Arms giant BAE Systems has posted record profits for 2025. In short, it'll be yachts and third homes for the elites while the world burns. Yay! The Independent reported:

Europe's biggest defence contractor reported better-than-expected underlying earnings before interest and taxes of £3.32 billion for 2025, up 12% on the previous year, as sales jumped 10% to a record high of £30.66 billion.

Recent global instability means the firm has a massive backlog of orders as nation states scramble to arm themselves:

The aerospace and weapons manufacturer said its order backlog also hit a record £83.6 billion as of the end of December while its order intake stood at £36.8 billion.

The This is Money website was extra jovial about the news:

Analysts at broker AJ Bell also point to conflict in the Middle East and heightened geopolitical tensions for BAE's 'stunning run'.

The shares have trebled since Russian tanks rolled across the Ukrainian border four years ago.

'Stunning run'… okay fellas.

BAE boss Charles Woodburn said:

Our results highlight another year of strong operational and financial performance, thanks to the outstanding dedication of our employees.

In a new era of defence spending, driven by escalating security challenges, we're well positioned to provide both the advanced conventional systems and disruptive technologies needed to protect the nations we serve now and into the future.

He added:

With a record order backlog and continuing investment in our business to enhance agility, efficiency and capacity, we're confident in our ability to keep delivering growth over the coming years.

BAE Systems reported sales to many countries across Europe and beyond. This included kit sold to authoritarian governments like Qatar.

This could even increase over the next year as the UK's Keir Starmer promised to ramp up defence spending. His pledge followed demands by US president Donald Trump that Europe do more.

Stop the War Coalition were having none of it:

This is part of a massive European arms drive aimed at appeasing Trump as he demands Europe pay more for its own defence.

The additional cost comes at a time when we are told to accept cuts to pensions, to wages and to public services, while much of what is spent will go directly into the coffers of US arms manufacturers.

Arms firms thrive in conditions of chaos and war. In fact instability is self-evidently in their interest. And nobody understands this better than they do… It's on the rest of us to defy and challenge the kind of militarist, profit seeking logic which is running rampant in these febrile times.

Featured image via the Canary

By Joe Glenton

Reform UK's Zia Yusuf has just had his arse handed to him on Newsnight. Couldn't have happened to a nicer fella.

The newly named (supposed) Reform Shadow Home Secretary appeared on Newsnight to talk about his new role. But he was met with a sharp interrogation from Victoria Derbyshire about Suella Braverman's announcement that she would "rip up" the Equality Act.

In her speech, Braverman said she would get rid of the "divisive notion of protected characteristics". That "divisive notion", for anyone who needs a reminder, is that you can't be discriminated against because of your sex, pregnancy, race, religion, disability, age, sexuality, gender reassignment, marriage, or belief.

However, Reform hasn't actually been able to answer what would "rip up" and how discrimination would be policed, which is where Yusuf fell foul.

After confusingly saying that millionaires would go to the top of the list (as if they didn't already), Yusuf was stopped by Derbyshire, who pulled him up on who exactly would be affected.

If I may go through the protected characteristics and what you want to get rid of, because that's not clear to me.

So Amnesty say the Equality Act is the legal guarantee that you can't be sacked for being pregnant, you can't be refused housing because of your race and you can't be harassed at work because you are disabled or gay. So how are you going to protect those people?

Yusuf, of course, didn't answer this

We will make sure that there are measures to ensure those things do not happen

He was cut off by Derbyshire asking, "How?" To which he replied that this will be done through legislation, which is what the Equality Act is:

Yusuf: Through legislation that's exactly the sort of thing we will do

Derbyshire: right so you're going to scrap the Equality Act, but you're still going to protect for example pregnant women from being sacked because they're pregnant in a new act?

Yusuf: yes that's exactly what we're going to do

Yusuf attempts to bluster about what "the problem" with the Equality Act is, but Derbyshire cuts him off, asking:

so will it be the same act with a different label?

Yusuf goes on to say that there are

so many parts of the equality act which are so unfit for purpose.

Let's be honest, from Reform's track record, it's probably going to be the parts of the Act that stop you being bastards to trans people and immigrants isn't it?

He does, however, come back to a big Reform talking point, which is that young white working-class boys are the ones really struggling. This is actually something he comes back to many times. Because Reform knows while they may not have the young vote, they do have their grandparents' votes.

Instead, Derbyshire pulled him back to who actually would be affected and brilliantly championed disabled people:

There are 17 million people in this country with disabilities, that's 25% of the population. This act means if you have a disability you've got an equal right to a job, equal access to public transport or really practical stuff like, most people don't even think about this, that doorframes have to be a particular size so that people using a wheelchair can literally get in and out of a building.

Do you not want to protect those people?

You could see the contempt on Yusuf's face as she reads that out, because he and Reform couldn't give a fuck. Instead, it seemed like he found the whole thing tedious.

When pushed, he said:

You can expect those things to be protected

Still, Derbyshire carried on:

So which of the protected characteristics do you not want to protect anymore? Because I'm not clear?

In the end, Derbyshire listed every single protected characteristic, and Yusuf said Reform would protect every single one. But if this is true, what's the fucking point of claiming you want to rip up the Equality Act?

Instead, what he closed with was:

We've got to ask ourselves why white working class boys are doing so badly, and why this act in its current form industrialises discrimination against them

This, by the way, is completely fucking untrue. It's not equality to blame for working-class boys having a lack of opportunity.

Equality didn't close the mines and shipyards without giving working-class communities another way to thrive. It didn't prioritise the privately educated whilst locking poorer kids in low-paid apprenticeships. Equality doesn't give the higher-paid jobs to their useless sons over hardworking, less wealthy young men.

It's clear as day that this is just Reform using working-class people to get votes.

Scrapping the Equality Act isn't about giving everyone an equal chance, it's about point scoring and using working-class boys as cannon fodder - as usual. Zia Yusuf's disastrous appearance on Newsnight showed that.

Featured image via the Canary

By Rachel Charlton-Dailey

Last night, Real Madrid and Benfica went head-to-head in the UEFA league match, before it had to be stopped five minutes into the second half due to allegations of racist abuse. Real Madrid's Vinícius Júnior immediately told the referee about the disgusting racist abuse he'd received from Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni.

Football heavyweights Thierry Henry and Kylian Mbappe have both come to bat for Vinícius Júnior after Benfica attempted to play the incident down.

On social media after the game Prestianni said:

I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard.

I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.

And, Benfica coach Jose Mourinho denied the abuse and has since doubled down in attempts to downplay the incident. However, these denials are directly contradicted by Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe who heard the racist abuse:

Kylian Mbappe explains what he heard from Gianluca Prestianni to Vinicius Jr. pic.twitter.com/w3N1dzD3Yd

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 17, 2026

The Brazilian Federation have also spoken out against the racist abuse:

Hollywood actors Tilda Swinton, Javier Bardem and Brian Cox are among more than 80 leading film industry figures to sign an open letter, titled "We Are Dismayed", condemning the silence of the Berlin Film Festival (Berlinale) on Israel's genocide in Gaza and its censoring of artists who speak out.

The letter comes on the same day as Booker Prize winning author Arundhati Roy announced her withdrawal from the festival over the same issue amidst comments by German director Wim Wenders against artists bringing up Gaza.

Other notable signatories include actors Angeliki Papoulia, Saleh Bakri, Tatiana Maslany, Peter Mullan and Tobias Menzies, and directors Mike Leigh, Lukas Dhont, Nan Goldin, Miguel Gomes, Adam McKay and Avi Mograbi. They say that they "expect the institutions in our industry to refuse complicity" in Israel's slaughter of the Palestinian people.

The 2026 festival is currently underway. Festival head Tricia Tuttle put out a statement in which she backed Wenders:

Artists should not be expected to comment on all broader debates about a festival's previous or current practices over which they have no control.

The signatories of the open letter "fervently disagree" and insist that the "tide is changing across the international film world". They also point out that the Berlinale has commented strongly about earlier "atrocities" in Iran and Ukraine and call for the festival to "fulfil its moral duty" to oppose Israel's genocide and other crimes against the Palestinians. The full text reads:

Open Letter to the Berlinale — Feb. 17, 2026

We write as film workers, all of us past and current Berlinale participants, who expect the institutions in our industry to refuse complicity in the terrible violence that continues to be waged against Palestinians. We are dismayed at the Berlinale's involvement in censoring artists who oppose Israel's ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the German state's key role in enabling it. As the Palestine Film Institute has stated, the festival has been "policing filmmakers alongside a continued commitment to collaborate with Federal Police on their investigations".

Last year, filmmakers who spoke out for Palestinian life and liberty from the Berlinale stage reported being aggressively reprimanded by senior festival programmers. One filmmaker was reported to have been investigated by police, and Berlinale leadership falsely implied that the filmmaker's moving speech - rooted in international law and solidarity - was "discriminatory". As another filmmaker told Film Workers for Palestine about last year's festival: "there was a feeling of paranoia in the air, of not being protected and of being persecuted, which I had never felt before at a film festival". We stand with our colleagues in rejecting this institutional repression and anti-Palestinian racism.

We fervently disagree with the statement made by Berlinale 2026 jury president Wim Wenders that filmmaking is "the opposite of politics". You cannot separate one from the other. We are deeply concerned that the German state-funded Berlinale is helping put into practice what Irene Khan, the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion recently condemned as Germany's misuse of draconian legislation "to restrict advocacy for Palestinian rights, chilling public participation and shrinking discourse in academia and the arts". This is also what Ai Weiwei recently described as Germany "doing what they did in the 1930s" (agreeing with his interviewer who suggested to him that "it's the same fascist impulse, just a different target").

All of this at a time when we are learning horrifying new details about the 2,842 Palestinians "evaporated" by Israeli forces using internationally prohibited, U.S.-made thermal and thermobaric weapons. Despite abundant evidence of Israel's genocidal intent, systematic atrocity crimes and ethnic cleansing, Germany continues to supply Israel with weapons used to exterminate Palestinians in Gaza.

In September 2025, more than 5,000 film workers, including major Hollywood stars, refused to work with industry organisations "implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people".

Featured image via the Canary

By Skwawkbox

Tesla has complied with an order by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and stopped using the term "Autopilot" in its marketing of electric vehicles, having already modified use of "Full Self-Driving" to clarify that it requires driver supervision.…

Werner Racing Fields Two GSX-8R Riders for 2026 Season

Werner Racing is proud to announce that two young riders will be under our canopy for the 2026 road racing season. Jacob Werner (#113) will be riding a Suzuki GSX-8R in his debut season for MotoAmerica. Jacob moved up from ARSA at the end of the 2025 season and will be making his MotoAmerica debut at the upcoming Daytona round in March followed closely by the Mid Ohio, VIR and NJMP rounds. The second rider for the team is also a rising star in the road racing paddock; Oren Bilik (#119) is a 3-time ASRA regional champion as well as the 2025 AMA amateur road racer of the year. Oren will be also riding a GSX-8R and starting the year as an expert racer in ASRA, with plans to move to MotoAmerica early in the season. Both riders will be riding bikes built by Karns Performance.

"I am very excited to start the season testing on my GSX-8R before the first MotoAmerica round at Daytona," says Jacob Werner. The GSX-8R is a great platform that makes going fast easy and the team at Karns Performance did fantastic work building the bikes. Both Oren and myself have been training hard and we are ready to show what we can do."

Oren Bilik says, "I am really grateful for the opportunity from Werner Racing and the rest of my sponsors for giving me an opportunity for the 2026 season. I have yet to ride the bike and am very excited to begin testing soon. I am extremely confident in the team and myself to show our potential amongst some of the fastest the U.S has to offer."

The post ASRA Racers Moving Up To MotoAmerica Twins Cup appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

If you tuned in to China's 2026 CCTV Spring Festival Gala looking for traditional lion dances and nostalgic tunes, you may have done a double-take when what greeted you was a squad of humanoid robots performing kung fu, synchronized moves, and comedy sketches with more precision than most of us manage during family reunions. It […]

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Everyone raves about this series, so I thought I'd grab the first book. It's basically fine, I guess.

It is moderately amusing having the Muderbot be an awkward teenage boy who just wants to watch videos and cringes when people stare at him. But it is a bit one-note. Similarly, evil corporations hiding details from exo-planet surveyors is a trope which has been a thousand times before.

This is a novella, serving to introduce the protagonist and fill us with a little too much exposition. The trouble is that nothing much happens. There's a bit of world building and a light smattering of action - although I found it rather plodding.

Essentially, a lot of telling and not much showing. Rather underwhelming given the hype. I might give one of the many (many!) sequels a go once I reach the end of my reading list.

Lawsuit from health and environmental justice groups challenges the EPA's rollback of the 'endangerment finding'

More than a dozen health and environmental justice non-profits have sued the Environmental Protection Agency over its revocation of the legal determination that underpins US federal climate regulations.

Filed in Washington DC circuit court, the lawsuit challenges the EPA's rollback of the "endangerment finding", which states that the buildup of heat-trapping pollution in the atmosphere endangers public health and welfare and has allowed the EPA to limit those emissions from vehicles, power plants and other industrial sources since 2009. The rollback was widely seen as a major setback to US efforts to combat the climate crisis.

With Trump blocking Venezuelan oil imports and old power plants breaking down, the island - with Chinese help - is turning to solar and wind to bolster its fragile energy system

Intense heat hangs over the sugarcane fields near Cuba's eastern coast. In the village of Herradura, a blond-maned horse rests under a palm tree after spending all Saturday in the fields with its owner, Roberto, who cultivates maize and beans.

Roberto was among those worst affected by Hurricane Melissa, which hit eastern Cuba - the country's poorest region - late last year. The storm affected 3.5 million people, damaging or destroying 90,000 homes and 100,000 hectares of crops.

Phillip Island has lost the battle to retain the Australian round of MotoGP. According to news reports from Australia, the government of South Australia offered MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group, as we must now refer to Dorna, conditions which the government of the Australian state of Victoria was not williing to grant. The race will now move to street circuit in Adelaide, with an announcement set to be made on Thursday, Australian time.

According to statements made to the 9 News channel in Australian by Victorian Sports Minister Steve Dimopoulos, the event could have been kept in the state of Victoria, but only if the Victorian government had met MSEG's demands to move the race to Albert Park, the circuit which hosts the F1 round. "We know we could have kept the event in Victoria, if we'd sold out Phillip Island. We weren't willing to do that," he said.

• Read more about Australian MotoGP Round To Move To Adelaide Street Circuit
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Not to sound too wistful, but these days, it's easy to forget how modest the amaro options in the U.S. once were. Now, most backbars are lined with a wide and rich spectrum of amaro and European liqueurs, but that was not the case when, as a burgeoning drinks writer in the mid-2000s, I first spiraled down the bitter rabbit hole.

Perhaps that's why, when in Italy, my biggest thrill still comes from acquiring "suitcase bottles" of amaro, those deep-cut discoveries that range from limited-run riservas to special-edition releases, distillery gift shop exclusives (like Amaro Lucano Menta), dusty vintage finds, and yet-to-be imported brands.

At Popina, a modern Italian restaurant on the Brooklyn waterfront, owner and general manager James O'Brien shares a similar affinity for suitcase bottles. When visiting wine producers in Italy, he always makes room for a few special bottles, whether it's a rare wine, an amaro that you can't find stateside or a bottle of vintage Chartreuse. O'Brien views it as a way to surprise and delight guests. "The suitcase haul has always been one of my favorite tricks because it feels the most personal," he says. Offering guests pours from hard-to-source bottles "lets them feel like they tagged along on your trip."

The bottles in my amari collection that have made the transatlantic journey home do possess a transportive quality. Often, it was the "hunt" to secure these bottles that makes them special. Now, though, some formerly elusive brands and expressions have become available stateside. Does a suitcase bottle risk losing its allure when it attains dual citizenship?

Among the many only-in-Italy bottles I typically bring home with me, Bràulio Riserva, the annual limited-run release of the iconic alpino-style liqueur, remains my first love. Less filtered and aged in smaller barrels for up to 24 months, it's achieved a bit of a cult-like appeal among amaro heads, and its dated annual releases makes it ideal for vertical flights and tastings. I used to be able to find it for around 22 euros a bottle, though that's since gone up to around 33 euros to 45. 

There were whispers for years that Bràulio Riserva, part of the Gruppo Campari portfolio, would eventually make its way to the U.S., and sure enough, this past holiday season, I finally spied the amaro at my local bottle shop in Brooklyn. But my brief moment of joy was deflated when I saw it was priced at $82. This is in line with the list price of other Italian riserva releases, but the sticker shock made me balk. I left the Bràulio Riserva on the shelf. 

As O'Brien explains, "being considered more rare, riservas can probably afford to be less price-sensitive. But when they're new to the U.S. market they have the opportunity to see where they want to fall: approachable or luxury?" 

Taylor Mason, a fellow suitcase amaro fan, suspects the word "riserva" is being used to justify higher costs in the U.S. Mason is the chef and co-owner of Luca and Pizzeria Luca in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and he curates a small but growing vintage amari selection at his restaurants. He also helps lead food tours throughout Italy. "While advocates like us will always be singing their praises regardless of the cost, inflated pricing is unfortunate and hard to be looked at as anything other than price gouging," he says. Others, like Patrick Miller, founder and co-owner of Brooklyn's Faccia Brutto Spirits, attribute rising costs to tariff surcharges. "There's a point where brands have to look at the rising cost of doing business and say, 'Do we pass this on to the customer or not?'" he says.

For the Bràulio, the bottle does seem to be appealing to at least some stateside shoppers: Brooklyn Wine Exchange in Cobble Hill says that, since the amaro arrived in mid-December, it has sold almost two cases. Much of that, however, can be attributed to the knowledgeable staff hand-selling the product.

Cameo, the platform where celebrities sell short, personalized videos, has scored a preliminary win in a trademark lawsuit against OpenAI. A California judge has ruled that the AI company's video generation tool Sora cannot use the term 'cameo' or any variation likely to cause confusion. A temporary restraining order in the case was originally granted in November of last year.

The suit was first brought in response to a feature available within the Sora app at launch called 'Cameo' that allowed users to add any likeness to videos they generated. Cameo claimed the use of the term in this setting was likely to cause confusion and could dilute their brand. OpenAI then carried on with the feature despite the suit.

U.S. District Judge Eumi Lee ruled on Saturday that Cameo's lawsuit was likely to succeed and granted a preliminary injunction, blocking OpenAI from continuing to use the name. An OpenAI spokesperson responded to the ruling saying, "We disagree with the complaint's assertion that anyone can claim exclusive ownership over the word 'cameo,' and we look forward to continuing to make our case," according to Reuters.

This is just the latest in a string of intellectual property cases against AI companies that have accelerated as video generation capabilities have improved across the board. Rights holders of all kinds from authors and music publishers to major movie studios have taken the likes of OpenAI, Anthropic, Perplexity and others to court, seeking to protect their IP.

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From the record that made him cry while filming Stranger Things, to the surprising location of his Bob Dylan tattoo, actor and musician Jamie Campbell Bower takes Claire Biddles through his life in music

Photo by Zeb Daemen

"We always had such a broad spectrum of music in our house," explains musician and actor Jamie Campbell Bower from his flat in London. "While I was growing up, it spanned from classical music all the way through to Springsteen and The The. I can't remember it for shit, but the first show that I was taken to as a child was Guns N' Roses." His parents both work in the music industry, and he would spend time rooting through their varied collection for...

The post Vecna Guy's Track Record: Jamie Campbell Bower's Favourite Albums appeared first on The Quietus.

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Tesla has stopped using the term "Autopilot" to sell its cars in California, thereby avoiding a 30-day sales and manufacturing ban in the state. If you'll recall, a California administrative law judge ruled in December that the automaker misled consumers by using the terms "Autopilot" and "Full Self-Driving." The judge recommended the suspension, but the California DMV gave Tesla 60 days to remove any untrue and misleading language in its marketing materials. In its announcement, the DMV said Tesla has taken corrective action and has stopped using Autopilot for marketing. Prior to that, the automaker has already clarified that driver supervision is still needed with Full Self-Driving.

The judge was ruling on a complaint the DMV made back in 2022, wherein the agency accused Tesla of making and disseminating misleading statements. It argued that starting in May 2021, Tesla used deceptive marketing materials with the labels "Autopilot" and "Full Self-Driving Capability," as well as claimed that the "system is designed to be able to conduct short and long-distance trips with no action required by the person in the driver's seat." In reality, the vehicles equipped with those features "could not at the time of those advertisements, and cannot now, operate as autonomous vehicles," the DMV said.

A ban in California could have had a huge effect on the company, seeing as the state accounts for nearly a third of its sales in the country. Tesla also recently announced that it will stop the production of its Model S and X cars to turn its Fremont, California factory where they were being manufactured into a space for the production of its Optimus humanoid robots. Tesla has huge plans for Optimus and intends to start selling the robot to the public by the end of 2027.

Sharif Street is something of an anomaly. A Democratic state senator running for Congress, he's angling to replace retiring Rep. Dwight Evans in a deep-blue Philadelphia seat. He's Black, Muslim, and relatively moderate. He would not necessarily be a vocal critic of Israel in the House.

Street is walking a fine line on Israel policy, articulating views that range from moderate to evasive. That has rankled some of Philadelphia's progressive Muslim organizers, but it may well reflect an effort to appease the city's diverse voting blocs. Philadelphia's large Muslim and Jewish populations don't fall neatly on either side of issues related to Israel and Gaza, and Street's supporters and detractors alike argue that they don't want identity politics to overshadow substantive policy debates.

Many Muslim Philadelphians "may like Street personally," said Yusuf Abdul Hameed, a member of the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, "but they're upset because of his lack of courage to really condemn Israel for what clearly was a genocide." Hameed counted himself among those who like Street, but he said he's backing his opponent, Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb, a progressive who has carved out a lane on the left by being openly critical of Israel's genocide in Gaza. 

Their competition now stands to turn Philadelphia into a testing ground, where voters have a chance to signal how much Israel and Palestine still matter to them as the Trump administration's barrage of constant scandals, crackdowns, and excesses dominates the midterms cycle.

Street doesn't have Israel policies on his campaign website. His stance on the issue has largely come to light through public statements he made in his former role as chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party after the October 7, 2023, attacks and over the course of the campaign. His current vagueness has raised questions about whether he would accept campaign funding from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee or other factions of the pro-Israel lobby.

"I recognize that there won't be peace for the state of Israel without peace for the Palestinian people, but there won't be peace for the Palestinian people unless there's peace for the state of Israel at some point," Street told the Philadelphia Inquirer last month.

Related She Lost Her Job for Speaking Out About Gaza. Can It Power Her to Congress?

Street supporter Salima Suswell, an organizer in Philadelphia's Black Muslim community, said Street had been a leader for Muslims in the city and in the district and also spoke out on Gaza. She said Street and other Black Muslim officials can face a greater pressure to choose sides between Israel and Gaza but that she was confident in Street's ability to listen to and act on the needs of residents in the district. 

"That said, the Black Muslim community stands in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Gaza. I fully trust that Senator Street will be a force for good in Congress, and he will fight for our communities both domestically and abroad," she said. 

Home to one of the largest Muslim populations in the country, Philadelphia has a sizable community of Black residents who converted to Islam in the 1960s, during the rise of Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam. The city is also home to many Jewish voters, including younger ones who are more likely to be critical of Israel than the older generation, as well as moderate, pro-Israel Jewish Democrats who make up a large portion of the voting bloc.  

The political complexities of Philadelphia's religious electorate could make things difficult for AIPAC, which has been searching for ways to shape midterm races this cycle without drawing too much negative attention to itself. 

AIPAC has not publicly endorsed in the 3rd Congressional District race. But Street was the beneficiary of a short-lived, secret fundraising page hosted by a little-known pro-Israel group — one that AIPAC has used to direct donors to at least one other candidate this cycle. 

The fundraising page, hosted by the Pro-Israel Network, urged donors to contribute to Street's campaign. The page was live until late last year, when it came to the attention of Philadelphia's progressive circles and suddenly vanished. The Pro-Israel Network is not officially affiliated with AIPAC. But as AIPAC has adopted a quieter role in elections this cycle, the Pro-Israel Network is one of several proxies the more prominent group has used to highlight preferred candidates for its donors. 

Street's campaign said in a statement to The Intercept that they weren't aware of the page until it was brought to their attention and that they didn't seek the group's endorsement or receive any campaign contributions through the page. 

"Sharif is not seeking AIPAC's endorsement, and we weren't aware of the Pro-Israel Network page until folks showed it to us. We didn't coordinate with that group and haven't received any funding from it," Street's campaign spokesperson Anthony Campisi said. 

Beth Miller, the political director for Jewish Voice for Peace Action, said she hopes the Street campaign will keep it that way.

"Pro-genocide groups like AIPAC are directly at odds with what Democratic voters want. The overwhelming majority of Democratic voters have made it clear that they want the U.S. to stop funding Israel's atrocities against Palestinians," Miller said. "No Democratic candidate should be taking a dollar — or any other kind of support — from groups that are so at odds with the party's own base."

According to Ahmet Selim Tekelioglu, the executive director of CAIR-Philadelphia, many in the Philadelphia community view the issue of Israel and Palestine as a window into broader debates, and they see reason to be wary of politicians who waver from moral stances. 

"The Israel-Palestine issue is not only important as a foreign policy matter, but also as an issue that intersects with rights, with freedoms, with how we stand up for oppressed people in our own communities in the U.S.," Tekelioglu said. He said Philadelphians "are now asking for more, and are coming closer to an accountability politics point of view."

As a nonprofit, CAIR-Philadelphia cannot endorse a candidate, but Tekelioglu said he's volunteering for Rabb in his personal capacity. The national political arm, CAIR Action, plans to endorse in the race but has not yet announced its pick.

Hameed, who has been a member of the Nation of Islam since the 1980s, said it would be nice to have a Muslim representative in Congress, but sharing race or religion with a candidate wasn't enough to earn his vote. He criticized attempts to make excuses for Black Democrats who have taken support from AIPAC, like Reps. Hakeem Jeffries and Ritchie Torres of New York and Glenn Ivey of Maryland. 

"These people support Israel, and they're getting money from AIPAC, and they're complicit with genocide," Hameed said. "They would turn on them in a dime."

During a candidate forum in December, Street was asked whether he would support legislation to block arms sales to Israel. He said peace and security relied on getting humanitarian aid into Gaza and rebuilding, but that his allotted response time wasn't enough to answer the question or address such a complicated issue. 

"If we're gonna do this topic justice, talking about peace in the Middle East is not really a one-minute answer," Street said. "Catchy soundbites sound good, but they don't save lives." 

"Talking about peace in the Middle East is not really a one-minute answer."

While several candidates criticized Israel's destruction in Gaza, Rabb was the only one of the five candidates present to state specifically that he would support such legislation. During another forum in January, Rabb was also clear on his stance on the leading pro-Israel lobbying group, saying, "Fuck AIPAC." 

Street and Rabb are running in a crowded field of more than 10 candidates vying to replace Evans in the May 19 primary. Among them are state Rep. Morgan Cephas, Dr. David Oxman, Dr. Ala Stanford, climate adviser under former President Joe Biden Pablo McConnie-Saad, and real estate developer and nonprofit leader Isaiah Martin. Street is leading the pack in fundraising, with more than $700,000 raised so far. Oxman has raised $497,000 — including $175,000 he gave to his own campaign. Stanford has raised $467,000, and Rabb has raised $384,000, ahead of Cephas, who's raised $241,000. 

Muslims United PAC, a national political action committee that has endorsed candidates including Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Summer Lee, endorsed Rabb over Street, mainly because of Rabb's explicit criticism of the genocide in Gaza. The group declined to comment on the race.

In a statement to The Intercept, Rabb said he couldn't speculate on who was backing his opponents but that he would never take money from AIPAC. "I have not nor would I even consider meeting with AIPAC because I view them as a racist, extremist organization," Rabb said. 

"Israel and Gaza — and Palestine, more broadly — deserve the opportunity to engage in peaceful self-determination without U.S. military domination preempting that fundamental right. I support a permanent and immediate ceasefire including release of hostages, recognition that a genocide has occurred in Gaza, and oppose export or use of U.S. weapons in ways that violate U.S. or international law," he said. Rabb is also running on rejecting corporate PAC money, fighting the influence of billionaires in politics, and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Related AIPAC Is Retreating From Endorsements and Election Spending. It Won't Give Up Its Influence.

The Pro-Israel network funding page, a sign that the lobby has its eyes on the race, is a point of contention among critics who say AIPAC shouldn't be getting involved in races at all, let alone one in a district which Democrats are largely to the group's left on policy toward Israel and Gaza. 

"AIPAC is a red line," said Saleem Holbrook, executive director of Philadelphia's Abolitionist Law Center, a public interest law firm that advocates for criminal justice reform that has worked with Street on state reform efforts in Pennsylvania. 

"There's no way that our organization or many progressive organizations are going to back any candidate that takes AIPAC support," Holbrook said. "Because when you look at AIPAC's track record, all AIPAC has done has taken out Black progressive politicians or candidates that had the interest of the Black community in their heart."

Suswell, the Street supporter, agreed that the race should be about policies that support the community, pointing to affordable housing, quality education, and public safety. "This should not be about identity politics," she said. "This is about track record. Senator Street has an impeccable track record in his district and across the Muslim community."

Progressive groups have been slowly endorsing Rabb, and two sources with knowledge of the race said it's only a matter of time before they consolidate behind him. Rabb has been endorsed by Philadelphia's chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, Sunrise Movement's national and Philadelphia chapters, One PA, and Mt. Airy Democrats.

Both Street and Rabb are actively seeking the endorsement from the Working Families Party, which is planning to announce its pick in the next few weeks. So are CAIR Action and A New Policy.

While Street may not have the backing of leading progressive groups in Pennsylvania, he does have good relationships with their members. That dynamic is one reason progressive groups have taken their time to make endorsements in a race pitting their allies against one another, according to one source close to the race.

Street is endorsed by the Philadelphia Democratic Party, the Muslim League of Voters of the Delaware Valley, and several of Philadelphia's powerful labor unions including Philadelphia's powerful Building and Construction Trades Council, which encompasses several local shops. He's also backed by former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal, advocates for gun violence prevention and several prominent leaders for LGBTQ rights.

Street's campaign pointed to his work advancing religious rights for Muslims in the district, helping to expand healthcare for Pennsylvanians, leading the fight to legalize recreational cannabis and reform the criminal justice system, and protect voting rights. "He's going to bring that same drive to Washington, where he will be relentlessly focused on lowering costs, expanding health care access, reforming our criminal justice system, and holding Trump accountable," said Campisi, his spokesperson. 

The post Philadelphia Could Elect Its First Muslim Congressman. He's Not Sure Where He Stands on Israel. appeared first on The Intercept.

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Whether you're lifting, running or squeezing in a quick session between errands, the last thing you want is a cable getting in the way or earbuds that won't stay put. The best wireless headphones make it easier to focus on your workout, but not every pair is built to handle sweat, motion and long sessions.

Fitness-focused headphones put different demands on design and performance. Secure fit, water resistance and dependable battery life matter just as much as sound quality, especially if you plan to use them outside the gym as well. Some are tuned for awareness during outdoor runs, while others aim to block distractions during intense training.

We've tested a wide range of wireless headphones and wireless earbuds that are suited for exercise, narrowing the list down to options that hold up during workouts and still work well for everyday listening. Below, you'll find our top picks, along with guidance to help you choose the right pair for how you train.

When it comes to running and working out, the edge that the AirPods Pro 3 have over the Pro 2, or even the top picks on our list, is built-in heart rate monitoring. That means you could go out with just your Pro 3 earbuds and your iPhone and still get heart rate information for your entire training session. But otherwise, the Pro 3 buds are just as capable as the Pro 2 when it comes to exercise. Some may prefer the soft-touch finish on our top picks to the AirPods' slick texture.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 are a good alternative to the Beats Fit Pro if you're a stickler for a hook design. However, they cost $50 more than the Powerbeats Fit, and the main added advantage here is built-in heart rate sensors.

The Soundcore AeroFit Pro is Anker's version of the Shokz OpenFit, but I found the fit to be less secure and not as comfortable. The actual earbuds on the AeroFit Pro are noticeably bulkier than those on the OpenFit and that caused them to shift and move much more during exercise. They never fell off of my ears completely, but I spent more time adjusting them than I did enjoying them.

The most noteworthy thing about the Endurance Peak 3 is that they have the same IP68 rating as the Jabra Elite 8 Active, except they only cost $100. But, while you get the same protection here, you'll have to sacrifice in other areas. The Endurance Peak 3 didn't blow me away when it came to sound quality or comfort (its hook is more rigid than those on my favorite similarly designed buds) and their charging case is massive compared to most competitors.

Before diving in, it's worth mentioning that this guide focuses on wireless earbuds. While you could wear over-ear or on-ear headphones during a workout, most of the best headphones available now do not have the same level of durability. Water and dust resistance, particularly the former, is important for any audio gear you plan on sweating with or taking outdoors, and that's more prevalent in the wireless earbuds world.

Most earbuds have one of three designs: in-ear, in-ear with hook or open-ear. The first two are the most popular. In-ears are arguably the most common, while those with hooks promise better security and fit since they have an appendage that curls around the top of your ear. Open-ear designs don't stick into your ear canal, but rather sit just outside of it. This makes it easier to hear the world around you while also listening to audio, and could be more comfortable for those who don't like the intrusiveness of in-ear buds.

Even if a pair of headphones for working out aren't marketed specifically as exercise headphones, a sturdy, water-resistant design will, by default, make them suitable for exercise. To avoid repetition, here's a quick primer on durability, or ingression protection (IP) ratings. The first digit you'll see after the "IP" refers to protection from dust and other potential intrusions, measured on a scale from 1 to 6. The second refers to water resistance or even waterproofing, in the best cases. The ratings for water resistance are ranked on a scale of 1 to 9; higher numbers mean more protection, while the letter "X" means the device is not rated for protection in that regard.

All of the earbuds we tested for this guide have at least an IPX4 rating, which means there's no dust protection, but the buds can withstand splashes from any direction and are sweat resistant, but probably shouldn't be submerged. For a detailed breakdown of all the possible permutations, check out this guide published by a supplier called The Enclosure Company.

Active noise cancellation (ANC) is becoming standard on wireless earbuds, at least those above a certain price point. If you're looking for a pair of buds that can be your workout companion and serve you outside of the gym, too, noise cancelation is a good feature to have. It makes the buds more versatile, allowing you to block out the dull roar of your home or office so you can focus, or give you some solitude during a busy commute.

But an earbud's ability to block out the world goes hand-in-hand with its ability to open things back up should you need it. Many ANC earbuds also support some sort of "transparency mode," or various levels of noise reduction. This is important for running headphones because exercising outdoors, alongside busy streets, can be dangerous. You probably don't want to be totally oblivious to what's going on around you when you're running outside; adjusting noise cancelation levels to increase your awareness will help with that. Stronger noise cancelation might be more appealing to those doing more indoor training if they want to block out the dull roar of a gym or the guy exaggeratingly lifting weights next to you.

All of the Bluetooth earbuds we tested have a battery life of six to eight hours. In general, that's what you can expect from this space, with a few outliers that can get up to 15 hours of life on a charge. Even the low end of the spectrum should be good enough for most athletes and gym junkies, but it'll be handy to keep the buds' charging case on you if you think you'll get close to using up all their juice during a single session.

You'll get an average of 20 to 28 extra hours of battery out of most charging cases and all of the earbuds we tested had holders that provided at least an extra 15 hours. This will dictate how often you actually have to charge the device — as in physically connect the case with earbuds inside to a charging cable, or set it on a wireless charger to power up.

In testing wireless workout headphones, I wear them during every bit of exercise I do — be it a casual walk around the block, a brisk morning run or a challenging weight-lifting session. I'm looking for comfort arguably most of all, because you should never be fussing with your earbuds when you should be focusing on working out. In the same vein, I'm cognizant of if they get loose during fast movements or slippery when I'm sweating. I also use the earbuds when not exercising to take calls and listen to music throughout the day. Many people will want just one pair of earbuds that they can use while exercising and just doing everyday things, so I evaluate each pair on their ability to be comfortable and provide a good listening experience in multiple different activities.

While I am also evaluating sound quality, I'm admittedly not an audio expert. My colleague Billy Steele holds that title at Engadget, and you'll find much more detailed information about audio quality for some of our top picks in his reviews and buying guides. With these headphones for working out, however, I will make note of related issues if they stood out (i.e. if a pair of earbuds had noticeably strong bass out of the box, weak highs, etc). Most of the wireless workout headphones we tested work with companion apps that have adjustable EQ settings, so you'll be able to tweak sound profiles to your liking in most cases.

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