The News with Rick Sanchez - February 14, 2020 (17:00 ET)

The US and Iran seemed at the brink of war when Iran struck US bases in Iraq following the high-profile assassination of Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani. The Trump administration claimed that Soleimani had been responsible for a rocket attack. But Iraqi intelligence says that neither Soleimani nor Iran’s proxies were behind the attack. Rick Sanchez hears from former Pentagon official Michael Maloof while “In the Now” host Rania Khalek joins the discussion from Beirut, Lebanon and Prof. Mohammed Marandi joins from Tehran for a special panel discussion.

Researchers at Ohio State University conducted a study wherein participants were asked to read stories ending in acts of forgiveness, vengeance, or excessive punishment. They tended to rate stories involving punishment as more fun than stories involving forgiveness, but that they weren't as meaningful or thought provoking.

RT America’s Michele Greenstein reports for the News with Rick Sanchez.

RT America’s Rachel Blevins reports on WhatsApp’s struggle to defend its famous messaging encryption at all costs.

Plus, comedian and “Redacted Tonight” host Lee Camp joins to weigh in on Michael Bloomberg’s alleged racism and the latest in the saga of imprisoned WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange.