(SERVICE WHEN ABLE THROUGH MONDAY EVENING)
LATE NEWS TONIGHT:
AN ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE IN A SOUTHERN SUBURB OF BEIRUT. ISRAEL SAYING THE ATTACK WAS ON A HEZBOLLAH SITE IN THE DAHIYAH AREA...RIA NOVOSTI RUSSIA (TRANSLATION PROMPT)
Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna of Florida leaving the House Freedom Caucus.
Congresswoman Luna part of a group of 218 mostly Democrat House members whose discharge petition is now before the House.
That discharge petition is now forcing a house floor vote on parental voting rights for House members with newborn children.
House members who are new parents would be given the right to vote by proxy.
Luna getting flack over her support for the discharge petition...The Hill USA
TONIGHT, THE BOSNIAN SERB LEADER MILORAD DODIK SAYS HE IS IN RUSSIA. MR. DODIK WANTED ON AN INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT WARRANT.
DODIK ABLE TO REACH RUSSIA VIA ISRAEL.
HE VISITED A WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL AND SAYS HE IS RETURNING TO MOSCOW FOR MAY 9TH VICTORY DAY CELEBRATIONS AT THE INVITATION OF PRESIDENT PUTIN.
THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT IN BOSNIA ORIGINATED THE ARREST WARRANT FOR DODIK OVER HIS DEFIANCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ORDER FOLLOWING A COURT SENTENCE OF ONE YEAR IN PRISON AND A SIX YEAR POLITICAL BAN...NOS NETHERLANDS (TRANSLATION PROMPT)
17 more alleged gang members deported from the United States to a prison in El Salvador.
They were deported under general immigration laws not the Alien Enemies Act. A federal district judge ruled against deportation under the AEA...BBC News
TONIGHT, THE HOUTH FORCES IN YEMEN SAY THEY SHOT DOWN A US DRONE WITH A SURFACE TO AIR MISSILE...OSINTdefender "X"
"The director general for the Americas at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued an official warning to the United States Interests Section in Tehran to warn Washington against any hostile actions"
Iran issuing a formal warning to the United States after President Donald Trump spoke of bombing Iran and imposing secondary tariffs.
Mr. Trump is pressuring Iran over its nuclear program.
Iran's warning delivered through the Swiss Embassy in Tehran...Anadolu Agency Turkey (Turkiye)
TONIGHT ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU SAYS THAT TWO KEY AIDES ARE BEING HELD HOSTAGE.
THEY WERE ARRESTED IN A CASE ALLEGING THAT NETANYAHU AIDES WERE GETTING CASH FROM QATAR A NATION CLOSE TO HAMAS.
NETANYAHU CALLING THE CASE A 'POLITICAL HUNT'...TIMES OF ISRAEL...
MR. NETANYAHU ALSO BEING ALLOWED TO POSTONE TOMORROW'S TESTIMONY AT HIS CORRUPTION TRIAL BECAUSE HIS LAWYER IS ALSO DEFENDING HIS AIDES ARRESTED TODAY...TIMES OF ISRAEL...
(MORE ON THIS STORY LATER IN THE SUMMARY)
An unnamed Israeli security official says that Egypt is building up its military forces in the Sinai Peninsula.
The official says this may constitute a violation of the Egypt-Israel Peace Agreement...Israel National News
IN SYRIA FORCES OF THE NEW GOVERNMENT SAID TO HAVE KILLED CIVILIANS IN INCIDENTS TODAY.
THE SECURITY FORCES OF THE JIHADIST GOVERNMENT TARGETING MEMBERS OF THE ALAWITE SECT OF FORMER RULER BASHAR AL-ASSAD.
AT LEAST SIX KIDNAPPED MEN SHOT DEAD...PRESS TV IRAN
Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, now living in Australia. says she was four days to live.
Posting on Instagram Giuffre says she has suffered renal failure after her car was hit by a school bus.
She was at the center of legal action surrounding Epstein including a lawsuit aimed at Prince Andrew and another aimed at Ghislaine Maxwell former Epstein associate now imprisoned on sex trafficking charges...The Hill USA
(NEWS, COMMENT, ANALYSIS)
(UPDATED)
US SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM OBJECTING TO PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU'S SELECTION OF FORMER ISRAELI NAVY COMMANDER ELI SHARVIT TO BE HEAD OF THE ISRAEL SECURITY AGENCY ("SHIN BET").
SHARVIT BEING ASSOCIATED WITH AN ARTICLE CRITICAL OF PRESIDENT TRUMP'S POLICIES BY SENATOR GRAHAM.
SENATOR GRAHAM A LONG-TIME SUPPORTER OF THE JIHADIST FORCES THAT NOW RULE SYRIA.
ISRAEL HAS BEEN CRITICAL OF THAT NEW GOVERNMENT AND SUPPORTERS OF ISRAEL LIKE DUTCH POLITICAL LEADER GEERT WILDERS HAVE CALLED FOR THE OVERTHROW OF THE TURKISH GOVERNMMENT THAT BACKED THE RECENT JIHADIST TAKEOVER IN SYRIA.
MR. SHAVRIT WROTE AN ARTICLE CRITICAL OF US PRESIDENT TRUMP'S ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES.
ISRAEL'S CHANNEL 12 CLAIMING THAT NETANYAHU'S OFFICE COOPERATED WITH SENATOR GRAHAM IN POSTING THE ONLINE CRITICISM OF SHAVRIT TO HELP NETANYAHU WALK AWAY FROM THE SELECTION...ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS...
(MORE ON THIS STORY LATER IN THE SUMMARY)
THE GOVERNMENT OF MOLDOVA KICKING OUT THREE MEMBERS OF THE RUSSIAN EMBASSY STAFF.
THE EMBASSY ACCUSED OF HELPING AN OPPOSITION POLITICIAN ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION...TASS RUSSIA
(STORY IS UPDATED)
IN ISRAEL PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU QUESTIONED IN CASE INVOLVING HIS TOP AIDES RECEIVING MONEY FROM QATAR.
HE IS BEING CALLED A WITNESS.
MEANWHILE THOSE TWO AIDES, JONATAN URICH AND ELI FELDSTEIN, HAVE BEEN ARRESTED.
MR. NETANYAHU LEFT HIS ONGOING CORRUPTION TRIAL IN TEL AVIV TODAY TO GIVE TESTIMONY TO A SPECIAL POLICE UNIT INVESTIGATING THE AIDES.
MORE QUESTIONING OF MR. NETANYAHU BY POLICE AT HIS OFFICE THIS EVENING...(ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS)
AN ISRAELI JOURNALIST IS ALSO BEING QUESTIONED IN THE CASE...TIMES OF ISRAEL
The markets today.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average up 417.86 points or 1 percent.
The NASDAQ down 23.70 points.
At 433 pm New York Time the price of oil at 71 dollars, 36 cents a barrel up two dollars or 2.88 percent...Marketwatch
IN SPAIN AT FIVE KILLED AND FOUR OTHERS HURT IN AN ACCIDENT AT A MINE.
THERE WAS AN EXPLOSION OF MACHINE INSIDE THE MINE...RTVE SPAIN (TRANSLATION PROMPT)
(THIS STORY IS UPDATED)
In Lithuania a US armored vehicle pulled out of 16 feet of mud in a swamp.
The four solider crew of the vehicle was presumed dead.
The bodies of three crew members found.
The search for the fourth crew member continues.
Their armored recovery vehicle went missing last week during training maneuvers...(News Agencies)...OSINTdefender "X"
THE MILITARY GOVERNMENT IN MYANMAR NOW SAYS THAT MORE THAN TWO THOUSAND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED IN THE EARTHQUAKE WITH MORE THAN 3,900 INJURED AND 270 MISSING.
RESCUE EFFORTS CONTINUE IN THE COUNTRY PARTICULARLY IN THE HARD-HIT CITY OF MANDALAY...BBC NEWS BLOG
ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU SELECTING ELI SHARVIT TO BE THE NEXT HEAD OF THE ISRAEL SECURITY AGENCY 'SHIN BET'.
SHARVIT FORMERLY COMMANDED ISRAEL'S NAVY.
ISRAEL'S SUPREME COURT HAS AN INJUNCTION IN PLACE PREVENTING MR. NETANYAHU FROM FIRING THE CURRENT CHIEF RONEN BAR.
BUT THE COURT ALLOWED MR. NETANYAHU TO INTERVIEW CANDIDATES FOR HIS SUCCESSOR.
THE ISA IS CURRENTLY PART OF A PROBE INOLVING SUSPICION THAT FORMER AIDES TO PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU WERE RECEIVING CASH FROM THE NATION OF QATAR THAT HAS SUPPORTED HAMAS IN GAZA AND MEDIATING TALKS ON ENDING THE GAZA CONFLICT...ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS
MARINE LE PEN FOUND GUILTY IN CORRUPTION CASE SENTENCED TO POLITICAL BAN AND IMPRISONMENT
FARAGE SAYS LE PEN WAS 'CANCELED'
GEERT WILDERS SAYS 'BELIEVE IN HER 100 PERCENT'
ELON MUSK DECRIES 'ABUSE OF THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM'
LE PEN SAYS VERDICT WAS 'A POLITICAL DECISION'
(UPDATED INCLUDING ANALYSIS)
In France a guilty verdict in the trial of Marine Le Pen over alleged misuse of European Parliament funds.
Le Pen and 24 others accused of paying European Parliament staff to do political party work.
Le Pen given a four-year prison sentence with two years suspended and a five-year ban from politics.
She will likely be given home confinement wearing a tag for the two-year prison sentence according to Mainstream Media.
The ban would prevent Le Pen, who leads political polls, from running for President in 2027.
Le Pen will appeal her sentence.
Tonight, she said that the verdict against her was 'a political decision'.
Le Pen also saying:
"judges have implemented measures that are reserved for authoritarian regimes"
In the last five years Le Pen's National Rally Party has developed the leadership of Jordan Bardella whose popularity is comparable to Le Pen and has yet to be accused of any wrongdoing by authorities.
Bardella has been installed as President of the RN in recent years and has done well in polling at its presidential candidate in 2027.
Foreign reaction includes unconditional support from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban his message:
"I am Marine"
Russian condemning what it calls a 'violation of democratic norms'.
The US State Department declined comment.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage saying that Le Pen was 'canceled on a trumped up charge'.
Geert Wilders of the Party of Freedom in the Netherlands saying "I am shocked" and offering "100 percent support" to Le Pen...Geert Wilders "X"
Elon Musk speaking of an 'abuse of the judicial system'.
Meanwhile inside France her niece French politician Marion Marechal saying her aunt's crime was that she 'brought our camp to victory'. Marechal, who has been estranged in the past from Le Pen, saying she is 'more than ever at the side' of her aunt...
BFM-TV France (Translation Prompt)
BBC News Blog
THE UKRAINE WAR AGAINST RUSSIA
(UPDATED WHEN ABLE)
