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Category: Politics

Trump-appointed federal judge accuses ICE of lying and fabricating records

Trump-appointed federal judge accuses ICE of lying and fabricating records

The New York Times reports: A federal judge in New York reprimanded the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency on Monday, accusing its officers of lying, lacking proper training and fabricating records to cover up illegal arrests. In a scathing 28-page ruling, the judge, Gary R. Brown, condemned the agency’s tactics when it mistakenly arrested two Hispanic men, including a U.S. citizen, in the Bronx in May, finding that ICE had “falsified official records trying to conceal” its “illegal actions.” Judge…

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Can $1 billion buy Republicans victory in the midterms?

Can $1 billion buy Republicans victory in the midterms?

The Associated Press reports: Republicans are entering the final month of the midterm campaign increasingly anxious that the $1 billion at their disposal may not be enough to fend off sweeping losses as the party reckons with President Donald Trump’s unpopularity, persistent cost concerns and the fallout from the war in Iran. The cash advantage, spread out across a half-dozen groups, is driven largely by the Trump-aligned MAGA Inc., which had nearly $416 million in cash on hand at the…

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Trump’s retreat shows Iran it has the power to chase the U.S. out of the Middle East

Trump’s retreat shows Iran it has the power to chase the U.S. out of the Middle East

The New York Times reports: To hear President Trump and his aides describe it, the rush to withdraw 12 B-1 bombers from an air base in Britain over the weekend was a prudent precaution, in response to a threat they refused to describe. It was no big deal, Mr. Trump insisted, and his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, tried to wave it away by noting that the Pentagon is “constantly reallocating resources where ​they need to be.” But to anyone…

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Attacks on tankers in Hormuz hit highest of any week since start of Iran war, sources say

Attacks on tankers in Hormuz hit highest of any week since start of Iran war, sources say

Reuters reports: Attacks on tankers sailing through the Strait of Hormuz hit their highest last week of any week since the ​Iran war began, according to maritime security sources tracking incidents, amid ‌a bigger export push by Gulf producers. Attacks, attempted attacks and harassment activity including drone overflights, surveillance and hailing using VHF radio by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have persisted ​in the strait, the US Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) said ​in a note on Sunday. “These actions continue…

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‘Another coup d’état’: fears grow as Flávio Bolsonaro vows to ‘re-democratise’ Brazil

‘Another coup d’état’: fears grow as Flávio Bolsonaro vows to ‘re-democratise’ Brazil

The Guardian reports: Flávio Bolsonaro, the far-right frontrunner to become Brazil’s next president, has vowed to “re-democratise” the South American country, increasing fears about a move into authoritarian rule if he wins power. Brazil was re-democratised in the 1980s after a brutal 21-year dictatorship that Flávio’s father, the disgraced ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, has long praised. Last year, Jair Bolsonaro, a former soldier who served under that military regime, was jailed for 27 years for trying to engineer a coup after…

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FBI whistleblower says White House pushed unconstitutional probe of protesters

FBI whistleblower says White House pushed unconstitutional probe of protesters

NBC News reports: The Trump administration pushed the FBI to investigate Los Angeles protesters in violation of their constitutional rights and the bureau’s policies, a former FBI supervisor alleges in a new whistleblower complaint. Jill Fields, a former supervisory intelligence analyst in the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, made a formal whistleblower complaint to Senate Judiciary Committee leaders over the federal response to anti-ICE protest activity around federal buildings, as well as in a residential area, early last year. Fields…

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506 U.S. citizens detained by immigration agents

506 U.S. citizens detained by immigration agents

ProPublica reports: The Trump administration says none of this is happening. “DHS is NOT arresting U.S. citizens by mistake.” “There are no ‘indiscriminate’ stops.” Allegations of “racial profiling are disgusting, reckless and categorically FALSE.” “The pattern is NOT of law enforcement using force.” “ICE does not zip tie or restrain children.” But that is precisely what is happening, and at a far larger scale than previously reported. We know because we have once again done what the government hasn’t: We…

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Rightwing ‘great replacement’ fears mask tech’s real great replacement

Rightwing ‘great replacement’ fears mask tech’s real great replacement

Jason Stanley writes: Across the world, “great replacement” theory has been employed again and again as the political foundation for fascism. Some of its fundamental tenets, such as the view that “whites are a dying minority”, have been amplified by tech billionaires and their platforms. According to the version of this theory most employed in Europe and the United States, white replacement theory, white populations are being “replaced” by non-white populations, a replacement engineered by a shadowy global elite. For…

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French high school students lead mass protests over school funding and inequality. Thousands are arrested

French high school students lead mass protests over school funding and inequality. Thousands are arrested

  Nearly 2,000 French high schools are blockaded or closed today amid massive student-led protests over school funding and inequality. The demonstrations began in September at a single school in the economically deprived suburbs of Paris, where students protested teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and dilapidated school buildings beset by rats, falling debris and more. But the scope of the protests has widened amid a violent crackdown by French police. French authorities have arrested more than 5,000 people, largely underage students,…

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Amid midterm crunch, Trump advisers took time to help Russia-aligned government in the Balkans

Amid midterm crunch, Trump advisers took time to help Russia-aligned government in the Balkans

The New York Times reports: As President Trump crisscrossed the country last week trying to help his party avoid a blowout in next month’s midterm elections, two of his top political advisers were in the Balkans helping a pro-Russian government looking to tighten its grip on power. James Blair and Chris LaCivita, who are leading a big-money midterm advertising campaign for the Trump political operation, spent some of the past few days in a small self-governing territory in Bosnia and…

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Trump doesn’t plan to reimburse taxpayers for propaganda ads

Trump doesn’t plan to reimburse taxpayers for propaganda ads

The New York Times reports: A day after President Trump said his super PAC would pay for television ads promoting him that had been funded by taxpayers, White House officials said the group did not plan to reimburse the government for the more than $10 million it had already spent on the ads. Mr. Trump announced on Monday evening that he was planning to have his super PAC, MAGA Inc., pay for the ads, which had drawn backlash from members…

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CIA report warns Israel could head toward civil war and total collapse

CIA report warns Israel could head toward civil war and total collapse

Drop Site reports: Israel is at risk of civil war or state collapse, a classified CIA assessment warns, as years of genocide in Gaza and war in Lebanon and Iran deepen political, economic, and social fractures within the country. The August report, titled “Fracture From Within,” was compiled by experts in the CIA’s Red Cell, according to two U.S. sources who described the contents of the report to Drop Site News. The Red Cell, which is the unit responsible for…

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Sam Altman might accept the ‘bad things’ that come with AI, but he doesn’t speak for everyone

Sam Altman might accept the ‘bad things’ that come with AI, but he doesn’t speak for everyone

Fast Company reports: For the past month, slowing the development of artificial intelligence has been at the forefront of AI discourse. After a former OpenAI and Anthropic employee left the industry in September citing that “neither company is acting responsibly,” AI leaders and everyday citizens alike sounded off on the potential of an AI-powered doomsday. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei responded with an essay about the importance of “pacing the frontier,” or slowing AI development to prioritize safety. At the time,…

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Only one GOP Supreme Court justice needs to flip for Big Oil to face climate accountability

Only one GOP Supreme Court justice needs to flip for Big Oil to face climate accountability

Slate reports: The Supreme Court officially began its new term on Monday morning with oral argument in Suncor Energy v. Boulder County. Befitting an institution with vast power over the public despite historically low public support, the court’s opening case this term is about elite impunity: Suncor will determine whether communities may sue oil and gas companies in state court and hold them financially responsible for literally fueling climate change. Back in 2018, Boulder County filed a lawsuit in a…

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DOJ sued by NAACP for records on ‘unprecedented’ plan to deploy 1,000 election monitors in midterms

DOJ sued by NAACP for records on ‘unprecedented’ plan to deploy 1,000 election monitors in midterms

Democracy Docket reports: The NAACP sued the Trump administration Friday, seeking records about its plan to deploy roughly 1,000 federal personnel to polling places during the 2026 midterms. The planned effort represents an extraordinary expansion of federal election monitoring. It has already sparked confrontations with state officials and concerns about voter intimidation. The civil rights organization filed its lawsuit in federal court, one month before the Nov. 3 election. The case seeks to force the Civil Rights Division of the…

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The long and extremely urgent to-do list if Democrats win control of Congress

The long and extremely urgent to-do list if Democrats win control of Congress

Norman J. Ornstein writes: In the 1972 movie The Candidate, Bill McKay, played by Robert Redford, shockingly wins a Senate seat. Surrounded by ecstatic staff and volunteers, a stunned and panicky McKay pulls aside his manager and asks, “What do we do now?” That will be the relevant question for Democrats in the House and Senate if the wave election that looks increasingly possible comes true and they win control of both houses of Congress. There will be initial euphoria…

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