International News Briefs for Monday, February 17, 2025
HAVANA TIMES – Here are some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Monday, February 17, 2025.
U.S.-Russia to Hold Ukraine Peace Talks in Saudi Arabia; Ukraine & Europe Not Invited
Feb 17, 2025
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in Saudi Arabia, where he is scheduled to begin talks with Russia over ending the war in Ukraine. But Ukrainian and European officials have not been invited to take part. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared on “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
President Volodymyr Zelensky: “I will never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia about Ukraine. Never. And our people, never. And our adults and children and everybody, it can’t be so. This is the war in Ukraine against us, and it’s our human losses.”
Zelensky has also rejected a demand by President Trump for Ukraine to give the United States ownership of 50% of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting an emergency European summit today in Paris over Ukraine. For the first time, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has offered to send British troops to Ukraine to provide security if a peace deal is reached.
U.S.-Europe Transatlantic Rift Grows over Ukraine & JD Vance Speech in Munich
Feb 17, 2025
A rift is growing between the Trump administration and European leaders. On Friday, Vice President JD Vance gave a speech at the Munich Security Conference where he repeatedly attacked Europe on a number of issues, including migration and free speech.
Vice President JD Vance: “And trust me, I say this with all humor. If American democracy can survive 10 years of Greta Thunberg’s scolding, you guys can survive a few months of Elon Musk. But what German democracy — what no democracy — American, German or European — will survive is telling millions of voters that their thoughts and concerns, their aspirations, their pleas for relief are invalid or unworthy of even being considered.”
While in Germany, JD Vance held a 30-minute meeting Friday with the head of Germany’s far-right AfD party. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rebuked Vance for meeting with the AfD just a week before Germany’s election.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz: “That’s why we will not accept if outsiders intervene in our democracy, in our elections and in the democratic formation of opinion in favor of this party, the AfD. That’s just not done, certainly not amongst friends and allies. We resolutely reject this.”
Musk & DOGE Seek Access to Sensitive Taxpayer Info at IRS
Feb 17, 2025
In news from Capitol Hill, the Internal Revenue Service has become the latest federal agency to be targeted by Elon Musk and his unelected team at DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency. The Washington Post reports Musk’s team is seeking access to an IRS system that contains detailed financial information about every taxpayer, business and nonprofit in the country.
On Friday, a federal court hearing was held in New York after 19 states sued Musk for illegally accessing sensitive information at the Treasury Department. This is New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Attorney General Letitia James: “No one elected Elon Musk and his minions, and no one has allowed him to have access to this information. This is a violation of the separation of powers. The United States Congress, the United States Senate has the sole discretion in having the power of the purse, and not Elon Musk.”
Trump: “He Who Saves His Country Does Not Violate Any Law”
Feb 17, 2025
While the Trump administration and Musk are already facing numerous lawsuits, President Trump on Saturday wrote online, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.” California Senator Adam Schiff responded by writing, “Spoken like a true dictator.”
The Trump administration has submitted its first appeal to the Supreme Court seeking approval for the president to fire the head of the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency that investigates whistleblower reports filed by government workers. The official, Hampton Dellinger, says his firing was illegal. Two lower courts have ruled against the Trump administration so far.
DOGE Purges Nuclear Workers Without Realizing They Helped Maintain Nuclear Arsenal
Feb 17, 2025
Image Credit: Flickr/National Nuclear Security Administration
In their race to purge federal workers, Elon Musk and DOGE fired 350 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration on Thursday without realizing many of the workers played a critical role in maintaining the country’s nuclear weapons arsenal. The fired employees immediately lost access to their email and were locked out of offices. By Friday, the acting head of the agency rescinded most of the firings, but the agency has had difficulty reaching some of the workers. Senator Patty Murray of Washington and Congressmember Marcy Kaptur of Ohio called the layoffs “utterly callous and dangerous.”
The Trump administration has also gutted the CDC’s disease detection unit and fired hundreds of employees at the Federal Aviation Administration.
Education Department Threatens Sweeping Cuts to Schools That Promote Diversity
Feb 17, 2025
Image Credit: U.S. Department of Education
The Education Department is threatening to cut off all federal funding to schools that don’t end all programs related to DEI — Diversity, Equity and Inclusion — within the next 14 days. The order could impact everything from preschools to colleges. PEN America condemned the sweeping move. In a statement, the group said the administration “seeks to declare it a civil rights violation for educational institutions to engage in any diversity-related programming or to promote any diversity-related ideas — potentially including everything from a panel on the Civil Rights Movement to a Lunar New Year celebration.”
Seventh Prosecutor Resigns over DOJ Dropping Corruption Charges Against NYC Mayor Eric Adams
Feb 17, 2025
Image Credit: Mayoral Photography Office/ Michael Appleton
In news from the Justice Department, a seventh prosecutor has resigned to protest the DOJ’s decision to drop federal corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams in exchange for his cooperation with Trump’s immigration crackdown. Hagan Scotten, the acting assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, resigned, writing, “Any assistant U.S. attorney would know that our laws and traditions do not allow using the prosecutorial power to influence other citizens, much less elected officials, in this way.” On Friday, Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, who was a member of Trump’s personal legal team, threatened to fire 30 attorneys in the Public Integrity Section if none of them would file a motion to dismiss Adams’s case. After the unit considered resigning en masse, one veteran prosecutor agreed to file the motion in order to save his colleagues’ jobs.
Earlier on Friday, Eric Adams appeared on Fox News alongside Trump’s so-called border czar Tom Homan, who openly threatened the mayor.
Thomas Homan: “If he doesn’t come through, I’ll be back in New York City, and we won’t be sitting on a couch. I’ll be in his office, up his butt, saying, ‘Where the hell is the agreement we came to?’ So” —
Mayor Eric Adams: “And I want ICE to deliver. And I want ICE to deliver. We’re going to deliver for the safety of the people of this city.”
This all comes as calls grow for Eric Adams to resign as mayor of New York. At least three of his deputy mayors have expressed their intent to resign.
U.S. Sends 2,000-Pound Bombs to Israel as Netanyahu Backs Trump Plan to Remove Palestinians from Gaza
Feb 17, 2025
The fragile ceasefire in Gaza continues to hold despite Israel’s ongoing deadly attacks. On Sunday, an Israeli airstrike killed three Palestinian police officers near Rafah. This came a day after Hamas released three Israeli hostages. In return, Israel released 369 Palestinian captives. Four of the Palestinians were reported to be in critical condition and needed to be immediately hospitalized.
On Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called Trump’s plan to remove all Palestinians from Gaza “the only viable plan to enable a different future” for the region. Rubio said Hamas “must be eradicated.”
This comes as Israel continues to block the entry of tens of thousands of tents and mobile homes for displaced Palestinians in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel has received a new shipment of 2,000-pound MK-84 bombs from the United States. Palestinians in Rafah denounced the U.S. for continuing to arm Israel.
Rajeh Abu Rajab: “We left our homes looking for safety, but when we returned, we did not find homes. This massive scale of destruction is not normal, and America is still supplying Israel with weapons for destruction. There is nothing to be destroyed anymore. There are only a few people in Palestine, in the Gaza Strip to be destroyed. It is an ugly crime for America to supply Israel with weapons against the poor citizens like us, and then we return to find no homes or families. This is a crime against the human law and Islamic and Christian law and all religions on Earth.”
M23 Fighters Seize City of Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Feb 17, 2025
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, M23 insurgent fighters have seized Bukavu, the second-largest city in eastern Congo. M23’s latest advance in the region marks the group’s most significant expansion of territory since its rebellion began in 2022. The Congolese government reported Rwandan troops were also on the ground. This comes as the African Union gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where leaders urged for a ceasefire in the DRC to avoid a regional escalation.
Muhsin Hendricks, World’s First Openly Gay Imam, Shot Dead in South Africa
Feb 17, 2025
In South Africa, Muhsin Hendricks, a pioneering figure in Islam, was shot dead Saturday. He was considered the world’s first openly gay imam. Hendricks was in a car with another person when a vehicle stopped in front of them, blocking their path. Two unknown assailants then got out of the vehicle and fired multiple shots, killing Hendricks. After coming out as gay in 1996, Hendricks hosted meetings at his home for other LGBTQ+ Muslims, later running his own mosque. This is Muhsin Hendricks in his own words, speaking to the Openly channel on TikTok.
Muhsin Hendricks: “I think it’s possible to be queer and Muslim or queer and Christian. The representation of faith or of religion that was passed down to us, it’s one that doesn’t include us. And if you really study the religion — and I’m specifically talking about Islam — you will find that — how patriarchy has actually influenced the interpretation of Scripture. And so, it is an important process for queer Muslims who want to remain faithful to their traditions to reengage with those interpretations and to sort of queering the interpretation. Nobody has a monopoly over faith.”
Five Arrested After Trans Man Found Dead Following “Repeated Acts of Violence & Torture”
Feb 17, 2025
In western New York, police have arrested five people in connection to the murder of a transgender man named Sam Nordquist, who had recently been reported missing. Police said Sam was “subjected to repeated acts of violence and torture” prior to his death. The group the NEW Pride Agenda condemned his killing, saying it was a “tragic consequence of the rising culture of hate in our society.”
Protesters Gather at Stonewall to Protest Trump Efforts to Erase Trans History
Feb 17, 2025
Here in New York, hundreds of protesters gathered at the historic Stonewall National Monument Friday after the National Park Service removed the letters T and Q from the LGBTQ+ on the monument’s website. The move drew condemnation nationwide as an attempt to erase trans and queer people from history. The Stonewall rebellion in 1969 was led in part by Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, both transgender activists of color. This is Angelica Christina, trans activist, actor, model and board member of the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative.
Angelica Christina: “To my community, to the trans, nonbinary and intersex folks out there, to our youth: I see you. I love you. You are loved. You have a community of people here that love you and see you for exactly who you are, that acknowledge your existence. You are not alone.”
EEOC Dismisses Six Gender Identity Discrimination Cases
Feb 17, 2025
Image Credit: Reuters/Andrew Kelly
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — the federal agency charged with enforcing workplace anti-discrimination laws — has moved to dismiss six gender identity discrimination cases. One of the cases accused Alabama’s Harmony Hospitality LLC of discriminating against a nonbinary employee who was fired hours after the company’s co-owners learned of his gender identity.
Jewish Man in Florida Arrested for Shooting Two Israeli Men He Mistook to Be Palestinian
Feb 17, 2025
In Miami Beach, Florida, a man is facing two charges of attempted second-degree murder for firing 17 shots at another car. The man, Mordechai Brafman, told police he targeted the car because he thought the passengers were Palestinian. It turned out the men who were shot were two Israelis, a father and son, visiting Miami. The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations has called for hate crime charges to be filed in the case.
At Least Nine Die in Kentucky in Devastating Flood
Feb 17, 2025
In Kentucky, at least nine people are dead after a weekend of torrential rains, gushing winds and massive floods that inundated entire roads and homes. At least one other person died in Georgia as a powerful storm swept through parts of the Southeast.
White House Bans AP Reporters over Agency’s Decision to Keeping Using Gulf of Mexico Name
Feb 17, 2025
Image Credit: Google
The White House has banned reporters from the Associated Press from the Oval Office and Air Force One after AP refused to adopt Trump’s new name for the Gulf of Mexico. Last week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt publicly rebuked the AP.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt: “If we feel that there are lies being pushed by outlets in this room, we are going to hold those lies accountable. And it is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the Gulf of America. And I’m not sure why news outlets don’t want to call it that, but that is what it is.”
Not My President’s Day: Protests Against Trump to Be Held Today in 50 States
Feb 17, 2025
Protests against Trump are being held in all 50 states today. Some are being organized under the banner of “Not My President’s Day.”