Pope Leo rejects Trump’s “Board of Peace”
Pope Leo XIV has rejected the invitation he received to join the so-called Board of Peace that Donald Trump set up with Trump as its leader with no end to his term, apparently to give him global power. A Vatican diplomat also said that the United Nations should handle crisis situations. The Vatican is not the only state to stay away from what Trump is doing. Britain, France and Norway are among those not joining the Board of Peace. Pope Leo has made peacemaking a central part of his papacy. He warned last month that “war is back in vogue.” Leo stressed the U.N. “should play a key role” in addressing conflicts while insisting on the importance of humanitarian law.
Epstein’s Zorro Ranch to be investigated
New Mexico’s House of Representatives has approved creating a bipartisan special committee to investigate the ranch that the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein owned in the state. The measure directs the committee, known as the Truth Commission, to examine “allegations of criminal activity” at the property known as Zorro Ranch and determine whether further “legislative action” is required. The committee’s creation is the latest call for transparency and further investigation in the aftermath of the Justice Department’s release of a trove of Epstein files, which has sent shockwaves through several industries after revelations about the late financier’s ties to prominent figures.
No leads yet from glove DNA in Nancy Guthrie case
The search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, remains heightened, with authorities canvassing neighborhoods in Arizona and reviewing thousands of tips in hopes of locating her safely. On Tuesday, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office reported that DNA recovered from gloves found about two miles from Guthrie’s home did not match any profiles in the FBI’s offender database and showed no connection to DNA collected at her residence. Guthrie was last seen on Jan. 31 and is believed to have been abducted from her secluded home without her phone or critical medications.
U.S. attacks three more boats in international waters
The U.S. military has struck three more boats in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean, killing 11 people, U.S. Southern Command said Tuesday. The latest operation brings the death toll from the the U.S. sinking boats to at least 135. The Trump administration claims the boats have been carrying drugs but provided no evidence of that. Some politicians and legal experts argue the strikes amount to murdering civilians since the U.S. is not in a declared, congressionally authorized war with drug cartels.
Iran nuclear talks end for now
Iran and the U.S. walked away from Tuesday’s nuclear negotiations with “guiding principles” for future talks, according to Iran’s foreign minister. This comes as the U.S. military continues to build up its assets in the Middle East and as President Trump has warned Iran of a “very traumatic” outcome if they don’t agree to a deal in the coming weeks. U.S. officials also said “progress was made” during the discussions and that the U.S. expects to receive detailed proposals from the Iranian government in the next two weeks to address gaps between their positions.
DHS spokesperson quits agency
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) top spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, is leaving. She is due to leave her position as assistant secretary next week. Her departure comes on the heels of the high-profile shootings in Minnesota, where false statements from DHS about what happened called into question the department’s credibility. McLaughlin was one of the agency’s most vocal and most visible defenders, making appearances across news networks to defend the Trump mass deportation agenda and taking to social media to blast reporting on the agency. Both Noem and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt praised McLaughlin.
