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Après les cyber ranges : simuler la décision sous attaque
par Marc-Olivier Boisset
Cette référence à Lem revenait avec une remarquable constance dans mes échanges avec Jean Langlois-Berthelot. Il assure aujourd’hui l’encadrement des recherches de plusieurs officiers supérieurs sur la simulation, la décision, les systèmes cognitifs et la transformation technologique. Ceux-ci savent d’ailleurs qu’il existe peu de problèmes auxquels il ne finisse, tôt ou tard, par inviter l’écrivain polonais — au point que certains pourraient le croire discrètement inscrit au programme. La formule prête à sourire ; le fond est pourtant décisif. Mon directeur de thèse professionnelle m’a expliqué à plusieurs reprises que sa lecture adolescente de Lem avait constitué la première pierre de sa réflexion sur les mondes simulés. En analysant à mon tour les travaux de Lem, j’y ai retrouvé les problèmes de l’observateur, de l’incertitude, des systèmes qui réagissent et des décisions prises dans des mondes devenus difficilement intelligibles. Cette première intuition est devenue beaucoup plus tard un travail structuré sur le Net Assessment, les systèmes cognitifs et la simulation stochastique.
Cet article part donc d’une question très concrète : comment construire une simulation cyber dans laquelle les choix humains modifient réellement la situation ? Pour y répondre, je suis revenu à plusieurs reprises vers Jean. Il m’a, sans grande surprise, ramené plusieurs fois vers Lem. Les textes de l’écrivain polonais sont ainsi devenus l’un des points d’appui intellectuels de ce travail.
Les cyber ranges ont appris à reproduire des réseaux, des logiciels et des adversaires. Ils entraînent efficacement les équipes à détecter, contenir et restaurer. Mais une crise cyber majeure ne se joue pas seulement dans les journaux techniques. Elle se joue dans une cellule où il faut décider avec des informations incomplètes, sous la pression du temps, tandis que la population réagit et que l’adversaire s’adapte. La prochaine frontière de la simulation est donc moins celle de la machine que celle du choix.
À 8 h 17, l’authentification devient instable. À 8 h 31, plusieurs postes affichent une demande de rançon. À 8 h 46, une vidéo attribuée au directeur général annonce l’arrêt du service. Elle est fausse, mais déjà relayée. À 9 h 05, le centre d’appel sature. À 9 h 20, un prestataire propose de couper une interconnexion dont dépendent aussi deux sites encore sains. La cellule de crise doit choisir : isoler, communiquer, attendre ou basculer. Chaque option protège quelque chose et expose autre chose.
Cette scène concentre la difficulté contemporaine. Une crise cyber associe désormais un système technique dégradé, une population qui cherche des solutions, un espace informationnel disputé et des décideurs dont les choix modifient la suite de l’attaque. Or nos entraînements représentent encore trop souvent ces dimensions séparément. Les techniciens combattent dans un cyber range. Les dirigeants discutent autour d’une table. Les communicants reçoivent quelques injects. La population, elle, demeure hors champ.
C’est à partir de cette difficulté que j’ai construit mon projet de recherche : non plus seulement observer la robustesse d’un système informatique, mais comprendre ce qui arrive à la décision lorsque l’attaque transforme simultanément les faits, les perceptions et les possibilités d’action. Pour préciser cet objet, j’ai interrogé à plusieurs reprises Jean Langlois-Berthelot, qui dirige mes recherches doctorales à l’ESCP Business School et travaille depuis plusieurs années sur les mondes simulés, le Net Assessment et les systèmes cognitifs.
Marc-Olivier Boisset — Pourquoi parler de monde simulé plutôt que de simple scénario de crise ? Et je suppose que vous allez encore me répondre Stanisław Lem…
Jean Langlois-Berthelot — Probablement, oui. Mais ce n’est pas tout à fait ma faute s’il avait posé le problème avant nous. Un scénario raconte ce qui doit arriver, tandis qu’un monde réagit à ce que nous faisons. Chez Lem, l’être humain ne rencontre pas seulement un environnement étrange : il rencontre les limites de ses propres catégories. Une simulation utile doit produire ce même déplacement. Elle ne doit pas confirmer le plan ; elle doit révéler ce que le plan ne sait pas voir.
Le résultat peut être trompeur. Une équipe peut restaurer les serveurs tout en perdant la confiance des usagers. Une décision prudente à l’échelle du réseau peut interrompre un service essentiel. Une communication exacte mais tardive peut laisser le récit adverse définir la crise. La performance technique n’est pas encore la maîtrise de la situation.
Le cyber range entraîne le geste, pas toujours l’arbitrage
Les grands exercices ont atteint une échelle remarquable. Cyber Coalition 2025, principal exercice de cyberdéfense de l’OTAN, a réuni 1 300 défenseurs provenant de 29 Alliés et de sept pays partenaires. Pendant sept scénarios réalistes, les participants ont affronté des attaques contre des infrastructures nationales critiques, des vulnérabilités spatiales, des perturbations d’opérations et des activités malveillantes visant les sauvegardes.
Les chiffres et les scénarios sont publiés par l’Allied Command Transformation de l’OTAN.
Aux États-Unis, Cyber Storm IX a mobilisé en avril 2024 plus de 2 200 participants issus des administrations fédérales, des États, des infrastructures critiques, du secteur privé et de partenaires internationaux. L’exercice ne visait pas à tester une entreprise isolée, mais la coordination nationale face à une crise affectant plusieurs secteurs. Son rapport après action insiste notamment sur la circulation de l’information, la compréhension commune de la situation et l’articulation entre acteurs publics et privés.
La CISA présente le dispositif et son retour d’expérience dans Cyber Storm IX: National Cyber Exercise.
L’Union européenne a fait du même problème un objet d’entraînement exécutif. Blue OLEx 2024 a rassemblé les responsables nationaux de la gestion des crises cyber au sein d’EU-CyCLONe. Le scénario portait sur des attaques de grande ampleur contre des secteurs d’importance vitale et sur leurs conséquences politiques, économiques et sociales. Le niveau testé n’était donc plus seulement celui du centre opérationnel : c’était celui de la coopération entre autorités lorsqu’une crise traverse les frontières et les compétences.
La Commission européenne décrit l’exercice dans Blue OLEx 2024.
Ces exercices sont indispensables. Ils révèlent des procédures incompatibles, des listes de contacts périmées, des informations qui ne circulent pas et des autorités qui ne partagent pas le même vocabulaire. Mais leur architecture reste souvent scriptée. Les événements sont préparés à l’avance, les réactions de la société sont incarnées par une équipe d’animation et le temps de l’exercice impose de condenser la crise. On éprouve une organisation dans un récit, plus rarement un ensemble d’options dans des milliers de futurs possibles.
Cette limite devient critique lorsque les effets se répondent. Couper un réseau réduit la propagation du logiciel malveillant mais prive les agents d’un outil de coordination. Annoncer une possible fuite de données protège les personnes concernées mais déclenche des appels, des retraits ou des reports vers d’autres services. Prioriser un hôpital peut retarder la restauration d’un opérateur de télécommunications dont dépendent plusieurs établissements. La décision n’est pas un commentaire ajouté à l’incident : elle en devient une variable active.
Marc-Olivier Boisset — Dans mon projet, la difficulté consiste précisément à représenter une décision qui modifie la crise. Où faut-il placer l’acteur humain dans le modèle ?
Jean Langlois-Berthelot — À l’intérieur. Nous avons longtemps placé le décideur devant la simulation, comme un spectateur appelé à choisir entre plusieurs sorties. Or la décision transforme le système observé : elle ferme des branches, déplace les dommages, modifie l’adversaire et change ce que la population croit possible. Lem avait compris avant beaucoup de théoriciens que l’observateur n’est jamais extérieur au monde qu’il cherche à comprendre.
Cette réponse modifie la conception même de l’exercice. Le décideur ne commente plus une attaque préécrite. Ses arbitrages deviennent des événements du modèle, au même titre qu’une compromission, une panne ou une campagne de désinformation.
Construire un jumeau de la décision
Il faut franchir une étape et construire un jumeau décisionnel socio-cyber. Ce jumeau ne serait pas la copie psychologique d’un dirigeant. Il représenterait la situation dans laquelle une décision devient possible : les informations disponibles, leur degré de confiance, les délais, les responsabilités, les ressources, les dépendances techniques, les réactions de la population et les actions probables de l’adversaire.
Marc-Olivier Boisset — Vous revenez tellement souvent à Lem lorsque nous travaillons sur ce jumeau décisionnel que je finis par me demander s’il ne participe pas officieusement à mon doctorat. Que vous a réellement apporté sa lecture ?
Jean Langlois-Berthelot — Il faudrait alors lui attribuer une place dans les remerciements. Plus sérieusement, Lem m’a donné très tôt une intuition que je n’étais pas encore capable de formaliser : un monde simulé n’est pas une copie appauvrie du réel. Il peut devenir un instrument de connaissance plus exigeant que la description, parce qu’il oblige à expliciter les règles, les dépendances et les angles morts. Solaris est exemplaire : les personnages accumulent les données, mais leur dispositif d’observation produit aussi leurs erreurs. J’ai retrouvé cette question plus tard dans les opérations, puis dans le Net Assessment, la simulation stochastique et l’étude des systèmes cognitifs.
Marc-Olivier Boisset — À vous entendre, Lem avait donc déjà tout écrit. Vous ne le présentez tout de même pas comme un prophète de l’intelligence artificielle ?
Jean Langlois-Berthelot — Ce serait l’appauvrir. Lem ne prédit pas nos outils ; il étudie notre tendance à leur déléguer trop vite une intelligibilité. Il demande ce que devient la décision lorsque la machine calcule davantage que nous, alors même que le sens de la situation demeure disputé. C’est exactement le problème d’une cellule de crise cyber entourée de tableaux de bord, d’alertes et d’agents génératifs.
Le premier moteur reproduit le système attaqué. Il contient les actifs, les identités, les données, les sauvegardes, les dépendances et les capacités de repli. Il ne simule pas seulement la compromission ; il calcule ce que chaque mesure de confinement rend indisponible. Le deuxième moteur représente une population synthétique : usagers, salariés, fournisseurs, médias, élus et opérateurs voisins. Ces agents cherchent une information, changent de canal, se reportent vers un service, diffusent un message ou renoncent à une action.
Le troisième moteur incarne un adversaire adaptatif. Celui-ci observe les défenses, déplace son accès, choisit le moment de publier des données, exploite une déclaration ambiguë ou fabrique un faux message pour accélérer la désorganisation. Enfin, la cellule humaine prend les décisions. Elle ne joue pas contre un scénario figé, mais dans un environnement qui réagit à ses choix.
Le modèle doit alors simuler les perceptions autant que les faits. Une cellule ne sait jamais immédiatement quels systèmes sont réellement compromis, si une sauvegarde est saine, si le prestataire dit toute la vérité ou si un message viral provient de l’attaquant. Chaque information devrait donc être accompagnée d’une provenance, d’un délai et d’un niveau de confiance. Une donnée correcte peut arriver trop tard ; une donnée fausse peut être cohérente avec les signes disponibles. C’est dans cet écart que naît la décision de crise.
L’OTAN définit le wargame précisément par cette interaction entre une force bleue qui pense et une force rouge qui pense. Son Allied Command Transformation insiste sur un environnement où l’échec sert à tester les idées, les plans et les technologies jusqu’à leur point de rupture. Le but n’est pas de prédire l’avenir, mais d’explorer des futurs possibles et les conséquences des choix qui les produisent.
Cette conception est développée dans les travaux de l’OTAN sur l’Audacious Wargaming.
La puissance de calcul et les agents génératifs permettent désormais de multiplier les parties. Une même cellule peut rejouer la crise avec un autre ordre d’informations, un adversaire plus patient, une population moins confiante ou une panne plus longue. Des milliers de simulations synthétiques peuvent ensuite explorer les branches que les humains n’ont pas jouées. Mais la machine ne doit pas attribuer une note magique à la bonne décision. Elle doit rendre visibles les compromis : temps gagné, services préservés, dommages déplacés, incertitude résiduelle et capacité future d’agir.
Marc-Olivier Boisset — Revenons tout de même à mon projet avant que Solaris n’absorbe définitivement l’article. Il suppose de multiplier les parties et d’explorer des branches que la cellule humaine n’a pas jouées. Comment éviter que le calcul ne se transforme en oracle ?
Jean Langlois-Berthelot — En refusant qu’il fournisse une vérité finale. La machine peut explorer, comparer, mettre en tension et conserver la trace de milliers de bifurcations. Elle ne doit pas effacer les hypothèses qui ont produit ses résultats. Chez Lem, les machines deviennent dangereuses moins parce qu’elles pensent que parce que les humains cessent d’interroger les catégories dans lesquelles elles calculent. Une bonne simulation augmente la contestabilité de la décision ; elle ne sacralise pas son score.
Le résultat intéressant n’est donc pas : la cellule a-t-elle gagné ? Il est : sur quelles hypothèses a-t-elle décidé, quels signaux a-t-elle négligés, quelles options a-t-elle refermées et à quel moment son choix est-il devenu irréversible ? Le débriefing passe alors du récit des actions à l’anatomie de la décision.
Mesurer la résilience par la liberté d’agir
Une simulation de cette nature exige de nouveaux indicateurs. Le temps moyen de restauration reste nécessaire, mais il ne suffit plus. Il faut mesurer le délai avant une compréhension partagée, le nombre de décisions prises sans information critique, la vitesse de correction d’une hypothèse fausse, la capacité à conserver plusieurs options, le coût humain du fonctionnement dégradé et le temps nécessaire pour rétablir un canal officiel crédible.
On peut également observer l’équité de la réponse. Quelle population perd le service en premier ? Qui dispose d’une solution de repli ? Une mesure de sécurité transfère-t-elle le risque vers des personnes moins équipées, un territoire voisin ou un sous-traitant invisible ? Une organisation résiliente n’est pas seulement celle qui redémarre vite. C’est celle qui sait à qui elle fait supporter le temps de la crise.
La meilleure décision n’est d’ailleurs pas toujours celle qui minimise immédiatement les dommages. Elle peut être celle qui préserve la liberté d’agir au tour suivant. Retarder une annonce de quelques minutes pour vérifier un fait peut éviter une panique ; la retarder de deux heures peut livrer l’espace informationnel à l’adversaire. Isoler un prestataire peut sauver le cœur du réseau ; le faire sans solution alternative peut empêcher toute reprise. La qualité réside dans le moment, les dépendances comprises et la possibilité de réviser le choix.
Marc-Olivier Boisset — Je vais tenter une question sans auteur polonais : si le modèle ne doit pas désigner une décision optimale, que doit finalement mesurer mon projet ?
Jean Langlois-Berthelot — La liberté d’agir. Une décision peut réduire le dommage immédiat tout en rendant la situation suivante ingouvernable. Il faut donc mesurer les options conservées, la réversibilité, la qualité des informations encore accessibles et la capacité à corriger une hypothèse fausse. C’est une idée profondément lémienne : l’intelligence ne consiste pas à tout prévoir, mais à continuer de penser lorsque le monde résiste à nos représentations.
Cette proposition fournit au projet son critère directeur. La résilience ne se réduit plus au retour à l’état initial. Elle désigne la capacité d’une organisation à préserver assez de prises sur la situation pour réviser son jugement et agir de nouveau.
Pour devenir crédible, le jumeau devra être gouverné comme un système critique. Ses données peuvent révéler les points faibles de l’organisation. Ses hypothèses comportementales peuvent produire de faux effets de précision. Ses agents peuvent amplifier les biais de leurs données d’entraînement. Chaque résultat doit rester traçable : version du modèle, paramètres, sources, incertitudes et décisions humaines. Un modèle opaque ne prépare pas à la crise ; il déplace simplement la confiance vers une nouvelle boîte noire.
Il faudra surtout accepter de faire varier ce que l’institution préfère tenir pour acquis. Que se passe-t-il si le canal de crise est lui-même compromis ? Si le message du dirigeant n’est plus cru ? Si deux autorités légitimes donnent des consignes incompatibles ? Si le prestataire commun à plusieurs secteurs privilégie un autre client ? La simulation prend toute sa valeur lorsqu’elle dérange le plan sans caricaturer le réel.
Les trois premiers articles de cette série ont proposé d’élargir le champ : passer du réseau à la population, construire le jumeau socio-cyber des infrastructures critiques, puis simuler une population ciblée par le phishing, les deepfakes et les faux messages d’urgence. Le dernier mouvement consiste à réunir ces éléments autour de ceux qui doivent agir. Réseau attaqué, services essentiels, population synthétique, adversaire informationnel et cellule de crise appartiennent enfin à la même expérience.
Nous ne manquons plus seulement de plans. Nous manquons d’endroits où les mettre en échec sans subir la catastrophe qu’ils prétendent éviter. Le cyber range de demain sera cet endroit : non une salle où l’on répète la bonne réponse, mais un laboratoire où l’on découvre pourquoi une décision raisonnable peut devenir dangereuse lorsque le système, la société et l’adversaire réagissent ensemble.
Marc-Olivier Boisset — Au fond, qu’est-ce qu’un exercice réussi devrait faire éprouver à ses participants ?
Jean Langlois-Berthelot — Le moment où leur représentation cesse de suffire, sans que l’action devienne pour autant impossible. Lem place constamment ses personnages à cet endroit. Ils ne sont pas privés d’intelligence ; ils découvrent que leur intelligence a été construite pour un autre monde. L’exercice devient fécond lorsqu’il permet cette découverte sans attendre la catastrophe réelle.
Simuler la bataille de la décision ne donnera jamais la certitude de choisir juste. Cela donnera mieux : la capacité de reconnaître plus tôt ce que l’on ignore, de préserver des options et de décider sans confondre vitesse et maîtrise. Dans une crise cyber, la résilience commence peut-être là : non dans la promesse de tout prévoir, mais dans l’entraînement obstiné à penser sous attaque.
Marc-Olivier Boisset est officier supérieur de l’armée de Terre et breveté de l’enseignement militaire supérieur. Il achève actuellement un doctorat professionnel à l’ESCP Business School, sous la direction de Jean Langlois-Berthelot. Ses recherches portent sur la décision, la résilience et les transformations des organisations confrontées aux environnements cyber.
The post Après les <strong>cyber ranges</strong> : simuler la décision sous attaque appeared first on INCYBER NEWS.
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L’instrumentalisation de contenus borderline comme levier d’acquisition pour TikTok
Le métier d’osinter amène à une consultation fréquente des réseaux sociaux. Mais surtout, l’expérience d’analyste et ma connaissance du marché de l’information m’amènent à questionner plus facilement les contenus qui nous sont proposés. Dans le cas présent, un carrousel d’une soixantaine de contenus visuels, intégré directement à mon fil Instagram fait la promotion de TikTok. À première vue, rien d’anormal. Ce format publicitaire « in-feed » permet à l’annonce de s’insérer entre les publications classiques consultées par les utilisateurs tout en reprenant les codes visuels et les mécanismes d’interaction habituels du réseau social : visionnage de vidéos, like, commentaire et partage de la publicité avant de poursuivre sa navigation au sein de son fil.
Le défilement des publications présente une succession de captures et d’extraits de contenus disponibles sur la plateforme chinoise, destinés à illustrer la diversité des contenus accessibles. En faisant défiler les différents éléments, apparaît notamment un extrait issu d’une vidéo publiée par Hicham Hamza, administrateur du site Panamza. Celui-ci dispose d’un compte TikTok, @panamza.com, sur lequel sont régulièrement relayés des contenus relevant de thèses conspirationnistes. Parmi les théories diffusées figurent notamment des affirmations mettant en cause Israël dans les attentats du 11 septembre 2001, ainsi que dans ceux du 13 novembre 2015 en France (voir capture).
À gauche, la capture issue de la publicité TikTok diffusée sur Instagram, à droite,
les contenus diffusés sur le compte de l’influenceur.La suite du carrousel met également en scène une personnalité politique : Marion Maréchal Le Pen. Cependant, ce ne sont ni ses idées politiques ni une promotion du parti qu’elle a fondé, Identité-Libertés (IDL) qui sont mises en avant, mais son apparence physique. Bien qu’au sens des mentions légales de Meta, cette publicité ne soit pas considérée comme politique, la mise en avant à plusieurs reprises d’une représentante politique de l’extrême droite pour recruter de nouveaux utilisateurs devrait nous interroger sur la stratégie d’une plateforme utilisée par plus de 74 % des 18-24 ans qui, pour certains, voteront pour la première fois en 2027.
Cependant, puisque les réseaux sociaux constituent un terrain privilégié pour les usurpations d’identité, qu’elles ciblent des personnes physiques, des institutions ou des marques, j’ai entrepris des investigations complémentaires afin de m’assurer que la page « TikTok-EU » appartient bien à ByteDance, l’entreprise chinoise qui détient le réseau social. La solution qui s’offre à moi : aller consulter la bibliothèque publicitaire de Meta qui recense l’ensemble des contenus ayant fait l’objet d’une sponsorisation financière sur l’année écoulée.
Ma consultation de la page attribuée à l’annonceur « TikTok-EU » fait apparaître une autre catégorie de contenus particulièrement sensibles : une série de publicités sponsorisées mettant en scène des femmes confrontées à des situations de violence. Leurs expressions suggèrent tour à tour la peur, la détresse ou l’impuissance, tandis que les personnages masculins sont représentés dans une position de domination ou d’agresseur. La contrainte physique constitue un motif récurrent de ces visuels avec une femme aux poignets ligotés, une autre que l’on empêche de crier, tandis que certaines sont fermement empoignées.
Extrait des publicités sponsorisées issues de la bibliothèque publicitaire de Meta
Ici, la charge émotionnelle des visuels fonctionne comme un cliffhanger : l’internaute s’interroge sur la suite de l’histoire du personnage, va t’elle s’en sortir ? Il crée une attente et incite à cliquer pour obtenir la suite qui est sous-entendue par le bouton « Play », la barre de lecture et de l’accroche « What’s wrong with her? Watch TikTok ! ». Sauf que lorsqu’un utilisateur clique sur ces contenus, le clic renvoie directement vers la page de téléchargement de l’application sur le Google Play Store. Une fois installée, l’utilisateur accède au fil de contenus de la plateforme, sans retrouver la séquence qui l’avait initialement conduit à cliquer.
Capture de la page de redirection des publicités sponsorisées
Alors même que les fonctionnalités Meta permettent d’ajouter des vidéos, ces visuels isolés sont privés d’un contexte narratif, comme c’est le cas dans une série ou un film, et ne servent donc plus à raconter une histoire ou à en délivrer une morale. La violence, la contrainte et les rapports de domination qu’ils mettent en scène sont instrumentalisés comme des ressorts d’attraction destinés à provoquer l’émotion. L’analyse des publicités révèle également le recours à des accroches aux ressorts misogynes, à l’image de cette formule : « Elle n’était pas innocente. Elle était calculatrice. » Ce qualificatif réactive le stéréotype de la femme manipulatrice, dont les intentions supposément cachées viendraient relativiser son statut de victime. Pour découvrir les comportements censés justifier cette caractérisation, l’utilisateur est incité à cliquer via le bandeau blanc qui indique « Watch her on TikTok! », sans savoir qu’il n’accédera pas à la vidéo mise en avant dans la publicité. Il existe ainsi un décalage manifeste entre ce que l’accroche laisse espérer, découvrir la suite du récit, et ce à quoi le clic donne effectivement accès.
Par ailleurs, la duplication d’un même visuel, dont l’exemple ci-dessous montre plusieurs occurrences, vient conforter l’hypothèse d’un mécanisme publicitaire récurrent. Les scènes de violence et les rapports de domination, deviennent ici des leviers de captation de l’attention, intégrés à un parcours d’acquisition dont l’aboutissement est le téléchargement de TikTok.
La poursuite de mes recherches en sources ouvertes, m’amène à consulter les encarts « bénéficiaire et payeur » de ces publicités afin de vérifier si elles sont bien financées par l’entreprise chinoise. Malheureusement, nombre d’entre elles n’affichent pas d’informations complémentaires à la mention de « TikTok-EU ».
Informations sur le bénéficiaire et payeur de plusieurs publicités de la page ‘’TikTok – EU’’
Au passage, je découvre un nouveau type de publicités : la mise en avant de visuels pour “perdre du gras”. On y découvre des aliments secs et sans assaisonnement, mais aussi une liste de produits recommandés comme l’avocat censé soutenir la perte de graisse. Si les études scientifiques permettent d’affirmer que grâce à ses fibres et à ses lipides, l’avocat peut contribuer à la satiété, sa consommation ne peut être directement associée à une perte de masse graisseuse. Cette pratique soulève une question de santé publique : peut-on recommander de façon indiscriminée la tenue d’un régime au risque de contribuer à l’aggravation de troubles alimentaires ?.
Exemples de publicités sponsorisées faisant la promotion de repas légers
issues de la page ‘’TikTok – EU’’D’autres contenus illustrent également la bataille de l’attention que se livrent les plateformes. TikTok ne cherche pas seulement à promouvoir son propre service, il se positionne explicitement face aux autres applications, en jouant sur l’idée qu’elles seraient déjà dépassées ou incapables de comprendre les attentes de leurs utilisateurs. Les formulations employées sont particulièrement explicites : « Si c’est viral ailleurs, c’est déjà has been sur TikTok« , « Tu scrolles toujours sur des applis qui ne te comprennent pas ? TikTok te montre exactement ce que tu as envie de regarder. Installe TikTok et vois par toi-même. » ou encore « Et si je te disais que tu perds ton temps d’écran sur la mauvaise appli ?« . L’entreprise Meta a-t-elle identifié cette offensive et la menace qu’elle représente pour ses propres plateformes ?
Enfin, la persévérance finit par payer et je découvre sur d’autres publicités, que la société ByteMod Pte Ltd est référencée en tant que “payeur”. Entité basée à Singapour, elle est étroitement liée à ByteDance, la maison-mère de TikTok.
Ces contenus ont été diffusés durant l’année écoulée dans un contexte où Meta a décidé d’interdire toutes les publicités jugées liées à des “enjeux politiques, électoraux ou sociaux”. Pourtant, mettre en avant un influenceur complotiste et antisémite ne constitue t-il pas un enjeu politique ?
Si les plateformes invoquent régulièrement un rôle de simple hébergeur ou distributeur de contenus, cette qualification ne tient plus dans le cas des publications sponsorisées, où elles participent directement à la sélection, à la mise en forme et à la diffusion de messages publicitaires, devenant de fait co-actrices de la production éditoriale du contenu.
The post L’instrumentalisation de contenus borderline comme levier d’acquisition pour TikTok appeared first on INCYBER NEWS.
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Enquêter sur l’extrême droite en Bretagne | Cinq ans de « Splann ! »
Comment enquêter sur ceux qui préféraient vous faire taire ? Si les journalistes ont l'habitude d'affronter toutes sortes de pressions, celles exercées par l'extrême droite exigent une vigilance particulière. Réunis autour de Sylvain Ernault, Manon Boquen, Chloé Richard et Pierre-Yves Bulteau croisent leur expérience.
L’article Enquêter sur l’extrême droite en Bretagne | Cinq ans de « Splann ! » est apparu en premier sur Splann ! | Premier média d'enquête indépendant en Bretagne.
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LEDGER : un implant matériel met à l’épreuve la sécurité de sa chaîne de distribution
Ledger a confirmé, samedi 10 octobre, la présence d’un implant matériel non autorisé dans l’appareil d’un utilisateur concerné par son enquête sur des vols de cryptomonnaies. Les signalements portent sur des produits achetés auprès de CryptoBilis, un revendeur présent en Asie du Sud-Est. La découverte établit une altération physique dans au moins un appareil ; …
L’article LEDGER : un implant matériel met à l’épreuve la sécurité de sa chaîne de distribution est apparu en premier sur FRENCHWEB.FR : innovation, tech, network.
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How low can the Trump administration go? Many citizens are expressing their horror | First Dog on the Moon
Now we will have televised executions – a glorious patriotic spectacle that sends ‘a message’ to the world
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Get all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and prints
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Force, entraide et soutien face aux vécus de viol.s
Depuis plus de 10 ans maintenant, le Planning Familial 31 propose des groupes de parole sur plusieurs semaine pour des personnes ayant vécu un ou des viol.s. Ces groupes de parole ont pour objectif d'être des espace d'échange, de solidarité et d'entraide, anonymes et gratuits. Deux mixité son proposées : pour femmes cis et personnes trans et inter ayant vécu un ou des viol.s ; pour personnes LGBTQIA+ ayant vécu un ou des viols.
Suite à des demandes régulières en fin d'échange de ne pas s'arrêter là, un groupe d'une dizaine d'anciennes participantes et de deux animatrices a décidé de lancer un projet de podcast dans lequel elles parleraient de leur vécu au sein de ces groupes de parole.
Ce groupe, c'est nous ! Tout au long de l'année 2025, nous avons organisé de nombreux temps de rencontre et de réflexion, puis enregistré le podcast. Trois questions rythment le podcast en 3 épisodes : l'avant – pourquoi y ont-elles participé ; le pendant – comment se sont déroulées les séances ; l'après – qu'en ont-elles tiré. Un quatrième épisode interroge les animateurices de ces groupes.
Épisode 1 / AVANT / "j'attendais de pouvoir libérer ma parole"
Épisode 2 / PENDANT / "Je n'étais pas seul.e à traverser ça"
Épisode 3 / APRÈS / "Se donner de la force, renforcer la colère"
Épisode 4 / ANIMER LES GROUPES / "C'est le feu, il faut des groupes de paroles partout !"
Voir en ligne : Pour télécharger les épisodes, allez sur le site de l'émission -
De CNews aux prétoires, Aymeric de Lamotte, bretteur à réaction
L’avocat belge est partout, dans les médias de Bolloré comme au tribunal, pour combattre « le wokisme qui sévit quotidiennement ». Directeur adjoint du très droitier Institut Thomas-More et fondateur du collectif Justitia, il empile les dossiers afin d’émerger dans la nouvelle garde réactionnaire.
The post De CNews aux prétoires, Aymeric de Lamotte, bretteur à réaction appeared first on Revue21.fr.
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La 2CV électrique, une Citroën pas si française
Citroën vient de dévoiler un nouveau modèle électrique de son emblématique 2CV. Un projet estampillé « made in Europe », mais dont la plupart des composants viendront du partenaire chinois de Stellantis, Leapmotor. -
Trump Tyranny Tracker | Day 624-626: Oct. 9-11, 2026
A banner featuring an image of President Trump is displayed on the facade of the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, D.C. The Justice Department has been trying to force states to hand over sensitive voter data that it plans to share with the Department of Homeland Security. Drew Angerer/AFP via Getty ImagesWelcome to today’s Trump Tyranny Tracker…
DOJ investigating major television networks, the Pentagon awarding hundreds of millions in contracts to a firm tied to a senior defense official, and Trump easing sanctions on Russian fuel while threatening Ukraine are among this weekend’s top stories.
This Weekend at a Glance
The Justice Department investigates major television networks after White House press restrictions.
Pentagon awards $350 million in contracts to a firm tied to a senior defense official.
Trump eases sanctions on Russian fuel and threatens Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries.
What We Need to Pay Attention To
Trump’s DOJ probes major TV networks over response to White House ban of CNN
What Happened: The Justice Department opened an antitrust investigation into ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and NBC after the networks refused to replace CNN in the White House press pool. Trump had banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the pool. The DOJ is demanding records about how the networks coordinate their coverage.
Why It Matters: Trump is using the Justice Department to punish news networks that refused to comply with his White House press restrictions. Using federal agencies to intimidate and silence the press is a classic authoritarian tactic.
Source: CNN
Corruption
The Pentagon Gave $350 Million in Contracts to a Firm Closely Tied to a Senior Defense Department Official
What Happened: The Pentagon awarded nearly $350 million in contracts to Alvarez & Marsal Federal, a consulting firm with business ties to a private equity company where senior Pentagon official George Kollitides continued working as an adviser. The contracts include a $281 million no-bid deal involving offices Kollitides oversees. His financial disclosures are not public.
Why It Matters: Hundreds of millions in taxpayer money went to a firm with business ties to a senior Pentagon official, including a contract awarded without competitive bidding. With Kollitides’ financial disclosures kept confidential, Americans have no way of knowing whether he benefits from the contracts.
Source: ProPublica
A Mysterious Nonprofit Run by SpaceXAI’s Top Lawyer Is Paying the Salaries of Government Workers
What Happened: At least two people working with the White House’s National Design Studio, which succeeded DOGE, are paid by the America by Design Foundation, a nonprofit allegedly run by SpaceXAI general counsel James Burnham. The nonprofit’s funding sources are undisclosed, and the workers entered government through a program that allows outside organizations to provide personnel to federal agencies.
Source: WIRED
Trump bought over $1 million in SpaceX debt days before unveiling space policy
What Happened: Trump purchased between $1 million and $5 million in SpaceX debt two days before signing a memorandum promoting commercial space launches that affect Elon Musk’s company. His financial disclosures also revealed more than 500 other transactions involving companies affected by federal policies.
Source: The Washington Post
Power Consolidation
Trump appoints committee to investigate statements by the Fed’s Lisa Cook
What Happened: Trump appointed a three-member committee made up entirely of his own appointees to investigate mortgage-related allegations against Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Trump previously tried to fire Cook, but the Supreme Court blocked her removal. The committee will hold a hearing on November 5, two days after the midterms.
Why It Matters: Trump is again using his presidential powers to target a Federal Reserve governor he previously tried to remove. With no independent members on the committee, the investigation puts further pressure on the Fed’s independence from the White House.
Source: CNBC
How Trump’s Revenge Campaign Descended Into Turmoil
What Happened: The Justice Department investigation into officials who previously investigated Trump has been plagued by internal disputes, resignations, and a lack of evidence supporting allegations of a “criminal conspiracy.” Two senior figures, Joseph DiGenova and Kurt Olsen, have resigned, and around a dozen prosecutors are still pursuing the investigation.
Source: New York Times
Weaponization of Institutions
As Blanche hits the campaign trail, new DOJ memo relaxes rules around political conduct for Senate-approved appointees
What Happened: The Justice Department changed its ethics rules to allow Attorney General Todd Blanche and other Senate-confirmed officials to endorse political candidates and attend campaign events. The change ends decades-old restrictions as Blanche attends Republican campaign events ahead of the midterms.
Why It Matters: Trump is stripping away the rules that separate federal law enforcement from partisan politics, allowing senior DOJ officials to campaign for candidates while controlling federal investigations and prosecutions.
Source: PBS News
FBI post featuring El-Sayed runs afoul of Hatch Act, experts say
What Happened: The FBI released a video attacking Democrats, including Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, while promoting Kash Patel’s record as FBI director. Ethics experts say the video violates the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from using their official positions for partisan political activity.
Source: The Hill
Trump adviser Stephen Miller spoke to agents at recent FBI training on domestic terrorism, sources say
What Happened: White House adviser Stephen Miller spoke at an FBI counterterrorism training conference, urging agents to pursue more aggressive investigations of threats and harassment under Trump’s domestic terrorism initiative. His involvement broke with longstanding practices separating White House political officials from federal criminal investigations.
Why It Matters: White House officials are directing FBI agents on how to pursue domestic terrorism investigations, further eroding the separation between political power and federal law enforcement.
Source: CBS News
US judge rules Justice Department use of voter rolls unlawful
What Happened: A federal judge ruled that the Justice Department unlawfully sought state voter rolls to check against immigration records and pressure states to remove voters. The judge found that the effort threatened eligible Americans’ voting rights and interfered with states’ authority over elections. This DOJ has now lost 26 voter-roll lawsuits.
Source: Reuters
Media Suppression & Authoritarian Tactics
US judge orders halt to taxpayer-funded ads featuring Trump
What Happened: Federal Judge Jennifer Rochon temporarily blocked taxpayer funding for television ads promoting Trump ahead of the November election. The ruling came after a lawsuit accused Trump officials of using public money to produce political ads benefiting Republican candidates.
Source: Reuters
All the Things You’re Not Allowed to Say In Texas
What Happened: Texas public universities are removing courses and degree programs covering race, gender, and sexuality under new state policies. Texas Tech is using AI to flag course materials, including works by prominent authors and historians, while the University of Texas at Austin is eliminating several ethnic and gender studies majors.
Why It Matters: State officials are deciding what professors can teach and what students are allowed to study, taking control away from universities and restricting academic freedom and free speech.
Source: The Atlantic
Human & Civil Rights Abuses
‘Chaos and cruelty’: the kids trapped in Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign
What Happened: ICE has detained more than 8,750 children since Trump returned to office. Arrests have more than doubled in the first seven months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. Children have been held in detention centers, hotels, and temporary holding rooms, sometimes without their families or lawyers knowing where they are.
Why It Matters: Trump’s immigration crackdown is separating children from their families, denying them access to legal help, and exposing them to psychological trauma. Detaining children, especially when their families cannot find them, is cruel and causes lasting damage.
Source: The Guardian
For Ukrainians in the US, a last-ditch effort to forestall deportation
What Happened: Temporary Protected Status for more than 100,000 Ukrainians who fled Russia’s invasion expires on October 19. Trump officials have not announced whether protections will be extended or terminated, despite bipartisan calls not to deport Ukrainians back to a country under Russian invasion.
Why It Matters: Without renewed protections, Ukrainians who escaped Russia’s genocidal war face uncertainty over their legal status, employment, and whether they can remain in the U.S.
Source: Politico
ICE has quietly used this warehouse as a detention facility all summer, neighbors say
What Happened: ICE has reportedly been detaining immigrants in a Roxbury, New Jersey warehouse despite a court order blocking its conversion into a detention facility pending environmental reviews. A government contractor also alleged that DHS rejected more humane alternatives because Stephen Miller wanted detention conditions to be deliberately harsh.
Source: NPR
The GOP’s Message to Immigrants
What Happened: DHS celebrated declining immigration and naturalization numbers, while Republican officials praised a drop in immigration from Muslim-majority countries. Trump has prioritized refugee admissions for white South African Afrikaners while suspending admissions for refugees from other countries.
Source: The Atlantic
Government Disruption
Pentagon Again Increases Number of U.S. Casualties in Iran War
What Happened: The Pentagon revised its casualty figures for Trump’s Iran war to 21 U.S. service members killed and 865 wounded, adding three deaths and 98 injuries to its previous count. Hegseth has faced criticism for withholding casualty figures and attacking journalists who reported on the cover-up.
Why It Matters: Americans and Congress deserve an accurate count of the troops killed and wounded in Trump’s war. The Pentagon is using tactics long employed by Russia to hide military casualties and conceal the human cost of war.
Source: New York Times
Justice Department won’t enforce registration rules on silencers and certain guns after court ruling
What Happened: The Justice Department announced it will stop enforcing federal registration requirements for firearm silencers, short-barreled rifles, and certain other weapons. The decision follows a Texas judge’s ruling that applied only to the parties in that case, but the DOJ decided to extend the policy nationwide.
Source: Associated Press
America’s next breakthrough is already at risk
What Happened: Federal agencies are delaying or canceling approved research funding, while the National Science Foundation is on track to award its fewest new research grants in more than 40 years. The cuts affect research in medicine, technology, agriculture, and national security.
Source: USA Today
Millions Lose Private Medicare Plans and Face Rising Costs
What Happened: An estimated five million Americans will have to switch Medicare Advantage plans for 2027 as major insurers, including UnitedHealth and Centene, withdraw coverage from numerous markets. Older Americans face fewer plan options, higher medical and prescription costs, and reduced access to doctors.
Source: New York Times
New Trump rules will make it harder for farmers to access US funds for energy projects
What Happened: Trump is changing USDA rules to require farmers to complete energy projects and show a year of savings before applying for federal funding. Previously, farmers could receive grants covering up to half the cost before construction. The new rules take effect October 16.
Source: Reuters
Imperial & Geopolitical Watch
Trump Says U.S. May Join Saudi Strikes on Houthis After Riyadh Airport Attacks
What Happened: Trump said the U.S. may join Saudi Arabia’s strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis after attacks on Saudi airports killed at least 18 people and injured hundreds. The attacks have disrupted air travel as fighting continues around Red Sea shipping routes.
Source: TIME
US hits International Criminal Court with sweeping sanctions as part of drive to dismantle tribunal
What Happened: Trump imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court, cutting off its access to U.S. financial services, technology companies, and dollar transactions. U.S. companies have six months to end their business with the court.
Why It Matters: Trump is targeting an international court responsible for investigating war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. The sanctions also threaten the court’s work pursuing Russian officials, including Putin, over the countless crimes in Ukraine and the kidnapping of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children.
Source: Associated Press
Iran scales up Hormuz attacks, raising pressure on Trump as midterms near
What Happened: Iran attacked at least nine vessels in the Strait of Hormuz last week, cutting oil shipments through the waterway by half despite expanded U.S. military operations. Brent crude rose roughly 5% to $105 a barrel Thursday, while Trump claimed oil was flowing at record levels and said he would not attack Iran before the midterms.
Source: The Washington Post
How a U.S. Diplomat Suppressed and Altered Reports Critical of Israel
What Happened: David Milstein, a senior aide to U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee, reportedly blocked or rewrote embassy reports to portray Israel’s government more favorably. The suppressed reports covered West Bank settlement expansion, settler violence, and the killings of Palestinian Americans, including information requested by Congress.
Source: New York Times
Far-Right & Russian Influence Watch
Trump says Ukraine should ‘get a new president’ after U.S.-Russia diesel deal
What Happened: Trump called for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be replaced, blamed him for prolonging Russia’s war, and demanded that Ukraine stop attacking Russian oil refineries. His comments came one day after announcing a diesel deal with Putin and easing sanctions on Russian fuel exports.
Why It Matters: This is what a Russian puppet looks like. Trump is threatening Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil infrastructure while easing sanctions on Russian fuel exports that help finance Moscow’s genocidal invasion. This is such a betrayal of Ukraine.
Source: Washington Post
Tillis says Trump’s Russian diesel deal may be illegal
What Happened: Republican Sen. Thom Tillis warned that Trump’s deal to import Russian diesel may violate a 2022 law banning Russian oil imports unless certain conditions are met, including Russia’s withdrawal from Ukraine. Tillis also criticized Trump for blaming Ukraine instead of Putin for rising energy prices.
Source: Politico
Why Is Kash Patel Planning to Visit Russia?
What Happened: Kash Patel is reportedly planning to visit Moscow and St. Petersburg next week, with possible meetings with Russia’s FSB. Seventeen current and former U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials expressed concerns about the trip, and Democratic lawmakers Jamie Raskin and Jim Himes urged Patel to cancel it. The FBI has not confirmed the visit.
Source: The Atlantic
Unmasking RussiaIs Russia Preparing a Chemical Weapons Attack in Ukraine?While checking Russian media this morning, I came across something extremely disturbing…Read morea day ago · 249 likes · 34 comments · Olga LautmanEconomic News
Americans’ debt problems are flashing a warning not seen since the Great Recession
What Happened: A Federal Reserve survey found that nearly 20% of American families were behind on loan payments at the end of 2025, up from 12% in 2022 and the highest level since 2010. More than 8% were at least two months behind, while the wealthiest households saw their median net worth rise 31%.
Source: CNBC
US farm debt is at a record. Official data might be undercounting it
What Happened: U.S. farm debt has reached a record $605 billion, according to USDA estimates. The actual amount could be higher because federal data does not fully account for loans from nontraditional lenders. Farmers are also facing rising fuel and fertilizer costs and disruptions to export markets.
Source: Reuters
Resistance
Check out 50501 for local and nationwide events…
Source: 50501
By the Numbers
$350 million — Pentagon contracts awarded to a consulting firm with business ties to a senior defense official.
$1 million–$5 million — SpaceX debt purchased by Trump two days before announcing new space policy.
500+ — Additional financial transactions involving companies affected by federal policies.
8,750+ — Children detained by ICE since Trump returned to office.
21 — U.S. service members killed in Trump’s Iran war.
865 — U.S. service members wounded in Trump’s Iran war.
5 million — Americans expected to switch Medicare Advantage plans in 2027 as insurers withdraw coverage.
$605 billion — Record U.S. farm debt, with the actual amount potentially higher.
~ 20% — American families behind on loan payments at the end of 2025, the highest since 2010.
What to Watch Next
Trump’s Russian diesel deal faces legal questions — Will Congress investigate whether the agreement violates the 2022 ban on Russian oil imports?
Kash Patel is reportedly planning to visit Russia this week — Who is Patel planning to meet with, and what is the reason for his visit weeks before the midterms?
DOJ is investigating major TV networks for possible antitrust violations — Will the investigation continue as the networks refuse to comply with White House press restrictions?
Iranian attacks have disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz — Will Trump order more military strikes if the attacks continue?
Key Takeaways
Political Weaponization — The DOJ is targeting news networks and political opponents while loosening restrictions on partisan activity.
Mass Corruption — Pentagon contracts, Musk-linked funding of government workers, and Trump’s SpaceX investments show the mass corruption.
Russian Puppets — Trump is easing Russian energy sanctions and attacking Ukraine, while Kash Patel reportedly plans a visit to Moscow.
Human Rights — ICE has detained thousands of children, reportedly defied a court order, and left Ukrainian refugees facing possible deportation.
Economic Pressure — American families are falling behind on debt, farm borrowing has reached record levels, and millions face Medicare plan changes.
Government Accountability — The Pentagon keeps revising Iran war casualties, Trump is sanctioning the International Criminal Court, and scientific research funding is being cut.
Call to Action
Document Everything: Document purges, corruption, and power grabs. Share credible information with journalists, watchdogs, and legal experts. Silence enables authoritarianism—see something, say something.
Defend Press Freedom: Support independent journalism by subscribing to and sharing reporting that challenges Trump’s power grab.
Mobilize for Action: Organize or join legal efforts and resistance movements to protect democracy and human and civil rights.
Support Whistleblowers: Encourage legal defense funds for government workers facing retaliation for exposing corruption.
Follow my work on YouTube → Subscribe to Unmasking Russia
https://youtube.com/@unmaskingrussia
Preorder My New Book…
Putin’s Pawns takes you on a journey from the earliest days of the Cold War and Soviet KGB active measures through Russia’s attacks on Western elections, the rise of the far right, Trump and Russia, the genocidal war against Ukraine, influence operations across Europe, and the shadow war unfolding today.
It is the story of how Moscow spent decades learning to exploit the weaknesses of democracies and how those tactics brought us to this moment.
Preorder now
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250796547/putinspawns/
Thanks for reading the Trump Tyranny Tracker. Stay tuned for more updates.
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Entre Limoges et Paris, les défaillances du train profitent à l’avion, relancé sur fonds publics
Pour pallier les difficultés du train, les avions redécollent temporairement entre Limoges et Paris grâce à de l’argent public. Une situation qui symbolise l’enclavement ferroviaire du Massif central. -
Les inégalités croissantes menacent de tuer le modèle social français
Qu’est-ce que le modèle social français ? La concrétisation de la notion de solidarité, à laquelle la France a donné un triple fondement. La solidarité est, tout d’abord, la garante du maintien du lien social entre toutes les composantes de la société. Elle est, ensuite, le levier central pour… -
Trump Tyranny Tracker | Day 623: Oct. 8, 2026
The badges of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are seen as they patrol the halls of an immigration court in New York in May. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/FileWelcome to today’s Trump Tyranny Tracker…
DOJ targeting a key January 6 witness, ICE investigating millions of voter records, and a Russian oil deal involving investors connected to Trump’s inner circle are among today’s top stories.
Today at a Glance
ICE reviewed close to 100 million voter records as part of Trump’s BS “election fraud” investigation.
The Justice Department is investigating former January 6 witness Cassidy Hutchinson.
A Russian oil deal involves investors connected to Jared Kushner and Trump’s other cronies.
What We Need to Pay Attention To
ICE reviewed tens of millions of voter records looking for noncitizen voters, records show
What Happened: Internal DHS documents show ICE investigators obtained two datasets containing approximately 99 million voter records and other records for a nationwide investigation into Trump’s unfounded claims of widespread election fraud. Investigators also targeted voter registration nonprofits and considered undercover operations, despite no credible evidence of widespread noncitizen voting. The documents also reference plans to use Palantir software.
Why It Matters: Trump is using ICE to pursue his election fraud lies. With the midterms approaching, immigration agents are accessing millions of voter records and investigating voter registration groups, expanding federal law enforcement’s involvement in elections.
Source: CNN
Corruption News
Photo shows top Trump aide’s daughter with pro-Russia politician in Bosnia
What Happened: Katie Wiles, daughter of White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, was photographed with pro-Russian politician Željko Budimir, interior minister of the pro-Russian Republika Srpska, during her visit to Bosnia. Wiles works for a lobbying firm representing Republika Srpska. Two senior Trump political advisers also traveled to Bosnia to help Milorad Dodik’s party in local elections.
Why It Matters: Trump’s inner circle has extensive ties to Russia and its proxies. The connections to Dodik’s circle are another example of how deeply these relationships extend into Trump’s family, advisers, and cronies.
Source: CBS News
US consumer watchdog examiners adopt lighter touch amid pressure and threats, sources say
What Happened: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau examiners are conducting less rigorous reviews under pressure from Trump-appointed officials and threats to their jobs. More than half of examinations this spring received expedited reviews, and the agency selected about 70 companies for inspection this year, roughly half its usual number.
Why It Matters: Trump officials are weakening the agency responsible for protecting Americans from financial abuse. Banks and other financial companies face fewer inspections and less scrutiny, leaving consumers more vulnerable to predatory lending, hidden fees, and other abuses.
Source: Reuters
Power Consolidation
Elon Musk’s America PAC Is Quietly Funding November’s Most Consequential Elections
What Happened: Elon Musk’s America PAC is spending millions in closely contested Senate races ahead of the midterms. The PAC is spending nearly $3 attacking Democratic candidates for every $1 it spends supporting Republicans.
Why It Matters: Musk is pouring money into Senate races to help Republicans gain control of Congress. His spending is another example of how billionaires use their wealth to influence elections.
Source: WIRED
Weaponization of Institutions
DOJ grand jury investigating former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson
What Happened: The Justice Department is investigating Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide who testified against Trump during the January 6 investigation. Prosecutors have presented evidence to a federal grand jury and are investigating allegations that she lied to Congress, along with possible civil rights charges. The case is being handled by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division under Trump ally Harmeet Dhillon.
Why It Matters: The Justice Department is investigating a key witness who testified about his actions during the January 6 insurrection. The investigation puts other witnesses on notice that testifying against Trump can lead to federal harassment.
Source: The Washington Post
Homeland Security targets Democratic campaign after ICE arrest in Pennsylvania
What Happened: DHS issued a press release attacking Democratic congressional candidate Janelle Stelson after ICE arrested a Nigerian man in Pennsylvania, claiming he worked for her campaign. Stelson’s campaign denied any connection, and campaign finance records showed no payments to him. The watchdog group CREW filed a complaint alleging a violation of the Hatch Act.
Source: Associated Press
Why FBI Officials Are Worried About the Midterms
What Happened: More than 40 sources described growing concerns inside the FBI over Kash Patel’s focus on Trump’s 2020 election lies and investigations targeting his political opponents. Agents have sought legal guidance about possible election-related orders. This comes as the FBI has pulled back its normal election preparation.
Source: The Atlantic
Pentagon barred Qatar base access to hide Iran war damage, US senator claims
What Happened: The Pentagon recently denied Sen. Chris Murphy access to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Murphy accused Pentagon officials of hiding the extent of the damage by Iran and the war’s costs. The Defense Department cited existing restrictions on travel to the region.
Why It Matters: Congress has a duty to oversee military operations and spending. Blocking a senator from inspecting a U.S. base damaged during Trump’s war with Iran prevents lawmakers from independently assessing the damage and holding Trump and the Pentagon accountable.
Source: Military Times
Trump approved Ohio disaster aid ahead of rally
What Happened: Trump approved millions in disaster aid for Ohio one day before campaigning for Republican Sen. Jon Husted, with 15 other disaster requests still pending. At the rally, Trump credited Republican senators for securing the funding and suggested he would not help Ohio’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate.
Why It Matters: Trump is treating federal disaster assistance as a political reward. During the first 14 months of his term, he approved 89% of disaster requests from Republican-led states, compared with just 23% from states led by Democratic governors and senators.
Source: Politico
Media Suppression & Authoritarian Tactics
Supreme Court, for Now, Sides With Trump Administration in TV Ad Fight
What Happened: Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily blocked a lower court order requiring the FCC to finish reviewing rules that would extend discounted television advertising rates to political parties and joint fundraising committees. Trump officials sought Supreme Court intervention after Democratic candidates challenged the changes ahead of the midterms.
Why It Matters: The proposed changes would allow wealthy political committees to buy more television advertising at discounted rates, giving parties with larger fundraising operations an advantage in the final weeks before the midterms.
Source: New York Times
Human & Civil Rights Abuses
Mamdani Says Child Was in Car When ICE Shot Man in New York
What Happened: An ICE agent shot and wounded a man during an immigration operation in New York City. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said agents surrounded the vehicle and fired multiple rounds while a five-year-old child was inside. The child was unharmed, and Mamdani called on Trump to end ICE operations in the city.
Why It Matters: ICE agents opened fire on a vehicle with a young child inside, putting the child’s life in danger. The shooting adds to growing scrutiny of ICE agents’ use of deadly force during immigration operations.
Source: Bloomberg
Pentagon Says Fort Hood Shooter Execution Will Be Livestreamed
What Happened: The Pentagon plans to livestream the December 3 firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, who was convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009. Trump approved the execution on October 2 at the recommendation of Hegseth, who said he wanted the public to watch.
Why It Matters: Trump and Hegseth are turning a military execution into a public spectacle, broadcasting state-sanctioned killing the same way terrorist organizations and brutal regimes do. Not to mention this will be a recruitment video for terrorists. This goes against everything America stands for.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Trump Administration Plans to Have Its Own Lawyers Represent Migrant Kids
What Happened: Trump officials plan to assign government lawyers to represent unaccompanied migrant children in immigration court, where other government lawyers are seeking their deportation. Trump previously canceled a contract with independent legal organizations after they refused to hand over confidential information about the children.
Source: Mother Jones
Judge Accuses ICE of Falsifying Documents to Cover Up Illegal Arrests
What Happened: Trump-appointed federal Judge Gary Brown ruled that ICE agents illegally arrested and detained a man in New York City, then falsified official documents to justify their actions. The judge found that agents fabricated an administrative warrant and gave testimony bearing “all the hallmarks of coordinated fabrication.”
Why It Matters: ICE agents illegally arrested someone, falsified government records, and gave false testimony to justify their actions. Federal agents continue to break the law and then try to cover it up, even in court.
Source: The Washington Sun
Government Disruption
How the Trump Administration Is Eroding Airline Passengers’ Rights
What Happened: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has rolled back or proposed weakening airline passenger protections covering hidden fees, ticket prices, flight disruptions, and disability accommodations. His department has also dropped investigations into major airlines and has not issued a single fine against an airline since he took office.
Why It Matters: Trump officials are stripping away passenger protections and letting airlines operate with less oversight. Americans will deal with more hidden fees, fewer options for compensation, and less protection when airlines mistreat them.
Source: New York Times
Trump administration paving way for temporary sale of some unapproved peptides
What Happened: Trump officials are developing a plan to temporarily allow compounding pharmacies to sell certain previously restricted peptides. RFK Jr. supports the move despite warnings from FDA scientists and medical experts that many of these products have not been adequately tested for safety or effectiveness.
Source: The Washington Post
Imperial & Geopolitical Watch
Pentagon Draws Up New Iran Strike Plans as Trump Hesitates
What Happened: The Pentagon has developed plans for a three-day bombing campaign targeting Iran’s missile and drone arsenals, energy facilities, and military headquarters. Three U.S. aircraft carriers are heading to the region. Trump has rejected five previous proposals for major strikes and said that he would not attack Iran before the midterms.
Source: New York Times
EU drops sponsorship of disinformation conference at Trump officials’ request
What Happened: The State Department pressured European governments to withdraw support from a disinformation conference in Lithuania after organizers scheduled a panel examining the United States as a potential source of foreign information manipulation. Lithuania, Canada, and the EU’s diplomatic service withdrew their sponsorship.
Why It Matters: Trump is pressuring American allies to shut down scrutiny of U.S. disinformation and influence operations. His interference also damages cooperation with European countries working to expose Russian propaganda and foreign interference.
Source: The Guardian
Rubio Says US Unapologetic About Power in Warning to Europe
What Happened: Marco Rubio told European allies during a speech in Greece that the United States would pursue national power “unapologetically.” He warned of Western decline and criticized European countries for weakening their militaries and surrendering sovereignty to international institutions.
Source: Bloomberg
Far-Right & Russian Influence Watch
In Trump’s Russian Oil Deal, Middle East Funds Are the Biggest Owners
What Happened: A proposed multibillion-dollar deal to acquire Russian oil giant Lukoil’s sanctioned international assets would give majority ownership to Middle Eastern investors, including business partners of Jared Kushner and investors connected to U.S. negotiators. Trump donor Todd Boehly is leading the investor group, while the U.S. government would receive a roughly 15% stake.
Source: New York Times
Economic News
U.S. Budget Deficit Jumps to Nearly $2 Trillion
What Happened: The federal budget deficit reached $1.993 trillion in fiscal year 2026, up 12% from 2025 and the highest since 2021, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Federal spending increased 6% to $7.4 trillion, while revenue rose just 3% to $5.4 trillion.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Inflation on many everyday items was entirely due to tariffs, NY Fed says
What Happened: New York Federal Reserve researchers found that Trump’s tariffs increased prices across 67 categories of consumer goods by 2.9 percentage points as of February 2026. Without the tariffs, prices for those goods would have fallen by nearly 1%.
Source: CNBC
Resistance
Check out 50501 for local and nationwide events…
Source: 50501
By the Numbers
99 million — Voter and other records obtained by ICE investigators for Trump’s nationwide BS election fraud investigation.
$1.993 trillion — The federal budget deficit in fiscal year 2026, up 12% from the previous year.
2.9 percentage points — The increase in prices across 67 categories of consumer goods attributed to Trump’s tariffs.
89% vs. 23% — Disaster assistance requests approved by Trump from Republican-led states versus Democratic-led states during the first 14 months of his term.
15% — Approximate stake the U.S. would receive under the proposed deal involving Lukoil’s sanctioned international assets.
What to Watch Next
ICE Is Investigating Voter Records Ahead of the Midterms — How far will Trump expand federal immigration enforcement in elections?
Trump’s Justice Department Is Investigating a January 6 Witness — Will other witnesses who testified against Trump face federal investigations?
A Russian Oil Deal Awaits Treasury Approval — Will Trump lift sanctions to approve a transaction involving investors connected to his family and political allies?
The Pentagon Is Preparing New Strikes Against Iran — Will Trump authorize another major bombing campaign after the midterms?
Key Takeaways
Election Interference — ICE is investigating millions of voter records, the FBI is pursuing Trump’s election fraud lies, and the Justice Department is investigating a key January 6 witness.
Mass Corruption — A proposed Russian oil deal involves investors connected to Trump’s inner circle, while his political allies have ties to pro-Russian politicians abroad.
Civil Rights and Oversight — ICE agents are accused of falsifying records and violating constitutional rights, while Trump officials are cutting consumer protections and denying migrant children independent legal representation.
Rising Costs — The federal deficit has reached nearly $2 trillion, and Trump’s tariffs are driving up prices for consumers.
War and Alliances — The Pentagon is planning another major bombing campaign against Iran, while Trump officials are pressuring European allies over efforts to investigate disinformation.
Call to Action
Document Everything: Document purges, corruption, and power grabs. Share credible information with journalists, watchdogs, and legal experts. Silence enables authoritarianism—see something, say something.
Defend Press Freedom: Support independent journalism by subscribing to and sharing reporting that challenges Trump’s power grab.
Contact Lawmakers: Demand accountability for Trump’s unchecked power and war on oversight.
Mobilize for Action: Organize or join legal efforts and resistance movements to protect democracy and human and civil rights.
Support Whistleblowers: Encourage legal defense funds for government workers facing retaliation for exposing corruption.
Follow my work on YouTube → Subscribe to Unmasking Russia
https://youtube.com/@unmaskingrussia
Preorder My New Book…
Putin’s Pawns takes you on a journey from the earliest days of the Cold War and Soviet KGB active measures through Russia’s attacks on Western elections, the rise of the far right, Trump and Russia, the genocidal war against Ukraine, influence operations across Europe, and the shadow war unfolding today.
It is the story of how Moscow spent decades learning to exploit the weaknesses of democracies and how those tactics brought us to this moment.
Preorder now
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250796547/putinspawns/
Thanks for reading the Trump Tyranny Tracker. Stay tuned for more updates.
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New in SpyWeek: Kash Heads to Kremlin Amid Trump ‘Deal’ with Putin, Attack on Zelenskyy, NATO Alarms Over Russian Aggression
Among FBI Director Kash Patel’s many extracurricular pleasures, he plays hockey in a DC-area beer league. His security team tags along. (João Fazenda for The New Yorker) Strange Trip: Both present and former FBI and DOJ officials are troubled over FBI Director Kash Patel’s reported plans this week to visit Russia as a likely guest of the FSB, Moscow’s murderous domestic repression and foreign assassinations service— especially now with President Trump making nice with Vladimir Putin and urging regime change in Ukraine. After a recent ”quiet campaign” by senior FBI officials to dissuade Patel went unanswered, they reached out to the ranking Democrats on the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees, Jim Himes (CT) and Jamie Raskin (MD), who sent a letter to Patel asking him “to reconsider” and “call off this trip,” Sarah Fitzpatrick reported in The Atlantic, He hasn’t responded. (Maybe he was too busy playing beer-league hockey.) “Christopher O’Leary, a former senior executive in the FBI’s counterterrorism division [said] he and others found the timing of the trip bizarre, especially given the pressure that FBI leadership is putting on agents to substantiate election conspiracy theories at home that Russian intelligence services continuously amplify,” Fitzpatrick added. “If there was real concern about interference in our elections,” O’Leary said, “then the FBI director should be in the United States leading the effort around the clock,” not going to Moscow. SpyTalk’s Dolia Estévez reported Friday on a suspected Russian intelligence service plot to use Mexican hitmen to take out Vladimir Kara-Murza, a prominent exile based in Washington, D.C.
KGB Dump: Some 20 Finnish lawmakers suspect it’s Russian agents who’ve been breaking into their homes and leaving their legendary calling cards: a dump in their toilets. CIA officers in Russia have long found such fecal gifts awaiting them at home. Kash’s security team can expect the same.
Former German Spy Chief Arrested: A former head of the BND, Germany’s foreign intelligence service, who played a key role in the George W. Bush administration’s mistaken case for WMD in Iraq, has been arrested and charged with “treasonous espionage,” along with a former aide who’s been arrested for “aiding and abetting” the scheme. August Hanning, 80, led the BND 1998 to 2005 under Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, followed by a term as state secretary in the Interior Ministry in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet until 2009, after which, according to Der Spiegel, he built up a roster of controversial clients, including Russian businessmen and bankers, and allegedly “prepared an analysis for the Azerbaijani intelligence service.” His former chief of staff (identified only as Manfred D. following German privacy rules) stayed on at the BND and was paid to supply him with a stream of classified information over a 12-year period until 2022, German prosecutors said. In 2002, according to reports, ”Hanning played a big role in the Curveball affair, the unnamed source for moveable WMD labs in Iraq, which Colin Powell mentioned in his speech to the UN making the case for war. It turned out to be false.” In his 2007 memoir, At the Center of the Storm, then-CIA Director George Tenet bitterly described how he was played by Hanning and his own aides. More schuhes to drop on this one.
Rush to Judgment: The CIA and Justice Department have settled on a plea deal to avoid a public trial of former senior CIA exec David Rush, who, beyond his admitted grand larceny, reportedly confessed that in late 2025 he had disclosed “certain descriptive information of a U.S. government clandestine human source” that could “endanger the safety and life of the human source and the U.S. government officers working with the source,” as well as jeopardize America’s “ability to recruit human sources, who rely on the U.S. government’s assurance of absolute secrecy,” as NBC put it.
Rush, while a senior exec in the Science and Technology Directorate, created a strictly compartmented, above-top secret, but phony program to siphon off $194 million in government funds, including roughly 600 pounds of gold bars he stashed in his basement, to facilitate his “maximum self-enrichment at the expense of the United States.” He faces up to 20 years in prison come sentencing in January.
Another U.S.-U.K. Base Plot: The Two Latvian men who were arrested early Thursday inside the perimeter of a British air force base that houses U.S. and NATO intelligence personnel have been released on bail, U.K. counterterrorism police said Friday. The base, RAF Molesworth, 70 miles north of London, houses U.S. warplanes but is also “home to the NATO Intelligence Fusion Center, as well as intelligence personnel from the U.S. Africa Command,” reported the A.P.. The incident follows last month’s arrest of five men on suspicion of targeting RAF Fairford, home to U.S. B-1 bombers used in some strikes against Iran. The bombers were evacuated in a rush last weekend over fears of a mutli-facted, Iran-sponsored attack with drones and hit squads. Defenses at other U.K air bases remain dangerously weak, an analysis by the iPaper found. “One joint RAF-US Air Force base that lays bare the security crisis is RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk. The Americans keep air tankers and support aircraft for Special Operations Command here but as at Fairford, they sit in the open with no hardened shelters, making them easy drone targets. If President Trump is serious about the Iran-backed drone threat, they will have to be moved.”
Red October: A U.K. sailor has been charged with spying for Russia. Teddy Young, 24, was “accused of trying to make contact with Russian authorities over the dark web, including drafting a message written in Russian containing classified information,” the British iPaper reported. Although only an Able Seaman, the lowest enlisted rank, Young worked in naval intelligence, with a “high level security clearance and intelligence-system access.” He was “first arrested on 21 May 2025, before being rearrested and charged this week. The alleged offences took place between 26 November 2024 and 21 May last year.” Russia has put the U.K. under increasing military pressure. More than 170 Russian “shadow fleet” vessels passed near or through U.K. waters this summer, with a Russian presence in the Channel almost every day, analysis by the i Paper found.
Burnham Fingers Russia: Prime Minister Andy Burnham revealed he launched his own investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit vote as soon as he entered 10 Downing in July and found that the Kremlin indeed secretly pushed Britain to leave the European Union. There’s been a lot of “misinformation and disinformation” emanating from Russia, he said on Britain’s The Rest is Politics show. “I don’t think we knew back then the extent to which there was state-sponsored interference in the British democratic process…and the clear answer is yes, there was, and these things are important now to put clearly on the record and to help voters in Germany and France understand that some of this politics is instigated by our enemies, namely Russia.”
Denmark Fingers Russia: Copenhagen accused Moscow of conducting sabotage attacks against its defense firms. “The shift reflects a significant escalation in Moscow’s hybrid warfare campaign, Josefine Christensen, lead analyst at the Danish national security and intelligence service (PET), told a homeland security conference in Copenhagen.” (Reuters)
Don’t miss the latest SpyTalk podcast, this one featuring CNBC’s Eamon Javers on a Chinese espionage plot that should serve as a cautionary tale for US officials.
FlyDubai Update: The political shift of rogue Omani pilot Hammam al-Hammami towards extremism and terrorism began a decade ago during his two years as a student at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, according to Dr. Hamad Saif al-Shamsi, attorney general of the UAE, where the would-be Islamic suicide aviator has been under interrogation. The A.G.’s statement, first reported by the state-run Emirati news agency, known as WAM, said al-Hammami told prosecutors “he…drew inspiration from the 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001,” and practiced targeting Ben Gurion airport outside Tel Aviv on previous flights to Israel for FlyDubai. What role UAE authorities might have played in clearing al-Hammami to fly after he was grounded by Omani Air for his extremist views remains an open question. Like 9/11, there was an obvious intelligence failure by both UAE and Israeli security officials.
Islamist Plot on Mall of America: An apparently self-radicalized Minnesota teen was arrested Tuesday after expressing enthusiasm for attacking non-Muslims at the Mall of America and accepting a weapon and bullets to do it from an FBI employee posing as an Islamic State agent. The 18-year-old, Somali-born U.S. citizen “had been on the FBI’s radar since December 2024, when he began trading messages with a confidential informant,” reported the A.P. “A criminal complaint says he initially expressed an interest in traveling to Somalia to fight for al-Shabab militants. As his plans to instead attack the mall solidified, the complaint says, agents sold him the gun and ammunition on Tuesday and arrested him on the spot.”
Heart of Darkness: The reputation of Eric Prince has taken a hit in the Congo over his mercenaries’ flailing efforts to put down a Rwanda-backed rebellion and help Kinshasa regain control of its mining sector. “Among mercenaries, especially in Africa, Prince is derided because he has zero successful missions,” Sean McFate, a former private military contractor who is currently a fellow at The Atlantic Council, told the New York Times’ Declan Walsh.
Havana Syndrome: A new book by 60 Minutes producers Michael Rey and Oriana Zill de Granados takes another, deeper look at the phenomenon that has felled scores of U.S. intelligence, diplomatic and other personnel and “the U.S. government’s effort to downplay and deny them.” The Guardian’s Shaun Walker, who got an advance look at The Havana Syndrome, highlights previously unreported, fascinating incidents of the suspected Russian microwave attacks, but notes: “Even people who have seen the intelligence on Havana syndrome can disagree on what it suggests.” Two sources that Walker consulted offered him “radically different interpretations of what the classified data shows on possible Russian involvement,” he writes. “One highlighted the lack of a ‘smoking gun’—a piece of human intelligence or an intercept that showed Russian operatives discussing a programme to use directed energy against Americans,” which would have been picked up because, the source said, “how strong our collection capabilities on Russia are”—like the one that picked up Putin’s war plans for Ukraine before his February 2022 invasion. “If this was really a large-scale Russian program, we would have expected to see something in some of these channels, but we didn’t,” the source said. Another former intelligence official disagreed: “If you’re waiting for an intercept of someone saying: ‘My name is Igor and I’m going to press the button on my secret laser’ before you have confidence [that it’s true], that’s probably never going to happen. But for any reasonable person who has access to the intelligence and knows how to read it, the Russian fingerprints are clear.” Then there’s this: In 2017, after then-CIA director Gina Haspel was briefed on various London incidents, “she allegedly complained it was not solid enough to take to the president, given how sensitive he was on Russia-related matters,” Rey and Zill report. “The meeting abruptly ended after Haspel shouted that if she took reports like this to President Trump, she would be fired as director.” Wow.
Over at the New York Times, however, reviewer Nicolas Niarchos faults the authors for not getting to the bottom of “one of the biggest questions at the heart of their story: Why, as the authors allege, were U.S. officials so keen to cover up the attacks?” Fingering Moscow could trigger a dangerous confrontation with Putin, they suggest. But Niarchos suggests something darker: “Could a highly placed enemy agent or agents be sowing confusion and stymying the investigation?”
I spend most of every weekend catching up with and curating all the truly alarming news on the intelligence front these days. I hope you find it useful, and if you haven’t done it already, you can show your support by taking out a no-obligation, 7-day free trial. Thanks!
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Judicial Notice (10.11.26): Audition
Outside the New York headquarters of Sullivan & Cromwell, at 125 Broad Street in Lower Manhattan (photo by David Lat).This week’s Judicial Notice is sponsored by
Chambers-ranked and Harvard-educated, Jeff is the trusted closer for high-stakes disputes. His battle-tested system of managed communications empowers clients to make clear, strong decisions in a calm, informed environment. It makes the right resolution obvious. If settlement seems impossible, call him.
Greetings from Florida, where our family is spending a long weekend. Harlan has Monday and Tuesday off from school for a brief fall break, so we decided to celebrate his recent ninth birthday by bringing him and his little brother Chase down to Orlando. We’re hanging out with friends and checking out two of the area’s famed theme parks: Universal Epic Universe, which we visited yesterday, and Magic Kingdom, which we’re hitting tomorrow (recommendations welcome).
Speaking of recs, what’s my weekly wisdom for this edition of Judicial Notice? I’ll go with something controversial: if you’re a Wordle devotee, try out “CLASP” as your starter word. I’ve cycled through a number of them over the years, including “SLATE” and “AUDIO,” but “CLASP” is my current favorite.
I’m sure someone can explain why some other word is statistically superior. But my understanding is that once you reach a certain level of starter-word “reasonableness,” the differences are negligible, so there’s room for discretion and personal preference. I like “CLASP” because (1) it’s a “real” word, as opposed to a “word you’d use only in Wordle” word (like “SALET” or “TARES”), and (2) it’s viscerally appealing, unlike words such as “moist” or “crevice” (or, God forbid, “moist crevice”). “CLASP” makes me think of embraces and jewelry—what’s not to like?
Now, on to the news—which was, for the first time in weeks if not months, manageable to cover. But I’m still doing a Judicial Notice post and a separate supplement (for reasons related to our schedule while on this mini-vacation).
Lawyer of the Week: Mathew Rosengart.
In my podcast interview of Mathew Rosengart of Greenberg Traurig, one of the nation’s most in-demand litigators, we discussed how he decides which clients and cases to take on. He said he tries to find matters that “move the law”—cases that matter not just to the parties, but also to society at large.
Over his four decades of practicing law, Rosengart has handled many such matters—including his work helping to free Britney Spears from an onerous conservatorship five years ago this fall. And it looks like—oops!—he did it again.
Let’s begin with some background (via The New York Times). From 2018 to 2019, the Grammy-winning singer FKA twigs dated the actor Shia LaBeouf. The relationship ended badly, and in 2020, FKA twigs (born Tahliah Debrett Barnett) sued LaBeouf, alleging sexual battery and assault. That lawsuit was resolved in 2025—through a settlement that included a nondisclosure agreement.
In October 2025, Barnett told The Hollywood Reporter that even though her relationship with LaBeouf was in the rearview mirror, “I wouldn’t say I feel safe. I feel really passionate about being involved with organizations such as Sistah Space and No More, to help survivors in any way that I can.” Last December, LaBeouf brought an arbitration complaint against Barnett, alleging that these comments violated the NDA.
In March, represented by Rosengart, Barnett sued LaBeouf. She sought to invalidate the NDA for violating California’s STAND Act, a 2018 law generally banning confidentiality provisions in settlements of sexual harassment, assault, and discrimination cases. That statute was passed as part of a broader campaign for similar federal and state laws, as described in a Times guest essay by Gretchen Carlson—who famously sued then-Fox News CEO Roger Ailes for sexual harassment and later co-founded Lift Our Voices, a nonprofit focused on ending the use of NDAs and forced-arbitration agreements in cases involving workplace harassment.
Last Tuesday, Rosengart announced that Barnett was dropping her lawsuit against LaBeouf—after getting exactly the relief she sought from the start, namely, the ability to speak freely about their relationship. According to Rosengart, the resolution of the case “represents an important victory for the principle that women who speak out about sexual abuse should not be silenced by NDAs that contravene California law,” as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Congratulations to Rosengart on securing yet another successful outcome for a client—as well as his recent recognition as one of Forbes Magazine’s Top 250 Lawyers and one of The Daily Journal’s Top 100 Lawyers (for the fifth time).
Judge of the Week: Judge James Ho.
In Pittsburgh Logistics Systems, Incorporated v. Glen Rose Transportation Management, a unanimous panel of the Fifth Circuit affirmed a judgment against PLS in a trade-secrets case, in a per curiam opinion that runs only a shade over three pages. But Judge James Ho filed a concurrence—and when Judge Ho writes separately, you know he won’t be boring (whether you agree with him or not).
A corporate representative of Glen Rose, the defendant in the case, sent a series of ex parte emails to Magistrate Judge Derek Gilliland (W.D. Tex.), complaining that the judge was moving too slowly in his handling of the case. One email said, “I have many friends who are… Texas congressmen, U.S. representatives, and one close U.S. Senator,” and went on to state that the email’s author was “consider[ing] asking my Texas friends to write to you and ask why I have to continue waiting.” As explained by Judge Ho, this email “was sent at a time when it was publicly known and reported by the media that [Judge Gilliland] was actively being considered and promoted in certain circles for appointment to the district court.”
For reasons not germane here, the ex parte communications ultimately had no bearing on the disposition of the appeal. But they did give rise to the concurrence by Judge Ho, in which he wrote as follows:
[T]he message [of the correspondence]—intended or not—was an indictment on the judge’s honor. It was effectively an accusation—fair or unfair—that the judge might be willing to use his rulings to further his own personal career ambitions….
Any judge who abuses his office to promote his own interests—including the desire for future appointment—has violated the judicial oath and doesn’t belong in his current post, let alone whatever new post he seeks.
There are, to be sure, both honorable and dishonorable people on the bench—just as there are in every other segment of life. Just as there are no doubt those on the bench who have strong ambitions for future office, there are others who are happy to be public servants, but who would be just as happy earning their living by some other means.
For the outside observer, however, it can be difficult to discern which is which. And therein lies the quandary for the dutiful judge. How should a good judge respond when it’s suggested that his exercise of judicial authority might be tainted by his private, personal desire for elevation to another post?
What’s the significance of this discussion, coming from Judge Ho? As explained by Jacqueline Thomsen of Bloomberg Law, Ho is a first-term Trump appointee “who is often accused of auditioning for the Supreme Court.”
So one can see why Judge Ho might have felt this situation merited comment. Later in the concurrence, he wrote these words—a not-so-subtle response to critics who call him an “auditioner”:
No one has the power to look into another man’s heart and ascertain his actual motivations or ambitions. So the accusation of auditioning is indeed irrefutable. Certain actions may seem like auditioning to some, but to others, it’s simply doing the job as the judge best sees fit.
There’s no solution. So the good judge simply accepts that criticism is a fact of life—and that unrebuttable charges come with the job. The First Amendment guarantees the right of every citizen to criticize public officials—whether the criticism is fair or unfair….
Speaking of Judge Ho and the First Amendment, check out his dissent from the denial of rehearing en banc in Evans v. Garza, as well as the dissental of a fellow SCOTUS shortlister who has also been accused of auditioning, Judge Andrew Oldham. These dissentals could be viewed as ringing defenses of the First Amendment or still more auditioning—or maybe both. Per Law360, Evans concerns “the constitutionality of enforcing a Texas privacy law against a plaintiff who tweeted a photo of a trans woman in a bathroom”—the sort of culture-war, hot-button issue that lends itself to auditioning.
Back to Judge Ho’s concurrence in Pittsburgh Logistics Systems:
Public criticism is not for everyone. But if it’s too much to take, you can always resign. Federal judges receive life tenure—not a life sentence.
I like this language—and could see myself quoting it at some point in the future. But Ho critics would probably dismiss it as the Article III version of a Deep Thought by Jack Handey (for those of you old enough to get that reference).
For additional perspectives on Judge Ho’s latest musings, see this positive Volokh Conspiracy post by Josh Blackman, who’s quoted prominently in the Ho concurrence, and this critical Above the Law story by Joe Patrice, who accuses Judge Ho of “hijack[ing] an opinion to indirectly vent about how it bruises his delicate feelings when he’s accused of turning his judicial office into a relentless and desperate bid to remain MAGA Employee of the Month.”
Job of the Week: an opportunity for litigation associates in San Francisco.
Lateral Link is working with a high-end litigation boutique founded by former Biglaw attorneys that is seeking an associate to join its San Francisco team. The firm offers a rare combination of sophisticated trial work, strong mentorship, competitive compensation, and quality of life, with just 1,650 billable hours required for bonus eligibility. Associates handle both plaintiff- and defense-side matters, including business contingency cases, intellectual property, and employment disputes. Teams are staffed leanly, providing meaningful responsibility, hands-on training, and direct access to trial-tested partners from day one. There is no formal in-office requirement. Flexible start dates are available for candidates who prefer to join in 2027 after receiving their year-end bonuses. If interested, please contact Sean Hamrin at shamrin at laterallink dot com to learn more about this unique opportunity.
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Projection / discussion . Jeux vidéo et politique
Quand ?
Le 18 octobre à 16hOù ?
Librairie Le Monde libertaire - Publico 145 Rue Amelot 75011 Paris"Le jeu vidéo, une affaire d'hommes ?"
Documentaire de Nostalgeek (2023, 35 mn)« Je ne peux pas m'identifier au protagoniste de ce jeu car c'est une femme et je suis un homme. »
Est-ce que ce genre de déclaration ne cache pas, quelque part, des soucis un brin plus profonds ?
Le jeu vidéo - comme le cinéma, la B.D., la littérature... - peut servir de support à des idées politiques de tous bords. Ce court-métrage s'attaque plus spécifiquement au sexisme ; mais, de façon plus générale, existe-t-il des jeux luttant contre toutes les formes de discrimination, contre le capitalisme, l'État, la religion ? Des jeux vidéo anarchistes ?
Le sexisme dans le milieu du jeu vidéo
Les femmes travaillant dans l'industrie vidéoludique constatent une différence de salaire (25,3 % d'écart au bénéfice des hommes). Certains rejettent les designs de personnages féminins non hyper-sexualisés. Dans les studios de développement français, les femmes représentent 24 % des effectifs alors qu'elles n'en constituaient que 10,6 % il y a 10 ans. Depuis 2018, nous constatons toujours la même disparité selon les catégories de métier, avec une sous-représentation des femmes dans les métiers techniques (programmation, data). La question du harcèlement au bureau est également régulièrement soulevée. D'autres formes de sexisme évoquées sont le manque de volonté d'inclure des personnages féminins bien représentés dans les jeux vidéo.
Les jeux qui cherchent à mettre en avant des personnes non hommes peuvent entraîner un harcèlement de leurs scénaristes et développeurs : c'est le cas d'Amber Scott, scénariste du jeu Baldur's Gate : Siege of Dragonspear, harcelée en 2016. Elle a en effet inclus un personnage principal féminin et un personnage secondaire transgenre dans le jeu, en plus de se moquer du Gamergate* dans une réplique. En réponse à ces actions, elle est la cible d'une campagne de harcèlement et le jeu reçoit des retours négatifs en masse.
En juillet 2021, suite à son harcèlement par un manager, une employée du studio américain de jeux vidéo Activision Blizzard se suicide. Deux mille de ses collègues signent alors une pétition protestant contre ces méthodes de management, et organisent un mouvement de grève. De manière plus générale, c'est la « culture Bro », culture sexiste répandue dans les milieux de la tech, qui est mise en accusation.
Sur les 152 major games publiés en 2022, 61 % des personnages sont des hommes, 39 % des femmes, et 31,7 % des jeux vidéo mettent en scène des personnages exclusivement masculins. Dans les 50 R.P.G. les plus joués ces 30 dernières années, les hommes parlent en moyenne deux fois plus que les femmes.
67 % des Françaises jouent aux jeux vidéo. Elles ont 39 ans en moyenne et représentent 48 % des personnes qui jouent au moins une fois par semaine. Mais 40 % d'entre elles affirment avoir déjà dû se résoudre à cacher leur genre dans des parties en ligne. 46 % des gameuses jugent les contenus qu'elles voient en ligne trop sexistes ou misogynes, et elles sont aussi 40 % à avoir déjà vécu des situations de harcèlement en ligne.
Il n'y a sans doute pas plus de sexistes dans le jeu vidéo que dans le reste de la société : ce triste constat n'est que le reflet de l'état des lieux en général ; mais, comme dans la littérature ou le cinéma, changer le contenu ne devrait-il pas participer à changer les mentalités ?
* Le Gamergate est une série de polémiques née durant le mois d'août 2014 ayant évolué en campagne de harcèlement sexiste contre des femmes journalistes et développeuses.
À l'invitation du Groupe libertaire d'Ivry
Dimanche 18 octobre 2026 à partir de 16h
Entrée libre (accueil dès 15h)- Voir aussi librairie Publico
- Voir aussi Ivry anarchiste
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«Vous voyez d’autres candidats qui tiennent la mer?»: à Clermont, Jean-Luc Mélenchon fait encore le plein
Le candidat insoumis à l’élection présidentielle a réuni dimanche près de 10 000 personnes, venues de la campagne auvergnate comme des quartiers populaires de Clermont-Ferrand. Une manière de montrer que sa ligne, axée sur la défense des services publics, peut mobiliser largement dans le pays. -
à Bordeaux, « CGT collabo »
Retour sur certains événements qui ont marqués la journée de mobilisation de ce 6 octobre 2026 à Bordeaux.
Cela fait des semaines que les lycéen-nes impressionnent par leur détermination, leur courage, leurs tactiques. Iels ont surpris le corps éducatif, les flics ainsi que toutes les organisations de gauche. Ces dernières disent les soutenir mais tentent chaque jour de récupérer cette rage légitime et incandescente qui les anime. Leur manière de bloquer à tous les endroits de la ville, de défendre ces blocages à coup de mortier et d’être si fluide dans les déplacements urbains réinvente une conflictualité qui a permis de faire entendre enfin leurs voix ainsi que de redonner espoir à toute une partie de la population qui se fait écraser sans cesse par les politiques répressives du gouvernement et de sa police.
Les blocus ont été animés et tenus autant dans les lycées de banlieues que de centre ville. Rarement de telles jonctions ont été faites dans les moments de révolte. Cette jeunesse qui se soulève est inspirante et redonne espoir. Tous les jours, elle paie cher le prix de cette répression démesurée – yeux éborgnés, mains arrachées, arrestations massives etc – pourtant chaque matin la détermination reprend, chaque fois cherchant à s’adapter à la répression en face. Pour elle c’est un fait établi, la police est raciste. Défiant à outrance le pouvoir en place, on peut le dire, c’est une génération A.C.A.B.
Aujourd’hui les syndicats à la traîne ont appelé à des manifestations partout dans le pays en soutien à la mobilisation lycéenne. A Bordeaux, la CGT a enfin ouvert vendredi dernier la Bourse du travail, son temple vide et poussiéreux à l’AG lycéenne qui se faisait gazer. Quelques dizaines de lycéen-nes de peu de lycées ont pu se réunir à l’abri de la répression et ont demandé à la CGT de les protéger des violences policières. Ces inquiétudes sont parfaitement légitimes au vu du niveau de violence et de haine présent dans les rangs de la police. Or, la CGT a visiblement mal compris les enjeux puisque celle ci a passé sa manif à surveiller et suivre les lycéen-nes motivés, les bandes et les gens cagoulés. Et une fois que la manif plan-plan à enfin rejoint les quartiers bourgeois, une partie du cortège a voulu s’approcher du cour de l’intendance et ses boutiques de luxe où était déployé un dispositif policier. Des membres de la CGT sous la forme d’un service d’ordre pseudo-racisé, pseudo-queer etc ont fait barrage non pas pour empêcher des violences policières mais bien pour brimer des moyens d’action et d’expression de cette jeunesse légitimement débordante. Des embrouilles verbales ont fusé face à cette ligne de vieux militants qui faisaient face au cortège. Les gens leur reprochaient de faire le travail de la police, d’être paternalistes et infantilisants avec les jeunes ainsi que de ne favoriser que des stratégies éculées et perdantes. Les jeunes sur place ont répondu en scandant « Justice pour Nahel ! » et « CGT collabo ». Il semblait ensuite plus opportun de ne pas cristalliser ce moment de tension afin de poursuivre la manif malgré tout. Ce SO de pacotille était très à l’aise pour faire la leçon à ceux qui voulaient s’aventurer, n’ayant jamais ne serait-ce qu’un regard en direction de la police pour vérifier les mouvements des CRS derrière. Etre aussi à l’aise avec des flics dans le dos, c’est savoir qu’on a leur complaisance.
Cet épisode ne fut pas le seul, ils ont aussi passé une bonne partie du parcours à mettre la pression sur celleux qui déplaçaient ou allumaient des feux de poubelles ou montaient sur les arrêts de bus, n’hésitant pas à invectiver les gens avec des menaces et des propos lunaires.
De cette journée il faudra retenir la pacification imposée par les syndicats et la tentative de réappropriation d’un mouvement qui n’est pas le leur. Ceux-ci ont aussi manqué de créativité pour trouver des espaces de lutte ou de réflexions comme aurait pu l’être l’occupation ou le blocage d’un lieu ou toute autre initiative qui aurait donné corps et sens pour l’ensemble des personnes qui souhaitaient être ensemble dans la rue aujourd’hui.
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« Tout s’est bien passé, veuillez évacuer les lieux »… Un témoignage (de plus) de la brutalité policière …
Salut,
Dans le contexte agité mais bienvenu, celui du mouvement d’émancipation des jeunes, des lycéens et des étudiants, quelques graves incidents ont eu lieu à la fac du Mirail le week-end dernier. Je veux vous donner mon témoignage pour que tout le monde comprenne de quoi sont capables les flics et pourquoi nous sommes toutes et tous concernées par ce qui se passe par la violence policière.
J’étais bien présent à la fac du Mirail (Toulouse), ce vendredi, quand les flics sont rentrés dans l’amphi du _Gai Savoir. _Nous étions alors en pleine conférence-débat, avec les collectifs _Stop Micro_ de Grenoble et _Écran Total Occitanie_.
Les flics sont rentrés dans l’amphi très excités et menaçants. Ils nous criaient dessus en nous ordonnant de partir. Ce que nous avons fait. Mais précisément, au moment de sortir, nous avons été bloquées par un autre groupe de flics, au bas d’un escalier de secours. Tout aussi énervés, ceux-là ne voulaient pas nous laisser partir. Nous étions donc coincées, d’un côté par des flics super excités qui nous ordonnaient de partir, et de l’autre par leurs clones qui nous interdisaient de partir…
Prises au piège, nassées, dans le fond d’un couloir et en haut d’un escalier de secours, avec des flics super excités qui nous pressaient, montaient de plus en plus dans les tours en nous hurlant dessus. Mais toutes et tous nous gardions notre calme, en espérant pouvoir rapidement sortir de cette souricière, et nous mettre à distance de ces nervis qui devenaient de plus en plus furieux. Mais nous étions bel et bien coincées.
Malheureusement, ce qui devait arriver arriva. Dans un état de surexcitation totale, les flics finirent très rapidement par perdre tout espèce de contrôle et s’en prirent alors aux premiers qui leur tombaient sur la main, de manière complètement dingue . Malgré ça, nous nous gardions toujours notre calme ! Même celles et ceux qui étaient ciblées. Ce qui ne les empêcha pas de continuer à nous malmener et finalement de nous frapper.Voilà comment ils ont opéré sur mon voisin direct, qui restait pourtant très tranquille avec ses bras en l’air :un flic l’a pris et l’a bousculé vers un de ces collègues, qui lui a hurlé dessus :– Hé ! Mais pourquoi tu m’agresses toi !! Celui-ci l’a alors rejeté à son tour sur un troisième collègue en bleu qui lui a dit un truc du genre :– « Hé ! Mais qu’est-ce tu me fais-là toi !! et Bang ! Et de le rejeter brutalement vers un quatrième collègue, et ainsi de suite, alors que le gars gardait toujours ses bras en l’air.
Cette technique était simple à comprendre, les flics faisaient tout pour créer un incident. Ils voulaient que le gars se rebelle ou entre en panique. Ils auraient ainsi pu ultérieurement justifier leur intervention violente, en prétendant avoir voulu neutraliser un gars violent.Et puis ça a continué, jusqu’à qu’il le fracasse sur un mur, la bouche en sang. Alors, un de ces tarés est arrivé par derrière et lui a filé des coups de décharges électriques, à répétition partout dans son dos et dans les aines de ses deux jambes, alors que le gars était plaqué au mur maintenu de toute part, avec ses bras en l’air, et qu’il continuait de se faire frapper et de recevoir des coups de poing dans les reins et des béquilles dans les jambes. Puis, ils l’ont fauché, jeté parterre, pendant que l’autre malade continuait de lui envoyer des décharges électriques dans son dos, en lui hurlant dessus, « NE RÉSISTE PAS ! ».
- Mais le pire, c’est que le gars ne résistait pas !! Entre deux décharges électriques, il criait : « Mais je ne résiste pas !! Je ne résiste pas !! Arrêtez !! »
Ils voulaient que le gars perde pied, se débatte, qu’il entre en panique. Le gars était un costaud ! Et pourtant, il s’est laissé faire du début à la fin. Les flics lui ont finalement passé les menottes, mais l’autre taré sur sa lancé a continué de lui filer des coups de décharges électriques dans le dos et ses jambes. Complètement cinglés !Et puis, à notre grande surprise, et comme s’ils avaient eu leur dose, les flics ont soudainement arrêté le massacre. Ils se sont littéralement arrêté, la curie s’est arrêtée, juste comme ça !?! Hop ! Ils ont viré complet, comme si une lueur de clairvoyance les avait soudainement traversée.
Puis, Ils ont commencé à dire des trucs de ouf. Par exemple, ils se sont adressé à un de nos compagnons, le plus ancien d’entre nous qui marchait avec une béquille – ce qui ne les avait nullement empêché le jeter à terre : – « Mais quand même, entre adultes, c’est lamentable d’en arriver là, non ? »
Hallucinant !!! Ces types viennent de nous fracasser, et juste après nous avoir laminés, y’a comme un déclic chez eux, ils viennent d’un seul coup d’un seul nous parler « en adulte », nous faire la morale, en nous disant des trucs du genre qu’on a pas été sages, ou je ne sais pas quelle autres conneries. Ces types sont de dangereux psychopathes. Et dans la foulée, ils libèrent le bas de l’escalier, nous libèrent toutes et tous, même le pauvre gars qui s’est fait menotté et tabassé. Et alors que nous prenions soin d’une de nos camarades qui avait été prise d’une crise d’angoisse, un de ces malades s’est même fendu d’un message au mégaphone : « Tout s’est bien passé, veuillez évacuer les lieux »…Nous étions majoritairement toutes et tous de bons petits « européens », bien propres sur nous ; qu’est-ce qu’il doivent morfler dans les cités …
Solidairement,
R
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Appel de la 1ère assemblée générale lycéenne nationale
Le 10 octobre, 200 lycéen.nes de 71 établissements et 32 villes se sont rassemblés à Paris pour une première Assemblée générale lycéenne nationale.
Le gouvernement a tout fait pour écraser notre mouvement par la répression, particulièrement dans les quartiers populaires, sans succès.
Face à la violence de l’État qui arrache des mains et crève des yeux, les dégradations des lycéens qui se défendent sont légitimes, nous en sommes solidaires et nous ne nous laisserons pas diviser ni récupérer.
C’est pour cela que l’on exige la libération de toustes les lycéen.nes interpellé.es!
En effet, notre mouvement continue et se renforce, avec d’immenses manifestations mardi 6 et jeudi 8 octobre partout en France et dans les outre-mers.
Le mouvement s’exporte même à l’étranger, comme en Belgique, en Allemagne ou encore en Italie. Après la répression, le gouvernement tente de négocier avec des pseudo-temps de démocratie interne par lycées.
On ne tombera pas dans le piège!
On refuse les représentants auto-proclamés et les discussions lycée par lycée. Si l’on cherche à être entendus, c’est à l’échelle nationale ; nous attendon sun changement global de notre société et nous continuerons le mouvement tant que nous n’aurons pas obtenu satisfaction.
C’est pourquoi l’on appelle à manifester dans toutes les villes le mardi 13 et jeudi 15 octobre avec des cortèges interlycéens.
On appelle aussi à la jonction de tous les secteurs qui se mobilisent (monde du travail, étudiants, lycéens).
Alors notre mouvement doit s’intensifier, en participant massivement au17 octobre qui pourrait marquer un tounant clé dans notre combat !
Mais pour que notre mouvement continue, ilf aut s’organiser par la base, avec des assemblées générales par lycée, par villes et en se coordonnant au niveau national, sans se contenter de la direction de l’intersyndicale qui tente de contenir l’incendie que les lycéens ont allumé.
On appelle aussi à une nouvelle coordination lycéenne nationale à Paris, dimanche 18 octobre avec des lycéens élus dans un maximum d’établissements et de villes.
Continuons le combat!
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Trump and Rubio weigh firing Kimberly Guilfoyle after reports of improper conduct
Senior official says president and US secretary of state are ‘extremely pissed off’ by conduct of US envoy to Greece
Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, are considering firing US ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle after a series of reports alleging she has engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens.
A senior US official said Sunday that Trump and Rubio are “extremely pissed off” by Guilfoyle’s reported conduct and would likely decide on what action to take this week after Monday’s federal holiday.
Continue reading... -
Raphaël Glucksmann, candidat par défaut du camp social-démocrate pour 2027
Au terme d’une campagne aux airs de chemin de croix, le leader de Place publique a remporté dès le premier tour la primaire sociale-démocrate, avec plus de 66% des voix. Mais entre les doutes sur sa «présidentiabilité», une stratégie d’alliances illisible et l’épreuve du rassemblement, le plus dur reste à venir. -
Trump Tyranny Tracker | Day 622: Oct. 7, 2026
A message sent by Kimberly Guilfoyle to Eric Deters.Welcome to today’s Trump Tyranny Tracker…
An FBI whistleblower alleging White House pressure to investigate protesters, Kimberly Guilfoyle facing allegations of influence peddling, and Trump’s Iran war driving fuel prices higher are among today’s top stories.
Today at a Glance
Trump ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle accused of seeking personal payments in exchange for access to federal officials.
FBI whistleblower alleges White House pressured agents to investigate anti-ICE protesters
Trump considers new strikes against Iran before the midterms as his war drives fuel prices higher.
What We Need to Pay Attention To
FBI whistleblower says White House pushed unconstitutional probe of protesters
What Happened: Former FBI supervisor Jill Fields alleges that the White House pressured the FBI to investigate Los Angeles protesters who warned residents about immigration raids and explained their legal rights, despite agents finding no basis for an investigation. Fields also alleges that agents were pulled from cartel investigations for operations intended to “make a show for the president.”
Why It Matters: The FBI is supposed to uphold the Constitution, not serve as a tool for Trump to target political dissent. These allegations describe another serious abuse of federal law enforcement power.
Source: NBC News
Corruption
‘Honey Please’: Kimberly Guilfoyle Pushed Donor to Wire $100,000 to Her Amex Account
What Happened: According to messages reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, U.S. Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle asked former congressional candidate Eric Deters to pay $100,000 toward her American Express bill. She was helping him reach senior IRS and Justice Department officials about his legal and tax problems, and he had promised her up to $1 million if she succeeded.
Why It Matters: The allegations point to more blatant corruption, with a Trump-appointed ambassador allegedly seeking personal payments in exchange for access to senior officials.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Trump proposes Camp David-style presidential retreat at his private Florida golf club
What Happened: Trump proposed turning his privately owned West Palm Beach golf club into a presidential retreat similar to Camp David, where presidents would host official meetings and foreign leaders. The proposal has been submitted to local officials.
Why It Matters: Trump continues to use the presidency to grift and benefit his businesses. Now he wants to make his own golf club an official presidential retreat, bringing more government business to a property he owns.
Source: Associated Press
Inside the Albanian Village Fighting a Jared Kushner-Backed Luxury Resort
What Happened: Villagers in Zvernec, Albania, are protesting Jared Kushner’s plans to build a luxury resort with hotels, casinos, and a water park on land they have used for farming and access to the coast for years. Security guards were also filmed assaulting a resident during an argument over fencing that blocked access to the property.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Power Consolidation
Trump sows doubt about mail-in voting while encouraging it, as midterms approach
What Happened: Trump again lied that mail-in voting is plagued by widespread fraud while at the same time encouraging Republicans to vote by mail. Meanwhile, despite all the lies and conspiracies Trump has voted by mail twice in Florida elections this year.
Why It Matters: Trump is attacking the legitimacy of mail ballots weeks before the midterms while encouraging his own supporters to use them. His contradictory messaging gives him grounds to question mail ballots if election results do not go his way.
Source: ABC News
USPS Hires Security Service With History of Human Rights Abuse
What Happened: The Postal Service hired private security company Prosegur to deploy nearly 1,000 armed guards at more than 50 facilities ahead of the midterms. The company has faced allegations of human rights abuses abroad, and the postal police union warns that its guards will operate under private rather than federal supervision.
Why It Matters: Armed private guards will be stationed at facilities handling election mail without direct federal supervision. The arrangement creates accountability problems at a time when Trump is repeatedly attacking mail-in voting.
Source: The New Republic
Trump doles out billions to voters ahead of midterm elections
What Happened: Trump is distributing $2.35 billion in payments ahead of the November midterms, including $90 checks to 20.8 million Medicare recipients and $500 payments to 950,000 Obamacare enrollees. Reuters found that 71% of eligible Obamacare recipients live in states with competitive Senate or gubernatorial elections.
Source: Reuters
Congress’ Watchdog Finds Trump Illegally Withheld More Than $1 Billion in Federal Funds
What Happened: The Government Accountability Office found that Trump officials illegally withheld more than $1 billion in funding approved by Congress for Environmental Protection Agency and Health and Human Services programs in 2025. The findings follow earlier GAO rulings that Trump violated federal spending laws.
Why It Matters: Trump is withholding taxpayer money that Congress legally approved, violating federal spending laws and bypassing Congress’s constitutional authority over government funding.
Source: The Washington Sun
Weaponization of Institutions
DOJ Is Recruiting Prosecutors to Monitor Polling Places
What Happened: The Justice Department is recruiting criminal prosecutors as part of its plan to send 1,000 federal monitors to polling places during the midterms. DOJ has traditionally used civil attorneys and other staff for election monitoring, but criminal prosecutors have already participated in at least one primary this year.
Why It Matters: Sending criminal prosecutors to polling places introduces the threat of prosecution into an election monitoring program meant to protect voting rights. Former DOJ officials warn that their presence risks intimidating voters and election workers.
Source: The Washington Sun
Trump Officials Ramp Up Investigations Into Voter Registration Groups
What Happened: Internal DHS documents show Trump officials investigated more than 150 nonprofit organizations suspected of registering noncitizens to vote, despite no credible evidence of widespread noncitizen voting. Officials also considered using undercover agents to investigate and disrupt the groups.
Why It Matters: Trump is directing federal investigative resources toward organizations that register voters, threatening to intimidate civic groups and discourage participation weeks before the midterms.
Source: New York Times
US proposes to boost transit funding to areas with higher marriage, birth rates
What Happened: Trump’s Transportation Department proposed increasing federal transit grants by 10% for communities with above-average marriage and birth rates, changing how funding is allocated to 40 major rail and bus projects. Projects in Washington, Boston, Silicon Valley, and Austin face potential cuts.
Source: Reuters
Media Suppression & Authoritarian Tactics
Election deniers stoke Trump-driven ballot security fears before midterms
What Happened: Trump allies and election deniers are spreading lies that voting systems are compromised weeks before the midterms. Trump met at the White House with Tina Peters, who was convicted over a breach of Colorado voting equipment, while former Trump official Ed Martin warned that if Congress fails to pass Trump’s election legislation, “the president’s going to have to do what he’s going to do.”
Why It Matters: Trump and his allies are escalating lies of election fraud ahead of the midterms and pushing for greater presidential control over elections. They are also threatening executive action to change voting rules without Congress.
Source: The Guardian
DNC sues administration over taxpayer-funded pro-Trump TV ads
What Happened: The Democratic National Committee sued Trump officials over taxpayer-funded television ads promoting Trump, alleging violations of federal spending and anti-propaganda laws. After bipartisan criticism, Trump claimed he and his super PAC, MAGA Inc., would pay for future ads but did not say whether taxpayers would be reimbursed for those already aired.
Source: NBC News
Human & Civil Rights Abuses
Immigration agents thrust National Guard into huge raid with zero warning, document shows
What Happened: An internal Army report found that federally controlled National Guard troops were drawn into a major Southern California immigration raid with little warning or planning. The report suggests soldiers helped detain and transport people, potentially violating restrictions on military involvement in domestic law enforcement. U.S. Northern Command denies troops performed those duties.
Why It Matters: Trump is using military personnel in domestic immigration operations that are supposed to be handled by civilian law enforcement. The reported involvement in detentions puts longstanding legal limits on the military’s domestic role at issue.
Source: MS NOW
Government Disruption
Weeks before Election Day, the nation’s campaign finance regulator can’t enforce the law
What Happened: The Federal Election Commission has been unable to investigate campaign finance violations, issue fines, or enforce election laws since May 2025 because it lacks the four commissioners needed for a quorum. Its backlog has doubled to 307 cases, with no enforcement cases resolved or new civil penalties approved during that period.
Source: CBS News
As Trump focuses the FBI on immigration, counterintelligence is falling behind
What Happened: FBI counterintelligence squads in many field offices are operating with only 50% to 60% of positions filled, while some offices have cut their counterintelligence squads in half. Agents and analysts have been reassigned to immigration and violent crime operations prioritized by Trump and FBI leadership.
Why It Matters: Trump is diverting FBI resources away from tracking Russian, Chinese, and other foreign intelligence operations. The cuts leave fewer agents protecting U.S. secrets, technology, and national security from foreign espionage.
Source: NPR
Facing stonewalling from Russia, Trump admin struggles to plan for potential plague fallout
What Happened: U.S. officials say Russia has failed to provide clear information about the death of a worker at the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute, leaving American officials unable to determine whether the incident poses a broader public-health threat. The State Department has requested answers from Moscow.
Source: CNN
Imperial & Geopolitical Watch
Trump Is Considering a Plan to Strike Iran Before the Midterms
What Happened: The White House asked the Pentagon to develop options for new strikes against Iran before the midterms. According to The Atlantic, officials are weighing the strikes partly in connection with Trump’s desire to show progress in the war and lower gas prices before the election. No final decision has been made.
Source: The Atlantic
Trump’s Retreat: From the Gulf to Britain, American Forces Pull Back
What Happened: The U.S. withdrew 12 B-1 bombers from Britain’s RAF Fairford base following intelligence warnings of a possible Iranian-backed drone attack. The Iran war has also forced American forces to abandon or restrict operations at bases across the Middle East, complicating military logistics and increasing costs.
Why It Matters: Trump’s war against Iran is forcing American military withdrawals and disrupting operations across multiple regions. The retreats are exposing vulnerabilities in U.S. defenses and limiting America’s ability to project military power.
Source: New York Times
“They hit us bad.” Newly obtained footage, witness accounts detail Iran attack — and U.S. retreat — at major post in Kuwait
What Happened: Newly obtained footage and military accounts show Iranian missiles, drones, and reportedly fighter jets repeatedly attacked Camp Buehring, a major U.S. military base in Kuwait. American soldiers ran critically low on ammunition, lacked adequate protection against mass casualties, and ultimately abandoned the base, relocating into the Kuwaiti desert.
Source: CBS News
UK Sees Trump’s Bomber Jets Move Boosting Iran and Russia
What Happened: Current and former British officials warned that Trump’s withdrawal of U.S. B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford following a suspected Iranian-linked attack plot risks encouraging Russia and Iran to conduct further sabotage through criminal proxies.
Why It Matters: British officials fear the withdrawal demonstrates that relatively inexpensive sabotage threats can disrupt Western military deployments, encouraging Russia and Iran to expand similar operations against NATO.
Source: Bloomberg
Far-Right & Russian Influence Watch
Unmasking RussiaMasked Men at Latvia’s Border as Moscow Builds a “Nazi” Narrative Around the BalticsMonday was another one of those days when individual events may not seem particularly unusual, but putting several things together paints a much more concerning picture. According to Latvian authorities, a group of armed, masked men appeared on the Belarusian side of the border and attempted to force around 20 migrants into Latvia, threatening Latvian soldiers who stopped them from crossing. The men stayed on the Belarusian side, but several hours later, masked individuals crossed into Latvia, damaged an electrical distribution panel, stole two surveillance cameras, and fled back into Belarus before Latvian border guards arrived. Latvia has dealt with migrant pressure from Belarus for years, but armed masked men threatening Latvian soldiers and then crossing the border and damaging infrastructure is definitely an escalation…Read more4 days ago · 204 likes · 17 comments · Olga LautmanEconomic News
High diesel prices may put ‘another squeeze’ on the consumer, economist says
What Happened: Average U.S. diesel prices reached $6.32 a gallon, up 68% since the start of Trump’s war against Iran, while gasoline prices have risen 47%. The war has disrupted Middle Eastern oil supplies and refining capacity, driving up transportation and production costs.
Why It Matters: Diesel powers the transportation of food and goods and is widely used in farming and manufacturing. Higher fuel costs are driving up prices across the economy, putting additional pressure on Americans already struggling with everyday expenses.
Source: CNBC
Inflation fears on the rise as one-year outlook in Fed survey hits highest level since May 2023
What Happened: The New York Federal Reserve’s latest survey found that Americans expect inflation to reach 3.9% over the next year, the highest reading since May 2023. Expected household spending growth also rose to 5.5% as rising energy costs put additional pressure on household budgets.
Source: CNBC
Resistance
Check out 50501 for local and nationwide events…
Source: 50501
‘We Have to Punch Back’: Top Nevada Official Prepares For Possible Election Havoc From Trump
What Happened: Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar has prepared lawsuits that can be filed immediately if federal agents attempt to seize ballots or interfere with polling places during the midterms. Aguilar says Nevada has received seven election-related DOJ subpoenas this year and that he is personally under federal investigation.
Source: TIME
By the Numbers
$2.35 billion — Payments Trump is distributing to Americans ahead of the midterms
$100,000 — Amount Kimberly Guilfoyle allegedly asked a former congressional candidate to pay toward her American Express bill while helping him contact senior federal officials.
1,000 — Federal election monitors the Justice Department plans to deploy to polling places
150+ — Voter registration organizations investigated by Trump officials
307 — Campaign finance enforcement cases backlogged at the Federal Election Commission
$1 billion+ — Congressionally approved federal funding that the Government Accountability Office found Trump officials illegally withheld.
50–60% — Staffing levels in many FBI counterintelligence squads as agents are reassigned to other priorities.
$6.32 — Average price of a gallon of diesel, up 68% since Trump’s Iran war began.
47% — Increase in gasoline prices since Trump’s Iran war began.
3.9% — Inflation Americans expect over the next year, the highest reading since May 2023.
12 — U.S. B-1 bombers withdrawn from Britain following intelligence warnings of a possible Iranian-backed drone attack.
What to Watch Next
DHS has investigated more than 150 voter registration groups — Will officials expand these investigations or deploy undercover agents against voter registration organizations?
The Justice Department plans to send 1,000 federal monitors to polling places — How will states respond if federal agents interfere with voting or ballot handling?
GAO found Trump illegally withheld more than $1 billion in federal funding — Will Congress take action to defend its constitutional authority over spending?
Kimberly Guilfoyle faces allegations of pay-to-play — Will Congress investigate, and what other instances of influence peddling might an investigation uncover?
Key Takeaways
National Security — American troops have had to leave bases during Trump’s war with Iran, with some running dangerously low on ammunition. Meanwhile, the FBI is taking agents away from counterintelligence work to focus on immigration enforcement.
Personal Profiteering — Kimberly Guilfoyle allegedly sought money in exchange for access to federal officials, Trump wants to conduct presidential business at his private golf club, and Jared Kushner is pursuing foreign business deals while working on U.S. foreign policy.
Foreign Threats — British officials warn that withdrawing U.S. bombers gives Russia and Iran an incentive to carry out more sabotage, while Moscow is withholding information about a possible plague incident.
Rising Costs — Diesel prices have risen 68% and gasoline prices 47%. Americans expect to spend more over the next year as prices continue to rise.
Military Overreach — An Army report suggests National Guard troops helped detain and transport immigrants during a California raid, despite legal restrictions on using the military for domestic law enforcement.
Call to Action
Document Everything: Document purges, corruption, and power grabs. Share credible information with journalists, watchdogs, and legal experts. Silence enables authoritarianism—see something, say something.
Defend Press Freedom: Support independent journalism by subscribing to and sharing reporting that challenges Trump’s power grab.
Contact Lawmakers: Demand accountability for Trump’s unchecked power and war on oversight.
Mobilize for Action: Organize or join legal efforts and resistance movements to protect democracy and human and civil rights.
Support Whistleblowers: Encourage legal defense funds for government workers facing retaliation for exposing corruption.
Follow my work on YouTube → Subscribe to Unmasking Russia
https://youtube.com/@unmaskingrussia
Preorder My New Book…
Putin’s Pawns takes you on a journey from the earliest days of the Cold War and Soviet KGB active measures through Russia’s attacks on Western elections, the rise of the far right, Trump and Russia, the genocidal war against Ukraine, influence operations across Europe, and the shadow war unfolding today.
It is the story of how Moscow spent decades learning to exploit the weaknesses of democracies and how those tactics brought us to this moment.
Preorder now
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250796547/putinspawns/
Thanks for reading the Trump Tyranny Tracker. Stay tuned for more updates.
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[Nantes] AG étudiante « organisons la suite du mouvement »
La mobilisation est loin d’etre terminé !
Retrouvons nous en assemblée générale demain, lundi 12 octobre à 12h devant le pôle étudiant.
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Our Wins Of The Week
This week, we saw many top-tier Senate candidates take to the debate stage. And it did not go well for Republicans.
Abdul El-Sayed faced off against Mike Rogers and ripped him for being the “champion of big pharma.”
And hoo boy.
Troy Jackson absolutely owned Senator Susan Collins during their debates this week, whether it was this moment…
Or when he repeatedly called her out for voting for Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination.
And the way Jon Ossoff wiped the floor with Mike Collins…
Yaassss.
👏 👏 👏
Meanwhile, Ken Paxton won’t even agree to debate James Talarico.
But now Trump is urging him to 😂
Just a reminder that our Tuesday and Thursday content is free for all readers.If you missed this week’s pieces, please check out Unprecedented Corruption—and How We End It and Trump Has Resorted to Bribing Voters Ahead of the Midterms. But Will It Work? -
Abdul El-Sayed: Democrats must ‘win by massive numbers’ to fend off Trump election denial
Democratic Senate candidate’s remarks come as Trump has long baselessly claimed his 2020 election loss was stolen
Democrats must “win by massive numbers” during November’s federal midterm elections because Donald Trump and his Republican allies are bound to try to sow doubt about the integrity of the results, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan said on Sunday.
El-Sayed’s comments on NBC’s Meet the Press came with the Democrats favored to win control of the House of Representatives during the 3 November midterms – and polls show that the party could also win Senate seats in states that traditionally elect Republicans and gain a majority there, too.
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Mobilisons-nous avec la jeunesse, le 13 octobre !
La CNT-SO appelle à la grève et à la mobilisation, dans tous les secteurs, le 13 octobre, aux côtés de la jeunesse. Lycéen·nes, étudiant·es, travailleur·euses, ensemble : contre l’austérité, pour les services publics,… -
The Guardian view on the US, Russia and the international criminal court: Trump’s assault on the rule of law intensifies | Editorial
A fuel deal with Vladimir Putin, and sanctions against the legal institution, ram home the president’s belief that might is right
On Friday, Donald Trump drove home his belief that might is right and the rule of law is an obstacle rather than an essential foundation stone of international order. First came the escalated assault on the international criminal court (ICC), sanctioning the body itself. Then he announced a deal with Russia to buy diesel.
The US has long chafed at the notion of being bound by the rule of law that it espoused publicly. That hypocrisy now appears as a lesser vice. The president has declared that “my own morality” is all that constrains him. His brazen flouting of the law, embrace of dictators and rhetorical attacks all undermine global standards.
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
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🦏 Pour les lycéens : double ration de flics
Cette semaine dans Rhinocéros, on revient sur la répression qui s’est abattue sur les lycéens mobilisés, et sur les discours qui l’ont accompagnée. La mécanique est connue à chaque mouvement social : les grands médias disent détester la casse, mais… -
Trump announces partial ceasefire in Ukraine war as Zelenskyy says deal is ‘news to me’
Ukrainian president earlier rejected US call for Kyiv to stop bombing oil refineries, saying Moscow must first end attacks on energy infrastructure
Donald Trump has announced an energy ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, apparently without consulting Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said the deal to stop long-range attacks was “news to me”.
In a social media post, the US president claimed the two sides had reached an agreement. “Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!” he wrote on Truth Social.
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Trump’s deal with Putin will have little impact on US diesel prices, experts say
Analysts say fuel will take weeks to ship and quantity is too small to affect prices, while full deal is unlikely to be met given damage to Russian refineries
Donald Trump’s deal with Vladimir Putin to temporarily lift sanctions on US imports of Russian diesel will have little “meaningful” effect on motorists and businesses in the US and overseas, energy and foreign policy analysts have predicted.
The US president infuriated Volodymyr Zelenskyy when he announced the deal on Friday, writing on Truth Social that the agreement with his Russia counterpart to supply millions of tonnes of diesel was essential to reduce fuel prices in the US, which have soared after his decision to go to war against Iran.
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Kash Patel Colluded with Russian Spies to Frame Jim Comey, and He Probably Will Again
Sarah Fitzpatrick has a story describing that Kash Patel refuses to tell anyone at the FBI why he’s hopping on a plane to fly to Russia this week.Current and former FBI officials familiar with the matter told me there was a quiet campaign to urge senior leadership to cancel the trip. When that and other efforts to pass apprehensions up the chain went unanswered, some shared their worries with Congress. Now a pair of senior House Democrats are taking the unusual step of asking the FBI director to scrap the visit, which is reportedly set to begin next week: “In the interest of national security, we ask you to reconsider. Call off this trip,” they wrote in a letter that I obtained. The letter is signed by Representative Jamie Raskin, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Representative Jim Himes, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee. Patel has not replied to the letter and the FBI has not publicly confirmed his travel plans. Neither the FBI nor the White House responded to my multiple requests for comment.
The story notes that Kash has, with Trump, spent a decade trying to dismiss Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
But it doesn’t mention that Kash has used his position in the Deep State — first as babysitter for John Ratcliffe, then as FBI Director — to collude with Russian spies to frame Donald Trump’s adversaries, first Hillary Clinton and then more recently Jim Comey.
As Chuck Grassley exposed last year, documents shared with the FBI in 2016 discussed framing Hillary Clinton, based on her criticism of Donald Trump’s coziness with Russia. Kash appears to have discovered the documents when undermining the Russian investigation in 2017; right wingers on HPSCI got a look at them in 2018; and then Kash had John Ratcliffe declassify them in 2020 to create a basis for the John Durham investigation.
But the documents Kash was attempting to use to claim that Hillary tried to frame Trump (which is not what they said anyway) were fabrications. They were fabricated starting on July 26, 2016, to distract from growing discoveries tying Guccifer 2.0 to Russia.
Even though Durham showed they were fabrications (he called them “composites”), Kash kept using those Russian fabrications to try to frame Trump’s adversaries. Jim Comey’s confused answer about the fabrications was one of the things Trump charged Comey for last year. And there’s no way Todd Blanche could charge the Grand Conspiracy without relying on Comey’s confused answer, either.
Last year, after Charlie Savage laid out what I also did — that Kash and John Durham had been chasing Russian fabrications for years — Kash panicked, and endorsed Sean Davis’ propaganda about these reports in an attempt to cling to his use of Russian fabrications.
That’s a problem. For the same reasons I laid out in this video about the misleading way Chuck Grassley declassified the document, it means that when Kash gets on a plane to visit Russian spies this week, they already have his nuts in a vice, because they know — and have proof — that he has been relying on Russian fabrications to frame people.
The entire logic of the Durham Report holds that it is a crime to knowingly rely on Russian disinformation — or false claims at all — to try to frame someone.
That is the crime the FBI Director continues to commit.
And Putin’s spies have proof that is what Kash is doing.
Links
John Ratcliffe and Kash Patel — and Durham Himself — Committed the Crime John Durham Was Hunting
How Chuck Grassley’s Politicized Redactions Gave Putin Leverage over Trump
The SVR Fabrication Necessitates Reconceiving the 2016 Russian Influence Operation
Did the Comey Dismissal Render Kash Patel’s Grand Conspiracy “Just Someone Else’s Fantasy”?
The post Kash Patel Colluded with Russian Spies to Frame Jim Comey, and He Probably Will Again appeared first on emptywheel.
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17 OCTOBRE : JAUNES ET JEUNES, MÊME COMBAT !
On se retrouve sur les ronds points de Chambéry pour passer du temps ensemble ! -
La stratégie russe derrière le pilonnage de Kyiv
Les attaques de plus en plus spectaculaires sur sa capitale ne sont pas une «réponse» aux frappes de l’Ukraine contre le pétrole russe, mais le fruit d’une stratégie au long cours de Moscou, décuplée par des capacités techniques et industrielles nouvelles. -
Pétrole: Donald Trump sacrifie l’Ukraine pour un plat de lentilles
À la veille des élections de mi-mandat, Washington signe avec Moscou un accord sur le gazole et fait de l’Ukraine le bouc émissaire de la crise née de sa guerre contre l’Iran. Peine perdue: les livraisons russes prévues d’ici à décembre couvrent à peine trois jours de consommation états-unienne. -
Après quatre ans d’agression russe, la tentation de laisser tomber l’Ukraine persiste à gauche
En France, en Italie ou en Allemagne, des voix continuent d’invoquer les risques d’escalade ou la nécessité de la diplomatie pour limiter voire stopper le soutien à Kyiv. À l’heure où Trump agit en collusion avec Poutine autant qu’avec Nétanyahou, un tel abandon serait irresponsable. -
Zelenskyy signals surprise at Trump claim of Russia-Ukraine ‘energy ceasefire’ but would back it if Moscow does – as it happened
Ukraine’s president reportedly says Kyiv would accept a deal if Moscow does after US president posts announcement with no detail on social media
The president of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has expressed her “full support for President Zelenskyy” amid calls for a ceasefire.
In a telephone call with the Ukrainian leader, von der Leyen posted on X that she “fully supported the call of President Zelenskyy for a ceasefire that would protect global food supplies and energy infrastructure in Ukraine and Russia.
“Ukraine supports the ceasefire, and it’s important for Russia to support it as well. We are awaiting details from the American side. From our Ukrainian side, there is always FULL support for de-escalation steps, protection of lives, and the necessary decisions to end the war and ensure lasting peace.”
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SAMEDI 17 OCTOBRE : JAUNES ET JEUNES, MÊME COMBAT !
On se retrouve sur les ronds points de Chambéry pour passer du temps ensemble ! -
Pete Songi on Donald Trump’s plan to buy diesel from Russia – cartoon
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« Ils ont détruit notre avenir » : un agriculteur palestinien contraint de raser sa ferme
Pendant plus de 40 ans, Fayez et Muna Taneed ont cultivé leurs terres près de Tulkarem, en Palestine occupée. Après des décennies de confiscations, de pollution industrielle et d’attaques militaires, un ordre de démolition israélien les a contraints à… -
Evidence Is Evidence: The Questions Scott Bessent Couldn’t Answer
My favorite sentence in Scott Bessent’s effort to dodge Elizabeth Warren’s oversight via public trolling states that the Treasury market’s liquidity and performance compared to US peers is evidence.The U.S. Treasury market’s liquidity and performance versus global peers is evidence.
It doesn’t say what it is evidence of.
Senator Warren wrote the letter, “to ask how the Treasury Department (Treasury) plans to address the harm to families and risks to the financial system from skyrocketing interest rates, which are driven in part by President Trump’s failed economic agenda and your market misadventures.” Her letter laid out the following:
- 10-year Treasury yields are the highest they’ve been since 2002 (sourced to WSJ)
- Those surging yields harm consumers, especially through higher mortgage rates (sourced to NBC, NYT, Mortgage News Daily, National Association of Realtors)
- That surge is self-inflicted, and comes on top of efforts by the Fed to rein in inflation, which is driven by the Iran War
- Trump’s policies are driving up National Debt (citing US Bureau of Economic Analysis)
- Trump’s policies, including both the Big Ugly Bill and the Iran War, are driving up the deficit (citing reports on the financial impact and effects of the law and the AP)
- A long paragraph on what Warren calls Bessent’s “chaotic interventions in the market, apparently in hopes of stemming the damage” citing this CNN story to claim Bessent’s intervention is failing:
Rather than advise the President to lower costs, you have chosen to launch unprecedented and chaotic interventions in the market, apparently in hopes of stemming the damage. On August 19, 2026, the Treasury Department announced its plan to double the size of its buyback operations, in which it issues short-term Treasury bills to buy back longer dated bonds.15 There were reports that the Treasury reportedly was even considering tapping its cash on hand, maintained in the Treasury General Account at the Federal Reserve, to further increase the buybacks.16 Since then, Treasury has gone through with three rounds of these buybacks: $5.2 billion on September 10, $4.1 billion on September 24, and $6 billion on October 1.17 While you asserted that the goal of these purchases was to make it easier for investors to buy and sell Treasuries, others—including your former boss —see your move as an attempt to reduce the high interest rates on longer term Treasury debt. Unfortunately, your intervention is failing.18 Indeed, bond yields rose on the days of the first two buybacks, and while they dipped on the day of the third, they climbed again the following day and remain high.19 Buybacks are not designed to lower rates, and they are financed by issuing new debt, which only adds to the pressure pushing rates higher.20 Further, the administration’s casting about for various measures to reassure the markets is undermining the longstanding strategy that Treasury issuance—and buybacks—should be “regular and predictable” to keep financing costs lower over time.21
- Another paragraph describing the financial struggles of Americans citing (among other things) this NYT story
She asked the following questions:
- Is the Treasury planning to draw down the Treasury General Account to expand buybacks further? If so, on what timeline? What risks does that pose to Treasury’s cash position and to market liquidity?
- What analysis has the Treasury done—including through the Bureau of Tax Analysis, Office of Economic Policy, and Office of the Secretary—on how higher yields are affecting mortgage payments, car loans, and credit card costs for American families? Provide copies of that analysis.
- How is the Treasury ensuring lenders don’t overcharge consumers at a time when the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been gutted? What specific steps is the Treasury taking, beyond buybacks, to bring long-term yields down?
- Will you recommend that the President end the war in Iran and pursue other policies to reduce inflation and lower costs for families? If not, what is your plan to lower costs for families?
Rather than answer any of those four questions — what he’s doing with his buybacks, whether Treasury has tracked how higher yields are affecting consumers, whether Treasury is protecting consumers against being cheated, and whether he has counseled Trump to end the war that is spiking prices — Bessent did the following:
- Told her she should take an introductory economics course
- Accused her of blaming the Fed in 2022 when inflation spiked under Biden
- Rather than answering her question about his plans on the buybacks, instead claimed that evidence is evidence
‘The “interventions” you describe as “unprecedented” have been underway since May 2024. The buyback program has been well received by market participants in bolstering Treasury liquidity, which reduces market volatility, increases the convenience yield of Treasury securities and ensures the best value for the taxpayer. The continued enhancements optimize Treasury market liquidity in primary and secondary markets. The U.S. Treasury market’s liquidity and performance versus global peers is evidence. [my emphasis]
- Responded to her comments about the services that the Big Ugly Bill stripped from Americans by boasting that “the average refund this filing season was over $3,400,” though some of that was because people overpaid last year and it is an average that includes especially large refunds from changes to SALT
- Complained about these comments in this paywallwed Punchbowl article, which was itself a response to this WSJ profile laying out Bessent’s bullying and his failure to meet his own goals
To summarize, Warren asked if he’s doing anything to help American consumers and whether he knows what he’s doing with risky market interventions, and he responded by blaming Joe Biden and then rather than responding to criticisms in the WSJ and Punchbowl (which, incidentally, show that his interventions have not been well-received), accused her of being stupid.
It did serve Bessent’s apparent purpose, however, of going viral among a bunch of people who apparently haven’t read what it says — or perhaps have only read Bessent’s Native American slur.
Accused of being a bully whose management makes the US less safe, Scott Bessent decided to waggle his dick around and dodge any question about his performance.
Which only raises more questions about whether he could manage an increasingly likely financial crisis.
The post Evidence Is Evidence: The Questions Scott Bessent Couldn’t Answer appeared first on emptywheel.
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Trump urges John Fetterman to switch parties: ‘I’d love to see him as a Republican’
Comments were among the most direct overtures by Trump to woo Democratic senator into his Republican party
Donald Trump on Saturday openly encouraged Democratic US senator John Fetterman to switch parties and become a Republican just weeks before the federal midterm elections could reshape control of Congress.
“I’d love to see him as a Republican,” the presidents told reporters at Joint Base Andrews as he returned to Washington DC from a rally in Tennessee. “He does better as a Republican than he does as a Democrat.”
Guardian staff contributed reporting
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Houthi attack on Riyadh airport forces swift rethink of Trump’s new strategy
US president’s plan to park the wars in Iran and Yemen, while blaming Ukraine for diesel prices, looks unsustainable
The reckless missile attack on King Khalid international airport in Riyadh on Saturday did not just export the death and misery inside Yemen to Saudi Arabia, it also left Donald Trump forced to reconsider his diplomatic and political strategy designed to take him into the midterm elections next month.
The US president’s plan had only been unveiled on Friday. He said it was the result of “a world problem” – spiralling diesel prices – which he blamed on Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s attacks on Russian oil refineries. He was going to keep the political temperature down on his war of choice in Iran and its spillover in Yemen until after the midterms.
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Bruxelles s’enflamme
Le 9 octobre, la capitale belge s'est enflammée à son tour avec une manifestation qui a réuni des milliers de personnes à Bruxelles.
L’article Bruxelles s’enflamme est apparu en premier sur Contre Attaque.
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//Brasero//Lutter pour une autre rentrée
C'est Brasero rentrée et dans l'agenda,
ce qui brise le cœur et attise la rage
le mouvement des lycéen.ne.s
leurs révoltes, leurs convergence et leurs divergences,
leurs situations bien différentes et leurs communs
mais surtout l'arrêt...
leurs arrêts dans les geôles,
le silence dans les classes
et le bruit dehors.
Ce soir vous entendrez des sons de camarades envoyés depuis les points de blocage des lycées à Toulouse, merci à elleux.Musiques
Voir en ligne : le lien pour écouter et télécharger (clic droit enregistrer sous) l'émission
THEA "La vie est belle"
SOLI "Ma mission"
MEDINE "L'amour" -
US maternity wards face wave of closures as Medicaid cuts kick in
Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ spending cuts will be fully felt next year, but hospitals are already feeling the squeeze
Maternity wards across the United States are facing a wave of closures as cuts to federal Medicaid funding take effect, experts have warned.
According to analysis by the non-profit Protect Our Care, 52 maternity wards have closed since the HR1 bill was announced in July 2025, with a further eight having announced their upcoming closure.
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Trump Calls On Ukraine to Stop Hitting Russian Refineries—and Replace Zelensky
President Trump called on Ukraine to replace Volodymyr Zelensky as its leader and piled pressure on Kyiv to stop airstrikes against Russian oil refineries, a day after the U.S. leader announced a deal to boost Moscow's diesel exports. "I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president," Trump told reporters on Saturday, blaming Zelensky for Russia's continuing war on the country—and Kyiv's airstrikes for high diesel prices in the U.S. and worldwide. "He better damn well stop," Trump said. -
U.S. official: Trump cut deal with Putin after Zelensky ignored his requests
President Trump decided to make a diesel fuel deal with Russia after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ignored half a dozen U.S. requests to stop attacking Russian oil refineries, a U.S. official with direct knowledge told Axios. Why it matters: Trump's deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin sparked a new crisis with Ukraine and threatens to derail a new push by the Trump administration for a deal to end the war. -
Putin and Trump hold 'successful' talks: Key details
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump held a 90-minute phone conversation on Friday, discussing the Ukraine conflict, a major agreement on Russian diesel supplies, the crisis surrounding Iran, and prospects for broader cooperation between Moscow and Washington. -
Inde: face à la mobilisation de la jeunesse, la violence passe un cap dans Delhi cadenassée
Sympathisants du «parti des cafards», opposition et syndicats ont convergé le 10 octobre vers la capitale, dénonçant des fraudes électorales. Les forces de sécurité les ont violemment repoussés, donnant un peu de temps au gouvernement, dans l’impasse face à la fronde de la «Gen Z» qui monte depuis le mois de juin. -
Did Trump get one thing right about Greenland?
Threatening an ally is a terrible idea, but there’s no denying the Arctic’s increasing strategic importance
One of Donald Trump’s more diabolical talents is his ability to land on the right things in the wrong way. Since his first term, Trump has been obsessed with the Arctic – Greenland in particular – something that has puzzled and enraged many, particularly in Europe. He first brought up the idea of buying the icy landmass from Denmark in 2019. Right after re-election, he began ramping up his rhetoric about acquiring it “one way or another”, threatening the Nato alliance and the foundations of post-second world war security.
Trump got his way – thankfully without military force – in September, when the US and Denmark signed an agreement that allowed for many more US troops on the island, albeit without the sort of takeover that the president enjoys “joking” about. “The United States will FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland,” Trump wrote on social media. “We will work with the people of Greenland in its development and construction.”
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