In 2023 @enirenberg.bsky.social & I wrote about RFK Jr's role in the deadly measles outbreak in Samoa (time.com/6289037/robe...)

Turns out, Samoa was a trial run for the horrific, deadly anti-vaxx activism he's now inflicting worlwide 😔

Thx to @bymichellersmith.com & colleagues for their reporting

French Response French Response @Fr... • 26/01/2026 Confusing how much each country spends on its own military with its contribution to NATO's common funding = confusing how much you spend on your sports equipment, shoes, and coaching with your annual gym membership fee. The U.S. pays about 16% of NATO budget = equal to the largest EU contributor (Germany). X NATO Common-Funded Budget Cost Share by Ally (2025) Germany United Kingdom France taly Spain Turkiye Netherlands Canada Poland Norway Sweden Belgium Denmark Romania Czechia Portugal Greece Finland tungary Slovakia Bulgaria Lithuania Slovenia Croatia Latvia Luxembourg 1 Estonia - North Macedonia - keland Albania - Montenegro - + 10 Share of NATO common-funded budgets (%) 12 Investment Programme (NSIP), "Cost share at 32", valid from 7 March 2024 to 31

The French once again taking no bullshit.

Reform councillor’s extremism demands urgent investigation Ian Cooper has been expelled from Reform UK, but we need more far-reaching consequences for those who share hateful rhetoric

Reform councillor’s extremism demands urgent investigation

Ian Cooper has been expelled from Reform UK, but we need more far-reaching consequences for those who share hateful rhetoric | Dean Conway
@deanconway.bsky.social

Exit polls show socialist Antonio Jose Seguro has crushed the Far Right candidate Andre Ventura in Portugal’s presidential runoff.

These people are so deluded.

Yes, they swept to the biggest majority since 2003 - but against the most unpopular government in history, unpopularity surpassed only by themselves in just 18 months. And they are defending him for being critical in that!

The Times calls Keir Starmer's decision to hire Peter Mandelson an "egregious error" which deserves an "inquiry into the appointment process."

Not included is any demand for an inquiry into their own appointment of him, long after his post-conviction relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was exposed

Oh God. This is beyond cringy.

Have they no self respect?

Andrew in “an intimate relationship with Ghislane.

Sarah said to have had a sexual relationship with Epstein…

Epstein and Andrew shared the same women

Sarah begging.

apple.news/APW4HLwezSRu...

Just beyond parody at this point

He lost an eye in the George Floyd protests. Now he represents the ward where Renée Good was killed. Meet Minneapolis city council member Soren Stevenson.

Soren Stevenson lost his eye to police rubber bullets at the George Floyd protests. Now at 31, he's a Minneapolis city council member in the ward where both Floyd was murdered and federal agents killed Renée Good. He lived through state violence. Now he's fighting to END it. This is leadership.

YouTube video by Fast Politics w/ Molly Jong-Fast This Is What's Missing From The Epstein Files w/ Julie K. Brown

The female federal prosecutor, who wanted to put him in prison forever, all her superiors were men. They kept telling her sit down shut up we're going to make a deal w/ this guy. Treated her like she was crazy for wanting to prosecute. - @jkbjournalist.bsky.social w/ @mollyjongfast.bsky.social

In any other administration the editorial pages would be heavy with calls for Lutnick to resign. But our media has become billionaire deformed and scandal normed.

Everyone should call their local election officials and ask them what they're doing to prepare. Our governors should deploy the Guard to protect polling places from voting machine and ballot seizures.

Gordon Brown raised concerns over hiring of Mandelson and... The former prime minister wrote to Keir Starmer to express his doubts about two of key appointments

So much more to come out from crumbling No 10.

"In two letters to the cabinet secretary, Brown raised questions about Dinsmore’s ethical record & allegations over his involvement in obtaining his son’s private medical records"

observer.co.uk/news/politic...

Ukraine war latest: Zelensky warns of 'risk' US, Russia could strike bilateral deals on Ukraine without Kyiv Key developments on Feb. 7-8: * Zelensky warns of 'risk' US, Russia could strike bilateral deals on Ukraine without Kyiv * Russia causes 'significant damage' to thermal plants, nuclear facilities i...

President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the U.S. & Russia may reach bilateral agreements on Ukraine without Kyiv’s participation; Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure; Ukraine struck an “important” Russian cruise missile fuel plant in Tver Oblast; and more.

Andrew shared confidential information with Epstein as trade envoy, files suggest Under official guidance, trade envoys have a duty of confidentiality over sensitive, commercial, or political information.

This report implies that 'Andrew' may have broken the Official Secrets Acts (& I wonder if the same could be possible of Mandelson?) and if so I wonder whether that, rather than 'Misconduct in Public Office' might, in both cases, form the basis of a prosecution?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Epsteinland When Patriarchy Meets Oligarchy

There's a lot of commentary on the Epstein files, to say the least, but this, by @mattcarr.substack.com, is well worth your time: mattcarr.substack.com/p/the-damp-s...

'The Mandelson-Epstein Scandal Is an Opportunity for Starmer to Radically Reform Our Broken Politics' The Prime Minister should use this moment to shine a light on the dark forces corrupting our democracy, argues former British diplomat Alexandra Hall Hall

I wrote this yesterday - Starmer could still turn his premiership around, if he finally, FINALLY, finds the courage to address the grubby circs which allow people like Mandelson to rise so far. bylinetimes.com/2026/02/07/t...

Indeed, that five-year-old citizen who is his classmate and is terrified at what happened to her friend who has a place here. If you asked that five-year-old what was going to make her life better, I guarantee it would not be her friend being deported.

The global sovereign citizen movement The sovereign citizen movement has grown beyond a nuisance and into an escalating national security challenge for many countries around the world.

The global sovereign citizen movement: The sovereign citizen movement has grown beyond a nuisance and into an escalating national security challenge for many countries around the world: www.lowyinstitute.org/publications...

The most likely reason Elon Musk finally disabled Starlink for Russian soldiers is because he wants to take SpaceX public and get a trillion dollar valuation for this IPO.

If the Russians were using Starlink to commit war crimes, then investors might have boycotted his IPO.

Russians are trying to rewrite history on Wikipedia. Because it's the #1 source of training data for AI systems, it can also be used to "poison" platforms like ChatGPT and Claude AI.

Baroness Hazarika, "I raised the Mandelson issue in the House of Lords amongst colleagues"

"I had quite a lot of senior members of the House of Lords on the Labour side put in a complaint about me raising this issue because Peter Mandelson was held in such high regard"

YES. Observers have spent too much time worrying about anonymity and secrecy in an effort to avoid after-the-fact consequences. But those consequences are extremely unlikely - first, you’re doing nothing illegal, and second, they literally don’t have the legal manpower to prosecute almost anyone.

This.
It’s not just Mandelson this government got wrong.
Paving the way for Reform.

Reform UK Treasurer kept contact with Epstein after sex conviction | Searchlight Richard Tice welcomes Nick Candy to Reform UK The recent release of a further tranche of Epstein-related documents has once again dragged elite political an ...

The release of the latest set of material from the 'Epstein files' reveals that Reform UK Treasurer Nick Candy maintained contact with Jeffrey Epstein even after his conviction for soliciting prostitution & trafficking a minor.

#NeverVoteReform

My fav bit is the part where she's like "My grandson is adopted from Guetamala and I fear for his safety but theres no way I will ever vote to shutter the agency I call and tell him to carry papers and be afraid of"

this feels to me like it is maybe going to be a breakthrough story in a breakthrough story

Your Sunday morning long read ⬇️

If you’re not trans and you think trans people protest too much…

I’m the mother of Alice a trans woman who died by suicide…

this stuff matters…mainstream media isn’t reporting it because they’re complicit in it…

Here’s why trans people and allies alike protest…

From the Media Reform Coalition's 2025 report: Key findings at a glance: 7 of the top 15 online platforms used to access news in the UK are controlled by Meta, Google and X Corp. Google commands 93% of UK search engine use, while Meta and Google together account for three-fifths of all UK advertising spend, giving these two Big Tech companies unrivalled control over how news is found, accessed and funded online. Just three companies – DMG Media, News UK and Reach – control 90% of UK national newspaper circulation, a 20% increase in market concentration since 2014. These same three companies account for over 40% of the combined reach of the UK’s top 50 online newsbrands, giving these publishers significant power to set and steer the national news agenda. The UK’s local newspapers are dominated by a tiny handful of corporate chain publishers, with just 2 companies – Newsquest and National World – controlling 51% of the UK’s 882 local newspapers and online local news websites. More than 8 out of 10 Local Democracy Reporters, funded by the TV licence fee to restore local journalism, are contracted to Newsquest, Reach and National World – and these same companies control local newspaper monopolies in areas covering 11.6 million people. In commercial radio, just two companies – Bauer and Global – own two-thirds of the UK’s national DAB radio stations, and more than 60% of local analogue stations. Bauer, Global and News Broadcasting (owned by publishers News UK) together control more than three-quarters of the UK’s national DAB radio market. Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ account for 75% of all UK video-on-demand subscriptions. Almost half of the value of TV commissions by the UK’s major broadcasters went to just 12 companies, despite these largest producers making up only 4% of the entire UK independent production sector.

Love too work in the diverse British media. www.mediareform.org.uk/media-owners...

The Long Ukrainian Winter How You Can Help

Russia’s full-scale invasion began 4 years ago. It began in winter, and so this winter is the 5th. And, for civilians, the worst. Russia launches missiles and drones at energy infrastructure to force Ukrainians to endure the freezing cold. Here's how you can help
snyder.substack.com/p/the-long-u...