THIS WEEK IN REVIEW

US fighter jets carried out an airstrike on Libya, claiming to target ISIS. The action left as many as 40 people dead. The Pentagon says it targeted a senior Tunisian militant linked to two major attacks in Tunisia last year. EuroNews 2016 Feb 19 (Story)

Turkey’s president says Kurdish militants, who are in the US-led coalition against ISIS, are using US-supplied weapons against civilians. He also said that half of a large US weapons shipment to the Kurds went to ISIS itself. EuroNews 2016 Feb 19 (Story)

US: Veterans Administration suicide hotline sent nearly two dozen callers to voicemail. CNN 2016 Feb 18 (Story)

Newly revealed documents confirm long-held suspicions that Lech Walesa, former leader of the anti-Soviet Solidarity labor movement in Poland, was a covert Soviet agent at the time. Walesa says the documents are bogus. AFP 2016 Feb 18 (Story) (Cached)

The Turkish government has blamed the Syrian Kurdish militia for a terror attack on Wednesday that left nearly 30 people dead. The Kurds, however, are blaming ISIS. The Kurds in Syria are backed by the US, and Turkey is a NATO ally of the US. You know when it gets this confusing and contradictory, we are not getting the whole truth. RT 2016 Feb 18 (Story)

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed two bills into law that block federal funding from reaching Planned Parenthood. This could cost the local organization $7.5 million per year. Reuters 2016 Feb 18 (Story) (Cached)

Ransomware is a new type of virus, sent in an email, that encrypts all your files so they cannot be read. Then the hacker demands payment for the decrypting code that restores your files. The Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital in California recently paid $17,000 to get the decryption key. ABC News 2016 Feb 18 (Story)

The Donald vs. The Pope. Pope Francis, speaking of Donald Trump said that anyone who would build a wall on the US / Mexican border and deport millions of illegal aliens was not Christian. Trump responded by saying that the Pope is a politician, and that it was disgraceful for him to question Trump’s faith. ABC News 2016 Feb 18 (Story) (Cached)

For many years, the Exide battery plant in Vernon, an industrial section of Los Angeles, contaminated air and soil in the surrounding area with lead and arsenic. The extent of damage to residents’ health is still unknown. Exide had sufficient political influence to be allowed to use a temporary toxic-waste permit for over 30 years in order to bypass California’s tough environmental regulations. During that time, it was cited for safety violations more than ten times. Exide is no longer liable for damages because it closed its Vernon plant in 2014 and was allowed to cap its liability by setting aside $50 million for cleanup and $9 million for damages. Governor Jerry Brown now wants taxpayers to cover the cleanup cost and is asking for $176 million from (you guessed it) taxpayers. CBS News 2016 Feb 17 (Story)

Israel says it will covertly combat boycott activists online. In response to Israeli occupation of Palestine, Palestinians launched the BDS (boycott, divestiture and sanctions) movement a decade ago, and it is now having an impact on Israel’s economy. Israel has earmarked $26 million to spend on cyber sabotage, which will include tracking and infiltrating activist groups, and flooding the internet with stories favorable to Israel. AP 2016 Feb 17 (Story) (Cached)

Britain’s Conservative government will announce a new law that prohibits local councils, student unions, and other public bodies from boycotting goods for political reasons. This is in response to pressure from the Israeli government because that country is suffering from boycotts in protest against its occupation of Palestinian territory. RT 2016 Feb 16 (Story)

Egyptian jets bombed Islamic State targets in Libya on Monday, a day after the group there released a video showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians. Reuters 2016 Feb 16 (Story)

One-third of oil companies worldwide, about 175 in total, may be facing bankruptcy by the end of 2016. Telesur 2016 Feb 16 (Story) (Cached)

US Supreme-Court Justice Scalia’s death appears to have resulted from natural causes. Controversy has arisen, however, because a witness said that a pillow was found over his head, and the doctor who reported his death to authorities literally phoned it in without ever seeing the body. No autopsy has been performed. CNN 2016 Feb 16 (Story)

A hospital affiliated with Doctors Without Borders was bombed in northern Syria, and it is claimed that it was shelled either by Russian or Syrian forces that have been aggressively attacking ISIS strongholds. Turkey is attacking the Kurds in the city of Azaz to prevent them from occupying the town. The US supports some Kurdish groups and has asked Turkey to focus on the fight against ISIS, instead of the Kurds, but Turkey is not listening . AFP 2016 Feb 15 (Story)

Syria: A second attack on a hospital established by Doctors Without Borders has left questions about who is doing this. All sides in the conflict are accusing their enemies. The Turks blamed the Russians who, in turn, said they only target ISIS and al-Nusra terrorist strongholds. Syria’s ambassador, speaking on Russian TV, said there is hard evidence that the hospitals were bombed by US warplanes and ordinance. [Although he did not elaborate, a possible reason for that would be to create public animosity toward the Russian agenda.] Euronews 2016 Feb 15 (Story)

Monterrey, Mexico: Authorities found “luxury cells” inside the prison where 49 inmates were killed in a brawl last week. The cells had aquariums, saunas, a king-size bed, and a large flat-screen TV. A convenience store, and even a bar was being run by inmates inside the prison. The warden and superintendent were arrested and accused of drug trafficking and failing to apply security measures. AFP 2016 Feb 15 (Story) (Cached)

Chiapas, Mexico, has become ground zero for an immigration crisis. Waves of migrants from El Salvador and other war-torn areas are desperate to make it to the United States. The journey has become a dangerous gamble. CBS News 2016 Feb 15 (Story)

Because of a trade dispute, hundreds of Russian trucks have been prevented from entering Poland and Ukraine, the main trade routes from Russia into Europe. All economies involved will be hurt by this. Euronews 2016 Feb 15 (Story)

US: Supreme Court Justice, Antonin Scalia, a conservative, died from a heart attack, creating the possibility of only eight justices serving during the remainder of the current session. If there is a four-to-four tie, the lower court ruling will prevail. Face the Nation 2016 Feb 14 (Story)

Senator Ted Cruz says he would like to see the US Senate delay appointing a new Supreme Court justice to replace Scalia until after the presidential election. The reason is so the issue of who would be nominated by the different presidential candidates can become a matter of public knowledge. He believes that all other candidates, including Trump, would appoint a liberal judge, which would fatally change the character of the United States. Louder With Crowder 2016 Feb1 4 (Story)

Los Angeles: Authorities are assuring the public that the methane gas leak at Porter Ranch is not dangerous. Some medical experts, however, say that, when methane is oxidized in the presence of sunlight, which is abundant in Los Angeles, it forms formaldehyde. Breathing formaldehyde droplets suspended in the air can cause serious respiratory problems and even cancer. Residents near Porter Ranch have reported bloody noses, which is a classic symptom of formaldehyde poisoning. ENE News posted 2016 Feb 13 (Story) (Cached)

President Obama, with help from Senator Dianne Feinstein, declared three new national monuments that stretch across 1.8 million acres of California desert. This nearly doubles the size of public lands declared to be monuments during his presidency. The land already is under control of the federal government, but the ‘monument’ designation further solidifies the fed’s claim to the land. The Hill posted 2016 Feb 13 (Story) (Cached)