Mark Beeney🗿

‘Don’t go to the US – not with Trump in charge’: the UK tourist with a valid visa detained by ICE for six weeks Karen Newton was in America on the trip of a lifetime when she was shackled, transported and held for weeks on end. With tourism to the US under increasing strain, she says, ‘If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone’

‘Don’t go to the US – not with Trump in charge’: the UK tourist with a valid visa detained by ICE for six weeks

Even now, too many people simply refuse to admit what is happening. Whitewashing continues from the media and key institutions among civil society. We are in deep trouble. Time to say it together, out loud.

Revealed: Government accused of ‘conflict of interest’ over journalist smear inquiry Starmer said Cabinet Office will investigate Josh Simons and Labour Together - but its ministers have received more than £150,000 from the think tank and its directors

🚨 Cabinet Office investigating Labour Together and Josh Simons over campaign to smear journalists

But...ministers overseeing inquiry have received £150,000+ from Labour think tank

Experts and MPs demand 'full independent investigation'

New on D4S: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/revealed-g... 🧵

Elizabeth Shackelford: Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s self-interested diplomacy in Geneva What the U.S. diplomacy duo have in common is huge investment from many of the countries that they have been dealing with on behalf of the U.S.

This week, the US hosted two sets of peace talks in Geneva. Neither achieved much, unsurprising since the men leading both have more experience in real estate deals than conflict resolution. My latest in @chicagotribune.com www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/20/c...

a woman with ear buds is talking into a microphone with the words mind if i touch it and see if it 's soft Alt: a woman with ear buds is talking into a microphone with the words mind if i touch it and see if it 's soft

‘Digital’ clinical technology….

Matt Goodwin’s academic project was debunked as ‘total garbage’ Reform’s Gorton & Denton by-election candidate left a right-wing think tank ‘with his tail between his legs’ when work was exposed, sources tell The Times

I had actually forgotten this hilarious episode until now!

For the record, I think Goodwin is unstable to be an MP because he is now an extreme racist/white ethnonationalist who wants to import Trumpist extremism/fascism to the UK.

But it's true he can't add up!

www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

This is huge - and proves exactly what we're saying.

We cannot have a moment of complacency - only the Green Party can stop Reform.

Vote Hannah Spencer and the Green Party on Thursday in Gorton and Denton. 💚

Cartoon by @billbramhall.bsky.social.

Polling just in:
bsky.app/profile/jnei...

App for boycotting US products tops Danish charts after Trump’s Greenland threats NonUSA app ‘helps you identify and avoid American products in everyday life’

A popular app in Denmark identifies American products so that Danes know not to buy them

www.independent.co.uk/tech/us-boyc...

#MAGA

Labour minister falsely linked journalists to ‘pro-Kremlin’ network in emails to GCHQ Exclusive: Josh Simons pressed intelligence officials to investigate reporters, in emails described as ‘McCarthyite smear’

This is shocking

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

A spiral galaxy, seen tilted diagonally. It has a blue-white, glowing spot at its core. Its oval-shaped disc glows faintly blue throughout with light from its many stars. The disc is filled with waves and strands of bright red dust that swirl around the core. At places there are holes torn in the dust, while elsewhere it forms dense clumps that glow orange. Several tiny, distant galaxies appear across the background.

🆕 Our NASA/CSA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope image of the month features the stellar lifecycle in a nearby spiral galaxy named NGC 5134 🌌🧪🔭

🔗 esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2026/02/The_stellar_lifecycle_in_a_nearby_spiral

@stsci.edu @science.esa.int

I see two things in Gorton and Denton: palpable frustration and the need for wise voting to stop Reform | Polly Toynbee After speaking to locals, I still can’t predict the result, but a big, combined effort will be needed. Without a united front the left may splinter and lose, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

The betting has the Greens at 1/2 and Labour at 5/1. If you actually want to keep Reform out, rather than making a rhetorical point, you can only rationally argue for Labour to step aside.

Dear Gorton & Denton,

Something you might want to hear...

I've just told my publishers to remove the Daily Mail quote they were going to put on the cover of the paperback of my latest novel. I don't care if the Daily Mail gave it a good review. The name of that shitrag is not going on the cover of my book.

Sent by an American friend

‘She has no expertise’: the US medical community girds for Tracy Beth Høeg’s tenure at the FDA The Danish American who doubted Covid shots is meant to lead drug regulation – but has focused on vaccines

“She’s an all-around ideologue who starts off with her conclusions and works backwards to retrofit the evidence in a very disingenuous, dishonest way” Dr Johnathan Howard

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Board of Peace gets underway….

Fact check: True.

Global Counsel, the advisory firm founded by Lord Peter Mandelson, is set to go into administration as soon as Friday in the wake of revelations about the former peer and Jeffrey Epstein, its staff have been told.

"See you on the inside"

Leading Reform politician Nadhim Zahawi spoke today of an horrific encounter with a man who looked tired and threatening, and who typified the dystopian nightmare that is Broken Britain…

From the new Private Eye, out now.

Morgan Freeman as Kindly Old Criminal in He Cant Have put The Poster Back Over the Hole It’s Impossible

“I remember the first time I saw Andy…”

a man wearing headphones is sweating and making a face Alt: a man wearing headphones is sweating and making a face

Meanwhile, as DCI Emily Maitlis makes her way to the cells…..

Oh, the grand old duke of york
He ██████████████████
He ██████████████████
And he ██████████████████

For the record, the UK Police do not have to arrest someone in order to interview them.

His arrest suggests the Police believe he has reached the threshold of criminality.

This, America, is what is called consequence.

HMS Duke of York during scrapping at Faslane in 1958. Two barrels of its quadruple turret have been sliced off and lie at daft angles on the deck. For some reason I'm reminded of the old joke name for Viagra's active ingredient - Mycoxafloppin.

Worst day for a Duke of York since 1958...

An incredibly lifelike illustration of Paddington Bear, official psychopomp to the British royal family, gently escorting a man in top hat and tails (carrying a Puzza Express takeout) to Belmarsh

Ok I have far too much to do today to spend more than 2 minutes on this but here’s my political cartoon of the day, please enjoy