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      Thanks to Donald Trump, 2025 was a good year … for white-collar criminals

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      Why would the Trump administration choose to set aside consequences from criminals whose actions threaten the stability of the broader American economy?When Islamic State needed to move and disguise its money, it turned, US prosecutors said in 2023, to the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange: Binance. So too did al-Qaida, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas, which used the platform to help bankroll its operations in the years leading up to the 7 October attack in Israel. Binance was not accused of directly financing these groups, but prosecutors found that it knowingly allowed its exchange to function as a conduit – enabling extremist organisations to shift funds, evade scrutiny and frustrate investigations.At the centre of it all was Binance’s founder and chief executive, Changpeng Zhao. By 2024, the self-styled “king” of crypto had fallen from grace, pleading guilty to money laundering charges and entering prison, while Binance agreed to pay a record $4.3bn penalty for its role in facilitating terrorist financing. The case was hailed as a rare victory for regulators willing to take on the industry’s biggest players – and for victims of the violence linked to those financial flows. Among them were the families of US citizens killed on 7 October, who are now suing Binance in a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of “pitching itself to terrorist organisations”. Continue reading… More

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      Extremists are using AI voice cloning to supercharge propaganda. Experts say it’s helping them grow

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      Researchers warn generative tools are helping militant groups from neo-Nazis to the Islamic State spread ideologyWhile the artificial intelligence boom is upending sections of the music industry, voice generating bots are also becoming a boon to another unlikely corner of the internet: extremist movements that are using them to recreate the voices and speeches of major figures in their milieu, and experts say it is helping them grow.“The adoption of AI-enabled translation by terrorists and extremists marks a significant evolution in digital propaganda strategies,” said Lucas Webber, a senior threat intelligence analyst at Tech Against Terrorism and a research fellow at the Soufan Center. Webber specializes in monitoring the online tools of terrorist groups and extremists around the world. Continue reading… More

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      in World Politics

      Who’s Responsible When a Military Order Is Illegal? (Don’t Ask Donald Trump!)

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      Any story about resistance within the military must begin by recognizing that it’s not an easy thing to do. Apparently, that’s true even for a much-decorated retired Navy commander, former astronaut and sitting United States senator. I’m talking about Arizona Senator Mark Kelly. He was one of six Democratic legislators, all military veterans or former… Continue reading Who’s Responsible When a Military Order Is Illegal? (Don’t Ask Donald Trump!)
      The post Who’s Responsible When a Military Order Is Illegal? (Don’t Ask Donald Trump!) appeared first on Fair Observer. More

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      We’re pastors. The fight against Maga Christianity starts locally | Doug Pagitt and Lori Walke

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      Trump’s movement has used the Christian faith to fuel oppression. Here’s how we are standing against itDonald Trump wants us to believe that the “war on Christianity” is spreading across the globe. The US president recently sounded the alarm on the “mass slaughter” of Christians in Nigeria while threatening a US invasion of the African nation. We shouldn’t be surprised. This falls right in line with Trump’s ongoing attempts to project Maga Christianity on to the global stage and crack down on religious freedom.Maga Christianity represents a self-serving, commercialized version of the Christian faith – putting power over service and empathy – and it is everywhere in our federal government. In February, Trump announced a taskforce led by Pam Bondi with the goal of rooting out “anti-Christian” bias. In September, Trump announced his plans to protect prayer in schools. Later that month, he issued a memorandum identifying anti-Christianity as a potential driver of terrorism. These are not just one-off incidents. This is a national effort to push the Maga Christianity agenda on Americans, and we’re already seeing the consequences.Doug Pagitt is executive director of Vote Common Good. The Rev Lori Walke is the senior minister at Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ in Oklahoma City Continue reading… More

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      Trump news at a glance: Anger grows about redactions, apparent removal of Epstein files from DoJ website

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      Justice department hit with legal threats after authorities release limited, heavily redacted trove of files in apparent violation of Epstein Transparency Act. Key US politics stories from 20 December 2025Donald Trump’s justice department was hit with legal threats and scathing outrage after authorities released a limited, heavily redacted trove of Jeffrey Epstein files in an apparent violation of the law mandating the near-complete disclosure of these documents by Friday.“The justice department’s document dump this afternoon does not comply with [Republican] Thomas Massie and my Epstein Transparency Act,” Ro Khanna, the California Democratic congressman who co-authored the law requiring full disclosure of all Epstein files by 19 December, said in a video statement. Continue reading… More

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      Jeffrey Epstein files latest: New files, including transcripts, released by Department of Justice on Saturday – as it happened

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      Agency hit with legal threats and scathing outrage after Friday release includes limited, heavily redacted trove. This blog is now closed.Analysis: Trickle release signals move to bury Trump tiesPhotos from the first batch of Epstein filesA book titled Massage for Dummies was seen among the partial files released yesterday by the Department of Justice. It is mentioned as one of the “gifts” Epstein gave to a “girl” whose name is redacted.Various reports say Epstein would often request massages from his victims – for both himself and others in his circle.Many of the documents in the data dump were heavily redacted, with text blacked out so it was impossible to read. Norm Eisen, executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund, said: “What they have released is clearly incomplete and appears to be over-redacted to boot.”The documents extensively featured photos of former president Bill Clinton, a Democrat, and appeared to include few if any photos of Trump or documents mentioning him, despite Trump and Epstein’s well-publicised friendship in the 1990s and early 2000s. Continue reading… More

    • 188 Shares45 Views

      in US Politics

      Bill Clinton spokesperson says White House is using him as scapegoat after Epstein files release

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      Angel Ureña said ex-president, pictured in some photos released by justice department, cut ties with Epstein in 2005A spokesperson for Bill Clinton accused the White House late on Friday of using him as a scapegoat after pictures of the former president with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as with a young woman in a pool, were included as part of congressionally ordered release of government files.“The White House hasn’t been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton,” the spokesperson said in a statement on X. Continue reading… More

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      US intercepts second merchant vessel off coast of Venezuela in international waters

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      Vessel does not appear to be on list of US-sanctioned vessels, which would represent escalation in blockadeUS forces on Saturday apprehended a second merchant vessel carrying oil off the coast of Venezuela in international waters in the midst of an American blockade against the country’s oil, according to the US homeland security department.The stoppage follows the seizure by US forces of another oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast on 10 December. Both vessels were headed to Asia. Continue reading… More