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WASHINGTON: Elon Musk’s SpaceX is looking to deploy Starlink satellite Internet terminals to speed up the information technology networks that support the US Federal Aviation Administration’s national airspace system, Bloomberg News reported on Monday.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has launched a sweeping shakeup of the Pentagon, firing top officers and moving to lay off thousands of civilian workers as he seeks to align the US military with his priorities.
The removal of the officers has pushed the Pentagon into the political spotlight, with Democrats accusing Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of seeking to politicize the military and ensure it is led by people personally loyal to the president.
Remaining above the political fray is a core principle for the US armed forces, with troops even barred from engaging in some types of political activity in order to maintain the military’s neutrality.
Hegseth has insisted the president is simply choosing the leaders he wants, saying “there is civilian control of the military. Nothing about this is unprecedented.”
Trump “deserves to pick his key national security and military advisory team,” Hegseth told “Fox News Sunday.”
But Senator Jack Reed — the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee — argued that “what Trump and Hegseth are trying to do is to politicize the Department of Defense.”
“It’s the beginning of a very, very serious degradation of the military,” Reed said on ABC’s “This Week.”
Trump announced late Friday that he was firing top US military officer General Charles “CQ” Brown less than two years into his four-year term as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Hegseth then said he was also seeking a replacement for top US Navy officer Admiral Lisa Franchetti, as well as the Air Force vice chief of staff and three top military lawyers.
The shakeup of senior personnel came after the Pentagon announced it aims to cut at least five percent of its more than 900,000-person civilian workforce, saying the decision was taken “to produce efficiencies and refocus the department on the president’s priorities.”
Representative Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said Trump fired Brown as well as thousands of federal employees “not because they weren’t competent or good at their jobs, but because Trump wants sycophants.”
“Anyone who doesn’t pledge loyalty has to go,” Smith said in a video posted on X, adding: “That really undermines the competence and capability of the people serving our country.”
Trump administration officials have defended the firings, with Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson arguing that the removal of the senior officers is in keeping with past presidential actions.
“Truman fired General MacArthur. Lincoln fired General McClellan. Obama fired General McChrystal. Yet the Fake News still claims we’re in ‘uncharted territory,’” Wilson wrote on X.
But those generals were fired due to specific problems — Douglas MacArthur for overstepping his authority and defying orders, George McClellan for insufficient aggression on the battlefield and Stanley McChrystal because he and his aides reportedly criticized US officials.
No accusations of misconduct have been made against the recently removed officers, with Hegseth saying Brown is “an honorable man” but “not the right man for the moment.”
Seth Jones, president of the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that while there are various examples of senior officers being relieved, “it has generally been for competence issues.”
“This does not appear to have been, at least to a significant degree, about the competence of General Brown, for example,” and if the removals were not based on performance, “then this is uncommon.”
Jones said he does not however think that “at this point... the vast majority of the uniformed military has been politicized.”
It is when civilian and uniformed leaders disagree that “you judge whether the military has been politicized. Are they giving their best military judgment on an issue, which is what they’re sworn to do? So we’ll have to see,” he said.
CHICAGO: The number of Arab and Muslim Americans seeking office in the state of Illinois has almost quadrupled from previous years’ elections, and some activists believe it is a response to the Gaza war, as well as rising anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia.
In 2021, nine candidates filed for local elections in three counties — Cook, DuPage and Will — where the Arab and Muslim populations are concentrated.
This year, however, 34 Arab and Muslim candidates filed for local offices in the April 1 elections.
Ahmad Sows, president of the Arab American Democracy Coalition — which advocates for voter registration and engagement in the election process — said Gaza has been one of the key factors pushing more Arabs and Muslims into public engagement, including running for local public office.
“The Arab-American community has experienced a profound sense of disillusionment as they witness a lack of genuine representation among politicians for their concerns. The rise in hate crimes against Arabs is deeply troubling, and it feels disheartening to see tax dollars being used to support actions that many perceive as unjust,” he told Arab News.
“When community concerns are raised, responses from some politicians often emphasize unwavering support for Israel, leaving constituents feeling sidelined and unheard. This situation has left many Arab Americans wanting their voices to be truly acknowledged.
“They believe that running for office could be a vital step toward ensuring their community’s perspectives and needs are represented in the political landscape.”
Illinois holds its local elections before many other US states. Sows said the increased engagement in Illinois is indicative of what can be expected in other states where Arab and Muslim Americans have large voter populations, such as California, New York and New Jersey.
There are an estimated 450,000 Arab Americans in Illinois, about 10 percent of the national population living around the city of Chicago. Illinois has the fifth-largest Arab and Muslim population among US states.
Mohammed Jaber, a local schoolteacher elected to serve on the District 230 board — which has three high schools with significant Arab and Muslim populations — told Arab News that local elections are often taken for granted by all voters.
But he stressed that local elections offer Arabs and Muslims the best opportunity to directly engage American public policy.
“Our community understands that if you want to influence the nation’s national and international policies, such as in Palestine and Lebanon, you have to first influence public attitudes on the local level where you live,” said Jaber, the first Arab and Muslim to serve on the District 230 high school board representing Palos, Orland Park and Tinley Park.
“The most effective way to do that is to run for and win election to local offices, from schools to villages, libraries and park boards.
“That’s where you can help change the false perceptions that the public has about Arabs and Muslims.”
Four efforts to elect an Arab or Muslim to the District 230 school board failed, in 1992, 2002, 2004 and 2008.
However, Jaber said the district became more accepting as the community became more engaged and involved.
Today, the Arab and Muslim student population of District 230’s three high schools has tripled, to about 25 percent of the nearly 7,700 students, he added.
However, the board last week voted against Jaber’s proposal to shift student finals in May 2026 to avoid conflicting with Eid. “We have to keep fighting to make our voices heard,” he said.
Tasneem Amine, a candidate who hopes to join Jaber on District 230 as a trustee, said her parents encouraged her to help people and pursue a career in law or public diplomacy.
“I always liked to speak up whenever I saw something wrong. I was truly passionate about helping others. I was never a bystander,” she told Arab News.
“I’ve attended several board meetings before, and although the current District 230 board has been fantastic, I truly believe that our community would benefit from having a young voice on the board who offers a fresh perspective.”
Amine, who graduated from the District 230 school system, added: “We need more Arab leaders to represent our community. Muslim constituents make up a large percentage of District 230, and therefore we need more representation as there’s power in numbers.
“Of course, however, I’m committed to representing all constituents regardless of background, because every voice matters.”
She said: “It’s time we have seats at the table, not just a single seat. This is the minimum we owe to a community that has worked hard and continues to contribute in meaningful ways.”
Lena Matariyeh, who is running for a trustee position on the influential Orland Township board — which represents large and growing Arab and Muslim populations — said the community must be more active, vocal and engaged.
“I believe in strong, community-focused leadership that prioritizes the well-being of all residents,” she told Arab News.
“Local government plays a vital role in providing essential services, fostering inclusivity, and ensuring that every voice is heard.
“I want to contribute to a township that supports families, businesses and individuals through practical, non-partisan solutions.”
She added: “I think many people, regardless of background, are feeling more compelled to step up and serve.
“Civic engagement is growing across the board, and people want to be part of the decision-making process that shapes their communities. Representation is important, but so is the desire to bring positive change.”
Suzan Atallah, who is running for a seat on the District 118 school board serving Palos, said she wants to make the schools and community better for all families and children.
“My family and I chose to live in District 118 because of the wonderful reputation of the schools. What motivated me to run are my very own kids in 118, coupled with my strong background in education as a teacher at Stagg High School for over 14 years,” she told Arab News.
“I believe people of different backgrounds should be afforded the opportunity to have a seat at the table, as reflection in the demographic is crucial in understanding student and taxpayer needs.”
While it is encouraging to see more Arabs and Muslims run for elected offices, Sows stressed that many non-Arab and non-Muslim elected officials have “stood by the community to support their needs and fight for their rights,” and should not be forgotten.
WASHINGTON: A federal judge on Monday refused to immediately order the White House to restore The Associated Press’ access to presidential events, saying the news organization had not demonstrated it had suffered any irreparable harm. But he urged the Trump administration to reconsider its two-week-old ban, saying that case law “is uniformly unhelpful to the White House.”
US District Judge Trevor N. McFadden’s decision was only for the moment, however. He told attorneys for the Trump administration and the AP that the issue required more exploration before ruling.
McFadden peppered both sides with questions during arguments over a lawsuit the AP filed Friday saying that its First Amendment rights were being violated by the ban, which began gradually two weeks ago. President Donald Trump said it was punishment for the agency’s decision not to entirely follow his executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
McFadden, discussing the composition of the “press pool” that is chosen by the White House Correspondents’ Association, questioned why the government was obligated to follow those choices. “It feels a little odd that the White House is somehow bound by the decisions this private organization is making,” the judge told AP attorneys.
He also questioned AP’s noting of its longtime membership in the White House press pool. “Is this administration somehow bound by what happened with President McKinley?” the judge asked. But he noted that the correspondents’ group had been tasked by the White House to choose the members of its pool.
“The White House has accepted the correspondents’ association to be the referee here, and has just discriminated against one organization. That does seem problematic,” McFadden said in an exchange with government attorney Brian Hudak.
Later, McFadden warned the government’s attorney to reconsider its position, saying “case law in this circuit is uniformly unhelpful to the White House.”
The AP says it is adhering to the “Gulf of Mexico” terminology because its audience is global and the waters are not only in US territory, but it is acknowledging Trump’s rechristening as well.
AP says the issue strikes at the very core of the US Constitution’s First Amendment, which bars the government from punishing speech. The White House says access to the president is a privilege, not a right.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration began barring the AP from the Oval Office, Air Force One and other areas that have been open to the agency for a century as part of the White House press pool. The dispute stems from AP’s refusal to change its style in referring to the Gulf of Mexico, which Trump decreed the “Gulf of America” via an executive order.
The AP named three Trump officials – White House chief of staff Susan Wiles, deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich and press secretary Karoline Leavitt – as defendants. The agency, a nonprofit news outlet in operation since 1846, called the White House’s move a “targeted attack” of the sort barred by the First Amendment.
“The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words and not be retaliated against by the government,” the AP said in its lawsuit.
The White House says its move to restrict AP is not an infringement of free-speech rights. “The only person who has the absolute right to occupy those spaces is the president of the United States,” Wiles wrote to Julie Pace, AP’s executive editor, in an email included in the agency’s lawsuit. “For the rest of us, it’s a privilege, and to suggest otherwise is wrong.”
BREST, France: A French court on Monday found an Algerian online influencer guilty of inciting terrorism on TikTok, sentencing him to 18 months in jail.
The 25-year-old man, identified by officials as Youcef A. and known on social media as Zazou Youssef, had been charged in the western city of Brest with “advocating an act of terrorism” on the platform.
Prosecutor Camille Miansoni had recommended a prison sentence of two years for the charge that is punishable by up to seven years.
Youssef appeared in a video posted on the popular platform on December 31 calling for attacks in France and violence in Algeria.
The police prefect in France’s western Finistere region, Alain Espinasse, ordered a judicial investigation after officers made him aware of the video.
According to authorities, Youssef had been living in France on a temporary residency permit and had appealed against a previous sentence for vandalism during riots in 2023.
In addition to the jail term, the court said Youssef could not reside in France for 10 years.
TikTok has said it banned the account from which the video was uploaded, for posting several videos that broke its rules on hate speech.
KYIV, Ukraine: Ukraine on Monday marked the bleakest anniversary yet of its war against the Russia invasion, with the country’s forces under severe pressure on the battlefield and US President Donald Trump’s administration apparently embracing the Kremlin in a reversal of US policy.
The three-year milestone drew more than a dozen Western leaders to Kyiv for commemorative events in a conspicuous show of support. They warned of the war’s wider implications for global security and vowed to keep providing billions of dollars in support for Ukraine as uncertainty deepens over the US commitment to help. Washington did not send any senior official to the occasion.
The fourth year of fighting could be pivotal as Trump uses his return to office to press for a peace deal.
“The autocrats around the world are watching very carefully whether there’s any impunity if you violate international borders or invade your neighbor, or if there is true deterrence,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau echoed that sentiment. Canadians, he said, “believe deeply that it’s not just about Ukraine. It’s about the rules and the values and the principles of sovereignty, of independence, territorial integrity that protects every country in the world. All of us rely on those rules to be able to build peace and security.”
Some observers say Russian success in Ukraine could embolden China’s ambitions. Just as Moscow claims that Ukraine is rightfully Russian territory, China claims the self-governing island of Taiwan as its own. North Korea and Iran have also aided Russia’s war effort.
In a cascade of unwelcome developments for Kyiv, Trump has in recent days called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a dictator, suggested Ukraine is to blame for the war and ended Russian President Vladimir Putin’s three-year diplomatic isolation by the United States. US officials have also indicated to Ukraine that its hopes of joining NATO are unlikely to be realized and that it probably won’t get back the land that Russia’s army occupies, which amounts to nearly 20 percent of the country.
Meanwhile, Putin’s troops are making steady progress on the battlefield while Ukraine is grappling with shortages of troops and weapons.
The guests in Kyiv and the leaders appearing by video had similar messages: Ukraine and its European partners must be consulted in any peace negotiations, Putin’s ambitions must be thwarted, and Europe must take on more of the burden for its own defense.
The shift in Washington’s policy has set off alarm bells in Europe, where governments fear being sidelined by the US in efforts to secure a peace deal. They are mulling how they might pick up the slack of any cut in US aid for Ukraine. The changes have also placed strain on transatlantic relations.
European Council President Antonio Costa on Sunday announced that he would convene an emergency summit of the 27 EU leaders in Brussels on March 6, with Ukraine at the top of the agenda.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are both visiting Washington this week.
EU foreign ministers on Monday approved a new raft of sanctions against Russia. The measures target Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of ships that it uses to skirt restrictions on transporting oil and gas, or to carry stolen Ukrainian grain. The EU said 74 vessels were added to its shadow fleet list.
Asset freezes and travel bans were imposed on 83 officials and “entities” — usually government agencies, banks or companies.
Britain, too, imposed new sanctions, targeting 107 businesses and individuals in what it says is its biggest package targeting Russia’s war machine since the early days of the conflict in 2022.
The measures take aim at Russia’s military supply chains, including companies in several countries — notably China — that Britain says are supplying machine tools, electronics and dual-use goods for Russia’s military.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said his country would provide a 1 billion-euro ($1.04 billion) military systems package to Ukraine this year.
Starmer said Ukrainians’ voices “must be at the heart of the drive for peace,” while Trump’s intervention had “changed the global conversation” and “created an opportunity.”
“Russia does not hold all the cards in this war,” he said.
Coming off a victory in Sunday’s German elections, conservative leader Friedrich Merz — also a staunch backer of Ukraine — posted on X Monday: “More than ever, we must put Ukraine in a position of strength.”
“For a fair peace, the country that is under attack must be part of peace negotiations,” he wrote.
Diplomacy ramps up after record Russian drone attack
On Sunday, Russia launched its biggest single drone attack of the war, pounding Ukraine with 267 drones.
The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, insisted that the US cannot seal any peace deal to end the war without Ukraine or Europe being involved. She highlighted what she claimed were pro-Russian positions being taken up by the Trump administration.
“You can discuss whatever you want with Putin. But if it comes to Europe or Ukraine, then Ukraine and Europe also have to agree to this deal,” Kallas told reporters in Brussels, where she was leading a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Kallas is scheduled to travel to Washington on Tuesday for talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the third anniversary was “a grim milestone.”
“More than 12,600 civilians killed, with many more injured. Entire communities reduced to rubble. Hospitals and schools destroyed,” he said in Geneva.
In a win for Ukraine, the United States on Monday failed to get the UN General Assembly to approve its resolution seeking to end the war without mentioning Russian aggression. The US draft resolution was amended by the assembly to add language making clear that Russia invaded its smaller neighbor in violation of the UN Charter.
In other developments, Trump said Putin would accept European peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a potential deal to end the war.
“Yeah, he will accept it,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “I have asked him that question. Look, if we do this deal, he’s not looking for more war.”
Putin has previously said that European or US forces in Ukraine would be a major security issue for Russia. He has never publicly indicated that he would accept Western troops in Ukraine, and multiple Russian officials have indicated that would be a red line for Moscow.
Russia’s foreign ministry said Saturday that preparations for a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Putin were underway, and US officials have said that they agreed with Moscow to reestablish diplomatic ties and restart economic cooperation.
At a virtual meeting with leaders of the Group of Seven economies also held Monday, Zelensky said Ukraine and the US are “working productively” on an economic agreement that would help lock them together. Trump attended the meeting.
“And, President Trump, we would really like to hear from you because all our people, all our families, are very worried. Will there be support from America? Will America be the leader of the free world?” Zelensky said.
