Investigative journalist Ellie Leonard broke major news on today’s show about Michael Cohen’s previously unknown connections to Jeffrey Epstein’s network. Leonard, who has been meticulously combing through the Epstein files, discovered that Cohen was working on Epstein-related matters as early as 2003 – years before his official role as Trump’s personal attorney. According to Leonard’s analysis of the documents, Cohen was involved in the same kind of catch and kill operations he later executed for Trump with Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal. Blundell observed that Cohen’s pattern was consistent across cases, handling these matters with the same playbook. The discovery raises significant questions about the depth of Trump’s knowledge of Epstein’s activities and when that relationship really began. Leonard explained that Cohen was Trump’s fixer during a critical period when Trump and Epstein were allegedly involved together in the Katie Johnson case.
And of Greenland, Nev Shalev writes on Substack today:
Back in April, I exposed how Vladimir Putin —not Trump— laid the groundwork for this crisis. My piece, “Putin’s Arctic Narrative,” revealed how he reframed Trump’s Greenland ambitions as a justified continuation of American history—cherry-picking the 1860s and glossing over Russia’s Arctic Council expulsion after Ukraine.
An international team of researchers, led by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), is setting out to discover how glacier calving around Antarctica can trigger powerful underwater tsunamis.
When icebergs break off glacier fronts and fall into the ocean (a process called calving) they can create powerful underwater tsunamis. These hidden waves, often several metres in height, cause powerful bursts of ocean mixing, where different layers of water get churned together. This process strongly mixes heat, oxygen and nutrients between different depths, and is critical for marine life and climate regulation in the region.
This mixing was previously thought to be primarily driven by wind, tides and heat loss at the ocean surface. However, initial calculations suggest underwater tsunamis play a significant role in polar oceans, rivalling the effect of wind-driven mixing in certain locations, and having a bigger impact than tides in redistributing heat in the ocean.
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Underwater tsunamis, and the resulting mixing, could have significant implications for the Southern Ocean and beyond. Increased ocean mixing could draw more warm water up from the deeper parts of the ocean, speeding up the melting of the Antarctic Ice Sheet which would raise sea levels around the world. It can also change how nutrients are distributed in the ocean, which would affect the growth of phytoplankton (the “grass of the sea”), with consequences for the rest of the ocean food chain.
“Antarctica remains one of the most mysterious places on Earth, and we’re constantly discovering previously unknown processes that are shaping our planet. What makes this research so important is that everything in Antarctica is connected – ice, ocean and atmosphere – and those connections reach all the way back to our doorsteps. Rising sea levels, shifting weather patterns, these are Antarctic processes playing out in our lives.”
A key question going forward is understanding whether the current warming climate might increase how often these calving and tsunami events occur, and how strong they are. By learning more about this phenomenon, scientists will refine the ocean models that predict how climate will change in the future.
SANTIAGO, Jan 18 (Reuters) – Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in two regions in the south of the country on Sunday as raging wildfires forced at least 20,000 people to evacuate and left at least 18 people dead.
According to Chile’s CONAF forestry agency, firefighters were battling 24 active fires across the country as of Sunday morning, with the largest being in the regions of Ñuble and Bío Bío, where the government declared the emergency. The regions are about 500 km south of the capital, Santiago.
Climate Change, due to excessive carbon emissions, is devastating Latin America:
Climate Change Impacts in Latin America
Latin America’s climate is changing. Precipitation patterns are shifting, temperatures are rising, and some areas are experiencing changes in the frequency and severity of weather extremes such as heavy rains. The impacts range from melting Andean glaciers to devastating floods and droughts.
The two great oceans that flank the continent—the Pacific and the Atlantic—are warming and becoming more acidic while sea level also rises.
Unfortunately, greater impact is in store for the region as both the atmosphere and oceans continue to rapidly change. Food and water supplies will be disrupted. Towns and cities and the infrastructure required to sustain them will be increasingly at risk. Human health and welfare will be adversely affected, along with natural ecosystems.
This photo story shows the devastating impacts across Latin America.
Gripped by a terrible drought now entering its sixth year, Iran’s cities are on the brink of what its meteorological organisation calls “water day zero”: the boundary beyond which supply systems no longer function. This was crossed by Chennai in India in summer 2019 and is now threatening Mashhad, Tabriz and Tehran, where taps in the city’s southern districts had already run dry by early December.
According to the Middle East expert Juan Cole, the head of the regional water company reported in early November that the five main water supply dams to Tehran, the capital, were only 11% full, and criticised the government for its inaction.
Tehran, home to 10 million people, has been threatened with the most drastic measure of all – evacuation. “If it does not rain in Tehran by December we should ration water; if it still does not rain, we must empty Tehran,” the country’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said back in November
During the summer of 2025, Iran experienced an exceptional heat wave, with daytime temperatures across several regions, including Tehran, approaching 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) and forcing the temporary closure of public offices and banks. During this period, major reservoirs supplying the Tehran region reached record-low levels, and water supply systems came under acute strain. By early November, the reservoir behind Amir Kabir Dam, a main source of drinking water for Tehran, had dropped to about 8 percent of its capacity. The present crisis reflects not only this summer’s extreme heat but also several consecutive years of reduced precipitation and ongoing drought conditions across Iran. As a result, the capital of Iran is now facing a potential “Day Zero” when taps could run dry.
The drought quickly disrupted Tehran’s urban systems. With dry soils and high evaporation, rivers and wetlands shrank. Falling reservoir levels led to disruptions in hydropower generation, and water shortages prompted strict saving measures across parts of the capital. Amid these escalating pressures, officials warned that the capital city may even have to be evacuated if water supplies fail to recover. In November, President Masoud Pezeshkian said the capital would have to be moved. These cascading impacts exposed how vulnerable Tehran’s infrastructure, economy, and communities have become under compounding heat and drought stress.
These cascading impacts stem from a prolonged shortage of precipitation in recent years (Figure 1a). Precipitation around Tehran typically peaks between December and April, replenishing reservoirs behind dams before the onset of the dry summer. Over the past five years, precipitation during this wet period has remained consistently below the long-term climatological baseline, with the 2024-25 season showing the most pronounced and prolonged deficit across the entire rainy season. When such prolonged dryness was followed by an exceptionally hot summer, it amplified hydrological stress across the region.
This prolonged precipitation deficit was not confined to Tehran but was part of a broader regional anomaly extending across much of Iran (Figure 1b). Satellite-based estimates for November 2024 to April 2025 reveal a pronounced north–south precipitation dipole, with enhanced precipitation north of latitude 40° N but markedly reduced precipitation across central and southern Iran. The precipitation deficit was particularly evident along a broad corridor extending from the eastern Mediterranean through Iran, indicating reduced storm activity across the region. This weakening of storm activity led to marked reductions in snowpack accumulation and reservoir inflows, aggravating the ongoing water scarcity crisis. In maps of global projections of climate change impacts on precipitation, the region over and around the Mediterranean basin stands out because of the magnitude and significance of its precipitation decline. MIT researchers Alexandre Tuel and Elfatih Eltahir have explained why this region stands out as a hot spot for climate change. A more recent follow-up study by our group projects future declines in winter and spring precipitation extending to Mesopotamia and surrounding regions under a high-emission scenario by the end of the century. The projected change of the air circulation over the central and eastern Mediterranean, where most storms originate during winter, inhibits the formation of storm systems and consequently limits their eastward propagation, thereby reducing precipitation over Mesopotamia and adjacent regions eastward, including the area around Tehran.
Another contributing factor is the poleward displacement of storm tracks. During the spring season, the projected changes in regional air circulation due to global climate change move northward from the Mediterranean into southern Europe pushing the storm tracks further north and creating a dipole pattern (more precipitation in the north, less precipitation to the south) that reduces precipitation around Tehran. Consistent with this theory, simulations by IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) models of future climate in this region project a pattern of change that resembles the regional pattern observed this last year, especially during the spring (Figure 1c). This similarity between observed and projected patterns suggests that the dry conditions observed this year may offer a glimpse of relatively dry conditions in the future, especially in spring season.
The region around Tehran falls in a transitional zone between the tropics and midlatitudes, with complex dynamics of storms systems. The nature and origins of storms in this region are different between winter and spring seasons. IPCC models do not fully agree on the projections of winter precipitation around Tehran. Future research will be needed to better understand natural climate variability as well as impacts of future climate change on precipitation, especially during the winter season.
The extreme heat and drought affecting Tehran this year were exceptional in both magnitude and duration. Events of this kind are projected to become more frequent in the future around this region as the climate warms. If this trajectory continues, Tehran is likely to face more frequent droughts, reducing reservoir levels, limiting urban water supply, and presenting significant hazards to the vital systems of public health, energy, and food supply. Taken collectively, the findings from this recent event expose an outstanding set of climate related risks and underscore the need for immediate, dual-track action—rapid global emissions mitigation alongside proactive local adaptation—to limit escalating risk.
Iran has gone through a decade of economic woes marked by international sanctions, the COVID-19 pandemic, and high inflation. Despite a slight recovery in 2021, the economy is fragile and remains the government’s top priority. Developments in climate policy, including renewable energy, have been limited. Notably, Iran remains one of the few countries that has not yet ratified the Paris Agreement. The Climate Action Tracker continues to rate Iran’s provisional climate pledge and climate policy as “Critically insufficient”.
As of 18:00 on 12 January 2026, unless otherwise noted
This report, issued every Tuesday and Friday, outlines efforts and progress made by the UN and its partners to scale up the humanitarian response across the Gaza Strip under the ceasefire that entered into effect on 10 October 2025. The next report will be issued on 16 January. For all situation reports see here.
HIGHLIGHTS
Over 3,000 people have been affected by a new wave of heavy rains and strong winds across the Gaza Strip since the evening of 12 January, with at least 47 injuries and six reported fatalities caused by hypothermia and collapsing shelter structures, according to the Site Management Cluster.
Despite sustained response efforts and the relatively increased entry of shelter items since the October 2025 ceasefire, recent rainstorms have reversed gains made.
A shipment of chemicals, including antiscalant and sodium hypochlorite, was delivered to the Southern Gaza Desalination Plant and is being distributed to desalination facilities across the Strip to ensure safe and continued production of potable water.
To strengthen Gender-Based Violence prevention and response services, 20 new Women and Girls’ Safe Spaces (WGSS) have been established, bringing the total number of operational WGSSs to 56 across the Gaza Strip.
SITUATION OVERVIEW
Between 8 and 12 January, airstrikes, shelling and gunfire continued to be reported across the Gaza Strip.Harsh weather conditions are taking a heavy toll on civilians, especially families living in makeshift shelters, flood-prone areas, or war-damaged buildings, further compounding their vulnerabilities and exposing them to cold temperatures and contaminated floodwaters.
Between 9 and 10 January, the Site Management Cluster (SMC) received urgent alerts from 34 sites in northern Gaza, where heavy rains affected more than 1,300 households whose shelters were destroyed and who are now in immediate need of tarpaulins and tents.
New heavy rainfalls and strong winds have been recorded since the evening of 12 January, causing extensive damage across multiple displacement sites. Field teams report that 597 tents and makeshift shelters were blown off or heavily damaged, directly impacting more than 3,000 people and leaving many exposed to severe weather conditions.
As of 13 January, Site Management partners report 47 injuries, while six fatalities have been confirmed: three children who succumbed to extreme cold in Khan Younis and Gaza city and three other people who lost their lives in the Al Shati area of Gaza City due to the collapse of the structure in which they were sheltering. In addition, SMC partners recorded 18 distress calls relating to critical site maintenance and hazard mitigation. These included opening clogged manholes, cleaning drainage systems, clearing blocked gullies, reinforcing shelters with tarpaulins, and garbage removal. In response, rescue and emergency teams coordinated by Site Management partners responded to multiple life-threatening incidents affecting families in Khan Younis, Rafah, and Gaza city.
While the overall shelter gap was expected to decrease due to sustained response efforts and the increased entry of shelter items – albeit limited – recent rainstorms have significantly reversed these gains, with thousands of households affected, preventing a reduction of shelter needs as anticipated.
The latest WFP Market Monitor indicates food consumption patterns in December remained broadly similar to November, reflecting a modest recovery from October but continuing to remain well below pre-conflict levels. While further improvements are possible with increased humanitarian and commercial entries, overall access to food remains severely constrained, particularly for meat and eggs, with most households relying primarily on cereals, pulses, and limited amounts of dairy and oil. Availability of cooking gas remains critically constrained. The limited entry of cooking gas covers the needs of less than 3 per cent of the population. As a result, 46 per cent of households continue to rely on waste burning for cooking, while others use raw materials such as wood.
Recent market monitoring by the Gaza Market Monitoring Committee (GMMC) indicates continued improvement in the flow of commercial and humanitarian goods, with no reported looting incidents during the reporting period (5–11 January) and sustained entry through Kerem Shalom Crossing and other crossings. Food markets remained generally supplied, with stable or slightly declining prices for key staples. However, non-food and winter-related items, including shelter materials, bedding, and heating-related goods, remained limited and costly, particularly in northern Gaza.
Despite improved market supply, household access continued to be constrained primarily by limited income and purchasing power rather than market availability. GMMC price and index trends confirm that while prices have moderated compared to previous months, the overall cost of the consumer basket remains well above pre-October 2023 levels.
Preliminary analysis indicates further improvement in the nutritional status of children and pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW). Preparations are underway to conduct a Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions (SMART) survey to gain deeper insights into malnutrition levels across the Gaza Strip. Although the number of acute malnutrition cases has decreased compared to previous months, levels remain significantly higher than those recorded in February–March of last year’s ceasefire and the pre-war period.
Child Protection risks remain elevated, including increasing child labour involving hazardous activities such as collecting plastic and firewood; heightened exposure to explosive remnants of war, particularly in newly accessed or return areas; health risks linked to overcrowding, poor hygiene, and limited access to medical care; and psychosocial distress due to prolonged displacement and insecurity. Access to education is severely limited in several locations due to overcrowded or inaccessible schools and the absence of recreational or safe spaces.
UNITED NATIONS-COORDINATED AID ENTRY*
Between 9 and 12 January, at least 2,708 pallets of aid administered by the UN and its partners were offloaded at Gaza’s crossings, based on data retrieved from the UN 2720 Mechanism dashboard at 18:00 on 13 January. About 55 per cent of these pallets contained food, followed by nutrition (16 per cent), shelter (15 per cent), water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) items (8per cent), health items (5 per cent) and protection supplies (1 per cent).
During the same reporting period, UNOPS international monitors deployed at Gaza’s crossings verified the collection of at least 10,277 pallets of aid – all collected from Kerem Shalom Crossing. These comprised inter alia over 6,000 pallets of food assistance, and more than 2,800 pallets of shelter items including tents, blankets, tarpaulins and kitchenware.
The above data does not include bilateral donations and the commercial sector.
Between 9 and 12 January, 14 out of 17 humanitarian movements inside Gaza that required coordination with Israeli authorities were fully facilitated, of which 11 were accomplished and two partially, enabling inter alia the collection of food, nutrition, shelter, medical, hygiene supplies and fuel from the crossings, while one – the attempted rescue of an injured minor from the Az-Zaytoun area of Gaza city – could not be completed. Two movements faced impediments: one was eventually completed, while the other was only partially accomplished. In addition, one mission was cancelled by the organizer.
HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE
The below are preliminary updates shared by Clusters at the time of reporting and will be reconciled and aggregated in the coming days as Clusters receive more data from the capillary network of partners active on the ground.
Food Security
As of 10 January, Food Security Sector (FSS) partners continued to prepare and deliver 1,622,000 hot meals daily through 190 kitchens across the Strip, including 482,000 meals through 50 kitchens in northern Gaza and 1,140,000 meals through 140 kitchens in southern and central Gaza.
As of 11 January, approximately 170,000 two-kilogram bread bundles were produced and distributed daily. One third of this bread is distributed for free to more than 400 shelters and community sites, while two thirds are sold through 148 retailers at a subsidized price of 3 NIS ($0.95) per bundle. The subsidized bread distribution network continues to expand, with 30 more retailer shops contracted by FSS partners as of 1 January 2026, compared to 118 as of late 2025.
Nutrition
In December, Nutrition Cluster partners screened over 76,000 children and identified 4,971 cases of acute malnutrition, including 822 with the most severe form. This brings the total number of acute malnutrition cases identified in 2025 to 94,455, including approximately 19,000 children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM).
To strengthen response efforts, partners have continued expanding nutrition service sites, including in the North Gaza governorate, where two additional sites were opened by a Cluster partner this week.
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
Between 8 and 12 January, WASH Cluster partners distributed 744,000 bars of soap, 3,400 water jerry cans, 1,750 hygiene kits and 795 latrine kits, as well as laundry and dishwashing powder, benefiting approximately 400,000 people in northern and southern Gaza.
A shipment of water chemicals, including antiscalant and sodium hypochlorite, was delivered to the Southern Gaza Desalination Plant and is being distributed to other desalination facilities across the Strip to ensure safe, and continued production of potable water.
Solid waste collection activities have resumed to previous levels following the securing of sufficient fuel this week, with partners collecting 1,100 cubic meters of solid waste daily. However, waste collection in North Gaza and Gaza city remains insufficient to meet daily needs due to increased population pressure and the significant waste accumulation that built up during the two-week reduction in services caused by fuel shortages.
WASH partners have received eight new dump trucks, which are currently being operationalized, with an additional 14 dump trucks expected by the end of the month to further support solid waste collection activities.
Health
Over the past four days, Health Cluster partners launched the Limb Reconstruction Screening Programme at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, with 40 cases screened during the first outpatient clinic day, of which 13 were identified as complex cases requiring major limb reconstruction. Such treatment typically spans six months to three years, involving 2–8 surgeries and 12–30 physiotherapy sessions, with costs reaching up to $40,000 per patient. However, essential surgical items, including advanced imaging, power drills, and carbon fiber fixators, remain unavailable in Gaza. Plans are ongoing to expand screenings to the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah, and Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza city to cover patients in the two northern governorates.
During the first few days of 2026, Health Cluster partners resumed operations at one Primary Healthcare Center (PHC) for Non-Communicable Diseases in Gaza city and established a new PHC in the same governorate. As of 10 January, 91 out of 197 PHCs were partially functional across the Gaza Strip, including 27 in Gaza city.
Shelter
Between 8 and 12 January, Shelter Cluster partners distributed 369 tents, 2,400 tarpaulins, 10,992 blankets and other bedding items, 1,656 kitchen sets, and 350 clothing kits and vouchers, benefiting 7,773 households cumulatively
The Shelter Cluster continues to coordinate and support the relocation of households living in locations at high risk of flooding, including shoreline areas, and structures at risk of collapse. However, limited land availability remains one of the most significant challenges affecting the scale and speed of shelter interventions.
Site Management
From 9 to 11 January, site care and maintenance activities were integrated into the winterization response, with Cash-for-Work and community mobilization focusing on winter preparedness and flood risk mitigation, including the clearing of clogged water channels to address cold-season risks. Fire safety awareness campaigns were launched, alongside three community-led initiatives addressing critical needs such as fire prevention, though progress remains constrained by the high cost and limited availability of suitable materials.
Lighting systems were installed in two displacement sites to improve safety and living conditions, with procurement underway for eight additional units, while site maintenance toolkits were distributed to support ongoing operations. Help desks and site management committees were established in 10 camps, with efforts ongoing to create dedicated coordination spaces for winterization and risk reduction, and collaboration with the Health Cluster is underway to provide first aid training to site committees.
Protection
Child Protection
Between October 2025 and 11 January 2026, Child Protection partners distributed approximately 320,000 winter clothing sets and 112,503 pairs of children’s shoes, primarily targeting younger children. They also installed 150 high-performance tents at child protection service delivery points, including child-friendly spaces (CFS) and safe spaces, to support service continuity across the Gaza Strip.
Community feedback highlighted appreciation for psychosocial and awareness activities, alongside persistent concerns regarding limited education access, insufficient winter assistance, and critical gaps in winter clothing for adolescents aged 11–17.
Gender-Based Violence (GBV)
Between 8 and 11 January, GBV response partners continued providing multisectoral services through Women and Girls’ Safe Spaces (WGSSs) across Gaza, which serve as a critical entry point for psychosocial support, case management, cash assistance, and referrals to other essential services. Efforts to scale up GBV services resulted in the establishment of 20 new WGSSs, bringing the total number to 56. Of these, 25 per cent are located in the north and 75 per cent in the south, extending GBV response services across the governorates.
Between 8 and 11 January, approximately 1,500 people were reached with multisectoral GBV services, including case management, MHPSS, legal awareness, cash for protection, and recreational activities.
Forty-three consultations with women across multiple governorates to support navigating legal procedures.
GBV response partners distributed menstrual hygiene and dignity kits to meet the essential hygiene needs of women and girls to 872 people across Gaza, as well as others distributed through the UN-led joint distribution platform.
Mine Action
Between 8 and 11 January, two Explosive Hazard Assessments (EHAs) were conducted in Gaza city in support of ongoing humanitarian operations by assessing the risks posed by the presence of explosive ordnance (EO).
During the same period, mine action partners conducted 62 Explosive Ordnance Risk Education and Conflict Preparedness and Protection (EORE-CPP) sessions, reaching 1,394 people and four targeted EORE training sessions for 89 humanitarian workers
Education
Cluster partners established 18 additional temporary learning spaces (TLSs) across the Gaza Strip over the past four days, serving 35,479 school-aged children, with the assistance of 768 teachers. Overall, a total of 440 TLSs are now operational across Gaza, serving 268,000 learners supported by 6,308 teachers.
Damage assessments of accessible public-school buildings aimed at identifying sites eligible for tent installation and light rehabilitation for TLSs have assessed 160 schools to date.
As part of winterization preparedness efforts, cluster partners dispatched to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education:
7,500 lice-treatment shampoos for 14 learning sites across the Gaza Strip. The intervention targets approximately 7,500 students, including 3,500 in Khan Younis, 1,000 in Deir al Balah, and 3,000 in North Gaza. In addition, 2,500 anti-lice kits were dispatched to Khan Younis for distribution across five learning centers.
370 mattresses to equip 30 unfurnished classrooms in three learning spaces in Khan Younis, and 4,000 blankets to support 53 learning sites across the Gaza Strip.
Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA)
Between 9 and 11 January, Cash Working Group (CWG) partners distributed Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) to over 2,600 households. Each household received 1,250 NIS (approximately US$378) in digital payments, in line with the minimum expenditure basket (MEB) transfer value.
Emergency Telecommunications
To enhance VHF coverage in southern Gaza, the ETC relocated a repeater from Deir al Balah to Khan Younis. Installation was completed on 7 January with coordination ongoing to reconfigure and test the secure link to the Jerusalem Security Operations Centre (JSOC).
* All figures solely refer to UN and partner assistance dispatched through the UN-coordinated system. They are preliminary and will be reconciled in the course of the ceasefire. Supplies entering through bilateral donations and the commercial sector are not reflected.
CAIRO/GAZA: A rainstorm swept across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, flooding hundreds of tents, collapsing homes sheltering families displaced by two years of war and killing at least six people, local health officials said.
Medics said five people, including two women and a girl, died when homes collapsed near Gaza City’s beach, while a one-year-old boy died of extreme cold in a tent in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza.
Tents were torn from their stakes, some flying dozens of meters before crashing to the ground. Others lay crumpled in muddy pools as families scrambled to salvage what they could. Residents tried to re-secure remaining shelters, hammering in loosened pegs and stacking sandbags around the edges to keep floodwaters from pouring inside.
And now (Jan 17 2026) news which has not been widely warmly received:
“The Trump administration has named US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and former UK prime minister Sir Tony Blair as two of the founding members of its ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza.
Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will also sit on the ‘founding executive board,’ the White House said in a statement on Friday.
Trump will act as chairman of the board, which forms part of his 20-point plan to end the war between Israel and Hamas.”
Two US House of Representatives members have asked a federal judge to appoint a special master to compel the justice department to release all files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender.
On Thursday, Ro Khanna, a Democratic representative of California and his Republican colleague Thomas Massie of Kentucky asked US district judge Paul Engelmayer to release the full Epstein files, as required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Criticizing the justice department for not releasing the full set of files on last year’s 19 December deadline, Khanna and Massie in a letter said: “The conduct by the DOJ is not only a flagrant violation of the mandatory disclosure obligations under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, but as this Court has recognized in its previous rulings, the behavior by the DOJ has caused serious trauma to survivors.
Justice Department can unseal Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking case records, judge says
FILE — Audrey Strauss, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks during a news conference to announce charges against Ghislaine Maxwell for her alleged role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of multiple minor girls by Jeffrey Epstein, July 2, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
So I thought I would educate myself about Rare Earth Processing:
Rare earth metal processing involves extracting and refining rare earth elements from ores, which are typically found in complex mixtures. The process includes crushing the ore, separating the rare earth elements using various chemical methods, and purifying them into usable forms for applications in electronics, magnets, and other technologies. ameslab.gov sfa-oxford.com
‘Blue solution’:
Rare Earth Metal Processing. Blue solution in tanks at a rare earth metal processing plant, with technicians in the background ensuring quality control and efficient production.
This is a satellite image collected on Nov. 13, 2012, of the Maoniuping Mine, one of China’s largest rare earth elements mines, located near Mianning, Sichuan province, China. DigitalGlobe/Maxar via Getty Images
How China came to rule the world of rare earth elements
It has taken China many decades of trial and error before they could achieve the world dominance in mining THEN PROCESSING rare earth elements. Other countries are trying to catch up, such as Germany and Riyadh.
Human industrial activity always harms the ennvironment. That is why everyone has let China get poisoned first but they are trying to mitigate the harm:
Highlights
•REEs are 17 critical metals essential for green technologies like electric vehicles and wind turbines.
•Conventional mining is energy-intensive, generating hazardous and radioactive wastes.
•In-situ leaching causes severe soil acidification and water contamination.
•EKM offers high efficiency with minimal environmental impact.
•LCA is crucial for evaluating and mitigating environmental impacts of REEs production.
The engine of industry is still coal in many countries, but also oil. The crisis in Iran is said to foresee the likely collapse of the Iranian supply chain of oil to China:
This is the potential unraveling of a 1.8 million bpd oil supply chain that exclusively feeds Chinese refineries at an $8-12 discount to global benchmarks. When that supply chain breaks,and what we are seeing suggest it will, the ripple effects will reshape everything from Brent crude pricing to Beijing’s refining margins to the geopolitical balance of power across the Persian Gulf.
See Giacomo Prandelli, Merchant News, Substack, Jan 14, 2026
He goes on to explain:
After Trump walked away from the nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, Iran’s oil exports cratered from 2.5 million barrels per day to just 350,000-500,000 bpd by 2020.
The regime should have collapsed under that pressure (It didn’t) instead, Tehran found a lifeline… China’s independent refineries in Shandong province, desperate for cheap crude and willing to look the other way on sanctions.
Fast forward to today, and Iran is exporting near-record volumes again—roughly 1.8 to 2.3 million bpd—with 90-95% going exclusively to China. In 2024 alone, Chinese buyers imported 533 million barrels of Iranian crude, representing about 13.6% of China’s total oil purchases. That’s not a marginal source anymore. That’s a structural dependency.
But Iranian crude doesn’t just flow to China because of political alignment. It flows because of the discount. Iranian oil consistently trades $7-12 below Brent benchmark prices. For Chinese refiners operating on low margins, that discount is the difference between profitability and bankruptcy. They’re not buying Iranian crude out of ideology…they’re buying it out of economic necessity.
The sanctions evasion machinery is sophisticated: ship-to-ship transfers in international waters, rebranding Iranian crude as “Oman Blend” or “Malaysian Light,” routing payments through Chinese banks outside the US financial system, and shell companies in the UAE and Malaysia providing plausible deniability. It works because Washington has largely looked the other way during Biden’s presidency, and because China has been careful not to involve state-owned oil majors that need access to Western capital markets.
And the regime appears desperate:
In at least one city, security forces have already refused to fire on protesters. That’s the domino that brings down authoritarian regimes.
So as China contemplates the implications, countries around the world are not in a position to replace China’s sophisticated prowess in rare earth process:
China’s Role and Global Constraints
China’s near-monopoly is not limited to mining but extends to processing and refining, stages that are capital-intensive, environmentally contentious, and politically sensitive in many democracies. This reality constrains how quickly alternatives can be built. Even with strong political will, new mines and processing facilities take years to develop, and environmental and labour standards emphasised by Japan and others add further complexity. As a result, efforts to diversify supply chains are likely to be gradual and uneven, leaving countries exposed in the interim.
The countries of the world are gripped with the crises facing us all just now.
And as Merchant News warns:
Trump wants low oil prices. But oil staying cheap makes Venezuela investment economically not feasible.
And China depends on oil imports:
China imports roughly 10 million barrels of crude oil per day. Domestic production covers only about 3.5 million barrels, leaving a 6.5 million barrel gap that must come from overseas.
We are on the edge of our seats as history unfolds.
Of course, Israel been keen to see Khamenei disappear:
How deeply are Israel’s Mossad spymasters involved in Iran protests?
Story by YONAH JEREMY BOB
• 54m
Protestors burn images of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally held in Solidarity with Iran
The IDF and Israel in the public sphere are doing all they can to stay out of the current Iran protests crisis to avoid being caught in Tehran’s crosshairs with ballistic-missile fire. But what about the Mossad in the shadows?
Why is US moving USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to Middle East amid Iran tensions?
US carrier deployment to the Middle East is underway as the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group has been redirected to the CENTCOM area of responsibility
Chris Unger, in his book ‘House of Trump, House of Putin’ told us how, after Trump caught the attention of Putin in 1987 as a potential President of the United States, Trump returned to the US and had this advert appear in an obscure conspiracy theory journal, Executive Intelligence Review:
The ultimate goal of the KGB was to break NATO.
And Chris Unger reminds us in his Substack today:
At the time, thanks to his mentor, Roy Cohn, the dark, Satanic prince of American politics, Trump had hooked up with political strategist and lobbyist Roger Stone, who was cut from the same ethically challenged cloth as Cohn. Under Stone’s tutelage, on September 1, 1987, Trump suddenly went full steam ahead promoting his newly acquired foreign policy expertise, by paying nearly $100,000 for full-page ads(see above) in the Boston Globe, Washington Post, and New York Times calling for the United States to stop defending allies who were taking advantage of it.
The ads, which ran under the headline “There’s nothing wrong with America’s Foreign Defense Policy that a little backbone can’t cure,” marked Trump’s first foray into a foreign policy that was overtly pro-Russian in the sense that it called for the dismantling of America’s postwar alliance with Europe and Japan and was very much a precursor of the “America First” policies Trump is enacting today. The ad focused more on dismantling our alliance with Japan—a subject of great concern to the KGB at the time—than American relations with Europe, but the argument was exactly the same.
What was particularly interesting about the ad Trump took out was that it came just a few weeks after his first visit to Russia during which the KGB had begun to win Trump over as an intelligence asset. (See The KGB Reels Him In.)
And today, 14th January, 2026:
Denmark and Greenland to face Vance in high-stakes White House meeting
Greenland’s government has said it “cannot under any circumstances accept” Donald Trump’s desire to take control of Greenland, as Nato’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, said the organisation was working on ways to bolster Arctic security.
At the start of a critical week for the vast Arctic island, a largely self-governing part of Denmark, the US president restated his interest in the strategically located, mineral-rich territory, saying the US would take it “one way or the other”.
The US president has rocked the EU and Nato by refusing to rule out military force to seize Greenland, which is covered by many of their protections since Denmark belongs to both.
Greenland’s foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, and her Danish counterpart, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, are due to meet the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, in Washington on Wednesday.
Denmark, which has pointed out that a 1951 treaty already allows the US to significantly expand its military presence in the territory, has repeatedly said Greenland is not up for grabs and it hopes a diplomatic solution can be found.
These Billionaires Bet Big On Greenland—After Trump Took Interest
ByMartina Di Licosa,Forbes Staff. Martina Di Licosa is a reporter covering consumer businessesFollow Author
Jan 09, 2026, 06:30am ESTJan 16, 2026, 07:02pm EST
Topline
Just months after President Donald Trump first expressed interest in the United States possibly gaining control over Greenland, some of the richest people in the world—including Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg—began making strategic investments in the mineral-rich island.
Praxis is a company founded by Dryden Brown and Charlie Callinan, with Howard Hughes Corporation founder David Weinreb as Vice Chairman. Praxis describes itself as an “internet-native nation”,[1] and has stated plans to create a 10,000 population city in the Mediterranean.[2][3] Brown has not determined the location of the city[2] and the company’s vision has been called unrealistic.[4]
Trump announces tariffs on NATO allies over Greenland response
Story by Isabella Murray, Ivan Pereira
• 9h
President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the NATO countries who have sent small contingents of troops to Greenland amid the White House’s push to acquire the island will be charged a 10% tariff on all goods sent to the United States starting on Feb. 1.
Sir Keir Starmer and European leaders united in condemnation of Donald Trump’s plan to apply tariffs on several NATO allies until a deal is reached for the US to acquire Greenland from Denmark
NewsPaige Ingram, Dave Clark Helen Corbett and Sam Hall and Press Association02:08, 18 Jan 2026Updated 02:10, 18 Jan 2026
The DEA Once Touted Body Cameras for Their “Enhanced Transparency.” Now the Agency Is Abandoning Them.
An internal email obtained by ProPublica said the agency made the change to be “consistent” with a Trump executive order. But at least two other federal law enforcement agencies are still requiring body cameras.
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has quietly ended its body camera program barely four years after it began, according to an internal email obtained by ProPublica.
On April 2, DEA headquarters emailed employees announcing that the program had been terminated effective the day before. The DEA has not publicly announced the policy change, but by early April, links to pages about body camera policies on the DEA’s website were broken.
The email said the agency made the change to be “consistent” with a Trump executive order rescinding the 2022 requirement that all federal law enforcement agents use body cameras.
But at least two other federal law enforcement agencies within the Justice Department — the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — are still requiring body cameras, according to their spokespeople. The FBI referred questions about its body camera policy to the Justice Department, which declined to comment.
Renee Nicole Good calmly said everything was “fine” and “I’m not mad at you” seconds before an on-duty Immigration Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot her in Minneapolis as she drove away, according to a cellphone video shared on Friday by Donald Trump’s White House.
Four top prosecutors in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division resigned last night in protest. The chief, principal deputy chief, deputy chief, and acting deputy chief all walked out after Harmeet Dhillon refused to investigate the ICE agent who killed Renee Good. This is the same unit that prosecuted the officers who murdered George Floyd and Tyre Nichols. For decades, this office has been America’s last line of accountability when federal agents kill. Dhillon—who retweeted posts justifying Good’s killing before any investigation—has now made clear: there will be none. The FBI isn’t investigating Agent Jonathan Ross. They’re investigating Good—looking for ties to “activist groups.” The message to every federal agent is unmistakable: shoot first, the DOJ has your back. Minnesota prosecutors say they can’t file state charges without evidence the FBI is now hoarding. This isn’t a cover-up. It’s the end of civil rights enforcement.
Nev Shalev reports on Substack:
MASS RESIGNATIONS AT DOJ
Six federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigned today over the Justice Department’s handling of the Renee Good shooting, bringing the total to ten after four Civil Rights Division prosecutors walked out yesterday. The biggest name is Joseph Thompson, the acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota and the prosecutor leading the sprawling fraud investigation Trump used to justify the Minneapolis crackdown. Thompson says the Justice Department demanded he open a criminal investigation into Becca Good, Renee’s widow, over her “activist ties” — and he refused. The DOJ also blocked cooperation with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and refused to investigate whether the shooting itself was lawful. “What these ten prosecutors are saying by leaving their jobs is the DOJ is no longer going to protect the American citizen against anything ICE does,” Zev explained. “ICE can do whatever they want, and the DOJ is not going to be there to defend Americans. The rule of law no longer applies.”
And he adds:
SOMALIA TPS TERMINATED
The Department of Homeland Security announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Somalia, ordering 2,471 Somali nationals to leave by March 17. The announcement came with a Truth Social post featuring Trump’s face and the quote “I am the captain now” — appropriating a line from a Somali pirate in Captain Phillips. This targets the same Minneapolis community where Renee Good was killed, where 4,000 ICE agents are now deployed, and where checkpoints have been established across the city. “This is either designed to punish Minneapolis for daring to confront Trump, or it’s ethnic cleansing,” Zev observed. “Maybe both.”
14th Jan 2026:
On the one-week anniversary of Renee Good’s death, Governor Walz addressed Minnesotans as thousands of federal agents remain in the state.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent thousands more agents to the Twin Cities for immigration enforcement and fraud investigations.
The governor alleged agents are going door-to-door to homes around the state and asking residents to point out where their non-white neighbors live.
“Just plain grabbing Minnesotans and shoving them into unmarked vans,” Walz said, adding that agents are “Kidnapping innocent people with no warning and no due process.”
“It’s a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government,” he said.
Walz also addressed President Trump’s remarks on social media that “the day of retribution and reckoning is coming” for Minnesotans.
“That is a direct threat against the people of this state, who dared to vote against him three times, and who continue to stand up for freedom with courage and empathy and profound grace,” Walz said.
Walz added that Trump wants chaos, confusion and violence on the streets of Minnesota, saying, “We cannot give him what he wants.”
The governor also reminded Minnesotans that it is their right to peacefully film ICE agents, encouraging residents to use their phones to film suspected federal law enforcement activity whenever safely able
Minneapolis — January 15, 2026 — A federal law-enforcement officer discharged his firearm Wednesday evening in north Minneapolis and struck a person who authorities were attempting to arrest. That much is confirmed by multiple local news outlets reporting directly from the scene.
Presently the only detailed account available is a lengthy statement issued by Department of Homeland Security. The statement is unusual in the amount of detail it offers, and in other ways as well. Here is the full DHS statement: Because the rather unusual “narrative control” DHS statement itself is now part of the story — not merely a source of isolated facts — we are reproducing it here in full so readers can see how the narrative is being defined before investigation. Following is the DHS statement:
At 6:50 PM CT, federal law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted traffic stop in Minneapolis of an illegal alien from Venezuela who was released into the country by Joe Biden in 2022.
In an attempt to evade arrest, the subject fled the scene in his vehicle and crashed into a parked car. The subject then fled on foot.
The law enforcement officer caught up to the subject on foot and attempted to apprehend him when the subject began to resist and violently assault the officer. While the subject and law enforcement were in a struggle on the ground, two subjects came out of a nearby apartment and also attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle.
As the officer was being ambushed and attacked by the two individuals, the original subject got loose and began striking the officer with a shovel or broom stick.
Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired defensive shots to defend his life. The initial subject was hit in the leg.
All three subjects ran back into the apartment and barricaded themselves inside.
The attacked officer and subject are both in the hospital. Both attackers are in custody.
This attack on another brave member of law enforcement took place while Minnesota’s top leaders, Governor Walz and Mayor Frey, are actively encouraging an organized resistance to ICE and federal law enforcement officers.
Their hateful rhetoric and resistance against men and women who are simply trying to do their jobs must end. Federal law enforcement officers are facing a 1,300% increase in assaults against them as they put their lives on the line to arrest criminals and lawbreakers.
No Independent Information Available
At this point, no independent body-camera footage, local police report, or civilian eyewitness account has been publicly released that verifies the detailed account offered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Instead, the narrative circulating in most media reports draws almost entirely from the DHS statement issued shortly after the incident — a statement that goes far beyond what is independently established and aggressively frames what happened and why
And Terrence Goggin on Substack comments:
We are living through such an historic period of tumult and emerging warfare. It will have a name. “TRUMP’S WAR AGAINST THE STATES” is as good as any for that is what it has become. With that in mind, we should think about it in those historic terms.
It is a war; it has no precedent in American History, just as The Civil War had no precedent in American History. And we must look to heroes of our past who encountered similar difficulties. Abraham Lincoln quickly comes to mind. Speaking to Congress after a full year of war in December of 1862, with recruitment and financial difficulties abounding, he said:
“The occasion is piled high with difficulty and we must rise with the occasion. As out case is new, we must act and think anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.”
Sarah Ferguson is alleged to have stayed at apartments linked to Jeffrey Epstein several years after she publicly declared she had cut ties with the convicted paedophile. The former Duchess of York announced in 2011 that she had severed all contact with Epstein.
Sarah Ferguson used apartments in 301 66th Street.
301 East 66th Street
Condo located in Lenox Hill, between Second Avenue & First AvenueMap/Street View
Description of 301 East 66th Street
301 East 66th Street is an 18-story white-brick apartment building constructed in 1956, featuring 200 units that were converted to condo ownership in 1990. The building benefits from its strategic location adjacent to Manhattan House, whose substantial setback provides enhanced light and air exposure for residents.The property has undergone a comprehensive multi-million dollar renovation program while maintaining its classic mid-century attributes, including generously proportioned rooms characteristic of its era of construction. Building amenities include 24-hour doorman service, a live-in superintendent, furnished roof deck, and on-site garage. Many apartments feature balconies, and select units offer terraces with city views.Apartments typically showcase renovated interiors with modern finishes, including updated kitchens with stainless steel appliances and stone countertops, renovated bathrooms, and hardwood floors. Many units feature large windows, some with double exposures, and numerous apartments have been configured to accommodate in-unit washer/dryers. The building’s location between First and Second Avenues provides convenient access to multiple transportation options, including the 6 and Q trains, various bus routes, and the FDR Drive.
Disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein used expensive properties in New York, South Florida, the Virgin Islands and Paris to coerce minor girls into sex, according to multiple court filings.
Epstein, who faced up to 45 years in prison, died by suicide in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Lower Manhattan in 2019 while awaiting trial. His associate Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty on five of six federal charges related to sex trafficking and conspiracy in December 2021. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2022.
Epstein’s properties included locations in Manhattan, Palm Beach and Paris, in addition to his own privately held islands among the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. The Virgin Islands are a U.S. territory.
Charges filed in three locations
9 East 71st Street, New York: Epstein owned a seven-story, 21,000-square-foot townhouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, in which he entertained celebrities, politicians and others. He was charged with sexually exploiting and abusing minor girls at the townhouse and in Florida.
358 El Brillo Way, Palm Beach, Florida: After a two-year investigation by Palm Beach police and the FBI, Epstein pleaded guilty to two state charges of prostitution in June 2008 and served 13 months in prison. The guilty plea was part of a nonprosecution agreement that gave Epstein and coconspirators immunity from federal prosecution.
Little St. James Island and Great James Island (Virgin Islands): The Virgin Islands’ attorney general filed a civil action against the Epstein estate in January 2020 for a “practice of human trafficking, sexual abuse and forced labor of young women and female children” on the island. The suit was settled for $105 million in November 2022.
Allegations made, no criminal charges filed
22 Avenue Foch, Paris: Epstein owned a 2,600-square-foot luxury apartment at the building in the 16th arrondissement. French police searched the apartment in September 2019 after allegations that Epstein and others had trafficked underage girls for sex, according to the Guardian. Criminal charges were never filed.
301 East 66th St., New York: Epstein had girlfriends, associates and others stay in a 200-unit residential building owned by his brother Mark Epstein at East 66th St. Business activities were conducted there, but underage models also had apartments, according to Business Insider. Teresa Helm, one of Epstein’s accusers, said in a lawsuit that the 66th Street property was “where Epstein housed many of the models and young women he was abusing.” Criminal charges were never filed against Epstein.
5025 East Dublin Granville Rd. and 7558 King George Dr., New Albany, Ohio: Epstein owned two properties in New Albany, Ohio, and had a business relationship with billionaire Les Wexner, according to the Columbus Dispatch. Artist Maria Farmer said in an affidavit in April 2019 that Epstein and Maxwell molested her in the summer of 1996. No charges against Epstein were filed.
Zorro Ranch, Sante Fe County, New Mexico: Epstein’s 7,500-acre Zorro Ranch has been noted in several accusations of abuse. State authorities opened two investigations into the allegations, but criminal charges were never filed.
London: Metropolitan police dropped its investigation in October 2021 into accusations by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged abuse by Epstein, Maxwell and Prince Andrew in 2001. Police were investigating the accusation, in which Giuffre said she was sexually abused by Andrew at Maxwell’s house at 44 Kinnerton St., Belgravia, London. No charges were filed against Epstein or Maxwell.
Ellie Leonard, (‘The Panicked’ Substack) researching this aspect through scouring released Epstein emails and other material found:
301 East 66th would be used to house an unknown number of underage girls and their billionaire aggressors for many years, and the property is still owned by Mark Epstein to this day.
She is mainly pursuing the Les Wexner link in today’s findings. But this extract she found reveals the money grabbing, soulless actions of Jeffrey Epstein:
At one point Wexner put Epstein on as a trustee to the Wexner Family Foundation, replacing his own mother, Bella, who had been ill. When she surprised everyone and got better, she wanted her place back. Epstein sued the woman, and she died a few years later
On the subject of Real Estate, the history timeline of the aquiring and building of Trump Tower, Manhattan, is a fascinating read:
Extract:
1992: Journalist Wayne Barrett’s book
In 1992, journalist Wayne Barrett concluded in a book that Trump did business with mobbed-up concrete companies and met with Anthony Salerno.
And
2008: ICBC opens bank branch
From 2008, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) operated a bank branch in Trump Tower.
And
2008: Qatar Airways rents space
Since at least 2008, Qatar Airways has rented commercial space in Trump Tower.
And
2012: ICBC rent
In 2012, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) paid $95.48 per square foot in rent.
And
2013: Condo prices decline
From 2013 to early 2024, the average per-square-foot cost of a condominium at Trump Tower nearly halved.
And
2014: Trump admits to working with mobbed up concrete guys
In 2014, Trump admitted that he had “no choice” but to work with “concrete guys who are mobbed up.”
And
2016: Building valuation drop
In 2016, Trump Tower’s value dropped from $630 million to $471 million due to reduced operating income and a decline in real estate value.
And
January 2017: 2020 campaign rent begins
From its launch in January 2017 until the end of 2018, the Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign paid more than $890,000 in rent for its Trump Tower headquarters.
And
2017: Forbes estimates ICBC rent
Forbes estimated that Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) paid about $3.9 million in rent in 2017 and 2018.
And
2017: Removal of unauthorized kiosks
In 2017, New York City ordered the removal of two unauthorized kiosks in Trump Tower that were selling Trump’s merchandise.
And
May 2019: Failure to meet carbon emission standards
In May 2019, it was reported that Trump Tower, along with seven other Trump buildings in New York City, failed to meet the city’s 2030 carbon emission standards, which were implemented as part of the city’s “Green New Deal”.
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