News from Multiple Perspectives

Iran missile shrapnel falls on West Bank Palestinians as settler attacks, Israeli raids and restrictions continue.

Gold holds steady despite war and rising oil prices, as recent volatility and a strong dollar reduce its appeal.

Liverpool must overturn a 1-0 deficit against Galatasaray in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.

A street vendor waits for customers on the Malecón during a blackout in Havana, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) 2026-03-17T15:25:11Z HAVANA (AP) — Large parts of Cuba were without power on Tuesday after its third blackout in four months underscored the island’s deepening energy and economic crises and rising political tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump . Electricity was slowly being restored to hospitals and some of the island’s 11 million residents, but officials warned that its crumbling power network could fail again. Cuba’s aging grid has drastically eroded in recent years, leading to daily outages and an increase in significant blackouts. The government blames its woes on a U.S. energy blockade after Trump in January warned of tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. After Cuba was plunged into darkness again, Trump said on Monday he believes he’ll have the “honor of taking Cuba.” “I mean, whether I free it, take it. I think I could do anything I want with it,” he said. Trump has described Cuba as a “very weakened nation.” freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); The Trump administration is demanding that Cuba release political prisoners and move toward political and economic liberalization in return for a lifting of sanctions. Trump has also raised the possibility of a “friendly takeover of Cuba.” Critical oil shipments from Venezuela were halted after the U.S. attacked the South American country in early January and arrested its then-president, Nicolás Maduro. While Cuba produces 40% of its petroleum and has been generating its own power, it hasn’t been sufficient to meet demand as its electric grid continues to crumble. Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines said on X that the island had restored the electrical system in the western town of Pinar del Rio and the southeastern province of Holguin and that some “microsystems” were beginning to operate in various territories. State-owned media reported that by late Monday power had been restored to 5% of residents in the capital, Havana, representing some 42,000 customers. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); The city’s residents are concerned about food spoiling and simply trying to maneuver in homes with no lighting. “The power outages are driving me crazy,” said 48-year-old Dalba Obiedo. “Last night I fell down a 27-step staircase. Now I have to have surgery on my jaw. I fell because the lights went out.” The Ministry of Energy and Mines said earlier that there had been a “complete disconnection” of the country’s electrical system, noting there were no failures in the units that were operating when the grid collapsed. Lázaro Guerra, the ministry’s electricity director, told state media on Monday that crews were trying to restart several thermoelectric plants, which are key to restoring power. Havana resident Tomás David Velázquez Felipe, 61, said the relentless outages make him think that Cubans who can should just pack up and leave the island. “What little we have to eat spoils,” he said. “Our people are too old to keep suffering.” ___ Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Joe Kent, Director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, speaks during a congressional debate at KATU studios Oct. 7, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File) 2026-03-17T13:49:08Z WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the Trump administration’s war in Iran. Kent said on social media Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.” There was no immediate comment from the White House. Kent, a former political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists , was confirmed to his post last July on a 52-44 vote. As head of the National Counterterrorism Center, he was in charge of an agency tasked with analyzing and detecting terrorist threats. Before entering President Donald Trump’s administration, Kent ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Congress in Washington state. He also served in the military, seeing 11 deployments as a Green Beret, followed by work at the CIA. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); Democrats strongly opposed Kent’s confirmation, pointing to his past ties to far-right figures and conspiracy theories. During his 2022 congressional campaign, Kent paid Graham Jorgensen, a member of the far-right military group the Proud Boys, for consulting work. He also worked closely with Joey Gibson, the founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer, and attracted support from a variety of far-right figures. During his Senate confirmation hearing, Kent also refused to distance himself from a conspiracy theory that federal agents instigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol, as well as false claims that Trump, a Republican, won the 2020 election over Democrat Joe Biden. Democrats grilled Kent on his participation in a group chat on Signal that was used by Trump’s national security team to discuss sensitive military plans . Still, Republicans praised Kent’s counterterrorism qualifications, pointing to his military and intelligence experience. Sen. Tom Cotton, the GOP chair of the intelligence committee, said in a floor speech that Kent had “dedicated his career to fighting terrorism and keeping Americans safe.” SEUNG MIN KIM Kim covers the White House for The Associated Press. She joined the AP in 2022 and is based in Washington. Kim is also a political analyst for CNN. twitter mailto 获取更多RSS： https://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., speaks with reporters on the steps at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) 2026-03-17T13:55:53Z ROME (AP) — The Vatican appeals tribunal declared a mistrial Tuesday in the Holy See’s big “trial of the century,” a stunning blow to both Pope Francis’ legacy and Vatican prosecutors who had put a cardinal and several other people on trial over alleged financial crimes. In a 16-page ruling, the appeals court ruled that Francis and Vatican prosecutors both made procedural errors that nullified the original indictment and required a new trial. The court set a June 22 as the date for the new trial to begin. Defense lawyers said such a ruling was enormously significant if not historic, since it amounted to a Vatican court declaring an act of the pope null. The ruling was a win for the defense and a huge setback to Vatican prosecutors, who have been scrambling to salvage their case. The prosecution and 2023 convictions against Cardinal Angelo Becciu and others had been held up by the late pope as evidence of his willingness to crack down on financial misconduct in the Holy See. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); The case had as its main focus the Vatican’s investment of 350 million euros ($413 million) in a London property. Prosecutors alleged brokers and Vatican monsignors fleeced the Holy See of tens of millions of euros in fees and commissions to acquire the property, and then extorted the Holy See for 15 million euros ($16.5 million) to cede control of it. The original investigation spawned two main tangents involving Becciu, once a leading Vatican cardinal and future papal contender. He was convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to 5½ years in prison. The tribunal convicted eight other defendants of embezzlement, abuse of office, fraud and other charges. They all maintained their innocence and appealed. During the initial trial, Becciu’s lawyers in particular had complained that prosecutors hadn’t turned over all the evidence to the defense, violating their right to a fair trial. Prosecutors had redacted some documents, withheld the cellphone records of a key prosecution witness and redacted texts among the players, arguing that such omissions were necessary to protect the secrecy of other investigations. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); Defense lawyers also alleged that four secret decrees Francis signed giving prosecutors wide-ranging powers to investigate violated the defendants’ right to a fair trial. They only learned about the decrees just before the trial began, since the decrees were never published. The appeals court agreed with both defense arguments. In the ruling, the appeals court ruled that one of Francis’ decrees amounted to a law, and that Francis’ failure to publish it nullified it. The court also decreed that Vatican prosecutors’ failure to turn over to the defense all their evidence nullified their original indictment. Defense lawyers were pleased by the ruling. “The historic decision by the Court of Appeals—which, for the first time in Vatican history, ruled that a papal rescript was invalid and void due to failure to publish it—in our view results in the complete nullity of the entire investigation and trial,” attorneys Massimo Bassi and Cataldo Intrieri, who represent former Vatican official Fabrizio Tirabassi, said in a statement. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); “We are confident that we will be able to reach a swift conclusion to the trial with a largely acquittal verdict.” The tribunal, headed by Archbishop Alejandro Arellano Cedillo, ordered prosecutors to deposit all the documentation, “in their original form,” by April 30. It gave the defense until June 15 to prepare their motions before the June 22 start of the new trial. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. NICOLE WINFIELD Winfield has been on the Vatican beat since 2001, covering the papacies of St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and the Francis pontificate and traveling the world with them.

Etienne Davignon, a 93-year-old ex-diplomat, is accused of involvement in the assassination of the independence hero.

These reports harm attempts to close the wide gender representation gap in Zambia, activists say.

Severe weather is plaguing the US from coast to coast, bringing a mix of extreme heat and bitter cold.

A growing number of U.S. allies are declining to take part in military efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz, despite mounting pressure from Washington. From Europe to the Indo-Pacific, governments are signaling reluctance to be drawn into direct military action, instead emphasizing diplomacy, legal constraints or limited defensive contributions. France has ruled out any military role in securing the Strait of Hormuz, stressing a diplomatic approach. In an interview with FRANCE 24 last week, Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin said Paris is "not participating in this war." "At this point, there is no question of sending any vessels to the Strait of Hormuz," she explained. Vautrin also questioned whether Washington and Jerusalem share the same end goals in the conflict with Iran. President Donald Trump , however, suggested Monday he expects support from French President Emmanuel Macron. UK DEPLOYING WARSHIP, HELICOPTERS TO CYPRUS AFTER DRONE STRIKE "I think he's going to help. I mean, I'll let you know. I spoke to him yesterday. I don't do a hard sell on them because my attitude is we don't need anybody. We're the strongest nation in the world. We have the strongest military by far in the world. We don't need them," Trump said at the White House. "But, it's interesting. I'm almost doing it in some cases, not because we need them, but because I want to find out how they react." IRAN HOLDS WORLD ENERGY HOSTAGE WITH 'NIGHTMARE' STRAIT OF HORMUZ SEA MINES, FORMER CENTCOM OFFICIAL WARNS Germany has rejected military involvement, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz stating the conflict falls outside NATO’s scope. "We will not participate in ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz by military means. The war in the Middle East is not a matter for NATO," he said in a post on X. "Therefore, Germany will also not become involved militarily." Australia has declined to send ships to the strait despite U.S. calls for support. In an interview on ABC Radio National on Monday, Catherine King, minister for infrastructure, transport, regional development and local government, said, "We won't be sending a ship to the Strait of Hormuz. We know how incredibly important that is, but that's not something that we've been asked or that we're contributing to." She noted Australia’s current contribution is limited to support in the United Arab Emirates, including providing aircraft to assist with defense given the number of Australians in the country. IRAN DEPLOYS EXPLOSIVE ‘SUICIDE SKIFFS’ DISGUISED AS FISHING BOATS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ Ireland has ruled out participation in any EU naval mission to reopen the strategic waterway. Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Micheál Martin told reporters ahead of his meeting with Trump, "We don’t have that offensive military capacity in any shape or form, so obviously it’s not something that’s on our agenda," according to the Irish Examiner. "The world is in a very challenging situation and no one likes war. We certainly don’t as a country, and we want a specific resolution." WHY GULF STATES AREN’T JOINING THE WAR AGAINST IRAN — DESPITE ATTACKS ON THEIR SOIL Spain has rejected any involvement in a Hormuz mission and called for an end to the war. Defense Minister Margarita Robles said, "We are on a defense and security mission in Cyprus and at this moment Spain is not considering any mission in Hormuz. What we are considering is the demand that the war end," according to Spanish newspaper La Razón . She described the conflict as an "illegal war that is causing many deaths." Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares similarly argued to end the "spiral of violence" and "this escalation that does not have clear objectives." The U.K. has stopped short of committing to direct military action while emphasizing coordination with international partners. In a press conference on Monday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, "We will not be drawn into the wider war." He called on allies and other European countries to "bring together a viable collective plan that can restore freedom of navigation in the region as quickly as possible." Japan is holding off on any deployment of naval escorts to the Middle East, citing legal constraints. Speaking in parliament during an Upper House Budget Committee meeting, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said, "No decision has been made whatsoever regarding the dispatch of escort vessels," according to The Japan Times . "We are currently examining what Japan can do independently and what is possible within the legal framework." TRUMP PRESSES NATO PARTNERS ON SUPPORT AS HEGSETH BLASTS HESITATION "Legally speaking, this is very difficult," Takaichi added. "We are carefully examining what can be done within the scope of current laws and what is the best course of action at this time. At the same time, we are continuing to engage with Iran to help de-escalate the situation while also exchanging information with various countries."

Iranian Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Larijani and Basij Commander Gholamreza Soleimani have both been killed, according to the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. "I have just been updated by the Chief of Staff that Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and the head of the Basij — Iran’s central repression apparatus — Salimani, were eliminated last night and have joined Khamenei, the head of the annihilation program, along with all those eliminated from the axis of evil in the depths of hell," Katz said, according to a translation provided to Fox News by his office. The news comes more than two weeks since Israel launched a war against the Islamic Republic of Iran in conjunction with U.S. President Donald Trump. "Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and the regime’s effective leader, has been eliminated," the Israel Defense Forces noted in a post on X. WHY GULF STATES AREN'T JOINING THE WAR AGAINST IRAN — DESPITE ATTACKS ON THEIR SOIL "Throughout the years, Larijani was considered one of the most veteran and senior figures within the Iranian regime leadership, and was a close associate of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. During the most recent wave of protests against the Iranian terror regime, Larijani personally oversaw the massacre that was carried out against Iranian protestors," the post added. TRUMP SAYS IRAN'S MILITARY ‘DECIMATED,’ BUT STILL NOT DECLARING WAR OVER Another IDF post noted, "Yesterday, the IDF targeted & eliminated Gholamreza Soleimani, who operated as commander of the Basij unit for the past 6 years. Under Soleimani, the Basij unit led the main repression operations in Iran, employing severe violence, widespread arrests, and the use of force against civilian demonstrators." The U.S. government had previously indicated that it would offer a reward for information on Larijani. "Rewards for Justice is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on the key leaders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its component branches," rewardsforjustice.net notes. "Under this reward offer, RFJ is seeking information on the following individuals," the webpage notes, listing Larijani and others. HAMAS REASSERTS CONTROL IN GAZA AS IRAN WAR DOMINATES REGIONAL ATTENTION AND GLOBAL FOCUS "Over a dozen Basij officials were targeted in Iran last night in different strikes, including the head of the Basij forces Gholamreza Soleimani. This was a joint U.S. and Israeli effort," a senior Israeli official noted. "A strike in Tehran targeted the Basij commander and around a dozen others, including the most senior figures in the Basij forces—people with a lot of blood on their hands." Fox News' Trey Yingst and Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

Even as Iran expands attacks across the Persian Gulf, several of the countries directly targeted are still refusing to join the fight against Iran, opting instead for restraint and diplomacy. Gulf governments say their priority is defending their territory while preventing a wider conflict that could destabilize the region and global energy markets. When asked by Fox News White House senior correspondent Peter Doocy about Iran’s strikes on Gulf states Monday, Donald Trump said experts had not anticipated Tehran would target neighboring countries. "Nobody. Nobody. The greatest experts — nobody thought they were going to hit," Trump said when Doocy asked about Iranian attacks targeting Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait. TRUMP SEEKS WARSHIPS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES TO HELP SECURE STRAIT OF HORMUZ Tehran widened the conflict after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian oil facilities earlier this month, expanding retaliation to Gulf energy infrastructure and shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) recorded at least 25 Iranian attacks against shipping in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz since Feb. 28, as well as strikes targeting energy infrastructure across several Gulf states. "Tehran targeted Gulf energy infrastructure and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz seeking to raise the costs of the war for the U.S. and its regional partners," said Luca Nevola, ACLED’s senior analyst for Yemen and the Gulf. Jacob Olidort, chief research officer at the America First Policy Institute, told Fox News Digital that, " Since Operation Epic Fury began , our Gulf partners have responded with an unprecedented unified front against threats posed by the Iranian regime," he said, adding that their actions have focused on stopping attacks rather than expanding the war. "This reflects not just a desire to stabilize the region but also a recognition that the U.S. military’s success is what makes that possible." Salman Al-Ansari, a Saudi geopolitical researcher, told Fox News Digital that Riyadh is focusing on maintaining global market stability. "Riyadh is exercising maximum restraint at the moment, but the real question is how long that restraint can last," Al-Ansari said. Al-Ansari pointed to a long-standing Saudi strategic philosophy. "Over a hundred years ago, the founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz Al Saud, said: ‘The living do not fight the dead.’ Perhaps Riyadh is following this doctrine, at least until further developments unfold," he said. Qatar has taken a similar approach. " The State of Qatar’s policies always seek to de-escalate conflicts," a Qatari official told Fox News Digital. "Qatar is not a party to this war, and we strongly believe that the violence must end through negotiations. At the same time. Qatar continues to defend its country and sovereignty following the Iranian attacks." IRAN WAR, 11 DAYS IN: US CONTROLS SKIES, OIL SURGES AND THE REGION BRACES FOR WHAT’S NEXT Another factor shaping Gulf restraint is a regional policy of refusing to allow their territory to be used for attacks on Iran. Some U.S. military experts say the Gulf’s hesitation is also tied to long-standing concerns about Washington’s reliability in the region. Vice Adm. Robert S. Harward, a former deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, told Fox News Digital that inconsistent U.S. policies have eroded trust among Gulf partners. "Our policies in the Middle East have been more cyclical than a revolving door," Harward said. "We have failed to earn the trust and confidence of our Gulf partners over the last decade and a half. And that lack of trust and confidence has only exacerbated the threat from Iran to the region." The now retired vice admiral said Gulf governments are weighing the risks of escalation carefully. "As these countries consider whether to go on the offensive, they are worried about what happens when we leave," he said. "Admittedly, these countries are challenged to defend themselves against a country of 90 million without us." Regional analysts say Gulf leaders are concerned that if even one country joins the fighting , the conflict could quickly engulf the region. Abdullah Aljunaid, a Bahraini analyst, told Fox News Digital that if one member of the Gulf Cooperation Council enters the war, it could drag the entire bloc with it. "If any member of the GCC decided to join this offensive, it would obligate the rest of the GCC countries to join at the same time," Aljunaid said. The consequences could extend far beyond the battlefield. "You could imagine what the oil prices would be. We are definitely talking about north of $150 per barrel," he claimed. HEGSETH BLASTS BRITS, SAYS IRAN'S CHAOTIC RETALIATION HAS DRIVEN ITS OWN ALLIES 'INTO THE AMERICAN ORBIT' Aljunaid said Gulf leaders are also wary of open-ended military campaigns in the region. "Past experiences show that every time military action is initiated in the region, it never ends according to what was promised," he said. Instead, he said Gulf countries are focusing on defensive measures while quietly supporting diplomatic channels, including mediation efforts through Oman. Lt. Gen. Richard Y. Newton III said Iran made a major strategic mistake by striking Gulf countries. "Iran made a strategic blunder by striking Gulf nations – our allies and friends – with ballistic missiles and drone attacks," Newton told Fox News Digital. The retired Air Force commander warned that attacks on key infrastructure such as oil fields or desalination plants could push Gulf states toward a more aggressive response. "I'm inclined to believe there may potentially be one or two nations in the region inclined to join with the U.S. by going offensive against Iran," Newton said. "That is certainly within the realm of possibility in the coming weeks." Newton added that the long-term objective for the U.S. and its partners should be preventing Iran from threatening regional stability and global shipping routes. "That includes achieving maritime dominance in the Persian Gulf and setting the conditions for safe passage for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz," he said. For now, however, Gulf leaders appear determined to contain the conflict rather than escalate it, even as Iranian strikes have already reached their territory. The UAE did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Russian oligarch spent nearly two decades building the London soccer club into a sporting superpower. That success was built partly on regulation breaches, an investigation found.

President Trump says his NATO allies are disloyal for not helping the United States to clear an oil blockade. But they have a long list of incentives to refuse.

The large, plainclothes militia group is deeply embedded in Iranian society and has been used to crush dissent, often with brutal tactics.

Five years ago, Oklahoma oil regulators took on a project with an impressive name: the Source of Truth. State officials wanted a comprehensive database capturing all vital information about the more than 11,000 wells in Oklahoma that shoot the toxic byproduct of oil production back underground. I’d heard about this project from several people during the 18 months I had spent reporting on the growing number of cases where oilfield wastewater blasted out of old wells, known as purges, after being injected underground at high pressures. State employees also referenced the project in internal communications that I received after filing nearly a dozen public records requests to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which regulates the oil and gas industry. Just before the new year, the Source of Truth itself landed in my inbox in response to an unrelated records request. And it was explosive, revealing a pattern of rule violations by oil and gas companies that state regulators allowed to continue. The project was supposed to clean up or fix state data regarding how much wastewater was being injected and the pressures at which it was being pushed underground. The agency’s databases, many of which were based on decades-old paper records, were riddled with contradictory or missing information. In many cases, the agency failed to update its records. More than 1,300 errors were identified. But the Source of Truth found more than just messy data. It also allowed regulators to pinpoint nearly 600 wells that were operating illegally: injecting wastewater above their permitted pressures or volumes. Excessively high injection pressures and volumes can lead to purges and groundwater pollution. That wasn’t all. The report also showed that regulators had allowed more than 1,400 other older injection wells to operate for decades without any limits whatsoever on injection pressures or volumes — grandfathered in from an earlier era of permissive oversight. In the course of my reporting on oil and gas pollution in Oklahoma, I’ve uncovered systemic underregulation by the state — as well as a few crucial fork-in-the-road moments, instances when state regulators could have taken action to bring the industry into compliance with their own rules. The completion of the Source of Truth was one of them. With this report, the agency had in hand an extensive list of potentially problematic wells that were either injecting above legal limits — or lacked limits entirely. These wells accounted for nearly a fifth of the active injection wells in the state. They warranted scrutiny, my agency sources told me. But after the report was completed, in 2021, regulators did not act on its findings. They did not make oil and gas operators comply with the injection limits on their permits or establish limits on older wells to bring them up to modern standards, agency employees said. They never made the report accessible to the wider agency staff, according to my agency sources and internal documents. In the meantime, the number of oilfield purges grew steadily, from about a dozen in 2020 to more than 150 over the next five years, according to a Frontier and ProPublica analysis of pollution complaints submitted to the agency. As agency employees investigated these pollution events, they identified plenty of problematic wells that, unbeknownst to many of them, had already been flagged in the Source of Truth. “The Oklahoma Corporation Commission looked into using the Source of Truth database in the past and elected not to use this form of data collection,” said Jack Money, an agency spokesperson, without saying why. Money did not say why regulators did not force oil companies to comply with the limits they had agreed to, why the agency chose not to establish limits on the older wells or why it did not share the Source of Truth widely. He did not respond to follow-up questions. Injecting Without Limits The core problem identified by the Source of Truth dates back to 1981, when Oklahoma applied to take over regulation of oil and gas injection operations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Purges often occur at abandoned, unplugged oil wells as a result of high-pressure injection. Obtained by ProPublica and The Frontier Before the feds would agree to hand over control, the state had to prove that its regulations would protect groundwater as required by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The 1974 law created basic standards for regulating underground injection. This meant big changes in Oklahoma. For decades, the state had routinely approved parcels of land for drilling, along with groups of injection wells that help produce oil. This type of injection well takes wastewater after it has been separated from oil and shoots it back underground to push more petroleum to the surface — a technique known as waterflooding. The state proposed approving every injection well individually, setting a maximum pressure and volume for each one to “prevent contamination of freshwater,” according to Oklahoma’s application to the EPA. Setting such limits would help ensure that the injected wastewater would not fracture the rock surrounding the well and pollute groundwater. Oklahoma won the EPA’s approval, becoming one of the first states to gain direct control of underground oil and gas injection. Today, more than 30 states have authority over regulation of underground injection for oil and gas. Oklahoma did not retroactively apply its new standards. And the EPA never forced it to. Thousands of existing wells were allowed to continue injecting with no volume or pressure limits. Federal regulators’ hands appear to be tied by the language of the Safe Drinking Water Act, which allows injection without limits to continue for “the life of the well,” according to Joseph Robledo, a spokesperson for the EPA regional office that oversees Oklahoma.  “EPA acknowledges that because oil and gas activity began in Oklahoma long before the establishment of federal [underground injection] regulations, many wells in Oklahoma do not meet modern standards,” Robledo wrote in an email.  He said Oklahoma has taken steps to modernize its oil and gas inventory and submits regular reports to the EPA.  But my reporting shows that state regulators have not directly addressed the issue of wells without injection limits. I consulted more than a half dozen experts in oil and gas injection, including lawyers, about these wells operating under outdated standards. None had any idea that so many of Oklahoma’s injection wells had been grandfathered in and were not abiding by volume and pressure limits. Several noted, though, that the federal law is unclear on what state regulators were allowed — or required — to do; the Safe Drinking Water Act prohibited states from interfering with oil and gas operations that existed prior to the law’s passage — unless the operations endangered drinking water. Because the state never investigated these wells, no one can say for certain whether they do, in fact, threaten drinking water. But my reporting shows that excessively high injection pressures and volumes have caused mass pollution in Oklahoma. The most recent state data indicates that 88% of the 1,400 wells found by the Source of Truth to have no pressure or volume limits are listed as active, injecting over a hundred million gallons of wastewater beneath the ground last year. Establishing pressure and volume limits for each of these wells would’ve been a huge task, requiring regulators to approve new permits for each one. Nevertheless, experts say that responsible regulation of underground injection requires, at a basic level, knowing how much — and with how much force — water is being pushed underground. “Pressure and volume limits are key to ensure that injection wells aren’t, first and foremost, endangering groundwater, but also to prevent bad outcomes like earthquakes and purges,” Adam Peltz, an attorney who directs the energy office for the Environmental Defense Fund, an advocacy nonprofit, told me. Problematic Wells Near Purges In the years since the Source of Truth was completed, purges multiplied across the state, with toxic wastewater gushing to the surface, polluting farmland and water sources. One especially bad series of purges occurred in a rural stretch of Carter County in south central Oklahoma. Huge volumes of wastewater poured from the ground for months at a time starting in 2021. In an August 2022 internal email chain discussing the response to the ongoing wastewater eruptions, one environmental supervisor pointed out that the Source of Truth could have been “a tremendous help” to his team as they evaluated the injection wells near the purges — but they did not have access to it. After I got the Source of Truth documents, I checked to see if wells that it flagged as problematic were later identified by the agency to be located near purges in recent years. There were at least 30 matches. If the agency had proactively investigated the problem wells to see if wastewater was spreading widely belowground, it may have been able to identify several oilfields where overpressurized injection would later cause purges. In theory, the EPA could still force Oklahoma to improve its regulation of oil and gas injection, if federal officials found that its wells were systematically threatening groundwater. There is some precedent for this, but it’s rare. In California, federal officials helped conduct an audit of the state’s oilfield wastewater injection policies in 2011 and found that it had failed to properly protect aquifers. State and federal officials subsequently created a plan to overhaul California’s underground injection regulations. No state has ever had its oversight of oil and gas injection revoked. Similar scrutiny is unlikely in Oklahoma under President Donald Trump, whose EPA is radically loosening regulations on industry. Robledo, the EPA spokesperson, noted in an email that there are some circumstances that would require Oklahoma to place limits on these old wells, including when they are contaminating drinking water or violating other state rules.  But state regulators would not know if these wells are contaminating drinking water if they do not investigate them. I asked state regulators whether they would address the many wells still injecting under outdated regulations, a situation created four decades ago and highlighted by the Source of Truth.  They did not answer. Help Us Report on the Impact of Oil Field Waste in Oklahoma Toxic wastewater from oil fields keeps pouring out of the ground in Oklahoma. For years, residents have filed complaints and struggled to find solutions. We need your help to understand the full scale of the problem. Share Your Experience The post Oil Regulators Found Hundreds of Wells Violating Oklahoma Rules. Then They Ignored Their Findings. appeared first on ProPublica .

Jose Omar Flores-Penaloza was willing to admit that he had entered the United States illegally. He was ready to be deported, according to his attorneys. But federal prosecutors would not let him go last spring without making him answer for another crime — one he had never heard of. Weeks earlier, President Donald Trump, to address what he called a national emergency, ordered a stretch of borderland transferred to the military so that troops could help apprehend unauthorized migrants. Because prosecutors believed Flores-Penaloza had crossed through that zone, now called a national defense area, they charged him with trespassing on military property under statutes including one enacted in 1909 to keep spies away from arsenals. The added misdemeanors were unlikely to lengthen his sentence; they typically result in time served and deportation. But Flores-Penaloza maintained his innocence in the face of the allegation that could cast him as a national security threat. So he awaited trial in a New Mexico jail. One year into the second Trump administration, federal courts are facing a surge of immigration-related litigation, including a record number of habeas petitions from detainees who say they are being unlawfully held . In Minnesota last month, after a frustrated judge asked why defendants he had ordered released were still in custody, a government attorney blurted out: “What do you want me to do? The system sucks. This job sucks.” ProPublica and The Texas Tribune spent four months investigating a persistent source of pressure in border districts — one experts say is taxing the courts and challenging long-standing principles of criminal law. Since last April, at least 4,700 immigrants already charged with entering the country illegally have faced additional misdemeanor counts accusing them of trespassing on military property. Court records reviewed by the news organizations show that more than 90% of cases have been resolved, and that most did not end in convictions on the trespass charges: About 60% were dropped or dismissed. At least nine judges in West Texas and New Mexico have found the prosecutions legally deficient. Citing the basic requirement of mens rea — a guilty mind — many ruled that defendants could not be found guilty because they did not know they were trespassing on military land.  Yet prosecutors have continued filing the charges and appealing adverse rulings, arguing that knowingly crossing the border is sufficient to prove criminal intent. More than 20 legal scholars and former prosecutors told reporters they could not identify a conventional law-enforcement or military goal that would justify their persistence. A sign warning people that they are entering a military area is posted next to a stretch of border wall in Texas. The strain has been visible in crowded federal dockets. “We would do jury selection and trial on a misdemeanor case that would have no bearing on the sentence whatsoever?” West Texas District Judge Leon Schydlower asked a prosecutor in June. He noted that there were about 40 similar cases on his docket and asked the prosecutor what she would do if he scheduled all the trials on the same day. “We would have to be prepared to move to go forward on all 40, Your Honor,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia “Patti” Aguayo replied, prefacing her position by saying she had no choice in the matter. “We have not been allowed to do anything but move forward.” Prosecutors were operating under a directive issued by Attorney General Pam Bondi mandating “zealous advocacy” of the administration’s priorities and warning that attorneys who declined to advance them could face discipline or termination. Military Trespass Cases Under Trump Administration Skyrocket Note: Counts are of unique cases in which charges were filed under 50:797 (“Penalty for violation of security regulations and orders”) and 18:1382 (“Entering military, naval, or Coast Guard property”). Source: Federal Justice Center’s Integrated Database. Agnel Philip/ProPublica Senior officials in the U.S. attorney’s offices handling trespass cases declined repeated interview requests, and a spokesperson in the West Texas office asked reporters to stop contacting prosecutors directly. A Justice Department spokesperson noted that one of the charges carries a longer sentence and claimed the prosecutions have “proven to be a significant deterrent to both illegal crossings and cartel activity along the border,” though the department did not provide supporting documentation. Had prosecutors accepted his offer to plead guilty to illegal entry in exchange for dropping the trespass charge, Flores-Penaloza would have been processed for deportation to Mexico, his public defenders Amanda Skinner and Victoria Trull said. Instead, he remained in custody for more than a month, in a county jail where guards have been accused of threatening to use Tasers on inmates’ genitals and bursting into sleeping areas with flash-bangs . (In a court filing, attorneys for Doña Ana County denied the first allegation and wrote, about the second, that guards used “specialized equipment during operations” but disputed they were “terrorizing vulnerable detainees.”) Hours into Flores-Penaloza’s June 17 bench trial before Chief Magistrate Judge Gregory Wormuth, prosecutors could not pinpoint exactly where he had crossed the border or produce a clear map showing the boundaries of the military zone. “I also don’t dispute,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Castellano conceded, “that we don’t meet the mens rea requirement the court has indicated in a prior opinion.” Wormuth, who had dismissed dozens of similar charges, grew frustrated. He noted that Flores-Penaloza had been in custody for 40 days largely because of the unproven allegation. “The United States has come in here and put not a single bit of evidence that would allow me to find that he even entered the national defense area,” Wormuth said. “It is very, very disturbing.” He acquitted Flores-Penaloza on the trespass counts while finding him guilty of illegal entry. The young man was deported. But more cases were coming. Detained migrants have said they didn’t see the posted signs and had no way of knowing they had crossed military land. Federal law generally bars the military from detaining civilians on domestic soil. But there was a workaround: Troops could capture intruders on their own bases. Under orders from Trump last April, federal agencies including the Department of the Interior transferred more than 200 miles of riverbank and desert scrub in West Texas and New Mexico to the armed forces, converting the terrain into extensions of Army installations. Speaking to troops deployed to one of the new national defense areas, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested that anyone entering them would be on notice . “You’ve got signs like this one all across the border wall facing into Mexico,” he said — “clear English, clear Spanish.” The plan appeared straightforward. But once cases reached courtrooms, that clarity evaporated. Detained migrants said they hadn’t seen signs and had no way of knowing they had crossed military land. Prosecutors often couldn’t prove otherwise. ProPublica and the Tribune identified 1,300 New Mexico district court records in which the government stated how far from these signs migrants crossed the border or were apprehended. The news organizations found that some were arrested more than 20 miles away from a sign, and that most didn’t come within 1,000 feet of any posting. In at least one Texas case , defense attorneys demonstrated how difficult it was to read the 12-by-18-inch sign from about 10 feet away. A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office in New Mexico said what matters is not where a defendant was apprehended but where they entered the country. In some cases, such as Flores-Penaloza’s, prosecutors lacked evidence of that as well. These evidentiary gaps snagged most of the cases that reached judges, underscoring an existential question: “What is your evidence that he knew he was accessing a restricted national defense area?” a federal magistrate judge, Miguel Torres, asked during an El Paso, Texas, jury trial . Adequate notice was essential, he said, “so that we don’t ensnare innocent people that do not know they are violating this specific law.” Torres ruled against the government at trial, but many cases didn’t make it that far. Two U.S. Army vehicles, seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, park along the border. In Texas, many defendants pleaded guilty. To fight the trespass charges meant waiting in jail possibly for weeks or months. They chose to go home instead. But in New Mexico, within weeks of the first cases, judges began throwing out the trespass charges as soon as they were filed for lack of probable cause. Prosecutors responded with an unusual maneuver. Rather than abandon the cases, they refiled them using a charging document called an information — a tool commonly used for misdemeanors but, according to the legal experts consulted by ProPublica and the Tribune, rarely deployed to revive cases judges had already deemed unsupported. Prosecutors used informations to resurrect more than 1,600 military trespass cases, the news organizations found. “If there is no probable cause, the case is supposed to end,” said Meghan Skelton, a former assistant federal public defender and prosecutor. “They are trying to circumvent that in a way that has not been done in the 30 years I’ve been practicing law.” In a criminal complaint issued in New Mexico and reviewed by ProPublica, a judge crossed out two of the three counts, noting they did not have “PC,” or probable cause. Obtained and highlighted by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune The tactic kicked off what one defense attorney called a “ridiculous dance.” Judges would separate the immigration and trespass charges, accept guilty pleas on illegal entry and reiterate that there was no probable cause to detain defendants on the military counts. With deportation imminent, prosecutors would then move to dismiss the trespass charges themselves. Prosecutors who left the U.S. attorney’s offices in the early months of the second Trump administration told reporters they were alarmed to see the lengths their former colleagues were going to pursue dubious cases. “You’re just losing credibility with the court, and on a bigger picture, credibility with the public,” said Marisa Ong, a former assistant U.S. attorney in Las Cruces. It was the kind of outcome Matilda “Tilli” Villalobos sought to avoid when she saw the zealous advocacy mandate last February and left the district for private practice. “I don’t want to be the one standing up in court in front of a judge advocating for something that I don’t believe is even legal,” said the decorated former sex crimes prosecutor, who now defends immigrants charged with criminal offenses. Alex Uballez, who served as U.S. attorney in New Mexico before being fired by Trump last year, called the prosecutions a “flustering attempt to create fear and chaos by whatever means necessary.” “It would be laughable if it wasn’t so cruel and chaotic and dangerous,” he added, “both for the people involved and for the justice system as a whole.” Matilda “Tilli” Villalobos left her position in the U.S. attorney’s office in Las Cruces, New Mexico, last February. The national defense areas were supposed to allow active-duty troops to apprehend unlawful border crossers for the first time. So far, that outcome has largely failed to materialize. According to a spokesperson for Joint Task Force-Southern Border, about 1,500 deployed troops had made just 68 apprehensions as of last week, leaving the Border Patrol still responsible for the vast majority of detentions. Even so, the administration has continued expanding the zones from California to Texas. Prosecutors began filing military trespass charges in South Texas last month, starting with a man caught crossing the Rio Grande, in an area now designated an extension of the Joint Base San Antonio. Along the river, warnings of prosecution are written across floating buoys and blared in Spanish from loudspeakers that can be heard in Mexico . Border Patrol agents ask migrants detained in national defense areas to sign a form acknowledging they entered without permission, placing the documents in their immigration files, then-interim El Paso Border Patrol Sector Chief Walter Slosar said in a news conference last June. “And so the next time they cross the border unlawfully, there’s going to be no issue” about notice. In New Mexico, prosecutors have used that written notice and previous military trespass charges to help secure 20 guilty pleas from defendants who reentered. Still, the news organizations’ analysis of court records found that nearly every trespassing charge in the state has been dismissed or dropped. The Justice Department continues to press its legal theory in appellate court. In May, prosecutors filed trespass charges against Komiljon Toirov , a man from Uzbekistan detained in New Mexico. Toirov does not speak English or Spanish and could not have understood posted warnings. Prosecutors maintain that does not matter. They wanted him held in jail for trial, but a judge released him. For months since then, prosecutors have fought that decision. As the case bounced between the district court and the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, judges openly bristled at the government’s persistence. A bus used to transport migrants to their federal court hearings parked near the U.S. district court in Las Cruces. The federal courthouse in downtown El Paso, Texas, with the border and Ciudad Juarez in the distance. “The defense bar and every judge in the Las Cruces district courthouse disagrees with the government,” U.S. District Judge Sarah Davenport wrote in October. A three-judge appellate panel in December noted that prosecutors had produced “little to no evidence” to support their case for jailing Toirov. The government has now filed notice that it plans to appeal again, indicating that it will seek a higher court ruling supporting its argument that Toirov didn’t need to know about the military zone in order to trespass onto it. “We remain confident that our interpretation is consistent with the law and U.S. Supreme Court precedent,” a Justice Department spokesperson said in an email. Ryan Goodman, a national security law professor at New York University, said the government’s persistence was “jaw-dropping.” “It appears to be prosecutorial abuse by continuing to bring fatally flawed cases,” he said in an email. “This kind of abuse of the Justice Department’s powers has very significant repercussions for the ability of our democracy to survive.” Meanwhile, the El Paso courthouse has eased into a new normal. On many mornings, shackled migrants plead guilty to military trespass charges rather than remain jailed awaiting trial. Occasionally, the routine falters. On Nov. 3, a young man named Brandon David Munoz-Luna spoke up during his plea hearing. “In my case, I did not know that I was entering a military reservation,” he said through an interpreter. Federal Magistrate Judge Robert Castañeda turned to Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian Gallegos. He asked, “Does the government insist on making this a charge you’re pursuing?” “Yes, Judge,” the prosecutor replied. “Pursuant to DOJ policy.” Minutes later, Munoz-Luna pleaded no contest , and the court moved on. The vast expanse of land along the southern border makes proving migrants knowingly trespassed through the new national defense area difficult to prosecute in federal court. The post The Trump Administration’s “Disturbing” New Legal Strategy to Prosecute Border Crossers Is Taxing Courts and Testing the Law appeared first on ProPublica .

In his top post at the Department of Homeland Security, David Harvilicz sets policy on protecting the nation’s elections infrastructure, including voting machines. He’s also the co-founder of a company with James Penrose, who helped hatch debunked conspiracy theories blaming hacked voting machines for Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 presidential election. Penrose assisted in a push to seize voting machines to overturn Trump’s defeat. On social media , Harvilicz has called for doing away with voting machines , saying they are “eminently vulnerable to exploitation.” In a March post , he wrote that “DHS needs to ban voting machines for all federal elections. The time is now.” He also has repeatedly questioned the validity of Democratic electoral victories and pushed for Republicans to overhaul electoral systems to their advantage . David Harvilicz in 2015 Sam Comen/The New York Times/Redux Election experts as well as current and former DHS officials say Harvilicz’s central role in overseeing the security of electoral systems and voting machines is especially concerning at a time when the administration is taking unprecedented steps to relitigate Trump’s baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen. That includes the FBI’s seizure of 2020 voting records from Fulton County, Georgia, and having a team working for Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, take custody of voting machines used in Puerto Rico in 2020. “The security of our election infrastructure depends on leadership that is trusted, impartial and grounded in evidence — not individuals who have promoted conspiracy theories about the very systems they are now responsible for protecting,” said Danielle Lang, vice president for voting rights and the rule of law at the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan pro-democracy organization. “Placing someone with that background in charge of policies affecting election security can undermine public confidence in our elections at a time when trust is already fragile.” DHS didn’t answer detailed questions about Harvilicz or his team, providing a more general statement about the work done by the agency. “DHS and its employees are focused on keeping our elections safe, secure, and free,” it said. “Every single day appointees at the Department of Homeland Security work to implement the President’s policies and keep our Homeland safe.” Harvilicz didn’t respond to questions about his DHS role. Harvilicz’s X account notes his post as DHS’ assistant secretary for cyber, infrastructure, risk and resilience policy but says he’s been detailed to the Defense Department. (Such temporary assignments are typically done in 120-day increments .) Get Involved Do you have information you can share about David Harvilicz or other federal officials working on elections or any of the other individuals named in this article? Contact reporter Doug Bock Clark at doug.clark@propublica.org or on Signal at 678-243-0784. If you’re concerned about confidentiality, check out our advice on the most secure ways to share tips . Harvilicz was appointed to the DHS job around July , taking on a role that in the past has largely focused on shaping policy to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure , including its election systems. But current and former DHS officials say Harvilicz and his team have transformed their functions to become more hands-on. They’ve been deeply engaged with facilitating multiple administration data-gathering efforts aimed at scouring voter rolls for noncitizens, the officials said. ProPublica has reported on one such effort, which has led to hundreds of citizens being incorrectly flagged as potential noncitizens. Harvilicz’s team includes Heather Honey, the deputy assistant secretary of election integrity. ProPublica has reported that Honey was previously a leader in the Election Integrity Network , a conservative group that has challenged the legitimacy of American election systems. Honey worked closely with Cleta Mitchell, the network’s leader, who played a prominent role in helping Trump try to overturn his 2020 loss. Also reporting directly to Harvilicz is Samantha Anderson , a data specialist who previously worked to elect Trump through the advocacy arm of the America First Policy Institute , a think tank closely associated with the president. Multiple officials and elections experts said they were worried that Harvilicz and Honey would have prominent parts in assessing and describing the cybersecurity of the coming election, both to the public and to administration leaders. They also expressed concern that if Trump again wanted to get control of voting machines after the election, perhaps if Republicans lose seats in the midterms, that Harvilicz is ideally positioned to help them do so. “It would be super easy for them to get the voting machines,” a current DHS official said, adding they can “describe it as they want, if they don’t like the results.” Harvilicz co-founded Tranquility AI , which has developed an artificial intelligence tool for law enforcement, with Penrose, and they are listed on its 2025 patents as developing its systems together . Penrose, a former intelligence officer, played a leading role in the campaign to help Trump in his failed bid to overturn the 2020 election, ProPublica has reported . Penrose also participated in multiple attempts to clandestinely seize voting machines, including in Michigan , where prosecutors accused him of breaking into some of the machines. (Penrose wasn’t charged in the case.) He appeared to be an unindicted co-conspirator in the failed Georgia prosecution in which Trump was accused of conspiring to overturn the election results, according to The Washington Post . Penrose didn’t respond to a request for comment for this article. One of the purported uses of Tranquility AI’s product is for “ election integrity ,” according to the company’s website. It didn’t provide more details in response to a question from ProPublica. Tranquility AI’s tools, which help law enforcement agents process data and assemble cases, have been employed by New Orleans’ district attorney, and the company says it has partnered with dozens of law enforcement agencies nationwide. In July 2025, a large government IT contractor announced a partnership with Tranquility AI. Harvilicz started his career working at law firms on Wall Street and in tech. Then, in 2004, when he was 29, he launched a losing bid for a Maryland congressional seat. After that, he helped lead a crowdfunding company , a movie marketing business , a film production business that worked with former intelligence officers and several cyber security ventures (including one at which he worked with Penrose). He also did a stint in the first Trump administration , serving as cybersecurity official in the Department of Energy. In advance of Harvilicz getting the DHS position, Tranquility AI made a $100,000 donation to Trump’s inaugural fund through a newly created nonprofit based at Harvilicz’s home address, according to The Intercept . In response to questions from The Intercept, Harvilicz said the donation was designed to help them meet administration policymakers. The Intercept first reported his ties to Penrose in connection with the donation. Harvilicz has posted prolifically to social media, sharing hundreds of posts of conservative content. After Trump won a second presidential term, he wrote : “We will now dismantle the near communist takeover of America and return her to greatness.” In 2020, Harvilicz purchased a $3.3 million home outside of Los Angeles. After the Palisades Fire destroyed it around the beginning of Trump’s second term, Harvilicz stood on a roadside to greet the president’s tour of the disaster area with his young son on his shoulders. His son held aloft a picture of a bloodied Trump punching the air after surviving an assassin’s bullet. Even then, elections were not far from his mind. He told a reporter for the Los Angeles Times that he supported Trump making disaster aid conditional on the Democratic state implementing voter ID. “I hope he saw us,” Harvilicz told the Times reporter. The post This DHS Official Oversees the Security of Federal Elections. He Wants to Ban Voting Machines. appeared first on ProPublica .

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Woman known only as Beth says abuser claimed status made him untouchable, which terrorised her into silence MI5 has apologised and paid compensation to a woman who alleged the Security Service was to blame for her being attacked with a machete and abused by one of its agents. The woman, known only as Beth, was in a relationship with a man she says used his status as an MI5 agent to perpetrate abuse and terrorise her into silence. Continue reading...

Writers Guild of America East says management failed to offer fair wages and basic job protections Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Workers at CBS News walked out for 24 hours on Tuesday after a new contract agreement was not reached following the expiration of the contract last week. About 60 workers at the streaming service CBS News 24/7 are represented by the Writers Guild of America East. The union is holding rallies and walkouts at the CBS News broadcast center in Manhattan, New York, and at KPIX-TV CBS News Bay Area in San Francisco, California. Continue reading...