DAMAGE in the area of Lamerd in Iran (WIkipedia).

The death toll in the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran – and that nation’s response – is rising and the violence widening.
According to the Associated Press:

• Israel is stepping up its attacks on Iran, targeting Iranian missile launchers and factories that build weapons.

• About 800 people have been killed in Iran so far, Iranian officials are reporting, with 50 more in Lebanon and 11 in Israel.

• Four of the six Americans who have been killed in the war have been identified by the U.S. Department of Defense.

• The conflict is having economic effects as the stock markets declined and oil prices increased. The Dow Jones Average dropped 1200 points and then recovered somewhat, finishing just 400 points down. The price of a barrel of international crude petroleum rose 4.7 percent to $81.40 and U.S. crude was up 4.7 percent to $74.56.

Noem won’t apologize for comments

Were the U.S. citizens killed by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis “domestic terrorists””

KRISTI NOEM in El Salvador (Wikipedia).

That’s what Kristi Noem, homeland security secretary, allegedly said, and refused to apologize for her comments when testifying before the Senate on Tuesday, reports The New York Times.

“I was getting reports from the ground and agents from the scene,” she said. “And I would say it was a chaotic scene.”

However, the heads of two federal immigration agencies said they had seen no evidence that the claims were true.

Noem did re-state her comments. “I did not call him [Alex Pretti] a domestic terrorist. “I said it appeared to be an incident of domestic terrorism.”

Winter-y weather gives way to “spring fever”

After weeks of stormy weather and heavy snow in February across the eastern Unified States, “summer-y like conditions” have arrived, bringing what one weather official called “spring fever.”

In fact, in some places – according to United Press International – temperatures in cities in Texas hit 106 degrees.

Pittsburgh reached a high of 75 degrees, with Atlanta at 80 and Nashville is expected to hit that number by the weekend. However the heat is predicted to depart shortly, with Chicago and New York expected to get no warmer than the mid-60s,

However, the collision of warm and cool air could mean considerable rain and thunderstorms in a swath ranging from Texas to Ohio.

Weather: Warm then warmer

Spring is almost here, but it’s approaching our West Orange County cities with a touch of summer. The forecast for Wednesday calls for cloudy skies with a daytime high of 70 with a overnight low of 54. Thursday should warm to 76 (52) with partly sunny skies. Friday is expected to bring mostly sunny skies with a high of 78 and a low of 55. The weekend will begin on Saturday with mostly sunny conditions and a high of 81 and a low of 58.

Great Thoughts (punctuality)

“If you’re early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late. If you’re late, you’re fired.”
– Unknown

“Punctuality is the virtue of the bored.”
– Evelyn Waugh

“Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.”
-– William Shakespeare