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ICE Will Reportedly Be Used As Security At Winter Olympics
By Mike Stunson,Forbes Staff.
]
Jan 27, 2026, 08:50am ESTJan 27, 2026, 09:56am EST

Topline
ICE agents will reportedly be used as security officers during next month’s Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games, but the Italian city’s mayor said the “militia” group is not welcome as the agency is under fire for the killing of two people in Minneapolis.

Key Facts
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents “would support diplomatic security details and would not run any immigration enforcement operations” at the Olympics, according to the Associated Press.

ICE said in a statement to AFP security operations for the Olympics would “remain under Italian authority.”

Its officers will be used as security for Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will attend the opening ceremonies to lead the American delegation.

The AP reports security at the Olympics has previously come through ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations agency, which “investigates crime on a global scale.”

Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala rejected ICE’s presence, referring to the U.S. agency as a “militia that kills” in an interview with RTL Radio, saying they are a “militia that enters into the homes of people, signing their own permission slips. It is clear they are not welcome in Milan, without a doubt.”

“Can we say no to Trump, just this once? ICE Officers shouldn’t come to Italy because they are not aligned with our democratic way of managing security,” Sala told the radio station. ICE’s inclusion at the Olympics is also not welcomed by Alessandro Zan, a left-wing member of the European parliament, who said in a post on X, “In Italy, we don't want those who trample human rights and act outside any democratic control. It's unacceptable to think that an agency of this kind could have a role, whatever it may be, in our country.”

Key Background

Backlash against ICE continues to grow following last weekend’s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis. He is the second person this month to have been killed by a federal agent in the city, following Renee Good’s Jan. 7 death. It has led to growing calls for ICE to be removed from the city, with Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino set to leave Minnesota and no longer oversee the federal agency’s operations in the state. President Donald Trump said Monday he had “good” discussions with both Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, writing in a post on X: “Lots of progress is being made” about the unrest in the state.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikestunso ... -olympics/

[mmmm8]

Huh? Have they run out of actual security personnel? WTF? That's not what they are trained for, even if they had been properly trained.

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JD Vance ridiculed for 40-car motorcade taking him down tiny Italian street
The tiny streets of Milan witnessed an unusual parade: JD Vance's 100-car motorcade, a scene that left social media in disbelief.

Hannah Broughton
06:46 ET, 08 Feb 2026
Updated 06:50 ET, 08 Feb 2026


Vice President JD Vance's motorcade arrives at Excelsior Gallia Hotel

Vice President JD Vance is being ridiculed on social media for requiring a 100-car motorcade through narrow streets in Milan to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The planes carrying Vance and the U.S. delegation were also said to be holding staff, security, food, and vehicles, while the huge motorcade featured a flurry of Chevy Suburbans that could barely fit on the tiny streets of Milan.

“Some Scandinavian PMs bike to work or take the subway, the Romanian and Moldovan presidents just go by regular commercial flights. More or less the same goes for most European heads of state. JD Vance had 14 planes fly in this motorcade and his security detail to Italy,” one account on X said, with a video of the ridiculous-looking group of cars travelling through Milan.

“JD Vance went to meet Meloni in a 40-car motorcade full of Suburbans through the tiny streets of Milan,” added another.

One user also said, “His 100-vehicle motorcade required 14 planes to transport. Milanese streets are tiny & athletes can’t reach venues due to VANCE-generated traffic jams.”

“Vance has been a vocal critic of 'entrenched elites' and government waste, yet his own security footprint is one of the largest in history,” added another.

This comes after the vice president received a decidedly negative welcome from Italians at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics. On Thursday, he and his wife, Usha, were booed loudly when they were shown on the big screen, and the footage went viral on social media.


Vance and his wife Usha Vance cheer for the United States team during the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics

Vance & family reportedly traveled to Milan with a fleet of 14 aircraft & a motorcade of 100 vehicles. 11 planes are for staff, former athletes & security; 1 plane is solely for food supplies & 2 are transporting the 100 armored vehicles.

The vice president also met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a close ally of the Trump administration in Europe, during his visit to Italy for the Olympic Games on Friday. The meeting comes just as Italy announced this weekend they were declining to join Trump's Board of Peace due to a “constitutional limit”. It marks the latest setback faced by the president's “international peace building body.”

Vance's weeklong trip is a blend of sports and diplomacy, as he meets with Meloni amid increasingly tense U.S. relations with Europe under President Donald Trump, who has disrupted the rules-based order that has been the cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy since World War II.

Meanwhile, the president’s sidekick started his day at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, enjoying the opening session of the three-day team figure skating competition alongside his family and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Later in the evening, he attended the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

Earlier, Vance’s meeting with Meloni saw him headed to the Prefettura di Milano, a Milan palace now used as a municipal building. According to AP, their face-to-face lasted about an hour and was followed by a closed-door lunch.


https://www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/ ... r-36688400

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Michelle Ye Hee Lee

‪@myhlee.bsky.social‬

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BREAKING: Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been convicted of insurrection for declaring martial law in December 2024, and has been sentenced to life in prison.
2:03 AM · Feb 19, 2026

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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office
King expresses his ‘deepest concern’ and says ‘law must take its course’ as former prince arrested at Sandringham estate

Jamie Grierson
Thu 19 Feb 2026 12.16 EST

King Charles has insisted “the law must take its course” after detectives took the unprecedented step of arresting his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

Mountbatten-Windsor remained in custody on Thursday night with police seeking to question him about confidential material he allegedly shared with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

On an extraordinary day that could have profound effects for the royal family, unmarked police cars and plainclothes officers from the Thames Valley force were seen at Mountbatten-Windsor’s residence at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate at about 8am. They searched the Norfolk property as well his former home in the Royal Lodge in Great Windsor Park.

Hours later, Charles gave his unqualified backing to the police investigation into his brother, who was arrested on his 66th birthday. The king said the “law must take its course”.

“What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities,” Charles said in a statement. “In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and cooperation.”

In the glare of increased public scrutiny, the king and queen continued their royal duties with Charles attending three separate in-person audiences at St James’s Palace and Camilla visiting the Sinfonia Smith Square in Westminster for a lunchtime orchestral concert.

Meanwhile, Princess Anne was reportedly visiting a prison, HMP Leeds, in her capacity as patron of the Butler Trust, a UK charity that promotes the work of staff in prisons, probation and youth justice.

Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, thought to be the first time in modern history that a member of the royal family has been held by police, came only hours after the prime minister, Keir Starmer, said “nobody is above the law” when questioned about the former prince. He added that “anybody who has any information should testify”.

Thames Valley police said it had arrested “a man in his 60s from Norfolk” on suspicion of misconduct in public office and was carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.

Oliver Wright, one of the force’s assistant chief constables, said: “Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office. It is important that we protect the integrity and objectivity of our investigation as we work with our partners to investigate this alleged offence. We understand the significant public interest in this case, and we will provide updates at the appropriate time.”

Norfolk police confirmed they were supporting Thames Valley’s investigation. The whereabouts of Mountbatten-Windsor is unknown. It is understood neither the king nor Buckingham Palace was informed in advance of his arrest.

Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied any wrongdoing or accusations against him. Thames Valley is one of a number of police forces to have assessed allegations that resurfaced when the US justice department published the so-called Epstein files.

The force said previously it was reviewing allegations that a woman was trafficked to the UK by Epstein to have a sexual encounter with Mountbatten-Windsor, and claims the former prince shared sensitive information with the disgraced financier while serving as the UK’s trade envoy.

The family of the late Virginia Giuffre, who accused Mountbatten-Windsor of sexually abusing her when she was 17 as part of a sex trafficking ring run by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell – allegations the former prince has denied – released a statement on Thursday.

Her family members Sky and Amanda Roberts and Danny and Lanette Wilson said: “At last. Today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty. On behalf of our sister, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, we extend our gratitude to the UK’s Thames Valley police for their investigation and arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. He was never a prince. For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.”

Wright said previously that information was evaluated during an assessment phase to determine whether a criminal offence was suspected and a full investigation required. “Allegations of misconduct in public office involve particular complexities and therefore an assessment must be conducted carefully and thoroughly,” he said at a press briefing last week.

“While we cannot provide timescales over when a decision as to whether a criminal investigation will be opened, we can assure you that Thames Valley police is making progress as quickly as possible.”

Responding to Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, the former prime minister Gordon Brown said: “I have submitted a five-page memorandum to the Metropolitan, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and other relevant UK police constabularies.

“This memorandum provides new and additional information to that which I submitted last week to the Met, Essex and Thames Valley police forces, where I expressed my concern that we secure justice for trafficked girls and women.”

According to the Crown Prosecution Service’s website, misconduct in public office carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Mountbatten-Windsor could also face questions about alleged sexual wrongdoing while under arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office, according to a lawyer who specialises in representing abuse survivors.

In 2015, the retired Church of England bishop Peter Ball, an associate of the king, was jailed for 32 months for misconduct in public office after the court was told that he had misused his authority over young men for sexual gratification.

Richard Scorer, the head of abuse law at Slater and Gordon, said: “If prosecutors build a case which convinces a jury that Andrew misused his position to have sex with young women, in my opinion he could be pursued on that basis.”

Republic, a group that campaigns to abolish the monarchy, welcomed the arrest, which it claimed was in response to a crime report sent to Thames Valley police by its chief executive, Graham Smith. He said: “Republic’s lawyers will continue to investigate related alleged offences and provide information to the police over the coming weeks and months.”

The allegations stem from documents released by the US justice department relating to Epstein and his links to the rich and powerful. Emails released appeared to show Mountbatten-Windsor sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore.

One email, dated November 2010, appeared to be forwarded by the former duke to Epstein five minutes after it was sent by his then special adviser, Amir Patel. Another, seemingly sent on Christmas Eve 2010, included a confidential brief on investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand province, Afghanistan.

In a statement, the CPS said: “We are in close contact with the Metropolitan police service and Thames Valley police regarding high-profile individuals. We remain ready to support any police investigations if needed.”

The arrest will ease demands on Mountbatten-Windsor to cooperate with a US congressional investigation, legal sources said.

In November, Democrats on the US House oversight committee wrote to the former prince asking him to travel to Washington DC to testify before them about his relationship with Epstein.

A legal source said: “He cannot be legally compelled to give evidence in the US. If under arrest, he has every right to say he cannot possibly go there now.”

Speaking on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Harriet Harman, the former Labour deputy leader, urged Mountbatten-Windsor to give evidence in the US after his arrest. “I think it also makes it even more important that Prince Andrew agrees to go to give evidence to Congress on the investigations that they’re doing there,” she said.

Last October, amid growing anxiety within the royal household about the reputational risk to the monarchy caused by headlines concerning Mountbatten-Windsor’s friendship with Epstein, Buckingham Palace announced it would strip him of his royal titles. It was also announced the former duke would move out of the Royal Lodge in Windsor.

Mountbatten-Windsor’s representatives have been approached for comment.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... andringham

From 30m ago
14.25 EST
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor released from police station

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been seen leaving a police station in a car after almost 12 hours of questioning by police in Norfolk.

He was photographed in the back seat leaving Aylsham Police station on Thursday evening.

Andrew was arrested this morning on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

Police have not given any further information at this point.

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