Illegal-Alien-Protecting Judge Suffers Key Loss With Rejection Of Her Judicial Immunity Claim

Authored by Jonathan Turley,

We have previously discussed the lack of a credible defense for Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan, who has been charged with facilitating the escape of an undocumented man being sought by federal officers in her courthouse. Indeed, despite having high-powered lawyers such as Paul Clement,  her recent social media posts seem more like a pitch for jury nullification. One bright spot for Dugan was that she was assigned to U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman, a liberal Democrat who has run for prior office and has been accused of bias on the bench.

However, Judge Adelman just delivered a blow to the defense by rejecting Dugan’s claim that she had judicial immunity in taking her actions.

According to the criminal complaint, a six-person arrest team (including an ICE officer, a Customs and Border Protection officer, two FBI special agents, and two DEA agents) came to the courthouse to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican immigrant facing three misdemeanor battery counts they intended to deport.

He is accused of hitting someone 30 times during a fight that erupted over complaints that his music was too loud and assaulting three separate individuals, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

Flores-Ruiz was previously deported and then entered again illegally, a federal felony. He was issued an I-860 Notice and Order of Expedited Removal on January 16, 2013, and Flores-Ruiz was “removed to Mexico through the Nogales, Arizona, port of entry.” Not only is reentry a felony but when there is an order of expedited removal, you can be deported without any further court hearing.

After facilitating his escape, Dugan was later arrested and charged with obstructing or impeding a proceeding (18 U.S.C. 1505) and concealing an individual to prevent his arrest (18 U.S.C. 1071).

Calls for resistance and even replication have also come from colleagues on the bench. Monica Isham, a circuit judge in Sawyer County, not only defended Judge Hannah Dugan in an email to other state judges but added that she “has no intention of allowing anyone to be taken out of my courtroom by [Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents] and sent to a concentration camp.”

Recently, Dugan went public with an interview that notably lacked any discernible defense, other than stating that she helps defendants use the “backdoor” when she considers circumstances that “warrant it.”

Judge Adelman ruled on that:

“Ultimately, as the Supreme Court has stated, ‘the official seeking absolute immunity bears the burden of showing that such immunity is justified for the function in question.’ I cannot say as a matter of law that the defendant’s alleged conduct falls within even this more limited version of immunity…There is no basis for granting immunity simply because some of the allegations in the indictment describe conduct that could be considered ‘part of a judge’s job.’”

The lack of any cognizable claim in Dugan’s public pitch suggests that she might be hoping for a juror to simply vote to acquit as a visceral or political statement.

This is a liberal jury pool where jury nullification must be a concern for prosecutors even though such an argument cannot be made overtly by the defense to the jurors.

Tyler Durden Wed, 08/27/2025 - 08:50

Trump Mulls Travel Ban for EU Officials Over 'Orwellian' Censorship Law

President Donald Trump is weighing a travel ban on European Union officials behind the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a sweeping online regulation that the White House claims is designed to censor Americans.

According to sources familiar with the matter cited by Reuters, the State Department is considering visa restrictions targeting senior EU policymakers responsible for the legislation. A decision hasn’t been made, but discussions inside the administration intensified after a high-level meeting last week. 

The move would directly punish foreign officials for domestic policies Washington says undermine U.S. free speech rights.

The EU’s DSA aims to compel tech giants to crack down on illegal content, but the Trump administration argues the policy amounts to government-driven censorship, accusing Brussels of forcing U.S. companies to muzzle American users under the guise of combating misinformation.

“We are monitoring increasing censorship in Europe with great concern but have no further information to provide at this time” a State Department spokesman told the Telegraph. 

An EU Commission spokesman fired back, rejecting the claims as “completely unfounded,” insisting that the DSA "sets out rules for online intermediaries to tackle illegal content, while safeguarding freedom of expression and information online." 

Tariffs, Tech, and Tensions

Relations between the Trump administration and the EU have grown increasingly strained, fueled by threats of tariffs and disputes over tech regulation.

Reports earlier this month revealed the U.S. government urged European diplomats to lobby against the DSA, intensifying a battle over who sets the rules for online speech.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has previously threatened visa bans for people who censor speech by Americans, including on social media, suggesting the policy could directly target foreign officials regulating U.S. tech companies.

Vice President JD Vance has also repeatedly slammed European regulators, accusing them of “censoring” Americans. In a speech at the Munich Security Conference in February, he accused EU leaders of suppressing the speech of groups such as Germany’s Right-wing AfD party.

UK’s 'Orwellian' Online Safety Act

Tensions aren’t limited to Brussels. The Trump administration has also targeted the UK’s Online Safety Act, calling it “Orwellian.”

During Trump’s visit to Scotland last month, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended the legislation, insisting London remains committed to protecting free speech while tackling online harms.

The debate is expected to intensify next month when Nigel Farage testifies before Congress on threats to free expression in Britain. Farage is set to highlight the case of Lucy Connolly, who was jailed for 31 months over a social media post related to the Southport attacks, before being released earlier this month.

Lucy Connolly with her husband Ray. Mrs Connolly was jailed after a social media post Credit: Heathcliff O'Malley for the Telegraph

For now, no sanctions have been formally imposed. But if the administration follows through, it would represent a historic clash between Washington and Brussels over free speech, tech regulation, and sovereignty.

Tyler Durden Wed, 08/27/2025 - 05:45

Ukraine Belatedly Confirms Russian Troops Have Breached Central Oblast & Industrial Heartland

Several more villages fell to the Russian army in Donetsk at the end of last week, and the battlefield momentum has continued into Tuesday, as Ukraine has acknowledged for the first time that Russian troops have entered the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region.

Dnipropetrovsk is a central oblast which has long been spared from the main fighting. Russian forces have penetrated this strategic area, which suggests the war is still expanding, significantly beyond the annexed four territories. It is known as the industrial heartland and key production hub of the country.

City of Dnipro, Ukraine. via World Atlas

"Yes, they have entered, and fighting is ongoing as of now," a Ukrainian military spokesman for the Dnipro Operational Strategic Group of Forces told AFP.

Moscow had first announced it breached the region back in July, but Ukrainian officials had not acknowledged it until this week. Russia also says it has fully captured the villages of Zaporizke and Novogeorgiivka - something which Ukraine's military leadership is disputing.

But Reuters is confirming, writing, "Russia has captured two villages in Ukraine's southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukrainian open-source researchers confirmed on Tuesday, as Kremlin troops press an offensive amid a stalling diplomatic effort to end the war."

"Ukraine's outmanned and outgunned military has struggled to fend off grinding Russian advances in much of the east as Moscow increases pressure on Kyiv to give up territory in any peace negotiations," the report adds.

All that the exhausted Ukrainian military can do at this point is keep sending drones into Russian territory. This again happened overnight as Ukraine's special forces attacked logistical facilities in Crimea.

A Ukrainian military statement said facilities "that ensure the functioning and combat supply of the military units of the Russian army" were damaged and put out of commission.

President Trump is meanwhile still trying to strike a tone of cautious optimism when it comes to peace talks. On Monday he had confirmed speaking again with President Vladimir Putin.

"Every conversation I have with him is a good conversation. And then, unfortunately, a bomb is loaded up into Kyiv or someplace, and I get very angry about it," Trump told reporters.

Russian forces have seized control of two villages in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk oblast – Zaporizke and Novoheorhiivka – making them the first villages in that region to fall to Russia, according to the Ukrainian war tracking group @Deepstate_UA. pic.twitter.com/YPMzhFb69y

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) August 26, 2025

The White House still doesn't want to fully admit that Russia is winning the war, and that Kiev has no leverage. This means that realistically a swift ending would involve the US pressuring Zelensky to make serious compromises.

But by and large the Europeans are committed to seeing Ukraine stay in the fight. But this is a recipe for more death and destruction, and the war grinding on toward possible escalation with NATO.

Tyler Durden Wed, 08/27/2025 - 02:45

German Schools 'Dealing With Hell' Due To Mass Migration

Via Remix News,

German schools are dealing with “hell.”

That’s the conclusion reached by Die Welt newspaper, as cited by Hungarian outlet Mandiner.

Based on numerous case studies, it is clear that “far too many children are being sent to school who can barely concentrate and, above all, who do not speak German.” 

Families, children, and teachers are suffering the consequences of the bad policies from politicians. In short, they “have failed.” One major issue is the death of the German language itself, across Germany. 

In the Hemshof district of Ludwigshafen, for example, barely a word of German is heard. The students in the district’s Gräfenau elementary school are 98 percent migrants.

Welt indicates that plenty of Asian, African, and Slavic languages present, but as Germany has become a nation of migrants, the German language recedes.

“Italian, Greek, Turkish guest workers since the 1960s, and since 2015, the rest of the world,” Die Welt writes about the progression of immigration waves in the country.  

The school principal in the Hemshof district, Barbara Mächtle, has been vocal about the issues. 

For example, some 40 first-year students, a third of the year, may not be ready to enter the second grade. According to the newspaper, Mächtle “knows the tricks to cover this up, but he doesn’t use them.” For example, these children are enrolled in the second grade, but then “voluntarily drop out” on the first day of school. Machete refuses to play these games and will force these students to repeat the grade – “not to punish them, but to save them.”

Mächtle also dispels the illusion that being surrounded by German, migrant kids will “absorb it on their own.” She says there is no “language immersion” because children “hear everything except German.”

“No child here is swimming in German waters, they remain in their Arab, Turkish, Afghan pools,” and “at best they develop a basic slang, a German of 50-100 words, which is enough for the street and the schoolyard, but not for a profession that can be understood even partially,” Welt reports. 

And then there is the violence inflicting schools, which the paper calls a widespread fire, not just here or there. In 2024, the authorities registered 35,570 school violence incidents, an average of 97 per day; 743 of these involved a knife. Students also express their religion, Islam, “aggressively” in the classroom. As Remix News has reported, 40 percent of all violent crime in the German school system is from foreigners. In addition, many of the German students have a foreign background.

This has created a situation where teachers are expected to be social workers first, taking immense time away from their actual work as teachers. With these students, the parents are not doing their jobs in preparing children to behave properly in the classroom. 

It is no wonder teachers are leaving the field, and many are discouraged from entering, which is yet another major issue: a massive teacher shortage. 

In Germany, it is no longer possible to provide the current student population with trained teachers. In the countryside, people are not applying for teaching jobs, and in the cities, teachers cannot afford to pay the rent, so many people apply for teaching positions immediately after graduating, only to quickly fail.

“In the past 20 years, fourth-grade maths assignments were often purely text-based. Today, books are full of pictures to make understanding possible at all,” bemoans Andreas Baudisch, the principal of the Humboldt primary school in Mannheim.

“Basic operations are a great deal of work for many children. Many cannot formulate a complete sentence,” says the principal. There are some bright spots. Children from Indian families learn German better in four months than those born here because ‘they practice at home, they are interested in it,’ and this is something that is lacking in many other people who are second or third generation Germans living here.” 

Die Welt warns that no so long ago, these issues could only be found in troubled neighborhoods of Berlin, a situation that “horrified” people in the rest of the country.

“That’s over, Berlin is everywhere,” the paper writes.

Read more here...

Tyler Durden Wed, 08/27/2025 - 02:00

UN Nuclear Chief Given 24/7 Elite Protection Over 'Specified Iranian Threat'

United Nations atomic agency chief Rafael Grossi has been receiving 24/7 protection from a tactical security unit based out of Austria, amid what's been reported as specific threats on his life connected to Iran.

Tuesday reporting in The Wall Street Journal has revealed Grossi has received this protection for weeks. Austria’s Cobra special services unit is providing the security detail. It is part of the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior.

WSJ details that "The elite unit of Austria’s security services is protecting Grossi after the country’s intelligence agency received information of a threat to the International Atomic Energy Agency chief from a third party, according to a person involved in the case. The IAEA is based in Vienna."

Officials are citing a "specified Iranian threat" - but haven't disclosed precise details of the threat. But it was apparently enough to take drastic action, as "The tactical force is deployed to counter the gravest threats, such as terror plots and to secure top-ranking individuals, including the Austrian chancellor."

"In instances of concrete threats against dignitaries, the unit deploys officers armed with submachine guns and at least two bulletproof vehicles around the clock," according to WSJ.

Iranian leaders have blasted the IAEA connected with the 12-day June where, when Israel led a surprise attack, which was ended when the US military dropped huge bunker-buster bombs on three nuclear sites.

Tehran has accused the UN inspectors of essentially spying, and passing sensitive information on to the Israelis. Some Iranian state media reports have gone so far as to label Grossi an Israeli spy.

According to more in WSJ:

A person familiar with the matter said the Austrian authorities acted on intelligence outlining a specific threat to Grossi coming from Iran-linked individuals. A second person said they had been told that the threat was believed to come from Iran and was being taken seriously by authorities.

“We can confirm that Austria provided a Cobra unit but we cannot confirm where the specific threat came from,” said Fredrik Dahl, an IAEA spokesman.

Some veiled threats from top Iranian advisers have actually been articulated quite publicly...

Advisor to the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ali Larijani: “When the war ends, we will hold IAEA Director-General, Rafael Grossi, accountable.” pic.twitter.com/g25czGbYSj

— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) June 19, 2025

Grossi, who is a veteran Argentine diplomat is said to be in the running to succeed António Guterres as United Nations secretary-general. Guterres term in the post will end next year.

Tyler Durden Tue, 08/26/2025 - 23:00

Comcast Network Horror: Summer Ratings Crash 49%, Advertisers In Major Bind

Building on our previous reporting (read here) about the summer collapse in traditional TV ratings, Goldman's latest Nielsen tracker delivers yet more evidence of cord-cutting accelerating into the end of August as audiences migrate to streaming. For advertisers, it's another blow: the viewership base is dwindling, leading some marketers to scramble for new, innovative platforms to reach consumers. 

On Monday, a Goldman analyst team led by Michael Ng highlighted to clients yet another series of grim data points from traditional TV:

We refresh our Nielsen TV ratings tracker for our US Media coverage (DIS, CMCSA, PSKY, WBD, FOXA) that includes traditional ACM (average commercial minute) prime time and total day ratings across broadcast and cable. This edition focuses on the C3 cable and broadcast ratings through week ending August 10, 2025 (14 day delay), and L3 cable ratings through week ending August 24, 2025.

• Prime time commercial ratings for broadcast ex-sports were down 20% yoy in 3Q25-to-date (through week ending August 10).

• Prime time commercial ratings decreased 54% for broadcast including sports and declined -28% for cable, in 3Q25-to-date (through week ending August 10).

Through August 24, cable networks continued to lose viewers. In 3Q25 so far, total day ratings fell at Disney (-11%), Paramount Skydance (-22%), Fox (-20%), Warner Bros. Discovery (-26%), AMC Networks (-34%), and Comcast (-49%).

Exhibit 1: Comcast viewership declined the most QTD at -49% y/y C3Q25-to-date

Additional TV ratings data for the period through August 10:

C3 ratings released

Nielsen released the latest C3 ratings' data for the week ending August 10, 2025. Cable network primetime ratings for 3Q25-to-date (through August 10) are down 28% yoy. For a sequential comparison, in 2Q25 cable network primetime ratings were down 21% yoy. In 3Q25-to-date, broadcast network primetime ratings are down 54% yoy and down 20% yoy excluding sports. For a sequential comparison, ratings for broadcast primetime were down 15% yoy while broadcast primetime ex-sports were down 21% in 2Q25.

Broadcast primetime:

-54% yoy 3Q25-to-date Broadcast network primetime ratings (C3, A18-49 demo) were down 54% yoy for 3Q25-to-date, reflecting declines at ABC (-12%), CBS (-3%), FOX (-34%) and NBC (-80%) (Exhibit 2). For a sequential comparison, ratings in 2Q25 were down 15% yoy, reflecting growth at CBS (9%), offset by declines at FOX (-34%), NBC (-30%) and ABC (-10%).

Broadcast primetime (ex-sports):

-20% yoy 3Q25-to-date Excluding sports, broadcast network primetime ratings (C3, A18-49 demo) for 3Q25-to-date were down 20% yoy, reflecting declines at ABC (-6%), CBS (-5%), NBC (-20%) and FOX (-45%) (Exhibit 3). For a sequential comparison, ratings for 2Q25 decreased 21% yoy, reflecting declines at FOX (-37%), ABC (-13%), CBS (-15%) and NBC (-19%).

Cable primetime:

-28% yoy 3Q25-to-date Aggregate cable network primetime ratings (C3, A18-49 demo) were down 28% yoy in 3Q25-to-date, worse than 21% decline in 2Q25. In 3Q25-to-date, total day ratings (C3, target demos) declined at DIS (-3%), PSKY (-18%), WBD (-20%), CMCSA (-44%), AMCX (-28%), and FOX (-23%). FNC was down 18% yoy in the same period. For a sequential comparison, in 2Q25 ratings declined at DIS (-17%), PSKY (-21%), WBD (-19%), CMCSA (-25%), and AMCX (-17%), while FOX (18%) grew.

Broadcast primetime ratings (including sports) by broadcast network

Broadcast primetime ratings (excluding sports) by broadcast networks

Cable network ratings by parent company

Earlier this summer, analysts from UBS, led by John Hodulik, marked the point in May where the share of streaming consumption surpassed traditional TV (read here).

The larger issue here is that declining traditional TV ratings create a massive headache for advertisers, because the entire ad-buying model was built on TV's ability to deliver large, predictable, mass audiences. This means advertisers must entirely overhaul their strategies and move ad dollars into streaming, digital, and or the world of alternative news media.

Tyler Durden Tue, 08/26/2025 - 22:10

Jackson Hole's Parting Advice: Accept Even More Migrants To Offset Demographic Collapse, Or Else

It was first tried in Europe and it was a catastrophic failure as millions of Syrian refugees and various radicalized Islamist overran the continent, sparking a historic right-wing backlash. It was then tried in the US and the record flood of illegal aliens at the southern border cost the Democrats the 2024 election. And now, with the entire world on edge against the growing wave of migrant aliens originating from Africa and the Middle East, the world's money printing megabrains at Jackson Hole have decided that third time will be the charm. 

While doing everything in their power to avoid discussing the Lisa Cook elephant in the room (and literally kicking out anyone who dared to ask how someone who is i) either a criminal or ii) has no idea how to fill out a mortgage is allowed to set the price of the world's reserve currency) top central bankers gathered at Jackson Hole warned that the world’s largest economies will lack the workers they need to power growth and keep prices stable in the coming decades unless they attract more foreigners. And this calculus doesn't even include the hundreds of millions of jobs that will be lost to hallucinating chatbots. 

Speaking at an annual gathering of leading policymakers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the heads of the Bank of Japan, European Central Bank and Bank of England all sought to highlight the challenge to economic growth posed by ageing populations. The BOJ's Kazuo Ueda told the Kansas City Federal Reserve’s annual symposium that his country’s rapidly ageing society had made labor shortages one of the country’s “most pressing” economic issues. Of course, far be it for Japan - notoriously racist and militantly hostile to gaijin foreigners - to actually go ahead and accept some of the millions of Guatemalan "refugees" who voted for Kamala in the 2024 US election. But "at least" he is throwing out rubberstamped by his globalist overlords now that they can no longer congregate in Davos where WEF fuhrer Klaus Schwab is dealing with the legal fallout from a life of (alleged) sexual harassment.

While foreign workers accounted for just 3% of the labor force in Japan, Ueda said, they had been responsible for half of the recent rise in labor force growth. “Further increases will surely require a broader discussion,” he said. Only problem with that is that Japan, which is the opposite of an immigrant nation, literally treats foreign workers and asylum seekers as an inferior class of humans. 

Which is not to say that there is some easy solution: there isn't one in a world where central banks have destroyed the middle class and where having children is prohibitively expensive for most potential parents (and then they wonder why there is a global demographic crisis). Across rich economies birth rates are at historically low levels, while people are living much longer. That has raised so-called dependency ratios, meaning that a far higher share of the population is no longer of working age. 

But it's not just Japan: ECB president Christine Lagarde also said an influx of foreign workers would play a “crucial role” in countering the negative impact of demographic trends on economic growth. As if that wasn't tried by Germany and most of Europe during the mid-2010s when millions of Syrian refugees swept across Europe sparking a historic influx of Muslims, who refuse to - how should one put it politely - integrate culturally.

Lagarde noted that without an influx of foreign workers, the euro area would by 2040 have 3.4 million fewer people of working age, the FT reported. The Eurozone’s labor market came through the pandemic in “unexpectedly good shape”, partly because of more older workers, but “even more” importantly due a rise in the number of foreign workers, she said.

“Although they represented only around 9 per cent of the total labor force in 2022, foreign workers have accounted for half of its growth over the past three years,” Lagarde said. “Without this contribution, labour market conditions could be tighter and output lower.”

BoE governor Andrew Bailey said that the “acute” challenge that demographics and declining productivity posed to the UK economy had not been emphasized enough.

It gets better: proving just how disconnected from the real world economists really are, they believe that attracting foreign workers (many of whom prefer to not actually work but merely laze about all day draining a host nation's welfare funds as much of Europe is finding out) to fill labor shortages will be essential in keeping growth on track in the coming decades... despite the rising pressures of populism and public sentiment souring on immigration.

Central bankers predict population ageing will not only lower output but also risks pushing up inflation, as workers would be able to demand higher wages in an environment where labor shortages were widespread. By 2040, 40% of the UK population would be older than the standard working age group of 16 to 64, Bailey added. 

The UK has also been hit by a fall in labor force participation rates, driven by a rise in the number of people defined as “long-term sick” and a significant drop in young people in work, two factors that Bailey suggested might be intertwined. In other words, as we said - most prefer to pretend work as opposed to actually, you know, work. 

The BoE had become “much more focused on [measuring] inactivity” than on unemployment, Bailey said — although he acknowledged that labour force participation, and the reasons for its decline in the UK, were harder to measure than headline unemployment data.

While more older women continued to work, the same was not the case for men, he added.

Tyler Durden Tue, 08/26/2025 - 21:45

Australia Expels Iranian Ambassador In Historic First, Blames IRGC For Anti-Jewish Attacks

Australia has on Tuesday expelled the Iranian ambassador from the country, which marks the first time it has booted a foreign ambassador of any nation in the post-World War II period. The government has blamed Iran and its intelligence apparatus for directing two antisemitic attacks against Australia's Jewish community - especially a shocking firebomb attack on a Melbourne synagogue last December.

There was also a fire set at a kosher food business in Sydney in October, prior to the synagogue fire. The Adass Israel synagogue in southeast Melbourne, which is in a heavily Jewish area, was utterly destroyed by the fire.

Destroyed synagogue in Melbourne, Australia after arson attack, via AP.

The government has singled out Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as the 'likely' culprit behind the attacks, though specific evidence hasn't been made public.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday, "These were extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil" and that "They were attempts to undermine social cohesion and sow discord in our community. It is totally unacceptable."

"Strong and decisive action" is needed he said, which will also include legislation officially proscribing the IRGC as a terrorist organization. However, Australian officials have stated their beliefIran's diplomats in Australia were not involved in the anti-Jewish attacks.

"The actions of my government send a clear message, a message to all Australians that we stand against antisemitism, and we stand against violence," Albanese continued. "And a message to nations like Iran who seek to interfere in our country, that your aggression will not be tolerated."

But again, there doesn't seem to be anything in the way of a smoking-gun related to these attacks. Australian officials have only said the IRGC "used a complex web of proxies to hide its involvement, and that Australia would list it as a terrorist organization. Iran’s diplomats in Australia weren’t involved, Australian officials said."

Still, the drastic action includes shuttering all Australian embassy operations in Tehran, and diplomats are being called home. This is something of the hardline approach of the United States.

Israel is happy, with its embassy in Australia stating, "Today, it became clear that this threat has reached Australian soil." And that "The international community can no longer be complacent. Australia has taken a principled stand, others should consider following suit."

The Associated Press identifies one of the men arrested in the attacks as follows:

Sayed Mohammed Moosawi, a 32-year-old Sydney-based former chapter president of the Nomads biker gang, has been charged with directing the fire bombings of the Sydney café as well as the nearby Curly Lewis Brewery. The brewery was apparently confused for the café and mistakenly targeted three days earlier for an antisemitic attack.

Interestingly, the WSJ has noted "Iran has called the plots it has been accused of false-flag operations or fabrications by Israel, dissident organizations and Western intelligence services."

The Iranian Government decided in the midst of getting bombed by the US and israel, for their non-existent nuclear program, to hire junkie-criminals to target Australian synagogues, to undermine Australia’s social cohesion.

Have I understood that correctly? pic.twitter.com/u3GFpvj9Dk

— Ben Schalman (@OfficialT_P_V) August 26, 2025

And the AP has featured Iran's rebuttal in the following:

Iran denied Australia’s allegations through its Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, who tried to link it to the challenges Australia faced with Israel after announcing it would recognize a Palestinian state.

“It looks like that the action, which is against Iran, diplomacy and the relations between the two nations, is a compensation for the criticism that the Australians had against the Zionist regime,” Baghaei claimed.

The move against Iran came a week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu branded Albanese a “weak politician who had betrayed Israel” by recognizing a Palestinian state.

Both the IRGC and Iran-allied Hezbollah have long been a favorite bogeyman of the Western allies, which have accused them running global narco-terror organizations, for example in South America. However, evidence is often thin - and to date it remains that Sunni and Saudi-linked terrorism is responsible for most terror incidents in the West, and globally.

Tyler Durden Tue, 08/26/2025 - 21:20

Female Students Seeking Bathroom Privacy Required To Fill Out 'Mental Health Accommodation' Form

Via American Greatness,

A California school district has enacted a new rule for young girls who are uncomfortable sharing a bathroom with biological males pretending to be girls, requiring the girls to file a mental health accommodation request.

The Temecula Valley Unified School District TVUSD has reportedly enacted a rule that tells female students who feel uncomfortable sharing  bathroom space with biological males must file a mental health accommodation request under federal law if they want privacy.

The move has prompted outrage from parents and others who say that the rule treats those girls who object to sharing private space with biological males as the problem and treating their request for privacy as a type of disability.

The form, required by the school district, falls under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and California Education Code § 56000.

UNREAL. Temecula Valley Unified School District (@TVUSD) is reportedly forcing young girls to fill out a "mental health accommodation" form to declare they have a mental health issue if they don't want boys invading the girls' restrooms at school.

The boys pretending to be girls… pic.twitter.com/s0LAUKCX6Y

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 25, 2025

That law is intended to accommodate children with authentic disabilities, including epilepsy, severe anxiety disorders and diabetes.

The policy is raising concerns among parents who say that school officials or special interest groups pushing gender ideology should not be allowed to redefine basic rights, such as privacy, as “accommodations.”

Sonja Shaw, who is running for California State Superintendent in 2026, describes the new rule as “pure madness,” adding, “The girls are treated as the problem. This is upside-down, dangerous, and exactly what we warned would happen.”

The move by TVUSD officials is just the latest skirmish in a larger battle over biological males in women’s private spaces taking place throughout the nation.

Earlier this year, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted 7-4 to uphold a Florida school policy requiring students to use bathrooms based on their biological sex.

The court’s ruling stated that protecting privacy and safety was not discrimination under Title IX.

Other courts have ruled exactly the opposite, possibly setting the stage for a showdown in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Tyler Durden Tue, 08/26/2025 - 20:55

San Francisco Has A Black Market For Housing... That's As Bad As It Sounds

Authored by Chris Calton via Mises.org

The owners of three single-room occupancy (SRO) hotels in San Francisco’s Chinatown recently settled a lawsuit with the city, agreeing to pay a hefty fine of more than $800,000. Among their alleged crimes was that they “illegally converted, combined or added unauthorized housing units” to their properties.

The allegations expose something that should be humiliating for San Francisco: the development of a black market for housing.

The lawsuit was not San Francisco’s only effort to combat the underground housing market. In recent years, to name a few examples, the city sued a man for cramming 15 tenants into a three-bedroom home and fined a developer $1.2 million for constructing an apartment complex with triple the residential units that city planners had approved.

Even Jack “Ziz” LaSota—leader of the Zizians, a cult-like group of transgender vegan programmers linked to several murders—recruited followers as part of a shady rental scheme.

LaSota had purchased a used tugboat for $600 and sailed it to San Francisco with plans to evade housing regulations by anchoring it offshore and renting its rooms to like-minded tenants.

“Unauthorized dwelling units” have proliferated in San Francisco for decades. Unpermitted “in-law suites” attached to single-family homes are so commonplace that locals sometimes call them “outlaw suites.” As far back as 1993, the city faced a scandal after the head of the Bureau of Building Inspection was caught operating two of these outlaw suites for 10 years. A similar story involving a senior building inspector came to light in 2021.

In 2014, the city created a pathway to legalize units built before 2013, but it has had lackluster results. According to a 2019 memo from the Planning Commission, the average cost of bringing an unauthorized unit up to code was $60,000, and only 140 of them had been legalized in the previous two years. The memo estimated that as many as 50,000 unauthorized units still existed in the city.

How is it possible to create such an extensive black market for housing?

Contrary to common misconception, black markets are not free markets. Free markets are characterized by secure private property rights and are primarily regulated by competition. By contrast, black markets emerge where the state no longer recognizes property rights and impose laws that restrict legal trade and suppress market competition.

This is why the producers of illicit drugs operate as cartels. Economist Bruce Yandle, as executive director for the Federal Trade Commission, came up with the “bootleggers and Baptists” theory of regulation after noticing that bootleggers had joined evangelicals to support alcohol prohibition because they wanted to stifle legal competition.

Excessive taxes and overbearing regulations can produce outcomes similar to prohibition. Limitations on foreign trade have led to particularly Orwellian examples of black-market activity, such as the Russian fruit smugglers who were caught illegally repairing roads after Russia banned food imports from Europe (a warning, perhaps, for those cheering on President Trump’s trade war).

Black markets expose a regulatory paradox. Sensible governmental regulations are not designed to undermine the regulatory mechanism of the market, but to complement it with quality controls, usually to ensure that the competition to lower prices does not come at the expense of safety. Regulatory excess, though, ironically upends the price-quality tradeoff even more than too little regulation. The drug market illustrates this well—fentanyl and other dangerous contaminants have made the black market drug supply cheaper and far more lethal than the heroin people used to buy from the Sears catalogue.

Black market housing works similarly, with desperate residents choosing dangerous homes because legal rents are unaffordable. The city evicted a man from his $400 “apartment” after discovering it was just a tiny wooden box in somebody else’s living room, violating the fire code. The fire code provides sensible safety precautions that were put in place after the great conflagration of 1906, and it did not impede rebuilding efforts. But when an oppressive regulatory environment creates black markets, all regulations go out the window—even the most sensible ones.

San Francisco’s black market for housing is the direct outcome of the city’s abandonment of private property rights. San Franciscans can still own property, to be clear, but the rights traditionally attached to it are wholly subject to the whims of the populace. In addition to oppressive zoning regulations, San Francisco subjects every building permit to discretionary review. Discretionary review hearings invite every city resident to weigh in on what a person should be allowed to do with his or her property.

These policies have made housing in San Francisco artificially scarce.

The existing housing stock is consequently divided between a licit housing market strangled by governmental regulations on the one hand and an illicit housing market protected from competition on the other.

If San Francisco truly wants to stamp out its black market in housing, it must return housing to the free-market principles of secure property rights and market competition.

Tyler Durden Tue, 08/26/2025 - 20:05

California Republicans File 2nd Lawsuit Against State Redistricting Push

Authored by Joseph Lord via The Epoch Times,

California Republicans on Aug. 25 filed a second legal challenge against California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s congressional redistricting plan, which will go before voters as Proposition 50 in November.

The lawsuit argued that the plan violates the state Constitution, which requires that maps be drawn by the politically neutral California Citizens Redistricting Commission.

“This is an issue about good governance in the state of California,” Corrin Rankin, chairwoman of the California Republican Party, said at a press conference announcing the legal action. “Californians deserve to have the right to choose our legislators.”

Prop. 50, authorized after the California Legislature quickly passed legislation to approve the Nov. 4 ballot measure, will ask voters to accept a temporary overriding of the independent commission.

Newsom and state Democrats say the move is meant to counter efforts in Texas to change maps in Republicans’ favor.

The Texas plan would strengthen Republicans’ position in five congressional districts currently held by Democrats. President Donald Trump voiced support for redistricting in the Lone Star State and other Republican states, such as Florida and Ohio.

Texas Republicans said their redistricting proposal is legally justified and is needed to correct problems with existing districts in response to a letter by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in early July.

The DOJ said that some Texas districts may be “coalition districts” drawn based on racial demographics to form a majority by combining minority groups and thus violate the Voting Rights Act and the 14th Amendment.

Democrats said the plan to redraw the districts unfairly targets districts led by black and Latino lawmakers and undermines decades of progress under the Voting Rights Act.

Newsom and California Democrats have described their plan as “fighting fire with fire” against Texas Republicans. If approved by voters, it would threaten seats on the U.S. House of Representatives currently held by five California Republicans.

Republicans on Aug. 25 filed an emergency petition before the state’s high court against the California Legislature and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber.

“The Constitution’s guardrails on redistricting are essential to ensuring that Californians are spared from the political influence and inherent turbulence of perpetual map-drawing in the hands of the Legislature,” the lawsuit read.

California Republicans already filed one lawsuit against Prop. 50, citing rules requiring a 30-day review period for new legislation before lawmakers can act on it. The suit was shot down by the state’s Supreme Court.

The second lawsuit challenges the measure on constitutional grounds.

In 2008, California voters backed the creation of the Citizens Redistricting Commission through an amendment to the state’s constitution, and the independent body is popular among both parties in the state.

A Politico/Citrin Center/Possibility Lab poll found that 64 percent backed the independent commission, and only 36 percent supported returning authority over the process to state legislators.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP’s main campaign arm, also accused Newsom of violating the California Constitution.

Trump on Monday raised the possibility in comments to reporters that his administration could also bring suit against California’s redistricting push.

In a post on X, Newsom responded in all capital letters, “Bring it.”

Three California Republicans—U.S. Reps. Kevin Kiley, Doug LaMalfa, and Ken Calvert—are particularly endangered by the change, as their districts are on track to be inundated by voters who backed Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024.

Kiley has criticized both Texas and California’s efforts at mid-decade redistricting. A bill introduced by the congressman would ban mid-decade redistricting entirely.

Tyler Durden Tue, 08/26/2025 - 17:40

YouTube Using AI To Secretly Alter Creators' Videos Without Their Knowledge

YouTube took the liberty to make so-called "enhancements" to videos without notifying or seeking permission from creators, according to a report.

Among the creators who had content altered was musician Rick Beato, who told the BBC that he first noticed the changes when he watched his own videos.

"I was like 'man, my hair looks strange', Beato recalled. "And the closer I looked it almost seemed like I was wearing makeup.” said Beato, whose channel does deep dives into the music industry and boasts over 5 million subscribers. "I thought, 'am just I imagining things?’"

BBC reports:

It turns out, he wasn't. In recent months, YouTube has secretly used artificial intelligence (AI) to tweak people's videos without letting them know or asking permission. Wrinkles in shirts seem more defined. Skin is sharper in some places and smoother in others. Pay close attention to ears, and you may notice them warp. These changes are small, barely visible without a side-by-side comparison. Yet some disturbed YouTubers say it gives their content a subtle and unwelcome AI-generated feeling.

There's a larger trend at play. A growing share of reality is pre-processed by AI before it reaches us. Eventually, the question won't be whether you can tell the difference, but whether it's eroding our ties to the world around us.

Beato’s colleagues, including fellow music YouTuber Rhett Shul, also noticed that his content had been tweaked by the Google-owned video platform.

"The more I looked at it, the more upset I got,” Shull said. "If I wanted this terrible over-sharpening I would have done it myself. But the bigger thing is it looks AI-generated. I think that deeply misrepresents me and what I do and my voice on the internet. It could potentially erode the trust I have with my audience in a small way. It just bothers me.”

Shull was so furious about the issue that he posted a video on the subject.

In response to the controversy, YouTube came (somewhat) clean in a post on X.

"We're running an experiment on select YouTube Shorts that uses traditional machine learning technology to unblur, denoise and improve clarity in videos during processing (similar to what a modern smartphone does when you record a video)," admitted Rene Ritchie, who lead’s YouTube's editorial and creator liaison division. "YouTube is always working on ways to provide the best video quality and experience possible, and will continue to take creator and viewer feedback into consideration as we iterate and improve on these features."

No GenAI, no upscaling. We're running an experiment on select YouTube Shorts that uses traditional machine learning technology to unblur, denoise, and improve clarity in videos during processing (similar to what a modern smartphone does when you record a video)

YouTube is always… https://t.co/vrojrRGwNw

— YouTube Liaison (@YouTubeInsider) August 20, 2025

Eh, really?

Hi!

Here's some additional context:https://t.co/6utv6heP0L

— YouTube Liaison (@YouTubeInsider) August 20, 2025

Some researchers fear that this type of technology could have widespread dystopian effects.

"You can make decisions about what you want your phone to do, and whether to turn on certain features. What we have here is a company manipulating content from leading users that is then being distributed to a public audience without the consent of the people who produce the videos,” Samuel Woolley of University of Pittsburgh said. "I think using the term 'machine learning' is an attempt to obscure the fact that they used AI because of concerns surrounding the technology. Machine learning is in fact a subfield of artificial intelligence."

Tyler Durden Tue, 08/26/2025 - 17:20

Ron Paul: President Trump Should Return To An 'America First' Foreign Policy

Authored by Ron Paul via The Ron Paul Institute,

After four years of unnecessarily confrontational foreign policy under President Biden, Americans elected Donald Trump in part for his promise to put America first at home and overseas. He promised a war-weary America that he would start no new wars and would get us out of the existing ones.

Eight months into his second Administration it appears his promise remains to be fulfilled, as his approval rating continues to slip.

On Ukraine, President Trump wisely observed coming into office that the conflict is “Joe Biden’s war” not his own. Unfortunately he could not resist the temptation to get involved in the conflict, even under the guise of “peacemaker.” I’ve often said that getting out of conflicts overseas is not that complicated: we should just come home. Even when there are no troops involved, “just come home” means disengage from the conflict. But President Trump wants to play referee in the war while arming and supporting one side. Is it any wonder he is making no progress in ending the war?

Likewise with Israel and Gaza, Trump’s promise to put America first has faltered. President Biden put Americans on the hook for additional billions of dollars to support Israel’s actions in Gaza without even a word about the slaughter and destruction. As more Americans become disgusted by Israel’s obliteration of the property and population of that tiny strip of land, Trump shows no signs of shifting from Biden’s approach. More money and more weapons are sent as starvation claims more and more children each day. Trump has reportedly remarked to a donor that his own base is turning against him because of his Israel policy. Yet he refuses to alter course and “just come home.”

Trump has even returned to the failed Latin America policy of his first Administration, in last week’s move toward a military confrontation with oil-rich Venezuela.

Trump sent two warships and 4,000 US troops to the waters near Venezuela under the highly suspect accusation that the country’s president is actually head of an international drug cartel. He should have learned from the almost comical recognition of Juan Guaido as the real president of Venezuela in his first term that meddling in that country is not in America’s interest. It seems the neocons around him, including warhawk Marco Rubio, are sucking him into another unnecessary conflict.

Add in Trump’s military attacks on Yemen and Iran and the balance sheet thus far does not point to an “America first” foreign policy.

There is still time for President Trump to change course and fulfill his promises to the American people. Put Ukraine and Russia on notice that from this point the US is withdrawing from any role in the conflict. Let the Europeans work it out if they feel it is in their interest. Getting us out of NATO is also a good idea.

End US financial and military support for an Israel that cannot seem to get along with its neighbors.

Perhaps without the US backstopping Israel’s warmongering, the country and its leadership would start to reflect on the wisdom of starting wars with multiple countries in its neighborhood.

Stop trying to overthrow Venezuela’s Maduro and everyone else the neocons have placed on the “hit list.”

End all sanctions and open up trade instead. Maduro’s failed socialist economic policies will be his undoing, not American sanctions or saber-rattling.

America first above all means “just come home.” It’s that simple.

Tyler Durden Tue, 08/26/2025 - 17:00

Scottish Girl Arrested For Using Knife And Axe To Ward Off Migrant Stalker

The systematic and engineered destruction of Europe through "multicultural" invasion is heartbreaking to watch.  It is clear, beyond any doubt, that this program spearheaded by progressive politicians (and fake conservative politicians) is designed to crush the spirits of predominantly white, native born citizens still retaining a sense of national pride and cultural heritage.  That is to say, they have become the targets of a government funded terror campaign to subjugate the west.

Starting around 2014, millions of third world migrants have been allowed to flood into Europe's borders, often encouraged by globalist NGOs, the UN and leftist political leaders within the host countries.  The effects of this decade long campaign have been devastating. 

Violent crime has skyrocketed and migrant "grooming gangs" have spread, targeting underage girls for sexual exploitation.  Rape has become a common problem, which local governments have chosen to ignore.

Just this week an American man visiting Dresden, Germany was stabbed in the face while bravely preventing two migrants from assaulting a pair of women on a tram.  One of the man's attackers, a Syrian refugee, was arrested by police and then immediately released by prosecutors back onto the streets.

And so the story is repeated, over and over again.  European elites invite third world migrants, largely military age men, into their borders in the name of progressive multiculturalism.  The migrants then attack the native population because their culture tells them Europeans are cattle to be farmed.  Whenever a European dares to speak up or defend themselves, they are slapped down by officials or arrested.  The population slowly becomes apathetic, passive and easier to control because they have no recourse but silence.

At bottom, the migrants are merely an ugly symptom of a bigger disease; the source of the problem is the political oligarchy that is facilitating the multicultural agenda.

Yet another example occurred in Scotland this week with the arrest of a 14-year-old girl who went viral on social media after defending another girl from a migrant man stalking them on video.  The teen can be seen pulling out a kitchen knife and a hatchet and screaming at the man to leave them alone. 

She warns the migrant man "Don't touch my sister, she's fucking 12..." 

BREAKING - Police have arrested and charged a 14-year-old girl after she was forced to brandish a knife to defend herself and her friend against a migrant who attempted to assault her near St Ann’s Lane in Dundee, Scotland. pic.twitter.com/odBjzIZugA

— Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) August 25, 2025

Now, that same girl has reportedly been arrested by Scottish authorities for "brandishing a bladed weapon".  It is illegal in the UK to carry almost any self defense tool and knives over three inches are banned from personal carry.  These laws never seem to apply to migrants, of course, leaving native law abiding citizens helpless against armed attackers. 

UK media coverage conveniently leaves out any mention of the migrant man when reporting on the arrest.  Details of the arrest are thin and the incident raises many question. The apparent mother of one of the teens present at the scene claims that the man and another woman were sexually propositioning a young girl when she intervened.  The migrants then allegedly attacked her and that is when the weapons came out. 

It's clear from the footage that the migrant was following the girls, filming them and refusing to leave when they ask him to go away.  It's hard to come up with a justification for his behavior, but we're sure the UK media will find a way.  The fact that the migrant man was willing to film the altercation suggests he believes he is protected while the girls are not.  He may be right.  

If the man had been white and Scottish, the teen would likely have been held up as a hero.  Instead, she faces prosecution.  And this is how you know mass immigration is a malicious agenda, not a sincere humanitarian effort.

The migrant issue is only becoming worse, even as European citizens become more aware and more vocal.  In the Netherlands, a 17-year-old Dutch girl was recently assaulted and murdered by a 22-year-old "asylum seeker" while walking the streets of Amsterdam.  She was followed and then stabbed to death while trying to call police.

The Dutch media proceeded to cover up the event by turning it into a story on "male violence against women" instead of what it really was, a story about migrant violence against European women.

A 17 y/o Dutch girl was brutally murdered by an asylum seeker last Tuesday night.

In response the entire Dutch establishment is screaming bloody murder about "the patriarchy" and "femicide".

All to deflect from the real issue here: anti-white violence committed by migrants. pic.twitter.com/nZRSRZhDR4

— Eva Vlaardingerbroek (@EvaVlaar) August 24, 2025

Consider for a moment what might have happened to those Scottish girls had one of them not been armed.  The fact that a child felt the need to carry a knife and a hatchet just to walk around her neighborhood is a testament to the downfall of the UK and the rest of Europe.  The fact that she has been arrested for warding off a migrant man, a man who refused to leave her alone and who should never have been allowed into the country to begin with, is a testament to the corruption at the heart of European decay. 

Tyler Durden Tue, 08/26/2025 - 16:40

Stephen Miller: 'Massive Scandal' Brewing In D.C. Involving 'Doctored' Crime Statistics, Murders Counted As 'Accidents'

Authored by Debra Heine via American Greatness,

White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller told reporters Monday that the Trump administration has uncovered a “massive scandal”  in Washington D.C. involving the doctoring of crime statistics.

He said the alleged corruption is currently under investigation and said details of the corruption will soon be brought to light.

“The results will stun you,” he said.

Miller made the remarks in the Oval Office after President Trump signed a slew of new executive orders to end cashless bail throughout the United States and in the District of Columbia, prosecute the burning of the American flag, and additional measures to address crime in Washington D.C.

Miller said D.C. already had the worst crime statistics in the United States when “honestly measured,” but those stats “dramatically understated how bad it was.”

The White House advisor told reporters that murders and homicides were allegedly being reported as accidents instead of murders.

“This is how severe the manipulation of the crime data has been in the city and it will all be uncovered and it will all be brought to light,” he said.

For the past two weeks—since the D.C. crime crackdown began—the city has not seen a single murder or homicide.

“No police officer working in the city can remember a time in their lives when there has been no murders," Miller asserted.

He said police officers have told him that members of the public have been thanking them for making D.C safe again.

“For the first time in their lives, they can use the parks, they can walk on the streets, you have people who can walk freely at night without worrying about being ribbed or mugged,” he said. “They’re wearing their watch again, they’re wearing jewelry again, they’re carrying purses again.”

Miller explained that D.C. residents had been forced to “change their who lives for fear of being murdered, mugged or carjacked.”

He added that Trump had freed the 700,000 residents of the city from “the rule of criminals and thugs.”

Miller credited Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Terrance C. Cole with discovering that street criminals in Washington D.C. have been “doing business directly with the transnational criminal cartels,” which are foreign terrorist organizations.

“So not only was the city being run by these criminal thugs, but they were working with some of the most dangerous terrorist organizations on the planet to traffic weapons and  drugs into this city,” he explained.

“What we are uncovering every day is shocking to us and we look forward to sharing the results with all of you but President Trump, your leadership has uncovered some of the great public safety scandals of our life and now because of you, people are safe and free for the first time ever in this city,” he concluded.

Vice President JD Vance questioned why Democrats are so outraged over Trump’s efforts to reduce crime in the nation’s capital since the results have been so positive.

“I want to echo something the president said where you say there haven’t been murders in a couple of weeks in D.C., and it doesn’t sound good, but then you talk to local law enforcement, and I didn’t realize this, that this town averaged one murder every other day for the last 20, 30 years,” Vance began.

“Which means that in two short weeks, the president and the team have saved 6 or 7 lives. People who would have been killed on the streets of D.C., who are now living, breathing, spending time with their families because the president had the willpower to say no more,” he continued.

Vance took a shot at the Democrat governors who are fighting Trump’s D.C. crime crackdown.

“Look at Governor Pritzker in Illinois or Governor Newsom in Los Angeles, or Governor Moore in Maryland,” the Vice President said. “They are angrier about the fact that the president of the United States is offering to help them get their crime under control than they are about the fact that murderers are running roughshod over their cities and have been for decades.”

He added: “Why are Democrat governors angrier about federal law enforcement helping clean up their streets than they are about the fact that those streets need to be cleaned up to begin with?”

Vance diagnosed their twisted priorities as “a real sickness in the head.”

“I think most Democrats rank and file, nobody likes crime. Republicans don’t like crime. Democrats don’t like crime. Independents don’t like crime,” he told reporters, adding, “Why are Democratic governors doing everything in their power to make crime easier to do in their cities?”

Vance said it made no sense to him, but regardless, he appreciated Trump’s efforts to clean up America’s streets for its citizens.

Patrick Yoes, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, issued the following statement today supporting Trump’s executive orders addressing cashless bail:

“The National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) represents over 382,000 law enforcement officers across the United States as well as the major law enforcement agencies responding to the crime crisis in the District of Columbia, including the officers serving in Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, Metro Transit Police Department, U.S. Capitol Police, and the U.S. Park Police.

“Today, we are proud to announce our full support for President Trump’s Executive Order addressing the dangers of cashless bail systems. Our officers understand the real-world consequences of policies that prioritize leniency over accountability, usually at the expense of community safety and the rule of law.

“This Executive Order is a critical step forward in restoring balance to D.C.’s criminal justice system by curbing the reckless implementation of cashless bail reforms that have allowed repeat offenders to evade any meaningful consequences for their criminality. We commend the Administration for recognizing the importance of deterrence in preventing crime and protecting our neighborhoods by ensuring that those who pose a genuine threat to public safety aren’t back on the street after completing a little paperwork.

“Law enforcement officers spend every single shift in harm’s way while protecting our communities. The citizens of D.C. cannot afford policies that undermine their efforts by releasing dangerous individuals back into society without sufficient safeguards. The FOP urges all D.C. stakeholders—legislators, judges, and community leaders—to join us in championing this Executive Order as a vital measure to help protect our nation’s capital.”

Tyler Durden Tue, 08/26/2025 - 16:20

House Oversight Chair Subpoenas Epstein Estate For 'Black Book', Other Records

Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times,

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) on Monday sent a subpoena to the estate of sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein for documents and communications that it may have in its custody.

The Oversight panel’s subpoena, signed by Comer, shows the committee is seeking records that could shed light on Epstein’s activities, while the panel said that it is trying to obtain a book that was allegedly prepared by his former girlfriend and associate Ghislaine Maxwell—who is currently serving out a 20-year prison term—for Epstein’s 50th birthday.

The Epstein estate is registered in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“It is our understanding that the Estate of Jeffrey Epstein is in custody and control of documents that may further the Committee’s investigation and legislative goals. Further, it is our understanding the Estate is ready and willing to provide these documents to the Committee pursuant to a subpoena,” Comer said in a statement on Monday in announcing the subpoena.

According to the subpoena, the committee is requesting “any document or record that could be reasonably construed to be a potential list of clients involved in sex, sex acts, or sex trafficking facilitated” by Epstein.

It is also requesting “all documents and communications related or referring to Mr. Jeffrey Epstein’s missed phone call logs or missed visitor logs” between January 1990 and Aug. 19, 2019, the date of his death.

Other information requested by Comer’s office include “all entries from Mr. Jeffrey Epstein’s address/contact books, one reportedly referred to as a ‘Black Book,’ from January 1, 1990 through August 10, 2019,” as well as “all flight logs of arrival and/or departure for all aircraft, including helicopters, owned, rented, leased, operated, or used by” Epstein from that same time period.

The letter also demands that the estate provide documents such as his last will and testament, agreements with prosecutors, any financial transactions and holdings, and any non-disclosure agreements that Epstein may have signed.

In the letter, Comer wrote to the executors of Epstein’s estate—attorney Darren Indyke and accountant Richard Kahn—and told them that the panel is also “reviewing the possible mismanagement of the federal government’s investigation of Mr. Jeffrey Epstein and Ms. Ghislaine Maxwell, the circumstances and subsequent investigations of Mr. Epstein’s death, the operation of sex-trafficking rings and ways for the federal government to effectively combat them, and potential violations of ethics rules related to elected officials.”

The Oversight Committee in August sent a subpoena to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for records on the Epstein case. Additionally, the panel has sent subpoenas to multiple former high-ranking U.S. officials.

Comer’s subpoena comes as the DOJ released hundreds of pages of transcripts from recent interviews that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche conducted with Maxwell about her dealings and Epstein.

The Epoch Times has contacted Indyke for comment.

Tyler Durden Tue, 08/26/2025 - 15:45

Commerce Secretary Says Pentagon Weighing Equity Stakes In Defense Contractors

Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times,

The Department of Defense (DOD) is weighing taking equity stakes in defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin and others, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in an interview on Tuesday.

Speaking on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Lutnick was asked about whether the Trump administration would attempt to acquire equity stakes in companies, days after the U.S. government acquired 10 percent of Intel stock for around $9.5 billion.

“Oh, there’s a monstrous discussion about defense,” Lutnick said in response, adding that Lockheed is now “basically an arm of the U.S. government” because it makes most of its revenue through federal contracts.

“But what’s the economics of that? I’m going to leave that to my secretary of defense and the deputy secretary of defense,“ he said, referring to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his deputy, Steve Feinberg. “These guys are on it and they’re thinking about it.”

The current situation with defense contractors “has been a giveaway” by the federal government, Lutnick said, adding that the administration is also considering a significant overhaul in the DOD’s appropriations.

Lockheed Martin manufactures the F-35 Lightning II strike fighter plane, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the F-22 Raptor, Patriot missiles, the C-130 transport plane, and numerous other assets used by the U.S. military.

Other major defense contractors include Northrop Grumman, Boeing, General Dynamics, and RTX, formerly called Raytheon.

On Monday, President Donald Trump signaled that he wants the U.S. government to hash out more deals like the one it made with Intel, telling reporters at the White House, “I hope I’m going to have many more cases like it.”

Trump said in a social media post on Monday that he would help companies that make similar deals with U.S. states, but he did not provide further details.

The move was not without criticism, including from Republicans. In a post on X, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) wrote that “if socialism is government owning the means of production, wouldn’t the government owning part of Intel be a step toward socialism?”

“I don’t care if it’s a dollar or a billion-dollar stake,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said in a video interview this week with journalist Major Garrett.

“That starts feeling like a semi state-owned enterprise a la CCCP,” he said, referring to the acronym for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR in English.

Lutnick responded to Paul’s concerns on Monday, telling Fox News’ Laura Ingraham that the deal “is not socialism” and would “take care of the American taxpayer.”

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Aug. 22, Intel warned it may receive negative sentiment from investors, employees, and others in response to the U.S. government taking a 10 percent stake in the company.

“There could be adverse reactions, immediately or over time, from investors, employees, customers, suppliers, other business or commercial partners, foreign governments or competitors,” it stated in the filing. “There may also be litigation related to the transaction or otherwise and increased public or political scrutiny with respect to the Company.”

Intel also warned that the deal could impact sales overseas.

“The Company’s non-US business may be adversely impacted by the US Government being a significant stockholder. Sales outside the US accounted for 76 percent of the Company’s revenue for the fiscal year ended December 28, 2024,” it said. “Having the US Government as a significant stockholder of the Company could subject the Company to additional regulations, obligations or restrictions, such as foreign subsidy laws or otherwise, in other countries.”

Tyler Durden Tue, 08/26/2025 - 15:05

Peter Thiel's Secretive 'Tech Bilderberg' Group Eyes Global Expansion

Dialog, the exclusive forum co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel and entrepreneur Auren Hoffman, is planning a permanent Washington headquarters as the PayPal co-founder's investment portfolio gains deeper federal government ties through companies like Palantir.

The invitation-only network is scouting real estate to build a "campus in the D.C. suburbs," according to reports, marking a strategic expansion into the nation's political center.

"Dialog, often compared to a tech-era Bilderberg, has quietly become one of the most elite, and mysterious, gatherings for CEOs, elected officials, and intellectual heavyweights," Axios reports.

The move comes as Thiel's influence in government circles has grown substantially, driven by lucrative federal contracts secured by his portfolio companies. Palantir, the data analytics firm he co-founded, has become a key supplier to U.S. intelligence and defense agencies.

A source with ties to Dialog told Axios that the permanent facility reflects "rising demand for quieter reflection in an always-on world. Dialog bills itself as offering global elites the chance to talk candidly across ideological lines, away from their phones and the pressures of social media, the news media, and their stakeholders."

The forum's secretive nature appears to be a selling point. "Given declining trust in institutions and anti-establishment fervor," the source added, "the group actively keeps its inner workings secretive and hidden from public scrutiny." The network's "secretive nature allows participants to share controversial and concerning ideas that they would not be comfortable sharing elsewhere."

Dialog has hosted events in the U.S. and Italy and is planning satellite gatherings in the Middle East and other locations, signaling global ambitions beyond its Washington expansion.

The forum attracts a bipartisan roster of power players, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya, KKR & Co. co-founder Henry Kravis, and Maryland Governor Wes Moore. Other participants include Senator Cory Booker, former White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).

As the late, great comedian George Carlin once famously said: It's a big club and you ain't in it.

*  *   *

10 of these just showed up... Grab yours now by clicking on the pic! Tyler Durden Tue, 08/26/2025 - 14:40

Zelensky Boasts He No Longer Needs US Permission For Long-Range Missile Strikes On Russia

This week saw Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky boast for the first time that his military can conduct long-range strikes on Russian territory using weapons made within Ukraine, and this means he doesn't need to coordinate these attacks with the United States.

His remarks came in response to a Wall Street Journal report claiming that the US has quietly established a process requiring the Pentagon's prior approval for Ukrainian long-range strikes using American-supplied weapons. This policy has reportedly blocked such strikes for several months, at a moment President Trump is trying to get the sides to the peace table.

AP/Guardian: A Flamingo cruise missile being readied by Ukrainian workers for the company Fire Point.

An unnamed official cited by the WSJ said that since late spring this internal Pentagon approval process has effectively blocked Ukraine from using the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to hit targets inside Russia.

While speaking alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier this week, Zelensky emphasized that no such restrictions were under discussion and declared that Ukraine uses its own weapons for attacks on Russian territory.

"At the moment, we are using our long-range domestically produced weapons, and we haven’t been discussing such matters with the US lately. There was a time when there were different signals regarding our retaliatory strikes after their (Russian) attacks on our energy system," Zelensky said.

This followed Zelensky last Thursday unveiling the 'Flamingo' cruise missile, reported in The Guardian as follows:

Ukraine’s president announced the huge missile, known as Flamingo, could strike targets as far as 3,000km (1,864 miles) away. “The missile has undergone successful tests. It is currently our most successful missile,” Zelenskyy told reporters. Mass production could begin by February, he added.

This kind of range would bring the Moscow area within striking distance. If Kiev decides to target the Russian capital with cruise missiles - this would likely cause Putin order that Kiev get pounded even harder. 

Throughout well over three years of grinding war, the Russian military has still not directly targeted top-level government buildings in Kiev, or military and intelligence HQs there. That could all soon change.

Business Insider on test-firing video of the Flamingo: I"n the clip, the Flamingo is seen rail-mounted on a canted platform before it is fired. The missile starts climbing upward almost immediately after launch."

Certainly the White House wants to see some kind of peace deal take effect before things escalate to that point, but neither side appears in the mood for compromise. And given Russia has the clear battlefield momentum, it has little reason to back off Putin's maximal conditions.

* * *

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Tyler Durden Tue, 08/26/2025 - 14:05

Fox Channels Could Become Unavailable On YouTube TV Over Payment Dispute

Authored by Victoria Freedman via The Epoch Times,

YouTube said on Monday that several Fox channels could become unavailable on YouTube TV if the two companies do not reach a deal by Aug. 27.

Google-owned YouTube said in a blog post that it is negotiating to renew its deal to carry Fox channels, but said the media company is asking for fees “far higher” than those paid to other partners offering similar content.

“If we are unable to reach a new agreement by 5 PM ET on August 27, 2025, Fox channels, including Fox Sports, Business, and News, would become unavailable on YouTube TV. Content from these channels saved in your library would also become unavailable at this time,” the company said.

The video streaming platform said its priority is to ensure a deal that is fair for both companies, and that does not pass on additional costs to subscribers.

YouTube added that should Fox content become unavailable for an extended period of time, it would provide subscribers with a $10 credit. Users will also be able to watch Fox content by signing up for Fox’s streaming service, Fox One, YouTube said.

YouTube has partnerships with content providers such as Fox, Paramount, and CNN to offer their channels through its subscription-based streaming service, YouTube TV.

Fox Corporation said in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times on Tuesday: “While FOX remains committed to reaching a fair agreement with Google’s YouTube TV, we are disappointed that Google continually exploits its outsized influence by proposing terms that are out of step with the marketplace.

“We are alerting FOX viewers who are YouTube TV subscribers that they could lose access to much of their favorite news, sports, entertainment and local station programming unless Google engages in a meaningful way soon.”

The corporation launched the website KeepFox.com to keep viewers updated on the progress of negotiations. On the website, it highlights that YouTube TV customers “could be deprived of some of the fall’s biggest television sporting events,” including NFL and College Football on FOX, if the partnership expires.

Paramount Global Renews Partnership

In February, YouTube TV and Paramount Global—which owns channels including CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, and Nickelodeon—renewed their partnership, after negotiations had earlier stalled.

In a statement provided to The Epoch Times, a Paramount spokesperson said at the time that the company looked forward to extending its “long-standing partnership,” and continuing to give subscribers access to their favorite programming.

“We are pleased to announce a renewed Paramount-Google agreement for the continued carriage of Paramount’s leading portfolio of entertainment, news, and sports networks across YouTube TV’s platform,” the statement said.

Paramount previously cited “one-sided terms” and “non-market demands” as the main reasons for stalled negotiations.

In the past, YouTube TV has faced other contract distribution disagreements, including a two-day blackout in a dispute with Disney in 2021 that revoked subscriber access to channels such as ABC, ESPN, and FX.

Growth of Streaming

According to a February 2024 letter from YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, YouTube TV had over 8 million subscribers. In December 2024, the company raised its monthly subscription price by $10, from $72.99 to $82.99, more than double the original $35-a-month price at its launch in 2017.

According to the latest figures from audience analytics company Nielsen, streaming accounted for nearly half (47.3 percent) of all TV viewing in July.

Nielsen’s The Gage—which is a monthly snapshot of total streaming, cable, and broadcast consumption through a television screen—found that the streaming share was followed by cable (22.2 percent), broadcast (18.4 percent), and other sources (12.1 percent).

In terms of streaming, YouTube Main (excluding YouTube TV) set a platform record in July, with 13.4 percent of the viewership, followed by streaming giant Netflix at 8.8 percent.

The Gage said that YouTube viewing grew by 2 percent with 18- to 24-year-old viewers, itself the largest increase among age demographics (up 8 percent).

The streaming market share has been growing in recent years, with Nielsen reporting in June that streaming had hit a then-record 44.8 percent of total TV usage in May, more than broadcast (20.1 percent) and cable (24.1 percent) combined.

“While the milestone of streaming exceeding traditional TV viewership is almost certainly not permanent, it presumably will be in the near future,” The Gage said.

Tyler Durden Tue, 08/26/2025 - 13:40