🇺🇸🇳🇬🏴⚡️- “The US has sent a small team of troops to Nigeria, the general in charge of the US command for Africa said on Tuesday, the first acknowledgment of US forces on the ground since Washington struck [Islamic State] by air on Christmas Day.” - JP.

🇺🇸🇮🇷🇴🇲⚡- "It is likely that Muscat will be the place of the next talks with Washington, not Turkey.

We thank the countries of the region for their efforts to find a solution to the dispute between Tehran and Washington and reduce tension," - An Iranian diplomatic source tells al-Jazeera.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡- Tasnim News has confirmed the downing of an Iranian drone. The Iranian outlet states the drone was performing its tasks in the Arabian Sea, but then "lost contact."

🇺🇸🇮🇷🇮🇱⚡- "The Netanyahu-Witkoff meeting discussed the Iranian file only, contrary to what was stated in Netanyahu's office statement.

The ballistic and proxy network files were not raised," - Israel Hayom.

🇺🇸🇷🇺🇮🇱⚡️- Ex-Israeli PM Ehud Barak tells Jeffrey Epstein he repeatedly told Putin he wanted a million Russians to convert to Judaism and become Israeli to dramatically transform Israel. "I used to tell Putin, always, what we need is just one more million to change Israel in a dramatic, dramatic manner, the million Russians."

He also adds that unlike the founding fathers of Israel, who had to accept people from North Africa and the Arab world, now they can be selective and control the quality much more effectively.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️- “President Trump considered walking away from negotiations after Iran’s aggressive actions.” - WSJ.

The Friday meeting between Iran and the United States remains planned, although the exact details and venue are still being discussed.

🇺🇸⚡️- Local police and FBI units raided an illegal biolab in Las Vegas yesterday and arrested its manager.

Authorities seized up to 1,000 dangerous samples. Many contained unknown liquids and agents, while others were identified as HIV, malaria, COVID-19, and hepatitis samples.

The lab’s owner, Mr. Zhu, was already in custody after being arrested in 2023. He previously owned another illegal laboratory in Reedley, California. Both Mr. Zhu and the former manager of the California lab are Chinese nationals.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️- BREAKING: Negotiations between Iran and the United States on Friday could be the “last chance at diplomacy before potential strikes.”

The source adds, “Striking Iran is a lose-lose for all.” - NewsNation, citing an unnamed source in the region.

🇺🇸🇮🇷🇱🇧⚡️- The IDF Northern Command assesses that if the United States attacks Iran, Hezbollah will join the war.

🇵🇸🇮🇱⚡- An Israeli reserve officer was injured from gunfire in the northern Gaza Strip within the Yellow Line area, Israeli-controlled Gaza Strip. The gunfire originated from near the same cemetery where the body of the last Israeli hostage was located.

IDF outlet, Galei Tzahal, reports the Israeli Southern Command is preparing a "harsh" response, in which multiple areas of the Gaza Strip will be attacked.

🇺🇸🇷🇺🇺🇦⚡- The second round of trilateral US-Russia-Ukraine talks have begun in the UAE.

🇺🇸🇸🇦🇮🇷⚡- Saudi Arabia expects Iran to strike only US targets in the Gulf, a Saudi source tells Israeli Channel 12.

The same source adds that in the case of Iran striking only American military targets in the Gulf, Riyadh will remain neutral and not act against Tehran.

🇺🇸🇮🇷🇴🇲⚡- "The United States has agreed to move the talks with Iran from Istanbul to Muscat," - Financial Times.

🇸🇩🇪🇹⚡- For the second consecutive day, clashes have erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, RSF, in Khor al-Budi, along the Sudan-Ethiopia border.

The RSF have been desperately trying to open a second front in Sudan's Sennar region, using Ethiopia as a staging ground.

🇺🇸🇨🇳⚡- President Trump held a telephone conversation with China's Xi Jinping.

🇪🇺🇺🇸⚡️- The European Union is resuming the process of approving the EU-US trade deal after Trump backtracked on the Greenland issue.

🇺🇸⚡️- The Washington Post is undergoing "a painful but necessary restructuration". Up to 300 journalists, 30% of the WaPo's workforce, are in the process of being fired.

🇺🇸⚡️- Tom Homan announces that 700 DHS personnel are being withdrawn from Minneapolis, effective immediately.

As Rerum Novarum previously stated, Homan has taken over the command of deportations and, as chief federal authority, as Noem, Lewandowski, Bovino, and Miller take a backseat after the two shootings in Minneapolis.

🇺🇸⚡️- The DOJ will seek the death penalty against Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the D.C. National Guard shooter.

🇺🇸🇮🇱⚡️- Minecraft has announced its long awaited "Safety Council" to begin drafting policy for aggressive moderation of online servers public and private. The council members who will be directing policy are the following, half of which have previous connections to the Anti Defamation League.

Alex Holmes, a gay mixed race 'British' anti bullying activist with an overt focus on LGBT youth, racism and child abuse. (No mention of grooming gangs could be found on his social medias.)

Kimberly Voll, the architect of League of Legends Honor system and co-founder of the Fair Play Alliance, an organization who is partnered with the ADL to "combat hate and harassment in video games"

Maria Oliveira Tamellini, CEO of GamerSafer, another organization partnered with the ADL who helped authored this ADL piece advocating for universal hate speech guidelines in Minecraft back in 2022.

Nathan Sawatzky, a Disney alumni who was involved in Club Penguin. Sawatzky has also worked for Facebook and is currently the Player Care team leader at the studio behind Clash of Clans and Clash Royale.

Vernon Jones, the Head of Safety and Support at MoveStarPlanet. Jones designed the parental safety features of the studios games.

Minecraft remains one of the most played games in the world only behind Roblox and Fortnite. Minecraft historically has had extremely lax guidelines even after its purchase by Microsoft.