Peter Mandelson, left, pictured with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in 2007
=============
Among those to have been engulfed by the scandal are Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, and Lord Peter Mandelson, a former government minister and ambassador to the US. Lord Mandelson has faced calls to be stripped of his peerage and on Tuesday, it was confirmed he will formally retire from the House of Lords on February 4.
He also faces a police probe into allegations he passed sensitive information about UK Government business to Epstein while serving in Gordon Brown’s government. Lord Mandelson also has a link to Andrew.
According to the Daily Mail’s Ephraim Hardcastle column, the Labour Peer “pushed through the appointment” of the then-Prince Andrew as a trade envoy for the UK Government. Andrew was handed the post in 2001 by the government of Tony Blair.
============
The PM had threatened legislation within weeks to strip Lord Mandelson of his title while police are assessing information relating to alleged misconduct in public office.
The Cabinet Office has passed material to the police after an initial review of documents released as part of the Epstein files found they contained “likely market-sensitive information” and official handling safeguards had been “compromised”.
The Lord Speaker announced that Lord Mandelson is to step down in the upper chamber. It came after the Prime Minister told his Cabinet that the alleged transmission of highly-sensitive government business to Epstein was “disgraceful” and Lord Mandelson had “let his country down”.
One email sent to Epstein in September 2017 shows a contact named ‘Peter Fenwick’ inviting him to stay in the Highlands. In the exchange, Fenwick assures Epstein there are “NO Hurricanes NO tornadoes NO boiling sun and Very Few people”.
He also described the region as “very beautiful”. The message includes a picture, seemingly from Fenwick’s Highland home, along with a request to meet in New York on Tuesday, October 17, 2017.
Peter Fenwick, British academic, mentioned in new tranche of emails, plus Cyprus mentioned:
The recent release of Jeffrey Epstein documents by the US Department of Justice — totaling over 3 million pages, along with thousands of videos and photos — has brought Cyprus into focus. Cyprus does not appear as a location for Epstein’s criminal activities but rather as a recurring reference in his international business and financial correspondence.
The Cypriot connections primarily fall into three categories: potential corporate tax domiciles, banking ties involving Russian elements, and mentions linked to the management of the Limassol port.
Key Emails Mentioning Cyprus
– **July 2017 correspondence** involving Nicole Junkermann, Epstein, and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak: The discussion centered on establishing a European subsidiary for the Israeli tech company Carbyne (then known as Reporty Homeland Security). Cyprus was proposed as a tax-efficient base but ultimately rejected. Epstein described the “Israeli trick of using Cyprus to avoid taxes” as “silly, antiquated, and dangerous.” Barak agreed, instructing associates to abandon the Cyprus option in favor of a more conventional European jurisdiction. Luxembourg was ultimately selected instead, partly because Cyprus was seen as risky due to heightened scrutiny over Russian money flows.
– **February 1, 2019 email** from Epstein to author Michael Wolff: Epstein referenced the Bank of Cyprus, former Deutsche Bank CEO Josef Ackermann (who later chaired Bank of Cyprus), and Donald Trump. He alluded to patterns of Russian money laundering and financial ties, stating that Ackermann, as Bank of Cyprus chairman, had links to Deutsche Bank — where Trump reportedly owed significant debts before receiving a large cash infusion from a Russian source.
– **May 2018 correspondence**: Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem (chairman of DP World, which manages the Limassol port concession) informed Steve Bannon that he was in Cyprus at the time. Epstein was copied on the message, which also touched on arranging meetings in the United Arab Emirates.
– **January 2017 email**: British academic Peter Fenwick suggested to Epstein that “we could move to Cyprus, which would be good.” No further evidence indicates actual relocation or business establishment there.
The files also mention entities like Liquid Funding Ltd, previously scrutinized for Cyprus-related connections. Authorities may examine whether Cypriot lawyers, accountants, or service providers facilitated any arrangements or if proper due diligence was conducted.
Despite the international significance of the Epstein revelations, there has been no official response from the Cypriot government, political parties, or calls for investigation by bodies such as MOKAS (Cyprus’s anti-money laundering unit) or the police. The matter is largely treated as a foreign issue that only incidentally touches Cyprus due to its economic and financial services model.
Publication of the Epstein documents continues, and future releases could reveal additional details — potentially including Epstein’s activities in the wider region, such as Greater Athens.
It is possible that, as Jeffrey Epstein was interested in near death experiences, the Peter Fenwick mentioned above may have discussed such matters but is now deceased, so we may never know:
Peter Fenwick became the world expert on near-death experiences
The neuropsychiatrist and promoter of “the art of dying” died on November 22nd, aged 89
Attia, a recent addition to CBS News‘ contributors, first appeared in the interview segment with correspondent Norah O’Donnell in October. The interview will no longer be aired in a rerun as counterprogramming on Super Bowl Sunday, according to The Guardian’s Jeremy Barr, Variety and The Independent.
Attia reportedly came up over 1,700 times in the latest batch of Epstein files released Friday, Jan. 30, according to Variety, The New York Times and other news outlets. The Epstein file mentions include crude exchanges between Attia and the convicted sex offender about female genitalia and emails that suggest the self-proclaimed longevity expert may have been with Epstein while his wife was alone with their son in the hospital after a near-fatal incident. Other emails suggest the doctor discussed longevity with the financier.
USA TODAY has reached out to CBS and Attia’s rep for comment.
In a lengthy apology on X, addressing his communications with Epstein, Attia said he was not “involved in any criminal activity” and had nothing to do with” the convicted predator’s “sexual abuse or exploitation of anyone.” He said he met Epstein, who at the time was “widely known in academic and philanthropic circles as a funder of science” in 2014 through “a prominent female healthcare leader while I was raising funds for scientific research.”
Attia added that the pair met up seven to eight times at Epstein’s New York City home to discuss research studies and network. Still, he said, “I apologize and regret putting myself in a position where emails, some of them embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible, are now public, and that is on me.”
Peter Attia’s emails with Epstein
In one particularly crass email to the convicted sexual predator from 2016, Attia joked that female genitalia is “indeed, low carb. Still awaiting results on gluten content, though.”
Other emails note an appointment between Attia and an unknown associate on July 13, 2017, while emails between Epstein and his longtime assistant and planner Leslie Groff confirm a meeting with Attia for the same afternoon.
The dates would have been around the time of an incident the wellness coach wrote about in his 2022 book “Outlive,” in which he admonishes himself for not being by his wife and son’s side after the month-old baby suddenly stopped breathing.
“In reality, I was out of control. I wasn’t just some garden variety road raging maniac either. A few months earlier, on Tuesday, July 11, 2017, at 5:45 to be exact, I had received a call from Jill, my wife. She was in an ambulance with our infant son … on the way to the hospital,” Attia wrote. “For some reason, he had suddenly stopped breathing and fallen unconscious. His eyes were completely rolled back in their sockets, and he was lifeless and blue, with no heartbeat.”
His son had begun breathing a short time later, but was still being held in the hospital for four days, all the while his wife “pleaded with me to come home. I called in daily to talk to the doctors and discuss each day’s test results, but I stayed in New York, busy with my, quote, important work.”
He added: “I feel nauseous about my behavior. I can’t believe I did that to my family. I can’t believe what a blind, selfish, checked out husband and father I was.”
WARSAW, Feb 3 (Reuters) – Poland will launch an investigation into possible links between the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Russian intelligence, as well as any impact on Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday.
Whilst there is speculation about what is underneath the White House since the East Wing was demolished, the facts that are known are these:
AuthorTony Dunnell
October 1, 2025
60
The White House is one of the most famous and instantly recognizable buildings in the world. Even if you’ve never actually taken the public tour of the East Wing and the Residence, you’re likely still familiar with much of the building through news broadcasts, documentaries, movies, and TV series — although the latter two are normally shot on soundstages in Hollywood.
But beneath the pristine North Lawn and the Ionic columns of America’s most famous residence lies a world that few will ever see. Under the White House, hidden from the general public, is a surprising amount of infrastructure providing an eclectic array of services, from secret tunnels to high-tech command centers and even a florist.
Presidential Emergency Operations Center
The most famous feature hidden beneath the White House is the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC). It was originally constructed as a relatively simple bunker during World War II to protect President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the event of an aerial attack on Washington, D.C. The bunker was later used during the 9/11 attacks, when a number of key personnel were evacuated from their offices in the White House to the PEOC. Afterward, extensive renovations turned the PEOC — located under the East Wing and accessible via a secret elevator — into a far more sophisticated control center. While we don’t know the extent of what’s down there, we do know that there are televisions, phones, and all the necessary communications facilities for managing emergency situations.
Globally, the base of the human pyramid has its strength in the healthy and supported working class people. They are vital to the solidity of the pyramid. Those at the top of the pyramid who disregard that fact do so at the peril of all mankind.
Greed drives the climbers to be at the top. But it allows for 1 percent only. And they compete with each other, knocking each other off if they can.
E.P.Thompson wrote the impressive British history ‘The Making of the English Working Class’ a copy of which I still treasure as it reflects the struggle of my ancestors.
A modern perpective:
understanding the working class and its historical context offers valuable insights into socioeconomic structures and dynamics. The significance of this group extends beyond their numbers as they constitute the backbone of economies by providing essential goods and services. As such, analyzing the characteristics, challenges, and evolution of the working class remains a crucial aspect of understanding contemporary societies and the global economy.
Migrants tend to be better educated than in the past as some countries define the profile of a likely valuable migrant as against one merely seeking safety from harm in their homeland:
Recent immigrants tend to be better educated than native populations: 50% of immigrants in the OECD had a tertiary degree in 2020, and in 2021, more than one-third of recent arrivals in the EU held highly skilled professions, compared to just over one-fifth in 2011 (OECD, 2023). A U-shaped curve emerges when examining the social positions of migrants, showing an over-representation of both working class and, increasingly, upper-class groups.
The current ‘working class’ jobs are very different to those of 50 years ago:
There have been substantial changes in the material reality of working-class life, and, just as the concept of tradition must be investigated, material changes must also be recognised. There have been substantial demographic changes in many of England’s communities in the last fifty years, capitalism has provided new industries such as platform and call centre work, and working conditions have rapidly declined in the last ten years. The working-class looks quite different today than it did thirty years ago.
===========
The overlapping fractions that constitute the bulk of the English working-class (excluding children and retired pensioners) are: the proletariat, labour aristocracy, organised labour, unorganised labour, wage labourers (who’s employment may be relatively stable but is still tied to a wage), and unpaid domestic labourers. Indeed, throughout their lives, most members of the working-class will have been part of many, and some even part of all, of these fractions. This list is by no means complete, and while it is possible to identify other groups, I think that these categories account for the majority of the working-class and sufficiently illustrate the nuances of this class’ internal relationships. I define the proletariat as being the part of the working-class whose employment conditions are characterised by insecurity, and therefore their employment conditions (though not their culture, sense of class, and assets) may have more in common with some precarious members of the middle-class, for instance actors, than other members of the working-class.8
Stress crisis’ in UK as 5m struggle with financial, health and housing insecurity
Exclusive: Levels of ‘multi-stress’ at highest since 2008 crash, study says, with people feeling profoundly powerless
Patrick Butler Social policy editorFri 6 Jun 2025 05.00 BSTShare
More than 5 million UK adults are experiencing a triple whammy of financial, health and housing insecurity as British households hit levels of “multi-stress” not seen since the global economic crash well over a decade ago, research shows.
One in 10 working-age adults are juggling low income and debt, insecure tenancies and high rents, and problems accessing NHS care. They are at least twice as likely as the rest of the population to report mental stress, sleeplessness and isolation.
Researchers said the explosion in multiple insecurity amounted to a “national stress crisis”, with those affected experiencing heightened volatility and uncertainty in their lives and profound feelings of powerlessness and lack of control.
Education system failing children from working class families:
A tsunami of unhappiness is sweeping over British schools. According to international research surrounding children and young people’s sense of well-being in school, the UK was ranked 24th out of the 29 richest countries. While the research did not look at social class differences among British children, The Children’s Society found that the UK was the European country with the largest gap in average life satisfaction between the 25% most advantaged and the 25% most disadvantaged 15-year-olds. Children and young people in the UK are generally unhappy at school but it is working class pupils who are the most unhappy.
My book, Miseducation: Inequality, Education and the Working Class(Policy Press, 2025) examines why schools continue to fail working class children, neglecting to provide them with either a meaningful education or the opportunity to realise their potential. I draw on my own extensive research going back over 30 years of researching in English schools, bolstered by interviews I conducted with pupils and teachers in 2022 and 2023, as well as contemporary research which reveals the depth of unhappiness caused by being labelled a failure by our remorseless testing regime or by being placed in the bottom sets.
Rather than “working people” (Labour) or “white working class” (Reform UK), Faiza Shaheen argues that we need a politics that serves the whole working class – as well as an increasing number of middle-class families currently failed by the system we have in Britain today.
“The British class system is far subtler and more pervasive than any system of legal inequality” — George Orwell, The Road to Wigan Pier (1937)
The British have long been preoccupied with class, but how relevant is this obsession in understanding modern society? A decade has passed since the findings of the BBC’s Great British Class Survey, and while conversations about class have waned in sociology and public discourse, its impact on people’s lives remains undeniable. Class isn’t just an abstract sociological concept – it shapes real lives, opportunities, and policy decisions. Last month, we brought together working-class people, practitioners working in these communities, and academics to reignite this crucial conversation. The takeaway was clear: even if we’re not talking about class, it doesn’t mean it’s not important. In fact, after 20 years of working on inequality, I can confidently say that class, and indeed class war, has never been more evident in my lifetime
=============
Class remains a powerful lens through which to understand and address inequality in modern Britain. Reinvigorating class consciousness – the awareness of one’s position in the class hierarchy and the collective power to challenge it – could be key to countering the Far Right, the concentration of elite power, and a whole range of policies, such as cuts to disability benefits. The voices of working-class people remind us that this isn’t just about statistics or abstract theories – it’s about real lives, real struggles, and real opportunities for change.
But now there are oligarchs at the top avoiding taxes whilst the masses below scrabble to make ends meet, heavily taxed and living with insecurity. Any jobs they do leaves them overburdened with debt, inadequate housing, poor education opportunities and feeling poweless.
In the summer of 2015, three Syrian girls who had narrowly survived an airstrike some weeks earlier stood before Tulsi Gabbard with horrific burns all over their bodies.
Gabbard, then a US congresswoman on a visit to the Syria-Turkey border as part of her duties for the foreign affairs committee, had a question for them.
“How do you know it was Bashar al-Assad or Russia that bombed you, and not Isis?’” she asked, according to Mouaz Moustafa, a Syrian activist who was translating her conversation with the girls.
Tulsi Gabbard has been accused of being a Russian asset (Getty)
It was a revealing insight into Gabbard’s conspiratorial views of the conflict, and it shocked Moustafa to silence. He knew, as even the young children did, that Isis did not have jets to launch airstrikes. It was such an absurd question that he chose not to translate it because he didn’t want to upset the girls, the eldest of whom was 12.
“From that point on, I’m sorry to say I was inaccurate in my translations of anything she said,” Moustafa told The Independent. “It was more like: How do I get these girls away from this devil?”
Even before Gabbard left the Democratic Party, ingratiated herself with Donald Trump and secured his nomination to become director of National Intelligence, she was known as a prolific peddler of Russian propaganda.
In almost every foreign conflict in which Russia had a hand, Gabbard backed Moscow and railed against the US. Her past promotion of Kremlin propaganda has provoked significant opposition on both sides of the aisle to her nomination.
Her journey from anti-war Democrat to Moscow-friendly Maga warrior began in Syria. The devastating conflict was sparked by pro-democracy uprisings in 2011, which were brutally crushed by the Assad regime. It descended into a complex web of factions that drew extremist Islamists from around the world and global powers into the fray.
Why Is a Whistleblower Complaint About Tulsi Gabbard Locked in a Safe???
The Director of National Intelligence is accused of stalling a whistleblower complaint that her office calls “politically motivated,” but another official says could pose a national security risk if revealed.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has been accused of…something…by a whistleblower within her department, who filed a complaint to the intelligence community’s inspector general in May. In precedented times, these kinds of complaints are typically handled by Congress, and the onus of secure transmission falls on the DNI. But it’s been eight months, and Congress still hasn’t seen the complaint, which is allegedly so potentially explosive that it’s reportedly been locked in a safe.
The whistleblower’s lawyer, Andrew Bakaj, is accusing Gabbard of stalling the process.
========
Now, Gabbard is a Russia-curious DNI who supports having a government surveillance authority in place; revoked security clearances from Obama-era intelligence officials to fulfill Trump’s revenge agenda; and, most recently, appeared at the FBI raid of an election center in Georgia. So, for her to be hiding something because it’s a national security risk? Again, I ask: what the fuck is in that complaint?
As President Donald Trump continues to allege widespread electoral fraud benefitting Democrats, his latest attempt to upend U.S. elections in the name of correcting that fraud is a call for the Republican Party to “nationalize” voting.
Warsh has made previous stops as a Morgan Stanley investment banker, an adviser to former President George W. Bush and a Fed board member, making him about as establishment as it gets. (Warsh’s wife is also the granddaughter of cosmetics magnate Estée Lauder.) It’s a notable choice for a president known for distrusting institutionalists and lauding disruptors.
It’s all about keeping the Epstein network flourishing:
President Trump with Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, right, and his brother U.A.E. President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, left, in Abu Dhabi in May. Alex Brandon/Associated Press
‘Spy Sheikh’ Bought Secret Stake in Trump Company
$500 million investment for 49% of World Liberty came months before U.A.E. won access to tightly guarded American AI chips
Four days before Donald Trump’s inauguration last year, lieutenants to an Abu Dhabi royal secretly signed a deal with the Trump family to purchase a 49% stake in their fledgling cryptocurrency venture for half a billion dollars, according to company documents and people familiar with the matter. The buyers would pay half up front, steering $187 million to Trump family entities.
The deal with World Liberty Financial, which hasn’t previously been reported, was signed by Eric Trump, the president’s son.
wsj.com
Sounding the alarm:
Senator Elizabeth Warren is sounding the alarm on Trump’s ‘spy sheikh’ crypto deal
Senator demands probe after report links Emirati intelligence chief to secret investment in U.S. crypto venture.
The Wall Street Journal found that the deal, signed by Eric Trump, sent $187 million to Trump family entities and at least $31 million to entities tied to Trump ally and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, months before the Trump administration approved advanced AI chip sales to the UAE.
Trump family has a claim on 75% of net revenues from World Liberty’s token sales
World Liberty’s tokens are non-tradeable; holders cannot vote for a share in profits
Critics warn of potential conflicts of interest with president’s involvement in crypto
Over $280 million raised from buyers purchasing $1 million or more in $WLFI tokens
LONDON/NEW YORK, March 31 (Reuters) – As World Liberty Financial raised more than half a billion dollars, President Donald Trump’s family took control of the crypto venture and grabbed the lion’s share of those funds, aided by governance terms that industry experts say favor insiders.
Launched last fall, World Liberty’s goal is to allow people to access financial services using cryptocurrencies and without intermediaries like banks in what is called decentralized finance, or DeFi. But it has yet to launch a public platform and has reported only a small staff, a review of the project shows.
Even so, World Liberty said in mid-March it had raised $550 million selling so-called governance tokens. Most of those sales took place after Trump’s election win in November, Reuters calculations show.
The tokens, which go by the symbol $WLFI, give holders the right to vote on changes to the project’s underlying code and to signal their opinion on its direction and plans. They cannot be traded.
As its fundraising got traction, World Liberty disclosed in January that the Trump family had taken control of the business, a review of changes in the fine print on World Liberty’s website shows. Two of its co-founders, crypto entrepreneurs Zak Folkman and Chase Herro, were replaced as the controlling parties of World Liberty by an entity in which the Trump family holds a 60% stake.
The changes have not been previously reported.
Overall, the Trump family now has a claim on 75% of net revenues from token sales and 60% from World Liberty operations once the core business gets going. The arrangement means the Trump family is currently entitled to about $400 million in fees. After World Liberty’s co-founders take their cut, the crypto venture will be left with 5% of the $550 million raised to date to build the platform, according to Reuters calculations.
The arrangements, including the Trump family’s large share of the project’s revenues and the non-tradeable nature of the governance tokens, make World Liberty unusually centralized for the industry, according to a survey of the practices of the five largest DeFi lending platforms and interviews with four U.S. academics who study the crypto industry.
“It’s hard for me to see any economic benefit to the owner of these tokens,” said Jim Angel, an associate professor at Georgetown University who has written about DeFi regulation.
David Krause, a longtime finance professor at Marquette University in Milwaukee who recently published a study of World Liberty, said that the structure of the project “pretty much excludes public investors or token holders from any meaningful financial participation.”
Note:
In a photo:
Crypto czar David Sacks, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Executive Director of the Presidential Council of Advisers for Digital Assets Bo Hines attend the White House Crypto Summit at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 7, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
Andrew worked with Gaddafi ally and Epstein to arrange Middle East loan
Former prince discussed setting up financial deal between Libya and Dubai, Epstein files show
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor discussed arranging billions in loans from Libya to Dubai in the last years of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, emails from the Epstein files show.
The former prince discussed a possible deal with Jeffrey Epstein and Terence Allen, a United Arab Emirates-based investment banker, in 2010, the communications show.
Questions have previously been raised about his “very close” friendship with Saif Gaddafi, the son of the former Libyan leader, and Tarek Kaituni, a convicted Libyan gun smuggler.
In a June 2010 email, Mr Allen asked the then Duke of York if there was “anything I can do there for you”, referring to a planned meeting with Bashir Saleh Bashir, a close ally of Gaddafi, in Johannesburg the following month.
Mr Allen and Mr Mountbatten-Windsor then discussed the possibility of arranging a loan worth up to “3 b” from Libya to Dubai, the currency of which was not clear.
The emirate had been badly affected by the 2008 financial crash, and raised billions of dollars in loans and bond sales in the following years
Jes Staley’s Jeffrey Epstein Links Exposed in Court Docs
Explosive new court documents have laid bare the extensive relationship between former Barclays chief executive Jes Staley and the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, revealing troubling financial connections and personal visits.
The Prison Visit Revelation
Among the most damning evidence are emails from 2009 showing Staley travelled to visit Epstein while the convicted sex offender was serving time in a Florida prison. The correspondence indicates Staley made the journey to maintain contact with his associate, despite Epstein’s registered sex offender status and ongoing legal troubles.
Fed holds rate steady as recent dollar slide fuels Bitcoin, crypto debate
Jan 28, 2026
The FOMC paused rate cuts, but a weakening dollar may be doing the easing instead, reshaping expectations for Bitcoin, crypto markets and US monetary policy.
Complaint Accuses Trump’s Criminal Attorney of “Blatant” Crypto Conflict in His Role at DOJ
A watchdog group is seeking an inspector general investigation into Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche after ProPublica reported that he had ordered changes to crypto prosecutions while owning more than $150,000 in digital assets.
SEC drops lawsuit against Winklevoss twins’ crypto firm
Move comes as the SEC has taken a series of friendly stances towards the cryptocurrency industry under Trump
ReutersMon 26 Jan 2026 18.04 GMTShare
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday agreed to dismiss its enforcement case against a cryptocurrency exchange founded by the billionaire twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, after investors in its lending program recovered their assets in full.
Guardian
How “Bitcoin Jesus” Avoided Prison, Thanks to One of the “Friends of Trump”
Liam and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, drew national attention when they were taken by ICE last week. The viral image of the young boy wearing a blue, bunny-ear hat and a Spider-Man backpack during his father’s detainment has only further fueled the outrage in Minnesota and nationwide over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Representatives Joaquin Castro and Jasmine Crockett, both Democrats from Texas, visited Liam and his father Wednesday at a detention facility, the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley. Both lawmakers reported being alarmed by the child’s condition and are demanding his release.
Castro said the preschooler asking for his mom and his family, and telling his father he wants to go back to school.
“He seemed lethargic. His father said that Liam has been sleeping a lot, that he’s been asking about his family, his mom and his classmates, and saying that he wants to go be back in school with his classmates,” Castro said at a press conference Wednesday.
Judge orders release of 5-year-old boy detained in Minnesota
Story by Joseph Pisani
• 6h
In his order Saturday, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, included the photo of Liam and criticized the federal government’s mass deportation plans as “ill-conceived and incompetently-implemented.” He said that administrative warrants—which are issued by the executive branch of government and aren’t signed by a judge—weren’t sufficient to meet constitutional requirements for probable cause. “That is called the fox guarding the henhouse,” Biery wrote. “The Constitution requires an independent judicial officer.”
I heard about the acronym DARVO yesterday. You may consider it as being in a mind control playbook. I am reproducing VeryWellMind webpage on the subject.
Before you read their page, understand the signs of the mental disorder of narcissism:
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a mental health condition characterized by a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy. Individuals with NPD often have difficulties in relationships and may react poorly to criticism or perceived slights. helpguide.org psychiatry.org
Have you become aware of anyone you may know who suffers this disorder in your immediate surroundings? Here is how you can protect yourself from the harm they can inflict if they have not been intercepted and treated by a psychiatrist.
DARVO stands for Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender—a tactic used to avoid accountability.
Narcissists using DARVO can make victims feel responsible for the abuse, leading to self-doubt and mental health issues.
Educate yourself about DARVO to recognize the pattern and protect your emotional health.
Research shows that between 0.5% to 5% of the general US population have narcissistic personality disorder in the U.S., with a greater prevalence in men than women.1 However, multitudes are affected by a controlling tactic that many narcissists use called DARVO.
“DARVO is an acronym that stands for Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender. It describes a manipulative tactic often used by abusers to avoid taking responsibility for their actions and shift the blame onto their victims,” explains Avigail Lev, PsyD, founder of Bay Area CBT Center and CBTonline.
We’ll discuss what DARVO looks like, its impact on victims, and how to protect yourself if it’s being used against you.
Knowing the definition of DARVO is one thing; understanding what signs to look for in your relationship is another. Experts say there are specific characteristics to look for to determine if someone is manipulating you in this way.
Denial
Someone adamantly denies being wrong and won’t acknowledge wrong behaviors. A person using this tactic will not only say they are not abusive but will minimize your feelings. If they tell you, “It’s not that big of a deal,” or “You’re making too much of this,” that’s another way to deny the wrong behavior and its impact on you.
Attack
The accused person becomes aggressive, arguing that they are not in the wrong. They also seek to cast doubt on you as the person who is questioning their behavior.
Instead of just refusing to accept responsibility for abusive behavior, this person is actively working to make it look like you are the one who is in the wrong. “Abusers attack the credibility, character, or motives of the victim. They may use insults, threats, gaslighting, or manipulation to discredit the victim’s account of the abuse,” notes Dr. Lev.
Reverse Victim and Offender
The abuser tries to switch roles, arguing that they are the real victim and making the victim look like the offender. The abuser may claim to be unfairly accused, then say that you are making accusations to cover up your own behavior. This attempt to shift blame helps the abuser be seen in a more positive light while inflicting mental and emotional pain on the person already experiencing abuse.
In addition, an abuser will gaslight the victim, making that person wonder if they are crazy or think that what they are experiencing is not actually abuse. An abuser will also likely deflect, trying to switch gears and remove attention from the problematic behavior.
By denying their actions, attacking the person confronting them, and flipping the roles of victim and offender, the narcissist effectively redirects attention away from their own actions, often causing doubt in the victim’s claims.
“By denying their actions, attacking the person confronting them, and flipping the roles of victim and offender, the narcissist effectively redirects attention away from their own actions, often causing doubt in the victim’s claims,” notes Bayu Prihandito, founder of Life Architekture and certified psychology expert.
“The psychology behind DARVO is rooted in a strong need for self-preservation and control. They will often employ this strategy to protect their ego and maintain their desired self-image at all costs,” he adds.
If you or a loved one are a victim of domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential assistance from trained advocates.
Abusers who use DARVO methods on their victims often achieve the intended results. Studies show that when people saw one person using DARVO tactics on another, the victim was viewed as “less believable,” while the perpetrator was seen as “less abusive and less responsible.”2 As you can imagine, dealing with that level of manipulation day in and day out takes a massive toll on its victims—physically, mentally, and emotionally.
“DARVO negatively impacts the victim’s mental health because they internalize the false narrative that they are the perpetrator and that the problems in the relationship or abuse are their fault. They convince themselves that they are the cause of their own mistreatment, leading to feelings of self-blame and self-doubt,” Dr. Lev says.
DARVO negatively impacts the victim’s mental health because they internalize the false narrative that they are the perpetrator and that the problems in the relationship or abuse are their fault.
“Being subjected to repeated manipulation through DARVO can lead to … anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, self-doubt, a sense of powerlessness, and narcissistic abuse syndrome as well as pseudo identity/personality, where the victim develops a pseudo personality that echoes and repeats the narcissist’s false self- their grandiose narrative of themselves,” she states.
DARVO survivors also experience post-traumatic stress disorder. The abusive behavior can leave victims feeling isolated and unable to cope, especially when reversing the victim and offender leads to a continual cycle of abuse.
Once you learn more about DARVO and think you may be the victim of this manipulative tactic, you can take steps to help yourself.
Educate yourself. Know what signs to look for. When you understand the pattern that DARVO abusers use, you can see it coming. You’ll be able to recognize their tactics and be able to better control and manage your emotions when it happens. “Once recognized, this pattern becomes more predictable and quickly loses some of its power and influence,” Prihandito notes.
Stand up for yourself. Clearly name what it happening, what you will allow, and what you will not allow.
Learn what healthy communication looks like in a relationship. Along with saying what you won’t put up with, make sure the abuser knows what you expect.
Find a support group. Friends and family members can give you the encouragement that you need. “Having a strong support network can help you validate your experiences and counteract the effects of DARVO,” adds Dr. Lev.
Document your experience. “Keep a record of the abusive incidents, including dates, times, and descriptions. This can also include recordings or videos if your state allows,” Dr. Lev states.
Get professional help. Mental health professionals who are familiar with and understand narcissistic abuse can be pivotal in your healing journey. “There are a number of therapeutic resources for individuals dealing with DARVO, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and trauma-focused therapy. I would recommend victims to work directly with a licensed professional who can provide customized strategies to cope and heal from this trauma,” says Prihandito.
Of course, if you’re in a situation where the behavior has escalated to physical abuse, or you believe your life is in danger, call 911 and seek help immediately.
Ultimately, what’s most important is that if you are a victim of DARVO, you realize it is not your fault. Confront the reality of what happened and your experience. Seek the help you need to end the cycle of manipulative behavior and heal physically, mentally, and emotionally.
“Victims find it incredibly difficult to come to terms with the fact that the abuse was intentional the entire time. They must accept this in order to break free,” Dr. Lev concludes.
Verywell Mind’s content is for informational and educational purposes only. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Ⓒ 2026 People Inc. — All rights reserved
Verywell Mind is part of the People Inc. publishing family.
See a recent article ‘DARVO by Design’ written in response to the death of Alex Pretti, hete is an extract:
I am writing now because the DARVO unfolding here – the denial, the narrative inversion, the sustained refusal to answer for lethal force – is overt, structurally supported, and impossible to ignore. When the details of Alex Pretti’s death – a kind, compassionate man, ICU nurse, and federal employee who worked at the local VA – clashed with the demonizing character assault from this administration, I knew I needed to write about DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender).
An estimated 600,000 people have been affected by flooding across southern and central Mozambique, particularly in Gaza, Maputo, and Sofala provinces, following heavy and persistent rainfall since mid-December. The majority of the people affected, 75 percent, are in Gaza.
Access bottlenecks are hampering relief operations, as road access to affected areas is largely cut off. This is also significantly disrupting supply chains. Air and maritime assets are urgently needed to allow the dispatch of urgent supplies, including those being airlifted to Maputo.
High-volume dam releases are contributing to elevated river levels and continued downstream flooding with more areas being affected. The floods have had severe impacts on lives, livelihoods, and essential services, including damage to sections of the main road linking Maputo to the rest of the country.
Key priorities include the rapid deployment of air assets for search and rescue and to secure humanitarian access to hard-to-reach areas, urgent mobilization of civil engineering and disaster management specialists to temporarily restore key access routes and reinforce flood control measures.
A large-scale increase in humanitarian assistance is required with a particular focus on food, WASH, emergency shelter and NFIs, and essential health services with strong protection measures in place to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse, and gender-based violence.
Tulsi Gabbard monitors raid by FBI on election office as she carries out, as she sees it, “President Trump’s directive to secure our elections and work with our interagency partners to do so.”
Warner: ‘Why is Tulsi Gabbard at an FBI raid on an election office in Fulton County?’
Story by Ryan Mancini
• 15h
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) ono Wednesday shared Reuters’s photo of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard during the FBI’s search of 2020 voting records at the Fulton County, Ga., elections office, questioning why she was there.
“Why is Tulsi Gabbard at an FBI raid on an election office in Fulton County?” Warner asked in a post on the social platform X, which included a video.
Reuters photographer Elijah Nouvelage captured the photo of Gabbard wearing a baseball cap and talking into a smartphone while next to a vehicle loaded with boxes, her eyes turned toward the camera.
Warner said there were two explanations for why Gabbard would be at the election offices.
“Either Director Gabbard believes there was a legitimate foreign intelligence nexus — in which case she is in clear violation of her obligation under the law to keep the intelligence committees ‘fully and currently informed’ of relevant national security concerns — or she is once again demonstrating her utter lack of fitness for the office that she holds by injecting the nonpartisan intelligence community she is supposed to be leading into a domestic political stunt designed to legitimize conspiracy theories that undermine our democracy,” he wrote in a response to his first post.
==============
“We don’t know why they took them, and we don’t know where they’re taking them to,” county Board of Commissioners Chair Robb Pitts said.
Fulton County played a pivotal role following President Trump’s loss in the 2020 election. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) indicted Trump on racketeering charges in 2023 for allegedly conspiring to subvert the election results and win Georgia to stay in office. The case was dropped in 2025 ahead of the president’s return to the White House and after Willis was disqualified from the case.
Trump administration admits DOGE accessed personal Social Security data
What Happened: Court filings show operatives of Elon Musk’s DOGE at the Social Security Administration may have improperly accessed and shared sensitive data, including potential voter roll matching, after secret communications with an election overturning advocacy group. DOJ disclosures cite unapproved servers, continued access after court orders, and possible unauthorized data transmission.
Why It Matters: Federal data systems are being pulled into partisan election operations. When Social Security records are repurposed for political targeting, the line between governance and surveillance disappears.Source: Washington Post
borderslynn 
You must be logged in to post a comment.