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It’s hunting season in orbit as Russia’s killer satellites mystify skywatchers

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Russia is a waning space power, but President Vladimir Putin has made sure he still has a saber to rattle in orbit.

This has become more evident in recent weeks, when we saw a pair of rocket launches carrying top-secret military payloads, the release of a mysterious object from a Russian mothership in orbit, and a sequence of complex formation-flying maneuvers with a trio of satellites nearly 400 miles up.

In isolation, each of these things would catch the attention of Western analysts. Taken together, the frenzy of maneuvers represents one of the most significant surges in Russian military space activity since the end of the Cold War. What's more, all of this is happening as Russia lags further behind the United States and China in everything from rockets to satellite manufacturing. Russian efforts to develop a reusable rocket, field a new human-rated spacecraft to replace the venerable Soyuz, and launch a megaconstellation akin to SpaceX's Starlink are going nowhere fast.

Russia has completed just eight launches to orbit so far this year, compared to 101 orbital attempts by US launch providers and 36 from China. This puts Russia on pace for the fewest number of orbital launch attempts since 1961, the year Soviet citizen Yuri Gagarin became the first person to fly in space.

For the better part of three decades, Russia's space program could rely on money from Western governments and commercial companies to build rockets, launch satellites, and ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station. The money tap dried up after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia also lost access to Ukrainian-made components to go into their launch vehicles and satellites.

Chasing a Keyhole

Amid this retrenchment, Russia is targeting what's left of its capacity for innovation in space toward pestering the US military. US intelligence officials last year said they believed Russia was pursuing a project to place a nuclear weapon in space. The detonation of a nuclear bomb in orbit could muck up the space environment for years, indiscriminately disabling countless satellites, whether they're military or civilian.

Russia denied that it planned to launch a satellite with a nuclear weapon, but the country's representative in the United Nations vetoed a Security Council resolution last year that would have reaffirmed a nearly 50-year-old ban on placing weapons of mass destruction into orbit.

While Russia hasn't actually put a nuclear bomb into orbit yet, it's making progress in fielding other kinds of anti-satellite systems. Russia destroyed one of its own satellites with a ground-launched missile in 2021, and high above us today, Russian spacecraft are stalking American spy satellites and keeping US military officials on their toes with a rapid march toward weaponizing space.

The world's two other space powers, the United States and China, are developing their own "counter-space" weapons. But the US and Chinese militaries have largely focused on using their growing fleets of satellites as force multipliers in the terrestrial domain, enabling precision strikes, high-speed communications, and targeting for air, land, and naval forces. That is starting to change, with US Space Force commanders now openly discussing their own ambitions for offensive and defensive counter-space weapons.

Three of Russia's eight orbital launches this year have carried payloads that could be categorized as potential anti-satellite weapons, or at least prototypes testing novel technologies that could lead to one. (For context, three of Russia's other launches this year have gone to the International Space Station, and two launched conventional military communications or navigation satellites.)

One of these mystery payloads launched on May 23, when a Soyuz rocket boosted a satellite into a nearly 300-mile-high orbit perfectly aligned with the path of a US spy satellite owned by the National Reconnaissance Office. The new Russian satellite, designated Kosmos 2588, launched into the same orbital plane as an American satellite known to the public as USA 338, which is widely believed to be a bus-sized KH-11, or Keyhole-class, optical surveillance satellite.

A conceptual drawing of a KH-11 spy satellite, with internal views, based on likely design similarities to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: Giuseppe De Chiara/CC BY-SA 3.0

The governments of Russia and the United States use the Kosmos and USA monikers as cover names for their military satellites.

While their exact design and capabilities are classified, Keyhole satellites are believed to provide the sharpest images of any spy satellite in orbit. They monitor airfields, naval ports, missile plants, and other strategic sites across the globe. In the zeitgeist of geopolitics, China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are the likeliest targets for the NRO's Keyhole satellites. To put it succinctly, Keyhole satellites are some of the US government's most prized assets in space.

Therefore, it's not surprising to assume a potential military adversary might want to learn more about them or be in a position to disable or destroy them in the event of war.

Orbital ballet

A quick refresher on orbital mechanics is necessary here. Satellites orbit the Earth in flat planes fixed in inertial space. It's not a perfect interpretation, but it's easiest to understand this concept by imagining the background of stars in the sky as a reference map. In the short term, the position of a satellite's orbit will remain unchanged on this reference map without any perturbation. For something in low-Earth orbit, Earth's rotation presents a different part of the world to the satellite each time it loops around the planet.

It takes a lot of fuel to make changes to a satellite's orbital plane, so if you want to send a satellite to rendezvous with another spacecraft already in orbit, it's best to wait until our planet's rotation brings the launch site directly under the orbital plane of the target. This happens twice per day for a satellite in low-Earth orbit.

That's exactly what Russia is doing with a military program named Nivelir. In English, Nivelir translates to "dumpy level"—an optical instrument used by builders and surveyors.

The launch of Kosmos 2588 in May was precisely timed for the moment Earth's rotation brought the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia underneath the orbital plane of the NRO's USA 338 Keyhole satellite. Launches to the ISS follow the same roadmap, with crew and cargo vehicles lifting off at exactly the right time—to the second—to intersect with the space station's orbital plane.

Since 2019, Russia has launched four satellites into bespoke orbits to shadow NRO spy satellites. None of these Russian Nivelir spacecraft have gotten close to their NRO counterparts. The satellites have routinely passed dozens of miles from one another, but the similarities in their orbits would allow Russia's spacecraft to get a lot closer—and theoretically make physical contact with the American satellite. The Nivelir satellites have even maneuvered to keep up with their NRO targets when US ground controllers have made small adjustments to their orbits.

"This ensures that the orbital planes do not drift apart," wrote Marco Langbroek, a Dutch archaeologist and university lecturer on space situational awareness. Langbroek runs a website cataloguing military space activity.

This is no accident

There's reason to believe that the Russian satellites shadowing the NRO in orbit might be more than inspectors or stalkers. Just a couple of weeks ago, another Nivelir satellite named Kosmos 2558 released an unknown object into an orbit that closely mirrors that of an NRO spy satellite named USA 326.

We've seen this before. An older Nivelir satellite, Kosmos 2542, released a sub-satellite shortly after launching in 2019 into the same orbital plane as the NRO's USA 245 satellite, likely a KH-11 platform similar to the USA 338 satellite now being shadowed by Kosmos 2588.

After making multiple passes near the USA 245 spacecraft, Kosmos 2542's sub-satellite backed off and fired a mysterious projectile in 2020 at a speed fast enough to damage or destroy any target in its sights. US military officials interpreted this as a test of an anti-satellite weapon.

Now, another Russian satellite is behaving in the same way, with a mothership opening up to release a smaller object that could in turn reveal its own surprise inside like a Matryoshka nesting doll. This time, however, the doll is unnesting nearly three years after launch. With Kosmos 2542, this all unfolded within months of arriving in space.

The NRO's USA 326 satellite launched in February 2022 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. It is believed to be an advanced electro-optical reconnaissance satellite, although the circumstances of its launch suggest a design different from the NRO's classic Keyhole spy satellites. Credit: SpaceX

In just the last several days, the smaller craft deployed by Kosmos 2558designated "Object C"lowered its altitude to reach an orbit in resonance with USA 326, bringing it within 60 miles (100 kilometers) of the NRO satellite every few days.

While US officials are worried about Russian anti-satellite weapons, or ASATs, the behavior of Russia's Nivelir satellites is puzzling. It's clear that Russia is deliberately launching these satellites to get close to American spy craft in orbit, a retired senior US military space official told Ars on background.

"If you're going to launch a LEO [low-Earth orbit] satellite into the exact same plane as another satellite, you're doing that on purpose," said the official, who served in numerous leadership positions in the military's space programs. "Inclination is one thing. We put a bunch of things into Sun-synchronous orbits, but you have a nearly boundless number of planes you can put those into—360 degrees—and then you can go down to probably the quarter-degree and still be differentiated as being a different plane. When you plane-match underneath that, you're doing that on purpose."

But why?

What's not as obvious is why Russia is doing this. Lobbing an anti-satellite, or counter-space, weapon into the same orbital plane as its potential target ties Russia's hands. Also, a preemptive strike on an American satellite worth $1 billion or more could be seen as an act of war.

"I find it strange that the Russians are doing that, that they've invested their rubles in a co-planar LEO counter-space kind of satellite," the retired military official said. "And why do I say that? Because when you launch into that plane, you're basically committed to that plane, which means you only have one potential target ever."

A ground-based anti-satellite missile, like the one Russia tested against one of its own satellites in 2021, could strike any target in low-Earth orbit.

"So why invest in something that is so locked into a target once you put it up there, when you have the flexibility of a ground launch case that's probably even cheaper?" this official told Ars. "I'd be advocating for more ground-launched ASATs if I really wanted the flexibility to go after new payloads, because this thing can never go after anything new."

"The only way to look at it is that they're sending us messages. You say, 'Hey, I'm going to just annoy the hell out of you. I'm going to put something right on your tail,'" the official said. "And maybe there's merit to that, and they like that. It doesn't make sense from a cost-benefit or an operational flexibility perspective, if you think about it, to lock in on a single target."

Nevertheless, Russia's Nivelir satellites have shown they could fire a projectile at another spacecraft in orbit, so US officials don't dismiss the threat. Slingshot Aerospace, a commercial satellite tracking and analytics firm, went straight to the point in its assessment: "Kosmos 2588 is thought to be a Nivelir military inspection satellite with a suspected kinetic weapon onboard."

Langbroek agrees, writing that he is concerned that Russia might be positioning "dormant" anti-satellite weapons within striking distance of NRO spy platforms.

"To me, the long, ongoing shadowing of what are some of the most prized US military space assets, their KH-11 Advanced Enhanced Crystal high-resolution optical IMINT (imaging intelligence) satellites, is odd for 'just' an inspection mission," Langbroek wrote.

American pilot Francis Gary Powers, second from right, in a Moscow courtroom during his trial on charges of espionage after his U-2 spy plane was shot down while working for the CIA. Credit: Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty Images

The US military's ability to spy over vast swaths of Russian territory has been a thorn in Russia's side since the height of the Cold War.

"They thought they had the edge and shot down Gary Powers," the retired official said, referring to the Soviet Union's shoot-down of an American U-2 spy plane in 1960. "They said, 'We're going to keep those Americans from spying on us.' And then they turn around, and we’ve got spy satellites. They've always hated them since the 1960s, so I think there's still this cultural thing out there: 'That's our nemesis. We hate those satellites. We're just going to fight them.'"

Valley of the dolls

Meanwhile, the US Space Force and outside analysts are tracking a separate trio of Russian satellites engaged in a complex orbital dance with one another. These satellites, numbered Kosmos 2581, 2582, and 2583, launched together on a single rocket in February.

While these three spacecraft aren't shadowing any US spy satellites, things got interesting when one of the satellites released an unidentified object in March in a similar way to how two of Russia's Nivelir spacecraft have deployed their own sub-satellites.

Kosmos 2581 and 2582 came as close as 50 meters from one another while flying in tandem, according to an analysis by Bart Hendrickx published in the online journal The Space Review earlier this year. The other member of the trio, Kosmos 2583, released its sub-satellite and maneuvered around it for about a month, then raised its orbit to match that of Kosmos 2581.

Finally, in the last week of June, Kosmos 2582 joined them, and all three satellites began flying close to one another, according to Langbroek, who called the frenzy of activity one of the most complex rendezvous and proximity operations exercises Russia has conducted in decades.

Higher still, two more Russian satellites are up to something interesting after launching on June 19 on Russia's most powerful rocket. After more than 30 years in development, this was the first flight of Russia's Angara A5 rocket, with a real functioning military satellite onboard, following four prior test launches with dummy payloads.

The payload Russia's military chose to launch on the Angara A5 is unusual. The rocket deployed its primary passenger, Kosmos 2589, into a peculiar orbit hugging the equator and ranging between approximately 20,000 (12,500 miles) and 51,000 kilometers (31,700 miles) in altitude.

In this orbit, Kosmos 2589 completes a lap around the Earth about once every 24 hours, giving the satellite a synchronicity that allows it to remain nearly fixed in the sky over the same geographic location. These kinds of geosynchronous, or GEO, orbits are usually circular, with a satellite maintaining the same altitude over the equator.

The orbits of Kosmos 2589 and its companion satellite, illustrated in green and purple, bring the two Russian spacecraft through the geostationary satellite belt twice per day. Credit: COMSPOC

But Kosmos 2589 is changing altitude throughout its day-long orbit. Twice per day, on the way up and back down, Kosmos 2589 briefly passes near a large number of US government and commercial satellites in more conventional geosynchronous orbits but then quickly departs the vicinity. At a minimum, this could give Russian officials the ability to capture close-up views of American spy satellites.

Then, a few days after Kosmos 2589 reached orbit last month, commercial tracking sensors detected a second object nearby. Sound familiar? This new object soon started raising its altitude, and Kosmos 2589 followed suit.

Aiming higher

Could this be the start of an effort to extend the reach of Russian inspectors or anti-satellite weapons into higher orbits after years of mysterious activity at lower altitudes?

Jim Shell, a former NRO project manager and scientist at Air Force Space Command, suggested the two satellites seem positioned to cooperate with one another. "Many interesting scenarios here such as 'spotter shooter' among others. Certainly something to keep eyes on!" Shell posted Saturday on X.

COMSPOC, a commercial space situational awareness company, said the unusual orbit of Kosmos 2589 and its companion put the Russian satellites in a position to, at a minimum, spy on Western satellites in geosynchronous orbit.

"This unique orbit, which crosses two key satellite regions daily, may aid in monitoring objects in both GEO and graveyard orbits," COMSPOC wrote on X. "Its slight 1° inclination could also reduce collision risks. While the satellite’s mission remains unclear, its orbit suggests interesting potential roles."

Historically, Russia's military has placed less emphasis on operating in geosynchronous orbit than in low-Earth orbit or other unique perches in space. Due to their positions near the equator, geosynchronous orbits are harder to reach from Russian spaceports because of the country's high latitude. But Russia's potential adversaries, like the United States and Europe, rely heavily on geosynchronous satellites.

Other Russian satellites have flown near Western communications satellites in geosynchronous orbit, likely in an attempt to eavesdrop on radio transmissions.

"So it is interesting that they may be doing a GEO inspector," the retired US military space official told Ars. "I would be curious if that's what it is. We’ve got to watch. We’ve got to wait and see."

If you're a fan of spy techno-thrillers, this all might remind you of the plot from The Hunt for Red October, where a new state-of-the-art Russian submarine leaves its frigid port in Murmansk with orders to test a fictional silent propulsion system that could shake up the balance of power between the Soviet and American navies.

Just replace the unforgiving waters of the North Atlantic Ocean with an environment even more inhospitable: the vacuum of space.

A few minutes into the film, the submarine's commander, Marko Ramius, played by Sean Connery, announces his orders to the crew. "Once more, we play our dangerous game, a game of chess, against our old adversary—the American Navy."

Today, nearly 40 years removed from the Cold War, the old adversaries are now scheming against one another in space.

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Review: Stellar cast makes Superman shine bright

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I'll be frank: I had mixed feelings, based solely on the trailers, about James Gunn's Superman reboot. Sure, the casting seemed great, Gunn has a winning track record on superhero fare, and Krypto the dog stole the show every time he appeared. The trailers struck a nice balance between action, humor, and heart. Yet the film also seemed overpacked with super-character cameos, and it was hard to get any sense of the actual plot.

I've now seen the film, and those impressions were largely correct. But I'm happy to report that the positives far outweigh any negatives. Superman is a super-fun ride that unabashedly embraces its early comic book roots, naive optimism and all.

(Spoilers below, but no major reveals.)

Gunn has described his take as less of an origin story and more of a journey, with Superman (David Corenswet) struggling to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage and aristocratic origins with his small-town adoptive human family. In fact, Gunn wanted to avoid the origin story entirely, asserting (correctly, in my opinion) that it has already been depicted multiple times and there is no need to cover the same ground.

So the film opens in medias res, with Superman's first defeat in battle against a metahuman dubbed the "Hammer of Boravia." We see him fall into the snow, bloodied and battered, and whistle for Krypto. The plucky little superdog drags Superman to the Fortress of Solitude, where he is treated by a posse of robots. Then he heads out again for Round 2—only to once again be thrashed by his rival metahuman (codename: Ultraman) who, we learn, is being controlled by Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) for mysterious and no doubt nefarious purposes.

Why is Ultraman attacking Metropolis? Because a few weeks before, Superman had foiled the Boravian army's invasion of the neighboring country of Jarhanpur, avoiding pointless bloodshed but drawing criticism for interfering in a foreign war when he lacked any governmental authority to do so. Naturally, Luthor expertly manipulates the media coverage against Superman while trying to convince the Pentagon that Superman poses a major threat to national security. The idealistic and naively optimistic Superman walks right into the trap.

Man of Steel

side profile shot of Superman looking resolutely into the distance.
David Corenswet plays Clark Kent/Superman. Credit: Warner Bros.
Young man with curly dark hair and glasses sitting at a desk in a newsroom.
His Clark Kent alter-ego is fittingly nebbishy. Credit: YouTube/DC
intense young woman with brown hair seated for an interview
Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) is already dating Clark and knows about his secret identity. Credit: YouTube/DC/Warner Bros.
little white dog wearing a red cape
Krypto to the rescue! Credit: YouTube/DC/Warner Bros.
Bald man clad in black striding into an icy fortress while removing dark glasses.
Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) hates it when people talk about Superman rather than him. Credit: YouTube/DC/Warner Bros.
blond woman in checked yellow dress taking a selfie while sticking her tongue out and making a V for victory sign with her fingers.
Sara Sampaio's Eve Tesmacher lives for taking selfies. Credit: Warner Bros.
fierce woman in black spandex throwing a sharp metal disk on a football field.
The Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría) has some slick moves. Credit: YouTube/DC/Warner Bros.
The Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Mister Terrific coming in for a landing
The Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) join the fray. Credit: YouTube/DC/Warner Bros.

Unfortunately, avoiding the origin story makes for a rather weak first act; one feels as if one has blindly stumbled into the middle of a very complicated narrative with few guideposts as to what's going on. We eventually get our bearings and the film finds its footing—and although the overstuffed plot never really makes much sense, by then we're having too much fun to mind—but that first 20 minutes is a slog.

It doesn't help that Gunn also sidestepped the whole "Why doesn't Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) realize that Clark Kent is Superman?" question. In this incarnation, Lois and Clark are already romantically involved, albeit secretly, and she is well aware of his true identity. (As for why nobody else makes the connection, we're told at one point that Clark's glasses interfere somehow with how humans perceive him—certainly a novel explanation.)

Again, it's a good creative instinct on Gunn's part, but that decision weakens the impact of an early scene where Lois interviews Clark as Superman about his Boravian actions, during which he gets defensive, and they have a major fight. We don't know this couple yet, so we're not emotionally invested, and it's not that interesting to watch the extended bickering. The whole scene just feels forced. By contrast, a later reconciliation scene between Lois and Clark packs an emotional punch precisely because by then we do know these people and care about the outcome.

A hero’s journey

superman in handcuffs being led away by military and Ultraman
Superman turns himself in and is manhandled for his trouble. Credit: Warner Bros.
Superman crouched inside what looks like a glass cage.
Lex Luthor imprisons Superman in a pocket dimension. Credit: YouTube/DC
bald man with misshapen body and hands
Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) can mimic any element, including kryptonite. Credit: Warner Bros.
Clark Kent in plaid shirt talking to his dad
A heart to heart with Jonathan Kent (Pruitt Taylor Vince). Credit: YouTube/DC/Warner Bros.
superman lying on a bed with a little white dog in a red cape on his chest.
A superhero and his dog. D'aww. Credit: YouTube/DC/Warner Bros.
Giant monster roaring as it strides through city streets
A kaiju? Why not? Credit: YouTube/DC/Warner Bros.
Superman shielding a little girl from falling rubble.
Superman comes to the rescue in the nick of time. Credit: Warner Bros.
Superman embracing Lois Lane in mid air.
If you could read her mind... Superman + Lois 4-evah. Credit: YouTube/DC

The film's greatest strength is its stellar cast, starting with Corenswet's Clark Kent/Superman. The Juilliard-trained actor brings the perfect mix of quiet strength, compassion, humility, and naive optimism to the character, who finds himself questioning everything he thought he believed when he encounters a devastating truth about his heritage. (I won't spoil the reveal, but it's a significant change to the Superman canon and is likely to have ramifications for future films in the franchise.)

Brosnahan is the best Lois Lane we've seen since Margot Kidder, and Skyler Gisondo gives us a more mature, competent version of Jimmy Olsen, who also seems to have quite a way with the ladies, much to Lois' puzzlement. Hoult gives us a Lex Luthor made for the moment: a super-smart, ruthless businessman with a massive-yet-fragile ego who simply can't stand the fact that a "metahuman" gets more public attention and adoration than he does.

There are way too many cameos and supporting characters for an already crowded cast, but I'll single out Anthony Carrigan's Metamorpho, Edi Gathegi's Mister Terrific, and Pruitt Taylor Vince's Jonathan Kent for special mention. Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) is largely wasted here, and Nathan Fillion's Green Lantern is mostly an obnoxious jerk played for laughs—especially that disastrous bowl-cut hair.

It's much to Gunn's credit that Superman works exceptionally well despite a few shortcomings. I'd give it a solid B+. Gunn has described his film as being "about kindness. It’s a movie about being good." Kindness is rather out of fashion these days, but Gunn's take is very much in line with the classic, pre-Snyderverse, ultra-idealistic noble Superman we've long known and loved. Add Corenswet's soulful vulnerability, and this is the superhero we need right now. Audiences clearly agree, as evidenced by the strong early box office numbers. We'll see where Gunn takes the DC Universe with his Gods and Monsters arc from here, but the franchise reboot is off to a very promising start.

Superman is now playing in theaters.

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Lord’s Vengeance - TPM – Talking Points Memo

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Send comments and tips to talk at talkingpointsmemo dot com. To share confidential information by secure channels contact me on Signal at joshtpm dot 99 or via encrypted mail at joshtpm (at) protonmail dot com.

The Department of Homeland Security posted an explicitly Christian nationalist and violent video on Facebook Reels captioned “Here I am, send me” about how Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol are delivering the Lord’s justice. Special thanks to TPM Reader DC for bringing this to our attention.

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Federal officials say a prominent Georgia Republican was running a $140 million Ponzi scheme | AP News

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NEWNAN, Ga. (AP) — A prominent Georgia Republican was running a Ponzi scheme that defrauded 300 investors of at least $140 million, federal officials alleged in a complaint filed Thursday.

The civil lawsuit by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said First Liberty Building and Loan, controlled by Brant Frost IV, lied to investors about its business of making high-interest loans to companies. Instead, investigators said, it raised more money to repay earlier investors.

Frost is alleged to have taken more than $19 million of investor funds for himself, his family and affiliated companies even as the business was going broke, spending $160,000 on jewelry and $335,000 with a rare coin dealer. Frost is also said to have spent $320,000 to rent a vacation home over multiple years in Kennebunkport, Maine, the town where the family of late president George H. W. Bush famously spent summers.

The SEC said Frost kept writing checks even after the commission began its investigation

First Liberty said last month that it would stop making loans and paying interest and principal to investors in those loans. The company said it was not answering phone calls or emails.

First Liberty has not responded to an email seeking comment, and no one was present at its office Thursday evening in Newnan, a suburb southwest of Atlanta. A lawyer who acts as the company’s registered agent for corporate purposes said earlier that he had no information.

The collapse rocked the religious and political networks that the business drew investors from. It also could have ramifications in state Republican politics, cutting off funding to the far-right candidates that Frost and his family have favored. Investigators said Frost spent $570,000 from investor funds on political contributions.

The SEC said the business had only $2.67 million in cash as of May 30, although regulators are also seeking to claw back money from Frost and associated companies. With 300 investors out $140 million, that means the average investor put in nearly $500,000.

First Liberty said it made loans to companies that needed cash while they waited for more conventional loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. It charged high rates of interest — 18% on some loans, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press. First Liberty promised investors equally high rates of return — 16% on the 18% loans.

In recent months the business advertised heavily on conservative radio shows promising “Wall Street returns for Main Street investors.”

“The promise of a high rate of return on an investment is a red flag that should make all potential investors think twice or maybe even three times before investing their money,” Justin C. Jeffries, associate director of enforcement for the SEC’s Atlanta Regional Office, said in a statement.

The company has represented that it is “cooperating with federal authorities as part of an effort to accomplish an orderly wind-up of the business.” The SEC said Frost and his companies agreed to the SEC’s enforcement actions “with monetary remedies to be determined by the court at a later date.”

While the SEC says there were loans to companies, as many as 90% of those companies have defaulted. By 2021 the company was running as a Ponzi scheme, the complaint said, even as Frost withdrew increasing amounts of money.

The business is being investigated by the Georgia secretary of state for possible violations of securities law said Robert Sinners, a spokesperson for the office.

A 2023 document obtained by the AP is titled as a “promissory note,” and Sinners said anyone issuing promissory notes is supposed to be registered with Georgia securities officials.

Sinners encouraged any victims to contact the state Securities Division.

Federal prosecutors have declined to comment on whether they are considering criminal charges. Sometimes both an SEC civil case and a federal criminal case are filed over investment frauds.

Frost has been an important player in Georgia politics since 1988, when he coordinated televangelist Pat Robertson’s Republican presidential bid in the state. His son, Brant Frost V, is chairman of the Coweta County Republican Party, where the company is based, and is a former second vice-chair of the state Republican Party. Daughter Katie Frost is Republican chairman of the 3rd Congressional District, which includes Coweta County and other areas southwest of Atlanta.

At last month’s state Republican convention, Katie Frost chaired a nominating committee that recommended delegates reelect state Party Chairman Josh McKoon. Delegates followed that recommendation, rejecting a number of insurgent candidates.

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Chaotic ICE raid at cannabis farm: About 200 arrested, one farmworker gravely injured in fall - Los Angeles Times

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Federal immigration agents carried out immigration sweeps at two Southern California cannabis farms on Thursday, arresting about 200 suspected undocumented immigrants and prompting a heated standoff between authorities and hundreds of protesters at a Ventura County site and reports of a farmworker who died in a fall.

Videos shared on social media showed nearly a dozen agents using so-called less-lethal ammunition on a crowd that had gathered near Glass House Farms, a large, licensed cannabis greenhouse in Camarillo. Meanwhile, 35 miles up the coast in Carpinteria, federal agents entered another Glass House Farms growing site, where a smaller crowd gathered around the perimeter.

The United Farm Workers union said it was told one worker fell several stories from a greenhouse at the Camarillo location. On Friday morning, UFW official Elizabeth Strater said the person was taken from the Ventura County farm by ambulance. The UFW later said the worker died. The worker’s name was not released, and local law enforcement officials could not immediately provide any details.

Andrew Dowd, a spokesperson for the Ventura County Fire Department, confirmed that eight people were transported from in and around the Camarillo facility Thursday afternoon to local hospitals for injuries. He said he did not have information on the extent of those injuries or their current status. Dowd said an additional four people were treated at the scene for minor injuries. He said he did not know how many were injured in the facility or outside at the related protest.

U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli confirmed in a statement on X that federal agents had executed a search warrant at a marijuana farm. He said they arrested several individuals on suspicion of impeding the operation and warned that people who continued to interfere would be arrested and charged with a federal offense.

A spokesperson for the FBI said the agency was investigating a shooting that occurred during the operation in Camarillo. Video captured by ABC7 News appeared to show a protester opening fire at federal immigration agents after smoke canisters were thrown to disperse the crowd.

Ten minors without documentation were found at the farm during the raid, eight of whom were unaccompanied, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said in a statement on X. The facility is now under investigation for child labor violations, he said.

Cesar Ortiz, 24, told a Times photographer in Spanish that his brother works at the farm and was detained and being held in a hot container without air conditioning.

“They are taking everyone and the truth is it’s not right because these people come to work, struggle every day, to earn for bread every day,” he said. “It feels like they are against us but there are no narcos here, no one is armed here and they come fully armed, full of military personnel.”

The Ventura County Fire Department was dispatched around 12:15 p.m. to provide medical aid as a result of federal enforcement activity along Laguna Road in Camarillo, according to agency spokesperson Andrew Dowd. Five patients were transported to hospitals for treatment and four were treated on the scene.

Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the area to assist with traffic control but were not involved in any way with the federal operation, he said. Dowd also noted that the Fire Department has no connection with any federal immigration enforcement actions and will never ask for a patient’s immigration status.

“There’s so many family and friends who work here at the Glass House Factory, it’s a huge factory. ... We were notified that the people working inside were all being detained, whether they were U.S. citizens or not,” said Angelmarie Taylor, who is with the 805 Immigration Coalition, a volunteer organization that tracks immigration activity by federal agents.

About 500 people gathered near the farm to protest during the day, according to Taylor. As of around 6:30 p.m. Thursday, about 200 protesters remained at the site where around 40 troops, some holding shields, and agents made a stand.

Marc Cohodes, an investor and famed short-seller who has invested in Glass House, called the raid “beyond outrageous.”

“The government is aware of cartels, illicit crime, the whole thing and yet, and yet, they decide to spend their resources going after a total legal company that pays the state of California hundreds of millions of dollars excise tax,” he said.

He added that Glass House is “the largest cannabis cultivator in the world” and “a highly regulated business fully licensed by the state of California,” with a site in Ventura County and another in Santa Barbara County. “It’s run by a guy named Kyle Kazan, who is an ex-cop who plays by the rules and does things by the book.” Kazan, he added, is also a supporter of President Trump.

Ortiz, whose brother was detained Thursday, said he had a message for Trump: “We all have a right to come here and work. Here, we all have a dream, we have to give it our all.”

Farther north in Carpinteria, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) attempted to enter the marijuana farm after hearing reports of an immigration operation but was not let past the masked federal agents agents who formed a perimeter along the road about 75 yards from the raid.

“It was disproportionate, overkill,” Carbajal said. “These tactics are creating an incendiary, hostile environment the way they are being deployed, which could lead to, regrettably, violence in the future.”

He identified himself as a Congress member conducting oversight but said he was told to contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and was turned away. A crowd had gathered around the perimeter, but he said they dispersed after agents wrapped up and boarded a military-style vehicle.

Aerial views of the scene in Camarillo taken by news helicopters showed dozens of workers sitting in the shade alongside a warehouse, with federal agents standing guard.

Protesters blocked the roads in and out, and at one point federal agents drove their vehicles through the fields. Multiple ambulances had gone in and out of the facility, Taylor said.

Sarah Armstrong, outreach chair with Americans for Safe Access, said it appeared that Homeland Security and the U.S. National Guard were at the location firing tear gas and rubber bullets at the Camarillo protesters.

Lucas Zucker, co-executive director of Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, or CAUSE, said Thursday that the organization had staffers on the ground after reports of a raid at Glass House, but he asked them to leave once federal agents started deploying tear gas.

The vast area is largely remote farmland, Zucker said, and the use of rubber bullets and tear gas on a small crowd was “pretty unusual.”

“I don’t think there’s any credible case that they were under threat,” he said, describing the scene as “a small crowd of community members … in pretty remote agricultural areas.”

He added that Glass House had been targeted by immigration authorities in the past couple of months, including when federal agents began conducting workplace raids in the region in June. Numerous videos on social media showed agents chasing after farmworkers and making mass arrests at farms.

Glass House Farms said in a post on X that the company was “visited today by ICE officials” and “fully complied with agent search warrants.” The statement said nothing else, except to add that the company would “provide further updates if necessary.”

Zucker said Ventura County saw a drop in worksite raids after an intense week in June, when community members mobilized to the fields and began patrolling farmlands. For the last few weeks, he said, they’ve received reports of raids in more suburban areas, including Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks. This raid represented the first major workplace raid in the region since then.

In a social media post, Oxnard Mayor Luis McArthur said he was “in communication with emergency services to ensure that safety personnel are on standby and ready to provide immediate assistance if necessary.”

“While this matter is taking place outside the jurisdiction of Oxnard, I am increasingly mindful that many of the facility’s employees are likely from Oxnard and are seeking refuge in their vehicles amid the high temperatures, raising concerns about the safety and well-being of those individuals,” he said.

He then commented on the broader strategy apparent from the raids across the Southland.

“It is becoming increasingly apparent that the actions taken by ICE are bold and aggressive, demonstrating insensitivity toward the direct impact on our community. These actions are causing unnecessary distress and harm. I remain committed to working alongside our Attorney General and the Governor’s office to explore potential legal avenues to address these activities.”

Tom Homan, Trump’s border advisor, criticized the protests.

“What happened in California is just another example of protesters becoming criminals, and they’ve been emboldened by even members of Congress who compare ICE to Nazis and racists and terrorists,” Homan told Fox News.

Freelance photographer Julie Leopo and staff writer Grace Toohey contributed to this report.

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acdha
6 hours ago
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“We were notified that the people working inside were all being detained, whether they were U.S. citizens or not”
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In a First, Solar Was Europe's Biggest Source of Power Last Month

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For the first time, solar was the largest source of electricity in the EU last month, supplying a record 22 percent of the bloc's power.

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acdha
7 hours ago
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“Heat waves will not go away – they will only get more severe in the future,” said Pawel Czyzak, an analyst at Ember. “Luckily, there is no lack of sunshine during heat waves.”
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Sources: JPMorgan Chase told fintech companies it will start charging fees for access to customers' account data, which could drastically reshape the industry (Bloomberg)

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Bloomberg:
Sources: JPMorgan Chase told fintech companies it will start charging fees for access to customers' account data, which could drastically reshape the industry  —  The largest US bank has sent pricing sheets to data aggregators — which connect banks and fintechs — outlining the new charges …

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JayM
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