New York apartment fire kills 19, including 9 children – National & International News – MON 10Jan2022

New York apartment fire kills 19, including 9 children. Fears of extremism in U.S. military on the rise. No breakthroughs expected in U.S.-Russia talks on Ukraine.

NATIONAL NEWS

New York apartment fire kills 19, including 9 children

A fire in a 19-story apartment building in the Bronx has claimed the lives of 19 people so far, among them 9 children. At least 13 others remain in critical condition. Officials say this is one of the worst apartment fires in the city’s history. NY Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro identified the cause as a faulty space heater. Over 200 city fire fighters responded to the scene.

The affordable housing block for low to middle income residents is one of many 70’s era residential buildings in the borough that had no sprinkler system. Sprinkler systems were not a requirement when the building went up. The building also has no fire escape. Reports from the scene suggest that people who stayed within their apartments were largely safe. Many of those who perished had attempted to flee through smoke-filled hallways and stairwells, unwittingly putting themselves in greater danger.

The building had a history of violations including for rats and other sanitary issues. Residents said fire alarms frequently went off when no fire was present, and were largely ignored. There will be a full investigation to see if there were any fire code violations.

Last week in Philadelphia, another apartment fire killed 12 people, 8 of them children.

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Fears of extremism in U.S. military on the rise

Since the Jan. 6 Capitol riot last year, the Pentagon has increased its vigilance in monitoring extremist views among its ranks. Militant extremist groups like Proud Boys and Oath Keepers have a long history of aggressively recruiting veterans and active duty military personnel as well as members of law enforcement.

Of the 700 individuals facing charges for the Jan. 6 uprising, more than 80 have ties to the military. This includes Ashli Babbit, who was shot dead by a Capitol Police officer as she attempted to enter a sealed corridor. Babbit was a 14-year veteran of the Air Force and had numerous deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Details of her life after leaving the service paint a picture of a woman prone to erratic and sometimes threatening behavior. When she eventually got caught up in various pro-Trump conspiracy theories, she began posting angry rants on social media. Her fervor ultimately led to her playing an active role in an attempt to violently overturn the 2020 election.

Stories of veterans like Babbit are all too common. But politicians and military officials are increasingly worried about such ideologies taking root among active duty personnel. There are fears of an internal military insurrection after the 2024 election which could threaten American democracy.

While analysts are glad the Pentagon is finally taking the problem seriously, they say that efforts to root out seditious views among troops do not go far enough.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

No breakthroughs expected in U.S.-Russia talks on Ukraine

This week, U.S., Russian, and European diplomats are meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, in hopes of allaying military tensions over Ukraine. In recent months, Russia has stationed some 100,000 troops on its border with Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has slated a list of demands with regard to Western involvement in Ukraine, which he described as “red lines”. Among other things, Putin wants to prevent Ukraine from becoming a member of NATO.

It’s difficult to gauge whether the amassing of Russian troops is a genuine prelude to an invasion or merely a pressure tactic to win concessions. President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have warned Russia would suffer severe economic consequences in the event of a Ukrainian incursion. Putin has countered that fresh sanctions would be a mistake and would lead to a final rupture in Russia’s relations with the West.

Ahead of this week’s talks, neither Russian nor U.S. negotiators seemed to hold out much hope of productive negotiations. As Sec. Blinken put it, it’s difficult to envisage a diplomatic resolution while Putin has “a gun to the head of Ukraine”.

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