National and international media news & headlines compiled by CLG

UK a full-blown police state: Elite police unit to monitor social media for anti-migrant posts | 26 July 2025 | An elite unit of detectives is being convened to monitor social media for anti-migrant posts. The National Internet Intelligence Investigations team will operate from the National Police Coordination Centre (NPoCC) in Westminster, drawing officers from forces across England and Wales. The unit will be tasked with flagging early signs of potential civil unrest and “maximising social media intelligence,” after last year’s riots exposed gaps in police planning. Critics seized on the plan, branding it “disturbing” and warning of free‑speech infringements. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp accused the government of trying “to police what you post, what you share, what you think” because it “can’t police the streets” itself. The NPoCC, which led the nationwide police response to Covid lockdowns under Operation Talla, will coordinate the new unit.

U.S. State Department accuses EU of ‘Orwellian censorship’ –The bloc’s online content-moderation policies violate free speech, according to the agency | 23 July 2025 | The EU’s online content regulations are an affront to free speech, the U.S. State Department has said in response to France’s praise for the Digital Services Act (DSA). The State Department echoed earlier criticism from US Vice President J.D. Vance, who accused EU member states of attempting to quash dissenting voices and stigmatize popular right-wing parties such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD). “In Europe, thousands are being convicted for the crime of criticizing their own governments. This Orwellian message won’t fool the United States. Censorship is not freedom,” the State Department wrote on X on Tuesday. “All the DSA protects is European leaders from their own people.”

EasyJet passenger shouting ‘death to Trump’ and ‘I’ve got a bomb’ tackled in mid-air –The easyJet flight from Luton to Glasgow had to make an emergency landing after a passenger allegedly shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ and claimed he had a bomb | 27 July 2025 | Passengers on an easyJet flight were thrown into a high-stakes drama when they had to restrain a man shouting about a bomb, leading to an emergency landing at Glasgow Airport. The intense scene was caught on camera as the man raised his hands and shouted “Allahu Akbar,” followed by mentions of a “bomb” and subsequent cries of “death to America” and “death to Trump.” The footage shows passengers leaping into action, tackling the man to the ground and securing him against the aisle floor, with one individual in a green jacket seen pulling the man down. Following the alarming incident, the aircraft made an urgent descent.

Police: New York Man Uses AI to Build Bombs He Planned to Detonate in Manhattan | 27 July 2025 | Law enforcement officials say a 55-year-old New York man reportedly used AI to help him build bombs that he planned to detonate in Manhattan. Michael Gann of Long Island, New York, is accused of building several homemade bombs with the help of AI, an endeavor he claims was “easier than buying gun powder,” according to court documents obtained by NBC News. The suspect, who was indicted by federal prosecutors on Tuesday, allegedly transported the bombs from Long Island to Manhattan, storing five of them and four shotgun shells on the roof of an apartment building in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood. Gann is accused of initially creating four bombs and throwing three of them from the Williamsburg Bridge, resulting in two of the devices falling into the water and the third landing on the train tracks, where it was recovered.

99 Ukrainian drones shot down overnight – Moscow | 27 July 2025 | Nearly 100 Ukrainian drones were intercepted in Russian airspace overnight, the country’s Defense Ministry reported on Sunday. The large-scale raid comes as Kiev continues to escalate its use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) despite renewed diplomatic contacts with Moscow. According to the ministry, 67 drones were shot down over Bryansk, Smolensk, and Kaluga regions. Another 30 UAVs were intercepted in the south of Russia, targeting Volgograd, Rostov, Voronezh, and Kursk regions, as well as the Crimean Peninsula. Several others were downed near Moscow and within Nizhny Novgorod, Oryol, and Tambov regions.

U.S. congresswoman labels Zelensky ‘dictator’ | 23 July 2025 | U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has labeled Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky “a dictator” and called for his removal, citing mass anti-corruption protests across Ukraine and accusing him of blocking peace efforts. Her comments came after Zelensky signed a controversial bill into law that places the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) under the authority of the prosecutor general. Critics argue that the legislation effectively strips the bodies of their independence. The law has sparked protests across Ukraine, with around 2,000 people rallying in Kiev and additional demonstrations reported in Lviv, Odessa, and Poltava. “Good for the Ukrainian people! Throw him out of office!” Greene wrote Wednesday on X, sharing footage from the protests. “And America must STOP funding and sending weapons!!!”

5 Israeli soldiers kill themselves in 2 weeks –Army officials link a spike in suicides to combat trauma from the country’s ongoing “war on seven fronts” | 21 July 2025 | At least five Israeli soldiers have taken their own lives over the past two weeks, including conscripts and reservists recently discharged after extended combat deployments in Gaza and other active conflict zones. Suicides within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ranks have surged since the Jewish state deployed troops to Gaza following the deadly Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Seven soldiers died by suicide by the end of 2023, followed by 21 cases confirmed in 2024, and at least 20 incidents since the start of this year. The most recent case, confirmed on Sunday, involved a 19-year-old Norwegian immigrant who immigrated to Israel to join the IDF less than a year ago and was still undergoing training.

Starmer to urge Trump to end the mass starvation in Gaza | 27 July 2025 | Sir Keir Starmer will plead with Donald Trump to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza and end the suffering of thousands of Palestinians when he meets with the US president in Scotland on Monday. The growing crisis in the Middle East will top the agenda when the two hold their bilateral meeting at President Trump’s Turnberry golf course in Ayrshire, with the prime minister under immense political pressure to change the UK’s policy on recognising Palestine as a state. It comes after the IDF announced a “tactical pause” in fighting to allow aid to get in, with thousands of people trapped in Gaza facing mass starvation. On Sunday, Jordan and the UAE carried out the first airdrops of food and essential supplies. A Downing Street source said that the prime minister and the president have a “shared desire to bring an end to the barbaric war.”

Gaza: More than 30 people killed ‘as Israeli troops open fire towards Palestinians waiting for aid’ | 19 July 2025 | More than 30 people have been killed after Israeli troops opened fire towards crowds of Palestinians waiting for aid, according to witnesses and hospital officials. The deaths occurred near distribution hubs operated by the U.S.-Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, after Israel eased its 11-week blockade of aid into the territory. At least 32 people were killed on Saturday, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, while a further 100 people were injured, according to local reports… Mahmoud Mokeimar said he was walking with crowds of people — mostly young men — towards the food hub when troops fired warning shots as the crowd advanced, before opening fire towards the marching people. “It was a massacre…the occupation opened fire at us indiscriminately,” he said.

Trump strikes ‘biggest deal ever made’ with EU: Europeans will pay $1.6T, accept 15% tariffs after meeting with president | 27 July 2025 | It took just 75 minutes for President Trump to get what he wanted out of the European Union. That’s how long he and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were away from the cameras. When they returned, Trump was triumphant. Europe agreed to buy 750 billion in American energy products, invest 600 billion in new m-ney in the U.S. and purchase additional U.S. military equipment, according to the terms of the preliminary agreement. Tariffs on many American exports will drop to zero. Duties on most European goods coming into the U.S. rise to 15%.

United Airlines grounds entire U.S. fleet after fire alarm at headquarters | 24 July 2025 | United Airlines was forced to issue an urgent ground stop across its entire mainline fleet on Thursday night after a fire alarm sounded at its headquarters. There were fears the decision would spark travel chaos from coast to coast just days after a similar Alaska Airlines ground stop caused hours-long delays for travelers across the United States. Passengers who were already in the air at the time of the ground stop were warned to “expect some airborne holding due to excessive demand.” The ground stop has since been lifted, and a United spokesperson said: “A fire alarm sounded at our operations center, which caused employees to move to our nearby backup facility and resulted in a brief nationwide ground stop of United aircraft.”

Knifeman who stabbed 11 people inside Michigan Walmart identified, to be charged with terrorism | 27 July 2025 | Authorities have identified the knifeman who stabbed 11 people inside a Michigan Walmart as Bradford James Gille. Gille, 42, will face charges of terrorism and 11 counts of assault with intent to murder, the Grand Traverse county prosecutor has revealed. Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Noelle Moeggenberg told reporters that the terrorism charge will be brought due to the fact the attack impacted the community, rather than one individual. Gille remains in custody at the Grand Traverse County Jail and is expected to be arraigned Monday or Tuesday.

Mass stabbing at Michigan Walmart leaves 11 injured in daylight knife attack as terrified shoppers flee and FBI joins probe | 27 July 2025 | Heroic shoppers forced a man to drop his weapon after he stabbed 11 people inside a Walmart in Michigan on Saturday afternoon. The extraordinary moment four men confronted the deranged suspect in the parking lot of the Traverse City supermarket was caught on camera. During the urgency of the situation, one of the brave men lost his shoes and was walking barefoot as he ordered the knife-wielding man to drop his weapon. A sheriff’s deputy arrived within minutes and took the man into custody, and people in the store also helped apprehend the suspect and treat victims. Sheriff Michael Shea said in that the suspect, a Michigan resident, apparently acted alone.

CIA director teases more files on alleged Russiagate links to Hillary Clinton: ‘Finally coming to light’ | 27 July 2025 | CIA Director John Ratcliffe on Sunday teased plans to publicly disclose additional files that allegedly help tie Hillary Clinton to the false claims of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Ratcliffe specifically hinted at “underlying intelligence” referenced in the annex of the Durham report, which scrutinized probes into the Clinton vs. President Trump match-up and is currently undergoing a declassification process. “What hasn’t come out yet and what’s going to come out is the underlying intelligence,” Ratcliffe told Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures, referring to Russiagate. “And what that intelligence shows, Maria, is that part of this was a Hillary Clinton plan, but part of it was an FBI plan to be an accelerant to that fake Steele dossier, to those fake Russia collusion claims by pouring oil on the fire, by amplifying the lie and bearing the truth of what Hillary Clinton was up to.”

Obama authorized ‘implausible’ reports about Putin supporting Trump – House Intel Committee | 23 July 2025 | Former U.S. President Barack Obama ignored CIA warnings and authorized the release of reports claiming Russian President Vladimir Putin backed Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential election campaign, according to a newly declassified report from the House Intelligence Committee. Last week, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard published more than 100 documents detailing what she described as a coordinated effort by Obama-era officials to fabricate the narrative of Trump-Russia collusion. The effort, she said, aimed to undermine Trump’s legitimacy after his 2016 election victory. On Tuesday, the DNI released additional declassified findings focused on the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), which claimed that Putin sought to influence the election in Trump’s favor. That assessment became a central foundation for the Russiagate probe.

Massie: ‘We’re Going to Force a Vote’ on Epstein Files After August Recess | 27 July 2025 | Sunday on ABC’s This Week, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) said after the August recess, he will force a House vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files. Massie said, “Well, I think we should get a lot more than just the book. Let’s get the financial records of the estate, follow the m-ney, as they say up here. We should look at the plea-bargain, open that up, see what was the deal, what was the deal that was cut. I think there’s a lot more than just that letter. That letter is also sort of representative of something that’s embarrassing but not illegal, another reason why these files may be sealed and stay sealed, but we’re going to force a vote on this when we get back from the August recess. Ro Khanna and I are using a procedure called a discharge petition whereby if we get 218 votes, and we’re well on our way to that, 218 signatures, then we can force the vote.”

Florida Judge Says ‘Hands Are Tied,’ Won’t Unseal Epstein Grand Jury Transcripts | 23 July 2025 | A federal judge has denied the Trump administration’s request to unseal transcripts from Florida grand jury proceedings related to a 20-year-old criminal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, saying her “hands are tied.” U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of Florida Robin Rosenberg wrote in her denial that an unrelated 2020 ruling by the Eleventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals “does not permit” her to unseal grand jury records in instances not covered by the criminal procedure rule, CNBC reported. “Eleventh Circuit law does not permit this Court to grant the Government’s request; the Court’s hands are tied — a point the Government concedes,” Rosenberg wrote.

Trump signs executive order forcing homeless off America’s streets | 24 July 2025 | President Trump signed an executive order Thursday calling on states and cities to end “endemic vagrancy” – and rehouse homeless people, including drug addicts and those suffering from mental problems, in “treatment centers.” The order redirects federal funding to prioritize “shifting homeless individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment.” On average, more than 274,000 people were sleeping on the streets each night last year under President [sic] Joe Biden, the order says. “The overwhelming majority of these individuals are addicted to drugs, have a mental health disorder, or both,” the document says.

Illegal migrant accused of shooting off-duty CBP officer in NYC was only vetted over Zoom before being set free under Biden admin – sources | 23 July 2025 | The illegal immigrant accused of shooting an off-duty border officer in a Manhattan park was only vetted using Zoom before being released into the US under the Biden administration, The Post has learned. Dominican Republic national Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, 21, waltzed across the U.S.-Mexico border into Arizona in April 2023 — during the raging migrant crisis that saw federal agents take drastic measures in an attempt to free up resources. That month alone, the U.S. saw a wave of more than 183,000 migrants come across the southern border. “The whole system was overwhelmed by what the Biden administration was allowing,” Charles Marino, former senior law enforcement adviser to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, told The Post.

Illegal migrant accused of shooting off-duty CBP agent was arrested in NYC and released 4 times despite deportation order | 20 July 2025 | An off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was shot in the face after being robbed by a moped-riding illegal immigrant in a New York City park on Saturday — but he shot back and wounded his attacker, according to sources. The suspect has been identified as Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, a 21-year-old Dominican national with a lengthy rap sheet in New York according to sources — but he was let go each time he was busted, despite having a deportation order. Mora entered the U.S. illegally via the southern border under the Biden admin, the Department of Homeland Security said Sunday. The 42-year-old federal agent and a female companion were sitting on a rock along the Hudson River in Fort Washington Park in Manhattan when they were ambushed by the two men on a moped around 11:50 p.m., according to police sources.