James is an eighth-generation Texan, former middle school teacher, and Presbyterian seminarian. As a state representative, he’s led the fight against the billionaire mega-donors and puppet politicians who have taken over Texas.
Now, he’s running for U.S. Senate to take his fight against corruption to Washington and win power back for working people.
President Isaac Herzog secretly met with journalist Jacob Bardugo, a confidante of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in late March to discuss the premier’s request for a pardon, Channel 12 news reports.
The nighttime meeting at an apartment in Shoham, which was not revealed to the public, took place shortly before Herzog urged dialogue between the sides on a plea bargain. It also came about after bitter criticism of Herzog by Bardugo on the pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 for not pardoning the prime minister, who has refused to admit wrongdoing despite High Court precedent indicating he must do so for a pardon.
The proceedings were significantly interrupted, however, after he excused himself from the Tel Aviv courtroom just 30 minutes after the hearing began for what he said was an urgent security-related call at the Kirya military headquarters.
He was granted permission to halt proceedings for the security consultation despite the court rejecting a request from the premier’s lawyer Amit Hadad to shorten Wednesday’s testimony by three hours due to a “security-related schedule.”
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu had requested overnight that the Jerusalem District Court limit his appearance on Wednesday to three hours, but the court denied the request.
The report added that Netanyahu cited “security-related schedule” to justify shortening the duration of the hearing.
(April 7, 2026)
Grundlage dieser Dokumentation ist eine der bislang größten Recherchen dieser Art: Ein Team aus Bayerischem Rundfunk, netzpolitik.org, Le Monde und weiteren Partnermedien hat rund zehn Milliarden Standortdaten ausgewertet. Eine Spurensuche, die um die halbe Welt führt: zu einer ägyptischen Exiljournalistin in Berlin, die bedroht wird. Nach Brüssel, wo hochrangige Mitarbeiter der EU-Kommission betroffen sind. Nach Washington, wo Politiker ein Sicherheitsrisiko für US-Agenten in Europa sehen. Oder an die ukrainische Front, wo Soldaten in den Datensätzen ihre eigenen Stellungen wiedererkennen.
(April 7, 2026)
Es geht um Milliarden Standortdaten von ahnungslosen Handy-Nutzer*innen, oftmals metergenau. Angeblich nur zu Werbezwecken erhoben, fließen die Daten über populäre Handy-Apps auf teils verschlungenen Wegen in die Hände von Databrokern. Potenziell betroffen sind alle Menschen, die ein Smartphone nutzen.
(…)
Zur Erinnerung: Das Recherche-Team hat die Daten kostenlos von einem Databroker im Netz erhalten. Prinzipiell zugänglich sind solche Daten für alle, die Datenhändler danach fragen. Für einen vierstelligen Betrag im Monat können Interessierte ein Abonnement abschließen.
Mr. Herzog, the officials said, believes that there are many options beyond the binary pardon-or-no-pardon choice, and that the main role of Israel’s president is to foster unity. So he does not plan to say yes or no to Mr. Netanyahu’s request for a pardon at this stage, the officials said, preferring to try to resolve the issue through negotiations.
(October 10, 2024)
Lapid advocated regime change in Lebanon, saying, “the international community will need to appoint a sort of oversight committee for Lebanon to manage its civilian life for a set period until elections can be held and a new government can take control.”
Crucial to this effort would be the establishment of a collaborator Lebanese army loyal to Israel and its Western and Gulf allies.
(…)
Lapid claimed it would be easy to recruit Lebanese by paying soldiers in a new army $500 a month. New recruits would then be trained by French, Emirati, and US military officers.
The South Lebanon Army (SLA) was established by Israel in 1976 after the collapse of the Lebanese government due to civil war.
Der Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) zahlt Honorare an Journalisten. Aus Gründen des „Staatswohls“ hält die Bundesregierung Namen und genaue Summen jedoch zurück.
Und diese Schlagzeilen dokumentieren: Ein großer Teil der Medien ist den Anforderungen, die der journalistische Beruf an sie stellt, nicht gewachsen.
(January 13, 2026)
Who she is: Venezuela‘s interim president
Portfolio: Maduro‘s former vice president, she‘s running the country under the oversight of the United States.
Why she matters: A seasoned lawyer and longtime party official, she‘s known as the „tsarina“ for the economic power she accrued as vice president, oil minister and finance minister. She‘s technically under sanction for serving in the Maduro government, but she has won the trust of the US government (for now) and is seen by US oil company executives as most able to work with them to rebuild the country‘s degraded energy infrastructure.
“Herzog should give Netanyahu a pardon today,” Trump was quoted as saying, while also sharply criticizing Herzog and claiming the Israeli president had promised him multiple times that a pardon would be issued.
Trump called Herzog „a disgrace,“ and said he had “promised me five times” that he would pardon Netanyahu, according to the N12 report,
Last week, the Express reported in detail on how Palantir secured a „record“ £240 million deal with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) in late 2025, forming part of a wider, more extensive, and occasionally undisclosed, £670m+ package of agreements with the UK government. Peter Mandelson played a significant role with Global Counsel, a consultancy that lobbied for Palantir and was was viewed as enabling the firm‘s access to the Starmer government. The tight relationship between the UK government and Palantir attracted fierce scrutiny owing to Palantir‘s connections to Donald Trump (via co-founder Peter Thiel) and its participation in contentious AI-powered military surveillance.
As Mandelson‘s slimy rise and slippery fall have been documented over the years, it seems extraordinary that he could have lasted this long. Let‘s hope this sorry latest scandal relating to Epstein will be the last we hear of the Prince of Darkness
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, Herzog said the pardon request must be examined by professional legal authorities within the Justice Ministry, including assessments of disputed legal questions. He stressed that the prolonged legal process has weighed heavily on Israel and that ways forward must be considered, while underscoring that any decision would be made strictly in accordance with Israeli law.
Tirosh further cited testimony by former Communications Ministry director-general Shlomo Filber, a state witness, who testified that he overheard a conversation in which Netanyahu asked his wife whether she was still in contact with Iris Elovich and allegedly instructed her to cut off contact and delete messages.
Judge Moshe Bar-Am intervened, questioning the necessity of further narrowing in on granular details of the text exchanges and the assumptions regarding what the prime minister knew. The case is being heard by a three-judge panel headed by Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman, alongside Bar-Am and Judge Oded Shaham.
(January 9, 2026)
In this case, media consultant Tzachi Lieber is accused of acting as an intermediary for bribes between Michael Ganor, who was the representative of the German industrial engineering company ThyssenKrupp in Israel, and David Sharan, who was chief of staff to Prime Minister Netanyahu.
(…)
The dilemma facing the system is now complex. On the one hand, allowing a new judge to render a verdict based solely on transcripts and submitted evidence is problematic, as a criminal verdict should be based on the judge‘s direct impression of the witnesses and the accused, and on their credibility.
On the other hand, having the witnesses, or some of them, re-tested by another judge is also problematic and would mean the case would drag on for years. As mentioned, this would also delay Lieber‘s required testimony in the main case against Sharan and Ganor.
(Januar 6, 2026)
Judge Benny Sagi, president of Israel‘s Beersheba District Court, was killed Sunday when a vehicle struck his motorcycle on Route 6.
Police say a vehicle driving off-road entered the highway and collided with Sagi‘s bike near Kfar Menachem kibbutz.
Paramedics found him with no pulse, multiple injuries.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sagi was handling aspects of Case 3000, the „Submarines Affair“ involving corruption in Israeli naval deals.
Netanyahu has been questioned in this case but not charged.
Sagi was NOT presiding over Netanyahu‘s main corruption trial (Cases 1000, 2000, 4000).
That case is being heard by a three-judge panel in Jerusalem District Court.
Netanyahu‘s testimony in his primary trial was shortened Monday to allow attendance at Sagi‘s funeral.
Israeli authorities and major news organizations have categorized this as a traffic accident.
An investigation has been launched.
Some regional outlets and social media have called the death „suspicious“ given Sagi‘s role in sensitive cases, but no evidence of foul play has been reported.
(October 18, 2020)
Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit on Sunday evening rejected the appeal made by the Movement for Quality of Government, which demanded that the investigation into the infamous case 3000 submarine sale scandal be expanded and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be questioned with a warning.
He further noted that there is no reason to intervene in Netanyahu‘s sale of personal stocks before the submarine acquisition, in accordance with his decision not to open a criminal investigation against the prime minister in case 3000.
Since the trial began, Netanyahu has consistently denied all allegations. Under Israeli law, however, a presidential pardon can only be granted following an admission of guilt.
The prime minister is facing charges in three separate cases, commonly known as Case 1000, Case 2000 and Case 4000. The indictments were filed in late November 2019 by then-Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit.
In their statement, the bill’s sponsors described the offense as a vague legal tool that has long enabled prosecutors to target elected officials for behavior that is ethically questionable but not clearly criminal. They called for a “rapid legislative process,” framing the move as an overdue correction to what they labeled an overreach by law enforcement.
Critics say the bill appears tailor-made to benefit Netanyahu, who is accused of exploiting his public position for personal gain
Coalition lawmakers are advancing a bill to repeal the crime of fraud and breach of trust – one of the charges that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently on trial for.
(today)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s testimony in his criminal trial was cut short on Monday after judges agreed to end the hearing early, following a sealed envelope delivered to the prime minister roughly an hour after proceedings began.
Netanyahu, who is in the midst of cross-examination by the prosecution, received an envelope and told the court the contents were “important.”
(January 8, 2026)
Egypt’s quiet is easy to explain. Cairo receives roughly $1.3bn a year in US military financing. Its hardware, maintenance chain and spare parts depend on American gatekeepers. Public outrage is a cost it cannot afford.
The UAE sits in a different position, but it faces another version of the same risk. It is a financial hub built on access, compliance and credibility. In a world where Washington can turn political conflict into legal exposure, the safest posture is often silence.
Algeria was supposed to be the outlier: despite a diplomatic relationship dating back to its 1795 treaty with George Washington, it has long defined itself through deep ties with Moscow and a fierce anti-imperial vocabulary.
If any Arab state had the ideological space to speak about sovereignty as a principle, it was Algeria. It stayed quiet anyway. That is the lesson: the distance non-aligned regimes claim is thinner than it looks when your trade, energy and finance run through chokepoints Washington can pressure.
Speaking during his meeting in Florida with Netanyahu, Trump said he believed a pardon was on the way: “How can you not?” he said. “He’s a wartime prime minister who’s a hero. How do you not give a pardon?”
(…)
“There has not been a conversation between President Herzog and President Trump since the pardon request was submitted,” Herzog’s office said in a statement issued just a few minutes after Trump’s comments.
„The governor has worked for years to crack down on fraud and ask the state legislature for more authority to take aggressive action,“ the spokesperson said. „He has strengthened oversight — including launching investigations into these specific facilities, one of which was already closed.“
The spokesperson added that Walz has „hired an outside firm to audit payments to high-risk programs, shut down the Housing Stabilization Services program entirely, announced a new statewide program integrity director, and supported criminal prosecutions.“
(December 30, 2025)
In addition to the DHS investigations, state officials also visited some of the sites on Monday. (…)
CBS News visited and called several of the day care centers on Monday but received no responses.
(December 26, 2025)
We ALL work way too hard and pay too much in taxes for this to be happening, the fraud must be stopped.