Israel continues to perpetrate war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza while denying access to foreign journalists.
Gaza's media blackout persistsUN Commissioner‑General for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, condemned the "information blackout" and stressed that its lifting is long overdue. He warned that barring independent media fuels misinformation and obscures the truth. This situation remains critical for Gaza.
His statements thrust the issue of press freedoms into the limelight. The continued ban on foreign reporters is an old tactic the settler‑state has used to evade scrutiny. However, this ban is defective in an age of citizen journalism and social media proliferation.
Palestinian journalists, who continue to risk it all, are filling the void. Under these circumstances, social media has also become a crucial avenue for disseminating news. This includes official statements and announcements from Palestinian factions inside Gaza. It also includes mobile recordings documenting Israeli crimes. Indeed, Gaza remains at the core of global attention.
Citizen-journalists enter the foldThat said, when official sources diminish, information circulated on closed and anonymised social media platforms becomes difficult to verify, especially amidst conflicting narratives. The presence of foreign journalists helps document Israel's violations, its use of illegal weapons, and casualty counting in Gaza.
More than 250 journalists and media personnel have been killed in Gaza since Israel waged its genocidal war in October 2023, according to press freedom groups. This makes it one of the deadliest conflicts for journalists in modern history. They were slain while on duty — carrying out a public service not only to their people but to the world. Calls for investigations into their deaths from international organisations have been relentless. Yet these calls are frequently ignored.
The price Palestinian journalists have paid is not to be taken lightly. They bear the brunt and risk their lives daily. They navigate dangerous conditions, never knowing if they'll see their families again after a day in the field. Under international humanitarian law, journalists should be protected as noncombatants. And yet Israel continues to target them with impunity, wantonly…anyone surprised? Reporting from Gaza continues to highlight significant challenges.
Truth survivesLazzarini's statement reflects a growing concern that continues to be met with indifference, silence, and inaction from many governments and institutions. Additionally, the situation in Gaza remains alarming on the world stage.
Even so, the blackout Israel is desperate to maintain has not prevented the truth from reaching the world — but it does leave a population that continues to defy Israel's genocide increasingly isolated. Despite this isolation, Gaza endures.
It is our responsibility at the Canary to pierce through the veil of silence and report what is happening behind the lines of fire. This commitment is especially vital in the context of Gaza's ongoing genocide.
Featured image via the Canary
By Alaa Shamali
Jim Ratcliffe is a rank hypocrite who abandoned the UK to stash billions offshore. The co-owner of Manchester United football club moved his tax residence to Monaco during the Covid pandemic to dodge an estimated £4bn in tax. He now lives as a tax exile whilst claiming the UK is 'colonised' by immigrants.
Oi Ratcliffe - you can't complain about a system you don't pay intoA billionaire who moved his tax residence to Monaco during the pandemic so he didn't have to give his money to hospitals, schools, and public services?
Spare me. https://t.co/gN5KEckEPm
— Ash Sarkar (@AyoCaesar) February 11, 2026
Complaining about the 9 million people on benefits is a bit rich coming from a guy who enjoys the benefits of the UK system but doesn't pay into it.
His move to the the French Riviera in September 2020 was heralded by his time screaming about the benefits of Brexit. He possibly moved because we forced him to pay £110m in tax in 2019.
You might be surprised to find out that Jim Ratcliffe was one of them.
Weird that, innit. pic.twitter.com/4hvrIm7yix— Simon Gosden. Esq. #fbpe 3.5%
The next blackout to plunge a G20 nation into chaos might not come courtesy of cybercriminals or bad weather, but from an AI system tripping over its own shoelaces.…
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Welcome to Carbon Brief's DeBriefed.
An essential guide to the week's key developments relating to climate change.
DANGER DANGER: The Trump administration formally repealed the US's landmark "endangerment finding" this week, reported the Financial Times. The 2009 Obama-era finding concluded that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and has provided a legal basis for their regulation over the past two decades, said the New York Times.
RACE TO COURT: Multiple environmental groups have already threatened to sue over the administration's decision, reported the Guardian. The fate of the ruling is likely to ultimately be decided by the Conservative-majority Supreme Court, explained the New York Times.
'BEAUTIFUL CLEAN COAL': Separately, Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring the Pentagon to buy coal-fired power, a move aimed to "revive a fuel source in sharp decline", reported the Los Angeles Times. Despite his efforts,Trump has overseen more retirements of coal-fired power stations than any other US president, according to Carbon Brief analysis.
Around the world- CLIMATE TALKS: UN climate chief Simon Stiell said in a speech on Thursday that climate action can deliver stability in the face of a "new world disorder" while on a visit to Turkey, which will host the COP31 climate summit later this year, reported BusinessGreen.
- IBERIAN CATASTROPHE: A succession of storms that hit Spain and Portugal in recent weeks have caused millions of euros worth of damage to farmlands and required more than 11,000 people to leave their homes in Spain's southern Andalusia region, said Reuters.
- RISKY BUSINESS: The "undervaluing" of nature by businesses is fuelling its decline and putting the global economy at risk, according to a new report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), covered by Carbon Brief. Carbon Brief interviewed IPBES chair Dr David Obura at the report's launch in Manchester.
- CORAL BLEACHING: A study covered by Agence France-Presse found that more than half of the world's coral reefs were bleached over a three-year period from 2014-17 during Earth's third "global bleaching event". The world has since entered a fourth bleaching event, starting in 2023, a scientist told AFP.
- 'HELLISH HOTHOUSE EARTH': In a commentary paper, scientists argued that the world is closer than thought to a "point of no return", which could plunge Earth into a "hellish hothouse" state, reported the Guardian.
7.4 gigawatts
The record amount of solar, onshore wind and tidal power secured in the latest auction for new renewable capacity in the UK, reported Carbon Brief.
Latest climate research
- Human-caused climate change made the hot, dry and windy weather in Chile and Argentina three times more likely | World Weather Attribution (Carbon Brief also covered the study)
- "Early-life" exposure to extreme heat "increases risk" of neurodevelopmental delay in preschool children | Nature Climate Change
- Climate change, urbanisation and species characteristics shape European butterfly population trends | Global Ecology and Biogeography
(For more, see Carbon Brief's in-depth daily summaries of the top climate news stories on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.)
Captured
China's carbon dioxide emissions have "now been flat or falling for 21 months", analysis for Carbon Brief has found. The trend began in March 2024 and has lasted almost two years, due in particular to falling emissions in major sectors, including transport, power and cement, said the analysis. The analysis has been covered widely in global media, including Agence France-Presse, Bloomberg, New York Times, BBC World Service and Channel 4 News.
Spotlight UK's 'relentless rain'This week, Carbon Brief takes a deep dive into the recent relentless rain and floods in the UK and explores how they could be linked to climate change.
It is no secret that it can rain a lot in the UK. But, in some parts of the country, it has rained every day of the year so far, according to Met Office data released this week.
In total, 26 stations set new monthly rainfall records for January. Northern Ireland experienced its wettest January for 149 years and Plymouth, in the south-west of England, experienced its wettest January day in 104 years.
Areas witnessing long periods of rain included Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, which has seen 41 consecutive days of rain "and counting", reported the Guardian. The University of Reading found that its home town had its longest period of consecutive rain - 25 days - since its records for the city began in 1908.
The relentless rainfall has caused flooding in many parts of the country, particularly in rural areas.
There were more than 200 active flood alerts in place across England and Wales at the weekend, with flood warnings clustered around Gloucester and Worcester in the West Midlands, as well as Devon and Hampshire in southern England. A flood "alert" means that there is a possibility of flooding, while a "warning" means flooding is expected.
"Growing up, the road to my school never flooded. But the school has already had to close three times this year because of flooding," Jess Powell, a local resident of a small village in Shropshire, told Carbon Brief.
Burst river bank of the river Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. Credit: Alice Vernat-Davies
Climate link
While there has not yet been a formal analysis into the role of climate change in the UK's current lengthy period of rain and flooding, it is known that human-caused warming can play a role in wet weather extremes, explained Dr Jess Neumann, a flooding researcher from the University of Reading. She told Carbon Brief:
"Warmer air can hold more moisture - about 7% more for every 1C of warming, increasing the chance of more frequent and at times, intense rainfall."
The UK owes its rainy climate in large part due to the jet stream, which brings strong winds from west to east and pushes low-pressure weather systems across the Atlantic.
Scientists have said that one of the factors behind the UK's relentless rain is the "blocking" of the jet stream, which occurs when winds slow, causing rainy weather patterns to get stuck.
The impact of climate change on the jet stream is complex, involving a lot of different factors. One theory, still subject to debate among scientists, is that Arctic warming could play a role, explained Neumann:
Adaptation needs"As the Arctic warms faster than the tropics, the temperature gradient that fuels the jet stream weakens, causing it to become slower and wavier. Blocking patterns develop that can cause weather conditions to get stuck over the UK, increasing the likelihood of extreme rainfall and flooding."
Long periods of rain saturate the ground and can have adverse impacts on agriculture and wildlife.
Prof Richard Betts, a leading climate scientist at the Met Office and the University of Exeter, said that these impacts can have harmful effects in rural areas:
"The climate change-driven increase in flood risk is impacting food production in the UK. In 2024, the production of wheat, barley, oats and oilseed rape shrunk by 13% due to widespread flooding of farmland.
"Assistance with recovery after flooding is increasingly important - obviously, financial help via insurance and reinsurance is vital, but also action to reduce impacts on mental health is increasingly important. It's very stressful dealing with the impacts of flooding and this is often not recognised."
One key adaptation for floods in the UK could be to "integrate natural flood management, including sustainable urban drainage, with more traditional hard engineering techniques", added Neumann:
Watch, read, listen"Most importantly, we need to improve our communication of flood risk to help individuals and communities know how to prepare. We need to shift our thinking from 'keeping water out' to 'living with water', if we want to adapt better to a future of flooding."
'IRREVERSIBLE TREND?': The Guardian explored how Romania's emissions have fallen by 75% since the 1990s and have been decoupled from the country's economic growth.
UNDER THE SEA: An article in BioGraphic explored whether the skeletons of dead corals "help or hinder recovery" on bleached reefs.
SPEEDING UP: Through dynamic charts, the Washington Post showed how climate change is accelerating.
Coming up- 16-19 February: Sixth meeting of the subsidiary body on implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Rome, Italy
- 20 February: Webinar on the key findings from the International Energy Agency policy brief: the value of demand flexibility: benefits beyond balancing
- 20 February: UN day of social justice
- 22-27 February: Ocean Sciences Meeting, Glasgow, UK
- UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), national senior climate change expert | Salary: Unknown. Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh
- British Antarctic Survey, marine biologist | Salary: £31,183. Location: Antarctica
- Green Climate Fund, regional lead for resource mobilisation - Europe | Salary: $109,000. Location: Seoul, South Korea
- Scientific American, documentary film proposals | Up to $80,000 per commissioned film
DeBriefed is edited by Daisy Dunne. Please send any tips or feedback to debriefed@carbonbrief.org.
This is an online version of Carbon Brief's weekly DeBriefed email newsletter. Subscribe for free here.
DeBriefed
|06.02.26
DeBriefed 30 January 2026: Fire and ice; US formally exits Paris; Climate image faux pas
DeBriefed
|30.01.26
DeBriefed 23 January 2026: Trump's Davos tirade; EU wind and solar milestone; High seas hope
DeBriefed
|23.01.26
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jQuery(document).ready(function() { jQuery('.block-related-articles-slider-block_0c1fb743ebca86b78322921d07b11a5a .mh').matchHeight({ byRow: false }); });The post DeBriefed 13 February 2026: Trump repeals landmark 'endangerment finding' | China's emissions flatlining | UK's 'relentless rain' appeared first on Carbon Brief.
The former Greens leader's appointment as CEO of the Australian Conservation Foundation raised eyebrows - but for him, the mission remains the same
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Sometime in the months after his shock defeat at last May's federal election Adam Bandt made a decision: his time in party politics was over.
Friends and colleagues had suggested the former Greens leader consider running for parliament again in 2028 - either returning to the lower house seat of Melbourne that he held for 15 years or putting up his hand for the Senate.
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Every once in a while, a product comes along that sparks a bit of joy in our jaded hearts. This is what happened with the Kodak Charmera, a $30 tiny toy camera that was nearly impossible to get ahold of in the first couple of months after its release, selling out immediately over waves of blind box restocks. Despite the gimmick of it all, the Charmera was just too cute for some of us to resist, and we sprang when they finally started becoming more readily available.
A few of us on the Engadget team have one now, and even with all of its shortcomings, we kind of love this thing. Here's what two of our writers think about it.
Lately, it feels like a chore to carry around a full-frame mirrorless camera. My Nikon definitely feels like the right tool to precisely capture a moment in time with fast autofocus and plenty of image resolution. Other times, that perfect moment is more casual, like catching up with friends over dim sum or killing time while you're snowed in at a cabin in Vermont. In these cases, there's no reason to carry around a hulking camera and lens to snap a flawless photo that I have to edit later. Instead, something light, discreet and playful feels like the right tool for the occasion.
Jackson Chen for Engadget
That's where the Kodak Charmera comes in. It's a toy camera with a 35mm lens with a fixed f/2.4 aperture and a 1/4-inch sensor. In other words, the photos this thing takes are about equivalent to what you would get with a crappy flip phone from the 2000s that also plays Snake.
Kodak is clearly trying to wring out the longing for nostalgia within all of us, and has nailed it with the Charmera, which is even inspired by its old-school disposable Fling cameras. It's definitely not as good as the smartphone in your pocket, but there's something disarming about snapping a quick shot with a tiny block of plastic that's lighter than your keys.
Playing around with the Charmera for a few weeks gave me a healthy reminder that the sillier and more transient parts of life don't need the technical prowess of an expensive camera. Obviously, the Chamera produces photos of terrible quality at 1.6 megapixels and can't really capture anything fast-moving or in low light, but it's undeniably fun and hard to resist shooting with. And sometimes, you and your friends are just doing wildly unserious things and you want a camera that matches that energy.
— Jackson Chen, Contributing Reporter
Every time I pull out the Kodak Charmera in public to snap a few pictures, I'm immediately met with a barrage of questions and squeals of delight from full-grown adults: "What is that?"; "Is that a camera?"; "Does it really take pictures?"; "Can I see it?" It is the kind of accessory that doubles as a conversation starter, an effect that's turned out to be as joyous as taking pictures with the camera itself. I've been trying really hard to spend less time on social media and my phone in general lately, and having a two-inch camera clipped to me has made for a pretty fun shift in how I document the day-to-day.
As the resurgence of compact digital cameras has shown us, a lot of people are yearning for a time of simpler tech — when we had personal devices that could do useful things, like take decent photos and connect us to our friends, but didn't consume our lives entirely. Companies like Camp Snap have shaped their entire brands around recapturing that magic, and some consumers have shown that they're willing to sacrifice in areas like image quality in exchange for a taste of it, too. The Kodak Charmera isn't the kind of product you go into purchasing with high expectations. It is clearly a toy that is only going to be capable of so much.
Cheyenne MacDonald for Engadget
As Jackson noted, the low-resolution 1,440 x 1,080 pictures look about on par with those you'd have taken on a flip phone 15 or 20 years ago. In the right lighting conditions with a clearly defined subject, they're not so bad. But selfies, portraits and nature photos will generally look washed out. It can record videos too — and you should set similarly low expectations for these.
Despite all that, I've been pleasantly surprised by how much I'm enjoying the Charmera experience. Its crunchy photos are just good enough to feel like they're successfully preserving a moment in time. And being so tiny, it's really convenient to bring everywhere. It even came with me to CES. The Charmera takes a microSD card (sold separately), allowing for tons of storage and easy transferring. There are a bunch of built-in filters you can apply, too, which have been fun to play around with.
If I want high-quality photos, this isn't the camera I'm going to reach for. But it's great for low-stakes situations when all I care about is taking some pictures I can look back on fondly later. Consider me charmed. — Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend Editor
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If you opened a tech newsletter or even the internet in early 2026 and thought you'd stepped into a dystopian screenplay, or you are the main character in one of Isaac Asimov's writings, you wouldn't be alone. Headlines trumpet layoffs, companies blame "AI transformation," and somewhere in the background, billionaires cheer hot-off-the-press artificial intelligence strategies. Here's the uncomfortable truth: people are still losing their jobs, while AI gets most of the credit. According to the most recent tracking data, the pace of layoffs in tech remains high in 2026. Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported that U.S. employers announced…
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I love thermal imaging cameras. They're great for spotting leaking pipes, inefficient appliances, and showing how full a septic tank is. The good folks at Topdon have sent me their latest thermal camera to review - it is specifically designed for spotting wildlife.
This is the TS004 Thermal Monocular:
Let's put it through its paces!
HardwareThis is a chunky bit of kit and fits nicely in the hand. It's well weighted and feels sturdy.
The rubber seal fits tightly around your eye and is excellent at keeping light out. The screen is set a little way back, so is easy to focus on. Taking a photo of the screen itself was a little tricky - here's what you can expect to see when using the settings menu:
The focus knob near the viewfinder is a little stiff, but it turns silently.
There's a rubber lens cover which is attached and can be easily tucked away next to the standard tripod mount. It comes with a lanyard strap, so you're unlikely to drop it. The buttons are well spaced and respond quickly.
The USB-C port has a rubber flap to keep out moisture.
OK, let's take some snaps!
PhotosPhoto quality is pretty good - although limited by the technology behind the thermal sensor. The TS004 has a thermal resolution of 256x192 and images are upscaled to 640x480.
One thing to note, the user-interface is burned in to the photos. So if you want the battery display on screen, it will also appear on the photo. Similarly, things like the range-finder appear in the image.
There's a reasonable AI built in. It is designed to tell you what sort of wildlife you've spotted. In some cases, it is pretty accurate! A woman walked by me while I was looking for wildlife - here's her photo:
Nifty!
Here's a photo of a fox:
There are remarkably few wild boars in London!
VideoVideo is also 640x480. It is a very smooth 42.187 FPS and a rather chunky 2,162 Kbps - leading to a file size of around 20MB per minute. With around 30GB of in-built storage, that shouldn't be a problem though. There's no audio available and, just like the photos, the UI is burned into the picture.
Here are a couple of sample videos I shot. In them, I cycle through the colour modes and zoom levels.
First, an urban fox foraging in London:
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/fox.mp4Second, some parakeets flapping around a tree:
https://shkspr.mobi/blog/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Birds-In-Flight.mp4I'm impressed with the smoothness of the video and how well it picks up heat even from relatively far away.
LinuxBizarrely, on Linux it shows up as 1d6b:0101 Linux Foundation Audio Gadget. It presents as a standard USB drive and you can easily copy files to and from it. 100% compatibility!
You can't use it as a WebCam - for anything more complicated than copying files, you need to use the official app.
AppThe TopInfrared App for Android is reasonably good. It connects to the camera via WiFi and offers some useful features. Most impressively, it live-streams the camera's view to your phone.
From there you can take photos or videos and have them saved straight onto your device. Handy if you've set the camera up outside and want to view it from somewhere warmer.
Frustratingly, it isn't possible to set all the options on the camera using the app. For that you need to go back to the menu on the camera - which is slightly laborious.
The app isn't mandatory for most operations - thankfully - but it is the only way to set the time and date on the monocular. You will also need it if there are any firmware updates.
If you don't need the app, you can turn off the WiFi to save some battery life.
DrawbacksThe device works - and is great for wildlife spotting - but there are a few little niggles. I've fed these back to the manufacturer and have included their responses.
There's no EXIF in the photos, or any way to get thermal data out of the images.
- "These products focus on image clarity, high sensitivity, and low latency. For example, temperature-measurement thermal cameras typically run at 25 Hz, while the TS004 operates at 50 Hz for smoother viewing. Devices that include EXIF temperature data, raw thermal export, and analytical tools are measurement-focused thermal cameras, which are based on a different design and use case."
As mentioned, having the UI burned into the photos and videos is slightly annoying.
- You can turn off the UI elements on screen which stops them appearing in the photo.
The range-finder only works in yards and, while seemingly accurate, isn't overly helpful to those of us who think in metric!
- "Unit switching will be available in the March firmware update"
Once you sync the time with the monocular, all the filenames are timestamped like 2026_02_09_12345678 but it appears to be hardwired to Hong Kong Time (UTC+8) - so your dates and times might be a little out.
- "We will investigate it and see if it can be implemented in a future update"
The AI detection feature doesn't seem particularly tuned for the UK.
- "Due to hardware limitations, the current recognition is relatively basic, so there is limited room for significant improvement"
In terms of hardware limitations, there's no GPS. I would expect a device in this price-range to have basic GPS functionality to allow you to easily tag photos.
None of these are show-stoppers, but for a device this expensive they are an annoyance.
PriceOK, so you want to spot birds in trees and wild boars foraging in the forest - what'll this cost you?
Close to £400 - you can use code TERENCE15 for a 15% discount until 16 February 2026.
The price of thermal imaging equipment is high and this is a fairly niche form-factor. It is easy to use, has a great range, and the rubber eyepiece is much nicer than staring at a bright phone screen. The battery life is excellent and you certainly can't complain about the generous storage space.
There are some minor irritations as discussed above, but it is an exceptional bit of kit if you like to explore the environment. Are you going to spot any cryptids with it? Who knows! But you'll have lots of fun discovering the natural world around you.
Meta went to court this week in two major trials over alleged harms facilitated by its platform. In New Mexico, the state's attorney general has accused the company of facilitating child exploitation and harming children through addictive features. In a separate case in Los Angeles, a California woman sued the company over mental health harms she says she suffered as the result of addictive design choices from Meta and others.
In both cases, Meta has disputed the idea that social media should be considered an "addiction." On the stand this week, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said that social media isn't "clinically addictive," comparing it to being "addicted" to a Netflix show.
In opening statements in the New Mexico trial, Meta's lawyer Kevin Huff went further. He told the jury that "social media addiction is not a thing" because it's not in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the handbook used by mental health professionals in the US.
"According to the American Psychiatric Association, they don't recognize the concept of social media addiction in the same way as addiction to drugs and alcohol," Huff said during opening arguments that were broadcast by Courtroom View Network. "What you see on the screen is what's called the DSM, which is basically the official manual for recognized mental disorders. The American Psychiatric Association studied this and decided that social media addiction is not a thing."
But the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has never said that social media addiction doesn't exist. The organization provides information and resources about social media addiction on its website. "Social media addiction is not currently listed as a diagnosis in the DSM-5-TR—but that does not mean it doesn't exist," the APA said in a statement to Engadget.
Dr. Tania Moretta, a clinical pyschophysiology researcher who has studied social media addiction, agrees. "The absence of a DSM classification does not mean that a behavior cannot be addictive, maladaptive or clinically significant," she told Engadget. That argument, she said, "reflects a misunderstanding" of how psychiatry professionals define and classify conditions. "Diagnostic manuals formalize scientific consensus; they do not define the boundaries of legitimate scientific inquiry. Many maladaptive behaviors and clinically significant symptom patterns are studied and treated well before receiving official classification."
Meta's critics have long claimed that the company has profited from addictive features that hook children and teens. The trials in Los Angeles and New Mexico are just the start of several court battles over the issue. The social media company is also facing a high-profile trial with school districts in June, and lawsuits from 41 state attorneys general.
Moretta said that social media addiction is a field that requires more study, but that there is already evidence that it can have harmful effects on some people. "At present, from a scientific perspective, there is documented evidence that social media use disorder is associated with both psychophysiological alterations, including changes in reward/motivational and inhibitory/regulatory systems, and clinically significant negative impacts on functioning (e.g., sleep disturbances, psychological distress, impairment in social, academic, or occupational domains)," she said. "The key question is not whether all social media use is addictive, but whether a subset of users exhibits patterns consistent with behavioral addiction models and whether specific platform design features may exacerbate vulnerability in predisposed individuals."
Both trials are ongoing and expected to last the next several weeks. In New Mexico, jurors have already heard from former employee turned whistleblower Arturo Bejar and former exec Brian Boland, both of whom have publicly criticized the company for not prioritizing safety. In Los Angeles, Mosseri's testimony has wrapped up, but Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify next week. The trials will also feature extensive internal documents from Meta, including details about the company's own research into the mental health impacts of its platform on young people.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-really-wants-you-to-believe-social-media-addiction-is-not-a-real-thing-130000257.html?src=rssOne good thing about virtual private networks (VPNs) is that when they don't work, the problem is almost always solvable without technical training. Although it's aggravating when your VPN randomly drops your connection, the chances are good that you can handle the issue yourself without getting tech support involved.
If your VPN is repeatedly disconnecting from the server, I recommend dealing with the problem immediately. When you have your kill switch on as good cybersecurity habits dictate, VPN drops will kick you off the internet. Without that feature enabled, it'll expose your real identity and location online. That's not a big deal if you're just aiming to, say, stream an international sporting event, but it could be an existential issue if you're using the VPN as a workaround against government censorship. Either way, you can address the issue by working through the eight troubleshooting steps below and checking whether they've solved your problem.
8 reasons your VPN keeps disconnectingI've organized these root causes in ascending order of how much effort the solution takes. Try the easier fixes before moving on to the more complex or expensive ones.
1. You're using the VPN on too many devices at onceMost VPNs limit the number of devices you can connect at the same time on a single subscription. Some services, like Surfshark, claim to offer unlimited simultaneous connections, but they'll still cut you off if they see signs of abuse. Generally, you can install the VPN on as many devices as you like; it just can't be actively running on more than the limit.
If you're trying to connect to the VPN on a new device and it repeatedly disconnects, check how many other phones, computers or smart TVs it's already running on. Pay attention to devices where you have the VPN set to auto-connect on startup, as you may have missed that it's running. Disconnect from the VPN on one of those devices and try again on the new one.
2. Your VPN server is slow or overloadedThe problem often rests with the VPN server you're trying to connect to. Providers regularly shut down servers for routine maintenance. Sometimes, a server is technically online, but it's under such a heavy user load that it can't maintain a connection. It's also possible that the server is so physically far away from you that the connection keeps timing out.
In cases like these, the answer is simple: use another server. Pick a different server by disconnecting the VPN and reconnecting to the same location. If the new server has the same problems, try another location, assuming you don't need an IP address in a specific country.
3. You're using an unstable VPN protocolAs I explained in my article on how a VPN works, a VPN protocol is the set of instructions at the heart of everything a VPN does. Not all protocols are the same. For example, OpenVPN over TCP prioritizes speed over connection stability, causing more frequent disconnections. It's also possible for certain networks to block some VPN protocols but not others (see #8).
If changing servers didn't help your unstable connection, try switching protocols. WireGuard, OpenVPN over UDP and IKEv2 are best for stability. You can almost always find the protocol options in the Settings page of your VPN app.
4. Power-save settings are interferingA VPN almost always runs in the background. In some cases, a device's battery saver settings might shut down the VPN to stop the battery from draining. See if turning off power-save mode stops your VPN from disconnecting randomly (and maybe plug in your device while you're at it).
5. Your internet connection isn't stableYour VPN needs to pass traffic through an ISP like any other online app — it just encrypts that traffic first. If you don't have a good internet connection, you won't have a good VPN connection. When you notice your VPN randomly disconnecting, check whether you have problems with your home internet connection. Resetting your modem by turning it off for at least 10 seconds may solve the problem, but you can also just wait for your internet to improve with time.
6. Another program is interfering with the VPNOther security programs are a frequent cause of VPN disruptions. If you connect to an office VPN, for example, you likely won't be able to have a personal VPN running at the same time. Likewise, if you use an antivirus program or have a firewall on your device, it may be blocking your VPN from connecting. See if you can configure the firewall to allow traffic through a port used by a VPN protocol.
7. Your software is out of dateIf none of the fixes have worked so far, you can often solve your connection problems by updating all the software involved. For optimal security, you should be installing updates the moment they're available anyway, so this will protect you even if it doesn't directly solve your VPN problem.
Update your VPN client and your operating system, then try connecting again. If you're still having problems, try updating your router. You can reach its control panel by entering its default IP address into the URL bar of your browser. Update it as well, then try once more.
8. Your network or ISP is blocking VPN trafficThere's a chance that your problem originates with your network or ISP, not on the VPN or any device you own. Some networks, especially at offices and schools, automatically block any VPN traffic they detect. These restrictions can even be imposed by entire countries, most infamously in China.
Should this turn out to be your problem, turn on any obfuscation features that may be built into your VPN. Using an obfuscated protocol, connect to a server outside the location being censored, then use the internet as normal. This will be much more difficult if you're in a country where VPNs are illegal or restricted, but there's still hope — if you can safely send an email, contact a VPN provider and ask if they'll send you a configuration directly. Proton VPN is one company that's officially willing to do that.
If you still find your VPN disconnecting mid-session, you may have a rare problem that doesn't show up on this list. Contact your VPN's support staff and do what they recommend. If possible, chat with a live support technician so you can tell them what you've already tried.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/why-does-my-vpn-keep-disconnecting-130000620.html?src=rss
Bork!Bork!Bork! As if to demonstrate that whatever one operating system can do, Windows can do it better, bluer, and upside down, we present a bus stopping only at bork.…
Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast is previewing its VF Limo Green in the Philippines, signaling its intent to enter the country's seven-seat MPV segment, although the model has not yet been formally launched. Local automotive publication AutoIndustriya.com reported that the Limo Green has been shown to the market and is ... [continued]
The post VinFast Teases Limo Green Electric MPV in Philippines, Formal Launch Expected in 1st Quarter appeared first on CleanTechnica.
A few days ago, a Redditor posted in the community for DoorDash drivers that they received an offer to close a Waymo vehicle's door. The job paid a guaranteed fee of $6.25 with a $5 extra on top of it after the DoorDasher verifies that it has been completed. Waymo has confirmed to 404Media and TechCrunch that, yes, it is indeed paying Dashers to shut the doors of its self-driving cars. And it makes sense because, well, there's nobody to do it otherwise if a passenger accidentally leaves it open.
The Alphabet subsidiary and DoorDash told the publications that it's currently running a pilot program in Atlanta, wherein if one of its vehicle's doors is left ajar, nearby Dashers are notified. Waymo's self-driving vehicles can't leave if one of its doors remains open, so the company is framing the program as a way to enhance its fleet's efficiency. Waymo told 404Media that the program started earlier this year and that payments are structured to ensure "competitive and fair compensation for Dashers."
To note, this isn't the first time the two companies have teamed up. In October 2025, Waymo's self-driving cars became a delivery option for DoorDash customers in Phoenix, Arizona. To get a Waymo delivery, customers will have to choose "opt in to autonomous delivery" during checkout and to physically retrieve their order from the car's trunk when it arrives.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/doordashers-are-getting-paid-to-close-waymos-self-driving-car-doors-122711640.html?src=rss
A commercial for crypto during the Super Bowl LX broadcast on televisions at a bar in Los Angeles, Calif., on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. Photo: Jill Connelly/Bloomberg via Getty Images
During the Super Bowl, Anthropic ran a dystopian AI ad about dystopian AI ads featuring an AI android physical trainer hawking insoles to a user who only asked for an ab workout. Not to be outdone, Amazon ran a commercial for its AI assistant Alexa+ in which Chris Hemsworth fretted over all the different ways AI might kill him, including severing his head and drowning him in his pool. Equally bleak, the telehealth company Hims & Hers ran an ad titled "RICH PEOPLE LIVE LONGER" in which oligarchs access such healthcare luxuries as facelifts, bespoke IVs, and "preventative care" to live longer than the rest of us. It was an anti-billionaire ad by a multibillion-dollar healthcare company.
Turn on the TV today, and you will drown in a sea of ads in which capitalists denounce capitalism. Think of the PNC Bank ads where parents sell their children's naming rights a la sports stadiums for the money to raise them or the Robinhood ads where a white-haired older man, perhaps meant to evoke Bernie Sanders or Jeremy Corbyn, curses the "men of means with their silver spoons eating up the financial favors of the one percent" from the deck of a yacht.
After years of ingesting the mainstream discourse around surveillance capitalism, Occupy Wall Street, and democratic socialism, corporations are regurgitating and even surpassing the rhetoric of the modern left. Naturally, it's all a winking sleight of hand meant to corral us back into engaging with the same capitalism they portray as a hellscape — but with new and improved privatized solutions. In another widely reviled Super Bowl ad, the video doorbell company Ring tells us that every year, 10 million family pets go missing, and by opting into a web of mass surveillance, the company has reunited "more than a dog a day" with their families.
Modern advertisers descend from those ad men of the 1960s who first perfected the art of channeling our angst with society writ large into buying more junk. As historian Thomas Frank wrote in his book "The Conquest of Cool," midcentury advertisers constructed "a cultural perpetual motion machine in which disgust with the … everyday oppressions of consumer society could be enlisted to drive the ever-accelerating wheels of consumption."
The machine has hummed on ever since, retrofitting capitalism's reprimands into its rationales. It churns out commercials reframing the precariat's pain not as the product of plutocracy but as the product of buying the wrong products. Advertisements pitch that the good life is to be secured by procuring high quality goods, by curating the right combination of AI assistants, locally crafted beer, paraben-free dryer sheets, Jimmy Dean breakfast biscuits, Capital One Venture X points, BetMGM spreads, Coinbase crypto wallets, on and on.
It's lunacy. Buying Levi's won't give you deep pockets. Brand promises, like all promises, are made to be broken. As AI anxiety fueled fears of mass layoffs, Coca-Cola soothed American workers' worries about "AI coming for everything" with a glossy 2025 Super Bowl ad, featuring Lauren London, where the gleaming actress flexed her dimples and told us everything would be all right. Ten months later, Coke automated its advertising with generative videos, replacing the actors they'd paid to soothe our worries about being replaced by AI with AI itself.
This cynicism undergirds all modern advertising. Commercials clinically diagnose the painful side effects of living under a despotic capitalist regime, only to prescribe meaningless placebos of Doritos and Pepto-Bismol. And should those cheap calories and antacids fail to placate us, should we find homelessness and hunger so revolting that we crave revolution, then conglomerates will sell rebellion, too. As Frank wrote almost 30 years ago, "commercial fantasies of rebellion, liberation, and outright 'revolution' against the stultifying demands of mass society are commonplace almost to the point of invisibility in advertising, movies, and television programming." As economic angst threatens to boil over, production only ramps up. Corporate creatives feverishly manufacture transgression to keep up with populist-fueled demands for prepackaged dissent.
No matter how disingenuous or cynical, there is a secret wish expressed in these ads and the ways they resonate with consumers.
Day by day, Hulu and Netflix roll out new swashbuckling tales of scrappy revolutionary insurgencies to enrich their IP regimes. In 2026, trailers for Rachel McAdams's "Send Help" fulfill employees' dark fantasies of murdering their boss on a deserted island, as Carnival ads show weary lumber workers hammering their phone in a fit of fury. Promotions for smash rooms, axe-throwing alleys, and gun ranges generate billions, as big business charges pent-up proletariats to "unleash" in rage rooms and "throw, hit, punch, and swing at inanimate objects as a means to release your pent up frustrations and anger." It might seem cringe to invoke "1984" and its "Two Minutes Hate," where subjects of the totalitarian regime yell for two minutes, if businesses weren't doing it for us.
Yet, no matter how thin, one can see cracks in this hulking machine. No matter how disingenuous or cynical, there is a secret wish expressed in these ads and the ways they resonate with consumers. Rituals are funny like that. Repeat them enough, and they sprout roots. In America, sedition is now a mantra. Mutiny, a popular sentiment. Populism is winning the war for hearts and minds. Billionaires who once spurned talk of class war now finance fiction about eating the rich. Just as advertisers who once fashioned consumerism as orgasmic fantasies now portray shopping in a dreaded wasteland. What are we to make of this capitalism forced to confess its contradictions?
At its core, today's advertising offers a repressed radicalism, a strange plea to revolt against the indignities corporations impress upon us.
After all, aren't Heineken's reminders to "drink responsibly" just bids for public transportation? Aren't E*Trade ads with octogenarian wage slaves a rallying cry for a robust social safety net? Coinbase is right, on some level, that the financial system is broken. But what if instead of more speculative crypto scams, they were boosting public banking? And Isn't Uber partially right, too? We should be our own bosses. But instead of shackling drivers as gig serfs, what if Uber's sharing economy gave drivers their share of the company's profits? What if we didn't have to shop at places we didn't get to own and didn't have to work at places where we couldn't afford the shop? What if we weren't so beat up and knocked down that E*Trade ads had to remind us that "THERE ARE DOGS WITH BETTER LIVES THAN YOU"?
Advertisers always stop one step short, never allowing themselves to say the quiet part aloud, always walking us right up to the edge of a radical insight, yet remaining too afraid to incite working people to rise up.
There are, of course, other places one could find truly revolutionary art. There are the Adbusters McDonald's spoofs reading "EAT FAST, DIE YOUNG." There are the Black Workers Congress vintage 1971 labor posters with Haiti's Toussaint Louverture rallying Black autoworkers in Detroit to strike at Dodge. There are the Paul Beatty satires where characters wore "Nike Cortez sneakers so fucking new that if they had taken one shoe off and placed it to their ear like a conch shell, they'd hear the roar of an ocean of sweatshop labor." Yet these auteurs all feel niche compared to the pop art of Super Bowl and NCAA tournament ads. No matter how ridiculous it may seem, I've long yearned for America's prime-time advertisements, already dripping with populist contempt, to finally fulfill their revolutionary promise.
I've only seen it happen once, kind of. In the early 2020s, I was zoning out to hours of NFL when one of those inspirational Marine recruitment promos popped on — the one where jackbooted Gen Zers with square jaws punched through digital emoji clouds to transform into real men. After the ad flipped off, it was immediately followed by a nightmarish PSA where glassy-eyed, sweat-drenched veterans lurched, sobbing in empty parking lots and extended stay hotels, struggling to stave off PTSD-induced suicide. I was floored. The jump cut felt like something approaching truth, felt like ads finally reckoning with how imperialist wars for blood and oil squandered youth's promise down into a pit of stubbled, middle-aged mania.
Perhaps America can never tell the whole truth within ads, but perhaps we could tell the truth between them. Call it The Honesty in Advertising Act. From now on, every military recruitment ad could be attached to a PSA about homeless veterans. Every Kool-Aid ad could be melded with dialysis ads. Every Taco Bell ad would have to be followed by ads for Pepto-Bismol and funeral homes. Smash them all together, and they'd work like the disclaimers on cigarette cartons and liquor bottles. Surgeon General's Warning: Capitalism causes poverty, desperation, alienation, and concentration of global wealth in the top 0.0001%. Quitting now greatly reduces risks of premature death, medical debt, eviction, and environmental catastrophe.
The post The Only Solution Capitalism Has Is to Sell Us More Useless Junk appeared first on The Intercept.
Britain's state-backed savings bank has been dragged over the coals by Parliament's spending watchdog, which has branded its long-running digital overhaul a £3 billion "full-spectrum disaster."…
As we've reported, the latest Epstein files have shown the degeneracy of former prince Andrew Windsor. Now, it's alleged Andrew had a victim flown in on Epstein's infamous 'Lolita Express.'
Andrew's in trouble againNick Watt, "The headline in The New Stateman is: Gordon Brown, the police need to interview Andrew"
"Gordon Brown has been looking at all the e-mails, the Lolita express flights, Jeffrey Epstein's place used for trafficking"
"He says British girls were on 90 Epstein flights… pic.twitter.com/3P86nf7BJJ
— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) February 12, 2026
Ex Prime Minister Gordon Brown claimed Epstein flew victims from UK airports on the 'Lolita' over 90 times:
The Epstein emails, which record the visas issued, payments made and transport organised for girls and women trafficked across the world, suggest a number of British girls were on 90 Epstein flights organised from UK airports on what was called his "Lolita Express". Among the many aspects that should sicken anyone looking at the emails is that 15 of these flights were given the go-ahead after his 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from a minor. How the flights were allowed to continue should have been fully investigated.
Brown also wrote:
The emails tell us in graphic detail how Epstein was able to use Stansted Airport - he boasted how cheap the airport charges were compared to Paris - to fly in girls from Latvia, Lithuania and Russia. His messages link at least one to Britain and the former Prince Andrew. One email, headed "the girl", described her as "just turned 18, 179cm, very cute, speaks English, I saw her in real 3 years ago… i will send you the video in next email".
This is how the Sun reported on it on 13 February:
Tomorrow's front page: Andy girl 'flown to UK on Epstein's Lolita Express' https://t.co/9p3T9e91GF pic.twitter.com/VOJTzUmuUl
— The Sun (@TheSun) February 12, 2026
This story is building on previous accusations. As reported in the Guardian on 3 February, US lawyer Brad Edwards said of an alleged victim:
We're talking about at least one woman who was sent by Jeffrey Epstein over to Prince Andrew. And she even had, after a night with Prince Andrew, a tour of Buckingham Palace.
Former staff at the palace claim this was a frequent occurrence:
Another blow for the royalsNow we know why myself and my colleagues were forced to allow the unknown females i have frequently spoke about into Buckingham Palace.
If this story is true then along with my evidence it could prove crucial to the Thames Valley Police investigation. https://t.co/sEQxS3TgwP— Paul Page EX Royal Cop : Son of an Abuse Survivor. (@PaulPag46852754) February 13, 2026
King Charles has said he will cooperate with any police investigation. However, this comes in sharp contrast to the fact that he loaned his brother £1.5m to bury his case with Virginia Giuffre.
Regardless, it appears that the walls may finally be closing in on Andrew. But will we really see this man hauled in front of a judge?
We hope so.
For more on the Epstein files, please read:
- The media circus around Epstein is erasing the experiences of victims and survivors (Maddison Wheeldon).
- Epstein files show how racialised trafficking erased Black girls from victimhood (Vannessa Viljoen).
- Epstein's 'broligarchy' is being ignored by the corporate media (Alice Charles).
Featured image via Ben Brooksbank (Wikimedia)
By Antifabot
Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe recently claimed that immigrants are "colonising" the UK. Critics - and anyone with a brain in their nut - quickly condemned the remarks as racist and deeply out of touch with Britain's own colonial history.
Unsurprisingly, Reform MPs and figures on the far right quickly jumped on the bandwagon. While admitting Ratcliffe's statistics were "mistaken," Reform leader Nigel Farage maintained that the underlying argument holds up when judged against the dictionary definition of "colonise."
Spoiler alert: No, it really fucking doesn't.
Distraction tactics from the real 'colonisers'Bro Farage literally just approved the term "colonised" to your face and you STILL softball him.
The mainstream media is complicit in the rise of the far right. https://t.co/iSGrPACvak
— JimmyTheGiant (@jimthegiant) February 13, 2026
The Oxford Learners Dictionary definition of 'colonise' is:
to take control of an area or a country that is not your own, especially using force, and send people from your own country to live there.
It's clear that immigrants have precious little control over their rights and freedoms in the UK, so it's objectively clear that this statement is false. That's even after disregarding the fake-news figures Ratcliffe and fellow racists are distributing.
Another mask falls as we hear #ManchesterUnited owner Jim #Ratcliffe showcasing his #racism. He has all that money and power and he still has to punch down. Too many on #socialwelfare too - by his reckoning. Too many rich #parasites by mine.
https://t.co/r5vWOgo0yy— Kevin Doyle (@kevidoyle) February 13, 2026
As the Canary reported yesterday:
Rich racists: the actual 'colonisers'Sir Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner of Manchester United, has come under heavy criticism for saying that immigrants are "colonising" the UK. He said:
"You can't have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in. I mean, the UK has been colonised. It's costing too much money.
The UK has been colonised by immigrants, really, hasn't it?"
The racist shithead also claimed that the UK's population grew by 12 million people in 5 years. That's bollocks too, as BBC Verify reported:
"it's actually increased by 2.7 million."
And, that statistic doesn't take into account the economic benefit of immigrants doing all the shitty jobs white people don't want. And that, in turn, doesn't take into account that we're talking about people - people who have a right to safety and welcome.
Reform MPs are, of course, eagerly amplifying what can only be described as barely veiled racism.
Man Utd boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe is right on immigration and UK is being 'colonised,' claims Reform UK's Nadhim Zahawi https://t.co/0gPS34NQ0u
— LBC (@LBC) February 13, 2026
In January, we reported on Oxfam's latest research, which identified a direct correlation between shrinking civil liberties and rising billionaire handouts aimed at buying political influence:
In the UK specifically, the wealthiest 56 individuals hoard more money than 27 million ordinary people. In fact, in the UK:
The UK's billionaires have seen in the last year their average wealth grow five times faster than inflation-adjusted earnings.
56 people in the UK - all billionaires - have a combined wealth greater than 27 million other people, 39 per cent of the population. The average growth of a UK billionaire's wealth was £231mn in the last year.
The average UK billionaire will gain more wealth than the value of the UK's average annual salary in less time than it takes to watch a premier league football match
On average a person in the richest 1% in the UK owns 456 times more wealth than a person in the poorest 50%. The poorest half holds just 4.6% of the wealth, while the richest 1% own 21.3%. In 2024 the wealthiest 1% of UK adults had wealth of at least £2,317,452 […]
This year, the total wealth of the UK's billionaires grew by 11bn, an average of £30.3 mn a day. Meanwhile one in five people in the UK live in poverty.
Yet the far-right rarely highlight who profits from soaring costs in food, defence, and healthcare - areas Advance UK Ben Habib argues are making life harder for ordinary people.
Nor do they acknowledge how increased defence spending often destabilises other countries. In turn, worsening conditions that force people to migrate in the first place:
'@Sir_Ratcliffe in a 14 minute interview with @SkyNews explained how policies being pursued in the UK and EU are destroying our ability to feed ourselves, defend ourselves and medically treat ourselves.
He set out how western civilisation is killing itself.
On the other hand…
— Ben Habib (@benhabib6) February 12, 2026
Another Reform cheerleader and former Tory MP Nadine Dorries delighted in coming to Ratcliffe's defence:
Nadine Dorries of Reform UK defends Jim Ratcliffe's disgraceful immigration remarks.
His statistics were wrong, the substance was wrong and the language was wrong- but he was RIGHT.
Errrh?
Complete and utter gibberish. #bbcqt pic.twitter.com/BkBcRsM874
— Deirdre Heenan (@deirdreheenan) February 12, 2026
Thankfully, ordinary people are seeing right through it:
Can there be more of a traitor to the UK than Jim Ratcliffe? He offshored enough tax money to fund 120,000 nurses. People like him are the reason life has become so difficult for so many Brits.
— Robert M. (@3drm) February 13, 2026
Reform keep telling us immigrants are the problem and that billionaires are the good guys who create wealth.
Genuinely think this narrative was the plan Farage Sky & Ratcliffe intended to push and instead it's exposed tax dodging billionaires as the parasite ruining the country— Sarah (@kokeshimum) February 12, 2026
What is it that first attracted you to billionaire, Jim Ratcliffe?
Reform UK - wealthy elites, cosplaying as working class, for the benefit of billionaires. https://t.co/iRtYHpZicp
— Don McGowan (@donmcgowan) February 12, 2026
If the UK is being 'colonised', it's by super-rich billionaires who have bent politics to their will and are now cashing in on the consequences.
Featured image via Arne Musseler
Keir Starmer's Home Office has blown nearly £700,000 on court and lawyer fees to oppose Palestine Action co-founder, Huda Ammori's judicial review. The review seeks to overturn the government's ban on the anti-genocide direct action group. In addition, Starmer has used the ban to arrest thousands of mostly elderly and disabled protesters for opposing it.
Human rights groups have condemned Starmer's police-state action, with Amnesty International describing it as a:
disproportionate misuse of the UK's terrorism powers [that] should be overturned.
The court's decision on the judicial review will be announced tomorrow, 13 February 2026.
This cost is nothing compared to the millions spent, since the ban began in July 2025, on arresting the activists who opposed the ban. Furthermore, then-home secretary Yvette Coooper was caught in repeated lies to justify the ban. UK security and intelligence experts had recommended against the ban.
Featured image via the Canary
By Skwawkbox
A High Court judge has ruled this morning, 13 February 2026, that the government's ban on anti-genocide action group Palestine Action was "disproportionate" and breaches the human rights of UK people.
Palestine Action NOT a terrorist group (obviously)However, the 'proscription' remains in place for at least another week while the government has a chance to prepare submissions on the court's finding. It remains a criminal offence, for the time being, to express support for Palestine Action. Police should, of course, weigh whether it's worth arresting people when no prosecutions are likely, but their record suggests they won't.
Zack Polanski perhaps summed up the verdict the best:
A court has ruled that the government's authoritarian ban on Palestine Action was unlawful.
Time to stop criminalising the people protesting a genocide - and start ending the UK's complicity.
— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) February 13, 2026
Meanwhile, on the ground, supporters of Palestine Action were jubilant.
The decision was made by a panel of judges who all have strong links to Israel, underscoring just how far the Starmer regime overstepped human rights legislation. It is almost certain to try to appeal, despite the exposed web of lies it created to try to justify the ban.
Outside the court, supporters were holding signs saying "I support Palestine Action". These were the exact same ones that saw police people in their 1000s last year. Yet on 13 February, as far as the Canary team on the ground could tell no one was today:
The full judgment is available here.
Featured image via the Canary
By Skwawkbox
In recent decades, a huge wave of dental tourism has been expanding worldwide, driven by people seeking quick solutions to their dental problems. Today, social, professional, and personal approval play a significant role in how we are perceived, and a perfect smile is essential for fitting into a society where the growth of the internet and social media has increased the pressure to present a beautiful and confident image.
Taking care of your teeth, keeping them white, and so on has become just as important as any other cosmetic surgery on our bodies. People look for the best deals and the best dentists in a single clinic, dental tourism has become a great option in recent years, when patients cannot find what we mentioned in their countries of origin.
The most popular countries for dental tourism are:
● Türkiye: Without a doubt, this wonderful country has become a great option in Europe because it offers packages for tourists not only to visit exotic and historical places but also to enjoy its dental services at an affordable price.
● Mexico: In Latin America and the North, this country is a great option since dental procedures are very expensive in places like Canada and the United States.
● Vietnam: This country is ideal in the Asian part because they train excellent professionals and are ideal for offering good prices without lowering quality standards.
There are also other ideal countries for dental tourism, such as Costa Rica, Colombia, Dubai, Poland, among others.
What are the most sought-after dental procedures in the world?
- ORTHODONTICS: Undoubtedly, crooked or gapped teeth are among the biggest factors that lower a person's mood and dental aesthetics. Orthodontics is an ideal procedure to correct these types of problems, as well as bite malformations. It involves placing a series of metal appliances that, over the months, gradually tighten the teeth and move them into their correct position.
- TEETH WHITENING: It is one of the most used procedures since most people in the world suffer from tooth stains at least once in their lives for various reasons, whether the most common ones, such as not having proper oral hygiene or the consumption of tobacco, cigarettes, tea, or mate, among others. Sometimes it turns into tartar and this can only be removed by the doctor using special equipment.
- DENTAL IMPLANTS: When we lose one or more teeth, it's possible to replace them through this procedure, which, although more complex, is a valid option. A screw is placed in the tooth root, and once the osseointegration process is complete, a custom-made prosthesis, matched to the natural tooth colour, is then attached.
- DENTAL CROWNS: They are used after the implant and act in place of the missing tooth, they are made of a biocompatible material with the mouth, they are made to measure for each patient, they are made with the natural color of the tooth and they are placed permanently, the patient automatically recovers the aesthetic and chewing function of the mouth.
- DENTAL VENEERS: These are "caps" so called because of their manufacturing method, which cover imperfections of natural teeth such as stains, cracks, crooked teeth, etc. They are made in the same color and help to make the smile beautiful and perfect.
- HOLLYWOOD SMILE: It is undoubtedly most sought after by those who practice dental tourism; its name is derived from the way famous people in film and television have a beautiful and enviable smile. The professionals provide individual assistance to each patient when it comes to this treatment, as each one is evaluated and given the procedures they need to achieve a Hollywood smile.
These are just some of the many dental procedures performed in various clinics, where patients go with the assurance of receiving top-quality care at competitive prices. Among the outstanding clinics, we must mention the dental clinic called Dentakay, located in Istanbul, Turkey, famous for its excellent price packages that include not only treatment but also pre- and post-treatment services, as well as the opportunity for patients to explore historical sites in the country, thus enhancing their dental tourism experience.
'Lady' Victoria Hervey — ex-partner to disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — went on LBC to smear the late Virginia Giuffre, who serial child-rapist Jeffrey Epstein abused for years before she lost her life to suicide in 2025.
UnrepentantGiuffre dedicated her life campaigning against sexual abuse. Despite that, Windsor, notwithstanding his position in the royal family, denied having had a relationship or contact with Giuffre. The release of the 'Epstein files' revealed the disgraced ex-royal to be the dishonest party. He did know her and the infamous image of them was not doctored as claimed.
Hervey's interview charade mirrors Andrew's unrepentant mindset. Hervey, dismisses these events as a storm-in-a-teacup of lies that were 'unravelling.'
It gets worse, with Hervey claiming that:
just before [Virginia] passed away her lies were unravelling. Like, finally people were kind of realizing 'okay, this girl is making up stories,' and then she conveniently dies.
Challenged on who Giuffre's death was convenient for, she said it was:
Convenient for her.
This is not her first defence of Andrew. But tolerance for anyone cheering for rapists or excusing statutory rape is wearing thin — even the insufferable Piers Morgan shut down Hervey in a recent interview, describing her theories as as "utter s***".
It should be astounding, but isn't, given the context of the contempt shown for Epstein's countless victims by their abusers. Nor given the establishment's ongoing contempt now for their lives, reputations and the justice they deserve. Nor indeed Hervey's own history of responding to Giuffre's death with "lies catch up with you".
But Hervey wasn't finished. She also wanted to pour scorn on the horror decent humanity feels at the string of revelations of the rich and powerful and their sick crimes. According to Hervey, being in the files isn't shameful. Not being in the files is — it means you're "a bit of a loser":
To be honest, if you're not in those files it would be an insult, because it just means that you were a bit of a loser.
And Hervey just doubled down when she was challenged. In an interview shortly after her vile comments, she told Piers Morgan subsequently that she meant anyone "in the upper echelons of society" would be in Epstein's files:
https://www.thecanary.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/hervey-morgan-epstein.mp4 More questions than answersCertainly, there are a handful of people in the files who aren't tainted by their appearance in the Epstein files. Anti-Zionist academic Norman Finkelstein came out shining, after the files showed him telling an academic who defended Epstein that Epstein and his lawyer Alan Dershowitz should be strangled.
But not the disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Not the string of sick billionaires and politicians who participated in Epstein's crimes. And perhaps not Hervey either. She appears some thirty times in the latest Epstein release — and not in a 'passing mention' way either. None of it is proof of wrongdoing. None of it is incidental, either. All of it raises questions.
For example, in a frantic email to Giuffre's lawyer David Boies last year, a redacted whistleblower correspondent accused an "OUT OF CONTROL" Hervey of running a " serious gang of coordinated stalkers" to doxx and pursue them:
Or, in another example, seemingly from the same person:
Ward celebrated with HERVEY and KRAUS the night [redacted]'s death. They will not be satisfied until I am dead as well.
I have already served HERVEY and need to serve KRAUS. HERVEY uses the felon on parole, George B Tonks, to harass me full time since she no longer legally can. I had to hire a barrister in UK to serve Lady Victoria HERVEY, and did so [because] of the way [redacted] was being pummeled publicly by this gang. The guy was on parole as a convicted federal felon and I'm a federal whistleblower, so they did nothing. Vanity Fair gave a felon in prison my phone number and said felon NEVER STOPPED THREATENING AND HARASSING. The NYPD, Chicago PD, and FBI have failed us all and now I have been so beaten down the last five years without an ounce of support aside from fellow victims…
…HERVEY speaks to Maxwell in prison. Why is any of this harassment of witnesses legal and always overlooked?
One file includes an email with a redacted sender and no mention of the recipient's identity:
You use ppl with no support systems and make them carry the weight of unimaginable power and retribution! I begged you and SIGRID YEARS to protect NM/me from LADY VICTORIA HERVEY, as you gaslighted having never heard of the royal stalkers! Fergie and Maxwell are behind all of the suffering. LAW ENFORCEMENT IS
NOT HERE FOR VICTIMS. They arc here for elites.
Another Epstein file shows Hervey being accused publicly of being an "MI6 honeypot operative" close to Trump's FBI director Kash Patel. The image used shows a redacted Hervey with Patel, wearing a 'MAGA' cap. Patel is accused by senior US congresspeople of trying to cover up Trump's involvement with Epstein.
Another DOJ file shows a chat between an unnamed sender and "Lisa Probation for Stalker", accusing Hervey of participating in illegally-obtained medical information:
Another file:
[Redacted] needs to be restrained legally and once again, I wasn't given enough compensation to even cover my
upcoming surgeries. I had to serve HERVEY in the UK, PREDMORE, etc…how am I to survive? BEDWARDS, you did ALL OF THIS to my tiny private life.
Another, to lawyer Ariel Mitchell, accused Hervey and others of working with the Trump administration, Ghislaine Maxwell's family and the royal to destroy the sender:
Ariel,
He's a felon on parole who was just released in NYC from his ankle monitor. His probation officer had promised
he would not go free, yet LV HERVEY used her "influence", as they continue to try to kill me with threats/harassment/lies/smears/releasing my home address, sharing my ss#, sharing my [redacted] trauma journal!They work in tandem with this current administration/Maxwell/Royal family.
Another, an email to Boies and others:
They gang stalk and HERVEY/Kraus have eyes set on attacking [musician P] Diddy victims next. FBI JUST WATCHES AS WE ARE EATEN ALIVE! Six full years.
Another, from a UK citizen to an unnamed Met Police detective, describes Hervey as "besotted" with Epstein's enabler and fellow trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, and demands a 'restraining order' against her:
An implicated Daily MailI would like it noted that LVH [Hervey] has many friends as politicians as per her Daily Mail interview.
Again I want a restraining order filed against her. She is NOT a journalist but someone whom is besotted with Maxwell a convicted pedophile charged with sex trafficking who participated in my OWN TRAFFICKING AND HER OWN EGO!!!
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14511171/Samantha-Landry-Victoria-Secret-excitement-Trump-MAGA-influencer.html
I WANT ALL HER LETTERS TO MAXWELL CONFISCATED AND USED AS EVIDENCE. ALSO ALL CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN YOURSELF LUCIA AND LVH MUST BE SENT TO DC [redacted] INCLUDING ALL OF [redacted] EVIDENCE YOU STOLE!!
AGAIN MAY I REMIND YOU ALL THAT THIS IS AN INTERNATIONAL SEX TRAFFICKING RING!!!!
I also have have photos of Ghislaine with myself and others in Epstein Island.
See [redacted] email below. I expect you will also contact her because I want every single communication she had with Lucia Osbom and Lady Victoria Hervey!
Another, heavily redacted file includes an email sent to Daily Mail owner Jonathan Harmsworth, Viscount Rothermere. The email, apparently sent by a trafficked Epstein victim, informs Harmsworth that s/he is adding him to the witness list in "litigation and investigations into Epstein and Co", specifically, among other issues, because Hervey writes for his publication:
Jonathan Harmsworth,
I will be adding you to my witness list in the ongoing litigation and investigations into Epstein and Co where you personally will be held accountable for aiding and abetting Epstein's sex trafficking ring, victim-blaming and discrediting Epstein's victims to aid further those who committed and are committing heinous crimes of rape and sex trafficking accountable.
Seeming as Daniel Bates, Callahan, Lucia Osborne, Victoria Hervey, Alan Dershowitz, and Boris Johnson are enthusiastic journalists of your or in other z class stations, you to will be investigated along with Rupert Murdoch and The New York Post. Because of Callahan, I had to go into isolation and hiding for two years, and you all
put my life in danger when Epstein located me in Barcelona.It was Sharon Churcher, a Daily Mail journalist who went down to see with a photographer and took her and her husband to the FBI in Sydney. It was the Daily Mail that Published the photo of Prince Andrew.
Over the years, how many millions/ billions have you made plugging the Prince Andrew story? I even made complaints directly to the Daily Mail many, many times at the unfair constant plugging of only one male being held accountable in an entire sex trafficking ring. Why has not one journalist held another man in the Epstein ring accountable?? NOT ONE???
Again, none of these appearances are proof of wrongdoing. But they certainly raise questions about Hervey's evident contempt for rape victims and survivors, including Giuffre.
For more on the the Epstein Files, please read the Canary's article on way that the media circus around Epstein is erasing the experiences of victims and survivors.
Featured image via the Canary
By Skwawkbox
To what extent do you think the next crisis will be caused by government debt? I've done my own calculations, and it turns out that global debt growth is 1.8 times faster than the economy. This can't possibly work in the long run, can it? For example a country like Japan the debt even grows 3,2x times faster than the economy (followed by countries like China, France and The United States with also numbers above 2x), who is paying for all of this? And how will it end?
submitted by /u/Think-Technician7681[link] [comments]
Litany For The Border takes place in Berwick this month
As anyone who has taken the East Coast Main Line between the east of Scotland and England will know, one of the finest parts of the journey is when the train curves around the estuary of the River Tweed, giving an incredible view of the ancient and sometime-contested border town on the far bank. If they're able to see through the permanent rain lashing the carriage windows, travellers in February might be able to see the view lit up by a major new installation from artists Gareth Hudson and Toby Thirling, while those on the banks can also hear musical accompaniment by composer Eleanor Cully Boehringer. The collaboration takes place with light...
The post River Tweed Celebrated in new Installation appeared first on The Quietus.
Threads users have complained about its recommendation algorithm since the dawn of time 2023. Users even started writing posts addressed to the algorithm, specifying the topics they wanted to see more of. Now, that's part of the system: Users can write a post that begins with "dear algo" to adjust their preferences, officially.
For example, you could write: "Dear algo, show me more posts about sous vide recipes." You can also ask to see fewer posts about topics you don't want to see, like "Dear algo, stop showing me posts about air fryers." You can even retweet other users' "dear algo" posts to have those topics reflected in your feed. "Dear algo" posts will work for Threads users in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, with more countries coming "soon."
— Mat Smith
The biggest stories in tech you might have missed.
The first Control Resonant gameplay trailer shows a sideways NYC
The next Metal Gear Solid remaster collection arrives this summer
With a bigger focus on the Moon, Elon Musk is making some wild new plans. According to audio heard by The New York Times, Musk said xAI needed to build an AI satellite factory on the Moon with a gigantic catapult to launch the satellites into space. Sometimes you just want to be the Bond villain.
"You have to go to the Moon" to build the required AI capabilities, Musk told employees. "It's difficult to imagine what an intelligence of that scale would think about, but it's going to be incredibly exciting to see it happen." Such a catapult would certainly need to be powerful — though the Moon has only one-sixth Earth's gravity, the minimum escape velocity required for orbit is still around 3,800 mph, or five times the speed of sound. That's currently possible with electromagnetic railguns, but the satellites would have to withstand that force.
Pokémon Pokopia is cosy AFStardew Valley + Animal Crossing X Pokémon.
TMANintendoIn a bid to distract from a lot of things, Nintendo's new Pokémon game is a gently paced game where, instead of playing as a generic trainer, you take control of a sole Ditto.
As a Ditto, you can transform into other Pokémon, though the process is sort of incomplete, meaning you can only learn one skill from the monsters you befriend. Instead of using tools, you can transform into other Pokémon (like Lapras or Dragonite) to use their abilities to traverse obstacles or shape the world around you.
Sony WF-1000XM6 headphones reviewFacing tougher competition.
TMAEngadgetSony unveiled the latest entry in its best wireless earbud series, the WF-1000XM6, featuring yet another redesign, both inside and out. Once again, strong features and audio performance remain, but competition from all sides is tougher than ever. As Billy Steele explains in his review, if you want the strongest active noise cancellation, that will be Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. If the best sound quality is your goal, the Technics AZ100 is your best bet in this price range. I'll also mention Sennheiser's Momentum True Wireless 4, which offers great sound quality, respectable ANC and a comfier fit than the M6. The WF-1000XM6 is available now for $330.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-meta-turned-threads-algorithm-complaints-into-an-official-feature-121500663.html?src=rss
The Netherlands' largest mobile network operator (MNO) has admitted that a breach of its customer contact system may have affected around 6.2 million people.…
B2B News | Stark Future has begun 2026 with significant acceleration, delivering more than 200% year-on-year growth in January. Tripling sales in a softer overall market underscores sustained demand for high-performance electric motorcycles and growing confidence among customers, dealers, suppliers, and financial partners. Recent international podium finishes further validate the reliability and performance of Stark's electric platform under world-class racing conditions, reinforcing the company's strong commercial trajectory.
The start to 2026 reflects not only demand strength, but a more mature operating foundation. Over recent months, Stark has sharpened execution across the organisation, building clearer operating rhythms with suppliers and dealers while intensifying its focus on unit economics. Targeted capital expenditure has been deployed across manufacturing, quality control, and diagnostics, including line balancing, end-of-line test automation, and app-enabled service tools , all designed to increase throughput, improve first-fix rates, and deliver a more predictable production cadence.
"January's 3x year-on-year growth reflects both healthy demand and the operational performance we have built into the company," said Anton Wass, CEO and Founder of Stark Future. "In 2026, our focus is controlled growth, operational excellence, and long-term platform innovation. We are investing heavily in R&D to expand into the large street motorcycle categories, while strengthening our supply chain to further improve margins and build a more predictable, scalable business for riders, dealers, and stakeholders."
Stark continues to advance motorcycle-specific cell formats and battery pack architectures for future platforms, enhancing performance, range, and cost efficiency. A multi-sourcing strategy across strategic components has further strengthened supply resilience, stabilised lead times, and supported margin discipline as volumes scale.
To accelerate innovation and support its product roadmap, the company has approved a €36 million CAPEX programme for motorcycle R&D in 2026. The investment is primarily focused on new street motorcycle platforms, including the development of next-generation, high-performance electric powertrains and the advanced test-and-measurement infrastructure required to bring technologies from prototype to series production. Where necessary, Stark has also adapted logistics and sourcing strategies to navigate evolving global trade conditions without compromising quality, compliance, or performance.
STARK FUTURE >All images © Stark Future
Earlier this year, THE PACK reported on the bankruptcy of Swedish electric motorcycle manufacturer RGNT. Shortly after publication, CEO Jonathan Åström informed us that discussions were underway to reboot the brand. With respect for the brand and in the interest of the electric motorcycle industry, we agreed on the request to pause this publication while efforts to secure new backing were ongoing. With the relaunch now formally confirmed, RGNT is once again restarting operations under a new entity formed by its existing team.
RGNT reboots once again following asset acquisition
Swedish electric motorcycle manufacturer RGNT is resuming operations after its core assets were acquired by a new entity formed by the existing team. The move follows the January 20, 2026 bankruptcy filing of RGNT Reborn AB, which the company says was primarily triggered by a serious breach of contract by a former logistics partner that disrupted operations and cash flow.
According to CEO Jonathan Åström, the acquisition includes RGNT's intellectual property, tooling, remaining inventory and the full team behind the brand. The company states that this structure ensures business continuity, with the same design philosophy and production approach remaining in place.
Warranties honoured, orders securedRGNT confirmed that all existing warranties on its Turbo models will remain valid and honoured without interruption. Open orders for the Street Classic are secured and will be fulfilled according to the original schedule.
RGNT Turbo
The company also noted that approximately 30 units of the RGNT Turbo remain available for sale in 2026. Once this inventory is sold out, the focus will shift fully to production and customer deliveries of the Street Classic, which are scheduled to begin in Q4 2026.
Focus on Street Classic for 2026The remainder of 2026 will be dedicated to finalising development, certification, homologation and production ramp-up of the Street Classic, positioned as RGNT's flagship model combining Scandinavian design with modern electric performance.
In a statement, Åström said the company is "deeply thankful for the unwavering support from our community, dealers, suppliers and customers throughout this transition."
The relaunch marks yet another chapter for the Gothenburg-based electric motorcycle maker, which has now undergone restructuring more than once as it navigates the challenging landscape of premium electric two-wheeler manufacturing.
RGNT MOTORCYCLES >
Attorney General Pam Bondi testified before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, defending the Justice Department's widely criticized rollout of the Epstein files against accusations that her department is shielding powerful men, including President Donald Trump, at the expense of survivors.
Democrats, who reviewed the unredacted files for the first time this week, revealed that the names of "wealthy, powerful men" were improperly redacted, while the names of victims were left exposed.
This week on The Intercept Briefing, co-hosts Jessica Washington and Akela Lacy gave their rundown of the politics stories they're watching right now. Washington also spoke with Spencer Kuvin, an attorney representing nine of Epstein's victims, about the failures of the Department of Justice to protect survivors.
"From the beginning of this case, the government, both from a state and federal level, have been trying to bury this, cover it up, and avoid any full exposure of the extent of the operation that was involved here," Kuvin said, "and they're doing it … because of all the both political, wealthy, and powerful individuals who were involved with Epstein and knew what was going on with these young women."
Kuvin also spoke about the DOJ's failure to redact the names of victims in the files, including two of his clients who were victimized as children. "The current Department of Justice has a focus on something different than victims and helping victims and prosecuting bad people that victimize these young girls," he said. "Their focus instead appears to be on the important people — powerful people that are contained within these files and protecting them instead of protecting who needs the protection, the young victims in this case."
Listen to the full conversation of The Intercept Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
TranscriptJessica Washington: Welcome to The Intercept Briefing. I'm Jessica Washington, politics reporter at The Intercept.
Akela Lacy: And I'm Akela Lacy, senior politics reporter at The Intercept.
JW: We're going to be doing something a little bit different this week and start off the show by discussing the topics that are on our mind as political reporters. Akela, what do you have your eye on this week?
AL: The midterms are here. There has been an onslaught of news this week from New York to Illinois to New Jersey — where after days of tearing my hair out, waiting for them to finalize the election results in the special election in New Jersey, 11 — it appears that the pro-Israel lobby strategy backfired and helped elect a progressive critic of Israel. So we've been writing about that.
We also had done some reporting on AIPAC donors backing the Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way in that race. And it appears that she is now potentially thinking about running against the winner Analilia Mejia in the next primary, which unfortunately is not that far away because there will be another race for the full term for this seat.
On Thursday, we published a story about a new endorsement in Illinois, where over the last week there's been several ads, millions of dollars spent in four races, where AIPAC is making one of its biggest investments this cycle. Our story is about a candidate in the ninth district, Kat Abughazaleh, who is now running with the endorsement of Justice Democrats and a new pro-Palestine political action committee that launched on Wednesday and is endorsing several candidates in the upcoming midterms.
Related
Kat Abughazaleh on the Right to Protest
JW: Can you tell me a little bit about AIPAC strategy and how they're viewing the midterms?
AL: Yeah, so we've done a lot of reporting on this. Basically the 2024 midterms, AIPAC was extremely loud and vocal about its endorsements, its investments in these races, and there has been sort of a groundswell in criticism of AIPAC. Lots of groups popping up. I think we've seen a big shift in the number of people in the general public who are paying really close attention to how this lobby is operating in these midterms.
And in response to that, AIPAC has retreated to the way that it operated before it started spending directly on elections and launching the Super Pac and the regular PAC that many people are familiar with now, distancing itself from candidates, directing donors to fundraise for candidates that it hasn't publicly endorsed. On the other hand, you have candidates who are fundraising with AIPAC or aware that they're receiving tens of thousands of dollars from big AIPAC donors are saying that they're not seeking the endorsement of this group that they're not involved, that they're happy to take support from whoever wants to support their campaigns. And so this has made reporting on this a little bit more difficult in some ways because we're looking at donors where they overlap between these two groups.
We're trying to read between the lines of statements that officials and the group are making about whether or not they're involved in this race. And, in Illinois in particular, as I was interviewing Kat Abughazaleh on Wednesday evening, she said, AIPAC knows how toxic it is and that's why it's trying so hard to make it appear that it's not involved in this race when it very clearly is. And that I think is an evergreen statement about how it's operating in lots of races that are coming up.
Jessie, I know you're also focusing on the midterms. What do you have your eye on right now?
JW: Yeah. First I have my eye on all of your reporting because it's been excellent.
AL: [Laughs.] Thank you.
JW: You have been writing a lot and really interestingly on AIPAC, so I've definitely been following your coverage.
I think for me, ICE is really something I'm watching going into the midterms. In my conversations with campaigns candidates and their teams are bringing up ICE over and over again.
They recognize that part of what this election is going to be about is what kind of country we want to live in, and people are really rejecting the violence that they're seeing really publicly. Obviously, ICE and the Department of Homeland Security has been acting in ways that are violent towards communities in much quieter ways for years. But this violence that people are seeing, they're really rejecting. So I'm seeing a lot of traction with that, with campaigns.
And I think it's also an interesting juxtaposition with everything that's gone on with the Epstein files. This week and last week, you're really seeing this idea of conservatives as protectors of the innocent protectors of the weak, the ways that they've been trying to champion themselves to voters fall apart, both with the ways in which voters can see that they're not protecting the survivors connected to the Epstein files, and also the ways in which they're seeing that the authoritarianism that they have justified on the backs of, "hey, we have to protect the weak and vulnerable" is fake. So that's something I'm really watching, for campaigns to touch on.
AL: And I just think it's important to note here that Analilia Mejia, who you know, was elected in New Jersey as we were talking about, made that a cornerstone of her campaign. And like I know her campaign was really pushing that information out to reporters, that something that was so successful was that they were doing these ICE trainings at her campaign events — she was a critic of Israel. She was a supporter of all these progressive policies. But that specifically — the ICE issue — was what was resonating with voters in this district that was represented by a Republican before Mikie Sherrill was elected in 2019. So in terms of this everlasting quest to unite people across the ideological spectrum, it seems like that is being really effective.
JW: Yeah, it's definitely a message that we're seeing campaigns latch onto and we're seeing the public latch onto. And what you just said about the trainings, I've found to be so interesting, just the ways in which people have — despite being really afraid; I think it's rational to be afraid when we're seeing the kinds of violence publicly on video — but instead of just staying inside of their house, we're seeing people really resonate with this moment, go out, do these trainings, get into the streets, and that energy is something a lot of campaigns are trying to harness.
Now, whether or not they turn on that same energy, the ways in which we saw the George Floyd energy, which had been harnessed by Democrats and they really lost that momentum. It'll be curious to see if Democrats can hold onto the momentum from activists on the streets who are angry about ICE or whether we're going to see that exact same kind of turn we saw on organizers and activists who are connected to the George Floyd protests.
AL: Also this week I'm sure people were paying attention to the electric Pam Bondi hearing and the Epstein files. Jessie, you spoke to Spencer Kuvin, an attorney representing nine of Epstein's survivors.
JW: Yeah, I did. It was a really great conversation. Spencer drove home the ways in which the Trump justice apartment has been protecting the powerful at the expense of the victims in this case.
AL: Let's hear that conversation.
JW: Spencer, welcome to The Intercept Briefing.
Spencer Kuvin: Thank you so much for having me today.
JW: I want to start off by asking how the women that you represent are reacting to this latest batch of documents.
SK: Well, and thank you for asking about the victims, which really is the focus or should be the focus of everything that has been going on for the last 20 years.
Unfortunately, I had to make a very difficult call after the documents had been released. One of my clients, actually two of my clients were unfortunately unredacted and disclosed in those documents that included the first victim that came forward to police— the 14-year-old that I represented back in 2007, who the federal government was well aware of.
And another young victim who was 16 at the time that she was brought to Epstein's home in Palm Beach, they were both disclosed in these documents, unredacted. So I had to make that awful call to let them know that they had been disclosed and that I had notified the Department of Justice of what had happened.
And then thankfully within a day the redactions took place. But it's just unbelievable the failures of this Department of Justice.
JW: Yeah. Why do you think we saw such sloppy redactions in these files?
SK: I think you saw the sloppiness because of the lack of focus on what was important, and that was the victims.
I think unfortunately, the current Department of Justice has a focus on something different than victims and helping victims and prosecuting bad people that victimize these young girls. Their focus instead appears to be on the important people — powerful people — that are contained within these files and protecting them instead of protecting, who needs the protection, the young victims in this case.
JW: You're talking about someone who was abused at 14 years old, and I guess my question for you is just what does that re-traumatization look like when you're publicly outed in this way?
SK: It's awful. It's absolutely devastating. This is a young lady, for example, that chose to remain anonymous and wanted to move on with her life. And because of the drip of information over the last 20 years with respect to Epstein, she hasn't been able to move on with her life. She is now someone who is in her thirties and has a family of her own. And really does not want to have to look back at this dramatic and awful period of her life. And remaining anonymous allowed her to do that. And unfortunately the federal government is re-traumatizing these victims by making them have to go back through this awful period.
JW: Spencer, you've been working on this case for roughly 20 years. Can you give us some of the background, particularly on the sweetheart deal that Epstein got originally?
SK: Yeah, so I started working on these cases when victim number one, the first victim to go to the police in Palm Beach, walked into my office and needed help because she had, along with her parents, reported what had happened to her at Epstein's home. And that really started the snowball of this entire investigation for all of the future victims that came forward in the FBI investigation.
But what it started as was a local investigation by the town of Palm Beach, and Joe Recarey was the lead officer that I met with during that initial investigation. It was only after the state attorneys in Palm Beach refused to prosecute this case that it ended up at the FBI and the Southern District of Florida.
Then the FBI took over this case and started the prosecution and had an indictment that we now see that they've revealed unsealed that had almost 50 counts against Epstein and other potential co-conspirators that they shelved. And they shelved it because they entered into an awful, awful sweetheart deal with Epstein at the time.
That Epstein sweetheart deal was never provided to the victims. As an attorney on behalf of one of the victims, I had to fight in court just to see the crappy deal that they had entered into with Epstein and the immunity that they had given others. And that fight lasted a year in the litigation before I was able to even see it. And then once I saw it, I realized why they didn't want anyone to see it because it was such an awful deal.
JW: There are some truly horrifying allegations inside of these files, but so far there haven't been any high-profile arrests or charges brought. I think you're uniquely qualified to speak on this. What does justice look like here for the victims, and is it going to have to come from outside of the legal system?
SK: That's a good question and a very difficult one. In handling these types of cases, specifically the Epstein cases over the last 20 years, I get a lot of calls that are just not credible.
And unfortunately there is a mental health crisis in the United States and unfortunately, some of the people that have some issues will call in and make allegations that just factually don't hold water. Having said that, there are a lot of very valid tips that deal with individuals. So the FBI just seemed to categorize all of the tips that came in as not credible without even investigating them. And that's a problem.
In addition to that, Epstein entered into the sweetheart deal with the federal government as a result of the initial prosecution here in West Palm Beach in South Florida. And when they did that there were four co-conspirators that were clearly named in that agreement.
Four people that the federal government knew had assisted in the sex trafficking that Epstein was involved in. And by the way, one of those four was not Ghislaine Maxwell. She was not even named in the sweetheart deal at all. Most people don't realize that there were four other people, four other women, that were part of this conspiracy that have never been prosecuted to the state.
So the victims want them prosecuted. That's number one. There is enough information to prosecute those people and bring them to justice. Number two, they want this information out in the public so that the public can then see the full extent of this heinous operation that was going on for years. And then judge who they want to be running these important companies, corporations, in politics and whatnot, and have the public judge them for what they did, or what they didn't do, and then have them be held publicly accountable.
JW: I want to talk about these redactions again and the ways in which powerful people have been shielded as you've been just discussing now. Members of Congress were able to view the unredacted files this week. Before we get into some of the shocking revelations, I just wanted to ask you about the use of redactions to protect powerful people within the files and what you make of that, and what the women that you represent make of that.
"How do we hold the Department of Justice accountable for breaking federal law? … [W]ithout a penalty clause in the law, the only way to do that is contempt of Congress."
SK: It breaks the law. It violates federal law. The Department of Justice broke the law, and they are continuing to break the law. Make no question about this. The Epstein Transparency Act is very clear. You can read it. It is only about two pages long, and it states that no redactions shall be made for the purpose of merely embarrassment or protecting important or powerful people. In addition, it gives a deadline for the full disclosure of records. Both of those things have been violated by the Department of Justice.
The question really is just accountability at this point. How do we hold the Department of Justice accountable for breaking federal law? That's a quandary that unfortunately, or fortunately, our country has not had to deal with yet. But right now we have to figure out a way to be able to hold the Department of Justice accountable. And I think legally speaking right now without a penalty clause in the law, the only way to do that is contempt of Congress.
JW: So on Tuesday, representative Ro Khanna revealed the names of these six, powerful, wealthy men, whose names had previously been redacted in the files. Those names included billionaire, former Victoria's Secret owner Les Wexner and Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. What did those new names add to our understanding of Epstein and his world?
SK: I can tell you Les Wexner name was connected with Jeffrey Epstein, even back during the original prosecution of these cases I was involved in 2007. We were well aware of Epstein's connections with Wexner, and he was on our witness list as somebody, as a person of interest, that needed to be talked to or subpoenaed for a deposition.
Now the case is resolved before we got to that point. But the connection was clear even back then, and I think there were stories that came out in the news dating back into the late 2000s that identifies that connection.
The other wealthy, important and powerful people who were out outed in some of these records that shows the world the breadth —the true worldwide breadth —of Epstein's conspiracy and sex trafficking. And I think that there was a lot of rumor that had circulated for years, and people would call other individuals who would talk about those rumors as conspiracy theorists and crazy. And, you're making up crazy stories.
What we're seeing with these documents is that that is the reality that wealthy and powerful men around the world were trading young girls like trading cards.
JW: I should note here that Wexner's legal representative issued a statement saying "The Assistant U.S. Attorney told Mr. Wexner's legal counsel in 2019 that Mr. Wexner was neither a co-conspirator nor target in any respect. Mr. Wexner cooperated fully by providing background information on Epstein and was never contacted again."
I just want to get into the conspiracy element of this because I think it's important. There's been so much talk about how these files have validated conspiracy theories, like QAnon, but in my opinion, there's been far less discussion about the ways in which these files have validated the accounts of women who were abused by Epstein as children and have been speaking about it, frankly, for years.
What would it have meant to listen to these women when they spoke out instead of waiting for a trove of government documents?
SK: Huge. It's huge from an emotional standpoint a victim goes through a huge emotional trauma just reporting what she has been through or he has been through. Latest government statistics show that one out of every three women, literally, if you are in the room with three women, one of them was likely subjected to some kind of sexual trauma in their life, and one out of every five men, by the way, also according to government statistics.
"A victim goes through a huge emotional trauma just reporting what she has been through or he has been through."
And what happens is that these young women, for example, in this case, that report this, when they're met with denials, accusations, attacks, all it does is drive them deeper into a depression because they know the truth. I think what it teaches us as a society is that we have to believe victims and what they're telling us because it takes a huge amount of bravery to even come forward and report these types of things.
I think that if that had occurred, if people had believed victims, then they would've been able to work through the healing process. Part of what I do as an advocate for victims in the civil arena is I listen to victims and I believe them.
I then fight for them based upon that belief. And just that alone can help a victim knowing that there is someone out there that's fighting for them, believing in them, and wanting to get them justice. So being a part of the system and finding an advocate for them that is a very significant thing.
Look at, for example, Virginia Giuffre. She, for years, for years had been called a liar. And we are now seeing the absolute proof that everything she was telling us was true. She may not have unfortunately committed suicide had she been able to be believed and supported as a true victim.
[Break]
JW: I want to turn towards Donald Trump because obviously he casts a large shadow over the story. On Tuesday, Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin claimed that Donald Trump appears in the Epstein files more than a million times. He also said that Trump never asked Jeffrey Epstein to leave Mar-a-Lago as he previously claimed. What is your response to these revelations?
SK: I think it's important to look at these documents within the context of what they are and the timeframe within which they were gathered. These documents were gathered after the FBI began their operation, which was around 2007. We know historically that Epstein and Trump were friends. He's admitted that, and they were friends for years. But that friendship predated a lot of this investigation.
So a lot of the information we're seeing in these files is after the 2007 period when the investigation began. What we're not seeing is the extent of that relationship and what Trump may or may not have done with Jeffrey Epstein before 2007. We know because we've seen videos of them at parties and socializing together. He admitted that he knew that he liked young girls. And Trump now is trying to obviously distance himself as far as he can from Jeffrey Epstein.
But the reality is that there was a close connection, there was a good friendship. They did go to parties together. And this is something that the FBI never fully investigated. And unfortunately, given the fact that Trump is now the President and it seems as though he has a tight grip on the Department of Justice, I don't know that there will be a full and complete investigation of his activities.
JW: I think Donald Trump complicates this story in so many ways because at its core, this is a story about the violent sexual exploitation of children, and we have to hold space for that. But it's also a political story because of Donald Trump's involvement. So I guess, how do you think about holding space for what these women have gone through as children, while also acknowledging the politics involved here?
SK: Yeah, I agree with you. I think that politics definitely complicates the issue, but we have to remember that Donald Trump is the one that actually brought this to the forefront. We have to thank him to a certain extent because during his campaign he made this a major issue as part of his campaign that he was going to release this information.
It was only after he was elected and realized what was actually in those documents, that he then started backpedaling on the release of information to the general public. Politics always complicates truth because politicians seem to have a very difficult time just being truthful with the general public.
We have to always remember that the Department of Justice is supposed to be neutral. They are not supposed to be a political arm of any political party, whether it be Democrats or Republicans. Unfortunately, Donald Trump has turned our Department of Justice into a political animal, and as we saw, for example, through the testimony of Pam Bondi the other day in front of Congress. The Department of Justice no longer has any credibility as a nonpolitical or apolitical organization. They are political, without a doubt. It is now controlled by the president and the executive branch, and that's a shame because now victims cannot trust even our own Department of Justice to investigate crimes and do the right thing.
JW: As you've just mentioned, Attorney General Pam Bondi testified before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. What jumped out to you from that testimony? I wanted to get your thoughts on that.
SK: Everything jumped out, including the Attorney General. It was an absolute embarrassment to our country that the highest ranking law enforcement officer in our country acted like a child.
That is exactly what the Attorney General was doing. She was acting like a child and she was clearly exhibiting pro-political leanings toward the current administration with absolutely no respect for the rule of law or her job, which is to remain neutral, and not favor either political party in any investigation or potential investigation.
And frankly, it was sad to me as a member of one of the branches of government to see a person like our own U.S. attorney general acting in that manner. It was sad and it was an embarrassment.
JW: Can justice be achieved with Pam Bondi as the attorney general? Is there a path towards that?
SK: No, I'm convinced that based upon the performance that she put on the other day, I don't believe that there's any way that justice can be accomplished. When we talk about an organization that is now a political arm of the executive branch, I don't see there's any possibility that justice can fully be accomplished while she's in office. I think that if Congress frankly had any integrity whatsoever they would do one of two things, either begin impeachment proceedings against the attorney general, or alternatively hold her in contempt of Congress.
JW: As you pointed out, Pam Bondi, Donald Trump, they all came into office using Epstein's survivors using the threat of violence against young women to really push a lot of their more authoritarian impulses.
This is historically true, for the Republicans and for conservatives, but particularly true in this moment. Did the Epstein files and the high profile men in Trump world mentioned in the files, plus what we've seen from the attorney general, reveal those concerns about violence against young women to be a farce?
SK: I think that what it revealed is the true nature of what politicians do. What politicians do is they find key issues that can separate society or inflame fears or tension within a society in order to trump up votes. I use that analogy and word specifically in this case because that's exactly what the president did, right?
"What politicians do is they find key issues that can separate society or inflame fears or tension within a society in order to trump up votes."
It's exactly what other Congress people did, is that they utilized an inflaming type of language and situation to be able to get votes. And then once they're in office, they completely retract what they said they were going to do. We see this in all types of enforcement actions when a government wants to move toward a more authoritarian type system where they justify actions through fear.
Be afraid of the illegals. Be afraid of the immigrants. Be afraid of the pedophiles that are in society. We are here to protect you, so you need more police and more military and more authoritarian governments to protect you from all of these bad people, when in reality that's not what they want. What they want is control.
That's how they get it is through fear. And I think that the way to combat that is really through truth and not being afraid, but instead standing up to power and questioning them and making them be held accountable in the public eye. And thankfully in a democratic society, we can vote people out of office if they fail to be held up to the standards that we expect of them.
JW: Do you think the American public is waking up to that reality? Because I see people in the streets, particularly in Minneapolis, but in LA throughout the country, really standing up against authoritarian power. And we also see people calling out what's been now dubbed the Epstein class. These group of people — powerful people — who abuse women, but also, and children, and more broadly abuse our society. Do you think there's been a wake up in our culture?
SK: I do think that certain people are now coming around to realize that these are not all just conspiracy theories, that there is a lot of truth behind what people have been saying for years about the elite billionaire class and their ploy to control society and the way that they think about the ordinary citizens in the world throughout the world, including the United States. But I also think that there is a certain group of society that looked at, for example, the testimony of Pam Bondi and cheered her on and said, "Wow, she did awesome, she did a great job." And there are still people that look at what Trump is doing and defend his every action and defend everything he's saying. So it won't be until we get to those people that things will really change, right? You need to be able to get on a level where you are communicating with people you disagree with, but you're discussing facts, not just bullet points, and not just points that are given to them by talking heads on television. You have to have a conversation with people you disagree with in a way that it can be fruitful to both sides to understand where they're coming from and understand why they think the way they do.
And only then I think, will there be true change. Because otherwise you're going to continue to have a society that is fractured along a very definitive line. There used to be gray, there used to be a middle, and now there is just team A and team B, and that's the problem.
JW: A lot of people have called this a coverup, down from the federal government all the way to the local level. Do you see it as a coverup?
SK: 100 percent. From the beginning of this case, the government, both from a state and federal level, have been trying to bury this, cover it up, and avoid any full exposure of the extent of the operation that was involved here, and they're doing it for many obvious reasons because of all the both political, wealthy, and powerful individuals who were involved with Epstein and knew what was going on with these young women.
"It is a billionaire crowd trying to protect their own."
So as a result, you've got institutions that are controlled by wealthy, powerful politicians and individuals who are trying to cover up potential crimes of other wealthy, powerful politicians and powerful people. So it is a billionaire crowd trying to protect their own.
JW: That's a really good point and a good point to end on. But just first I wanted to give you a chance if you had any final thoughts that you wanted to share.
SK: I think the most important thing that I want people to remember is that victims need to be heard and victims need to be believed. And as a society, we need to trust what victims are saying first, until evidence shows otherwise, and not immediately accuse people of lying or exaggerating because by trusting them you can at least hear them out. And at least give them the space to talk about what they're going through. And even if it doesn't prove to be true, which is frankly only about less than 5 percent of the allegations that come out, according to statistics, but even if it doesn't, they believe it. And they're saying it for a reason that they truly believe. Whether they have some kind of issue going on in their life or not, it doesn't matter. Whether they remember an exact date, it doesn't matter.
They are going through something emotionally, so we should listen to what they have to say and allow them the space to say it without any judgment or accusation and then get them the help they need.
JW: Thank you, Spencer. That was a really important conversation and I really appreciate you taking the time to share both your point of view and then also the points of view from your clients who deserve to be heard.
SK: Thank you.
JW: Thank you for joining me on The Intercept Briefing.
SK: Thank you so much for having me today.
JW: That does it for this episode.
This episode was produced by Laura Flynn. Sumi Aggarwal is our executive producer. Ben Muessig is our editor-in-chief. Maia Hibbett is our Managing Editor. Chelsey B. Coombs is our social and video producer. Desiree Adib is our booking producer. Fei Liu is our product and design manager. Will Stanton mixed our show. Legal review by David Bralow.
Slip Stream provided our theme music.
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Until next time, I'm Jessica Washington.
The post Attorney for Epstein Survivors Warns That Justice Is Impossible With Bondi as AG appeared first on The Intercept.
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