Zerohedge

"Wants To Be More Political Than His Daddy": Alex Soros Plows $103 Million Into Unhinged Democrats Ahead Of Midterms The uncomfortable reality for socialist Democrats is that the anti-capitalist and anti-American movement is not an organic uprising from the working class, as they often portray in their propaganda. Socialism on full display: AOC wears "Tax The Rich" dress to the Met Gala ($30k tickets) while masked workers serve her (2021) pic.twitter.com/jB2XU0o1zt — End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) May 4, 2026 The same left-wing politicians and activists who talk about dismantling capitalism and throwing wrenches into the capitalist system, all while pushing nation-killing progressive experiments across the West, are often backed by billionaire dark money and, in some cases, foreign influence networks. A New York Post report released this weekend found that left-wing billionaire George Soros and his son, Alex Soros, who is even more politically extreme than his father, have funded Democrats and socialists to the tune of a staggering $102.8 million so far in the midterm cycle. The Soros family seems hell-bent on advancing a far-left, radicalized agenda to reshape the nation into what can only be described as a leftist hellhole, something already present in blue cities plagued by years of violent crime and chaos. NYPost adds more color: Only a fraction of this cycle's contributions — $793,800 — were made in the 95-year-old mega donor's name, a review of publicly available Federal Election Commission data reveals. . . . Almost all of the money — $102 million — was funneled through the Democracy Political Action Committee, the super PAC Soros launched in 2020, which acts as the family's main political arm, obfuscating efforts to know which radical candidates the clan is propping up. Of that, a little over half, $52 million, came from George Soros through the private corporation Geosor under his name and the other half, $50 million, from Fund for Policy Reform, a nonprofit which lists Alex Soros as director in tax filings. Democracy Political Action Committee Parker Thayer, an investigative researcher at think tank Capital Research Center, told The Post that Alex Soros "wants to be more political than his dad. This is the first midterm cycle where he is in control," adding, "George is not in control; he hasn't been in control for some time." Related: Musk Calls Out Soros' Radical Son: "Can You Stop Trying To Destroy Civilization?" NYPost also noted direct donations by George and Alex Soros to several unhinged Democratic candidates and lawmakers, including Graham Platner, Ilhan Omar, Ro Khanna, Raphael Warnock, Jon Ossoff, and Pramila Jayapal. The report continued: Alex Soros, 40, and his father George both sent a maximum contributions of $7,000 ($14,00 total) to Maine senatorial candidate Graham Platner, who's been accused of misconduct toward women and regularly slams the rich — despite his own wealthy upbringing and lining his pockets with billionaire money. The fat cat's spawn maxed out donations and sent $7,000 to Jimmy Choo-wearing Omar, who's been slammed for allegedly knowing about the widespread fraud involving the Somali community in her Minneapolis district. Omar has denied wrongdoing.' He also sent a max donation of $7,000 to multimillionaire Silicon Valley lefty Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who's said to be mulling a 2028 presidential run.   The nepo baby and his oligarch father also sent maximum donations to two other 2028 Democratic presidential hopefuls with Peach State Pastor Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) receiving a total of $14,000 each. In all, the Soros' have already poured an eye-watering 52% more into the family political slush fund than in 2024, when they channeled $67 million into the Democracy PAC, according to campaign filings. Last fall, Seamus Bruner, Director of Research at the Government Accountability Institute, briefed President Trump and his cabinet on dark-money-funded NGOs and activist groups fueling chaos nationwide, a phenomenon also referred to as the protest-industrial complex. "We have identified dozens of radical organizations, not just the decentralized Antifa organizations, but dozens of radical organizations that have received more than $100 million from the Riot Inc investors," Bruner told Trump at the Antifa roundtable at the White House. via Government Accountability Institute At the time, Elon Musk commented on X in response to a video featuring Bruner's public briefing to the president about dark-money-funded NGOs, saying, "Way more than $100M of US taxpayer money." Way more than $100M of US taxpayer money — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 8, 2025 Bruner's briefing to Trump builds on last year's New York Times report, which cited a Capital Research Center report stating that "Soros' Open Society gave $80 million to pro-terror groups"... It is important to understand that the Trump administration's broader NGO investigations appear to be focusing on the radicalization pipeline within the American left. Soros-linked money is certainly part of the story, but it is not the whole story. The key shift in investigations now appears to be centering around Democratic Socialists and their potential connections to foreign influence networks, including entities allegedly tied to the China-linked Neville Roy Singham network and Cuba.   Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently signaled, "In the weeks and months ahead, we are going to have a lot to report" on the NGOs. One major signal came from President Trump himself, who criticized Marxists on Truth Social last Friday, suggesting he may have been briefed on the broader problem of radical left NGOs and Marxist-aligned activist networks. At the same time, top Democratic Party leaders appeared on corporate media at the end of last week, effectively admitting their party has been influenced by socialists and Marxists. Truth Social Post #1  Then #2  So what happens next? If Trump launches an anti-Marxist task force, he could frame it not only as a crackdown on radical NGOs and foreign influence networks but also as an effort to rescue the Democratic Party from its own stupidity by allowing socialists and Marxists to run rampant inside their DEI kingdom. The unofficial spokesperson of the DSA recently told millions of followers to kill capitalists in the streets. Hasan Piker calls on his followers to kill capitalists: “Yeah kill them! KiII those motherfuckers and murder those motherfuckers in the streets. Let the streets soak in their fucking red capitalist blood, dude.” Democrats are campaigning with him. pic.twitter.com/YiZxGgRkgc — Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) April 9, 2026 DSA's plan for America: There has been a troubling pattern of youth radicalization targeting "capitalists." Top officials in the U.S. and Europe have agreed in recent meetings that this radicalization is producing increasingly younger extremists. Tyler Durden Sun, 06/28/2026 - 20:25

CDC Raises Ebola Response To Highest Level As Outbreak Grows Authored by Kimberley Hayek via The Epoch Times, The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has activated its highest-level emergency response to the growing Ebola outbreak in central Africa caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain, as the agency says that the risk of spread within the United States remains low. The move to Level 1 activation, signifying the most severe health crises, comes as the outbreak, which is now in its second month, has infected more than 1,200 people in Congo, with 321 deaths reported there, plus additional cases in neighboring Uganda, according to the World Health Organization. This marks the highest first-month total of any Ebola episode on record. Dr. Satish Pillai, the CDC’s incident manager for the Ebola response, detailed the agency’s efforts during a briefing on June 26. Pillai said the CDC has stationed 19 staff members overseas to aid country teams and local health ministries with data analysis, exit screenings at airports, laboratory support, and training. Those personnel join approximately 100 CDC staff already on the ground in Congo and Uganda. There are no approved vaccines or specific treatments for the Bundibugyo strain, distinguishing it from more common Zaire ebolavirus outbreaks. Mortality rates for Bundibugyo have historically spanned from 25 percent to 50 percent, according to the CDC. The United States is currently developing a vaccine to combat the Bundibugyo strain through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). That agency is also sending doses of the experimental monoclonal antibody therapy MBP134, which was developed with Mapp Biopharmaceutical for compassionate use and a randomized clinical trial spearheaded by the University of Oxford. BARDA has also pre-positioned 2,500 rapid diagnostic tests for deployment to Africa. BARDA is also seeking proposals for vaccine candidates using the same platform as Merck’s Ervebo vaccine, which targets the Zaire strain. The effort strives to support both the current outbreak response and longer-term preparedness in coordination with global partners, including the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. The outbreak, first confirmed in mid-May in Congo, has spread to additional health zones, with recent jumps in cases and deaths. Congo’s Ministry of Communications reported 72 new cases and 32 new deaths in one update, raising the regional toll. Death totals in the outbreak have surpassed 200, with confirmed fatalities climbing steadily. The outbreak has encompassed the displacement camps where the first Ebola deaths were reported, and challenges like laboratories running low on testing supplies early on in the response. Uganda has closed its border with Congo, and has confirmed cases and deaths of its own. U.S. officials have issued travel advisories for the impacted regions. The State Department and CDC have issued guidance for travelers, with certain restrictions expanded in response to the outbreak. Health authorities underscore that while the situation in Africa is serious, transmission requires direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals or contaminated surfaces, lowering the threat of widespread spread in the United States. No cases have been reported in the United States connected to this outbreak. Prior Ebola outbreaks, including the 2014–2016 West Africa epidemic, have also prompted a previous Level 1 CDC activation. International partners, including UNICEF and Gavi, have also urged accelerated vaccine development for the Bundibugyo strain. Tyler Durden Sun, 06/28/2026 - 18:40

The Coming Return Of Commodity-Backed Money Authored by Chris MacIntosh via InternationalMan.com, This piece is as much a mental exploration as a fact-gathering exercise. Let’s begin with the problem. Bank failures come together with economic failures. So trusting banks is a problem, but furthermore, trusting fiat currency is also a problem. This is on top of the issue that moving capital from one bank to another is increasingly fraught with headaches. AML and KYC have become weaponised, and the global surveillance system is tightening its grip. So movement of capital, treasury, and of course what to own in your treasury are all problems as I see it. How to solve for all? The Inversion Most investors think in fiat terms — what’s the IRR in dollars, what’s the EBITDA multiple. That’s measuring real assets with a rubber ruler. The better question is: What is this stake worth in hard asset terms, and what hard asset exposure does it give me per unit of fiat deployed? Fiat currency is a liability of a central bank. It has no intrinsic floor. Now consider a warehouse receipt for oh say 500 tonnes of copper. That is the asset. There’s no counterparty sitting behind it who can dilute it, default on it, or sanction it into worthlessness. The Real Monetary History The current system is historically aberrant. Pre-1971, every dollar was a claim on gold. What Nixon did at Camp David wasn’t just a policy change — it was the largest unilateral default in history, redenominating global savings from hard asset claims into sovereign promises. Since then, global M2 has expanded roughly 50x. Gold has gone from $35 to $4,000+. Real wages in the developed world have largely flatlined. Asset prices have inflated dramatically… but measured in gold, most assets are flat to down. The money supply expansion didn’t create wealth. It merely redistributed it from savers and wage earners toward asset holders… and those closest to the money creation spigot. What Warehouse Receipts Actually Represent Imagine owning a warehouse receipt just like in the good old days when gold was held with a goldsmith and you received a receipt of ownership. But one can expand this beyond gold into most any commodity. This then isn’t just “a useful treasury instrument.” Rather, it’s a pre-fiat-style monetary instrument. Medieval banking was largely built on exactly this. A Florentine merchant deposited grain or wool, got a receipt, and that receipt circulated as money because it was a claim on something real. Through this lens, the Medici didn’t invent credit — they institutionalised the monetisation of physical inventory. What if one could enjoy a partial return to that model: hold receipts for oil, copper, wheat, cocoa. Those receipts are denominated in the asset itself, not in a currency. The currency price of those assets will fluctuate, but the asset quantity doesn’t. When the next monetary reset comes — and the direction of travel is clear — you hold the denominator, not the numerator. The Hierarchy of Real Assets Not all hard assets are equal in this context. Gold and silver (the monetary metals). No industrial consumption risk on gold; pure monetary store. Silver has a dual role: monetary and industrial (solar, electronics). Both have 5,000-year track records as money. Central banks are net buyers of gold at record pace right now. They know what’s coming. Since you’re here… you do too. Oil and energy (the master resource). Everything in industrial civilisation is downstream of energy. A barrel of oil contains the energy equivalent of roughly 4.5 years of human manual labour. It can’t be printed. It is under attack now globally and being fought over. Agricultural commodities — arguably the most underappreciated. Food is the original hard asset. You can live without gold but not without calories. Soft commodities (cocoa, coffee, sugar) and hard agricultural commodities (wheat, corn, soy) sit at the base of social stability. History is littered with governments that fell not from military defeat but from grain price spikes. Industrial metals, especially copper. The copper price is essentially a real-time vote on global industrial activity. Also increasingly a monetary metal proxy given its role in electrification, regardless of which energy path dominates. So the question I asked myself is this: where in the world does something exist that has all or some of these commodities in physical form? And how to move them and turn them liquid? The Trading House as Hard Asset Node The answer appears to be trading houses. A commodity trading house at its core is a node in the physical asset network. It handles the logistics, financing, and title transfer of real goods. The warehouse receipts it holds at any given moment are snapshots of real-world production: tonnes of metal, barrels of oil, bushels of grain. It makes sense to own a stake in that node. It provides continuous exposure to the physical flow of real assets without having to warehouse them yourself; receipt access as treasury — you’re not holding a gold ETF (someone else’s promise), you’re holding a title document to a specific physical lot; and participation in the spread between jurisdictions — the firm makes money on the arbitrage between where goods are produced and where they’re consumed. That spread is denominated in real goods, not financial engineering. What’s the alternative? Compare this to holding cash in a bank. The bank holds your deposit as a liability on its balance sheet and lends it out 10:1. You have an unsecured claim on an institution that is itself leveraged against a system that can be inflated, bailed-in, or sanctioned. The warehouse receipt has none of those layers. The Monetary Reset Angle The direction of travel globally is already toward commodity-backed settlement. The BRICS payment system discussions keep circling back to commodity baskets. Saudi Arabia is actively diversifying away from dollar settlement. Russia’s war chest rebuild post-sanctions was done largely through commodity export surpluses held outside Western systems. China has been accumulating gold at the sovereign level while simultaneously building out commodity infrastructure across Africa, South America, and Central Asia. When — not if — the next monetary architecture emerges, it will be anchored to something real. The countries and entities that hold the physical nodes of that system will be on the right side of the reset. A trading house stake, held correctly, is a small position in that inevitable infrastructure. Practical Implication for the Deal Price the stake in hard asset terms. What quantum of warehouse receipt access does this buy you? Expressed not in dollars but in tonnes of copper equivalent, barrels of oil equivalent, or ounces of gold equivalent. If a firm has, say, $15 million of inventory at any given time and you own a 20% non-operating stake with receipt participation rights, you have a claim on $3 million of physical commodity inventory. At current gold prices, that’s roughly 1,000 oz gold equivalent. That’s your real floor. Not the EBITDA multiple. *  *  * The shift Chris describes is already underway. The old financial system is being strained by debt, inflation, political pressure, and a growing loss of trust in fiat money. That does not mean you need to predict every detail of what comes next. But it does mean you should understand the forces now reshaping the world—and what they could mean for your wealth, freedom, and future. We’ve prepared a free special report that explains the major economic, political, and cultural trends unfolding right now, the risks they create, and how a contrarian investor can think about staying one step ahead. Click here to get it now now. Tyler Durden Sun, 06/28/2026 - 17:30

Next Switzerland Talks 'Stalled' After Past Days' Flare-Up In US-Iran Fighting (Update1500ET): An expected next round of US-Iran talks in Switzerland has been 'stalled' by the latest fighting flare up in the Strait of Hormuz, after US forces bombed Iran's coast a couple times - and following more Iranian 'retaliation' on Gulf states, as well as against at least two international vessels in the Strait. WSJ is reporting Sunday: The fighting has rattled shipowners and has thrown a budding reopening of the waterway into doubt, threatening the key achievement of Trump’s preliminary deal, which pushes discussions of more contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear program, into a second phase. Those talks were expected to resume this weekend in Switzerland but have been stalled by the fighting, people familiar with the matter said. This should come as no surprise, however, neither side has yet announced they are fully walking away, amid this testing of each's red lines. Increased chatter that the Iranians may not dispatch a delegation for technical talks with the U.S. due to start in Switzerland tomorrow. Foolish decision if it proves accurate. https://t.co/aTvDucLDqq — Ali Vaez (@AliVaez) June 28, 2026 *  *  * “The Strait of Hormuz will return to its pre-war operating conditions within 30 days under a management framework implemented by Iran," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned during a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein.  The timing behind his visit to Baghdad is interesting, right at the moment a widening corruption sweep conducted by elements of the Iraqi government, which has unleashed mass protests and unrest outside Baghdad's Green Zone. The symbolism of defiance and readiness to fight was on display too, given Araghchi's corresponding visit to the site of former IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani's assassination outside Baghdad Airport. Source: WANA News Agency Iraq's state-run Iraqi News Agency reported that several political figures were arrested in a corruption probe tied to testimony from former Deputy Oil Minister Adnan al-Jumaili, who was detained last month. As we reported earlier, security forces locked down Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone and carried out raids inside the government and embassy district that sits on the west bank of the Tigris River. It contains key Iraqi state institutions, including parliament and government offices, as well as foreign embassies, most notably the US Embassy. As for Aragchi, he also also called on "all parties to refrain from interfering in Iran's management of the strait and to allow the memorandum to proceed as agreed." This also as a separate statement out of the Iranian government condemned what it called severe violations of the ceasefire and agreed-to Memorandum of Understanding by the US. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesman Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi vowed harsher retaliation in the scenario of any new US attacks. "We have responded, and will continue to respond, to every action the enemy takes in this regard. We reiterate: if the enemy breaks its commitments and violates the ceasefire, we will respond more forcefully than before," said Mohebbi. Crucially while in Iraq Sunday the top Iranian diplomat FM Araghchi visited the site where Qasem Soleimani, the former IRGC Quds Force commander, was killed in a US strike during the first Trump term: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is in Iraq today and visited the site where Qasem Soleimani, the former IRGC Quds Force commander, was killed in a U.S. strike during the first Trump administration. pic.twitter.com/p1jRdroKtD — OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 28, 2026 The aforementioned major Baghdad protests triggered by the ongoing anti-corruption sweep appears aimed at Iraq's political class aligned with Iran. The US has long sought to peel away this influence, which ironically became solidified only in wake of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and overthrow of Baathist secular Sunni strongman Saddam Hussein.  The timing is also critical, coming just after Iran targeted Bahrain and Kuwait with drones and missiles in response to US strikes. That suggests Baghdad, with US influence, may be moving to eliminate Iran-linked networks inside Iraq before they can become a more worrisome pressure point. Tyler Durden Sun, 06/28/2026 - 15:00

Are The Epstein Survivors Being Exploited Yet Again? Authored by Nick Bryant, On February 8, 2026, the advocacy group World Without Exploitation launched a 40-second public service announcement during the Super Bowl featuring Jeffrey Epstein survivors demanding the full release of federal files related to Epstein's sex trafficking network. The Epstein survivors held up pictures of themselves when they were initially abused by Epstein as minors or young women. "After years of being kept apart, we're standing together," they said. The background was pitch black, and the music was haunting. The PSA ended with the following: "Stand With Us. Tell Attorney General Pam Bondi IT'S TIME FOR THE TRUTH." As a longtime advocate for justice in the Epstein case, the PSA felt like a supernova. I felt an eruption of gratitude. But as my elation faded, I wondered how World Without Exploitation could afford the PSA. The co-founders of World Without Exploitation, Lauren Hersh and Rachel Foster, have certainly generated remarkable fanfare. In fact, they've even been hailed as two of Time magazine's most influential 100 people of 2026. I'm the director of Epstein Justice, a 501(c)(3), and our raison d'être is an independent congressional commission to investigate the Epstein case. Like many nonprofits, we struggle to find funders. So, I've marveled at the success of World Without Exploitation, which was founded in 2016. By 2019, the Atlanta Jewish Times reports, World Without Exploitation was the "umbrella group of 140 organizations." The landing page of its website states: "Our 175+ member groups are working to end exploitation." But I started to hear whispers about World Without Exploitation that were less than stellar. Let's dive in. The Strange Case of World Without Exploitation Co-Founder Lauren Hersh On paper, Hersh would appear to have impeccable credentials to be the director of an organization dedicated to ending exploitation. She joined the Brooklyn (King's County) District Attorney's office in 2004 after graduating from Brooklyn Law School, then transitioned to the domestic violence bureau before joining the rackets division, where she ultimately became "chief" of the Brooklyn District Attorney's Sex Trafficking Unit. Yet Hersh's last case as a Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney would be marred by apparent prosecutorial misconduct. The case involved the alleged trafficking and rape of a young woman by four men. The Backstory of Hersh's Resignation from the Brooklyn DA's Office On March 31, 2010, a 22-year-old Brooklyn woman told NYPD officers that Damien Crooks took her to a party, where she was raped and beaten. She said that she managed to escape her abusers and phoned her best friend. Her friend took her to the police, and she was then sent to the hospital. A June 2, 2012, New York Times article reports that at 6:30 AM the following morning, the young woman talked to an NYPD detective and filed a formal statement, discussing rapes, beatings, and Crooks pimping her out. She said she was "afraid for her life." By 10:45 AM, however, she was interviewed again by a second NYPD detective and recanted her prior statements. She informed the detective interviewing her that she was a prostitute, was not forcibly raped by Crooks, and had had consensual intercourse with him several times over the preceding years. The detective wrote that the accuser promulgated her allegations, because one of the men at the party had sex with her, and he hadn't worn a condom and hit her. The following day, the NYPD terminated its investigation - a turn of events that would prove integral to Herch's prosecutorial problems. But the woman's allegations were not without foundation. She lived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which has been a melting pot for both Orthodox Jews and African Americans. Crooks lived in the house directly behind her family's house. The young woman said she'd been molested by a family member. She also said her teenage nightmare continued when her brother asked her to purchase marijuana from Jawara Brockett who lived nearby. As her brother waited for her downstairs, she said she was forced to have oral, anal and vaginal sex with three men that included purported perpetrator Jawara Brockett. The alleged victim claimed that she quickly became immersed in a double life. Women at a neighborhood hair salon remembered a teenager regularly ducking into the salon's bathroom, where she disrobed from long dresses and slipped into clothes suited for working the streets. There is a picture of the alleged victim donning a crimson dress - surrounded by black men, including one she named as a perpetrator. Like the men, her hand is rounded into a "C," which law enforcement asserts is a signal for Crips. One of her alleged perpetrators, Jamali Brockett, would ultimately be sentenced to 24 years in prison on unrelated federal charges for sex trafficking women and minors. Police records reveal that when she was 13 and 14 years old, in 2004 and 2004, she phoned the police at least four times to report assaults and provided her address. The NYPD said that one arrest was made because of the alleged victim's complaints in 2003, but the responding commanders didn't remember meeting her father, who claimed that the police never visited their family home. Her best friend also said that she approached police officers on the street as a teenager, but they had a callous attitude: "You put yourself in this situation, you get yourself out." In September of 2004, the alleged victim said a tipping point occurred: a "client" stabbed her. By the time she made it home at 3:00 AM her sweatshirt was drenched in blood. Her panic-stricken parents met her at the front door - and would eventually place their teenage daughter in a psychiatric hospital. She was discharged in 2006, finished high school, and enrolled in John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The young woman maintained that Crooks' threats against her sister drove her back into a life of prostitution. Hersh Forces Botched Indictments In June of 2010, approximately two months after the young woman recanted her allegations to the NYPD, she met with Hersh and others associated with the Brooklyn District Attorney's office, and despite the young woman's earlier recantation these officials nonetheless prepared her for a grand jury appearance based on her first statement to the NYPD. Hersh presented the case to a Brooklyn grand jury. The grand jury returned multiple indictments against four African Americans. Damien Crooks was charged with four counts of rape and two counts of sex trafficking, and Jamali Brockett was charged with rape, compelling prostitution, and criminal sex acts. The Brooklyn DA also indicted Jawara Brockett and Darrell Dula for rape. The Brooklyn DA's office reported that the men began sexually assaulting the victim when she was just 13 years old, and then they forced her into a life of prostitution until she was 21 years old. She said she came forward because the men had threatened to harm a family member. "That's when she realized she had no choice but to say something," said Hersh. The judge set bail at $1 million for Crooks and $50,000 for Dula. They were arrested at the end of June in 2011 and incarcerated on Rikers Island. Jamali Brockett and Jawara Brockett had already been incarcerated on unrelated charges. April of 2012 was a cruel month for the Brooklyn DA. It was nearly a year after Crooks et al. had been incarcerated while awaiting trial. Assistant District Attorney Abbie Greenberger had been assigned to prosecute the case. Though she found the evidence in the case to be problematic, Hersh pressured her into prosecuting it anyway. In April, Greenberger resigned. "When I brought the inconsistencies to Lauren Hersh, I was told that I didn't do my job right and that I'm trying to dismiss the case and that I should work harder," Greenberger told the New York Daily News. Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Gingold was then assigned to the case, and she discovered that Hersh failed to disclose the existence of the alleged victim's recantation. Gingold provided it to the men's defense attorneys. Greenberger also specified that she didn't know about the recantation before she resigned. "I feel horrible about Dula," Greenberger said. The alleged victim had not named Dula as a perpetrator in her initial statement to the NYPD. A New York Times article from May 25, 2012, reports that Crook's attorney, Elliot Kay "said prosecutors had turned over another batch of evidence in April that included a document produced by the district attorney's office with a handwritten note referring to a recantation, indicating that prosecutors knew, before Ms. Hersh presented the case to the grand jury, that the accuser had changed her account. The grand jury indicted Mr. Dula and Mr. Crooks on rape stemming from the episode that the alleged victim had recanted." A civil lawsuit filed by Damien Crooks' attorneys stated he consented to submit DNA before the grand jury, but it "appears" that his tests were not conducted. After the Brooklyn DA's office severely fumbled the ball, Justice John Walsh of the King's County Supreme Court ordered that Crooks and Dula be released from their 10-month incarceration at Rikers Island. The Brockett brothers remained incarcerated on separate charges, but the charges against the men in the rape case were dismissed. Damien Crooks in court, April 2012 In May of 2012, Hersh resigned from the Brooklyn DA's office four hours after appearing before an ethics panel. And while the panel found "insufficient evidence" to sanction Hersh, her botched prosecution of the case ultimately ensured that justice would be conclusively denied for the alleged victim, and the grand jury was an additional trauma that she had to endure. Crooks sued the City of New York for false arrest, malicious prosecution, negligence, and being deprived of his rights under the Constitution of the United States and New York State. He was represented by the New York-based law firm of Sullivan, Papain, Block, McGrath & Cannavo and received a settlement for an undisclosed amount. Dula sued the City of New York for false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, defamation and violation of due process. "I deposed the Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes," said Jonathan Sims, who represented Dula in his civil lawsuit against New York City. "Hynes said that he had authorized Hersh to bring this case before a grand jury. But after the grand jury, he was alerted to the recantation, and also to the fact that the woman had not initially implicated my client. Hynes testified that if he were aware of those facts, he wouldn't have authorized a grand jury, and obviously the recantation was not presented to the grand jury." Sims said that Dula settled his civil lawsuit against New York City for $750,000 One Epstein survivor told me that Hersh had privately claimed she resigned from the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office because, while working on a human trafficking case, she discovered her boss’s name and phone number in the records of a trafficking ring she was investigating. Charles Hynes, now deceased, was the Brooklyn DA at the time of Hersh’s resignation. Abbie Greenberger declined to comment for this article.  I emailed various questions to Hersh, and one of the questions pertained to her account of the circumstances surrounding her departure from the Brookyln DA’s office, but she didn’t respond to my questions. Approximately four years after Hersh resigned as a Brookyln assistant district attorney, she and Rachel Foster started World Without Exploitation. World Without Exploitation, Tides, and "Dark Money" After reading about the revelations about Hersh's resignation from the Brooklyn District Attorney's office, I started delving into World Without Exploitation. I noticed that the organization didn't file 990s. A 990 is an annual return that federally tax-exempt organizations file every year, which reports on its financial information, program accomplishments, and compliance with IRS codes. World Without Exploitation does not file its own 990s, because it is a "fiscally sponsored project" of "Tides." The Tides Network contains five separate legal entities: Tides Center, Tides Advocacy, Tides Foundation, Tides Two Rivers Fund, and Tides Inc. According to a Tides Network 990 from 2024, the Network had $846,636,595 in "total assets." Tides was founded by entrepreneur Drummond Pike in 1976, and he served as its CEO until November 2010. Pike is a progressive, and Tides primarily funds progressive organizations and causes. Tides was a former fiscal sponsor of Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, but Tides and BLM GNF had a very acrimonious split. In a scathing 2024 lawsuit, BLM GNF claimed that Tides withheld $33.4 million from it, alleging myriad transgressions that included breach of contract, fraud, financial mismanagement, and intentional wrongdoing. However, BLM GNF dismissed its lawsuit against Tides and retracted all its allegations. The Tides Network grants its donors anonymity and allows donors, unions, and corporations to donate unlimited amounts of "dark money" to their recipients of choice - dark money refers to donations that are designed to influence elections or policies without disclosing their donors to the public. Tides terms the practice "donor advised funds," which "provide our partners with an efficient, high-impact way to champion social justice leaders driving change." Though Tides is intentionally opaque regarding its donors, its website from January 17, 2011 through September 16, 2017 listed its "partnership" with the California Endowment, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Open Society Institute, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Gates Foundation, and the Ford Foundation. Tides also received $27 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development from 2016 to 2024. I've repeatedly asked a Tides representative to disclose the amount of funding Tides allocates to World Without Exploitation, but my emails haven't been returned. Tides and the Epstein "Family" As I researched World Without Exploitation and Tides, I typed "Tides" into the search engine of the Department of Justice's Epstein Library, and I found a $100,000 check from Tides to the "TERRAMAR PROJECT" "ATTN: MS. GHISLAINE MAXWELL." The Terramar Project was a nonprofit organization founded by Ghislaine Maxwell that ostensibly focused on ocean conservation. The check was dated June 6, 2014. In December of 2021, Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking and recruiting and grooming teenage girls for Jeffrey Epstein. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison. I found that disclosure to be disconcerting, and I continued searching for "Tides" in the Epstein Library. I then found an enigmatic email, dated February 26, 2011, from Jes Staley to Jeffrey Epstein that merely had the address of the Tides Foundation. The thread starts out with Staley asking a redacted name: "Where does Gary work?" The email thread then has Jes Staley's brother, Peter, forwarding the address of Tides to Jes Staley, and the latter forwarding it to Epstein. According to Philanthropy New York, Gary Schwartz had multiple roles at Tides for 14 years before becoming Tides' interim CEO in 2013. Schwartz became the Senior Director of the Novo Foundation in 2015. Though Jes Staley forwarding the address of Tides to Epstein is seemingly innocuous, Staley himself is not. Staley was formerly the CEO of Barclays and CEO of JP Morgan Asset Management. In a May 27, 2010, email to then-Prince Andrew, Epstein referred to Staley as "family." Documentation from the Epstein files notes serious accusations of sadistic sexual misconduct by Staley: he forced a woman to touch his genitals during a massage and then raped her, and he also left "bloody marks" on the arms of a woman he called "Tinkerbell". Google Epstein Island Google co-founder Sergey Brin has also been affiliated with both Epstein and Tides. A January 31, 2026, New York Times article, "Powerful Men Who Turn Up in the New Batch of Epstein Files," published in the wake of the latest tranche of Epstein files, describes facets of Brin's relationship with Maxwell and Epstein. "Brin, the co-founder of Google and one of the richest men in the world, visited Epstein's private island near St. Thomas, made plans to dine at Epstein's New York home and corresponded with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime companion and convicted co-conspirator, according to the documents released Friday. 'Dinners at Jeffrey's are always happily casual and relaxed,' Maxwell wrote to Brin in April 2003. 'Look forward to seeing you.' It has long been known that Epstein introduced executives at JPMorgan to Brin, whose net worth exceeds $250 billion, helping the bank land him as a client. Sarah Ransome, one of Epstein's accusers, claimed in court documents in 2024 that she had met Brin and his then-fiancée, Anne Wojcicki, on Epstein's island, which was the center of his sex trafficking operation for many years. One of Epstein's former boat captains told The New York Times earlier this year that he had seen Brin on the island more than once." As mentioned, Tides offers donor anonymity, which makes it difficult to discern its donors and their donations. But a February 2nd, 2023, article from Inside Philanthropy reports that the Sergey Brin Family Foundation had $5 billion in assets as of 2021. And dating back to at least 2017, his foundation channeled money through the Tides Foundation to causes like Black Lives Matter and public safety reform. Moreover, as of 2023, Brin's foundation continues to "funnel money" for various causes through Tides. Epstein's "Go To" Shrink Billionaire and famed psychiatrist Henry Jarecki has been relatively unscathed by his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, even though he is prominently displayed in Epstein's Black Book with at least 13 contact numbers, and he also appears on Epstein's flight logs. And like Epstein, Jarecki owns a private island in the Virgin Islands. In 2024, Jane Doe 11 filed a lawsuit contending that Epstein introduced her to Jarecki for the treatment of depression that was the result of Epstein's abuse, and Jarecki raped Jane Doe 11 on her initial visit. She also accused Jarecki of "coercing her into being his modern-day sex slave" over the course of three years. The lawsuit alleged that Jarecki was Epstein's "go-to-doctor" for his victims. The lawsuit also claimed that Jarecki used testosterone pills to increase his sex drive, and he frequently forced Jane Doe 11 to have sex with other men in front of him. Jarecki has adamantly denied her allegations, claiming the relationship was consensual. Brad Edwards, a lawyer for the accuser, wrote in an email to CNBC, "A 'consensual' relationship to describe a patient 60 years his junior, referred by Jeffrey Epstein, and known to be a sexual abuse victim, is a creative 'defense,' if nothing else." Jane Doe 11 ultimately recanted her accusation about Jarecki. And the lawsuit was "dismissed with prejudice," which means the case is permanently closed and barred from being refiled. A case dismissed with prejudice indicates the case was settled or the judge dismissed it due to a party's wrongdoing or lack of evidence. Prior to suing Jarecki, Jane Doe 11 received compensation from a fund established for victims of Epstein. Astonishingly, Epstein sent Jarecki a 2011 email that excoriated Jarecki for mistreating people! Jarecki is the president and founder of the Falconwood Foundation, which donated $2 million to Tides in 2020. Gates, Epstein, and Tides The Epstein documents released in January contain July 2013 emails that Epstein sent to himself, which appear to be drafts earmarked for Bill Gates. The drafts, if factual, portray Gates as a rather unpleasant individual. The drafts indicate that Gates wanted Epstein to participate in "unethical" and possibly "illegal" behavior, from facilitating trysts with married women to providing Gates with drugs to "deal with the consequences of sex" with Russian girls. In a second email, Epstein wrote that Gates requested Epstein provide him with "antibiotics" that Gates could "surreptitiously" slip his wife after Gates apparently gave her an STD. Tides listed a "partnership" with the "Gates Foundation" from January 17, 2011 through September 16, 2017. But I cannot find Tides mentioning the Gates Foundation on its website after September of 2017. However, in 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively, the Gates Foundation gave Tides' entities $300,000, $7,540,812, and $2,795,174. As previously mentioned, I emailed various questions to Hersh. One question pertained to whether or not she was aware that Epstein cronies or perpetrators have given millions of dollars to Tides, and I also inquired if she were aware of any monies that Epstein cronies or perpetrators donated to Tides that were ultimately allocated to World Without Exploitation. Again, she did not answer my questions. Reid Hoffman and World Without Exploitation Like his PayPal alumni Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman had a furtive association with Jeffrey Epstein. Hoffman was on PayPal's board of directors when it was founded, and he became its chief operating officer. Thiel, a co-founder of PayPal, called Hoffman PayPal's "firefighter in chief," because the company had numerous glitches in its early days. Hoffman was also a co-founder of LinkedIn, which was acquired by Microsoft for $26.2 billion in 2016. After the sale of LinkedIn, Hoffman joined Microsoft's board of directors. Also like Musk and Thiel, Hoffman has a tenuous relationship with the truth about Jeffrey Epstein. Business Insider reports that Hoffman wrote: "My few Interactions with Jeffrey Epstein came at the request of Joi Ito, for the purposes of fundraising for the MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology] Media Lab. Prior to these interactions, I was told by Joi that Epstein had cleared the MIT vetting process, which was the basis for my participation." Ito was the director of the MIT Media Lab, and he resigned after his financial ties to Epstein were exposed. But after the tranche of Epstein files was released in January, Hoffman confessed that he had meetings with Epstein from 2016 to 2018, even though he had previously said they last met in 2015. In November 2014, Hoffman and Ito took a private flight to Epstein's island in the US Virgin Islands. Epstein then paid for Hoffman to fly to New York, and Hoffman spent the night at Epstein's Upper East Side mansion. Afterward, Hoffman attended a breakfast with Bill Gates and other high-profile guests that was organized by Epstein. On Christmas Eve of 2014, Hoffman sent a pair of presents to Epstein: ice cream for Epstein and "the girls" and "something that may strike your funny bone for the island." The present for the island was from an artist who creates sculptures of little monsters out of recycled metal. A spokesperson for Hoffman later stated that "the girls" referred to adult members of Epstein's team. In a January 8, 2015, email, Hoffman was evidently aware of Epstein receiving unflattering "recent press." The genesis of the "recent press" was a motion filed in federal court on December 30th, 2014, by lawyers Brad Edwards and Paul Cassell on behalf of Epstein victims Jane Doe #3 and Jane Doe #4. Jane Doe #3 was Virginia Giuffre, and she named Epstein, Maxwell, Alan Dershowitz, and the individual formerly known as Prince Andrew as among her perpetrators. The motion produced a media firestorm whose epicenter was Jeffrey Epstein, and Hoffman wanted to assist Epstein in counteracting the media firestorm by "looking for help on the on-line front." In an email dated August 20, 2015, from Epstein to Tom Pritzker, Epstein wrote that he had a "wild" dinner with Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, and Reid Hoffman. The dinner was hosted by Hoffman in Palo Alto. The New York Post reports that Epstein even set up a meeting with Hoffman and formerly-Prince Andrew. Which Brings Us Back To the 2026 Super Bowl Prior to the Super Bowl PSA, World Without Exploitation produced a PSA for Monday Night Football, which averages 15 million viewers per game, and a 30-second spot costs an average of $500,000. The one-minute PSA aired during a commercial break in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys-Raiders game on November 17, 2025, and, like the Super Bowl PSA, it featured Epstein survivors talking directly to the camera, holding up pictures of themselves as minors or young women, when they were initially abused by Epstein. The following day, the House voted 427-1 and the Senate unanimously to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act. A November 17, 2025, Daily Beast article, "Trump Enemy Spends a Fortune on Epstein Ad," reports that a "billionaire Trump foe helped Jeffrey Epstein's survivors to confront Congress by funding a prime-time ad calling for the full release of the files related to the dead pedophile financier." The billionaire foe was Reid Hoffman, who even tweeted about his contribution on X: "The Epstein Files must be released, in full. Tonight, I supported World Without Exploitation to run this ad on Monday Night Football, calling for exactly that." Time magazine, which, as mentioned, named World Without Exploitation co-founders Hersh and Foster as two of the 100 most influential people of 2026, gave a step-by-step account of the Monday Night Football PSA: "Hersch[sic] and her team hired film teams in Los Angeles and New York to interview survivors. But when they sat down to look at the footage collected on soundstages in those coastal caverns, they realized their best material came not from the scripted readings, but from the impromptu observations. "You don't really hear much of the script in the actual PSA because what ended up happening in the space was just so moving. These women came together, the raw emotion that surfaced because of the bond that they shared was so powerful," Hersh said months later. Initially, the ad was just going to go online. Once it went viral, it caught the eye of a donor - LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman - who helped it air during Monday Night Football, hours before House lawmakers were set to vote." In addition to Hoffman supporting World Without Exploitation, the Hoffman-affiliated, non-profit organization American Future Republic played an integral role in funding the expenses for E. Jean Carroll's civil lawsuits against Donald Trump. A 2023 jury found that Trump was liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded Carroll $5 million in damages. A second jury, in 2024, found him liable for defamation and awarded $83.3 million in damages to Carroll. Both judgments were upheld on appeal. Hoffman's American Future Republic is now facing a Justice Department probe, and he is accusing the Trump administration of waging lawfare against him. Hoffman posted the following on X: "Trump cannot be allowed to use the full weight and power of the US Government to come after women who speak up, or anyone who supports them in doing so." Hoffman's financial support for abused children via the World Without Exploitation seems to qualify him for a rarefied Mother Theresa-like sainthood. But before Hoffman is canonized, his motives for financially supporting World Without Exploitation should be scrutinized, because they appear to be highly calculated. Judging by Hoffman's email correspondences with Epstein, he didn't care about the welfare of the Epstein victims. His only concern was whitewashing Epstein's former predations. Hoffman's apparent indifference to the Epstein victims and his seemingly incongruous support for the World Without Exploitation's Monday Night Football PSA indicate that the Epstein survivors were being used for a political agenda. Unfortunately, the Epstein survivors have been repeatedly betrayed by every facet of our government, and now they've seemingly been used for political expedience. The Monday Night Football PSA was a pittance compared to the Super Bowl PSA. A 30-second advertisement during the Super Bowl has a hefty price tag of $7 to $ 8 million. Hoffman and World Without Exploitation were transparent about the Monday Night Football PSA, but I've been unable to find a price tag and funder information for the Super Bowl PSA. The latest tranche of Epstein files dropped on January 30 - nine days before the Super Bowl. Hoffman lobbied for the release of the Epstein files, but he was apparently blind to the fact that they portrayed him in an extremely negative light. When I asked Hoffman via X chat if he contributed to World Without Exploitation's Super Bowl PSA, he declined to comment. Hoffman is a partner at Greylock Partners, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm, and I emailed him at two Greylock Partners' email addresses: the general email of company and also what is reported to be his personal email. But, once more, he declined to comment. I also asked Hersh if Hoffman contributed to World Without Exploitation's Super Bowl PSA, but, again, she didn't respond to any of my questions Hoffman’s past communications with Epstein, as revealed in the Epstein files, show no evident concern for the victims. This raises legitimate questions about whether World Without Exploitation’s leadership was aware of those documented associations if it accepted Hoffman’s funding for the Super Bowl PSA. The Epstein survivor who commented earlier about Hersh leaving the Brooklyn DA also expressed frustration with what they described as World Without Exploitation's involvement in certain advocacy efforts, telling me: "The Epstein survivors and their attorneys had a Zoom meeting with congressional policymakers that focused on our demands for justice. But somehow Lauren and Rachel were invited to the Zoom meeting, and they brought their PR people, which I thought was a huge violation of our confidentiality." I heard an allegation that I've unable to corroborate: World Without Exploitation personnel actually decided which Epstein survivors would testify at the House Oversight Committee's "shadow" hearing held on May 12 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Again, I queried Hersh about that allegation but an answer wasn't forthcoming. A second Epstein survivor questions the motives of World Without Exploitation: "Everything they're doing seems to be driven by a political agenda and personal gain instead of an agenda for justice." Moreover, should anti-trafficking and anti-exploitation organizations have opaque funding? Because World Without Exploitation operates as a fiscally sponsored project of Tides, the ultimate sources of some of its funding are not disclosed in public filings in the same way they would be for an independent 501(c)(3). This structure makes it significantly more difficult to trace the origins of certain donations. Child Sex Trafficking is Not a Partisan Issue I've been alarmed that so few anti-trafficking and anti-exploitation organizations have made the Epstein survivors a cause célèbre, because Epstein's child trafficking was covered up in broad daylight before all of America. I've come to believe that Epstein is the white elephant in the living room for anti-exploitation organizations. So I was initially impressed by the way World Without Exploitation supported the Epstein survivors: I enthusiastically lauded their efforts and made various overtures to World Without Exploitation to form an alliance with Epstein Justice. But when I started delving into the subject matter of this article, I ceased further overtures. The US government has flagrantly covered up the child sex trafficking of Jeffrey Epstein and his ilk. To cover up a crime is to aid and abet that crime, which translates into the US government aiding and abetting child sex trafficking. Given the heinous nature of these crimes and their coverup, I'm shocked that Americans haven't hit the streets en masse to protest our government's protection of child molesters. I believe that a major impediment to justice is the politicization of the Epstein case, and Reid Hoffman's funding of World Without Exploitation seems to epitomize that politicization. Currently, the right blames the left for the coverup, and the left blames the right for the coverup. However, the Epstein coverup has been perpetrated by four administrations - George W. Bush, Barak Obama, Joseph Biden, and now Donald Trump. Two of the administrations have been Republican and two have been Democratic. The Epstein coverup has been, and continues to be, a bipartisan effort. Nick Bryant is the Director of Epstein Justice, a 501(C)(3) dedicated to an independent congressional commission to investigate the Jeffrey Epstein case: epsteinjustice.com Joi Ito and Reid Hoffman with Jeffrey Epstein. Justice Department Tyler Durden Sun, 06/28/2026 - 14:00

Baghdad's Green Zone Locked Down As Officials Arrested In Corruption Sweep Beyond Sunday's Iranian drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait, launched in response to earlier U.S. airstrikes, Hormuz shipping traffic remains stable but well below last week's peak, when 57 vessels transited the strait on Wednesday. With maritime flows stable through the critical waterway, attention now shifts to Iraq, where a widening corruption sweep inside Baghdad's Green Zone could become the next area of focus. Iraq's state-run Iraqi News Agency reported that several political figures were arrested in a corruption probe tied to testimony from former Deputy Oil Minister Adnan al-Jumaili, who was detained last month. Update: The arrest of former Iraqi Deputy Oil Minister for Refining Affairs, Adnan Mohammed Hamoud al-Jumaili, has so far led not only to a wave of high-profile arrests, but also to the seizure of what may become one of the largest corruption stockpiles uncovered in post-2003… https://t.co/zkvFZSgAuX pic.twitter.com/BK9YWPZmhl — Basha باشا (@BashaReport) June 28, 2026 Security forces locked down Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone and carried out raids inside the government and embassy district that sits on the west bank of the Tigris River. It contains key Iraqi state institutions, including parliament and government offices, as well as foreign embassies, most notably the U.S. Embassy. Video footage on X showed security forces in tanks and other heavily armed vehicles locking down the Green Zone. Iraq's Green Zone in Baghdad has been placed under lockdown as military forces deploy, with reports of raids targeting the residences of government officials, according to The New Region. pic.twitter.com/1i3eKPsTEZ — Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 28, 2026 Special forces helicopters shake US embassy Green Zone https://t.co/E1MZhvISxG pic.twitter.com/3jQfT2gY5L — RT (@RT_com) June 28, 2026 Video: The Green Zone right now—continued security deployment and inspections of vehicles with government license plates. pic.twitter.com/VlMCP317DA — Wladimir van Wilgenburg (@vvanwilgenburg) June 28, 2026 #العراق لا أحد يجرؤ على هذا العمل الكبير من دون غطاء أمريكي 📍دخول دبابات جهاز مكافحة الارهاب إلى المنطقة الخضراء في العاصمة بغداد وتطويق جميع مداخلها 📍اعتقالات بالجملة طالت نواب ومسؤولين واصحاب نفوذ في بغداد 📍جهاز مكافحة الارهاب يشتبك مع الفوج الرابع التابع للقصر… pic.twitter.com/cYadoVFx6z — Raymond Hakim (@RaymondFHakim) June 28, 2026 According to a security report obtained by AP News, seven people were arrested, including five members of Parliament whose immunity was revoked. Some were reportedly linked to the political bloc of former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. 🔻A photo of a number of officials and bodyguards who were arrested in the Green Zone. pic.twitter.com/EzCfIfk7ag — S p r i n t e r (@SprinterPress) June 28, 2026 "Al-Sudani's bloc won the largest share of seats in November's parliamentary elections, but he ultimately stepped aside amid a deadlock in the Coordination Framework — a coalition of Shiite parties allied with Iran that brought al-Sudani to power — over their preferred candidate for premier," AP News noted. JUST IN: 🇮🇶 Gunfire heard across Baghdad Green Zone as Iraqi forces raid and arrest high profile officials for corruption. pic.twitter.com/orTUPdyKNI — BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) June 28, 2026 The outlet added, "He was replaced by Ali al-Zaidi, a businessman and political newcomer, who emerged as a consensus candidate and received the blessing of the United States." Iraqi police have released picture of some of the money (dollars) they found in the home of the pro-Iranian Shiite MP Aliya Nassif last night. She has long been one of the more famous MP’s in the Iraqi Parliament’s anti-corruption committee. 🇮🇶 pic.twitter.com/1gwqP0tfew — Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 28, 2026 The immediate read is that this anti-corruption sweep appears aimed at Iraq's political class aligned with Iran. The timing is also critical, coming just after Iran targeted Bahrain and Kuwait with drones and missiles in response to U.S. strikes. That suggests Baghdad, with US influence, may be moving to eliminate Iran-linked networks inside Iraq before they can become a more worrisome pressure point. Tyler Durden Sun, 06/28/2026 - 13:00

Sadiq Khan Said There Were No Grooming Gangs In London; Police Investigating 4,000 Cases Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News, The London mayor who once insisted there was "no indication" of grooming gangs now faces explosive new scrutiny after a police review uncovered thousands of previously sidelined child sexual exploitation files. The Metropolitan Police has identified more than 4,000 potential child sexual exploitation cases across London that may require reopening. These stem from roughly 12,000 reports dating back to 2010, with about one in three previously closed after police or prosecutors took no further action. Met Police uncovers 4,000 potential grooming gang cases as Sadiq Khan faces fresh scrutiny over London claimshttps://t.co/c2Wpx1MwOL — GB News (@GBNEWS) June 28, 2026 The cases have now been referred to the National Crime Agency under Operation Beaconport for urgent assessment. 'What on Earth are we doing? Why are we allowing this to happen?' Journalist Andy Jones reacts to the horrifying news that a Met Police review has identified more than 4,000 grooming gang cases that may need reopening. pic.twitter.com/zaAyo6V7s1 — GB News (@GBNEWS) June 28, 2026 This development directly contradicts Sadiq Khan's past public statements. In January 2025, appearing before the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, Khan repeatedly dodged questions from Conservative member Susan Hall about the scale of grooming gangs in the capital. He claimed his understanding from regular police briefings was that there were "no reported cases and also no indication of the grooming gangs" she was concerned about. When pressed on how many such gangs operated in London, he asked her to clarify what she meant by the term. Scotland Yard has identified more than 4,000 rape gang cases that may need to be reinvestigated in London alone! Here's Pakistani mayor Sadiq Khan pretending he doesn't know what a rape gang is. 4,000 rape gangs who are predominantly Pakistani and the Pakistani didn't see it? pic.twitter.com/Xd8Ewg38dW — Tommy Robinson ?? (@TRobinsonNewEra) June 28, 2026 Critics now describe the position as gaslighting. Hall called the scale "utterly disgraceful," noting it represents 4,000 young girls raped and sexually abused while authorities looked the other way or actively resisted scrutiny. Khan's team now claims he has always supported leaving "no stone unturned." The gap between that line and his earlier blanket denials has not gone unnoticed. This London revelation fits a wider, years-long scandal of institutional failure and political cowardice. Earlier this year we detailed how even the BBC exposed the scale of grooming activity in the capital under Khan's watch. Separate investigations laid bare mini-mart operations where vulnerable children were plied with alcohol and cigarettes in exchange for sexual abuse. Illegal shops were caught handing out free vapes to kids in return for sexual favours. And the weary response from parts of the establishment often boiled down to telling victims and the public to simply "get over it." The common thread remains the same: authorities slow-walked or buried evidence, prioritised community relations over child safety, and treated any mention of ethnic or cultural patterns as radioactive. None of this emerged in a vacuum. Long before the current review, the machinery of denial was already well oiled. Official files had ethnicity redacted. In two-thirds of cases, perpetrator background went unrecorded. Police in some areas told victims the Asian men who abused them were "probably not going to catch them." A 2020 Home Office report, relying on hopelessly incomplete data, pushed the false narrative that most grooming perpetrators were white - a claim parroted in Parliament and by broadcasters even after it was exposed as statistical sleight-of-hand. The motivation was always the same: fear of "racism" accusations, dread of community tension, and the overriding imperative to protect the narrative that mass immigration and multiculturalism have been an unalloyed success. Working-class girls, often from broken homes or care systems, paid the price while officials and media looked the other way or actively smeared whistleblowers. London's current review notes a broader mix of offender backgrounds than the classic Pakistani-heritage networks documented in Rotherham, Rochdale, Telford and elsewhere. That distinction does not erase the scale of what was ignored or the political class that spent years insisting the problem did not exist in the capital. Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has already warned that reopening cases will require extra officers and resources on top of the force's existing load of around 2,000 sexual offences a month. Victims are being urged to come forward again, with promises they will be listened to this time. The public is entitled to ask harder questions. What did Khan know and when? Why did the Met and CPS close so many files prematurely? Who decided that protecting certain community sensitivities outweighed protecting British children? And why has the political class that championed open borders and diversity dogma shown such consistent reluctance to confront the specific cultural and integration failures that allowed these networks to operate for so long in plain sight? This London revelation drops just days after the release of Rupert Lowe's Rape Gang Inquiry Report, which documented a coordinated national campaign of rape, torture and abuse against up to 250,000 British girls by predominantly Muslim grooming gangs operating across 149 local authority districts. Lowe's findings laid bare the same pattern of police warnings to rapists, political interference and deliberate suppression of evidence that protected predators for decades while treating working-class girls as disposable. Sadiq Khan remains in office. The same establishment voices that spent years minimising or denying the problem now urge calm and more reviews. The British public has watched this movie before. The ending is always the same: more victims, more excuses, more demands that everyone just move on. The only thing that has changed is the number - now over 4,000 in London alone - and the growing realisation that the denial was never accidental. Real justice requires more than another inquiry. It requires consequences for those who chose political expediency over the safety of the vulnerable. British girls deserve better than gaslighting from City Hall. They still do. The denial only ends when enough people refuse to look away. Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews. Tyler Durden Sun, 06/28/2026 - 11:05

Tehran Retaliates Against Bahrain, Kuwait After US Bombing Campaign Along Iranian Coast Update(2300ET): Earlier the IRGC warned: "If any aggression is repeated, the response will be broader." That broader response has come in the overnight into Sunday hours: Tehran attacks Bahrain, Kuwait after US bombs Iranian coast, Al Jazeera reports: Air raid sirens blare in Bahrain as Kuwait’s military says its air defenses are responding to "hostile missile and drone threats." Iranian state media is also confirming the fresh 'retaliation' for limited US airstrikes over the last two days, triggered initially by the Iranians seeking to enforce 'control' of the Strait of Hormuz, by attacking no less than two foreign vessels in as many days. Latest via the same publication: The US has bombed Iran for a second day, hitting the city of Sirik, Bandar-e Lengeh and Qeshm Island, following a drone attack on a commercial vessel near the Strait of Hormuz. Israel has bombed southern Lebanon, killing at least one person, a day after signing a framework agreement with the Lebanese government to end hostilities. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun asks Trump to help prevent Israeli violations, as Hezbollah rejects the agreement with Israel, describing it as “a surrender of sovereignty”. Some unconfirmed emerging video showing some of the latest US action along Iran's coast, in a widening tit-for-tat: US launched a fresh wave of attack against IRGC targets in Iran after Iran attacked Bahrain A massive explosion struck Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, shaking the ground and echoing through nearby towns. pic.twitter.com/RaPdGkVSsi — IRGC NEWS (@IRGC_IRAN_News) June 28, 2026 Iran is threatening to walk away from the peace deal if the bombings continue:  The IRGC is saying that the enemy – the United States – should know that violating the ceasefire is against the first clause of the MoU and will lead to a complete halt to the process. It is clearly warning the United States that if these attacks continue, the MoU and the ongoing negotiations are going to come to a halt. CENTCOM released footage from its earlier Saturday wave of attacks on Iran: U.S. Navy and Air Force fighter jets conducted strikes tonight on 10 Iranian military targets at multiple locations in and near the Strait of Hormuz for Iran's drone attack on M/T Kiku. pic.twitter.com/Z0TLZRqmF6 — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 28, 2026 *  *  * Update1930ET): The Pentagon has sought to level the score once again, after Iran had attacked a second commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz in under 48 hours on Saturday. Late in the day, the US military conducted more air strikes against "multiple targets in Iran". According to a fresh CENTCOM statement: After yesterday’s U.S. strikes in response to the Iranian attack on M/V Ever Lovely, Iran was given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement but elected not to when its forces launched a one-way attack drone that hit M/T Kiku this morning at 4:30 a.m. ET. The Panama-flagged tanker was transiting near the Strait of Hormuz with more than two-million barrels of crude oil. CENTCOM forces launched strikes today in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping. U.S. military aircraft targeted Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities. Commercial vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz continue. U.S. forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready. While each side has accused the other of violating the ceasefire, neither has yet shown itself ready to just walk away from the signed US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding - even if commitments are slipping. *  *  * A lot of escalation has ensued in the last 48 hours, starting when Thursday Tehran struck a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz, after which by the end of Friday US CENTCOM confirmed a series of fresh attacks on Iranian missile and drone storage sites as well as coastal radar installations, reportedly on Sirik Island located near the Strait of Hormuz. Referring to Thursday's attack on a vessel off Oman, the Pentagon called it a "powerful response to yesterday’s attack," in the Friday statement. By early Saturday, Iran had re-retaliated and launched a fresh drone attack on Bahrain. Additionally, another ship in the Strait of Hormuz separately came under attack Saturday. The Ever Lovely, via Marine Traffic The Associated Press points to the obvious potential US-Iran deal (MoU) unraveling: "The attacks across the Persian Gulf show the danger of the Iran war again spinning out of control, even after Iran and the U.S. reached an interim deal to try and agree on a final accord to end the conflict" - though neither side has as yet indicated they are walking away from the deal at this point. According to more details from the Saturday developments: Bahrain said it was targeted by "a number" of Iranian drones on Saturday, accusing Tehran of "undermining peace efforts" in the region. In a statement, the country's foreign ministry said it expressed "Bahrain’s condemnation in the strongest terms of the targeting of its territory at dawn today," adding that the attacks were a "blatant threat to the security of citizens and residents". US Central Command announced that American aircraft had hit Iranian missile and drone storage locations as well as coastal radar sites in response to Iran striking the M/V Ever Lovely ship with a one-way attack drone as it navigated the Strait of Hormuz. "The Singapore-flagged cargo ship was exiting the Strait of Hormuz along the Omani coast at the time of Iran’s attack," CENTCOM said, adding that Iranian forces had "clearly violated" the ceasefire agreement. But it remains that Iran is now firing warning shots at ships that haven't cleared permits to transit the Strait of Hormuz under Iran's own protocol, which highlights that deep divisions remain over each side's interpretation of the terms. The latest via Reuters: IRAN WEIGHS WALKING AWAY FROM SWISS TALKS AFTER US STRIKE IRAN MAY HALT SWISS TALKS AFTER US STRIKE ON SIRIK Gulf states have newly condemned "in the strongest terms the treacherous Iranian attacks" on Bahrain, after drones hit the country's territory. The GCC statement further alleged that the Iranians targeted "civilian infrastructure and properties". Other nations weighed in separately, with for example Kuwait's foreign ministry saying "The continuation of these aggressions, amid regional and international efforts aimed at de-escalation and reducing tensions, represents a dangerous undermining of efforts for peace and stability and a threat to the security and stability of the region," on X. Amid all the tit-for-tat, Iran's IRGC is blaming the US for breaking it commitments under the signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). A Saturday statement described: According to Article Five of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, arrangements for monitoring maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz are carried out in coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran. However, according to the statement, the United States sought to violate this commitment through various movements and received an appropriate response, and the same will apply in the future. If any aggression is repeated, the response will be broader." Laden Panama-flagged VLCC KIKU (IMO: 9329796) carrying Qatar Energy oil was struck during outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz. This is the second vessel struck by Iran since Thursday after the PGSA reiterated that the SoH is closed to those ships that do not have… pic.twitter.com/tWqPbTswaD — Martin Kelly (@_MartinKelly_) June 27, 2026 Al Jazeera has meanwhile reported Saturday that that IRGC ‘targets’ US military sites in region after attacks - and so the response could be ongoing. Independent journalist and pundit Michael Tracey points out sarcastically but aptly that Indefinitely bombing Iran sounds a lot like what you might call "endless war". And so the weekly tit-for-tat escalation might grow more regular until there simply is no more MoU deal to reference back to at all. Ironically this comes just as Israel, Lebanon, and Israel hailed the signing of a 'trilateral peace framework' in Washington - and as Hezbollah is being pushed out of a political solution in south Lebanon, while the IDF occupation of significant territory remains. Tyler Durden Sun, 06/28/2026 - 10:15

IPO Market For AI Freezes Up While The Nuclear SPAC Market Runs Hot  While it looks like OpenAI's IPO has been put on ice as they try to paint SpaceX as the scapegoat, there's still one sector that simply can't launch the IPOs and SPACs fast enough.  After an announcement earlier this year that saw nuclear industrial company Holtec file privately for an IPO, one of the leading reactor developers X-energy debuted on the public market at an almost $10 billion valuation. Since then, microreactor developer Hadron Energy has completed their SPAC merger and has subsequently been digging itself deeper into a hole every passing day… There's now another reactor developer, NuCube, finding its way to the public market through a SPAC merger. This follows a similar announcement from European reactor developer newcleo that we detailed last month. The company is joining a rapidly growing pool of startups looking to capitalize on the national energy security theme, with the added bonus of the AI revolution demanding a nuclear renaissance. Adding NuCube to the list, the number of public reactor development companies has now reached double digits: SMR - NuScale Power OKLO - Oklo Inc NNE - NANO Nuclear Energy  IMSR - Terrestrial Energy NKLR - Terra Innovatum HDRN - Hadron Energy XE - X-energy FISN - Deep Fission NHIC (NWCL) - Newcleo LPBB (tbd) - NuCube Energy In the press release, the company highlights their current relationship with Halliburton as cause for differentiation from other reactor developers still working on their supply chain. Outside of recent acceptance for the Nuclear Energy Launch Pad program, the company doesn't appear to have any MOUs or LOIs lined up with potential off-takers.  The reactor design is unique, but shares similarities with designs from Westinghouse and Antares. Their “solid-state microreactors” are not designed to utilize traditional coolants or pumps, but instead will rely on advanced heat wicking methods similar to what's used in electronics.  With respect to historical precedence, this type of reactor design has some of the least operational experience in the nuclear industry's history.  Some of the nuclear names have found themselves trading well above their entry price from going public, including Oklo and NANO Nuclear. But some of the other names have fared far more miserably…   Tyler Durden Sun, 06/28/2026 - 08:45

These Are The Car Brands With The Fewest Problems In 2026 Drivers reported more vehicle problems this year than ever before, but some automakers continue to stand out for reliability. This graphic, created by Visual Capitalist's Niccolo Conte, ranks the car brands with the fewest reported problems in 2026 based on J.D. Power’s Problems Per 100 Vehicles (PP100) metric. Lower scores indicate fewer owner-reported issues and better long-term dependability. The data comes from the J.D. Power 2026 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, which measures problems experienced by original owners of three-year-old vehicles. While Lexus once again topped the rankings, the broader industry moved in the opposite direction. Owners reported a record 204 problems per 100 vehicles on average, driven largely by infotainment, smartphone connectivity, and software-related issues. Lexus Extends Its Reliability Lead Lexus ranked first for the fourth consecutive year, recording just 151 problems per 100 vehicles. Buick placed second at 160 PP100, while MINI rounded out the top three with 168. Several Japanese automakers performed well throughout the rankings. Subaru, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and Mazda all finished above the industry average, reinforcing Japan’s long-standing reputation for dependable vehicle manufacturing. Luxury brands also demonstrated strong reliability. Cadillac, Porsche, BMW, and Genesis all ranked in the upper half of the study. Software Problems Are Becoming the Biggest Headache Although mechanical reliability has improved in many areas, technology-related issues continue to worsen. J.D. Power found that infotainment systems were the most problematic of the nine categories measured, making software a larger concern than traditional mechanical components. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity problems remained the industry’s single most-reported issue for a third consecutive year. Powertrain Differences Continue to Emerge The study also highlighted significant differences between vehicle powertrains. Plug-in hybrid vehicles were the least dependable category, recording 281 problems per 100 vehicles, a sharp increase from the previous year. By contrast, gasoline-powered vehicles were the only powertrain type to show improvement, averaging 198 PP100. At the bottom of the rankings, Volkswagen, Volvo, and Land Rover recorded the highest problem rates. Volkswagen posted 301 PP100. If you enjoyed today’s post, check out One in Four Cars Sold in 2025 Was Electric on Voronoi. Tyler Durden Sun, 06/28/2026 - 07:35