Monday, February 09, 2026

Moving to Florida to Found Eudokia Wealth

 
The magazine Opinion Internationale has sat down for an interview with Sébastien Laye, a dual (French-American) citizen who, after living in France for the past 12 years, is now moving to Florida.

In Un libéral à la conquête de l’Amérique de Trump (entretien avec Sébastien Laye, fondateur d’Eudokia Wealth) — in French, the word "liberal" has never lost its original meaning — the former New Yorker discusses his recent book and explains that he has no plans for returning to the Big Apple in these dark times, but will be settling in Florida where he will be launching Eudokia Wealth.
I am launching Eudokia Wealth, a new company at the intersection of AI and finance. It's an operational platform for acquiring financial advisors … — in the rapidly growing Southeastern region of the United States, from Florida to Texas, including Georgia and Tennessee — and modernizing them with AI technologies: developed in-house, through third-party integration, and sometimes simply by training my teams of advisors. AI is entering its practical application phase, enabling the complete reconfiguration of existing and traditional professions. Wealth management in Palm Beach or Dallas is still somewhat old-school, unless you're working for a major New York bank. We're going to build an "AI-first" financial group.
When Michel Taube asks him if he is what most French people would consider an insult — a liberal (in the French sense) and a rightist — the (presumably soon-to-be-ex-)member of Republicans Overseas France answers that ever since he was 13 or 14, he has felt the same way:
Marxism, socialism, communism, statism — these are simply incompatible with my fundamental vision of life. I am an incorrigible liberal and independent, with all the arrogance that sometimes entails. But I have no intention of apologizing for it.

Sunday, February 08, 2026

Aimed at "Demonizing Israel and the Jews", it was "the biggest anti-Semitic hoax of our generation": 25 Years Later, a French Magazine Re-Opens the Wounds of the Al-Durah Scandal

In a special issue on the Al-Durah hoax a quarter of a century years ago, the monthly Causeur reexamines the affair that caused widespread hatred of the Jewish state and Jews themselves.

Last Fall, No Pasarán published an in-depth post on the al Durrah affair which had its start on September 30, 2000 and which the blog has covered over the years25 Years Ago — Fate of 12-Year-Old Palestinian Led to 911 Attack and the Invention of the Word Pallywood
along with a quote by Philippe Karsenty, who was instrumental in helping to debunk the hoax ("If we ignore how images propagate and mutate, we hand the moral high ground to those who traffic in outrage"). (The post proved to be exactly the 14,000th since the beginning of the blog No Pasarán 21 years earlier.) 

In the current issue of Causeur (Conversationalist), Elisabeth Lévy presents the dossier under the title L’heure des pro-pal (although Karsenty himself would rather elect to call the legions of "Pro-Palestine" protesters the legions of "pro-Hamas" protesters), while Editor Jeremy Stubbs charges that the France 2 television station broadcast antisemitic disinformation, asking Who Killed the Truth? (Affaire Al-Durah, 25 ans après: qui a tué la vérité?).
Notably, Elisabeth Lévy makes some historical comparisons, saying that on
That September 30th [2000], the cameraman also offered his footage to CNN, which declined—out of caution? As for [France 2's Charles] Enderlin, he had no doubt whatsoever. Why would they, given that the child's death lent credence to the mainstream narrative of progressive media: heavily armed soldiers massacring defenseless civilians? If it wasn't true, it was a clever fabrication.

 … It is a scoop of a global nature. "Little Mohamed" is the face of innocence destroyed by Israeli-Jewish barbarity. On October 12, two Israeli soldiers who had strayed into Ramallah were lynched to cries of "Revenge for Al-Durah!" In the Arab world [as in places like university campuses and Hollywood], the bloodied hands that their killer presented to the cheering crowd becomes a symbol of glory.

 … Catherine Nay [states] that the image of Mohamed "erases, cancels out" that of the Jewish child in the Warsaw ghetto held at gunpoint by SS officers. At least that's clarity for you.

 … The Al-Durah affair, which has by now become known as the Enderlin affair, is also a textbook example of how the media party operates, rising up as one against anyone who threatens its best interests. The anti-Dreyfusards and the communists thought no differently.

Naturally, Karsenty is interviewed in the magazine — by Gil Mihaely — as he is on Radio Shalom (94.8FM), where it transpires that he is demanding to testify before France's Assemblée Nationale (video below).

Aimed at "Demonizing Israel and the Jews", he says, the Al-Durra affair was "the biggest anti-Semitic hoax of our generation." (More Karsenty quotes at the No Pasarán post from September 30.)
Presenting the dossier, Jeremy Stubbs writes: 
On September 30, 2000, France 2 broadcast a report showing the death of young Mohamed Al-Durah at the hands of the IDF in Gaza. This global scoop was a boon for Israel's enemies, who have exploited it ad nauseam for 25 years for their antisemitic propaganda. But incoherent and incomplete, it also raised doubts among many observers. While one of them, Philippe Karsenty, was convicted of defamation, the public broadcaster has still not proven the veracity of its footage. As Élisabeth Lévy stated when introducing our special report: "The Al-Durah affair is also a textbook example of how the media establishment operates, rising up as one against anyone who threatens its interests. The anti-Dreyfusards and the communists thought no differently." Karsenty's well-documented investigation showed that the image of Mohamed Al-Durah killed in his father's arms, which became an icon of the Palestinian cause and a justification for "anti-Zionism," was a staged event. 

Interviewed by Gil Mihaely, Philippe Karsenty called this report "the biggest anti-Semitic hoax of our generation." Michaël Prazan, speaking with Élisabeth Lévy and Jean-Baptiste Roques, pointed out that the accusation of ritual murder against Jews appeared in antiquity before becoming, in every era and across the globe, the pretext for horrific pogroms. Lawyers Gilles-William Goldnadel and Aude Weill-Raynal recounted the nine-year trial that ended with Philippe Karsenty's conviction. The court did not question its methodical analysis of the France 2 footage but applied defamation law to the letter, a "technical" judgment that does not serve historical truth. A left-wing Jew and wounded Zionist, Claude Askolovitch continues to believe that little Mohamed died under the bullets of the IDF. But rather than making him a symbol or the banner of a cause, he wants to restore his individuality. For Pierre-André Taguieff, the misleading images of "little Mohamed," with their antisemitic undertones, are akin to "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" and the Dreyfus Affair. As for the numerous journalists who chose to broadcast them without critical distance, they reveal the devastating corporatism of their profession. 
The editor of Causeur goes on to present the rest of issue # 142:
In her monthly editorial, Elisabeth Lévy comments on the operations of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) in the United States, which, on this side of the Atlantic, are provoking opposing reactions: praise from the right, condemnation from the left. Moreover, the left is seizing the opportunity to use the N-word (N for Nazi) and demonize President Trump. Certainly, no one wants to see innocent people die at the hands of a trigger-happy police force, but France has proven incapable of reducing migration flows, so that "our borders are like sieves." Her conclusion: "If force without law is a tyrant's fantasy, law without force is a child's dream."

Jeremy Stubbs : 

Le 30 septembre 2000, France 2 diffuse un reportage présentant la mort du petit Mohamed Al-Durah sous les balles de Tsahal à Gaza. Ce scoop mondial est une aubaine pour les ennemis d’Israël, qui l’exploitent ad nauseam depuis 25 ans pour leur propagande antisémite. Mais incohérent et tronqué, il a aussi suscité les doutes de nombreux observateurs. Si l’un d’eux, Philippe Karsenty, a été condamné pour diffamation, la chaîne publique n’a toujours pas prouvé la véracité de ses images. Comme le dit Élisabeth Lévy en présentant notre dossier spécial : « L’affaire Al-Durah est aussi un cas d’école du fonctionnement du parti des Médias qui se dresse comme un seul homme contre quiconque menace l’intérêt supérieur du Parti. Les antidreyfusards et les communistes ne pensaient pas différemment ». L’enquête étayée de Karsenty montrait que l’image de Mohamed Al-Durah tué dans les bras de son père, qui est devenue une icône de la cause palestinienne et une justification de l’« antisionisme », était une mise en scène.

Interviewé par Gil Mihaely, Philippe Karsenty qualifie ce reportage de « plus grand faux antisémite de notre génération ». Michaël Prazan, se confiant à Élisabeth Lévy et Jean-Baptiste Roques, rappelle que l’accusation contre les Juifs de crime rituel apparaît dans l’Antiquité avant d’être à toutes les époques et sous tous les cieux lle prétexte d’effroyables pogromes. Les avocats Gilles-William Goldnadel et Aude Weill-Raynal reviennent sur les neuf ans de procès qui se sont terminés par la condamnation de Philippe Karsenty. La Justice n’a pas remis en cause son analyse méthodique des images de France 2 mais a appliqué à la lettre le droit de la diffamation, un jugement « technique » qui ne sert pas la vérité historique. Juif de gauche et sioniste blessé, Claude Askolovitch continue de penser que le petit Mohamed est mort sous les balles de Tsahal. Mais plutôt qu’en faire un symbole ou l’étendard d’une cause, il veut lui rendre sa singularité. Pour Pierre-André Taguieff, les images trompeuses du « petit Mohamed » s’apparentent, par leur charge antisémite, aux « Protocoles des sages de Sion » et à l’affaire Dreyfus. Quant aux nombreux journalistes qui ont préféré les relayer sans distance critique, ils nous informent sur le corporatisme dévastateur de leur profession.

Dans son édito du mois, Elisabeth Lévy commente les opérations de l’ICE (la police de l’Immigration et des Douanes) aux États-Unis qui, de ce côté de l’Atlantique, suscitent des réactions opposées : louanges à droite, condamnation à gauche. De surcroît, la gauche en profite pour sortir le N-word (N comme nazi) et diaboliser le président Trump. Certes, personne ne souhaite voir des innocents mourir sous les balles d’une police à la gâchette facile, mais la France s’est montrée incapable de réduire les flux migratoires, de sorte que « nos frontières sont des passoires ». Conclusion : « si la force sans le droit est un fantasme de tyran, le droit sans la force est un rêve d’enfant ».

Lire votre magazine

 … Certes, les mauvaises manières de Donald Trump scandalisent les Européens mais, selon mon analyse, il ne fait que perpétuer la vieille tradition américaine d’ingérences qui s’inscrit désormais dans une mondialisation des conflits. Les grandes puissances sont en concurrence sur tout et partout sur terre.

  Gaza : affaire AI Dura, Philippe Karsenty veut être auditionné par l'assemblée nationale  
 
 

Après les drames survenus à Minneapolis, la police de l’Immigration et des Douanes est comparée à la Gestapo. Qu’il est bon de résister sans danger.


Quel est le point commun entre une nonagénaire niçoise effroyablement violée par un Tunisien sous OQTF et un infirmier américain tué par la police de l’Immigration et des Douanes [ICE]


Gaban to Join Art Capital 2026 Exhibit in the Grand Palais

 
It turns out that one of the neighbors in my Paris building, who I thought was "nothing but" a businesswoman (she is that too), doubles — to my great surprise — as an artist. 

Gaban (who is a woman despite her misleading biography) has two periods: Émergence and Convergence. Check out her paintings, and if you are in Paris for Valentine's Day, Art Capital is organizing an exhibit of her works and those of numerous other artists inside le Grand Palais between February 13 and 15 (vernissage le 12 février).
  

Saturday, February 07, 2026

French TV: Always Be Grateful When You Are Accused of Being (a) Racist

This morning, I told the viewers of a French television station that you should always be grateful when being accused of being (a) racist, not because it's true, of course, but because it invariably shows that the Left has run out of arguments and must now make do with (scientific-sounding) insults and ad hominems. (See Examining the Left's Concept of "Talking Points" as well as The "Racism" Invective (How the Left's Mindset Works).) 

This morning, I was again interviewed by France Info for their 10/12 program, this time about the "racist video" (presented by Florence O'Kelly as an established and incontrovertible fact) that the White House issued yesterday showing in the final two seconds the Obamas as monkeys or gorillas.

The subject is between 33:52 and 58:12 (at 49:18, my cat makes an appearance in the background, sneaking up on me stealthily like a lion king, ready to jump on its prey — moi — and tear it to shreds) and it is hard for me to talk (starting at 40:55) without being constantly interrupted by people — such as Anthony Bellanger and Pierre Gervais — calling Trump "a white supremacist" and referring to this "racist incident" as well as to the alleged "violence in the words" of this Republican (moi). At 57:33, I try to get a word in, to no avail. 

FYI, I did not mention what follows, but I wouldn't be surprised if Donald Trump released the two seconds from the Lion King satire on purpose, because — like the cats "kitty-napped" and eaten by the Haitians — it caused the MSM, in America as abroad, to necessarily mention the main subject of the video which was about the many failures and anomalies of the 2020 election in Georgia. (See yesterday's No Matter How Clever You Think Trump Is, You Do Not Appreciate His Brilliance Enough.)


L’équipe du JT

L'équipe du week-end

  • Présenté par

    Florence O'Kelly 

  • Rédacteurs en chef

    Claire Giroud

  • Rédacteurs en chef adjoints

    -

  • Responsable d’édition

    Loubna Daoudi

  • Journaliste

    -

  • Joker

    -


    Friday, February 06, 2026

    Epstein Scandal: No Matter How Clever You Think Trump Is, You Do Not Appreciate His Brilliance Enough


    No matter how shrewd you (rightfully) think Donald Trump is, you do not appreciate his brains enough.

    Admit it, like myself you have been wondering why Trump and Pam Bondi did not immediately release the documents relating to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, as the GOP candidate promised during his 2024 campaign. Lots of conservatives have been extremely vocal in their criticism of the (non-)move. It turns out that the White House was completely right to do so (or, rather, to refrain from doing so) and that there was/is method to 47's madness. (Tusen takk for the Instalink, Sarah.)

    They knew how intertwined Europe's élites (not just the Scandinavians) have been with Epstein and his island (photos above and below of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit — who may now be denied the option to ever become queen when her husband ascends the throne — and the country's former prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland who has additionally held several international posts).

    In the past year, The Democrat Party's Locofocos have gone increasingly bonkers over releasing the Epstein files, which they assumed must contain the most sordid revelations on Donald Trump. As millions of documents are released, it turns out that to a large extent (to nobody's surprise), it is mainly leftists, American as well as foreign, who are embroiled. Or, as Wretchard the Cat puts it, eloquently:
    The irony is the Epstein files were supposed to sink MAGA but the torpedoes are running circular.
    Thanks to the Republican president holding back on his promise, foreign élites will not now be able to accuse their "tactless," "brainless," and "inconsiderate" nemesis of gratuitously and irresponsibly releasing the confidential documents, as it is the Democrats' drama queens — their fellow leftist allies (whom they support in just about every endeavor) — who have been fighting to make the documents public. They are the only ones, or certainly the main ones, to blame. 

    I wouldn't be surprised if, during his talks with foreign officials (unless the premier talked to is part of the visitor roster to Little Saint James) over the past 12 months, the president has in private been repeatedly saying: "By the way, Look, I am trying to hold the fort here; a lot of people in your country are mentioned in the files and that's why I have been trying to limit their release, but the Democrats' fire eaters may leave us no choice."

    Genius.

    (Many links above are from Scandinavia i.e., in Danish and Norwegian; below are several in English.)
    In related news: Calling Epstein "A math nerd with charisma",  reports that The Epstein Enigma Unravels Ever-So Slightly in Bannon Interview:
    Jeffrey Epstein called himself a “hermit” in two hours of 2019 interview footage just released. This seemed strange but probably on one level accurate. Despite his name invading the news with increasing ferocity over the last two decades, Epstein’s Woody Allen-ish voice remained completely unknown to me, and perhaps to many who follow current events, until his conversation with Steve Bannon was uploaded to YouTube. Stranger still, watching Epstein discourse on myriad topics for two hours resulted in no compulsion to immediately take a shower. Unlike with, say, Harvey Weinstein or Jimmy Savile, the mere look of Epstein did not provoke a visceral reaction of disgust. The disgust comes on an intellectual level after actively thinking about his deviance rather than on a physiognomic level while passively watching him speak. In fact, the more Epstein talked to Bannon, the more I wanted him to talk — and for Bannon to let him. He mesmerized. A reason beyond the money and the dark pleasures of Epstein Island existed for so many people to voluntarily pursue his company. Epstein was, to use an albeit overused word, brilliant. This superlative risks upsetting a coalition of simpletons and highbrains, who regard "smart," "intelligent," and "genius" as shorthand for every other positive attribute to include "righteous," "wise," "prudent," "dependable," and "good." Tellingly, the Marine Corps includes "intelligence" nowhere in its 14 leadership traits.  …
    Click here for The Guardian's report of Steve Bannon's interview of Epstein.
    Speaking of Epstein being "brilliant" — a word that would never be used for Donald Trump — Dennis Prager has stated numerous times that 
    People tend to be preoccupied with intelligence. But intelligence leads nowhere if you don't have common sense and clarity. In short, “brains” aren’t that important. Almost everyone is intelligent enough to handle life well. 
    The founder of PragerU says that what matters is that young people become good, adding that

    Societies are preoccupied with just about everything other than making good people. For some, it is intelligence. Parents are often more concerned with their children’s IQs than their children’s characters. And many people confuse higher education with decency and moral insight.

     

    Wednesday, February 04, 2026

    "Verbal Violence Erected as a Method of Intimidation": Le Monde on Charles Kushner, "a relay of Trumpist diplomacy in Paris"

     
    In a full-page article, Charles Kushner, a relay of Trumpist diplomacy in Paris, Le Monde — aka France's newspaper of record and therefore the French equivalent of the New York Times — has published an in-depth piece on Trump's ambassador to Paris in which Philippe Karsenty is interviewed and in which, needless to say, feels it necessary to mention every controversial part (real or otherwise) of Jared's father through the decades, notably his public criticism of French anti-semitism.

    The 71-year-old diplomat, who took up his post in May 2025, is the father of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law and US envoy to the Middle East. Like his son, he favors unorthodox methods and does not hesitate to interfere in French domestic affairs.

     … American diplomacy has entered a new era, where interference in the internal affairs of an allied country is no longer taboo. “The term ‘diplomacy’ is not appropriate for Trumpism, a mixture of obsessions and impulsive whims, followed by escalation, abandonment, sudden disinterest, and verbal violence,” analyzes Hubert Védrine, the former diplomatic advisor to François Mitterrand. …/… 

    Business Negotiations 

    Appointed to Paris on May 19, 2025, the 71-year-old reiterates that he hardly sought this position, as he is not a diplomat and readily admits it. Charles Kushner is cut from the same cloth as businessman Steve Witkoff, Trump's friend and emissary tasked with negotiating peace in Ukraine and the Middle East. The septuagenarian likes to speak his mind and use direct methods, according to those close to him. In his view, international relations are similar to business negotiations, made up of slammed doors, intimidation, and reconciliations. And "President Trump is a very good businessman," he boasted in an interview on LCI on August 28. 

    “Charles Kushner isn't engaging in social niceties; he's on a mission. He's carrying the message of Trump's actions. They have grandchildren in common,” declares Philippe Karsenty, a former elected official in Neuilly-sur-Seine and now the spokesman for le Comité Trump France. Mr. Kushner’s mission? “To open France’s eyes to global issues,” continues the representative of Trump supporters in Paris, who describes Donald Trump as “Europe’s Viagra, our last chance to avoid being swept away by history.”

     … In direct contact with the White House chief, the ambassador is now multiplying meetings with his European counterparts to take the pulse of an Old Continent despised by the Trump administration. … “Charles Kushner does not want France in 2026 to resemble France in 1939,” declares Mr. Karsenty.  

     … Shunning the media – he refused requests from Le Monde – and not speaking French, the ambassador seems, since then, to have been exploring with curiosity the political landscape of his host country, accompanied by his chief of staff, Gabriel Scheinmann, who is perfectly fluent in French.

     … [Among the Frenchmen that Charles Kushner has met is] the First Secretary of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, on December 16. The left-wing leader recalls hearing his interlocutor steer every conversation back to "business" and making the American laugh by explaining that "in our country, we don't use our credit cards to go to the hospital." Charles Kushner seemed disconcerted by "this country where people work thirty-five hours a week and retire at 62 and a bit," Mr. Faure remembers. "He thought we were all Soviets."


    Tuesday, February 03, 2026

    The Trumpinoscope on French TV: Is the opposition of American stars against Donald Trump effective or simply symbolic?

    At the Grammy Awards, do artists act as a counterweight to power? Is the opposition
    of American stars against Donald Trump effective or nothing more than symbolic? 

    Monday evening I was interviewed by France Info Télévision's Loïc de la Mornais in a segment of Sur le Terrain (In the Field) called le Trumpinoscope

    In the full 1:54:38 show, about Donald Trump, Minnesota, and the Grammies, the police car chase mentioned in a post yesterday is broadcast between 1:03:17 and 1:05:48 while the American report can be seen between 1:08:54 and 1:31:13, with myself appearing between 1:19:29 and 1:25:00. (I was duly impressed, because they not only mentioned the book I wrote 20 years ago, they found the cover to the first edition.)

    The easiest thing, though, is simply to click on the links at Sur le Terrain and le Trumpinoscope which are shorter videos (22:11) devoted entirely to the American segment and in which I appear from 10:39 to 16:08. (Merci pour l'Instalien, Sarah.)

     

    "Sur le terrain" du 2 février 2026 : l’opposition des stars américaines contre Donald Trump, efficace ou symbolique ?



    Loïc de la Mornais s'intéresse dans cette deuxième partie à la cérémonie très politique cette année des Grammy Awards, ayant eu lieu aux États-Unis et où les stars américaines ont largement pris la parole pour dénoncer la politique anti-immigration de Donald Trump. Une séquence à retrouver dans l'émission "Sur le terrain" diffusée entre 21 h et 23 h sur la chaîne info, canal 16.

    Les invités de "Sur le terrain" du lundi 2 février 2026 sont :

    • • Érik Svane, membre des “Republicans” en France
    • • Tristan Cabello, historien et spécialiste des États-Unis
    • • Michel Mompontet, éditorialiste international France Télévisions
      

    Loïc de la Mornais s'intéresse dans cette première partie au vote du budget en France, adopté lundi 2 février par l’Assemblée nationale après plusieurs mois de débats et de rebondissements. Une séquence à retrouver dans l'émission "Sur le terrain" diffusée entre 21 h et 23 h sur la chaîne info, canal 16.

    Les invités de "Sur le terrain" du lundi 2 février 2026 sont :

    • • Isabelle Ficek, cheffe du service France des Échos
    • • Luc Gras, politologue
    • • Isabelle This Saint-Jean, économiste et professeure à l’Université Sorbonne-Nord