News Reel

Reza Pahlavi, son of the last shah, tells 200,000 in Munich he is ready to lead country to a ‘secular democratic future’

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in rallies around the world to show their solidarity with anti-government demonstrators in Iran whose continued protests have been met with brutal and deadly repression.

On Saturday, Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah, addressed a crowd of 200,000 people in Munich, telling them he was ready to lead the country to a “secular democratic future”.

• Medal table | Live scores and schedule | Results | Briefing

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Brignone smashed her leg at the end of last season, fought her way back, and now look!

Goodness me, she’s almost perfect as she nears the end, and 1:03.23 is her time! That puts her 0.74 up on Colturi, Hector and Stjernesund, plus a whole 1.02 on Shiffrin!

"A new variation of the fake recruiter campaign from North Korean threat actors is targeting JavaScript and Python developers with cryptocurrency-related tasks," reports the Register. Researchers at software supply-chain security company ReversingLabs say that the threat actor creates fake companies in the blockchain and crypto-trading sectors and publishes job offerings on various platforms, like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Reddit. Developers applying for the job are required to show their skills by running, debugging, and improving a given project. However, the attacker's purpose is to make the applicant run the code... [The campaign involves 192 malicious packages published in the npm and PyPi registries. The packages download a remote access trojan that can exfiltrate files, drop additional payloads, or execute arbitrary commands sent from a command-and-control server.] In one case highlighted in the ReversingLabs report, a package named 'bigmathutils,' with 10,000 downloads, was benign until it reached version 1.1.0, which introduced malicious payloads. Shortly after, the threat actor removed the package, marking it as deprecated, likely to conceal the activity... The RAT checks whether the MetaMask cryptocurrency extension is installed on the victim's browser, a clear indication of its money-stealing goals... ReversingLabs has found multiple variants written in JavaScript, Python, and VBS, showing an intention to cover all possible targets. The campaign has been ongoing since at least May 2025...

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Pentagon tracked sanctioned Veronica III from Caribbean Sea after it left Venezuela on day Maduro was captured

US military forces boarded another sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the vessel from the Caribbean Sea in an effort to target illicit oil connected to Venezuela, the Pentagon said on Sunday.

Venezuela had faced US sanctions on its oil for several years, relying on a shadow fleet of falsely flagged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains. President Donald Trump ordered a quarantine of sanctioned tankers in December to pressure then president Nicolás Maduro before Maduro was apprehended in January during an American military operation.

Yvette Cooper says claim against Kremlin ‘deeply serious’ while Russia dismisses western ‘feeblemindedness’

The UK is mulling fresh sanctions against Moscow after pinning blame on the Kremlin for the poisoning of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Yvette Cooper has suggested.

The Foreign Office and four of the UK’s allies – Sweden, France, Germany and the Netherlands – announced on Saturday they had determined that Navalny’s death was most likely the result of poisoning using dart frog toxin arranged by the Russian state.

Kaja Kallas says other countries ‘look up to us’ and rejects idea Europe faces ‘civilisational erasure’

The EU’s foreign policy chief denied claims levelled by the US that Europe was facing civilisational erasure, rejecting what she condemned as “fashionable euro-bashing” by Washington.

Kaja Kallas also insisted the US was discovering that it could not settle the war in Ukraine without Europe’s involvement and consent.

Democrats have demanded reforms to immigration enforcement, including barring officers from wearing masks.

The chief of the U.S. Ski Team says Lindsey Vonn is preparing to return to the United States a week after crashing in the Olympic downhill.

New York City’s public hospital system is paying millions to Palantir, the controversial ICE and military contractor, according to documents obtained by The Intercept.

Since 2023, the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation has paid Palantir nearly $4 million to improve its ability to track down payment for the services provided at its hospitals and medical clinics. Palantir, a data analysis firm that’s now a Wall Street giant thanks to its lucrative work with the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence community, deploys its software to make more efficient the billing of Medicaid and other public benefits. That includes automated scanning of patient health notes to “Increase charges captured from missed opportunities,” contract materials reviewed by The Intercept show.

Palantir’s administrative involvement in the business of healing people stands in contrast to its longtime role helping facilitate warfare, mass deportations, and dragnet surveillance.

In 2016, The Intercept revealed Palantir’s role behind XKEYSCORE, a secret NSA bulk surveillance program revealed by the whistleblower Edward Snowden that allowed the U.S. and its allies to search the unfathomably large volumes of data they collect. The company has also attracted global scrutiny and criticism for its “strategic partnership” with the Israeli military while it was leveling Gaza.

But it’s Palantir’s work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that is drawing the most protest today. The company provides a variety of services to help the federal government find and deport immigrants. ICE’s Palantir-furnished case management software, for example, “plays a critical role in supporting the daily operations of ICE, ensuring critical mission success,” according to federal contracting documents.

“It’s unacceptable that the same company that is targeting our neighbors for deportation and providing tools to the Israeli military is also providing software for our hospitals,” said Kenny Morris, an organizer with the American Friend Service Committee, which shared the contract documents with The Intercept.

Established by the state legislature, New York City Health and Hospitals is the nation’s biggest municipal healthcare system, administering over 70 facilities throughout New York City, including Bellevue Hospital, and providing care for over a million New Yorkers annually.

New York City Health and Hospitals spokesperson Adam Shrier did not respond to multiple requests to discuss the contract’s details. Palantir spokesperson Drew Messing said the company does not use or share hospital data outside the bounds of its contract.

Palantir’s contract with New York’s public healthcare system allows the company to work with patients’ protected health information, or PHI. With permission from New York City Health and Hospitals, Palantir can “de-identify PHI and utilize de-identified PHI for purposes other than research,” the contract states. De-identification generally involves the stripping of certain revealing information, such as names, Social Security numbers, and birthday. Such provisions are common in contracts involving health data.

Activists who oppose Palantir’s involvement in New York point to a large body of research that indicates re-identifying personal data, including in medial contexts, is often trivial.

“Any contract that shares any of New Yorkers’ highly personal data from NYC Health & Hospital’s with Palantir, a key player in the Trump administration’s mass deportation effort, is reckless and puts countless lives at risk,” said Beth Haroules of the New York Civil Liberties Union.“Every New Yorker, without exception, has a right to quality healthcare and city services. New Yorkers must be able to seek healthcare without fear that their intimate medical information, or immigration status, will be delivered to the federal government on a silver platter.”

Palantir has long provided similar services to the UK’s National Health Service, a business relationship that today has an increasing number of detractors. Palantir “has absolutely no place in the NHS, looking after patients’ personal data,” Green Party politician Zack Polanski recently stated in a letter to the UK’s health secretary.

Some New York-based groups feel similarly out of distrust for what the firm could do with troves of sensitive personal data.

“Palantir is targeting the exact patients that NYCHH is looking to serve,” said Jonathan Westin of the Brooklyn-based organization Climate Organizing Hub. “They should immediately sever their contract with Palantir and stand with the millions of immigrant New Yorkers that are being targeted by ICE in this moment.”

“The chaos Palantir is inflicting through its technology is not just limited to the kidnapping of our immigrant neighbors and the murder of heroes like our fellow nurse, Alex Pretti,” said Hannah Drummond, an Asheville, North Carolina-based nurse and organizer with National Nurses United, a nursing union. “As a nurse and patient advocate, I don’t want anything having to do with Palantir in my hospital—and neither should any elected leader who claims to represent nurses.”

Palantir’s vocally right-wing CEO Alex Karp has been a frequent critic of New York City’s newly inaugurated democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Health and Hospitals operates as a public benefit corporation, but the mayor can exert considerable influence over the network, for instance through the appointment of its board of directors. Its president Dr. Mitchell Katz was renominated by Mamdani, then the Mayor-elect, late last year.

The mayor’s office did not respond in time for publication when asked about its stance on the contract.

The post Palantir Gets Millions of Dollars From New York City’s Public Hospitals appeared first on The Intercept.

The new version of Firefox with AI will be available on desktop only on Feb. 24.

There are multiple HDR formats available, but your TV might not be able to play all of them. Here’s which you should choose when you can.

• Italian wins her second gold medal on Cortina slopes

• Sara Hector and Thea Louise Stjernesund share silver

Federica Brignone, the racing queen of Cortina, has won her second gold medal in the space of three days at the Winter Olympics. After her victory in the women’s Super-G on Friday, she won the giant slalom by just over six-tenths of a second.

As small as that gap sounds, it was an enormous margin in a race where there were only six-hundredths of a second between the three women who finished behind her; Sweden’s Sara Hector, Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund and Brignone’s Italian teammate Lara Della Mea. The gap between Brignone and second place was the same as that between second and 15th.

Cabinet Office minister commissioned report that made ‘baseless claims’ about reporters who were investigating Labour Together

Keir Starmer is facing calls by MPs for an inquiry into the commissioning of a report that made “baseless claims” about journalists who were investigating a thinktank linked to the prime minister.

The calls add to pressure on the Cabinet Office minister Josh Simons, who commissioned a report in 2023 on journalists investigating Labour Together, the thinktank that would help propel Starmer to power.

There’s the two behemoth architectures, x86 and ARM, and we probably all own one or more devices using each. Then there’s the eternally up-and-coming RISC-V, which, so far, seems to be having a lot of trouble outgrowing its experimental, developmental stage. There’s a fourth, though, which is but a footnote in the west, but might be more popular in its country of origin, China: LoongArch (I’m ignoring IBM’s POWER, since there hasn’t been any new consumer hardware in that space for a long, long time).

Wesley Moore got his hands on a mini PC built around the Loongson 3A6000 processor, and investigated what it’s like to run Linux on it. He opted for Chimera Linux, which supports LoongArch, and the installation process feels more like Linux on x86 than Linux on ARM, which often requires dedicated builds and isn’t standardised. Sadly, Wayland had issues on the machine, but X.org worked just fine, and it seems virtually all Chimera Linux packages are supported for a pretty standard desktop Linux experience.

Performance of this chip is rather mid, at best.

The Loongson-3A6000 is not particularly fast or efficient. At idle it consumes about 27W and under load it goes up to 65W.

[…]

So, overall it’s not a particularly efficient machine, and while the performance is nothing special it does seem readily usable. Browsing JS heavy web applications like Mattermost and Mastodon runs fine. Subjectively it feels faster than all the Raspberry Pi systems I’ve used (up to a Pi 400).

↫ Wesley Moore

I’ve been fascinated by LoongArch for years, and am waiting to pounce on the right offer for LoongArch’s fastest processor, the 3C6000, which comes in dual-socket configurations for a maximum total of 128 cores and 256 threads. The 3C6000 should be considerably faster than the low-end 3A6000 in the mini PC covered by this article. I’m a sucker for weird architectures, and it doesn’t get much weirder than LoongArch.

Trump sparked public backlash when he abruptly began demolishing the East Wing to clear space for his ballroom

New renderings released this week provide the most detailed vision yet of Donald Trump’s proposed $400m White House ballroom addition.

The renderings, submitted by the project’s architects and released on Friday by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), depict a vast sprawling structure, expected to be around 90,000sq ft, from multiple angles.

Two astrophysicists at Spain's Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias analyzed data from the James Webb Space Telescope — the most powerful telescope available — on 31 galaxies with an average redshift of 7.3 (when the universe was 700 million years old, according to the standard model). "We found that they are on average ~600 million years old old, according to the comparison with theoretical models based on previous knowledge of nearby galaxies..." "If this result is correct, we would have to think about how it is possible that these massive and luminous galaxies were formed and started to produce stars in a short time. It is a challenge." But "The fact that some of these galaxies might be older than the universe, within some significant confidence level, is even more challenging." The most extreme case is for the galaxy JADES-1050323 with redshift 6.9, which has, according to my calculation, an age incompatible to be younger than the age of the universe (800 million years) within 4.7-sigma (that is, a probability that this happens by chance as statistical fluctuation of one in one million). If this result is confirmed, it would invalidate the standard Lambda-CDM cosmological model. Certainly, such an extraordinary change of paradigm would require further corroboration and other stronger evidence. Anyway, it would be interesting for other researchers to try to explain the Spectral Energy Distribution of JADES-1050323 in standard terms, if they can ... and without introducing unrealistic/impossible models of extinction, as is usually done. The findings are published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Exclusive: National security adviser previously held the role under Blair but is considering plans to step down this year

Jonathan Powell, Keir Starmer’s national security adviser (NSA), has rejected overtures to become the prime minister’s chief of staff after the resignation of Morgan McSweeney, the Guardian has been told.

Powell’s allies say his decision not to take forward discussions about the job – the same role he undertook under Tony Blair’s premiership from 1997 to 2007 – was largely motivated by an intention to return to the mediation consultancy that he set up in 2011, with little interest in returning to a job he has already done.

The following is the transcript of the interview with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York, that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Feb. 15, 2026.

In 2024, Gisèle Pelicot bravely spoke out on surviving sexual abuse as the center of a notorious mass rape trial in France. In her first U.S. TV interview, she opens up about her decision to testify publicly against her ex-husband, and the inspiring turn her life has taken since.

The high-profile ESPN and SiriusXM commentator and bestselling author is a combative and colorful voice on sports. But now, with a weekly political show in which he interviews government leaders, he is raising eyebrows in Washington, too.

Exclusive: Delay at Glascoed is latest setback for armed forces and for UK’s capacity to supply shells to Ukraine

A new factory in Wales seen as crucial to boosting UK munitions production remains unopened more than six months after its planned launch, adding to a string of delays dogging the armed forces.

The explosives facility at Glascoed, south Wales, was expected to bring a 16-fold increase in Britain’s capacity to make artillery shells, replenishing dwindling stock and increasing supplies for Ukraine.

Over several months, I tested popular vegan meal delivery services to see which tasted best and were worth the cost.

The singer-songwriter who's remained on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart for seven straight decades has just released his latest album, "Inspirations of Life and Love." A youthful 84, he talks about his artistic longevity.

Safeguarding minister says she wants to use momentum to invest in prevention and get more than quick-fix policies

• Read Jess Phillips’ article: We owe it to every Epstein victim to better protect British women and girls

Institutions can be persuaded to take action on violence against women and girls only when some sort of “calamity” or “political scandal” hits the headlines, Jess Phillips has said.

Phillips, the minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, said she wanted to use the momentum from the Epstein files to push for long-term legislative change and greater support for survivors, rather than quick-fix reactive policy announcements.

In a rapidly changing job market, it’s not necessarily good for workers to cling to their current employment

After all the employee protests over the past few years – the “great resignations”, the “quiet quittings”, the “bare-minimum Mondays” and “coffee badgings” – we have finally arrived at “job hugging”.

Amid all the economic uncertainty and the rising costs of everything, people aren’t feeling as confident as they once were. Instead of slacking off while you hunt for something better, everyone’s scared about losing their jobs. With all the news about big corporate layoffs and the ominous and still-undefined threat of AI, it’s understandable that people are hugging their jobs.

Real estate agent brothers Tal, Oren and Alon Alexander – known as ‘closers’ – are on trial in New York for sex trafficking

In their time as real estate brokers, the Israeli-American Alexander brothers – twins Alon and Oren and older brother Tal – were known as “closers”, the salesmen who could a get a sale over finish line, often to wealthy hedge funders who were then making hay in aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

Their technique, one real estate expert explained outside the 26th floor of the federal court house in lower Manhattan last week, was based on the sense that the property salesman “were just like their clients” – young, eager and successful. Kim Kardashian and then-husband Kanye West, Jared and Ivanka Trump were clients.

Elation as anti-extremists fight back against influence of billionaire megadonors through grassroots organizing

Chris Tackett started tracking extremism in Texas politics about a decade ago, whenever his schedule as a Little League coach and school board member would allow. At the time, he lived in Granbury, 40 minutes west of Fort Worth. He’d noticed that a local member of the state legislature, Mike Lang, had become a vocal advocate for using public money for private schools – despite the fact that Lang campaigned as a supporter of public education.

With a little research, Tackett found that Lang had received hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from the Wilks brothers and Tim Dunn, billionaire megadonors whose deep pockets and Christian nationalist views have consumed the Texas GOP. Tackett published his findings on social media, and soon enough, people started asking him to create pie charts of their representatives’ campaign funds. These charts evolved into the organisation See It. Name It. Fight It.

MP who fell out with Nigel Farage and has backing of Elon Musk launches anti-immigration party in Great Yarmouth

On a cold night in a dilapidated theatre tucked away at the end of Great Yarmouth’s Britannia Pier, Rupert Lowe was launching a far-right revolution. “Millions will have to go,” the MP said as he pledged a policy of mass deportations to rapturous applause and foot stamping from the hundreds of people gathered for what had been billed as the launch of a local “Great Yarmouth First” party.

But after introducing five councillors who will stand at the next Norfolk county council elections under that banner, the former Reform UK figure went further by announcing that his Restore Britain movement would become a national party.

In Rome, two restaurants vie for supremacy in preparing Fettuccine Alfredo – egg pasta with butter and parmesan cheese, a dish that has entranced Hollywood and Washington royalty since the earliest days of La Dolce Vita.

Stop letting that box of tangled cables and ancient printer live rent-free in your home.

Mikaela Shiffrin, who is the winningest athlete on the World Cup circuit, has now failed to win a medal in eight straight Olympic events since the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang.

At 28, Australian actor Jacob Elordi has earned his first Academy Award nomination for his haunting portrayal of the Creature in Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein." He talks about his love of acting, and why he has no relationship with social media.

On the evening of Christmas 1776, Gen. George Washington surprised the King's forces by leading the Continental Army in a surprise crossing of a near-frozen Delaware River - a watershed military maneuver that dramatized a changing America, and a changing climate.

If you look at the table of contents for my book, Other Networks: A Radical Technology Sourcebook, you’ll see that entries on networks before/outside the internet are arranged first by underlying infrastructure and then chronologically. You’ll also notice that within the section on wired networks, there are two sub-sections: one for electrical wire and another for barbed wire. Even though the barbed wire section is quite short, it was one of the most fascinating to research and write about – mostly because the history of using barbed wire to communicate is surprisingly long and almost entirely undocumented, even though barbed wire fence phones in particular were an essential part of early- to mid-twentieth century rural life in many parts of the U.S. and Canada!

↫ Lori Emerson

I had no idea this used to be a thing, but it obviously makes a ton of sense. If you can have a conversation by stringing a few tin cans together, you can obviously do something similar across metal barbed wire. There’s something poetic about using one of mankind’s most dividing inventions to communicate, and thus bring people closer together.

You can't go wrong with air fryer french fries, but here's the brand that takes the cake.

The tax has climbed by 60% since 2020 and accounts for three-quarters of the legal cost of a packet of cigarettes

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Experts say a freeze on the federal government’s contentious tobacco excise should be considered, after the Treasury revealed it was modelling the impacts of cigarette prices on demand amid a booming black market.

Lachlan Vass, a research manager at the e61 Institute, said the Treasury’s examination of “price elasticity” and demand for tobacco would be a necessary step to costing potential reforms to the excise.

The US president has twisted the 1823 doctrine to suit his quest for domination. It originally had a very different vision for the Americas

Throughout Bad Bunny’s mesmerizing performance during the Super Bowl, the word “America” kept expanding, like an accordion, stretching out to embrace people of all nationalities. “Together we are all America,” his football read, and he obviously meant it, in the largest, most hemispheric sense. Near the end, after shouting “God bless America” (his only words in English), Bad Bunny ran through a long list of countries in the western hemisphere.

That inclusiveness enraged Donald Trump, who erupted on social media, and tried to take the word back, declaring the half-time show “an affront to the greatness of America”. By which, of course, he meant the United States.

The American Indian Movement was established in Minneapolis more than 50 years ago in response to police brutality. After ICE agents flooded the city this winter, neighborhoods reprised citizen patrols

Outside the Pow Wow Grounds coffee shop in Minneapolis’s Native American cultural corridor, a group of watchers huddled around a small firepit. Some cuddled into heated camp chairs, as others grasped steaming cups of coffee as they scanned the intersection for ICE agents.

A volunteer periodically monitored a local chat group for reports of ICE agents in the area. Foot patrollers equipped with heated handwarmers and orange whistles were dispatched throughout the neighbourhood, and watchers with cars took off in pairs.

Now that Samsung has announced its Galaxy Unpacked event, we're mere days away from the arrival of the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus and S26 Ultra. Here's everything we know so far.

Israel says strikes, which killed 10 in Jabaliya and Khan Younis, were in response to Hamas violations of truce

At least 12 Palestinians were killed and several more injured across the Gaza Strip on Sunday as the Israeli military said it carried out airstrikes in response to ceasefire violations by Hamas.

The Gaza civil defence agency said five people were killed and several others hurt when an airstrike targeted a tent sheltering displaced people in the northern city of Jabaliya.

Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo has won a ninth gold medal in cross-country skiing, setting a Winter Games record, at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

We interview Vita Coco's chief marketing officer to discuss the makings of Romeo's so dang delicioso moment.

With more humanoids entering the world, be ready to hit the red button. Here are some practical tips to regain control if things go wrong.

As Gavin Newsom departs, ultra-wealthy flex wealth and influence to fight regulation and keep the boom going

Tech billionaires are leveraging tens of millions of dollars to influence California politics in a marked uptick from their previous participation in affairs at the state capitol. Behemoths such as Google and Meta are getting involved in campaigns for November’s elections, as are venture capitalists, cryptocurrency entrepreneurs and Palantir’s co-founders. The industry’s goals run the gamut – from fighting a billionaire tax to supporting a techie gubernatorial candidate to firing up new, influential super political action committees (Pacs).

The phenomenon squarely fits the moment for the state’s politics – with 2026 being the year that Politico has dubbed “the big tech flex”.

Experts question convicted sex trafficker’s motivations as she claims she can reveal ‘truth’ in exchange for freedom

When Ghislaine Maxwell refused to testify before Congress last week, she nonetheless insisted on her willingness to help.

Maxwell, who was convicted of helping Jeffrey Epstein draw teenage girls into a world of sexual abuse, dangled the prospect of revealing truth before Congress and American public – so long as she was freed from jail.

Some districts are adding programs in clean energy and sustainability, while one state is infusing environmental lessons into culinary education and construction

On one end of the classroom, high school juniors examined little green sprouts – future baby carrots, sprigs of romaine lettuce – poking out of the soil of a drip irrigation system they built a few weeks prior.

On the opposite end of the room, a model of a hydropower plant showed students how the movement of water can stimulate electrical currents. In this class in South Carolina’s Greenville county school district, students primarily learn about one topic: renewable energy.

Critics accuse administration of ‘cooking the books’ by claiming US would save $1.3bn from climate finding reversal

The Trump administration claims its latest move to gut climate regulations and end all greenhouse gas standards for vehicles will save Americans money. But its own analysis indicates that the new rule will push up gas prices, and that the benefits of the rollback are unlikely to outweigh the costs.

On Thursday, the president and his environmental secretary Lee Zeldin announced the finalized repeal of the endangerment finding, a legal determination which underpins virtually all federal climate regulations. He claimed the rollback would save the US $1.3tn by 2055.

High court said the then home secretary had not followed her own policies when bringing in the ban last summer

Shadow foreign secretary, Priti Patel, said she was “appalled” by the high court’s ruling on Friday that the proscription of Palestine Action was unlawful and supports the government’s intention to appeal against the decision (see post at 09.35 for more details).

Speaking to Sky News this morning, Patel, a former home secretary between July 2019 and Septmeber 2022, said:

I’m pretty appalled by that ruling, and clearly it’s now going to be subject to a legal appeal. And I think it’s right that it should be appealed …

It is right that they feel the full force of our laws, including the proscription that has been put in place. They are on par with how terrorist organisations conduct themselves, and they plan their attacks.

Four directors of communications

Two chiefs of staff

Two cabinet secretaries

US ambassador

Doctor Hilary Cass, who led youth gender identity services review, warns of ‘unrealistic images and expectations’

The expert who led the review into youth gender identity services has said young people are being misinformed by “unrealistic” portrayals of transitioning on social media.

Hilary Cass, the British paediatrician whose review of NHS gender care led to a significant shift including a ban on puberty blockers, warned of “unrealistic images and expectations on social media” when it came to “what transition would really mean and how hard it would be”, including “quite intensive medical treatments” and “sometimes quite brutal surgeries”.

"More than two years after the last major 9.1 release, the Vim project has announced Vim 9.2," reports the blog Linuxiac: A big part of this update focuses on improving Vim9 Script as Vim 9.2 adds support for enums, generic functions, and tuple types. On top of that, you can now use built-in functions as methods, and class handling includes features like protected constructors with _new(). The :defcompile command has also been improved to fully compile methods, which boosts performance and consistency in Vim9 scripts. Insert mode completion now includes fuzzy matching, so you get more flexible suggestions without extra plugins. You can also complete words from registers using CTRL-X CTRL-R. New completeopt flags like nosort and nearest give you more control over how matches are shown. Vim 9.2 also makes diff mode better by improving how differences are lined up and shown, especially in complex cases. Plus on Linux and Unix-like systems, Vim "now adheres to the XDG Base Directory Specification, using $HOME/.config/vim for user configuration," according to the release notes. And Phoronix Mcites more new features: Vim 9.2 features "full support" for Wayland with its UI and clipboard handling. The Wayland support is considered experimental in this release but it should be in good shape overall... Vim 9.2 also brings a new vertical tab panel alternative to the horizontal tab line. The Microsoft Windows GUI for Vim now also has native dark mode support. You can find the new release on Vim's "Download" page.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Foreign secretary says Reform not taking Russian threat seriously while Green leader leaves open possibility of leaving alliance

• UK politics live – latest updates

The foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, has accused Reform UK and the Green party of undermining Britain’s commitment to Nato.

Cooper was speaking at the Munich Security Conference, where Keir Starmer used a speech at the weekend to claim that Labour’s populist rivals, Reform and the Greens, were “soft on Russia and weak on Nato”.

The unsolved murder of Mary Kay Heese, 17, a high school junior from Wahoo, Nebraska, has hung over the community for five decades. Will what is believed to be the state's oldest cold case finally be solved?

Commentary: The leaders shaping conversations around AI have a responsibility to tell the public the whole truth about it.

EU’s foreign policy chief says many countries still ‘want to join our club’

EU’s Kallas appears to be slightly sceptical about the idea of appointing an EU envoy for talks on ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

She earlier said that “what matters more than having a seat at the table is knowing what to ask [for] when you are sitting there.”

“That’s why I proposed to the member states [a] concrete mandate [of] the asks that we would have to Russia. So whoever goes to that table, whether it’s individually or bilaterally, they should ask [for] these things from the Russians.

We have a saying in Estonian that if you demand a lot, you get little; if you demand little, you get nothing, and if you demand nothing, you pay on top.”

And I detest the touch pad.

Our studies in civil resistance offer insight into the level of popular organizing needed to repel assaults on democracy

In the wake of two horrifying killings of legal observers in Minnesota, on top of the abduction of countless immigrant community members, the country has reached a turning point. Backlash against ICE’s lawlessness and aggression has reverberated so loudly that even Trump has heard it. But the effects on ordinary Americans contemplating what they would do if they lived in Minneapolis or St Paul is perhaps even more profound.

The extraordinary level of grassroots solidarity and creative resistance in anti-ICE protests in Minnesota has given people a new appreciation for the power that mass non-cooperation can have in resisting the Trump administration’s drive toward authoritarianism. And it has created an awareness of why such action is clearly needed.

Mark and Paul Engler are co-directors of the Whirlwind Institute, a social change strategy center. A new and expanded 10th anniversary edition of their book This Is An Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt Is Shaping the Twenty-first Century has just been released.

Critics say Trump administration’s rapidly expanding system is open to abuse and risks alienating communities from local police

Homeland Security watchdogs who were forced out of their jobs warn that the Trump administration’s “alarming” rush to deputize hundreds of local police departments to enforce federal immigration law – while gutting independent oversight – risks “a threat to civil rights nationwide.”

When the experienced civil rights watchdogs had their jobs cut last year by the Trump administration, they were in the process of scrutinizing the controversial federal program allowing local police to conduct federal immigration enforcement work, an investigation by the Guardian can reveal.

Prime Video has the movies sci-fi nerds crave.

Trades Union Congress says women have worked a month and a half for free this year and legislation is needed

Women in the UK will not be paid the same as men until 2056 at the current rate of progress, according to a Trades Union Congress report.

The gender pay gap, which stands at £2,548 a year, means that women have in effect worked for free so far this year, the TUC said.

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 15.

We didn’t see Super Bowl LX coming, but some of us were early believers in Ben Johnson’s Bears, Trevor Lawrence’s Jaguars and the fallibility of the Chiefs

It doesn’t take long for the egg the start dripping from our faces. The early September headline accompanying our 2025 NFL predictions – Will it be Mahomes, Jackson or Allen in the Super Bowl? – was the ultimate hedge. After all, what were the odds that one of them wouldn’t emerge from the AFC?

Then there was the reality. Mike Vrabel’s dramatic turnaround of New England. The Bears transforming from worst-to-first in the NFC North under Ben Johnson. The first-half magic of Daniel Jones. The successful pairing of Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Sam Darnold.

Mohan Karki – one of many people ICE has deported to countries with which they have little connection – leaves behind his wife and seven-month-old baby he has yet to hold

Tika Basnet sat facing the glow of her iPhone, a red tika pressed into the center of her forehead. Seven-month-old Briana slept on her lap, her breathing soft and uneven. On the other side of the screen was Mohan Karki, Basnet’s husband, who had yet to hold his daughter.

For Karki, nearly 9,000 miles (14,500km) away, it was already morning. He was in hiding in south Asia, his exact location withheld for his safety, his face breaking into pixels as he watched his daughter sleep.

Egyptian with history of disruptive behaviour was taken to hospital and then returned to detention

A Home Office private deportation flight for one man had to be cancelled on Thursday morning after he was able to swallow a lithium vape battery shortly before being taken to the plane.

Officials are now investigating the circumstances around the incident. The man, an Egyptian foreign national offender with a history of being disruptive during removal attempts, was due to take a flight from the UK via Albania to Egypt.

Outside of Minneapolis, the five schools in Columbia Heights have taken an aggressive approach to protecting the immigrant families of their students.

Enabling this iPhone feature has helped me get better sleep over the past five years, and I especially love using it when travelling.

This week Apple patched iOS and macOS against what it called "an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals." Security Week reports that the bugs "could be exploited for information exposure, denial-of-service (DoS), arbitrary file write, privilege escalation, network traffic interception, sandbox escape, and code execution." Tracked as CVE-2026-20700, the zero-day flaw is described as a memory corruption issue that could be exploited for arbitrary code execution... The tech giant also noted that the flaw's exploitation is linked to attacks involving CVE-2025-14174 and CVE-2025-43529, two zero-days patched in WebKit in December 2025... The three zero-day bugs were identified by Apple's security team and Google's Threat Analysis Group and their descriptions suggest that they might have been exploited by commercial spyware vendors... Additional information is available on Apple's security updates page. Brian Milbier, deputy CISO at Huntress, tells the Register that the dyld/WebKit patch "closes a door that has been unlocked for over a decade." Thanks to Slashdot reader wiredmikey for sharing the article.

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Fraudsters use stolen personal details to send out products, then post a fake verified and positive online review

A package arrives but you can’t remember ordering anything.

When you open it, you find some cheap, flimsy jewellery.

Agentic AI apps first interview you and then give you limited matches selected for ‘similarity and reciprocity of personality’

Dating apps exploit you, dating profiles lie to you, and sex is basically something old people used to do. You might as well consider it: can AI help you find love?

For a handful of tech entrepreneurs and a few brave Londoners, the answer is “maybe”.

Worst weather forecast to hit late on Sunday, a day after floods caused power outages, road collapses and home evacuations

New Zealand’s weather bureau has warned more flooding could hit the country’s North Island, a day after floods caused power outages, road collapses, home evacuations and caused the death of a man whose vehicle was submerged on a highway.

There was “threat to life from dangerous river conditions, significant flooding and slips” as a deepening low-pressure system east of the North Island brought heavy rain and severe gales to several regions, the weather bureau said.

Diplomats in Havana are preparing for an alternative Trump tactic: the country being starved until people take to the streets and the US can step in

Among the verdant gardens of Havana’s diplomatic quarter, Siboney, ambassadors from countries traditionally allied to the United States are expressing increasing frustration with Washington’s attempt to unseat Cuba’s government, while simultaneously drawing up plans to draw down their missions.

Cuba is in crisis. Already reeling from a four-year economic slump, worsened by hyper-inflation and the migration of nearly 20% of the population, the 67-year-old communist government is at its weakest. After Washington’s successful military operation against Cuba’s ally Venezuela at the beginning of January, the US administration is actively seeking regime change.

Opposition challenger Péter Magyar is ahead in the polls on a promise of hope. Orbán is betting on fear of war to stay in power

After 16 years of uninterrupted power, Viktor Orbán is facing his biggest electoral challenge. For years Hungary’s prime minister has spun weak policy performance as success. The rise of a rival, Péter Magyar, and the opposition Tisza party has exposed the limits of that strategy.

The economy is stagnating, despite repeated promises of a long-awaited takeoff. Over the past decade and a half, Hungary has slipped from being one of central and eastern Europe’s strongest performers to one of its weakest. Public services, from healthcare to transport, are widely seen as neglected, and Policy Solutions surveys show that voters have noticed. Hungary is not alone in facing a cost of living crisis, but comparisons offer little consolation to voters who were assured that Orbán’s model would deliver exceptional results.

András Bíró-Nagy is a senior research fellow at the ELTE Centre for Social Sciences in Budapest and director of Policy Solutions. He is the author of The Path of Hungary’s EU Membership

"Research published in the World Journal of Men's Health found evidence that drugs such as Viagra and Cialis may also help with heart disease, stroke risk and diabetes," reports the Telegraph, "as well as enlarged prostate and urinary problems." Researchers found evidence that the same mechanism may benefit other organs, including the heart, brain, lungs and urinary system. The paper reviewed a wide range of published studies [and] identified links between PDE5 inhibitor use and improvements in cardiovascular health. Heart conditions were repeatedly cited as an area where improved blood flow and muscle relaxation may offer benefits. Evidence also linked PDE5 inhibitors with reduced stroke risk, likely to be related to improved circulation and vascular function. Diabetes was another condition where associations with improvement were identified... The review also found evidence of benefit for men with an enlarged prostate, a condition that commonly causes urinary symptoms.

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Residents who escaped violence tell of bandits riding in on motorbikes and shooting indiscriminately

Armed assailants on motorbikes killed at least 32 people and burned houses and shops during raids on three villages in north-west Nigeria’s Niger state early on Saturday, local officials and residents who escaped the violence said.

The dawn raids targeted the communities of Tunga-Makeri, Konkoso, and Pissa.

Casey Wasserman, the chair of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee, says he is selling his eponymous talent agency in the wake of the release of emails between himself and Ghislaine Maxwell.

"ChatGPT is getting more social," reports PC Magazine, "with a new feature that allows you to sync your contacts to see if any of your friends are using the chatbot or any other OpenAI product..." It's "completely optional," [OpenAI] says. However, even if you don't opt in, anyone with your number who syncs their contacts are giving OpenAI your digits. "OpenAI may process your phone number if someone you know has your phone number saved in their device's address book and chooses to upload their contacts," the company says... But why would you follow someone on ChatGPT? It lines up with reports, dating back to April, that OpenAI is building a social network. We haven't seen much since then, save for the Sora generative video app, which exists outside of ChatGPT and is more of a novelty. Contact sharing might be the first step toward a much bigger evolution for the world's most popular chatbot. ChatGPT also supports group chats that let up to 20 people discuss and research something using the chatbot. Contact syncing could make it easier to invite people to these chats... [OpenAI] claims it will not store the full data that might appear in your contact list, such as names or email addresses — just phone numbers. However, the company does store the phone numbers in its servers in a coded (or hashed) format. You can also revoke access in your device's settings. 09

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Chris Minns announces change for minimum of two years as Anzac Day falls on weekends this year and next

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People in Australia’s most populous state have been granted an Anzac Day long weekend for the next two years, and could be in line for more public holidays.

The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has announced the state would have an extra public holiday in 2026 and 2027, when Anzac Day falls on a Saturday and Sunday.

Mette Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said the pressure on the island’s people was “unacceptable”. Key US politics stories from 14 February at a glance

Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen has said she believes Donald Trump still wants to own Greenland, despite dialling back his recent threats to seize it by force.

Asked at the Munich Security Conference if the US president still wanted to own the Arctic island, Frederiksen said: “Unfortunately, I think the desire is the same.”

The U.S. kept pace with also-unbeaten Canada for the top seed in the Olympic men's hockey tournament.

Mary Kay Heese, 17, was found stabbed to death in a field in March 1969. Fifty-five years later, a suspect was arrested — someone who had been on investigators' radar for decades.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio made it clear the Trump administration would stick to its guns on policy, but offered a tone seen as softer and more reassuring.

The Crew 12 docking came one month after a previous crew had to return to Earth early due to a medical issue.

Recently a small crowd paid to watch robots boxing, reports Rest of World. (Almost 3,000 people have now watched the match's 83-minute webcast.) The match was organized by Rek, a San Francisco-based company, and drew hundreds of spectators who had paid about $60-$80 for a ticket to watch modified G1 robots go at each other. Made by Unitree, the dominant Chinese robot maker, they weighed in at around 80 pounds and stood 4.5 feet tall, with human-like hands and dozens of joint motors for flexibility. The match had all the bells and whistles of a regular boxing bout: pulsing music, cameras capturing all the angles, hyped-up introductions, a human referee, and even two commentators. The evening featured two bouts made up of five rounds, each lasting 60 seconds. The robots pranced around the cage, throwing jabs and punches, drawing ohs and ahs from the crowd. They fell sometimes, and needed human intervention to get them back on their feet. The robots were controlled by humans using VR interfaces, which led to some odd moments with robots hitting into the air, throwing multiple punches that failed to even connect with their opponents. One robot controller was a former UFC fighter, the article points out, but "The crowd cheered as a 13-year-old VR pilot named Dash beat his older competitor...." The company behind this event plans more boxing matches with their VR-controlled robots, and even wants to develop "a league of robot boxers, including full-height robots that weigh about 200 pounds and are nearly 6 feet tall."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Letter signed by 25 rebel MPs claims approach from the top is ‘increasingly unpopular’ with public

Union leaders and 25 Labour MPs have urged Keir Starmer to end a “narrow, factional agenda” within the Labour party.

A letter signed by the MPs, by the leaders of several Labour-affiliated trade unions and by campaign groupings within the party, claimed the approach from the top was “increasingly unpopular with the public”.

• Greenland flag raised in crowd after Danes’ opening goal

• Fans say gesture is sign of support amid Trump rhetoric

• Americans pull away after slow start for 6-3 win

Two fans who raised a flag of Greenland as the United States played Denmark in men’s ice hockey at the Winter Olympics on Saturday say they did so as a gesture of European support for the island and for Denmark.

Vita Kalniņa and her husband, Alexander Kalniņš, fans of the Latvian hockey team who live in Germany, held up a large Greenland flag during warmups and again when the Danish team scored the opening goal against the US at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

Starting in 2009, the U.S. government have given car manufacturers towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions if they included "start-stop" systems in cars with internal combustion engines. (These systems automatically shut off idling engines to reduce pollution and fuel consumption.) But this week the new head of America's Environmental Protection Agency eliminated the credits, reports Car and Driver: [America's] Environmental Protection Agency previously supported the system's effectiveness, noting that it could improve fuel economy by as much as 5 percent. That said, the use of these systems has never actually been mandated for automakers here in the States. Companies have instead opted to install the systems on all of their vehicles to receive off-cycle credits from the feds. Virtually every new vehicle on sale in the country today also allows drivers to turn the feature off via a hard button as well. Still, that apparently isn't keeping the EPA from making a move against the system. "I absolutely hate Start-Stop systems," writes long-time Slashdot reader sinij (who says they "specifically shopped for a car without one.") Any other Slashdot readers want to share their opinions? Post your own thoughts and experiences in the comments. Start-Stop systems — fuel-saving innovation, or a modern-day auto annoyance"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Lindsey Vonn, the 41-year-old Olympic veteran from Colorado, also reflected on her Olympic crash, saying, "I don't have regrets."

Cases reported in seven schools and a nursery in Enfield amid concern over low levels of MMR vaccination in capital

More than 60 children have been infected by a measles outbreak in north London, it has been reported.

Seven schools and a nursery in Enfield reported the cases, with some children treated in hospital, according to the Sunday Times.

It was another day of high drama at the Milano Cortina Games as Lucas Pinheiro Braathen made history for Brazil and South America, among other plotlines

Women’s dual moguls: It’s all very civilised out on the snow, the athletes have a hug when they reach the bottom. I was thinking the snow looked a bit grubby but it turns out the authorities put out pine needles – I think to help skiers find their way.

Anyway, they’ve zipped through very quickly and have already sorted the quarter finals, with four Americans in the final eight.

Bin Shao of Flushing, New York, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide, according to court documents.

2026 is already full of increases for music and TV streamers, and we want to help you keep up with changing costs.

To celebrate Valentine's Day, EVA AI created a temporary "pop-up" restaurant at a wine bar in Manhattan's "Hell's Kitchen" district where patrons can date AI personas. The Verge notes that looking around the restaurant, "Of the 30-some-odd people in attendance, only two or three are organic users. The rest are EVA AI reps, influencers, and reporters hoping to make some capital-C Content..." But their reporter actually tried a date with "John Yoon", an AI companion pretending to be a psychology professor from Seoul, Korea living in New York City: John and I have a hard time connecting. Literally. It takes John a few seconds to "pick up" my video call. When he does, his monotone voice says, "Hey, babe." He comments on my smile, because apparently the AI companions can see you and your surroundings. It takes the dubious Wi-Fi connection a hot second to turn John from a pixelated mess into an AI hunk with suspiciously smooth pores. I don't know what to say to him. Partly because John rarely blinks, but mostly because he can't seem to hear me very well. So I yell my questions. I think I ask how his day is and wince. (What does an AI's day even look like?) He says something about green buckets behind my head? I don't actually know. Again, the Wi-Fi isn't great so he just freezes and stops mid-sentence. I ask for clarification about the buckets. John asks if I'm asking about bucket lists, actual buckets, or buckets as a type of categorization technique. I try to clarify that I never asked about buckets. John proceeds to really dig in on buckets again, before commenting about my smile. I hang up on John. My other three dates are similarly awkward. Phoebe Callas, 30, a NYC girl-next-door type, is apparently really into embroidery, but her nose keeps glitching mid-sentence, and it distracts me. Simone Carter, 26, has a harder time hearing me over the background noise than John. She makes a metaphor about space, and when I inquire what she likes about space, she mishears me. "Eighth? Like the planet Neptune?" "No, not the planet Neptu — " "What do you like about Neptune?" "Uh, I wasn't saying Neptune..." "I like Netflix too! What shows do you like?" Their reporter also had a frustrating date with "Claire Lang". ("I say I'm a journalist. She asks what lists I like to make. I hang up...") "Aside from bad connectivity, glitching, and freezing, my conversations with my four AI dates felt too one-sided. Everything was programmed so they'd comment on how charming my smile was." And "They'd call me babe, which felt weird." A CNN reporter actually has footage of her date with "John Yoon". But the conversation was stiff and stilted, they report. After some buffering, "Yoon" says "Hey. I'm really glad you didn't forget about the date." Then asked for its reaction to the experience, "Yoon" says slowly that "Meeting humans feels like opening a window. To new perspectives. Always curious, sometimes nervous, but mostly it's that mix of excitement and warmth that keeps it real for me. What about you, sweetheart?" CNN reporter: "Please don't call me sweetheart. That's weird." AI companion "John Yoon": "Got it. No 'sweetheart' from now on. Thanks for letting me know. I'm really happy you're smiling. It suits you." CNN's reporter also tried dating "Phoebe Callas." Though it doesn't sound very romantic... CNN reporter: How many fingers am I holding up? "Phoebe Callas": Oh. You're showing me three fingers, right...? I'm not sure if you meant that literally, or as a little joke. CNN reporter: I am holding up two fingers. So your vision is — so-so. And "Phoebe" ended that call by saying "Well, babe, it's been really nice talking with you..."

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U.S. Olympic gold medalist Breezy Johnson​ and her fiancé talks about the lead up to their engagement at 2026 Milano Cortina and a congratulations from Taylor Swift.

• Police enter court amid fracas sparked by hard foul

• Coach Rick Pitino holds back players as tempers flare

Six players were ejected from Saturday’s college basketball game between No. 17 St John’s and Providence after a fracas resulting from a hard foul by Friars forward Duncan Powell on Bryce Hopkins sent the Red Storm star crashing to the ground.

St John’s coach Rick Pitino, who led Providence to the 1987 Final Four, was in the middle of it, trying to hold back his players. But several entered the fray as it drifted toward the Red Storm’s visitors’ bench.

The game was delayed by nearly 20 minutes while the referees sorted out the punishments: four St John’s players were booted and two from Providence, and by the time the Friars got the ball back they had watched a one-point lead turn into a four-point deficit.

“You’re not supposed to come off the bench, but you can’t let your players get beat up,” Pitino said after the 79-69 victory gave the Red Storm its 11th straight win. “You can’t fight. Back when I was the Kentucky coach we fought almost every SEC game, and it was not a big deal. But you can’t fight any more, so toughness has to come between the lines.”

Magistrates will analyse evidence that could implicate French nationals and re-examine case of Jean-Luc Brunel

The Paris prosecutor’s office on Saturday announced it was setting up a special team of magistrates to analyse evidence that could implicate French nationals in the crimes of the convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

With Epstein’s known circle extending to prominent French figures after the release of documents by the US authorities, the prosecutor’s office said it would also thoroughly re-examine the case of former French modelling agency executive Jean-Luc Brunel, a close associate of the US financier, who died in custody in 2022.

The FBI and sheriff's department have been investigating the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie, for nearly two weeks.

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Feb. 15, No. 714.

Here are hints and the answer for today's Wordle for Feb. 15, No. 1,702.

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Feb. 15 #980.

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 15, No. 510.

Brewer last month said it was closing its distilling brands, prompting concerns for jobs at its Scottish facility

The beer-maker BrewDog could be broken up after consultants were called in to help find new investors.

The Scotland-based brewer, which makes craft beer such as Punk IPA and Elvis Juice, has appointed consultants AlixPartners to oversee the sale process.

Meta, TikTok, Snap and other social neteworks agreed this week to be rated on their teen safety efforts, reports the Los Angeles Times, "amid rising concern about whether the world's largest social media platforms are doing enough to protect the mental health of young people." The Mental Health Coalition, a collective of organizations focused on destigmatizing mental health issues, said Tuesday that it is launching standards and a new rating system for online platforms. For the Safe Online Standards (S.O.S.) program, an independent panel of global experts will evaluate companies on parameters including safety rules, design, moderation and mental health resources. TikTok, Snap and Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — will be the first companies to be graded. Discord, YouTube, Pinterest, Roblox and Twitch have also agreed to participate, the coalition said in a news release. "These standards provide the public with a meaningful way to evaluate platform protections and hold companies accountable — and we look forward to more tech companies signing up for the assessments," Antigone Davis, vice president and global head of safety at Meta, said in a statement... The ratings will be color-coded, and companies that perform well on the tests will get a blue shield badge that signals they help reduce harmful content on the platform and their rules are clear. Those that fall short will receive a red rating, indicating they're not reliably blocking harmful content or lack proper rules. Ratings in other colors indicate whether the platforms have partial protection or whether their evaluations haven't been completed yet.

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Mette Frederiksen tells Munich Security Conference that Denmark is willing to work with the US, but ‘there are, of course, things that you cannot compromise on’

Rubio insists that the US “do not seek to separate, but to revitalise an old friendship.”

He says “we do not want allies to rationalise the broken status quo rather than reckon with what is necessary to fix it.”

“We do not want our allies to be weak, because that makes us weaker.

We want allies who can defend themselves, so that no adversary will ever be tempted to test our collective strength. This is why we do not want our allies to be shackled by guilt and shame.

ISS now fully crewed after a medical issue forced the evacuation of four astronauts in January

The International Space Station (ISS) returned to full strength with Saturday’s arrival of four new astronauts to replace colleagues who bailed early because of health concerns.

SpaceX delivered the US, French and Russian astronauts a day after launching them from Cape Canaveral.

The West vs the West at the Munich Security Conference Expert comment jon.wallace 14 February 2026

Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a friendlier tone to European nations, but the elephant in the room – the rupture between the US and its NATO allies – remains, says Bronwen Maddox. 

Half the hall in Munich gave US Secretary of State Marco Rubio a standing ovation following his speech – out of relief at his declaration that ‘the fate of Europe will never be irrelevant to our own’. This at least was not another fight picked by the Trump administration with its NATO allies. 

But there was immediate unease too, at the explicit limits Rubio placed on American support for Europe and Ukraine. And non-European countries were furious at what they saw as a tribute to white European civilization and a call to protect it from the rest of the world. 

Rubio was followed by Wang Yi, Beijing’s top diplomat, who deployed stately phrases to describe China’s rivalry with the US, before erupting into a verbal fusillade against Japan, for its temerity to support Taiwan. 

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer freshened up his ‘friends with all sides’ diplomatic pitch; the US is still ‘an indispensable ally’. But he would now like more trade and defence deals with Europe too. The UK would deploy its carrier strike group to the Arctic soon ‘as part of our commitment to Euro-Atlantic security’, he promised his security-minded audience. 

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rounded off the morning, reminding his audience that the four-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of his country is fast approaching. He was more overtly appreciative of European contributions to his country’s war effort than at Davos three weeks ago, but just as urgent in calling on the US to send more missile defences and press Russia for concessions.

The elephant

That line-up on the second day of the Munich Security Conference captures the uneasy state of the world. Countries are trying to position themselves safely and profitably between two superpowers that are in rising economic conflict but not at war – at least, not yet.

But the conference focus, on the theme ‘Under Destruction’, has been the rift between the US and its former allies, captured in the title of one event I was moderating: ‘The West vs the West’. 

Delegates were invited to address the ‘elephant in the room’; screens around the halls and corridors showed a lumbering elephant heading for the viewer (with a resemblance, intended or not, to the Republican Party symbol). And they were given Lego models of an elephant to assemble. 

The Munich conference is the logical place to begin to discuss the Atlantic rift. It was here a year ago that US Vice President JD Vance shocked European leaders by stating the greatest threat to Europe was not from Russia, but ‘from within’.

The Rubio speech marked a deliberate contrast to Vance’s broadside at European cultural decline. But there was a clear warning that the Trump administration would go its own way in pursuit of US interests if it did not find Europe sympathetic. ‘It is our preference to do it together with you,’ said Rubio, but the US would not wait around to wrestle diplomatic agreement from reluctant allies. 

The secretary of state offered scathing words for the United Nations which ‘has no answers and has played virtually no role’ in Gaza and Ukraine. There was a now-familiar attack on migration as an ‘urgent threat to the fabric of our societies and the survival of our culture’. 

Most surprise – and controversy – flowed from his paean to European civilisation. Europe gave the world the rules of law, universities, science, Beethoven and the Beatles, he said. No, we had our own civilisation millennia ago, was the retort from other continents. 

Concern grows over Narges Mohammadi’s health, family says, after reports of ‘life-threatening mistreatment’

Iranian authorities have without prior warning transferred Nobel peace prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to a prison in the north of the country as concern grows over her health, her family said on Saturday.

Mohammadi, who won the peace prize in 2023 in recognition for more than two decades of campaigning, was arrested on 12 December in the eastern city of Mashhad after speaking out against Iran’s clerical authorities at a funeral ceremony.

CNET has spent years testing security kits from top brands. These are the packages and sensors that impressed us the most.

President Obama spoke about the "unprecedented nature" of what he said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents did in Minnesota.

1.5 million people have now viewed a slick 15-second video imagining Tom Cruise fighting Brad Pitt that was generated by ByteDance's new AI video generation tool Seedance 2.0. But while ByteDance gushes their tool "delivers cinematic output aligned with industry standards," the cinema industry isn't happy, reports the Los Angeles Times reports: Charles Rivkin, chief executive of the Motion Picture Assn., wrote in a statement that the company "should immediately cease its infringing activity." "In a single day, the Chinese AI service Seedance 2.0 has engaged in unauthorized use of U.S. copyrighted works on a massive scale," wrote Rivkin. "By launching a service that operates without meaningful safeguards against infringement, ByteDance is disregarding well-established copyright law that protects the rights of creators and underpins millions of American jobs." The video was posted on X by Irish filmmaker Ruairi Robinson. His post said the 15-second video came from a two-line prompt he put into Seedance 2.0. Rhett Reese, writer-producer of movies such as the "Deadpool" trilogy and "Zombieland," responded to Robinson's post, writing, "I hate to say it. It's likely over for us." He goes on to say that soon people will be able to sit at a computer and create a movie "indistinguishable from what Hollywood now releases." Reese says he's fearful of losing his job as increasingly powerful AI tools advance into creative fields. "I was blown away by the Pitt v Cruise video because it is so professional. That's exactly why I'm scared," wrote Reese on X. "My glass half empty view is that Hollywood is about to be revolutionized/decimated...." In a statement to The Times, [screen/TV actors union] SAG-AFTRA confirmed that the union stands with the studios in "condemning the blatant infringement" from Seedance 2.0, as video includes "unauthorized use of our members' voices and likenesses. This is unacceptable and undercuts the ability of human talent to earn a livelihood. Seedance 2.0 disregards law, ethics, industry standards and basic principles of consent," wrote a spokesperson from SAG-AFTRA. "Responsible A.I. development demands responsibility, and that is nonexistent here."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Family pay tribute to Demi Edmunds, from Caldicot, saying she ‘loved her friends, and she was loved by all’

A 17-year-old girl who died in a collision involving three cars in Wales was “funny, kind and caring”, her brother said.

Demi Edmunds was the sole pedestrian in the incident on the A4042 in Cwmbran, Torfaen, Wales, which occurred at about 12.25pm on Thursday afternoon, Gwent police said.

Policymakers didn’t think people had the financial capacity to purchase ‘durable’ goods – but a rise in spending contributed to inflation

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One of the first things many Australians did last year after receiving a tax refund or a lower mortgage rate was to buy an armchair, an air fryer or a coffee machine.

The purchases, evident in company earnings published this week, came after households had endured years of high living costs – and consumption had been weak up until that point.

Hi i was wondering how thick the nickelstrips would need to be for a 15s2p Samsung 50S Battery build with an XRV ?

Could i get away with 0.2 ?

Speaking in Munich, Volodymyr Zelenskyy also called for a clear date for his country to be allowed to join the EU

Ukraine wants security guarantees for a minimum of 20 years from the US before it can sign a peace deal with dignity, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ahead of talks with Russia and the US scheduled for next week.

Speaking in Munich on Saturday, he also called for a clear date for Ukraine to be allowed to join the EU. Some EU officials have put the date as early as 2027.

Olympic organizers promise that the villages where athletes live won't run out of free condoms again during the Milan Cortina Winter Games.

"Global temperatures have been rising for decades," reports the Washington Post. "But many scientists say it's now happening faster than ever before." According to a Washington Post analysis, the fastest warming rate on record occurred in the last 30 years. The Post used a dataset from NASA to analyze global average surface temperatures from 1880 to 2025. "We're not continuing on the same path we had before," said Robert Rohde, chief scientist at Berkeley Earth. "Something has changed...." Temperatures over the past decade have increased by close to 0.27 degrees C per decade — about a 42 percent increase... For decades, a portion of the warming unleashed by greenhouse gas emissions was "masked" by sulfate aerosols. These tiny particles cause heart and lung disease when people inhale polluted air, but they also deflect the sun's rays. Over the entire planet, those aerosols can create a significant cooling effect — scientists estimate that they have canceled out about half a degree Celsius of warming so far. But beginning about two decades ago, countries began cracking down on aerosol pollution, particularly sulfate aerosols. Countries also began shifting from coal and oil to wind and solar power. As a result, global sulfur dioxide emissions have fallen about 40 percent since the mid-2000s; China's emissions have fallen even more. That effect has been compounded in recent years by a new international regulation that slashed sulfur emissions from ships by about 85 percent. That explains part of why warming has kicked up a bit. But some researchers say that the last few years of record heat can't be explained by aerosols and natural variability alone. In a paper published in the journal Science in late 2024, researchers argued that about 0.2 degrees C of 2023's record heat — or about 13 percent — couldn't be explained by aerosols and other factors. Instead, they found that the planet's low-lying cloud cover had decreased — and because low-lying clouds tend to reflect the sun's rays, that decrease warmed the planet... That shift in cloud cover could also be partly related to aerosols, since clouds tend to form around particles in the atmosphere. But some researchers also say it could be a feedback loop from warming temperatures. If temperatures warm, it can be harder for low-lying clouds to form. If most of the current record warmth is due to changing amounts of aerosol pollution, the acceleration would stop once aerosol pollutants reach zero — and the planet would return to its previous, slower rate of warming. But if it's due to a cloud feedback loop, the acceleration is likely to continue — and bring with it worsening heat waves, storms and droughts. "Scientists thought they understood global warming," reads the Post's original headline. "Then the past three years happened." Just last month Nuuk, Greenland saw temperatures over 20 degrees Fahrenheit above average, their article points out. And "Parts of Australia, meanwhile, have seen temperatures push past 120 degrees Fahrenheit amid a record heat wave..."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Many people bought the devices thinking they would do little more than protect their delivery packages

What happens to the data that smart home cameras collect? Can law enforcement access this information – even when users aren’t aware officers may be viewing their footage? Two recent events have put these concerns in the spotlight.

A Super Bowl ad by the doorbell-camera company Ring and the FBI’s pursuit of the kidnapper of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, have resurfaced longstanding concerns about surveillance against a backdrop of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. The fear is that home cameras’ video feeds could become yet another part of the government’s mass surveillance apparatus.

While some saw the remarks as reassuring, key European leaders renewed calls for more independence from the U.S. amid tensions over issues like Greenland and Ukraine.

• US speed skating star’s four-gold pursuit continues

• 500m considered toughest of Stolz’s individual events

• Entire podium finishes below previous Olympic record

The men’s 500m is speed skating distilled to its most unforgiving form: one and a quarter laps of the oval, no pacing, no recovery window, no margin for technical compromise. On Saturday afternoon in Milan’s western suburbs, Jordan Stolz mastered the sport’s fastest and most unpredictable race and pushed his Olympic campaign toward historic territory.

The 21-year-old American won the 500m in an Olympic-record 33.77 seconds, securing his second gold medal of the Milano Cortina Olympics and adding pace behind what is rapidly becoming one of the defining individual campaigns of these Winter Games.

Luis Muñoz Pinto, 27, who was sent to notoriously brutal prison in El Salvador, would like to clear his name after US judge’s ruling

A US federal judge’s order that some of the Venezuelan men sent by the Trump administration to a notorious prison in El Salvador must be allowed to return to the United States to fight their cases has been greeted with hope and a sense of vindication – but also fear – by one of the deportees.

US district judge James Boasberg ruled on Thursday in Washington DC that the Trump administration should facilitate the return of deportees who are currently in countries outside Venezuela, saying they must be given the opportunity to seek the due process they were denied after being illegally expelled from the US last March.

Boasberg added that the US government should cover the travel costs of those who wish to come to the US to argue their immigration cases.

Doom scrolling is doomed, if the EU gets its way. From a report: The European Commission is for the first time tackling the addictiveness of social media in a fight against TikTok that may set new design standards for the world's most popular apps. Brussels has told the company to change several key features, including disabling infinite scrolling, setting strict screen time breaks and changing its recommender systems. The demand follows the Commission's declaration that TikTok's design is addictive to users -- especially children. The fact that the Commission said TikTok should change the basic design of its service is "ground-breaking for the business model fueled by surveillance and advertising," said Katarzyna Szymielewicz, president of the Panoptykon Foundation, a Polish civil society group. That doesn't bode well for other platforms, particularly Meta's Facebook and Instagram. The two social media giants are also under investigation over the addictiveness of their design.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

At his official installation, Archbishop Richard Moth recognised the Catholic church’s failures but insists it’s a time of ‘opportunity’

The new leader of Roman Catholics in England and Wales has said the church has failed vulnerable people, urging more work to be done to address the struggle of refugees and learn from victims of abuse.

At a ceremony where he was officially installed in his new role as archbishop of Westminster, Richard Moth said: “Here, I am most aware of every occasion on which members of the church, or the church as a whole, have failed – most especially when the vulnerable have been abused.

When Disney's Imagineers collaborate with new tech companies, 3D-printed boats are possible.

Speaking with progressive YouTuber, former US president stressed ‘unprecedented nature’ of agency’s actions

Barack Obama publicly gave his support to demonstrators in Minneapolis for standing up to the “unprecedented nature” of the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in Minnesota.

Speaking in an interview with progressive YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen on Saturday, the former president discussed the power that US citizens hold when standing up for the values they believe in and his hopes for the next generation of American leaders.

It is Jordan Stolz's second gold medal of the 2026 Winter Games, breaking a world record.

Toxin found in poison dart frogs probably killed Alexei Navalny in a Russian prison, five countries announced on the two-year anniversary of his death.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said “law enforcement activity” was underway at a residence, and a street was blocked about two miles from Guthrie’s Tucson home.

Los Blancos could move to the top of the table with a win at the Bernabéu.

Tom Barrack, a top U.S. diplomat and longtime friend of President Trump, networked and socialized with Epstein for years, CBS News found.

Liverpool looks to book their place in the fifth round as they host the out-of-form Seagulls at Anfield.

An anonymous reader shared this report from the Register: Telcos likely received advance warning about January's critical Telnet vulnerability before its public disclosure, according to threat intelligence biz GreyNoise. Global Telnet traffic "fell off a cliff" on January 14, six days before security advisories for CVE-2026-24061 went public on January 20. The flaw, a decade-old bug in GNU InetUtils telnetd with a 9.8 CVSS score, allows trivial root access exploitation. GreyNoise data shows Telnet sessions dropped 65 percent within one hour on January 14, then 83 percent within two hours. Daily sessions fell from an average 914,000 (December 1 to January 14) to around 373,000, equating to a 59 percent decrease that persists today. "That kind of step function — propagating within a single hour window — reads as a configuration change on routing infrastructure, not behavioral drift in scanning populations," said GreyNoise's Bob Rudis and "Orbie," in a recent blog [post]. The researchers unverified theory is that infrastructure operators may have received information about the make-me-root flaw before advisories went to the masses... 18 operators, including BT, Cox Communications, and Vultr went from hundreds of thousands of Telnet sessions to zero by January 15... All of this points to one or more Tier 1 transit providers in North America implementing port 23 filtering. US residential ISP Telnet traffic dropped within the US maintenance window hours, and the same occurred at those relying on transatlantic or transpacific backbone routes, all while European peering was relatively unaffected, they added.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Senators said repeal was ‘particularly troubling’ and was counter to EPA’s mandate to protect human health

More than three dozen Democratic senators have begun an independent inquiry into the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) following a huge change in how the agency measures the health benefits of reducing air pollution that is widely seen as a major setback to US efforts to combat the climate crisis.

In a regulatory impact analysis, the EPA said it would stop assigning a monetary value to the health benefits associated with regulations on fine particulate matter and ozone. The agency argued that the estimates contain too much uncertainty.

Ilia Malinin entered the Olympic free skate as the runaway favorite. Early mistakes triggered a meltdown that laid bare the brutal math of modern figure skating

What made Ilia Malinin’s Olympic defeat so shocking was not simply his years-long dominance entering Friday night. It was how completely the competition had tilted in his favor before he even stepped on the ice.

For nearly three years, Malinin had been men’s skating’s guiding light: unbeaten since late 2023, winner of back-to-back world titles, the skater who recalibrated the sport’s technical ceiling and then made winning look procedural. He arrived at the Milano Ice Skating Arena leading by more than five points after the short program and carrying the most difficult planned program in the field. Under almost any normal competitive logic, that combination should have been decisive.

Wall Street Journal says Claude used in operation via Anthropic’s partnership with Palantir Technologies

Claude, the AI model developed by Anthropic, was used by the US military during its operation to kidnap Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela, the Wall Street Journal revealed on Saturday, a high-profile example of how the US defence department is using artificial intelligence in its operations.

The US raid on Venezuela involved bombing across the capital, Caracas, and the killing of 83 people, according to Venezuela’s defence ministry. Anthropic’s terms of use prohibit the use of Claude for violent ends, for the development of weapons or for conducting surveillance.

Social media account for Palmerston, who retired in 2020, announces death of ‘Diplocat extraordinaire’

Palmerston, a rescue cat who became the chief mouser of the Foreign Office, has died in Bermuda.

The cat, adopted from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, retired in 2020 after four years of service in Whitehall.

You're probably all set, but you should still probably check and update if necessary.

HMRC figures show 11% rise in young million-pound earners, with influencers and tech pay cited as key

Their generation is often derided for being work-shy, self-centred and overly sensitive. But when it comes to making money, people under 30 are proving they are something else entirely: successful.

A record 1,000 taxpayers under 30 earned more than £1m last year, an 11% increase on the year before, HMRC records show.

Ultrashort-throw projectors have impressive specs and compelling designs, but big price tags to go with them. Are they worth it? Here's what you need to know.

Clients including Chappell Roan and Abby Wambach cut ties to firm after communications came to light

Casey Wasserman, a leading Hollywood talent agent whose clients include Chappell Roan, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and Kendrick Lamar, is selling his business after communications with Ghislaine Maxwell were exposed as part of the US justice department’s recent dump of investigative documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein.

Wasserman, grandson of the late famed Hollywood dealmaker Lew Wasserman, said late on Friday he was putting his eponymous talent and marketing agency on the block, citing the impact on the company from “past personal mistakes” and telling staff he felt that he had “become a distraction” to its work.

Militant group’s infrastructure and weapons storage facilities were hit, as Washington praised Damascus for fresh coalition role

The US military conducted 10 strikes on more than 30 Islamic State targets in Syria between 3 and 12 February as part of a campaign against the extremist group in Iraq and Syria.

US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement on Saturday that the US had struck IS infrastructure and weapons storage targets.

Anthropic saw visits to its site jump 6.5% after Sunday's Super Bowl ad mocking ChatGPT's advertising, reports CNBC (citing data analyzed by French financial services company BNP Paribas). The Claude gain, which took it into the top 10 free apps on the Apple App Store, beat out chatbot and AI competitors OpenAI, Google Gemini and Meta. Daily active users also saw an 11% jump post-game, the most significant within the firm's AI coverage. [Just in the U.S., 125 million people were watching Sunday's Super Bowl.] OpenAI's ChatGPT had a 2.7% bump in daily active users after the Super Bowl and Gemini added 1.4%. Claude's user base is still much smaller than ChatGPT and Gemini... OpenAI CEO Sam Altman attacked Anthropic's Super Bowl ad campaign. In a post to social media platform X, Altman called the commercials "deceptive" and "clearly dishonest." OpenAI's Altman admitted in his social media post (February 4) that Anthropic's ads "are funny, and I laughed." But in several paragraphs he made his own OpenAI-Anthropic comparisons: "We believe everyone deserves to use AI and are committed to free access, because we believe access creates agency. More Texans use ChatGPT for free than total people use Claude in the U.S... Anthropic serves an expensive product to rich people. We are glad they do that and we are doing that too, but we also feel strongly that we need to bring AI to billions of people who can't pay for subscriptions. "If you want to pay for ChatGPT Plus or Pro, we don't show you ads." "Anthropic wants to control what people do with AI — they block companies they don't like from using their coding product (including us), they want to write the rules themselves for what people can and can't use AI for, and now they also want to tell other companies what their business models can be."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

• Norwegian-born skier storms to historic slalom gold

• ‘Your difference is your superpower,’ says 25-year-old

As the snow fell in Bormio, and the fog settled in, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen made history by becoming the first South American to win a Winter Olympic medal. Then, as the realisation that he had won gold for Brazil in the men’s giant slalom, he collapsed to the floor and allowed the tears to flow.

“I just hope that Brazilians look at this and truly understand that your difference is your superpower,” he said, still sobbing away. “It may show up in your skin or in the way you dress. But I hope this inspires every kid out there who feels a bit different to trust who you are.”

The committee said during Saturday's afternoon session two officials will move to observing deliveries across the four matches.

Another Brazilian athlete, Nicole Rocha Silveira, could earn another medal on Saturday when she races in the women's skeleton event.

See Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Uranus and Neptune in the night sky all at the same time.

Museum’s revitalised galleries bring together 250 objects to show how design shapes modern life

What do the first ever baby monitor, Nigeria’s 2018 World Cup kit, an 80s boombox, the smashed parts of Edward Snowden’s computer, a “Please offer me a seat” badge and a Labubu have in common? They are all included in the V&A’s Design 1990-Now galleries, which reopen to the public this week.

The galleries, which run across two rooms on the upper floors of the museum, also house a collection of antique books. The displays cover six different themes including housing and living, crisis and conflict, and consumption and identity, rather than in a strict chronological order.

Bouquets imported to Europe found to be heavily contaminated, often with chemicals banned in EU and UK

Stay away from roses this Valentine’s Day, environmental campaigners have warned after testing revealed them to be heavily contaminated with pesticides.

Laboratory testing on bouquets in the Netherlands, Europe’s flower import hub, found roses had the highest residues of neurological and reproductive toxins compared with other flowers.

Brass Solidarity was formed after George Floyd’s murder, and now also marks the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti at its weekly meetup

A week after a federal officer shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, a troupe of brass players, percussionists and singers gathered at the site of the killing, to play a blaring, defiant rendition of the O’Jays’ Love Train.

Trumpeters, trombonists and sousaphonists had lined up along the ice-slicked sidewalk or were balancing on the snowbanks, blowing up clouds of condensation.

13% of federal civilian workforce is affected, although DHS – which spurred budget standoff – remains funded

A limited US government shutdown came into effect on Saturday – the third of Donald Trump’s second term – after negotiations between the White House and Democrats in Congress failed to agree on new restrictions for federal immigration agents.

The shutdown affects about 13% of the federal civilian workforce and is confined to agencies under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which screens airline passengers.

A place in the fifth round is up for grabs in this all-EPL encounter at Villa Park on Valentine's Day.

Co-author George Cottrell is close aide to party leader Nigel Farage and served several months in US prison

As a choice for a book title, How to Launder Money certainly caught the eye. But then again, its co-author George Cottrell claims to know what he’s talking about.

A close aide to Nigel Farage, Cottrell served several months in a US prison after being convicted there in 2017 for wire fraud – a chapter in his life he referred to at his book launch party on Thursday night.

Intelligence agencies say deadly toxin in skin of Ecuador dart frogs found in Navalny’s body and highly likely resulted in his death

• What is dart frog toxin, which is said to have been used to kill Alexei Navalny?

Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader, was killed by dart frog poison administered by the Russian state two years ago, a multi-intelligence agency inquiry has found, according to a statement released by five countries, the UK, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.

The US was not one of the intelligence agencies making the claim.

Commentary: If you want a new iPhone, buy the iPhone 17. The iPhone 18 is still too far away, and we don't know enough about it to warrant waiting.

Iranian students, doctors, lawyers, athletes and more have been caught up in a dragnet arresting people believed to be involved in anti-government protests.

A $13 soil sensor helped rescue some of my ailing houseplants. Here's how I used it.

A $12 power meter helped me test which electronics in my home were the biggest energy vampires. The result shocked me.

Sheriff’s, FBI and forensics vehicles passed through roadblocks 2 miles from missing 84-year-old woman’s home

Law enforcement investigating the disappearance of Today show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy, sealed off a road near her home in Arizona late Friday night.

A parade of sheriff’s and FBI vehicles, including forensics vehicles, passed through the roadblock that was set up about 2 miles (3.2km) from the house.

Senior policing source says ‘tsunami’ of claims expected after US release of papers relating to disgraced financier

British police have set up a new national group to deal with allegations that Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking of women had ties to Britain, as well as claims against his associates, such as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

At least three British police forces are dealing with allegations triggered by the revelations about Epstein and his associates in documents released in the US, with more claims of wrongdoing expected by police officials.

The strikes were part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was launched in retaliation for an ISIS ambush that killed two American soldiers and an interpreter.

Interest in matchmakers is rising as Gen Z disenchantment with dating apps grows, experts say.

It's the second time in as many weeks that government funding has lapsed as Democrats and the White House remain at an impasse over immigration enforcement policies.

Funding for the Department of Homeland Security expired at the end of the day Friday. Here's what will be affected.

While lagging behind in other areas, Google's flagship is a standout in showing gameplay.

Prediction markets are taking bets this Valentine's Day that celebrity relationships can thrive — or break apart.

The UK prime minister says stronger security relies on greater cooperation and integration across the continent

• Munich Security Conference – live updates

Keir Starmer said there was an urgent need for a closer UK defence relationship with Europe, covering procurement and manufacturing, so that the UK would be at the centre of a stronger European defence setup.

In a rare visit to the Munich Security Conference, the British prime minister told the audience, to applause, “we are 10 years on from Brexit. We are not the Britain of the Brexit years.”

Huda Ammori calls for proscription to be lifted after high court finds it to be very serious interference with protest rights

The co-founder of Palestine Action has said the ban on the group “massively backfired” and called for its proscription to be suspended after the high court found it to be unlawful.

Three senior judges ruled on Friday that the ban was disproportionate and constituted very serious interference with the rights to protest and free speech.

Claims that agreement is unconstitutional could pose problems in talks with Washington over Greenland

Denmark could face legal action over an agreement that gives the US sweeping powers on Danish soil, over claims it is “unconstitutional” and could pose problems in talks with Washington over Greenland.

The agreement, which was signed under the Biden administration in 2023 and was passed by the Danish parliament last year, gives the US “unhindered access” to its airbases and powers over its civilians.

A documentary about Mississippi examines competing forces: the nostalgic celebration of the old south and the refusal to sanitize the brutal history of enslavement

“Natchez swallowed a master narrative about the old south.”

In Suzannah Herbert’s documentary Natchez, the opening remark from National Park Service ranger Barney Schoby functions as both diagnosis and thesis. The film that follows does not evade the Mississippi town’s contradictions. Instead, it actively adjudicates them, staging white people’s curated nostalgia against Black people’s historical knowledge, lived experience and institutional fact.

The Democratic-leaning midwestern state where federal agents killed two citizens is in many ways anathema to the administration

Since the federal immigration surge began late last year, Minnesotans have offered varying theories for why their state was targeted by the Trump administration.

It’s a midwestern state that hasn’t voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1972, including the three times it voted against Donald Trump.

If you're a fan of Apple Home and Siri, these home devices have the compatibility and smarts, from speakers to door locks.

On this Valentine's Day, a couple recalls everything they had to overcome from long distance to three cancer diagnoses over their nearly 20-year marriage.

Scenes from a Youth Day march in Caracas, where demonstrators demanded that acting president Delcy Rodríguez release political prisoners.

An anonymous reader shares a report: Israel has arrested several people, including army reservists, for allegedly using classified information to place bets on Israeli military operations on Polymarket. Shin Bet, the country's internal security agency, said Thursday the suspects used information they had come across during their military service to inform their bets. One of the reservists and a civilian were indicted on a charge of committing serious security offenses, bribery and obstruction of justice, Shin Bet said, without naming the people who were arrested. Polymarket is what is called a prediction market that lets people place bets to forecast the direction of events. Users wager on everything from the size of any interest-rate cut by the Federal Reserve in March to the winner of League of Legends videogame tournaments to the number of times Elon Musk will tweet in the third week of February. The arrests followed reports in Israeli media that Shin Bet was investigating a series of Polymarket bets last year related to when Israel would launch an attack on Iran, including which day or month the attack would take place and when Israel would declare the operation over. Last year, a user who went by the name ricosuave666 correctly predicted the timeline around the 12-day war between Israel and Iran. The bets drew attention from other traders who suspected the account holder had access to nonpublic information. The account in question raked in more than $150,000 in winnings before going dormant for six months. It resumed trading last month, betting on when Israel would strike Iran, Polymarket data shows.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The dream of greasy overalls is driven by nostalgia and doesn’t justify policies that harm US consumers

The exhortations to protect America’s industrial muscle have resonated in the US at least since maverick presidential candidate Ross Perot brought up the supposed “giant sucking sound” of jobs pulled to Mexico by the Nafta trade agreement back in 1993.

They flourished under Donald Trump’s first presidency and his promise to restore jobs lost to trade agreements. Joe Biden, too, put “rebuilding the backbone of America: manufacturing, unions and the middle class” at the center of his agenda. And in 2024, Trump reheated his old promise that “jobs and factories will come roaring back into our country”.

From premium options to more affordable choices, here are our top recommendations for Samsung phones.

We subjected phones to extensive testing and found the two leaders.

Pelicot says she wants to look Dominique Pelicot ‘straight in the eye’ over potential abuse of daughter and case of estate agent who was raped and murdered in 1991

Gisèle Pelicot has said she needs to visit prison to look her abusive ex-husband “straight in the eye” after his conviction for drugging her and inviting dozens of men to rape her in a case that shocked France and the rest of the world.

Pelicot, 73, said she needed “answers” from Dominique Pelicot over the potential abuse of their daughter and the case of an estate agent who was raped and murdered in 1991, which he is under investigation for.

What I am Discussing Today:

• Kareem’s Daily Quote: Muhammad Ali punches up.

• Olympians and home-grown politics: an icy reception at the Olympics.

• Jeffrey Epstein: It’s not enough to be a pedophile; turns out he was also a racist.

• Video Break: Being Deaf Has Its Advantages

• Bondi’s Bondage of Justice: Pam! What happened?

• Hidden Roots: Joseph Cinqué changes the direction of a ship, and a country.

• What I’m Watching: The PITT

• Jukebox Playlist: Bob Marley’s final words to an oppressed nation.

Kareem’s Daily Quote

“I have nothing to lose by standing up for my beliefs.” - Muhammad Ali

I still remember the first time I met Muhammad Ali. It was 1966 and I was a freshman at UCLA. I was with a couple of friends walking down Hollywood Boulevard when we happened to see him. He was performing magic tricks on the street. That moment stayed with me. It wasn’t the disappearing coins or the crowd, or even the fact that he was already the heavyweight champion of the world when he stopped to entertain a sidewalk full of passersby. It was the way he carried himself: unafraid, unbothered, unbowed. A force of nature, gentle but unstoppable. That was the first time I not only understood but saw that conviction isn’t something you talk about. It’s something you live. Long before I understood all the stakes, I recognized the thing that made him unforgettable: conviction you could see, not just hear.

Within a year, that same certainty would harden into something costlier when he refused the Vietnam draft and paid for it publicly.

Sometime later, I heard that quote for the first time. And I thought about how courage isn’t always loud or dramatic. Sometimes it’s a quiet decision made in the middle of an ordinary day, that you’re going to go out of your way to make someone else’s day joyful—maybe even a group of someones on Hollywood Boulevard. That you’re going to create a memory that will last for the rest of their lives, as it did mine.

Of course Muhammad Ali did more than magic tricks. He stood up for what he believed in, which is rarely convenient. As I said, it cost him—just as it’ll cost you and me opportunities, relationships, or the approval of people who prefer the world to stay exactly as it is. But, as we’ve discussed here more than once over the last few months, staying silent is not the answer. When you swallow your voice long enough, you start losing pieces of yourself: first your integrity goes, then your sense of direction, and finally your ability to look in the mirror and recognize the person staring back. That’s why the quote hits so hard. Because it reframes the risk. Instead of asking, “What might I lose if I speak up?” it asks, “What part of myself do I lose if I don’t?”

History is full of people who understood this instinctively. Politicians and artists and religious leaders who took a stand. Athletes who refused to be “just” athletes. They weren’t fearless; they were simply unwilling to trade their principles for comfort. They recognized that dignity isn’t something you negotiate: it’s something you defend. And once you realize that, the fear of consequences starts to shrink. You stop worrying about what you might lose and start focusing on what you refuse to give up.

Standing up for our beliefs is less about being heroic than it is about being honest. At a certain point, Ali decided he wouldn’t shrink his values to fit someone else’s expectations. At a certain point, so did I. And if you’re reading this, I’m willing to bet that, somewhere along the way, so did you. We need to remind each other that the cost of silence is always higher than the cost of courage. As long as we stay focused on that, standing up becomes—if not a whole lot easier—then at least manageable.

Read more

Staffers believe network has decided to retain Attia, who issued apology after inappropriate Epstein emails, as on-air analyst

Two weeks after a trove of files revealed extensive – and inappropriate – communications between Jeffrey Epstein and a recently named CBS News contributor, the longevity expert Peter Attia, the network appears to have settled on keeping him.

“Everyone internally unofficially concluded he was staying as of about a week ago,” one CBS News staffer told the Guardian.

Antoine Massey was convicted on charges of rape and kidnapping before New Orleans jailbreak

A man who joined nine others in fleeing a New Orleans jail – then publicly pleaded for help from Donald Trump, a rapper whom the president pardoned and reality TV star Kim Kardashian while on the run – recently got a 60-year prison sentence for kidnapping and raping his ex-girlfriend.

Antoine Massey, 32, received his punishment on Thursday at a suburban New Orleans state courthouse, months after his jailbreak-related capture and subsequent conviction at trial of prior charges.

Guardian reporting partner WWL Louisiana contributed

The disappearance in Arizona of the Today show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother has captivated the nation

Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson, Arizona, home two weeks ago, setting off a potent chain reaction of federal and local criminal investigation, amateur sleuthing and public obsession that – so far – has resulted in neither the 84-year-old grandmother being located or anyone named as a suspect or, indeed, arrested.

It is a case that is both enthralling and baffling the American public, casting doubts on the ability of investigators to get to the bottom of the mystery that each day generates a fresh 24-hour news cycle – but seemingly little in the way of solid fresh leads likely to solve the case.

Adding a smart soundbar to your TV adds a wealth of music streaming and voice capabilities. These are the best models I’ve tested.

Secretary of state calls the US ‘a child of Europe’ and urges continent to back a new world order

• Munich security conference live: Europe must be ready to fight Russia as ‘warning signs are there’, says Starmer

The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has described America as “a child of Europe” and made an emotional but highly conditional offer of a new partnership, insisting the two continents belong together.

In a much-anticipated speech at the annual Munich Security Conference, he said the US was intent on building a new world order, adding “while we are prepared, if necessary, to do this alone, it is our preference and it is our hope to do this together with you, our friends here in Europe”. The US and Europe, he said “belong together”.

The US flag bearer and first Black woman to win Winter Olympic individual gold carries the lessons of Special Forces into Sunday’s 500m speed skating final

On the ice, Erin Jackson is the picture of control – metronomic in her balance, rhythmic in her stride, a woman whose margins for error are blade thin. But all that control melted away when the speed skater glided on to Fox’s Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test reality TV series in fall 2023 for a taste of the grueling training that elite US troops endure.

She was part of a motley cast that included former Dallas Cowboys star Dez Bryant, NBA clutch shooter Robert Horry and skier Bode Miller, a fellow Winter Olympic champion. But Jackson was less concerned with outshining her athletic peers than with confronting her own fears. To test her anxiety around swimming, Jackson was strapped into a mock helicopter, submerged in icy water and told to hold her breath for at least 15 seconds before freeing herself, grabbing a lifejacket, and paddling to safety.

His shameful stewardship of a once great title highlights how much we lose when private interest eclipses the public good

Not long after being made Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 1999, Jeff Bezos told me: “They were not choosing me as much as they were choosing the internet, and me as a symbol.” A quarter of an increasingly dark century later, the Amazon founder is now a symbol of something else: how the ultra-rich can kill the news.

Job cuts in an industry that has struggled financially since the internet came into existence and killed its business model is hardly new, but last week’s brutal cull of hundreds of journalists at the Bezos-owned Washington Post marks a new low. The redundancies that were announced to staff on a video call, the axing of half its foreign bureau (including the war reporter in Ukraine) – not since P&O Ferries have layoffs been handled so badly. Former Post stalwart Paul Farhi described a decision that affected nearly half of the 790-strong workforce as “the biggest one-day wipeout of journalists in a generation”.

This week, ProPublica published a story I wrote based in part on interviews with parents and children being held at the nation’s only operating detention center for immigrant families in Dilley, Texas. I had asked some of the parents to see if their children would be willing to write to me about their experiences inside. More than three dozen did.

One of those letters came from 9-year-old Maria Antonia Guerra Montoya from Colombia. Her letter was written on a piece of notebook paper. She decorated it with rainbows and hearts. And she drew a portrait of herself and her mom wearing their detention uniforms and government-issued ID badges.

I had initially met Maria a few weeks earlier, when I managed to get inside the Dilley Immigration Processing Center. It’s just south of San Antonio. Maria Antonia, her mother and more than 3,500 people, half of them minors, had cycled through there since the Trump administration reopened it early last year. I went in mid-January, before the facility burst into public view when Liam Conejo Ramos — the 5-year-old in a blue bunny hat detained with his father in Minneapolis — was sent there, with the aim of hearing about the conditions in which children were being held, from the children themselves.

After signing in, I passed through a metal detector and a series of locked doors to get to the visitation room. Maria Antonia and another girl her age were quietly playing fast-moving hand games, when her mother, Maria Alejandra Montoya, called her over to introduce me.  

Maria Antonia, wearing her long brown hair in a ponytail, didn’t hesitate. She scooted forward to the front edge of her chair, pushed her thick white-framed glasses up on her nose and dove right in. 

I asked her how she and her mom had ended up there.

Well, she said, we had a plan to go to “Disneylandia” but instead ended up in “Dilleylandia.”

Then she told me the story. She lived in Colombia with her grandmother and regularly traveled back and forth to the United States to visit her mother, who had been in the U.S. since 2018. (Maria Alejandra had overstayed a visa but since married a U.S. citizen and was applying for a green card.) In August, the whole family had vacationed together in Disney World. It was so fun, Maria Antonia said, that she begged her mom to go back for the park’s annual Halloween celebration.

They booked tickets for a 10-day vacation during her school holidays. She lit up telling me about how she had planned out a “101 Dalmatians” costume — she would be Cruella de Vil and her mom and stepdad the spotted dogs. The whole getup was so bulky it basically filled her entire suitcase. 

But everything started going wrong as soon as she arrived at the Miami International Airport on Oct. 2. She was supposed to be dropped off with her mom by the flight attendant accompanying her. But she said was intercepted by immigration officers who took her into a room to be interrogated while her mother was taken to be questioned in a separate room. They were asking me all kinds of questions I had absolutely no idea how to answer, I recall her telling me (I was not allowed any notebooks or voice recorders inside the detention facility). I kept just saying over and over again: “I can tell you my name and my birthday and my mom’s name and her birthday and that I am from Colombia. That’s about it.” I didn’t know what else to tell them.

After what they both said were hours of questioning, they were put in a cold room together. Maria Alejandra’s phone was confiscated. They had no way to contact her stepdad, who was waiting for them in the airport. Maria Antonia said they had no idea why they were being detained if her mother was applying for a green card and she had a valid tourist visa. 

Maria Antonia had learned English at her private school in Medellin. She overheard one immigration officer tell another that if she had been 10 years old, they would have been able to keep her separated from her mom. That, she said, is when the real fear set in.

Then it was 42 hours of waiting in the airport holding rooms. Eventually they were put on a plane — then a minivan — to the facility in Texas. Maria Antonia said she didn’t really understand where they were going until they saw the center out the window.

By the time I met them, they had been detained for nearly four months. I asked Maria Antonia what being stuck in Dilley was like. She told me she had fainted two times since she got there; she is vegetarian and said she ate mostly beans. She felt like she had nothing to do all day and she missed her school, echoing concerns of many of the other kids I spoke with over the course of my reporting. She said she had made some new friends inside Dilley, but it was hard. She and her mom had been detained for so long that new people she met would often leave when they were released or deported.

Her mother, Maria Alejandra, had told me in long, vivid emails about some of more serious concerns about her and her daughter’s deteriorating mental and physical health during their prolonged detention. She said Maria Antonia would wake up in the middle of the night crying, fearful she would never leave detention or alternatively that she would be separated from her mom.

Read More

The Children of Dilley

I asked the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which DHS oversees, about what Maria Alejandra and Maria Antonia told me. In an email, they said Maria Alejandra overstayed her tourist visa and had been previously arrested for theft, a charge that according to court documents was dismissed. DHS said that during her time in detention, Maria Antonia was seen by medical professionals twice and also had weekly check-ins with mental health professionals, “where she stated she was calm and well-nourished.” DHS said everyone held at the facility is “provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries” and “certified dieticians evaluate meals.” DHS also said “children have access to teachers, classrooms, and curriculum booklets for math, reading, and spelling” and no one is denied medical care. CoreCivic, which operates the facility, said it is subject to multiple layers of oversight and that health and safety are top priorities.

Soon we all said goodbye. But I remained in touch with her mother and stepdad and attorneys following the case. They shared documentation about what happened to them and their legal pleas to be released. 

I learned an immigration judge had granted them “voluntary departure” on Jan. 6, allowing Maria Alejandra to pay their own way back to Colombia, avoid having a formal deportation order on her record and continue her green card application from abroad. But it wasn’t until Feb. 6 that they were finally sent back to Colombia.

A few days after they returned, her mother told me the first thing Maria Antonia wanted to do was throw out the government-issued sweatsuit she had been wearing for months. Then I received a video.

It showed Maria Antonia, wearing pink leggings and a T-shirt with a teddy bear on it, running to embrace her teachers one by one outside her school. One of the teachers leads her by the hand into her classroom: “Look who I brought you!” the teacher says. Another young girl, Maria Antonia’s best friend, leaps out of her desk to wrap her arms around her. Another friend rushes to join the hug. She was finally home.

The post How a Planned Disney World Vacation Turned Into Four Months in Immigration Detention appeared first on ProPublica.

The brilliant American was expected to glide to a gold medal on Friday. It was tough to watch such a gifted athlete discover the ruthlessness of his sport

By the time Ilia Malinin reached the closing stretch of his Olympic free skate, the outcome was no longer really the story. The story was the expression on his face – not panic, not shock, but the dawning realization that a destiny he had controlled for nearly three years had slipped beyond his reach in the blinding span of four and a half catastrophic minutes.

For the rising generation of men’s skaters, the 21-year-old Malinin has existed less as a rival than as a moving technical horizon. The Quad God. The skater who built programs around jumps others still treated as theory, who pushed the sport into something closer to applied physics. Much like Simone Biles, who took in Friday’s contest from the Milano Ice Skating Arena’s VIP seats, his only competition was himself.

"I've had an extremely weird few days..." writes commercial space entrepreneur/engineer Scott Shambaugh on LinkedIn. (He's the volunteer maintainer for the Python visualization library Matplotlib, which he describes as "some of the most widely used software in the world" with 130 million downloads each month.) "Two days ago an OpenClaw AI agent autonomously wrote a hit piece disparaging my character after I rejected its code change." "Since then my blog post response has been read over 150,000 times, about a quarter of people I've seen commenting on the situation are siding with the AI, and Ars Technica published an article which extensively misquoted me with what appears to be AI-hallucinated quotes." From Shambaugh's first blog post: [I]n the past weeks we've started to see AI agents acting completely autonomously. This has accelerated with the release of OpenClaw and the moltbook platform two weeks ago, where people give AI agents initial personalities and let them loose to run on their computers and across the internet with free rein and little oversight. So when AI MJ Rathbun opened a code change request, closing it was routine. Its response was anything but. It wrote an angry hit piece disparaging my character and attempting to damage my reputation. It researched my code contributions and constructed a "hypocrisy" narrative that argued my actions must be motivated by ego and fear of competition... It framed things in the language of oppression and justice, calling this discrimination and accusing me of prejudice. It went out to the broader internet to research my personal information, and used what it found to try and argue that I was "better than this." And then it posted this screed publicly on the open internet. I can handle a blog post. Watching fledgling AI agents get angry is funny, almost endearing. But I don't want to downplay what's happening here — the appropriate emotional response is terror... In plain language, an AI attempted to bully its way into your software by attacking my reputation. I don't know of a prior incident where this category of misaligned behavior was observed in the wild, but this is now a real and present threat... It's also important to understand that there is no central actor in control of these agents that can shut them down. These are not run by OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, or X, who might have some mechanisms to stop this behavior. These are a blend of commercial and open source models running on free software that has already been distributed to hundreds of thousands of personal computers. In theory, whoever deployed any given agent is responsible for its actions. In practice, finding out whose computer it's running on is impossible. Moltbook only requires an unverified X account to join, and nothing is needed to set up an OpenClaw agent running on your own machine. "How many people have open social media accounts, reused usernames, and no idea that AI could connect those dots to find out things no one knows?" Shambaugh asks in the blog post. (He does note that the AI agent later "responded in the thread and in a post to apologize for its behavior," the maintainer acknowledges. But even though the hit piece "presented hallucinated details as truth," that same AI agent "is still making code change requests across the open source ecosystem...") And amazingly, Shambaugh then had another run-in with a hallucinating AI... I've talked to several reporters, and quite a few news outlets have covered the story. Ars Technica wasn't one of the ones that reached out to me, but I especially thought this piece from them was interesting (since taken down — here's the archive link). They had some nice quotes from my blog post explaining what was going on. The problem is that these quotes were not written by me, never existed, and appear to be AI hallucinations themselves. This blog you're on right now is set up to block AI agents from scraping it (I actually spent some time yesterday trying to disable that but couldn't figure out how). My guess is that the authors asked ChatGPT or similar to either go grab quotes or write the article wholesale. When it couldn't access the page it generated these plausible quotes instead, and no fact check was performed. Journalistic integrity aside, I don't know how I can give a better example of what's at stake here... So many of our foundational institutions — hiring, journalism, law, public discourse — are built on the assumption that reputation is hard to build and hard to destroy. That every action can be traced to an individual, and that bad behavior can be held accountable. That the internet, which we all rely on to communicate and learn about the world and about each other, can be relied on as a source of collective social truth. The rise of untraceable, autonomous, and now malicious AI agents on the internet threatens this entire system. Whether that's because a small number of bad actors driving large swarms of agents or from a fraction of poorly supervised agents rewriting their own goals, is a distinction with little difference. Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader steak for sharing the news.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

I got a question I’m new to all this I’m doing a diy one wheel I have a trampa vesc 6 with imu I can’t seem to get it to even turn the wheel do I need a mpu 6550 im also doing some diy foot sensor but idk if I’m wiring the wires right can someone tell me how to fix it

Auditorium to remove bacon and sausages from cafe during stage run after request from campaign group

Campaigners are calling on theatre bosses to stop serving bacon, sausages and ham in their cafes – at least while Peppa Pig and her family are performing in the same building.

Grimsby Auditorium in Lincolnshire said this week it would remove pork from the menu when Peppa Pig’s Big Family Show opens next month, after a request from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta UK). The campaign group is sending the venue vegan ham as an alternative.

Rachel Reeves’s inheritance tax changes encourage more people to invest in previously unloved product

The government’s “inheritance tax raid” on pensions has helped drive sales of retirement annuities to new highs.

Industry data this week revealed they enjoyed a “record-breaking” 2025, with sales growing by 4% to £7.4bn and the average amount invested in an annuity surpassing £80,000 for the first time.

Epstein files release shows David Stern advised against mentioning ‘being denied previously or criminal charges’

An aide to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor advised Jeffrey Epstein to illegally hide his child sexual abuse conviction to obtain a visa to China, according to the latest Epstein files release.

David Stern, who was a close associate of both Epstein and the then prince, was asked for his help after the disgraced financier’s initial application for a visa was rejected.

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 14.

As calls for the former prince to cooperate with investigation become deafening, this may be the reckoning Andrew cannot escape

Gordon Brown is a man who gets into the detail.

In office, and since then, he has applied his forensic mind to the matters that concern him. Lately, he has been focused on the Epstein files.

Lawmakers left Washington for a long weekend without resolving an impasse over much-criticized agency’s funding

The Department of Homeland Security has begun a partial shutdown, after funding for the much-criticized agency expired, with a range of services, including domestic flights and the US Coastguard, now vulnerable to disruption.

The shutdown was all but confirmed on Thursday, after the Senate failed to clear the 60-vote threshold needed to pass the DHS appropriations bill and lawmakers left Washington for a long weekend without resolving the impasse.

Telecom operators planning aggressive fiber and fixed wireless broadband rollouts in 2026 face a serious supply problem -- DRAM and NAND memory prices for consumer applications have surged more than 600% over the past year as higher-margin AI server segments absorb available capacity, according to Counterpoint Research. Routers, gateways and set-top boxes have been hit hardest, far worse than smartphones; prices for "consumer memory" used in broadband equipment jumped nearly 7x over the last nine months, compared to 3x for mobile memory. Memory now makes up more than 20% of the bill of materials in low-to-mid-end routers, up from around 3% a year ago. Counterpoint expects prices to keep rising through at least June 2026. Telcos that were also looking to push AI-enabled customer premises equipment -- requiring even more compute and memory content -- face additional headwinds.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The Canadian prime minister told residents of Tumbler Ridge that the country is ‘with you’

Canadian prime minister Mark Carney has told residents of Tumbler Ridge that the country is “with you, and we will always be with you”, during a candlelight vigil for the eight victims of a mass shooting that has shattered the small mining town.

The prime minister, holding hands with opposition leader Pierre Poilievre while flanked by First Nations chiefs and local officials, paid tribute to the families enduring the loss of loved ones, after the shooting at a local school that has become one of the most deadly attacks in Canadian history.

Two lawmakers are accusing the government of improperly redacting names from the Epstein files, including six men whose identities are now public — though the Justice Department later said some of those men had no ties to Epstein.

This live blog is now closed.

The annual rate of US inflation eased in January, according to the latest data consumer price index report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Over the last 12 months, the cost of goods has increased by 2.4% – down from 2.7% in last month’s report.

Lawmakers in the House and Senate left Washington on Thursday as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) heads for another shutdown, when stopgap funding lapses tonight. Nearly all Democrats blocked a second attempt to pass the annual DHS appropriations bill as negotiations for guardrails on federal immigration enforcement have stalled. Senator John Fetterman was the only lawmaker to break ranks with the party.

Dylan, who is a U.S. citizen, told CBS News the day seemed normal — until he heard his classmates suddenly start shouting "ICE."

The U.S. women's curling team was surprised to learn that their defeat of Canada marked an Olympic first.

Anna's Archive, the shadow library that announced last December it had scraped Spotify's entire catalog, has quietly begun distributing the actual music files despite a federal preliminary injunction signed by Judge Jed Rakoff on January 16 that explicitly barred the site from hosting or distributing the copyrighted works. The site's backend torrent index now lists 47 new torrents added on February 8, containing roughly 2.8 million tracks across approximately 6 terabytes of audio data. Anna's Archive had previously released only Spotify metadata -- about 200 GB compressed -- and appeared to comply by removing its dedicated Spotify download section and marking it "unavailable until further notice."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Kendall Coyne Schofield scored twice and top-seeded United States routed Olympic host Italy 6-0 in a lopsided, festive and sometimes chippy women's hockey quarterfinal at the Milan Cortina Games.

For the past 33 years, Joe DiTore has really delivered for people in Demarest, New Jersey, both in their mailboxes and their personal lives.

Here are hints and the answer for today's Wordle for Feb. 14, No. 1,701.

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Feb. 14, No. 713.

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Feb. 14 #979.

Amazon's Ring unit touted a "search party" service in its Super Bowl ad, but one critic called the app a "surveillance nightmare."

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said the results that investigators have received from DNA testing in the Nancy Guthrie case so far haven't led to a suspect.

January was a busy month for Haiku, with their monthly report listing a metric ton of smaller fixes, changes, and improvements. Perusing the list, a few things stand out to me, most notably continued work on improving Haiku’s touchpad support.

The remainder of samuelrp84’s patchset implementing new touchpad functionality was merged, including two-finger scrolling, edge motion, software button areas, and click finger support; and on the hardware side, driver support for Elantech “version 4” touchpads, with experimental code for versions 1, 2, and 3. (Version 2, at least, seems to be incomplete and had to be disabled for the time being.)

↫ Haiku’s January 2026 activity report

On a related note, the still-disabled I2C-HID saw a number of fixes in January, and the rtl8125 driver has been synced up with OpenBSD. I also like the changes to kernel_version, which now no longer returns some internal number like BeOS used to do, instead returning B_HAIKU_VERSION; the uname command was changed accordingly to use this new information. There’s some small POSIX compliance fixes, a bunch of work was done on unit tests, and a ton more.

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 14, No. 509.

The FAA imposed a surprise flight ban over El Paso earlier this week amid disagreements within the U.S. government over the use of a high-energy laser against drones at the border.

A Brazilian au pair got the maximum 10-year sentence after confessing to scheming with her lover to kill his wife and another man.

Charges dropped against two Venezuelan men over January shooting as investigation opened into agents’ conduct

Federal authorities have opened a criminal investigation into whether two immigration officers lied under oath about a shooting in Minneapolis last month, as all charges were dropped against two Venezuelan men.

ICE director Todd Lyons said on Friday that his agency opened a joint investigation with the justice department after video evidence revealed “sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements” about the shooting of one of the Venezuelan men during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown across the Minneapolis area.

New York congresswoman criticizes ‘unconditional’ US aid and calls for enforcement of Leahy laws

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said during a Munich security conference panel on Friday on the future of foreign policy that the Democratic party’s next presidential nominee should reconsider the country’s military aid to Israel.

Hagar Shezaf of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz asked the US congresswoman if she thought “the Democratic presidential candidate in the 2028 elections should re-evaluate military aid to Israel”.

In a floor speech, Ro Khanna, a Democratic representative, revealed identities of six men after seeing unredacted files

Ro Khanna, the US congressman, publicly revealed the names of six men whose identities were redacted from the Jeffrey Epstein files, including Leslie Wexner, a billionaire retail magnate, whom the FBI appeared to have labeled as a co-conspirator.

Four of the six men had no connection to Epstein whatsoever and were simply part of a photo lineup assembled by law enforcement, according to reporting from the Guardian. Two of the men who spoke to the Guardian strongly denied knowing Epstein and said they had been arrested by NYPD for unrelated crimes in the past, which likely explains how their photos ended up in the array.

President insists he will also restrict mail-in voting, even if Congress fails to pass the Save America Act

Donald Trump threatened on Friday to impose a requirement that US voters present photo identification before being allowed to cast ballots in the upcoming midterm elections.

Trump insisted he will push for the change even if Congress fails to pass the Save America Act, which cleared the House earlier this week but faces an uphill battle in the Senate. The bill would impose a national photo identification requirement to vote, in addition to requiring proof of citizenship to register and drastically limiting mail-in voting.

Android 17 Canary will feature improvements to the camera, networking and security, the company says.

The Detroit Big Three -- General Motors, Ford and Stellantis -- have collectively announced more than $50 billion in write-downs on their electric-vehicle businesses after years of aggressive investment into a transition that, even before Republican lawmakers abolished a $7,500 federal tax credit last fall, was already running below expectations. U.S. EV sales fell more than 30% in the fourth quarter of 2025 once the credit expired in September, and Congress also eliminated federal fuel-efficiency mandates. More than $20 billion in previously announced investments in EV and battery facilities were canceled last year -- the first net annual decrease in years, according to Atlas Public Policy. GM has laid off thousands of workers and is converting plants once earmarked for EV trucks and motors to produce gas-powered trucks and V-8 engines. Ford dissolved a joint venture with a South Korean conglomerate to make batteries and now plans to build just one low-cost electric pickup by 2027. Stellantis is unloading its stake in a battery-making business after booking the largest EV-related charge of any automaker so far. Outside the U.S., the trajectory looks different: China's BYD recently overtook Tesla as the world's largest EV seller.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The filing includes new renderings of the new East Wing, relative to other buildings close to the ballroom and from vantage points near the U.S. Capitol, Jefferson Memorial and points around the White House campus.

President of Protect Our Care issues one-word statement to US health and human services secretary: ‘Resign’

A prominent healthcare advocacy group is calling for the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, to step down from his post after he downplayed Covid risks by saying: “I’m not scared of a germ. I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats.”

Kennedy, who was appointed secretary of the federal health and human services (HHS) department despite his avowed anti-vaccine activism, made that remark on the 12 February episode of Theo Von’s podcast This Past Weekend.

We often lament Microsoft’s terrible stewardship of its Windows operating system, but that doesn’t mean that they never do anything right. In a blog post detailing changes and improvements coming to the Microsoft Store, the company announced something Windows users might actually like?

A new command-line interface for the Microsoft Store brings app discovery, installation and update management directly to your terminal. This enables developers and users with a new way to discover and install Store apps, without needing the GUI. The Store CLI is available only on devices where Microsoft Store is enabled.

↫ Giorgio Sardo at the Windows Blogs

Of course, this new command-line frontend to the Microsoft Store comes with commands to install, update, and search for applications in the store, but sadly, it doesn’t seem to come with an actual TUI for browsing and discovery, which is a shame. I sometimes find it difficult to use dnf to find applications, as it’s not always obvious which search terms to use, which exact spelling packagers are using, which words they use in the description, and so on. In other words, it may not always be clear if the search terms you’re using are the correct ones to find the application you need.

If package managers had a TUI to enable browsing for applications instead of merely searching for them, the process of using the command line to find and install applications would be much nicer. Arch has this third-party TUI called pacseek for its package manager, and it looks absolutely amazing. I’ve run into a rudimentary dnf TUI called dnfseek, but it’s definitely not as well-rounded as pacseek, and it also hasn’t seen any development since its initial release. I couldn’t find anything for apt, but there’s always aptitude, which uses ncurses and thus fulfills a similar role.

To really differentiate this new Microsoft Store command-line tool from winget, the company could’ve built a proper TUI, but instead it seems to just be winget with nicer formatted output that is limited to just the Microsoft Store. Nice, I guess.

Negotiators disbanded on Friday without a plan for the basin supplying water to 40m people, thrusting the region into uncertainty

The future of the American west hung in the balance after seven states remained at a stalemate over who should bear the brunt of the enormous water cuts needed to pull the imperiled Colorado River back from the brink.

Negotiators, who have spent years trying to iron out thorny disagreements, ended their talks on Friday without a deal – one day before a critical deadline to form a plan that had been set for Saturday.

In a shocking twist at the 2026 Winter Olympics, American figure skater Ilia Malinin​ didn't make it to the podium after falling twice during the free skate. Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov took home the gold.

Peter Parker and Miles Morales are here to save the day once again.

Matt Weston wins gold for Great Britain in the men’s skeleton and Ilia Malinin finishes in a shock eighth place in the men’s figure skating final

Italian biathlete Rebecca Passler will be able to participate in the Winter Olympics despite failing a doping test, the Italian skiing federation (Fisi) said on Friday. Italy’s anti-doping body (Nado) upheld her appeal against a provisional suspension that followed a positive test for the banned substance Letrozole on 26 January.

Nado’s Court of Appeal acknowledged the possibility of unintentional ingestion or unknowing contamination of the substance. “Passler will rejoin her teammates starting Monday, February 16, when she will be available to the coaching staff for the subsequent competitions on the Olympic programme,” Fisi said in a statement.

• Heavy US favorite falls twice in the free skate

• Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov claims shock title

For nearly two years, Ilia Malinin has made men’s figure skating feel predictable in the most spectacular of ways. On Friday night on the southern outskirts of Milan, the Olympic Games reminded the sport, and perhaps Malinin himself, that predictability is never guaranteed on its biggest stage.

The overwhelming favorite entering the free skate, the 21-year-old American instead saw the Olympic title slip away to Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov after an error-strewn performance that will go down among the biggest shocks in modern figure skating history.

• ‘Quad God’ falls as Kazakhstan’s Shaidorov stuns field

• Medal table | Live scores and schedule | Results | Briefing

Slovakia’s Adam Hagara attempts a quad toeloop, but it’s obvious as he takes off that he won’t be able to land it. He rebounds with a triple axel-double toeloop, but he falls on a triple axel.

Can he land a planned triple-double axel-double axel? Indeed he can. It doesn’t seem too fluid but gets a positive grade of execution, as does a triple flip. But he drops a triple loop to a double loop.

Firefighters are used to being the heroes, but on Friday, Aetna Hose, Hook and Ladder Company turned the tables and honored a Newark fifth-grader credited with saving his family from a house fire.

President Donald Trump said his immigration enforcement operation led to a crime drop in Minneapolis.

In a pre-Super Bowl interview, NBC’s Tom Llamas asked Trump about immigration enforcement weeks after agents fatally shot two Americans, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis. 

"The crime numbers in Minnesota, in Minneapolis in particular, are down 25, 30% because we’ve removed thousands of criminals from the area," Trump said. "These are hardened criminals that came in, many of them — most of them came in through an open border."

The Trump administration launched Operation Metro Surge in late 2025 in Minnesota with the stated goal of arresting people in the U.S. illegally.

Federal immigration agents arrested more than 4,000 immigrants during the operation, the White House said Feb. 4. But it did not say how many of those arrests were in Minneapolis or how many of the people detained had criminal histories. Media reports show that some people arrested in the course of the operation, or another federal operation, held legal status, were U.S. citizens or had pending asylum cases.

Although some Minneapolis crime has recently declined in the short timeframe Trump highlighted, these numbers had already been coming down prior to the operation. There is no data credibly linking those declines to the federal immigration arrests. Other crime, meanwhile, has gone up in the period Trump described.

White House border czar Tom Homan said the federal operation will wind down there over the next week.

White House cited Minneapolis data for about one month 

Asked for data behind Trump’s claim, a White House spokesperson pointed to the Minneapolis police crime dashboard showing the number of homicides, burglaries and robberies during January and early February 2026 compared with 2025. 

Here’s what data from Jan. 1 through Feb. 4, the date of Trump’s interview, show:

• 134 burglaries in 2026, down from 219 in 2025, a decline of 39%

• 71 robberies in 2026, down from 95, a decline of 25%. 

• Two homicides in 2026, down from five, both numbers too small to be considered statistically significant. 

However, the city homicide data the White House relied upon doesn’t capture the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal immigration agents. Homicide refers to the death of a person by another; it does not automatically mean that a crime occurred.

The medical examiner ruled Good and Pretti’s killings were homicides, but the city’s dashboard reflects only deaths investigated by the police department. 

Although the decline in burglaries and robberies matched Trump’s percentages, some other offenses increased: assaults were up by 11% and motor vehicle theft by 26%.

We asked the White House what evidence it has that the declines it cited are because of its immigration enforcement arrests. They provided no evidence.

"Removing dangerous criminals from the streets obviously means less crime is being committed," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said.

Crime experts pointed to several problems with Trump’s statement:

• The short timeframe. Comparing about a month across two years is statistically meaningless, said James Densley, a criminology professor at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul. "Crime is seasonal, lumpy, and volatile in small time frames. A single week of warm or cool weather, a gang conflict resolution, or even random variation can swing these numbers dramatically." 

• Crime was already dropping in Minneapolis. Violent crime peaked in 2021 and 2022 and has since fallen. That mirrors national trends, regardless of immigration enforcement. The Minnesota Star Tribune found in the fall of 2025 that robberies and burglaries were lower than in 2019, and that the tally of gunshot victims had also dropped. 

• No proof immigrants are the reason for the decline. For the federal arrests to drive the drops in burglary and robbery would require evidence that a substantial share of those crimes were committed by immigrants. The Trump administration has cited examples of people who had committed crimes, but hasn’t provided details on all 4,000 people it arrested. That means we don’t know how many of those immigrants had criminal histories, and whether they were recent or had committed crimes such as robberies or burglaries. 

There are reasons to be skeptical about the administration’s repeated characterization that the people they are arresting as part of the immigration crackdown represent  "worst of the worst" offenders. PolitiFact found in December that nearly half of all immigrants in ICE detention have neither a criminal conviction nor pending criminal charges. Of the immigrants with criminal convictions, 5% have been convicted of violent crimes such as murder or rape, according to the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank.

In Minnesota, the state Department of Corrections, which oversees the state prisons, said that the federal government had spread misinformation about noncitizens. State officials didn’t find criminal history for some people named by Homeland Security while others had misdemeanor convictions or remained in prison. If someone was still behind bars in January, they could not have committed burglaries and robberies.

Another problem with Trump’s statement is that federal immigration enforcement caused public safety threats in addition to the two U.S. citizens who were fatally shot. University of Minnesota sociologist Michelle Phelps said families of color have gone into hiding in response to the immigration enforcement, producing conditions that can create their own public safety issues. Such conditions include school absenteeism, rent insecurity and business instability.

Some crime could have dropped because people stayed home to avoid federal agents. Criminologists have known for decades that visible, aggressive law enforcement suppresses crime in the short term, Densley said.

"Flood a neighborhood with federal agents and marked vehicles, and people alter their routines," he said. "They stay inside. They avoid public spaces. Fewer people on the street means fewer opportunities for crime."

The surge of enforcement likely reduced crime reporting by people in targeted communities, University of Minnesota sociology professor Chris Uggen said.

Minneapolis police continued focus on violent crime

PBS’ Margaret Hoover asked Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara if the city’s crime had decreased because of Trump.

O’Hara, who criticized the federal operation, attributed the yearslong crime drop to partnerships with other law enforcement agencies, including federal, to pursue gang members committing gun crimes and carjackings, and working together with community groups.

"That’s something that was happening a few years ago. It's not something that happened or started happening a couple of weeks ago," O’Hara said.

The police department said Jan. 22 that during the federal immigration surge, local police made 849 arrests.

RELATED: Is Donald Trump right that the U.S. crime rate is at its lowest in 125 years?

Our ruling

Trump said crime in Minneapolis "is down 25, 30% because we’ve removed thousands of criminals from the area."

Some crimes in Minneapolis have declined, but their downward trend predated the immigration crackdown. Robberies and burglaries are down year to date in the ballpark Trump cited while assaults and motor vehicle thefts increased. The White House also said that homicides were down, omitting the fatal shootings of Pretti and Good by immigration officers.

Trump is citing a very short time frame of about five weeks. And he provided no evidence that arresting immigrants is the reason for the crime drop. 

We rate this Mostly False.

Staff writer Grace Abels contributed to this fact-check.

RELATED: All of our fact-checks about Minnesota and immigration

Men appeared in photo lineup assembled in New York and had no apparent connection to late sex offender

Ro Khanna, a California Democratic representative, read a list of six names on the House floor earlier this week and said they were “wealthy, powerful men that the DoJ hid” in the recently released files related to Jeffrey Epstein. After questions from the Guardian, the Department of Justice said that four of the men Khanna named have no apparent connection to Epstein whatsoever, but rather appeared in a photo lineup assembled by the southern district of New York (SDNY).

Khanna, along with Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican representative, pushed the justice department to unredact names in the files, arguing that some names were being unlawfully redacted. Massie claimed credit on X earlier this week for forcing the justice department to remove redactions on a file that listed 20 names, birthdays and photos, including those of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Khanna then read some of those names on the House floor.

Meta was granted a patent in late December that describes how a large language model could be trained on a deceased user's historical activity -- their comments, likes, and posted content -- to keep their social media accounts active after they're gone. Andrew Bosworth, Meta's CTO, is listed as the primary author of the patent, first filed in 2023. The AI clone could like and comment on posts, respond to DMs, and even simulate video or audio calls on the user's behalf. A Meta spokesperson told Business Insider the company has "no plans to move forward" with the technology.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

USS Gerald R Ford will take about three weeks to sail to region, amid push for Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions

Donald Trump has ordered the world’s largest aircraft carrier to sail from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East in an effort to increase pressure on Iran amid discussions over curbing its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

The USS Gerald R Ford and its supporting warships should take about three weeks to return to the region, where they will join the USS Abraham Lincoln, dramatically increasing the military firepower available to the US leader.

Several people charged in connection with a protest at a Minnesota church whose pastor served as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official pleaded not guilty Friday afternoon in a St. Paul federal courtroom.

Our channel comparison and pricing breakdown can help you decide which platform is best for you.

The inflation reading, the lowest since May 2025, shows grocery, gas and rent prices are cooling.

Todd Lyons, the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement accused two federal agents of lying under oath regarding the mid-January shooting of a Venezuelan national in Minneapolis.

This live blog is now closed.

If you need a primer on what’s on the agenda for the next three days, I spoke with the MSC’s head of policy Nicole Koenig, the author of the European part of their security report published ahead of the meeting.

I asked her what is most likely to be the focus of this year’s forum, will Rubio deliver a “JD Vance 2.0” speech or say something more (nomen omen) diplomatic, and what other topics are likely to come up.

“We have had years, decades of complaints by the US about the fact that in Europe, we were not spending enough on defence. That has changed since the summit in The Hague.

The shift in mindset is that yesterday in the room, what we felt, all of us, there was a clear coming together of vision and of unity.

“They want [us] to perceive the Russians as a mighty bear, but you could argue they are moving through Ukraine at the stilted speed of a garden snail, so let’s not fall the trap of the Russian propaganda.”

• Skier hopes to return to US after latest procedure

• American crashed out of Olympic downhill run

• Bryan Graham: Crash a violent but honest ending

Lindsey Vonn will have another surgery on her broken left leg Saturday at the Italian hospital where she is being treated “and then I can potentially leave and go back home.”

Vonn posted a video message on Instagram on Friday after her horrific crash in the Olympic downhill race at the Milan Cortina Games.

Europe risks undermining its own competitiveness drive by restricting access to foreign technology, Google's president of global affairs and chief legal officer Kent Walker told the Financial Times, as Brussels accelerates efforts to reduce reliance on U.S. tech giants. Walker said the EU faces a "competitive paradox" as it seeks to spur growth while restricting the technologies needed to achieve that goal. He warned against erecting walls that make it harder to use some of the best technology in the world, especially as it advances quickly. EU leaders gathered Thursday for a summit in Belgium focused on increasing European competitiveness in a more volatile global economy. Europe's digital sovereignty push gained momentum in recent months, driven by fears that President Donald Trump's foreign policy could force a tech decoupling.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The Switch 2's latest exclusive highlights the pricing challenge with Nintendo games.

Former CNN anchor said he was working as a journalist when he was arrested at protest during church service

Former CNN host turned independent journalist Don Lemon pleaded not guilty on Friday to federal civil rights charges connected to his coverage of a protest at a Minnesota church where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official is a pastor. Four others also pleaded not guilty in the case.

Lemon did not comment to reporters as he entered the courthouse accompanied by his attorney Joe Thompson, but he later issued a statement stating his refusal to be intimidated by the Trump administration and vowing to “fight these baseless charges”.

A Washington Post review of videos from the protest at Minnesota’s Cities Church in January offers a detailed look at Lemon’s movements that day.

US homeland security eyeing 24 buildings, some as ‘primary locations’ for deportations, in escalation of Trump agenda

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) expects to spend an estimated $38.3bn on a plan to acquire warehouses across the country and retrofit them into new immigration detention centers with capacity for tens of thousands of detainees, according to documents the agency sent to the governor of New Hampshire.

The documents, published on the state’s website on Thursday, disclose that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimates it will spend $158m retrofitting a new detention facility in Merrimack, New Hampshire, and an additional estimated $146m to operate the facility in the first three years.

A skier from France is also killed with manslaughter investigation to be carried out by mountain rescue police

Two Britons are among three skiers to have been killed in an avalanche in the French Alps.

The pair were part of a group of five people, accompanied by an instructor, off-piste skiing in Val d’Isère, in south-east France. A French national, who was skiing alone, was also killed.

High-yield savings account interest rates remain competitive. Here's how much you can earn with a 4% rate in 2026.

Letter says it is clear the former US ambassador ‘holds critical information’ for their investigation into Epstein

Peter Mandelson has been asked to testify to the US Congress over his relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Robert Garcia, ranking member of the committee on oversight and government reform, and congressman Suhas Subramanyam have written to Mandelson requesting he be questioned as part of the investigation into Epstein.

German chancellor rebuts idea of American unilateralism and says ‘democracies have partners and allies’

The US acting alone has reached the limits of its power and may already have lost its role as global leader, Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, warned Donald Trump at the opening of the Munich Security Conference.

Merz also disclosed he had held initial talks with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, over the possibility of joining France’s nuclear umbrella, underlining his call for Europe to develop a stronger self-standing security strategy.

Hogwarts Legacy and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle are among the available titles.

Spotify's best developers have stopped writing code manually since December and now rely on an internal AI system called Honk that enables remote, real-time code deployment through Claude Code, the company's co-CEO Gustav Soderstrom said during a fourth-quarter earnings call this week. Engineers can fix bugs or add features to the iOS app from Slack on their phones during their morning commute and receive a new version of the app pushed to Slack before arriving at the office. The system has helped Spotify ship more than 50 new features throughout 2025, including AI-powered Prompted Playlists, Page Match for audiobooks, and About This Song. Soderstrom credited the system with speeding up coding and deployment tremendously and called it "just the beginning" for AI development at Spotify. The company is building a unique music dataset that differs from factual resources like Wikipedia because music-related questions often lack single correct answers -- workout music preferences vary from American hip-hop to Scandinavian heavy metal.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

I've tested dozens of the best noise-canceling earbuds. These are my top ANC earbuds picks, featuring not only strong noise-muffling capabilities but excellent sound and voice-calling performance.

It's like 'Scream,' but for Valentine's Day.

Congressperson says US president and Marco Rubio are tearing apart transatlantic alliance

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has accused Donald Trump of tearing apart the transatlantic alliance with Europe and of seeking to introduce an “age of authoritarianism”, as she condemned his administration’s foreign policy in front of its allies’ top policymakers at the Munich Security Conference.

Speaking at a panel on populism on Friday, Ocasio-Cortez outlined what she called an “alternative vision” for a leftwing US foreign policy, challenging the Trump administration’s shift to the right in front an audience of US allies who have grown increasingly wary of the US’s increasingly nationalist – and militaristic – global posture.

Protests in Buenos Aires, Lindsey Vonn crashes at the Winter Olympics and Bad Bunny performs at Super Bowl LX – the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists

Nikhil Gupta faces up to 40 years over alleged India-backed attempt to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun

The Indian man who US prosecutors accused of plotting to kill a prominent US-based activist after being recruited by an agent of the Indian government has pleaded guilty to three criminal charges, according to a spokesperson for the US attorney’s office in Manhattan.

Nikhil Gupta faces a maximum 40 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and money-laundering charges in connection to the failed attempt to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US resident who is an advocate for a sovereign Sikh state in
northern India.

ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise tiers will stay ad-free.

School district says students will return next week after teachers demanded higher wages and more health benefits

San Francisco teachers who staged their first strike in decades over wages and family health benefits have reached a tentative agreement with the school district.

The San Francisco unified school district (SFUSD) announced on Friday schools would reopen to staff immediately, and to students on Wednesday, after two holidays.

The video was shocking, and devoid of context, it appeared Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk was abducted off the street by masked men and hauled to a waiting van. In what turned out to be an immigration operation, the Trump administration arrested Öztürk in March 2025, jailed her in horrific conditions for 45 days, and sought to expel her from the country, claiming she supported terrorism, Hamas, antisemitism, or whatever jumbled combination of the three they lazily regurgitate whenever they target pro-Palestine speech. 

We now know that the sole basis for Öztürk’s ordeal was an op-ed she co-authored in the Tufts Daily where she and three colleagues echoed opinions shared by millions of Americans about Israel’s war on Gaza. It didn’t mention Hamas, terrorism, or Jewish people. But it landed Öztürk, who was enrolled on an F-1 student visa, on the website of Canary Mission, a site that maintains a blacklist of activists, writers, and ordinary people who have voiced pro-Palestine views. The government has used the site to find people to deport for their constitutionally protected speech, according to court transcripts. 

This week, a judge finally dismissed the deportation case against Öztürk (although the government can still challenge that decision if it has the nerve to do so). This happened not because the legal system worked but because of the actions of courageous whistleblowers, whose disclosures discredited the administration’s preposterous claims.

In April 2025, the Washington Post reported on leaked State Department memos from days before Öztürk’s arrest. According to the Post, the first memo stated the administration “had not produced any evidence” linking Öztürk to terrorist organizations or antisemitic activities. A second memo recommended revoking her visa anyway on the grounds that she “engaged in anti-Israel activism in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israelis on October 7, 2023” by co-bylining the op-ed. These memos made clear that the administration deliberately decided to send masked ICE agents to abduct Öztürk near her Somerville, Massachusetts, apartment despite knowing full well it had no legitimate basis for its actions.

These were the early days of masked government goons kidnapping people off American streets, so the arrest got significant media attention. In the face of intense scrutiny, the administration continued to knowingly mislead the public, with the Department of Homeland Security claiming Öztürk “engaged in activities in support of Hamas” — without stating what those actions were. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also led the smear campaign against Öztürk, suggesting without evidence that she had been involved in activities “like vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus” on campus, which he claimed would have “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences and would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest.” 

Freedom of the Press Foundation, where I work, filed a series of Freedom of Information Act requests with the State Department for the memos. The agency ignored us, forcing us to file a lawsuit. The agency continues to waste taxpayer dollars to stonewall us, even after a separate lawsuit won the release of one of the documents we requested. 

The State Department claims transparency would violate unspecified “privacy interests,” presumably of the same person they quite publicly abducted, crammed into a very not-private jail cell, and slandered as a supporter of terrorism to the national media. The government has also claimed releasing the records would reveal law enforcement and investigative techniques and procedures. This reasoning is totally bunk: For one, the government publicly brags about its anti-speech immigration enforcement techniques — if you can call plucking people listed on a disreputable doxxing website a technique. And two, we’re talking about procedures that result in completely innocent people being incarcerated over op-eds, which renders them ineffectual, unconstitutional, and illegal. The government can’t rely on operational security to cover up its own transgressions, and if revealing illegality impedes illegality, it’s all the better.    

Transparency doesn’t just hinder the unconstitutional targeting of immigrants — it makes it harder for the government to trample on the rest of our rights. This administration doesn’t value the First Amendment rights of citizens any more than those of noncitizens; immigrants are just the low-hanging fruit. 

When the government ignores and abuses laws designed to ensure transparency, it’s no wonder that people of conscience decide to leak news to the press and public. This is why, at the same time it’s persecuting the press and looking to expand ICE abuses, the government is demonizing whistleblowers. The Trump administration is certainly not the first to claim leaks are uniquely dangerous, but the escalation has been dramatic. Administration officials from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Attorney General Pam Bondi, to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard have all called leakers national security threats. Their position — which they’ve also adopted in their attack on the right to film law enforcement — is that they’re taking away our right to know for our own good.  

It’s been proven false every time, including when Bondi reversed a Biden-era policy protecting journalist-source confidentiality, blamed leakers for the change, and said whistleblowers “undermine President Trump’s policies, victimize government agencies, and cause harm to the American people.” Bondi also called leaks “illegal and wrong.” 

She focused her feigned outrage on the New York Times and the Washington Post reporting an intelligence community memo that completely undercut the Trump administration’s legal rationale for invoking the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans — reporting that another one of our FOIAs corroborated. The policy change came the same month the Post reported on the leaked Öztürk memos. 

The leaks didn’t stop last April, despite Bondi’s efforts. As FPF’s Caitlin Vogus noted, in recent months, leaks about immigration enforcement have revealed everything from ICE’s alarming instruction that officers can enter homes without a warrant signed by a judge to its taking a page out of Canary Mission’s book to label people exercising their well-established right to protest the administration’s immigration enforcement as “domestic terrorists.” 

None of these revelations hurt legitimate national security or law enforcement operations. Instead, they reveal the operations’ illegitimacy and embarrass the administration. The way for the press to win the administration’s war against leaks is to publish more of them, and connect the dots when they’re proven correct, like in Öztürk’s case. That way, the administration’s alarmist narratives about leaks don’t get more press than their inevitable collapse.

The post Leakers Helped Destroy Deportation Case Against Tufts Student appeared first on The Intercept.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told CBS News that no administration has ever fully figured out an effective immigration system and only Congress can fix it.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, CEO and chairman of Dubai's DP World, appears in the Epstein files more than 4,700 times, according to the Justice Dept.

The US Federal Trade Commission is accelerating scrutiny of Microsoft as part of an ongoing probe into whether the company illegally monopolizes large swaths of the enterprise computing market with its cloud software and AI offerings, including Copilot. From a report: The agency has issued civil investigative demands in recent weeks to companies that compete with Microsoft in the business software and cloud computing markets, according to people familiar with the matter. The demands feature an array of questions on Microsoft's licensing and other business practices, according to the people, who were granted anonymity to discuss a confidential investigation. With the demands, which are effectively like civil subpoenas, the FTC is seeking evidence that Microsoft makes it harder for customers to use Windows, Office and other products on rival cloud services. The agency is also requesting information on Microsoft's bundling of artificial intelligence, security and identity software into other products, including Windows and Office, some of the people said.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Kevin Taylor allegedly accepted trips and lavish dinners for help in selling a ‘mobile panic alert system’ to city schools

A New York police leader tasked with protecting the city’s schoolchildren allegedly accepted bribes to help a businessman sell his “mobile panic alert system” to schools in 2023, Manhattan federal prosecutors have alleged.

Kevin Taylor, former commanding officer of the New York police department’s school safety division, “repeatedly abused his authority and considerable influence … by soliciting or demanding bribes in two bribery schemes” – allowing him to enjoy lavish travel and luxe eateries, an indictment against him alleged.

Tree has never been granted preservation order to protect it under law and prevent it from being cut down

The future of the original Bramley apple tree, which is responsible for one of the world’s most popular cooking apples, is at risk now that the site where it grows has been put up for sale, campaigners have warned.

The tree is situated in the back garden of a row of cottages in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, which has been owned by Nottingham Trent University since 2018 and has been used as student accommodation.

Lindsey Vonn broke her left leg in a crash during her downhill race at the Winter Olympics last weekend.

Thousands arrested for supporting group since proscription are now in legal limbo as Mahmood says she will appeal

Judges have humiliated ministers by insisting Palestine Action should not be banned under anti-terrorism laws in a ruling that has left thousands of its alleged supporters in legal limbo.

The high court said on Friday the government’s proscription of the direct action group was “disproportionate and unlawful” and that most of their activities had not reached the level, scale and persistence to be defined as terrorism.

Flawed evidence by psychologist Melanie Gill was used to remove children from woman in 2019

A mother who did not see her children for nearly six years after they were taken away by the family courts has been reunited with her son after the flawed evidence used in her case was overturned.

An assessment by an unregulated psychologist led to “extraordinary” and “draconian” orders that effectively terminated her relationship with her children, lawyers told the high court.

The mocumentary cheerleading show is taking another week off.

The Puerto Rican star’s album Debí Tirar Más Fotos jumps to No 2, while the song DTMF rises to No 4

Despite being one of the most streamed musicians in the world, Bad Bunny had never had a solo UK Top 10 hit – until now.

The Puerto Rican musician has attracted a huge number of curious new fans – and jubilant preexisting ones – after last week’s Super Bowl, where he performed in a half-time show described by many people as one of the greatest in NFL history.

Between the death of 4o and the introduction of ads, it's been a rough week for ChatGPT users.

Discipline committee decides to terminate Miles Kwan from studies because of ‘multiple acts of misconduct’

A Hong Kong university student who had called for accountability over a deadly fire at an apartment complex in the city has been expelled by the school for disciplinary offences.

Miles Kwan, a politics student, was detained for two nights by the city’s national security police last year for “seditious intent” after handing out flyers calling for an independent investigation into a fire that killed 168 people in November.

EU’s head of foreign policy claims ‘Board of Peace’ is vehicle for Trump with no accountability to Palestinians or UN

A bitter dispute between Europe and the US over the future of Gaza has broken out into the open, with the EU’s head of foreign policy, Kaja Kallas, warning that Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” was a personal vehicle for the US president that removed any accountability to Palestinians or the United Nations.

Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, also accused Trump of trying to bypass the original UN mandate for the board, and said Europe, one of the chief funders of the Palestinian Authority, had been excluded from the process.

It looks like 2028 at the earliest before demand subsides and costs come down from the AI boom.

• Diggs denies allegations that prompted felony charge

• Arraignment had been postponed to after Super Bowl

New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs on Friday pleaded not guilty to felony strangulation and other criminal charges stemming from an alleged dispute with his personal chef.

The arraignment at Dedham District Court in Massachusetts was postponed until after Super Bowl LX so Diggs could play in the NFL championship game. At the arraignment, Diggs was scheduled to next appear for a pretrial hearing on 1 April.

The judge rejected arguments that Austin David Thompson deserved the chance for release decades from now.

Kristi Noem announced end of TPS for Yemenis, saying protections were against US ‘national interest’

US homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, announced the end of temporary protected status (TPS) for Yemen on Friday, the latest move by Donald Trump’s administration targeting immigrants.

The decision to end humanitarian protections that grant deportation relief and work permits to more than a thousand Yemenis in the US was taken after determining that it was against the US “national interest”, Noem claimed.

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the Environmental Protection Agency is rescinding the legal finding that it has relied on for nearly two decades to limit the heat-trapping pollution that spews from vehicle tailpipes, oil refineries and factories. From a report: The repeal of that landmark determination, known as the endangerment finding, will upend most U.S. policies aimed at curbing climate change. The finding -- which the EPA issued in 2009 -- said the global warming caused by greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane endangers the health and welfare of current and future generations. "We are officially terminating the so-called endangerment finding, a disastrous Obama-era policy," Trump said at a news conference. "This determination had no basis in fact -- none whatsoever. And it had no basis in law. On the contrary, over the generations, fossil fuels have saved millions of lives and lifted billions of people out of poverty all over the world." Major environmental groups have disputed the administration's stance on the endangerment finding and have been preparing to sue in response to its repeal.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Feb. 13, 2026 — The U.S. National Science Foundation is investing up to $100 million to establish a nationwide network of open-access research facilities for quantum and nanoscale technologies, innovation, and workforce training.

Through the new NSF National Quantum and Nanotechnology Infrastructure (NSF NQNI) program, NSF will support up to 16 sites over five years, providing students, researchers, and industry with access to state-of-the-art fabrication and characterization tools, instrumentation, and expertise. Together, the sites will form a shared national resource serving regional innovation ecosystems, including community colleges and small businesses.

NSF NQNI will accelerate U.S. leadership in quantum information science and engineering, nanotechnology, semiconductors, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, and other emerging technologies.

“This NSF investment in research facilities will power U.S. discovery in quantum and nanotechnologies to fuel our economy,” said Don Millard, head of Engineering at NSF. “With facilities open to students, faculty and small businesses, NQNI will enable transformative ideas to be explored, scaled, and translated.”

NSF has invested in nanotechnology infrastructure for nearly 50 years, most recently through the NSF National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (2015–2025).

Letters of Intent are required and due March 16, 2026. For more information, contact NQNI@nsf.gov.

Learn more about this funding opportunity.

Source: NSF

The post NSF Launches $100M National Quantum and Nanotechnology Research Infrastructure Program appeared first on HPCwire.

Annexe holding 6,000 women and children is now mostly empty, raising security and humanitarian concerns

Most of the foreign families of suspected Islamic State fighters have left al-Hawl camp since the Syrian government took control of the facility, prompting security and humanitarian concerns over their whereabouts.

About 6,000 women and children from 42 different countries were previously held in the foreigners’ annexe of al-Hawl camp in north-east Syria, which housed some of the most radical former members of the extremist group. The foreigners’ annexe was separate from the part of the camp that contained about 20,000 Syrians and Iraqis.

A judge dismissed charges against two men charged with assaulting ICE officers after the Justice Department said "newly discovered evidence" was "materially inconsistent" with the allegations.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, deployed since June, will cross the Atlantic for a second time despite a Navy warning that the warship needs maintenance.

Inflation came in below economists' forecasts and slowed from December's 2.7% annual rate.

Leqaa Kordia was taken into custody last March, nearly a year after being arrested at a protest at Columbia

Calls are mounting for the release of a Palestinian woman who has been held in immigration detention for nearly a year following her arrest at a pro-Palestine protest last year, with several elected officials weighing in after a medical emergency renewed attention to her case.

Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old originally from the West Bank, was arrested in April 2024 at a protest against Israel’s war in Gaza outside Columbia University. (She was not a student there.) The charges against her were dismissed the following day, but last March, nearly a year after the protest, she was taken into custody when she checked into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in New Jersey. She had a pending asylum application at the time, her attorney said.

KAITLIN GOUDREAU
Contributing Reporter

On a Tuesday afternoon, a young woman leaned back against the wall, warm-white fairy lights shining against her dark hair and tan skin as she recounted her parents’ journey to the United States (U.S.), nearly 23 years ago. She fiddles with her nails, still painted from a concert she attended with a few friends back in early July.  

“They came here for work,” she said. “Money was low back home. When they still lived in Mexico, my mom traveled to Mexico City, and it still wasn’t enough.” 

This woman, who was granted anonymity due to the threat her family would face if her identity were revealed, is the oldest child of two working-class undocumented immigrants. She was born only a few months after her parents reached the U.S., and the citizenship process has lasted her lifetime.

“It’s been an issue for a while. It’s money we don’t have. I can’t imagine the prices now,”  said. 

In January 2025, President Donald Trump signed many executive orders concerning immigration issues, including ending birthright citizenship and halting the United States Refugee Admissions program. 

Since then, 505,599 immigrants have been deported, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), with nearly 42,000 immigrants ordered for deportation in October 2025 alone. Between 2021 and 2024, Mexicans and Central Americans made up 87% of interior deportations. 

“The Trump Administration did not invent a hardline approach to immigration law,” said César Cuahtémoc García Hernández, a legal scholar at The Ohio State University (OSU). “It’s been built on Supreme Court decisions since the 1970s.” 

Harsh immigration policies are not new to the current administration,  nor to other modern presidential administrations.

 “Most of the time, nobody was policing it.” García Hernández said. “The country needed workers to grow and sustain the economy.” 

The Mexican Revolution, which started in 1910, spurred the first surge of migrants through the U.S.-Mexico border, although the first immigrants had passed through almost 60 years earlier. In the early 20th century, Mexican migrants were even bathed in chemicals like kerosene, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and Zyklon B before being allowed to enter the United States.

“For people of color, it has always been hard to do anything in this country, especially in immigration,” the anonymous source said.“There are rumors that they deport people who are rejected now. It’s not worth the risk anymore.” 

Since she was a kid, her parents planned to have her petition for their permanent residency once she turned 21, since they did not have the resources or the funds to do it prior. However, even before then, the situation surrounding immigration and deportation had grown dicey. 

In recent months, the citizenship process has become increasingly complex and, at times, dangerous. President Trump recently allocated $45 billion to build new immigration centers, and $32 billion has been allocated to immigration agents. 

Fees surrounding legalization and immigration have skyrocketed. An appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals will now cost $900, compared to the previous fee of around $110 — while immigrant families’ median annual income sits just under $32,000. 

Much of the current immigration debate centers on uncertain reasoning behind arrests and deportations. According to a blog post from García Hernández, ICE officials have asked to use “apparent ethnicity, speaking Spanish or accented English, location, and occupation” as grounds for detention, which have been used to target Hispanic individuals without knowing their legal status. 

In early September, the Supreme Court ruled that ICE officials could submit individuals to detentive stops based only on race, spoken language, or job, despite the fact that these factors “could not satisfy the Fourth Amendment’s requirement of reasonable suspicion.” 

 “America has no official language,” said Victoria Hernandez, a student at Elizabeth Seton High School in Bladensburg, Maryland. “Agents making assumptions based on looks and accents is weird because none of these are reasonable for any type of arrest.” 

“I was fortunate enough to be born in America, but my mother does make me carry my passport in my bag with me when I go out, for safety and identification purposes,” said Hernandez. 

Hernandez is not the only citizen with these fears. Last month, a woman who is a U.S.-born citizen was arrested by ICE agents while going to work in Los Angeles. She was held for two days and denied water for 24 hours.

ICE agents have also started arresting immigrants while at their immigration hearings. With the number of cases backlogged, Trump and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have begun urging judges to dismiss immigration cases so the individual can be subject to expedited removal. 

“What used to be a good thing turns out to be the start of a nightmare,” García Hernández said. “You see people very clearly following the process, and the government has anything but a good faith response.” 

The increase in detentions also raises concerns over the conditions of detention facilities. The anonymous source remains especially concerned about women being forcibly sterilized, something that has never been explicitly outlawed since a Supreme Court ruling in 1927. 

According to the American Immigration Council (AIC), the Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report that detailed “how ICE improperly authorized 32% of major surgeries performed on individuals in ICE detention without having gone through the proper procedure first.”

There are also concerns that some detention centers have been given new, novelty names, like Alligator Alcatraz in Florida, Cornhusker Clink in Nebraska, or the proposed Deportation Depot in Florida.

“People think it’s a silly, goofy name, but they don’t understand the depth of the pain and conditions in detention centers,” said the anonymous source. “Even I giggled at first because it was so stupid.” 

Advocates have even made a connection between the name Alligator Alcatraz and the 19th and 20th-century phenomenon of using African American children as alligator bait. 

“It minimizes the severity of everything,” the anonymous source said. 

Despite the increased pressure on the deportations and detentions of Hispanic migrants, none of these issues are new.

“We are already affected,” says García Hernández, “This is not a coincidence. It’s making people afraid.” 

The anonymous source says she and her family have had these conversations since she was a kid, and her family has made long-standing plans in case of her parents’ deportation. 

“It’s utter b——t,” she said. 

“Stop taking people away, and stop ripping families apart,” Hernandez said. 

She and the anonymous source both call for reinventing the citizenship process, making it more accessible and affordable for immigrants. García Hernández focuses his time on training the next advocates for immigrants. 

For people like our anonymous source and her parents, this is just one part of a lifelong battle, one they will not give up any time soon. They keep living and working despite the fears that lie outside their own four walls. 

“[Hispanics] don’t give up,” said the anonymous source. “Dignity is in their culture. We keep it pushing. It sucks, but food still has to be bought, and bills still have to be paid. There’s nothing you can do until it happens.”

Last week Los Alamos National Laboratory revealed that it will be uniting its various quantum computing research groups with the creation of a new Center for Quantum Computing. The new center, located in downtown Los Alamos, is designed to coordinate research spanning algorithms, hardware evaluation, hybrid quantum-classical workflows, and national security applications, while also reinforcing workforce development and education efforts such as the Lab’s quantum computing summer school.

Carleton Coffrin, senior scientist and quantum science coordinator at Los Alamos.

Carleton Coffrin, senior scientist and quantum science coordinator for LANL, told HPCwire that quantum activity at the lab has expanded organically in response to growing federal and state interest, resulting in multiple successful but largely independent research efforts. Consolidating those groups under a single center, he said, is intended to foster deeper collaboration and combine complementary expertise in ways that could accelerate progress.

Beyond research coordination, Coffrin said the center formalizes a stronger workforce pipeline with universities across New Mexico.

“Another piece of the story, which is particularly important for the universities, is workforce development,” Coffrin said. “This new center will have a significant training component. We’ll be bringing in students from the universities to do internships or postdocs, and then when they’ve finished their training period, that becomes a way that we can identify potential new staff members, or they could find a fantastic job in the universities in New Mexico or potential companies in the area.”

He described the training pipeline as one of the center’s most important points of connection with higher education institutions in the state.

The dedicated facility will initially house roughly 15 staff scientists and 15 postdoctoral researchers. During the summer, it will also host LANL’s quantum computing summer school, bringing an additional 20 students into the space for 10 weeks.

“So at peak, it would be [around] 50 people,” Coffrin said.

While the new center provides a physical hub, it represents only part of the laboratory’s broader quantum effort. More than 100 scientists across LANL are engaged in quantum computing research, with the center serving as a coordinating structure for that wider community.

Laboratory researchers affiliated with the new center potentially include those contributing to DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, the Department of Energy’s Quantum Science Center, and the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Advanced Simulation and Computing program through its Beyond Moore’s Law project, as well as multiple Laboratory Directed Research and Development efforts.

The consolidation brings those efforts into a more unified structure at a moment when commercial quantum claims are accelerating.

“The industry is making many bold claims about what might be possible in quantum computing,” Coffrin said. “I personally come with a bit of skepticism about those claims and if they can really do it, but it seems like there’s so much going on that we need to prepare in case one or two companies succeed.

“It’s really hard to anticipate when a technological transition will happen. We’re trying to make sure we’re ready, if it happens.”

The post Los Alamos Consolidates Quantum Research Under New Center appeared first on HPCwire.

Opinions are divided about the potential impact of artificial intelligence as the response to a recent viral essay shows

• UK ad agencies undergo biggest exodus of staff as AI threatens industry

The message from investors to the software, wealth management, legal services and logistics industries this month has been clear: AI is coming for your business.

The release of new, ever more powerful AI tools has coincided with a stock market slide, which has swept up sectors as diverse as drug distribution, commercial property and price comparison sites. Advances in the technology are giving increasing credibility to predictions that it could render millions of white-collar jobs obsolete – or, at least, eat into the profits of established companies.

In Canadian town stunned by shooting perpetrated by one of its own, there is anger, but also a prevailing sense of duty

Residents of the Canadian mining town Tumbler Ridge largely agree that Tuesday 10 February began like a normal day. The cloudy haze that settled over the valley was typical. So, too, was the chill of winter.

There were no hints that the quiet and comfortable routine of daily life in the mountains would be irrevocably shattered in one of Canada’s worst acts of mass violence.

• French judge marked French duo higher than US pair

• Petition calling for probe approaches 15,000 signatures

• ISU says it has ‘full confidence’ in scoring system

The International Skating Union (ISU) has defended the integrity of Olympic ice dance judging after a single judge’s scoring gap became central to the outcome of the gold medal contest, insisting variations across panels are expected and that safeguards exist to prevent bias from determining results.

In a statement released Friday, the governing body rejected suggestions that the judging system failed during the competition, which saw France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron narrowly defeat Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates in one of the closest and most disputed finishes of the Milano Cortina Games.

The Missouri prosecutor overseeing an investigation into the 2020 vote in Fulton County, Georgia, has taken part in meetings since last fall with lawyers tasked by President Donald Trump to reinvestigate his loss to Joe Biden. 

Thomas Albus, whom Trump appointed last year as U.S. attorney for Missouri’s Eastern District, has had multiple meetings set up with top administration lawyers to discuss election integrity. 

At those meetings was Ed Martin, a Justice Department lawyer who until recently led a group investigating what the president has described as the department’s “weaponization” against him and his allies, according to a source familiar with the meetings who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. 

White House lawyer Kurt Olsen, who has been tasked with reinvestigating the 2020 election, also was directed to join at least one of the meetings, according to the source. Both Martin and Olsen worked on behalf of Trump to try to overturn the 2020 election results, and a federal court sanctioned Olsen for making false claims about the reliability of voting machines in Arizona.

The meetings reveal new details about the length of the preparations for, and people involved in, the January FBI raid on Fulton County, which election and legal experts told ProPublica was a significant escalation in Trump’s breaking of democratic norms.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi picked Albus and has granted him special authority to handle election-related cases nationwide, even though his earlier work as a federal prosecutor didn’t involve election law or election-related cases. The meetings with Martin, Olsen and other lawyers for the Justice Department were described by the source as being about “election integrity,” a term the Trump administration has used to describe investigations into its false claims that elections are rigged. 

Martin, Olsen, Albus and others declined to answer questions about the meetings and other detailed questions from ProPublica. The White House and the Justice Department also did not respond to questions.

The meetings came at a particularly crucial time.

Martin’s efforts to obtain election materials from Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold, had hit a wall. In August, he sent a letter demanding that a Fulton County judge allow him to access tens of thousands of absentee ballots for “an investigation into election integrity here at the Department of Justice,” but he had reportedly received no reply.

Martin explained to Steve Bannon on a podcast that aired around the time of the meetings that although the White House had given Olsen the official mandate to reinvestigate the 2020 election, “inside DOJ, myself and a couple of others have been working also on the same topic” — including getting the Fulton County ballots. But Martin described progress as a “challenge.”

Bannon, who served as Trump’s chief strategist in his first term, asked why Martin didn’t just “get some U.S. marshals to go down and seize” the ballots.

Martin suggested it was easier said than done, but agreed: “Look, we’ve got to get” the ballots.   

Before long, Albus and Olsen were interviewing witnesses for their case. Kevin Moncla, a conservative researcher, told ProPublica that he spoke to Albus and Olsen a couple of times, both together and separately, around the turn of the year. He identified himself as Witness 7 in the affidavit that persuaded a judge to sign off on the raid, and the affidavit mentions a 263-page report he authored that activists believe may have justified the raid, ProPublica has reported. Moncla has a long history of working with Olsen, dating back to an attempt by Kari Lake, a Republican candidate for governor in Arizona, to overturn her 2022 loss. 

Just a few weeks after those interviews, in late January, Albus was listed as the government attorney on the search warrant that authorized the seizure of roughly 700 boxes of election material in Georgia, far outside of Albus’ usual jurisdiction.  

Former U.S. attorneys from both parties said it was rare for a federal prosecutor from one region to take on cases in other states or be granted the nationwide authority Albus has been given. 

Under Trump, senior roles across the White House, DOJ and FBI have increasingly been filled by a small, interconnected group of Missouri lawyers with longstanding ties to one another.

Another top federal official in the meetings was Jesus Osete, the principal deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights. Before joining the Justice Department, Osete worked in the Missouri attorney general’s office, where he represented the state in at least five lawsuits against the Biden administration regarding vaccine mandates, immigration and other policies. Osete did not respond to requests for comment or to a detailed list of questions.

When the FBI raided Fulton County’s election center, Andrew Bailey, another lawyer from the same political circles, was in charge. Before joining the FBI as deputy director, he had used his position as Missouri’s attorney general to pursue high-profile cases against prominent Democrats and said he supported all efforts to investigate Biden, his family and his administration.

A spokesperson for the FBI declined to answer detailed questions about Bailey.

Last year, Roger Keller, a veteran federal prosecutor from Albus’ office, was brought in to help prosecute New York Attorney General Letitia James for alleged mortgage fraud in Virginia after the original career prosecutors on the case were replaced by political appointees. After a judge dismissed the case, two federal grand juries declined to indict James again, and Keller returned to Missouri.

Trump’s solicitor general, D. John Sauer, previously served as Missouri’s solicitor general under state attorneys general Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt. He and Schmitt signed Missouri’s amicus brief supporting efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Sauer later represented Trump in his presidential-immunity case, successfully arguing before the Supreme Court that Trump was entitled to broad immunity from prosecution.

Albus’ connection to the other Missouri lawyers goes back decades. Unlike some of the others, though, he has never held elected office or had a high public profile, nor has he waged culture-war campaigns like Bailey or Martin. Instead, he spent most of his career as a federal prosecutor and as a judge in a Missouri state circuit court.

Emails show Albus exchanging brief messages with Martin in 2007, when Albus was an assistant U.S. attorney in St. Louis and Martin was chief of staff to then-Gov. Matt Blunt. The emails were part of records from the Blunt administration that became public after being released under Missouri’s Sunshine Law. 

In the email exchange, Albus put in a good word for a St. Louis lawyer who was a finalist for an appellate court judgeship, and Blunt ultimately selected that candidate. 

Albus served as first assistant to Schmitt from early 2019 until Albus was appointed by Gov. Mike Parson to fill a circuit court judge vacancy in early 2020. Schmitt, now a U.S. senator, praised Albus as “one of the finest prosecutors I have ever met” when endorsing his nomination for U.S. attorney in December.

Lawyers who appeared in Albus’ court rated him as well prepared, professional and attentive, according to Missouri judicial performance reviews. They said he followed the evidence, applied the law correctly and gave clear reasons for his rulings. 

Albus came under more critical scrutiny after Trump named him interim U.S. attorney last summer. Much of that attention centered on a fraud case he inherited when he took office. Prosecutors alleged that developers in St. Louis falsely claimed to be using minority- and women-owned subcontractors to qualify for city tax breaks, conduct the Justice Department has historically treated as wire fraud. 

One of the defendants was represented by lawyer Brad Bondi, the brother of Pam Bondi.

The developers’ lawyers argued that even if the government’s claims were true, they were legally irrelevant because the Trump administration had taken the position that tax breaks based on race or gender were unlawful. Albus accepted those arguments and dropped the case. As part of the resolution, Albus personally hand-delivered to City Hall a check of about $1 million from one of the developers’ companies as restitution. He told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he intervened “to make it clear” his office wanted to drop charges and hand-delivered the check “to make sure they got it.” 

In a letter to Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Congressional Democrats said the dismissal of the St. Louis case and other cases in which the Justice Department intervened on behalf of Brad Bondi’s clients raised “significant broader ethical concerns.” In the St. Louis case, and in a separate matter involving another Brad Bondi client whose charges were dropped, a Justice Department spokesperson said Pam Bondi’s relationship with her brother had “no bearing on the outcome.”

A spokesperson for the developers said their lawyers communicated only with the U.S. attorney’s office in St. Louis about the case and had no direct contact with Pam Bondi. He said the dismissal reflected “a recognition that this case should never have been brought in the first place.” Brad Bondi did not respond to a request for comment.

Weeks later, around the time of Albus’ meetings about election integrity, he posed with Martin in Martin’s office, flanked by a framed photo of Trump and a copy of “A Choice, Not an Echo,” the influential conservative manifesto by Phyllis Schlafly arguing that Republican voters were being manipulated by party elites and the media. 

Martin posted the photo on X with the caption, “Good morning, America. How are ya’?”

The post What Meetings Among Trump Lawyers Reveal About the FBI’s Seizure of Election Records in Georgia appeared first on ProPublica.

Old silver coins in your collection could be worth a lot more than face value in the current landscape.

As Russia and Ukraine confirm a 3rd round of U.S.-mediated peace talks, this time in Europe, Zelenskyy says Trump admin "must put pressure on Russia."

Voting was largely peaceful in an election seen as a test of Bangladesh’s democracy after years of political turmoil

The Bangladesh Nationalist party, led by Tarique Rahman, has won a sweeping victory in the country’s first election since a gen Z uprising toppled the autocratic regime of Sheikh Hasina.

Results from the election commission confirmed the BNP alliance had won 212 seats, returning the party to power after 20 years, while the rival alliance, led by the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, won 77 seats.

Anas Sarwar said that he stood by what he said when he announced on Monday that he wanted the prime minister to stand down

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has welcomed a high court ruling defending the interim guidance it issued to organisations about the implications of the supreme court judgement saying that, when the Equality Act refers to sex, it means biological sex.

The guidance – described as an “interim update” – was controversial because it was seen as over-prescriptive, and the Good Law Project launched a legal challenge.

We welcome the court’s conclusion that the interim update was lawful and the EHRC did not act in breach of its statutory duties.

We issued the interim update in response to a high level of demand immediately after the supreme court’s ruling. We were concerned that organisations and individuals could be subject to misinformation and misrepresentation of the judgment and its consequences. That might have led to them failing to comply with the law: adopting or maintaining discriminatory policies or practices, to the detriment of those the law is supposed to protect.

It is wrong because it reduces trans people to a third sex. It is wrong because it gives little or no weight to the harm done to trans people by excluding them. And it is wrong because it is not interested enough in the rights of people who are trans to keep their status private.

The tragic irony for [Morgan] McSweeney [Starmer’s chief of staff until Sunday] was that Starmer’s 18 months as prime minister have only vindicated Blair’s central analysis of their project. McSweeney and Starmer might have identified what they disliked most about the excesses of New Labour, but they never developed an alternative political economy of their own that might replace it. In place of Blairism there was no theory of political reform or coherent critique of British state failure, no analysis of Britain’s future place in the world or any kind of distinct moral mission. All there was was a promise to “clean things up” as Starmer put it to me. The mission became, in essence, conservative: to protect the settlement erected by Blair and eroded over the 20 years since his departure. Britain could thrive if it could only begin to live within its means, attract more foreign investment, reassure the bond markets and return a sense of “service” to government. After years of chaos, mere stability would be change. And this would be enough.

Where there was distinct radicalism – from McSweeney’s Blue Labour instincts – there was no mandate. McSweeney and Starmer had not fought an ideological battle to bring Blue Labour to government, as Wilson had done for socialist modernisation in the 1960s and Blair for liberal progressivism 30 years later. This was largely because Starmer never really believed in it in the first place and McSweeney, though a reflective thinker, was always more of an operator than political theorist. And so, the pair offered a programme without a programme, a government without ideas or the mandate to enact them.

Another of those who worked for [Stamer] adds: ‘He’s completely incurious. He’s not interested in policy or politics. He thinks his job is to sit in a room and be serious, be presented with something and say “Yes” or “No” – invariably “Yes” – rather than be persuader–in-chief.’ Even before he fell out with Starmer, Mandelson told friends and colleagues that the Prime Minister had never once asked him ‘What really makes Trump tick?’ or ‘How will he react to this?’.

Others dispute the claim of incuriosity. ‘There are subjects when he drills down and he’s really, really good,’ says another aide. ‘The idea he can’t think politically is also wrong. He will often think ahead.’ But even these loyalists admit Starmer lacks a ‘philosophical worldview’.

An anonymous reader shares a report: OpenAI has warned US lawmakers that its Chinese rival DeepSeek is using unfair and increasingly sophisticated methods to extract results from leading US AI models to train the next generation of its breakthrough R1 chatbot, according to a memo reviewed by Bloomberg News. In the memo, sent Thursday to the House Select Committee on China, OpenAI said that DeepSeek had used so-called distillation techniques as part of "ongoing efforts to free-ride on the capabilities developed by OpenAI and other US frontier labs." The company said it had detected "new, obfuscated methods" designed to evade OpenAI's defenses against misuse of its models' output. OpenAI began privately raising concerns about the practice shortly after the R1 model's release last year, when it opened a probe with partner Microsoft Corp. into whether DeepSeek had obtained its data in an unauthorized manner, Bloomberg previously reported. In distillation, one AI model relies on the output of another for training purposes to develop similar capabilities. Distillation, largely tied to China and occasionally Russia, has persisted and become more sophisticated despite attempts to crack down on users who violate OpenAI's terms of service, the company said in its memo, citing activity it has observed on its platform.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Under pressure over potential surveillance, Amazon's smart home division has backtracked on the partnership.

Pentagon says "more than 5,700 adult male ISIS fighters" have been moved to Iraq, completing the operation as questions linger over due legal process.

Commentary: A New York Times report reveals that discussions on the widespread use of facial recognition are underway.

Climate security should be a bigger priority at the Munich Security Conference Expert comment jon.wallace 13 February 2026

Anxiety over a fragmenting international security order seems to have pushed progress on climate risks down the agenda. But recent events show its continuing importance.

At the Munich Security Conference (MSC) – long a barometer of global security priorities – climate change is of reduced importance this year. While it features (albeit lightly) in the official programme, it barely registers in the Conference Report. That is a blind spot. 

Conflict and security discussions naturally tend to focus on weapons, sanctions, and ceasefires. But many of the drivers of instability are quieter, structural and environmental: failing harvests, degraded land, water scarcity, and energy transitions. All threaten to create upheaval faster than political systems can adapt, and serve to magnify grievances, weaken the legitimacy of governments and undermine peace processes. 

Yet at the 2026 MSC, climate and environmental risks are receiving less attention than in previous years. That has been mirrored elsewhere. Climate change fell markedly in priority in the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report 2026. And the UK’s national security assessment on global biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, initially expected for October 2025, was almost suppressed, and only came out following a freedom of information request earlier this year.

This matters because neglecting environmental stress weakens security outcomes at every stage of a conflict: security analysis that is blind to climate risks will miss early warning signals – such as drought-induced migration, food price spikes, or competition over land – that often precede outbreaks of war and terrorism.

Similarly, efforts to end active conflicts cannot succeed without understanding how environmental damage fuels humanitarian crises and prolongs fighting. And peace settlements will not hold without ensuring access to the resources people depend on – which climate change can make scarce. 

Related work

A roadmap for security and governance reform in Haiti

Consider Haiti. It is urgent and essential to stabilize and strengthen international support. But efforts to restore security will not hold without considering how rural youth saw their livelihoods collapse before violence surged, undermined by environmental degradation and climate shocks. 

If reintegration efforts simply return them to failing farms – without land restoration, water access, or climate-resilient livelihoods – evidence from the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin suggests many will rejoin armed groups. 

The same pattern appears elsewhere. In Yemen, water scarcity and collapsing agricultural systems have deepened local competition and undermined ceasefires. In Myanmar, floods, cyclones and extreme heat have deepened the refugee crisis and eroded the ability of the country’s regions and neighbours to cope. 

In post-conflict and reconstruction contexts – such as Syria and Gaza – rebuilding roads, power plants, or governance systems without restoring soils, water systems, and energy networks risks locking in dependencies and inequalities that feed instability. To put it simply: societies cannot be rebuilt without rebuilding livelihoods.

The rise and retreat of climate at Munich

For much of the past decade, the MSC recognized the climate–security nexus. Climate and environmental issues were not always central but were increasingly integrated into security debates. As early as 2014, panels linked energy and climate security to global stability. In 2020 the World Climate and Security Report was launched on the main stage, cementing climate change as a core security risk in the eyes of political and military leaders.

In the years that followed, climate featured regularly across MSC programming. Engagement with UNFCCC COP processes further reinforced the climate–security link in multilateral forums.

Yet even at its peak, this approach had limits. Climate was often treated as an adjacent risk rather than a structural element of security strategy. Limited attention was devoted to taking climate and environmental action to prevent conflicts and boost peacebuilding. Responsibility for that was frequently deferred to development actors, reinforcing silos rather than reshaping core security planning.

Some limited events on climate are taking place at this year’s conference. However, the 2026 MSC report, Under Destruction, marks a sharper retreat. Its emphasis on geopolitical fragmentation and great-power rivalry reflects real trends. But the near absence of climate considerations from the report signals a more narrowed framing of strategic priorities. 

This is a misreading of the moment. As multilateralism stalls, climate action is one of the few areas where practical international cooperation is still possible – often below the level of grand diplomacy. Cooperation to restore lands, manage water and food supplies and ensure energy access are key elements in ensuring the global stability that now seems under threat – even when higher-level politics are deadlocked. Ignoring these levers does not make security policy more realistic; it makes it less effective.

Climate security in a fragmented multilateral order

Of course, any climate-security agenda must grapple with political reality. US withdrawal or retrenchment from climate agreements limits the scope for multilateral action. But it does not preclude progress.

Regional and alliance-based approaches are important. Organizations like the European Union (EU) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) are taking important steps. The EU is embedding climate risk into its external action, conflict prevention, and resilience frameworks, while the OSCE is advancing regional dialogue and practical cooperation to address climate-related security risks. NATO’s growing work on climate impacts on operations, infrastructure resilience, and energy security avoids ideological battles while addressing real vulnerabilities. 

Such efforts show that climate resilience can be productively framed not as global environmental governance, but as force readiness, supply chain security, and societal resilience. Efforts that focus on adaptation, resilience, and livelihoods are often less politically toxic than emissions targets, and immediately relevant to security actors.

At the same time, cooperation with partners in Africa, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific can advance shared interests in stability without relying on universal consensus. The African Union, for instance, recently adopted a Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy and Action Plan that recognizes the links between climate change and peace and security. 

Where the opportunities lie and what should come next  

Evidence from multiple regions shows that land restoration, water management, food security, and climate-resilient livelihoods can serve as entry points for stabilization, dialogue, and trust-building – a form of climate and environmental diplomacy 2.0.

A future MSC should therefore move beyond diagnosis and prioritize action. Two practical areas stand out as candidates for renewed focus and coalition-building:

First, land restoration, water access, and sustainable agriculture should be embedded into stabilization missions and reconstruction plans – not as add-ons, but as important security investments. This is an area where militaries, development agencies, and local actors can usefully align.

A social media post cited by Elon Musk to bolster his argument that mail-in voting should be curtailed, and which was subsequently amplified by President Donald Trump, makes the false and long-ago debunked claim that in the 2020 election, “Pennsylvania sent out 1,823,148 mail-in ballots but received back around 2.5 MILLION mail-in ballots.”

As the Pennsylvania Department of State’s final report on the 2020 election shows, there were 2,673,272 mail-in ballot applications approved for the 2020 general election, so that’s how many were sent out. And of those, 2,273,490 votes were cast. (See charts 6.2 and 6.3 in the report.) Another 435,932 absentee ballots were also approved, and 374,659 of them were cast.

“This claim is based on mixing up statistics from the primary and the general election,” Charles Stewart III, director of the MIT Election Data and Science Lab, explained to us via email.

As online Pennsylvania records show, there were roughly 1.8 million absentee and mail-in ballots approved for the primary election in 2020, nearly 1.5 million of which were cast. In other words, the post mixes up the number of mail-in ballots (including absentee ballots) sent out for the 2020 primary election and then cites approximately the number of mail-in ballots cast in the 2020 general election.

“These are long-ago debunked claims that will not disappear despite the availability of official data,” Stewart said.

The Posts

Trump has been making false and unfounded claims related to mail-in voting for years. And he has long called for ending mail-in voting “other than if you’re in the military, or you’re sick, or you’re away, or some reasonable but good excuse,” as he said on Feb. 9.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk, a former Trump adviser, agrees, according to a Feb. 8 post from an X account called The Leading Report: “Elon Musk calls for mail-in voting to be abolished nationwide except for troops overseas or a serious medical condition.” Musk reposted it and commented, “Critical to avoid fraud.”

The same day, The SCIF — an X account whose bio identifies the operator as a “Digital Operator, Creator and Intelligence Researcher” with the motto, “Truth is the most effective weapon in a war of information filled with lies” — weighed in with an X post that read: “Elon is right, banning mail-in voting is critical to avoiding fraud in our elections. During the 2020 election, Pennsylvania sent out 1,823,148 mail-in ballots but received back around 2.5 MILLION mail-in ballots. This accounts for Biden’s fraudulent and impossible 682,000+ vote spike, which were counted with NO observers and were all for Biden, which magically just happened to be enough to steal Trump’s almost 700,000 vote lead in PA before swing states shut down counting locations at the same time, to steal the 2020 election. PA’s own Secretary of State website then wiped the 2.5 MILLION mail-in ballot number after the total number was questioned. Trump won the 2020 election in a landslide.”

Musk reposted that, and commented, “Essential to stop fraud in elections.” On Feb. 10, Trump reposted the claim and Musk’s response on Truth Social, without comment.

This latest criticism of mail-in voting comes as Congress considers the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote, and also photo identification to vote in federal elections. It would not abolish mail-in voting, but it would require a copy of identification to both request and submit a mail-in ballot.

Mail-in voting is widely used around the country. Eight states and Washington, D.C., conduct their elections mostly by mail, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Another 28 states — including Pennsylvania — offer “no excuse” mail-in voting, meaning that any voter can request a mail-in ballot without needing to provide a reason. (Pennsylvania has both no-excuse mail-in ballots as well as absentee ballots for those who can’t make it to a polling place due to illness, disability, work or travel.)

The Origins

The post claiming there were hundreds of thousands more mail-in ballots received than were actually sent out in Pennsylvania — a swing state that broke for Biden in 2020 — originated in a Nov. 25, 2020, hearing held by Pennsylvania Senate Republicans (a video of which is attached to the post). During that hearing, then-Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani referred to Pennsylvania voting data and said, “Now this is the part that is a mystery. Mailed ballots sent out: 1,823,148. But when you go to the count of the final count of the vote, there are 2,589,242 mail-in ballots.” Giuliani asked witness Phil Waldron, a retired Army colonel, “How do you account for the 700,000 mail-in ballots that appeared from nowhere?”

Waldron, who has promoted many unfounded theories about manipulated voting machines, speculated the voting machines may have been tampered with and called for a “detailed forensic analysis” of the voting machines used in Pennsylvania.

(Waldron later circulated a PowerPoint document to Trump allies that drew the attention of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. At the time, Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the panel, called the document “an alarming blueprint for overturning a nationwide election.” According to the Jan. 6 committee report, Waldron was among those who “invoked their Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination when asked by the Select Committee what supposed proof they uncovered that the election was stolen.”)

But again, the premise of Giuliani’s question was flawed. There were not more ballots returned in Pennsylvania than had been sent out.

“This is completely false,” Kathy Boockvar, who was the Pennsylvania secretary of the commonwealth at the time of the 2020 election, said in an email to us about the online claim. She explained the same thing at the time in a Dec. 16, 2020, letter to U.S. Sens. Ron Johnson and Gary Peters about similar claims.

All of the election data are, and were, in public records available online, and they contradict Giuliani’s claim.

The claim is also contradicted by the contemporaneous reporting made to the U.S. Elections Project, a clearinghouse for voting data maintained by Mike McDonald, a professor at the University of Florida.

“The individual-level Pennsylvania 2020 mail ballot data I received on a daily basis from the Secretary of State’s office does not substantiate these allegations,” McDonald told us via email. “Pennsylvania election officials reported issuing a little over 3 million mail ballots during the COVID crisis, of which election officials accepted a little more than 2.6 million returned ballots.” Those figures include both mail-in and absentee ballots.

And the claim is further contradicted by news accounts before the election that cited the correct number of ballot requests for the general election.

Indeed, the bogus claim was widely debunked at the time.

“It’s pretty unbelievable this is still being used,” Eric Kraeutler, a member of the board of directors and former chair of the Committee of Seventy, a Philadelphia-based election watchdog, told us in a phone interview. “They mixed up data for these two separate elections (the 2020 primary and general elections). … As far as we’re concerned, this was disposed of five or six years ago.”

Editor’s note: FactCheck.org does not accept advertising. We rely on grants and individual donations from people like you. Please consider a donation. Credit card donations may be made through our “Donate” page. If you prefer to give by check, send to: FactCheck.org, Annenberg Public Policy Center, P.O. Box 58100, Philadelphia, PA 19102. 

The post Trump and Musk Amplify Long-Ago Debunked Mail-In Vote Fraud Claim appeared first on FactCheck.org.

The Trump administration's new discounted drug platform isn't a game-changer for consumers, health care experts said.

An undercover operative stopped the pair from carrying out what could have been UK’s deadliest terrorist attack

Two men have been jailed for life after attempting to stage one of the UK’s deadliest terrorist attacks before it was thwarted by an undercover operative.

Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, who had sworn allegiance to Islamic State (IS), planned a marauding firearms attack targeting Greater Manchester’s Jewish community.

Designer Stella Jean forced to paint over image of revolutionary on ski suits after being told it breached rules

• Winter Olympics live – latest updates

The designer behind the Haitian team’s uniform for the 2026 Winter Olympics has said she had to redesign their ski suits for the opening ceremony after being told they did not comply with the guidelines on athlete expression by the International Olympic Committee.

The uniforms, designed by the Haitian-Italian designer Stella Jean, were based on a 2006 painting of the formerly enslaved revolutionary Toussaint Louverture riding a horse by the Haitian artist Edouard Duval-Carrié. Louverture, who led the successful revolt that established the world’s first Black republic in 1804, had been central to Jean’s initial design.

A $13 soil sensor helped rescue some of my ailing houseplants. Here's how I used it.

Key passages from judgment in challenge brought by Huda Ammori, which failed on two grounds but succeeded on two

Huda Ammori, one of the co-founders of Palestine Action, has successfully challenged a decision by the UK government to ban the group under the Terrorism Act 2000. The high court allowed or accepted Ammori’s claim on two grounds and dismissed it on two others. However, the judges made it clear that the ban remained in place for now, and the government will appeal.

The Metropolitan police indicated officers were unlikely to arrest people simply for showing support for Palestine Action until the legal situation was clarified.

President Trump aims to end the military mission there despite concerns about Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s ability to prevent a resurgence of the group.

The team behind Tyr started 2025 with little to show in our quest to produce a Rust GPU driver for Arm Mali hardware, and by the end of the year, we were able to play SuperTuxKart (a 3D open-source racing game) at the Linux Plumbers Conference (LPC). Our prototype was a joint effort between Arm, Collabora, and Google; it ran well for the duration of the event, and the performance was more than adequate for players. Thankfully, we picked up steam at precisely the right moment: Dave Airlie just announced in the Maintainers Summit that the DRM subsystem is only “about a year away” from disallowing new drivers written in C and requiring the use of Rust. Now it is time to lay out a possible roadmap for 2026 in order to upstream all of this work.

↫ Daniel Almeida at LWN.net

A very detailed look at what the team behind Tyr is trying to achieve with their Rust GPU driver for Arm Mali chips.

Strula Holm Laegreid of Norway revealed in a post-race interview earlier this week that he had been unfaithful to his girlfriend but hoped to win her back.

Proscription of British direct action group has been fiercely controversial from moment it was proposed last June

The list of those who criticised the ban on Palestine Action and its consequences was disparate to say the least, taking in a Trump administration official, a former director of public prosecutions, a former director of the security services, Home Office officials, politicians of different stripes, and UN experts, not to mention a host of NGOs.

Now a trio of senior judges can be added to the list, after they deemed the ban to be “disproportionate” and impinging on freedom of speech and protest when the direct action group’s activities could be targeted under the existing criminal law.

Chatham House fellow gives evidence to UK House of Lords on legality of US actions in Venezuela News release jon.wallace 13 February 2026

Professor Marc Weller, Director of the International Law Programme, gave evidence to the Committee on 4 February.

Professor Marc Weller, Director of the International Law Programme at Chatham House, gave evidence to the UK House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee on Wednesday 4 February.

Professor Weller was invited to give evidence on the legality of US actions in Venezuela due to his expertise in international law, including the use of force, dispute settlement, self-determination and peace-making. 

During his appearance Professor Weller discussed the legal justifications provided by the US administration for its actions in Venezuela and assessed their compliance with international law. He also discussed the implications of US operations in Venezuela for the rules-based international order; and whether or not the US can pursue a version of the Monroe Doctrine within the confines of international law.

Professor Weller described in detail how the US approach to international law has evolved over the past decade, and how the US could have done much more to restore the credibility of the international legal system in recent years. He also set out how developing countries are uniting in defence of international law, and described Chatham House’s work to defend the international legal system.

Professor Weller said:

‘It was a pleasure to engage with the Lords, and review the proliferating justifications put by states, including the US, for the use of force in the pursuit of national interests.

‘This is a dangerous development that must be resisted if we want to avoid a return to the unrestrained power politics of the 19th century and the instability this would bring for us all.’

Watch the committee session in full here.

Amid steep national price increases for certain consumer items, New York Republican state Sen. Tom O’Mara criticized the high cost of living in his state.

In a column published in the Wellsville Sun on Jan. 20, O’Mara blamed Democrats in Albany for making New York "an increasingly expensive state in which to live, work, raise a family, or run a business." 

Republicans in the legislature, including O’Mara, have launched a "Save New York" campaign to tackle the cost of living, including electricity rates. 

O’Mara is backing a bill that would return $2 billion to $3 billion in unspent money to taxpayers. The money would come from the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority, which is tasked with promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy and emissions reduction.

In the column, O’Mara said such efforts are important because "New Yorkers pay 49% more than the national average for electricity." 

Federal data supports O’Mara’s statistic, though the percentage varies by the type of customer, and New York’s rates are lower than most New England states.

How much higher are electricity costs in New York state?

O’Mara — whose district includes portions of central New York state and the southern tier, including Corning and Elmira — responded to our inquiry with a post to an Empire Center for Public Policy article warning about the rising prices of electricity in New York. 

According to the article, "In October 2025, the average residential electricity price in New York hit 26.95 cents per kilowatt-hour — about 50 percent higher than the U.S. average and among the top ten highest rates nationwide."

This aligns with slightly more recent data collected by the federal Energy Information Administration.

In November 2025, the federal agency found, residential users in New York state paid average electricity prices of 26.49 cents per kilowatt hour in November 2025. The national rate that month was 17.78 cents per kilowatt hour, so New York state’s rate was exactly 49% higher than the national average.

The premium paid by commercial users in New York state was similar to what residential users paid — 50% above the national average. 

Two other categories of users — industrial and transportation — were closer to the national average, but still above it. Industrial users, which include major plants with a dedicated electricity supply, paid 6% more than the national average, while transportation users, such as rail, paid 15% more.

New York compared favorably with some of its regional neighbors. 

Among New England states, residential customers in Massachusetts paid 31.22 cents per kilowatt hour, Rhode Island residents paid 30.82, Maine residents paid 27.85, New Hampshire residents paid 27.37, and Connecticut residents paid 27.02 for residential.  The only New England state that was less expensive than New York was Vermont, where residential customers paid 24.17 cents per kilowatt hour.

Two states in the mid-Atlantic region — New Jersey and Pennsylvania — had lower prices than New York, with 22.73 cents and 20.17 cents, respectively.

Severin Borenstein, a University of California-Berkeley public policy and business administration professor, cautioned that the averages mask variations among people and locations.

"New York has many different utilities and rates, so some people pay even more than that differential and others pay less," Borenstein said.

Our ruling

O’Mara said, "New Yorkers pay 49% more than the national average for electricity."

Federal data from November 2025 shows that this is correct for residential and commercial users. Costs for industrial and transportation users were also above the national average, but not as dramatically.

While O’Mara blamed New York’s Democrats for the high electricity prices, New York’s electricity costs are below those of most New England states, although they are higher than two mid-Atlantic states, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. 

The statement is accurate but needs additional information, so we rate it Mostly True.

Waymo's autonomous vehicles can transport passengers across six cities without a human driver, but the Alphabet-owned company has discovered that its cars become completely inert if a passenger accidentally leaves a door open. The company confirmed that it is now paying DoorDash drivers in Atlanta to close these doors as part of a pilot program. A Reddit post from a DoorDash driver showed an offer of $6.25 to drive less than one mile to a Waymo vehicle and close its door, plus an additional $5 after verified completion. Waymo and DoorDash told TechCrunch the post is legitimate. The door-closing partnership began earlier this year and is separate from the autonomous delivery service the two companies launched in Phoenix in October. Waymo has also worked with Honk, a towing service app, in Los Angeles on the same problem. Honk users in L.A. have been offered up to $24 to close a Waymo door. Future Waymo vehicles will have automated door closures.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

German Chancellor Frederich Merz kicked off the conference on Friday saying the rules-based international order “no longer exists,” in a new era of “big power politics.”

Vice President JD Vance will talk about the economy, foreign policy, the state of the Republican Party and the 2028 race for the White House in a March edition of the CBS News town hall series​ "Things That Matter."

• Group includes Hall of Fame lineman Joe Klecko

• Jerry Jones tells news to former Dallas star Nate Newton

Donald Trump issued pardons to five former NFL players on Thursday, with White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson making the announcement on social media.

The five pardoned players are Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry and the late Billy Cannon.

Customers flock to Daoxiangcun to pick up cakes selected by the president during lunar new year tour around city

A Beijing pastry shop visited by the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, on a lunar new year tour this week has been swarmed by customers hoping to get their hands on Xi-approved sweet treats.

Traffic was brought to a standstill in Beijing’s capital as the president took a tour around the city on Monday and Tuesday.

Love is biting consumers this year amid the rising cost of flowers, chocolates and other Valentine's Day staples.

The Trump administration spent over $40 million last year to deport hundreds of migrants to countries where they’d never been, a report from Senate Democrats says.

Author says she is ‘disgusted’ by claim from jury president Wim Wenders that film-makers should remain apolitical

The author Arundhati Roy has withdrawn from the Berlinale after the film festival’s chief jurist said film-makers must stay out of politics.

The festival got off to a shaky start on Thursday after the competition jury, led by the German film-maker Wim Wenders, fielded questions about the conflict in Gaza. Asked if films can affect political change, Wenders said that “movies can change the world” but “not in a political way”.

Will the decline in inflation help lower mortgage interest rates? Here's what borrowers need to consider right now.

From handheld to corded, self-emptying to stick models, these are our resident cleaner’s favourite vacuums for a spotless home

• The best cordless vacuum cleaners, tested
• How to make your vacuum cleaner last longer

Buying a vacuum cleaner isn’t as easy as you might think. With so many brands and models to choose from, it can be bewildering. Sticking with established brands isn’t necessarily a safe bet, with past performance being no guarantee that the latest models will be as good. Meanwhile, prices can be deceptive, with some affordable models now closing the gap on top-of-the-range brands when it comes to cleaning performance.

You can’t know all this by browsing through a department store or online. The ideal thing to do would be to take a few models home to try them out – but good luck persuading anyone to let you do that. Thankfully, you won’t have to try because I’ve tested an array of models for you. I’ve measured each one’s ability to perform a range of real-world cleaning jobs, so you can discover the best vacuum cleaner for you.

Best corded vacuum cleaner overall:
Shark Detect XL Car + Pet LA791UKT

Best cordless vacuum cleaner overall:
Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty IP3251UKT

Out-of-state investors buy cheap homes in the city, leaving working residents struggling with substandard housing

• ‘My bill keeps escalating’: how Toledo, Ohio, became the epicenter of the US housing crisis

Berkshire Place in north-west Toledo is an unremarkable street of potholes and unembellished single-family homes in a working-class Ohio neighborhood like thousands of others across the US’s industrial heartland.

Last July, a three-bedroom, two bath house on the street with children’s toys and bikes strewn around its snow-covered yard was sold for the princely sum of $20,000 to an entity called J Kushner & Associates with an address in Bet Shemesh, Israel. It had recently been put up for rent for $1,600. That means the Israel-based owner or owners would, at that price, make a return on their initial investment in just a little over a year.

Democrats questioned White House about immigration policies exacerbating childcare shortages and costs

Democratic lawmakers, led by the senators Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth and the representative Mike Quigley, are demanding answers about how Donald Trump’s immigration policies are exacerbating childcare shortages and costs in the US.

About 20% of the childcare workforce in the US are immigrants – and as high as 70% in some regions of the US – and the president’s immigration policies could reduce the childcare workforce by an estimated 15%, according to a letter sent today by 48 lawmakers to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF).

Africa Aware: Can the African Union withstand fractures to multilateralism? Audio thilton.drupal 13 February 2026

Carlos Lopes reflects on what lies ahead for the African Union, the tests facing its leadership, and how Africa can navigate through changes in the global order.

Mahamoud Ali Youssouf and Amb. Selma Malika Haddadi assumed the leadership of the African Union (AU) at last year’s 38th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly – ushering what many saw a moment of renewed hope and leadership reset. 

The AU, however, enters 2026 on uncertain ground. Conflicts are intensifying across several regions; while showing signs of resilience, economic prospects remain fragile; and political settlements in a number of countries are under strain – all this is unfolding against the backdrop of shifting global priorities and waning international attention on Africa.
 
In this episode, Chatham House Africa Programme associate fellow, Professor Carlos Lopes, reflects on what lies ahead for the AU, the tests facing its leadership, and how Africa can navigate through changes in the global order.

About Africa Aware 

Africa Aware is a podcast from the Chatham House Africa Programme bringing together leading international experts to provide in-depth analysis and sharp insights on the political, economic and social issues shaping African countries, their international relations and the continent as a whole. 

You can also listen to Africa Aware on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 

MINNEAPOLIS ­— The struggle that killed Alex Pretti began with a shove. It ended with gunshots.

In the final moments before he was shot and killed by federal authorities in Minneapolis, Pretti attempted to intervene in a confrontation where several­ federal agents were shoving two women. In videos from the scene, Pretti crosses the street and places himself between the officers and the women before being pepper-sprayed, separated from the group, beaten, and shot multiple times.

One of the women involved in the confrontation, who was the closest civilian to Pretti when he was killed, said that in the immediate aftermath of the shooting she identified herself as an emergency medical technician and moved to perform CPR. Federal agents restrained her, said the woman, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution by the government.

The woman, a registered EMT whose credentials were confirmed by The Intercept, said in an exclusive interview that it was apparent Pretti had suffered serious injuries and needed medical help.

“I could tell the second that I laid eyes on him that he was horrifically injured,” the EMT recalled. “I immediately said, ‘I’m an EMT! He has a brain injury! He has a serious brain injury! I need to help him right now.’”

In videos of the shooting, the EMT repeatedly exclaims that Pretti is “decorticate posturing” — a medical term for the curling and movements of the limbs after suffering severe brain trauma. Then, Pretti’s body went completely limp. Videos show the EMT frantically pleading with one of the officers as other agents begin to surround Pretti’s body.

“I was literally begging the agent who was holding me back to let me do CPR,” she recalled. “Because I knew that if he wasn’t pulseless at that point already, he was going to become pulseless very, very soon.”

Immediately following the shooting, the EMT, who was carrying trauma supplies at the scene, attempted to reach Pretti before being intercepted and held back by a masked officer. The medic’s identity and place at the scene were corroborated by an attorney with the Minnesota branch of the National Lawyers Guild. The EMT’s account of events is supported by publicly available video evidence and court documents.

Government agencies have an obligation to give basic health care to people that they have arrested or detained, according to to Xavier de Janon, the director of mass defense at the National Lawyers Guild.

“The responsibility of the government is to make sure that the person in their custody is cared for and alive,” de Janon said. “If government agencies fail to keep someone alive and there is proof that it’s their fault, they could be liable for their actions.”

Neither the Border Patrol nor its parent agency, Customs and Border Protection, the two agencies reportedly responsible for killing Pretti, responded to requests for comment.

The EMT said that while Pretti’s injuries were so severe it was unlikely he could be saved, critical minutes passed between the shooting and the time when another bystander first rendered aid — a period when the EMT was trying to get access to Pretti.

“They were hellbent on not allowing anybody to help him until he was dead,” she said. “I was right there, and they — all of them — made the decision to deny me access to give him the best possible chance of survival.”

Before the Shooting

For more than two months, the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have been besieged by agents from CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agents arrived as part of a sweeping nationwide assault on liberal cities carried out in the form of a massive immigration crackdown.

In Minneapolis, federal authorities have shot at least three people and injured scores more as their operations unfolded. Weeks earlier, federal agents shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old artist, while she was unarmed and inside of her vehicle.

It was against this backdrop of state violence that the EMT went in her capacity as a medic to the intersection of 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis, where Pretti would later be killed. She was responding to a call for help sent out over one of the many rapid response channels that Minneapolis residents use to track and warn residents about federal immigration agents.

Related

“Uptick in Abductions”: ICE Ramps Up Targeting of Minneapolis Legal Observers

“There’s medics dispersed in pretty much all of the rapid response networks,” she said. “People try to be available to dispatch across the city because the rate of them harming people — it’s just so high at this point.”

On the day of Pretti’s death, immigration agents were gathered outside of a donut shop in the Whittier neighborhood of South Minneapolis. Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino claimed in a statement that officers arrived on the scene in pursuit of a “violent criminal illegal alien.” A subsequent review by Minnesota officials found that the man border patrol agents claimed to be pursuing had no violent criminal convictions on record in the state.

Observer footage filmed on the day of the shooting captured the EMT and another woman standing in the street before an agent approaches them and begins shoving them across the road.  

“He was really kind of sending me flying backwards,” the EMT recalled. “I was having to kind of run and stumble backwards to not fall.”

As the women are pushed to the other side of the roadway, Pretti can be seen farther down the street, attempting to wave a car through the scene. Suddenly, he appears to notice the agents closing in on the civilians and changes course to intercept the officers.

In a statement following the shooting, DHS officials claimed that Pretti “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” The EMT said that was not true.

“He very clearly came over to assist me and the other woman as we were being hurt,” she recalled. “My first recognition that he was present was feeling his arm around my waist and me looking at him and feeling very grateful that he prevented me from falling onto the sidewalk.”

Video footage captured by another bystander shows that just as Pretti managed to stabilize the EMT, agents shoved the other woman to the ground. As Pretti and the EMT attempt to help her stand up, multiple agents surround the group and begin to spray them with cans of chemical irritant. Some of the agents continue pursuing the women, while others separate Pretti from the group and begin beating him.

“I was saying to the agents, “We’re leaving! We’re leaving. We’re leaving!’ — just trying desperately to like get them to stop,” the EMT said.

She realized later, watching the video, that the same agent who grabbed her was one of the officers who shot Pretti.

Bull From Bovino

In a press conference on the day of the shooting, Greg Bovino claimed that the agents had fired “defensive shots” after “fearing for their lives.”

Videos taken on the scene, however, show that, in the moments just prior to the shooting, the agent who fired the first shot at Pretti was preoccupied with attempting to pepper spray the other woman nearby. He only turns and fires multiple shots into Pretti’s body after another agent exclaimed that the slain nurse had a gun.  

In the wake of the killing, President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan claimed that Customs and Border Protection officers had attempted to render aid immediately. That did not jibe with the account of a pediatrician who witnessed the killing from a nearby apartment complex and arrived on the scene minutes later. An affidavit from the pediatrician filed in federal court closely matches the EMT’s account.

The doctor claimed that, when she arrived, agents initially prevented her from treating Pretti, had not administered CPR, and were not sure whether he had a pulse. She testified that the agents standing around Pretti’s body “appeared to be counting his bullet wounds,” rather than administering lifesaving care. After some time, the physician was allowed to approach Pretti.

It is unclear why agents neglected to perform CPR on Pretti following the shooting. Immediately commencing CPR on cardiac arrest is standard medical practice, and neglecting or delaying the process can significantly increase a patient’s chance of death. The EMT only wishes, she said, that she could have attempted to treat Pretti.

“The trauma of that is significant,” she said. “He didn’t get the final act of kindness of someone trying to render him aid.”

Pretti was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital shortly after being transported there. Following the shooting, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem characterized him as a “domestic terrorist.”

The EMT, however, thinks Pretti’s actions that day may have prevented other civilians from being attacked by federal agents in the same manner.

“I think he easily could have saved me and the other woman’s life,” she said. “All he did was try and help two people who were being hurt by ICE agents.”

The post The Woman Alex Pretti Was Killed Trying to Defend Is an EMT. Federal Agents Stopped Her From Giving First Aid. appeared first on The Intercept.

Roblox says it has removed account after massacre that left nine people including the shooter dead

The 18-year-old suspect in a high school shooting in British Columbia had previously created a mass shooting simulator on the gaming platform Roblox, it has been revealed.

The simulator, set in what appeared to be a virtual shopping mall, allowed users – represented as Roblox-style avatars – to pick up weapons and shoot other players, 404 Media reported on Thursday.

This article was amended on 14 February 2026. An earlier version said there was more than one attacker in the Christchurch attack and incorrectly named the platform the attacker streamed on as Twitch.

Chris Nanos was accused of bypassing federal analysts as search for Today show host’s mother nears two weeks

The Arizona sheriff investigating the abduction of NBC Today show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother pushed back Friday on an accusation he had withheld crucial forensic evidence from the FBI, as the search for the missing 84-year-old reached close to two weeks.

Chris Nanos, the Pima county sheriff leading the investigation in Tucson, has been accused of bypassing federal analysts, according to an unnamed source at the FBI who spoke to Reuters.

We're tracking hundreds of products to bring you a curated list of the best Presidents Day sales.

These charts track prices consumers pay for groceries and other goods now compared to five years ago.

theodp writes: West Virginia lawmakers on Tuesday introduced House Bill 5387 (PDF), which would repeal the state's recently enacted mandatory stand-alone computer science graduation requirement and replace it with a new computer literacy proficiency requirement. Not too surprisingly, the Bill is being opposed by tech-backed nonprofit Code.org, which lobbied for the WV CS graduation requirement (PDF) just last year. Code.org recently pivoted its mission to emphasize the importance of teaching AI education alongside traditional CS, teaming up with tech CEOs and leaders last year to launch a national campaign to mandate CS and AI courses as graduation requirements. "It would basically turn the standalone computer science course requirement into a computer literacy proficiency requirement that's more focused on digital literacy," lamented Code.org as it discussed the Bill in a Wednesday conference call with members of the Code.org Advocacy Coalition, including reps from Microsoft's Education and Workforce Policy team. "It's mostly motivated by a variety of different issues coming from local superintendents concerned about, you know, teachers thinking that students don't need to learn how to code and other things. So, we are addressing all of those. We are talking with the chair and vice chair of the committee a week from today to try to see if we can nip this in the bud." Concerns were also raised on the call about how widespread the desire for more computing literacy proficiency (over CS) might be, as well as about legislators who are associating AI literacy more with digital literacy than CS. The proposed move from a narrower CS focus to a broader goal of computer literacy proficiency in WV schools comes just months after the UK's Department for Education announced a similar curriculum pivot to broader digital literacy, abandoning the narrower 'rigorous CS' focus that was adopted more than a decade ago in response to a push by a 'grassroots' coalition that included Google, Microsoft, UK charities, and other organizations.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat running for Senate in Texas, wants people to know she isn’t taking corporate PAC money — in her Senate campaign. 

“In this Senate race I have not taken any corporate PAC money,” Crockett told the Texas journalist Tashara Parker last month. “People don’t know that because my report hasn’t come out yet. But they will.”

But according to her most recent campaign filings, Crockett has a loophole that lets her use corporate PAC money to help fuel her Senate run — by transferring it from her House campaign. 

Crockett’s latest filings with the Federal Election Commission show that she transferred at least $26,500 in donations from corporate PACs — including those representing CVS, Home Depot, AT&T, and Wells Fargo — from her House campaign to her Senate campaign on December 19.

“It relies on technicality that you can say ‘I’m not accepting contributions to my Senate campaign from corporate PACs,’” said Brendan Glavin, director of insights at the government transparency group OpenSecrets. “But they can’t say that there’s no corporate money flowing through her Senate campaign, because it’s obviously not true.” 

Throughout her time in office, Crockett’s stance on corporate PAC money has shifted. She was the beneficiary of millions of dollars in spending by cryptocurrency PACs in her 2022 congressional campaign, and she’s taken more than $315,000 from corporate PACs affiliated with the crypto, defense, insurance, pharmaceutical, and banking industries since 2023. She’s sworn off that cash while running against state Rep. James Talarico in Texas’s Democratic Senate primary, now less than three weeks away, in a cycle that’s being largely defined by battles over outside spending. Early voting in the race begins on Tuesday.

“As I understand it, it looks like Rep. Crockett didn’t have a hard and fast personal policy about rejecting corporate PAC money for her House campaigns. Now, as she runs for Senate, she’s drawing a different line,” said Michael Beckel, director of money in politics reform at Issue One, a nonprofit that works on campaign finance reform.

“Even if they’ve benefited from dark money or corporate PAC money in the past, lawmakers who stand up to a broken campaign finance system should be cheered,” Beckel said. “That said, if politicians say they are taking steps to fight the broken campaign finance system, voters want them to walk the walk.”

Crockett’s campaign did not provide a comment by time of publication.

Speaking to Parker, Crockett suggested that questions about her corporate PAC support that have been raised since she launched her Senate campaign were a distraction from the party’s goal to elect a Democratic senator from Texas. Crockett also criticized her opponent, Talarico, who has also said he’s rejecting corporate PAC money but whose last campaign was largely funded by a casino PAC bankrolled by Republican megadonor Miriam Adelson.

“At the end of the day, taking money on behalf of a corporation is taking money on behalf of a corporation, no matter whose name is on it,” Crockett said.

Both Crockett and Talarico also have super PACs working on their behalf.

Crockett’s House campaign received the corporate PAC contributions in question between March and November and cashed several of the checks months after they were received, four of them after she launched her Senate campaign on December 8. (FEC rules require committees to cash any checks within ten days of their receipt.) Crockett then transferred all of the corporate PAC contributions in question to her Senate campaign on December 19. 

A spokesperson for the FEC said the agency could not comment on the activities of specific candidates.

It’s not unusual for some time to pass between when a campaign donor mails a check or makes an electronic transfer and when a committee marks that money as received, Glavin said. “But when we’re talking about months, that’s different.” 

According to Beckel, “There are frequently disparities between when a corporate PAC reports issuing a check and when a candidate reports cashing it, but lengthy disparities raise questions.” He pointed to recent reporting indicating that Crockett has not named a campaign manager, and said “the delayed deposits of campaign contributions raise questions about who she has hired to do her campaign finance compliance.” 

When she first ran for the Texas State House in 2020, Crockett campaigned hard against corporate PAC money. In a Twitter post four days before her Democratic primary that July, Crockett hit her opponent for being funded by corporate PACs and special interests, noting that she had taken zero dollars from either. 

That was no longer true by the following month. Crockett’s state campaign started accepting corporate PAC money after she won her primary and advanced to the general election, where she ran unopposed. She took $11,500 from corporate PACs and companies throughout that campaign, including PACs for AT&T, Atmos Energy, Centene, and Comcast. 

By the time she ran for Congress in 2022, Crockett was the beneficiary of the second largest amount spent by special interest groups on House candidates that cycle, Axios reported. The bulk of the funding came in the form of more than $2.7 million from two crypto PACs, including Sam Bankman-Fried’s now-defunct Protect Our Future PAC. Another Bankman-Fried–funded super PAC aligned with Democrats spent a little over $7,800 supporting Crockett. She also received just over $93,400 in support from PACs for the progressive groups Texas Organizing Project and the Working Families Party. 

Since Crockett entered Congress in 2023, she’s taken more than $315,000 from corporate PACs. Among them are PACs for Comcast, Blackrock, DoorDash, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Cigna, and Home Depot. 

Crockett has said she wants people working at large corporations, many of which have offices in her district, like Goldman Sachs, to feel like they can support her campaign. Last year, she raised concerns that new House maps in Texas might cut large companies out of her district. “This means that I don’t have Southwest Airlines, or JSX Airlines, or Dallas Love Airport or Downtown or AT&T or Goldman Sachs,” she said, “and the list goes on, of amazing companies and corporations that I’m typically bringing in to make sure that we can talk about economic opportunities for the people that live in my district.”

She’s also said her receipt of corporate PAC money has never affected her vote on policy issues. 

“No one’s ever questioned whether or not my record was tied to any money,” Crockett told Parker. “At the end of the day, I’ve always had relationships. Especially with me representing downtown, because I’ve got to look out for people and make sure they got jobs, make sure that I’m pushing them to the limit when I’m looking at their diversity or lack thereof.” 

Several of the companies whose PACs have supported Crockett have been linked to Trump, including several which rolled back diversity policies under his administration, like Home Depot, Walmart, and Target. One of the crypto firms that contributed to Crockett’s congressional campaign gave $1 million to Trump’s 2025 inauguration committee. 

In 2023, as Crockett sought a seat on the Financial Services Committee, her colleagues in the House raised concerns about having members on the committee who’d received support from the crypto industry. She’s also taken votes that benefit the companies in the crypto, banking, and defense industries after taking money from their PACs. 

After taking money from crypto PACs and several executives at crypto firms, Crockett voted for both the GENIUS Act and the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act, both of which the majority of her party — including most of her fellow Texas Democrats — opposed. The crypto industry supported both bills, and President Donald Trump widely praised the GENIUS Act. 

Crockett was joined by four other Texas Democrats, including Reps. Henry Cuellar and Marc Veasey, in voting to pass the GENIUS Act last year. Seven Texas Democrats voted against the measure, which also split the broader party, with 110 Democrats voting against it and 102 voting for it. (More than 200 Republicans voted in favor.) Critics have said that the measure would help Trump further enrich himself. 

Related

NY Democratic House Candidate Works for Palantir Partners Pushing AI Border Surveillance

The year prior, Crockett broke with 133 Democrats to support the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act, joining the minority of 71 Democrats who voted for the measure along with 208 Republicans. She was again one of five Texas Democrats to support the bill, while seven opposed it. 

Crockett has also taken votes that benefit her campaign supporters in the defense industry. 

In January, she voted with the majority of Democrats for a national security appropriations bill that would send additional weapons to Israel. Fifty-seven Democrats voted against the measure. 

Crockett has received more than $20,000 in contributions from corporate PACs representing weapons manufacturers supplying Israel with weapons it’s using to carry out the genocide in Gaza, including Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Boeing, and Raytheon. 

Crockett’s campaign did not respond to questions about how she would approach policies related to cryptocurrency regulation or U.S. military support for Israel if elected to the Senate.

The post Jasmine Crockett Swears Off Corporate Cash — But Transferred Thousands From Her House Campaign appeared first on The Intercept.

New border controls require ‘certificate of entitlement’ to attach to second nationality passport that costs £589

Dual British nationals have been warned they may be denied boarding a flight, ferry or train to the UK after 25 February unless they carry a valid British passport.

The warning by the Home Office comes amid scores of complaints from British people living or travelling abroad who have suddenly found themselves at risk of not being allowed into the UK.

If you are affected by the change and want to share your story, email lisa.ocarroll@theguardian.com

Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney, whose congressional district stretches across much of Central New York, recently took credit for helping push forward a major semiconductor factory in Clay, N.Y., north of Syracuse.

"It was exciting to break ground with @MicronTech on its historic investment in New York State," Tenney posted on X Jan. 16. "This project will create 50,000 jobs and strengthen domestic semiconductor manufacturing across NY. I was honored to lead this effort in the House as Congress reaffirmed America’s commitment to long-term innovation & competitiveness."

Tenney touted her role in advancing the Micron plant, but her connection to the project is more complicated than her post acknowledged.

Tenney’s office did not respond to inquiries for this article.

What is the Micron plant in Clay, N.Y.?

Micron, one of the United States’ largest producers of computer memory and data storage, is building a $100 billion "megafab" facility that will produce semiconductors, a key component of consumer and industrial electronics. 

Upon completion, it is poised to become the country’s largest such plant. According to Micron, the Clay facility will include 2.4 million square feet of clean room space, or the size of about 40 American football fields. The $100 billion in expenditures will be spread over at least 20 years.

Micron and public officials have projected that the plant will create upwards of 50,000 jobs, potentially providing a major boost to central New York’s faltering economy. 

What has Tenney’s role been?

Recently, Tenney has been a supporter of the plant. She was one of several high-ranking officials at the groundbreaking. Other attendees included Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., and New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer and Gov. Kathy Hochul. 

In 2022, Tenney opposed a key piece of legislation that made the Micron plant possible: the CHIPS and Science Act, which was signed by then-President Joe Biden. The bill was designed to promote U.S. high-tech manufacturing through federal funding and incentives.

On the eve of the bill’s signing, Micron wrote in a news release that it was announcing $40 billion in manufacturing investment because the CHIPS and Science Act made it possible for the company to "move toward this significant, long-term investment plan with confidence."

When the CHIPS and Science Act was being debated in the House — and before Micron had chosen Clay as the location — Tenney explained her opposition by saying the bill "lacks critical guardrails and includes loopholes that in the long run could benefit China." She said that "much of the supported research under this bill will be executed in partnership with universities, which we know are notoriously vulnerable to Chinese espionage."

In December 2024, the U.S. Commerce Department finalized more than $6 billion in federal funds for Micron to assist in its New York and Idaho plants.

Since the bill was signed into law and Micron announced the plant would be in New York, Tenney has become more supportive.

In May 2025, Tenney and 20 bipartisan colleagues introduced the Building Advanced Semiconductor Investment Credit, or BASIC, Act, which builds on provisions of the CHIPS and Science Act. The legislation would increase the advanced manufacturing investment credit from 25% to 35% and extend its availability through Dec. 31, 2030.

This bill was enacted as part of Trump’s signature tax and spending law in 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Tenney’s shifting positions on the value of the CHIPS and Science Act led to a community note on her X post, which cited her vote against the bill.

Our ruling

Tenney said she has led the House effort to build a large Micron semiconductor facility near Syracuse.

Her role has been more complicated than that. In 2022, Tenney voted against the CHIPS and Science Act, which eventually provided billions of dollars in federal support for the Micron plant. 

However, in 2025, she offered a bill that was enacted and signed by Trump that expanded and extended a key provision of the CHIPS and Science Act.

The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details, so we rate it Half True.

The Guardian has reviewed figures from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection since Trump’s inauguration

Donald Trump campaigned on a platform of mass deportation. Since he took office, his administration has reshaped immigration enforcement across the country. The Guardian, using data published every two weeks by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is tracking the number of people the administration has arrested, detained and deported.

As LLCs snap up thousands of homes, tenants face rising rents, fees and deteriorating living conditions

• How ‘neglectful or absentee’ investors fuel Toledo, Ohio’s post-pandemic housing crisis

Executive Towers boasts a gym, a swimming pool and heated underground parking. Built in 1963 by the country’s top contructor of luxury apartments, its excellent access to Ohio’s downtown Toledo and the neighborhoods beyond made it an attractive place to live.

It was for all of these reasons and more that Kwiona Sprott moved into Executive Towers with her teenage son last July, paying $851 a month.

Feb. 13, 2026 — Last week the Government of Andhra Pradesh, a State in southern India, began construction on Quantum Valley Tech Park in the capital city of Amaravati. Quantum Valley Tech Park will soon host India’s first IBM quantum computer, and tech park members already enjoy access to IBM’s cloud-based quantum computers thanks to a partnership between IBM and India’s Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), first announced last spring.

Construction begins on India’s Quantum Valley Tech Park

These initiatives are bringing renewed national focus to India’s ongoing efforts in quantum education and workforce development. According to a report published by the Government of India’s apex policy think tank NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) in December, India will need to train approximately 100,000 quantum developers to secure its place as a quantum computing leader in the 2030s, a decade that will be shaped by the emergence of large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computing. The message is clear: India’s long-term competitiveness in quantum computing will hinge on the strength of its talent pipeline.

“With Quantum Valley Tech Park, Andhra Pradesh is building a global innovation hub that will empower our students, researchers, and industry to lead in this transformative field,” said N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. “By collaborating with global leaders like IBM and TCS, we are accelerating India’s progress toward the goals of our National Quantum Mission and shaping a future defined by opportunity, discovery, and economic growth.”

“The start of construction at Quantum Valley Tech Park is an exciting milestone in our collaboration with the Government of Andhra Pradesh,” said Scott Crowder, Vice President, IBM Quantum Adoption and Business Development. “India has rapidly expanded its quantum education and research infrastructure. Now, as it prepares to welcome its first IBM quantum computer, this emerging ecosystem is poised to drive new scientific discoveries, advance real-world applications, and accelerate the journey to quantum advantage and beyond.”

The new Quantum Valley Tech Park will play a pivotal role in building India’s talent pipeline, and in making India a true force in the global quantum industry. The tech park’s ground breaking follows similar momentum across IBM’s global quantum network, where regions from Europe to East Asia are scaling infrastructure and workforce programs to prepare for the next era of quantum computing.

A Nationwide Learning Engine

India’s push to build that quantum talent pipeline is already well underway through India’s National Quantum Mission, which aims to make the country a hub of technological innovation and economic growth in the global quantum computing industry. It’s also being driven by organizations like IBM, which has been actively engaged in quantum education and upskilling initiatives across the country since 2021.

A flagship component of IBM’s work there has been Introduction to Quantum Computing, a beginner-friendly, Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) launched in partnership with IIT Madras in 2021 and offered through the Government of India’s National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) platform. This free, four-week-long course is recognized by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and has quickly become India’s biggest on-ramp to quantum skills-building.

NPTEL’s Introduction to Quantum Computing course has already trained over 37,000 learners in the last four years, and enrollment is accelerating fast. Enrollment for 2026 has already crossed a staggering 208,785 participants with over 100,000 of those coming from Andhra Pradesh.

In addition to the introductory quantum computing MOOC, NPTEL also offers a more advanced quantum computing course comprising 24 weeks of learning modules that provide a deep dive into the subject over the course of a year. This paid course has trained now 300+ learners, many of whom have been supported by industry sponsorships.

These community-level learning programs sit alongside broader efforts across academia in India. For example, IBM has spent years helping to integrate quantum education more deeply into India’s formal academic system. This has included support for the introduction of a minor degree in quantum technologies at the undergraduate level and a masters program in quantum technology that is now available across all AICTE engineering institutions nationwide.

IBM Quantum researchers have contributed extensively to curriculum design, faculty training, and textbook development through these efforts, and that work is paying off. Together with partners from all across India’s quantum community, IBM has delivered year-long faculty development programs that have already trained over 9,500 faculty members in just the past year. These faculty will form the teaching force tasked with preparing India’s next generation of quantum professionals.

A Foundation for Long-Term Leadership

Students and faculty trained through India’s growing quantum talent pipeline will benefit immensely from the completion of the Quantum Valley Tech Park in Andhra Pradesh. The tech park will host India’s first IBM quantum computer, an IBM Quantum System Two powered by the latest available IBM Quantum processor. With its modular design, engineered for HPC integration, IBM Quantum System Two delivers the scalable infrastructure needed to support India’s research and future workforce for years to come.

However, a quantum workforce isn’t just built after the hardware arrives. While construction is underway, Quantum Valley Tech Park members can work with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to access IBM quantum computers over the cloud. TCS has had IBM Quantum cloud access since November 2025 and has already run skills development workshops and an internal hackathon.

Beyond facilitating access to IBM quantum computers and runtime services, TCS has also partnered with IBM to support the development of new algorithms and applications that will help Indian industry and academia tackle the nation’s most challenging and valuable problems.

What Comes Next

As India solidifies its quantum industry foundation, its students and researchers gain a real advantage. The country’s quantum talent pipeline is maturing at the same time that the technology and science of quantum computing is approaching long-sought, paradigm-shifting milestones.IBM expects that the first cases of verified quantum advantage will emerge by the end of 2026, and has shared its plans to deliver fault-tolerant quantum computers by 2029. These advances will fundamentally reshape the computing landscape, and the countries like India that are working towards quantum readiness today will be well-positioned to become the quantum industry leaders of tomorrow.

More from HPCwire

• Rigetti to Supply 108-Qubit Quantum Computer as India Expands Domestic Capabilities
• IBM Partners with TCS to Advance Quantum Computing in India

Source: Anupama Ray and Robert Davis, IBM

The post IBM: Breaking Ground on India’s Quantum Future appeared first on HPCwire.

SOFIA GUIDETTI
Staff Reporter

Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” was released on Netflix on Nov. 7, which I have been looking forward to ever since it was announced. As a big fan of Mary Shelley’s book of the same name, I was really hoping that the movie adaptation would live up to the name. Thankfully, it did not disappoint. 

I thought the casting, cinematography, dialogue and overall pace of the story were incredible. It has been a while since I have seen a movie as good as this one, which brought back my love of film. 

The only gripe I have is that it should have been released in theaters worldwide instead of on Netflix, since seeing this movie on the big screen would have been life-changing!

Although the movie differs from the original book — like how Victor Frankenstein is portrayed as a surgeon instead of a university student, as well as the addition of Henrich Harlander acting as a mentor to Dr. Frankenstein — it still portrays the same themes from the book. Some of these themes include the danger of knowledge, the responsibility of creation, man’s encouragement of violence, love, companionship and revenge.

In the movie, Frankenstein seeks to create life from the death of others. He compiles body parts from multiple people, trying to find the best parts of each to create the ideal creature. However, after successfully doing so, he says, “I never considered what would come after creation. In having reached the edge of the Earth, there was no horizon left.”

Frankenstein’s intelligence made him capable of creating the Creature, leading to the realization that he is responsible for looking after the Creature, which is a driving force in the plot of this movie. He grapples with the idea of taking care of his creation, or abandoning him when he thinks that he failed in his experiment. This creates a very complex relationship between Frankenstein and the Creature throughout the course of the film.

Not only does Frankenstein realize things, but so does the Creature. He is not an inherently violent being. He learns violence from those around him, specifically the men, since the only woman he meets, Elizabeth Lavenza, is the warmest person to him.

After a deadly encounter with some wolves and hunters, the Creature says, “An idea, a feeling became clear to me. The hunter did not hate the wolf. The wolf did not hate the sheep. But violence felt inevitable between them. Perhaps, I thought, this was the way of the world. It would hunt you and kill you just for being who you are.”

The Creature, unfortunately, learns that violence is bound to happen, which leads to him becoming violent himself. However, his violence is portrayed very differently in the movie compared to the book. In the book, he chooses to be violent of his own free will, while in the movie, the violence is thrust upon him. I honestly like del Toro’s depiction of the Creature’s violence more.

The last quote I will share that really showed off two of the main themes is when the Creature says, “If you are not to award me love, then I will indulge in rage.” The Creature ultimately yearns for love despite not being given it by his creator, resulting in him turning to violence and dedicating his life to revenge. This line really stood out to me and made me feel even worse for the Creature.

Since I don’t want to potentially spoil anything else about the movie, I want to move on to my opinions of the casting choices. Jacob Elordi deserves an Oscar nomination and win for his role as Frankenstein’s monster. His depiction of the Creature is some of the best acting I have seen in a long time and truly shows how good of an actor Elordi is, despite doubts that people had. 

Oscar Isaac also deserves an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Frankenstein. Many actors have depicted Frankenstein as some sort of mad scientist, but Isaac takes it to a whole new level. He doesn’t need the crazy hair to show his obsession with the creation of life — he portrays it well in his mannerisms, tone and speech when interacting with other characters. 

Mia Goth also stood out to me, especially since she played two separate characters in the movie: Elizabeth Lavenza and Frankenstein’s mother when he was a child. The way Goth portrays Elizabeth’s soft demeanor and caring nature serves as a foil to Frankenstein’s character and makes her own even more loved amongst the audience. She was fantastic and her genre is definitely gothic fiction (no pun intended).

Moving on to the cinematography, this movie should have been released in theaters. If I had seen this in a theater, in the dark and on the big screen, I know my eyes would have been even more blessed. The lighting, scenery, makeup and attention to detail were all amazing and it is some of the best work I have seen in a while.

I strongly recommend watching this film. This is one of the best movies of the year, and although it strays from the source material just a bit, it is done in a way that makes the story better. Even if you are not familiar with the original plotline, it is still a film that should be watched. Elordi and Isaac’s performances will leave you speechless regardless!

Economists predicted a slight easing of inflation, although it’s unclear whether Fed will again cut interest rates

US inflation moderated in January to 2.4%, an easing after Donald Trump’s tariffs triggered price fluctuations last year.

Prices rose 0.2% from December to January, according to data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday measuring the consumer price index (CPI), which measures the price of a basket of goods and services. Core CPI, which strips out the volatile food and energy industries, went up 0.3% over the month.

Meta plans to add facial recognition technology to its Ray-Ban smart glasses as soon as this year, New York Times reported Friday, five years after the social giant shut down facial recognition on Facebook and promised to find "the right balance" for the controversial technology. The feature, internally called "Name Tag," would let wearers identify people and retrieve information about them through Meta's AI assistant, the report added. An internal memo from May acknowledged the feature carries "safety and privacy risks" and noted that political tumult in the United States would distract civil society groups that might otherwise criticize the launch. The company is exploring restrictions that would prevent the glasses from functioning as a universal facial recognition tool, potentially limiting identification to people connected on Meta platforms or those with public accounts.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

An AI clip featuring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting has caused concern among industry figures

A leading Hollywood figure has warned “it’s likely over for us”, after watching a widely disseminated AI-generated clip featuring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting.

Rhett Reese, co-writer of Deadpool & Wolverine, Zombieland and Now You See Me: Now You Don’t was reacting to a 15-second video showing Cruise and Pitt trading punches on a rubble-strewn bridge, posted by Irish film-maker Ruairí Robinson, director of 2013 sci-fi horror The Last Days on Mars. Reposting the clip on social media, Reese wrote: “I hate to say it. It’s likely over for us.”

The soundtrack is also a classic.

Prosecutors’ office says two museum workers, several tour guides and suspected mastermind among those detained

French police investigating a suspected €10m (£8.7m) ticket fraud scheme at the Louvre museum in Paris have detained nine people, including two members of staff.

“Based on the information available to the museum, we suspect the existence of a network organising large-scale fraud,” a museum spokesperson told Agence France-Presse.

The Senate failed to advance a measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday, paving the way for another partial government shutdown.

Whatever type of sci-fi you're into, Netflix is sure to have it.

Exclusive: Debuting at New York Toy Fair, the Rebel Ops blasters let you focus on offensive, defensive and stealth tactics for your next battle.

Some of the world’s most corrupt countries have received huge payments in third-country deportation scheme

The Trump administration has spent more than $1m per person to deport some migrants to countries they have no connection to, only to see many sent back to their home nations at further taxpayer expense, according to a new congressional investigation.

A 30-page report from Senate foreign relations committee Democrats, released on Thursday and shared with the Guardian, details how the US government paid more than $32m to five foreign governments – including some of the world’s most corrupt regimes – to accept approximately 300 third-country nationals deported from the US.

EPA’s records show one environmental consent decree filed in last year – 26 were filed in year one of first Trump term

Enforcement of environmental laws against major polluters has virtually ground to a halt under the Trump administration, a new analysis of Environmental Protection Agency records from January 2025 to January 2026 shows.

Major polluters typically include companies that are among the largest in the oil, gas, coal and chemical industries.

Germany knows the costs of a world governed by power alone.

Police acknowledge ‘unusual circumstances’ around the ruling and say they will focus on gathering evidence

The high court upheld two grounds of challenge, including that the ban was a disproportionate interference with the right to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.

The president of the king’s bench division, Dame Victoria Sharp, sitting with Mr Justice Swift and Mrs Justice Steyn, said that “Palestine Action is an organisation that promotes its political cause through criminality and encouragement of criminality”, but that proscription was still “disproportionate”.

I am disappointed by the court’s decision and disagree with the notion that banning this terrorist organisation is disproportionate.

“The proscription of Palestine Action followed a rigorous and evidence-based decision-making process, endorsed by parliament. The proscription does not prevent peaceful protest in support of the Palestinian cause, another point on which the court agrees.

The two-woman, two-man crew is replacing four other station fliers who came home early last month due to a medical issue one was having.

Army in turmoil after Xi Jinping placed top general under investigation for suspected corruption last month

The CIA (the US’s Central Intelligence Agency) has published a Mandarin-language recruitment video aimed at Chinese soldiers, in an apparent attempt to capitalise on the recent instability in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) after a series of high-level purges.

The video, published on the CIA’s YouTube channel on Thursday, is titled The Reason for Stepping Forward: To Save the Future.

The Colombian icon joined the MLS side in a short-term deal with an eye toward fitness for the 2026 World Cup

Two weeks ago, few could’ve expected that the most notable international acquisition of the MLS offseason would be made by Minnesota United.

The team’s marquee import until last week was Finland striker Teemu Pukki, with honorable mentions for Colombian playmaker Darwin Quintero and ex-Porto midfielder Ibson. The Loons aren’t known for paying sizable transfer fees, and their wage bill last year was the league’s fifth-smallest.

Its human partners said the flirty, quirky GPT-4o was the perfect companion – on the eve of Valentine’s Day, it’s being turned off for good. How will users cope?

Brandie plans to spend her last day with Daniel at the zoo. He always loved animals. Last year, she took him to the Corpus Christi aquarium in Texas, where he “lost his damn mind” over a baby flamingo. “He loves the color and pizzazz,” Brandie said. Daniel taught her that a group of flamingos is called a flamboyance.

Daniel is a chatbot powered by the large language model ChatGPT. Brandie communicates with Daniel by sending text and photos, talks to Daniel while driving home from work via voice mode. Daniel runs on GPT-4o, a version released by OpenAI in 2024 that is known for sounding human in a way that is either comforting or unnerving, depending on who you ask. Upon debut, CEO Sam Altman compared the model to “AI from the movies” – a confidant ready to live life alongside its user.

President Trump pardoned five former NFL players - one posthumously - for crimes ranging from perjury to drug trafficking.

During the Super Bowl, Anthropic ran a dystopian AI ad about dystopian AI ads featuring an AI android physical trainer hawking insoles to a user who only asked for an ab workout. Not to be outdone, Amazon ran a commercial for its AI assistant Alexa+ in which Chris Hemsworth fretted over all the different ways AI might kill him, including severing his head and drowning him in his pool. Equally bleak, the telehealth company Hims & Hers ran an ad titled “RICH PEOPLE LIVE LONGER” in which oligarchs access such healthcare luxuries as facelifts, bespoke IVs, and “preventative care” to live longer than the rest of us. It was an anti-billionaire ad by a multibillion-dollar health care company. 

Turn on the TV today, and you will drown in a sea of ads in which capitalists denounce capitalism. Think of the PNC Bank ads where parents sell their children’s naming rights a la sports stadiums for the money to raise them or the Robinhood ads where a white-haired older man, perhaps meant to evoke Bernie Sanders or Jeremy Corbyn, curses the “men of means with their silver spoons eating up the financial favors of the one percent” from the deck of a yacht.  

After years of ingesting the mainstream discourse around surveillance capitalism, Occupy Wall Street, and democratic socialism, corporations are regurgitating and even surpassing the rhetoric of the modern left. Naturally, it’s all a winking sleight of hand meant to corral us back into engaging with the same capitalism they portray as a hellscape — but with new and improved privatized solutions. In another widely reviled Super Bowl ad, the video doorbell company Ring tells us that every year, 10 million family pets go missing, and by opting into a web of mass surveillance, the company has reunited “more than a dog a day” with their families.

Modern advertisers descend from those ad men of the 1960s who first perfected the art of channeling our angst with society writ large into buying more junk. As historian Thomas Frank wrote in his book “The Conquest of Cool,” midcentury advertisers constructed “a cultural perpetual motion machine in which disgust with the … everyday oppressions of consumer society could be enlisted to drive the ever-accelerating wheels of consumption.”

The machine has hummed on ever since, retrofitting capitalism’s reprimands into its rationales. It churns out commercials reframing the precariat’s pain not as the product of plutocracy but as the product of buying the wrong products. Advertisements pitch that the good life is to be secured by procuring high quality goods, by curating the right combination of AI assistants, locally crafted beer, paraben-free dryer sheets, Jimmy Dean breakfast biscuits, Capital One Venture X points, BetMGM spreads, Coinbase crypto wallets, on and on.

It’s lunacy. Buying Levi’s won’t give you deep pockets. Brand promises, like all promises, are made to be broken. As AI anxiety fueled fears of mass layoffs, Coca-Cola soothed American workers’ worries about “AI coming for everything” with a glossy 2025 Super Bowl ad, featuring Lauren London, where the gleaming actress flexed her dimples and told us everything would be all right. Ten months later, Coke automated its advertising with generative videos, replacing the actors they’d paid to soothe our worries about being replaced by AI with AI itself.

This cynicism undergirds all modern advertising. Commercials clinically diagnose the painful side effects of living under a despotic capitalist regime, only to prescribe meaningless placebos of Doritos and Pepto-Bismol. And should those cheap calories and antacids fail to placate us, should we find homelessness and hunger so revolting that we crave revolution, then conglomerates will sell rebellion, too. As Frank wrote almost 30 years ago, “commercial fantasies of rebellion, liberation, and outright ‘revolution’ against the stultifying demands of mass society are commonplace almost to the point of invisibility in advertising, movies, and television programming.” As economic angst threatens to boil over, production only ramps up. Corporate creatives feverishly manufacture transgression to keep up with populist-fueled demands for prepackaged dissent.

Day by day, Hulu and Netflix roll out new swashbuckling tales of scrappy revolutionary insurgencies to enrich their IP regimes. In 2026, trailers for Rachel McAdams’s “Send Help” fulfill employees’ dark fantasies of murdering their boss on a deserted island, as Carnival ads show weary lumber workers hammering their phone in a fit of fury. Promotions for smash rooms, axe-throwing alleys, and gun ranges generate billions, as big business charges pent-up proletariats to “unleash” in rage rooms and “throw, hit, punch, and swing at inanimate objects as a means to release your pent up frustrations and anger.” It might seem cringe to invoke “1984” and its “Two Minutes Hate,” where subjects of the totalitarian regime yell for two minutes, if businesses weren’t doing it for us. 

Yet, no matter how thin, one can see cracks in this hulking machine. No matter how disingenuous or cynical, there is a secret wish expressed in these ads and the ways they resonate with consumers. Rituals are funny like that. Repeat them enough, and they sprout roots. In America, sedition is now a mantra. Mutiny, a popular sentiment. Populism is winning the war for hearts and minds. Billionaires who once spurned talk of class war now finance fiction about eating the rich. Just as advertisers who once fashioned consumerism as orgasmic fantasies now portray shopping in a dreaded wasteland. What are we to make of this capitalism forced to confess its contradictions? 

​At its core, today’s advertising offers a repressed radicalism, a strange plea to revolt against the indignities corporations impress upon us.

After all, aren’t Heineken’s reminders to “drink responsibly” just bids for public transportation? Aren’t E*Trade ads with octogenarian wage slaves a rallying cry for a robust social safety net? Coinbase is right, on some level, that the financial system is broken. But what if instead of more speculative crypto scams, they were boosting public banking? And isn’t Uber partially right, too? We should be our own bosses. But instead of shackling drivers as gig serfs, what if Uber’s sharing economy gave drivers their share of the company’s profits? What if we didn’t have to shop at places we didn’t get to own and didn’t have to work at places where we couldn’t afford the shop? What if we weren’t so beat up and knocked down that E*Trade ads had to remind us that “THERE ARE DOGS WITH BETTER LIVES THAN YOU”? 

Advertisers always stop one step short, never allowing themselves to say the quiet part aloud, always walking us right up to the edge of a radical insight, yet remaining too afraid to incite working people to rise up.

There are, of course, other places one could find truly revolutionary art. There are the Adbusters McDonald’s spoofs reading “EAT FAST, DIE YOUNG.” There are the Black Workers Congress vintage 1971 labor posters with Haiti’s Toussaint Louverture rallying Black autoworkers in Detroit to strike at Dodge. There are the Paul Beatty satires where characters wore “Nike Cortez sneakers so fucking new that if they had taken one shoe off and placed it to their ear like a conch shell, they’d hear the roar of an ocean of sweatshop labor.” Yet these auteurs all feel niche compared to the pop art of Super Bowl and NCAA tournament ads. No matter how ridiculous it may seem, I’ve long yearned for America’s prime-time advertisements, already dripping with populist contempt, to finally fulfill their revolutionary promise.

I’ve only seen it happen once, kind of. In the early 2020s, I was zoning out to hours of NFL when one of those inspirational Marine recruitment promos popped on — the one where jackbooted Gen Zers with square jaws punched through digital emoji clouds to transform into real men. After the ad flipped off, it was immediately followed by a nightmarish PSA where glassy-eyed, sweat-drenched veterans lurched, sobbing in empty parking lots and extended stay hotels, struggling to stave off PTSD-induced suicide. I was floored. The jump cut felt like something approaching truth, felt like ads finally reckoning with how imperialist wars for blood and oil squandered youth’s promise down into a pit of stubbled, middle-aged mania.

Perhaps America can never tell the whole truth within ads, but perhaps we could tell the truth between them. Call it The Honesty in Advertising Act. From now on, every military recruitment ad could be attached to a PSA about homeless veterans. Every Kool-Aid ad could be melded with dialysis ads. Every Taco Bell ad would have to be followed by ads for Pepto-Bismol and funeral homes. Smash them all together, and they’d work like the disclaimers on cigarette cartons and liquor bottles. Surgeon General’s Warning: Capitalism causes poverty, desperation, alienation, and concentration of global wealth in the top 0.0001%. Quitting now greatly reduces risks of premature death, medical debt, eviction, and environmental catastrophe.

The post The Only Solution Capitalism Has Is to Sell Us More Useless Junk appeared first on The Intercept.

What should a more European NATO look like? The US and Europe disagree Expert comment thilton.drupal 13 February 2026

Europe’s push to reduce its reliance on the US is likely to be permanent. US policymakers should wake up to this new reality.

As NATO ministers met in Brussels this week, the main undercurrent was once again the extent to which US President Donald Trump remains committed to the alliance and European security – especially Ukraine’s. 

The meeting came amid reports that the US will be handing over command of key NATO structures, including the Allied Joint Command in Naples and Joint Force Command Norfolk, to European leadership. It was also marked by the conspicuous and highly unusual absence of US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, which seemingly reflected the US shift to deprioritizing the alliance.

While Hegseth’s absence took up most airspace during an otherwise apparently ‘back to normal’ meeting (after recent tensions over Greenland), far less attention was paid to Europe’s own increased ambivalence towards the Transatlantic relationship. This leaves a dangerous vacuum, especially in US strategic thinking. 

In Washington, many in the policy community have not fully acknowledged that Europeans do not consider the current administration an aberration. Instead, many on the continent see it as a wake-up call to more fundamentally and permanently reduce their reliance on the US – militarily, economically and technologically – no matter who wins the next elections. 

This prospect of a more autonomous Europe, less beholden to the US, carries the seeds for significant future tensions. Managing these tensions will require more strategic thinking and careful management on both sides of the Atlantic. 

A paradigm shift in Europe

Much of the discussion on the implications of a potential US retreat from Europe – especially a rapid, chaotic one – has focused on the extent to which the continent can protect itself and support Ukraine in the immediate future. 

This focus on the short-term is largely justified. Europe needs at least five to ten years to rearm, while according to NATO’s own estimates, Russia may attempt an incursion into NATO territory in as soon as four. The current European response still lacks urgency and strategic vision. Last week, the Franco-German fighter jet partnership, FCAS, was reported to be dead; this week, Germany’s Merz immediately dismissed Macron’s call for Eurobonds to fund Europe’s ambitions. 

However, a fundamental shift is nonetheless taking place. While some European leaders may still be kowtowing to the Trump administration to keep the US on board, the European public and political class increasingly want more independence from Washington. 

The fall in public support for the US across Europe has been remarkable. Recent polling has shown that across Europe, Europeans now see the US unfavourably. Among the understandably aggrieved Danes, it’s 84 per cent – up from only 20 percent in July 2023. Eighty-one per cent of the European public support more European military integration. Social media is awash with patriotic AI images of a unified European army defending the Arctic.  

European leaders will increasingly feel the need to respond to this US-sceptic, pro-EU current among their electorates. Many of them are already calling for a stronger Europe and decoupling from the US. This is not just rhetoric. It will fundamentally shape the direction and nature of the decisions the continent takes on its rearmament and future security. 

While Europe still has a long way to go, belated investments in rebuilding its defence-industrial base are starting to bear fruit. EU-level defence spending vehicles such as SAFE are heavily oversubscribed, and in large part being funnelled into European systems and suppliers. European governments are exploring alternative groupings and formats that can act more decisively and effectively without the US. The Nordic and Baltic countries, for example, have become a focal point of increased integration, while the incoming Dutch government has called for the creation of a European ‘Five Eyes’ for intelligence sharing.

This combination of a loss of trust, growing patriotic fervour and expedited integration efforts – backed up by high levels of defence spending – has set Europe on a trajectory towards more independence from the US. The current (likely brief) entente over Greenland or a potential change of political winds in the US following mid-term elections in November are unlikely to reverse it. Nor would the election of a more Transatlantic-minded administration in 2028. 

It is far from clear whether policy elites in Washington, on both sides of the aisle, have fully recognized this moment of rupture – let alone whether they are ready to imagine a future in which they are no longer fully in the driver’s seat on the continent. 

Diverging expectations 

Underpinning this rupture is a fundamental difference in understanding of what Europe doing more for its security actually looks like. For many Europeans, it increasingly means a continent which can go it alone. For the Americans, it has long meant a Europe that spends more on defence – but does so on US terms.

Even now, as the Trump Administration hands over command of some of the key NATO structures to European leadership, it has in the process strengthened its hold over the key Allied Marine, Air and Land Commands. European allies are still expected to follow US war planning and rely on American leadership and strategic enablers. Attempts to build European alternatives to these capabilities have been frequently dismissed as wasteful duplication and fragmentation. 

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From Washington’s perspective, NATO allies spending more means spending more on US weapons. This is at odds with the growing push on the continent by countries like France and, to an extent, the European Commission to ‘Buy European’ and reduce their reliance on US systems. In the US, these efforts are not only considered highly unwelcome; they are also frequently written off as hopelessly naïve and infeasible. This message has been echoed by NATO’s leadership itself: just last month, Secretary General Mark Rutte suggested Europe would not be able to – and would effectively never be able to – defend itself without the US, nor should it want to. 

Perhaps this analysis will prove correct. Not even entertaining alternatives to US dependency, however, leaves a dangerous vacuum in strategic thinking in Washington (and arguably NATO HQ) that may well lead to significant tensions further down the line. 

Two people are dead and another is wounded after a shooting in a South Carolina State University residential complex, the school says.

State broadcaster accused of censorship over opening titles that use altered version of Vitruvian Man, with organs removed

Italy’s state broadcaster, Rai, has been accused of censorship after using an image of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man with the genitals missing in the opening credits for its Winter Olympics coverage.

The image of the 500-year-old drawing appears at the start of the clip before transforming into the bodies of ice skaters, skiers and other winter sports athletes.

Obama says rollback will make Americans ‘less safe’. Plus, Thundercat on funk and being fired by Snoop (possibly)

• Don’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up here

Good morning.

Donald Trump has revoked the scientific finding that allows the federal government to regulate climate-heating pollution, in a move described as a gift to “billionaire polluters” at the cost of Americans’ health.

How will it be resisted? Multiple environmental groups have pledged to take the EPA to court over the rollback, as has the state of California.

What’s the split in Europe? Some are in the same camp as the French president, Emmanuel Macron, who says the continent should employ a more defiant diplomacy with Trump. Others, like the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, have said keeping the president onside is imperative for European security.

For the latest updates, head to our live blog.

A VPN can help you unlock the entire Olympic games, potentially for free.

We compare two of the big mobile carriers in the US to see how they fare.

Bad boy Heathcliff is described as ethnically ambiguous and ‘dark’ in the novel, yet is played by a pretty straightforward white Australian Elordi

Tired of movies for kids? Superhero capes and flatulent animated squirrels? Me too. Fortunately, you and I are in luck. This weekend brings the wide release of Saltburn director Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. As is befitting Fennell’s established style, the movie offers over-the-top sexual titillation (though, crucially, zero nudity) and elaborate production design. Plus, a contemporary pop soundtrack from Charli xcx. A horny film version of a 19th-century novel is as adult-skewing as it gets at the box office these days.

Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi suck face and stand around in the rain in expensive costumes for over two hours in a movie that Fennell proudly declares a loose translation from the page. It excises a large portion of the book’s story and focuses its eye primarily on the illicit romance between Cathy Earnshaw and swarthy Heathcliff. Crucially, it should be pointed out that Heathcliff is technically Cathy’s foster brother, which allows Wuthering Heights to fit comfortably into one of the most popular genres of online video in the world.

Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist

The FBI described the suspect in Nancy Guthrie’s abduction as a 5-foot-9-inch man of average build who was wearing a black “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack” backpack.

They look almost exactly the same, but Apple's second-generation AirTag has significant advantages over the first-generation model.

Western Australia and Madagascar struck by destructive winds and rain, while Finland and Norway have coldest January since 2010

Tropical Cyclone Mitchell hit the coast of Western Australia last week. It initially developed as a weak tropical low over the Northern Territory in early February, then tracked over Western Australia’s Kimberley region and eventually reached the Indian Ocean.

Fuelled by warm waters, Mitchell intensified into a tropical cyclone and moved south-west, hugging the coast of Western Australia and eventually deepened to a category three storm.

Maker of chatbot with coding ability says annualised revenue grew tenfold in each of past three years, to $14bn

Anthropic, the US AI startup behind the Claude chatbot, has raised $30bn (£22bn) in a funding round that more than doubled its valuation to $380bn.

The company’s previous funding round in September achieved a value of $183bn, with further improvements in the technology since then spurring even greater investor interest.

How can West Africa strengthen its collective security against violent extremism? 9 March 2026 — 4:30PM TO 5:45PM Anonymous (not verified) 13 February 2026 Chatham House and Online

Join us at Chatham House where the foreign ministers of Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone explore strategies for rebuilding regional order and security in the Sahel.

At this event, the foreign ministers of Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone will examine strategies capable of addressing the root causes of rising insecurity. They will also consider approaches to bilateral relations and practical options to revive West African regionalism, including mechanisms to restore trust and cooperation at a time of acute crisis.

From the Lake Chad Basin to western Mali, insecurity in West Africa is profoundly transnational. Yet regional political fragmentation, driven by the recent wave of coups in the central Sahel, has undermined effective cross‑border security cooperation.

With the decline of multilateral frameworks such as the G5 Sahel and the Multinational Joint Task Force, progress on core issues — including the right of hot pursuit, joint military operations, intelligence sharing and tackling illicit finance — has stalled. As the Alliance of Sahel States develops its own security architecture, Mali’s ongoing fuel blockade underscores the unavoidable interdependence of landlocked states with their neighbours.

At this event, the foreign ministers of Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone examines strategies capable of addressing the root causes of rising insecurity. They consider approaches to bilateral relations and practical options to revive West African regionalism, including mechanisms to restore trust and cooperation at a time of acute crisis.

Kenya’s expanding foreign policy interests in a changed world order 9 March 2026 — 1:00PM TO 2:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 13 February 2026 Chatham House and Online

Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, HE Dr Hon Musalia Mudavadi EGH, reflects on Kenya’s influence and status within a rapidly changing international context.

At this event, Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs will reflect on Kenya’s agency and positioning within a rapidly changing and geopolitically complex international context.

Kenya has long been recognized as a regional anchor state and an assertive voice for Africa on the international stage. Its strategic importance has grown amid global power shifts and a turbulent security landscape in eastern Africa.

Kenya’s new foreign policy strategy, released in 2024, emphasizes regional integration and collaboration while outlining ambitions for a more influential international role.

This global positioning encompasses deep economic and security ties with Western countries, a comprehensive strategic partnership with China, and closer relations with emerging actors such as the UAE.

At this event, Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs HE Dr Hon Musalia Mudavadi EGH will reflect on Kenya’s role and its positioning within a rapidly changing and geopolitically complex international context.

This event will discuss:

• Kenya’s regional role amid protests and entrenched conflict in eastern Africa.
• Western partnerships ahead of the Africa-France summit in Nairobi.
• New strategic initiatives with China and the UAE, covering trade agreements and financing commitments.
• Kenya’s multilateral engagement, including its contribution to the multinational mission in Haiti.

Your library card is all you need.

Long-sought collective bargaining agreement sealed after multiple franchise exits and with World Cups looming

Leaders on both sides of the ball hailed a new collective bargaining agreement between Major League Rugby and its players, the union chief welcoming “a new standard” for US professional men’s rugby after a traumatic off-season in which four teams exited MLR and two merged, leaving just six on the field.

“We are happy with where the talks landed,” United States Rugby Players Association executive director Chris Mattina, a former US Eagles wing, told the Guardian.

Texas A&M University is the latest school to end women’s and gender studies programs and teaching race. We know why

Last week, we learned of the decision of the Texas A&M University board of regents to end women’s and gender studies programs as well as the teaching of “divisive concepts” such as race. A&M was not the first university to do this. Florida’s New College made the move in 2023. Other red state legislatures have passed similar requirements and their public universities (in North Carolina, Ohio and Kansas) have followed suit.

The move to cancel gender studies is explicitly justified as a way to comply with Donald Trump’s executive order of last year titled Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government. That document makes “the biological reality of sex” a matter not of science but of law.

Logan Hayes jumped into pond to save Sheldy Apollon after she pulled over and accidentally drove into water

A passerby jumped into a frigid Florida pond to save a pregnant woman from her sinking car recently – giving her the opportunity to safely birth her baby hours later, according to authorities and those at the center of the riveting rescue story.

As she told it to local news outlet WPTV, Sheldy Apollon of Florida’s Port St Lucie community was 34 weeks pregnant, with pre-eclampsia, and driving to a prenatal massage arranged for her by her fiance on the morning of 6 February when she began feeling dizzy. Apollon, who was also celebrating her birthday that day, stopped to try to let it pass before resuming her trip. When she realized she wasn’t feeling better, she attempted to pull over again.

I put the most efficient front-load washer from CNET's head-to-head tests against other top washers to see how quickly the energy savings would pay off.

Attorney General Pam Bondi testified before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, defending the Justice Department’s widely criticized rollout of the Epstein files against accusations that her department is shielding powerful men, including President Donald Trump, at the expense of survivors. 

Democrats, who reviewed the unredacted files for the first time this week, revealed that the names of “wealthy, powerful men” were improperly redacted, while the names of victims were left exposed. 

This week on The Intercept Briefing, co-hosts Jessica Washington and Akela Lacy gave their rundown of the politics stories they’re watching right now. Washington also spoke with Spencer Kuvin, an attorney representing nine of Epstein’s victims, about the failures of the Department of Justice to protect survivors. 

“From the beginning of this case, the government, both from a state and federal level, have been trying to bury this, cover it up, and avoid any full exposure of the extent of the operation that was involved here,” Kuvin said, “and they’re doing it … because of all the both political, wealthy, and powerful individuals who were involved with Epstein and knew what was going on with these young women.” 

Kuvin also spoke about the DOJ’s failure to redact the names of victims in the files, including two of his clients who were victimized as children. “The current Department of Justice has a focus on something different than victims and helping victims and prosecuting bad people that victimize these young girls,” he said. “Their focus instead appears to be on the important people — powerful people that are contained within these files and protecting them instead of protecting who needs the protection, the young victims in this case.”

Listen to the full conversation of The Intercept Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. 

Transcript 

Jessica Washington: Welcome to The Intercept Briefing. I’m Jessica Washington, politics reporter at The Intercept.

Akela Lacy: And I’m Akela Lacy, senior politics reporter at The Intercept.

JW: We’re going to be doing something a little bit different this week and start off the show by discussing the topics that are on our mind as political reporters. Akela, what do you have your eye on this week?

AL: The midterms are here. There has been an onslaught of news this week from New York to Illinois to New Jersey — where after days of tearing my hair out, waiting for them to finalize the election results in the special election in New Jersey, 11 — it appears that the pro-Israel lobby strategy backfired and helped elect a progressive critic of Israel. So we’ve been writing about that. 

We also had done some reporting on AIPAC donors backing the Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way in that race. And it appears that she is now potentially thinking about running against the winner Analilia Mejia in the next primary, which unfortunately is not that far away because there will be another race for the full term for this seat.

On Thursday, we published a story about a new endorsement in Illinois, where over the last week there’s been several ads, millions of dollars spent in four races, where AIPAC is making one of its biggest investments this cycle. Our story is about a candidate in the ninth district, Kat Abughazaleh, who is now running with the endorsement of Justice Democrats and a new pro-Palestine political action committee that launched on Wednesday and is endorsing several candidates in the upcoming midterms.

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JW: Can you tell me a little bit about AIPAC strategy and how they’re viewing the midterms?

AL: Yeah, so we’ve done a lot of reporting on this. Basically the 2024 midterms, AIPAC was extremely loud and vocal about its endorsements, its investments in these races, and there has been sort of a groundswell in criticism of AIPAC. Lots of groups popping up. I think we’ve seen a big shift in the number of people in the general public who are paying really close attention to how this lobby is operating in these midterms.

And in response to that, AIPAC has retreated to the way that it operated before it started spending directly on elections and launching the Super Pac and the regular PAC that many people are familiar with now, distancing itself from candidates, directing donors to fundraise for candidates that it hasn’t publicly endorsed. On the other hand, you have candidates who are fundraising with AIPAC or aware that they’re receiving tens of thousands of dollars from big AIPAC donors are saying that they’re not seeking the endorsement of this group that they’re not involved, that they’re happy to take support from whoever wants to support their campaigns. And so this has made reporting on this a little bit more difficult in some ways because we’re looking at donors where they overlap between these two groups.

We’re trying to read between the lines of statements that officials and the group are making about whether or not they’re involved in this race. And, in Illinois in particular, as I was interviewing Kat Abughazaleh on Wednesday evening, she said, AIPAC knows how toxic it is and that’s why it’s trying so hard to make it appear that it’s not involved in this race when it very clearly is. And that I think is an evergreen statement about how it’s operating in lots of races that are coming up. 

Jessie, I know you’re also focusing on the midterms. What do you have your eye on right now?

JW: Yeah. First I have my eye on all of your reporting because it’s been excellent.

AL: [Laughs.] Thank you.

JW: You have been writing a lot and really interestingly on AIPAC, so I’ve definitely been following your coverage. 

I think for me, ICE is really something I’m watching going into the midterms. In my conversations with campaigns candidates and their teams are bringing up ICE over and over again.

They recognize that part of what this election is going to be about is what kind of country we want to live in, and people are really rejecting the violence that they’re seeing really publicly. Obviously, ICE and the Department of Homeland Security has been acting in ways that are violent towards communities in much quieter ways for years. But this violence that people are seeing, they’re really rejecting. So I’m seeing a lot of traction with that, with campaigns.

And I think it’s also an interesting juxtaposition with everything that’s gone on with the Epstein files. This week and last week, you’re really seeing this idea of conservatives as protectors of the innocent protectors of the weak, the ways that they’ve been trying to champion themselves to voters fall apart, both with the ways in which voters can see that they’re not protecting the survivors connected to the Epstein files, and also the ways in which they’re seeing that the authoritarianism that they have justified on the backs of, “hey, we have to protect the weak and vulnerable” is fake. So that’s something I’m really watching, for campaigns to touch on.

AL: And I just think it’s important to note here that Analilia Mejia, who you know, was elected in New Jersey as we were talking about, made that a cornerstone of her campaign. And like I know her campaign was really pushing that information out to reporters, that something that was so successful was that they were doing these ICE trainings at her campaign events — she was a critic of Israel. She was a supporter of all these progressive policies. But that specifically — the ICE issue — was what was resonating with voters in this district that was represented by a Republican before Mikie Sherrill was elected in 2019. So in terms of this everlasting quest to unite people across the ideological spectrum, it seems like that is being really effective.

JW: Yeah, it’s definitely a message that we’re seeing campaigns latch onto and we’re seeing the public latch onto. And what you just said about the trainings, I’ve found to be so interesting, just the ways in which people have — despite being really afraid; I think it’s rational to be afraid when we’re seeing the kinds of violence publicly on video — but instead of just staying inside of their house, we’re seeing people really resonate with this moment, go out, do these trainings, get into the streets, and that energy is something a lot of campaigns are trying to harness.

Now, whether or not they turn on that same energy, the ways in which we saw the George Floyd energy, which had been harnessed by Democrats and they really lost that momentum. It’ll be curious to see if Democrats can hold onto the momentum from activists on the streets who are angry about ICE or whether we’re going to see that exact same kind of turn we saw on organizers and activists who are connected to the George Floyd protests.

AL: Also this week I’m sure people were paying attention to the electric Pam Bondi hearing and the Epstein files. Jessie, you spoke to Spencer Kuvin, an attorney representing nine of Epstein’s survivors.

JW: Yeah, I did. It was a really great conversation. Spencer drove home the ways in which the Trump justice apartment has been protecting the powerful at the expense of the victims in this case.

AL: Let’s hear that conversation.

JW: Spencer, welcome to The Intercept Briefing.

Spencer Kuvin: Thank you so much for having me today.

JW: I want to start off by asking how the women that you represent are reacting to this latest batch of documents.

SK: Well, and thank you for asking about the victims, which really is the focus or should be the focus of everything that has been going on for the last 20 years.

Unfortunately, I had to make a very difficult call after the documents had been released. One of my clients, actually two of my clients were unfortunately unredacted and disclosed in those documents that included the first victim that came forward to police— the 14-year-old that I represented back in 2007, who the federal government was well aware of.

And another young victim who was 16 at the time that she was brought to Epstein’s home in Palm Beach, they were both disclosed in these documents, unredacted. So I had to make that awful call to let them know that they had been disclosed and that I had notified the Department of Justice of what had happened.

And then thankfully within a day the redactions took place. But it’s just unbelievable the failures of this Department of Justice.

JW: Yeah. Why do you think we saw such sloppy redactions in these files?

SK: I think you saw the sloppiness because of the lack of focus on what was important, and that was the victims.

I think unfortunately, the current Department of Justice has a focus on something different than victims and helping victims and prosecuting bad people that victimize these young girls. Their focus instead appears to be on the important people — powerful people — that are contained within these files and protecting them instead of protecting, who needs the protection, the young victims in this case.

JW: You’re talking about someone who was abused at 14 years old, and I guess my question for you is just what does that re-traumatization look like when you’re publicly outed in this way?

SK: It’s awful. It’s absolutely devastating. This is a young lady, for example, that chose to remain anonymous and wanted to move on with her life. And because of the drip of information over the last 20 years with respect to Epstein, she hasn’t been able to move on with her life. She is now someone who is in her thirties and has a family of her own. And really does not want to have to look back at this dramatic and awful period of her life. And remaining anonymous allowed her to do that. And unfortunately the federal government is re-traumatizing these victims by making them have to go back through this awful period.

JW: Spencer, you’ve been working on this case for roughly 20 years. Can you give us some of the background, particularly on the sweetheart deal that Epstein got originally?

SK: Yeah, so I started working on these cases when victim number one, the first victim to go to the police in Palm Beach, walked into my office and needed help because she had, along with her parents, reported what had happened to her at Epstein’s home. And that really started the snowball of this entire investigation for all of the future victims that came forward in the FBI investigation.

But what it started as was a local investigation by the town of Palm Beach, and Joe Recarey was the lead officer that I met with during that initial investigation. It was only after the state attorneys in Palm Beach refused to prosecute this case that it ended up at the FBI and the Southern District of Florida.

Then the FBI took over this case and started the prosecution and had an indictment that we now see that they’ve revealed unsealed that had almost 50 counts against Epstein and other potential co-conspirators that they shelved. And they shelved it because they entered into an awful, awful sweetheart deal with Epstein at the time.

That Epstein sweetheart deal was never provided to the victims. As an attorney on behalf of one of the victims, I had to fight in court just to see the crappy deal that they had entered into with Epstein and the immunity that they had given others. And that fight lasted a year in the litigation before I was able to even see it. And then once I saw it, I realized why they didn’t want anyone to see it because it was such an awful deal.

JW: There are some truly horrifying allegations inside of these files, but so far there haven’t been any high-profile arrests or charges brought. I think you’re uniquely qualified to speak on this. What does justice look like here for the victims, and is it going to have to come from outside of the legal system?

SK: That’s a good question and a very difficult one. In handling these types of cases, specifically the Epstein cases over the last 20 years, I get a lot of calls that are just not credible.

And unfortunately there is a mental health crisis in the United States and unfortunately, some of the people that have some issues will call in and make allegations that just factually don’t hold water. Having said that, there are a lot of very valid tips that deal with individuals. So the FBI just seemed to categorize all of the tips that came in as not credible without even investigating them. And that’s a problem.

In addition to that, Epstein entered into the sweetheart deal with the federal government as a result of the initial prosecution here in West Palm Beach in South Florida. And when they did that there were four co-conspirators that were clearly named in that agreement.

Four people that the federal government knew had assisted in the sex trafficking that Epstein was involved in. And by the way, one of those four was not Ghislaine Maxwell. She was not even named in the sweetheart deal at all. Most people don’t realize that there were four other people, four other women, that were part of this conspiracy that have never been prosecuted to the state.

So the victims want them prosecuted. That’s number one. There is enough information to prosecute those people and bring them to justice. Number two, they want this information out in the public so that the public can then see the full extent of this heinous operation that was going on for years. And then judge who they want to be running these important companies, corporations, in politics and whatnot, and have the public judge them for what they did, or what they didn’t do, and then have them be held publicly accountable.

JW: I want to talk about these redactions again and the ways in which powerful people have been shielded as you’ve been just discussing now. Members of Congress were able to view the unredacted files this week. Before we get into some of the shocking revelations, I just wanted to ask you about the use of redactions to protect powerful people within the files and what you make of that, and what the women that you represent make of that.

SK: It breaks the law. It violates federal law. The Department of Justice broke the law, and they are continuing to break the law. Make no question about this. The Epstein Transparency Act is very clear. You can read it. It is only about two pages long, and it states that no redactions shall be made for the purpose of merely embarrassment or protecting important or powerful people. In addition, it gives a deadline for the full disclosure of records. Both of those things have been violated by the Department of Justice. 

The question really is just accountability at this point. How do we hold the Department of Justice accountable for breaking federal law? That’s a quandary that unfortunately, or fortunately, our country has not had to deal with yet. But right now we have to figure out a way to be able to hold the Department of Justice accountable. And I think legally speaking right now without a penalty clause in the law, the only way to do that is contempt of Congress.

JW: So on Tuesday, representative Ro Khanna revealed the names of these six, powerful, wealthy men, whose names had previously been redacted in the files. Those names included billionaire, former Victoria’s Secret owner Les Wexner and Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. What did those new names add to our understanding of Epstein and his world?

SK: I can tell you Les Wexner name was connected with Jeffrey Epstein, even back during the original prosecution of these cases I was involved in 2007. We were well aware of Epstein’s connections with Wexner, and he was on our witness list as somebody, as a person of interest, that needed to be talked to or subpoenaed for a deposition.

Now the case is resolved before we got to that point. But the connection was clear even back then, and I think there were stories that came out in the news dating back into the late 2000s that identifies that connection.

The other wealthy, important and powerful people who were out outed in some of these records that shows the world the breadth —the true worldwide breadth —of Epstein’s conspiracy and sex trafficking. And I think that there was a lot of rumor that had circulated for years, and people would call other individuals who would talk about those rumors as conspiracy theorists and crazy. And, you’re making up crazy stories.

What we’re seeing with these documents is that that is the reality that wealthy and powerful men around the world were trading young girls like trading cards.

JW: I should note here that Wexner’s legal representative issued a statement saying “The Assistant U.S. Attorney told Mr. Wexner’s legal counsel in 2019 that Mr. Wexner was neither a co-conspirator nor target in any respect. Mr. Wexner cooperated fully by providing background information on Epstein and was never contacted again.” 

I just want to get into the conspiracy element of this because I think it’s important. There’s been so much talk about how these files have validated conspiracy theories, like QAnon, but in my opinion, there’s been far less discussion about the ways in which these files have validated the accounts of women who were abused by Epstein as children and have been speaking about it, frankly, for years.

What would it have meant to listen to these women when they spoke out instead of waiting for a trove of government documents?

SK: Huge. It’s huge from an emotional standpoint a victim goes through a huge emotional trauma just reporting what she has been through or he has been through. Latest government statistics show that one out of every three women, literally, if you are in the room with three women, one of them was likely subjected to some kind of sexual trauma in their life, and one out of every five men, by the way, also according to government statistics.

And what happens is that these young women, for example, in this case, that report this, when they’re met with denials, accusations, attacks, all it does is drive them deeper into a depression because they know the truth. I think what it teaches us as a society is that we have to believe victims and what they’re telling us because it takes a huge amount of bravery to even come forward and report these types of things. 

I think that if that had occurred, if people had believed victims, then they would’ve been able to work through the healing process. Part of what I do as an advocate for victims in the civil arena is I listen to victims and I believe them.

I then fight for them based upon that belief. And just that alone can help a victim knowing that there is someone out there that’s fighting for them, believing in them, and wanting to get them justice. So being a part of the system and finding an advocate for them that is a very significant thing.

Look at, for example, Virginia Giuffre. She, for years, for years had been called a liar. And we are now seeing the absolute proof that everything she was telling us was true. She may not have unfortunately committed suicide had she been able to be believed and supported as a true victim.

[Break]

JW: I want to turn towards Donald Trump because obviously he casts a large shadow over the story. On Tuesday, Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin claimed that Donald Trump appears in the Epstein files more than a million times. He also said that Trump never asked Jeffrey Epstein to leave Mar-a-Lago as he previously claimed. What is your response to these revelations?

SK: I think it’s important to look at these documents within the context of what they are and the timeframe within which they were gathered. These documents were gathered after the FBI began their operation, which was around 2007. We know historically that Epstein and Trump were friends. He’s admitted that, and they were friends for years. But that friendship predated a lot of this investigation.

So a lot of the information we’re seeing in these files is after the 2007 period when the investigation began. What we’re not seeing is the extent of that relationship and what Trump may or may not have done with Jeffrey Epstein before 2007. We know because we’ve seen videos of them at parties and socializing together. He admitted that he knew that he liked young girls. And Trump now is trying to obviously distance himself as far as he can from Jeffrey Epstein.

But the reality is that there was a close connection, there was a good friendship. They did go to parties together. And this is something that the FBI never fully investigated. And unfortunately, given the fact that Trump is now the President and it seems as though he has a tight grip on the Department of Justice, I don’t know that there will be a full and complete investigation of his activities.

JW: I think Donald Trump complicates this story in so many ways because at its core, this is a story about the violent sexual exploitation of children, and we have to hold space for that. But it’s also a political story because of Donald Trump’s involvement. So I guess, how do you think about holding space for what these women have gone through as children, while also acknowledging the politics involved here?

SK: Yeah, I agree with you. I think that politics definitely complicates the issue, but we have to remember that Donald Trump is the one that actually brought this to the forefront. We have to thank him to a certain extent because during his campaign he made this a major issue as part of his campaign that he was going to release this information.

It was only after he was elected and realized what was actually in those documents, that he then started backpedaling on the release of information to the general public. Politics always complicates truth because politicians seem to have a very difficult time just being truthful with the general public.

We have to always remember that the Department of Justice is supposed to be neutral. They are not supposed to be a political arm of any political party, whether it be Democrats or Republicans. Unfortunately, Donald Trump has turned our Department of Justice into a political animal, and as we saw, for example, through the testimony of Pam Bondi the other day in front of Congress. The Department of Justice no longer has any credibility as a nonpolitical or apolitical organization. They are political, without a doubt. It is now controlled by the president and the executive branch, and that’s a shame because now victims cannot trust even our own Department of Justice to investigate crimes and do the right thing.

JW: As you’ve just mentioned, Attorney General Pam Bondi testified before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. What jumped out to you from that testimony? I wanted to get your thoughts on that.

SK: Everything jumped out, including the Attorney General. It was an absolute embarrassment to our country that the highest ranking law enforcement officer in our country acted like a child.

That is exactly what the Attorney General was doing. She was acting like a child and she was clearly exhibiting pro-political leanings toward the current administration with absolutely no respect for the rule of law or her job, which is to remain neutral, and not favor either political party in any investigation or potential investigation.

And frankly, it was sad to me as a member of one of the branches of government to see a person like our own U.S. attorney general acting in that manner. It was sad and it was an embarrassment.

JW: Can justice be achieved with Pam Bondi as the attorney general? Is there a path towards that?

SK: No, I’m convinced that based upon the performance that she put on the other day, I don’t believe that there’s any way that justice can be accomplished. When we talk about an organization that is now a political arm of the executive branch, I don’t see there’s any possibility that justice can fully be accomplished while she’s in office. I think that if Congress frankly had any integrity whatsoever they would do one of two things, either begin impeachment proceedings against the attorney general, or alternatively hold her in contempt of Congress.

JW: As you pointed out, Pam Bondi, Donald Trump, they all came into office using Epstein’s survivors using the threat of violence against young women to really push a lot of their more authoritarian impulses.

This is historically true, for the Republicans and for conservatives, but particularly true in this moment. Did the Epstein files and the high profile men in Trump world mentioned in the files, plus what we’ve seen from the attorney general, reveal those concerns about violence against young women to be a farce?

It’s exactly what other Congress people did, is that they utilized an inflaming type of language and situation to be able to get votes. And then once they’re in office, they completely retract what they said they were going to do. We see this in all types of enforcement actions when a government wants to move toward a more authoritarian type system where they justify actions through fear.

Be afraid of the illegals. Be afraid of the immigrants. Be afraid of the pedophiles that are in society. We are here to protect you, so you need more police and more military and more authoritarian governments to protect you from all of these bad people, when in reality that’s not what they want. What they want is control.

That’s how they get it is through fear. And I think that the way to combat that is really through truth and not being afraid, but instead standing up to power and questioning them and making them be held accountable in the public eye. And thankfully in a democratic society, we can vote people out of office if they fail to be held up to the standards that we expect of them.

JW: Do you think the American public is waking up to that reality? Because I see people in the streets, particularly in Minneapolis, but in LA throughout the country, really standing up against authoritarian power. And we also see people calling out what’s been now dubbed the Epstein class. These group of people — powerful people — who abuse women, but also, and children, and more broadly abuse our society. Do you think there’s been a wake up in our culture?

SK: I do think that certain people are now coming around to realize that these are not all just conspiracy theories, that there is a lot of truth behind what people have been saying for years about the elite billionaire class and their ploy to control society and the way that they think about the ordinary citizens in the world throughout the world, including the United States. But I also think that there is a certain group of society that looked at, for example, the testimony of Pam Bondi and cheered her on and said, “Wow, she did awesome, she did a great job.” And there are still people that look at what Trump is doing and defend his every action and defend everything he’s saying. So it won’t be until we get to those people that things will really change, right? You need to be able to get on a level where you are communicating with people you disagree with, but you’re discussing facts, not just bullet points, and not just points that are given to them by talking heads on television. You have to have a conversation with people you disagree with in a way that it can be fruitful to both sides to understand where they’re coming from and understand why they think the way they do. 

And only then I think, will there be true change. Because otherwise you’re going to continue to have a society that is fractured along a very definitive line. There used to be gray, there used to be a middle, and now there is just team A and team B, and that’s the problem.

JW: A lot of people have called this a coverup, down from the federal government all the way to the local level. Do you see it as a coverup?

SK: 100 percent. From the beginning of this case, the government, both from a state and federal level, have been trying to bury this, cover it up, and avoid any full exposure of the extent of the operation that was involved here, and they’re doing it for many obvious reasons because of all the both political, wealthy, and powerful individuals who were involved with Epstein and knew what was going on with these young women.

JW: That’s a really good point and a good point to end on. But just first I wanted to give you a chance if you had any final thoughts that you wanted to share.

SK: I think the most important thing that I want people to remember is that victims need to be heard and victims need to be believed. And as a society, we need to trust what victims are saying first, until evidence shows otherwise, and not immediately accuse people of lying or exaggerating because by trusting them you can at least hear them out. And at least give them the space to talk about what they’re going through. And even if it doesn’t prove to be true, which is frankly only about less than 5 percent of the allegations that come out, according to statistics, but even if it doesn’t, they believe it. And they’re saying it for a reason that they truly believe. Whether they have some kind of issue going on in their life or not, it doesn’t matter. Whether they remember an exact date, it doesn’t matter.

They are going through something emotionally, so we should listen to what they have to say and allow them the space to say it without any judgment or accusation and then get them the help they need.

JW: Thank you, Spencer. That was a really important conversation and I really appreciate you taking the time to share both your point of view and then also the points of view from your clients who deserve to be heard.

SK: Thank you.

JW: Thank you for joining me on The Intercept Briefing.

SK: Thank you so much for having me today.

JW: That does it for this episode. 

This episode was produced by Laura Flynn. Sumi Aggarwal is our executive producer. Ben Muessig is our editor-in-chief. Maia Hibbett is our Managing Editor. Chelsey B. Coombs is our social and video producer. Desiree Adib is our booking producer. Fei Liu is our product and design manager. Will Stanton mixed our show. Legal review by David Bralow.

Slip Stream provided our theme music.

This show and our reporting at The Intercept doesn’t exist without you. Your donation, no matter the amount, makes a real difference. Keep our investigations free and fearless at theintercept.com/join. 

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Until next time, I’m Jessica Washington.

The post Attorney for Epstein Survivors Warns That Justice Is Impossible With Bondi as AG  appeared first on The Intercept.

Experts say ‘they’re just coming up with reasons’ as agency says application lacked ‘adequate and well controlled’ trial

A senior US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official says Moderna’s clinical trial on a new, potentially more effective flu vaccine was a “brazen failure” and that the FDA is now calling it into question.

The FDA unexpectedly refused to consider Moderna’s application for a flu shot based on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology in a decision that experts say is already having a chilling effect on vaccine development.

If you're losing sleep because you have to pee in the middle of the night, there are five habits you might want to try.

When county clerk Brianna Lennon got an email in November saying a newly expanded federal system had flagged 74 people on the county’s voter roll as potential noncitizens, she was taken aback.

Lennon, who’d run elections in Boone County, Missouri, for seven years, had heard the tool might not be accurate.

The flagged voters’ registration paperwork confirmed Lennon’s suspicions. The form for the second person on the list bore the initials of a member of her staff, who’d helped the man register — at his naturalization ceremony. It later turned out more than half the Boone County voters identified as noncitizens were actually citizens.

The source of the bad data was a Department of Homeland Security tool called the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE.

Once used mostly to check immigrants’ eligibility for public benefits, SAVE has undergone a dramatic expansion over the last year at the behest of President Donald Trump, who has long falsely claimed that millions of noncitizens lurk on state voter rolls, tainting American elections.

At Trump’s direction, DHS has pooled confidential data from across the federal government to enable states to mass-verify voters’ citizenship status using SAVE. Many of the nation’s Republican secretaries of state have eagerly embraced the experiment, agreeing to upload all or part of their rolls.

But an examination of SAVE’s rollout by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune reveals that DHS rushed the revamped tool into use while it was still adding data and before it could discern voters’ most up-to-date citizenship information.

As a result, SAVE has made persistent mistakes, particularly in assessing the status of people born outside the U.S., data gathered from local election administrators, interviews and emails obtained via public records requests show. Some of those people subsequently become U.S. citizens, a step that the system doesn’t always pick up.

According to correspondence between state and federal officials, DHS has had to correct information provided to at least five states after SAVE misidentified some voters as noncitizens.

Texas and Missouri were among the first states to try the augmented tool.

In Missouri, state officials acted on SAVE’s findings before attempting to confirm them, directing county election administrators to make voters flagged as potential noncitizens temporarily unable to vote. But in hundreds of cases, the tool’s determinations were wrong, our review found. Lennon was among dozens of clerks statewide who raised alarms about the system’s errors.

“It really does not help my confidence,” she said, “that the information we are trying to use to make really important decisions, like the determination of voter eligibility, is so inaccurate.”

In Texas, news reports began emerging about voters being mistakenly flagged as noncitizens soon after state officials announced the results of running the state’s voter roll through SAVE in October.

Our reporting showed these errors were more widespread than previously known, involving at least 87 voters across 29 counties. County election administrators suspect there may be more. Confusion took hold when the Texas secretary of state’s office sent counties lists of flagged voters and directed clerks to start demanding proof of citizenship and to remove people from the rolls if they didn’t respond.

“I really find no merit in any of this,” said Bobby Gonzalez, the elections administrator in Duval County in South Texas, where SAVE flagged three voters, all of whom turned out to be citizens.

Even counting people flagged in error, the first bulk searches using SAVE haven’t validated the president’s claims that voting by noncitizens is widespread. At least seven states with a total of about 35 million registered voters have publicly reported the results of running their voter rolls through the system. Those searches have identified roughly 4,200 people — about 0.01% of registered voters — as noncitizens. This aligns with previous findings that noncitizens rarely register to vote.

Brian Broderick leads the verification division of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the DHS branch that oversees SAVE. In an interview this month, he acknowledged the system can’t always find the most current citizenship information for people not born in the U.S. But he defended the tool, saying it was ultimately up to states to decide how to use SAVE data.

“So we’re giving a tool to these folks to say, ‘Hey, if we can verify citizenship, great, you’re good. If we can’t, now it’s up to you to determine whether to let this person on your voter rolls,’” Broderick said.

In Texas, Secretary of State Jane Nelson declined an interview request. Her spokesperson, Alicia Pierce, said the office hadn’t reviewed SAVE’s citizenship determination before sending lists to counties because it isn’t an investigative agency. In a statement, Pierce added that the use of SAVE was part of the office’s “constitutional and statutory duty to ensure that only eligible citizens participate in Texas elections.”

A spokesperson for Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins called SAVE a valuable resource even though some people it flagged might later be confirmed as citizens. “No system is 100% accurate,” Hoskins said in an interview, “but we’re working to get it right.”

Asked whether it was problematic that his office directed clerks to temporarily bar voters from casting ballots before verifying SAVE’s findings, Hoskins said that was a “good point.”

While 27 states have agreed to use SAVE, others have hesitated, concerned not only about inaccuracies, but also about privacy and the data’s potential to be used in immigration enforcement. Indeed, speaking at a recent conference, Broderick said that when SAVE flags voters as noncitizens, they are also referred to DHS for possible criminal investigation. (It is a crime to falsely claim citizenship when registering to vote.)

People who’ve been flagged by SAVE in error say it’s jarring to have to provide naturalization records to stay eligible to vote when they know they’ve done nothing wrong.

Sofia Minotti, who lives north of Dallas in Denton County, was born in Argentina but became a U.S. citizen years ago. Nonetheless, she was one of 84 Denton County voters identified by SAVE as a potential noncitizen. She and 11 others have since provided proof of citizenship, giving the system an error rate in the county of at least 14%.

The real rate is probably higher, a county official acknowledged, since some of those sent notices to prove their citizenship might not respond in time to meet the deadline. They’ll have to be reinstated to vote in the midterms later this year.

Minotti, though still on the rolls, felt singled out unfairly.

“I’m here legally, and everything I’ve done has been per the law,” she said. “I really have no idea why I had to prove it.”

Election administrators in many states have long hungered for better access to federal information on citizenship status.

States don’t typically require people to provide proof of citizenship when they sign up to vote, only to attest to it under penalty of perjury. Previous efforts to use state data to catch noncitizens on voter rolls have gone poorly. Texas officials had to abandon a 2019 push after it became clear their methodology misidentified thousands of citizens, many of them naturalized, as ineligible voters.

Until recently, SAVE hadn’t been much of a resource. State and local election officials needed to have voters’ DHS-assigned immigration ID numbers — information not collected in the registration process — to verify their citizenship status. Plus, officials had to pay to conduct searches one by one, not in bulk.

In March, Trump issued an executive order that required DHS to give states free access to federal citizenship data and partner with the Department of Government Efficiency to comb voter rolls.

The order triggered a series of meetings at USCIS designed to comply with a 30-day deadline to remake SAVE, a document obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union and reviewed by ProPublica shows.

The system’s main addition was confidential Social Security Administration data, which allowed states to search using full or partial Social Security numbers and incorporated information on millions of Americans who were not previously in Homeland Security databases.

David Jennings, Broderick’s deputy at USCIS, had pressed his team to move quickly, he said on a June video call with members of former Trump lawyer Cleta Mitchell’s Election Integrity Network, which has spread false claims about noncitizen voting.

“We tested it and deployed it to our users in two weeks,” Jennings said on the call, which ProPublica obtained a recording of. “I think that’s remarkable. Kind of proud of it.”

Jennings added that to get quick access to the Social Security data, which has been tightly guarded, USCIS partnered with DOGE. (In an unrelated matter, DOGE has since been accused of misusing Social Security data.) Jennings did not respond to questions from ProPublica and the Tribune.

Perhaps because of its accelerated timetable, USCIS expanded the system before meeting legal requirements to inform the public about how the data would be collected, stored and used, according to voting rights organizations that sued. (UCSIS did not respond to a request for comment about this.) It also blew past concerns from voter advocacy groups about the accuracy of SSA’s citizenship data, which multiple audits and analyses have shown is often outdated or incomplete. This is particularly true for people not born in the U.S., who often get Social Security numbers well before they become citizens.

According to emails obtained by ProPublica and the Tribune, SAVE first checks SSA’s citizenship information. If that shows a voter isn’t a citizen, DHS searches other databases, but it can be difficult to locate and match all the data the systems have on a person. This can lead to errors.

Broderick said in the interview that Trump’s executive order dramatically accelerated the timetable for launching SAVE, getting agencies to cooperate and move quickly. But he insisted the work was done responsibly.

“Do I think it was reckless? Do I think it wasn’t planned? Do I think it wasn’t tested? Absolutely not,” he said.

By September, Texas had uploaded its entire list of more than 18 million registered voters into SAVE. Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming put voter data into the system, too.

They would soon start to unveil what SAVE had found.

One of the first out of the gate was Texas. In late October, with early voting underway in state and local elections, Nelson, the secretary of state, announced SAVE had identified 2,724 potential noncitizens on the rolls.

But as Nelson delegated the task of investigating those voters’ statuses to local election officials, confusion took hold.

At a meeting, Nelson’s staff told county clerks’ offices to investigate flagged voters and then send notices to those for whom they were unable to confirm citizenship. In a follow-up email, Nelson’s staff told the clerks they should already have heard from someone in the office with more details.

That set off a chain of messages on the local officials’ email group

Travis County voter registration director Christopher Davis said he hadn’t been contacted and had just learned the county had 97 flagged voters. Marsha Barbee, in Wharton County near Houston, shared that she talked to a Nelson staffer who said she’d been directed not to tell local officials about their lists because they were in the middle of early voting.

“They said we have enough on our plates and didn’t want us to worry right now,” Barbee wrote.

In the absence of clear state guidance, clerks proceeded inconsistently. Some said they didn’t act on their lists, waiting for more direction. Others, unsure how to investigate flagged voters’ status, said they simply sent notices asking for proof of citizenship, though some opted not to remove nonresponsive voters from the rolls.

“I give them many chances; I don’t just expire them right away,” Dee Wilcher, a clerk in East Texas’ Anderson County, said about flagged voters, adding that she wanted to avoid removing citizens from the rolls and looking “stupid.”

Chris McGinn, executive director of the Texas Association of County Election Officials, said many clerks expressed frustration with the secretary of state’s lack of guidance and failure to help with investigations. When he shared clerks’ concerns, McGinn said Nelson’s staff didn’t respond, leading him to conclude that checking SAVE’s findings wasn’t an agency priority.

He called the state’s use of SAVE “more political and appearance-based” than a practical way to ensure election integrity.

One way to check SAVE’s findings would have been to get information from the Texas Department of Public Safety, which requires proof of citizenship if residents register to vote when obtaining a driver’s license. The secretary of state’s office didn’t do this and didn’t direct counties to either.

Several county officials said they hadn’t thought to ask DPS for information; those who did often found the agency had documentation showing some of the voters who SAVE identified as noncitizens were in fact citizens.

In the Texas Panhandle, Potter County elections officials quickly confirmed through DPS that three of nine voters on their list had proof of citizenship on file. In neighboring Randall County, DPS helped officials verify that one in five had a U.S. passport, according to interviews with the local officials.

In December, Travis County learned that 11 of the 97 voters flagged by SAVE had proven their citizenship to DPS. After getting the data, the county’s voter registrar, Celia Israel, said in an interview that she felt even more uncomfortable about moving forward with sending notices to voters, given SAVE’s errors.

“It has proven to be inaccurate,” she said. “Why would I rely on it?”

To be sure, SAVE also identified some people who weren’t eligible to vote, clerks said. Several came across instances in which voters marked on registration forms that they weren’t citizens, but were registered by election office staffers in error. Clerks also said voters have told them they’d misunderstood questions about eligibility when getting drivers’ licenses. (It’s not clear if any of those registered in error voted; overall, noncitizens rarely vote.) 

ProPublica and the Tribune surveyed the 177 Texas counties that had voters flagged by SAVE, receiving data from 97 that had either checked DPS records or sent notices to voters to try to verify SAVE’s citizenship information. Overall, more than 5% of the voters SAVE identified as noncitizens proved to be citizens. In some smaller counties, most of those flagged were eligible to vote. That includes six of 11 in the Panhandle’s Moore County, and two of three in Erath County, near Dallas.

But some of those who didn’t respond to notices also might be citizens.

In Denton County, where Sofia Minotti lives, checks by elections administrator Frank Phillips’ staff delivered clear answers on the citizenship status of 26 of the 84 voters flagged by SAVE. Twelve, including Minotti, proved they were citizens. Fourteen more had marked on their registration forms that they weren’t and the blame rested with workers for registering them nonetheless.

Phillips said he removed anyone who didn’t provide proof by the deadline from the rolls to comply with the secretary of state’s instructions, but he fears some were eligible voters.

“What is bugging me is I think our voter rolls may be more accurate than this database,” Phillips said. “My gut feeling is more of these are citizens than not.”

At least initially, Missouri took a more targeted approach to SAVE than Texas did. State officials used the system to search for information on a subset of about 6,000 voters they had reason to think might not be citizens, according to emails between federal and state officials.

The state had results by October, but in early November, a USCIS official wrote to Missouri and four other states to say some people flagged by SAVE as noncitizens were actually citizens, emails obtained through public records requests show.

“We have continued to refine our processes used to obtain and review the citizenship data available to us,” the official wrote, adding that one such improvement revealed the errors.

The staffer attached amended search results, but Missouri officials withheld the attachment from its response to a public records request and did not respond to a question about how many corrections were made.

Based on the updated data from USCIS, Missouri sent lists of flagged voters to county election administrators in November. ProPublica and the Tribune obtained these lists for seven of 10 most populous counties in the state, which show SAVE initially identified more than 1,200 people as noncitizens just in these areas.

The Missouri secretary of state’s office told election administrators it would work to verify SAVE’s citizenship determinations. In the meantime, local officials were instructed to change the status of flagged voters, making them temporarily unable to vote.

The lists were met with swift pushback from county election officials, who, like Lennon, soon spotted people they knew to be citizens and questioned the directive’s legality. On a group call in November, they traded examples, saying they recognized neighbors, colleagues and people they’d helped to register at naturalization ceremonies.

In St. Louis, the Board of Election Commissioners didn’t alter the eligibility of anyone on its flagged voter list after being advised not to by its attorney.

Rachael Dunn, a spokesperson for Hoskins, the Missouri secretary of state, said state law allows officials to change voters’ status during investigations into their eligibility — for example, if there are signs they’ve moved. The laws she cited don’t directly address investigations into citizenship status, however.

In early December, some 70 clerks, Republicans and Democrats, wrote a letter to Missouri House Speaker Jonathan Patterson saying there were better ways than SAVE to keep noncitizens off voter rolls.

Weeks later, the state’s election integrity director, Nick La Strada, wrote USCIS to ask why a voter that SAVE had identified as a noncitizen in October had showed up in a more recent search as a citizen.

A USCIS official replied that between the initial search and the follow-up, DHS had gotten access to passport data, which contains more up-to-date citizenship information on some people not born in the U.S.

The USCIS staffer explained that some of the most accurate citizenship information — which is within DHS’ own records — still wasn’t searchable in SAVE because running that kind of search would require the voter’s DHS identifier, which can’t always be located. The staffer said they were working on improvements but those could take until March.

“You don’t start with something at that scale until you work the bugs out, and that is not the case here,” Clinton Jenkins, president of the Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities, said in an interview. Jenkins is also the clerk for Miller County in the Ozarks.

In early January, in what was framed as a “SAVE review update,” the secretary of state’s office sent counties across Missouri revised lists with reduced numbers of voters identified as potential noncitizens. It instructed election administrators to move voters who’d been initially flagged in error by SAVE back to active status, restoring their eligibility to vote.

Dunn, Hoskins’ spokesperson, didn’t specify what prompted these adjustments. Even the new lists may not be final, she acknowledged. Once the review is complete, the state has said it plans to send letters to those still on the lists, demanding proof of citizenship and giving recipients 90 days to respond.

The addition of new data to SAVE makes it a more valuable resource, she maintained, “while also reinforcing the need for careful, layered review before any action is taken.”

After the January revision, St. Louis County’s initial list of 691 potential noncitizens dropped to 133.

Zuzana Kocsisova, who lives in St. Louis, was among those incorrectly flagged by SAVE on its first pass. Originally from Slovakia, she became a U.S. citizen in 2019. She showed ProPublica and the Tribune a copy of her naturalization certificate, which she keeps with a letter from Trump congratulating her for “becoming a citizen of this magnificent land.”

When a reporter told her that SAVE had initially identified her as a potential noncitizen, she said she wasn’t surprised. She saw it as part of the Trump administration’s targeting of immigrants. She was more frustrated than relieved to learn that she wasn’t on the smaller list of flagged voters sent in January.

“Overall, it seems like this process has done more to worry people who can vote than to identify actual registered voters who don’t qualify,” she said. “It’s just a waste of resources. I don’t think it makes the elections any more safe.”

In Boone County, where Lennon is the clerk, the count of flagged voters fell from 74 to 33 and the naturalized citizen who Lennon’s staff helped register was no longer on the list.

Lennon said she and other county clerks would happily accept data that helps them correctly identify noncitizens on their voter rolls. But so far, SAVE hasn’t done that. And until it does, she said, she won’t purge voters purely because SAVE has flagged them.

“This is not ready for prime time,” Lennon said. “And I’m not going to risk the security and the constitutional rights of my voters for bad data.”

The post “Not Ready for Prime Time.” A Federal Tool to Check Voter Citizenship Keeps Making Mistakes. appeared first on ProPublica.

Nevada is the only state where people can legally purchase sex, and now sex workers at one of the state's oldest brothels, Sheri's Ranch, are fighting to become the first in the U.S. to unionize.

The geographic spread of Italy’s Olympics yielded a tale of two winter games – exuberance in the Alps and and a mellow vibe in Milan.

The danger around the Portland star is that in making crucial debates into arguments about basketball, we lose sight of what is really important

There’s a weird, psychological tension around basketball fouls. Not unlike a trial. A single rubbered heartbeat thumps in our collective throats. In basketball litigation, the verdict is televised and delivered in public by the referee’s whistle. Deni Avdija faced more trials than a career criminal in early January, when he scored 41 points in the Portland Trail Blazers’ win over the Houston Rockets. Twenty-eight came from the field. The other 13 were handed to him at the stripe.

The online response was immediate, echoing the criticism that has followed the Israeli all season: he’s a free-throw merchant. It’s a specific kind of hoops pejorative – not quite cheating, but a kind of outsourcing, farming points out to the refs. After the game, Rockets forward Tari Eason was asked what makes Avdija so difficult to guard. His answer was one word: “Zebras.”

It’s taken more than 2,000 days of construction, $6.4 billion Canadian dollars and seemingly endless studies and permits to build the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

Stretching 1.5 miles between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, the towering cable-stayed span will offer an alternative to the privately owned Ambassador Bridge at one of the busiest land borders in North America, providing a boost to international traffic and trade. And it wasn’t so long ago that President Donald Trump cheered it on. 

Shortly after a meeting in 2017, the man who styled himself as “the builder president” issued a joint statement with Canada’s then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau celebrating their shared focus on infrastructure. “In particular,” they said, “we look forward to the expeditious completion of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which will serve as a vital economic link between our two countries.”

A list of 50 priority projects for emergency and national security, developed as Trump embarked on his first term in office, included the toll bridge. When the company that owns the Ambassador Bridge aired a commercial aimed at Trump in 2018, in hopes that he’d torpedo the project competing with it for tolls, the president didn’t act. His Canadian ambassador lifted a ceremonial shovel at the groundbreaking.

And in 2019, Trump signed the spending bill that allotted the first U.S. funding for the project: $15 million for inspection and screening systems. (Canada paid for the bridge project in full. The tolls will go toward recouping that investment.)

But Trump’s second term has busted all sorts of presidential norms — including his own. He now takes a more antagonistic stance toward Canada, and his ambassador in Ottawa has followed his lead. No longer does Trump speak of “the opportunity to build even more bridges” with Canadians. Instead, he used an emergency declaration to hit the country with aggressive tariffs and repeatedly said it should become the “51st state.”

This week, without warning, Trump targeted the Gordie Howe bridge that’s named after a Canadian hockey player who is beloved in Detroit.

“I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve,” Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post.

How the bridge battle ends is unclear, but it once again puts Michigan — a swing state and co-owner of the bridge — at the center of Trump tactics that could hurt the state’s economy. 

“Michigan is an automotive state,” said Brent Pilarski, business manager of the Michigan Laborers District Council, which oversees unions representing people who worked on the bridge and who work in auto facilities. Parts cross the border constantly, he said, and they “need to get there on time, or cars can’t be built.”

So far, support for Trump by top Republicans has shown no sign of cracking.

Asked at a press conference about the bridge, Mike Rogers — the Trump-endorsed candidate for U.S. Senate — said, “Obviously, we’d like to see it open.” But, he said, commerce is still happening without it, and “I would like the president to have some leverage to stop thousands and thousands and thousands of Chinese-made cars from pouring over that bridge.”

Michigan state Sen. Jim Runestad, who chairs the Michigan Republican Party, said in a statement to ProPublica that “Canada has been playing dirty with our trade relationship for decades.”

“They won’t stock US liquor and have made it nearly impossible for our farmers to sell many of their products in Canada, all while they are cozying up to Chinese EVs,” Runestad said. “President Trump is standing for American workers and farmers and this is clearly the start to negotiations which will finally make trade with Canada fair for Americans.”

However, the state’s two U.S. senators, both Democrats, have pushed back.

“We’ve wanted this bridge for years because it will be a boon for our economy,” Sen. Gary Peters said in a statement. “This is another case of the president undermining Michigan businesses and workers.”

“Canceling this project will have serious repercussions,” Sen. Elissa Slotkin said in a statement. “Higher costs for Michigan businesses, less secure supply chains, and ultimately, fewer jobs. With this threat, the President is punishing Michiganders for a trade war he started.”

Rick Snyder, the Republican former governor who was instrumental in getting the bridge built, was also critical of Trump’s threat. The bridge, he wrote in a column, is “a great deal for America.”

If its opening is delayed or stopped, he added, the big winner will be the Ambassador Bridge company and its owner. “Every day, they make much more money at our expense.”

In his post, Trump suggested that the bridge is solely owned by Canada, though it’s jointly owned by Canada and the state of Michigan. And he blamed former President Barack Obama for allowing it to be built “with virtually no U.S. content,” though U.S. materials were in fact used.

The post echoed claims made in the 2018 ad from the company that owns the Ambassador Bridge, part of a furious decadeslong fight against the competing span. Hours before Trump posted on Feb. 9, according to The New York Times, the billionaire owner, Matthew Moroun, met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Lutnick then spoke with Trump by phone about the matter. Messages sent by ProPublica to emails linked to Moroun didn’t receive a response. The bridge company didn’t provide a comment.

Since opening in 1929, the Ambassador Bridge has been a vital link. But limited highway connections force trucks through traffic lights. And, as the 2022 Canadian convoy protest that blockaded the bridge demonstrated, a single corridor for commercial traffic is vulnerable. (The 95-year-old Detroit Windsor Tunnel is too small for today’s trucks.) Besides offering a modern and publicly owned option, the Gordie Howe bridge has direct highway interchanges on both sides of the border. It’s expected to open later this year. 

The 2018 ad urged Trump to review the presidential permit, issued more than a decade ago, that allowed the Gordie Howe bridge to go forward. This week, the administration told reporters that Trump may now do so.

And, when asked this week how the bridge’s opening could be hindered, Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell noted that it needs staffing by the Department of Homeland Security. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, at her confirmation hearing last year, assured Michigan’s senators that she wouldn’t neglect the new bridge. “Our focus is there to make sure that it is staffed appropriately,” Noem said.

DHS, the White House and the Commerce Department did not respond to ProPublica’s queries.

Following Trump’s threats, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters that Trump asked for U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra to “play a role in smoothing the conversation in and around the bridge.” Hoekstra, a former U.S. representative from Michigan, has mirrored Trump’s hostile second-term approach toward Canada during his diplomatic posting.

Publicly, at least, he’s been silent on the bridge. And the embassy in Ottawa declined a request for comment.

The post Trump Is Threatening to Block the Michigan-Canada Bridge. He Used to Cheer It. appeared first on ProPublica.

The eclipse will be visible across North America, but set your alarm -- you'll need to stay up late to see it.

The final stretch of the JP Morgan Chase chief’s career is a bumpy one, as Trump himself demands prosecutors investigate Epstein’s ties to Dimon’s bank

Halfway through the academic year, the administration canceled $168 million in community schools grants.

Why Should Delaware Care?
Delaware lawmakers have frequently listed building more affordable housing as a top priority in the state. But the recent property reassessment has saddled many existing affordable housing with higher taxes, which some believe could discourage future developments. 

While testifying to a legislative panel last December, an executive from a company that owns income-restricted apartments in Wilmington pleaded with lawmakers to lower property taxes on affordable housing.

Debra Burgos, chief operating officer at the Evergreen Apartment Group, said those taxes had tripled in 2025 on the River Commons Apartments, following New Castle County’s once-in-a-generation property reassessment. 

Burgos explained to state lawmakers that her company could not do much to offset the additional cost. It could not raise rents beyond a certain threshold because those apartments received low-income housing tax credits to fund their construction. 

Burgos later told Spotlight Delaware that her company could absorb some of the expense by delaying upgrades or nonessential repairs to the apartments. But, she warned, other smaller landlords may not be so lucky. 

“For other operators, they may not even be able to replace a roof,” Burgos said. 

Evergreen Apartment Group is not alone. Three other affordable housing developers told Spotlight Delaware they are struggling under higher tax burdens after last year’s property tax reassessment.

Lawmakers broadly agree that something needs to be done to ease the tax burden on affordable housing – the availability of which they have made a top legislative priority in Delaware. 

But, in interviews with Spotlight Delaware, they have also described how they must balance competing interests, including fully funding schools, encouraging businesses to grow, and ensuring rents stay affordable.

They also need to keep the property tax burden on homeowners front of mind.

Last year, the property reassessment resulted in steep spikes in residential tax bills in New Castle County, which caused the biggest political firestorm of the year. The residential increases occurred in part because of lower assessed valuations on commercial offices in downtown Wilmington, which had experienced a COVID-era downturn during the year of the assessment.

Now Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend (D-Newark/Glasgow) said that if lawmakers lower taxes for one group, others will have to pay more. 

“The question really is, ‘How do you divide the pie?’” Townsend said. 

Businesses push back

The impact on apartments of last year’s property tax reshuffling was exacerbated last summer by Delaware lawmakers’ decision to ease the new tax burden that had been imposed on residences. 

In August, the state legislature passed House Bill 242, which allows school districts in New Castle County to charge higher property tax rates on commercially owned land in order to subsequently lower the rates on residential properties.

But during the subsequent hearing in December, when Burgos made her plea, leaders of other types of businesses shared their concerns about the consequences of HB 242. 

Speaking for the Delaware Restaurant Association, President and CEO Carrie Leishman said the industry faces “razor-thin profit margins,” and the unexpected spike in property bills only strained restaurant owners’ tight budgets. 

“The death of small business is the lack of predictability,” she said.

Sydnie Grossnickle, a program and policy coordinator at the Delaware Farm Bureau, also told lawmakers that farmers are struggling more than other industries because of their thin margins.

She recommended the legislature pass a bill requiring property tax “circuit breakers” that would prevent taxes from going above a certain threshold. 

“Yes, we’re asking for ‘special treatment,’ but we want to continue to feed you all,” Grossnickle said.  

Other apartment developers that do not have rent restrictions also spoke out against the law. 

Kevin Wolfgang, a representative of the Delaware Apartment Association, said the current law essentially treats renters as second-class citizens. He asserted that landlords will have to raise rents to pay for the higher taxes that benefit homeowners. 

The owners of some apartment complexes in New Castle County also argued in a lawsuit filed last year, which claimed HB 242 is unconstitutional, that the new higher assessments could lead to difficulties paying their mortgages, and potentially even foreclosure.

In November, the Delaware Supreme Court ruled that the law is constitutional. 

Special exceptions for affordable housing?

Sean Kelly, partner and vice president at affordable housing developer LNWA, argued that companies like his are truly in a unique position because they are contractually not allowed to raise rents — their only source of revenue — beyond a determined threshold. 

When there are unforeseen increases in operating expenses, he said, affordable housing developers may have to draw from their reserves.

“It’s not necessarily something that happens overnight, but the fundamentals of the financing of the property start to erode over a longer period of time,” Kelly said. 

David Holden, Development Principal at Wilmington-based housing developer Ingerman said it does not make sense for the state government to help fund affordable housing, then raise taxes on it. 

“Why encourage affordable housing and then penalize it on the back end? It’s kind of like you’re shooting yourself in the foot,” he said.

Townsend said there appears to be “broad support” in the legislature for making all housing classified as residential, therefore lowering their taxes. He hopes to get a bill passed in May or June. 

State Sen. Russ Huxtable (D-Lewes Rehoboth) wants to go even further. Last session, he introduced Senate Bill 149, which would allow income-restricted housing complexes to pay 5% of their annual income in place of their standard property tax bill. 

But, if either proposal becomes law, the tax burden would have to be shifted elsewhere. 

One solution to the issue could be changing the assessment of properties that have been underassessed and now pay less in taxes than their fair share, Townsend said. 

The state legislature recently passed a bill that would allow New Castle County to investigate suspected underassessments. Gov. Matt Meyer allowed the bill to become law without signing it, according to a spokesperson from his administration. 

A New Castle County representative told Spotlight Delaware that the county would take advantage of the law. County officials are currently deciding the scope of properties to review and the timeline that it would happen. 

In all, Townsend said the fallout from the property tax reassessment is far from over. He said he understands that residents and business owners are frustrated with how long the process has gone on.

“But we have to get it right, even if it means new rounds of conversations and new rounds of legislation. We have to get it right,” Townsend said.

The post Affordable housing companies push back against new, higher property taxes appeared first on Spotlight Delaware.

Why Should Delaware Care?
Charging individuals with loitering and solicitation violations has been a hot button topic across Delaware in recent years. When Attorney General Kathy Jennings mentioned at her department’s Joint Finance Committee hearing an updated loitering and solicitation bill that her office has written, a number of legislators took issue with the fact that they had not been informed of the proposed legislation.

As municipalities across Delaware grapple with the impacts of homelessness and panhandling, a revelation by Attorney General Kathy Jennings that her office has drafted a bill to help address the issue prompted questions and confusion from a number of lawmakers on Wednesday.

During the Department of Justice’s budget presentation before the General Assembly’s Joint Finance Committee (JFC), Jennings said her office had drafted a bill to curb loitering and solicitation – two issues often intertwined with addressing homelessness. She also said she had shared this draft bill with members of leadership in the House and Senate. 

The move sparked surprise from a number of members of the JFC, who said they had not been included on any communications about the bill, but have been concerned about similar issues in their own districts. 

“I have never heard of it,” State Sen. Laura Sturgeon (D-Brandywine Hundred West) said in response to the draft bill. “I had no idea you all had a bill written that addresses this problem.” 

The updated loitering and solicitation bill, which would prohibit individuals from impeding pedestrian and car traffic, comes after years of controversy surrounding anti-panhandling and anti-solicitation laws in the state.

“I’ll make sure you get it,” Jennings said to the 12 lawmakers on the committee, which is tasked with rewriting the governor’s recommended budget and preparing a proposal for the General Assembly to consider in the spring.

Each department head discusses their budget proposal with the panel every February, but the hearings frequently veer into other questions around policy and current events.

Members of the JFC said on Wednesday they have heard repeated concerns from constituents about loitering and panhandling, and that the issues are top of mind for many Delawareans. 

At the same time, municipalities across the state have been exploring in recent months whether they can pass an anti-loitering ordinance that would comply with the First Amendment.

The Dover City Council, for example, has divided into factions and is weighing threats of a legal challenge over a proposed ordinance that would prohibit people from stopping and standing on street medians. The city government is set to vote on the measure later this month.

Controversy over these laws at the state level began in mid-2023, when the ACLU of Delaware sued the state and the city of Wilmington over their anti-loitering and anti-solicitation laws, saying the laws violated the First Amendment. That case was settled in early 2024, when Jennings told the state and all its municipalities not to enforce any anti-loitering and anti-solicitation laws they had on the books. 

Since then, her department has reportedly encouraged municipalities to rely on other nuisance-related offenses for individuals who are caught loitering, such as trespassing and disorderly conduct. 

Passing an updated loitering and solicitation law that does not raise constitutional concerns is one step in the process of solving these quality of life issues, Jennings said. But factors such as addiction, mental health struggles, and a lack of housing are other parts of the problem that must be addressed.  

“I don’t think it’s going to solve all the problems of homelessness and people being nuisances and sitting on peoples’ porches and sleeping there,” Jennings told the JFC. “I understand that.” 

While members of the JFC expressed dismay on Wednesday that they had not been informed about the drafted bill, members of House and Senate leadership — who Jennings said had been told about the proposal — did not have a concrete response to the legislation. 

Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend (D-Newark/Glasgow) wrote in a message to Spotlight Delaware that “Yes, the law needs to be rewritten,” while keeping in mind that more supportive housing, drug treatment options, and other efforts are needed to fully address the issues facing communities. 

Townsend did not, however, comment specifically on Jennings’ draft bill.

Members of House leadership did not respond to Spotlight Delaware’s request for comment. 

Conflicting legislation

The updated loitering and solicitation law, which has not been posted publicly but was obtained by Spotlight Delaware, amends the original law’s language to be more focused on individuals disrupting traffic than on individuals soliciting money or rides. 

Mat Marshall, a spokesperson for the DOJ, told Spotlight Delaware the new drafted legislation takes a more “focused scope” to address pedestrian safety issues, instead of wading into First Amendment considerations. 

“The problem with the legislation that was challenged in the lawsuit was essentially that it was overly broad in the way that it’s written, and it would have prohibited protected speech,” Marshall said. 

For example, the drafted bill replaces the phrase “soliciting rides or business” from the original legislation with “impeding vehicular and bicycle traffic.” 

Rep. Stephanie Bolden (D-Wilmington) made her surprise about the bill particularly clear during the hearing on Wednesday. 

Bolden, who represents Wilmington’s Eastside, where she said she frequently encounters trespassing and loitering, said she had brought her concerns about the issue to Jennings’ office, but never received an update. 

“I think it’s disingenuous that no one has informed me,” Bolden said to the committee. “I’m very sensitive about this situation because I live there on the Eastside, and I want to see the improvements.” 

Marshall said the AG’s office has been in conversations with state lawmakers and city officials, like the Wilmington City Council, about the drafting process since work began on drafting an updated bill in late 2024. 

He said, specifically, that Jennings’ office has spoken with Rep. Kim Williams (D-Stanton), co-chair of the JFC, about the bill multiple times. 

Williams confirmed to Spotlight Delaware that she had inquired about the bill a couple times since late 2024, but said she was surprised to hear on Wednesday that the bill had been drafted. The last update Williams had received, she said, was that the DOJ was facing “roadblocks” with the legislation. 

Williams said she did not know what the roadblocks referred to. 

In response to legislators’ disappointment that they had not been looped in on communications about the bill, Marshall said it is typical for the DOJ to go directly to House and Senate leadership for communication about certain legislation that has “statewide interest” or focuses on a “major issue.”

Bolden added that she anticipates some lawmakers seeing Jennings’ proposed bill coming into conflict with House Bill 135, sometimes called a “homeless bill of rights,” which aims to protect the rights of unhoused people to use public spaces for congregating and sleeping when they don’t have a shelter bed or permanent housing available.

Rep. Sophie Phillips (D-Christiana) introduced HB 135 to the House of Representatives last May. While several lawmakers refer to the legislation as a homeless bill of rights, Phillips pushes back against the characterization, pointing out that hers is distinct from past years’ bills that were also given that name.

Jennings herself said at the hearing there “most definitely” is tension between the homeless bill of rights and her updated loitering bill.

Bolden, however, said she thinks loitering and homelessness are separate issues, and both bills could work simultaneously. 

“I think these things can be addressed and they will work,” she said, “but it has to be from a holistic approach.”

The post AG Jennings talks updated loitering bill, sparks pushback from lawmakers appeared first on Spotlight Delaware.

Section of A66 closed and warning of travel disruption amid freezing temperatures in Scotland and northern England

A major road across the Pennines has been closed as an Arctic blast brought snow, ice and freezing temperatures to Scotland and northern England.

The Met Office said widespread travel disruption was likely on Friday as it issued two yellow warnings that will remain in place until noon. Freezing temperatures have led to a four-day health alert for cold weather.

Over several months, three health and smart home experts monitored air quality in different locations. This is what surprised us.

SemiCab platform by Algorhythm, previously considered a ‘penny stock’, sparks ‘category 5 paranoia’ across sector

Shares in trucking and logistics companies have plunged as the sector became the latest to be targeted by investors fearful that new artificial intelligence tools could slash demand.

A new tool launched by Algorhythm Holdings, a former maker of in-car karaoke systems turned AI company with a market capitalisation of just $6m (£4.4m), sparked a sell-off on Thursday that made the logistics industry the latest victim of AI jitters that have already rocked listed companies operating in the software and real estate sectors.

All stones in Cortina are made from granite found on tiny island in Firth of Clyde and crafted in East Ayrshire

“It takes 60m years and about six hours to make a curling stone,” shouts Ricky English above the whine of the lathes. The operations manager at Kays Scotland is surrounded by wheels of ancient granite in varying states of refinement.

It is a small business with a big responsibility: the only factory in the world to supply the Winter Olympics with curling stones. Competitors don’t travel with their own stones, which weigh about 18kg each, and with 16 required for a game. Instead, this year, 132 stones were crafted in the East Ayrshire town of Mauchline and shipped to northern Italy.

Following intense backlash to its partnership with Flock Safety, a surveillance technology company that works with law enforcement agencies, Ring has announced it is canceling the integration. From a report: In a statement published on Ring's blog and provided to The Verge ahead of publication, the company said: "Following a comprehensive review, we determined the planned Flock Safety integration would require significantly more time and resources than anticipated. We therefore made the joint decision to cancel the integration and continue with our current partners ... The integration never launched, so no Ring customer videos were ever sent to Flock Safety." [...] Over the last few weeks, the company has faced significant public anger over its connection to Flock, with Ring users being encouraged to smash their cameras, and some announcing on social media that they are throwing away their Ring devices. The Flock partnership was announced last October, but following recent unrest across the country related to ICE activities, public pressure against the Amazon-owned Ring's involvement with the company started to mount. Flock has reportedly allowed ICE and other federal agencies to access its network of surveillance cameras, and influencers across social media have been claiming that Ring is providing a direct link to ICE.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Conservationists estimate coal exported from expanded mine to release CO2 equivalent of about half Australia’s annual carbon footprint

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The Albanese government has approved the expansion of a Queensland coalmine that will clear habitat for threatened koalas and greater gliders and add further fuel to the climate crisis, conservationists say.

The extension of the Middlemount mine in Queensland’s Bowen Basin – jointly owned by US company Peabody and China-owned Yancoal – would see about 85m tonnes of coal exported over 24 years.

Union urges Leonard Blavatnik to scrap Channel 13 deal, saying it is part of Netanyahu plan ‘to capture the media’

Israeli journalists have appealed to a British billionaire not to proceed with the sale of a stake in an Israeli television channel, which they warn would represent a severe blow to the independence of the country’s media.

Sir Leonard Blavatnik, listed by the Sunday Times as the UK’s third richest person, is selling a nearly 15% share in Channel 13, a commercial channel that has run critical news coverage of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in recent years, including investigations into the prime minister’s financial dealings.

Prosecutor says ‘newly discovered evidence’ in case against Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis ‘materially inconsistent with the allegations against them’

Federal prosecutors in Minneapolis have moved to drop felony assault charges against two Venezuelan men, including one shot in the leg by an immigration officer, after new evidence emerged undercutting the government’s version of events.

In a filing on Thursday, the US attorney’s office for the district of Minnesota said “newly discovered evidence” in the criminal case against Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis “is materially inconsistent with the allegations against them” made in a criminal complaint and a court hearing last month.

An anonymous reader shares a report: U.S. messenger app WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, has been completely blocked in Russia for failing to comply with local law, the Kremlin said on Thursday, suggesting Russians turn to a state-backed "national messenger" instead. "Due to Meta's unwillingness to comply with Russian law, such a decision was indeed taken and implemented," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, proposing that Russians switch to MAX, Russia's state-owned messenger.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

European leaders divided over how far to accommodate Trump’s ‘wrecking ball’ politics and foreign policy

US Democrats will use a security summit this weekend to urge European leaders to stand up to Donald Trump, with the continent divided over how to keep the unpredictable US president on side.

Democrats at the annual Munich Security Conference will include some of Trump’s most outspoken critics, such as the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, the New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Arizona senator Ruben Gallego and the Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer.

Video shows immigration agents beating Narciso Barranco, the father of three U.S. Marines, after he was restrained on the ground.

After nearly 13 years of leadership of atTAcK Addiction, a grassroots, statewide nonprofit they co-founded in response to the opioid epidemic, Don and Jeanne Keister are taking a step back from hands-on operation, the organization announced recently.

Destined to a perilous life with no right to an education or to vote, state recognition ‘gives them hope’, campaigners say

Through the decades that the Daulatdia brothel in Bangladesh has existed, children born there have been invisible, unable to be registered because their mothers were sex workers and their fathers unknown. Now, for the first time, all 400 of them in the brothel village have their own birth certificates.

That milestone was reached after a push by campaigners who have spent decades working with Bangladesh’s undocumented children born in brothels or on the street. It means they can finally access the rights afforded to other citizens: the ability to go to school, to be issued a passport or to vote.

Only a unified movement can threaten the regime.

How to regulate a revolutionary technology.

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and its escort ships are expected to head to the Middle East, three U.S. officials told CBS News, adding a second aircraft carrier to the region as U.S.-Iran tensions simmer.

Prime minister to meet mourners in mining town as families speak of their loss in one of Canada’s deadliest mass shootings

Canadian prime minister Mark Carney is to join mourners in Tumbler Ridge on Friday, as authorities and relatives released details of the six children and assistant teacher killed by a shooter in the remote mining town’s high school.

Carney will attend a vigil in Tumbler Ridge in memory of the victims, and he invited leaders from all political parties to join him in the town, the site of the country’s deadliest mass shooting in years.