Links to two conversations from Judging Freedom Podcast, followed by links to EIGHT reports: from the Associated Press, Common Dreams, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for IRAN 2-23-26 and UKRAINE.) — MCM  

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Mearsheimer: Trump has no off-ramp. From Judging Freedom Podcast. Judge Napolitano talks today with Professor John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago on Trump administration Iran policy reflecting the heavy influence of the Israel lobby. He agrees with Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Dan Caine, who has advised against a war. Click HERE for video.

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FROM FEB. 23  McGovern, Napolitano discuss Russia-Ukraine war and whether war with Iran is to be avoided. From Judging Freedom Podcast / Consortium News. Judge Andrew Napolitano and retired CIA analyst Ray McGovern consider intelligence, narrative and history relating to the Ukraine-Russia war and prospects to avoid war with Iran. Click HERE for video.

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FROM FEB. 23  Students in Iran hold protests as U.S. forces gather in region for possible strikes, by Amir Hussein-Radjy and Kareem Chehayeb | AP  CAIRO — Students held anti-government protests at universities across Iran’s capital on Monday, according to witnesses and videos circulating online, in a new sign of unrest. READ MORE . . .

Iran’s deputy foreign minister on the country’s plan if the U.S. strikes. Reported by Steve Inskeep | NPR  Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi talks about the status of U.S.-Iran negotiations and what Iran is prepared to do in the event of a U.S. strike. Click HERE to listen and, later.

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FROM FEB. 23  Trump’s sanctions on Iran have dramatically effected its economy and led to protests. Reported by Jackie Northam | NPR  Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent admitted that Washington helped spark recent protests in Iran by creating a U.S. dollar shortage, leading to runaway inflation. Click HERE to listen and, later.

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FROM FEB. 20  Former U.S. Navy commander talks about the U.S. military buildup near Iran. Michel Martin of NPR asks retired Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan, a former Navy commander in the Middle East, about the U.S. military buildup near Iran. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM FEB. 20  Second U.S. carrier nears Middle East, as Trump pressures Iran to make a deal. Reported by Greg Myre and Leila Fadel | NPR  A second American aircraft carrier moved closer to the Middle East Thursday, as President Trump remains noncommittal about whether he’ll use force against Iran. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM FEB. 20  Iranian authorities crack down on mourners trying to honor people killed in protests. Reported by Jackie Northam | NPR  Iranian authorities are cracking down on mourners as they try to memorialize their loved ones who were killed in last month’s protests. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Links to FIVE reports from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 2-23-26.  Scroll up for IRAN.) — MCM

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The war in Ukraine began 4 years ago today. A look at the trauma and grief of war. Reported by Joanna Kakissis and Leila Fadel | NPR  Today marks four years since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. A look at the effects of the war and where the situation stands today. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Nobel laureate reflects on the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Reported by Michel Martin | NPR  Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk reflects on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and whether the U.S. can do more to end the war. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM FEB. 23  Ukraine enters fifth year with no end in sight. Reported by Joanna Kakissis and Charles Maynes | NPR  The war in Ukraine enters its fifth year this week, with millions of Ukrainians displaced, hundreds of thousands of soldiers killed, and little change on the battlefield. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM FEB. 22  Ukrainian military chaplain shares wisdom from the frontlines. Reported by Daniel Ofman, Emily Kwong and Jordan-Marie Smith | NPR  Father Andriy Zelinskyy, a chaplain in wartime Ukraine, talks about what he sees in the trenches and what he’s learned about the fragility of humanity, years into the war with Russia. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM FEB. 20  Iranian authorities crack down on mourners trying to honor people killed in protests. Reported by Jackie Northam | NPR  Iranian authorities are cracking down on mourners as they try to memorialize their loved ones who were killed in last month’s protests. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Links to TWO reports: from Agence France-Presse and the Cradle; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for IRAN 2-22-26 and GAZA, WEST BANK, SYRIA, CUBA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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U.S. official confirms Iran talks on Thursday. From AFP. The United States will resume nuclear talks with Iran on Thursday, a U.S. official confirmed today, as Washington continues its huge military build-up to put pressure on Tehran. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same AFP report in French, and HERE for headlines of others.

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Iran vows ‘ferocious’ retaliation as Trump considers ‘limited’ strike. From the Cradle. “I think there is no limited strike,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said today. “An act of aggression would be regarded as an act of aggression. Period. And any state would react to an act of aggression as part of its inherent right of self-defense ferociously, so that’s what we would do.” READ MORE . . .

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Links to THREE reports: from the Cradle, the Associated Press, and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for GAZA 2-20-26, and up or down for IRAN, WEST BANK, SYRIA, CUBA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Israeli troops executed Palestinian aid workers at ‘point blank range’: report. From the Cradle. Israeli soldiers today massacred 15 Palestinian aid workers, targeting them with nearly a thousand bullets, including at least eight at point-blank range, in Tal al-Sultan in southern Gaza, a joint investigation by the independent research groups Earshot and Forensic Architecture has shown. READ MORE . . .

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EU diplomats set to meet Board of Peace director over Gaza’s future, by Sam McNeil | AP  BRUSSELS — Nikolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian politician and U.N. diplomat chosen by Trump to manage the Board of Peace, was scheduled to meet today with the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and foreign ministers from across the 27-nation bloc. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Ramadan in ruins, by Maha Hussaini and Mohammed al-Hajjar | Middle East Eye  GAZA CITY / NUSEIRA, Gaza Strip  As world leaders convened in Washington for the inaugural meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial Board of Peace and pledged billions for Gaza reconstruction, residents of the devastated enclave say the atmosphere remains heavy with loss, displacement and intermittent bombardment — much like the two Ramadans observed during the war. READ MORE . . .

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Links to THREE reports: from the Associated Press and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for WEST BANK 2-21-26, and up or down for IRAN, GAZA, SYRIA, CUBA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Israeli settlers torch and deface a West Bank mosque during Ramadan, by Aref Tufaha and Melanie Lidman | AP  TELL, West Bank — Israeli settlers vandalized a mosque in the Israeli-occupied West Bankearly today, spray-painting offensive phrases and setting a fire, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Religious Affairs. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.  Click HERE for report from Middle East Eye.

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Israeli settlers join ‘safari’ tour of Palestinian prisoners, by Mera Aladam | Middle East Eye  The head of the Israel Prison Service, Kobi Yaakobi, has invited a group of settlers on a so-called “safari tour” to view Palestinian detainees while they are lying on the floor and handcuffed. READ MORE . . .

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Links to THREE reports: from the Cradle and Agence France-Presse; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for SYRIA 1-28-26, and up or down for IRAN, GAZA, WEST BANK, CUBA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

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U.S. troops expected to ‘fully withdraw’ from Syria within weeks. From the Cradle. U.S. forces occupying northeast Syria began leaving a major base and are expected to complete their withdrawal from the country within weeks, AFP reported today. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AFP.

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FROM FEB. 22  Israel launches 41 incursions into Syria so far this month amid ‘suspicious silence’ from Damascus: report. From the Cradle. Israeli occupation forces have carried out 41 incursions into Syrian territory in February alone — “without any response, amid a suspicious silence from the Syrian government regarding these violations,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Sunday. READ MORE . . .

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Links to TWO reports: from Reuters and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for IRAN, GAZA, WEST BANK, SYRIA, UKRAINE and MEDIA.) — MCM

NOTE: The CUBA entry I was looking for — CUBA 2-12-26 — has reappeared. (Thank you, friend. Good to know somebody reads this blog.) Visitors can scroll down to it. It’s still gone from my computer’s memory, but maybe I scrapped what was there. Who was it that sang “Paranoia strikes deep in the heartland”? *

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Rubio travels to meet Caribbean leaders as U.S. squeezes Cuba, Venezuela. From Reuters. U.S. Secretary of State Marco ‌Rubio will ​hold talks with Caribbean leaders on regional security, and efforts to counter migration and drug trafficking in ‌Saint Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for AP / AP report in English and Spanish, and HERE for others in Spanish.

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* Answer: Paul Simon in “Have a Good Time” (1975).

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Links to SIX reports: from Agence France-Presse, Le Figaro, the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (Scroll down for UKRAINE 2-19-26, and up or down for IRAN, GAZA, WEST BANK, SYRIA, CUBA and MEDIA.) — MCM

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Russian overnight strikes across Ukraine kill 3. From AFP. In addition several others were wounded, regional authorities said today, as Moscow continued its assaults on the eve of the war’s four‑year anniversary. READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine needs $588 bn to rebuild from Russia’s invasion: report.   From AFP. The estimated total, according to the report issued today by the World Bank and other institutions, is 12 percent higher than the amount given last year — and almost three times the country’s annual economic output. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for similar report from AFP and Le Figaro in French, and HERE for headlines of others from AFP.

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EU diplomats scramble to overcome Hungary’s threat to derail new sanctions on Russia, by Sam McNeil and Sylvie Corbet | AP  BRUSSELS — Germany, France and other European countries vowed their unwavering support for Ukraine on Monday as their diplomats scrambled to finalize new sanctions on Russia and a massive new loan for Kyiv ahead of the fourth anniversary of a war that has left an estimated 1.8 million Russian and Ukrainian soldiers dead, wounded or missing. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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EU diplomats set to meet Board of Peace director, by Sam McNeil | AP  BRUSSELS — Nikolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian politician and U.N. diplomat chosen by Trump to manage the Board of Peace, was scheduled to meet today with the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and foreign ministers from across the 27-nation bloc. Topics on the agenda include the war in Ukraine and fresh sanctions on Russia. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM FEB. 22  Ukrainian military chaplain shares wisdom from the frontlines. Reported by Daniel Ofman, Emily Kwong and Jordan-Marie Smith | NPR  Father Andriy Zelinskyy, a chaplain in wartime Ukraine, talks about what he sees in the trenches and what he’s learned about the fragility of humanity, years into the war with Russia. Click HERE to listen and read.

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4 years of war in Ukraine in photos. From AP. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, launched Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II. This photo gallery curated by AP photo editors looks back at four years of war. Click HERE to visit gallery.

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Links to FOUR reports: from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, and the Committee to Protect Journalists; to a conversation from the Gaslight Gazette; and to an essay from the Floutist; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Scroll down for MEDIA 2-20-26.  Scroll up for IRAN, GAZA, WEST BANK, SYRIA, CUBA and UKRAINE.) — MCM

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Poll: Most say the state of the union is not strong and the U.S. is worse off. Reported by Domenico Montanaro | NPR  The latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll says most Americans say the country is worse off than a year ago and that the state of the union is not strong. Additionally, more people than ever . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM FEB. 20  New report details abuse Palestinian journalists face in Israeli prisons. Leila Fadel of NPR speaks with Sara Qudah of the Committee to Protect Journalists about a new report on the abusive treatment that Palestinian journalists endure in Israeli prisons. Click HERE to listen and read. Link to CPJ report is HERE.

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4 years of war in Ukraine in photos. From AP. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, launched Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II. This photo gallery curated by AP photo editors looks back at four years of war. Click HERE to visit gallery.

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FROM FEB. 20  Big tech’s Pentagon pivot, CBS censorship, and the Epstein ledger. Nolan Higdon of Gaslight Gazette and sidekick Dickey talk in an episode of the Disinfo Detox about a week’s worth of topics including the Federal Communications Commission’s former “fairness doctrine” and the firing of Stephen Colbert at CBS. Click HERE for video.

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FROM FEB. 20  Is America a failed state? by Patrick Lawrence | The Floutist  Last week the American Prospect ran an excellent piece on why Gail Slater, the high-profile head of the DoJ’s antitrust division, was recently sacked. READ MORE . . .

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NEWER  Next U.S.-Iran nuclear talks are Thursday in Geneva as Washington awaits proposed deal from Tehran, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — The United States and Iran will hold their next round of nuclear talks Thursday in Geneva, a facilitator said today, as the Islamic Republic faces both the threat of a U.S. military strike and new protests at home. READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE and HERE for earlier reports from AFP / AFP and Al Jazeera.

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Links to NINE reports, including the three linked above from the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Al Jazeera. Following the link just below to a two-and-a-half-hour conversation from Consortium News about PREPARATIONS FOR IMMINENT WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST and WHAT SUCH A WAR WOULD LOOK LIKE, there are links to six reports: from the Cradle, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Reuters, and CBS News; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials above and below. (Scroll down for IRAN 2-20-26 and LEBANON.) — MCM

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FROM FEB. 21  WATCH: The World This Week — w/Scott Ritter. Joe Lauria, editor-in-chief of Consortium News, and former U.S. Marine, former UN weapons inspector and author Scott Ritter talk about what looks to Ritter like the imminent U.S./Israeli invasion of Iran with UK support, possibly within days. Ritter does most of the talking. Click HERE to watch and listen closely.

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Jordan serving as ‘key hub’ for warplanes needed for Iran war: report. From the Cradle. A military base in central Jordan has become a “key hub” for the U.S. military’s preparations for possible strikes on Iran, the New York Times reported today, citing satellite imagery and flight tracking data. READ MORE . . .

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University students hold new protests around memorials for those killed, by Jon Gambrell | AP  DUBAI — New anti-government protests have begun in Iran, witnesses said today, as university students in Tehran and another city demonstrated around memorials for thousands of people killed in a crackdown on previous nationwide demonstrations about six weeks ago. READ MORE . . .

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A former deputy assistant secretary of Defense discusses U.S. actions against Iran. Ayesha Rascoe of NPR speaks with Mick Milroy, who was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense in the first Trump administration, about possible American military action against Iran. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Iranians mark a day of mourning as the U.S. ramps up its military presence. Reported by Durrie Bouscaren | NPR  As the U.S. beefs up its military presence in the Middle East, Iranians mark the 40th day of mourning for loved ones killed during the January protests. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Witkoff says Trump ‘curious’ about why Iran has not ‘capitulated’ amid U.S. military buildup, by Parisa Hafezi | Reuters  U.S. President Donald Trump is curious about why Iran has not yet “capitulated” and agreed to curb its nuclear program, as Washington builds up its military capability in the Middle East, Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Saturday in an interview on Fox News. READ MORE . . .

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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi interviewed on Face the Nation. From CBS. ARAGHCHI: If they want to find a resolution for Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, the only way is diplomacy. We have proved this in the past, and I believe that still, there is a good chance to have a diplomatic solution which is based on a win-win game. There is no need for any military buildup. And military buildup cannot help, and cannot pressurize us. READ MORE . . .

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