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Ukraine wants Europeans to pay $100bn for weapons deal with US

Ukraine has proposed that its European backers spend $100 billion providing it with American weapons, the Financial Times reported. Kiev continues to seek security guarantees from Washington. 

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and the heads of several Western European states held talks with US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday to discuss the ongoing conflict and diplomatic attempts to resolve it.

Trump, who has repeatedly questioned the previous administration’s unconditional aid to Kiev, announced last month that Washington’s NATO allies would effectively pay for the US-made weapons being sent to Ukraine.

In addition to the weapons procurement proposal, Ukraine is preparing a $50 billion deal to produce drones domestically, FT reported, citing four people familiar with the matter and a document Kiev reportedly shared with the US.

Although the document contains limited details, FT said Ukraine intends to purchase at least 10 Patriot air defense missile systems.

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Pirro Announces Arrest of Woman Who Traveled to DC to Assassinate President Trump

US Attorney For DC Jeanine Pirro on Monday announced the arrest of a woman who traveled from New York to DC to assassinate President Trump.

According to the DOJ, 50-year-old Nathalie Rose Jones was charged with threatening to take the life of, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States, and transmitting in interstate commerce communications containing threats to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another.

“She was working to have [Trump] eliminated. She’s now in custody, she will be prosecuted to the fullest extent to the law,” Pirro said.

Per the Justice Department:

Nathalie Rose Jones, 50, of Lafayette, Indiana, was arrested in the District of Columbia on Saturday, August 16, and charged in connection with making a series of threats on social media in which she threatened to kill President Trump, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Jones was charged in a complaint in U.S. District Court with threatening to take the life of, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States, and transmitting in interstate commerce communications containing threats to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another.

According to court documents, from August 2 to August 9, members of the U.S. Secret Service observed that Instagram user account “nath.jones” had posted threatening comments about the President of the United States. The Instagram user called for President Trump’s removal, labeled President Trump as a terrorist, referred to President Trump’s administration as a dictatorship, and stated that President Trump had caused extreme and unnecessary loss of life in relation to the coronavirus.

On Facebook between August 6 and August 15, “Nath.Jones” allegedly continued to post threatening comments about President Trump. In an August 6 post directed at the FBI, Nath.Jones wrote that “I am willing to sacrificially kill this POTUS by disemboweling him and cutting out his trachea with Liz Cheney and all The Affirmation present.”

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State Department revokes over 6,000 student visas over assault, DUI, terrorism support: report

The State Department in roughly the past seven months has revoked more than 6,000 student visas over assault, DUIs, burglary, terrorism support, and overstays, according to a newsreport Monday.

“Every single student visa revoked under the Trump Administration has happened because the individual has either broken the law or expressed support for terrorism while in the United States,” a senior State Department official told Fox News. “About 4,000 visas alone have been revoked because these visitors broke the law while visiting our country, including records of assault and DUIs.” 

About 800 students had their visas revoked due to being arrested for or charged with assault, according to the official. Meanwhile, the 200-300 students whose visas were pulled for their support of terrorism had raised funds for the terrorist group Hamas, or committed similar actions.

In total, about 40,000 visas have been revoked this year by the State Department, compared to 16,000 during the same timeframe under the Biden administration.

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Far-Left Anarchist Group Formed During BLM Riots Behind Texas ICE Shooting Ambush

Suspects arrested in connection with a brazen attack on a Texas ICE detention facility have been linked to a secretive far-left Antifa anarchist group that emerged after meeting during the violent Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.

The group, which included transgender activists, allegedly orchestrated a military-style ambush that left one police officer wounded on July 4 at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas.

During the attack, which authorities have called a coordinated ambush, a group of assailants dressed in black military-style clothing opened fire on ICE agents. One officer was shot in the neck.

Following an intensive investigation, 11 individuals were arrested, facing serious charges including attempted murder of federal officers, discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, and obstruction of justice for trying to conceal evidence, according to a report from the New York Post.

Leading the suspects is Benjamin Hanil Song, a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist, who was charged with three counts of attempted murder and three counts of discharging a firearm. Song is accused of purchasing four firearms used in the attack and hosting weekly training sessions focused on close-quarters combat and large-scale gunfights. He was apprehended in Dallas after a weeklong manhunt.

Among the other suspects are Autumn Hill and Meagan Morris, both identified as transgender.

The group initially focused on “social justice” demonstrations, the far-left extremists later shifted their attention to targeting ICE enforcement operations. It’s unclear exactly how many of the attackers were core members, but the group operated out of Dallas and attracted young, impressionable leftists.

Corey Lyon, a libertarian who attended some of the sessions but later cut ties with Song, told The Post, “The people that were showing up to learn from him — a lot were very young, naïve leftists.”

“They were scared. And Ben was offering them a solution for their fear.”

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MSNBC Has Been Rebranded; See What It’s Now Called…

MSNBC’s terminal decline has been further confirmed with a desperate attempt at rebranding the network with a new name.

It will now be known as MS NOW, which sounds like a charity group raising awareness for multiple sclerosis.

It’s ironic because, just like the chronic autoimmune disorder, watching MSNBC leaves people with symptoms including fatigue and cognitive problems.

Yes, MSNBC is still owned by NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. MSNBC operates as a joint venture between NBCUniversal and Microsoft, with NBCUniversal holding the majority control. This structure has been in place since the network’s founding in 1996.

The rebrand is part of a “spin off of cable assets” according to a memo from the network reported by Variety. 

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California invested millions in STEM for women. The results are disappointing

Ten years ago, it seemed everyone was talking about women in science.

As the economy improved in the years after the Great Recession, women were slower to return to the workforce, causing alarm, especially in vital fields like computing. State and federal leaders turned their attention to women in science, technology, engineering and math, known by the acronym STEM.

Over the next few years, they poured millions of dollars into increasing the number of women pursuing STEM degrees. But the rate of women who attain those degrees has hardly improved, according to an analysis of colleges’ data by the Public Policy Institute of California on behalf of CalMatters.

“The unfortunate news is that the numbers haven’t changed much at all,” said Hans Johnson, a senior fellow at the institute who conducted the analysis of California’s four-year colleges using data from the 2009-10 school year and comparing it to the most recent numbers, from 2022-23. The share of women who received a bachelor’s degree increased from roughly 19% to about 25% in engineering and from nearly 16% to about 23% in computer science. In math and statistics, the percentage of women who graduate with a degree has gone down in the last five years.

“It’s not nothing, but at this pace it would take a very long time to reach parity,” Johnson said.

Girls are also underrepresented in certain high school classes, such as AP computer science, and while women make up about 42% of California’s workforce, they comprise just a quarter of those working in STEM careers, according to a study by Mount Saint Mary’s University. Fewer women were working in math careers in 2023 than in the five or 10 years before that, the study found.

“It’s a cultural phenomenon, not a biological phenomenon,” said Mayya Tokman, a professor of applied mathematics at UC Merced. She said underrepresentation is a result of perceptions about women, the quality of their education, and a lack of role models in a given field.

Science and technology spurs innovation and economic growth while promoting national security, and these jobs are often lucrative and stable. Gender parity is critical, especially as U.S. science and technology industries struggle to find qualified workers, said Sue Rosser, provost emerita at San Francisco State and a longtime advocate for women in science. “We need more people in STEM. More people means immigrants, women, people of color as well as white men. There’s no point in excluding anyone.”

She said that recent cuts by the Trump administration to California’s research and education programs will stymie progress in science, technology and engineering — and hurt countless careers, including the women who aspire to join these fields.

Over the last eight months, the federal government has made extensive cuts to scientific research at California’s universities, affecting work on dementia, vaccines, women’s issues and on health problems affecting the LGBTQ+ community. The administration also ended programs that support undergraduate students in science. In June a federal judge ruled that the administration needs to restore some of those grants, but a Supreme Court decision could reverse that ruling.

More recently, the administration halted hundreds of grants to UCLA — representing hundreds of millions in research funding — in response to a U.S. Justice Department investigation into allegations of antisemitism. Now the Trump administration is asking for a $1 billion settlement in return for the grants. A California district judge ruled on Tuesday that at least some of those grants need to be restored.

‘The cultural conversation has changed’

In the past five years, attention has shifted away from women in science. Nonprofit leaders and researchers across the state say that many lawmakers and philanthropists turned away from women in STEM during the COVID-19 pandemic and focused more on racial justice following the police killing of George Floyd.

Since 1995, women have been outpacing men in college, and women are now much more likely to attain a bachelor’s degree. The unemployment rate for men is higher, too, and men without college degrees are opting out of the labor force at unprecedented rates.

On July 30 Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order saying the state needs to do more to address the “growing crisis of connection and opportunity for men and boys.” It’s not a “zero-sum” game, he wrote: the state can, and should, support everyone.

But some state investments for women’s education are lagging.

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DOJ to begin turning over Epstein docs to Oversight panel Friday: Comer

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announced Monday it expects to begin receiving files related to Jeffrey Epstein from the Department of Justice (DOJ) by the end of the week. 

“Officials with the Department of Justice have informed us that the Department will begin to provide Epstein-related records to the Oversight Committee this week on Friday. There are many records in DOJ’s custody, and it will take the Department time to produce all the records and ensure the identification of victims and any child sexual abuse material are redacted,” Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said in a statement. 

“I appreciate the Trump Administration’s commitment to transparency and efforts to provide the American people with information about this matter.”

The plans spurred pushback from the panel’s Democrats, who said the DOJ was failing to fully comply by not meeting the original deadline and supplying all documents. 

The panel, on a bipartisan basis, subpoenaed the Justice Department for files related to the deceased financier who was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges when he died by suicide. 

The motion last month from Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) called for the “full, complete, unredacted Epstein files to be delivered concurrently to the majority and minority.”

Comer’s announcement Monday came the same day that former Attorney General Bill Barr was deposed by the Oversight panel on the Epstein matter, the first in a series of scheduled interviews. 

Rep. Robert Garcia (Calif.), the top Democrat on the panel, said after the deposition that Democrats would require all requested records from the DOJ. 

“The most critical thing the House Oversight Committee needs for its investigation is the full, complete, and unredacted Epstein files, as well as any ‘client list,’” he said. 

“The bipartisan Oversight Committee subpoena requires these documents by tomorrow, and if the committee does not receive the files, it will be clear the Trump Epstein Coverup continues.”

Republican Reps. Nancy Mace (S.C.), Scott Perry (Pa.) and Brian Jack (Ga.) joined Democrats in approving the request in July. 

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Senior Israeli Official Arrested In Vegas Pedophile Sting Is Released – And Flies Home

It looks like America’s “special relationship” with Israel may have paid off big for an alleged pedophile: A senior official in Israel’s cybersecurity agency was arrested in Las Vegas for allegedly attempting to use the internet to lure a child into sexual abuse, only to be released on bond and somehow allowed to go back to Israel. There’s no indication he was covered by diplomatic immunity. 

Tom Alexandrovich, who helps guide his country’s cybersecurity policy, was representing Israel at Black Hat USA, a professional conference in Las Vegas, when he was one of seven people swept up in a major, multi-agency sting operation earlier this month that targeted people seeking sex acts with minors. According to court records, on Aug 6, the 38-year-old Alexandrovich allegedly committed the felony offense of using computer technology in an attempt to lure a child into sexual abuse. That particular crime encompasses children under 16. The next day, he posted a $10,000 bond at the Henderson Detention Center. 

As the news broke, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reflexively denied Alexandrovich had done anything wrong, claiming that “the employee, who does not hold a diplomatic visa, was not arrested and returned to Israel as scheduled.” Subsequently confronted with court records, Israel’s Cyber Directorate said the earlier false statement “was accurate based on the information provided to us,” and that Alexandrovich is now on leave “by mutual decision.” 

It’s not clear why or how he was allowed to return to Israel, which has a reputation as a haven for pedophiles who prey on American children. Citing a Jewish watchdog group, a 2020 CBS News report found that, in just the previous six years, more than 60 Jewish Americans who’d been accused of pedophilia had fled to Israel, taking advantage of Israel’s “Right of Return” law that lets any Jew in the world enjoy instant citizenship. Though these individuals — who include both suspects and convicts — are technically subject to extradition to the United States, Israeli police have been accused of assigning low priority to these cases and — perhaps because of that — US agencies are accused of failing to aggressively pursue extradition.

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Psilocybin Can ‘Maximize’ Recovery From Traumatic Brain Injury, Scientific Review Concludes

Psilocybin, a main chemical component in psychedelic mushrooms, could play a beneficial role in patients recovering from traumatic brain injury (TBI), according to a new scientific review published in the journal Brain Science.

Reviewing 29 published studies about the use of psilocybin in patients with TBI, a three-person team from Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and Hackensack Meridian’s JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute concluded that assisted psilocybin use “may have benefits in TBI by reducing inflammation, promoting neuroplasticity and neuroregeneration, and alleviating associated mood disorders.”

That conclusion, along with “positive findings in related fields, like treatment for depression and addiction, highlight the necessity for more extensive clinical trials on psilocybin’s role in TBI recovery,” authors wrote.

“The research on psilocybin as a therapeutic agent shows promise for its application in TBI in theory,” the new review says, “but it requires more in-depth studies.”

The report points to psilocybin’s apparent anti-inflammatory properties and its ability to promote the production of new neurons and connections in the brain. It also says the drug’s antidepressant properties could be helpful given the comparatively high rates of depression in TBI patients.

But the new paper also flags “concerns regarding potential ‘bad trips’ and other possible side effects,” emphasizing the “need for more controlled clinical trials to establish safe and effective protocols.”

Notably, the review found no indication that classical psychedelics were associated with an increase risk of seizures, which authors said was important given the heightened incidence of seizures already associated with TBI.

Authors emphasized that federal restrictions on psilocybin limit researchers’ abilities to easily conduct trials, writing that although “decriminalization efforts in the United States are indicative of growing interest, its federal Schedule I classification limits rigorous scientific exploration.”

Overall, the paper says, “psilocybin treatment with current therapeutic practices has the potential to maximize TBI recovery, thus providing a novel method to enhance treatment for people dealing with this persistent condition.”

The research comes amid a renewed interest in psychedelics to treat mental health and medical conditions, including TBI and post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD), especially in military veterans.

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What the CIA’s Covert Websites Were Hiding

The C.I.A. didn’t just infiltrate governments; it infiltrated the internet itself. For over a decade, Langley operated a sprawling network of covert websites that served as global spy terminals disguised as harmless blogs, news hubs, and fan pages.

Beginning in 2004, the C.I.A. established a vast network of at least 885 websites, ranging from Johnny Carson and Star Wars fan pages to online message boards about Rastafari. Spanning 29 languages and targeting at least 36 countries directly, these websites were aimed not only at adversaries such as China, Venezuela, and Russia, but also at allied nations, including France, Italy, and Spain, showing that the United States treats its friends much like its foes.

Soccer Blogs & Cracked Passwords

Gholamreza Hosseini is a former C.I.A. informant. In 2007, the Tehran-based industrial engineer contacted the agency and offered to pass them information about Iran’s nuclear energy program. His C.I.A. handlers showed him how to use IranianGoals.com to communicate with them.

Iranian Goals was a Farsi-language website that appeared to be dedicated to local soccer news. However, what appeared to be a search bar at the bottom of the home page was actually a password field. Typing the correct word into it would trigger a login process, revealing a secret messaging interface. Each informant had their own webpage, designed specifically for them, to insulate them from others in the network.

It seemed like an ingenious idea. However, Hosseini and the other spies were soon detected, thanks to some sloppy mistakes in Washington, D.C. An Iranian double agent revealed to the authorities their unique website, and some basic detective work led to the uncovering of the entire network.

The C.I.A. purchased the hosting space for dozens, perhaps hundreds, of these websites in bulk, often from the same internet providers, or the same server space. That meant that the IP addresses of these websites were consecutive, akin to housing each informant in adjacent properties on the same street.

Thus, if you looked at neighboring IP addresses, you would see similarly designed websites and could easily put two and two together. Even with some relatively basic online searches, Iranian authorities were able to identify dozens of C.I.A.-run websites. From there, they simply waited to see who would access them.

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