DHS and ICE thought they could buy a massive warehouse on Hightower Trail in Social Circle, Georgia, and no one would say a word.
They thought they could dump up to 10,000 detainees into a rural town of just 5,000 people with two cops and simply ignore the local officials who warned them that the town’s water and sewer infrastructure would collapse under the weight.
They thought they could build a full-blown concentration camp in America’s backyard, wave a federal supremacy clause to bypass all local zoning laws, and operate with absolute impunity.
They thought wrong.
The Devil went down to Georgia. And the Save America Movement followed.
We plastered the town with the truth about what is happening in their community. From the intersections to the storefronts, these posters are up all over. We are making sure that every single resident, every local official, and every ICE contractor knows exactly what is being built less than a mile from an elementary school.
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What is happening in Georgia is a tragedy, but it is a test run and a blueprint for what they want to do all over the country.
Somehow, even though the funding for DHS is in limbo right now, they’re executing a $38 billion plan to radically expand their detention footprint. We don’t just mean extra beds. We mean actively acquiring massive, 1-million-square-foot warehouses across the country to convert into mega-prisons.
They are targeting communities everywhere:
Surprise, Arizona
Tremont, Pennsylvania
Socorro, Texas
Hagerstown, Maryland
Their strategy relies entirely on speed and on communities being unwilling to fight back. They know that if the American people realize they are retrofitting industrial buildings to hold human beings in shackles by the thousands, the backlash will be catastrophic.
That is why our strategy relies on exposure.
We are not going to wait for these facilities to open their doors before we fight back. We are taking the fight to the construction sites.
In Social Circle, local leaders—in a town that voted overwhelmingly for the current administration—are furious. They have been dodged, ignored, and overruled by the federal government. By putting our posters up, running local ads, and embedding investigative journalists on the ground, we are giving that local outrage a megaphone. We are turning a quiet real estate transaction into a national scandal.
Social Circle is the first location, but our intent is to scale this operation to every single warehouse on ICE’s acquisition list.
We are going to make it impossible for the administration to build these concentration camps without a fight. We are going to ensure that the contractors, the local politicians, and the federal agents are forced to look at the reality of what they are doing every single day.
We will not let “I didn’t know” be an excuse in this country.
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SOCORRO, Texas (AP) — In a Texas town at the edge of the Rio Grande and a tall metal border wall, rumors swirled that federal immigration officials wanted to purchase three hulking warehouses to transform into a detention center.
As local officials scrambled to find out what was happening, a deed was filed showing the Department of Homeland Security had already inked a $122.8 million deal for the 826,000-square-foot (76,738-square-meter) warehouses in Socorro, a bedroom community of 40,000 people outside El Paso.
“Nobody from the federal government bothered to pick up the phone or even send us any type of correspondence letting us know what’s about to take place,” said Rudy Cruz Jr., the mayor of the predominantly Hispanic town of low-slung ranch homes and trailer parks, where orchards and irrigation ditches share the landscape with strip malls, truck stops, recycling plants and distribution warehouses.
The Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff agenda Friday, dealing a seismic blow to the president’s key economic policy after months of chaos with America’s trading partners.
A ruling from the nation’s conservative-majority high court determined that the president’s global levies were unlawfully imposed under the 1977 law, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
“The president asserts the extraordinary power to unilaterally impose tariffs of unlimited amount, duration, and scope. In light of the breadth, history, and constitutional context of that asserted authority, he must identify clear congressional authorization to exercise it,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in a 6-3 decision.
Conservative Justices Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, both appointed by Trump, joined Roberts as well as liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson in ruling against the president.
The president called the ruling a “disgrace” in the immediate aftermath, The Independent understands.
Donald Trump Jr.’s Private DC Club Has Mysterious Ties to an Ex-Cop With a Controversial Past
The Executive Branch has a reported membership list that includes Trumpworld elites like David Sacks. A WIRED review of corporate filings reveals an under-the-radar player: a notorious former DC police officer.
Photograph: Fayez Nureldine/Getty ImagesSave this story
When the Executive Branch soft-launched in Washington, DC, last spring, the private club’s initial buzz centered on its starry roster of backers and founding members. The president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., is one of the club’s several co-owners, according to previous reporting. Founding members reportedly include Trump administration AI czar David Sacks and his All-In podcast cohost Chamath Palihapitiya, as well as crypto bigwigs Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss.
Wired
David Sacks, from ‘PayPal mafia’ to Trump’s AI and crypto tsar
Today, 14 years after the 2010 film “The Social Network” catapulted them into the public eye, the Winklevoss twins continue to make headlines.Shutterstock
The Winklevoss twins, Cameron and Tyler, have a story that’s stranger than fiction. It involves a bitter legal battle, a massive financial bet, and a rise to crypto prominence.
In the early 2000s, while studying at Harvard, the twins had a vision for a social network, and co-founded a social network called ConnectU. They were self-taught HTML coders, which they started tinkering around with from age 13.
From Harvard to betrayal
They then enlisted a coding prodigy named Mark Zuckerberg to bring it to life. Facebook soon launched, and the Winklevoss twins felt Zuckerberg stole their idea.
Tyler Winklevoss and Cameron Winklevoss, attend the opening bell ceremony for American Bitcoin at the Nasdaq Market in New York City, U.S., September 16, 2025. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
The twin brothers behind the crypto company Gemini Space Station attempted to block a nominee to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a position President Donald Trump had nominated, and now they’ve angered several in that orbit.
Trump’s CFTC nominee, Brian Quintenz, drew the ire of Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss after a behind-the-scenes fight became public, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The company founded by the Winklevoss bros fell under investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission during President Joe Biden’s administration after they failed to “register a cryptocurrency asset lending program before offering it to retail investors,” Reuters reported earlier this week. They settled the case this week and the company went public last week, then the conversations with Quintenz were exposed.
Chamath Palihapitiya is the Founder and CEO of Social Capital, a technology investment company, and Co-founder and CEO of 8090, an AI company. Under his leadership, Social Capital has incubated and invested in groundbreaking companies across various sectors, including healthcare, artificial intelligence, climate change, and space exploration. Some of Social Capital’s notable investments include Yammer (Microsoft), Slack (Salesforce), Swarm Technologies (SpaceX), Relativity Space, Groq, MrBeast, Palmetto, and 8090. Before founding Social Capital, Chamath was a senior executive at Facebook, where he was the leader of the company’s Growth, Platform, and Mobile teams. Born in Sri Lanka, and raised in Canada, Chamath now resides in Silicon Valley with his wife and five children. He holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from The University of Waterloo.
Initial reports identified several co-owners, including Trump Jr. and his associates Omeed Malik, Chris Buskirk, and brothers Zach and Alex Witkoff. However, a subsequent investigation by Mother Jones uncovered the involvement of Glenn Gilmore, a real estate developer from the San Francisco Bay Area, whose titles in the club’s corporate documents vary from co-owner to president. Yet another name has surfaced in the club’s corporate filings: Sean LoJacono
A notorious DC cop:
Sean LoJacono, a former police officer with a controversial past, is a beneficial owner of the club.
==========
The Controversial Past of Sean LoJacono
LoJacono, a former Metropolitan Police Department officer, became notorious in 2017 for his role in a contentious stop and frisk incident that led to a lawsuit. During the encounter with a man named M.B. Cottingham, LoJacono was accused of conducting an invasive body search, which was captured on video and went viral. In the recording, Cottingham expressed his shock at the nature of the search, stating, “He stuck his finger in my crack. Stop fingering me, though, bro.” The incident ignited a heated debate about aggressive policing tactics in Washington, DC.
In 2018, the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit against LoJacono on behalf of Cottingham, alleging that the officer had violated his rights during the search. Although the District of Columbia settled the case with Cottingham without admitting any wrongdoing, the fallout from the incident had significant implications for LoJacono’s career. Following an internal investigation, the MPD moved to dismiss him, but he successfully appealed the decision through the police union’s collective bargaining agreement, allowing him to return to the force as of November 2023.
LoJacono’s Role in the Executive Branch
Despite being cleared to return to the MPD, LoJacono has chosen a different path. His LinkedIn profile indicates that he is now the “Director of Security and Facilities Management” at the Executive Branch, a position he has held since June 2025. In the club’s incorporation paperwork filed in March 2025, LoJacono is listed as the “beneficial owner” of the business, raising questions about the extent of his involvement and influence within the club. This designation indicates that he holds a significant stake, if not a controlling interest, in the Executive Branch.
Understanding Beneficial Ownership
The term “beneficial owner” refers to individuals who have a substantial interest in a company, whether through direct ownership or managerial roles. According to Gary Kalman, executive director of Transparency International U.S., beneficial ownership can imply a significant minority stake, although it does not necessarily equate to majority control. The implications of this designation are crucial, as they illuminate the potential influence LoJacono may wield within the club, despite its more high-profile co-owners.
World Liberty Financial is the Trump family’s crypto business.Jonathan Raa / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Key Takeaways
World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s crypto business, in January applied for a national banking license and launched an interface allowing users to borrow and earn points.
It is an “experiment into the convergence of politics, finance, and blockchain technology,” a crypto research firm says.
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The Trump family has a range of business interests—including a crypto company with big financial ambitions.
The company, World Liberty Financial, has a lending market called WLFI Markets. It has applied for a national banking charter through its World Liberty Trust subsidiary. And it bills itself as a DeFi, or “decentralized finance,” ecosystem, which broadly means it seeks to remove middlemen from financial transactions.
World Liberty Financial was founded by President Donald Trump, his sons, the president’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Witkoff’s sons. Its USD1 stablecoin, which aims to stay pegged to the U.S. dollar, is at the center of the Trump family’s crypto venture—as is its token WLFI, which was recently trading around 11 cents, a fraction of its peak around 33 cents since its September launch.
WHY THIS MATTERS TO INVESTORS
World Liberty Financial offers a token and a stablecoin, but it has also signaled efforts to get into broader financial services.
WLFI Markets lets users borrow and lend against digital assets using USD1. The app isn’t available everywhere in the U.S., including New York. But if it gains traction, it could boost the circulating supply of USD1 and, potentially, the interest income generated by the assets that back it.
As a nationally chartered bank, World Liberty Trust would move from the fringes of payments into the central plumbing. Most stablecoin issuers make money from the interest earned on the assets backing the coins, generally including U.S. Treasurys, but if it were to also be a bank it could offer, and charge for, a range of financial services. (Think payments, clearing, asset custody, and the like.)
While the company has obvious political associations, World Liberty Financial, the WLF Protocol and WLFI tokens are “not political,” per the company’s white paper. That document shows that an entity called DT Marks DEFI LLC received 22.5 billion WLFI tokens and a right to receive 75% of the project’s revenue.1 That entity is connected to undisclosed Trump family members and the president through a series of holding companies, according to The Wall Street Journal.2
Outrage after 2-month-old and mother ‘abandoned’ by ICE after he was hospitalized
Juan Nicolas was the youngest detainee inside controversial Dilley detention center
Alex Woodward in New YorkWednesday 18 February 2026 17:45 GMT
A two-month-old boy with bronchitis was deported to Mexico with his mother and sister shortly after he was released from a hospital in Texas, where the family was detained inside a facility holding a growing number of immigrant families.
Juan Nicolas, who was the youngest person detained inside the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, was “rushed” to a hospital Monday night after roughly three weeks at the facility, according to Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro. Juan was “unresponsive” while hospitalized but was discharged hours after he arrived, the congressman said.
On Tuesday night, after an immigration court judge ordered the mother’s removal, the family was deported to Mexico and “abandoned” with only $190 they saved in a commissary account in ICE detention, according to Castro.
“To unnecessarily deport a sick baby and his entire family is heinous,” Castro said. “My staff and I are in contact with Juan’s family. We are laser-focused on tracking them down, holding ICE accountable for this monstrous action, demanding specific details on their whereabouts and wellbeing, and ens
Jeffrey Epstein’s UK Enigma: Fresh Questions Emerge Over York Property and British Associates
20/09/2025 21:46
Jeffrey Epstein’s Secret York Property Revealed in UK
Fresh details have emerged about Jeffrey Epstein’s clandestine British footprint, centring on a mysterious property acquisition in the historic city of York. The disgraced financier, who died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, continues to cast a long shadow, with new questions now focused on his activities and connections within the UK.
The revelations, first reported by The Sun and The Evening Standard, indicate Epstein secured a property in York under a deliberately opaque corporate veil. This strategy of using shell companies to obscure ownership was a hallmark of his real estate transactions globally, making the full extent of his property portfolio notoriously difficult to trace.
The York Enigma: A Deliberately Hidden Holding
The specific location and purpose of the York property remain tightly under wraps, fuelling speculation about its use and the identities of any British associates who may have visited it. This acquisition forms a critical part of the ongoing puzzle to understand the breadth of Epstein’s network beyond his well-documented residences in New York, Florida, and the US Virgin Islands.
Investigative efforts are now laser-focused on unravelling the purpose of this UK holding and identifying the full roster of individuals who had dealings with Epstein on British soil. The use of complex financial structures suggests a concerted effort to avoid scrutiny and keep his movements and associations secret.
Ghislaine Maxwell and the British Connection
These new findings inevitably intensify the spotlight on Epstein’s former associate, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell. Currently serving a 20-year sentence in the US for her role in facilitating Epstein’s crimes, Maxwell was a central figure in his inner circle and was instrumental in recruiting and grooming victims.
The discovery of a York property deepens the UK connection to the sprawling scandal, prompting authorities and journalists to re-examine Epstein’s travels and relationships in Britain. It raises urgent questions about who else within his British network might have had knowledge of or involvement in his illegal activities.
For the victims seeking justice and closure, each new revelation underscores the vast, international reach of Epstein’s operation. The identification of this property is not just about bricks and mortar; it’s a potential key to unlocking further truths about the scale of abuse and the powerful figures who enabled it.
As the investigation continues, the pressure mounts on UK authorities to provide a full and transparent account of Epstein’s dealings within the country, ensuring that every stone is turned in the pursuit of justice.
Location & Value – Seven units in a luxury building near the Arc de Triomphe, estimated at €8–9M (~$9M). Current ownership and final valuations are unclear.
Former Prince Andrew is a lesson in the power of armchair detective work, what to look for, how to find investigative nuggets, and ultimately how to nip heinous bad actors in the bud. So when I opened the files and searched for “Prince Andrew,” I was sorely disappointed. But when I dug a little deeper and discovered that he was not only Prince Andrew, but The Duke, HRH The Duke, PA, pipex, aace, abx17, Andrew, and Mr. Invisible, a whole new world opened up to me, filled with conversations that were never meant to be public, and for good reason. And it got me thinking—how many pseudonyms are we dealing with when it comes to all these co-conspirators? What are we missing? Whose obscure nicknames and emails have we yet to discover? Because don’t kid yourself, it’s all there. And we’re going to find it.
These are the emails of Former Prince Andrew, Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein, and a handful of their closest narcissistic friends, including a very public lawsuit from former secretary, Johnny O’Sullivan, and the discovery of a photograph hidden for over a decade by Virginia (Roberts) Giuffre, and the massive public outcry that followed.
I have included all of the original typos and conversation.
These are Andrew’s emails.
9/13/2009 7:50 AM
JE: is everything going well, ?
11/27/2009 3:59 AM 9:01 AM
PA: Dear Jeffrey, Hope you are having a slightly more relaxed Thanksgiving weekend. I am in Singapore this weekend working up some Asian business having spent the last 8 days relaxing on Gan in the Maldives at the Shanri La resort there. Relaxed and refreshed I’m back at the work stuff. The reason for my email is not only to wish you a happy Thanksgiving but I have just had notification of a requirement to be in Paris during the weekend of 4th to 6th December. Please may I stay in your beautiful apartment again? Wishing you well from the far side of the Planet. A
JE: is valson there?
Andrew and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, 2010
12/23/2009 12:48 PM – 7:32 PM
JE: did everything go alright?
PA: Dear Jeffrey, Paris was a wonderful weekend spent working with an interesting American family Bank who are after some help in the Middle East; a gap in their geographic coverage. I’ve been doing so much travelling this year that I can’t keep up with myself (30 countries in the last 4 months alone). But I am at home now for a couple of weeks to try to re-orientate myself before starting again on 11th Jan. Have a really wonderful Christmas in the Sun and I hope that we will have a chance to catch up in 2010. Thank you again for the use of your wonderful apartment in Paris. A
JE: which middle east country are you strongest
PA: UAE. But could do all if required. A
1/16/2010 11:21 AM – 2:22 PM
JE: andrew, if you could give me a call 561 655 7626
PA: Will do. In very poor coverage area right now. Will try Sunday when I’m back in Abu Dhabi proper. A
1/28/2010 10:25 AM
JE: Boris said he will see you today. he is a good guy
PA: What a great guy! We discussed you for most of the time… By the way congratulations on getting your travel ban lifted and also understand new information now available on the whole issue and hope you get a clean resolution. See you soon. Come to Paris and we’ll catch up. A
Note: Epstein was required to serve 12 months’ of home confinement after his first jail term, allowing him only to be at his residences, which included New York, Palm Beach, New Mexico, Paris, and the Virgin Islands. As a Level-3 sex offender, Epstein was required to check in with the NYPD every 90 days. Reports show he missed 34 (all) check-ins over 8 years without facing punishment.
2/17/2010 11:28 PM
JE: hope friday doesn’t freak you out, old man
2/19/2010 12:17 PM
PA: Dear Jeffrey, Nothing frightens me that much. And in any case I’m only 40ten today!! Hope to see you soon. Lots to catch up on. A PS S asks: can she stay in your wonderful home in New York this week? A
Shared by Fergie for Andrew’s 60th Birthday – Instagram: @sarahferguson15 / Alex Bramall
And
7/24/2010 5:14 PM
JE: I will be in paris starting tomorrow
PA: Congratulations! DS told me you were allowed out from yesterday. How long in Paris for? I am back in London from 16th. A
JE: Im totally completely and done will be in paris for a while. then the ranch in new Mexico. .. there is so much opportunity here Ive had non stop all day meetings and my friends are super flush with cash , and nothing to do. lets get moving. ie. Leon black is sitting with 20 billion dollars , and hungry for deals.
PA: really, really good news. If you are in Paris around the 16th I’ll be across to pay homage to your new life ahead!…. And as far as things to do I have, with DS a good brain to make things happen. Even looking at purchases from government of up to £3B each.
Iran, Russia to Conduct Joint Drills in the Sea of Oman
This handout photo released by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)’s official website Sepanews on February 17, 2026, shows boats maneuvering around a tanker vessel during a military exercise by members of the IRGC and navy in the Strait of Hormuz. (Sepahnews / AFP)
10:57-18 February 2026 AD ـ 01 Ramadan 1447 AH
TT
Iran and Russia will conduct naval maneuvers in the Sea of Oman on Thursday, following the latest round of talks between Tehran and Washington in Geneva, Iranian media reported.
On Monday, the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of Iran’s military, also launched exercises in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a challenge to US naval forces deployed in the region.
“The joint naval exercise of Iran and Russia will take place tomorrow (Thursday) in the Sea of Oman and in the northern Indian Ocean,” the ISNA agency reported, citing drill spokesman, Rear Admiral Hassan Maghsoudloo.
“The aim is to strengthen maritime security and to deepen relations between the navies of the two countries,” he said, without specifying the duration of the drill.
The war games come as Iran struck an upbeat tone following the second round of Oman-mediated negotiations in Geneva on Tuesday.
Previous talks between the two foes collapsed following the unprecedented Israeli strike on Iran in June 2025, which sparked a 12-day war that the United States briefly joined.
US President Donald Trump has deployed a significant naval force in the region, which he has described as an “armada.”
Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, particularly during periods of tension with the United States, but it has never been closed.
A key passageway for global shipments of oil and liquefied natural gas, the Strait of Hormuz has been the scene of several incidents in the past and has returned to the spotlight as pressure has ratcheted amid the US-Iran talks.
Iran announced on Tuesday that it would partially close it for a few hours for “security” reasons during its own drills in the strait.
Russia, China, Iran deploy ships for joint exercises in Strait of Hormuz
Russian presidential aide says Moscow building ‘multipolar world order on the oceans’ as respons to Western domination
Kanyshai Butun |17.02.2026 – Update : 17.02.2026
File Photo
ISTANBUL
Russia, China and Iran have deployed naval vessels for joint exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, Russian presidential aide Nikolay Patrushev said on Tuesday.
In an interview with the weekly Argumenty i Fakty, Patrushev said Russia is working to build a “multipolar world order on the oceans” in response to what he called Western hegemony.
“We will tap into the potential of BRICS, which should now be given a full-fledged strategic maritime dimension,” he said.
He added that the first BRICS naval exercise, dubbed “Will for Peace 2026,” was held in January in the South Atlantic and involved Russia, China, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa.
According to Patrushev, participating navies practiced coordinating efforts to protect trade routes, which he said are becoming increasingly vulnerable.
“The Maritime Security Belt 2026 exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, where Russia, China, and Iran sent their ships, proved to be relevant,” he added.
The Maritime Security Belt is set to be hosted by Iran in mid-February in the Strait of Hormuz, which lies between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, one of the world’s most strategically important choke points, according to the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
The joint naval drills were first launched in 2019 at the initiative of Iran’s navy and have been held seven times since then.
1 Mar 2026, Krassensteins, Substack after War on Iran
A Dangerous New Phase With Massive Oil Market Implications
In a major and deeply concerning escalation, an oil tanker, the Skylight, was reportedly struck just five nautical miles north of Khasab Port in Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz. Four sailors were injured. The attack allegedly came after the vessel ignored warnings not to enter the Strait.
This marks a shift from military targets to commercial energy infrastructure, and that changes everything.
And March 1st 2026:
Nine Iranian Navy ships ‘destroyed and sunk,’ says Trump
March 1, 2026 6:40 pm
US President Donald Trump bows his head in prayer during the National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC on February 5, 2026. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
President Donald Trump said on Sunday that US military strikes had sunk nine Iranian naval vessels and partially destroyed Iran’s navy headquarters.
“I have just been informed that we have destroyed and sunk 9 Iranian Naval Ships, some of them relatively large and important,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.
“We are going after the rest—they will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea, also!
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has opened formal investigations into X Internet Unlimited Company (XIUC) and X.AI LLC (X.AI) covering their processing of personal data in relation to the Grok artificial intelligence system and its potential to produce harmful sexualised image and video content.
We have taken this step following reports that Grok has been used to generate non‑consensual sexual imagery of individuals, including children. The reported creation and circulation of such content raises serious concerns under UK data protection law and presents a risk of significant potential harm to the public.
These concerns relate to whether personal data has been processed lawfully, fairly and transparently, and whether appropriate safeguards were built into Grok’s design and deployment to prevent the generation of harmful manipulated images using personal data. Where those safeguards fail, individuals lose control of their personal data in ways that expose them to serious harm. Examining these risks is central to the ICO’s role in protecting people’s rights and holding organisations to account as they design and deploy AI technology.
This follows separate investigations from the EU and UK over X deepfakes
Elon Musk’s X platform (previously known as Twitter) and its Grok AI bot are facing fresh scrutiny over non-consensual and sexualized deepfake content, with Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) announcing an inquiry.
As per MarketWatch, the watchdog is investigating whether X has complied with the strict General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules in the EU, which the Irish regulator is in charge of enforcing on behalf of the 27-nation bloc.
In recent weeks, there has been a storm of criticism leveled at X in response to Grok being used to create and post millions of sexualized and revealing images – often based on real photos (some of whom appear to be minors), and used without consent.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, leaves church in England on April 20 last year. (AP Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested at his eastern England home, the BBC has reported.
The UK’s Telegraph newspaper said on Thursday that British police had arrived at the residence of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor in eastern England.
It said six unmarked police cars and about eight plain-clothes officers were seen arriving at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate earlier on Thursday.
Thames Valley Police said earlier in February they were looking at allegations that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor had passed confidential government documents to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to recently released files.
Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing and said he regrets his friendship with Epstein, but he has not responded to specific requests for comment after the latest files were published by the US government.
In a statement, Thames Valley police said they had arrested a man in his 60s from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and were carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.
“The man remains in police custody at this time,” the statement said.
“We will not be naming the arrested man, as per national guidance.”
Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said, following a thorough assessment, UK police have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office.
“It is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offence,” he said.
A bald eagle flying down claws first on to a Cuba flagComposite: Artwork by Alex Mellon and Guardian Design. Source Photographs by Getty Images
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 inSun 15 Feb 2026 06.00 GMTShare
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.
A frequently recurring theme when discussing the history of Palestine, is the question of “who was there first?”. The implication being, whoever was there first deserves ownership of the land. I have lost count of how many times I have encountered the argument that “The Jewish people have been in Palestine before the Muslims/Arabs,” or a variation thereof. This has always struck me as an interesting example of how people learn just enough history to support their world view, separating it completely from any historical context or the larger picture of the region.
Since this question is so widespread, and since I see it answered in different, and in my opinion, unhelpful ways, I would like to open up the topic for wider discussion.
The argument is simple to follow: Palestinians today are mostly Arabs. The Arabs came to the Levant with the Muslim conquest of the region. Therefore, Arabs -and as an extension Palestinians- have only been in Palestine and the Levant since the seventh century AD.
There are a couple of glaring problems with this line of thought. First of all, there is a clear conflation of Arabs, Muslims and Palestinians. None of these are interchangeable. Arabs have had a long history in the Levant before the advent of Islam. For example, The Nabataean kingdom ruled over Jordan, southern Palestine and Sinai a whole millennium before Muslims ever set foot in the area. Another example would be the Ghassanid kingdom, which was a Christian Arab kingdom that extended over vast areas of the region. As a matter of fact, many prominent Christian families in Palestine today, such as Maalouf, Haddad and Khoury, can trace their lineage back to the Ghassanid kingdom.
The second problem with this is that there is a misunderstanding of the process that is the Arabization of the Middle East and North Africa. Once again, we must view the Islamization of newly conquered lands and their Arabization as two distinct phenomena. The Islamization process began instantly, albeit slowly. Persia, for example took over 2 centuries to become a majority Muslim province. The Levant, much longer. The Arabization of conquered provinces though, began later than their Islamization. The beginning of this process can be traced back to the Marwanid dynasty of the Ummayad Caliphate. Until that point, each province was ruled mostly with its own language, laws and currency. The process of the Arabization of the state united all these under Arabic speaking officials, and made it law that the language of state and of commerce would become Arabic. Thus, it became advantageous to assimilate into this identity, as many government positions and trade deals were offered only to Muslim Arabs.
So although the vast majority of the population of these lands were not ethnically Arab, they came to identify as such over a millennium. Arab stopped being a purely ethnic identity, and morphed into a mainly cultural and linguistic one. In contrast to European colonialism of the new world, where the native population was mostly eradicated to make place for the invaders, the process in MENA is one of the conquered peoples mixing with and coming to identify as their conquerors without being physically removed, if not as Arabs, then as Muslims.
Following from this, the Palestinian Arabs of today did not suddenly appear from the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th century to settle in Palestine, but are the same indigenous peoples living there who changed how they identified over time. This includes the descendants of every group that has ever called Palestine their home. When regions change rulers, they don’t normally change populations. Throughout history, peoples have often changed how they identified politically. The Sardinians eventually became Italians, Prussians became Germans. It would be laughable to suggest that the Sardinians were kicked out and replaced by a distinct foreign Italian people. We must separate the political nationalist identity of people from their personhood as human beings, as nationalism is a relatively modern concept, especially in the Middle East.
Naturally, no region is a closed container. Trade, immigration, invasion and intermarriage all played a role in creating the current buildup of Palestinian society. There were many additions to the people of the land over the millennia. However, the fact remains that there was never a process where Arab or Muslim conquerors completely replaced the native population living there, only added to them.
So, what does this all mean for Palestine?
Absolutely nothing.
Although the argument has many ahistorical assumptions and claims, it is not these which form its greatest weakness. The whole argument is a trap. The basic implication of this line of argumentation is as follows:
If the Jewish people were in Palestine before the Arabs, then the land belongs to them. Therefore, the creation of Israel would be justified.
From my experience, whenever this argument is used, the automatic response of Palestinians is to say that their ancestors were there first. These ancestors being the Canaanites. The idea that Palestinians are the descendants of only one particular group in a region with mass migrations and dozens of different empires and peoples is not only ahistorical, but this line of thought indirectly legitimizes the original argument they are fighting against.
This is because it implies that the only reason Israel’s creation is unjustified is because their Palestinian ancestors were there first. It implies that the problem with the argument lies in the details, not that the argument as a whole is absolute nonsense and shouldn’t even be entertained.
The ethnic cleansing, massacres and colonialism needed to establish Israel can never be justified, regardless of who was there first. It’s a moot point. Even if we follow the argument that Palestinians have only been there for 1300 years, does this suddenly legitimize the expulsion of hundreds of thousands? Of course not. There is no possible scenario where it is excusable to ethnically cleanse a people and colonize their lands. Human rights apply to people universally, regardless of whether they have lived in an area for a year or ten thousand years.
If we reject the “we were there first” argument, and not treat it as a legitimizing factor for Israel’s creation, then we can focus on the real history, without any ideological agendas. We could trace how our pasts intersected throughout the centuries. After all, there is indeed Jewish history in Palestine. This history forms a part of the Palestinian past and heritage, just like every other group, kingdom or empire that settled there does. We must stop viewing Palestinian and Jewish histories as competing, mutually exclusive entities, because for most of history they have not been.
These positions can be maintained while simultaneously rejecting Zionism and its colonialism. After all, this ideologically driven impulse to imagine our ancestors as some closed, well defined, unchanging homogenous group having exclusive ownership over lands corresponding to modern day borders has nothing to do with the actual history of the area, and everything to do with modern notions of ethnic nationalism and colonialism.
Over 1,000 councillors sign Palestine solidarity pledge amid claims of ‘political opportunism’
Story by Amanda Akass, political correspondent
More than a thousand local councillors have signed a pledge of solidarity with the Palestinian people.
And some days ago:
UK ban on Palestine Action as terror group unlawful, High Court rules
The Home Office will challenge the judgment in favor of the direct action group, which it branded a terrorist organization last year.
The ban on Palestine Action was the first on a direct action group, and catergorized it alongside groups like Islamic State, Hezbollah and al-Qaeda. | Jonathan Brady/PA Images via Getty Images
LONDON — Britain’s High Court ruled Friday that the ban on Palestine Action as a terrorist organization is unlawful.
The organization’s co-founder Huda Ammori successfully challenged the British government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000 after three judges, led by Victoria Sharp, said ministers acted unlawfully.
Membership or support of the group was made illegal last July and punishable by prison sentences of up to 14 years.
Ammori argued the move by the Home Office disproportionately interfered with freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, which the court concurred with. Judges also said the ban was not consistent with the government’s policy to limit the ability to declare groups as terrorist organizations.
“The nature and scale of Palestine Action’s activities falling within the definition of terrorism had not yet reached the level, scale and persistence to warrant proscription,” the summary read.
However, Judge Sharp said the ban will not be lifted until a further court order “pending the possibility of an appeal.” In its judgment, the court said Palestine Action carried out acts “amounting to terrorism,” was not an “ordinary protest group” and intended to “promote the use of violence.”
The ban on Palestine Action was the first on a direct action group, and catergorized it alongside groups like Islamic State, Hezbollah and al-Qaeda. Palestine Action previously broke into RAF Brize Norton in June and damaged two military jets.
Since the proscription, more than 2,700 people have been arrested and hundreds have been charged in a civil disobedience campaign for expressing support for the group, according to the Defend Our Juries group.
In a statement, Ammori said the verdict was a “monumental victory both for our fundamental freedoms here in Britain and in the struggle for freedom for the Palestinian people,” adding the ban was a “Trumpian abuse of power which would have seen this Labour government proscribe the Suffragettes.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood expressed her disappointment at the judgment, which the government will fight in the Court of Appeal, and said the ban was not disproportionate.
“The proscription of Palestine Action followed a rigorous and evidence-based decision-making process,” Mahmood said in a statement. “The proscription does not prevent peaceful protest in support of the Palestinian cause, another point on which the court agrees.
Four activists from the proscribed Palestine Action group in the UK are still on hunger strikes in prison.
Palestine Action-linked hunger strikers (left to right) Teuta Hoxha, Heba Muraisi, Kamran Ahmed and Lewie Chiaramello [Courtesy of Prisoners for Palestine]
Four members of the Palestine Action group, which has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the United Kingdom, are continuing with their hunger strikes in different prisons around the country.
Four other Palestine Action members have ended their hunger strikes – some after being hospitalised.
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![[Courtesy: Prisoners for Palestine]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/S2-1767268060.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
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