A link to an undated video from The Jimmy Dore Show, perhaps not for the first time on this blog; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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We’ve been lied to all along. Jimmy Dore of The Jimmy Dore Show and colleague Kurt Metger interview Dr. Leroy Hulsey, professor emeritus of structural engineering at the University of Alaska Fairbanks — not all that recently — about the collapse of Building 7 and the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Click HERE for video and a brief introduction.

For today, link to reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and a 9/11 TRUTH entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM     

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Israel strikes across Gaza as U.S. says it will block another cease-fire resolution at UN, by Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy and Tia Goldenberg | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least 18 people overnight and into today, according to medics and witnesses, as the United States said it would veto another draft U.N. cease-fire resolution. The U.S. . . . READ MORE . . .

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Top UN court to hold hearings on legality of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian-claimed lands, by Mike Corder and Julia Frankel | AP   THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The United Nations’ highest court opens historic hearings Monday into the legality of Israel’S 57-year occupation of lands sought for a Palestinian state, plunging the 15 international judges back into the heart of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Six days . . . READ MORE . . .

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The head of the UN’s lead agency helping Palestinians accuses Israel of seeking to destroy it, by Cara Anna | AP  The head of the main United Nations agency supporting people in Gaza alleged that Israel is intent on “destroying” the organization along with the idea that Palestinians are refugees and have a right to return home one day. Philippe Lazzarini accused . . . READ MORE . . .

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UN likely to vote Tuesday on Gaza ceasefire, U.S. signals veto, by Michelle Nichols | Reuters  UNITED NATIONS – The UN Security Council is likely to vote on Feb 20 on an Algerian push for the 15-member body to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, said diplomats. Algeria put forward an initial draft resolution . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 17  World leaders gather in Munich for security conference. Camila Domonoske of NPR speaks with U.S. Sen. Chris Coons about what’s taking place at the Munich Security Conference in Germany. The senator is attending the annual summit. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names and initials below. (GAZA entry for this date and a 9/11 TRUTH entry are HERE) and HERE.) — MCM  

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Ukraine military says it repelled Russian offensive on southern front. From Reuters. KYIV — Ukrainian forces repelled a Russian offensive on the southern front following the withdrawal of Kyiv’s troops from the devastated eastern town of Avdiivka, the Ukrainian military said today. Ukraine’s army chief . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia takes control of a city in eastern Ukraine after Ukrainian troops withdraw, by Illia Novikov and Barry Hatton | AP  KYIV — Russia said its forces took complete control Saturday of a city in eastern Ukraine that was the focus of intense combat for months, a development that Moscow . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 17  World leaders gather in Munich for security conference. Camila Domonoske of NPR speaks with U.S. Sen. Chris Coons about what’s taking place at the Munich Security Conference in Germany. The senator is attending the annual summit. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For today, links to reports from Reuters, National Public Radio and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE. — MCM

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Israel stages airstrikes across Gaza, makes arrests at hospital, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell | Reuters  CAIRO / JERUSALEM — Israeli forces carried out arrests in Gaza’s largest functioning hospital, health officials and the military said today, as airstrikes hit across the enclave and rain battered Palestinians taking shelter in Rafah. Israeli forces raided the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Thursday as . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israeli troops take control, cut power in one of Gaza’s last functioning hospitals. Reported by Scott Simon and Greg Myre | NPR  Israeli troops have taken command of a hospital in southern Gaza while negotiations for a cease fire are ongoing but substantial disagreements remain. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM FEB. 16  Israeli troops have taken over a Gaza hospital as potential operation in Rafah looms. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  Israeli troops have taken over a main hospital in southern Gaza looking for Hamas fighters and remains of Israeli hostages — as a potential Israeli operation looms in the most crowded part of Gaza. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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U.S. envoy says Israel has not presented evidence that Hamas diverted U.N. aid deliveries in Gaza, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israel has not presented specific evidence that Hamas is diverting U.N. aid and its recent targeted killings of Gaza police commanders safeguarding truck convoys have made it “virtually impossible” to . . . READ MORE . . .

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Netanyahu’s foreign policy adviser comments on Israel’s possible invasion of Rafah. Scott Simon of NPR talks about the war in Gaza with Ophir Falk, a foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Tass, the Kyiv Post, and the Kyiv Independent, and to commentary from Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM   

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Ukraine shoots down three Russian warplanes, air force chief says. From Reuters. Ukrainian forces shot down two Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers and one Su-35 fighter in the skies over eastern Ukraine today, the country’s air force chief said. Reuters was . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia says its forces move forward after Ukraine withdraws from Avdiivka, by Guy Faulconbridge | Reuters  MOSCOW — Russia said today its forces had inflicted a series of defeats on Ukrainian forces along the 1,000-km (620-mile) front line just as Ukrainian troops withdrew from the devastated eastern town of Avdiivka. The Ukrainian withdrawal . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s Zelenskyy warns of an ‘artificial deficit’ of weapons after withdrawal from Avdiivka, by Geir Moulson and Kerstin Sopke | AP  MUNICH — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned allies today that an “artificial deficit” of arms for his country risks giving Russia breathing space, highlighting the need for artillery and long-range weapons after his military chief said . . . READ MORE . . .

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A journalist in Ukraine reflects on daily life since Russia’s invasion 2 years ago. Reported by Scott Simon | NPR  How has life in Ukraine changed as the second anniversary of the war nears? NPR’s Scott Simon talks to journalist Yaroslav Trofimov and art curator and journalist Kateryna Iakovlenko. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Russian air defense intercepts 33 Ukrainian drones in 5 regions overnight — ministry. From Tass. MOSCOW — During the night, Russian air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 33 Ukrainian drones in the Belgorod, Voronezh, Kursk, Bryansk, and Kaluga regions of Russia, the Russian Ministry of Defense said today. “Tonight, an . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s army chief orders retreat from Avdiivka, says ‘life of military is highest value.’ From Kyiv Post. Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from the frontline city of Avdiivka to avoid being encircled, new military chief Oleksandr Syrsky said today, handing Russia its biggest symbolic victory following Kyiv’s failed summer counter-offensive. Russia has . . . READ MORE. . .

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Zelensky in Munich: ‘If Ukraine left alone, Russia will destroy us,’ by Nate Ostiller | The Kyiv Independent  President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a speech at the Munich Security Conference today urging more security assistance from Ukraine’s allies amid ammunition shortages and the recent withdrawal from the embattled city of Avdiivka. His . . . READ MORE . . .

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Throwing good money after bad in Ukraine? by Ray McGovern and Lawrence Wilkerson | Special to Consortium News  As U.S. House members grapple with whether to give $60 billion more to Ukraine, they must also grapple with the checkered nature of the intelligence they’ve been fed. READ MORE . . .

Links to reports from Public and Racket News about “Russiagate.” NOTE: Many readers may find their contents abstruse, harder to follow than the other three entries for this date, GAZA, UKRAINE, and HERSH. ALSO: The first item linked below is accessible beyond opening paragraphs only to paid subscribers. Other reports from the two Substack accounts are accessible by clicking on their names below. — MCM 

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CIA ‘cooked the intelligence’ to hide that Russia favored Clinton, not Trump, in 2016, sources say, by Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger and Alex Gutentag | Public  It was all a lie. The Trump-Russia scandal made its formal launch on Jan. 6, 2017, when the office of the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper published what’s called an “Intelligence Community Assessment.” Its release dominated headlines, fixed Donald Trump in the minds of millions of Americans as a Manchurian candidate controlled by Vladamir Putin, and upended his in-coming administration. READ MORE . . .

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Many reporters paid for covering the Russiagate story, by Matt Taibbi | Racket News  Three years ago, on Feb. 25, 2021, Aaron Maté at RealClearInvestigations ran “In Final Days, Trump Gave Up on Forcing Release of Russiagate Files, Nunes Prober Says.” Extensively quoting former Principal Deputy to the Acting Director of National Intelligence Kash Patel, Aaron wrote a section on “Assessing the ‘Intelligence Community Assessment,” detailing . . . READ MORE . . .

A link to a report from a Substack account; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date and a TAIBBI ET AL entry are HERE, HERE, and HERE.) — MCM

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The SEALs and the dhow, by Seymour M. Hersh | seymourherch.substack.com  This is a painful story for the families of three Navy SEALs. Two of the SEALs were lost at sea and a third was critically injured on a mission on Jan. 11 in the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and Somalia. It was a mission that . . . READ MORE . . .

For today, links to reports from National Public Radio, Reuters, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and TAIBBI ET AL and HERSH entries are HERE, HERE, and HERE.) — MCM

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Israeli forces take over southern Gaza’s largest hospital. Reported by Michel Martin and Eleanor Beardsley | NPR  And despite international pressure, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows Israeli forces will go into the southern town of Rafah, where at least a million Palestinians are sheltering. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Egypt setting up area at Gaza border which could be used to shelter Palestinians, sources say. From Reuters. Egypt is preparing an area at the Gaza border which could accommodate Palestinians in case an Israeli offensive into Rafah prompts an exodus across the frontier, four sources said, in what they described as a contingency move by Cairo. Egypt has denied making any such . . . READ MORE . . .

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Wars in Israel, Ukraine to dominate global security summit in Munich, by Sarah Marsh and Humeyra Pamuk | Reuters  BERLIN / MUNICH — Leading politicians, military officers and diplomats from around the world gather in Munich on Friday for a security conference that will be dominated by the wars in Israel and Ukraine as well as fears over the U.S. commitment to defending its allies. The Munich Security Conference is an annual global gathering focused on defence and diplomacy. READ MORE. . .

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Intra-Palestinian meeting to be held in Moscow Feb. 29 to March 1-2 — envoy. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russia has invited up to 14 organizations to an intra-Palestinian meeting in Moscow, including representatives of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Russia’s special presidential envoy for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said. “We invited all Palestinian representatives — all . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia concerned about Rafah, maintains contact with all parties — envoy. From Tass. MOSCOW — The current situation around Rafah is of concern to Moscow, and Russia is maintaining ties with all parties involved, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov said.”We are [in] communication both with Hamas representatives and with our Israeli colleagues.” READ MORE . . .

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Why sending more aid to Ukraine has become a divisive issue within the GOP. A Martínez of NPR speaks with American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Danielle Pletka about why some Republicans strongly oppose sending more aid to Ukraine. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For today, links to reports from the Kyiv Post, Tass, the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, and the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date and TAIBBI ET AL and HERSH entries are  HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Ukraine withdraws from position south of embattled Avdiivka as Kremlin infantry advances, by Stefan Korshak | Kyiv Post  Ukraine said today it was pulling back from a position on the southern outskirts of the city of Avdiivka, where heavy battles were raging with Russian forces. “After many months . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russia’s strikes hammer Ukrainian military-industrial sites over past week. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian forces delivered 30 combined strikes by precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles against Ukrainian military-industrial enterprises and deployment sites of enemy troops over the past week in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today. “Over the period of Feb. 11-16 . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ukraine’s Zelenskyy signing security agreements with Germany, France as Kyiv shores up support, by Geir Moulson | AP  BERLIN — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a bilateral security agreement with Germany and planned to sign another with France toFriday, securing a strong signal of long-term backing as Kyiv . . . READ MORE . . .

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Wars in Israel, Ukraine to dominate global security summit in Munich, by Sarah Marsh and Humeyra Pamuk | Reuters  BERLIN / MUNICH — Leading politicians, military officers and diplomats from around the world gather in Munich on Friday for a security conference that will be dominated by the wars in Israel and Ukraine as well as fears over the U.S. commitment to defending its allies. The Munich Security Conference is an annual global gathering focused on defence and diplomacy. READ MORE. . .

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FROM FEB. 15  Ukranians in Sumy are still living under attacks from Russia. Reported by Joanna Kakissis | NPR  NATO is promising a delivery of a million drones to Ukraine, even as future U.S. support seems uncertain. Ukrainians in Sumy, a region in northeastern Ukraine, live under Russian shelling and deadly mortar attacks. CLICK HERE listen and, later, read.

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Ukraine pins hopes on home-made drones to counter Russia, by Kateryna Hodunova | The Kyiv Independent  Throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has been a drone tactics pioneer, from applying purpose-built military UAVs to weaponizing civilian models.  On Feb. 7 President Volodymyr Zelensky announced . . . READ MORE . . .

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Why sending more aid to Ukraine has become a divisive issue within the GOP. A Martínez of NPR speaks with American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Danielle Pletka about why some Republicans strongly oppose sending more aid to Ukraine. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Reuters, and Common Dreams, and to commentary via Consortium News from Medium; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM

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Israeli forces storm the main hospital in southern Gaza, saying hostages were likely held there, by Wafaa Shurafa and Bassem Mroue | AP  RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli forces stormed the main hospital in southern Gaza today, hours after Israeli fire killed a patient and wounded six others inside the complex. The Israeli army said it was a limited operation seeking the remains of hostages taken by Hamas. The raid . . . READ MORE . . .

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Conditions are deteriorating for displaced Palestinians forced to flee to Rafah. Michel Martin of NPR speaks with Scott Anderson, deputy director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza, about the humanitarian situation in Rafah, and the allegations against the relief agency. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Hezbollah says Israel will ‘pay price’ after deadly day. From Reuters. BEIRUT — Senior Hezbollah official and member of parliament Hassan Fadlallah said today that Israel would face reprisal after two sets of strikes on southern Lebanon the previous day killed 10 civilians, half of them children. “The enemy [Israel] will pay the price for these . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 14  The U.S. is investigating Israel’s use of American weapons. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  The Biden administration is looking into several of the deadliest airstrikes to see if Israel is misusing U.S. weapons. But the administration has been reluctant to use its military aid as leverage. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM FEB. 13  Josep Borrell to world leaders: ‘Cut off arms to Israel,’ by Jake Johnson | Common Dreams / Popular Resistance  The European Union’s top foreign policy official said Monday that the Biden administration and other governments professing concern about the grisly death toll in the Gaza Strip should . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM FEB. 13  The killing fields of Gaza, by John Wight | Medium / Consortium News  Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed tirelessly to be acting in the name of the Jewish victims of the Nazi Holocaust with Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. In truth, the actions of his regime and military these past few months has placed them much closer to the guards than the inmates at Hitler’s death . . . READ MORE . . .