Does international law still matter? The strike on the girls’ school in Iran shows why we need it 
Trump to Address Nation as U.S. Launches Strikes in Iran, Axios Reports 
Pentagon Leaders Monitor U.S. Iran Operation from Mar-a-Lago 
UK Accepts U.S. Request to Use British Bases for Defensive Strikes on Iranian Missiles 
Failure of US-Iran talks was all-too predictable – but Trump could still have stuck with diplomacy over strikes 
Trump Says U.S. Attacks on Iran Will Continue, Warns of More American Casualties 
U.S.-Israel Strike on Iran Escalates Middle East Conflict, Trump Claims Khamenei Killed 
Netanyahu Suggests Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei May Have Been Killed in Israeli-U.S. Strikes 
Israel Strikes Hezbollah Targets in Lebanon After Missile and Drone Attacks 
Marco Rubio to Brief Congress After U.S.-Israeli Strikes on Iran 
Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Killed in Israeli, U.S. Strikes: Reuters 
EU Urges Maximum Restraint in Iran Conflict Amid Fears of Regional Escalation and Oil Supply Disruption 
Australia Rules Out Military Involvement in Iran Conflict as Middle East Tensions Escalate 
Israel Declares State of Emergency as Iran Launches Missile Attacks 
HHS Adds New Members to Vaccine Advisory Panel Amid Legal and Market Uncertainty 
Middle East Conflict Escalates After Khamenei’s Death as U.S., Israel and Iran Exchange Strikes 
Joe Biden is announcing his nominations for key positions in other agencies and this week he has announced his picks for two immigration agencies. Biden is nominating Chris Magnus and Ur Jaddou to lead the CBP and the USCIS respectively.
Biden is set to nominate Magnus, police chief of Tucson, Arizona to lead the US Customs and Border Protection, and Jaddou to lead the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Jaddou has already been speculated to lead the agency that oversees the country’s immigration system. Jaddou served under the Obama administration as the agency’s chief counsel and led the Biden-Harris DHS transition review team.
Magnus previously served as the police chief of Richmond, California for 10 years. Prior to that, Magnus also served as police chief of Fargo, North Dakota. If he is confirmed, Magnus would be in charge of the country’s largest law enforcement agency and second-largest revenue collecting department in the federal government.
Magnus would be taking over the duties from acting CBP head Troy Miller if he is confirmed. The CBP has 60,000 employees. The agency has not had a confirmed commissioner since Kevin McAleenan, who was eventually appointed as Acting Homeland Security Secretary.
Magnus is also known to have been critical of the Trump administration, writing an op-ed piece for NYT back in 2017 when he was still serving as police chief. Magnus criticized the Trump administration for its stance against “sanctuary cities.”
“Washington is trying to retaliate against them by withholding funding for things like crime prevention, drug treatment, and mental health programs,” wrote Magnus. “When crime victims and witnesses are unwilling to testify because they’re afraid and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent will be waiting to arrest them at the courtroom doors, real criminals go unpunished.”
In other news, Biden will be joining his former colleague and predecessor Barack Obama in an hour-long tv special on NBC to promote COVID-19 vaccinations. This is part of the efforts to get reluctant Americans to receive their vaccine. The special also comes following the news of the halt of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine distribution after six cases of a “rare and severe” type of blood clot were reported.
