“France may take additional steps to prevent minors from accessing social media platforms. As its government advances a proposed ban on social media use for anyone under age 15, some leaders are already looking to add further restrictions. During an appearance on public broadcast service Franceinfo, Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs Anne Le Hénanff said VPNs might be the next target. ‘If [this legislation] allows us to protect [sic] a very large majority of children, we will continue. And VPNs are the next topic on my list,’ she said.” (02/02/26)
“The criminal case against Nevada’s six so-called ‘fake electors,’ who tried to falsely award the state’s 2020 electoral votes to President Donald Trump, returned to Clark County on Monday after the Nevada Supreme Court ruled it was a proper jurisdiction to hear the case. During Monday’s hearing, lawyers for the fake electors challenged the legality of the two charges facing their clients: offering a false instrument for filing and uttering a forged instrument. Although no ruling was issued, Clark County Judge Mary Kay Holthus was skeptical of the prosecution’s arguments for the second charge because it requires ‘an intent to defraud.’ Holthus called that intent ‘impossible’ to prove. ‘They’re not really thinking that they’re going to pull one over, that … ‘we’re going to sign this document and make everybody think that Trump was elected when he wasn’t elected,’’ Holthus said.” (02/03/25)
“The UK on Monday sanctioned 10 individuals, including Iran’s interior minister and police chiefs, for their roles in ‘recent brutality against protesters,’ the British foreign ministry said. Those sanctioned include the Law Enforcement Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FARAJA), Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers, an Iranian businessman linked to the IRGC and two judges. … The measures involve asset freezes and travel bans, the government said.” (02/02/26)
“A federal judge ruled Monday that the Department of Homeland Security likely broke the law when it barred members of Congress from visiting immigrant detention facilities without a week’s notice. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb found that in crafting and enforcing the one-week-notice policy, the department relied on funds that Congress specifically forbade from being used to deny lawmakers access to those facilities. The ruling applies to 13 Democratic members of Congress who have joined a lawsuit filed last year, challenging limits on their ability to visit locations where Immigration and Customs Enforcement detains people facing deportation proceedings.” (02/02/26)
“Jeannine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, on Monday threatened jail time for anyone who enters the capital with a gun. In remarks on Fox News that could deepen a growing rift between gun owners and the Trump administration, Ms. Pirro declared that if anyone brings ‘a gun into the District, you mark my words, you’re going to jail. I don’t care if you have a license in another district and I don’t care if you’re a law-abiding law owner somewhere else.’ Her remarks prompted swift pushback from the Republican Party’s pro-Second Amendment wing, which was thrown into a cycle of confusion and frustration over comments from President Trump and some in his administration after Alex Pretti, a licensed gun owner, was [murdered] by federal immigration agents last month during a protest in Minneapolis.” (02/02/26)
“House Republican leaders plan to vote Tuesday to pass a government funding package approved by the Senate, three days after a shutdown began. Funding lapsed Saturday amid divisions in Congress over changes to the Department of Homeland Security after agents [murdered] two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., pushed the vote back by one day after, he said, Democrats conveyed to him that they won’t provide enough votes to skip the procedural hurdles. … The bill, which passed the Senate 71-29, would complete funding for the government to the tune of more than $1 trillion — except DHS, which will carry on with a two-week stopgap bill as Democrats demand guardrails on immigration enforcement operations.” (02/02/26)
“President Donald Trump’s cryptocurrency firm, World Liberty Financial, sold a $500 million stake to a member of the Emirati royal family shortly before his inauguration last January, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, sparking concerns over a potential conflict of interest. According to the Journal, which reviewed undisclosed corporate documents, a firm associated with Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, an Abu Dhabi royal who operates an enormous state investment fund, purchased a 49% stake in World Liberty, which is co-owned by Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and his family, just four days before the Trump administration swept into office. Months later, the Trump administration agreed to supply the UAE with highly coveted American-made AI chips despite the prior administration’s concern that they may fall into the hands of the Chinese.” (02/02/26)
“A Trump administration policy suspending green cards over concerns of reliance on public benefits is unlawful, a new lawsuit argues. The freeze on immigrant visas for 75 countries violates the Administrative Procedure Act and Immigration and Nationality Act as well as equal protections under the Constitution, according to the complaint filed in the Southern District of New York. ‘This administration is trying to shut down lawful immigration from nearly half the countries in the world without legal authority or justification,’ said Anna Gallagher, executive director of Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., the lead plaintiff in the suit.” (02/02/26)
“A small number of medical evacuees from Gaza entered Egypt on Monday as the Rafah border crossing reopened, marking a key step in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire but a mostly symbolic one. Few people will be allowed to travel in either direction and no goods will pass through. About 20,000 Palestinian children and adults needing medical care hope to leave the devastated territory via the crossing, according to Gaza health officials. Thousands of other Palestinians outside the territory hope to enter and return home. The crossing had been closed since Israeli troops seized it in May 2024. The number of travelers is expected to increase over time if the system is successful. Israel has said it and Egypt will vet people for exit and entry.” (02/02/26)
“Elon Musk’s spacecraft and satellite communications company SpaceX has acquired his AI company xAI, the tech billionaire said Monday. ‘SpaceX has acquired xAI to form the most ambitious, vertically-integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth, with AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications and the world’s foremost real-time information and free speech platform,’ he wrote in a release on SpaceX’s website. Musk previously merged xAI with X in a deal last March that valued the AI firm at $80 billion and the social media company at $33 billion. The latest merger with SpaceX comes as the company reportedly prepares to go public this year. The tech mogul, who also owns Tesla, appears heavily focused on building AI data centers in space.” (02/02/26)
