DAILY NEWS Stream – February 18, 2025

Hamas releases three Israeli hostages held in Gaza, including American dad Sagui Dekel-Chen (New York Post)

Israel frees 369 Palestinians after three captives in Gaza released, giving new hope for shaky ceasefire deal (Al Jazeera)

US Vice President Vance has “fruitful” first face-to-face meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, with both agreeing “We want the killing to stop” (New York Post)

President Trump’s rapid push for peace talks with Russia is “not a betrayal” of Ukraine, US Secretary of Defense Hegseth says, explaining there’s “a recognition that the whole world and the US is invested in peace, in a negotiated peace.” Mr. Hegseth asks NATO countries to ramp up defense spending to 5% of their GDP [gross domestic product] to deter further Russian aggression (Tuổi Trẻ)

“No reason” for new nukes: President Trump considering joint disarmament meeting with China and Russia, saying the money going toward nuclear arsenals hopefully could be used for better causes (Fox News)

US Vice President Vance draws attention to deteriorating religious freedom and free speech rights in Europe during Munich [Germany] Security Conference, citing several areas of concern, including: a) Arrests in the UK for silent prayer near abortion clinics; b) Swedish court convicting a Christian activist for a religious demonstration; c) A court canceling the Romanian election; d) The expansion of “hate speech” laws throughout the continent. Vice President Vance says Europe’s biggest security threat is internal, not Russia, because it is retreating “from some of its most fundamental values” and becoming “afraid” of its own people, putting freedom and democracy at risk (Catholic News Agency; AP)

Analysis: US Vice President JD Vance’s “Make Europe Great Again” speech in Munich [Germany] resonates with millions of Europeans - a “hurricane of good sense” that has left many on the continent wide-eyed and wanting more (New York Post)

Analysis: US President Trump and Vice President Vance are allying with Europe’s far right, like Germany’s AfD [Alternative for Germany] and the UK’s Reform Party, to help spread populist, conservative values across the continent (The Guardian)

China is carrying out customs fraud on goods entering the US, international trade expert Daniel Pickard says: “No doubt,” while praising President Trump’s tariffs and orders to increase import security checks (Fox Business)

US: Independent party voters agree with President Trump on transgender policies, focus group shows (Fox News)

US President Trump’s “two sexes” order inspires state-level efforts to crack down on transgender treatments for minors (Fox News)

Common sense prevails in New Jersey [US] as school districts are allowed by court to drop transgender student policy that interfered with parents’ rights after years-long campaign (New York Post)

US Senate Majority Leader Thune [Republican-South Dakota] says he and President Trump are working well together because Senate Republicans have confirmed 16 of the President’s nominees in under a month, more than double what Biden had by this point, proving “we are united” with the President (Fox News)

President Trump and Efficiency Commissioner Elon Musk accuse news media of “trying to drive us apart,” with the President adding, “But the people are smart. They get it… They see what’s happening” (New York Post)

Illegal migrant “gotaways” who evade arrest after crossing border dropped 93% during President Trump’s first month back in office (New York Post)

President Trump signs order creating council on “energy dominance” and another order canceling federal funds for schools that require COVID-19 vaccines for students (New York Post)

President Trump proudly hangs His 2023 prison mug shot, photographed for now- dismissed charges, at the main entrance of the White House Oval Office, reminding friends and foes alike of the greatest comeback in political history – that they tried to impeach Him, to throw Him in jail, to steal the election again by replacing Biden with Harris, and to kill Him multiple times, including putting a bullet through Him, yet He still was victorious and never gave up on His God-given mission to save His country (Fox News)

US: DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] says it dug up another US$1.9 billion in taxpayer money “misplaced” by Biden administration, one day after Housing and Urban Secretary Scott Turner announced creation of a DOGE Task Force at his agency (Fox News)

US Senator Jim Justice [Republican-West Virginia] pushes back on Democratic criticism of DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] agenda, saying the President has a mandate from the people to search for waste, fraud, and abuse, and Democrats should let Him do His job and stop spreading lies and confusion (Fox News)

US defense officials prep lists of possible cuts to military spending ahead of DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] arrival, with Defense Secretary Hegseth welcoming DOGE and agreeing waste needs to be addressed (New York Post)

Analysis: President Trump is a master of “incendiary common sense,” forcing Democrats to defend unpopular positions. For example, by supporting Elon Musk and his team’s plan to find government corruption through DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency], He makes Democrats seem opposed to reducing waste and fraud, putting them at odds with most American voters (Fox News)

President Trump administration aims to lay off more than 5,000 bureaucrats at NIH [National Institutes of Health] and CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] in effort to shrink the size of government (New York Post)

Democratic Party strategist James Carville admits President Trump’s fast pace is leaving Democrats reeling: “We are overwhelmed” (New York Post)

Democrats likely to “waste millions” on deluge of lawsuits but could cost President Trump precious time, says Berkeley law professor John Yoo, adding the President “will have some of the nation’s finest attorneys” to battle the cases (Fox News)

US Border Czar Tom Homan slams Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over webinar to help illegal immigrants avoid arrest: “I thought I educated her on this” (New York Post)

Texas [US] State Attorney General Ken Paxton launches probe into controversial Chinese AI [artificial intelligence] app DeepSeek: “Stealing the data of our citizens” (New York Post)

Stranded American astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams finally have a return date, coming back from the International Space Station on March 12, 2025 – sooner than expected, thanks to President Trump, Who asked tech billionaire and SpaceX founder Elon Musk to “go get” them (Live Science)

China launches new space rocket Long March 8A designed to carry more satellites, as Beijing looks to match US tech billionaire Elon Musk’s 7,000 Starlink satellites in low-Earth orbit (Reuters)

South Koreans will spend 28% more on age-related diseases such as dementia in 2025 compared to past five years, costing citizens an estimated US$4.6 billion as the nation becomes a “super-aged society” (TheKoreaTimes)

US horrified to see the number of deaths from the flu surpass the number of deaths from Covid-19 for the first time, as flu activity climbs to some of the highest rates since the 2009 swine flu pandemic (Báo VietNamNet; CBS)

South Sudan to vaccinate 3.4 million children to eliminate the polio outbreak in ambitious nationwide campaign, led by the Ministry of Health and backed by the World Health Organization [WHO], UNICEF [United Nations Children’s Fund] and partners (ZAWYA)

Vietnamese doctor Trần Thị Hiền researches cancer drugs derived from breastmilk, which can destroy malignant tumor cells and viruses through a unique compound called alpha lactalbumin-oleic acid (Tuổi Trẻ; ICEA)

Australian and New Zealand researchers develop new treatment for sarcoma [a rare cancer affecting bones or soft tissues] in children using modified immune cells (VTV.vn)

World’s sea-ice falls to record low, satellite data shows, sparking concerns about global warming acceleration as the melted ice absorbs more heat (BBC)

Czech scientists confirm they found the world’s largest underground hot spring lake in a cave in southern Albania, which they first discovered in 2020 (VnExpress)

Hundreds of spiders swarm the sky in São Thomé das Letras [Brazil], appearing to “rain” down in an elaborate natural mating ritual involving silk “balloons” drifting in the air (Hindustan Times)

World’s first hybrid quantum supercomputer goes online in Japan, integrating 20-qubit [quantum bit] quantum computer Reimei into the world’s sixth-fastest supercomputer, Fugaku, to perform calculations much faster than classical supercomputers (LiveScience)

Missing dog named Emma is dropped off at Alabama [US] shelter where her caregiver works, bringing joyful reunion after months apart: “It was surely fate” (New York Post)

Scottish cruelty-free beauty brand BYOMA unveils vegan “glass skin” serum without snail mucin. Reviewers call it a “game changer” that “does exactly what it promises,” plumping and moisturizing the skin (Plant Based News)

US: Founder and ex-CEO of vegan cheese company Miyoko’s Creamery, Miyoko Schinner (vegan), is teaching a class at University of California Berkeley entitled “Plant Futures: Introduction to Plant-Centric Food Systems” alongside vegan food expert Brittany Sartor (vegan) (SFGATE)

Inspirational quote of the day: “There are glimpses of Heaven to us in every act, or thought, or word, that raises us above ourselves.” – Robert Quillen