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Florida Attorney General Opens Criminal Investigation Into Tate Brothers

Published

12 months ago

March 4, 2025

Florida Attorney General Opens Criminal Investigation Into Tate Brothers

Florida’s attorney general on Tuesday opened a criminal investigation into Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate, the British American online influencers who face human-trafficking charges in Romania and Britain, after they arrived in the state last week.

Attorney General James Uthmeier of Florida said in a statement on Tuesday that he had directed his office “to work with our law enforcement partners to conduct a preliminary inquiry into Andrew and Tristan Tate.”

Mr. Uthmeier said in an exchange with a reporter posted to X that his office had “secured and executed subpoenas and warrants” in the criminal investigation into the Tate brothers.

The brothers, who have millions of followers on social media and are known for their misogynistic views and excessive displays of wealth, had been barred from leaving Romania for more than two years after they were arrested there in 2022 on accusations of luring women to the country and sexually exploiting them.

But last week, the two brothers arrived in Florida after the travel restrictions were lifted.

In a separate investigation, British authorities have also sought the Tates’ arrest over criminal accusations of rape and human trafficking. Four British women who sued Andrew Tate have urged the British government to request the extradition of the brothers.

Florida officials have said that the brothers, who arrived at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in a private jet last Thursday morning, are not welcome in the state.

“Florida is not a place where you’re welcome with that type of conduct,” Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters last week. Mr. DeSantis added that he had not known about the Tates’ arrival in his state, but found out through the media. “I don’t know how it came to this,” he said. “We were not involved, we were not notified.”

Mr. Uthmeier, the attorney general, said he would use the “full force of law” against the brothers.

“These guys have themselves publicly admitted to participating in what very much appears to be soliciting, trafficking, preying upon women around the world,” Mr. Uthmeier told a reporter who posted the exchange on social media. “This type of behavior is viewed as atrocious, we’re not going to accept it.”

Joseph McBride, the Tate brothers’ lawyer, maintained the siblings’ innocence in a scathing statement filled with vulgarities that vilified Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Uthmeier on Tuesday. Mr. McBride called the notion that the brothers committed a crime in Florida “complete nonsense.”

“What are Andrew and Tristan Tate guilty of? I’ll tell you. They are guilty of wielding massive influence over young men,” Mr. McBride said. “They are guilty of posting mean tweets.”

Andrew Tate posted on X on Tuesday expressing his “disappointment” to his more than 10 million followers on the platform. “Absolute communism. I’ve been in America for 5 days. I sat on my laptop and did a podcast,” he wrote. “Insanity. I am super disappointed in the United States.”

Romanian prosecutors said in a news release that they were still pursuing criminal investigations against two British American citizens. They did not name the people, but said they had been allowed to leave Romania and had to “appear before judicial authorities whenever summoned.”

The brothers are known for promoting an antagonistic, anti-feminist brand of masculinity and have denied all of the accusations against them, arguing that their wealth and outspokenness have made them targets.

Alan Feuer contributed reporting.

Related Topics:Andrew (1986- )Attorneys General DeSantis Featured Florida Great Britain Romania ron Tate tristan

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Map: Earthquake Shakes Central California

Published

8 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Map: Earthquake Shakes Central California

Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 3 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “weak,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown. All times on the map are Pacific time. The New York Times

A minor earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 3.5 struck in Central California on Monday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The temblor happened at 7:17 a.m. Pacific time about 6 miles northwest of Pinnacles, Calif., data from the agency shows.

As seismologists review available data, they may revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude. Additional information collected about the earthquake may also prompt U.S.G.S. scientists to update the shake-severity map.

Source: United States Geological Survey | Notes: Shaking categories are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. When aftershock data is available, the corresponding maps and charts include earthquakes within 100 miles and seven days of the initial quake. All times above are Pacific time. Shake data is as of Monday, March 2 at 10:20 a.m. Eastern. Aftershocks data is as of Monday, March 2 at 11:18 a.m. Eastern.

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US says Kuwait accidentally shot down 3 American jets

Published

10 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

US says Kuwait accidentally shot down 3 American jets

The U.S. and Israel have been conducting strikes against targets in Iran since Saturday morning, with the aim of toppling Tehran’s clerical regime. Iran has fired back, with retaliatory assaults featuring missiles and drones targeting several Gulf countries and American bases in the Middle East.

“All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition. Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation,” Central Command said.

“The cause of the incident is under investigation. Additional information will be released as it becomes available,” it added.

In a separate statement later Monday, Central Command said that American forces had been killed during combat since the strikes began.

“As of 7:30 am ET, March 2, four U.S. service members have been killed in action. The fourth service member, who was seriously wounded during Iran’s initial attacks, eventually succumbed to their injuries,” it said.

Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing. The identities of the fallen are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification,” Central Command added.

This story has been updated.

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Satellite images provide view inside Iran at war

Published

22 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Satellite images provide view inside Iran at war

Smoke rises over Konarak naval base in southern Iran on Sunday. The base was one of hundreds of targets of U.S. and Israeli forces throughout the country.

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Commercial satellite images are providing a unique look at the extent of damage being done to Iran’s military facilities across the country.

The U.S. and Israeli military campaign opened with a daytime attack that struck Iranian leadership in central Tehran. Smoke was still visible rising from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s compound following the attack that killed the supreme leader.

An image by the company Airbus taken on Saturday shows the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Iran’s Leadership House in central Tehran. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening wave of attacks.

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Israel and the U.S. have gone on to strike targets across the country. Reports on social media indicate that there have been numerous military bases and compounds attacked all over Iran, and Iran has responded with attacks throughout the Middle East.

U.S. forces have also been striking at Iran’s navy. In a post on his social media platform, President Trump said that he had been briefed that U.S. forces had sunk nine Iranian naval vessels. U.S. Central Command did not immediately confirm that number but it did say it had struck an Iranian warship in port.

An image captured on February 28 shows a ship burning at Iran's naval base at Konarak.

An image captured on Saturday shows a ship burning at Iran’s naval base at Konarak.

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Numerous satellite images show burning vessels at Konarak naval base in southern Iran. Images also show damage to a nearby airbase where hardened hangers were struck by precision munitions.

Hardened aircraft shelters at Konarak airbase were struck with precision munitions.

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And there was extensive damage at a drone base in the same area. Iran has launched numerous drones and missiles toward Israel and U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Many drones have been intercepted but videos on social media show that some have evaded air defenses and caused damage in nearby Gulf countries. In Dubai, debris from an Iranian drone damaged the iconic Burj Al Arab, according to a statement from Dubai’s government.

Buildings at an Iranian drone base at Konarak were destroyed in the strikes.

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Iran’s most powerful weapons are its long-range missiles. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards have hidden the missiles deep inside mountain tunnels. Images taken Sunday in the mountains of northern Iran indicate that some of those tunnels were hit in a wave of strikes.

Following Khamenei’s death, Iran declared 40 days of mourning. Satellite images showed mourners gathering in Tehran’s Enghelab square on Sunday.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told NPR on Sunday that Iran will continue to fight “foreign aggression, foreign domination.”

A White House official told NPR that Trump plans to talk to Iran’s interim leadership “eventually,” but that for now, U.S. operations continue in the region “unabated.”

A large crowd of mourners fill Enghelab Square in Tehran on Sunday, following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

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