You have likely heard about the masked agents of ICE mucking around in Minnesota for the past few months, resulting in numerous violent incidents and deaths. Itch.io is hosting a bundle to help raise money for the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, which was organized by charity creator Jes Wade.

The No ICE in Minnesota bundle includes nearly 1,300 video games and tabletop games and costs just $10, though those with deep pockets can certainly donate more than that. It has a goal of $100,000, which it certainly is on pace to meet.

There are some nifty titles here, particularly for those interested in indie puzzle games and life sims. The standout is likely the stellar puzzler Baba Is You, which won the Game Designers Award at the Tokyo Games Show in 2020. This is a game that has to be played to be understood, as players are given the opportunity to change the rules to find novel solutions to complex puzzles. It's very good.

The bundle includes the life simulation game Calico, which involves players running a cat cafe on a magical island. The art style is gorgeous and the gameplay is relaxing. Also, calico cats are awesome.

Other titles include the bee-collecting sim Apico, the musical sci-fi adventure Periphery Synthetic and the space-based roguelike Hyperspace Dogfights. Scroll through the list to see if anything else strikes your interest, but mark out some time on the calendar first. Scrolling through nearly 1,300 games can take a while.

The Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota is a nonprofit that provides free representation to low-income immigrants and refugees. The organization also provides support for those who have witnessed violent attacks and advocates for public policies which "respect the universal human rights of immigrants."

I live in Minneapolis. ICE is still here in full force, despite the media moving on to shinier objects. We really do need all the help we can get. The long-term presence of these masked, armed agents is really starting to destroy the local economy and many people are quite literally trapped indoors. To say morale is low would be an understatement. Schools are still being raided and people are still being brutally beaten. American citizens are still being arrested for dubious reasons. This is all happening after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

That's why these fundraising bundles on Itch have become so important. They really do shine a light on important topics. This is organizer Jes Wade's second ICE-related bundle, with a former focusing on California relief efforts. There have also been bundles to help raise money for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Community Bail Fund and to raise cash for charities working in Ukraine.

Former cryptocurrency poster boy Sam Bankman-Fried is trying to get another chance in court. He has filed a request that for a new trial on claims that new witness testimony could alter the case made against him by prosecutors, according to Bloomberg. His odds for getting the re-trial, where he'd be representing himself, seem pretty slim. This is a separate motion from a formal appeal of his previous conviction.

Bankman-Fried is one of many cryptocurrency leaders who have since been prosecuted for fraud. After being jailed for witness tampering, he was found guilty of seven charges of fraud and conspiracy in 2023. Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his actions as CEO and co-founder of crypto exchange FTX.

I don't understand sycophancy. Never have. I don't know what it gets you in the long run other than a reputation for subservience. That's worth nearly nothing in the open market. The only people who will hire you are people most people would never want to work for.

And yet, that is pretty much the entirety of the GOP under Trump: a massive collection of doormats the current president won't even remember stepping on moments later. Sucking up to a goldfish brain like Trump makes you a fool, rather than the savvy pol you imagine yourself to be.

Welcome to the dom side of the sub/dom equation, Senator Marsha Blackburn. While she's most famous here for trying to turn the internet into whatever the current iteration of the GOP wishes it to be (at least here at Techdirt), she's stepped out of her comfort zone recently to publicly complain about a Supreme Court justice who attended an awards show where multiple people publicly criticized Trump's anti-migrant actions.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) called for an investigation Thursday into Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson for attending the Grammy Awards, where various artists criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

[…]

"Americans deserve a Supreme Court that is impartial and above political influence," Blackburn wrote on social platform X. "When a Justice participates in such a highly politicized event, it raises ethical questions. We need an investigation into Justice Jackson's ability to remain impartial."

First things fucking last, Justice Jackson was not a presenter, nor was she a "participant" in any of the ICE criticism delivered by Grammy-nominated artists like Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, and Justin Vernon. She was also not involved in any way with the production of the Grammy Awards ceremony, further removing her from anything that might be deemed "impartial."

But beyond any of that is the fact that Justice Jackson had a perfectly legitimate, non-political reason to be there:

Jackson was nominated in the Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording category for her memoir "Lovely One." 

Jackson didn't win (she lost to the Dalai Lama which, if you're going to lose, is probably a loss you'll never complain about publicly) but she was nominated. That alone gave her a reason to be there. The anti-ICE content may have been personally enjoyable, but she wasn't there to soak up the stuff being said by others.

Not that it matters to the performative doormats currently employed as GOP politicians. Sen. Blackburn immediately started banging away on her keyboard and decided to take her disgruntled Grammy Awards forum comments to the next level by sending them off to Chief Justice John Roberts:

I write today regarding recent reporting about Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's attendance at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, on Sunday, February 1, and the ethical questions raised by her attendance at such a highly politicized event. For the following
reasons, I urge you to conduct a thorough investigation into Justice Jackson's attendance at this event and whether her presence at such an event complies with the obligation that a Supreme Court justice "act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary."

While it is by no means unheard of or unusual for a Supreme Court justice to attend a public function, very rarely—if ever—have justices of our nation's highest Court been present at an event at which attendees have amplified such far-left rhetoric. Many of the attendees wore lapel pins that read "ICE OUT," an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) adage. One Grammy winner that evening opened his acceptance speech by stating, "Before I say thanks to God, I'm going to say 'ICE out,'" which was received with thunderous applause by the crowd. Another award recipient that evening noted in her acceptance speech that "No one is illegal on stolen land," going on to say that "we need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting . . . And f*** ICE, that's all I'm gonna say." These statements were just two of many polarized, highly charged anti-law enforcement sentiments from that evening. It is important to note that Justice Jackson was present in the audience throughout the event.

Wow. Harsh words from someone who couldn't be bothered to speak up while Justice Clarence Thomas received millions of dollars' worth of gifts from right-wing benefactors over the past two decades. She was oddly quiet when it was revealed Justice Thomas's wife was pushing election conspiracy theories. Truly an unexpected amount of yelling from someone who had nothing to say when Justice Alito's wife was flying pro-Trump flags at Alito's home.

Oh. Wait. Blackburn has something to say about both of those things in this letter to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court:

Unlike these meritless claims against Justice Alito and Justice Thomas, there are serious questions regarding Justice Jackson's participation in such a brazenly political, anti-law enforcement event and her ability to remain an impartial member of the Supreme Court.

It was a Grammy Awards ceremony, not an anti-ICE protest. That people had negative things to say about ICE is completely expected, given how many people are opposed to how this administration is handling immigration enforcement. Blackburn absolutely knows she's comparing apples to precision-machined aftermarket car parts. But like everyone else in this despicable political party, she doesn't care and she knows it's going to cause at least a small percentage of the converted to pretend to be offended on her behalf.

I assume John Roberts knows this as well. Let's hope he'll just roll his eyes and go back to binge-watching the kind of television I assume he enjoys: the no-one-asked-for-this 2023 reboot of Night Court.

Last year, a Fiat 500 driver deliberately plowed into Michael van Erp, sending his electric bike scattering across the road. What did he do for the rest of the day? "Went out and Gandalf'd a load more people."

Erp — known to London's motorists as Cycling Mikey — has reported over 2,400 drivers to the Metropolitan Police since 2019 for using their phones at the wheel. — Read the rest

The post This cyclist has gotten 36 London drivers banned appeared first on Boing Boing.

About 8,000 years ago, Mount Mazama dramatically erupted and collapsed, creating Oregon's beautiful Crater Lake. Currently, an axial volcano about 400 miles off the Oregon Coast and due east of Mazama is getting ready to blow.

While not as globally disruptive as an eruption like Yellowstone, Mount Mazama was a doozy. — Read the rest

The post Crater Lake only looks serene because it's had 7,700 years to calm down appeared first on Boing Boing.

The day after the SEC accused him of running a Ponzi scheme, Tai Lopez posted on X: "Never doom. No matter how horrible the situation, don't ever think you're doomed. Unless you are dead, all defeat is psychological."

Lopez — the social media guru famous for his 2015 "Here in My Garage" Lamborghini video — co-founded Retail Ecommerce Ventures in 2019 to acquire bankrupt brands like RadioShack, Pier 1, Dressbarn, and Modell's. — Read the rest

The post Influencer who bought RadioShack accused of running $230 million Ponzi scheme appeared first on Boing Boing.

"Your littlest girl was a little naughty." "Can we talk about treasure hunt for girls on the island." "I found at least 3 very good young poor."

These are emails to and from Jeffrey Epstein, released by the DOJ under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. — Read the rest

The post Bondi and Patel hide senders of Epstein's most disturbing emails appeared first on Boing Boing.

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales from Texas went on Face the Nation on Sunday and said a lot of silly things, doing his best as a loyal Trump foot soldier to defend the indefensible, to make sense of the nonsensical, and to lie about all the rest.

However, I wanted to focus on one bit of the clip that I've watched over a dozen times, and still can't figure out what Rep. Gonzales meant. And I'm writing this in hopes that some DC or Texas reporter asks Gonzales to explain. Here's the clip:

Gonzales on Liam Ramos and his family: "They're not gonna qualify for asylum. So what do you do with all the people that go through the process and do not qualify for asylum? You deport them. I understand that 5-year-old and it breaks my heart. I also think, what about that 5-year-old US citizen?"

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-02-08T16:09:49.039Z

And here's the transcript from CBS. I'm including a bit more than is in the clip just to get the full context of what he's saying:

MARGARET BRENNAN: You have this facility, though, in your district, Dilley, and that is for family detentions. That's where little five-year-old Liam Ramos from Minnesota was held before a judge, that's the picture of him there, ordered him released. He was ordered released because his family has a pending asylum claim, a legal process. He had entered with U.S. government permission through a process that the Biden administration had deemed legal. The current administration does not. The CBPOne app. Liam's father gave an interview to Telemundo and you read the transcript, he's talking about this five-year-old. He's not okay. He's waking up at night crying. He's worried he's going to be taken again. It's psychological trauma, according to the father. And the administration is still trying to deport him. Do you understand why they are so focused on this five-year-old and his dad if they did come in through the front door with U.S. government permission? 

REP. GONZALES: Well, the front door was via an app that Biden knew exactly what he was doing, and he created this huge mess, and now President Trump is there to clean up.

MARGARET BRENNAN: -but he came in the front door, he wasn't-

REP. GONZALES: -through an app-

MARGARET BRENNAN: -across the border-

REP. GONZALES: -through an app that wasn't vetted. And bottom line is, he's likely- they're not going to qualify for asylum. So what do you do with all the people that go through the process and do not qualify for asylum? You deport them. I understand the five-year-old and it, you know, it breaks my heart. I have a five year old at home. I also think, what about that five-year-old U.S. citizen-

MARGARET BRENNAN: -You feel comfortable defending that? 

REP. GONZALES: I feel comfortable- we have to have a nation of laws. If we don't have a nation of laws-

MARGARET BRENNAN: -They were following the- the law that is- that is that's the rub, is that a new administration deemed the last administration's regulation not to be legal.

Again, there's a lot of nonsense in there, including Gonzales trying to pretend that Liam Ramos and his father had not entered the right way and following the laws of the US for those seeking to come here just because it was "through an app." That app was the legal process. They followed the law. They did it the right way. To magically make that out to be violating the law because the next administration no longer wants to support that path doesn't change the underlying fact that they were doing things the legal way.

But, again, let's leave that aside. I simply want to focus in on the question of what the fuck Gonzales meant when he said:

I understand the five-year-old and it, you know, it breaks my heart. I have a five year old at home. I also think, what about that five-year-old U.S. citizen-

What about them? Under what scenario, process, or idea is that hypothetical five-year-old US citizen harmed? I've been unable to think or a single possible scenario in which the US citizen five-year-old could be harmed by allowing Liam Ramos to go through the asylum process.

Perhaps Rep. Gonzales can enlighten us by completing his thought and explaining.

Seriously: what is the scenario here? Is pre-kindergarten a zero-sum game now? Does Liam Ramos's presence in a classroom somehow harm the US citizen in the next seat?

Brennan cut him off before he could finish the thought, and nobody followed up. So we don't know. But I'd really like someone in the DC or Texas press corps to ask him to complete that sentence. Because I can think of one very obvious way that five-year-old US citizens are being harmed right now—and it's not by Liam Ramos.

It's by watching their government kidnap their classmates.

Nicholas Grossman talked about how his own child is distraught because some of his classmates can no longer come to school for fear their parents may be kidnapped by ICE:

My first grader (a US citizen) came home from school crying because a friend from class (also a US citizen) hasn't been coming to school because his parents (one of whom is not a citizen) are afraid of ICE.Little kids don't have concepts of racism and xenophobia. That has to be taught. Or imposed.

— Nicholas Grossman (@nicholasgrossman.bsky.social) 2026-02-08T17:11:41.156Z

Indeed, the NY Times went and actually spoke with Liam Ramos' classmates, and they seem legitimately distraught that government agents kidnapped their friend and sent him halfway across the country to a dangerous concentration camp. The video on that page is absolutely heartbreaking. I don't see how anyone with a soul could possibly support or justify what is being done to Ramos. And to claim it's in the name of his US citizen classmates is even more obnoxious. Just a couple of the quotes from five year olds:

"You are scaring schools, people, and the world. You should be kind, helpful, and caring like normal police. Not dangerous, scary, and stealing people. I think you should make friends with the world."

"You, right now, you're making people really sad because you're just taking them away without them doing anything."

So, please, Rep. Gonazales, tell us what you were thinking. What about those five-year-olds? What about kidnapping their classmate makes them better off? What about any of this makes sense? They're not criminals. They followed the official legal process. They came in through "the front door" following the official process of the government at the time.

At no point have they done anything wrong.

So please, Rep. Gonzales: finish the thought. What about that five-year-old US citizen?

Because those five-year-old US citizens have already given their answer. They're not being harmed by Liam Ramos. They're being harmed by a government that just taught them their friends can disappear without warning.

That's "what about" them.

4.8 million UK broadband customers are missing out on £1.05bn of savings. This is the finding of analysis by comparison site Broadband Genie.

Broadband social tariffs are available to 5.3 million households. You can apply for one if you receive benefits or Universal Credit. Currently however, only a fraction (10%) of eligible households take up a social tariff.

A broadband social tariff costs less than a regular deal. Eligible customers can sign up for as little as £10 a month, significantly less over a 12-month period than a regular broadband plan. Broadband Genie's analysis estimates that eligible households would save £220 a year by switching to a social tariff.

A broadband social tariff is a broadband contract available to people on benefits and Universal Credit. You receive the same level of service as any other customer, but at a lower monthly cost. Eligible customers can switch to a social tariff at any time, won't incur any mid-contract price rises, and will not have to pay any setup or exit fees.

Purpl is a platform that finds discounts for disabled people and people living with long-term health conditions. Founder Georgina Colman highlighted the need to raise awareness of available support and the risks disabled consumers face if broadband becomes unaffordable:

This is a cost-of-living scandal hiding in plain sight. Millions of people on low incomes, including disabled people and those on Universal Credit, are overpaying for broadband simply because they don't know help exists.

Broadband is an essential service, and when households could be saving around £220 a year, the lack of awareness around social tariffs is letting people down. Providers need to do far more to actively tell customers what they're entitled to.

If broadband becomes unaffordable, disabled people don't just lose an internet connection, they lose a vital lifeline. For many, it's how they stay in touch with family, access support, manage their health and avoid isolation.

Disabled people are already more likely to experience loneliness, and pricing them out of broadband risks cutting them off from the world at a time when digital access is no longer optional.

• Do you qualify for a social tariff? Eligibility criteria vary between providers, but social tariffs are generally available to low-income households and those receiving benefits such as Universal Credit, Jobseeker's Allowance, Housing Benefit and Disability Living Allowance.
• Compare the tariffs available to you. If your current provider doesn't offer a social tariff, or you don't meet their criteria, you may wish to explore other options. If you explain your circumstances, your provider might let you leave your current contract without paying a penalty fee. Ofcom and trusted comparison sites publish information on the broadband tariffs available.
• Apply with the provider. To apply, you'll usually need to provide your contact details, National Insurance number, and proof of benefits. Once submitted, your provider will verify your eligibility with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). This process is typically quick and can sometimes be completed instantly.
• Switching and installation. If you're switching to a new provider, the One Touch Switch process means your new provider will handle all the stress of cancelling your existing contract and activating your new connection.
• I'm not eligible for a social tariff, or my application was rejected. If your application was rejected, double-check the eligibility criteria. If you can't get a broadband social tariff, 8.8 million bill payers are out of contract and are free to switch to something cheaper.

Alex Tofts from Broadband Genie said:

While take-up of broadband social tariffs is moving in the right direction, progress is slow. Only a fraction of eligible households are signed up to a social tariff.

We encourage anyone who thinks they're eligible for a social tariff to apply online or to contact their provider.

Awareness of these tariffs is a huge challenge, and providers need to play their part in making these products known to consumers. We found less than half of providers mention their social tariff on their website homepage. Offering social tariffs is voluntary for providers, and integrating them into a sustainable business model can be challenging. As a result, many providers invest little in promoting these packages.

If you're not eligible for a social tariff, 8.8 million bill payers are out of contract and can switch or renew their deal to lower their monthly outgoings.

Featured image via the Canary

By The Canary

On social media, Green party leader Zack Polanski used a single word to tear apart Keir Starmer's 'I'm not resigning because I'm noble' shtick.

Mandates…. https://t.co/GaJxZPf8xL pic.twitter.com/rNZeUQBubE— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) February 10, 2026

Indeed, Starmer was elected Labour leader on a mandate to carry out policies that party members support. But as soon as Starmer became Labour leader he gradually ditched every single one of those pledges — as Polanski highlighted.

On the pledge sheet sent to Labour members, Starmer promised raising income tax on the top 5% of earners. But in September 2023, the MP for Holborn and St Pancras walked that back, stating there would be no increase. It was a lie and Polanski is right to point this out.

He also pledged "support[ing] the abolition of tuition fees". Instead, Labour has raised tuition fees by £285 — another lie. This should reduce Starmer's mandate to tatters and he should be recalled for another election.

It's increasingly clear that words mean very little to Starmer. He also promised that he would "put the Green New Deal at the heart of everything we do".

And yet again, in February 2024, the Labour leader dropped a £28bn per year commitment to green energy. And in government, he's propping up fossil fuel firms with £22bn for carbon capture projects that don't even work.

Another pledge from Starmer was "no more illegal wars" and to:

"put human rights at the heart of foreign policy. Review all UK arms sales and make us a force for international peace and justice.

But the Labour government has provided diplomatic cover, arms, and logistic support for Israel's genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. So that's another lie.

Starmer also claimed that "public services should be in public hands, not making profits for shareholders. Support common ownership of rail, mail, energy and water."

But in similar form, he dropped plans to re-nationalise energy, mail and water. On rail, Labour is only nationalising the services, not the actual trains themselves. We will still rent those from rolling stock companies.

Another betrayed pledge was to "defend free movement as we leave the EU". But in November 2022, he reversed his position. He branded free movement a "red-line" that "won't come back under my government".

Under another, Starmer expressed his commitment to working:

shoulder to shoulder with trade unions to stand up for working people.

But then he demanded that his shadow cabinet do not join picket lines.

With these broken pledges in mind, the lies are stacking up, and Starmer should have resigned long ago.

In the UK, manifestos and commitments are treated as a joke — a means used by politicians to slide into power. Given the current state of UK politics, the public has grown attuned to these lies, but we must hold the elite to account and demand better — for all!

Featured image via the Canary 

By James Wright

The RMT is demanding a new law to safeguard transport workers in Scotland against a sharp rise in assaults. This comes ahead of a meeting with MSPs in Holyrood.

The union will hold the 'Action Against Assaults' event at the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 11 February at 1pm.

This event will bring together:

• The cabinet secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, Angela Constance MSP.
• MSPs from across the chamber.
• The British Transport Police.
• Rail and passenger ferry operators.
• Passenger organisations.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey will set out the union's demand for the creation of a standalone offence of assaulting or abusing a public transport worker at work. This is similar to protections already in place for retail staff and emergency service workers.

The union is calling on all political parties contesting the Scottish Parliament elections in May 2026 to commit in their manifestos to introducing such legislation if elected.

Dempsey said:

No worker should go to their job fearing they will be assaulted, abused or threatened simply for doing their job.

But that is the daily reality for far too many public transport workers.

Seventy per cent of rail workers have faced violence in the past year and nearly half of our ferry members say the threat of violence is harming their mental health. That is a scandal which demands action.

We welcome the engagement from the Scottish Government to date and the meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, but warm words must now become law.

Retail and emergency service workers rightly have specific legal protection and we want the same for public transport workers too.

As we approach the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections, every party must commit to creating a standalone offence of assaulting or abusing a public transport worker.

An RMT survey found that 70% of rail workers in Scotland experienced workplace violence in the past year. 80% believed violence had increased over the same period. The survey identified lone working as a major risk factor. Nearly 60 per cent of those who experienced assaults said they were working alone at the time.

The union also highlighted Scottish government research from 2023 which found that women and girls feel significantly safer on public transport when staff are present. This applies at stations, in ticket offices and onboard trains.

Nearly half of RMT passenger ferry members reported that the threat of violence at work has negatively affected their mental health.

In 2022, the Scottish government confirmed it was exploring the creation of a standalone offence.

Since then, a working group involving rail unions has been convened to consider enforcement measures. The cabinet secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop MSP, told parliament that stronger legal protections were under consideration and that the government was taking the matter "extremely seriously".

Featured image via the Canary

By The Canary

The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) rail union boss Maryam Eslamdoust has been accused of continuing her war on her own staff, members, and democracy after the union broke its own rules to cut retired union members out of its structures and conference votes.

Eslamdoust is despised by TSSA members and staff, who accuse her of bullying, victimisation of staff and representatives, and of anti-union tactics when they organise against her. Branches have voted overwhelmingly for motions of no confidence in her. Reps in the union's biggest branch, Network Rail voted unanimously last month for her removal - just the latest in a string of no-confidence votes after repeated anti-union attacks on staff and the GMB union that represents them at work.

Eslamdoust even went repeatedly to the Guardian to attack the GMB - and then de-recognised it as the staff's workplace union. Eslamdoust demanded the GMB prioritise her feelings over their members' needs.

The years-long scandal has included attacks on TSSA's internal democracy. She and her team have twice annulled elections in which members had voted her rivals into the key positions of treasurer and president. And on the same day as the latest unanimous vote against her, TSSA declared her ally as the new, uncontested treasurer after again suspending the candidate who beat her. Eslamdoust and her supporters also wrecked the union's conference to prevent another no-confidence vote.

Now, they have staged another attack on the voting rights of members - by unilaterally closing all but one of the union's retired branches.

Eslamdoust has moved all TSSA's retired members from their existing branches into a single branch for the whole UK. The immediate effect of this imposed decision is to reduce the five delegates that the five previous branches could send to the union's conference down to a single delegate. It also cuts the number of motions they can bring from ten to just two. It has been done without any conference vote or approval by the union's various divisional councils and the officers holding roles in the original branches have been summarily removed from their positions.

The move is in breach of the TSSA rulebook and was imposed without warning at a weekend, preventing any opportunity to oppose it before it was a done deal.

Former TSSA assistant general secretary Steve Coe has been expelled from the union for blowing the whistle on the actions of Eslamdoust and her cronies. He posted to his personal social media about the latest assault on democracy that:

I hear that the TSSA Executive Committee has once again decided to ignore the union conference policy, and rig Rule Book and Annual Conference. ​And apparently discrimination on grounds of age is ok with the leadership!!

A retired member quickly responded to confirm the impact:

My branch has been dissolved deleted destroyed which ever you prefer fact no longer on the website!

Eslamdoust claims she is being criticised by staff and members because she is female.

TSSA has not responded to a Skwawkbox media enquiry since 2024.

Featured image via the Canary

By Skwawkbox

Health secretary and all round wrong 'un Wes Streeting has revealed his messages with disgraced paedophile's mate Peter Mandelson. Or at least some of them. It was a huge self-own and more revealing than he may have wished.

Streeting may have been hoping that openness would rescue his ambitions to replace his boss when he is (soon) forced out. However, the resulting disgust and mockery have surely put a final nail in the coffin of that nightmare scenario.

Not least because Streeting's Mandelson association is just the latest such link.

Streeting was asked by Sky's Beth Rigby about his messages. It was short and may well have been an exercise intended to neuter the impact of them. But it was still grim:

However, a look at some detail of the messages reveals not just how chummy the health secretary and Mandelson were, but how terrified Streeting is after almost losing his seat in 2024, as PoliticsUK pointed out in an X post. It exposes Streeting's own low opinion of his own party. And it proves that Streeting continued to support Starmer despite having lost faith, and deny that Israel is committing genocide, despite knowing otherwise (emphases added):

[28/03/2025, 11:36:06] Wes Streeting: I fear we're in big trouble here - and I am toast at the next election. We just lost our safest ward in Redbridge (51% Muslim, Ilford S) to a Gaza independent. At this rate I don't think we'll hold either of the two Ilford seats.

[28/03/2025, 11:39:54] Wes Streeting: There isn't a clear answer to the question: why Labour?

[28/03/2025, 11:48:44] Lord Mandelson: The government doesn't have an economic philosophy which is then followed through in a programme of policies.

[28/03/2025, 11:49:15] Wes Streeting: No growth strategy at all

"Israel is committing war crimes"

[24/07/2025, 23:00:29] Wes Streeting: Am sure this will come up in coming days, so wanted to check in with you on recognition of Palestine and the domestic politics of it.

Keir's statement today was excellent, but Macron's statement tonight ups the ante.

Morally and politically, I think we need to join France.

Morally, because Israel is committing war crimes before our eyes. Their government talks the language of ethnic cleansing and I have met with our own medics out there who describe the most chilling and distressing scenes of calculated brutality against women and children.

Politically, a Commons vote will be engineered in September on recognition and we will lose it if we're not ahead of it. There are no circumstances in which people like me or Shabana could abstain or vote against, for example. Conference will be a sea of Palestinian flags and the moderates will be waving them.

We need to be leading the charge on this. The alternative is being dragged there with enormous damage to Keir, the govt and the party.

I've never been a shrinking violent on Israel. I've supported LFI for over 20 years. Our sister party, Haaretz, and progressives are clear about what's being done in their name and they oppose it.

I appreciate these things are always more complicated than they appear to those of us who aren't up close as you are and I also appreciate how much Keir and David are giving to this personally.

But it is what it is. We need to lead, not follow.

[24/07/2025, 23:11:47] Lord Mandelson: I can see all this but I am worried that such a gesture now could blow a 2 SS out of the water if Israel decided that unilateral recognition justified further WB annexation which the US would be powerless to stop or reverse. That would be the end of it.

So I think we need to employ practical means to get a 2SS, not quickly I grant but realistically [written by Mandelson after almost two years of Israel's genocide in Gaza]. The PA with reform and new leadership can advance this with Arab/US/European support. The alternative is a further deadlocked death spiral on an even greater scale than now.

[24/07/2025, 23:12:10] Wes Streeting: Israel is doing it anyway.

[24/07/2025, 23:12:39] Wes Streeting: This is rogue state behaviour. Let them pay the price as pariahs with sanctions applied to the state, not just a few ministers.

But Mandelson is far from unique in Streeting's circle. His former office manager Sam Gould was convicted of child sex offences. One of his closest associates and now fellow MP Jas Athwal was accused of "serious" sexual assault, and the allegations remain murky. Streeting's colleague Ivor Caplin was arrested in January 2025 in a paedophile sting. His other colleague Conor McGinn has just been charged with sex offences.

At what point does a coincidence become a pattern - one that releasing a few direct messages can't mask?

As the @solutionsilford X account commented:

Wes Streeting "never knew" about Conor McGinn. Never knew about Ivor Caplin. Never knew about Ivan Lewis. Never knew about Sam Gould. Never knew about Peter Mandelson. Either the most incurious man in Labour… or taking the public for fools.

By Skwawkbox

Earlier, Skwawkbox reported on Australian police officers' vicious beating of a restrained and helpless anti-genocide protester. The beating came as police attacked protesters demonstrating peacefully against a visit by war-criminal Israeli president Isaac Herzog.

The attack was not an isolated incident. In yet another assault, police fractured the spine of 69-year-old Jann Alhafny. The Australian government has given police immunity from legal consequences.

Describing the incident, Alhafny said that an officer had pushed her "very violently" to the ground "without warning" as she protested in Sydney - but worse was to come:

I knew straight away I'd hurt my back [but the officer] grabbed one arm and he yanked me up onto my feet, like really severely, and that was excruciating.

Moving someone who has suffered a spinal injury at all, let alone "really severely", can result in permanent paralysis or even death. Doctors later found that Alhafny had four fractured vertebrae. New South Wales Police denied any knowledge.

But police knew they were able to act with impunity. NSW authorities had designated the area a "major event", giving police and the state immunity from 'tortious acts' that cause injury. It appears that state enforcers made full use of this immunity: the march of around 30,000 was kettled and pepper sprayed as well as being beaten.

Alhafny, whose late husband was Palestinian, said she and her daughter would not be deterred from anti-genocide protests:

We always go to the protest, my daughter and I, and it's just the right thing to do. Even if my husband wasn't Palestinian, I'd still be supporting Palestine.

Featured image via the Canary

By Skwawkbox

In the first half of 2025, KTM seemed utterly lost. The Austrian factory had two new riders in Tech3, Pedro Acosta having graduated to the factory team alongside Brad Binder. In the satellite Tech3 squad, Enea Bastianini floundered, while Maverick Viñales went about the business of being fast, blithely unaware of the fact that no one else in KTM seemed to know how to make the 2025 RC16 work.

It was obvious to even the most casual observer that KTM were struggling. Four riders had four different bikes, and each seemed to be pursuing their own direction. There was no sense that anyone had a clear idea of how the RC16 was supposed to work. It felt like KTM were just throwing parts at the bike in the hope that they would spontaneously self-organize into a race-winning motorcycle.

• Read more about Sepang MotoGP Test Analysis, Part 3: A Photo Essay Deep Dive Into KTM - Starting From A Better Place
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After reviewing unredacted Epstein files, Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) clearly and plainly gave the kind of assessment that makes official silence feel intentional. "There are clearly co-conspirators in here," he said.

Representatives Massie and Khanna explained that the files they've seen are not fully unredacted, and they have opened more questions than given answers. — Read the rest

The post "There are clearly co-conspirators in here," says lawmaker reviewing unredacted Epstein Files appeared first on Boing Boing.

AI agents can shop for you, program for you, and, if you're feeling bold, chat for you in a messaging app. But beware: attackers can use malicious prompts in chat to trick an AI agent into generating a data-leaking URL, which link previews may fetch automatically.…

Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, announced today that tickets are officially on sale for the Yamaha Atlanta Short Track. Scheduled for Saturday, March 21, the event marks Round 3 of the 2026 season and the series' anticipated return to the red clay of Senoia Raceway.

The Georgia venue has quickly cemented its reputation as a pivotal stop on the circuit. For the past three seasons, the high-banked, 3/8-mile oval has served as a springboard for championship battles that lasted until the final checkered flag of the season. Last season, Briar Bauman brought home the Harley-Davidson XG750R's maiden Mission AFT SuperTwins win, setting the stage for a months-long duel with Dallas Daniels, who ultimately prevailed to secure the 2025 Mission AFT SuperTwins Championship.

The 2026 edition of the Yamaha Atlanta Short Track promises an expanded slate of action featuring four distinct classes: Mission AFT SuperTwins, KICKER AFT Singles, AFT AdventureTrackers and the emerging AFT ProSport 450. It will mark the first time both the AFT AdventureTrackers and AFT ProSport 450 take to the red clay of Senoia Raceway.

Originally built in 1969 by Hence Pollard, the facility has undergone a modern resurgence under the leadership of the Pollard family and short-track standout Bubba Pollard. Beyond the on-track competition, fans can enjoy a festival-style atmosphere that includes live music, a premier fireworks display, an interactive Fan Zone and Kids Zone, multi-day camping opportunities and a variety of local food vendors.

A wide range of ticketing options and premium experiences are available for fans of all ages. General admission tickets are priced at $50 for adults, while students can attend for $30 with valid student identification presented at the event. Children ages 12 and under are admitted free with the purchase of a paid adult ticket. Reserved Grandstand seating is available for all ages, with Row 1 priced at $70 and Rows 2 and above available for $60.

Fans looking to get closer to the action can enhance their race day with the Trackside Fan Experience. Opening Ceremonies access includes infield viewing of the opening ceremonies and one segment of racing action, priced at $135 for all ages or available as a $95 add-on to an existing ticket. Practice Viewing offers infield access for one segment of on-track action during practice sessions and is available for $110 for all ages or $70 as an add-on.

Pit access is also available, with Pit Passes priced at $50 for adults and $30 for children ages 12 and under. A Trackside Entry Ticket, available for all ages, is offered at $85. Reserved Trackside Parking can be purchased for $100 per vehicle, while Multi-Day Camping Passes are available for $75.

• To purchase Yamaha Atlanta Short Track tickets, visit: https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/2026-atlanta-short-track-165280

Don't miss the start of the 2026 Progressive American Flat Track season. The series kicks off the season with the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I & II at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday, March 5 and Friday, March 6.

• To purchase Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I & II tickets, visit: https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack.

• Watch every race live on https://www.floracing.com.

• Grab the latest Grand National Championship gear at the American Flat Track online store at https://shop.americanflattrack.com.

The post AFT: Tickets on Sale Now for the Yamaha Atlanta Short Track appeared first on Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News.

Hubble may no longer be the gold standard, but it can still capture some impressive images. The telescope's latest snapshot is our clearest view yet of the Egg Nebula. Roughly 3,000 light-years away from Earth, the nebula's name is derived from its dense layer of gas and dust cloaking a central star.

The new image shows the nebula's four beams of starlight (from that central star) escaping from its gas-and-dust "shell." On either side of the disc-like cloud are fast-moving outflows of hot molecular hydrogen. The orange highlights in this image indicate the glow of infrared light.

As the beams of starlight stretch out from the center, they illuminate concentric rings of gas. The gas's ripple-like pattern suggests it was created by successive bursts from the star, with a little more ejecting every few hundred years.

The Egg Nebula, found in the constellation Cygnus, was first discovered in 1975. Nebulae in this preplanetary phase are rare finds. Since the stage only lasts a few thousand years (and because they're often faint), they're relatively difficult for astronomers to spot. By comparing this new image with previous Hubble snapshots of the Egg Nebula, astronomers can learn more about it and shed more light on its processes. But for the rest of us, it makes for some pretty sweet eye candy, right?

We recently reported about Immigration and Customs Enforcement spending $70 million to buy a warehouse in Surprise, Arizona, that they plan to turn into a "detention center." Following this and other warehouse purchases across the country, and subsequent community backlash, Courier Newsroom created a Google Map of all facilities ICE is seeking to purchase nationwide. — Read the rest

The post New Google Map tracks proposed ICE warehouse locations across the United States appeared first on Boing Boing.

If there's one thing a narcissist hates more than being ignored, it's being made fun of.

Since the First Lady's fluffy documentary flick, Melania, was released, both she and the movie have received a lot of attention from the mainstream media, theatergoers, and social media. — Read the rest

The post Melania film pulled from theater that made fun of it appeared first on Boing Boing.

Trump's Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick appears to think he's clearing something up. Instead, he's doing the opposite.

"I did have lunch with him… we had lunch on the island… for an hour… we left with all of my children."

This is an oddly specific non-defense. — Read the rest

The post Lutnick notes he left Epstein Island with the same number of children he arrived with appeared first on Boing Boing.

Independent journalist and dashing leading man, Ken Klippenstein, recently spilled the beans on something many of us assumed had been going on for a long time: the Department of Homeland Security has been spying on social media users. With a warrant! — Read the rest

The post DHS is stalking Reddit users online appeared first on Boing Boing.

Won't someone police the messaging apps?! Think of the children!

Look: I like Discord a lot. It's probably my second most-used app after my web browser. It's an intuitive, easy-to-use messaging app for both direct and group messaging that started as a humble "by gamers, for gamers" project but has since eclipsed every competitor — save, perhaps, for Slack, the LinkedIn professional's choice. — Read the rest

The post Discord will require photo IDs globally starting next month appeared first on Boing Boing.

A wise man by the name Hugh Anthony Cregg III once wrote, If money is the root of all evil, I'd like to be a bad, bad man. It's a mission statement that Palantir CEO Alex Karp and the company's shareholders apparently believe in. — Read the rest

The post Palantir made $1.8 billion in 2025 by helping ICE deport people appeared first on Boing Boing.

Like many Italian cocktails, the Bombardino begins with a simple story that's been repeated often enough to have become legend.

Some of the details are murky, but almost everyone agrees that the drink was invented in the 1970s in Livigno, a ski town bordering Switzerland, by a lift manager and lodge owner named Aldo Del Bò. One day, the story goes, a group of skiers staggered into his rifugio (mountain lodge) and asked for something to warm them up. Del Bò had been experimenting with a new concoction in his spare time, and so his manager, Erich Ciapponi, went behind the bar and made it for them. 

Ciapponi heated up some Vov—an Italian egg-yolk liqueur akin to zabaglione, already popular among the ski crowd in the area—spiked it with Scotch, and then topped the mixture with cold whipped cream. One of the first to taste the new house drink reportedly exclaimed, "È una bomba!" ("It's a bomb!"), because of its explosive strength. 

The name stuck. And thus, the Bombardino—Italy's ski-season staple—was born.

When the snow starts to stick each year, Italians make for the mountains. As they trade the damp winter gloom of cities like Milan and Turin for long days on the slopes, aperitivo becomes après-ski. The drinks, for the most part, are the same as in the cities—beer, wine and spritzes—except for this one winter-only outlier.

The first time I tried a Bombardino was at Rifugio Palù in the Valtellina region. Getting there required a two-mile uphill hike through snow. I was cold and exhausted and the lodge was in full après mode by the time I arrived. Skiers, snowboarders and hikers had stripped off top layers and packed the terrace to sip the drink from paper cups, so I opted for the same. The Bombardino was a quick hit of boozy, high-calorie energy.

IBM services spin-out Kyndryl said it was reviewing its accounting practices after it announced revenue below market expectations and the departure of its CFO.…

APRICOT 2026 After years of strife, the African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC) is weeks away from signing off on a budget and action plan, activity that one of the organization's newly appointed executives believes demonstrates it is back on track.…

One of Norfolk's last remaining traditional gentlemen's clubs has agreed to allow women to join, saying the change will help it reflect the "modern landscape".

The Strangers Club, in Norwich, approved the new policy following a vote among its 170 members. While 82% supported the change, almost a fifth voted against it. The Elm Hill establishment has already admitted its first female member in its 99-year history: Collette Thomson, a surgeon whose father, Stephen, is the club's current president and oversaw the policy change.

The decision means only one Norfolk private members' club now remains men-only: the City Club, also in Norwich. The county's other club of this type, the Norfolk Club in Upper King Street, has accepted women members since the 1990s.

The move follows recent legal challenges to gentlemen's clubs in London, where critics have argued that excluding women breaches equality laws.

Despite the clear majority in favour, some members remain opposed. One member, who asked not to be named, said they saw no reason to change the club's rules, stressing that the institution was "steeped in tradition" and that many members were uncomfortable with change.

They said some had already begun attending less frequently and warned that the decision could ultimately harm the club's future. "Frankly - and I hope I am wrong - this could be the death of the club," the member said.

The Strangers Club was established in 1927 as a meeting place for leading figures in the city's business and professional community, including lawyers, doctors and entrepreneurs. Stephen Thomson, the club's president, said the change reflected both social reality and the club's founding purpose. "If the club had been founded today, then given the number of women business leaders, membership would have been open to women," he said.

He said the club still aspired to be the premier gathering place for Norwich's professional and business community, adding that although women had long been welcomed at social events, it had become clear that full membership should be opened. While acknowledging that some members found the change difficult, Mr Thomson said the vast majority supported it and confirmed that no one had resigned as a result. He added that the club had always been welcoming to members' families and regularly hosted inclusive events.

Collette Thomson, the club's first female member, is a consultant plastic surgeon at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. She had been a teenager when her father first joined. She had been struck at the time by the club's exclusionary rules, which she described as outdated.

Ms Thomson said her decision to join was driven less by tradition than by a desire for connection. She described the club as offering something increasingly rare in a digital world dominated by emails and messaging. "This club is an antidote to that," she said, "offering a space where you can meet people face to face and have conversations over a meal."

So far, the club has received five applications from women, three of whom are daughters of existing members.

The policy change may increase pressure on the City Club, in nearby Colegate, to also accept women members. Gurpreet Padda, Labour cabinet member for equalities and social justice at Norwich City Council, said she saw no justification for men-only private members' clubs in 2026. She said such spaces hinder equality and described them as a backward step, arguing that they prevent women from progressing.

Men-only clubs in London have faced growing pressure in recent years, with some women challenging membership rules through the courts. The Garrick Club, in London's West End, became the focus of a legal dispute after businesswoman Emily Bendell argued that its men-only membership breached equality legislation.

Under the Equality Act 2010, single-sex organisations such as choirs or sports clubs are permitted. However, the law restricts discrimination by businesses providing services. Ms Bendell and her lawyers argued that because the Garrick operated a restaurant and guest rooms, women were being denied access to services on the same terms as men. Following the challenge, members voted to allow women to join.

The Strangers Club is the youngest of Norfolk's remaining traditional clubs. It was founded in 1927 by six "local gentlemen" seeking to build a community of business leaders and professionals. Its name references Flemish and Dutch Protestant "strangers" who fled religious persecution and settled in Norwich in the 16th century. Membership costs around £600, and the club enforces a dress code that excludes jeans and trainers, favouring collared shirts, jackets and trousers.

The county's oldest private members' club, the Norfolk Club, dates back to 1770 and is thought to have around 400 members. Its membership was traditionally drawn from the county's landowning and farming communities.

The City Club, founded in 1897 and historically frequented by former police officers, now has around 90 members. It is currently the only private members' club in Norwich that remains men-only.

Meanwhile, in London, a number of clubs such as the Turf Club, White's, Brooks's, the Savage Club, the Portland Club and the Savile Club are still excluding women members. How long will they be able to withstand the winds of change?

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The post Norfolk gentlemen's club opens doors to women after 99 years first appeared on East Anglia Bylines.

Xikipedia reimagines Wikipedia as a doomscrollable social media feed—without the social media downsides. The site links to actual Wikipedia articles but displays them as short descriptions you can browse endlessly. Unlike social media scrolling, this feels healthy.

"Doomscroll" usually sounds negative, but it feels fully positive here. — Read the rest

The post Xikipedia reimagines wikipedia as a social media feed without the social media appeared first on Boing Boing.

Hold on to your hats! A conservative religious school in a state with below-average vaccination rates, and a Surgeon General who is an anti-vaxxer, is seeing a huge outbreak of the measles. Measles is wildly contagious and deadly.

Per their Friday, February 6, 3 p.m.

— Read the rest

The post Measles outbreak tears through a Florida university appeared first on Boing Boing.

The Asus Zenbook Duo is obviously ridiculous, but Engadget's Sam Rutherford found it to his liking: "It takes time for novel designs to catch on."

The company has addressed barriers to entry from the first attempt, such as short battery life and excessive thickness, and it's now just more display space—something most of us can benefit from. — Read the rest

The post Second-gen Zenbook Duo much-improved, say critics appeared first on Boing Boing.

One of the strangest burial stories is that of Fredric J. Baur, the food scientist who invented the Pringles can and contributed to the stacked-chip concept. When Baur died in 2008, part of him was buried in a Pringles can. He repeatedly told his family he wanted his ashes buried in a Pringles can, and they honored his request. — Read the rest

The post Pringles inventor was buried in a Pringles can appeared first on Boing Boing.

I came across a fun website called screen toys today. Screen Toys was created by Gavin Shapiro. It does exactly what it sounds like: turns your screen into interactive toys.

The "toys" on the screen aren't exactly games, because you don't win or lose. — Read the rest

The post This website transforms your screen into digital toys appeared first on Boing Boing.

California Attorney General Robert Bonta joins the long list of folks investigating why xAI's self-proclaimed Nazi chatbot keeps generating non-consensual explicit images. Meanwhile, Elon blames the users.

California is the latest large government to wonder why xAI can't stop Grok from breaking the law. — Read the rest

The post California investigates Grok, Musk continues not noticing appeared first on Boing Boing.

They won't be available until October, but Seiko's Sega-themed wristwatch celebrates the game company's 65th anniversary and they're happy to take your 71,500円 (~$460) already. It's coming in white (above) and black (below), with the Sega logo at the 3 o'clock position. — Read the rest

The post Watch Seiko and Sega team up for a time appeared first on Boing Boing.

TL;DR: A $25 Sam's Club membership (MSRP $50) helps families save on groceries, household essentials, and everyday life — without overthinking it.

There's a moment every household hits where buying four rolls of paper towels at a time just feels inefficient. — Read the rest

The post This Sam's Club offer is for those who like saving money but also like snacks appeared first on Boing Boing.

Robert Anton Wilson Fans Germania is an excellent website of RAW material maintained by Martin Wagner. The main website is currently down because of technical difficulties. Martin is addressing this, but in the interim, please use the site archive. 

Get ye to Windows Update, because there's a good chance you've got new Secure Boot certificates to install. Microsoft just announced that it will be refreshing those certificates, which were originally introduced when Secure Boot debuted in 2011, as a security precaution. Secure Boot was a way for Microsoft to protect systems from running unsigned and potentially malicious code before Windows launched. It went on to be an installation requirement for Windows 11, as well as anti-cheat software used in Valorant, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6/7 and Battlefield 6.

Without the new Secure Boot certificates, Microsoft says your system will still function normally, but it will enter "a degraded security state that limits its ability to receive future boot-level protections." Basically, you won't be protected from malware and viruses targeting vulnerabilities in older versions of Windows. As expected, Microsoft also notes that unsupported versions of Windows won't be receiving the new Secure Boot certificates. They're only coming to Windows 11 systems, as well as Windows 10 PCs subscribed to Microsoft's Extended Security Updates.

Microsoft says many users will be able to pick up the updated Secure Boot certificates by visiting Windows Update, but a few may need additional firmware updates from their system (or motherboard's) OEM. You'll also be able to track the status of your security certificates in the Windows Security app in the "coming months."

"As cryptographic security evolves, certificates and keys must be periodically refreshed to maintain strong protection," Nuno Costa, Partner Director of Windows Servicing and Delivery, wrote in a blog post today. "Retiring old certificates and introducing new ones is a standard industry practice that helps prevent aging credentials from becoming a weak point and keeps platforms aligned with modern security expectations."

Costa says Microsoft has been working with OEMs like Dell and HP to ensure a smooth transition to the new Secure Boot certificates. Many new systems built in 2024 already have the updated certs, while "almost all" devices shipped last year have them as well. Microsoft has also been alerting IT customers to this transition since last year.