Good evening. It’s Saturday, February 22.

1. Pope in Critical

2. Trump’s Triumphant CPAC Comeback

3. Kash Patel Orders 1,500 FBI Agents Out of DC

4. Trump Fires Top Pentagon General in Shakeup

5. LA Mayor Fires Fire Chief Over Wildfires

6. New Bat Coronavirus Found in Wuhan Lab

1. Pope in Critical

Pope Francis, 88, is in critical condition after suffering a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis Saturday morning.

The pontiff required high flows of oxygen and also received a blood transfusion after tests showed conditions associated with anemia, the Vatican said in a statement late Saturday. He isn’t out of danger.

2. Trump’s Triumphant CPAC Comeback

President Trump delivered a high-energy, rally-style speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on February 22, 2025, marking his return to the gathering as President and thanking supporters for their role in his political revival.

He celebrated what he called an unprecedented first month back in office, touting deep cuts to federal bureaucracy and other early “wins” as evidence that his administration is “dominating” Washington and sending entrenched officials “packing”.

The CPAC crowd responded with enthusiasm and adulation throughout the address, underscored by a straw poll that showed Trump with a 99% approval rating among attendees at the conference.

3. Kash Patel Orders 1,500 FBI Agents Out of DC

Kash Patel, the newly confirmed FBI Director under President Donald Trump, has moved to relocate roughly 1,500 FBI agents and staff out of Washington, D.C., as one of his first actions in office.

Patel informed senior FBI officials on Friday – the same day he was sworn in – that about 1,000 employees will be reassigned to field offices across the country, with another 500 sent to a large FBI site in Huntsville, Alabama.

This decision aligns with Patel’s long-promised vision of decentralizing the bureau by shrinking its Washington presence and placing more agents in regional communities to combat violent crime.

4. Trump Fires Top Pentagon General in Shakeup

President Donald Trump has dismissed Air Force General Charles “CQ” Brown Jr. from his post as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, effective February 21, 2025.

Trump announced this decision as part of a broader shake-up of U.S. military leadership aimed at, in his words, “restoring a warrior culture.”

General Brown, who assumed the position in October 2023, becomes the first Joint Chiefs chairman in decades to be relieved mid-term.

Administration officials say Trump wants new leaders who will focus on deterring and defeating adversaries rather than, in his view, “political” and “woke” priorities.

5. LA Mayor Fires Fire Chief Over Wildfires

Mayor Karen Bass on Friday ousted Fire Chief Kristin Crowley amid tensions between the two over the way this year’s deadly fires were handled.

Bass said that she had decided to fire Crowley “in the best interests of Los Angeles’ public safety, and for the operations of the Los Angeles Fire Department.”

“We know that 1,000 firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke out were instead sent home on Chief Crowley’s watch,” the mayor said in a statement.

6. New Bat Coronavirus Found in Wuhan Lab

Chinese virologists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) have identified a novel bat coronavirus, HKU5-CoV-2, capable of infecting human cells using the same ACE2 receptor as SARS-CoV-2.

Published in Cell on February 21, 2025, the discovery reignites debates about zoonotic risks and lab safety, given the WIV’s controversial role in COVID-19 origin theories.

While the virus shows weaker human infectivity than SARS-CoV-2, its ability to bind ACE2 and infect lab-grown human organ models raises alarms about future spillover potential.