Informing, engaging & connecting the people of the world. FEBRUARY 28, 2020

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VIDEO: A California city has filed court papers opposing a state decision to move as many as 50 coronavirus patients to a facility in the municipality. A federal judge put the decision on hold for a week on Monday until city officials could get assurances that an adequate study had been done to determine if the site was safe to house the patients.

ON THIS DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY On Feb. 28, 1993, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms launch an unsuccessful raid of the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas. Six members of the religious cult were killed, and four ATF agents were killed by cult members. Many more on both sides were injured. Federal agents said the raid was part of investigation into illegal firearms possession. After the failure, the FBI took over the situation, leading to a 51-day standoff with the cult. On April 19, FBI agents attacked the compound, which eventually led to a massive fire that killed an estimated 80 cult members including the leader, David Koresh, and 20 children.

VIDEO: In Afghanistan, the reduction of violence agreement between the U.S. and Taliban is holding, and Afghans are getting a first glimpse of what a peace deal could look like. After nearly 19 years of war, Saturday’s expected peace deal announcement is being greeted with optimism as well as some reservations.

The United States Navy says a Chinese Navy destroyer targeted a U.S. patrol aircraft with a laser last week while it was flying over the Philippine Sea, about 600 kilometers west of Guam.

The U.S. Democratic Party finds itself at a crossroads at a critical time in the 2020 election cycle. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, is the clear front-runner for the party nomination, despite warnings from moderate Democrats that Sanders would lead the party to defeat in November against President Donald Trump.

The U.S. military in South Korea, whose motto is “Ready to Fight Tonight,” has been forced into battles on two nontraditional fronts: a highly contagious virus that is spreading rapidly throughout the country, and the looming threat that thousands of South Korean workers on U.S. bases could soon be furloughed because of a cost-sharing dispute with Seoul.