Links to a news release from Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth, to  reports from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Hill, and to commentary from the New Republic; their websites are accessible by clicking on their names below. (9/11 TRUTH 4-14-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN, LEBANON, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Wisconsin senator backs WTC demolition investigation. From Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth. For the first time, a sitting U.S. senator has publicly endorsed the position that World Trade Center Building 7 was brought down in a controlled demolition on Sept. 11, 2001. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., says he became convinced that the government account of what brought the WTC towers down is false after . . .  Click HERE to read, and for video of interview, and HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Hill, and for commentary from the New Republic — and HERE for the documentary film “Calling Out Bravo 7,” to which Johnson refers.

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For today, links to reports from Reuters and the Cradle, and to commentary from the Cradle; other articles, or just headlines, are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (LEBANON 4-20-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN, 9/11 TRUTH, GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Israeli strike south of Beirut kills commander in Sunni Islamist group, statement says. From Reuters. BEIRUT — An Israeli drone strike south of the Lebanese capital killed a top commander from militant group Jama’a Islamiya today, the group said, in an attack later confirmed by Israel. The Israeli military announced that it had killed Hussein Atawi, a “key figure in the Jama’a Islamiya with ties to Hamas” . . . READ MORE . . .   Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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FROM APRIL 21  Lebanon’s disarmament dilemma: The battle for Palestinian camps. From the Cradle. A quiet but strategic campaign is underway in Lebanon to disarm Palestinian refugee camps, long considered autonomous zones with their own political and military hierarchies. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to four reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Middle East Monitor, and to commentary from Middle East Eye; other articles or just headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA 4-21-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN, 9/11 TRUTH, LEBANON and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM

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Israeli strikes kill 14 in Gaza and destroy heavy equipment needed to clear rubble, by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy | AP  DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip killed at least 14 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and destroyed bulldozers and other heavy equipment that had been supplied by mediators to clear rubble. READ MORE . . .

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Israel steps up Gaza strikes; polio vaccination halted by blockade, by Nidal al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — The Israeli military launched one of the biggest waves of strikes in Gaza for weeks today, residents said, and health officials issued a new warning that healthcare faced total collapse from Israel’s blockade of all supplies and suspension of a U.N.-backed polio vaccination campaign . . . READ MORE . . .

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Israel urges on Palestinians in Gaza to get in touch to arrange ‘travel abroad.’ From Middle East Monitor. Israeli intelligence agencies have sent messages to Palestinians in Gaza urging them to contact regional officers to arrange what the messages described as “travel abroad”, the Palestinian Information Centre said yesterday, calling them part of a psychological warfare campaign. READ MORE . . .

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Under U.S. pressure, Hamas and Israel to meet in Cairo for new round of talks. From Middle East Monitor. A new round of negotiations is expected within two days to reach a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel. A Hamas delegation is due in Cairo for the talks. An Israeli delegation reportedly has already arrived in Cairo to continue the talks. READ MORE . . .

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Why Hamas will not surrender, by David Hearst | Middle East Eye  Call Gaza what you will: killing fields, an endless loop of blood, pain and death, the world’s largest concentration camp. Or, as the population of Israel appears to be intent on doing, you can ignore it altogether. READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, the Kyiv Independent, Reuters, Kyiv Post, and Tass; others or headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 4-21-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  IRAN, 9/11 TRUTH, LEBANON and GAZA entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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Russian drones batter Ukraine’s Odesa as peace talks come to a crux, by Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — Russian drones battered the Ukrainian port city of Odesa in a nighttime attack, local authorities said today, less than 24 hours after a purported Easter ceasefire unilaterally declared by Moscow ended and just over a day before Ukrainian, British, French and U.S. officials are due to meet in London to discuss the war. READ MORE . . .

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Russian bombs kill 1, injure 22 in Zaporizhzhia amid Kyiv’s calls for civilian infrastructure truce, by Kateryna Hodunova | The Kyiv Independent  Russia attacked the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia today, killing at least one person and injuring at least 22, including three children, Governor Ivan Fedorov said. READ MORE . . .

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Kremlin: Putin willing to discuss Zelenskiy’s call for halt to attacks on civilian infrastructure, by Dmitry Antonov | Reuters   MOSCOW — Russia is ready to consider a proposal by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for a halt to attacks by both sides on each other’s civilian infrastructure, the Kremlin said today. READ MORE . . .

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‘Russia Is source of war,’ Ukraine still open to ceasefire – Zelensky. From Kyiv Post. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country remains open to the idea of a ceasefire on long-range strikes and is just awaiting a “clear response from Moscow.” READ MORE . . .

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Russian servicemen liberate Gornal monastery in Kursk Region — sources. From Tass. KURSK — Russian servicemen have liberated the St. Nicholas Belogorsky Monastery in the village of Gornal in the Kursk Region, according to security forces who said the Ukrainian military used it as a military facility. READ MORE . . .

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Links to reports from the Associated Press and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. (GAZA, SYRIA, YEMEN and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Pope Francis dies at 88. From AP. Pope Francis, the Catholic Church’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor, has died, as announced by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo. He was 88. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for links to five reports from NPR.

For today, links to reports from National Public Radio, the Cradle and Middle East Eye, and to commentary from Middle East Monitor via Informed Comment; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names below. (GAZA 4-20-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  THE POPE, SYRIA, YEMEN and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE,HERE, and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM APRIL 20  Israel releases findings of its investigation into killing of 15 Palestinian medics. Reported by Hadeel Al-Shalchi and Miles Parks | NPR  Israel’s military has released a long-awaited investigation into the killing of 15 Palestinian medics in Gaza by its troops. The Israeli military says “failures” occurred. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM APRIL 20  Hamas turns ‘military disadvantage into opportunity’ in Gaza: report. From the Cradle. Hamas’s armed wing the Qassam Brigades has turned its “military disadvantage into an advantage” and is working to “throw the  [Israeli] army off balance,” Maariv newspaper’s Avi Ashkenazi reported on Sunday, a . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 18  All captives will be released from Gaza if Israel agrees to end war, Hamas says. From Middle East Eye. The head of the Hamas political bureau, Khalil al-Hayya, said on Thursday that all remaining captives will be released from Gaza if Israel ends its war on the enclave. Hamas, he said, is . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 17  Israeli genocide in Gaza: Dwarf babies, 300% spike in miscarriages, 4K malnourished expectant mothers, by Mustafa Aziz | Middle East Monitor / Informed Comment  — The ongoing Israeli genocidal war against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, has killed over 50,000 people, including more than 16,000 children. This includes nearly 200 infants who were born and martyred during the war. A UN investigation concluded . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to a report from the Cradle and to commentary from Informed Comment via ScheerPost; other articles are accessible by clicking on their names below . (SYRIA 4-18-25 is HERE, or scroll down. THE POPE, GAZA, YEMEN and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM APRIL 20  Iraqi lawmakers seek to block Syrian interim president’s visit to Baghdad. From the Cradle. Iraqi lawmakers are seeking to block Syria’s de facto President, Ahmad al-Sharaa, from visiting Baghdad next month for the Arab League Summit, citing his past role as a commander in Al-Qaeda, which carried out hundreds of terror attacks against Iraqi civilians following the 2003 U.S. invasion.  READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 18  Trump administration to draw down troop presence in new, fundamentalist Syria, by Juan Cole | Informed Comment / ScheerPost  ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Tara Copp at AP reports that the Trump administration will withdraw some of the 2,000 troops now based in southeastern Syria. Some 600 will come out, leaving about 1,400. The U.S. has eight small bases there and will close three of them. The UAE press, which draws on in part on the NYT, says . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, links to a report from the Associated Press and to commentary from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (YEMEN 4-19-25 is HERE, or scroll up or down.  THE POPE, GAZA, SYRIA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM APRIL 17  WFP halts food shipments to Houthi-held parts of Yemen after rebels seize warehouse, by Samy Magdy | AP  CAIRO — The World Food Program has halted food shipments to Houthi-held areas of Yemen and suspended food distribution there after the rebels looted one of its warehouses in the north, its deputy director said Thursday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM APRIL 15  Will Yemen turn its missiles on the UAE and Saudi Arabia? by Bandar Hetar | The Cradle. The U.S. war on Yemen, now in its second round, has passed the one-month mark with no clear gains and no timeline for success. What is emerging instead . . . READ MORE . . .

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For today, a link to an interview via Consortium News; other published material is accessible by clicking on its name below. (UKRAINE 4-20-25 is HERE, or scroll down.  THE POPE, GAZA, SYRIA  and YEMEN entries for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll up.) — MCM

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FROM APRIL 20  In Ukraine, ultra-nationalists are the ‘good guys.’ Natylie Baldwin of Natylie’s Place, a Consortium News contributor, and Marta Havryshko, currently a visiting professor at Clark University, had an email conversation on aspects of Ukraine and its war with Russia. Click HERE for a transcript.

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For today, a link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (LEBANON 4-16-25 is HERE, or scroll down. WEST BANK, IRAN, GAZA and UKRAINE entres for this date are HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE, or scroll down.) — MCM

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Israel ramps up attacks on south Lebanon, killing and wounding several. From the Cradle. At least two people were killed and several others injured as Israel escalated its attacks on Lebanon today, carrying out a series of airstrikes and assassinations in the south. READ MORE . . .

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