me as acting, that’s an honor. If he chooses to nominate me, that’s an honor. If he chooses to nominate somebody else and I go back to being the [deputy attorney general], that’s an honor. If he chooses to nominate somebody else and asks me to go do something else, I will say, ‘Thank you very much, I love you, sir,’” Mr. Blanche told reporters in his first press conference as acting attorney general this week ( Washington Times). Another lawyer to watch is Harmeet Dhillon, currently heading the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. Politico: Dhillon’s eponymous law firm spent years taking on conservative legal causes and represented Trump himself when he was subpoenaed by Congress’ Jan. 6 select committee and when he was sued by lawmakers and police officers for his role in the attack on the Capitol. Her firm employed David Warrington, who now serves as Trump’s White House counsel. Warrington has emerged as Dhillon’s most powerful ally as she positions herself to succeed Bondi ( Politico).
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Hypocrisy Alert: Gavin Newsom Running to Front of Anti-Fraud Parade
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Feeling the heat from Trump administration officials like Dr. Oz of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and independent journalists like Nick Shirley, the California Governor and his team are feigning they’re leaders in fighting fraud. From Newsom: California is again leading the charge against large-scale identity theft and hospice fraud. Today, we’re taking decisive action against 14 providers who tried using stolen identities to bill Medi-Cal for nonexistent hospice services ( Newsom). From California’s Health and Human Services department: Continuing the state’s crackdown on hospice fraud, California is taking decisive action to dismantle a large-scale identity theft and hospice fraud scheme targeting the Medi-Cal program in Los Angeles ( CAHHS). And California Attorney General Rob Bonta is suddenly fighting fraud as well: California Attorney Rob Bonta appears to finally be honing in on fraud after federal pressure — digging up more than a quarter of a billion dollars in faulty services billed to Medi-Cal and Medicaid. The top state prosecutor says investigators caught 14 fraudulent hospice companies who had billed Medi-Cal and Medicaid for $267 million in non-existent services after they received a tip from the California Department of Healthcare Services ( New York Post). Colin Rugg: California Governor Gavin Newsom takes credit for “leading the charge” against fraud after spending weeks attacking @nickshirleyy for exposing fraud ( Rugg).
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President Trump Continues Housecleaning Efforts, Distancing Himself From the Fringe Right
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And the president—no surprise—did not mince words. From Trump’s Truth Social: I know why Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, and Alex Jones have all been fighting me for years, especially by the fact that they think it is wonderful for Iran, the Number One State Sponsor of Terror, to have a Nuclear Weapon — Because they have one thing in common, Low IQs…. These so-called “pundits” are LOSERS, and they always will be! Now Fake News CNN, The Failing New York Times, and all of the other Radical Left “News” Organizations, are “hailing” them, and giving them “positive” press for the first time in their lives. They’re not “MAGA,” they’re losers, just trying to latch on to MAGA. As President, I could get them on my side anytime I want to, but when they call, I don’t return their calls because I’m too busy on World and Country Affairs and, after a few times, they go “nasty,” just like Marjorie “Traitor” Brown, but I no longer care about that stuff, I only care about doing right for our Country. MAGA is about WINNING and STRENGTH in not allowing Iran to have Nuclear Weapons. MAGA is about MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, and these people have no idea how to do that, BUT I DO, because THE UNITED STATES IS NOW THE “HOTTEST” COUNTRY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD! President DONALD J. TRUMP ( Truth).
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