The Empire Files

FRIDAY

Russell Brand’s trial is devastating. Testimony describes him as a rabid animal, demanding sex every few hours from whoever happened to be around, and taking it regardless of consent Brand’s defense is that women knew he was a degenerate maniac, so they should have expected it by being in a room with him (several allege he attacked them in public and tried to drag them into bathroom stalls) This is separate from FIVE disturbing allegations in Channel 4 Dispatches. Brand has zero regard for women as human beings - I can’t even imagine how many victims there truly are Blows my mind that so many people peddle his lunacy portraying him as a truth-telling martyr being smeared by the establishment - and buy his newfound religious hucksterism Makes sense he’s leapt into the movement of sexual offenders and pedophiles, where he belongs (other than prison)

Hakeem Jeffries on Morning Joe: The American people don't want us to get even. They want us to get things done on their behalf because life is way too expensive. We ran on affordability, we won on affordability, and now it's our job to govern on affordability.

This is not Gaza. This is Hebron today. The Israeli occupation has begun destroying Palestine’s economic capital, a city that accounts for 75% of the country’s production in the stone and marble, leather and footwear, plastics, glass, oils, dairy, and gold industries. Ethnic cleansing is being inflicted on the Palestinian people everywhere across the land of Palestine.

The GRU hacked into Jared Kushner's iPhone. Dutch military intelligence (MIVD) then recruited a GRU spy who gave them access to the hacked phone. What MIVD discovered was that Kushner had access to two bank accounts --one Azerbaijani, the other Israeli --where Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Emirati ruler Mohammed bin Zayed deposited money. It sounds like a slightly far-fetched episode of "Slow Horses," but it's real. And it proves just how eye-poppingly corrupt this administration was and continues to be as its "special envoy" decides the fate of tens of millions in Europe in the Middle East. Simply incredible reporting by Matthew Cole, drawn from his new book on Kushner. vanityfair.com/story/jared-k…

Protesters interrupted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at least five times during the Army's biggest annual conference, calling him a "war criminal" and "coward" over the Iran war as he tried to discuss the Pentagon's autonomous weapons initiative. It remains unclear how the protesters obtained credentials to attend the AUSA conference in Washington, D.C., a tightly controlled event that brings together Army brass and defense contractors. Full story here foxnews.com/politics/foul-mo…

Kamala Harris on Israel: It is in our interest to hold our allies accountable for their share of global defense, to ensure trade benefits American workers and consumers, and to uphold our moral obligation to human rights and international law. To be sure, America has at times fallen short on that one. Most recently, the failure to use our leverage to curtail the Israeli government's horrific conduct in the war in Gaza, both under the current administration, which offers Netanyahu a blank check, and our administration before, where we should have acted sooner and more forcefully.

Guam Grapples With Pollution As US Military Keeps Expanding: To people who live in Guam, the ongoing Pentagon buildup in the Pacific offers a warning. www.​civilbeat.​org/2026/10/what-guam-inherited-military/ #HInews