Greetings! Happy National Maple Syrup Day to those celebrating.

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🇲🇲 Aid cuts push Rohingya children into exploitation. In Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar, about 1.2M Rohingya refugees, including roughly 600K children, are seeing food stipends and services shrink after deep cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Aid workers say families who once got regular rice, lentils and cooking oil are now skipping meals or sending children to work in fishing boats, tea stalls and brick kilns. Local monitors report sharp increases in child labor and early marriage as parents struggle to pay debts. The persecution of Rohingya by Myanmar’s Tatmadaw armed forces since 2016 has been identified as genocide by American officials and United Nations investigators, yet long-term support is eroding. Parents describe brokers offering to move children abroad for a few hundred dollars, with no guarantee they will be safe or paid. Humanitarian groups warn that without renewed funding, trafficking networks will only grow stronger around the camps.

🇵🇸 Israeli mortar injures civilians in Gaza neighborhood. Israeli troops acknowledged firing a mortar shell across the Yellow Line buffer into a Palestinian residential area inside the Gaza Strip during an operation. Hospital director Fadel Naeem said Al Ahli Hospital treated at least 10 wounded residents, some of them children. The military said the round went off course and promised an internal review but shared few details about its intended target. Palestinian officials called the strike another example of disregard for densely packed civilian districts. Local authorities say more than 370 people have been killed by Israeli fire, violating the October ceasefire that was meant to stop major combat. International agencies note that aid still reaches Gaza’s roughly 2M residents at far below promised levels. The incident shows how fragile the ceasefire remains while political talks over Gaza’s future continue to stall. Editor’s Note: The polycrisis afflicting Gaza was officially considered a genocide by the United Nations (UN) and International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), with famine declared by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), confirmed by UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNICEF, World Food Program (WFP), and World Health Organization (WHO), along with Global Sumud Flotilla eyewitnesses.

🏛 House keeps Trump’s Venezuela and cartel campaign intact. The House rejected two resolutions that would have curbed President Donald Trump’s authority to wage military operations against Venezuela and transnational drug cartels, as President Trump ordered a blockade on sanctioned oil tankers. One measure sought to require an end to American involvement in hostilities around Venezuela within 30 days unless Congress explicitly authorized force. A second resolution tried to restrict ongoing air and drone strikes on cartel targets that Trump says are needed to disrupt fentanyl and cocaine routes. Republican leaders argued that limiting the commander in chief would embolden adversaries and tie military hands. Democratic sponsors warned that presidents from both parties have stretched the 1973 War Powers Resolution (WPR) far beyond its original bounds. Outside groups say the votes show how reluctant lawmakers remain to reclaim their constitutional role over decisions of war and peace.

🕵️ FBI Deputy Director Daniel Bongino prepares to step down. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Deputy Director Daniel Bongino said he will resign next month after less than a year as the bureau’s second in command. Bongino, a former NYPD officer, Secret Service agent, and conservative podcast host, was appointed following President Donald Trump’s return to office. In a memo to staff, he praised agents and analysts while saying he wanted to return to what he called the “public arena”. His exit leaves Director Kashyap Patel with another vacancy as the FBI tries to steady morale after years of political crossfire. Supporters argue Bongino refocused resources on violent crime and border cases. Critics say his overtly partisan background complicated efforts to present the bureau as neutral. The vacancy now becomes another test of how independent federal law enforcement can remain under intense political pressure.

⭐ President Trump’s Presidential Walk of Fame rewrites recent history. White House Colonnade visitors now stroll a “Presidential Walk of Fame” lined with plaques that function as both biography and campaign propaganda. The markers, commissioned by President Donald Trump, label former President Joe Biden “sleepy”, call former President Barack Obama “divisive”, and describe former President Ronald Reagan as admiring a young Trump. Only Trump’s plaque presents an unambiguous glowing account, crediting him with restoring American greatness, reducing inflation, and ending wars. Historians say the exhibit blends commemoration with partisan spin in ways no prior presidential monument has ever attempted. Some tourists may treat the walkway as political kitsch and pose for mocking photos. Others will see it as a preview of how Trump intends to frame the past several decades to future MAGA supporters.

🏀 Knicks storm back to claim first NBA Cup title. The New York Knicks captured the National Basketball Association (NBA) Cup by rallying past the San Antonio Spurs 124–113. Guard Jalen Brunson poured in 25 points, center Karl-Anthony Towns added 16 points and 11 rebounds, and OG Anunoby led with 28 points, as New York tightened its defense in the fourth quarter. Spurs star Victor Wembanyama finished with 18 points and 6 boards in 25 minutes. The Knicks’ win delivers $530K+ in bonus money for each player with a standard contract on the roster, adding another banner to hang up at the iconic Madison Square Garden (MSG), while Spurs players are set to receive smaller payouts as tournament runners-up. League officials say strong ratings and packed arenas suggest the midseason cup could become a permanent feature of the calendar.

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That’s all for today!

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