🩸 Italy to Join Ukraine’s ‘Storm Shadow Alliance’

Rome is preparing to include “a batch” of British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles in the next round of military aid it supplies to Kiev.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto will present the plan to the Italian parliament by the end of the month, Il Fatto Quotidiano reported based on sources.

The move will make Italy the fourth “defensive” NATO ally to supply long-range missiles to Ukraine, after the UK, France and the US, which recently started supplying its ATACM missiles.

However, Rome is still insisting that weapons it supplies are only used inside the borders of Ukraine.

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👤 Fox News Pushes Back Against White House's Complaint Regarding "Cheap Fake" Videos to Attack Biden's Age, Fitness

"These have not been cropped, they have not been sped up or slowed down or edited in any way."

Can the Dems keep up the charade about the state of Joe?

REMINDER: “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command” - George Orwell

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⚠️ Israeli forces target ambulances, medical crews Tal al-Sultan neighborhood, southern Rafah

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❗️Whistleblower Claims Boeing Refused to Discard Faulty Parts

Boeing refused to discard faulty parts which could have been used in newly built aircraft, resulting in a “catastrophic event”, a whistleblower has revealed.

Sam Mohawk, a quality assurance inspector, told lawmakers he was being pressured by Boeing to conceal evidence from the regulator that speaks to allegations of bad practices, according to a Senate report.

The fresh allegations were released hours before Boeing chef exec, Dave Calhoun, faced a grilling from US senators on Tuesday over the company’s safety culture.

Calhoun admitted Boeing was “accountable for what happened” after a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines 737 Max flight in January – leaving a gaping hole in its side.

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⏸ Russia Awaits US Response to Prisoner Swap Proposal

Moscow made the announcement Wednesday - just days before US reporter Evan Gershkovich was set to face trial in Russia on espionage charges.

“The ball is in the court of the US, we are waiting for them to respond to the ideas that were presented to them,” Deputy FM Sergey Ryabkov told TASS in an interview.

“They are well known to the relevant parts of the US administration. I understand that, perhaps, something in these ideas does not suit the Americans. That’s their problem,” he added.

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🇷🇺🤝🇰🇵Putin and Kim Jong-un signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement

🔴@DDGeopolitics

➡️ JUST IN: New Agreement Between Russia and DPRK Includes Military Assistance in Case of Aggression Against Either Country – Putin

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🍆 Meanwhile, at the White House…

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⚠️ Biden Admin Delaying Sale of 50 F-15 Fighter Jets to Israel – WSJ

The US State Dept was expected to formally notify Congress of the $18bn sale after two top Democrats removed their objections last month but hasn’t yet done so.

Netanyahu posted a video on social media Tuesday berating Washington for supposed holdups in the supply of arms to Israel.

Reportedly in response, the White House canceled high-level talks between American and Israeli security officials in DC.

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US budget deficit will reach $1.9 trillion in 2024 due to aid to Ukraine

The country's total national debt will grow to $50.7 trillion by 2034, or 122% of the country's GDP, according to a report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

The largest contributor to the cumulative increase was the inclusion of recently enacted legislation in CBO's baseline,
which increased projected deficits by $1.6 trillion. That legislation included emergency supplemental appropriations that provided $95 billion for aid to Ukraine, Israel, and countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

In January, the US national debt surpassed $34 trillion for the first time in history - an increase of nearly 10% over the year, or $2.7 trillion.

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⚠️ At Least 550 Die in Annual Mecca Pilgrimage amid Scorching Heat

Three hundred and twenty-three of the dead were Egyptians, most of whom perished due to heat-related illness, Arab diplomats said.

Saudi state TV revealed temperatures rose as high as 51.8ºC in the shade at the Grand Mosque in Mecca on Monday.

More than 1.8mn pilgrims were expected to take part this year, according to the Saudi General Authority for Statistics.

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