David Soward

The Ongoing Nakba

— Hanin Majadli
Haaretz archive.md/TpQpX

The universe didn't wait long to prove me right on that one. DOJ has now been caught deleting one of the documents that contained multiple allegations of rape against Donald Trump. Rather than redacting his name as they did with earlier releases, they are simply deleting documents.

The next time you read or hear some reporter trying to suck up to Trump by claiming that Trump "not not been accused of any crime" in relation to his friendship with Epstein, remember this page that DOJ just deleted from the database.

Two Students From Same School as 5-Year-Old Taken by ICE Are Also in Custody

America, 2026

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...

Philip Glass pulls world premiere from Kennedy Center The pioneering composer announced that “the values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message” of his Symphony No. 15: “Lincoln.”

Breaking news: Composer Philip Glass withdrew his highly anticipated Symphony No. 15 from its scheduled Kennedy Center performance, saying “the values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message of the Symphony.”

A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.

Trump’s ICE horror show is splitting Maga apart - and he's wavering Independent voters – the crucial group who decide most elections – and even some of the President's core supporters are obviously appalled

“The problem for Trump in responding to this self-inflicted crisis is that while most of the American public hates what they are seeing in Minneapolis, some in his White House love it. This is what they came into office to do.”

inews.co.uk/news/world/t...

I'm beginning to think I could begin to consider whether on reflection I could now vote Conservative

Horrified & heartbroken by the latest ICE murder in Minneapolis.

Alex Pretti was an intensive care nurse & beloved son.

Americans, please know how many millions of us here in the UK are sickened by Trump and his fascist thugs, and stand in solidarity with all of you resisting them 🇬🇧🇺🇸

Fancy living under siege from your own democratic (??) government ...

F.B.I. Agent Who Tried to Investigate ICE Officer in Shooting Resigns

New: an FBI agent who took the routine step of investigating the ICE officer who shot Renee Good has resigned after FBI leadership discouraged the investigation
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/u...

I genuinely think boycotting the World Cup is some of the strongest leverage the Europeans have.

“The formal restraints designed to hold a US president in check are easily swept away. And if it can happen once, it can happen again. Which means it is not just Trump who is an unreliable ally. Sadly, it is the US itself”

@jonathanfreedland.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Trump’s 'Board of Peace' is the nail in Gaza’s coffin Feckless European leaders like Starmer let Israel and the US tear up international law in Gaza. Now, faced with Greenland and Ukraine, they are suffering from a severe case of buyer’s regret

❝ Feckless European leaders like Starmer let Israel and the US tear up international law in Gaza. Now, faced with Greenland and Ukraine, they are suffering from a severe case of buyer’s regret ❞ — Jonathan Cook

The ‘Board of Peace’ is a protection racket on an international scale that would impress Trump’s mentor Roy Cohn.

To those who still believe Europe can sit it out and life will go back to normal after Trump: 40% of Americans still support his approach. They, not the tangerine manchild, will shape transatlantic relations. It is time for a strong, federal European Union 🇪🇺

ICE detains five-year-old Minnesota boy arriving home, say school officials Superintendent says Liam Ramos and his father were taken into custody while in their driveway and sent to Texas

‘Terrible things are happening outside… Families are torn apart; men, women and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared. Women return… to find their families gone.’
Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Don't underestimate the extent that columnists are there to serve the interests of their publishers not the readers. They operate within an Overton window of acceptable opinions set by the editor. Everything you see by a staff columnist should be read with that in mind - and discounted accordingly

In fact, Trump is so deeply unwell that it's time to stop blaming him for all the terrible things he's doing. He is what he is. Responsibility for the catastrophe overtaking America now rests with his enablers - people who have to know that he's a sick man but continue to support his depredations. Some of these enablers are monsters themselves. For example, Stephen Miller, Trump's immigration czar and the architect of his violent ethnic cleansing policies, is clearly a fanatic who is using Trump to achieve his own fascist goals.

However, many of Trump's enablers aren't fanatics, just amoral opportunists. Scott Bessent, the Treasury Secretary, clearly understands how destructive Trump's actions are, evidenced by the fact that he has at times tried to tone them down. But for some inexplicable reason, Bessent has decided to sell his soul to Trump. And then there are those who revel in the reflected glory, who are such utter narcissists that they're willing to destroy this country in return for the limelight and perks. In that camp we can find Pete Hegseth with his Pentagon makeup studio, who is purging the finest officers in the military; Kristi Noem with her Barbie-in-a-10-gallon-hat act, who positively gushes while calling a murdered mother a terrorist; and Kash Patel, who thinks its fine to fly on an FBI jet to watch his girlfriend sing while overseeing the debasement and corruption of the FBI.

Quite the substack post from Paul Krugman. These are desperate times for America and the world.

❝ If Trump’s tactics do not intimidate the Greenlanders, they are unlikely to cower the Palestinians who have seen off colonisation, international mandates, exile, military rule, separation walls, demolition, siege and now genocide with their national identity intact ❞

tinyurl.com/4ccjt6kt

Guilty as charged
(and BBC Today gives Stanley a Thought for the Day slot!)

Gabriel Zucman on the shocking concentration of extreme wealth in the United States….
gzucman.substack.com?r=nle0&utm_c...

Even, er contextier

Donald Trump needs helpers for his appalling neocolonialist project. What else is this ‘board of peace’? | Owen Jones Blair, Putin, Erdoğan, Orbán: the names of those invited to serve say it all. And it’s about so much more than Gaza, says Guardian columnist Owen Jones

❝ Trump's Gaza 'Board of Peace' should terrify you. It's a template for the world - and Gaza is just the start. ❞ — @owenjones.bsky.social

As Trump menaces Greenland, this much is clear: the free world needs a new plan – and inspired leadership | Gordon Brown The idea that the liberal rules-based order can survive his presidency now seems complacent. This is a historic moment – and a time to act, says former UK prime minister Gordon Brown

We have arrived at a moment of truth for Europe. For too long, its voice has been silent as the Trump administration has violated internationally agreed trade rules; savagely slashed international development aid; and threatened Canadian, Panamanian and Mexican

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

New World Order Thoughts on Europe's looming Chamberlain moment, Carney in China, when good news is bad news, and how Maria Corina Machado got the last laugh

Ahead of Starmer’s press conference, why this is no Chamberlain moment. It’s much worse. Plus why Europe should follow Mark Carney to China

Agree with @gideonrachman.bsky.social excellent column. European appeasement hasn't worked. It's time to try a different approach.

Stop Weaponizing ‘Antisemitism’

Beyond parody

The Friends of Israel include:

Prime Minister
Deputy PM
Foreign Secretary
Chief Secretary to PM
Health Secretary
Education Secretary
Northern Ireland Secretary
Cabinet Minister
Foreign Minister
2 Home Office Ministers
Justice Minister
Trade Minister
Energy Minister