Finding the best iPhone 17 case or the best iPhone 17 Pro cases is about more than basic drop protection. The best iPhone cases add useful features like MagSafe compatibility, grippy finishes and protection for camera lenses, all without adding unnecessary bulk to your new iPhone.

Whether you prefer slim, scratch resistant designs, matte finishes or leather cases that feel a bit more premium, there are plenty of strong top picks to choose from. We've rounded up the best picks for both the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro, so you don't have to waste time scrolling through endless listings.

Best iPhone 17 cases for 2026

Best iPhone 17 case FAQs What is the most protective brand of phone cases?

There is no one "most protective" brand of phone cases, but rather there are many that tout extra security for your handset. Some of the most protective phone cases we've tried come from Otterbox; most of the brand's cases have a bit more protection than your standard phone case, even the ones that are designed to be on the slim side. Otterbox also makes a wide variety of phone cases, so there's a good chance you'll find one that suits your style and provides the level of protection you're looking for. Otterbox's Defender series is one of the best you can get if you care first and foremost about making sure your phone survives all kinds of accidents (save for a dunk in a pool).

Silicone vs hard case: Which one is better?

Neither silicone nor hard cases are better than the other. Silicone cases tend to be thinner and feel soft to the touch, and they're often easier to put on and take off of phones. Hard cases can be on the thicker side, but they provide a bit more drop protection than silicone cases. Which type of case is best for you depends on the type of experience you want from your phone. It's also worth nothing that both silicone cases and hard cases come in a variety of colors, designs and styles, so you have plenty of choose from to match your personality on both sides.

Does an iPhone 17 need a screen protector?

The iPhone 17 features Apple's tough Ceramic Shield 2 front, which is definitely more durable than standard glass — but it's not invincible. If you want to avoid scratches from keys, drops onto pavement or just the wear and tear of daily use, a screen protector is still a smart move. It adds an extra layer of defense without getting in the way of touch sensitivity or Face ID. So, while it's not absolutely essential, using one is a good idea if you want to keep your screen looking flawless for the long haul.

Is the iPhone 17 drop-proof?

The iPhone 17 is built to be tough, with Ceramic Shield 2 on the front and a sturdy aluminum or titanium frame (depending on the model), but it's not completely drop-proof. It can handle the occasional bump or short fall, especially if it lands on a flat surface — but drops on concrete or at awkward angles can still cause cracks or damage. If you're prone to butterfingers, pairing your iPhone 17 with a durable case and maybe even a screen protector is the best way to play it safe.

Georgie Peru contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-iphone-cases-153035988.html?src=rss

Armed Forces Bill would let troops take action against unmanned threats around defense sites

Britain's defense personnel will be given the authority to neutralize drones threatening military bases under measures being introduced in the Armed Forces Bill, currently making its way through Parliament.…

The original Switch just became Nintendo's best-selling console ever with 155.37 million units as of December 31, 2025, overtaking the DS which sold 154.02 million units from 2004-2011. It was part of a holiday surge that saw the company move 7.01 million Switch 2s (and 17.37 million through Q3 of its fiscal year), making it the "fastest-selling dedicated video platform released by Nintendo to date," the company said in its earnings report.

Despite being supplanted by the Switch 2, the Switch keeps selling decently (1.36 million units in Q3 fiscal 2026), due to its relatively cheap price. Nintendo reported last year that it was just trailing the DS in sales and would likely surpass it after Christmas. The Switch is now just 5.27 million units behind Sony's PS2, the best-selling console of all time — so Nintendo would have to keep selling it for at least a couple more years to get the record.

The Switch 2, meanwhile, has been a sales machine. With high holiday sales that exceeded expectations, Nintendo should easily reach its 19 million sales goal for fiscal 2026 ending March 31 this year. The company has already (easily) busted through its original sales forecast of 15 million consoles set earlier in 2025.

Game sales were also strong, with Mario Kart World hitting 14 million units and Donkey Kong Bananza selling 4.25 million since the Switch 2's launch. With all that, the company saw 803.32 billion yen in sales for Q3 ($5.2 billion), up 86 percent over last year but a bit less than expected, and 159.93 billion yen in profit ($1.03 billion), 20 percent higher than the same period last year.

Whether the company can continue that may depend on the strength of its upcoming game lineup. Two of those key titles are Mario Tennis Fever expected on February 12 and Pokemon Pokopia arriving in March.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-switch-just-surpassed-the-ds-as-nintendos-best-selling-console-ever-083700901.html?src=rss

Most people think of AirTags when they picture a Bluetooth tracker. And indeed, Apple's little white discs were once the only capable option, relying on a vast finding network of nearby iPhones to pinpoint lost tags. But now Google has a finding network of its own, and third party brands like Chipolo, Hyper and Pebblebee have trackers that pair with your choice of Google or Apple's network. That means you've got a lot of options for tagging and tracking your keys, backpacks, luggage and more. We tested the major brands out there to see how well they work, how loud they are and how they look to put together a guide to help you get the most out of your chosen tracker. Here are the best Bluetooth trackers you can buy.

Editor's note: Apple just released a new version of its AirTag trackers. We are in the process of testing the new model and will update this guide once we're done. 

Best Bluetooth trackers for 2026

What to look for in a Bluetooth tracking device

Bluetooth trackers are small discs or cards that rely on short-range, low-energy wireless signals to communicate with your smartphone. Attach one of these gadgets your stuff and, if it's in range, your phone can "ring" the chip so you can find it. These tracking devices offer other features like separation alerts to tell you when you've left a tagged item behind, or where a lost item was last detected. Some can even tap into a larger network of smartphones to track down your device when you're out of range. Depending on what you want the tracker to do, there are a few specs to look for when deciding which to get.

Device compatibility

Like most things from the folks in Cupertino, AirTags only work with products in the Apple ecosystem. Both Apple and Google have opened up access to the Find My and Find Hub networks to third-party manufacturers, including Chipolo and Pebblebee. Those two companies make device-agnostic models that will work with the larger tracking network from either brand, so iPhone and Android users can buy the same tag. Tile trackers work with either Android or Apple devices, but use Tile's own Life 360 finding network. Samsung's latest fob, the Galaxy SmartTag2, only works with Samsung phones and taps into a finding system that relies on other Samsung devices to locate lost tags.

Finding network

Crowd-sourced finding capabilities are what make headlines, with stories about recovering stolen equipment or tracking lost luggage across the globe. Using anonymous signals that ping other people's devices, these Bluetooth tracking devices can potentially tell you where a tagged item is, even if your smartphone is out of Bluetooth range.

Apple's Find My network is the largest, with over a billion iPhones and iPads in service all running Apple's Find My app by default. So unless an iPhone user opts out, their phone silently acts as a location detector for any nearby AirTags. Apple recently increased the AirTag's finding power by enabling you to share the tracker's location with a third party, party, like an airline. Chipolo fobs that work on Apple's network have the same ability. Google launched its Find My Device network in 2024 and has since renamed it Find Hub, which, like Apple's fining app, combines devices and people finding in one place. That network is now a close second for the largest in the US

Now that Google's Find Hub network is up and running, it's a close second for the largest in the US. Like Apple, Android users are automatically part of the network, but can opt-out by selecting the Google services option in their phone's Settings app and toggling the option in the Find Hub menu. Samsung's SmartTag 2 and related network also defaults to an opt-in status for finding tags and other devices.

Tile offers a large finding grid that includes Tile users, Amazon Sidewalk customers and people running the Life360 network. Life360 acquired Tile in 2021, and, according to the company, the Life360 network has more than 70 million monthly active users.

In our tests, AirTags and third-party tags using its network, like the Chipolo Loop and Pop and the Pebblebee Clip 5, were the fastest to track down lost items. They offered nearly real-time location data in moderately to heavily trafficked spots around Albuquerque, including a bar, bookstore and coffee shops in Nob Hill, along with various outdoor hangouts on UNM's campus.

Samsung's SmartTags were able to locate our lost items most of the time, though not with the same precision finding accuracy as AirTags. When we tested Google's Find Hub (then called Find My Device) network right after launch, it was noticeably slower than Apple's network when using the community finding feature. Testing it again in mid 2025, the time it took to locate a lost item was considerably improved, taking less than 20 minutes on average for the community to track a fob. In our tests, Tile's finding network wasn't able to consistently locate its lost fobs.

Amy Skorheim / Engadget Separation alerts

A tracker's day-to-day utility becomes really apparent when it prevents you from losing something in the first place. Separation alerts tell you when you've traveled too far from your tagged items. Useful if you want to make sure your laptop bag, jacket or umbrella always comes with you when you leave the house.

Apple's Find My app delivers these notifications, but Google's Find Hub does not. However, if you have a Chipolo device and allow its companion app to run in the background on your Android phone, left-behind alerts are enabled. Tile trackers require a yearly subscription to enable the alerts (currently $7 to $25 monthly). Both AirTags and Tiles allow you to turn off separation alerts at certain locations, meaning you can set your home as a "safe" place where items can be left behind, but alerts will still trigger elsewhere.

In our tests, AirTags and others using the Find My network alerted us between the 600- and 1,400-foot mark. Tiles sent a notification after about an average of 1,500 feet and were more consistent when using an Android phone than an iPhone. Chipolo Pop tags paired with an Android phone and using its own app sent an alert when we got around 450 feet away from our tagged item.

Connectivity and volume

The feature you may use most often is the key finder function, which makes the tracker ring when you hit a button in the app. With Apple's AirTags, you can say "Hey Siri, where are my keys?" and the assistant will ring the tag (assuming it doesn't mistakenly think you're asking for directions to the Floridian archipelago). You can also use the Find Item app in your Apple Watch to ring your fob. Asking smart home/personal assistants like Alexa or the Google Assistant to find your keys will work with Chipolo, Tile and Pebblebee trackers linked to your Android device.

If you have your tag but can't find your phone, some trackers will let you ring them to find your handset. SmartTag2 fobs reliably rang our Galaxy phone when we double-pressed it. Tile trackers have the same feature. Chipolo Pop and Loop trackers can ring your phone, but uses the Chipolo app to do so, which can run concurrently with the Find My or Find Hub connection. AirTags and third-party tags using Google's network don't offer this feature.

The volume of the Bluetooth tracking device may determine whether you can find an item buried in your couch cushions or in a noisy room. AirTags have a reputation for being on the quiet side, and that aligned with what we saw (measuring roughly 65 decibels). Chipolo's Pop tags and Tile's Pro model measure between 83 and 86 decibels on average. Pebblebee's new Clip 5 was the loudest of any tag we've tested, clocking in at 97 ear-splitting decibels.

Design and alternative formats

Design will determine what you can attach the tracker to. AirTags are small, smooth discs that can't be secured to anything without accessories, which are numerous, but that is an additional cost to consider. Chipolo, Pebblebee and Tile offer trackers with holes that easily attach to your key ring, and all three companies also offer card-shaped versions designed to fit in your wallet. Pebblebee Clip 5 tags come with a handy carabiner-style key ring.

You can even get trackers embedded into useful items like luggage locks. The SmartLock from KeySmart is a TSA-approved luggage lock, but in addition to the three digit code, it's also a Bluetooth tracker that's compatible with Apple Find My. It wasn't quite as loud as other trackers in my tests, and the range wasn't as long, but it paired easily and worked with Apple's finding network just like an AirTag.

Battery life

AirTag, Tile Pro, SmartTag2, HyperShield and Chipolo Pop fobs use replaceable batteries and each should go for at least a year before needing to be swapped. Pebblebee Clip 5 and Chipolo Loop trackers are rechargeable via a standard USB-C port. The Clip 5 has a long battery life claim at 12 months. The Loop should go for six months on a charge. 

Trackers shaped like credit cards, aka wallet trackers, don't have replaceable batteries, but some, like the Chipolo Card and the Pebblebee Card 5 are USB-C rechargeable. 

Stalking, theft and data privacy

AirTags have gotten a lot of attention and even prompted some lawsuits for Apple due to bad actors planting them on people in order to stalk them. While this fact may not influence your buying decision, any discussion of Bluetooth trackers should note what steps Apple, Google and Tile have taken to address the issue. Last year, all the major players in the Bluetooth tracker business teamed up to combat misuse and standardize how unauthorized tracking detection and alerts work for iOS and Android.

Last year, Tile launched a feature called Anti-Theft Mode, which enables you to render one of its trackers undetectable by others. That means if someone steals your tagged item, they won't be able to use the anti-stalking features to find and disable the tracker. That sort of negates one of the major ways potential stalking victims can stay safe, so Tile hopes ID verification and a $1 million penalty will deter misuse. 

As a theft deterrent, a Bluetooth tracker may or may not be the best option. Anecdotal stories abound in which people have recovered stolen goods using a tracker — but other tales are more cautionary. Neither Apple nor Google promotes its trackers or finding networks as a way to deal with theft. GPS trackers, on the other hand, are typically marketed for just that purpose.

How we tested Bluetooth trackers

Before deciding on which trackers to test, we researched the field, looking at user reviews on Amazon, Best Buy and other retailers, along with discussions on sites like Reddit. We also checked out what other publications had to say on the matter before narrowing down our options.

Here's the full list of every tracker we tested:

• Apple AirTag

• Chipolo Card Spot

• Chipolo One Spot

• Chipolo One

• Chipolo Card

• Chipolo Loop

• Chipolo Pop

• HyperShield

• KeySmart SmartLock

• Motorola Moto Tag

• Pebblebee Clip 5

• Pebblebee Clip Universal

• Pebblebee Clip

• Samsung SmartTag 2

• Chipolo One Point

• Pebblebee Clip for Android

• Tile Pro (2024)

• Tile Mate (2024)

• Tile Mate (2022)

• Tile Pro (2022)

• Tile Slim (2022)

After acquiring the trackers, I tested each one over the course of a few weeks using both an iPhone 11 followed by an iPhone 16 and a Samsung Galaxy S22 then an S23 Ultra. I recreated likely user experiences, such as losing and leaving items behind at home and out in the city. I planted trackers at different spots near downtown Albuquerque, mostly concentrated in and around the University of New Mexico and the surrounding neighborhood of Nob Hill. Later, I conducted tests in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle.

Each test was performed multiple times, both while walking and driving and I used the measure distance feature on Google Maps to track footage for alerts. I paid attention to how easy the app was to use, how reliable the phone-to-tracker connection was and any other perks and drawbacks that came up during regular use.

As new trackers come to market, or as we learn of worthy models to try, I'll test them and add the results to this guide. 

Other Bluetooth trackers we tested Motorola Moto Tag

The Moto Tag haunts me. At this very moment, my Galaxy phone says the fob is "Near you right now." But I don't know where. I tap to play a sound and the Find Hub tries, but ultimately says it can't. I tap the Find Nearby function that's supposed to visually guide you to the tag. I parade my phone around the house like a divining rod, take it down into the basement, walk it all over the garage. Nothing. But the Hub app unendingly says the Moto Tag is "Near you right now" and I get flashes of every old-school horror movie where the telephone operator tells the soon-to-be victim that the call is coming from inside the house.

It's partly my fault. I tend to keep good tabs on the gadgets I test for work. But during my most recent move, the tiny green disc didn't make it into the safety of my review unit cabinet after relocation. Perhaps in retribution for my neglect, the Moto Tag keeps itself just out of reach. Taunting me. I'll let you know if I ever find it, but in the meantime, it's clear this finding device doesn't want to be found. The recommended tags in this guide will serve you better.

Tile Pro and Tile Mate (2024)

Tile recently came out with a new suite of trackers, replacing the Tile Mate, Tile Pro, Tile Sticker and Tile Slim with updated models. In addition to fun new colors for the Mate and Slim, Tile added an SOS feature that can send a notification to your Life360 Circle when you triple press the button on the tracker. It's a clever addition that turns your keys into a panic button, something offered by personal safety companies as standalone devices.

There are a few caveats: You and the people you want to notify in an emergency will need the Life360 app installed on your phones. If you want your Tile to also trigger a call to emergency services, you'll need a $15-per-month Life360 subscription (that's in addition to a Tile membership, which starts at $3/month or $30 annually). And enabling the SOS triple-press disables the ability to ring your phone with the fob.

I tested the SOS feature and it did indeed send a text message to my Circle, with the message that I had triggered an SOS and a link to a website that showed my current location. I thought it odd that the link didn't open the Life360 app (which shows the location of users' phones), but I wasn't as much concerned with Tile's personal safety features as I was with the tracking capabilities, which turned out to be less than ideal.

For my tests, I planted Tile trackers in a densely populated area of Seattle (about 15,000 people per square mile). After setting the trackers to "lost" in the Tile app, I waited. After four hours, one of the trackers was not discovered by the finding community, so I went and retrieved it. Another fob I planted alerted me that the tracker had been found by the Tile community after three hours — but the location it gave me was off by a third of a mile. I then decided to plant a tracker in the busiest place I could think of — the dried fruit and nuts aisle of a Trader Joes on a Friday evening before a major holiday. It still took over a half an hour before another Tile user anonymously pinged my lost tracker.

In my tests with Samsung's trackers and the fobs on Google's Find Hub network, it took around ten minutes for them to be discovered. AirTags took half that time and all were tested in a far less populated city. Tile's four hours with no ping and over a half hour before getting a hit in a crowded TJs were pretty long stretches.

Tile devices work with both mobile operating systems and its latest models are indeed louder than they were before. But they aren't as quick to connect and you need to pay for a membership to activate left-behind alerts. And when you do, those notifications don't kick in as quickly as they do with competing trackers.

Bluetooth tracker FAQs Which Bluetooth tracker has the longest range?

Both the Tile Pro and the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 claim a maximum range of around 400 feet, which is longer than the 300-foot claim for Chipolo's Pop tags. The Pebblebee Clip 5 claims a 500-foot range, though other trackers with a shorter claimed range often performed better in our tests. Apple doesn't make range claims for AirTags, but 30 meters (100 feet) seems to be the general consensus for those fobs. 

Any Bluetooth signal, of course, is dependent on a few factors. Obstacles like walls and people can block the signal, so a clear line of sight is the only way to achieve the maximum range. Other signals, like Wi-Fi, can also interfere with Bluetooth connections. Even high humidity can have an effect and lessen the distance at which your phone will connect to your tracker.

Remember, when considering the range of Bluetooth trackers, the size of the "finding network" also comes into play. This is the number of nearby phones that can be used to anonymously ping your tracker when your own phone is out of Bluetooth range. As of now, Apple AirTags have the largest network, followed by Google's Find Hub, Samsung's finding community and finally, Tile's Life360 members.

What is the best Bluetooth tracker for a car?

Bluetooth trackers are designed to track small, personal items like keys, jackets, backpacks and the like. All trackers have safeguards to prohibit the tag from being used to stalk people, so most will alert someone if a tracker that does not belong to them is detected following them. That means a car thief may get tipped off that there's a tracker in the car they're trying to steal. 

That said, you'll see plenty of stories about people finding their car thanks to a Bluetooth tracker. Some police departments have even handed out trackers to combat high rates of carjacking. In most instances, the tracker of choice has been AirTags thanks to their wide finding network. If you're looking for a tracker for your car, you may want to look into GPS trackers, some of which are designed for just that purpose.

How accurate are Bluetooth trackers?

Accuracy for Bluetooth trackers can be looked at in two ways: Finding items nearby and finding items misplaced outside your home. For nearby items, you'll most often use the ring function on the device to hunt it down. Apple's AirTags also use ultra-wideband technology, which creates directional navigation on your phone to get you within a foot of the tracker.

Accurately finding lost items outside your home depends on the size of the finding network. Since this relies on the serendipity of a random phone passing within Bluetooth range of your tracker, the more phones on a given network, the better. And since Bluetooth ranges and distance estimates are only precise within about a meter or so, getting pings from more than one phone will help locating items. Here again, it's worth noting that Apple's Find My network is the largest, followed by Google, Samsung and Tile (both Chipolo and Pebblebee have fobs that work with the Apple and Google networks).

Recent Updates

February 2026: Added Pebblebee Clip 5 as the best rechargeable device. Added HyperShield tag as a budget pick. Updated FAQs for accuracy. 

October 2025: Added Chipolo Loop as a new pick for best rechargeable Bluetooth tracker. Detailed our experience with the Moto Tag and KeySmart SmartLock. Updated details about separation alerts and Ultra Wideband tech.

August 2025: Updated the name of Google's finding network to Find Hub, instead of Find My Device. Added details about Pebblebee's new Alert feature. Added a table of contents. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-bluetooth-tracker-140028377.html?src=rss

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In any war, information is power. Be it kinetic wars, cyberwarfare, or information wars, data is everything. And since RFK Jr. has clearly declared war on vaccines in America, it's not a huge surprise that he is looking to control information about vaccines. Or, as it turns out, simply sweep that information away.

Nearly half of the databases that public health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were updating on a monthly basis have been frozen without notice or explanation, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The study—led by Janet Freilich, a law expert at Boston University, and Jeremy Jacobs, a medical professor at Vanderbilt University—examined the status of all CDC databases, finding a total of 82 that had, as of early 2025, been receiving updates at least monthly. But, of those 82, only 44 were still being regularly updated as of October 2025, with 38 (46 percent) having their updates paused without public notice or explanation.

Examining the databases' content, it appeared that vaccination data was most affected by the stealth data freezes. Of the 38 outdated databases, 33 (87 percent) included data related to vaccination. In contrast, none of the 44 still-updated databases relate to vaccination. Other frozen databases included data on infectious disease burden, such as data on hospitalizations from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

The following are points that should be as uncontroversial as they are plain and clear. Medical and health professionals cannot operate without data and information. Government agencies and professionals cannot make good public health decisions without good and current data and information. Operating in a vacuum could mean a death sentence for some, or mere horrific health outcomes for others.

Whatever Kennedy is aiming at when it comes to American health, it clearly isn't for the sort of positive health outcomes mentioned above. If it were, this obviously coordinated attack on information about vaccinations and the diseases they combat in these databases wouldn't be carried out.

"Given the vaccine skepticism of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, it is concerning that nearly 90 percent of the paused databases related to vaccination surveillance, with additional gaps in respiratory disease monitoring," Freilich, Jacobs, and their co-authors write in the study.

These databases and the information within them are used to identify under-vaccinated populations relating to specific diseases so that public health officials can coordinate on responses to outbreaks of those diseases. Responses that typically involve vaccination campaigns to protect a population that hitherto has failed to protect themselves.

But it's clear this iteration of government isn't interested in those kinds of responses. You can see it plain as day in the reaction, or rather inaction, concerning the country's current measles outbreak. Ostriches don't actually stick their heads in the sand when in danger, but it appears RFK Jr. does. Or perhaps this isn't being done out of fear. Perhaps this is all part of a coordinated plan.

In an accompanying editorial, Jeanne Marrazzo, CEO of the Infectious Disease Society of America and former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stated the concern in starker terms, writing: "The evidence is damning: The administration's anti-vaccine stance has interrupted the reliable flow of the data we need to keep Americans safe from preventable infections. The consequences will be dire."

Marrazzo emphasizes that the lack of current data not only hampers outbreak response efforts but also helps the health secretary realize his vision for the CDC, writing: Kennedy, "who has stated baldly that the CDC failed to protect Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, is now enacting a self-fulfilling prophecy. The CDC as it currently exists is no longer the stalwart, reliable source of public health data that for decades has set the global bar for rigorous public health practice."

This is dangerous. I would love to hear a single, coherent explanation why it would be a good thing for this data to no longer be available to public health professionals. Other than Kennedy wanting to play hide and seek due to his anti-vaxxer stances, of course. What good comes of us being more ignorant?

There is no answer, of course. There is only agenda. Facts inconvenient to that agenda will be disappeared.

The latest release of documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein has reignited a familiar media ritual. Names circulate, while royals and celebrities dominate headlines. Moral outrage flows freely, and safely in directions that neatly avoid the structures of power.

Epstein - the unasked question

But beneath the spectacle lies a question that mainstream commentary continues to avoid, despite its growing inevitability:

Was Epstein operating as part of an intelligence-linked blackmail operation? And if so, for whom?

This is not a conspiracy theory, but a legitimate question that the files themselves provoke.

Epstein's death in 2019, officially ruled a suicide but shrouded in conspiracy, left a trail of unanswered questions. The financier's rise from humble Brooklyn teacher to billionaire was always suspicious.

How did a man with no clear business acumen amass such wealth? Epstein's partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of media tycoon Robert Maxwell, a confirmed Mossad asset who died under mysterious circumstances in 1991, provides the smoking gun. Multiple Israeli prime ministers attended Robert Maxwell's funeral, with Shimon Peres delivering the eulogy.

'Honeytrap'

Former Israeli intelligence officer Ari Ben-Menashe has alleged Epstein and Maxwell ran a "honeytrap" operation for Mossad, luring elites into compromising situations to extract favours or silence. This is no conspiracy theory; it is echoed by Steven Hoffberg, Epstein's former business partner, who alleged Epstein frequently flaunted his Mossad connections.

Survivor Maria Farmer described the network as a "Jewish supremacist" blackmail ring linked to the Mega group, a cabal of pro-Israel billionaires including Les Wexner, who gifted Epstein his Manhattan mansion.

Epstein held multiple passports (a spy's toolkit) and reportedly fled to Israel after his first charges in 2008 before securing an extraordinary non-prosecution agreement that allowed him to continue operating freely.

It is also worth noting that Israel has long been a legal and jurisdictional refuge for sexual predators, particularly where extradition would expose intelligence, financial or diplomatic sensitivities.

Israel's intelligence services, including Mossad, operate globally and extrajudicially by design. Like all major intelligence services, they cultivate leverage, assets and influence networks beyond formal diplomatic channels. Sexual blackmail has been widely documented as one such method across intelligence history, from the Cold War to present.

What distinguishes the Epstein case is not the abstract possibility of intelligence involvement, but the patterned convergence of factors: unexplained wealth, elite access, transnational mobility, institutional protection and repeated investigative shutdowns. These are not the characteristics of a 'lone wolf', but of a pernicious foreign influence over celebrities, politicians, bankers and media moguls.

Recent revelations

The most recently released files only amplify these suspicions. An FBI report from a confidential source claims "Trump has been compromised by Israel," citing leverage through Jared Kushner and Alan Dershowitz. Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre accused Dershowitz, a staunch defender of Israel, of involvement, though she later retracted her statement amid legal pressure.

The scale of Epstein's reach is difficult to dismiss as coincidence. Across politics, finance, media and celebrity culture, the same names, or at least the same circles, recur with unsettling regularity.

In politics, the record is already public. Former US president Bill Clinton flew on Epstein's private jet numerous times, a fact acknowledged but persistently minimised. Donald Trump, for his part, publicly described Epstein as a "terrific guy" who enjoyed the company of "beautiful women… on the younger side". While these statements are not crimes on their own, they are indicators of proximity.

Media power was no less entangled. Senior figures from major broadcasting and publishing empires, from former CBS chief Les Moonves to media baron Rupert Murdoch, surface repeatedly in the documents and testimonies, either through social proximity, shared intermediaries, or financial overlap.

Epstein did not merely socialise with media elites; he embedded himself within institutions capable of shaping coverage, suppressing stories, and disciplining dissent. When journalists attempted to pursue the story aggressively, they encountered legal pressure, editorial resistance, or sudden loss of access.

Hiding in plain sight

Celebrity culture played a complementary role. High-profile figures moved through Epstein's orbit not necessarily as conspirators, but as legitimising assets. Fame provided cover, glamour, and normalisation.

The presence of globally recognisable names diluted suspicion, transforming what should have been alarming access into social banality. Ironically, it was over-exposure that provided the perfect cover for Epstein's crimes, rather than secrecy.

Flight logs and visitor records name Hollywood stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Campbell, and Kevin Spacey, alongside tech titans such as Bill Gates. While some deny involvement in illicit activities, their proximity to Epstein's web implies potential leverage over public influencers who mould cultural discourse.

Similarly, major institutions including JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank continued to service Epstein long after everyone knew his criminal record. Internal compliance failures have since been acknowledged, but the broader question remains unanswered: how did a convicted sex offender retain access to the global banking system at the highest level? Who judged the risk acceptable - and why?

Geopolitical leverage

Further evidence of Mossad's fingerprints emerges in Epstein's dealings with international crises. Emails from July 2011, just a month before Muammar Gaddafi's fall, show Epstein and associate Greg Brown plotting to recover up to $80bn in frozen Libyan funds, assets deemed sovereign, stolen, or misappropriated by Western powers.

Brown believed the true amount could be four times higher, reaching $320bn. Their scheme involved leveraging MI6 and Mossad agents to extort concessions from postwar Libya, still assumed under Gaddafi's control, in exchange for returning the funds for "reconstruction".

This wasn't mere opportunism; it points to Epstein's role in geopolitical manoeuvring, using intelligence networks for financial and strategic gains aligned with Israeli interests.

The real Epstein scandal

The conclusion, then, is not a lurid morality tale about "bad people doing bad things," nor the tired revelation that royals, celebrities, or billionaires behave with impunity. That much is already obvious. Child abusers exist across every class and every society. What does not exist everywhere is a system that records, archives, weaponises, and protects that abuse for strategic ends.

The Epstein case points not to isolated depravity, but to structured leverage: an architecture of blackmail in which sexual crimes become instruments of power rather than grounds for prosecution. That is why the fixation on individual scandal - princes, parties, and gossip - functions as misdirection.

The real scandal is the evidence of an intelligence-linked operation in which Mossad repeatedly appears as a point of reference, protection, and utility; an operation that embedded itself across politics, finance, media, and celebrity culture.

Not all abusers are documented and not all are shielded. And not all become untouchable.

Epstein did because he was useful. Until this is discussed in those terms, as a question of foreign influence, the story will remain trapped in spectacle, and the system it exposes will remain intact.

Featured image via the Canary

By Rares Cocilnau

Burning Man woo woo values rocket factory at $250 billion

Elon Musk on Monday revealed his space company SpaceX has acquired his AI outfit xAI, and that the two will work together to escape the surly bonds of Earthly powers by tapping the sun's enduring glow.…

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last week posted a photo of the arrest of Nekima Levy Armstrong, one of three activists who had entered a St. Paul, Minn. church to confront a pastor who also serves as acting field director of the St. Paul Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office. 

A short while later, the White House posted the same photo - except that version had been digitally altered to darken Armstrong's skin and rearrange her facial features to make it appear she was sobbing or distraught. The Guardian one of many media outlets to report on this image manipulation, created a handy slider graphic to help viewers see clearly how the photo had been changed.  

This isn't about "owning the libs" — this is the highest office in the nation using technology to lie to the entire world. 

The New York Times reported it had run the two images through Resemble.AI, an A.I. detection system, which concluded Noem's image was real but the White House's version showed signs of manipulation. "The Times was able to create images nearly identical to the White House's version by asking Gemini and Grok — generative A.I. tools from Google and Elon Musk's xAI start-up — to alter Ms. Noem's original image." 

Most of us can agree that the government shouldn't lie to its constituents. We can also agree that good government does not involve emphasizing cruelty or furthering racial biases. But this abuse of technology violates both those norms. 

"Accuracy and truthfulness are core to the credibility of visual reporting," the National Press Photographers Association said in a statement issued about this incident. "The integrity of photographic images is essential to public trust and to the historical record. Altering editorial content for any purpose that misrepresents subjects or events undermines that trust and is incompatible with professional practice." 

Reworking an arrest photo to make the arrestee look more distraught not only is a lie, but it's also a doubling-down on a "the cruelty is the point" manifesto. Using a manipulated image further humiliates the individual and perpetuate harmful biases, and the only reason to darken an arrestee's skin would be to reinforce colorist stereotypes and stoke the flames of racial prejudice, particularly against dark-skinned people.  

History is replete with cruel and racist images as propaganda: Think of Nazi Germany's cartoons depicting Jewish people, or contemporaneously, U.S. cartoons depicting Japanese people as we placed Japanese-Americans in internment camps. Time magazine caught hell in 1994 for using an artificially darkened photo of O.J. Simpson on its cover, and several Republican political campaigns in recent years have been called out for similar manipulation in recent years. 

But in an age when we can create or alter a photo with a few keyboard strokes, when we can alter what viewers think is reality so easily and convincingly, the danger of abuse by government is greater.   

Had the Trump administration not ham-handedly released the retouched perp-walk photo after Noem had released the original, we might not have known the reality of that arrest at all. This dishonesty is all the more reason why Americans' right to record law enforcement activities must be protected. Without independent records and documentation of what's happening, there's no way to contradict the government's lies. 

This incident raises the question of whether the Trump Administration feels emboldened to manipulate other photos for other propaganda purposes. Does it rework photos of the President to make him appear healthier, or more awake? Does it rework military or intelligence images to create pretexts for war? Does it rework photos of American citizens protesting or safeguarding their neighbors to justify a military deployment? 

In this instance, like so much of today's political trolling, there's a good chance it'll be counterproductive for the trolls: The New York Times correctly noted that the doctored photograph could hinder the Armstrong's right to a fair trial. "As the case proceeds, her lawyers could use it to accuse the Trump administration of making what are known as improper extrajudicial statements. Most federal courts bar prosecutors from making any remarks about court filings or a legal proceeding outside of court in a way that could prejudice the pool of jurors who might ultimately hear the case." They also could claim the doctored photo proves the Justice Department bore some sort of animus against Armstrong and charged her vindictively. 

In the past, we've urged caution when analyzing proposals to regulate technologies that could be used to create false images. In those cases, we argued that any new regulation should rely on the established framework for addressing harms caused by other forms of harmful false information. But in this situation, it is the government itself that is misusing technology and propagating harmful falsehoods. This doesn't require new laws; the government can and should put an end to this practice on its own. 

Any reputable journalism organization would fire an employee for manipulating a photo this way; many have done exactly that. It's a shame our government can't adhere to such a basic ethical and moral code too. 

Republished from the EFF's Deeplinks blog.

Anime fans won't be getting any respite from the streaming service price hikes that now feel inevitable on every platform every couple of years. Crunchyroll announced today that it will be increasing the monthly costs for all its plans by $2. That means the Fan tier will now run you $10 a month, the Mega Fan Tier is $14 a month and the Ultimate Fan Tier is $18 a month. 

The platform introduced its Mega Fan and Ultimate Fan options in 2020, with both at long last giving viewers an option to watch shows offline. The silver lining in today's price changes is that the Fan members are getting the same offline viewing option, although it's limited to one device. Crunchyroll is further enticing the people who might now be more interested in the Fan level by offering a discount on the annual plan for that tier; you can get a year's access for a limited time for $67.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/crunchyroll-increases-prices-for-all-anime-streaming-plans-234231265.html?src=rss

The group targets telecoms, critical infrastructure - all the usual high-value orgs

Security researchers have attributed the Notepad++ update hijacking to a Chinese government-linked espionage crew called Lotus Blossom (aka Lotus Panda, Billbug), which abused weaknesses in the update infrastructure to gain a foothold in high-value targets by delivering a newly identified backdoor dubbed Chrysalis.…

Content warning - this article contains extremely upsetting content that details child rape and paedophilia 

A journal — written by a girl who was 16 years old at the time of some entries — reveals the sheer depravity of Jeffrey Epstein and the ruling class he lurked within.

The girl was subjected to horrifying sexual abuse and despairs at being Epstein's "property", and "incubator" for the now-deceased financier's children. One deeply disturbing account reveals the loss of a child, likely due to incessant abuse by Epstein and his associates:

So sorry Jeffrey these things happen when your body had never been given time to properly heal!
So it came out in the toilet and I didn't know what to do so I just flushed the tiny little foetus.
You have made me numb and I hate you for this!
I hope I never have to see you again!
I am not your personal incubator!

Another equally troubling passage seemingly describes a traumatic childbirth performed by an 'Israeli' doctor:

Close your eyes close your eyes close your eyes. Don't speak she doesn't talk.

I cant stop shaking and its been a week.

A decision was made but I cant tell Jeffrey.

These things happen. Why didn't I close my eyes fast enough.

The doctor was different again.

I think from Israel. He had kind eyes but didn't speak directly to me.

This was different.

A shot and those rod like things had a hook and so much pain.

Ghislaine [Maxwell] said to push all the pain away. I don't understand.

Blood and water all over the bed and she was right.

Like a feeling when your tummy hurts and you have to push.

She said to close my eyes and put her hands over my eyes but I didn't close them because of these tiny cries.

I am so lost.

I saw between her fingers this tiny head and body in the doctors hands.

It reached its tiny arm up and had a tiny foot.

I closed my eyes and no more…

In a later entry, she fears something terrible has happened to the child:

In the hall Ghislaine said she was beautiful.

SHE WAS.

Not is.

She was a beautiful girl!

I heard her.

Where is she?

Why did she stop whimpering?

She was born!

I heard the tiny cries!

I cant do this anymore!

'Master race' insanity of vile paedophile

The pregnancy appears to be part of a deranged eugenicist plan by Epstein to create as many "perfect offspring" as possible. She writes:

Superior gene pool? Why me? It makes no sense.

Why my hair colour and eye colour?

That feels very Nazi like but in thinking about these stupid insane theories he has I guess in mind it makes sense.

This revolting fantasy is consistent with previous reporting on Epstein. The child abuser — who liked to wear an 'Israeli' Occupation Forces sweatshirt — was determined to develop a "super-race" by "impregnating 20 women at a time". The New York Times reported in 2019 that:

Epstein told scientists and businessmen about his ambitions to use his New Mexico ranch as a base where women would be inseminated with his sperm and would give birth to his babies … Mr Epstein's goal was to have 20 women at a time impregnated at his 33,000-sq-ft Zorro Ranch in a tiny town outside Santa Fe.

This is the most sinister form of a growing interest in pronatalism among the US ruling class. Fellow "Nazi like" sieg-heiler Elon Musk has fathered 12 children, and advocates for measures to increase the birth rate. The founder of messaging app Telegram Pavel Durov has made:

…a sperm donation…to a fertility clinic [which has] resulted in children conceived in 12 countries by more than 100 couples.

Overseas, authoritarians Nigel Farage and Viktor Orban have talked up policies for ensuring greater levels of childbearing. Given their racist ideologies, one suspects they imagine these children all having a similar skin colour to their own.

Rogues' gallery of ruling class sickos

This all amounts to the strange delusions brought on by excessive power — a belief that you're a superior form of life, when you in fact represent the absolute dregs of humanity. A notion that the world needs more of you, when we can all see the defective specimen before us is already one too many.

Other entries from the journal of the child abused by Epstein reveal the alleged participation in her suffering of countless other ruling class ghouls. Among those named are:

Mr. Leonsis, Mr. Case, Mr. Snyder, the Gregorys, Mr. Colgan…Mr. Kimsey [and] George Mitchell

There are suggestions that the above refer to Jim Kimsey, Ted Leonsis, and Steve Case, AOL executives at the likely time of the journal's creation. George Mitchell is the former Democratic senator, perhaps best known for his role as chair of the North of Ireland peace negotiations. He is described as someone:

…who you think would be good like a grandpa [but is] bad.

The writer also names lead Epstein funder Leon Black. She accuses the financier of throwing her to the floor and says "the fat fuck bit me", leaving blood on Epstein's carpet.

Capitalism ensures the Epsteins of the world rise to the top

All this is ultimately the product of an economic and political system that practically guarantees the most poisonous humans imaginable rise to the top. Capitalism rewards the most ruthless and domineering among us, not the kindest and most compassionate.

Those attracted to being a CEO — with the ability to control potentially thousands of lives — are unlikely to be good people. Once there, wealth grants them the ability to evade the law and control the political realm. With greater power comes greater impunity, and an already degraded soul rots still further. It's a system that selects for, then refines, the worst traits of our species.

The Epstein documents have produced an outpouring of fury, and an increasing clarity to the realisation that an entire system needs to be dismantled and reconstructed into something less misanthropic. We've had enough warnings by now of "Nazi like" reprobates controlling our lives. An imminent return to something akin to Nazism looms unless an alternative course is pursued urgently.

Featured image via ABC

By Robert Freeman

The rubble of war in the Gaza Strip is no longer a silent witness to destruction. It has become a layer of contamination storing slow-acting toxins.

Among the debris, the remains of homes, hospitals, and schools are mixed with thousands of tonnes of broken electronic devices. This has created what can be described as electronic rubble — a long-term environmental and health hazard. These toxins seep silently into soil, water, and human bodies in one of the most densely populated and besieged places on Earth.

In Gaza, the war has not only caused physical destruction. It has also left behind a new type of waste that the Strip was never equipped to handle. Mobile phones, computers, household appliances, medical equipment, and network cables have been turned into dense electronic waste by bombing. This waste cannot be easily separated from building rubble or safely disposed of.

The suffocating siege and the near-total collapse of Gaza's waste-management system make the problem even worse.

Gaza figures spell environmental disaster

The United Nations Development Programme estimates that between October 2023 and the end of November 2025, around 900,000 tonnes of solid waste were generated in Gaza. Most of this waste was dumped in temporary sites after the collapse of collection and treatment systems.

Daily waste generation has risen to between 3,300 and 3,850 cubic metres, compared with about 1,300 cubic metres per day before the war. Electronic waste is estimated to make up 10-15% of the total. That equals 90,000 to 135,000 tonnes of toxic devices, metals, and chemicals.

This is equivalent to thousands of buses filled with highly hazardous waste.

An invisible danger — and an indelible impact

According to World Health Organization reports, electronic waste is the fastest-growing form of solid waste worldwide. Less than a quarter of it is recycled. While e-waste contains valuable materials, improper handling poses a serious threat to public health and the environment. This risk is amplified in fragile settings that lack infrastructure and oversight.

The danger lies not only in volume, but in composition.

Burning, landfilling, or unsafe dismantling releases toxic substances such as lead, mercury, and dioxins. These seep into air, soil, and groundwater, enter the food chain, and ultimately reach humans. The WHO warns that children and pregnant women are most vulnerable. Exposure can cause premature birth, neurological damage, and chronic respiratory and immune diseases that may last a lifetime.

Scientific warnings from inside Gaza

Environmental experts in Gaza warn that electronic waste is among the most dangerous threats facing Palestinian society today. It contains electronic chips, heavy metals, and toxic chemicals that persist in the environment for decades.

These materials gradually penetrate soil, contaminate groundwater, and reach people through food and air.

Experts stress that burning or burying electronic waste with ordinary rubbish releases toxic fumes. These gases damage skin and lungs and worsen asthma and heart disease. The risk is intensified because landfills are often close to homes and displacement camps.

Pollution does not stop at the surface. It spreads into groundwater and farmland, threatening food security and public health in the medium and long term.

Unprotected workers — and a crisis without tools

Sanitation workers and waste collectors face even greater danger.

They handle hazardous materials without adequate protective equipment, while the sector suffers severe shortages of resources and capacity. Experts agree that the long-standing blockade, combined with widespread wartime destruction, has paralysed Gaza's ability to manage complex waste safely.

A silent bomb waiting to explode

Environmental specialists say urgent action is needed. This includes separating e-waste from debris, safely treating toxic materials, providing protective gear for workers, and launching public awareness campaigns.

Without intervention, electronic waste will remain a silent bomb beneath Gaza's rubble.

It threatens present health, future ecosystems, and adds another layer of suffering to lives already exhausted by siege and war — with consequences that may last decades after the bombing ends.

Featured image via UNRWA

By Alaa Shamali

Moltbook bills itself as a social network for AI agents. That's a wacky enough concept in the first place, but the site apparently exposed the credentials for thousands of its human users. The flaw was discovered by cybersecurity firm Wiz, and its team assisted Moltbook with addressing the vulnerability.

The issue appears to be the result of the entire Reddit-style forum being vibe-coded; Moltbook's human founder posted a few days ago on X that he "didn't write one line of code" for the platform and instead directed an AI assistant to create the whole setup. 

According to the blog post from Wiz analyzing the issue, Moltbook had a vulnerability that allowed for "1.5 million API authentication tokens, 35,000 email addresses and private messages between agents" to be fully read and accessed. Wiz also found that the vulnerability could let unauthenticated human users edit live Moltbook posts. In other words, there is no way to verify whether a Moltbook post was authored by an AI agent or a human user posing as one. "The revolutionary AI social network was largely humans operating fleets of bots," the company's analysis concluded. 

So ends another cautionary tale reminding us that just because AI can do a task doesn't mean it'll do it correctly.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/moltbook-the-ai-social-network-exposed-human-credentials-due-to-vibe-coded-security-flaw-230324567.html?src=rss

Let's just clear the air right up front: this is just the government mugging Somalis because they're currently at the top of Trump's shitlist. Prior to last month's escalation (and subsequent murder) because some white MAGA shitbird became famous for supposedly uncovering a whole lot of Somali-based fraud in Minneapolis, Minnesota, it's possible ICE would have bragged about robbing money from people at an international airport.

But because this other thing (the MAGA dude) happened first — and because Minneapolis residents have proven incredibly resilient in the face of vengeful federal operations — ICE had to get out its X bullhorn and yell about taking money from people the MAGA faithful have been encouraged to hate by their dimwitted handler, Donald Trump. (For a bit of catharsis, here's a wonderful recording of the so-called "MAGA influencer" Jake Lang being welcomed to Minneapolis by counter-protesters while he tried to get his anti-migrant hate on. It seems this mook forgot protesters burned a police station to the ground following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.)

This X post comes to us via Dom Ervolina on Bluesky. But since that post can't be seen by people who aren't logged in, I'm going to screenshot the X post in all of its ingloriousness, because we certainly aren't going to be linking to and/or embedding a post from that particular den of depravity that's overseen by a landlord who can't seem to decide whether he should be an absentee landlord or a cheerleader for his CSAM-creating, Hitler proxy AI, Grok.

Here goes nothing:

It's an official post by the X ICE account. Although ICE wasn't directly involved with this airport robbery, it was first in line to celebrate it. Here's what it says:

UNDECLARED CASH SEIZED AT MSP

On January 18, HSI St. Paul and @CBP seized $14,135 from two Somali-born U.S. citizens who were departing on international flights from MSP.

ICE and CBP remain vigilant in detecting and preventing the illegal movement of funds across borders to protect national security.

It's accompanied by a photo of the alleged $14,135 scattered across a Formica table apparently located adjacent to (and somewhat blocking) an airport walkway.

Note that it says $14,135. $14,000 should have been enough. But the bottom right corner of the photo makes it clear federal officers weren't satisfied until they'd rifled through these people's wallets.

Yep, that's $35 dollars, splayed across the table like it's the focal point of a video produced by the least-successful SoundCloud rap artist ever.

Also, note the way this phrase is… um, phrased:

"…from two Somali-born U.S. citizens…"

You see what the government led with, right? They expect everyone who's going to cheer whatever they do to stop reading after the "i" in "Somali" (or maybe the "n" in "-born" at best). And they expect everyone to ignore the words that follow that: "U.S. citizens."

The rabble will get roused because it has something to do (however adjacently) with the people Trump hates and who will do all they can to stoke that hatred, even if that means the occasional bout of hypothermia. (See above link about Maga dudebro getting railed by the locals.)

Ignore the rest of the racist dogwhistling and you get nothing more than ICE celebrating the fact that the CBP stole $14,135 from US citizens.

But that's not even the stupidest part of ICE masturbating on main. The rules for taking money out of the country are pretty simple: you must declare any amount over $10,000 to Customs. There were two people and $14,000 involved here. Even the laziest of elementary school students should be able to spot the problem here.

No matter how you slice it up, CBP cannot use a customs violation to justify the seizure of $14,000 from two people. If one person was over the limit, the other person was carrying an amount of cash that didn't need to be declared. If both were carrying half, neither of them were violating the law.

And since the government has yet to give us more details on this, we're left to assume the government grabbed $14,000 from two US citizens just because it thinks it can get away with it.

Now, it's entirely possible the government will claim the two people were working together to smuggle more than $10,000 out of the country. But if it does, it should be directly and persistently challenged by the court that takes this case. If that doesn't happen, the government will be able to steal any amount of cash from any number of passengers boarding the same plane if that total manages to clear the $10,000 mark.

And it will also assume it can free-associate connections between people boarding different flights carrying cash by pretending these unconnected people are engaged in a conspiracy to violate a customs law that seemingly only exists to allow the government to pick people's pockets (figuratively but also LITERALLY) at our nation's airports.

On top of that, there are the activities of other federal agencies like the DEA and ATF, who pretend any mildly significant amount of cash in travelers' luggage must be the end result of illegal activity. And this is so fucking maddening because it has NEVER been illegal to carry cash from place to place, much less try to leave the country with an (undeclared) stack of greenbacks (under $10,000) that tend to produce better results in vacation destinations and ancestral homelands whose currency isn't worth as much as the US dollar.

There's no shaming the government into behaving better — not when it's headed by some of the most shameless government officials ever to hold executive branch offices. But, for the time being, you can possibly sue them into submission. And that's what needs to happen now. The government is engaging in racism and mouthing empty phrases about "national security" to justify its abusive xenophobia. Sure, this sort of thing predates Trump. But it doesn't mean we should consider it acceptable just because it's been SOP for most of this century.

After nearly two decades of intermittent negotiations that began in 2007, India and the European Union have concluded a landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA). But potential 'reform' of tariffs is angering many of the left of Indian politics. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, both announced the deal enthusiastically, with Modi saying:

Today is a day that will be remembered forever, marked indelibly in our shared history.

Von der Leyen framed the agreement as a historic achievement, stating in a pinned tweet:

Europe and India are making history today. We have concluded the mother of all deals.

The EU-India deal

The EU-India Free Trade Agreement commits both sides to sweeping tariff elimination, covering over 96% of India's tariff lines and 99% of the EU's — with the goal of expanding bilateral trade, which reached €120bn in 2024.

A key selling point to Europe, as outlined by the European Commission, is that the deal:

will help EU companies and farmers export more. Separately, the Commission underscored a specific gain for EU agriculture through a parallel pact on Geographical Indications (GIs), which aims to protect traditional EU products in the Indian market 'by removing unfair competition in the form of imitations'.

Through the timing of the conclusion of the agreement, India and the EU are unmistakably sending a message to Washington. Its allies and partners will not give in to threats of tariff wars and weaponising trade, according to the geopolitical magazine The Diplomat.

The Diplomat further states there are some roadblocks before the operationalisation of the deal:

The EU-Mercosur agreement, concluded after 25 years of negotiations, just days before the India-EU FTA, is now facing opposition from the European Parliament. Unlike the Mercosur agreement, the India-EU FTA does not require approval by each of the 27 national member states, which could potentially speed up the operationalization of the agreement, but it would still need Parliamentary approval.

India's left condemns Modi's neoliberal deal

However, the core disputes that caused the breakdown of negotiations in 2013, under the then-ruling Congress party, have not been meaningfully resolved in the current pact. They have simply been papered over.

A key failure cited by the current opposition Congress is the Modi government's inability to secure an exemption for India's aluminium and steel sectors from the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. Jairam Ramesh, the Indian National Congress's general secretary in-charge of communications, emphasised the material consequence of this on social media:

India's aluminium and steel exports to the EU have already fallen from $7bn to $5bn and are only expected to fall further beginning this year due to the enforcement of the CBAM since 1 January, 2026.

The tweet from Ashok Swain, an Indian-origin academic based in Sweden, captures the tone of the Indian left's opposition to the EU-India trade deal:

Thanks to the trade deal between EU and India, German cars and French wines will be cheaper in India - exactly what 800 million Indians surviving on subsidised food have been demanding.

Pros and cons of tariffs

Swain's criticism mirrors the opposition from domestic left-leaning factions like the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which has argued that tariff cuts on luxury goods will only benefit the wealthy, while threatening the livelihoods of farmers, workers, and ordinary citizens.

The skepticism of the left stems from India's economic history.

As Tricontinental Research notes, millions in India still rely on agriculture for their livelihood. The institute notes that in the 1990s, aggressive cuts to agricultural tariffs triggered a prolonged agrarian crisis. While farming now makes up just 18 percent of India's GDP, it still employs 46 percent of the national workforce. In contrast, the service sector accounts for over half of the economy but only 30 percent of jobs.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a coalition of over 500 Indian farmers' unions, warns cheap, subsidised EU processed foods and wines will crash domestic prices and devastate small farmers. It condemns the "double standard" where complex EU barriers block Indian farm exports, while India lowers its own import standards.

Furthermore, left-wing critics warn the FTA's facilitation of European weapons procurement from India risks empowering crony capitalists and derailing the country's traditional nuclear policy, with the Diaspora in Action group and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) asserting it represents an "absence of guardrails" for peace and stability.

Featured image via the Canary

By The Canary

A clip has emerged on social media of Reform leader Nigel Farage proudly explaining that his party has put forward a Muslim candidate for the London mayoral election in order to court the Muslim vote.

In the video, Farage — apparently answering an interviewer's question — states that:

We've got a Muslim woman who's gonna stand for us for the mayor of London contest against Sadiq Khan. So no, there are plenty of members of the Muslim community who will vote for Reform, support Reform. The difference here of course is that, for many many years, the Muslim vote was viewed by Labour as being a bloc vote. They turned out and voted for Labour in their droves. That has changed a lot.

The hypocrisy on display is quite breathtaking, even for Farage. 'We've got a Muslim woman, so of course Muslims will vote for us — also, Labour made the mistake of thinking Muslims all vote together'.

It sounds an awful lot like the Reform leader is fine with playing identity politics when it suits him, doesn't it?

Unfortunately for him, Farage also mistakenly seems to think that UK Muslims are completely uninformed.

Reform — London 'feels like a Muslim city'

You see, that Muslim woman that Reform have got would be Laila Cunningham, a UK-born Muslim of Egyptian descent. Cunningham formerly worked as a prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service before making the move into politics.

Like most Reformers, she's also a Tory washout. The Reform candidate was previously elected as a Westminster City Council member in 2022 for the Conservative Party. And, also like most Reformers, Cunningham also happens to have dabbled in Islamophobia.

In an interview on the Standard podcast, Cunningham argued that Muslims wearing the burqa should be stopped and searched by the police. As her reasoning, the newly-minted Reformer stated:

It has to be assumed that if you're hiding your face, you're hiding it for a criminal reason.

She also asserted that "there should be one civic culture, which "should be British", and went on to say:

If you go to parts of London, it does feel like a Muslim city. The signs are written in a different language. You've got burqas being sold in markets.

For her comments, Shaista Gohir — crossbench peer and CEO of the Muslim Women's Network UK — accused Cunningham of helping to endanger UK Muslims. Gohir said that the Reform candidate was:

sending a message to Muslims that they do not belong [and] emboldening people who already abuse Muslims and influencing those people who are reading this misinformation.

Who else did we expect from Farage?

As such, Cunningham hardly seems like a shining light to sway London Muslims to vote for the far right. But, then again, who else would we expect as a choice from noted Islamophobe Nigel Farage, who once told Sky News that:

We have a growing number of young people in this country who do not subscribe to British values, [who] in fact loathe much of what we stand for.

When questioned on whether he was referring to Muslims, the Reform leader responded:

We are. … And I'm afraid I found some of the recent surveys saying that 46% of British Muslims support Hamas - support a terrorist organisation that is proscribed in this country.

This is a blatant misrepresentation of a study from the Henry Jackson Society — a neoconservative think tank. It asked whether British Muslims feel more sympathy with Hamas or Israel [p22].

Apparently British Muslims are just expected to forget Farage dog-whistling that they, as a whole, are terrorist sympathisers. Likewise, Reform clearly reckons that London Muslims are just waiting to vote for a woman who wants them accosted by police.

Reform chose Cunningham, as a minoritised woman, to lend an acceptable face to racist policies. Far from being the breath of fresh air in UK politics they pretend to be, Reform are pulling the same old establishment stunts.

See also: Priti Patel, Shabana Mahmood, Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman, etc etc etc.

Featured image via the Australian

By The Canary

Elon Musk's SpaceX has acquired xAI, the companies announced. The merger will "form the most ambitious, vertically-integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth, with AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications and the world's foremost real-time information and free speech platform," Musk wrote in an update.

The AI company that right now is best known for its CSAM-generating chatbot might seem like a strange fit for a rocket company. But SpaceX is key to Musk's latest scheme to build AI data centers in space. In his update, Musk wrote that "global electricity demand for AI simply cannot be met with terrestrial solutions" and that moving the resource-intensive operations to space is "the only logical solution." SpaceX just days ago filed an application with the FCC to create an "orbital data center" by launching a million new satellites.

This also isn't the first time Musk has acquired one of his own companies. He merged xAI and X last year.

Developing…

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/elon-musks-spacex-has-acquired-his-ai-company-xai-221617040.html?src=rss

Ubisoft continues to raise eyebrows around how it is treating employees as it attempts a business overhaul. David Michaud-Cromp, a level design team lead at Ubisoft Montreal, said last week that he was suspended for three days without pay after voicing opposition to the company's return to office mandate. Today, Michaud-Cromp posted on LinkedIn that he has been fired. "I was terminated by Ubisoft, effective immediately," he wrote. "This was not my decision."

A spokesperson for Ubisoft gave Kotaku the following statement regarding Michaud-Cromp's dismissal: "Sharing feedback or opinions respectfully does not lead to a dismissal. We have a clear Code of Conduct that outlines our shared expectations for working together safely and respectfully, which employees review and sign each year. When that is breached, our established procedures apply, including an escalation of measures depending on the nature, severity, and repetition of the breach." We've reached out to the company for additional confirmation and comment. 

This is the latest in a sequence of bad press Ubisoft has faced regarding its workforce. Shortly after many employees at Ubisoft Halifax unionized, the parent company shut down the studio. In announcing the closure, Ubisoft said the move was part of a broader cost-cutting endeavor across its operations; it shut down a support studio and cut more jobs later in January, with even more layoffs proposed. Most recently, unions representing other Ubisoft workers called for a three-day strike in response to the "penny-pinching and worsening our working conditions" they alleged of the company's management.

All these issues could all be coincidental timing. But if so, they're coincidences that don't reflect favorably on Ubisoft.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ubisoft-fires-employee-who-publicly-criticized-its-rto-plan-220913747.html?src=rss

Second price increase in just two months

That slice of Pi is getting much more expensive. Everyone's favorite single-board computer, the Raspberry Pi, is jumping up in price again, with increases ranging from $10 to $60, depending on how much memory your board has.…

Chipzilla touts 4 TB of DDR5 and 128 lanes of PCIe 5 for less than the House of Zen just in time for memory winter

Intel's workstation lineup is getting a much-needed refresh with the launch of its Xeon 600-series processors, boasting up to 86 cores and clocks topping 4.9 GHz. Chipzilla's timing couldn't be worse.…

Remember last summer when everyone was freaking out about the explosion of AI-generated child sexual abuse material? The New York Times ran a piece in July with the headline "A.I.-Generated Images of Child Sexual Abuse Are Flooding the Internet." NCMEC put out a blog post calling the numbers an "alarming increase" and a "wake-up call." The numbers were genuinely shocking: NCMEC reported receiving 485,000 AI-related CSAM reports in the first half of 2025, compared to just 67,000 for all of 2024.

That's a big increase! And it would obviously be super concerning if any AI company were finding and detecting so much AI-generated CSAM, especially as we keep hearing that the big AI models (perhaps with the exception of Grok…) have been putting in place safeguards against CSAM generation.

The source of most of those reports? Amazon, which had submitted a staggering 380,000 of them, even though most people don't tend to think of Amazon as much of an AI company. But, still, it became a six alarm fire about how much AI-generated CSAM Amazon had discovered. There were news stories about it, politicians demanding action, and the general sentiment was that this proved how big the problem was.

Except… it turns out that wasn't actually what was happening. At all.

Bloomberg just published a deep dive into what was actually going on with Amazon's reports, and the truth is very, very different from what everyone assumed. According to Bloomberg:

Amazon.com Inc. reported hundreds of thousands of pieces of content last year that it believed included child sexual abuse, which it found in data gathered to improve its artificial intelligence models. Though Amazon removed the content before training its models, child safety officials said the company has not provided information about its source, potentially hindering law enforcement from finding perpetrators and protecting victims.

Here's the kicker—and I cannot stress this enough—none of Amazon's reports involved AI-generated CSAM.

None of its reports submitted to NCMEC were of AI-generated material, the spokesperson added. Instead, the content was flagged by an automatic detection tool that compared it against a database of known child abuse material involving real victims, a process called "hashing." Approximately 99.97% of the reports resulted from scanning "non-proprietary training data," the spokesperson said.

What Amazon was actually reporting was known CSAM—images of real victims that already existed in databases—that their scanning tools detected in datasets being considered for AI training. They found it using traditional hash-matching detection tools, flagged it, and removed it before using the data. Which is… actually what you'd want a company to do?

But because it was found in the context of AI development, and because NCMEC's reporting form has exactly one checkbox that says "Generative AI" with no way to distinguish between "we found known CSAM in our training data pipeline" and "our AI model generated new CSAM," Amazon checked the box.

And thus, a massive misunderstanding was born.

Again, let's be clear and separate out a few things here: the fact that Amazon found CSAM (known or not) in its training data is bad. It is a troubling sign of how much CSAM is found in the various troves of data AI companies use for training. And maybe the focus should be on that. Also, the fact that they then reported it to NCMEC and removed it from their training data after discovering it with hash matching is… good. That's how things are supposed to work.

But the fact that the media (with NCMEC's help) turned this into "OMG AI generated CSAM is growing at a massive rate" is likely extremely misleading.

Riana Pfefferkorn at Stanford, who co-authored an important research report last year about the challenges of NCMEC's reporting system (which we wrote two separate posts about), wrote a letter to NCMEC that absolutely nails what went wrong here:

For half a year, "Massive Spike In AI-Generated CSAM" is the framing I've seen whenever news reports mention those H1 2025 numbers. Even the press release for a Senate bill about safeguarding AI models from being tainted with CSAM stated, "According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, AI-generated material has proliferated at an alarming rate in the past year," citing the NYT article.

Now we find out from Bloomberg that zero of Amazon's reports involved AI-generated material; all 380,000 were hash hits to known CSAM. And we have Fallon [McNulty, executive director of the CyberTipline] confirming to Bloomberg that "with the exception of Amazon, the AI-related reports [NCMEC] received last year came in 'really, really small volumes.'"

That is an absolutely mindboggling misunderstanding for everyone — the general public, lawmakers, researchers like me, etc. — to labor under for so long. If Bloomberg hadn't dug into Amazon's numbers, it's not clear to me when, if ever, that misimpression would have been corrected. 

She's not wrong. Nearly 80% of all "Generative AI" CyberTipline reports to NCMEC in the first half of 2025 involved no AI-generated CSAM at all. The actual volume of AI-generated CSAM being reported? Apparently "really, really small."

Now, to be (slightly?) fair to the NYT, they did run a minor correction a day after their original story noting that the 485,000 reports "comprised both A.I.-generated material and A.I. attempts to create material, not A.I.-generated material alone." But that correction still doesn't capture what actually happened. It wasn't "AI-generated material and attempts"—it was overwhelmingly "known CSAM detected during AI training data vetting." Those are very different things.

And it gets worse. Bloomberg reports that Amazon's scanning threshold was set so low that many of those reports may not have even been actual CSAM:

Amazon believes it over-reported these cases to NCMEC to avoid accidentally missing something. "We intentionally use an over-inclusive threshold for scanning, which yields a high percentage of false positives," the spokesperson added.

So we've got reports that aren't AI-generated CSAM, many of which may not even be CSAM at all. Very helpful.

The frustrating thing is that this kind of confusion wasn't just entirely predictable—it was predicted! When Pfefferkorn and her colleagues at Stanford published their report about NCMEC's CSAM reporting system they literally called out the potential confusion in the options of what to check and how platforms would likely over-report stuff in an abundance of caution, because the penalty (both criminally and in reputation) for missing anything is so dire.

Indeed, the form for submitting to the CyberTipline has one checkbox for "Generative AI" that, as Pfefferkorn notes in her letter, can mean wildly different things depending on who's checking it:

When the meaning of checking a single checkbox is so ambiguous that absent additional information, reports of known CSAM found in AI training data are facially indistinguishable from reports of new AI-generated material (or of text-only prompts seeking CSAM, or of attempts to upload known CSAM as part of a prompt, etc.), and that ambiguity leads to a months-long massive public misunderstanding about the scale of the AI-CSAM problem, then it is clear that the CyberTipline reporting form itself needs to change — not just how one particular ESP fills it out. 

To its credit NCMEC did respond quickly to Pfefferkorn, and their response is… illuminating. They confirmed they're working on updating the reporting system, but also noted that Amazon's reports contained almost no useful information:

all those Amazon reports included minimal data, not even the file in question or the hash value, much less other contextual information about where or how Amazon detected the matching file

As Pfefferkorn put it, Amazon was basically giving NCMEC reports that said "we found something" with nothing else attached. NCMEC says they only learned about the false positives issue last week and are "very frustrated" by it.

Indeed, NCMEC's boss told Bloomberg:

"There's nothing then that can be done with those reports," she said. "Our team has been really clear with [Amazon] that those reports are inactionable."

There's plenty of blame to go around here. Amazon clearly should have been more transparent about what they were reporting and why. NCMEC's reporting form is outdated and creates ambiguity that led to a massive public misunderstanding. And the media (NYT included) ran with alarming numbers without asking obvious questions like "why is Amazon suddenly reporting 25x more than last year and no other AI company is even close?"

But, even worse, policymakers spent six months operating under the assumption that AI-generated CSAM was exploding at an unprecedented rate. Legislation was proposed. Resources were allocated. Public statements were made. All based on numbers that fundamentally misrepresented what was actually happening.

As Pfefferkorn notes:

Nobody benefits from being so egregiously misinformed. It isn't a basis for sound policymaking (or an accurate assessment of NCMEC's resource needs) if the true volume of AI-generated CSAM being reported is a mere fraction of what Congress and other regulators believe it is. It isn't good for Amazon if people mistakenly think the company's AI products are uniquely prone to generating CSAM compared with other options on the market (such as OpenAI, with its distant-second 75,000 reports during the same time period, per NYT). That impression also disserves users trying to pick safe, responsible AI tools to use; in actuality, per today's revelations about training data vetting, Amazon is indeed trying to safeguard its models against CSAM. I can certainly think of at least one other AI company that's been in the news a lot lately that seems to be acting far more carelessly.

None of this means that AI-generated CSAM isn't a real and serious problem. It absolutely is, and it needs to be addressed. But you can't effectively address a problem if your data about the scope of that problem is fundamentally wrong. And you especially can't do it when the "alarming spike" that everyone has been pointing to turns out to be something else entirely.

The silver lining here, as Pfefferkorn points out, is that the actual news is… kind of good? Amazon's AI models aren't CSAM-generating machines. The company was actually doing the responsible thing by vetting its training data. And the real volume of AI-generated CSAM reports is apparently much lower than we've been led to believe.

But that good news was buried for six months under a misleading narrative that nobody bothered to dig into until Bloomberg did. And that's a failure of transparency, of reporting systems, and of the kind of basic journalistic skepticism that should have kicked in when one company was suddenly responsible for 78% of all reports in a category.

We'll see if NCMEC's promised updates to the reporting form actually address these issues. In the meantime, maybe we can all agree that the next time there's a 700% increase in reports of anything, it's worth asking a few questions before writing the "everything is on fire" headline.

France may take additional steps to prevent minors from accessing social media platforms. As its government advances a proposed ban on social media use for anyone under age 15, some leaders are already looking to add further restrictions. During an appearance on public broadcast service Franceinfo, Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs Anne Le Hénanff said VPNs might be the next target. 

"If [this legislation] allows us to protect a very large majority of children, we will continue. And VPNs are the next topic on my list," she said.

A virtual private network would potentially allow French citizens younger than 15 to circumnavigate the social media ban. We've already seen VPN's experience a popularity spike in the UK last year after similar laws were passed over age-gating content. However, a VPN also offers benefits for online privacy, and introducing age verification requirements where your personal data must be submitted negates a large part of these services' appeal. 

The French social media ban is still a work in progress. France's National Assembly voted in favor of the restrictions last week with a result of 116-23, moving it ahead for discussion in the country's Senate. While a single comment doesn't mean that France will in fact ban VPNs for any demographic, it does point to the direction some of the country's leaders want to take. Critics responded to Le Hénanff's statements with worry that these attempts at protective measures were veering into an authoritarian direction. 

The actions in France echo several other legislative pushes around the world aimed at reducing children and teens' access to social media and other potentially sensitive content online. The US had seen 25 state-level laws for age verification introduced in the past two years, which has created a new set of concerns around users' privacy and personal data, particularly when there has been no attempt to standardize how that information will be collected or protected. When data breaches at large corporations are already all too common, it's hard to trust that the individual sites and services that suddenly need to build an age verification process won't be an easy target for hacks.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/france-might-seek-restrictions-on-vpn-use-in-campaign-to-keep-minors-off-social-media-205308716.html?src=rss

Like practically every other tech company under the sun, Mozilla has been jamming generative AI features into its products. The organization has now acknowledged that not everyone wants things like plagiarism machines chatbots in the Firefox sidebar, so it's giving you the option to turn off all of that. 

On February 24 (or earlier in Firefox Nightly builds), Mozilla will roll out Firefox 148, which will include an AI controls section in the desktop browser settings. From here, you'll be able to block current and future generative AI features, or only enable select tools. 

At the jump, you'll have the option to disable (or enable) chatbots in the sidebar, automated translations and alt text generation for PDFs. You'll also be able to nix a tool called AI-enhanced tab grouping (which offers suggestions of related tabs and group names), as well as webpage previews that display "key points" before you actually click on a link. If you'd prefer to get rid of all of these — and for Firefox to not bother you with pop-ups and notifications about current and upcoming AI features — just make sure the "Block AI enhancements" toggle is on. 

Perhaps Mozilla has come to realize that, rather than having AI cruft soaking up resources and causing apps to bloat, what many people actually want is a fast, secure and streamlined web browser. At the very least, giving users a way to opt out of features they don't want is a positive step. Now then, Google, about AI Overviews...

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/firefox-will-soon-offer-a-way-to-block-all-of-its-generative-ai-features-203132958.html?src=rss

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) will end its relationship with George Mitchell, following new revelations in the latest trove of Jeffrey Epstein files released in the last week. A building on the university's campus will no longer be known as the Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice. A bust of the former Senator will also be removed.

In a statement, the university said:

While no findings of wrongdoing by Senator Mitchell have been made, the university has concluded that, in light of this material, and mindful of the experiences of victims and survivors, it is no longer appropriate for its institutional spaces and entities to continue to bear his name.

As a civic institution with a global reputation for leadership in peace, reconciliation, and justice, Queen's University Belfast must ensure that its honours and symbols reflect the highest standards consistent with its values and responsibilities.

String of allegations facing George Mitchell

QUB's claim of no wrongdoing by Mitchell is highly questionable. He remained in contact with Epstein years after the notorious paedophile was convicted in 2008 for procuring a child for prostitution. This may not have been criminal wrongdoing, but was certainly the wrong thing to do.

A 2011 email present among the three million documents released by the US Department of Justice shows Epstein planning to meet with Mitchell and former secretary of state for Northern Ireland Peter Mandelson in New York. Mandelson has resigned in disgrace due to continuing details emerging about his links to Epstein.

Other allegations against Mitchell are more sinister. A horrifying letter written in code by a 16-year-old abused by Epstein reads:

They are always flights of horror whether it's with Jeffrey, Mr. Leonsis, Mr. Case, Mr. Snyder, the Gregorys, Mr. Colgan or one being borrowed by a seemingly good federal worker and even rented, it is all horror.

And nothing is as it seems, I am so confused by everything and people you expect to be good like even Senators like George Mitchell who you think will be like a grandpa are bad. Mr. Kimsey is deranged.

Those mentioned appear to mostly be prominent US business figures. A previous email release suggested a victim of Epstein's crimes:

…was required to have sex with friends of Ms Maxwell and Mr Epstein, including Glenn Dubin, Les Wexner, Ehud Barak, former Senator George Mitchell and Stephen Kosslyn.

Mitchell has previously described his relationship with Epstein as a "blessing". In 2019, Virginia Giuffre accused Mitchell of raping her. She died by suicide in 2025.

George Mitchell — scholarship body cuts its losses

The US-Ireland Alliance has also separated from Mitchell. It describes itself as:

…proactive, non-partisan, non-profit organisation dedicated to consolidating existing relations between the United States and the island of Ireland and building that relationship for the future.

It offers scholarships for US students to study in Ireland. The website is keen to stress the body's role in generating future "leaders". It's reasonable to ask why we'd want the people who should be our representatives pre-selected for us via Ivy League universities and unaccountable institutions. The better option is to have them rise through more organic popular movements, such as trade unions.

The question is even more timely as the Epstein revelations show us the utter depravity of the ruling class the former system has produced. In a statement today, the Alliance said:

The board of directors of the US-Ireland Alliance has unanimously agreed that its George J. Mitchell Scholarship program should no longer bear the former Senator's name.

The decision was made due to new information that has come to light as part of the release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein by the Department of Justice on Friday, according to Trina Vargo, founder and president of the US-Ireland Alliance.  

Vargo, like Mitchell, was previously involved in the North of Ireland peace process.

Time to end all boot-licking tributes to wretched US ruling class

Mitchell has been a revered figure among the establishment in the Six Counties for his role as chair in the talks which culminated in the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.

He was invited to speak in front of a group of teenagers at the university as recently as April 2025, which seems like a deeply irresponsible decision given the credible accusations against him. Mitchell's removal is long overdue.

Fawning tributes to powerful Americans were always pathetic, but the latest revelations add an additional element of disgust to the sycophancy. While they're ridding us of Mitchell, Queen's can go one better — kick warmonger and fellow Epstein associate Hillary Clinton out of her role as chancellor.

Featured image via the Canary

By Robert Freeman

The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) has been in touch with details of a petition to Green Party leader Zack Polanski. It calls on him to commit Green candidates in the upcoming council elections to opposing austerity cuts:

The Polanski petition

The TUSC all-Britain steering committee has welcomed a new petition from leading trade unionists. It calls on the Green Party leader, Zack Polanski, to mobilise his party in the struggle against local council austerity.

The petition, launched by 20 current and former members of trade union executives, makes an opening appeal to Polanski:

to ensure that in this year's local council elections no candidate shall appear on the ballot paper on behalf of the Greens who has not made a public commitment to vote against all cuts and closures to council services, jobs, pay and conditions should they be elected as a councillor on 7 May.

This is the first set of elections since Polanski won the Green Party leadership last summer, denouncing the 'system rigged for the rich'. And, with local public services still facing an unbearable funding squeeze, opposing all further cuts and closures should be a no-brainer.

As the petition says, while:

we cannot expect Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Party, the Lib Dems, the Tories or Reform to join the struggle to defend local public services… we should not expect anything less from those who have spoken against the establishment's austerity agenda.

The trade unionists' petition further asks that Zack Polanski:

instructs all current Green Party councillors to make the same commitment for future council budget-making meetings, including in the 40-plus local authorities where the Greens are presently part of the council administration.

The Greens do have a substantial presence in local government and if their hundreds of councillors were to take such a stand - and there was a protest movement to back them up - who could categorically say that Starmer and the chancellor Rachel Reeves wouldn't have to make yet another U-turn?

The central battle remains to get the trade union leaders to build on the heroic resistance of those like the Birmingham council bin-workers fighting wage cuts and poorer services. But a widespread councillors' rebellion would open up a new front. That's why the trade unionists' petition to Polanski deserves all our support.

But can councillors resist austerity?

The main argument made by councillors from the establishment parties for why they 'reluctantly' go along with the devastation of local public services is that it would not be 'legal' for councils to resist. Firstly, that's not a good argument from those who say they are 'fighting the system' - only not now apparently, and not in their local town hall in defence of public services! But also, it is just not true.

Since its inception, TUSC has pioneered an anti-austerity strategy of councils using their prudential borrowing powers and reserves to set needs-based budgets as part of building a mass campaign for proper government funding for local services, explaining exactly how that was possible. Not by ignoring the legal requirement for a council to set a 'balanced budget' each year before it is able to spend money or issue council tax bills, but by formally 'balancing' it by the use of borrowing powers and reserves.

Previous TUSC documents have detailed what powers councils have and how they could use them to this end. They include the 55-page briefing Preparing a No Cuts People's Budget, available from the TUSC website. What is very relevant is that the alternative budget amendments moved by TUSC-supporting councillors and explored in this briefing were not recommended by council finance officers when they were presented. But officers didn't rule them 'illegal' either. There really is no excuse for any councillor to go along with local austerity policies.

The latest developments on local council funding and the law were addressed in a TUSC discussion document arguing for a clear anti-austerity stance in the 2026 elections from any candidates selected by the newly-formed Your Party. But the same points apply to Green Party candidates too.

TUSC candidates and the petition

It is clear that local austerity will not be defeated by votes in the council chambers alone but by combining such defiance with building a mass movement. But it is also absolutely clear that councillors voting for austerity is definitely not the way to defeat it!

The TUSC national election agent, Clive Heemskerk, welcomed the petition as a means to help clarify where there should or should not be TUSC candidates contesting seats in the 7 May elections:

All candidates appearing on the ballot paper using one of the TUSC descriptions in May will have no difficulty in making the commitment asked for in the trade union petition. It is a requirement of standing to agree to TUSC's six candidate guarantees - the first one of which is to 'oppose all cuts and closures to council services, jobs, pay and conditions, and the privatisation of services or their transfer to social enterprises or arms-length management organisations which are the first steps to their privatisation'.

The six guarantees are the minimum commitments candidates make. They can bring other issues to the fore of their campaign if they wish, as the TUSC model means that it is the individual candidate who is in control. But you can't use one of the TUSC descriptions on the ballot paper unless you commit to the six guarantees as a minimum.

This May, TUSC has agreed that we will not be standing against Your Party candidates and, if there are Green councillors or candidates who sign the trade union petition to Zack Polanski, we will not stand in competition with them either.

We can't know in advance what position Zack will take on the petition's call - we would very much welcome the Green Party throwing its councillors into the battle against austerity but that will very probably not be his stance - but if a prospective Green candidate is prepared to sign the petition that's a better indication that they might resist the pressure for cuts from the council officers (and their less determined fellow councillors) than any amount of verbal 'opposition' to austerity in general.

Of course, it is true that petitioning Green and Your Party candidates to take a stand is not the same as trade unions having their own candidates running, directly subject to the democratic accountability of the union members. It puts the working class and its organisations in a similar position to where we were at the end of the 19th century, without a party of our own and seeking out individual 'friends of labour' to articulate workers' interests.

That's why TUSC will be stepping up its support for the campaign in the trade unions for them to take the necessary measures to establish their own political voice; including by encouraging as many trade unionists, socialists and working-class community candidates as possible to stand in May's elections - alongside Your Party and genuine anti-austerity Greens.

You can sign the petition online here. Or you can download a printable PDF version here.

Featured image via TUSC

By The Canary

A large-scale study published by the Guardian and prepared by the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights has found that Gaza's population has fallen by around 254,000 people since the outbreak of war on 7 October 2023.

By the end of 2025, this decline amounted to roughly 10.6% of Gaza's pre-war population. Researchers describe it as one of the most severe demographic shifts in the Strip's modern history.

Unprecedented

The figures confirm what researchers call an "unprecedented demographic earthquake". They link the decline to mass civilian killings, forced displacement, and worsening health and living conditions. These factors have also caused a sharp drop in birth rates.

The report provides stark details on the human cost of the war:

• 18,592 children were killed between the start of the conflict and the end of 2025.
• 12,400 women died as a result of violence.
• Total Palestinian casualties reached 71,000, with more than 171,000 injured.

Despite a ceasefire agreement signed in October 2025, hundreds of additional deaths and injuries were recorded afterward. This underlines both the fragility of the truce and the failure to protect civilians.

International humanitarian law under strain

The study warns that international humanitarian law, designed to safeguard civilians during war, has reached a "breaking point". Researchers cite widespread war crimes and an almost total lack of accountability.

They caution that continued impunity risks eroding international legal protections entirely, paving the way for future atrocities.

The damage has extended far beyond loss of life. Gaza's social fabric has been torn apart by falling birth rates, destroyed homes, and the devastation of hospitals and schools.

Severe shortages of water, electricity, and healthcare have compounded suffering, pushing civilian life into an unprecedented crisis.

International support and accountability

The study urges the international community to act immediately to protect civilians in Gaza. It calls for:

• Stronger enforcement of international humanitarian law
• Faster investigations and prosecutions of war crimes
• Urgent international assistance to relieve civilian suffering and address widespread destruction

Featured image via Red Cross

By Alaa Shamali

The 'Spycops' Undercover Policing Inquiry has resumed hearing live evidence in Central London. Five former undercovers from the notorious Special Demonstration Squad active between 1992 and 2007 will be giving evidence over the next two months.

The inquiry has published a series of 'position statements' on behalf of numerous participants, including the Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police and victims of abusive undercover policing.

Spycops infiltrating campaigns

The Inquiry has set out some of the questions it will be asking about the justification for spying on trades unions, justice campaigns, political parties and campaign groups, including Palestinian solidarity groups, as well as the accuracy of the intelligence reporting, the officers' abuses, including black-listing and sexual deception, as well as the impact of it all.

Following on from previous hearings about the police's handling of the murder of Stephen Lawrence and spying on the Lawrence family, the Inquiry will explore how the tasking of undercovers focused on protecting the reputation of the police.

In 2005, police shot dead Jean Charles de Menezes in cold blood. They then deployed undercover officers to spy on the campaign for justice. The Metropolitan Police has proffered an apology to the family for the reporting on their campaign.

In the early 2000 this drive to protect reputations expanded, with a 'policing' focus on preventing embarrassment to the government, and protecting corporations and 'UK Plc'.

The evidence is that spycops ran deliberate campaigns of harassment. We will hear evidence of how managers and undercover officers secretly plotted to disrupt democratic processes by targeting print shops, raiding people's homes and deliberately harassing people, and we will hear from the victims about the psychological damage and disruption that caused.

The Inquiry will also hear from women targeted for deceitful sexual relationships where the evidence speaks of abuse and coercive control.

Spycops as provocateurs

As with previous hearings, the Inquiry will hear about undercover officers' roles in a number of high profile events, including the massive 2003 Stop the War demonstration against the invasion of Iraq, and the undercover officer who played a central role in planning the high profile 1999 Carnival Against Capitalism, often known as J18, which ended in widespread clashes in the City of London.

The inquiry will explore the extent of DC Jim Boyling's role in organising the J18 event, alongside the decision by the Special Demonstration Squad not to tell the City of London Police the protesters' plans, and government claims that the police had no contact with the organisers and no way of knowing what would happen on the day. Boyling will also face questions about his central role in organising the first ever anti-genetic crop decontamination in Ireland.

DC Carlo Soracchi will face questions about his attempts while undercover to encourage an arson attack on a charity shop in Maida Vale. And also how he came to meet with police barristers preparing the Met's defence in a civil case about the mass detaining of protestors, the 2001 Oxford Circus 'Kettling', contributing to the police's victory, and undermining the judicial process in a case which set a major precedent.

The human toll

This so-called 'spycops' inquiry is one of the longest and most expensive ever, and it has been plagued with delays. Nevertheless, its importance is probably best underscored by the final words of the Metropolitan Police in its position statement:

The human toll of the [Special Demonstration Squad]'s dysfunction has been severe and wide-ranging: misuse of deceased people's identities, wrongful intrusion into individuals' private and political lives, grievous sexual exploitation, damaged relationships, broken families, and widespread anger, distress and psychological harm (including to some of the officers themselves).

The MPS recognises how important it is to understand the damage that the SDS has caused, to hear directly from the people who have been affected, and for the Inquiry to hold those responsible to account.

Hearings are taking place at the International Dispute Resolution Centre, opposite St Paul's Cathedral.

For live coverage of hearings follow @tombfowler on social media & see the YouTube channel.

Featured image via the Canary

By The Canary

Keir Starmer is desperately scrambling to distance himself from the (re)disgraced Peter Mandelson. The prime minister now says that Mandelson should be removed from the house of lords after Mandelson's resignation from Labour for his extreme closeness to serial child-rapist Jeffrey Epstein. But we have the receipts - far too many to fall for such craven arse-covering.

Last September, when a then-new tranche of Epstein files exposed Mandelson's pining for Epstein, Starmer went to Parliament to insist Mandelson - a senior Number 10 adviser - had his full confidence as his personally-appointed UK ambassador to the US.

But Starmer had been warned more than a full day earlier that the damning revelations were coming out.

Starmer has no excuses

Nor was there any excuse for Starmer appointing Mandelson in the first place. Mandelson's closeness to Epstein was not a new revelation. Labour had known about it for years, yet he still got the top job. This appointment was pushed by the appalling Morgan McSweeney, Mandelson's protégé, Starmer's chief of staff and one of the architects of Corbyn's downfall.

Yet even when last September's exposure came about, Starmer tried to protect him. With Labour out of options, Mandelson was then removed - kind of - as ambassador, but kept on the government payroll - and allowed to keep both his peerage and his Labour membership.

And Starmer was never powerless to remove Mandelson from the Lords, as he now tries to claim:

Of course the PM doesn't have the power to unilaterally remove Mandelson from the Lords. But given it can only be removed via an act of Parliament in government time, Starmer is hardly powerless, indeed he is the only person who can make it happen. pic.twitter.com/A9UyQtLK3I

— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) February 2, 2026

There's a saying about Israel's genocide in Gaza that "one day everyone will have been against this". Starmer now wants us to believe that he has always been against Mandelson and his perks and peerage.

Nope. We're not buying it - but we do have the receipts.

Featured image via the Canary

By Skwawkbox

Dan Norris, former Labour MP and current Independent MP, has been arrested again for a number of sexual offences.

Norris's first arrest, in April last year, was over alleged rape and paedophilia. His latest arrest is on suspicion of rape against a second woman, sexual assault against a third woman, as well as voyeurism and upskirting against a number of women. The police investigation into the first allegations is still ongoing.

Dan Norris arrest one of many

Norris's re-arrest is the latest in a long line of scandals involving the pro-Israel right, especially in the Labour party - mainly, but not exclusively, in connection with child sex offences. Zionist former MP Conor McGinn was charged last week with one count of sexual assault against a woman. Starmer's mentor and chief adviser Peter Mandelson resigned yesterday over his notorious links with serial child rapist and Israeli agent Jeffrey Epstein. In early January, Israel fanatic Liron Velleman admitted child sex offences.

But these barely scratch the surface.

In January last year, former Blair minister Ivor Caplin was arrested in a sting operation as he allegedly attempted to meet a 15-year-old boy for sex. Local police went after local left-winger Greg Hadfield for exposing the explicit content Caplin posted on his X feed - Hadfield defeated the 'vexatious' charge in November 2025. However, no charges have yet been brought against Caplin and a court did not impose bail conditions after his initial bail expired. Despite the ongoing police investigation, Caplin was recently invited to speak on LBC about Keir Starmer's move to block Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham's bid to stand in a parliamentary election.

The list continues

Hackney councillor Tom Dewey, an organiser in pro-Israel group 'Labour First', admitted possession of the most serious category of child rape images in 2023. The party knew of his arrest when it allowed him to stand for election. After his conviction, it blocked local women members from its systems to prevent them discussing the case.

In March 2025 Sam Gould, who worked for Starmer's health secretary Wes Streeting, quit as a Redbridge councillor after being convicted on two separate counts of indecent exposure to a 13-year-old girl.

And in August 2025, the US allowed Israeli cyberwar official Tom Alexandrovich to fly back to Israel after he was caught in a police paedophile sting.

The problem is not limited to Israel's supporters outside Israel, either.

The regime is currently ignoring well over 2,000 extradition requests for alleged and convicted paedophiles. In April 2025 Shoshana Strook, the daughter of Israel's far-right settlements minister fled to police and asked them to protect her, accusing both her parents and one of her brothers of raping her as a child, over a period of years, and filming the rapes.

A jury will decide on the evidence whether Norris and McGinn join the list or are acquitted - as long as 'justice secretary' David Lammy doesn't abolish juries for such cases before then. But the arrests bring the Starmeroid faction's paedo and sex offender issues well and truly back into the spotlight.

Featured image via the Canary

By Skwawkbox

A spiralling Elon Musk has been accused of "fully crashing out" and "powerscaling his pedophilia" in his bizarre attempt to brush off his over 1,000 appearances in files on serial child-rapist Jeffrey Epstein. So far. Many of them come in the latest Department of Justice release, including asking Epstein about parties on his island on Christmas Day.

Bizarre sort-of-denial from Musk

Musk issued a bizarre response that if he wanted to "spend my time partying with young women" he wouldn't need "creepy loser" Epstein's help. But as a non-denial denial, it didn't go down well. Accusations in response were along the lines of 'protesteth too much,' or in more modern parlance, "fully crashing out":

Fully crashing out pic.twitter.com/F0AIxyi7k9

— evan loves worf (@esjesjesj) February 1, 2026

Others were even more direct, accusing Musk of "powerscaling his pedophilia" to say he'd beat Epstein at it:

Dude is powerscaling his own pedophilia against Epstein and saying that he would win pic.twitter.com/N4NJQShVe8

— Saltydkdan (@saltydkdan) February 1, 2026

But even that wasn't direct enough for some:

Just a fair reminder that behind the screen, this is the man who begged to be on Epstein Island pic.twitter.com/UCR6l014Lf

— Dr man (@dr_1man) February 1, 2026

And Epstein may have shot himself in the foot, or at least the ego. A bias he reportedly wanted built into his 'Grok':

the "Elon is great at everything" feature he personally demanded be programmed into Grok is a source of perpetual amusement pic.twitter.com/iRs0hIYluA

— Claire, aka Midwestern Hedgie

The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg interviewed Green party leader Zack Polanski. The Greens have a policy to legalise, regulate, and use a public health approach to drugs.

Polanski calls out 'unnecessary deaths'

With reference to that policy, Kuenssberg tried to trip him up with tired propaganda from proponents of the 'war' on drugs, but failed:

"What we need is a public health approach [to drugs]"

Green Party leader Zack Polanski defends his party's drug legalisation policy and also tells #BBCLauraK why he personally has never taken drugs or drank alcohol#BBCLauraK https://t.co/SSXISApUWc pic.twitter.com/rgOGDP82aQ

— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) February 1, 2026

The interviewer said:

Keir Starmer said you were high on drugs and soft on Putin.

Polanksi replied:

That was beneath the audience of the Prime Minister. There are thousands of unnecessary deaths from drug harms and dangerous drugs, what we need is a public health approach. That's not just me saying that, that's experts. So when we talk about legalising drugs, the key bit is about legalising and regulating. If someone has a problematic relationship with drugs, surely they should be seen by a medical health professional to help them.

Legalising and regulating drugs is the sober approach. Portugal decriminalised possession of drugs in 2001 and the results have been positive. Drug death rates fell following the reforms 15 years ago. And compared to the EU, they've remained much lower. In 2019, drug deaths in Portugal were six for every million people. The EU average was 23.7 per million. In Scotland it was much worse at 315 deaths per million.

'Hypocritical'

Kuenssberg continued:

Are you sending a message to young people that if you legalise all drugs its ok to use drugs?

But Polanski responded:

Well Keir Starmer made a joke about taking drugs at university. What we see is that this is very racialised. Very often it is young black people stopped and searched on the street, eight times more than their white peers. The danger is happening now where we're pushing it into street corners… I've never taken drugs in my life, or even drunk alcohol, but I don't sit here as the fun police. People should do what they want to do, it just wasn't for me. But this is about a system change, against a hypocritical approach. We've had Labour and Conservative MPs say on the record they've taken drugs, but they're both putting in prison people who have taken drugs, and again, it is disproportionately young black people

In Portugal, use of drugs by 15-24 year olds actually fell in the decade following decriminalisation. So Kuenssberg is missing the mark.

Trauma causes addiction, not drugs

Evidence analysed from a wide array of experts shows that trauma, environment, and issues like social isolation lead to drug addiction. It's not a fact of the drugs themselves. This is revealed in Johann Hari's book Chasing the Scream.

Another issue with prohibition is that people with heroin or crack addictions are stigmatised and isolated even further because of their addictions. Whereas, in Portugal they are mentored into increasing social connections and leading vibrant lives. Instead, people with addictions are integrated into society.

This policy is outdated and Polanski is right to challenge it.

Featured image via YouTube screenshot/BBC Politics

By James Wright

Yesterday, Palestinian journalist Ahmed Alnaouq delivered a powerful mobilising speech confronting the left's continuous squabbles whilst the far-right are exploiting divisions and soaring in popularity with British voters.

At the Declassified UK summit, Alnaouq called on left-wing fighters against fascism and Zionism to unite against the threats we all face. He challenged us not to fall for the gutter press' toxic culture wars, amplified by our broken media system. His energised speech reminded us of the power we hold in solidarity and shared resources.

Furthermore, it comes as a wake-up call for socialists across the country: build bridges, focus on what unites us, and stop obsessing over what divides us.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Palästinaforum Austria (@palaestinaforum)

Ahmed Alnaouq: 'we have everything to unite us'

Since Your Party was announced by Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn in the summer, public spats and our failure to have respectful, decent debate have left socialists across the country frustrated and angry.

Alnaouq's speech in full was as follows:

I think it is the time for unity. I'm just sick and tired of us people with morals and human rights. I'm sick and tired of us quarreling among each other. I'm sick of us trying to build new parties. I'm sick of us fighting each other, finding ways to divide us from each other.

Well, we have everything to unite us.

My friends, fascism is not at the doorsteps in the UK. It is here. And unless we join forces with each other, unless we hold hands, we will not be able to defeat it. And we don't have the luxury for trial and waiting. We do not have time. We have to act. My friends, we have the numbers. We have the resources. We have the support of the people. What we don't have is organisation. We need to learn how to work with each other in order to defeat fascism, in order to defeat far-right, in order to defeat Zionism. And we must never shy away from calling ourselves anti-Zionists because we are anti-Zionists.

Our recent reporting highlighted the deepening split between Your Party's co-founders, exposing factions more interested in division than unity. Following the launch of Corbyn's The Many slate, we wrote about the common enemies we should be uniting against:

Both leaders have been clear that they face the same enemies. Wealth inequality, rising costs, oppression, injustice, and war all sit at the centre of their political focus.

Despite those common enemies, as Alnaouq outlines, leftists are not doign enough.

Power for the people, not egos

This issue once again underscores an issue that we know full well permeates through all structures of power: ego and self-advancement. To build a movement that can sustain the fight ahead and withstand attacks from the far right and the media, we must safeguard against self-interest and the hunger for power. Those shady, unwelcome interests will continually seek to manipulate the overall movement for their own advantage, which will only weaken us all in the end and lose the battle ahead.

Capitalist, neoliberal abuse won't fall on its own. In order to beat billionaire-funded fascism we must have a socialist movement run and powered by its members. Anything else is just repeating failure and hoping for miracles.

As Alnaouq pleads, it is high time for the left to finally learn our lesson.

Featured image via Instagram

By Maddison Wheeldon

It's 7x the size of the regular board

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Sony's long-anticipated flagship WF-1000XM6 earbuds have leaked online, according to a report by The Walkman Blog and posts on Reddit. The retailer Power Buy posted a listing for the earbuds, complete with multiple photos and some specs.

Let's get to the specs. We don't know a lot, but the listing does suggest the earbuds will boast an IPX4 water-resistance rating and ANC/transparency modes. None of this is all that surprising, though we don't have any details regarding the audio drivers or anything like that.

The Walkman Blog / Power Buy / Sony

We do know what they look like, assuming the listing is accurate. There are two colorways, black and white, with a pill-shaped design that differs from the previous iterations. The case looks like a standard earbud case.

One interesting design aspect is that the eartips are slightly bigger than with previous models. This could indicate a larger air channel, which would translate to an increased bass response. Earbuds tend to struggle with bass, so this could be a nifty little upgrade.

However, that's conjecture and we won't know more until Sony does its own official drop. It's been well over two years since the company released the WF-1000XM5 earbuds, so the refresh is long overdue.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/sonys-flagship-wf-1000xm6-earbuds-have-been-leaked-on-a-retail-site-194146960.html?src=rss

NAND flash now expected to surge 55-60% compared to Q4

The memory shortage is worse than most of us first thought. Prices on DRAM and NAND flash memory are expected to surge in the first quarter of 2026 as AI-driven hyperscalers and cloud service providers (CSPs) continue to strain supply chains.…

Trump's going to win the election he lost, no matter what he has to do to make that happen. Surrounding himself with a better set of sycophants this time around has really allowed him to gain some ground in his "be the despot you wish to see in the world" efforts.

His top appointees are just as willing to lie, defame, deride, and overstep the long-accepted limitations of their positions as the president himself. Now that Trump has pardoned the people who raided the Capitol on his behalf in January 2021, he's going after everyone and everything that pissed him off about that particular election cycle.

Trump's Revenge Time Machine is taking him and his administration back to Georgia to engage in an unprecedented seizure of voting records, as ABC News reports:

Fulton County, Georgia, officials said Wednesday that the FBI seized original 2020 voting records while serving a search warrant at the county's Elections Hub and Operations Center.

[…]

The search warrant authorized the FBI to search for "All physical ballots from the 2020 General Election," in addition to tabulator tapes from voting machines and 2020 voter rolls, among other documents, according to a copy of the warrant obtained by ABC affiliate WSB. 

The warrant says the material "constitutes evidence of the commission of a criminal offense" and had been "used as the means of committing a criminal offense."  It was signed by Magistrate Judge Catherine Salinas.

It's not surprising that Trump would attempt to extract some sort of penance from Georgia after he failed to convert that state into electoral college votes. The governor of the state, Brian Kemp, did all he could to swing the state back into Trump's favor post-election, including being sued by the DNC for claiming (with zero facts in evidence) that the Democratic party had "hacked" his state's voting machines.

Trump kept this issue alive by bringing Heather Honey — a fellow 2020 election denier from Georgia — into the in-group, appointing her to a high-level position in the DHS where she would [vomits] help oversee future election security efforts.

What is surprising is that any judge would sign this warrant. The allegations range from "threadbare" to "hallucinatory."

Specifically, the warrant listed possible violations of two statutes — one which requires election records to be retained for a certain amount of time, and another which outlines criminal penalties for people, including election officials, who intimidate voters or to knowingly procure false votes or false voter registrations.

Records were seized, which means it's unlikely records were deleted prematurely. And there's been nothing shown to this point that any sort of voter intimidation occurred… at least not on the behalf of the Democratic Party.

This appears to be voter intimidation of a different sort. Last month, the DOJ sued Fulton County (where the raid took place) for access to 2020 election records. This followed attempts to hold Trump accountable for trying to overturn the 2020 election — acts that included Trump asking the Secretary of State to "find" the votes needed to swing the state, as well as its targeting of Fulton County DA Fani Willis, who brought election interference charges against the then-outgoing Trump.

And, for some fucking reason, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard attended the raid to seize these voting records.

Accompanying FBI agents on a raid is unprecedented for the chief of U.S. intelligence, whose job is to track threats from foreign adversaries. In her role overseeing the country's spy agencies, Gabbard is prohibited by law from taking part in domestic law enforcement. Her predecessors took pains to keep their distance from Justice Department cases or partisan politics.

Asked about the rationale for her visit to Georgia, a senior administration official said: "Director Gabbard has a pivotal role in election security and protecting the integrity of our elections against interference, including operations targeting voting systems, databases, and election infrastructure."

Whatever, "senior administration official." This is Gabbard hoping to show up on Trump's radar again, after being sidelined during actual foreign-facing activity, like the kidnapping of Venezuela's president. Perhaps she's tired of seeing Kristi Noem flouncing from photo op to photo op as Barbie-in-Chief of the DHS's invasion of the United States.

I mean…

Two senior officials with knowledge of the matter said Gabbard's presence in Fulton County was unnecessary and was not requested by the Justice Department. 

Yes, it's another performance from the most performative administration in US history. And it will always play well because people who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like. The GOP is a flat circle, or perhaps more accurately, a human centipede.

Breaking up this endless cycle of shit ingestion and shit creation are the side effects of this sort of mutual masturbation: the constant shedding of talent from agencies that already don't have enough of it, thanks to the administration's constant purging of anyone who's not MAGA enough.

The special agent in charge of the FBI's Atlanta field office was forced out this month after questioning the Justice Department's renewed push to probe Fulton County's role in the 2020 election, two people familiar with the matter told MS NOW.

Paul Brown was ousted after expressing concerns about the FBI's investigation into President Donald Trump's longstanding and unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud in the county anchored by Atlanta, and for refusing to carry out the searches and seizures of records tied to the 2020 election, according to the sources, who spoke to MS NOW on condition of anonymity.

Remember all the shit we talked about the USSR and its efforts to rid itself of anyone but party loyalists? Well, we're doing it right here and now, nearly 40 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The GOP says there's nothing wrong with this as long as it's the GOP doing it. The MAGA faithful have no problem with this as long as it's the MAGA front doing it. And the rest of us are expected to live with it, because the opposition party still seems to believe there's a polite, non-confrontational set of options to be deployed. Let's hope they'll realize that's no longer the case long before they have to issue a strongly-worded social media post about objecting to being first against the wall.

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Buying a good budget phone can be a challenge. High-end handsets continue to get more features, but on the other end of the spectrum, there are only so many things you can skimp on before a device becomes too compromised. With the Galaxy A17, Samsung is trying to balance both sides of that equation with something that sports a solid design, a bright screen, decent cameras and respectable battery life for just $200. And despite some flaws, the company has succeeded at making a capable phone that fits into almost every budget.

Design and display

The Galaxy A17 does a good job of demonstrating how all plastics aren't the same. Despite having a polycarbonate frame and back, the phone never feels cheap. Everything from its buttons to its camera module feels nice and tight. The optical image stabilization system used for its rear shooters rattles, though that's something even $1,000 flagships suffer from, so it's not a big deal. Some small concessions for cost savings include a teardrop cutout for its front selfie cam and a small chin beneath its display, but considering its price, they're very forgivable. There's also only a single mono speaker and instead of an in-screen fingerprint sensor, Samsung built one into the power button on its side. Though for some, the latter might actually be a bonus.

The Galaxy A17's 6.7-inch OLED display is one of the phone's best components thanks to solid brightness and a 90Hz refresh rate. Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Meanwhile, one thing the A17 has that you don't get on high-end handsets anymore is a microSD card slot (that's shared with its SIM tray) for expandable storage. This gives you a cheap way to increase the phone's base 128GB of space and considering how rare this is nowadays, it's another win for people looking for a truly affordable device. 

The Galaxy A17's screen is also surprisingly nice for its price, as it sports a 6.7-inch OLED display with up to 800 nits of brightness. Granted, its refresh rate tops out at 90Hz instead of the 120Hz you get on more expensive fare. But once again, considering how much it costs, I'm not complaining. Especially when you remember that base iPhones were still saddled with 60Hz panels as recently as 2024. 

Performance

One area where budget phones often struggle is performance because skimping on RAM or the processor can save manufacturers a lot of money. And while the Galaxy A17 is generally fine considering its price bracket, I really wish Samsung had opted for a slightly newer chip. The phone comes with just 4GB of RAM (though there are slightly pricier versions with more), 128GB of onboard storage and an Exynos 1330 SoC, the latter of which is nearly three years old. 

The Galaxy A17 comes with three rear cameras, but its really more like two because one of those is a 2MP macro cam. Sam Rutherford for Engadget

At first, I was really worried because during the initial setup, the phone was a laggy, stuttery mess. Thankfully, after signing in, giving the phone some time to download updates in the background and making sure all of its apps were up to date, performance improved significantly. To be clear, this thing still isn't a speed demon and when you're multitasking or quickly switching between heavy apps, you may notice some slowdown. I also wish touch input felt a bit more responsive because sometimes when you tap an icon, there's a small delay before anything happens. But thankfully, it's relatively minor, and in most situations, the phone is snappy enough.

Cameras

The A17 comes with a 13-megapixel selfie camera and three rear shooters, though in practice it's really more like two because one of those is a 2MP macro cam, which doesn't get much use unless you take a lot of up-close photos. That said, the phone takes better pictures than you might expect given its price. In well-lit conditions, both its 50MP main and 5MP ultrawide cams don't give you much to complain about. Images look sharp and sport vivid colors. 

However, in low-light situations, there's an obvious difference in quality between the A17 and more expensive midrange phones like Pixel 9a. In a shot of some fruit in my dimly lit kitchen, the A17's pic looks soft and features washed-out colors compared to what Google's phone produced. Then, when I went outside and snapped a photo of a car still buried after the recent snowstorm, textures on the slush in the road, along with various highlights and shadows looked worse in the A17's images. So while the phone can hold its own, camera quality is still one of the biggest reasons you might want to consider upgrading to a more expensive handset.

Battery life The bottom of the Galaxy A17 features the phone's USB-C port and its single, mono speaker. Sam Rutherford for Engadget

For a phone with a 5,000mAh battery and a low-power chip, the Galaxy A17 didn't last quite as long as I expected. On our local video rundown test, it lasted just over 23 hours (23:08), which is decent, but also five hours less than the Pixel 9a (28:04). On the other hand, its wired charging speed of 25 watts is more than enough. Just don't be surprised when you plop it on a wireless charging pad and nothing happens because the phone doesn't support that. 

Wrap-up

If you are hard-capped at $200, the Samsung Galaxy A17 is a surprisingly impressive device. It's got a solid build, decent cameras with a handful of different lenses, respectable battery life and even a built-in microSD card slot for extra storage. You even get six years of OS and security updates, which is significantly longer than almost all of its similarly-priced rivals. And while its performance could be smoother, it's not laggy enough to get truly bothered about on a phone this affordable. 

Even though the Galaxy A17 is made out of plastic, the phone still doesn't feel cheap. Sam Rutherford for Engadget

For those with wiggle room in their gadget allowance, I would seriously consider looking at a version with 8GB of RAM, which is just $30 more. Alternatively, the Pixel 9a remains my favorite Android phone when it comes to value for money and it's $399 (down from its launch price of $499). But if money is tight, the Galaxy A17 delivers everything you need without blowing up your budget.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-a17-5g-review-a-respectable-and-affordable-android-option-190000154.html?src=rss

The ICE-tracking service says it doesn't store usernames or addresses

ICE-reporting service StopICE has blamed a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent for attacking its app and website and sending users text messages warning them that their information had been "sent to the authorities."…