USA - Democrat Representative Ami Bera (California) on Tuesday admitted that “maybe we should have asked questions” and that he thinks maybe Joe Biden wasn’t the one running the country during his presidency. This comes as more and more questions arise surrounding who was really running the country, especially with the Biden autopen scandal, which revealed that many official actions during the sham Biden presidency were fraudulently signed with an automated signature. Outgoing Acting US Attorney for DC and now incoming Pardon Attorney, Ed Martin, announced earlier this month that the Justice Department is reviewing Joe Biden’s last-minute pardons amid the growing autopen scandal. President Trump recently said in a fiery Truth Social post that the autopen conspirators “stole the Presidency of the United States, and put us in Great Danger.” He continued, “This is TREASON at the Highest Level! They did it to destroy our Country.”

USA - Senator Ron Johnson is launching an investigation into former President Biden's health, he told Axios. Why it matters: The news of Biden's cancer diagnosis as well as new revelations about the White House's efforts to hide the former president's deteriorating health has reignited attacks from the GOP about Biden's fitness to carry out the duties of commander in chief. "We have to. I mean, who was running the government?", Johnson told Axios. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has already announced an investigation into Biden's use of an "auto pen" to sign documents.

USA - Wednesday, during an appearance on Fox News, Republican strategist Kellyanne Conway blasted Democrats and the media for the alleged cover-up regarding former President Joe Biden’s health. Conway told host Martha MacCallum the proper terminology would be that Democrats and the media “lied” to Americans. “They are all complicit, and I don’t know if it was a cover-up so much more of just an outright lie,” she said. “Let’s stop using nice words like gaslighting and cover-up. They lied to us. They lied to us about the fitness of the Commander-in-Chief while our active military was abroad, while our veterans and military spouses are looking for a pay raise and relief and care and health care. They lied to us..."

UK - Many a sigh has been heaved by bosses at an underling who has caused irritation. Well, now a judge has warned that expressing that frustration can legally be considered harassment. Using “non-verbal” expressions of disappointment or irritation can breach equality laws, an employment tribunal judge has ruled in a case involving a software engineer who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Robert Watson claimed that his manager’s “sighing and exaggerating exhales” were discriminatory. He is now in line for compensation from Roke Manor Research, the company that invented the Hawk-Eye technology for sports including cricket, football and tennis.

UK - At least 50 different countries have been hit by armed conflict in the past year, researchers find. Violence is more widespread today than it has been in decades, with armed conflict touching every major region, according to data analysed by The Telegraph. Last year, varying levels of conflict were reported across at least 50 different countries, from the civil war in Myanmar to extreme violence between drug cartels in Mexico, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED). Experts predict that the trend will probably continue throughout 2025 and beyond.

JAPAN - Global economic turmoil escalates, Japan warns of crisis, China halts talks, banks slow down. The global financial landscape is shifting rapidly, with major economies facing mounting pressures. The United States, Japan, and China are each grappling with economic challenges that could reshape markets in the coming months. Investors are watching closely as debt concerns, monetary policy shifts, and geopolitical tensions unfold.

JAPAN - Is the long-awaited implosion of the Japanese financial system beginning? Japanese bond yields are spiking dramatically, Japan’s debt to GDP ratio is now above 230 percent, the Japanese economy has started contracting, and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba just publicly stated that the financial condition of his nation is worse than the financial condition of Greece.

USA - National governments around the world are collectively more than 100 trillion dollars in debt. The United States accounts for about 35 percent of that total, China accounts for about 16 percent of that total, and Japan accounts for about 10 percent of that total. For a long time, national governments were able to fund their debt binges very cheaply, but now nervous investors are demanding higher interest rates to hold long-term government debt. This is driving up borrowing costs, and it has thrown credit markets around the globe into a state of chaos. If bond yields continue to rise at a very brisk pace, there is a risk that investors could become so nervous that credit markets actually start freezing up. If that were to happen, the entire global financial system would go completely haywire.

IRAN - The Iranians are very harshly telling President Trump that he is not going to get what he wants. Over the weekend, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff told ABC News that Iran will not be allowed to enrich uranium, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday that “we are 100% committed to that red line”. Of course the Iranians were never going to agree to that, and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei just made that exceedingly clear. The Iranians apparently believe that Trump was bluffing about taking military action against Iran, and so now we will see if Trump was bluffing or not. Meanwhile, CNN is reporting that Israel “is making preparations to strike Iranian nuclear facilities”…

USA - When David Lammy denounced Israel’s “egregious” actions in Gaza and the “abominable” suffering of ordinary Palestinians, the Foreign Secretary spoke like someone who had yearned for months to voice his true opinion. One reason why Britain suddenly feels free to act against Israel – summoning the ambassador and ending trade talks – is that Donald Trump has signalled America’s impatience with Benjamin Netanyahu. In the past, Britain’s instinctive wish to avoid an open breach with America has often inhibited its response to Gaza’s bloodshed. Yet by declining to visit Israel on his first trip to the Middle East since regaining the White House – and by taking crucial decisions that fly in the face of Netanyahu’s wishes – president Trump has opened the way for America’s allies to revolt against Israeli policy.