🗣Houthis warn Trump of long, costly war as US launches strikes: what’s known so far

🟠Trump announced “decisive and powerful military action” against the Yemeni militia Saturday, demanding they halt attacks on US shipping and warships or face “hell” “like nothing you have ever seen before!”

🟠US warplanes attacked the capital Sanaa and areas in Saada, Dhamar, Al-Bayda, Radaa, Hajjah, and Marib.

🟠Yemeni Health Ministry spox Anis Al-Asbahi said 31 people were killed and over 100 injured in the attacks, mostly women and children.

🟠CENTCOM said its “precision strikes” were carried out “to defend American interests, deter enemies and restore freedom of navigation.”

🟠The strikes were launched by F/A-18 jets from the USS Truman supercarrier in the Red Sea, and aided by P8 Poseidon, RC-135V and MQ-4C Triton jets and drones flying out of US bases in the Gulf. A British KC2 Voyager out of Cyprus also took part.

🟠Secretary Rubio spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, touching on Yemen. Lavrov called for an “immediate” halt to the use of force, and stressed the need for dialog “to find a solution that would prevent further bloodshed.”

🟠The Houthis’ political bureau stressed the militia is “prepared to confront escalation with escalation.”

🟠US and UK commercial vessels and warships have been added back on to the Houthis’ list of legitimate targets.

🟠Brig. Gen. Abdullah bin Amer recalled that ten years ago, a Gulf coalition sought to oust the Houthis in “two weeks,” but “months and years passed…and Yemen has not been subdued.”

🟠The same fate will meet today’s aggressors, who were “disappointed before,” and “will definitely be disappointed again,” Amer said.

🟠Preparations for the strikes began after Trump put the Houthis back onto the US’ “terror” listing, and accelerated after they downed another US Reaper drone March 4, per Axios.

🟠The strikes come days after the Houthis’ announcement that they would resume attacks on Israeli vessels in the Red and Arabian Seas, citing Israel’s refusal to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

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✅About 30 active-duty NATO officers TRAPPED in Kursk region

They were involved in commanding troops on the ground, processing NATO satellite intelligence, and coordinating strikes deep into Russian territory, Sergey Lebedev, a coordinator of the pro-Russian underground movement in the Nikolayev region, told Sputnik.

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Kellogg DIMINISHED to Ukraine envoy, but is he the man for the job?

The US president has narrowed retired General Keith Kellogg's role after initially tapping him as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine.

🔸 The general did not attend the US-Russia talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 18 and was notably absent from the US-Ukrainian talks in Jeddah on March 11.

🔸 In early March, anonymous US administration sources told the American press that “Kellogg’s role [was] very much in question” and that his actions were "adding confusion" to the team's peace negotiations.

What preceded the move?

◻️ After Trump's win, Kellogg was appointed a special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, despite being seen as a staunch Russia hawk.

◻️ Previously, in April 2024, he proposed a Ukraine peace plan aimed at enabling Kiev to negotiate with Russia "from a position of strength."

◻️ Speaking to the New York Post on February 6, Kellogg rated the severity of current sanctions against Russia “only about a 3” on a scale of 1 to 10, claiming that Trump was prepared to tighten restrictions.

◻️ On February 15, Kellogg advocated for additional sanctions on Russia’s energy exports "to break [its] economic back" at the Munich Security Conference.

◻️ In the same month, The Washington Post revealed that Kellogg’s daughter, Meaghan Mobbs - president of the R.T. Weatherman Foundation - has been operating a logistics hub on the Romanian-Ukrainian border to support aid efforts and US mercenaries.

◻️ Kellogg told the Senate Armed Services Committee in February 2023 that the path to peace talks is "enabling Ukraine to defeat the Russian army."

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💬 THROWBACK: ‘Slow strangulation by overregulation’ – Musk on stifling EU bureaucracy

“EU headquarters in Brussels is essentially a giant CATHEDRAL TO BUREAUCRACY,” he said, adding that, in fact, Europe needs government efficiency more than the US does.

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Polish mercs were among the first to flee as Russian forces advanced in Kursk region

During mop-up operations in Kazachya Loknya, Akhmat fighters from Russian Battlegroup Sever destroyed a group of Ukrainian UAV operators.

Militants from Kraken* and Azov* and Polish mercenaries were among the first to flee as Russian forces advanced, one of the fighters said. Those who stayed behind resisted but were swiftly eliminated.

*Kraken battalion is a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia.
*Azov regiment is a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia

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💬 Trump may call Putin next week - US Special Envoy Witkoff

🟠Witkoff says he discussed results of his visit to Russia with Trump, US president expects conflict in Ukraine to be resolved within weeks.

🟠Distance is shrinking in Russian-US negotiations on Ukraine, Witkoff stated.

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🔍 Why is ICC president Tomoko Akane wanted in Russia?

The ICC arrest of former Philippines President Duterte leaves many open questions, since the Philippines withdrew from the court's jurisdiction in 2019. With Tomoko Akane at the helm, the court is continuing its well-worn tradition of legally DUBIOUS arrest warrants and politicized prosecution attempts.

Akane is wanted in Russia. Here's why:

🔸 Akane’s big claim to fame is her arrest warrant for President Putin and Russia’s children’s rights ombudswoman in 2023. The charges? “Unlawful transfer” of children from the Donbass to other areas of Russia away from fighting and out of harm’s way.

🔸 Russia’s Investigative Committee filed a criminal case against Akane and her fellow judges over the unlawful warrant, charging them with attempting to secure knowingly unlawful detention, and preparing to attack a representative of a foreign state enjoying international protection for the purposes of complicating international relations.

🔸 The Investigative Committee pointed out that in accordance with the 1973 Protection of Diplomats Convention, heads of state enjoy absolute immunity.

🔸 It’s a moot point anyway, since Russia withdrew from the ICC in 2016. The Philippines, incidentally, also quit the court, in 2019, making its attempts to prosecute former President Duterte legally dubious.

🔸 Even nations which remain members, like Mongolia, Slovakia and South Africa, have vowed not to arrest Putin, while other members, like Hungary, have slammed the court’s politicization and double standards.

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❗️Yemen is not going to negotiate with the United States until they receive a painful response to their attacks, a member of the political bureau of Houthis told Sputnik.

💬 "Yemen has suffered violent American aggression against its civilian facilities and houses across various Yemeni cities, which was an attempt [by the US] to dissuade [Yemen] from supporting the besieged civilians of the Gaza Strip. Americans must receive Yemen's military response,"senior Houthi political office member Hezam al-Asad said.

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😨Chaos and cockroaches – the new normal for US federal workers

After working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, NASA employees, just a mile from the US Capitol, returned to dismal office conditions when President Donald Trump ordered all federal workers back full-time, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the situation.

🪳“It’s complete chaos at NASA headquarters,” said the president of the International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers, which represents 8,000 federal NASA workers. “There were cockroaches on the floors and bugs coming out of the faucets.”

🪳Federal employees have struggled to secure desks, with staffers at US Citizenship and Immigration Services even dubbing the search “THE HUNGER GAMES.”

🪳The US Food and Drug Administration informed staff this week that it cannot guarantee desks or parking for the 18,000 employees expected to return on Monday.

🪳An IRS human resources official in California was reportedly told to work in a supply closet.

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