The News And Times - thenewsandtimes.com - Blogs and Sites by Michael Novakhov

Successor talk swirls as 61,000 pay homage to Pope Francis

Post author By Mike Nova
Post date April 24, 2025

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Cardinals could pick a progressive pope ready to build off the changes Francis brought to the church or a conservative who could ratchet them back.

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Global News and Strategic Briefing 9.6.26
https://share.gemini.google/JbmfXcfn2n5t

Here is a briefing on today’s major geopolitical, political, and strategic developments:

### Global Security & Conflict Zones

* **Russia-Ukraine Diplomacy:** US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Ukraine following direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They are reportedly discussing a proposed plan from the Trump administration to end the war.
* **US-Iran “Tanker War”:** Tensions have escalated into what is being described as a “tanker war” in the Strait of Hormuz. The US has launched strikes against Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island, accusing them of assisting regional proxies, while Iran has vowed a “heavier, more painful” response.
* **Caribbean Boat Strikes:** House Democrats introduced a war powers resolution attempting to halt the Trump administration’s ongoing military boat strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The administration characterizes the strikes as targeting “narcoterrorists,” while human rights organizations have raised severe due process concerns.

### US Politics & Midterm Elections

* **Midterm Escalation:** As the November elections approach with control of Congress on the line, Donald Trump and JD Vance are scheduled to speak at the RNC Midterm Convention in Dallas. Concurrently, Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC has initiated its first major spending of the cycle with a $10 million ad blitz for Ken Paxton in Texas.
* **Executive Action Checked:** A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration’s recent executive order aimed at restricting birthright citizenship. The order, which targeted children of foreign government workers and those classified as “alien enemies,” was deemed “almost certainly unconstitutional” by the court.
* **Supreme Court Cap Rejected:** House Democrats defeated a Republican-proposed constitutional amendment that would have permanently capped the Supreme Court at nine justices, an effort to make the court’s size a central midterm campaign issue.

### Intelligence & Defense Technology

* **AI in Federal Law Enforcement:** FBI Deputy Director Christopher Raia detailed the bureau’s expanding reliance on artificial intelligence to combat transnational criminal organizations and cartels, marking a public acknowledgment of AI’s growing integration into federal targeting operations.
* **Space Observation:** NASA successfully launched the $4.3 billion Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Orbiting a million miles from Earth, it provides a field of view up to 200 times larger than Hubble and is tasked with studying dark matter, dark energy, and exoplanets.

### Other Notable Headlines

* **Clancy Mistrial:** A judge declared a mistrial in the highly publicized Massachusetts murder trial of Lindsay Clancy after the jury deadlocked 11-1 following 38 hours of deliberation.
* **Global Map Update:** The United Nations voted to endorse a new map projection that represents the continent of Africa at its accurate, much larger relative size.

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