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close video House GOP promise to look into government censorship on Twitter

Independent journalist Michael Shellenberger examines the relationship between Twitter and the alleged politicization of the F.B.I. on ‘The Evening Edit.’

The same day journalist Matt Taibbi was voluntarily testifying before Congress in Washington, D.C., an IRS agent showed up unannounced at his New Jersey home, he said.

Taibbi has been personally involved with revealing the "Twitter Files," or installments of behind-the-scenes documents new Twitter CEO Elon Musk provided to show how the social media platform previously censored content and users, among other things.

Taibbi testified before the newly Republican-created Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government about what he learned about Twitter on March 9, the same day an IRS agent made an unusual visit to his home.

"What an amazing coincidence," tweeted Michael Shellenberger, who was also involved with Musk and Twitter and also testified that same day.

MATT TAIBBI CALLS OUT ‘CENSORSHIP-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX’ IN LATEST TWITTER FILES

Matt Taibbi, a journalist, testifies during the House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government hearing titled The Twitter Files, in Rayburn Building on Thursday, March 9, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images / Getty Images)

"That’s very odd," Musk said in a tweet Monday evening. Several other users highlighted the actions were suspect and far from a coincidence.

Members of Congress chimed in, too.

"This absolutely stinks to high heaven. The IRS has a troubling history of targeting the political enemies of Democrats," responded Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

He added: "The IRS should NEVER be in the business of harassing the American people."

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENS AT THE IRS AFTER YOU FILE YOUR TAXES 

The chair of the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, also the House Judiciary Chairman, sent a pair of letters Monday to try and get answers.

The letters went to IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and said the committee wishes to see documents or communications relating to the authorized visit to Taibbi’s home.

View of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building in Washington, DC, on January 24, 2023. (STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

HERE ARE THE SIX IRS TAX FORMS TO BE AWARE OF BY APRIL 15

According to the Wall Street Journal, the IRS agent ultimately left a note instructing Taibbi to call the IRS. Taibbi did and was told both his 2018 and 2021 tax returns had been rejected, but the IRS did not explain why they visited the home in-person rather than an electronic notice.

"The bigger question is when did the IRS start to dispatch agents for surprise house calls? Typically, when the IRS challenges some part of a tax return, it sends a dunning letter. Or it might seek more information from the taxpayer or tax preparer. If the IRS wants to audit a return, it schedules a meeting at the agent’s office. It doesn’t drop by unannounced," the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board wrote.

Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, conducts the House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government hearing titled The Twitter Files, in Rayburn Building on Thursday, March 9, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Journalist Matt Taibbi testifies before the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government on March 9, 2023. (House Judiciary Committee)

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The subcommittee meeting was held at 10 a.m. on March 9, inside the Rayburn House Office Building.

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Nigerian court postpones Binance tax evasion case to end of April: Report

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Nigerian court postpones Binance tax evasion case to end of April: Report

Nigerian court postpones Binance tax evasion case to end of April: Report

A Nigerian court has reportedly delayed the country’s tax evasion case against Binance until April 30 to give time for Nigeria’s tax authority to respond to a request from the crypto exchange.

Reuters reported on April 7 that a lawyer for Binance, Chukwuka Ikwuazom, asked a court the same day to invalidate an order allowing for court documents to be served to the company via email.

Binance doesn’t have an office in Nigeria and Ikwuazom claimed the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) didn’t get court permission to serve court documents to Binance outside the country.

“On the whole the order for the substituted service as granted by the court on February 11, 2025 on Binance who is … registered under the laws of Cayman Islands and resident in Cayman Islands is improper and should be set aside,” he said.

FIRS sued Binance in February, claiming the exchange owed $2 billion in back taxes and should be made to pay $79.5 billion for damages to the local economy as its its operations allegedly destabilized the country’s currency, the naira, which Binance denies.

It also reportedly alleged that Binance is liable to pay corporate income tax in Nigeria, as it has a “significant economic presence” there, with FIRS requesting a court order for the exchange to pay income taxes for 2022 and 2023, plus a 10% annual penalty on unpaid amounts along with a nearly a 27% interest rate on the unpaid taxes.

Nigeria’s legal history with Binance

In February 2024, Nigeria arrested and detained Binance executives Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla on tax fraud and money laundering charges. The country dropped the tax charges against both in June and the remaining charge against Gambaryan in October.

Nigerian court postpones Binance tax evasion case to end of April: Report

Tigran Gambaryan (right) was seen in a September video struggling to walk into a courtroom in the Nigerian capital of Abuja. Source: X

Anjarwalla managed to slip his guards and escape Nigerian custody to Kenya in March last year and is apparently still at large.

Related: Binance exec shares details about release from Nigerian detention 

Gambaryan, a US citizen, returned home in October after reports suggested his health had deteriorated during his detainment with reported cases of pneumonia, malaria and a herniated spinal disc that may need surgery.

Binance stopped its naira currency deposits and withdrawals in March 2024, effectively leaving the Nigerian market.

Magazine: Trash collectors in Africa earn crypto to support families with ReFi 

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Sam and Starmer – what did PM actually mean?

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Sam and Starmer – what did PM actually mean?

👉Listen to Politics at Sam and Anne’s on your podcast app👈

It’s the final episode before recess so Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy wonder, given the turbulent times, who’ll be the first to call for Parliament to be recalled?

And talking of the Lib Dems, there’s some new polling which might put a spring into the step of Ed Davey – is his party’s position on Trump and trade doing them some favours?

Of course, there’s plenty of time to talk about the onslaught of US tariffs and implications for the UK – watch out for if the PM is asked about fiscal headroom when he appears before the Liaison Committee of senior MPs later.

Sam and Anne also ponder the PM’s response to Sam at a Q&A yesterday.

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Zelenskyy confirms for first time Ukraine forces active in Russia’s Belgorod region

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Zelenskyy confirms for first time Ukraine forces active in Russia's Belgorod region

Ukraine has confirmed for the first time that its troops have entered the neighbouring Russian region of Belgorod.

Ukrainian forces have also been fighting in parts of Russia’s Kursk region, eight months after a cross-border incursion, although Russia has recaptured lost territory there.

On Tuesday, Russia’s defence ministry said it intercepted and destroyed 23 Ukrainian drones overnight over the Kursk and Belgorod regions.

Ukraine latest: Putin’s questions over ceasefire

In his nightly video address, posted on X, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed for the first time his troops have been active in Russia’s Belgorod region as they seek to protect Ukrainian towns near the border.

He said Ukraine’s top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, had reported “on the situation at the front, including our presence in the Kursk and Belgorod regions”.

“We continue to carry out active operations in the border areas on enemy territory, and this is just – war must return to where it came from,” he said.

“The main objective remains the same: to protect our land and our communities in Sumy and Kharkiv regions as much as possible from the Russian occupier.”

Last month he referred to “certain steps” undertaken by Ukraine’s military in Russia “a little below the Kursk region” – suggesting a presence in the Belgorod region.

While it is the first official confirmation by Ukraine of its troops in Belgorod, Russian military bloggers had reported battles there in recent days.

Mr Zelenskyy also said that despite Russia’s recapture of areas of Kursk in recent weeks, the operation had a specific purpose.

“Thanks to the entire Kursk operation – we have managed to ease the pressure on other parts of the front, particularly in Donetsk region. It is absolutely crucial to keep destroying Russian equipment and all logistics used by the occupiers,” he said.

Map for 08/04/25 of east Kursk region of Ukraine / Russia border region
Image:
Ukraine now says its troops are operating in Russia’s Belgorod region, as well as Kursk

On Monday, Mr Zelenskyy’s hometown held funerals for some of the 20 people, including nine children, killed by a Russian missile which hit apartment buildings and a playground.

More than 70 people were also wounded in the attack on Friday night on Kryvyi Rih.

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Children killed in Russian missile strike

Read more from Sky News:
Defence chiefs meet in Kyiv
Trump issues warning to Russia

Russian forces mounted several attacks on villages around the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, according to Ukrainian military officials posting on Telegram on Monday.

They have for months been attempting to encircle the city, an important logistics hub, but Ukrainian resistance has slowed the Russian advances in the area.

Donald Trump is trying to broker a temporary ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

But the fighting has continued, and it remains unclear whether the US will maintain its military support for Ukraine.

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