The Intercept
type: channel
date: 2026-06-18T19:38:43Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
generator agent: https://wordpress.org/
items: Trump-Loving Crypto Super PAC Finally Backs a Democrat: Ritchie Torres
items: Undercover Cops Infiltrated Delaney Hall ICE Protest to Spy and Make Arrest
items: Police Chased the Wrong Man, Then Shot Him and Watched as He Bled Out
items: Israel Asked Facebook to Censor Iran War Content, Internal Documents Show
items: ICE’s Unseen Toll in Minneapolis: Suicide Helpline Calls More Than Doubled During Surge
items: Senate Democrats Aren’t Happy About Trump’s Spy Law Ultimatum
items: Trump’s Spaghetti-Against-the-Wall Indictment Against ICE Protesters — and How to Fight It
items: How Did the Feds Get Into Anti-ICE Activists’ Signal Messages?
items: Are Jeffries and Schumer Getting Ready to Greenlight Domestic Spy Power for Trump?
items: Once a Target of TrackAIPAC, Ro Khanna Gains Its Endorsement
items: U.S. Casualties in Iran Are Still Rising
items: Trump Admin Wants to Make It Easier for White Men to Sue for Discrimination
items: Bernie Sanders Backs Justin J. Pearson, House Candidate at the Heart of Tennessee Voting Rights Fight
items: Trump Celebrates Achieving Absolutely Nothing in Iran
items: An Army Whistleblower Believed in Pete Hegseth — Until the Military Covered Up Her Child’s Abuse
items: Civil Records for Hundreds of Thousands of Lebanese Could Be Wiped Out By Israel’s Total War
items: They Weren’t Convicted of Terrorism, But These Palestine Activists Got Sentenced as Terrorists Anyway
items: Indiana Banned Press From Executions for “Dignity.” It Actually Serves Repression.
items: ICE Should Show It Hasn’t Been “Infiltrated by Violent Extremists,” Senator Urges
items: The Right’s “Election Fraud” Cry for Midterms Previewed in Primaries

Trump-Loving Crypto Super PAC Finally Backs a Democrat: Ritchie Torres
type: item
creator: Matt Sledge
date: 2026-06-19T09:09:00Z
subject: Politics
subject: Technology
description: Torres, the only Democrat boosted by cash from the conservative Fellowship PAC, has no serious competition in his House race. The post Trump-Loving Crypto Super PAC Finally Backs a Democrat: Ritchie Torres appeared first on The Intercept.
encoded: A crypto super PAC that has praised President Donald Trump and previously endorsed an all-Republican slate of candidates has finally found a Democrat it can get behind: New York Rep. Ritchie Torres. The Fellowship PAC dropped $300,000 on Monday to boost Torres in the final days of his reelection primary campaign, funneling its ad spend through a firm co-founded by Trump’s former top crypto adviser. The super PAC’s largest funder is Cantor Fitzgerald, the investment bank helmed by the sons of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Related Who’s Spending in Your Congressional Election? We Tracked the Front Groups Fueling the 2026 Midterms. Torres is not expected to face serious opposition in the June 23 primary in New York. The sole public poll of the race put him far ahead of his leading opponent, former Democratic National Committee vice chair Michael Blake. Torres, the Fellowship PAC, and Blake did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The spending is another sign of bond between crypto firms and Torres, a member of the key House Committee on Financial Services who has been one of the industry’s most vocal Democratic supporters. Torres was a co-founder of the Congressional Crypto Caucus. Most Read How Did the Feds Get Into Anti-ICE Activists’ Signal Messages? Nikita Mazurov Police Chased the Wrong Man, Then Shot Him and Watched as He Bled Out Akela Lacy An Army Whistleblower Believed in Pete Hegseth — Until the Military Covered Up Her Child’s Abuse Austin Campbell Still, the primary intervention still comes as something of a surprise given that, in the past, the Fellowship PAC only doled out campaign funds on behalf of Republicans. Reporting on its creation, the New York Times described the PAC as “more aligned with the Republican Party and President Trump than Fairshake, which is the dominant, pro-crypto super PAC.” The PAC signaled support for Trump in a press release announcing its creation in September, praising him for putting “America on the path to be…

Undercover Cops Infiltrated Delaney Hall ICE Protest to Spy and Make Arrest
type: item
creator: Noah Hurowitz
date: 2026-06-18T16:49:44Z
subject: Justice
description: A complaint by Newark police didn’t mention that ICE led the ambush on a protester and made the initial arrest. The post Undercover Cops Infiltrated Delaney Hall ICE Protest to Spy and Make Arrest appeared first on The Intercept.
encoded: Detectives with the Newark Police Division of the city’s Department of Public Safety went undercover to infiltrate protests outside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Delaney Hall detention facility earlier this month, according to court records obtained by The Intercept. At the June 3 protests outside the detention center sparked by a hunger strike inside, detectives in plainclothes worked alongside uniformed officers to arrest Samuel Becker, a protester alleged to have thrown items into a fire days earlier, according to a criminal complaint. The protests had taken place for nearly a month outside Delaney Hall, a privately run ICE facility located on an industrial corridor in Newark, New Jersey, where detainees and their families have complained of poor conditions and retaliation by staff. “The use of plainclothes officers presents the concern of people constantly being surveilled when they are engaging in First Amendment-protected activity.” The operation was strictly aimed at arresting Becker, 30, who is accused of dragging a tarp into a fire during a raucous protest several days earlier, according to the complaint filed in Newark Municipal Court by police officer Elddy Torres. “A PLAN WAS DEVISED TO DEPLOY TWO UNDERCOVER NEWARK POLICE DETECTIVES TO MONITOR AND REPORT REAL TIME INFORMATION TO SURVEILLANCE UNITS,” Torres wrote, describing what happened after Becker was identified. “AS THE UNDERCOVER DETECTIVES REMAINED WITHIN THE CROWD, BECKER WAS OBSERVED COORDINATING PROTESTERS PAST THE BARRICADED PROTEST ZONE.” Law enforcement presence at protests can have a chilling effect, said Amol Sinha, the executive director of the New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, who declined to discuss the specifics of the arrest, with which he was not familiar. The psychological effect of undercover officers — and the fear of undercovers — stands out as especially problematic. “The use of plainclothes officers presents the concern of people constantly b…

Police Chased the Wrong Man, Then Shot Him and Watched as He Bled Out
type: item
creator: Akela Lacy
date: 2026-06-18T13:25:52Z
subject: Justice
description: Sheriff’s deputies in Michigan fired 27 shots at John Jenuwine. “He was not the guy that they were supposed to be chasing,” said the victim’s father. The post Police Chased the Wrong Man, Then Shot Him and Watched as He Bled Out appeared first on The Intercept.
encoded: In the early hours of January 6, 2026, two 911 callers near Ypsilanti, Michigan, reported a white van driving erratically. Within an hour, police had found a white van, crashed into it twice on purpose, and fired 27 shots at the driver while the vehicle lay on its side, burning. At least eight cops watched as 34-year old Navy veteran John Andrew Jenuwine bled out and died inside. Of several inconsistencies in the police response, one stood out: The only physical description provided to the dispatcher was that “two Black guys” were driving the van, and a caller said they’d brandished a handgun at his wife. Jenuwine was white, driving alone, and unarmed. That’s not what police told Jenuwine’s parents when they contacted them the following evening, 17 hours after killing their son. “We were told that there was an exchange of gunfire, and that John was killed,” John’s father, Larry Jenuwine, told The Intercept. “Call it naïveté or whatever you want to call it, but our first thoughts were, ‘Oh my God, what did he do, why did he cause this?’” On the phone with Larry and Kelly, John’s mother, a deputy with the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office claimed their recently deceased son had a gun. But Jenuwine, an industrial field engineer traveling to repair million-dollar lasers, just had his work equipment; no gun was ever found in his van. And the officers who caused two intentional collisions appear to have violated their own policies, which the department updated after the police killing of George Floyd — testing the limits of post-2020 police reforms. “We were told that there was an exchange of gunfire, and that John was killed. Come to find out, he didn’t do anything to cause any of this.” The Jenuwine family is now suing Washtenaw County and eight sheriff’s deputies who responded to the case for wrongful death; for violating John’s constitutional rights to protection under the law, and against unreasonable searches and seizures; and for gross negligence and willful miscon…

Israel Asked Facebook to Censor Iran War Content, Internal Documents Show
type: item
creator: Sam Biddle
date: 2026-06-18T10:12:00Z
subject: Technology
subject: World
description: Company records reviewed by The Intercept show Israel urged Facebook and Instagram to take down posts supportive of Iran. The post Israel Asked Facebook to Censor Iran War Content, Internal Documents Show appeared first on The Intercept.
encoded: Israel’s government asked Meta to censor social media content about its ongoing war against Iran, according to internal documents viewed by The Intercept. Company records show that Israel petitioned Meta to take down Facebook and Instagram posts expressing support for Iran, opposition to Israel, and even depictions of Iranian missile impacts. The government flagged a variety of materials related to the war, including posts mourning the death of Ayatollah Khamenei following his assassination by the U.S. and Israel on the opening day of the conflict, content supportive of Iran’s retaliatory attacks, and Iranian accounts that shared military analysis and propaganda sympathetic to the Iranian regime’s perspective. “Governments wanting to suppress speech that is critical of their war efforts is as old as time.” In some cases, Meta complied with the censorship requests, the records show, though it is unclear on what grounds. Meta maintains that it only removes content as required by law or materials that violate its speech policies. When asked how many Iran-related takedown requests had been granted to date since the war began, the company did not answer. The Israeli Ministry of Justice, which submits takedown requests to social media platforms, did not respond to a request for comment. Most Read How Did the Feds Get Into Anti-ICE Activists’ Signal Messages? Nikita Mazurov Police Chased the Wrong Man, Then Shot Him and Watched as He Bled Out Akela Lacy An Army Whistleblower Believed in Pete Hegseth — Until the Military Covered Up Her Child’s Abuse Austin Campbell Israel’s social media lobbying is not new; for years the nation has leaned on its close relationship with Meta to push for targeted enforcement of the company’s content moderation rulebook. Israel’s Office of the State Attorney routinely lodges complaints to social media platforms on behalf of state security agencies about content deemed illegal or said to promote “terrorism,” according to its website. In the doc…

ICE’s Unseen Toll in Minneapolis: Suicide Helpline Calls More Than Doubled During Surge
type: item
creator: Ryan Devereaux
date: 2026-06-18T05:00:00Z
subject: Justice
description: ICE’s crackdown in Minneapolis left deep scars on the besieged city, says a new Human Rights Watch report. The post ICE’s Unseen Toll in Minneapolis: Suicide Helpline Calls More Than Doubled During Surge appeared first on The Intercept.
encoded: More than six months after federal agents descended on Minnesota, the toll of the immigration crackdown on the Twin Cities continues to mount. The latest revelations about the far-reaching and deeply felt impacts of the campaign known as Operation Metro Surge come in a Human Rights Watch report published Thursday. Based on more than 130 interviews, video analysis, and government arrest data, the report documents a dizzying array of abuses over the multi-month siege of Minneapolis and St. Paul — from lethal violence to free speech violations, unlawful detentions, and more. Related Trump’s Spaghetti-Against-the-Wall Indictment Against ICE Protesters — and How to Fight It While many of the abuses are well-known — including the killings of Minnesota residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents — others occurred in the shadows of the infamous campaign. Among the most troubling accounts are those provided by healthcare and mental health professionals. According to the report, the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Minnesota saw a 120 percent increase in calls and a “significant increase” in the number of people struggling with suicidal thoughts or actions during Metro Surge. One medical provider knew of at least three teenagers who attempted to take their own life after their parents were detained in the crackdown, with one of the adolescents doing so on a “frequent” basis. “One goal of the report is to bring light back to the full scope of the harm, and not only the harm that we saw in terms of violence in the streets, in terms of abusive detentions,” Reagan Williams, the author of the new report, told The Intercept, “but also the effects that that had for aspects of daily life for everybody here — the impact it had on people’s ability to leave their homes, to go to doctor, to go to school, to go to work.” Most Read How Did the Feds Get Into Anti-ICE Activists’ Signal Messages? Nikita Mazurov Police Chased the Wrong Man, Then Shot Him and Watched as He Bled…

Senate Democrats Aren’t Happy About Trump’s Spy Law Ultimatum
type: item
creator: Matt Sledge
date: 2026-06-18T02:36:39Z
subject: Politics
description: Before Trump paused Jay Clayton’s nomination, Democrats thought they were on a “glide path” to renewing FISA. Now the president wants to tie domestic surveillance to voter suppression. The post Senate Democrats Aren’t Happy About Trump’s Spy Law Ultimatum appeared first on The Intercept.
encoded: Before President Donald Trump threw his latest hand grenade into congressional negotiations over a key domestic spying law, two factions of Senate Democrats seemed to believe they were on the verge of a breakthrough. Privacy advocates thought they had their best chance in years of passing reforms, including a warrant requirement for searching American communications collected abroad. Related Are Jeffries and Schumer Getting Ready to Greenlight Domestic Spy Power for Trump? Centrists allied with U.S. intelligence agencies, meanwhile, thought they were close to renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act with only minor tweaks. Then Trump, who had once already thrown the renewal process into chaos, announced on Wednesday that he wouldn’t sign it unless Congress passed an unrelated voter suppression bill. Claiming that Democrats were poised to walk away from a spy law compromise, Trump said that “to add a slight bit of intrigue but, for the Good of the Nation, and the People of our Country, I will not approve FISA without THE SAVE AMERICA ACT going along with it.” Trump’s surprise outburst on Truth Social on Wednesday scrapped the confirmation hearing set later in the day for Jay Clayton, a federal prosecutor in New York, to serve as the permanent director of national intelligence. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., had said that he hoped to quickly confirm Clayton. Clayton’s impending confirmation had appeared to solve a problem — at least for some Democrats — that Trump created by tapping lapdog housing chief, Bill Pulte, as the Cabinet-level intelligence chief. It might also have opened a route for Congress to renew Section 702, the surveillance law that allows federal agents to conduct “backdoor,” warrantless searches of Americans’ communications collected abroad. Most Read How Did the Feds Get Into Anti-ICE Activists’ Signal Messages? Nikita Mazurov Police Chased the Wrong Man, Then Shot Him and Watched as He Bled Out Akela Lacy An Ar…

Trump’s Spaghetti-Against-the-Wall Indictment Against ICE Protesters — and How to Fight It
type: item
creator: Ali Gharib
date: 2026-06-17T15:30:07Z
subject: Justice
subject: Voices
description: Trump’s indictment of 15 Minneapolis protesters is a well-worn strategy to criminalize political resistance as a “conspiracy.” The post Trump’s Spaghetti-Against-the-Wall Indictment Against ICE Protesters — and How to Fight It appeared first on The Intercept.
encoded: <img decoding="async" src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2255226355-a.jpg?fit=3900%2C2601" srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2255226355-a.jpg?w=3900 3900w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2255226355-a.jpg?w=300 300w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2255226355-a.jpg?w=768 768w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2255226355-a.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2255226355-a.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2255226355-a.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2255226355-a.jpg?w=540 540w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2255226355-a.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2255226355-a.jpg?w=2400 2400w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2255226355-a.jpg?w=3600 3600w" sizes="auto, (min-width: 1300px) 650px, (min-width: 800px) 64vw, (min-width: 500px) calc(100vw - 5rem), calc(100vw - 3rem)" alt="TOPSHOT - Federal agents use pepper spray against a protester holding a sign during an enforcement operation outside the Whipple Building, ICE facility in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 11, 2026. A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good on the streets of Minneapolis on January 7, leading to huge protests and outrage from local leaders who rejected White House claims she was a domestic terrorist. (Photo by Kerem YUCEL / AFP via Getty Images)" width="3900" height="2601" loading="lazy" /> Federal agents pepper-spray a protester holding a sign during an enforcement operation outside the Whipple Building ICE facility in Minneapolis on Jan. 11, 2026. Photo: Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images Donald Trump’s Department of Justice un…

How Did the Feds Get Into Anti-ICE Activists’ Signal Messages?
type: item
creator: Ben Muessig
date: 2026-06-17T14:26:36Z
subject: Justice
subject: Technology
description: ICE investigators leaned on Signal communications to build their case against protesters. Take these steps to keep your chats safe. The post How Did the Feds Get Into Anti-ICE Activists’ Signal Messages? appeared first on The Intercept.
encoded: When anti-ICE activists rallied against the Trump administration’s deportation campaign in Minneapolis, many relied on the encrypted messaging app Signal for secure communications. In activist chats and quickly established ICE-tracking groups, locals used Signal to keep tabs on federal agents patrolling their communities. When the Department of Homeland Security announced this week the arrest of 15 alleged “anti-ICE rioters” in Minnesota, it pointed directly at their Signal chats. The indictment is in large part built upon on conversations from more than a dozen Signal groups, citing more than 100 specific messages. The case is a stark reminder that using an encrypted messaging platform like Signal is not in and of itself a magic bullet to safeguard communications. It also raises the question: How did Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations unit gain access to all of these communications in the first place? The indictment doesn’t provide a clear answer. But sprinkled throughout the document are clues that suggest that law enforcement may have gained access to the physical devices of some of those indicted. Related Marine Detained in Minneapolis Says Feds Copied His Phone Without a Warrant The indictment singles out its targets for their alleged participation in local ICE rapid response networks, where volunteers monitor and report the presence of federal agents in their communities by flagging details such as the license plate numbers of vehicles used by immigration authorities. ICE watchers in Minnesota have been met with intimidation from immigration authorities amid the national outcry following the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good as they observed the actions of immigration authorities. The 15 people named in the latest indictment are all charged with “conspiracy to impede or injure an officer,” with some facing additional charges like “solicitation to commit a crime of violence” and “destruction of government property.” Thou…

Are Jeffries and Schumer Getting Ready to Greenlight Domestic Spy Power for Trump?
type: item
creator: Matt Sledge
date: 2026-06-17T10:11:00Z
subject: National Security
subject: Politics
description: Democrats balked at handing Bill Pulte spy powers. Will they stay strong against Trump’s new pick for intel chief? The post Are Jeffries and Schumer Getting Ready to Greenlight Domestic Spy Power for Trump? appeared first on The Intercept.
encoded: When Congressional Democrats rallied against President Donald Trump’s appointment of Bill Pulte to serve as temporary director of national intelligence last week, they said he was an unqualified pick who would be too eager to use the job to undermine elections. Now some high-ranking Democrats are lining up to support another permanent appointee with a dubious claim to the legal job requirements — Jay Clayton — who has also openly questioned the integrity of U.S. elections. Some to Democrats are lining up to support Jay Clayton, who has questioned the integrity of elections. Clayton’s nomination will be heard by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Wednesday. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., hopes to have him confirmed as soon as Thursday — a lightning-fast process for a top intelligence post. What’s at stake, however, isn’t just the outcome of Clayton’s nomination process. Trump’s pick is intertwined with the fate of a key domestic surveillance law, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, that expired Friday. Privacy advocates are worried that Clayton’s nomination will give some Democrats the excuse they have been looking for to vote for renewing Section 702. The advocates are raising concerns about Clayton and calling on Congress to add a warrant requirement to the surveillance law, no matter who ultimately takes over as intel chief. The top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees, Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut and Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, who have both supported renewing Section 702 without major changes, have issued positive statements about Clayton’s nomination. Neither House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., nor Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has tipped their hand as to whether Clayton’s nomination will lead them to support a so-called “clean” renewal of Section 702. Related Hakeem Jeffries Finally Finds a Spine: Dem Leaders Rallied Against Extending Domestic Spy Law Jeffries sai…

Once a Target of TrackAIPAC, Ro Khanna Gains Its Endorsement
type: item
creator: Jonah Valdez
date: 2026-06-17T09:00:00Z
subject: Politics
description: With endorsements and a new pledge for lawmakers, TrackAIPAC is flexing its growing influence on the Capitol. The post Once a Target of TrackAIPAC, Ro Khanna Gains Its Endorsement appeared first on The Intercept.
encoded: After a resounding primary victory and ahead of a potential presidential run in 2028, progressive California lawmaker Ro Khanna has received the endorsement of the influential advocacy and watchdog group TrackAIPAC, known for posting red cards of lawmakers and candidates who receive money from the pro-Israel lobby. Khanna, a Democrat representing parts of San Francisco’s Bay Area, is the first member of Congress to go from a target of TrackAIPAC’s online fury to the winner of its endorsement. Though Khanna never took money from the pro-Israel lobby giant, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, he received a red anti-endorsement card from TrackAIPAC in 2024 largely due to his legislative record. Khanna has taken money from the liberal Zionist group, J Street, which opposed Gaza ceasefire attempts in 2023 but has since pushed for conditions on military aid to Israel. “Rejecting AIPAC money isn’t enough — every member of Congress must be clear on these issues.” Khanna’s TrackAIPAC endorsement, first reported by The Intercept, came after the lawmaker on June 10 became the initial signatory of a new pledge from TrackAIPAC called PEACE to enforce American law, counter foreign influence, and end war crimes. Among other commitments, candidates who sign the pledge swear off money from AIPAC and aligned groups, acknowledge Israel’s genocide in Gaza, oppose military aid to any country that commits human rights violations, and agree to stand against efforts in Congress to enmesh the U.S. and Israeli militaries. “I’m proud to be the first member of Congress to sign the PEACE Pledge to reject campaign contributions and political support from AIPAC, DMFI, and other groups that promote unconditional support for Israel,” Khanna told The Intercept in a statement. “The pledge also affirms my opposition to the genocide in Gaza and my commitment to voting against future military assistance to any country whose security forces are committing human rights violations. Rejecting AIPA…

U.S. Casualties in Iran Are Still Rising
type: item
creator: Nick Turse
date: 2026-06-16T16:51:38Z
subject: National Security
description: The official count of U.S. personnel hurt or killed in the war on Iran inched up, but it still omits hundreds of known casualties. The post U.S. Casualties in Iran Are Still Rising appeared first on The Intercept.
encoded: America’s Iran War casualties crept higher even as the U.S. was in the final stages of declaring a second ceasefire with Iran this weekend. The U.S. and Iran have agreed to a second ceasefire and the eventual reopening the Strait of Hormuz under a preliminary deal scheduled to take effect on Friday. “Iran has taken a major step toward final victory,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian Parliament, said on Monday, one of several Iranian leaders taking a victory lap after outlasting the Trump administration. Trump’s war has already killed thousands of Iranian civilians — including more than 150, most of them children – in a strike on an elementary school. The official number of dead and wounded U.S. personnel stands at 426, an almost 11 percent increase since the first ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran was struck on April 8. This tally, however, is missing hundreds of casualties, including two soldiers wounded in action earlier this month. Related Trump Celebrates Achieving Absolutely Nothing in Iran For months, The Intercept has reported that the Pentagon’s official tally of dead and wounded military personnel from the Iran War is a gross undercount, stemming from what another U.S. government official called a “casualty cover-up.” The Defense Casualty Analysis System, or DCAS, which tracks “deceased, wounded, ill or injured” service members for Congress and the president, is missing hundreds of known casualties. The true number exceeds 625. When the first ceasefire was struck between the Trump administration and Iran, the tally of U.S. casualties was 385. Despite a pause in hostilities, the number slowly rose to 428, according to Pentagon statistics. On April 21, however, the number of wounded-in-action troops declined by 15 without public comment from the War Department, dropping the casualty total to 413. Despite repeated questions over almost two months, the Pentagon has not explained the disparity in its casualty count. A defense official told …

Trump Admin Wants to Make It Easier for White Men to Sue for Discrimination
type: item
creator: Ali Gharib
date: 2026-06-16T16:29:02Z
subject: Justice
subject: Politics
description: The EEOC is moving to rescind a rule that has stood in the way of its politicized attacks alleging discrimination against white men. The post Trump Admin Wants to Make It Easier for White Men to Sue for Discrimination appeared first on The Intercept.
encoded: The chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect American workers from discrimination, moved to delete the agency’s affirmative action rule that was implemented almost 50 years ago. Chair Andrea Lucas, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, proposed to rescind the “Affirmative Action Appropriate Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964” rule on May 27. The rule has proved a barrier to her efforts to bring lawsuits on behalf of white men who say they were discriminated against at work — a barrier the rescission would get rid of. The move, which was previously unreported, comes amid Lucas’s quest to characterize all employer efforts at diversity, equity, and inclusion as illegal race discrimination. The agency has filed lawsuits under her watch on behalf of white men at the New York Times and Coca-Cola, as well as investigations into Nike and Northwestern Mutual. “This proposed rescission is part of this administration’s continued assault on equality for people of color and for women,” said former EEOC commissioner Jocelyn Samuels, who added that the change reflects Trump’s “solicitude for the fortunes of white men.” The EEOC did not respond to a request for comment. Most Read How Did the Feds Get Into Anti-ICE Activists’ Signal Messages? Nikita Mazurov Police Chased the Wrong Man, Then Shot Him and Watched as He Bled Out Akela Lacy An Army Whistleblower Believed in Pete Hegseth — Until the Military Covered Up Her Child’s Abuse Austin Campbell Rule to Fight Discrimination The rule Lucas wants to do away with was crafted shortly after the EEOC was granted litigation authority in 1972. Racial discrimination had been rampant throughout American workplaces, and some employers wanted to act to correct those long-standing discriminatory practices and racial disparities in an affirmative way. Responding to the call, the EEOC crafted the rule to allow for very narrow circumstances in w…

Bernie Sanders Backs Justin J. Pearson, House Candidate at the Heart of Tennessee Voting Rights Fight
type: item
creator: Akela Lacy
date: 2026-06-16T09:46:00Z
subject: Politics
description: Pearson challenged the last Tennessee Democrat in the House. Now he’s up against the threat of total GOP control. The post Bernie Sanders Backs Justin J. Pearson, House Candidate at the Heart of Tennessee Voting Rights Fight appeared first on The Intercept.
encoded: An outspoken progressive running for Congress in the Tennessee district at the center of Republicans’ efforts to sabotage voting rights and maintain control of the House earned the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday. Tennessee state Rep. Justin J. Pearson found himself the unexpected front-runner in the Democratic primary when two-decade incumbent Rep. Steve Cohen dropped out last month, after new gerrymandered maps throttled his chances of winning reelection. The redrawn 9th Congressional District and sudden shakeup mean that rather than running against the last Democrat representing Tennessee in the House, Pearson is facing a Republican machine bent on delivering an all-GOP delegation for President Donald Trump. The new map hurts the chances for Pearson — or any Democrat — to win in November, but the candidate said he’s running on a platform focused on wealth, income inequality, and corporate overreach that aims to appeal across party lines. “You’ve got a number of disaffected Republican voters, you’ve got a number of distraught MAGA voters, and you’ve got fired-up Democrats, which is a perfect recipe for success for us,” Pearson told The Intercept. “Because our tent is big enough for everybody who is feeling that this status quo was rigged and broken against working-class folk, and want to see a future that is more just.” It’s a message similar to the one that buoyed Sanders’s 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns. “As billionaires and Big Tech take more and more control over our lives and our government, we need leaders like Justin J. Pearson who have the experience and track record of standing up to the rich and power-hungry elites,” Sanders said in a statement. Related The Supreme Court Ends Multiracial Democracy as We Know It Tennessee is one of several Republican-led states where officials rushed to protect Trump and the GOP’s chances of keeping power in what is expected to be a particularly difficult midterm cycle for Republicans mired in an unpop…

Trump Celebrates Achieving Absolutely Nothing in Iran
type: item
creator: Nick Turse
date: 2026-06-15T18:41:23Z
subject: National Security
subject: World
description: To end his war on Iran, Trump was forced to return to the status quo with the Strait of Hormuz open and no nuclear deal in place. The post Trump Celebrates Achieving Absolutely Nothing in Iran appeared first on The Intercept.
encoded: The Trump administration is boasting about pending plans to conclude its war with Iran, having achieved none of the original objectives laid out by President Donald Trump. With a commitment to a ceasefire and the scheduled signing of a “framework” later this week, Iran is expected to agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days. Negotiations over an agreement regarding Iran’s nuclear program are expected to take place in the 60 days following Friday’s signing ceremony. If the deal is signed on this week, it will mark a return to the status quo antebellum when the Strait of Hormuz was open and no nuclear deal with Iran was in place. Aside from killing top regime leaders, thousands of civilians — including more than 150, most of them children, on a strike on an elementary school — and damaging almost 149,000 civilian infrastructures, the United States has functionally achieved nothing. The same regime is in power and it maintains missile capabilities, still has a navy, and still supports regional proxies. Trump also teased the prospect of a U.S. protection racket under which Middle Eastern nations would be forced to pay monetary tribute to America if the U.S. and Iran do not finalize a nuclear accord. On Monday, Iran’s government declared victory and appeared to vow revenge on the U.S. for the war. Related How the War Strengthened Iran’s Hand Against the U.S. and Israel “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday, his 80th birthday. “I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz.” An hour later, Trump offered a caveat, stating the strait would only be opened “upon the signing of the Deal on Friday.” “This victory was achieved through absolute national cohesion, under the wise guidance of the Supreme National Security Council and all state pillars,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei announced on Monday, claiming that the conflict “cost the aggressors heavily.” “Mov…

An Army Whistleblower Believed in Pete Hegseth — Until the Military Covered Up Her Child’s Abuse
type: item
creator: Maia Hibbett
date: 2026-06-15T10:00:00Z
subject: National Security
description: The Army told a mother that video of her son being abused didn’t exist, then produced it months later. It’s part of a pattern of obfuscation in abuse cases at military daycare centers. The post An Army Whistleblower Believed in Pete Hegseth — Until the Military Covered Up Her Child’s Abuse appeared first on The Intercept.
encoded: Amanda Feindt sat in the fourth row during the Senate confirmation hearing of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. A U.S. Army major and former whistleblower who had submitted a letter supporting his nomination, Feindt listened as Hegseth spoke about troop readiness, military lethality, and protecting military families. Service members and veteran advocates around her wore shirts and hats bearing his name. While Feindt sat in the Senate chamber, her 4-year-old son was in the military’s care, spending the day at the North Post Child Development Center at Fort Belvoir, in nearby Virginia. There, according to records reviewed by The Intercept, he was subjected to treatment that would leave lasting psychological effects. It took a year for Feindt and her husband to figure out what it was. In a series of interviews with The Intercept, Feindt described a grueling pattern of obfuscation in which military officials refused to answer questions about her child’s treatment, directed her to file public records requests, and claimed not to have the attendant evidence — then produced it months later. Military experts characterized these delays as part of a pattern in which the institution seeks to slow-walk and minimize findings of child abuse or mistreatment to decrease reputational damage. Over a year of persistent requests, Feindt and her husband finally pieced together a picture of their child’s treatment during at least two instances that January: The day of the hearing, when staff mocked and harassed the 4-year-old, and a few days earlier, when surveillance video showed them stepping on his feet and pinning his legs under a table. Local authorities later classified the treatment as child abuse. “My son barely has the words to describe what happened to him,” Feindt told The Intercept. “You can see it in the video — they’re screaming while the abuse is taking place.” Three other military families whose children suffered maltreatment in U.S. Army facilities described similar roadbl…

Civil Records for Hundreds of Thousands of Lebanese Could Be Wiped Out By Israel’s Total War
type: item
creator: Ali Gharib
date: 2026-06-14T13:42:01Z
subject: World
description: With whole towns leveled by Israel, a quarter million Lebanese people may have lost the proof of who they are and what they own. The post Civil Records for Hundreds of Thousands of Lebanese Could Be Wiped Out By Israel’s Total War appeared first on The Intercept.
encoded: Israel’s campaign to raze huge swaths of southern Lebanon may destroy not only people’s homes, but also their ability to even show they owned the properties, according to locals and officials from the Lebanese government — potentially leaving as many as a quarter million Lebanese unable to prove that they have property or homes at all. Aerial imagery from Bint Jbeil, the seat of a municipality by the same name, shows what residents describe as burn marks at sites where official records were kept: civil registration files, land deeds, the paper infrastructure of a city’s legal existence. With the notary gone, civil administration buildings bulldozed, and widespread destruction of homes that contained important personal documents, residents of the 36 villages of the Bint Jbeil district fear Israel’s total war has meant the destruction of all their records could permanently untether them from the homes they left behind when they fled under Israel’s evacuation orders. That could make reconstruction after the war a nightmare. Bint Jbeil is Lebanon’s most southwestern district and the site of an Israeli campaign to evacuate entire populations before flattening their villages. “The Ministry of Interior has not yet been able to obtain the civil registry records for Bint Jbeil district.” Some Lebanese even see it as an intentional tactic, part of Israel’s plan to empty out southern Lebanon and establish a buffer zone south of the Litani River Israeli leaders hope will put northern Israel out of the reach of Hezbollah’s rockets. A mukhtar, or local official, confirmed to The Intercept that civil registry records had been digitized up to 2020 only, which offers limited reassurance. Much, however, remains unaccounted for. There are the last six years of records along with countless others that were not officially registered thanks to Lebanon’s notoriously chaotic bureaucracies and lax enforcement of registration rules, which are at times flouted to avoid paying taxes. At the ce…

They Weren’t Convicted of Terrorism, But These Palestine Activists Got Sentenced as Terrorists Anyway
type: item
creator: Ben Muessig
date: 2026-06-13T17:05:54Z
subject: Justice
subject: Voices
description: The case marks the first time that “criminal damage” convictions in the U.K. have been classified as terrorism. The post They Weren’t Convicted of Terrorism, But These Palestine Activists Got Sentenced as Terrorists Anyway appeared first on The Intercept.
encoded: <img decoding="async" src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2280645476_58d611.jpg?fit=4286%2C2772" srcset="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2280645476_58d611.jpg?w=4286 4286w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2280645476_58d611.jpg?w=300 300w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2280645476_58d611.jpg?w=768 768w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2280645476_58d611.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2280645476_58d611.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2280645476_58d611.jpg?w=2048 2048w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2280645476_58d611.jpg?w=540 540w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2280645476_58d611.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2280645476_58d611.jpg?w=2400 2400w, https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-2280645476_58d611.jpg?w=3600 3600w" sizes="auto, (min-width: 1300px) 650px, (min-width: 800px) 64vw, (min-width: 500px) calc(100vw - 5rem), calc(100vw - 3rem)" alt="LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 12: A protester holds their their hand up showing the message 'I support Palestine Action' while being arrested and being put in the police transport during the demonstration at Woolwich Crown Court on June 12, 2026 in London, England. Four of "the Filton 25" activists convicted of causing over £1 million in damage to an Elbit Systems factory face potential sentencing as terrorists under Section 69 of the Sentencing Act 2020, after Mr Justice Johnson applied a "terrorist connection" to their criminal damage convictions. This controversial, post-trial mechanism subjects the pro-Palestinian activists to severe parole restrictions and long-term counter-terrorism notification requirements despite the jury not c…

Indiana Banned Press From Executions for “Dignity.” It Actually Serves Repression.
type: item
creator: Maia Hibbett
date: 2026-06-13T10:00:00Z
subject: Justice
subject: Voices
description: There’s no dignity in secret executions. The post Indiana Banned Press From Executions for “Dignity.” It Actually Serves Repression. appeared first on The Intercept.
encoded: <img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" src="https://theintercept.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/GettyImages-566047689.jpg?fit=%2C&w=1200" srcset="" sizes="(min-width: 1300px) 650px, (min-width: 800px) 64vw, (min-width: 500px) calc(100vw - 5rem), calc(100vw - 3rem)" alt="SAN QUENTIN, CALIFORNIA SEPTEMBER 21, 2010?A view of the new lethal injection chamber at San Quentin State Prison. The new facility costs $853. (Photo by Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)" loading="lazy" /> A witness area at the lethal injection chamber at California's San Quentin State Prison in 2010. Photo: Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images A few days before my best friend’s execution date in 2006, prison administrators granted me one last chance to see him in a legal visit. We discussed his concerns about the humaneness of the lethal injection that would kill him. I will never forget his terrified look. The day of his execution, I paced my cell hoping for the best. Without access to a telephone, my only method to monitor if or how my friend had died was through radio reports from members of the media who were allowed to witness his final breath. News reports have historically allowed us as a society to monitor our government when it exercises its greatest power: ending a person’s life. But the state of Indiana has decided to inhibit that public access by banning members of the media from attending executions — unless the condemned person chooses to give a reporter a spot that could instead have gone to their relatives or friends. An appellate court upheld the ban this week. Most Read How Did the Feds Get Into Anti-ICE Activists’ Signal Messages? Nikita Mazurov Police Chased the Wrong Man, Then Shot Him and Watched as He Bled Out Akela Lacy An Army Whistleblower Believed in Pete Hegseth — Until the Military Covered Up Her Child’s Abuse Austin Campbell Prison officials in Indiana claim the media ban is mainly about respecting the dignity of the condemned person. But …

ICE Should Show It Hasn’t Been “Infiltrated by Violent Extremists,” Senator Urges
type: item
creator: Matt Sledge
date: 2026-06-12T17:37:23Z
subject: Justice
subject: Politics
description: Spurred by The Intercept's reporting, Sheldon Whitehouse calls out DHS for recruiting materials celebrated by white nationalists. The post ICE Should Show It Hasn’t Been “Infiltrated by Violent Extremists,” Senator Urges appeared first on The Intercept.
encoded: A Democratic senator has asked newly confirmed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to explain the department’s racist social media presence and assure the agency has not been “infiltrated by violent extremists.” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., pointed to a March bulletin from Colorado law enforcement analysts that was unearthed by The Intercept last month. It warned that DHS posts using language popular with neo-Nazis could inspire acts of far-right violence within the U.S. as well as prompt white supremacists to join the agency. The bulletin by the Colorado Information Analysis Center cited repeated instances of DHS recruitment posts spurring discussion among neo-Nazis about enlisting in ICE with the hope of spurring a race war. It noted at least one instance of white supremacists claiming online that someone in their organization “had already been a captain at an ICE-contracted detention facility.” Related ICE Recruitment Tweets Are So Racist That Cops Feared They Could Incite Neo-Nazi Violence The DHS posts, which sometimes appeared to borrow material verbatim from racist memes, songs, and tropes, were made as part of a recruiting push under then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. Noem and former U.S. Border Patrol official Greg Bovino, who became the public face of Trump’s draconian mass deportation agenda, were pushed out of their positions by the White House this year. Whitehouse said that Mullin should disavow his predecessor’s “dangerous recruitment campaign.” “I cannot believe that you support the messages associated with these recruitment campaigns, or want anyone under your supervision to use the imprimatur of the United States Government to promote those messages,” Whitehouse said in a letter dated Wednesday. In response to a request for comment, a DHS spokesperson criticized Whitehouse and the Colorado law enforcement analysts. The analysts’ report came from a fusion center, part of a network of information clearinghouses for local, state and federal …

The Right’s “Election Fraud” Cry for Midterms Previewed in Primaries
type: item
creator: The Intercept Briefing
date: 2026-06-12T10:00:00Z
subject: The Intercept Briefing
description: Spencer Pratt’s pratfall in LA, Graham Platner’s victory, prediction markets, and other takeaways from the California and Maine primary elections. The post The Right’s “Election Fraud” Cry for Midterms Previewed in Primaries appeared first on The Intercept.
encoded: On Tuesday night, oyster farmer and combat veteran Graham Platner overwhelmingly sailed to victory in the Democratic Senate primary in Maine. His opponent, Gov. Janet Mills unofficially dropped out in late April, leaving Platner effectively unopposed. But a series of scandals rocked his candidacy, leaving his viability against Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November in question. The veteran has repeatedly emphasized the way his combat trauma made him a worse version of himself, and how in later years he has been able to heal and evolve. In Maine, Democrats so far appear to have accepted that message of redemption, and his promise to provide a progressive economic agenda for Maine. “It’s a very working-class state that has been very badly impacted by job loss and then, in recent years, by a pretty extreme wave of gentrification,” Intercept reporter Noah Hurowitz says. “The progressive policy agenda of Graham Platner combined with the perceived authenticity of his ‘I am a fighter, I will actually do this,’ whereas Janet Mills who has been in power and overseen a lot of this and has not been perceived to bring a lot of the changes that Mainers seek” is resonating with voters. We also check in on California, where Intercept contributor Jordan Uhl breaks down the latest conspiracy theories about voter suppression, which conservatives have hinged on the defeat of former reality TV star Spencer Pratt, and the early results in the governor’s race. Uhl also breaks down how betting platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket are adding to the confusion, and what that could mean come November. “If they don’t like the outcome, it’s rigged. If they like the outcome, it’s fine,” says Uhl. “At the gubernatorial level, you can see how Megyn Kelly pointing to prediction market data is symptomatic of a larger problem here. People weren’t looking to actual polling data. They were looking to the behavior of gamblers to inform their analysis.” For more, listen to the full conversation of The…