This Week in the World Affairs Brief

INDIA/PAKISTAN WAR—WILL IT ESCALATE?

There are two major issues of contention between India and Pakistan besides the ethnic and religious conflicts: One is the decades-long fight over water rights on the massive Indus river system of tributaries and the other is the irregular occurrence of terror attacks based in Pakistan against people in the Indian-controlled portion of the Kashmir territory. The latest counter-attack by India on Pakistani terrorists was in response to a terrorist attack on civilians in Kashmir that targeted Hindu men while sparing Muslims. There is a considerable religious difference between the two countries. Pakistan is an Islamic Republic that was created in 1947 as a homeland for Muslims of the Indian subcontinent and has long harbored Muslim radical groups, both on the border with Indian-controlled Kashmir and on the Afghanistan border. In contrast, India claims to be a secular state whose constitution guarantees religious freedom for all, but in practice that has never been the case. India’s Hindu majorities barely tolerate the other various religious factions. Attacks on Christians have increased in the past decade, particularly in rural and tribal areas. There is also the issue of Kashmir, the northern province of the Indian continent that is split between Indian, Pakistani and Chinese control. And then there’s the backing of each nation’s respective allies: India has long curried favor with Russia while Pakistan has turned to China. These powerful allies have facilitated the development of the two country’s military arsenals and their rise as nuclear powers. Despite all this natural tension, I’ll explain why I don’t think this conflict will escalate into a major regional war nor a nuclear exchange. To receive a free one-time sample of the brief, along with option on how to subscribe, click on Request a Sample on the left.

Also:
  • Catholics Elect Another Radical Leftist for Pope
  • Trump Administration Moves this Week
  • Blackouts In Spain, Portugal Results Direct Result of Green Energy

Daily News

White House: Qatar Deals To Generate $1.2 Trillion In 'Economic Exchange', But Wait...

ZeroHedge

Trump’s meeting with Ahmed al-Sharaa is even more extraordinary than an American president meeting with some repugnant branch of the Assad family. Until late December, the U.S. government was willing to pay $10 million for information about al-Sharaa’s location, because he was on the “specially designated global terrorist” list. The irony is that the Sharaa meeting happened on the sidelines of the summit of the United States and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members in Riyadh. It was the GCC which early in the Syria proxy war had a big role in funding the anti-Assad jihadist insurgency, which included ISIS and al-Qaeda.

Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Would Slash Suppressor Transfers To Zero

ZeroHedge

"This isn't a compromise, it's a betrayal. The House Ways and Means Committee chose to leave unconstitutional registration and taxes in place even though they had a clear path to repeal them. GOA made it crystal clear that full deregulation of suppressors and protection for brace owners was achievable under reconciliation. Lawmakers knew it, and they chose political convenience over principle. Gun owners won't forget this," GOA Founder Erich Pratt wrote in a statement.

Trump Rightly Defunded PBS and NPR’s Long History of Anti-Conservative, Pro-Leftist Content

The Daily Signal

For example, in 2021, NPR declared the Declaration of Independence to be a document with “flaws and deeply ingrained hypocrisies.” In 2022, NPR scrapped its decades-long Independence Day tradition of reading the Declaration of Independence on air to instead discuss “equality.” NPR also slapped an “editor’s note” warning that the Declaration of Independence is “a document that contains offensive language.” The radio giant also once reported on the “cousin of diet culture” known as “healthism, which is the idea that we have to be healthy”—claiming healthy living was a negative.

‘We Will Not Be Bullied’: EPA Head Lee Zeldin Calls Out Media Bias Denying Biden Waste

The Daily Signal

At a press conference last month, he cited coverage from The New York Times stating that Zeldin had “made explosive accusations against the Biden administration, accusing it of ‘insane’ malfeasance in its handling of $20 billion in climate grants.” The Times report went on to claim that “many of Mr. Zeldin’s claims remain unsupported, and some are flat-out false.” The EPA head says his office has uncovered more and more evidence of waste and abuse, yet the legacy media continues to dig in to discount it.

Home Invasions on the Rise: Constitution-Free Policing in Trump’s America

John W. Whitehead

On April 24, 2025, in Oklahoma City, 20 heavily armed federal agents from ICE, the FBI, and DHS kicked in the door of a home where a woman and her three daughters—all American citizens—were sleeping. They were forced out of bed at gunpoint and made to wait in the rain while agents ransacked the house, confiscating their belongings. It was the wrong house. The wrong family. There were no apologies. No compensation. No accountability. This is the new face of American policing, and it’s about to get so much worse thanks to the President Trump’s latest executive order, which aims to eliminate federal oversight and empower local law enforcement to act with impunity.

Spain and Portugal Blackout – Another Reason to Pause the Climate Act

I am very frustrated with the New York Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act (Climate Act) net zero transition because the reality is that there are so many issues coming up with the schedule and ambition of the Climate Act that it is obvious that we need to pause implementation and figure out how best to proceed. This article explains that the ramifications of the recent blackout in Spain and Portugal need to be considered to ensure that the cause of the blackout is not a feature of all renewable-energy dependent electric systems.

Trump Rallies GOP To Back 'Big, Beautiful Bill' As House Releases 389-Page Text

ZeroHedge

On Monday, the house GOP released a draft of the bill (full text below)- which confirms several core policy pillars previously signaled by leadership. Among the most consequential is a 5% remittance tax on international money transfers, designed to fund border security, which includes a new refundable credit for verified U.S. senders and strict compliance rules. In a significant rollback of Biden-era environmental policy, the bill would terminate or phase out numerous clean energy tax credits, including for residential solar, new energy-efficient homes, and hydrogen production, with sharp limits on components sourced from "prohibited foreign entities"—primarily targeting Chinese supply chains. The legislation also introduces a new federal income tax deduction for qualified tips and overtime compensation through 2028

Trump Moves To Rescind Appliance Efficiency Standards

ZeroHedge

“‘Efficiency’ standards render other American appliances like clothes washers and dishwashers less useful, more breakable, and more expensive to repair,” the White House said in a fact sheet on Trump’s memo. “The Federal Government should not impose or enforce regulations that make taxpayers’ lives worse.”

Trump Touts "Great Progress" In China Tariff Talks, Suggests "Total Reset" On The Table

Zerohedge

President Donald Trump said late on Saturday that "great progress" was being made in ongoing U.S.-China talks over tariffs menacing the global economy, and even suggested a “total reset" was on the table as tariff negotiations are set to continue Sunday in Switzerland. No major breakthrough was announced in discussions that lasted over 10 hours between U.S. officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and a delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. Still, Trump struck an upbeat tone.

India And Pakistan Agree To US-Mediated "Full & Immediate Ceasefire"

Zerohedge

India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed nations, appeared to be spiraling toward broader conflict on Saturday, setting the stage for another day of scary headlines that could trigger World War III. But just moments ago, President Trump announced on Truth Social that India and Pakistan have "agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE."

Three House Republicans Reportedly Holding Up Bill to Defund Planned Parenthood

Life Site News

However, three House Republicans are reportedly hesitant to support including the defunding measure in the reconciliation package, citing concerns over political backlash or the measure’s fit within the bill’s fiscal focus. This hesitation has sparked frustration among pro-life leaders who see 2025 as a pivotal year, with Republican control of the House, Senate, and White House aligning for the first time in years. The three reportedly include Reps. Mike Lawler, Jen Kiggans and Brian Fitzpatrick.

AG Bondi: Sinaloa Cartel Cell Behind Largest Fentanyl Seizure in U.S. History

Breitbart

El Paisa ran his operation out of Salem, Oregon, but his group also had a presence in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Layton, Utah; Phoenix, Arizona; and Las Vegas, Nevada. Last week, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration ran a series of raids targeting El Paisa’s network. The raids are tied to a 12-count criminal indictment alleging that since July 1, 2024, the group conspired to distribute large quantities of fentanyl — mainly in pill form.

Real ID Is Not About Keeping You Safe

Mises Institute

As mentioned above, the Real ID Act was passed twenty years ago in 2005. It was one of the many measures rolled out in the wake of the 9/11 attacks that was presented to the public as being necessary to ensure that similar attacks would never happen again. The original bill specified that the federal government would refuse to accept any form of ID that did not meet the requirements Congress had passed by May of 2008. But as that date drew closer, few states had implemented the new provisions. Some governors had vocally refused to comply because they opposed what was, in effect, the implementation of a national identification database.

Trump Nominates Dr. Casey Means as Surgeon General

The Epoch Times

President Donald Trump announced on May 7 that Dr. Casey Means—a functional medicine physician aligned with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—would be his new nominee for surgeon general after he withdrew his initial pick for the role.

House Overwhelmingly Passes Bill to Counter CCP’s Forced Organ Harvesting

The Epoch Times

If enacted into law, the act would make it a U.S. policy to combat the illicit act; to promote the establishment of voluntary organ donation systems with effective enforcement mechanisms in bilateral talks and international health forums; and to promote the dignity and security of human life in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Smith said the bill will send a message to anyone who tries to get an organ without caring about its origin.

Pakistan Closes Airspace For 48 Hours, Authorizes Response To Indian Attack

ZeroHedge

What India has dubbed 'Operation Sindoor' is intended to be limited, Indian leaders have said, but it's highly questionable whether it was a 'success' - given that India lost at least one or possibly up to five fighter jets. "The conflict between India and Pakistan has begun. Israel encouraged India to do this, because it benefits strategically in various ways, that involve Turkey/Iran. It also may be the death nell for China's belt and road initiative if Syria wasn't already

China's spying in Cuba sparks alarm on Capitol Hill after fresh satellite images show surveillance buildup

Fox News

Republican leaders in the House are increasingly concerned about China’s presence in Cuba and its capacity to spy on the U.S. from the island. A new report analyzing open-source intelligence found the addition of what appears to be a circularly disposed antenna array (CDAA) at the Bejucal signals intelligence site near Havana, Cuba. The antenna could pinpoint radio signals from between 3,000 and 8,000 miles away, putting key U.S. military installations and even Washington, D.C., well within range.

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