John Hyatt

“How Jared Kushner’s Bold Bets In The Middle East Made Him A Billionaire”

@mhunterhart.bsky.social , @giacomotognini.bsky.social for Forbes in Sept.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem—”Close Personal Friend” Of Epstein— Resigns As CEO Of DP World Billionaire Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem resigns as DP World CEO after being named in Epstein files.

The Dubai tycoon who told Epstein he “loved the torture video" has resigned from his company.

www.forbes.com/sites/mikest...

Israeli Soldiers Accused of Using Polymarket to Bet on Strikes The country’s internal security agency indicted a reservist and a civilian for security offenses, bribery and obstruction of justice in connection with the bets.

This is really, really dark.

www.wsj.com/world/middle...

How Picasso, Van Gogh And Cézanne Helped Finance Epstein Client Leon Black’s Billionaire Lifestyle The Epstein files detail private equity tycoon Leon Black’s massive, multi-billion-dollar art collection—and how he leveraged it to grow his wealth.

NEW: Epstein emails show how billionaire financier Leon Black, founder of Apollo, relied on the convicted sex offender to help him leverage his multi-billion-dollar art for $500m+ in loans from Bank of America.

www.forbes.com/sites/johnhy...

"Black paid Epstein $158 million between 2012 and 2017 for advice related to tax, estate, and asset planning. That is a vast amount of money to pay for such services, especially for a Wall Street insider with easy access to top expertise."

How Picasso, Van Gogh And Cézanne Helped Finance Epstein Client Leon Black’s Billionaire Lifestyle The Epstein files detail private equity tycoon Leon Black’s massive, multi-billion-dollar art collection—and how he leveraged it to grow his wealth.

NEW: Epstein emails show how billionaire financier Leon Black, founder of Apollo, relied on the convicted sex offender to help him leverage his multi-billion-dollar art for $500m+ in loans from Bank of America.

www.forbes.com/sites/johnhy...

New Details On How Jeffrey Epstein Got So Rich The latest Epstein files name two more billionaire clients: real estate mogul Mortimer Zuckerman and Rothschild heir by marriage Ariane de Rothschild.

1/ @mhunterhart.bsky.social and I found several contracts and payment records that uncovered two new billionaire clients of Jeffrey Epstein: real estate mogul Mortimer Zuckerman and Ariane de Rothschild, a Rothschild heir by marriage.

www.forbes.com/sites/giacom...

Marimar Martinez, shot by Border Patrol in Chicago, speaks out after Good, Pretti deaths: 'I am their voice' In a wide-ranging interview with the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ, Martinez discusses her shooting, the federal government’s failed attempt to prosecute her and the role she now sees for herself in a fi...

Marimar Martinez, shot 5 times by Border Patrol in Chicago, speaks out after Renee Good, Alex Pretti deaths

'I am their voice'

NEW w/ @adrianacardmag.bsky.social: chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

Why The UAE’s Investment In World Liberty Financial Was A Sweetheart Deal For Trump What did the UAE get out of it?

New: “Why The Trump-UAE Crypto Deal Made No Financial Sense—For The Emiratis” 💰🤷🇦🇪

@kylekhanmullins.bsky.social (whom you should follow) and me for @forbes.com

This Insurance Software Goliath Is Crushing An AI David How the AI race drove one software startup to create a fake insurance agency—and landed it in court.

What happens when an ambitious AI startup creates a fake company to help it take on a PE-backed software giant?

You guessed it: Litigation.

Here's how a Silicon Valley success story has devolved into a cautionary tale.

Read about it @forbes.com 👇
www.forbes.com/sites/johnhy...

ICE Is Using Palantir’s AI Tools to Sort Through Tips ICE has been using an AI-powered Palantir system to summarize tips sent to its tipline since last spring, according to a newly released Homeland Security document.

SCOOP w/ @carolinehaskins.bsky.social: ICE Is Using Palantir’s AI Tools to Sort Through Tips

www.wired.com/story/ice-is...

They ‘Had Done Everything Right.’ ICE Detained Them Anyway.

We profiled refugees who:

Arrived in the country legally.

Applied for green cards.

Were arrested by ICE and detained.

One refugee who was arrested found out they got their green card after being released.

This is an unprecedented operation.

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/u...

Pope Leo’s Top U.S. Ally Says ‘No’ to Funding ICE Cardinal Joseph Tobin calls ICE a “lawless organization” perpetuating a “machinery of death” and urges Congress to defund Trump’s deportation force.

NEW: One of Pope Leo XIV’s top U.S. allies, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, is calling for the defunding of ICE.

Tobin says the “lawless organization” is a “machinery of death.”

This marks the first time a senior Church leader has called for ICE to be defunded. More are expected in the coming days.

Jeff Day JANUARY 24, 2026 AT 12:34 PM Sources identify man shot as Alex Jeffrey Pretti of south Minneapolis The man fatally shot by federal officers in Minneapolis this morning has been identified as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

Pretti, 37, has an address listed in south Minneapolis. At a news conference, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said the man who was shot was a 37-year-old white man with no serious criminal history and a record that showed some parking tickets. Law enforcement sources said Saturday their records show Pretti had no serious criminal history. O'Hara said the man was a "lawful gun owner" with a permit. Records show that Pretti attended the University of Minnesota. State records show Pretti was issued a nursing license in 2021, and it remains active through March 2026.

Alex Jeffrey Pretti was the victim’s name.

He was a nurse.

ICE executed a nurse.

www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...

I am trying not to post on these events in this state of mind but: I hope people understand what the observers are doing is brave and dangerous.

Federal law enforcement agents shot and killed a man in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 according to local police officials. DHS told Fox News that the man was “armed with a gun”. A video of the shooting appears to show that a gun was taken from the man before the first shot was fired. x.com/BillMelugin_...

A family member reacts after a federal immigration officer used a battering ram to break down a door before making an arrest on January 11, 2026, in Minneapolis.

Stunning photos from Minneapolis, including this one by John Locher for the Associated Press. www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

Ah, yes, because what America needs at this moment more than anything is Karoline Leavitt’s “takes on vaccines”

How Marco Rubio Went from “Little Marco” to Trump’s Foreign-Policy Enabler As Secretary of State, the President’s onetime foe now offers him lavish displays of public praise—and will execute his agenda in Venezuela and around the globe.

"The one constant in Marco Rubio’s career is that he has betrayed every mentor and every principle he’s ever had in order to claim power for himself." www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

Trump Vineyard Seeks To Hire Foreign Workers At Lower Wages Records show the Trump Organization has requested over 2,000 foreign workers since 2008. Its latest request seeks a $13.90 hourly wage—the lowest the winery has offered since 2021.

🚨 In Nov., Trump's Labor Dept. lowered the minimum wage for foreign farmworkers.

A month later, Trump's winery filed to hire 36 foreign, temporary workers.

The rate? Almost $2/hour less than in 2025.

1/

me, for @forbes.com

Incredible that he did this.

Terrifying that he felt the need to.

YouTube video by Federal Reserve Statement by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell

Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...

Videos Show How ICE Vehicle Stops Can Escalate to Shootings A WSJ visual investigation found that the Minneapolis ICE killing is one of 13 incidents where federal immigration agents have used deadly force against civilians in vehicles since July.

WSJ investigation: In the past 6 months ICE agents have fired at vehicles 13 times, leading to:

* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon

The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire

www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...

Left: Trump demands a cap on credit card interest rates.
Right: News story, from today, about Trump's ongoing efforts to shut down the CFPB, which would enforce such a rule. Court has ordered admin to keep it open.

"Restricted" is the wrong word, clearly.

What Musk has actually done is make the undressing of any woman or child on the platform an EXCLUSIVE feature for paying subscribe. He's made it a subscriber perk. This is some of the most fucked-up shit ever.

These Trump Supporters And Investors Should Make Billions From Venezuela Invasion The many winners behind Wall Street's $6 Billion takeover of Venezuela's American oil assets include energy tycoons, Goldman Sachs' alums and private equity billionaires.

New: "These Trump Supporters, Financiers And Energy Tycoons Could Make Billions From The Venezuela Invasion"

Christopher Helman, @johnhyatt.bsky.social for @forbes.com

The Wall Street Billionaires Set To Profit From Trump’s Venezuela Bet The many winners behind Wall Street's $6 Billion takeover of Venezuela's American oil assets include energy tycoons, Goldman Sachs' alums and private equity billionaires.

NEW: @forbes.com has learned that hedge fund billionaire/Trump backer Paul Singer isn't the only tycoon who will profit from the forced $5.9b sale of Citgo from Venezuela.

At least three other Wall St billionaires, and a host of hedge fund vultures, will also make small fortunes.

Read more👇

How Grok's sexual abuse hit a tipping point Nonconsensual deepfakes on X are nothing new, but now it's built into the platform.

I've been tracking the spread of nonconsensual deepfakes on X for more than two years. Here's a timeline of how Musk's leadership allowed the practice to flourish from a once-underground market to a viral trend, with little recourse for victims or legal enforcement.
spitfirenews.com/p/grok-csam-...

Wet January