'It’s crazy!' Republicans turn on Mike Johnson over alleged bid to block Epstein files

Alexander Willis
November 8, 2025 
RAW STORY

U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) exits a press conference with other House Republicans, more than a month into the ongoing U.S. government shutdown on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 4, 2025. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon

An Arizona Democrat who was elected to Congress in September but still hasn’t been sworn into office is gaining new support from Republican lawmakers as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) faces growing scrutiny over an alleged attempt to block the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein.

“We're all hoping that Speaker Johnson is going to read the tea leaves and get to work, swear me in so we don't have to go seek judicial support in him doing his job, but that's where we are,” Adelita Grijalva, who won her election on Sept. 23 and has since launched a lawsuit to force her swearing in, told MSNBC Saturday.

Grijalva and others have accused Johnson of delaying her swearing in to avoid the passage of a discharge petition that would compel the Justice Department to release all of its files on Epstein, who died in 2019 awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. The petition, which currently has 217 signatures, needs 218 signatures to force the House to vote on the matter — and Grijalva has pledged to sign it.

Grijalva told MSNBC’s “The Weekend” that a growing number of Republican lawmakers have joined her cause, however, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who told CNN recently that Grijalva “should be sworn in.”

“If I were Republican, I would have been sworn in already – I think everybody knows that,” Grijalva said. “And we've had several Republicans come out and say, 'it's crazy, she should have been sworn in a long time ago.'”

Johnson has said that he would swear Grijalva into office once the government re-opens. However, the House has held several meetings amid the ongoing shutdown – known as “pro forma sessions” – in which Grijalva could have been sworn in, she argued.

“There have been over 10 [House] pro forma sessions that I could have easily been sworn in,” she said. “Speaker Johnson painted himself into a corner with saying [he] won't swear [me] in until [the government] re-opens, [and now] I'm stuck in this box that he created.”

On her legal case against Johnson, Grijalva said that a judge was recently assigned to the case, and that the lawsuit may be expedited as early as next week. Asked whether she had any confidence that Johnson would even adhere to a court order should a judge rule in her favor, Grijalva said that she didn’t.

“I think that he'll dig his heels in,” she said. “But let's be real, this administration, it doesn't really matter what court decisions come down, what the rule of law is, they get to make their own decisions, that's sort of what their [modus operandi] has been, and so it is very frustrating.”

GOP lawmaker says new Epstein bombshell might keep House in recess ‘through next year’

Alexander Willis
November 8, 2025 

RAW STORY

U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein appears in a photograph taken for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services' sex offender registry March 28, 2017 and obtained by Reuters July 10, 2019. New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services/Handout via REUTERS.

A new bombshell report revealing new details about Jeffrey Epstein and his international influence has led one MAGA lawmaker to suggest the House may remain in recess through 2026 to avoid drawing more attention to the revelations.

According to a report Friday from Drop Site News, Epstein had helped broker a defense agreement between the West African nation Côte d'Ivoire and Israel, a revelation uncovered from recently leaked emails of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

“This might keep the House out of session throughout next year,” wrote Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) in a social media post on X Saturday, referencing Drop Site News’ reporting.

The House has been in recess since September 19 after members passed a funding bill that the Senate has failed to pass, largely due to disagreements on health care policy.

While House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has the ability to reconvene the House at any moment – even amid the ongoing government shutdown – he has refused to, with some critics arguing his hesitancy stems from wanting to avoid a vote on an Epstein-related piece of legislation.

That legislation is a discharge petition filed by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), which, if approved, would compel the Justice Department to release all of its files on Epstein. The petition requires 218 signatures to force a vote in the House, and thus far has received 217. An Arizona Democrat that was elected to Congress last September has pledged to sign the petition, but has not been sworn in by Johnson, who now faces a lawsuit over the delay.

Drop Site News has also previously reported that Epstein helped broker a security cooperation agreement between Mongolia and Israel, as well as helped establish a backchannel for Israel to communicate with Russia amid the Syrian Civil War.

Epstein died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, and was well-known for his close ties with powerful figures, including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, and a slew of entrepreneurs and celebrities, including Woody Allen and Bill Gates.Trump has faced increased scrutiny in recent months over his past ties with Epstein, who once said he was “Donald’s closest friend for 10 years

.” Johnson has also faced increased scrutiny for what critics describe as efforts to protect the president in connection with Epstein, even going as far as to claim that Trump was once an “FBI informant” tasked with gathering incriminating evidence on Epstein, a claim he later walked back.

'Can of worms opened' as ex-Trump official flags 'Epstein connection you don't know about'

David McAfee
November 8, 2025 
RAW STORY

A banner of Jeffrey Epstein and President Donald Trump hangs in Grand Park during a protest against federal migration enforcement in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S. August 2, 2025. REUTERS/David Swanson

There is a "hidden Epstein connection you don't know about" and it's related to the shutdown, according to Donald Trump's previous white house communications chief.

Anthony Scaramucci, who previously said Trump was a grifter who "really wants to hurt people," flagged the purported connection in a video released on social media Saturday. Specifically, he seized on reports that the identity of the anonymous donor who gave $130 million to the Trump administration to pay troops amid the ongoing government shutdown was revealed to be reclusive billionaire Timothy Mellon, whose contribution, according to a report from The New York Times, would likely violate federal law.

According to Scaramucci, "Timothy Mellon gave $130 million to pay for the troops. Number one, is that even something we should be accepting or doing?"

Number two, he stated, is, "It turns out that his dad, Paul Mellon, is all over the Epstein flight logs, back and forth to Epstein island."

"So go ahead, square the circle for me," he added.

That's when podcast co-host Katty Kay said it "opens a whole can of worms."

"First of all, whether it's ok to take Tim Mellon's personal money to pay the troops," she said. "This $130 million, my understanding is it doesn't go terribly far to pay the troops, but it's clearly a huge, big donation. He's done it to make Donald Trump happy."

Regarding Paul Mellon potentially being on Epstein's "Lolita Express" plane, Kay added, "That has to be looked into."

"First of all, you have to verify that flight log," she said, before asking, "Is Tim Mellon in a position where he doesn't also want the Epstein files released because of something around his father?"

The Rest Is Politics US posted the video along with the caption, "The HIDDEN EPSTEIN CONNECTION You Don't Know About..."

‘This is fantastic!’ Ghislaine Maxwell gushes over special treatment in prison

Alexander Willis
November 8, 2025 8:13AM ET'

RAW ST0RY

Ghisliane Maxwell's mugshot from the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York City, New York.

Convicted sex offender and Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell gushed over her special privileges in prison recently in a series of letters to her family and attorney, NBC News reported Saturday.

“I feel like I have dropped through Alice in Wonderlands looking glass,” Ghislaine wrote to her relative in a letter dated Aug. 8. “I am much much happier here and more importantly safe. So yes everyone can breath a sigh.”

The letters were obtained by NBC News from the House Judiciary Committee, which has launched multiple probes files related to Epstein. Epstein died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, and is alleged to have run a blackmail operation targeting powerful figures, including President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton.

Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in procuring sex-trafficking victims for Epstein, and was initially serving her sentence in a maximum-security prison in Florida. Shortly after reporting revealed new details about Trump’s relationship with Epstein, however, Maxwell was quietly transferred to a minimum-security prison in Texas, a transfer that ran afoul of Justice Department policy as it relates to sex offenders.

And yet, even as Maxwell enjoys the cushier conditions at the low-security prison, she’s been entitled to special privileges not afforded to other inmates, something Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) described as “VIP treatment.”

“They are even delivering her meals to her and NO inmates is allowed to prepare her meals,” wrote one inmate at the Texas prison, according to emails obtained by NBC News.

Maxwell has also received special treatment as it pertains to the Supreme Court case where justices weighed in on her petition to be released, a petition that the justices ultimately threw out. In a letter to her attorney, Maxwell said that the prison warden had worked in tandem with her legal council to expedite filings on her behalf for the Supreme Court, special treatment that one criminal defense attorney described as highly unusual.

“That’s a rare occurrence,” said Patrick McLain, a criminal defense attorney who’s represented women at the Texas prison, speaking with NBC News. “It would be like the head of a large corporation of a manufacturing plant regularly having contact with people on the assembly line.”

In response to Maxwell’s mail being published, her attorney, David Oscar Markus, lashed out at outlets for their coverage.

“That’s tabloid behavior, not responsible reporting,” Markus said in a statement, NBC News reported. “Anyone still interested in that kind of gossip reveals far more about themselves than about Ghislaine. It’s time to get over the fact that she is in a safer facility. We should want that for everyone.”

'People can buy their own': Trump unloads all-caps rant about controversial Obamacare plan

David McAfee
November 8, 2025 

RAW STORY

Donald Trump on Saturday uncorked an epic all-caps rant in which he doubled down on an insurance plan some experts say will "kill a whole lot of people" if enacted

Trump over the weekend was met with ridicule after he unleashed a major plan that he said will provide a multibillion dollar payout directly to Americans as an alternative to funding government health care subsidies that have divided lawmakers amid the ongoing government shutdown.

Melanie D'Arrigo, executive director of Campaign for New York Health, weighed in on the plan, saying, "The average cost of giving birth without insurance is $18,865. The average cancer patient will spend at least $150k. Trump’s approach would bankrupt and kill even more Americans when they can’t afford care. Our taxes should be funding universal healthcare with Medicare for All."

She added that the plan "is going to kill a whole lot of people."

But criticisms like that didn't stop Trump from doubling down. He took to Truth Social again, this time in all-caps, to go further with the insurance proposal.

"NO MORE MONEY, HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, TO THE DEMOCRAT SUPPORTED INSURANCE COMPANIES FOR REALLY BAD OBAMACARE," the president wrote without offering evidence or supporting data. "THE MONEY MUST NOW GO DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE, TAKING THE 'FAT CAT' INSURANCE COMPANIES OUT OF THE CORRUPT SYSTEM OF HEALTHCARE."

The president added, "THE PEOPLE CAN BUY THEIR OWN, MUCH BETTER POLICY, FOR MUCH LESS MONEY, SAVING, FOR THEMSELVES, AN ABSOLUTE FORTUNE!!! PRESIDENT DJT."

Trump proposes multibillion-dollar handout to voters to end shutdown: ‘To the people!'

Alexander Willis
November 8, 2025
RAW STORY 

Donald Trump gestures to reporters from the roof of the White House. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

President Donald Trump made a stunning announcement Saturday in recommending that Congress sign off on a multibillion dollar payout directly to Americans as an alternative to funding government health care subsidies that have divided lawmakers amid the ongoing government shutdown

“I am recommending to Senate Republicans that the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars currently being sent to money sucking Insurance Companies in order to save the bad Healthcare provided by ObamaCare, BE SENT DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE SO THAT THEY CAN PURCHASE THEIR OWN, MUCH BETTER, HEALTHCARE, and have money left over,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

Now on its 39th day, the government shutdown was sparked over disagreements over whether or not to fund an extension for Obamacare subsidies, which are set to expire on Jan. 1, 2026, resulting in an estimated 4 million people losing health insurance and premiums increasing by 114% for Obamacare enrollees.

The shutdown has resulted in a lapse in food assistance payments for 42 million Americans, including 16 million children, and significant disruptions to air travel as air traffic controllers continue to work without pay, among other things.

And, while some experts have anticipated Trump caving to Democrats’ demands out of fear of political backlash, Trump’s new proposal would see Obamacare gutted entirely, and instead, send the hundreds of billions of dollars directly to Americans.

“In other words, take from the BIG, BAD Insurance Companies, give it to the people, and terminate, per Dollar spent, the worst Healthcare anywhere in the World, ObamaCare,” Trump wrote. “Unrelated, we must still terminate the Filibuster!”

There are around 260 million adults in the United States as of 2024 according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and, with spending for Obamacare subsidies alone topping out at around $125 billion that same year, Trump’s proposal could see Americans each receive a check for at least $481. If Trump’s proposal included all of the government’s spending on health care, which in 2023 was about $1.6 trillion , Americans could each receive a check for about $6,150.

TOM* TACO

'Oh my god': WaPo analysis shows Trump 'was sleeping for 20 minutes during a live event'

David McAfee
November 8, 2025 6:30PM ET
RAW STORY


U.S. President Donald Trump reacts during an event to announce that the Space Force Command will move from Colorado to Alabama, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 2, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder


Donald Trump caught heat for closing his eyes through a press conference, and a new Washington Post analysis reveals the president spent nearly 20 minutes sleeping or battling sleep during the event.

Trump appeared to doze off during a press conference on Thursday, drawing both mockery and shock from political analysts and other online observers. One night later, as he was trying to shake off the Oval Office scandal, he was seen "slumping" into his limo, according to video posted by Fox News and shared by the Daily Beast Saturday.

Now, the Washington Post has published an analysis of the Oval Office event, reviving the scandal with video evidence suggesting Trump was asleep for nearly 20 minutes on that occasion.

In a Saturday article called "A closer look at Trump’s apparent struggles to fight off sleep in the Oval Office," the outlet argues that its "analysis of multiple video feeds found that the president spent nearly 20 minutes apparently battling to keep his eyes open at a recent event."

"President Donald Trump hosted one of the more attention-grabbing press events of his term in the Oval Office this week, announcing price cuts for weight-loss drugs, only to be interrupted when one of the attendees collapsed in a faint. Before that dramatic turn of events, however, Trump appeared to struggle to stay awake as his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and two other deputies took turns explaining the announcement. Clips of the scene have circulated widely on social media and drawn heavy criticism from Democrats," the Post reported. "A Washington Post analysis of multiple video feeds found that Trump spent nearly 20 minutes apparently battling to keep his eyes open at the Thursday event. It was a seemingly stark illustration of the strain of the presidency on a 79-year-old who typically keeps a vigorous travel schedule that even his aides say they struggle to keep up with — and who has reveled in calling his predecessor 'Sleepy Joe' Biden."

Reacting to the report Saturday, former government official Neera Tanden said, "Oh my God. He was sleeping 20 minutes during a live event."

*(TIRED OLD MAN)

Read it here.

 

'He worse than Biden': 'Exhausted' Trump seen 'slumping into limo' amid sleep scandal

David McAfee
November 8, 2025
RAW STORY

Fox News video / screen grab

Just as Donald Trump is trying to shake off a scandal after purportedly being spotted falling asleep in the Oval Office, the president was seen in a video reportedly "exhausted" and "slumping" into his limo.

Trump appeared to doze off during a press conference on Thursday, drawing both mockery and shock from political analysts and other online observers. One night later, he was seen "slumping" into his limo, according to video posted by Fox News and shared by the Daily Beast Saturday.

"President Donald Trump slumped into a waiting limousine after landing in Palm Beach for a Mar-a-Lago weekend on Friday—even as he demanded lawmakers keep at it in Washington, D.C., amid the ongoing government shutdown," the outlet reported. "In footage captured by Fox News on Friday night, Trump can be seen slowly making his way off Air Force One. He descends the stairs at a cautious pace and raises his fist after completing the task without incident, before almost collapsing into the seat of his waiting car."

According to the Beast, "The dark footage shows Trump’s head rolling back, and he appears to sigh as he sits."

"Less than two hours before he flew south for the weekend, Trump posted to Truth Social that senators should not leave the capital until they can reopen the government, which has now been closed for 39 days—the longest stretch in American history," according to the news report.

When the news spread online, one anti-Trump "news junky," It's Howdie Doodie Time, chimed in, "All those McDonald’s burgers & fries catching up. He worse than Biden."

Read the report and see the video here (subscription required).

Turn It Up: Hero With A Hero Is Icing On the Cake

Sandwich Guy art on K Street in D.C.
Photo by Franziska Wild

Further
Abby Zimet
Nov 08, 2025

COMMON DREAMS


Hope glimmers. After an election that saw “democrats in array” rising up to thunderously repudiate anything connected with a doddering tyrant - “Apparently Americans liked the East Wing more than anyone thought” - the final small sweet revenge was a jury acquitting D.C.'s valiant Sandwich Guy for the crime of making it pellucidly clear, with mustard, he doesn’t want stormtroopers in his town. One sage: “The only way this week could’ve been better for America was if Dick Cheney died again.”

On Tuesday, voters came out in sometimes record numbers - New York saw its highest turnout in over 50 years - to reject MAGA cruelty, inequity and greed, and win “just everything.” New Jersey and Virginia saw double-digit wins for women governors - a veteran and former CIA officer - reflecting a failure of anti-trans bigotry and resurgence of Democrats’ big tent. There were comparable wins from Connecticut and Pennsylvania to Mississippi and Georgia. Maine overwhelmingly rejected an effort to restrict mail-in voting, Colorado willingly raised taxes on the rich to fund school lunches, California’s re-districting Prop. 50 passed by an almost 2 to 1 margin; Newsom showed how to fight Trump - “After poking the bear, this bear roared” - and urged other states to also “meet this moment head-on.”

Most thrillingly, New York’s Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani evinced “the way to win is to include everyone. All everyone,” and he did in an off-off year yet. One analyst: “Republicans raved every Democrat was Zohran Mamdani, and Americans said, ‘Sign me up.'” In Mamdani’s electrifying speech - Eugene Debs! - to an exultant crowd, he rebuffed a politics that has “bowed at the altar of caution (and) paid a mighty price...Too many working people cannot recognize themselves in our party.” “We chose hope together,” he said. “We won because we insisted that no longer would politics be something that is done to us. Now, it is something that we do...New York will (be) a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants and, as of tonight, led by an immigrant.” To Trump: “To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.”

He and his vassals will also have to exit the alternative reality bubble - and immense cognitive dissonance - revealed this week in Miami, where Trump spoke at an opulent America Business Forum to billionaires from Saudi Arabia to Silicon Valley. As Republicans lost every election in sight, the government shutdown became the longest in history, and 42 million people, including 3 million in Florida, faced hunger, the assembled tycoons paid $2,000 - but got a $50 gift card for food - to hear a vengeful old man babble, ramble, boast, confuse “Communist” South Africa with South America, and nonetheless gloat about the “economic miracle” he’d delivered to usher in a reeling America’s “golden age.” Like the tawdry Great Gatsby party he held, “They just can’t seem to stop doing things shockingly out of touch.”

Meanwhile, per the advice of his ghoulish mentor Roy Cohn, Trump is using the courts as a “personal cudgel” against his perceived enemies. Along with terrorizing blue cities, prosecutors have gone after over 20 anti-ICE protesters, often with “impeding” charges. In Chicago, prosecutors charged primary candidate Kat Abughazaleh with “conspiracy” after roughing her up at a protest. In L.A., a goon shot Carlos Jimenez, absurdly claiming self-defense, after he tried to warn marauding troops that kids were coming out of a school. In Chicago, head Nazi Greg Bovino, who’s told ICE thugs to arrest anyone who makes “hyperbolic” comments, charged a protester with giving him a groin injury purportedly requiring a two-week leave to recover; prosecutors just dropped the case after video, shockingly, showed they lied.

And so it goes. Mostly, the fascists, being inept, lose. (GOP) Judge Karin Immergut just permanently blocked Trump from inflicting “all necessary troops” on “war-ravaged” Portland OR after finding “no credible evidence” there was need for them and insisting “the facts - not the President’s political whims - guide how the law is applied.” Ouch. Still, the most failures have been earned by laughably unqualified US Attorney Jeanine “Boxwine” Pirro, who keeps trying and failing to get grand juries - seven at this point - to indict the proverbial ham sandwich. Her latest and most public effort to “turn a gag-gift-worthy moment into a federal criminal offense” was the case of folk hero, Air Force veteran and former DOJ attorney Sean Dunn, 37, who “brought a sandwich to a fascism fight” - specifically, a salami sub - and won.

In the infamous case of “the hoagie heard around the world,” Dunn, in a pink shirt and holding a just-bought, now-historic sub, confronted troops skulking on a downtown DC corner, reportedly about to raid a gay club there. He yelled they were fascists who should get out of his town; then he got in the face of 23-year-veteran Border Patrol agent Gregory Lairmore, yelled some more, hurled his sub at Lairmore’s bullet-proof-vested chest, and took off running. Thugs gave chase, caught and handcuffed him, and released him without charges. But for the “retaliatory animus” of the thin-skinned toddler in power, it would’ve ended there. Instead, video of the encounter went viral, the toddler got pissed, and a SWAT team went to Dunn’s apartment, complete with pulpy heavy-metal video of the action, to arrest him.

Insisting on the preposterous narrative Dunn was pretty much the Zodiac killer and not a guy who threw some bread, Pirro theatrically announced felony assault charges against him: “This guy thought it was funny. Well, he doesn’t think it’s funny today.” An equally off-the-wall Pam Bondi chimed in, raving about “assault on a law enforcement officer” and claiming Dunn was “an example of the Deep State” (who worked at the DOJ). Pirro tried to get a grand jury to indict him; they (hilariously) declined, but she finally got a misdemeanor charge to stick. And so to the federal jury trial starting Tuesday - in rare poetic justice, the day after National Sandwich Day - to protect our brave troops from food fights and send the dubious message to a restive populace: “Mess with this government, and it will mess with you.”

Presiding over what he called “the simplest case in the world” was US District Judge Carl Nichols. And it should have been, especially since the perp, at the scene of the crime, had already confessed, boldly proclaiming, “I did it. I threw a sandwich.” Still, it took two days and much bickering as the jury of 12 of Sandwich Guy’s peers struggled to remain straight-faced during what one observer called “a strange sort of performance art,“ both amusing and menacing. The opening statements clearly laid out both sides’ differences. Defense: ”He did it. He threw the sandwich.“ Also, so what: See First Amendment.” The government: “No matter who you are, you can’t just go around throwing stuff at people if you’re mad.” Also poor traumatized Officer Lairmore, who was just protecting the public, from sandwiches.

There was squabbling over words in a charge that cites “forcibly opposing, impeding or interfering” with federal agents on duty. What’s “forcibly”? Defense: A sandwich doesn’t constitute force any more than “an eight-year-old throwing a stuffed animal in the middle of a temper tantrum.” Prosecution, leaning hard into bellicose language: “Here we have the defendant throwing - it’s a sandwich, but throwing it hard...at point-blank range...He takes the sandwich, he cocks it back.” There’s the “impact” through the vest. Also, it’s not just a sandwich; there was “screaming,” “cussing,” “attempting to instigate.” (The judge reminds the jury speech isn’t assault). And, like an IED in Fallujah, prosecutors note the victim’s harrowing testimony the sandwich “kind of exploded. I could smell the onions and mustard.” The horror! The horror!

Meanwhile, Sandwich Guy sits in the cafeteria on lunch break, eating soup. A friend’s GoFundMe for him - “Help support the Sandwich Guy” - notes his ten years of service in Afghanistan, the Forest Service, the DOJ: “He is proud of his career serving the people of the United States.” Back in the courtroom, defense attorney Sabrina Shroff shreds Lairmore’s claim the sandwich “exploded” with video showing said sandwich still wrapped on the sidewalk. “Do you recognize that sandwich?” she asks. Lairmore waffles. Shroff: “You don’t see there’s mustard on it?” Lairmore wilts. No. “You can’t tell there’s ketchup on it?” No. “Mayonnaise? Lettuce? Tomato? No. ”In fact, the sandwich hasn’t exploded at all has it?“ Lairmore, helpfully, ”It looks like a little bit is coming out towards the bottom.“

Shroff also cited two “gag gifts” Lairmore said, sheepishly smiling, he got from co-workers: A plush sandwich he put on his shelf at work and a cartoon patch of Dunn throwing the sandwich, with the words “Felony Footlong,” he put on his lunchbox. So much for trauma, she suggested. Her closing argument was fiery. “This case, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, is about a sandwich,” she declared. “A sandwich that, according to agent Lairmore, somehow both exploded on his chest in a spray of onions and mustard, but also landed intact on the ground still in its Subway wrapping.” Most vitally, she argued, a sandwich cannot be a weapon worthy of federal charges, especially facing off against a bulletproof vest. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael DiLorenzo glumly dissented: “We’re not just talking about a sandwich.”

Social media lapped up the coverage. They “relished” the testimony, they argued it “didn’t pass mustard,” they called Lairmore’s claim “baloney.” They summoned “12 Hungry Men.” Asked, “Do you see the sandwich seated in the courtroom today?” Argued, “If the sub doesn’t fit, you must acquit.” Snarled, “Say hello to my foot-long friend.” Asked, “Show us on this doll where the sandwich touched you.” Mused, “Not all gyros wear capes.” Insisted, “I did not have a relationship with that sandwich.” Proclaimed, “Liberte! Egalite! Panini!” When the verdict came Thursday - with every juror voting for acquittal - they celebrated Sandwich Guy “beat the wrap,” “justice, like a good sandwich, was served,” and, like them, an anti-fascist jury looked at the video, decided what mattered, and essentially said “what sandwich?”Outside the courthouse after the verdict, Shroff thanked jurors for their "affirmation" that dissent is "not just tolerated." "It is legal," she declared, "and it is welcome." Sandwich Guy also thanked the jurors, as well as "family and friends and strangers for all of their support, whether it was emotional or spiritual or artistic or financial." "I am so happy that justice prevails in spite of everything," he said. "That night I believed that I was protecting the rights of immigrants...Let us not forget that the great seal of the United States says ‘E pluribus unum.’ That means ‘from many, one.’ Every life matters no matter where you came from. No matter how you got here, no matter how you identify, you have the right to live a life that is free." A nation salutes you. Warren Zevon would have too: "Enjoy every sandwich."

Outside the courthouse after the verdict, Shroff thanked jurors for their "affirmation" that dissent is "not just tolerated." "It is legal," she declared, "and it is welcome." Sandwich Guy also the jurors, as well as "family and friends and strangers for all of their support, whether it was emotional or spiritual or artistic or financial." "I am so happy that justice prevails in spite of everything," he said. "That night I believed that I was protecting the rights of immigrants...Let us not forget that the great seal of the United States says ‘E pluribus unum.’ That means ‘from many, one.’ Every life matters no matter where you came from. No matter how you got here, no matter how you identify, you have the right to live a life that is free." A nation salutes you. Warren Zevon would have too: "Enjoy every sandwich."

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.


Abby Zimet
Abby Zimet has written CD's Further column since 2008. A longtime, award-winning journalist, she moved to the Maine woods in the early 70s, where she spent a dozen years building a house, hauling water and writing before moving to Portland. Having come of political age during the Vietnam War, she has long been involved in women's, labor, anti-war, social justice and refugee rights issues. Email: azimet18@gmail.com
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'Should have known better': Ex-US attorney hammers Jeanine Pirro over Sandwich Guy 'waste'

FOX TV JUDGE 

Adam Nichols
November 8, 2025 

RAW STORY

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ferris Pirro speaks during a press conference  REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon



An ex-US attorney slammed a current one Saturday for adamantly pursuing a farcical case she said should never have been prosecuted.

Barbara McQuade wrote for MSNBC about the case of Sean Dunn, an Air Force veteran who threw a Subway sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection agent, which she wrote had become a striking example of prosecutorial overreach and resource misallocation.

And President Donald Trump's pick for Washington, D.C. US attorney, ex-Fox star Jeanine Pirro, was hammered for heading the investigation.

"Pirro should have known better than to file assault charges because the facts didn’t satisfy the elements of the offense," McQuade wrote in a column titled, "US Attorney Jeanine Pirro wasted our money pursuing sandwich thrower."

"To prove an assault under the federal statute, the prosecution must establish not just that Dunn threw the sandwich at the agent, but that the act constituted a 'forcible assault.'"

A Subway sandwich bouncing off an agent clad in body armor certainly didn't meet that standard, she wrote.

Dunn admitted to throwing the sandwich as an act of protest against President Trump's federal law enforcement surge into Washington, D.C. The jury ultimately agreed with his defense, returning a not-guilty verdict.

The prosecution's case hinged on proving a "forcible assault," which legally requires demonstrating a "reasonable apprehension of immediate bodily harm." However, the evidence and testimony made this claim seem ridiculous, McQuade wrote.

She wrote that defense attorney Sabrina Shroff masterfully dismantled the prosecution's argument, declaring, "A footlong from Subway could not and certainly did not inflict bodily harm." When Dunn threw the sandwich, it hit the agent's bulletproof vest, prompting laughter in the courtroom when the agent testified about sandwich "explosions" and condiment stains.

Shroff's closing argument was particularly pointed: "If the vest is designed to protect an agent from gunfire, it is definitely going to keep you safe from a sandwich."

Pirro defended the prosecution, stating, "Even children know when they are angry, they are not allowed to throw objects at one another." However, the article argues that not every inappropriate action warrants criminal charges.

But McQuade wrote the prosecution's approach raised serious questions about resource allocation. The federal government invested significant time and effort in a high-profile arrest, even posting video of Dunn's arrest on social media - a violation of Justice Department policy.

Dunn had already suffered professional consequences, losing his job as a paralegal at the Department of Justice. The criminal prosecution seemed unnecessary and potentially distracting from more serious cases that might have gone unaddressed, McQuade wrote

DC “Sandwich Guy” Who Threw Sub at CBP Agent Acquitted on Fed Assault Charges

The immigration agent claimed that the harmless sub had “exploded” on his bulletproof vest.

By Chris Walker ,

Truthout

November 7, 2025

An art piece depicting an individual throwing a sandwich is seen on August 17, 2025 in Washington, D.C.Kayla Bartkowski / Getty Images

Ajury in Washington, D.C. has acquitted Sean Dunn, the man who was accused of assaulting a Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officer by throwing a “sub-style sandwich” at him.

The case was handled by the office of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, a former Fox News host and staunch ally of President Donald Trump. Her office had originally sought to have Dunn charged with felony assault, but after a federal grand jury rejected that idea, prosecutors aimed to charge him with a misdemeanor.

Although typically a rare occurrence, several cases in Washington D.C. have been rejected by grand juries, seen as being overreaches on the part of Trump’s Justice Department.

Dunn, who became known as the “D.C. Sandwich Guy,” became somewhat of a local folk hero following news of the sandwich throw. Several memes of the incident appeared online, and graffiti depicting him throwing the sub appeared around D.C.

Dunn has admitted to throwing the sandwich, with his lawyers arguing it was a protest gesture during a demonstration against President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant crackdown in D.C. in early August. The prosecution had reportedly embellished the extent to which Dunn’s actions affected the CBP agent, Gregory Lairmore, claiming that the hoagie was thrown violently, at “point-blank range.”

Lairmore testified that the sandwich had “exploded all over my uniform” and that he had “mustard and condiments” on him, including “an onion hanging from my radio antenna” following the incident — a testimony that was lambasted on social media shortly after it became public.

Following the sandwich toss, federal agents chased Dunn through the streets and temporarily detained him. He was released, but arrested at his home later on.

The depiction of events surrounding the sandwich throw was challenged during the trial — pictures of the offending sandwich after the incident occurred showed that it was still in its wrapper, on the ground, after it hit Lairmore’s bulletproof vest.

Dunn’s defense lawyer also noted that Lairmore and his colleagues later joked about the event, with his coworkers buying him gag gifts like a plush toy sandwich, demonstrating that the incident wasn’t a major event in the officer’s life, as the prosecution had depicted.

“They’re joking about it with each other, and they’re joking about it with Agent Lairmore. Why? Because they think it’s funny,” defense attorney Sabrina Shroff said.

After several hours of deliberation, the jury came to the conclusion that Dunn had not committed a criminal offense. In response to the outcome of the case, Dunn relished the fact that he was acquitted.

“I’m relieved, and I’m looking forward to moving on with my life,” Dunn said. “I am so happy that justice prevails, in spite of everything happening.”

Polling in the nation’s capital showed overwhelming opposition to President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of the city, with one survey showing that 79 percent of D.C. residents were opposed to the action. A Reuters/Ipsos poll last month shows that Americans are also opposed to militarization of U.S. cities more broadly, with nearly 3 in 5 respondents (58 percent) saying troops should only be sent to areas that face an external threat.

‘He Beat the Wrap’: Sandwich-Hurling DC Protestor Found Not Guilty of Assault

“No assault with a deli weapon after all,” joked one reporter after the verdict.


Banksy-style posters depicting a protester throwing a sandwich at Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth appear in the Georgetown neighborhood on August 31, 2025 in Washington, DC.
(Photo by Andrew Leyden/Getty Images)

Brad Reed
Nov 06, 2025
COMMON DREAMS


Sean Dunn, the former US Department of Justice employee who was famously hurled a sandwich at Customs and Border Protection officers this past summer, has been found not guilty on misdemeanor assault charges.

Jurors acquitted Dunn on Thursday after deliberating for several hours after his trial ended on Wednesday afternoon. According to CNN, Dunn told reporters after the verdict that he was “relieved and looking forward to moving on with my life.”

‘How Is That an Assault?’ DC Residents Scoff as Trial Starts for Man Who Chucked Sandwich at Trump Agent

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro had originally tried to charge Dunn with felony assault, but lowered the charge to a misdemeanor offense after a grand jury in Washington, DC refused to indict him.

Dunn was caught on camera angrily throwing a sandwich at federal immigration enforcement officers back in August, and he could be heard calling the officers “fascists,” and telling them they were not welcome in his city.

Shortly afterward, Pirro vowed to throw the proverbial book at Dunn for his food-tossing transgression.

“He thought it was funny,” Pirro said in a video she posted on social media. “Well, he doesn’t think it’s funny today because we charged him with a felony. And we’re gonna back the police to the hilt! So, there. Stick your Subway sandwich somewhere else.”

Dunn’s case became a cause célèbre for many Washington, DC residents who have opposed President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard and to conduct aggressive immigration raids in their city.
Many journalists reacted to news of Dunn’s acquittal by deploying a number of sandwich-related puns.

“Apparently you can indict a ham sandwich but you can’t convict turkey sub,” joked tech journalist Kara Swisher in a post on Bluesky.

“You could say he... beat the wrap,” wrote Los Angeles-based independent journalist Mel Buer.

“If the hoagie didn’t hit, you must acquit!” wrote The Bulwark’s Sam Stein on X.

“No assault with a deli weapon after all,” remarked Wall Street Journal reporter Josh Dawsey.

“Congratulations, US Attorney Pirro, for making Sean Dunn the hero that DC deserves,” wrote journalist Marcy Wheeler.

“Another jury finds another Trump DOJ case sub-par,” wrote Adam Klasfeld, editor-in-chief of All Rise News.

Local hero: ‘DC sandwich guy’ found not guilty of assaulting officer with sub

By AFP
November 6, 2025


Sean Dunn (2nd from left) was arrested after throwing a sandwich at federal law enforcement in protest against Trump's crackdown on crime, with his act of defiance going viral on social media - Copyright AFP JUSTIN TALLIS

Asad HASHIM

A US man charged with using a sandwich to assault a law enforcement officer was acquitted Thursday after a jury decided that charges brought by President Donald Trump’s prosecutors were baloney.

The prosecution made a surprise local hero of 37-year-old Sean Dunn, who was protesting Trump’s shock takeover of law enforcement in the capital Washington.

He was accused of flinging a “sub-style sandwich” at an armed Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent on August 10 in a busy nightlife district after shouting expletives at the officer.

The officer was part of a huge crackdown ordered by Trump, with multiple agencies and troops deploying in Washington and several other Democratic-run cities, ostensibly to fight what the Republican president says are crime waves and anarchy.

Prosecutors wanted serious felony charges, but a grand jury refused to indict Dunn — a rare occurrence. A misdemeanor charge was filed and Dunn faced a maximum of one year in prison if convicted.

While prosecutors ultimately proved ham-fisted, Dunn had appeared to be in a serious pickle.

Right after hurling his sandwich he was chased down, then released, only to be arrested in a raid on his home that was publicized by the White House.

As video of the initial altercation went viral, Dunn was quickly dubbed “DC sandwich guy,” becoming a symbol of resistance to Trump. Stylized images of him in mid-sandwich-attack appeared on posters, graffiti, T-shirts and even a popular Halloween costume.

Trump’s much-touted crime crackdown has seen an increase in arrests and indictments, but US media analysis of the data shows much of that has come from pursuing minor offenses in court.

The top Trump-appointed prosecutor for Washington, Jeanine Pirro, has pursued maximum penalties for all arrests since taking office, including in the Dunn case.

Dunn was a paralegal at the Justice Department at the time of the altercation and was fired from his position.

On Monday, as proceedings opened, Judge Carl J. Nichols noted that he expected the trial to be a short one as “this is the simplest case in the world.”

Dunn’s defense did not dispute that he threw the sandwich at the officer, instead arguing that his action did not constitute an offense, and that the charges against him were a “blatant abuse of power.”

Much of the case centered on the definition of key terms, including whether the throwing of a soft object constitutes an act that is “forcible,” and whether Dunn’s action impeded the officer in the conduct of their duties.

On the first day of court proceedings, the defendant, dressed in a black-and-white patterned sweater, appeared subdued as his defense team engaged in feverish consultation.

Dunn’s defense has contended that he was being selectively prosecuted due to his political views, having called the federal officers “fascists” before he threw the sandwich

Sandwich thrown by protester 'exploded' and left mustard stain on border agent, court hears

IT REMAINED WRAPPED, CBP LIES!

Kayla Epstein

BBC
November 6, 2025


moment a sandwich is thrown at federal agent in Washington DC


A US immigration agent has testified he could feel through his ballistic vest the impact of a sandwich hurled at him by a Washington DC protester, who has gone on trial for assault.

Customs and Border Patrol agent Gregory Lairmore told the jury the snack "exploded all over him" and he "could smell the onions and mustard" on his uniform.

Neither side disputes that Sean Dunn, 37, did in fact lob obscenities and a deli-style sandwich at officers deployed by President Donald Trump to patrol the nation's capital in August. But Mr Dunn's lawyer argues it was not a criminal act.

The incident was captured on video and went viral, making Mr Dunn a symbol of opposition in Washington DC to Trump.

Government prosecutors initially tried to secure felony charges against Mr Dunn, but a grand jury declined to indict him. Prosecutors have instead charged him with a lower-level misdemeanour assault.

Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to Washington DC this summer sparked outrage from some of the city's residents, who saw it as a politicisation of the military. The White House argued the forces were necessary to crack down on crime.

According to charging documents, Mr Dunn approached a group of officers at about 23:00 on 10 August, calling them "fascists" and shouting: "Why are you here? I don't want you in my city!"

The court witnessed a re-enactment from Mr Lairmore on Tuesday as he took the stand to testify against Mr Dunn.

"I could feel it through my ballistic vest," he said of the sandwich's impact, adding that an onion string hung from his police radio and mustard stained his shirt.

Mr Dunn's lawyer, Julia Gatto, said in her opening statement that hurling the sandwich was a "harmless gesture that did not, could not, cause injury".

But prosecutor John Parron said Mr Dunn must be held accountable.

"No matter who you are, you can't just go around throwing stuff at people because you're mad," Mr Parron said, according to the New York Times.

After the alleged assault came to light, Mr Dunn was fired from his job as a paralegal in the Department of Justice.

Getty Images

A man, who was later arrested for assaulting law enforcement with a sandwich, interacts with Border Patrol and FBI agents along the U Street corridor on 10 August.

Trump quietly dishes out tax breaks to rich investors while slashing food aid for millions

Jake Johnson,

 Common Dreams
November 8, 2025 


U.S. President Donald Trump pumps his fist after deboarding Air Force One upon his arrival in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., November 7, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

The Trump administration is quietly waging an all-out regulatory war on a Biden-era corporate tax that aimed to prevent large companies from dodging their tax liabilities while reporting huge profits.

The corporate alternative minimum tax (CAMT) was enacted as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, Democratic legislation that former President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022. The CAMT requires highly profitable US corporations to pay a tax of at least 15% on their so-called book profits, the figures reported to shareholders.

As the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy has explained: “Many of the special breaks that corporations use to avoid taxes work by allowing companies to report profits to the IRS that are much smaller than their book profits. Corporate leaders prefer to report low profits to the IRS (to reduce taxes) and high profits to the public (to attract investors).”

But since President Donald Trump took office in January, his administration has issued guidance and regulatory proposals designed to gut the CAMT. The effort is a boon to corporate giants and rich private equity investors at a time when the Trump administration is relentlessly attacking programs for low-income Americans, including Medicaid and nutrition assistance.

The New York Times reported Saturday that “with its various tax relief provisions, the administration is now effectively adding hundreds of billions of dollars in new breaks for big businesses and investors” on top of the trillions of dollars in tax cuts included in the Trump-GOP budget law enacted over the summer.

“The Treasury is empowered to write rules to help the IRS carry out tax laws passed by Congress,” the newspaper added. “But the aggressive actions of the Trump administration raise questions about whether it is exceeding its legal authority.”

The administration’s assault on the CAMT has drawn scrutiny from members of Congress.

In a September 8 letter to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a group of Democratic lawmakers and Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) warned that the administration’s guidance notices “create new loopholes in the corporate alternative minimum tax for the largest and wealthiest corporations.”

“Most troubling, Notice 2025-27, issued this June, allows companies to avoid CAMT if their income—under a simplified accounting method—is below $800 million,” the lawmakers wrote. “The Biden administration previously set the safe harbor threshold precisely at $500 million in its proposed CAMT rule after calculating that a higher safe harbor threshold would risk exempting corporations that should be subject to CAMT under statute.”

“Now, less than nine months later and with zero justification, this new guidance summarily asserts that an $800 million safe harbor will not run that risk,” they continued. “We are seriously concerned that this cursory loosening of CAMT enforcement will simply allow more wealthy corporations to avoid paying their legally owed share.”

Read the original here.

Trump says US will not attend South Africa's G20 due to white farmer 'abuse'

US President Donald Trump said none of his country's officials would attend the G20 summit in Johannesburg in November, in protest against "human rights abuses" in South Africa. Since Trump returned to the White House in January he has frequently made false claims of a "white genocide" against Afrikaners.

Issued on: 08/11/2025 
By: FRANCE 24

The G20 summit will be held in Johannesburg this month. © Wikus de Wet, AFP

President Donald Trump said no US officials would attend the G20 summit in South Africa, reviving debunked claims of white Afrikaners being systematically "killed and slaughtered" in the country.

Trump had announced in September that Vice President JD Vance would travel to the meeting later this month instead of him, but has now said that US representatives will skip it entirely.

"It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa," Trump said on his Truth Social network.

"No US Government Official will attend as long as these Human Rights abuses continue."

Trump said that Afrikaners – descendants of the first European settlers of South Africa – "are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated".

He added that he looked forward to hosting the 2026 G20 summit in the United States – which the billionaire US president will controversially hold at his own golf resort in Miami, Florida.

The South African foreign ministry called Trump's comments "regrettable" and said it was looking forward to hosting a "successful" summit set for November 22-23.

"The characterisation of Afrikaners as an exclusively white group is ahistorical. Furthermore, the claim that this community faces persecution is not substantiated by fact," it said in a statement.

Pretoria chose "Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability" as the theme for its G20 presidency but has faced some resistance, including from Washington.

"South Africa's focus remains on its positive global contributions," the foreign ministry said.

"Drawing on our own journey from racial and ethnic division to democracy, our nation is uniquely positioned to champion within the G20 a future of genuine solidarity."
'White genocide'

Trump has singled out South Africa for harsh treatment on a number of issues since he returned to the White House in January, most notably on his false claims of a "white genocide" in the country.

He ambushed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval office earlier this year, playing a video in which he alleged a campaign against white farmers by the post-apartheid government.

South Africa's government denies any such policy.

Trump's administration announced plans last week to drastically cut back the number of refugees to be accepted annually by the United States to a record low of 7,500 – and give priority to white South Africans.

The two countries have also fallen out over issues including South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza at the International Court of Justice, the UN's top court.

Trump has meanwhile slapped 30 percent tariffs on South Africa, the highest in sub-Saharan Africa.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Depleted uranium: The forgotten legacy of the Kosovo War

Vjosa Cerkini

DW

In 1999, NATO used uranium ammunition during the Kosovo War. Numerous soldiers subsequently developed cancer, and some were awarded compensation. In Kosovo, the soil remains poisonous to this day.

In March 1999, an American fighter jet was armed with bombs containing depleted uranium off the coast of Albania, which were later used in Kosovo

Image: Mike Nelson/dpa/picture alliance

"I can vividly remember the last day," said Emerico Maria Laccetti, former colonel of the military division of Italian Red Cross.

During the Kosovo War in 1999, he was stationed in Albania, just a few hundred meters from the border with Kosovo. He was the commander of a field hospital for refugees from the province, which at the time belonged to Serbia.

"We stood on containers and watched the bombings," he said. "It was like a perverse New Year's Eve fireworks display. Even at a distance, you could feel the air pressure, the shock waves going through your body. But no, we were not told about the specific dangers of the weapons being used."

In March 1999, NATO's Operation Allied Force intervened in the conflict between the Serbian state and the Albanian majority population in Kosovo, which had been simmering for years. Over 78 days, the alliance flew missions with up to 1,000 aircraft against Serbian security forces. According to official figures, over 28,000 explosive devices were dropped, including controversial uranium ammunition, which is suspected of causing cancer.

This ammunition contained a core of depleted uranium (DU), with high explosive power due to its high density, three times denser than lead. It is therefore used primarily against tanks and armored targets. Its impact can produce fine uranium dust, which continues to emit radiation and can cause health problems, for example, if it is inhaled.

NATO rejects cancer accusations

In response to questions about the health risks posed by DU ammunition, NATO only gave a written statement. "We take health and environmental issues very seriously," it said.

In 2001, a committee on DU concluded that the use of DU ammunition in Kosovo "did not cause any lasting health risk to the population," citing independent findings.

NATO refers to UN reports from 2014. "This is scientific evidence; it was reliable, and we stand by it," the military alliance said in a statement.

However, this contradicts the rulings of Italian courts on lawsuits filed by approximately 500 Kosovo War veterans who developed cancer after coming into contact with depleted uranium ammunition.

Laccetti says he was aware that his field hospital in Morina, Albania, was located in a "hot zone," close to an active conflict, during the NATO bombings — something that would always entail risk.

"What we were never told, however, was that certain types of ammunition can pose long-term danger, even if you are not directly hit — for example, from an unexploded ordnance nearby or from substances used in ammunition production."

Triggering long-term illness

When Laccetti returned home in July 1999, he experienced breathing difficulties and went to the hospital to be examined. "The medical staff suddenly became very flustered," he recalled.

Finally, a doctor showed him the image: "There was something in my lung measuring 24-by-12-by-14 centimeters (9.4-by-4.7-by-5.5 inches)." The then 36-year-old was diagnosed with a very aggressive malignant tumor.

Laccetti was initially treated successfully, but in 2008, he fell ill with cancer again. The results of the tissue examination were alarming. "They found an extraordinary amount of perfectly round ceramic particles — as if I had been standing in a blast furnace."

The conclusion was clear: "These particles had become lodged in my body over many years and could cause new damage through migration or inflammation."

In 1999, NATO used depleted uranium ammunition in the village of Pllenaje in Kosovo

Image: Vjosa Cerkini/DW

Successful lawsuits in Italy

Laccetti learned of other soldiers of the same age who had been stationed nearby and received similar diagnoses. He contacted lawyer Angelo Tartaglia, who represented those affected.

Approximately 500 military personnel successfully sued the state of Italy. Among them was Laccetti, whom a court in Rome certified in 2009 as a victim because he had fulfilled his military duties. The court awarded him compensation.

After the Kosovo War, a commission of the Italian Ministry of Defense investigated a possible link between DU exposure and cancer. It found a statistically significant increase in the incidence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a group of blood cancers, among affected soldiers. However, other studies, such as a WHO report from the same year, found no clear evidence of a direct link between DU and individual cases of disease.

Difficult to prove a cancer link

For Wim Zwijnenburg, a member of the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons (ICBUW), the case is clear-cut.

"The judge recognized that the Italian state had a duty of care, which is why compensation was awarded," explained Zwijnenburg, who has been investigating the use and consequences of DU for over 16 years.

"My conclusion is it is extremely difficult to make a definitive statement," he admits, because depleted uranium only has an effect when it enters the body, usually in the form of fine dust particles that are inhaled. "But the exact amount that people actually absorb has never been properly measured. There are very few reliable long-term studies."

The causes of cancer are often difficult to pinpoint. Unhealthy lifestyles, environmental influences, genetic predisposition and many other factors contribute to the number of cases.

"It's difficult to prove," says Zwijnenburg. "Have those affected ever touched a DU grenade or been near a contaminated tank? Uranium can take a year to penetrate the skin. Doctors cannot make any claims if it is not completely clear. People are looking for a clear cause, but the reality is far more complex."

American uranium ammunition used in Iraq in 2004

Image: STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images

Did NATO do enough to clean up Kosovo?

In 2002, the United Nations passed a resolution obliging countries to inform affected states after the use of uranium ammunition and to assist in the cleanup of contaminated areas. It is unclear to what extent NATO fulfilled this responsibility in Kosovo — the NATO peacekeeping force KFOR, which has been stationed there since the end of the fighting to secure peace, does not provide any information.

Visits to the sites show that the population in many regions of Kosovo is unaware of the potential risks, and decontamination measures have not been carried out, except at one site in the west of the country, in the village of Lugbunari near Gjakova.

"NATO could be criticized for using these weapons," said expert Wim Zwijnenburg, "but even more so for not carrying out clean-up operations after the war. There are clear protection protocols for soldiers — but for civilians? Nothing. It is unacceptable to use toxic ammunition and then simply turn away."

Officially, the material that DU ammunition is made of is classified as low- to medium-level radioactive waste. But, Zwijnenburg said, "in humid climates such as the Balkans, shells can corrode and disintegrate, leaving behind dangerous residues."

Wim Zwijnenburg investigates depleted uranium in Iraq 2025

Image: Vjosa Cerkini/DW

The risk doesn't fade with time either, as the half-life of uranium is almost infinite. For Zwiijnenburg, this is evidence of the states' double standards.

"If such a grenade were to be found in a Dutch park, the area would be cordoned off. Special forces in protective suits would place the grenade in a lead container and store it safely." So when it comes to their own population, risks are taken extremely seriously — but elsewhere, they are not.

Laccetti is disappointed that his case and those of many other veterans have not brought about any fundamental changes. "Depleted uranium ammunition is still legal. We have tried in every conceivable way to ban it, like cluster munitions or anti-personnel mines," he said. "We have failed."

With additional reporting by Gabriele Cruciata in Rome and Marjolein Koster in Utrecht.

The research for this article was supported by Journalism fund Europe.

This article was originally published in German.

Vjosa Cerkini 

Reporter focusing on Kosovo and other Western Balkan countries

SEE https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=KOSOVO

Seeing the Forest for the Trees
Thesis on The Kosovo Crisis and the Crisis of Global Capitalism
(originally written May 1999, Bill Clinton set the stage for George W. to invade Afghanistan and Iraq for humanitarian purposes.)
http://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2005/01/war-whats-it-good-for-profit.html