Cambridge City Councilor named in high-end brothel case, vows to remain in position

A brothel ring being operated in luxury apartments in Cambridge-area neighborhoods and through Washington, D.C. has been releasing some of the list of their high-profile clientele over March, charging the men who extorted and trafficked women for sex since at least July 2020.

Federal authorities shut down the brothel in 2023, citing the clientele’s status included politicians, military officers and other industry professionals, but none of their identities were released until 2025, where 23 patrons are facing charges for their participation in the shuttling of women for sexual favors.

“There is sufficient evidence to establish probable cause,” according to the case clerk, Sharon Casey.

One of the high profile clients was Cambridge City Councilor Paul Toner, who allegedly communicated with the brothel hotline frequently, and purchased sex at least 13 times during 2023, according to police reports. 

Toner attended his first meeting at City Hall after his name was publicly identified on Monday, March 24, where the matter wasn’t discussed during the proceedings. Other city councilors had previously released a joint statement about the allegations, but noting that Toner has “the right to a fair process through the judicial system.”

Toner read a statement that said that he would not address or contest the statements in the case against him, noting “all Americans, including elected officials, are entitled to the right to due process.” 

When asked by reporters about any plans to resign from his position as city councilor, he remained clear that he would not resign from the position.

Toner has a juris doctorate from Suffolk Law School, according to the Cambridge City Council website. Records from the Moakley Archives show he was the Editor-in-Chief of the Suffolk Journal of Trial and Appellate Advocacy in 1998.

The women who were involved in the ring were often referred to by stage names, would be requested specifically, and would exchange quick text conversations with the clientele. The men would also spend hundreds for a “girlfriend experience,” from certain women, which would take place over an hour, according to descriptions of the ring from Cambridge Police Lieutenant Jarred Cabral.

The courthouse where the alleged clients were publicly identified and charged saw activists outside during proceedings, advocating for the women in the case. None of the women involved have received charges.

The ringleader of the brothel network Han Lee, has received a four year long prison sentence for his involvement, but no jail time has been given to men who participated in exploitative activity with the women through the network.

Oscar-winning Palestinian director released from Israeli prison

One of the directors of the Oscar-winning documentary, “No Other Land,” which was a collaborative piece between Israeli and Palestinian directors and creatives, was attacked and detained while in an occupied area of the West Bank before being returned a day later.

The documentary focused on Hamden Ballal’s village on the West Bank dealing the occupancy of Israeli settlers, and gained critical acclaim and praise for the collaborative nature of the documentary and its subject matter

Ballal, a Palestinian film director, was one of three Palestinians that were allegedly transported to a medical facility for treatment, according to the groups attorney Lea Tsemel, although she has not been able to get any further information about their whereabouts.

The documentary focused on Ballal’s village on the West Bank dealing the occupancy of Israeli settlers, and gained critical acclaim and praise for the collaborative nature of the documentary and its subject matter

According to another co-director, Basel Adra, the group was attacked by about two dozen people, some in masks and in Israel uniforms. Adra described that the group had arrived back from the U.S. to be at the Oscars ceremony and “every day since there is an attack on us.”

The Israeli military cited the detention of the three Palestinians due to a suspected incident of throwing stones at an Israeli civilian and forces and being involved in a “violent confrontation” with Israelis.

The soldiers lead Ballal, handcuffed and blindfolded, into a military van from his home, according to Adra.

Ballal was released by Israeli forces after being handcuffed and beaten in a prison overnight, according to a post on X from him. When taken to the military facility, they were not treated for any of the injuries sustained in the altercations with Israeli settlers, according to Tsemel.

“I realized they were attacking me specifically,” Ballal said in an interview at a West Bank hospital after his release.

23AndMe bankruptcy leaves customers scrambling to delete data

Popular genetic testing firm 23AndMe announced Sunday that it has filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is seeking out a buyer to expand the value of its business. Mark Jensen, Chair and member of the Special Committee of the Board of Directors at the company addressed the issue in a press release Sunday, saying the company decided the best approach was a court-supervised sale process.

“We believe in the value of our people and our assets and hope that this process allows our mission of helping people access, understand and benefit from the human genome to live on for the benefit of customers and patients.” said Jensen. 

The mission of 23AndMe is simple: customers send the company samples of their saliva to learn about their ancestry as well as possible health risks. The sudden declaration of bankruptcy stems from a 2023 data breach where attackers gained access to personal information from almost 7 million customer profiles. Because of this, 23andMe’s stock price plunged, and the company ultimately settled a class-action lawsuit for $30 million. 

Co-founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki took to social media to announce her resignation in order to make a bid for the company, thanking 23andMe’s 15 million customers in her post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“What made so many of our innovations possible were the 85% of our customers who opted in to research.  Thanks to them they have empowered an incredible platform for discovery.” said Wojcicki via X.

Since the 2023 data breach, California Attorney General Rob Bonta advised consumers of the product to delete their information as soon as possible.

“California has robust privacy laws that allow consumers to take control and request that a company delete their genetic data,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Given 23andMe’s reported finCambridge City Councilor named in high-end brothel caseancial distress, I remind Californians to consider invoking their rights and directing 23andMe to delete their data and destroy any samples of genetic material held by the company.” 

Atlantic editor-in-chief exposes national security threats via Signal groupchat that disclosed war strike details

Around 1:55 p.m. EST March 16, the United States launched attacks against the Houthi militia in Yemen. However, these plans were discussed two hours earlier on a Signal group chat with top security personnel, and the Editor in Chief of The Atlantic magazine. 

Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor of The Atlantic, was added to a group chat comprised of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President J.D. Vance, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and six other high ranking officials. 

At first, it was unknown to Goldberg if these messages were real, and if so, why he was included. But things changed on Saturday when the messages shifted from policy to “operational details about forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing,” according to The Atlantic.

The New York Times reported this to be an “extraordinary breach of American national security intelligence” and not just due to a journalist that was on the chat but the conversation was conducted outside of official government channels. 

Goldberg published an article in The Atlantic March 24 detailing part of what was sent in the group and exposing the threat to national security that the situation posed. Following this story, NBC News talked to President Donald Trump about what the next steps would be and he said this was, “the only glitch in two months” and that they have “learned their lesson.” 

Hegseth later denied that war plans were texted and did not comment on any other details that were shared by Goldberg. 

In an email statement to The New York Times, Brian Hughes, National Security Council spokesperson, confirmed that these text chains were authentic and the real communication and plans for the Yemen attacks. 

Goldberg shared that there were more attacks that were detailed in the chat but did not share any other information.