• France is pulling its forces out of the West African nation of Mali, nine years after deploying troops there to fight Islamist forces. The announcement followed a rapid breakdown in relations between France’s and Mali’s military rulers and it threw into uncertainty regional antiterrorism operations spearheaded by France and backed by Western allies.
(“After 9 Years, France and Allies Begin Withdrawal from Mali,” New York Times, Feb. 17 2022; “France, European Allies Announce Military Withdrawal from Mali,” Al-Jazeera, Feb. 17, 2022)
• During the congressional debate over the $300 monthly child tax credit, many high-ranking Republicans complained there was already enough cash assistance available, in the program known as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families or TANF. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell complained the child tax credit, which effectively reduced poverty, would derail established rules on mandating recipient’s transition from welfare to work.
( “Welfare Is No Substitute for a Child Tax Credit,” Pro-Publica, Feb. 14, 2022)
• More than 3,000 high school students from across the Twin Cities metro area in Minnesota walked out of class Feb. 8th to march on the governor’s mansion and demand justice following the death of Amir Locke. Locke, a 22-year-old black man, was shot and killed Feb. 2 by a Minneapolis Police Department SWAT officer during a no-knock apartment raid. Locke was neither named in the no-knock warrant nor a resident of the apartment. This is the latest high-profile police killing of black men, including George Floyd, in metro-Minneapolis-St. Paul.
(“Meet the High School Students who Organized Thousands to Walk Out for Amir Locke,” In These Times, Feb. 16, 2022)
This week’s News Summary was narrated by Anna Manzo
