Taibbi speaks about the relationship between the FBI and Twitter executives:

💬 “We know from Michael Shellenberger that the FBI in one of these years paid Twitter $3.4 million for a "processing request". There was an understanding that they were essentially acting as a subcontractor of the FBI. We have these remarkable exchanges where one day they get a pile of requests and there's a slack chat between the Twitter employees. When they finally get done clearing them, they're sort of high fiving each other and saying, congratulations on finishing that monumental undertaking.”

🎧 Listen to more of Taibbi’s analysis in our podcast Political Misfits: Turkish Earthquake, Sports Betting Addiction, Taibbi on Twitter Files

Taibbi details how requests from government agencies were processed:

💬 "There was a moment in time just before the election in 2020 when all of the companies came together and they essentially settled on a new system where the FBI would act as a waystation for all the other outlets. Now, this resulted in a compromise on both sides. "

🎧 Listen to more of Taibbi’s analysis in our podcast Political Misfits: Turkish Earthquake, Sports Betting Addiction, Taibbi on Twitter Files

‘North Korea-linked’ Hackers Made Off With at Least $630 Million in Crypto, Report Claims

The report, to be made public either later this month or sometime in March, said that the $630 million figure was based on South Korean estimates. However, a cybersecurity firm cited by the monitors estimated that North Korean actors may actually have made off with over $1 billion in crypto. “The techniques used by cyber threat actors have become more sophisticated, thus making tracking stolen funds more difficult,” the report indicated.

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Dozens of Lawsuits Over L'Oreal's Hair Relaxers Filed in US Federal Court

According to court records, the lawsuits claim that the products made by the companies to straighten textured hair contain dangerous chemicals and that the manufacturers were aware that those chemical were unsafe, but marketed and sold their products nevertheless.

Last year, a US National Institutes of Health study claimed that women who regularly used hair relaxer products were at higher risk of uterine cancer.

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Toppling Dollar Hegemony? India May Lead by Example in Global South

🇮🇳💰 India’s decision to be paid in national currencies came amid geopolitical and economic tension, as the US restricted trade with Russia and Iran in the dollar. The move was also made with the hope that it would promote the growth of global trade with an emphasis on Indian exports and increase the interest of other countries in the rupee.

Experts weigh in on the topic

❗️UN experts found no evidence to corroborate the US' allegations North Korea supplied weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine, a diplomatic source familiar with the report submitted to the UN Security Council committee told Sputnik.

The experts submitted their confidential report to the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee on North Korea, according to the source.

Follow our LIVE UPDATES on the Ukrainian crisis

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Treaty of Shimoda: Not Cause for Protests, but Proof of Russia-Japan Permanent Peace & Friendship

On February 7, 1855, the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan signed the Japanese-Russian Friendship Treaty in the city of Shimoda, Article II of which demarcated the border between the two countries for the first time.

However, behind the subtleties of demarcation that Japanese nationalists are eager to escalate today, the main point of the treaty remains unnoticed. The key statement is contained in Article I of the treaty, which reads: "Henceforth there shall be permanent peace between the Empire of Russia and the Empire of Japan, including the security of persons and property of both nations."

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🎈 US Air Force vs Chinese Balloon: A ‘Victory’ for the Ages

“Shooting down China’s balloon was indeed the F-22’s first air-to-air kill,” says Rebecca Grant, an Air Force systems specialist and president of IRIS Independent Research.

🤔 Was it worth it?

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‼️Turkish Vice President: Earthquake death toll rises to 5,895 as injured tally hits 34,810

Residents of Turkey’s Diyarbakir hoping their relatives will be found alive in the rubble after a series of devastating earthquakes as search and rescue work continues

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Death Toll From Syria's Earthquake Tops 1,250, Another 2,054 Injured - Health Ministry

Aftermath of earthquakes in Turkey’s hard-hit Hatay province

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Russian emergency teams rescue a man who was trapped under the rubble in the Syrian city of Jableh

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