Lmst

The Sports Owners in #Epstein’s Inbox and the #NBA 🏀 at the All-Star Break | #TheNation

#TheNation magazine's Jack Mirkinson talks to #AmericanPrestige pod about how February 3rd is "A Day for #Gaza," (https://www.thenation.com/article/world/a-day-for-gaza-intro-explainer/) and why today The Nation's entire website will be devoted to coverage of Gaza, running pieces exclusively authored by people in and from Gaza.

https://americanprestige.supportingcast.fm/listen/american-prestige-1/the-nation-s-a-day-for-gaza-w-jack-merkinson
#Palestine #warOnGaza #GazaGenocide

I just signed the Nation's petition to the Nobel committee to award this year's Peace Prize to the city and people of Minneapolis. They are modeling mutual aid, syndicalism and civic solidarity in neighborhoods throughout the city to resist the authoritarianism, violence and fear perpetrated by the federal government's invasion. Here's the link to the petition:
#NobelPeacePrize #Minneapolis #TheNation

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/support-the-nomination-of-the-city-of-minneapolis-and-its-people-for-the-2026-nobel-peace-prize?source=direct_link&

Migrantenjagd

US-Einwanderungsbehörde: Mit Palantir und Paragon auf Migrantenjagd

Die US-Einwanderungsbehörde ICE nutzt für ihre Massenfestnahmen zunehmend digitale Überwachungstechnologie. Ein berüchtigter Konzern liefert dafür das „ImmigrationOS“. Doch es gibt Ideen für eine Kampagne, die sich gegen diese Beihilfe zur Menschenjagd richtet.

Eine der Kritiken an neuen Überwachungswerkzeugen für Verfolgungsbehörden lautet, dass diese zunehmend auch zweckentfremdet eingesetzt werden. Oder dass autoritäre Regierungen sie nach einer Machtübernahme gegen unliebsame Gruppen oder Personen richten.

Wie real diese Befürchtungen sind, lässt sich derzeit in den USA beobachten. Dort versieht Präsident Donald Trump die Einwanderungsbehörde ICE mit immer mehr Ressourcen für ihre Jagd auf Migrant*innen, sichert ihr für Verbrechen Straffreiheit zu und schafft sich so eine eigene brutale Präsidentengarde mit modernster technischer Ausrüstung.

Mapping von Deportationskandidat*innen

Über die digitalen Überwachungsmethoden des ICE berichtet häufig das US-Investigativportal „404 Media“. Dessen jüngste Recherche zeigt, wie etwa Palantir in die Massenfestnahmen eingebunden ist. Demnach entwickelt der berüchtigte Technologiekonzern ein Werkzeug namens ELITE, mit dem die Einwanderungsbehörde eine Karte mit Adressen von potenziellen Deportationskandidat*innen erstellen kann. Die Daten stammen unter anderem vom Gesundheitsministerium, von der US-Migrationsbehörde USCIS und vom Datenanbieter Thomson Reuters.

ICE nutzt die Software angeblich, um Orte zu identifizieren, an denen möglichst viele Personen auf einen Schlag festgenommen werden könnten. Zu jeder Person kann ein Dossier sowie ein „Confidence Score“ abgerufen werden – also eine Bewertung, wie verlässlich die angegebene aktuelle Adresse einer gesuchten Person ist.

„404 Media“ stützt ihre Recherche auf interne ICE-Materialien, öffentliche Beschaffungsunterlagen und Aussagen eines ICE-Beamten. Ihre Veröffentlichung erfolgte kurz nachdem Kristi Noem, die Chefin des Heimatschutzministeriums, angekündigt hatte, Hunderte weitere Bundesagent*innen nach Minneapolis zu entsenden. Vergangene Woche erschoss der ICE-Beamte Jonathan Ross dort die 37-jährige US-Bürgerin Renee Nicole Good, als diese ihr Auto wenden und die Szenerie einer Razzia und Protesten dagegen verlassen wollte.

Daten aus Online-Werbegeschäft

Zusätzlich zur Palantir-Software kaufte ICE zwei Überwachungssysteme namens Tangles und Webloc der Firma Penlink, die Zugriff auf Standortdaten von Hunderten Millionen Handys bieten. Darüber berichtete „404 Media“ vergangene Woche in einer weiteren Recherche.

Die Systeme nutzen GPS-Koordinaten sowie WLAN- und IP-Daten. Sie stammen aus dem Online-Werbegeschäft und werden über sogenannte Software Development Kits bei der Nutzung von Apps hinterlassen. Von Datenbrokern werden sie angeblich für personalisierte Werbung gesammelt, dann aber auch mit anderem Zweck verkauft.

Ermittler*innen können in Webloc ebenfalls Gebiete auf einer Karte markieren. Das System zeigt dann alle Handys an, die sich zu diesem Zeitpunkt dort befinden. Anschließend lassen sich die Bewegungen einzelner Geräte verfolgen. So stellen die Beamt*innen fest, wohin eine bestimmte Person nach der Arbeit fährt oder wo sich nachts ihr Handy befindet, was beides auf den Standort ihrer Wohnung schließen lässt. Die Software kann auch mehrere Orte gleichzeitig überwachen und anzeigen, welche Geräte an zwei oder mehr Orten waren, etwa bei einer politischen Versammlung.

Laut einer internen ICE-Rechtsanalyse, die die Bürgerrechtsorganisation ACLU durch eine Informationsfreiheitsklage erhielt, braucht die US-Behörde für die Nutzung dieser Daten aus ihrer Sicht keine richterliche Anordnung. Die Begründung: Menschen hätten die Informationen „freiwillig“ an Dritte weitergegeben, indem sie Apps nutzten.

Spyware „Graphite“ jetzt im US-Besitz

Bekannt ist außerdem, dass ICE die Spyware „Graphite“ des Unternehmens Paragon einsetzen darf. Die Trump-Regierung genehmigte einen Vertrag, den die Biden-Administration noch blockiert hatte.

Die Software gilt als eines der leistungsfähigsten Hacking-Werkzeuge weltweit und kann sämtliche Daten auf Smartphones auslesen, einschließlich der ansonsten verschlüsselten Kommunikation über Signal oder WhatsApp. Zudem lässt sich ein Telefon durch heimliches Aktivieren des Mikrofons zur Wanze umfunktionieren.

Nach Überwachungsskandalen in mehreren EU-Staaten wurde die bis dahin israelische Spyware-Firma Paragon Solutions Ende 2024 vom US-Private-Equity-Fund AE Industrial Partners übernommen, der dafür eine halbe Milliarde US-Dollar gezahlt haben soll. Dieser Wechsel erleichtert US-Behörden wie ICE den Einsatz der Software, obwohl größere Teile der Belegschaft weiterhin in Israel ansässig sind.

Kampagne gegen beteiligte Firmen

Weitere digitale Werkzeuge der US-Einwanderungsbehörde haben der Arbeitswissenschaftler Eric Blanc von der Rutgers University, der Gewerkschaftsorganisator Wes McEnany und Claire Sandberg, ehemalige nationale Organisationsdirektorin von Bernie Sanders’ Präsidentschaftskampagne 2020, in der US-Wochenzeitschrift „The Nation“ dokumentiert. Darin rufen sie zu einer Kampagne gegen die Firmen auf.

Als besonders verwundbar gelten den drei Autor*innen jene Unternehmen, deren Verträge mit ICE vor einer möglichen Verlängerung stehen. Dazu zählt etwa Dell mit einem Auftrag über umgerechnet 16 Millionen Euro für Microsoft-Software-Lizenzen, der im März ausläuft. Auch kleinere Verträge mit dem Paketdienst UPS und FedEx sowie dem Kommunikationsausrüster Motorola Solutions enden im Frühjahr.

Einen längerfristigen Vertrag hat ICE beispielsweise mit dem Kommunikationsdienstleister AT&T geschlossen. Er umfasst rund 70,5 Millionen Euro und könnte bis Juli 2032 laufen. Der Datenanbieter LexisNexis ermöglicht Trumps Milizen für 18 Millionen Euro Zugriff auf umfangreiche personenbezogene Daten aus öffentlichen und privaten Quellen, einschließlich Haftdaten.

Palantir liefert „ImmigrationOS“

Als einen der bedeutendsten Akteure in der ICE-Infrastruktur nennt „The Nation“ Amazon, dessen Web Services für die Daten- und Überwachungsoperationen der Behörde unerlässlich seien.

Eine besondere Rolle spielt laut Blanc, McEnany und Sandberg aber Palantir: Der Konzern stellt den US-Migrationsbehörden unter dem Namen „ImmigrationOS“ ein Rückgrat bereit, das Informationen aus verschiedenen Datenbanken und Anwendungen zusammenführt.

Mithilfe der Software können ICE-Beamt*innen ihre Operationen automatisieren – zu den Features gehören die KI-gestützte Zielpersonenpriorisierung, die Echtzeitüberwachung der Person sowie die Koordination von Festnahmen und Abschiebungen.

„ImmigrationOS“ greift dazu auf Daten der Sozialversicherungs-, der Steuer- und der Migrationsbehörden sowie staatlicher Wählerverzeichnisse zu. Für die Entwicklung des Systems Plattform erhielt Palantir 25,5 Millionen Euro.

„Außer Kontrolle geratener Zug“

Nach den jüngsten Enthüllungen von „404 Media“ hat sich die Electronic Frontier Foundation zu Wort gemeldet. Die US-Bürgerrechtsorganisation erklärt, dass sie bereits mehrere juristische Schritte gegen die Datensammelwut der Migrationsbehörden unternommen habe – darunter Klagen gegen den Zugriff von ICE auf Gesundheits- oder Steuerdaten.

Doch diese allein reichten nicht aus: Menschen müssten im öffentlichen Diskurs weiterhin Bedenken und Protest äußern, so die Electronic Frontier Foundation. Auch müsse der Kongress umgehend handeln, „um diesem außer Kontrolle geratenen Zug Einhalt zu gebieten, der die Privatsphäre und Sicherheit jeder einzelnen Person in Amerika zu zermalmen droht“.

Jedoch ist die Datensammelwut für diesen „außer Kontrolle geratenen Zug“ nicht auf die USA beschränkt. Die Regierung in Washington fordert von den mehr als 40 Teilnehmern ihres Visa-Waiver-Programms einen direkten Zugriff auf nationale Polizeidatenbanken mit biometrischen Informationen.

In Deutschland wäre dies die INPOL-Datei, in der auch weit über zwei Millionen Asylsuchende oder Ausreisepflichtige mit Fingerabdrücken und Gesichtsbildern gespeichert sind. Die EU-Staaten sind zu diesem US-Zugriff grundsätzlich bereit und haben die Kommission mit Verhandlungen über ein Rahmenabkommen beauftragt.

Matthias Monroy, Wissensarbeiter, Aktivist und Mitglied der Redaktion der Zeitschrift Bürgerrechte & Polizei/CILIP. Außerdem Redakteur für Innenpolitik der Zeitung nd.Der Tag. Texte auf Englisch unter digit.site36.net, auf Twitter @matthimon. Dieser Beitrag ist eine Übernahme von netzpolitik, gemäss Lizenz Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0.

https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/seth-harp-fort-bragg-cartel/

#TheNation

The Rot At #FortBragg

#SethHarp

By #ElieMystal via #TheNation on Jan 8, 2026

Prosecute #RenéeNicoleGood’s Murderer

The #ICE agent who murdered #ReneeGood must be prosecuted for #murder. He enjoys no #immunity from state murder charges.
Then, #BlueState governors must call up their #NationalGuard to protect us from the armed ICE #terrorists.

#FuckICE

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/prosecute-renee-good-murderer/#

https://get.mypost.to/FwDHkq
TikTok’s adoption in the United States in 2018 marked a vibe shift in American...
#tiktok #socialmedia #geopolitic #thenation

How to Save a Democracy – The Nation

Politics / Authoritarian Watch / January 2, 2026

How to Save a Democracy

Looking at how the Trump administration fits into a pattern of authoritarian governance can empower people to think about how to best resist the country’s slide to autocracy.

By Sasha Abramsky

Demonstrators rally against President Donald Trump during a protest, dubbed “Resist the Dictator,” to mark President’s Day on February 17, 2025, in New York City. (David Dee Delgado / AFP via Getty Images) )

As year two of Trump 2.0 gets underway, my column will be shifting focus. For the past year, I have been writing on the corrupt and cruel acts being carried out by the US government. I will continue to look at these actions but will now analyze them through the lens of rising authoritarianism.

My column, previously titled “Hiding in Plain Sight,” is now “Authoritarian Watch.” Each week, I will chronicle Trump’s push to reshape the United States as an autocracy. I will be talking with, and writing about, scholars, activists, legal theorists, politicians, elections officials, and others who are charting—and in many cases resisting—the Trumpian assault on democracy.

By looking at how the actions of the Trump administration fit into a pattern of authoritarian governance developed by governments around the world and across the decades of modern history, my aim is to empower readers to think big picture about what this moment means and how to best resist the slide to autocracy.

Trump, Stephen Miller, Steve Bannon, JD Vance, Elon Musk, and the other horsemen of the authoritarian apocalypse like to paint their political triumph as inevitable. Yet there is nothing God-given in this trajectory. Poll after poll has shown that most Americans oppose the key elements of their agenda. If Trumpism wins, it will not be because of its enduring popularity; it will be because the opposition remains fragmented. If, by contrast, Trumpism as a project is ultimately consigned to the trash can of history, it will be because in 2026 that opposition found its sea legs and successfully pushed back against the new authoritarians. My hope is that “Authoritarian Watch” will help shape this conversation.

When a regime embraces the cult of the strongman and the notion that illegality is not illegal so long as the strongman orders it, it is to that leader that all loyalties must be attached. In such a regime, all politics is personal, and the public good is inevitably sacrificed to the private profit of a political and economic elite. When this happens, the government becomes little more than a mafia state, a place where all concepts of the public good are shredded and where the might of the state is channeled for the private benefit of its leaders. In 2025, that is what we witnessed in the United States.

Current Issue, January 2026 Issue

It is difficult to think of another year in US history so thoroughly besmirched by a sitting president and his henchmen as 2025. In the first year of his second presidency, Trump has governed like a mob boss—ordering his underlings to carry out one illegal or immoral act after another, ensnaring them in a web of actions ranging from the venal to the war criminal that ensures him their loyalty. Trump demands that his ring be kissed and shows his followers the consequences should they eventually refuse to kiss it.

By wielding the presidential pardon, Trump can keep his cronies out of prison and in the halls of power—but he will only do so long as they swear fealty to him. Through his willingness to use the full force of the government—its regulatory agencies, its Justice Department, its security apparatus, its powers of taxation, tariff-imposition, and auditing—against his enemies, Trump has demonstrated the vast costs that people and institutions who are seen to cross him can be made to pay. And in this environment where the honorable people have long since headed for the exits, those who remain in Trump’s circle are the dregs—the opportunistic, the feckless, the most willing to put morality to one side.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, for example, has soldered his fortune to Trump’s by ordering—and publicly glorying in—the assassination of civilians. In embracing the sadism of indiscriminate ICE raids as well as the illegal deportation of hundreds of Venezuelans to the supermax CECOT prison in El Salvador, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has similarly tied her future to that of Trump. Attorney General Pam Bondi has also sacrificed her integrity on the altar of the MAGA leader by turning the Justice Department into both a vengeance machine for the president and a protection agency, using its discretion to steer investigations away from Trump—including by censoring the Epstein files. Tom Homan, the scandal-plagued border czar who reputedly accepted a bag full of cash in a sting operation shortly before the 2024 election, knows that the moment he crosses Trump he becomes vulnerable to prosecution. RFK Jr. has so thoroughly demolished large parts of the country’s public health infrastructure that, were it not for Trump’s patronage, he’d have been run out of town months ago. And the list goes on. At every level, Trump has coopted government officials, military leaders, cabinet secretaries, and intelligence analysts to his sordid and vicious agenda.

The Nation Weekly

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For the past year, I have documented this ugly moment. Throughout these long months, Trump has repeatedly sought to punish political rivals. He’s demanded that the DOJ conjure up absurd criminal charges against individuals and has financially penalized cities and states whose leaders don’t do his bidding. He has ritualized humiliation as a modus operandi in his wars against immigrants, transgender Americans, proponents of diversity, academic and legal organizations deemed not sufficiently MAGA, scientists seeking to raise the alarm around climate change, public health officials, and labor organizers.

In 2025, Trump busted through a range of anti-corruption barriers, enacted by Congress over the past century to protect the republic from leaders interested in wielding vast political power to secure equally vast private wealth. He stopped enforcing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and started to solicit “gifts” such as Qatar’s donation of a luxury jet to serve as the next Air Force One and arrange pay-to-play dinners at which investors in Trump meme coins gain private access to the Trumps. It should be no surprise that allegations are now doing the rounds that donors can reputedly pay six-figure sums to lobbyists close to Trump, favored organizations, and Trump-affiliated political action committees to start the ball rolling on individual presidential pardons.

Trump’s actions, against which his cabinet and the GOP leadership in Congress have pushed back not a whit, have made previous episodes—such as the 1920s Teapot Dome Scandal—in which presidents and their cabinet secretaries have traded political favors and protection for cash, look like nickel-and-dime operations.

It’s tempting to think of the Trump’s second term as simply an endless firehose of crude statements, brutal actions, corrupt practices, denigrations of other democracies that have historically been America’s close allies, and endorsements of the wackiest conspiracy theories circulating on the Internet. At times it can come off as little more than a malignant form of chaos.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: How to Save a Democracy | The Nation

Tags: #Resistance, Assault on Democracy, Authoritarian Watch, Columnist, Elon Musk, Hiding in Plain Sight, How to Save a Democracy, J.D. Vance, January 2 2026, Resist, Resist the Dictator, Sasha Abramsky, Stephen Miller, Steve Bannon, The Nation, The Nation Weekly, Trump, Trump 2.0, Trump Administration
#Resistance #AssaultOnDemocracy #AuthoritarianWatch #Columnist #ElonMusk #HidingInPlainSight #HowToSaveADemocracy #JDVance #January22026 #Resist #ResistTheDictator #SashaAbramsky #StephenMiller #SteveBannon #TheNation #TheNationWeekly #Trump #Trump20 #TrumpAdministration

🎭 Ah yes, nothing screams modern literary analysis like a pretentious deep dive into Luigi Pirandello's existential crisis in "Broken Men." 📝 Join The Nation as they bravely attempt to dissect the psyche of fictional Italians, while you try not to forget your password or your will to live. 😂
https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/luigi-pirandello-one-none-grand-review/ #literaryanalysis #LuigiPirandello #BrokenMen #existentialcrisis #TheNation #humor #HackerNews #ngated

Jeffrey Epstein Was a Warlord. We Have to Talk About It.

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/jeffrey-epstein-israel-foreign-policy-elite/

The prospect of chaos and war excited Jeffrey Epstein. The late New York financier and child abuser kept a keen eye on news about foreign conflicts that could be exploited for commercial gain. On February 21, 2014, Epstein sent an e-mail to Ehud Barak, the former Israeli prime minister, with whom he would partner the following year as investors in a security tech firm Reporty Homeland Security (later renamed Carbyne). Epstein wrote, “with civil unrest exploding in ukraine syria, somolia [sic], libya, and the desperation of those in power, isn’t this perfect for you.” Barak tried to tamp down his friend’s enthusiasm, noting, “You’re right [in] a way. But not simple to transform it into a cash flow.”This exchange, which was reported by Drop Site News, gets at the heart of one of the more hidden aspects of the Epstein scandal. Epstein’s name is inextricably linked with sexual predation, as it should be. But it should just as readily be linked to global militarism and authoritarianism. Epstein trafficked not just in the bodies of the children he abused but also in social connections that could bring elites together. He well understood that the “desperation of those in power” could make them eager to buy what he was selling: connections with other powerful figures and security systems to clamp down on dissent.The Epstein scandal has once again exploded thanks to the release this week by House Democrats of an immense cache of e-mails between Epstein and many of his famous associates. As my Nation colleagues Chris Lehmann and Joan Walsh have written, these e-mails are politically damaging to Donald Trump, adding yet more evidence that the president was close friends with Epstein for many years, aware of Epstein’s predations, and possibly a participant in some of Epstein’s crimes.Trump richly deserves whatever reputational harm and possible legal retribution may come to him as a result of his ties to Epstein. But, at its heart, this has always been a scandal about the ruling class as a whole, not one individual or political party.The Epstein e-mails document his ties to a wide swath of the US and global elite in ways that transcend partisan lines. Among those Epstein was on easy terms with were former treasury secretary Larry Summers (who held high office under both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama) as well as Trump adviser Steve Bannon and right-wing billionaire Peter Thiel. Even Noam Chomsky wrote glowingly of his “highly valued friend.”

Cubans Watch the Escalating US-#Venezuela Crisis

For most people on the island, the threat is just one more worry amid a grueling economic crisis.

https://www.thenation.com/article/world/cuba-venezuela-trump-war/#

from #TheNation
Marc Frank
November 26, 2025

#Cuba, November 26—The #Cuban government and people are warily watching the #US most recent effort to overthrow the #Venezuelan government of #NicholasMaduro as they struggle to recover from Hurricane Melissa and contain mushrooming cases of dengue, chikungunya and oropouche. For most Cubans the threat is just one more worry amid a grueling economic crisis that has left residents spending their energy navigating collapsing infrastructure, runaway inflation and shortages of basic goods.
“If #Trump and #MarcoRubio succeed that would be terrible for us,” #Havana handyman Bernardo said, requesting his last name not be used.
“I am critical of my government but that does not mean I want Rubio as governor here"...

#news #politics #USpol #LatinAmerica

On October 18, No Kings protests will have millions of Americans from every state, the federal district, and all but one of the territories (none planned in American Samoa), as well as several dozen internationally saying that they want democratic rule in the United States: https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/no-kings-day-october-preview-trump/

#nokings #47 #thenation #democracy #authoritarianism #fascism #johnnicols #us #usa #unitedstates #unitedstatesofamerica

As a ceasefire is implemented in the Holy Land, the Palestinians still need the help and support of the world: https://www.thenation.com/article/world/gaza-still-needs-you/

Please give if you can.

As an aside, it seems like there is some kind of typo about a number of 38 million persons; I believe this should be 3.8 million.

#palestine #gaza #humanitarianism #jackmirkinson #thenation

2/2

NP: Well, here's the thing. I certainly had no intention when I went [to that joint session of Congress] to do that ... but on the first page, he was lying. So I just tore the page [to mark where the lies were], so I could go back to this page to see where he was lying. And then I realised, he was lying on every page. Every page had a tear where he had lied. And, it was so disrespectful of the Congress. It was horrible.

#TheNation
#JohnNichols
#NancyPelosi

https://www.thenation.com/podcast/archive/sms-091725/

#TheNation

Good News for a Change

What do the kids say? Is it "based"? 🤔🤷🏿‍♀️

"Turning Point did not work to bring people together; it worked to bring about a country where anyone who wasn’t a white Christian nationalist wasn’t welcome"

#charliekirk #TheNation #news #politics

The Nation: Charlie Kirk's Legacy Deserves No Mourning

The Nation: "There is not requirement to take part in this whitewashing campaign..."

The Nation: "He created a professor watchlist explicitly designed to get academics fired..."

The Nation: "Turning Point did not work to bring people together; it worked to bring about a country where anyone who wasn't a white Christian nationalist wasn't welcome"

MAGA conservatives are paralyzed by their fear of the future, still worshipping Trump’s reckless tax-and-spend disaster. Clinging to the past won’t save them—or the country. #MAGA #WakeUp #TheNation www.thenation.com/article/soci...

MAGA Conservatives Are Terrifi...