https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900067215/sen-mitt-romney-headed-to-middle-east-to-meet-with-government-officials.html

SALT LAKE CITY — Sen. Mitt Romney is headed to the Middle East this week to meet with government officials and strengthen relationships with U.S. allies in the region in his first official trip since being elected.

Romney, R-Utah, and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will travel to Israel and Jordan as part of the trip.

“The U.S. faces complex challenges around the world, particularly in the Middle East. It is critical that we maintain and strengthen our alliances with key partners in the region,” Romney said in a statement.

“Over the next several days, we look forward to discussing shared priorities and strategies to meet those challenges.

Is he pulling a John Kerry ?

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/mississippi-shipyard-746m-contract-icebreaker-62586116

A Mississippi shipyard won a $746 million contract Tuesday to design and build the first of what could be three heavy polar icebreakers for the U.S. Coast Guard.

The U.S. Navy's Naval Sea Systems Command awarded the contract to VT Halter Marine of Pascagoula, choosing Halter's bid over two other finalists. Halter Senior Vice President Robert Socha said the award means the shipyard will hire up to 450 more employees, on top of the 400 it's already adding to build four barracks barges for the U.S. Navy. The hiring would push Halter's total employment above 1,300.

The Navy and the Coast Guard will jointly oversee design of the ship for expected delivery in 2024. The contract includes options for two more heavy icebreakers, which would bring its overall value to $1.94 billion, with work continuing through 2027.

"This contract award marks an important step towards building the nation's full complement of six polar icebreakers to meet the unique mission demands that have emerged from increased commerce, tourism, research, and international activities in the Arctic and Antarctic," Adm. Karl Schultz, the Coast Guard commandant, said in a Tuesday statement .

>>6289672

KEK

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-48021656

It all started when Comandante Guillermo García Frías, 91, a former comrade-in-arms of the late leader Fidel Castro, recommended the ostrich as a nutritious supplement to the Cuban diet.

The white-haired comandante, who appeared in his olive-green military uniform, also suggested that Cubans consider adding two local species to their menu - the crocodile and the jutía (hutia), an edible rodent also known as the "banana rat".

On both sides of the Florida Strait, social media networks - more and more accessible in Cuba as it increases its previously limited connection to the internet - exploded with mirthful memes against Mr García Frías' suggestions.

Another dissident website, 14yMedio, run by anti-government blogger Yoani Sánchez, described the stampede of ostrich memes and parodies as a "political weapon against the [government] power in Cuba".

Meme war in Cuba

https://freebeacon.com/national-security/report-senior-irgc-commander-flees-iran-with-secret-intel/

A senior Iranian military officer affiliated with the country's Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, has fled the Islamic Republic with a cache of secret documents said to contain information on Tehran's military plans, according to reports.

Ali Nasiri, a former IRGC brigadier general who once headed Iran's counterintelligence operations, is reported to have fled Iran and requested political asylum at a U.S. embassy in an unnamed Gulf country, according to a

report carried in Iran Commentary, an online news portal that publishes information about Iran's human rights abuses and illicit activity.

"Sources say a probe launched by IRGC counterintelligence units reveals that Nasiri fled a Persian Gulf country, requesting political asylum at the local U.S. embassy," the report claims. "Reports indicate Nasiri had in possession a large volume of documents recording the travels of senior IRGC commanders, intelligence personnel and operational units to foreign countries, all under the cover of diplomatic missions."

While the Washington Free Beacon could not independently verify the report, it could represent a coup for the U.S. intelligence community, which has long sought information on Iran's military apparatus and plans.

"Nasiri's fleeing from Iran has had an extremely negative impact among the hierarchy under his command," Iran Commentary reported. "On April 19, the IRGC-associated Fars News Agency referred to the fate of Nasiri without any further explanation."

Reports of Nasiri's situation could shine a greater light on the surprise decision over the weekend by Iran's Supreme Leader to shake up the IRGC's leadership by appointing a new lead commander. The change in leadership also came several days after President Donald Trump took the unprecedented step of designating the entire IRGC as a terrorist group, the first time America has designated an entire country's fighting force.

A State Department official declined to comment on Nasiri's situation, citing a policy of not providing information on potential asylum seekers.