Israel's weird war clock: 12 days for Iran, 21 months in Gaza
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
10 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Democratic lawmakers denied entry to ‘Alligator Alcatraz' immigration jail
A group of Florida lawmakers were denied entry on Thursday into the new Florida-based immigration jail dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz' one day after the first immigrant detainees began to arrive. Five Democratic lawmakers attempted to enter the facility, which was previously toured on Tuesday by White House officials, but were stopped by law enforcement officers from local agencies, according to the state representative Anna Eskamani in an interview with CNN. 'This is a blatant abuse of power and an attempt to conceal human rights violations from the public eye,' the five said in a joint statement. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that the first detentions at the facility began on Wednesday, but did not respond to questions regarding the number of people detained so far. The controversial Everglades jail was quickly set up in a partnership between the federal and Florida state governments. Sitting approximately 50 miles (80km) west of Miami, the remote facility is managed by the state but in large part funded the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema). 'It might be as good as the real Alcatraz. A little controversial, but I couldn't care less,' Trump said on Tuesday after touring the site. During the tour, Trump joked about immigrants being pursued by snakes and alligators if they attempted to escape. Since Trump took office, Florida has been assisting the administration's goals in rounding up a large number of immigrants to be detained and deported. Through a program called 287(g), local law enforcement agencies partner with DHS and become deputized to carry out immigration enforcement operations. According to the state government, Florida has more 287(g) deputizations than any other state in the US, which has allowed it to engage in widespread operations targeting immigrant communities. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion Immigrants arrested by Florida law enforcement under the arrangement will be detained at the facility, DHS said. 'You'll have a lot of people that will deport on their own because they don't want to end up in an Alligator Alcatraz, or some of these other places,' Florida governor Ron DeSantis said after touring the facility with Trump. 'This is a model, but we need other states to step up.' Being undocumented in the US is not a crime; rather, it is a civil offense. Data analysis by the Guardian shows that there has been a dramatic nationwide increase in the arrest of undocumented immigrants with no criminal record. The White House has pressured immigration officials to arrest 3,000 people per day, with the reported goal of reaching one million a year. Two non-profit groups have sued DHS, claiming the site's buildup is violating environmental policies. DHS said it expects the facility to expand quickly to 5,000 beds.
Metro
32 minutes ago
- Metro
'Bear Alcatraz' floated as migrant center near alligators opens for Trump
As 'Alligator Alcatraz' begins taking in illegal migrants, one US state has floated opening another detention center surrounded by another menacing animal – bears. Alaska responded to a Trump administration official's call for migrant detention centers similar to the newly opened one in the middle of the Florida Everglades to be built. 'Every governor of a red state, if you are watching tonight: Pick up the phone, call (the Department of Homeland Security), work with us to build facilities in your state so we can get the illegals and criminals out,' White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller said on Fox News' The Ingraham Angle earlier this week. Alaska replied: 'We don't have alligators, but we have lots of bears.' The unidentified spokesperson also said: 'I am not aware of any plans for an Alaska version of Alligator Alcatraz.' It comes as President Donald Trump on Tuesday toured the 'Alligator Alcatraz' facility at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee which can already house at least 3,000 migrants. Florida officials noted that the center is surrounded by dangerous animals including alligators and pythons, as well as mosquitos, giving potential escapees a treacherous path ahead. Trump praised the facility, which was first offered by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, and said the Sunshine State would be getting another a second one like it 'and probably a couple more'. He said he wanted to see more such facilities in 'many states'. 'The incredible thing is picking the site because the site was one of the most natural sites. It might be as good as the real Alcatraz,' Trump said, referring to the infamous former maximum security prison at Alcatraz Island in California. More Trending 'Well, that's a spooky one too. That's a tough site. So I really think it could last as long as they want to have.' The first group of migrants arrived at Alligator Alcatraz on Thursday. 'People are there,' said Uthmeier's Press Secretary Jae Williams, providing little other detail. Alaska, nicknamed The Last Frontier, is home to roughy 100,000 black bears, 30,000 brown bears and 7,000 polar bears, according to its government. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Six dead and summer camp children missing as 'catastrophic' river floods sweep Texas MORE: Frightening text message that caused plane to divert mid-flight MORE: Truth behind Amelia Earhart's missing plane may have been solved after 88-year mystery
Telegraph
39 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Putin and Xi's plot to topple the US dollar is dead
As the 17th Brics Summit kicks off in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this weekend, leaders of two of the most important founding nations will be conspicuous by their absence. Chinese president Xi Jinping will skip the meeting, for the first time in more than a decade, sending Premier Li Qiang in his stead. Russia's Vladimir Putin is also sitting this one out. Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov will represent Russia, in light of the outstanding International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against the Russian president, which Brazil would be obliged to enforce. But there may be more to their decision to avoid the summit than meets the eye. The Brics has been on Donald Trump's target list ever since he won the 2024 election. In January, 10 days after he started his second term as president, Trump issued a statement on Truth Social. 'We are going to require a commitment from these seemingly hostile Countries that they will neither create a new Brics Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty US Dollar or, they will face 100 per cent Tariffs'. Formally founded in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, the Brics – which South Africa joined a year later – has since expanded to include 10 countries, with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia all now members. Effectively created to act as a counterweight to perceived US and Western dominance in international institutions, it has since become far more than just a talking-shop for emerging economies. The group has expressed an interest in challenging the hegemony of the US dollar, ending its role as the preferred currency for conducting international transactions. This ambition will have been driven in part by fears among the member nations – many of which are governed by authoritarian regimes – of financial sanctions, should the US seek to punish them for behaviour contrary to international norms. The concept of creating a Brics currency, as an alternative to the dollar, gained additional momentum in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which saw Moscow hit with significant US and European sanctions, Russian banks removed from the SWIFT payment system, and Russian international currency reserves frozen. But since the beginning of the year, Trump's threats against the Brics have escalated. 'There is no chance that Brics will replace the US Dollar in International Trade, or anywhere else, and any Country that tries should say hello to Tariffs, and goodbye to America!' he said in January. In February, as he was heading out to meet with Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, Trump pronounced the Brics 'dead,' adding that 'if they want to play games with the dollar, they're going to be hit with a 100 per cent tariff'. In April, Trump's tariff blitzkrieg sent shockwaves across the Brics nations, prompting foreign ministers from the member countries, led by Brazilian ambassador Mauricio Lyrio, to begin coordinating a response criticising 'unilateral measures of any origin'. The planned joint declaration fell through, however, due to internal disagreements. Failing to reach consensus, the joint statement was replaced with a 'chair statement', containing generic language that did not name the US.
