Tensions Between Pakistan, US Heighten Following Air Raid
According to NPR, Pakistan is furious with the United States following “what it called an airspace violation after NATO helicopters exchanged fire with Pakistani troops at a military post early Tuesday.” A NATO spokesman said the exchange of fire that injured two Pakistani soldiers is being investigated. It is assumed that the region is a safe haven for al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
Paul Ryan Not Expected to Run for Open Wisconsin Senate Seat
Following the announcement that Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wisconsin) will not seek re-election, speculation ran through political communities about who would run to replace him. One thing is for sure, say two Wisconsin GOP operatives to The National Journal: it won't be Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin). The expected announcement by the House member and architect of the GOP budget plan makes way for former Republican governor and George W. Bush health and Human Services Secretary, Tommy Thompson. Both announcements are expected late Tuesday.
TEPCO Insists Eventual Stability at Fukushima Reactor
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) told The Guardian UK that it “would bring stricken reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant under control by January 2012, despite evidence that the complex is more seriously damaged than previously thought.” TEPCO plans to try new methods as part of its plan to “stabilize radiation levels and bring the units to a stable condition” within six to nine months, despite increasing challenges that may prove to the contrary.
In Bahrain, Anti-Government Protesters Sentenced to Jail
Seven Bahrainis linked to anti-government protests have been sentenced to jail, The Los Angeles Times reports. Charged with “inciting the public against the government” and participating in “illegal protests,” the protesters were sentenced to between one to three years.
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As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
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