A senior U.S. State Department official said Washington is prepared to consider a wide range of responses if Britain follows through on a possible ban of Elon Musk’s social media platform X, as U.K. regulators investigate the spread of AI-generated sexualized deepfakes.
Sarah B. Rogers, the under secretary of state for public diplomacy, told GB News that the United States is closely watching the actions of British authorities and is not ruling out any options tied to free speech concerns. “I would say from America’s perspective … nothing is off the table when it comes to free speech,” Rogers said during the interview, which aired early Tuesday in the U.K.
She added that the next steps hinge on decisions by Britain’s media regulator, saying, “Let’s wait and see what Ofcom does and we’ll see what America does in response.”
Rogers, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, has been a vocal critic of European governments’ approaches to regulating online speech. She played a role in the State Department’s move last month to sanction former European Commissioner Thierry Breton along with four other European nationals connected to initiatives aimed at combating disinformation.
Support for X has also come from Capitol Hill. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican aligned with Trump, said last week that she is preparing legislation that would impose sanctions on the U.K. should it decide to bar the platform.
During her GB News appearance, Rogers accused British officials of seeking “the ability to curate a public square, to suppress political viewpoints it dislikes.” She went on to argue that X carries a “political valence that the British government is antagonistic to, doesn’t like, and that’s what’s really going on.”
When asked whether Rogers’ comments reflected official administration policy, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in London responded briefly: “Her remarks speak for themselves.”
British officials pushed back strongly on the suggestion that the issue involves suppressing expression. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer rejected that characterization, stressing that the country has defended free expression “for many hundreds of years, and will do in future too.”
The spokesperson said the focus is instead on criminal material produced through artificial intelligence. “It’s about the generation of criminal imagery of children and women and girls that is not acceptable. We cannot stand by and let that continue. And that is why we’ve taken the action we have.”
Ofcom, the U.K.’s online safety regulator, is examining whether X breached obligations under the Online Safety Act by allowing its Grok AI chatbot to generate and share non-consensual intimate images, including material that could constitute child sexual abuse.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall told Parliament on Monday that the government fully supports Ofcom using the strongest measures available if violations are confirmed. Those powers include fines of up to £18 million or 10 percent of a company’s global turnover, and in extreme circumstances, seeking a court order that would block X’s operations in Britain.
Kendall rejected claims that the enforcement effort threatens civil liberties. “This is not, as some would claim, about restricting freedom of speech, which is something that I and the whole Government hold very dear. It is about tackling violence against women and girls. It is about upholding basic British values of decency and respect, and ensuring that the standards that we expect offline are upheld online. It is about exercising our sovereign power and responsibility to uphold the laws of this land,” she said.
According to people familiar with the discussion, Starmer reinforced that message in a closed-door meeting with Labour lawmakers on Monday, warning that swift action would follow if the platform fails to rein in its AI tools. “If X cannot control Grok, we will — and we’ll do it fast because if you profit from harm and abuse, you lose the right to self regulate,” the prime minister said.
{Matzav.com}The father of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sharply criticized Columbia University’s antisemitism task force during a faculty senate meeting, accusing the panel of operating like a punitive authority rather than serving the campus community, according to a report published Tuesday by The Washington Free Beacon.
Mahmood Mamdani, a veteran Columbia professor, delivered the remarks at a Dec. 12 meeting of the university senate, based on transcripts reviewed by the outlet.
“It became very clear that [the task force] saw itself not as representing the community, but as a prosecutorial agency,” Mamdani said, arguing that the group’s approach was intensifying divisions on campus instead of confronting antisemitism constructively.
He went on to liken the task force’s methods to the British Empire’s colonial-era policy of “divide and rule,” contending that its work was breeding suspicion and alienation among both students and faculty. Mamdani asserted that the panel’s actions were leaving segments of the university population feeling excluded.
Addressing fellow senators, Mamdani, whose academic work focuses on decolonization, colonialism, and racial capitalism, said the task force was escalating conflict rather than fostering cohesion within the university.
Two individuals present at the December meeting confirmed that Mamdani made the statements as described, while a third attendee said the unofficial transcript accurately matched his own notes from the session.
After Mamdani finished speaking, acting Columbia President Claire Shipman, who was chairing the meeting, publicly expressed appreciation for his comments and requested his input, formally referring to him as “senator.”
The remarks come as Columbia continues to face heavy criticism over its response to antisemitism, particularly following months of pro-Palestinian protests that erupted on campus after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel.
Columbia is among several elite universities where demonstrations have featured chants widely denounced as antisemitic, rhetoric calling for Israel’s destruction, and significant disruptions to campus operations. Jewish students and advocacy organizations have accused university leadership of failing to protect them from harassment and intimidation.
The Trump administration has previously confronted Columbia and other universities over their handling of antisemitism, warning that federal funding could be jeopardized if institutions do not uphold civil rights protections for Jewish students.
As part of that effort, the administration has urged colleges to adopt clearer definitions of antisemitism and to discipline students and faculty involved in extremist or discriminatory behavior.
Columbia’s antisemitism task force was formed amid that federal pressure, alongside congressional probes examining whether universities violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by permitting a hostile environment for Jewish students.
University officials have maintained that the task force is a necessary mechanism to address antisemitism and ensure compliance with federal law, while critics within the campus community argue it has been wielded to silence political speech critical of Israel.
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump is expected to announce the next stage of a U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire, advancing a strategy designed to marginalize Hamas terrorists and overhaul how the devastated territory is governed, according to a report published Tuesday by the Financial Times.
Despite doubts from some U.S. allies and a shortfall in international funding, officials in Washington and Jerusalem say they are pressing ahead with what they describe as “phase two” of the ceasefire arrangement that brought an end to more than two years of fighting, the report said.
This next phase is expected to focus on restructuring Gaza’s civil administration, increasing humanitarian access, and taking concrete steps to strip Hamas of control over civilian institutions within the enclave.
According to the Financial Times, the United States could present a new governance model for Gaza as soon as Wednesday. The plan would transfer daily administrative responsibilities from Hamas to a Palestinian technocratic committee.
The report said Nickolay Mladenov, a former United Nations envoy and Bulgarian defense minister, is slated to be appointed as “high representative” for Gaza. In that role, Mladenov would supervise a 14-member Palestinian technocratic panel responsible for restoring essential services and rebuilding civilian governing structures.
At the same time, the report noted that the formal launch of Trump’s proposed Board of Peace is expected to face delays.
U.S. and Israeli officials involved in shaping the plan argue that visible progress is achievable in the near term, pointing to potential “early wins” such as reopening the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, increasing medical assistance, and loosening restrictions on imports into Gaza.
Significant hurdles remain, however, including the absence of an international peacekeeping force and a major gap in reconstruction funding. The report said only about $1 billion has been secured so far, well below the tens of billions of dollars estimated to be necessary for rebuilding.
Western and Muslim nations have been hesitant to provide troops or substantial financial support while Israeli forces continue operating in parts of Gaza and Hamas terrorists maintain influence in other areas, the Financial Times reported.
Another unresolved issue is Hamas’ disarmament, which Israeli leaders insist must be addressed before any broad reconstruction effort or large-scale withdrawal of forces can take place.
The report also pointed to disagreements within policy circles over earlier aid initiatives, including the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-supported effort intended to deliver assistance while bypassing Hamas-controlled distribution channels.
That program encountered serious challenges, including security breakdowns and disputes over who was responsible for food shortages and deadly incidents near aid distribution centers.
Even so, officials in the Trump administration remain optimistic, citing the ceasefire itself and the release of Israeli hostages as evidence that their strategy is producing results. They are expected to seek further political and financial support at the Davos economic forum later this month.
{Matzav.com}
Senior officials from Denmark and Greenland are scheduled to hold talks at the White House on Wednesday with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as tensions rise following President Donald Trump’s renewed push for U.S. control of Greenland, according to Denmark’s foreign minister.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland’s foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, requested the meeting after Trump intensified public statements about taking over Greenland, which is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
“U.S. Vice President JD Vance also wanted to participate in the meeting, and he will host the meeting, which will therefore be held at the White House,” Rasmussen told reporters in Copenhagen on Tuesday.
“Our reason for seeking the meeting we have now been given was to move this whole discussion… into a meeting room where we can look each other in the eye and talk about these things,” he added.
Trump initially raised the idea of the United States acquiring Greenland in 2019 during his first term, but the proposal encountered resistance in Washington, including from members of his own party. Greenland, which Denmark has governed for hundreds of years, has steadily expanded its autonomy since 1979 and continues to move toward eventual independence, a position supported by every party represented in Greenland’s parliament.
Separately, Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said he will meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels next week to address security issues in the Arctic, alongside Greenland’s Motzfeldt.
Poulsen also said Denmark intends to increase its military footprint in Greenland, with additional NATO nations expected to take part in training and military exercises there in 2026.
“It has been a Danish priority over the past several years to have a discussion within NATO, but not least to also get greater attention from NATO in relation to issues regarding NATO’s presence in and around the Arctic,” Poulsen said.
{Matzav.com}
The 2026 global passport rankings have been released, confirming that Singapore once again holds the top position, offering its citizens the widest international mobility of any country in the world.
Holders of a Singapore passport can travel to 192 destinations without needing a visa. Close behind, Japan and South Korea are tied for second place, with each passport providing visa-free access to 188 countries.
A group of five European nations occupies the third spot. Citizens of Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and Luxembourg can each enter 186 countries without a visa.
The United Kingdom is ranked seventh in the new index, with its passport allowing entry to 182 countries. Overall, European nations continue to dominate the upper tier of the rankings, reflecting the strong global standing of their travel documents.
The United States places tenth on the list, with Americans able to visit 179 countries visa-free. Israel is ranked 18th, with access to 165 destinations.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Afghanistan sits at the bottom of the index in 101st place, as its passport permits visa-free travel to only 24 countries.
Syria follows just above Afghanistan, with access to 26 countries. Iraq’s passport allows entry to 29 destinations, while citizens of Yemen and Pakistan can travel visa-free to just 31 countries.
The United Arab Emirates stands out for its dramatic rise over time, having added 149 visa-free destinations since the Henley Passport Index began tracking changes in 2006. In the 2026 rankings, the UAE places fifth overall.
{Matzav.com}German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday that Iran’s governing structure is approaching collapse, arguing that the Islamic Republic is reaching its final stage amid expanding nationwide protests and a harsh security response.
Speaking with reporters during an official visit to India, Merz said any government that survives only through coercion has already forfeited its legitimacy. “If a regime can only keep itself in power by force, then it’s effectively at the end,” he said. “I believe we are now seeing the final days and weeks of this regime.”
Merz went on to say that Iran’s leadership does not command genuine public support, stressing that it is not grounded in free and democratic elections. “The population is now rising up against this regime,” he said.
Demonstrations began spreading across Iran in late December, fueled by worsening economic conditions, including runaway inflation, a collapsing currency, and sharp increases in food prices. Protests have been reported in many cities, in what analysts describe as the most extensive unrest Iran has seen in years.
Authorities in Tehran have answered the protests with force. A senior Iranian official has acknowledged that roughly 2,000 demonstrators have been killed, according to reports cited by Reuters, though human rights activists say the actual figure may be higher. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reports that more than 10,700 people have been arrested. Witnesses have also accused security forces of fatally shooting civilians who were not actively participating in the demonstrations.
President Donald Trump has strongly condemned the Iranian government’s response and has warned of repercussions. Earlier this week, he said the United States would impose a 25% tariff on imports from countries that continue doing business with Iran. He has also warned that Washington could step in if Iranian authorities persist in using deadly force against peaceful protesters.
Trump recently said that Iran’s leaders have indicated an interest in talks, but he warned that additional steps could be taken if the violence continues. Iranian officials, meanwhile, have cautioned that any US military action would trigger a severe response.
{Matzav.com}
