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Judge Boasberg got his vindication in the frivolous "complaint" the DOJ filed against him, and now he's calling out the DOJ's bullshit in the long-running case that caused them to file the complaint against him in the first place: the JGG v. Trump case regarding the group of Venezuelans the US government shipped off to CECOT, the notorious Salvadoran concentration camp.

Boasberg, who until last year was generally seen as a fairly generic "law and order" type judge who was extremely deferential to any "national security" claims from the DOJ (John Roberts had him lead the FISA Court, for goodness' sake!), has clearly had enough of this DOJ and the games they've been playing in his court.

In a short but quite incredible ruling, he calls out the DOJ for deciding to effectively ignore the case while telling the court to "pound sand."

On December 22, 2025, this Court issued a Memorandum Opinion finding that the Government had denied due process to a class of Venezuelans it deported to El Salvador last March in defiance of this Court's Order. See J.G.G. v. Trump, 2025 WL 3706685, at *19 (D.D.C. Dec. 22, 2025). The Court offered the Government the opportunity to propose steps that would facilitate hearings for the class members on their habeas corpus claims so that they could "challenge their designations under the [Alien Enemies Act] and the validity of the [President's] Proclamation." Id. Apparently not interested in participating in this process, the Government's responses essentially told the Court to pound sand.

From a former FISC judge—someone who spent years giving national security claims every benefit of the doubt—"pound sand" is practically a primal scream.

Due to this, he orders the government to work to "facilitate the return" of these people it illegally shipped to a foreign concentration camp (that is, assuming any of them actually want to come back).

Believing that other courses would be both more productive and in line with the Supreme Court's requirements outlined in Noem v. Abrego Garcia, 145 S. Ct. 1017 (2025), the Court will now order the Government to facilitate the return from third countries of those Plaintiffs who so desire. It will also permit other Plaintiffs to file their habeas supplements from abroad.

Boasberg references the Donald Trump-led invasion of Venezuela and the unsettled situation there for many of the plaintiffs. He points out that the lawyers for the plaintiffs have been thoughtful and cautious in how they approach this case. That is in contrast to the US government.

Plaintiffs' prudent approach has not been replicated by their Government counterparts. Although the Supreme Court in Abrego Garcia upheld Judge Paula Xinis's order directing the Government "to facilitate and effectuate the return of" that deportee, see 145 S. Ct. at 1018, Defendants at every turn have objected to Plaintiffs' legitimate proposals without offering a single option for remedying the injury that they inflicted upon the deportees or fulfilling their duty as articulated by the Supreme Court.

Boasberg points to the Supreme Court's ruling regarding Kilmar Abrego Garcia, saying that it's ridiculous that the DOJ is pretending that case doesn't exist or doesn't say what it says. Then he points out that the DOJ keeps "flagrantly" disobeying courts.

Against this backdrop, and mindful of the flagrancy of the Government's violations of the deportees' due-process rights that landed Plaintiffs in this situation, the Court refuses to let them languish in the solution-less mire Defendants propose. The Court will thus order Defendants to take several discrete actions that will begin the remedial process for at least some Plaintiffs, as the Supreme Court has required in similar circumstances. It does so while treading lightly, as it must, in the area of foreign affairs. See Abrego Garcia, 145 S. Ct. at 1018 (recognizing "deference owed to the Executive Branch in the conduct of foreign affairs")

Even given all this, the specific remedy is not one that many of the plaintiffs are likely to accept: he orders that the US government facilitate the return of any of those who want it among those… not in Venezuela. But, since most of them were eventually released from CECOT into Venezuela, that may mean that this ruling doesn't really apply to many men. On top of that Boasberg points out that anyone who does qualify and takes up the offer will likely be detained by immigration officials upon getting here. But, if they want, the US government has to pay for their plane flights back to the US. And, in theory, the plaintiffs should then be given the due process they were denied last year.

Plaintiffs also request that such boarding letter include Government payment of the cost of the air travel. Given that the Court has already found that their removal was unlawful — as opposed to the situation contemplated by the cited Directive, which notes that "[f]acilitating an alien's return does not necessarily include funding the alien's travel," Directive 11061.1, ¶ 3.1 (emphasis added) — the Court deems that a reasonable request. It is unclear why Plaintiffs should bear the financial cost of their return in such an instance. See Ms. L. v. U.S. Immig. & Customs Enf't ("ICE"), 2026 WL 313340, at *4 (S.D. Cal. Feb. 5, 2026) (requiring Government to "bear the expense of returning these family units to the United States" given that "[e]ach of the removals was unlawful, and absent the removals, these families would still be in the United States"). It is worth emphasizing that this situation would never have arisen had the Government simply afforded Plaintiffs their constitutional rights before initially deporting them.

I'm guessing not many are eager to re-enter the US and face deportation again. Of course, many of these people left Venezuela for the US in the first place for a reason, so perhaps some will take their chances on coming back. Even against a very vindictive US government.

The frustrating coda here is the lack of any real consequences for DOJ officials who treated this entire proceeding as a joke—declining to seriously participate and essentially daring the court to do something about it. Boasberg could have ordered sanctions. He didn't. And that's probably fine with this DOJ, which has learned that contempt for the courts carries no real cost.

Unfortunately, that may be the real story here. Judge gets fed up, once again, with a DOJ that thumbs its nose at the court, says extraordinary things in a ruling that calls out the DOJ's behavior… but does little that will lead to actual accountability for those involved, beyond having them "lose" the case. We've seen a lot of this, and it's only going to continue until judges figure out how to impose real consequences for DOJ lawyers for treating the court with literal contempt.

BYD recently entered a partnership with the Manchester City soccer (or football) club. This is one of the top teams in the Premier League. The partnership includes supplying BYD and DENZA vehicles, along with ESS batteries. In the heavily tribal world of soccer, this will likely gain some sales from ... [continued]

The post Could BYD's Manchester City Partnership Indicate A Scandinavian Sales Offensive? appeared first on CleanTechnica.

When I was in elementary school, my classmates and I learned how New England mill owners sited their factories near mighty rivers. We know now those factories dumped their waste directly into public waters without any consideration to the pollution and damage they were causing. Sulfite and phosphorus. Sulfuric acid, ... [continued]

The post Blue Origin Wants To Pollute A Pristine Florida Waterway — Just Say No appeared first on CleanTechnica.

The Florida legislature is considering bills that will ban local climate mitigation strategies it says are too costly.

The post Florida Legislation Would Ban Local Climate Policies appeared first on CleanTechnica.

New York, NY (February 13, 2026) - Following North America's only MotoGP Round at Circuit of the Americas, Aprilia returns to Austin to host Aprilia Racers Days at COTA, taking place Monday, March 30th, and Tuesday, March 31st, 2026 - delivering an unmatched post-race riding experience at one of the most iconic circuits in the world.

Watch your heroes race on Sunday, then join them on track Monday!

Monday, March 30th will be an exclusive VIP experience, featuring invited guests, special access, and the presence of Aprilia MotoGP riders and members of Aprilia Racing and Trackhouse MotoGP Team. This intimate day is designed to bring participants closer than ever to the passion, performance, and people behind Aprilia's racing DNA.

Set within the MotoGP race garages, Aprilia Racers Days at COTA offers a truly unheard-of environment. Rider groups are limited to just 45 participants, maximizing track time, exclusivity, and the adrenaline that comes from riding the Circuit of the Americas immediately following MotoGP race weekend. As always, each ticket includes complimentary professional photography and lunch, along with the opportunity to ride select models from the 2026 Aprilia lineup on track. This is more than a track day - it's a rare opportunity to ride, connect, and experience Aprilia in its element.

Event Details - VIP Experience (Monday, 3/30)

● Price: $1,500

● Aprilia Racing Team in Attendance

● VIP Guests

● On-Site Coaching

● Communal Garages (first come, first served)

● 1 Demo Ride Per Guest

● Complimentary Lunch

● Complimentary Photography

● Aprilia Gift Bag Including Commemorative T-Shirt

Event Details - Standard ARD Ticket (Tuesday, 3/31)

● Price: $850

● Communal Garages

● 1 Demo Ride Per Guest

● Complimentary Lunch

● Complimentary Photography

More Than Just a Ride - An Unmatched Experience

Aprilia Racers Days is about more than just riding - it's about precision, passion, and performance. With expert coaching, professional photography, and direct support from Aprilia-trained technicians and brand representatives, every rider gets an immersive and tailored experience. Enthusiasts can ride the full Aprilia street lineup, including the RSV4, Tuono V4, RS 660, Tuono 660, and RS 457 or bring their own motorcycles for additional track time in skill-based riding groups.

Sign Up for the Aprilia Racers Days Experience.

Aprilia Racers Days at Circuit of the Americas 2026 is an unmissable event for riders looking to elevate their skills and experience the thrill of Aprilia's high-performance motorcycles. Spaces are limited, so secure your spot today!

For registration and more details, visit: https://aprilia.ticketspice.com/cota-2026

For any additional questions, please contact marketing@us.piaggio.com.

Aprilia Racers Days events will be supported directly by Aprilia trained technicians and product specialists, as well as partners Pirelli, Dainese and AGV to offer the best on track experience with expert advice, performance and protection. The cost of participation in the events will not only qualify for an incredible track day experience with your existing motorcycle, but also include a VIP Aprilia Racers Days package, with ability to demo a new Aprilia for one of the track day sessions, equipped with Pirelli performance tires. Additionally, activities will include coaching, event photography, and an included lunch.

The post Aprilia Racers Days Returns to COTA for Two-Day Event appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

Climate campaign group Fossil Free London has held a Valentine's Day themed protest in St. Dunstan's in the East churchyard. The stunt comes ahead of the UK government's decision on whether to approve or reject the Rosebank oil field.

Campaigners stood in couples - wearing suits and pastel frilly dresses - holding up oversized love heart sweet placards that read: 'Save Me', 'Hot Earth' and 'Stop Rosebank'.

Rishi Sunak's Conservative government originally approved the oil field in 2023. But the Scottish courts overturned this decision in January 2025. The ruling demanded that Rosebank's primary owner, Norwegian state oil giant Equinor, provide a more detailed assessment of the project's full climate impacts.

Burning Rosebank's total estimated oil and gas reserves would emit more carbon dioxide than the world's 28 lowest-income countries combined release annually.

Equinor would sell the vast majority of Rosebank's oil on the international market for export. It would neither lower energy bills nor increase energy security in the UK. Meanwhile, UK public money would pick up the bill for most of its development costs.

Ahead of Equinor's profits announcement at the start of February, Fossil Free London staged a protest over its role in Rosebank.

Most of Rosebank's profits would flow into Norway's substantial sovereign wealth fund. This potential megapolluter could also send profits of over £200m to the Delek Group. Delek is an Israeli fuel conglomerate that the UN has flagged for human rights violations in Palestine.

Robin Wells, Director of Fossil Free London, said:

This Valentine's Day the U.K. government will be deciding whether Rosebank is hot…or not. But we know that Rosebank will be too hot to handle…Labour, save us from all new oil projects, because Rosebank will kill millions!

Featured image via Fossil Free London

By The Canary

The US armada president Donald Trump spent months assembling in the Caribbean will return to the Middle East. The news comes after reports that Venezuela had shipped oil to Israel for the first time in nearly two decades.

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford arrived in the Caribbean in November 2025. The Ford and her fleet were one facet of a massive military build-up. The US also rebuilt regional bases and carried out drone strikes on alleged 'narco-terrorist' boats.

It was all about drugs, the US administration had claimed. That argument has fallen apart since the US kidnapped the country's president Nicolas Maduro on 3 January. Nearly every reference to the drug cartel Maduro supposedly ran was from dropped from the US indictment.

The New York Times said on 13 February:

The Ford strike group's new orders will have it joining the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group in the Persian Gulf as part of President Trump's resurgent pressure campaign against Iran's leaders.

They added:

Mr. Trump had indicated earlier this week that he wanted to send a second carrier to the region, but neither he nor the Navy had identified the vessel.

It appears the US has achieved its immediate military aims in Venezuela.

Maduro's successor Delcy Rodriguez - who seems more at ease with US empire - has been in charge since Maduro was snatched. Though Venezuelan officials said the reports of oil shipments to Israel were "fake".

But Bloomberg reported on 10 Feb:

The oil is being transported to Bazan Group, the Mediterranean country's top crude processor, people with knowledge of the deal said, asking not to be identified because the information isn't public.

But details are still hazy and those involved are staying tight lipped:

Bazan, also known as Oil Refineries Ltd, declined to comment. Israel's energy ministry declined to comment on where the country gets its crude from.

The US carrier group's Caribbean mission seems to be done - for now. With a more amenable leader in place in Venezuela, the warships are being sent back to the the Gulf region to deal with Iran. The Ford will join the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier fleet in the area.

As the Canary argued on 29 January, a strike on Iran is far more complicated than the attack on Venezuela. The fact remains, however, that while the US is an empire in decline it still has a long reach. And it still has a president willing to threatened, cajole, and kill to meet his ever-changing imperial whims.

Featured image via the Canary

By Joe Glenton

The image encapsulates two years of heavy waiting in Gaza. Two years in which the story remained suspended between loss and hope, between unanswered questions and a small hope that the absent ones would return to be buried as befits human beings. Only today was the final scene completed: a funeral prayer that was two years late.

In the front row stands the father, Fadi Al-Baba. Those who know him do not need to ask him how he feels. His eyes say it all. In front of him is the white shroud, inside which lie his wife and four children who came to him after a long wait. Four siblings, who were a promise of a life that would make up for years of patience, turned into a memory buried by Israel's genocide under its rubble, before the earth returned them in a small white bag.

The loss was not a fleeting moment. It was an extended period of time. From the day of their martyrdom until the day of their burial, the father lived on the edge of absence; no proper farewell, no grave to visit. Today, as he raises his hands in funeral prayer, it seems as if that first moment is returning with all its weight. As if two years have shrunk into a single tear.

The white shroud in the photo is not just a piece of cloth. It is the final resting place for five souls. It's a witness to a family story whose first chapter was never completed. It is a summary of questions bigger than a photo: How can such a long wait end in silence? How can a father say goodbye to his children together, after dreaming of them together?

The stories of Gaza never end, because they are never told in full. Every photograph opens the door to a postponed story, and every delayed funeral reveals a period of pain that remains unwitnessed. In this photograph, we see only a white shroud and a grieving father, but behind them lies a history of longing, deprivation and waiting.

The scene ends with a final burial, but it does not end the story.

Some losses are not buried, but remain alive in the memory of a father who, whenever he sees four children together, will remember that he had four… who returned to him in a single shroud.

Featured image via the Canary

By Alaa Shamali

Writer Joseph Tucker is working on a drama about Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party. The script will draw on Alex Nunns' book The Candidate and Paul Holden's recent release, The Fraud. To round out his research, he's appealing for additional eye witnesses.

Under the working title A Very British Sabotage, the drama promises to lay bare:

the subversion of UK democracy by vandal elements within the Labour Party. They prioritised sabotage over winning an election and governing the UK at a critical point.

Both Nunns and Holden wrote about how Corbyn and his team faced huge opposition from within their own party. Holden, writing more recently, was able to show how Keir Starmer succeeded Corbyn with the grubby help of Morgan McSweeney.

Clearly the stage is set for all manner of duplicity, intrigue and back-stabbing.

Tucker has already undertaken a great deal of research but he'd still like to obtain more contextual information. To this end he's put out an appeal for eye-witness accounts from anyone who was in the thick of it.

I am producing a drama exploring Jeremy Corbyn's tenure as leader of the Labour Party, based on two books, The Candidate (Alex Nunns) and The Fraud (Paul Holden).

As part of my research I wish to speak confidentially with people who worked in Labour Party HQ (Southside) 2015-19. Accounts will inform dramatic reconstruction and institutional context. Identities will be handled with care. Anonymity and attribution will always be discussed and agreed in advance. All information shared will be subject to verification and corroboration.

Are you former:

• Political communications staff?
• Policy or governance staff?
• Junior employees with lived experience of internal culture?

A formal legal framework is in place to protect sources and the materials shared during this process. Material provided will not be published as standalone news reporting.

If this sounds like you, please email: Southside@MaximumVolume.com

Production on A Very British Sabotage should be beginning soon. So if you've got a story to share, please get in touch pronto. Otherwise, keep an eye out for further updates as the project moves towards release.

Featured image via the Canary

By The Canary

Several UK companies may be breaking the law over their exclusive use of the Nimbus Disability Access Card.

Had it confirmed by someone who knows the Equality Act that venues who only accept the Nimbus card are breaching the act.

A blue badge, PIP/DLA letter, letter from a GP/Consultant or any other form of proof should not be refused under the act.

— Disability Rebellion (@DRDisabilityReb) February 11, 2026

Under the Equality Act [2010, s.20], organisations must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people to ensure they are not at a "substantial disadvantage".

The law requires organisations to do this, regardless of whether a disabled person has paid for an access card or other third-party subscription.

However, some UK organisations are now only accepting Nimbus Access Cards as proof of disability, including Legoland Windsor, Alton Towers, and Thorpe Park. 

Basically, everything that Merlin Entertainment UK owns is now only accessible to disabled people who pay for an Access Card. There's no surprise that the same company that mistreats penguins is also mistreating disabled people.

Also on the list are Wembley Stadium, Download Festival, York Barbican, York Maze, and MCM Comic Con. And they're just the ones we've found in an hour.

Of course, this is already causing problems for both disabled people and their carers.

After 20 years as a carer to a severely disabled young person, I'm now facing barriers I've never faced before. Everywhere I go, the answer is "Nimbus."

No card? No carer entry. No PIP. No Blue Badge. No Carer's Allowance accepted.

That's gatekeeping & it's deeply worrying.

Robert F Kennedy Jr just told equally off-the-wall podcast mullet Theo Von he used to snort cocaine off toilet seats. Which is, uh, fine. But the conspiracist buffoon RFK, who thinks tap water turns kids gay — or something like that, I've lost track — was actually using this example to tell us something TRULY WEIRD. 

RFK, as he is known, was actually justifying his inane anti-intellectualism by saying he does not fear germs BECAUSE he used to snort cocaine of a toilet seats.

Reminder: this guy is in charge of what passes for healthcare in America.

Dear Lord…

Kennedy was talking about addiction. Both he and Theo Von openly talk about addiction. And addiction is not a joke. Yet somehow they managed to make a mockery of the topic:

I'm not scared of a germ… I used to snort cocaine off of toilet seats.

Adding:

I know this disease will kill me.

They were complaining that Covid-19 meant they couldn't attend their addiction meetings. Kennedy told Von:

Like, if I don't, if I don't treat it, which means for me going to meetings every day. It's just bad for my life.

And in some level they have a point. Covid hit all kinds of people very hard: people with addiction issues, kids, older people, mentally ill people, women locked into abusive relationships and so on.

But the messenger matters.

RFK is known for making wild claims about medicine — something he appears to known (somehow) less than nothing about. Forbes did a useful list of some of his most colourful fantasies. These include that old classic that vaccines cause autism. He said the US government:

knowingly allowed the pharmaceutical industry to poison an entire generation of American children.

Okay, toilet boy.

RFK once said Bill Gates exaggerated Covid to push vaccines as part of what he called:

a historic coup d'état against Western democracy.

Hmm…

He also claimed Covid targeted people ethnically:

COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people.

And that:

the people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.

Nice eugenics there, big man.

Kennedy also suggested AIDS does not cause HIV. That 5G gives you cancer. And that raw milk — knew it was in here somewhere — is fine. Also that fluoride:

is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease.

IQ loss, hey. Are you sure it was just cocaine on the toilet seat, mate? He also thinks that mass shooting are caused by anti-depressants.

Looking at the state of Trump's cabinet picks, we probably shouldn't be surprised this lad made the cut. Yet somehow even with all we know about US politics generally — and especially US politics under Trump — RFK still manages to come out with something so completely off-piste than you have to just stop and take it in.

Featured image via YouTube/the Canary

By Joe Glenton

Two Israel lobby groups have reacted with horror to the High Court's decision today, Friday 13 February, to unban Palestine Action, a group that specialises in sabotaging Israeli weapons factories.

What a shock.

A panel of High Court judges have today declared the Starmer regime's 'terrorist' ban on Palestine Action to be unlawful and a breach of UK human rights. The so-called 'Jewish Leadership Council' (JLC) and the 'Board of Deputies' (BOD) have expressed their dismay.

Unsurprisingly, it was expressed in the most weaselly way possible. T

he groups start by claiming to respect the need for judicial oversight, lie that Palestine Action attacked "Jewish communal life" and turn the whole thing into - you've guessed it - an attack on the decision of the judicial oversight:

We recognise the vital importance of judicial oversight in matters of national security and civil liberties. However, the practical impact of Palestine Action's activities on Jewish communal life has been significant and deeply unsettling.

On top of everything else, this antisemitic statement doesn't explain how a group that only targets weapons factories and other support for Israel's genocide and war crimes is supposedly impacting "Jewish communal life".

And if this wording sounds a bit familiar, it's probably because it basically recycles the BOD's statement and logical gymnastics of just over a week ago - 4 February 2026 - when a jury acquitted six Palestine Action activists who were viciously attacked by security guards as they tried to disable an Israeli murder-drone factory in Bristol.

"While it is important to respect the integrity of the judicial process", the BOD said, it clearly didn't think it important enough to actually apply to the jury's decision:

We are concerned by the troubling verdicts acquitting members of Palestine Action, an organisation that has been proscribed as a terrorist group, and whose activities have included targeting businesses linked to the Jewish community in London and Manchester.

Hmmm. And while both the BOD and JLC present themselves as "Jewish" and "communal", the situation is not as clean as they paint it. The BOD has managed to remain a charity (though also a limited company), even though its core purpose is explicitly political - and explicitly to promote the interests of a particular foreign power.

The BOD's constitution states that it exists to do everything it can to advance Israel's "standing":

Take such appropriate action as lies within its power to advance Israel's security, welfare and standing.

The 'mission statement' of the JLC, another limited company rather than actually a 'council', says that its job is to make the UK 'Jewish community' is engaged with Israel". JLC played a role in a 2025 smear campaign against then-new education union leader Matt Wrack, a vocal critic of Israel. It was also heavily involved in the efforts of Morgan McSweeney's so-called 'Labour Together' to destroy the Canary.

Both are prominent players in the UK Israel lobby that has boasted of its role in banning Palestine Action. As has been demonstrated, they were already trying to undo the decision of a British jury to suit Israel's interests. Not quite such a shock, then, that they are now clutching pearls over yet another court setback.

Featured image via the Canary

By Skwawkbox

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been forced to admit that a large number of privately contracted benefit assessors have not received safeguarding training.

This puts vulnerable disabled claimants at risk of harm whilst navigating the cruel benefits system, which has already claimed so many lives.

In May 2025, a report from the Work and Pensions Committee on safeguarding vulnerable adults called for a new independent organisation to be set up. The body would bring to light the number of claimants who had been put at risk by the DWP.

At the time, chair of the committee Debbie Abrahams said

Deep-rooted cultural change of the DWP is desperately needed to rebuild trust and put safeguarding at the heart of policy development.

Then in December 2025, in a written statement, DWP chief Pat McFadden gave an update to the House of Commons. He said he wished to "reaffirm" his department's commitment to safeguarding and their responsibility to protect claimants.

In his statement McFadden said:

Our immediate priority is to make safeguarding everyone's business, with clear steps to recognise, respond to, and report concerns.

Mcfadden pledged that all clinical roles will have mandatory Level 3 safeguarding training. He said:

Safeguarding must be a system-wide endeavour. It requires transparency, accountability, and collaboration across Government and with partners.

However, as the WPC heard this week, that is not the case. Employment Minister, Diana Johnson, was giving evidence on the state of employment support for disabled people when she shared an update on safeguarding vulnerable claimants.

As is typical with this Labour government she started by blaming the Tories, as if Labour haven't been in power for a year and a half. In which time they've either done fuck all or made disabled people's lives worse with their policies.

Johnson said she was shocked that the last lot:

Didn't think that safeguarding was an issue that they needed to be concerned about

Which is all well and good but your lot haven't done much better Diana, despite you claiming that "things have moved on considerably"

As proof of this she shared that while all of the DWP's own clinical staff get mandatory Level 3 training, only 1 in 5 of contracted staff get the same level.

This means staff employed by Maximus, Capita, Serco, and Ingeus who inflict cruel benefit assessments on disabled people aren't trained in recognising harms or risks to life. These companies carry out hundreds of thousands of PIP and WCA assessments every year.

She blamed this huge oversight on the fact that there's such a high turnover rate of staff, meaning there's not enough time for training.

She said:

In terms of our contractors that we use in the DWP, we hover around 80 per cent in terms of the training at level three because of the churn and the turnover of those individuals

In January, the DWP published a report from 2022 which showed that 52% of new benefits assessors didn't make it through their first year. Assessors reported feeling "despised" and like "cogs in machines". So it's no wonder there's such a high staff turn over.

One of the respondents from the survey reported "working herself to death", as she had no choice but to work from 5am to 10pm. This will only be ramped up by the DWP's desperate attempts to massage the numbers of the PIP reassessment backlog.

As the Canary previously reported, the department diverted staff from dealing with new claims to get the backlog down. While the DWP got to brag that it carried out 96% more reviews in quarter 3 of 2024, 40,000 new claimants were kept waiting. As a recent report found, delays to PIP are endangering people's lives and costing the DWP too.

It's absolutely unacceptable that the people who are supposed to determine whether disabled people get the support they need are not trained to protect vulnerable people. In a department that is responsible for so many deaths, this seems like a deliberate, violent act. But it's just another in a long line for the DWP.

It's also getting beyond fucking old that the now Labour led DWP are still blaming the Tories. Not only have they been in power for a year and a half, but in that short time they've planned cuts and policies which are even more dangerous to disabled people.

You don't get to act like our saviours whilst you're building the gallows yourself.

Featured image via the Canary

By Rachel Charlton-Dailey

Donald Trump has launched an attack on the very foundation of US climate regulation. And it could represent his biggest assault yet, leading to both higher greenhouse gas emissions and an increase in health risks for ordinary people. In the UK, meanwhile, Reform continues to mimic Trump's anti-climate agenda.

Both Trump's regime and its critics have noted the scale of this move, calling it either the "largest deregulation" ever in US history or:

the most significant rollback on climate change yet

As the BBC reports, Trump has revoked a key:

scientific ruling that underpins all federal actions on curbing planet-warming gases.

The "endangerment finding" of 2009 ruled that numerous greenhouse gases are "a threat to public health". And this conclusion turned into:

the legal bedrock of federal efforts to rein in emissions, especially in vehicles.

According to the Environmental Defense Fund's Peter Zalzal, Trump's move could cost ordinary people more in:

additional fuel costs to power these less efficient and higher polluting vehicles

It could also:

result in up to 58,000 additional premature deaths, 37 million more asthma attacks

The winners, of course, would be billionaire polluters. And they're celebrating twice as hard, because Trump is also increasing funding for coal facilities and pushing the US military into deals with power plants using coal. Coal stocks are predictably doing well as a result.

"Trump's EPA repeals science" sums it up. pic.twitter.com/elI4YYIQVc

— Jeff (@jepaco) February 13, 2026

Today, the US @EPA rescinded its 2009 endangerment finding: a drastic move even in the context of the Trump administration's larger deregulatory and anti-climate agenda.

This move poses a particular threat to reproductive rights. Read more: https://t.co/CckiPuttHC

— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) February 12, 2026

Reform UK, meanwhile, is busy mimicking Trump. And it would do that, because it's firmly in the pockets of the billionaire polluters mentioned above. Currently, Reform's anti-climate agenda is focusing on scamming people into thinking reducing greenhouse gas emissions is bad.

The party hasn't just been pushing climate-change denialism and dangerous industries like fracking. It's also been repeating over and over again its attacks on the global effort to limit carbon emissions ('Net Zero'):

Ed Miliband and Vladimir Putin are the same, in terms of your electricity bill

Superb by @KathrynPorter26

Net Stupid Zero is driving bills UP

Not down

We have been conned and misled

https://t.co/IENYf5oDrS

— Richard Tice MP

The Wall Street Journal reports staff beratings, polygraph tests, showboat raids, and a Coast Guard pilot allegedly fired because someone didn't pack the secretary's favorite blanket.

The Department of Homeland Security under Noem and Lewandowski is apparently run like a YouTube influencer's channel. — Read the rest

The post Noem and Lewandowski turned Homeland Security into a reality show with poor trigger discipline appeared first on Boing Boing.

I have been worried about zoonotic disease since COVID19 and I know - duh, we all have - but before the pandemic I never gave it much thought. Now its easily in my top 5 concerns. This article talks about the growing population zones of one of the deadliest creatures humans have ever known.

Zoonotic disease in general is terrifying.

One of my favorite books is Rabid. It covers, well, rabies.

Another great book on this topic is Spillover, practically a companion to the famous collapse book Overshoot by Catton.

The Hot Zone was also great, dealing mostly with Ebola but with a general warning - this is going to happen again, far sooner than we will be ready. There's a TV show by the same name if you want more drama than detail.

New vaccines and new methods for producing them are very encouraging. I get every "jab" I'm told to every year. I may not think too much about my own life but that is no excuse to put others in danger.

At the very least - get vaccinated so you can live long enough to keep criticizing vaccines lmao

The video was shocking, and devoid of context, it appeared Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk was abducted off the street by masked men and hauled to a waiting van. In what turned out to be an immigration operation, the Trump administration arrested Öztürk in March 2025, jailed her in horrific conditions for 45 days, and sought to expel her from the country, claiming she supported terrorism, Hamas, antisemitism, or whatever jumbled combination of the three they lazily regurgitate whenever they target pro-Palestine speech. 

We now know that the sole basis for Öztürk's ordeal was an op-ed she co-authored in the Tufts Daily where she and three colleagues echoed opinions shared by millions of Americans about Israel's war on Gaza. It didn't mention Hamas, terrorism, or Jewish people. But it landed Öztürk, who was enrolled on an F-1 student visa, on the website of Canary Mission, a site that maintains a blacklist of activists, writers, and ordinary people who have voiced pro-Palestine views. The government has used the site to find people to deport for their constitutionally protected speech, according to court transcripts. 

This week, a judge finally dismissed the deportation case against Öztürk (although the government can still challenge that decision if it has the nerve to do so). This happened not because the legal system worked but because of the actions of courageous whistleblowers, whose disclosures discredited the administration's preposterous claims.

In April 2025, the Washington Post reported on leaked State Department memos from days before Öztürk's arrest. According to the Post, the first memo stated the administration "had not produced any evidence" linking Öztürk to terrorist organizations or antisemitic activities. A second memo recommended revoking her visa anyway on the grounds that she "engaged in anti-Israel activism in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israelis on October 7, 2023" by co-bylining the op-ed. These memos made clear that the administration deliberately decided to send masked ICE agents to abduct Öztürk near her Somerville, Massachusetts, apartment despite knowing full well it had no legitimate basis for its actions.

These were the early days of masked government goons kidnapping people off American streets, so the arrest got significant media attention. In the face of intense scrutiny, the administration continued to knowingly mislead the public, with the Department of Homeland Security claiming Öztürk "engaged in activities in support of Hamas" — without stating what those actions were. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also led the smear campaign against Öztürk, suggesting without evidence that she had been involved in activities "like vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus" on campus, which he claimed would have "potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences and would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest." 

The government can't rely on operational security to cover up its own transgressions, and if revealing illegality impedes illegality, it's all the better.

Freedom of the Press Foundation, where I work, filed a series of Freedom of Information Act requests with the State Department for the memos. The agency ignored us, forcing us to file a lawsuit. The agency continues to waste taxpayer dollars to stonewall us, even after a separate lawsuit won the release of one of the documents we requested. 

The State Department claims transparency would violate unspecified "privacy interests," presumably of the same person they quite publicly abducted, crammed into a very not-private jail cell, and slandered as a supporter of terrorism to the national media. The government has also claimed releasing the records would reveal law enforcement and investigative techniques and procedures. This reasoning is totally bunk: For one, the government publicly brags about its anti-speech immigration enforcement techniques — if you can call plucking people listed on a disreputable doxxing website a technique. And two, we're talking about procedures that result in completely innocent people being incarcerated over op-eds, which renders them ineffectual, unconstitutional, and illegal. The government can't rely on operational security to cover up its own transgressions, and if revealing illegality impedes illegality, it's all the better.    

Transparency doesn't just hinder the unconstitutional targeting of immigrants — it makes it harder for the government to trample on the rest of our rights. This administration doesn't value the First Amendment rights of citizens any more than those of noncitizens; immigrants are just the low-hanging fruit. 

When the government ignores and abuses laws designed to ensure transparency, it's no wonder that people of conscience decide to leak news to the press and public. This is why, at the same time it's persecuting the press and looking to expand ICE abuses, the government is demonizing whistleblowers. The Trump administration is certainly not the first to claim leaks are uniquely dangerous, but the escalation has been dramatic. Administration officials from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Attorney General Pam Bondi, to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard have all called leakers national security threats. Their position — which they've also adopted in their attack on the right to film law enforcement — is that they're taking away our right to know for our own good.  

It's been proven false every time, including when Bondi reversed a Biden-era policy protecting journalist-source confidentiality, blamed leakers for the change, and said whistleblowers "undermine President Trump's policies, victimize government agencies, and cause harm to the American people." Bondi also called leaks "illegal and wrong." 

She focused her feigned outrage on the New York Times and the Washington Post reporting an intelligence community memo that completely undercut the Trump administration's legal rationale for invoking the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans — reporting that another one of our FOIAs corroborated. The policy change came the same month the Post reported on the leaked Öztürk memos. 

The leaks didn't stop last April, despite Bondi's efforts. As FPF's Caitlin Vogus noted, in recent months, leaks about immigration enforcement have revealed everything from ICE's alarming instruction that officers can enter homes without a warrant signed by a judge to its taking a page out of Canary Mission's book to label people exercising their well-established right to protest the administration's immigration enforcement as "domestic terrorists." 

None of these revelations hurt legitimate national security or law enforcement operations. Instead, they reveal the operations' illegitimacy and embarrass the administration. The way for the press to win the administration's war against leaks is to publish more of them, and connect the dots when they're proven correct, like in Öztürk's case. That way, the administration's alarmist narratives about leaks don't get more press than when its narratives inevitably collapse.

The post Leakers Helped Destroy the Deportation Case Against Tufts Student appeared first on The Intercept.

Congressperson Jamie Raskin (D-MD) paid the ICE facility in Baltimore a surprise visit. What he found was "disgraceful. "

Raskin found 60 men packed into a single room, with only one toilet and no showers. The inhuman conditions also involved sleeping with a simple aluminum foil survival blanket. — Read the rest

The post 60 Men, one toilet: Lawmaker describes conditions inside ICE facility appeared first on Boing Boing.

Ignore patches at your own risk. According to Uncle Sam, a SQL injection flaw in Microsoft Configuration Manager patched in October 2024 is now being actively exploited, exposing unpatched businesses and government agencies to attack.…

The Trump administration has outlined the first 26 goals for its project to inject AI into the government's scientific research, and everything from securing critical minerals to discovering a unified theory of physics is on the table. …

Intel continues to lose market share to rival AMD across server, desktop, and mobile processors, and this has been noticeable in PCs thanks to supply constraints on Chipzilla's processors.…

Images confirm xAI is continuing to defy EPA regulations in Mississippi to power its flagship datacenters

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company is continuing to fuel its datacenters with unpermitted gas turbines, an investigation by the Floodlight newsroom shows. Thermal footage captured by Floodlight via drone shows xAI is still burning gas at a facility in Southaven, Mississippi, despite a recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ruling reiterating that doing so requires a state permit in advance.

State regulators in Mississippi maintain that since the turbines are parked on tractor trailers, they don't require permits. However, the EPA has long required that such pollution sources be permitted under the Clean Air Act.

As I wrote about KTM, it is sometimes hard to see what has changed for some parts and on some bikes. This is especially true for Honda, where the riders told us they have tested a lot of parts to improve the bike. Yet comparing pictures I took at Sepang (in hindsight, woefully few) with the photos from the Valencia test and the Portimão round, it is hard to see much difference.

On the one hand, that is not surprising, given that the one thing that we know the Honda riders were focused on was on ensuring the engine was right. Honda moves from Category D last year to Category C in 2026, which means they have to homologate an engine design at Buriram and then use that design for the rest of the season. So a lot of the work done at Sepang was about validating the engine, checking power delivery and engine character, and making sure it will remain in one piece throughout the season.

• Read more about Sepang MotoGP Test Analysis, Part 4: A Photo Essay Deep Dive Into Honda - Closing In On The Top
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The City of Los Angeles lost a court case over the improper seizure and disposal of property from unhoused people without it ever going to trial. Forensic analysis showed the city had "modified or fabricated" 90% of the reports filed over 144 "cleanups." — Read the rest

The post Los Angeles caught covering up huge rights violations appeared first on Boing Boing.

People with the richest intellectual lives didn't develop Alzheimer's until age 94, on average. Those with the least enrichment got it at 88. That six-year gap stems from a study of 1,939 people, published in the journal Neurology, which followed participants for roughly eight years and measured what "enrichment" entailed across three stages of life. — Read the rest

The post A lifetime of reading may delay Alzheimer's by six years appeared first on Boing Boing.

In 2008, someone stole an entire beach in Jamaica. Five hundred truckloads of white sand vanished from Coral Springs, Trelawny, derailing a $110 million resort development. Charges were eventually dropped after death threats against the key witness. Nobody was ever convicted. — Read the rest

The post Sand thieves stole an entire Jamaican beach and got away with it in 2008 appeared first on Boing Boing.

For 24 years, Suzanne McArthur sold an odd little utensil from Martha Washington's coffee shop in Sydney — a single piece of cutlery that could scoop soup, spear a prawn, and cut a piece of chicken. Her husband William had patented it in 1943 after seeing a magazine photo of women at a Roman buffet dinner, struggling to balance plates, glasses, and full sets of silverware on their knees. — Read the rest

The post Meet the Splayd, the spork's sharper Australian cousin appeared first on Boing Boing.

Goldman Sachs chief legal officer Kathryn Ruemmler announced her resignation Thursday night, the latest career to fall apart because of the Epstein files. She'd received luxury handbags and a fur coat from Epstein after his 2008 sex crimes conviction and offered him advice on managing his reputation. — Read the rest

The post JPMorgan flagged $1 billion in suspicious Epstein transactions and kept banking him appeared first on Boing Boing.

The Headies. From left: Grant Robinson - keyboards and vocals, Todd Purse - drums, Danny Robinson - vocals and guitar, Billy Frolic - guitar and vocal and Justin Vavala - bass guitar. Yes, it's the same Todd Purse who is the 'Tales of Illuminatus' artist. 

Danny Robinson, who made a soundtrack album for Tales of Illuminatus No. 2 as "Danny and the Darlings," now has a Patreon. As Bobby Campbell says, he's "he's sharing demos, shop talk, lyric sheets, background lore, and vegetarian recipes as he endeavors to get his forthcoming album pressed on vinyl!"

Here is more information on the soundtrack album; you can read my interview with him and you can read up on his new punk rock opera. 

The forthcoming Nintendo Virtual Boy accessory for Switch and Switch 2 can play VR-supported games, as reported by Video Games Chronicle. There are four available games to play, including Super Mario Odyssey, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.

These aren't new VR builds of the games, rather they are the versions previously released for the Nintendo Labo VR set. This was a kit for the original Switch that allowed users to build a cardboard VR headset, among other items.

However, this is very good news for Switch 2 owners as Labo creations generally don't work with Nintendo's shiny new console. So this is the only way to experience the VR versions of the aforementioned four games. It's also worth noting that the Switch 2 upgrade for Breath of the Wild still includes the VR mode.

There are some caveats. The Virtual Boy accessory is available to purchase as a hardware unit or in cardboard. The cardboard version is much cheaper, at $25, and is actually the preferred method for playing these games in VR.

That's because the hardware version sits on a stand, like the original Virtual Boy, making it harder to move one's head around. The cardboard headset is free from those constraints. The hardware also includes red filters over the lenses, to better mimic the original experience, but these can be removed.

However, the hardware version is better for playing actual Virtual Boy games, as they were designed for a static headset resting on a table. You'll have to decide if that trade-off is worth $100. It's also worth noting that Virtual Boy games will not work with the original Labo VR headset, which is a bummer for OG Switch fans.

Both versions of the Virtual Boy accessories will be available on February 17, which is the same day several of the retro console's games head to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription service. They can be purchased at the My Nintendo Store. We got a chance to try the headset and came away fairly impressed, though noted that the revamped accessory is "just as eccentric and ungainly as the original was three decades ago."

For those wondering what all the fuss is about, the Virtual Boy was an actual console released by Nintendo all the way back in 1995. It was one of the first mass-market VR devices and, as such, was decades ahead of the curve. It was cumbersome, the games were only in red and there was nothing by way of motion control. Americans only got 14 games before the console was discontinued.