The U.S. military destroys a drug boat from Venezuela as a federal judge tries to block President Trump from using the National Guard for law enforcement in Los Angeles. A massive populist backlash against mass migration is fueling a historic political shift to the Right across Europe. The FDA restricts access to COVID vaccines for healthy Americans as President Trump demands Big Pharma release its data and questions his own Operation Warp Speed.
It’s Wednesday, September 3, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
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<h2>U.S. Military Sinks Drug Boat, Judge Blocks Trump in L.A.</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-968047" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.3.25-Wed-SH1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.3.25-Wed-SH1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.3.25-Wed-SH1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.3.25-Wed-SH1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.3.25-Wed-SH1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.3.25-Wed-SH1.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Topline: The U.S. military destroyed a boat allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela on Tuesday, the most dramatic move yet in the Trump administration&#8217;s war on cartels, as a federal judge in California ruled against the president&#8217;s use of the National Guard for domestic law enforcement. 
As part of an &#8220;enhanced counter narcotics operation,&#8221; the U.S. military has deployed at least eight warships to the Caribbean. &#8220;We just, over the last few minutes, shot out a drug-carrying boat,&#8221; President Trump announced Tuesday. &#8220;These came out of Venezuela.&#8221; The action follows the president&#8217;s designation of several large drug cartels as terror organizations, allowing for a more aggressive military approach. 
Meanwhile, a district judge in San Francisco ruled Tuesday that Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles to protect federal property and aid immigration enforcement was illegal. The judge, Charles Breyer, barred guardsmen from engaging in law enforcement activities. The Trump administration will appeal the ruling, which has been put on hold for ten days. A federal appeals court previously reversed a similar ruling from Breyer in June. 
In other administration news, the Pentagon will send up to 600 of its lawyers to the Justice Department to serve as temporary immigration judges, a move intended to clear a 3-million-person backlog and speed up deportations. President Trump also announced that the U.S. Space Command Headquarters will be relocated to Huntsville, Alabama, a move the White House says will save nearly half a billion dollars.
&nbsp;
<h2>Europe Sees Historic Shift to the Right Amid Migrant Backlash</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-968045" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.3.25-Wed-SH2-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.3.25-Wed-SH2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.3.25-Wed-SH2-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.3.25-Wed-SH2-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.3.25-Wed-SH2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.3.25-Wed-SH2.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Topline: For the first time in modern history, right-wing populist parties are leading the polls in Europe&#8217;s three largest economies — France, Germany, and the United Kingdom — driven by a massive public backlash against mass migration. 
&#8220;Immigration is the number one factor driving all of these movements,&#8221; Alvino-Mario Fantini, editor-in-chief of the European Conservative, told Morning Wire. Since 2015, an estimated 25 to 30 million immigrants, primarily from Muslim countries, have entered Europe, leading to a culture clash and widespread anger over the high costs of housing and welfare for migrants. 
As a result, nationalist parties like Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, France’s National Rally, and Germany’s Alternative for Germany are now topping the polls in their respective countries. 
The establishment parties have responded with what many conservative analysts call &#8220;lawfare,&#8221; similar to tactics used against the MAGA movement in the U.S. In France, National Rally leader Marine Le Pen was convicted of misusing E.U. funds and banned from running for office for five years. In Germany, the country’s intelligence agency has classified the Alternative for Germany party as an “extremist” group, which could be used to ban its members from public office.
&nbsp;
<h2>FDA Restricts COVID Vax as Trump Questions Warp Speed</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-968043" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.3.25-Wed-SH3-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.3.25-Wed-SH3-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.3.25-Wed-SH3-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.3.25-Wed-SH3-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.3.25-Wed-SH3-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/MRN-9.3.25-Wed-SH3.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Topline: The FDA has removed the emergency use authorization for COVID vaccines, restricting their availability for healthy Americans, as President Trump is now publicly questioning his own Operation Warp Speed and demanding that pharmaceutical companies release their data on the shots. 
The FDA has removed the &#8220;emergency use authorization&#8221; that allowed widespread access to COVID vaccines during the pandemic. While high-risk individuals can still get the vaccine, healthy people will now need a recommendation from a physician. FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said the agency doesn&#8217;t &#8220;have data [on] healthy Americans, so we’re not recommending it for healthy Americans,&#8221; adding that the change makes future vaccine mandates &#8220;legally impossible.&#8221; 
The move comes as President Trump has taken a more critical tone on the vaccines. In a post on Truth Social, he demanded that companies like Pfizer &#8220;justify&#8221; the success of the drugs and release their data to the public. In a notable shift, he also questioned his own signature program, writing, “I hope OPERATION WARP SPEED was as ‘BRILLIANT’ as many say it was. If not, we all want to know about it, and why???” 
The policy changes follow a major shakeup at the CDC, where HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently fired the director, prompting several other top officials to resign and nine former directors to write an op-ed condemning Kennedy. NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya responded by noting that the former directors criticizing Kennedy were the same ones who &#8220;embraced politicized school closures and covid vaccine mandates.”

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Morning Brief: US Military Strikes Drug Boat, Rise Of European Populism & COVID Vax Pullback

COVID

COVID-19 Vaccine

Donald Trump

Drug Cartels

Europe

France

Germany

Global Politics

Operation Warp Speed

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

U.K.

Venezuela

World

New details from the Minneapolis school shooter&#8217;s manifesto reveal his anguish over his transgender identity, sparking a fierce national debate over motive. A patriotic &#8220;flagging&#8221; movement sweeps the U.K. as public backlash grows against the government&#8217;s mass migration policies and a surge in migrant crime. The multi-billion dollar college football season kicks off this weekend amid a new era of paid athletes and an expanded playoff.
It’s Friday, August 29, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
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<h2>Minneapolis Shooter’s Manifesto Reveals Transgender Anguish</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-966753" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.29.25-Fri-SH1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.29.25-Fri-SH1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.29.25-Fri-SH1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.29.25-Fri-SH1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.29.25-Fri-SH1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.29.25-Fri-SH1.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Topline: Newly deciphered writings from the trans-identified shooter who attacked a Minneapolis Catholic school reveal his anguish over his gender identity, sparking a fierce national debate over the motive for the massacre.
Two days after the horrific attack that left two children dead and 17 others injured, authorities have deciphered parts of the shooter’s cryptic manifesto. According to a translation from the New York Post, the writings reveal a deep internal struggle: &#8220;I am tired of being trans, I wish I never brain-washed myself,&#8221; one passage reads. &#8220;I regret being trans. I wish I was a girl I just know I cannot achieve that body with the technology we have today.&#8221;
Many on the Right are pointing to a growing number of mass shootings committed by transgender offenders and arguing that affirming a transgender identity, which they view as a form of mental illness, creates mental anguish that can lead to violence. The White House said Thursday that HHS is investigating potential links between &#8220;gender affirming drugs&#8221; and violence.
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Many on the Left and in the legacy media have either avoided the transgender component or insisted that discussing it is bigoted. &#8220;Anybody who is using this as an opportunity to villainize our trans community&#8230; has lost their sense of common humanity,&#8221; said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. MSNBC&#8217;s Jen Psaki claimed that discussing the shooter&#8217;s identity is an attempt to &#8220;distract from what matters,&#8221; which she said is gun control. Several outlets, including The New York Times, have run headlines claiming the shooter&#8217;s motive is a &#8220;mystery,&#8221; despite his explicitly anti-Christian and anti-Trump writings.
&nbsp;
<h2>‘Flagging’ Movement Sweeps U.K. Amid Migrant Backlash</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-966749" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.29.25-Fri-SH2-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.29.25-Fri-SH2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.29.25-Fri-SH2-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.29.25-Fri-SH2-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.29.25-Fri-SH2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.29.25-Fri-SH2.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Topline: A new patriotic movement known as “flagging” is sweeping the United Kingdom, as public anger grows over the government&#8217;s mass migration policies and a surge in violent crime committed by migrants.
The organic movement involves citizens raising the Union Jack and the St. George’s Cross flags on lampposts and in public spaces. It grew out of protests against the government&#8217;s practice of housing illegal immigrants in local hotels, which has led to a number of rapes and assaults on local people.
Critics have labeled the movement &#8220;xenophobic,&#8221; but supporters point to a double standard, as local councils that have been quick to take down British flags have been afraid to remove Palestinian flags from heavily Muslim areas.
The backlash comes as government data shows a surge in crimes committed by foreign nationals. According to the Centre for Migration Control, convictions of foreign nationals for sexual offenses increased by a &#8220;staggering 62%&#8221; between 2021 and 2024. A recent viral video from Scotland shows a 12-year-old girl brandishing an axe and a machete to defend herself and her 14-year-old sister from a man with a foreign accent who appears to have been harassing them. The girl has since been <a href="https://x.com/PoliceScotland/status/1960745568747102433">charged</a> by police with possession of a knife &#8212; the man involved has not been charged and has <a href="https://uk.news.yahoo.com/migrant-confronted-schoolgirl-12-wielding-104332586.html">publicly</a> denied any wrongdoing, claiming that the girls approached him.
&nbsp;
<h2>College Football Kicks Off in New Era of Paid Athletes</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-966751" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.29.25-Fri-SH3-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.29.25-Fri-SH3-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.29.25-Fri-SH3-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.29.25-Fri-SH3-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.29.25-Fri-SH3-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.29.25-Fri-SH3.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Topline: The multi-billion dollar college football season kicks off this weekend, ushering in a new era of paid athletes, an expanded 12-team playoff, and a slate of high-stakes opening matchups.
This season marks the second year of the expanded 12-team playoff and the first full season since the House v. NCAA settlement, which allows universities to pay athletes directly through revenue sharing, in addition to existing Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals.
The opening weekend is packed with marquee games. On Saturday, the action kicks off with preseason number one Texas, led by quarterback Arch Manning, visiting the reigning national champion Ohio State Buckeyes. The afternoon features Alabama traveling to Florida State, and the primetime game is a top-10 showdown between LSU and Clemson.
The action continues through the holiday weekend with Miami hosting Notre Dame on Sunday, and the collegiate head coaching debut of eight-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick on Monday night, when his North Carolina Tar Heels host TCU.

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Morning Brief: Minneapolis Shooting Fallout, UK Immigration Backlash, A New Era Of College Football

College Football

Crime

Immigration

Jen Psaki

Minneapolis

School Shooting

Sports

United Kingdom

A London restaurant has closed over alleged frozen dog meat and multiple health code violations.
Vietnamese restaurant Pho Na shut down after inspectors found suspicious meat labeled &#8220;goat wrapped in leaves,&#8221; Metro <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2025/08/14/london-vietnamese-restaurant-shut-down-after-dog-meat-found-in-freezer-23911343/">reported</a>. An analysis confirmed the meat was dog, not goat.
The health inspectors also found cockroaches and mice droppings in the restaurant, the outlet said.
The owner, Vuong Quoc Nguyen, denied the health code violations in court Tuesday. His defense attorney said Nguyen was unaware that the product was dog meat, because it had been given to him by someone else. The attorney also said Nguyen never intended to sell the meat and had hired pest control to deal with the cockroaches.
The Lewisham Council said it did not order Nguyen to close Pho Na and said the store was &#8220;sold independently.&#8221;
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About 40% of people in Vietnam eat dog meat, <a href="https://www.humaneworld.org/en/campaign/ending-viet-nams-dog-cat-meat-trades">according</a> to the Humane World for Animals. The dog meat trade kills about five million dogs a year.
It is illegal to sell dog meat in the United Kingdom, but it is legal to kill and eat dogs if the animals are killed humanely.
The U.K. almost banned the consumption of dog meat in 2019, but the Ministry of Justice blocked the move over concerns that it was &#8220;culturally insensitive,&#8221; The Sun <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9934112/legal-ban-eating-dogs-blocked-far-east/">reported</a> at the time.
Former Member of Parliament Giles Watling told the outlet he was &#8220;surprised&#8221; by the decision.
&#8220;We do not eat [dogs], and that is a very important message to send to the rest of the world,&#8221; Watling said at the time. &#8220;It’s not culturally insensitive because we’re not telling them what to do – we’re just telling them what we do.&#8221;
The United States <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/6720?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22dog+meat%22%5D%7D&amp;s=2&amp;r=2">banned</a> &#8220;knowingly slaughtering a dog or cat for human consumption&#8221; in 2018.

VIETNAM-DOG MEAT-CYCLISTS

London Vietnamese Restaurant Shut Down After Inspectors Find Frozen Dog Meat

Animals

Food

Health

A man, 41, was arrested in Glasgow, Scotland, after threatening to blow up an airplane with a bomb on Sunday while denouncing America and President Donald Trump. This occurred during Trump&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-secures-biggest-of-all-trade-deals-with-eu">visit</a> to Scotland over the weekend for golf and trade negotiations.
A <a href="https://x.com/ImMeme0/status/1949488946473210095">video</a> was posted to X showing a man, who is reportedly an Indian national residing in the United Kingdom, standing up in a plane&#8217;s aisle, shouting, &#8220;I am going to bomb the plane! Death to America! Death to Trump! Allahu akbar!&#8221;
As the man shouts, a passenger approaches him and tackles him to the floor. Another video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZABpyJXcj0">reported</a> by The Sun shows the man being interrogated while pinned to the floor, stating that he &#8220;[wanted] to send a message to Trump,&#8221; who he knew was in Scotland.
EasyJet EZY609, which was flying from London Luton Airport to Glasgow, Scotland, was forced to make an emergency landing at a separate runway in Glasgow to account for the man&#8217;s threats, at which point the man was arrested.
Passengers on the plane recalled the stressful event in <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/36032786/wild-moment-easyjet-passengers-pin-down-man/">statements</a> to The Sun.
One passenger said, &#8220;I&#8217;ve never seen that before. The airline staff, they were all girls, they were really shaken up by it, but they were super professional.&#8221;
The passenger added, &#8220;Some of the passengers were crying because they were shaken up. It was just a bit surreal.&#8221;
The Scotland police released a <a href="https://www.scotland.police.uk/what-s-happening/news/2025/july/man-arrested-and-charged-following-disturbance-on-flight-to-glasgow/?utm_source=Twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=Orlo">statement</a> saying, &#8220;A 41-year-old man was arrested in connection and further enquiries are ongoing. … At this time we believe the incident was contained and that nobody else was involved.&#8221;
The statement mentioned that the videos available were being &#8220;assessed by counter terrorism officers.&#8221;
In a statement released by easyJet, a spokesperson confirmed that &#8220;Flight EZY609 from Luton to Glasgow this morning was met by police on arrival in Glasgow, where they boarded the aircraft and removed a passenger due to their behaviour onboard. … easyJet&#8217;s crew are trained to assess all situations and act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other customers is not compromised at any time.&#8221;
The witness said that the man &#8220;literally came out of the toilet shouting &#8216;Allahu Akbar&#8217; with his hands above his head,&#8221; noting that he did not see a cause of the outburst.
The man is set to face a court on Monday, where he will be officially charged.

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 Landing  At London Heathrow Airport

Man Issues Mid-Flight Bomb Threat: ‘Death To Trump! Allahu Akbar!’

Radical Islam

Terrorism

The U.K. Labour government unveiled a controversial plan this week to lower the voting age to 16 ahead of the next general election, in what many conservatives are calling a blatant attempt to sway the next election in their favor.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform U.K., called the move “an attempt to rig the political system,” but warned they “intend to give them a nasty surprise.” While Labour currently <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/2083204/nigel-farage-votes-16-Labour">leads</a> among 16-17-year-olds with approximately 33% support, Reform U.K.’s strong 20% showing suggests the plan could backfire on Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner defended the controversial proposal, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c628ep4j5kno">saying</a>, “I was a mum at 16, you can go to work, you can pay your taxes and I think that people should have a vote at 16,” according to the BBC.
The voting age change would affect approximately 3% of the U.K. population aged 16 and over. Labour insists the reform isn’t designed to benefit their party, with Rayner claiming, “This isn’t about trying to rig votes for a particular party. This is about democracy and giving young people an opportunity to have a say.”
Speaking in a video posted to X, Farage expanded on his criticism of the proposal.
“The problem with this is, not only do half of youngsters not want the vote, but they have to stay at school now until they’re 18,” Farage said in a video shared to X. “The educational establishment is full of left-wing prejudice, is full of anti-reform bias, and frankly, if 16- to 18-year-olds at school are going to be able to vote, we’re going to have to make sure that our education system is teaching kids to make their own minds up and not indoctrinating them.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Giving 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote is an attempt to rig the political system. 
If this goes ahead, Labour could be in for a shock. <a href="https://t.co/CF9GYfRfFP">pic.twitter.com/CF9GYfRfFP</a>
&mdash; Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) <a href="https://twitter.com/Nigel_Farage/status/1945837816727908842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Conservative shadow minister Paul Holmes slammed the policy in the House of Commons, questioning why the “hopelessly confused” government believes “a 16-year-old can vote, but not be allowed to buy a lottery ticket, an alcoholic drink, marry, or go to war, or even stand in the elections they’re voting in?”
Reform U.K. already maintains significant influence among younger demographics on social media, with Farage commanding 1.3 million TikTok followers compared to Labour’s official account, which has just 231,300 followers.
According to Ofcom, 44% of British TikTok users who get news from the platform rely more on “other people they follow” than traditional news outlets.
YouGov polling from June showed that Labour support among 18 to 24-year-olds has dropped by 11% since last year’s general election, while Reform U.K. has seen corresponding gains in the same demographic, <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2083263/keir-starmer-voting-age-nigel-farage">per</a> Lotti O’Brien of Express U.K.
The voting age change is part of a broader elections reform package introduced by Starmer’s government.
Other measures include expanding acceptable voter ID to include U.K.-issued bank cards and implementing an automated voter registration system that would share data between government agencies — policies the Conservative Party warns could “undermine the security of the ballot box.”
The government, if the legislation passes through parliament, as anticipated, expects to implement these changes before the next general election, which must take place by 2029, but could be called earlier.

Guests Arrive For The Andrew Marr Show

Nigel Farage Slams U.K. Labour Push For 16-Year-Old Voters, Plans A ‘Nasty Surprise’ For Starmer

Britain

Elections

Labour Party

Nigel Farage

Parliament

Voting

A shocking poll <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/women-safety-london-streets-shock-poll-itv-sadiq-khan-sarah-everard-met-police-b1234774.html">found</a> that over half of London women do not feel safe in the capital city.
ITV News London <a href="https://www.itv.com/news/london/2025-06-24/hold-us-to-account-over-target-to-reduce-violence-against-women-and-girls">conducted</a> the Survation poll of 1,528 women and discovered that 57% of respondents do not feel safe on the city streets. Only 32% said they do. Nearly half said they have been followed or verbally harassed by a man, while a third said they’ve experienced physical or sexual assault, some more than once.
The issue of women’s safety in London has gained traction over the last few years, especially after the murders of Sarah Everard and Zara Aleena, as well as sisters Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry.
Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is Muslim, <a href="https://www.itv.com/news/london/2025-06-24/hold-us-to-account-over-target-to-reduce-violence-against-women-and-girls">told</a> ITV News London that every three days, a woman in London is killed at the hands of a man.
“Across the globe it is every 10 minutes,” he said. “We&#8217;re doing our bit from City Hall, but we can&#8217;t do it ourselves. That&#8217;s why we are working really closely with the police, with the courts, with the CPS, with the judiciary, but also schools. It&#8217;s got to start from primary school.”
Despite the government committing to halving violence against women within the next decade, 58% of poll respondents said they do not believe the mayor is doing enough on the issue, with only 26% saying better education for young boys would help. 51% said increasing the number of law enforcement officers would make them feel safer. 
Jess Phillips, the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, <a href="https://www.itv.com/news/london/2025-06-24/hold-us-to-account-over-target-to-reduce-violence-against-women-and-girls">said</a> the poll figures “saddened” her.
“Every woman I know has been harassed at some point in their life,” she stated.
When asked whether London has become more or less safe over the previous five years, 49% said it has become less safe while only 21% said it has become more safe.
Ben Russel, the Met’s deputy assistant commissioner, said that the volume of violence against women and girls is the real challenge.
“We are receiving thousands and thousands of reports every year. … We know we have got more to do to get to where we want to be. But it&#8217;s something that is important and we all recognise that,” he said.

Wilder Walk Alleyway

Shocking Number Of Women ‘Feel Unsafe’ In One Of The World’s Largest Cities

London

The British House of Commons narrowly approved an “assisted dying” bill on Friday, as critics warned the legislation contains weakened safeguards that could endanger vulnerable patients.
Catholic priest John Howard, who led people in prayer outside parliament, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/british-lawmakers-vote-landmark-assisted-dying-law-2025-06-19/">called</a> the bill’s passage &#8220;a dark day for our country.&#8221;
The legislation, which passed with a narrow 314-291 vote, would allow mentally competent, terminally ill adults in England and Wales with six months or less to live to choose to end their lives with medical assistance.
Critics note that support for the bill has weakened since November&#8217;s initial vote of 330-275, as some lawmakers withdrew support after safeguards were diluted.
The original plan requiring court approval for assisted deaths has been replaced with a requirement for review by a panel including a social worker, senior legal figure, and psychiatrist.
British Health Secretary Wes Streeting <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/assisted-dying-cost-nhs-wes-streeting-gmbfh63gv">warned</a> that the bill in its current form could lead to a “chilling” scenario in which the cash-strapped National Health Service (NHS) could pressure terminally ill patients into an early death to save NHS money.
Care Not Killing released a statement calling the bill &#8220;deeply flawed and dangerous,&#8221; and CEO Gordon Macdonald slammed the process, criticizing the fact that &#8220;[m]embers of Parliament had under 10 hours to consider over 130 amendments to the Bill, or less than 5 minutes per change.&#8221;
&#8220;Does anyone think this is enough time to consider changes to a draft law that quite literally is a matter of life and death?&#8221; Macdonald continued.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer voted in favor of the bill, which now proceeds to Britain&#8217;s upper chamber, the House of Lords, for months of further scrutiny.
The unelected Lords are traditionally reluctant to block legislation passed by elected members of the House of Commons. However, insiders <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/opponents-plan-to-thwart-assisted-dying-bill-in-house-of-lords-jft97r0zs">told</a> the Times this bill has many critics in the House of Lords, and could lead the upper chamber to break this norm.
One source told The Times there were “plenty of black arts that could be used to kill the bill off,” and that they could “not imagine how it could get through.”
Another peer concurred: “This bill is still going to have an extremely difficult path to the statute book. There are enough peers in the Lords who are vehemently opposed to it becoming law and more than enough opportunity for them to thwart it. It is far from a foregone conclusion.”
However, many in the U.K. celebrated the bill’s passage despite flaws pointed out by critics.
Emma Bray, a 42-year-old mother of two with motor neuron disease who has been given six months to live, celebrated the vote result.
&#8220;This result will mean that people will not have to go through the same suffering I have faced,&#8221; Bray told Reuters, revealing she had been planning to starve herself to death next month to relieve her pain.

MPs Vote On the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

‘Dark Day’: U.K. Parliament Greenlights Assisted Suicide Bill

Assisted Suicide

England

Keir Starmer

Actor Russell Brand pleaded “not guilty” to charges of rape and sexual assault on Friday.
The 49-year-old appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London for a very short pre-trial hearing. Brand pleaded not guilty to the five charges filed against him.
As The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/russell-brand-charged-rape-sexual-assault">reported</a>, the <a href="https://news.met.police.uk/news/russell-brand-charged-by-the-metropolitan-police-service-495944">accusations</a> stem from four alleged incidents; one in 1999 in which a woman said she was raped in the Bournemouth area, one in 2001 in which a woman claimed she was indecently assaulted in the Westminster area of London, one in 2004 when a woman said she was orally raped and sexually assaulted in the Westminster area of London, and one between 2004 and 2005, in which a woman claimed she was sexually assaulted in the Westminster area of London.
Brand will remain on conditional bail until his trial begins in June 2026, per <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/arts/russell-brand-pleads-not-guilty-rape.html">The New York Times</a>. The actor will have to keep the court advised of any address changes going forward until the trial begins. The celebrity is being represented by lawyer Oliver Schneider-Sikorsky, who also defended actor Kevin Spacey against sex assault allegations in 2023.
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Brand released a lengthy video in response after the charges were made public, admitting he used to be a sex addict but claiming that all sexual behavior in his past was consensual.
“I’ve always told you guys that when I was young and single before I had my wife and family… I was a fool,” he said in a video shared on social media on April 4. “Man, I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord. I was a drug addict, sex addict, and an imbecile. What I never was was a rapist.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
My response. <a href="https://t.co/wJMGxlwBh0">pic.twitter.com/wJMGxlwBh0</a>
— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) <a href="https://twitter.com/rustyrockets/status/1908184087304548484?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“I’ve never engaged in non-consensual activity,” Brand stated at the time. “I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes.”
He thanked fans again and said he was “grateful” for the opportunity to “defend these charges in court.”

Russell Brand

Russell Brand Pleads Not Guilty To Rape, Sexual Assault Charges

Celebrities

Entertainment

Rape

Sexual Assault

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday announced a major immigration overhaul that doubles the residency requirement for citizenship and imposes stricter English language requirements, declaring settlement in Britain &#8220;a privilege, not a right.&#8221;
The new policy increases the residency requirement from five to ten years before migrants can apply for citizenship, with exceptions for those making a &#8220;high contribution&#8221; to the island nation.
The overhaul is being <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/new-english-language-and-british-citizenship-requirements-for-migrants-13365884">spearheaded</a> by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, promising English language requirements across every visa route, extending to adult dependents for the first time.
&#8220;We will create a migration system that is controlled, selective, and fair &#8211; a clean break from the past,&#8221; Starmer said at a press conference on Monday, per <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw5oI3qJmFA">Sky News</a>. “When people come to our country, they should also commit to integration and to learning our language.&#8221;
The reforms come as net migration to the U.K. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg4vlyly0l2o">reached</a> record levels, climbing to 906,000 in June 2023 and standing at 728,000 last year, according to the BBC.
&#8220;That is what this White Paper will deliver: lower net migration, higher skills and backing British workers,&#8221; with the reforms estimated to cut migrant numbers by 50,000 annually.
Starmer accused industries of being &#8220;almost addicted to importing cheap labour&#8221; instead of &#8220;investing in the skills of people here and want a good job in their community.&#8221; He singled out engineering as a sector &#8220;where visas have rocketed while apprenticeships have plummeted.&#8221;
The government&#8217;s immigration White Paper reflects months of research and comes after Reform U.K. made significant gains in local elections, applying political pressure on Labour to address migration concerns.
While previously critical of Conservative immigration policies, Starmer now finds himself implementing restrictions that in some ways go beyond those proposed by his conservative predecessors.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
If you want to live in the UK, you should speak English. That’s common sense.
So we’re raising English language requirements across every main immigration route.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) <a href="https://twitter.com/Keir_Starmer/status/1921872765428109714?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Conservative critics remain skeptical of Labour&#8217;s commitment to immigration control, as <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/live/ce810e3z6dkt?post=asset%3Ae2d3062c-3d44-4892-8559-94757c56adaa#post">polls</a> show increasing popular support for reduced immigration.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp dismissed the proposal, saying the idea that Starmer &#8220;is tough on immigration is a joke&#8221; and promised to push Parliament to introduce a binding cap on migration, which Starmer has declined to implement thus far.
Labour Party MP Sarah Owen, who chairs the Women and Equalities Committee in Parliament, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/live/ce810e3z6dkt?post=asset%3A9a4b165e-3442-46ba-a81f-b0ea797d5317#post">slammed</a> Starmer from the Left, writing on Bluesky that the PM is &#8220;chasing the tail of the right&#8221; and is putting the U.K. on &#8220;a very dark path.&#8221;
Starmer <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/12/uk-risks-becoming-island-of-strangers-without-more-immigration-curbs-starmer-says">warned</a> that without &#8220;fair rules,&#8221; Britain risked becoming &#8220;an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together.&#8221;

PM Keir Starmer Holds Press Conference On Immigration

‘Island Of Strangers’: U.K. Raises English Proficiency Requirements In Sweeping Immigration Overhaul

English

Great Britain

The &#8220;Big Three&#8221; U.S. car companies are disappointed in President Donald Trump&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/both-countries-will-become-stronger-trumps-trade-deal-will-give-u-s-more-access-to-u-k-economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trade agreement</a> with the United Kingdom, claiming that the deal will harm &#8220;American automakers, suppliers, and auto workers.&#8221;
The American Automotive Policy Council (AAPC), which represents Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, released a <a href="https://www.americanautomakers.org/american-automakers-statement-trump-administrations-united-kingdom-trade-announcement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> on Thursday criticizing Trump&#8217;s trade deal with Britain shortly after the agreement was announced in the Oval Office. Trump and his trade officials hailed the deal as a major victory for the president&#8217;s economic agenda, but U.S. car manufacturers argue that it prioritizes the United Kingdom &#8220;ahead of our North American partners.&#8221;
Ford, GM, and Stellantis, which make some of their vehicles in Canada and Mexico, are upset that U.K. car companies will only pay a 10% tariff to export to the U.S. market while the American automakers continue to face a 25% tariff for vehicles manufactured outside of the country.
“The U.S. automotive industry is highly integrated with Canada and Mexico; the same is not true for the U.S. and UK. We are disappointed that the administration prioritized the UK ahead of our North American partners,&#8221; said Matt Blunt, the former Missouri GOP governor who is now the AAPC president. &#8220;Under this deal, it will now be cheaper to import a UK vehicle with very little U.S. content than a USMCA compliant vehicle from Mexico or Canada that is half American parts. This hurts American automakers, suppliers, and auto workers.&#8221;
In a statement to <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/05/08/business/us-automakers-furious-at-trumps-trade-deal-with-uk-and-heres-why/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the New York Post</a> on Friday, the White House responded to the automakers&#8217; statement, defending the deal with the United Kingdom.
&#8220;No president has taken a greater personal interest in reviving the American auto industry than President Trump. The Trump administration is working hand-in-glove with automakers to reshore manufacturing that is critical to our national and economic security, including with custom-tailored tariff relief and deregulatory policies,&#8221; said White House spokesman Kush Desai.
Trump, through his 25% tariff on auto imports, has been pushing American auto manufacturers to bring manufacturing back to the United States from Canada and Mexico. Last month, the president agreed to provide some tariff relief to U.S. car companies, preventing additional tariffs from stacking on top of each other in exchange for the companies&#8217; commitments to furthering their domestic production. The &#8220;Big Three&#8221; automakers are now concerned that foreign competition from the United Kingdom will get the upper hand following Trump&#8217;s trade deal.
Trump&#8217;s agreement with the United Kingdom will allow the country to export up to 100,000 cars to the United States for a 10% tariff, a decrease from the president&#8217;s 25% duty on other foreign auto imports. In 2024, nearly 16 million total vehicles were sold in the United States. Some of the top-selling British brands include Jaguar, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, and Range Rover. Rolls-Royce engines will also be allowed to come into the United States tariff-free.
&#8220;This historic deal delivers for British business and British workers, protecting thousands of British jobs in key sectors including car manufacturing and steel,&#8221; British Prime Minister Keir Starmer <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp92r2kvk74o" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
U.K. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp92r2kvk74o" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BBC</a> that the trade deal came just in time as the country was close to losing thousands of auto manufacturing jobs due to Trump&#8217;s tariffs.
&#8220;This was very serious,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It would have meant people would have lost their jobs without this breakthrough.&#8221;
The AAPC added that it hopes &#8220;this preferential access for UK vehicles over North American ones does not set a precedent for future negotiations with Asian and European competitors.&#8221;

GM Plant

‘This Hurts American Automakers’: ‘Big Three’ U.S. Car Companies Rip Trump’s U.K Trade Deal

Business

Economy

Ford Motor Co.

Tariffs

White House

President Donald Trump, joined by representatives from the United Kingdom in the Oval Office, announced on Thursday that the two countries will cut back on trade barriers in the first major trade deal for the president.
The agreement will allow the United States to gain increased market access in the United Kingdom — the sixth-largest economy in the world — for billions of dollars worth of American exports, according to Trump. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who spoke to the president over the phone, told Trump he is &#8220;really pleased&#8221; with the deal between the two allies. The final details are still being worked out, but Trump will keep some tariffs in place on British imports. The president emphasized that the deal would boost both countries&#8217; industrial bases and help protect steel.
&#8220;Both countries have agreed that economic security is national security and will be working together as allies to ensure that we have a strong industrial base and appropriate export controls and protections for key technologies and industries like steel,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Steel was a big factor. Both countries will become stronger with steel.&#8221;
Shortly after announcing the deal, President Trump posted a chart on social media, showing that Britain&#8217;s tariffs on U.S. goods will drop to 1.8% while &#8220;reciprocal tariffs&#8221; on the United Kingdom will remain at 10%. Trump said other nations should not view the 10% tariff on Britain as a template for how the administration will negotiate future deals.
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🚨 🚨 🚨 <a href="https://t.co/6wmO4WZi6K">pic.twitter.com/6wmO4WZi6K</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1920494982282064090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Asked by Daily Wire White House Reporter Mary Margaret Olohan if the trade deal includes any assurances from Britain to protect free speech and freedom of religion, Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the agreement is solely focused on the economy.
Lutnick added that the deal will also allow the United Kingdom to export up to 100,000 vehicles to the United States for a 10% tariff. Lutnick said the agreement will enable the U.K. to maintain access to the U.S. market while also protecting American jobs. The United States will be able to gain more access to U.K. markets to sell agricultural products such as “ethanol, beef, [and] machinery,&#8221; according to Lutnick. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the deal will &#8220;exponentially increase our beef exports&#8221; to the United Kingdom.
The United Kingdom will also be allowed to export Rolls-Royce engines and airplane parts to the United States tariff-free, and Britain will purchase $10 billion worth of Boeing airplanes from the United States, Lutnick added.
Starmer praised Trump and his trade team for working out the trade deal.
&#8220;Really important deal,&#8221; Starmer said. &#8220;This is going to boost trade between and across our countries. It&#8217;s not only going to protect jobs, but create jobs, opening market access.&#8221;
The deal is a significant step for the Trump administration as it seeks to negotiate new trade agreements with dozens of countries worldwide following the president&#8217;s &#8220;Liberation Day&#8221; tariffs rollout last month.

‘Both Countries Will Become Stronger’: Trump’s Trade Deal Will Give U.S. More Access To U.K. Economy

Free Trade

Howard Lutnick

Politics

Trade War

Trump Administration

Democrats and the media defend a deportee. The State Department announces that it has fully dismantled an agency accused of censoring conservative voices. And, the UK’s Supreme Court hands down a landmark ruling clearly defining the word “woman.”
It’s Friday, April 18, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dems-defend-maryland-deportee-gec-operation-ends-4-18-25/id1576594336?i=1000703971466" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2>Controversial Deportee Has A Checkered Past</h2>
<div id="attachment_909431" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-909431" class="size-large wp-image-909431" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Kilmar-Protesters-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Kilmar-Protesters-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Kilmar-Protesters-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Kilmar-Protesters-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Kilmar-Protesters-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Kilmar-Protesters-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Kilmar-Protesters-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Kilmar-Protesters-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />(Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)</div>
Topline: As the Trump administration pushes forward with its mass deportation effort, Democrats are fighting for the return of one deportee sent to El Salvador.
The story centers on Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old man who entered the United States illegally in 2011. Back in 2019, Garcia was arrested by ICE for suspected ties to the MS-13 gang, and given a deportation order. However, a court ruled at the time that Abrego Garcia should not be sent to his home country of El Salvador over potential threats from rival gangs there. Despite that deportation order, he remained in the country until he was arrested again by ICE in March and deported to El Salvador days later.
By April, the Supreme Court ruled that Garcia’s return to El Salvador violated the previous court order that he be sent elsewhere — and directed the White House to facilitate his return to America. The Trump administration conceded that it was a “clerical error” on their part, but stated that it was up to officials in El Salvador to decide whether he would be released or not. 
Democrats used the incident to argue the Trump administration is being careless in its mass deportation efforts — they say Abrego Garcia was a law-abiding father who never should’ve been deported in the first place. As the story gained traction, a number of Democratic lawmakers vowed to go to El Salvador to fight for his release, including Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, who traveled to the prison where Abrego Garcia’s being held. Van Hollen was initially denied access by local authorities, but successfully met with Garcia on Thursday night.
&#8220;This is like taking away people’s freedom,” Van Hollen <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/sen-chris-van-hollen-compares-153458159.html">told</a> MSNBC. “That does not sound like a conservative idea to me. That is something that, of course, authoritarian governments engage in. And it’s a very fast road to tyranny if we don’t all stand up against it.&#8221;
Democrats have depicted Garcia as an upstanding citizen, husband, and father, but new reports are painting a very different picture. A police report released by the DOJ from his initial arrest back in 2019 shows that Abrego Garcia was found loitering with three other men, two of whom were previously convicted MS-13 members — when officers approached, they attempted to hide drugs under a nearby car. At the time of his arrest, Abrego Garcia was wearing a Chicago Bulls hat — authorities say that’s a symbol of “members in good standing with the MS-13.” Then, in 2021, Abrego Garcia’s wife sought a protective order against him following years of alleged domestic abuse. According to her sworn affidavit from the time, his wife alleged that on different occasions, Abrego Garcia punched her, leaving her with black eyes, hit her with his work boots, scratched her eyes, and drove erratically with their one-year-old in the car. She wrote in her own words, “I am afraid to be close to him.” That case did not move forward after Garcia’s wife failed to appear in court to testify against him.
 And that’s not all — the <a href="https://tennesseestar.com/justice/bidens-fbi-ordered-tn-highway-patrol-to-release-maryland-man-recently-deported-to-el-salvador-after-he-was-detained-in-2022-traffic-stop-on-suspicion-of-human-trafficking/tpappert/2025/04/16/">Tennessee Star</a> learned Wednesday that Abrego Garcia had been stopped by the Tennessee Highway Patrol in 2022 on suspicion of human trafficking. In that instance, he’d been pulled over with seven individuals in his car, but no luggage. When questioned, he told officers he was driving them from Texas to Maryland on behalf of his “boss” who worked in “construction.&#8221; Abrego Garcia was detained for two hours and was found not to have a valid driver&#8217;s license, which is a misdemeanor offense.
<h2>Rubio Dismantles The Global Engagement Center</h2>
<div id="attachment_909429" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-909429" class="size-large wp-image-909429" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Rubio-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Rubio-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Rubio-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Rubio-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Rubio-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Rubio-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Rubio-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Rubio-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)</div>
Topline: On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the Global Engagement Center, an Obama-era propaganda branch of the State Department, has been completely dissolved.
In 2011, the State Department created the Global Engagement Center, designed to combat propaganda from hostile foreign groups. But after Trump’s 2016 win, the department turned its attention to throttling Americans&#8217; political speech.
The GEC was created in 2011 as the Center for Strategic Counter Terrorism Communications. In 2016, Barack Obama gave it a new name and said it would “coordinate U.S. government communications aimed at countering foreign terrorist propaganda, particularly from groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda.” But soon, it was creating pressure on U.S. platforms, via advertising boycotts, to delete “conspiracy theories” like the idea that coronavirus came from a Chinese lab.
Like other State Department propaganda efforts, the GEC was specifically barred from operating against Americans. But there’s evidence that’s exactly what it did. In the Twitter Files, which showed how the Biden administration pressured Silicon Valley platforms to censor or remove content, one of the names that keeps popping up is GEC. Even an FBI agent who played a similar role, Elvis Chan, expressed concern about GEC, saying in its world, which was supposed to be foreign countries, the First Amendment didn’t exist.
The Daily Wire and the Federalist sued the State Department alleging that GEC was violating the First Amendment by funding groups like NewsGuard and the Global Disinformation Index. The Global Disinformation Index put American media outlets on a “Dynamic Exclusion List” that was distributed to advertisers and named mainstream publications like the New York Post, Reason Magazine, The Daily Wire, and the Federalist as “risky.” Newsguard’s CEO said its goal is “empowering governments … to support quality journalism and systemically defund sources of harmful misinformation.” The Daily Wire argued that GEC was funding proxies to do what would obviously be illegal for the government to do.
<h2>UK Supreme Court Settles &#8216;What Is A Woman?&#8217; Debate In British Law</h2>
<div id="attachment_909445" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-909445" class="size-large wp-image-909445" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Loiscense-to-dictionary-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Loiscense-to-dictionary-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Loiscense-to-dictionary-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Loiscense-to-dictionary-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Loiscense-to-dictionary-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/Loiscense-to-dictionary-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />(Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)</div>
Topline: The UK’s Supreme Court has ruled that in the eyes of the law, a woman is a biological woman, not a transgender woman.
The UK has decentralized governments, which means there are governments in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland who have powers devolved to them. In Scotland, the Scottish Nationalist government sought to extend what they call trans rights. Most controversially, it pushed for self-ID, which would allow someone to declare themselves a woman and be certified as such, no questions asked.
The legal case that led to this being brought to the UK’s Supreme Court began with a new law aimed at increasing the number of women on public boards. Affirmative action, known in Britain as “positive action,” is permitted by a law called the Equality Act. The Scottish government argued that this should include discriminating in favor of transgender women with a Gender Recognition Certificate. The campaign group For Women Scotland disagreed and argued it should be restricted to biological women.
The Court decided that the use of “sex” and “women” in the Equality Act refers to biology and biological women, so transgender women are not protected against discrimination as women, although they will still be protected against discrimination as people who have undergone gender reassignment.
“This is going to be a very far-reaching ruling,” Guy Dampier, Senior Researcher on Nationhood at the Prosperity Institute, told Morning Wire. “Like a lot of the West, there has been this huge battle over transgenderism. The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, was famously once unable to say whether women have a penis or not. … the Gender Recognition Act is functionally null now, as it is now the law that sex is biological rather than social. That said, transgender women with a Gender Recognition Certificate will still have their legal documents describing their sex as female, and it’s illegal to ask someone if they have a GRC.”

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