Greetings! Today is National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

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🇲🇱 Witnesses say Russia’s Africa Corps leaves a trail of terror in Mali. As Russia's Africa Corps expands operations in Mali, refugees describe a campaign of terror marked by beheadings, rapes, and mutilated bodies dumped in wells. The Kremlin-backed force replaced the Wagner Group after the 2023 coup and now fights alongside Malian soldiers against jihadist militants. Reporters interviewed 34 Malian refugees in neighboring Mauritania who recounted executions of villagers accused of helping extremists. Several said pregnant women and children were among those killed during sweeps. Rights groups argue the pattern suggests systematic targeting of civilians, not battlefield crossfire. Moscow and Mali's junta deny abuses and claim they are restoring order. Investigators warn that rising Russian influence in the Sahel is arriving with an unmistakable trail of alleged war crimes.

🇮🇹 La Scala’s gala premiere doubles as a proxy war protest. At Milan's Teatro alla Scala, the gala season opened with Dmitri Shostakovich's opera “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk”, while a flash mob outside waved Ukrainian flags. Protesters in the piazza sang, unfurled blue and yellow banners, and accused Russia of using culture to launder its invasion of Ukraine. Inside, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen watched the performance with other dignitaries. Theater leaders kept the Russian work on the program, arguing that canceling classic repertoire would amount to censorship. Ukrainian community groups countered that the opening night slot confers symbolic approval at a sensitive moment. Police reported no arrests, but the demonstration briefly disrupted red carpet arrivals. The evening turned the opera house into a proxy battlefield over how Europe handles Russian art during wartime.

⚽ Messi delivers Inter Miami’s first MLS Cup. Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi added another trophy to his crowded shelf as his club beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 3 1 to win the Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup. The 37-year-old Argentine star set up Rodrigo De Paul's goal in the 72nd minute after an earlier own goal gave Miami the lead. Vancouver's Ali Ahmed briefly leveled the match before Tadeo Allende scored in stoppage time. The title marks Inter Miami's first league championship since joining MLS in 2020. It is widely counted as Messi's 47th major trophy for club and country. Coach Gerardo Martino praised his team's resilience after a season of heavy travel and injuries. League officials hailed the final as proof that Miami's high-priced experiment has reshaped American soccer economics.

🗳️ Democrats test Miami’s political mood in mayor’s race. Democrats are treating Miami's 2025 mayoral contest as a rare pickup chance in a city long dominated by Republicans. Former state lawmaker Michael Grieco, a Democrat, is running in the officially nonpartisan race to replace Mayor Francis Suarez, who is not seeking another term. Party strategists point to Democratic gains in parts of Miami-Dade County even as Florida overall has trended Republican. Donald Trump's strong presence in South Florida still shapes local politics, messaging, and turnout. Business-friendly Republicans argue their stewardship fueled real estate growth and tourism. Democrats counter that soaring housing costs and climate-driven flooding demand a different approach. The race will test whether national backlash to Trump can crack one of conservatism's strongest remaining urban bastions.

✈️ Southwest gets part of record meltdown fine erased. Federal regulators are waiving part of a record penalty against Southwest Airlines ($LUV) for its 2022 holiday meltdown that canceled 17,000 flights and stranded more than 2M travelers. Under a 2023 settlement, the carrier agreed to a $140M civil fine, most of which funds vouchers and reimbursements. Southwest was supposed to send $35M of that total to the Treasury. It has already paid $24M in two installments. The Transportation Department will now forgive the final $11M payment due in 2026. Officials say the credit rewards investments in scheduling technology and improved on-time performance. Consumer advocates acknowledge the upgrades but worry that shrinking cash penalties weaken deterrence for future mass disruptions.

🌊 As Pearl Harbor survivors fade, memory work ramps up. At Pearl Harbor's 84th anniversary ceremony in Honolulu, none of the remaining survivors of the 1941 attack were able to attend in person. Only 12 are still alive, all of them at least 100 years old. Historians note that the bombing killed 2,403 Americans and drew the country into World War II. With firsthand witnesses disappearing, families and educators are leaning on oral histories, museums and digital archives. The National Park Service holds nearly 800 recorded interviews with survivors, many now online. The Library of Congress preserves hundreds more letters, diaries and audio clips. Veterans groups say the task of keeping the story alive is slowly passing from those who were there to their children and grandchildren.

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That’s all for today!

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