Socialist Democrat Melts Down in Defense of Hasan Piker, Demands Party Focus on Targeting ‘White Christians’ & ‘Broligarchs’– slaynews.com News Source
EXCERPT:
A socialist Democrat poised to represent much of Philadelphia in Congress erupted at members of his own party for distancing themselves from far-left streamer Hasan Piker, who has faced mounting condemnation from prominent Democrats over his controversial rhetoric.
Pennsylvania State Rep. Chris Rabb (D-Philadelphia) is heavily favored to win Pennsylvania’s deep-blue 3rd Congressional District in November.
Trump Suggests He Won’t Try to Talk Warsh Out of Rate Hike– www.dailysignal.com News Source
EXCERPT:
President Donald Trump declined to criticize Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh for suggesting he might raise interest rates, instead saying he trusts his appointee will do what needs to be done.
When asked by the Daily Signal whether he opposes Warsh’s potential rate increase and whether he has spoken to Warsh about it, Trump said, “No.”
“I have a lot of respect for him, and he’ll do what he has to do,” the president told the Daily Signal in the Oval Office on Monday.
NEW: I asked @POTUS about Fed Chair Warsh considering raising rates.
“I have a lot of respect for him, and he’ll do what he has to do,” he told @DailySignal.
“I think our interest rates are too high…We should have the lowest interest rates in the world, because if we wanted… pic.twitter.com/FMKepYuQDQ
— Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell (@TheElizMitchell) August 31, 2026
CBS Host Brennan Avoids Naming El-Sayed Amid Piker Controversy on Face The Natio– www.newsbusters.org News Source
EXCERPT:
Ever since Abdul El-Sayed became the Democratic Senate nominee from Michigan, the liberal media has been doing all \it can to protect him against accusations of anti-Semitism, and belittle concerns about his close relationship with radical left wing streamer Hasan Piker, who, among other outrageous statements, once said America deserved 9-11. On Sunday’s Face The Nation, CBS host Margaret Brennan’s performance was one of the most egregious examples of this.
After receiving a ‘good morning’ welcome from Brennan, Congressman John James of Michigan, who is also the GOP’s gubernatorial candidate from the state, wasted no time in getting his main point across:
JAMES: Hey, Margaret, good morning. Thank you so much for having me on. I’m really excited, because in a state like Michigan, we have the most extreme ticket running, with Abdul El Sayyed and Jocelyn Benson [MI Secretary of State and Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate] campaigning with people who said that we deserved 9/11–
BRENNAN: Okay–
JAMES: I say, never forget.
James seemed to rattle Brennan, who was apparently caught off guard, and then acted confused, as if she had never heard this issue raised before, or as if she had never heard of Piker. She also seemed to label Benson as a senate candidate, which is of course incorrect:
Oh, wow. I want to ask you about some issues with your platform and the like, but never forget, of course. I’m sorry, did you just accuse Senate candidates of something to do with terrorism? I’m not clear what you just said?
“Senate candidates?” “Something to do with terrorism?” She refused to mention both El-Sayed, or Piker, who, maybe someone should inform Brennan.
So here we go. Piker recently said that American Jews who support Israel, are responsible for bringing about acts of anti-Semitism, causing a rebuke from House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and has along history of verbally attacking Jews.
US brings back Russia’s Siluanov to G20 finance talks, angering Europe | Russia-Ukraine war News– www.aljazeera.com News Source
EXCERPT:
Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has made a surprise appearance at United States-hosted G20 finance talks in North Carolina, sparking frustration and dismay among European ministers and officials.
Siluanov’s appearance at the talks in Asheville on Monday marks the first time the minister, who was appointed in 2011, has attended a G20 meeting in person since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
He held a bilateral meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, with Russia’s Ministry of Finance saying the two men discussed financial cooperation within the G20 framework.
A US official said the meeting focused on US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine.
Asked about the invitation to Siluanov, Trump told reporters: “We like getting along with everybody. One of the reasons I’m so successful, I get along with everybody.”
European officials, however, criticised the move.
Polish Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski said he was unhappy to see Moscow represented, although he recognised the right of G20 hosts to invite guests.
“We do not trust Russia. They lie constantly, and you need to be really, really cautious while discussing with them,” he told the Reuters news agency, stressing that Russia was the aggressor in its conflict with Ukraine.
“So for me, it would be very difficult to have any kind of conversation with Russia.”
Australian judge floats giving court-appointed expert access to Tesla’s engineering systems– www.channelnewsasia.com News Source
EXCERPT:
SYDNEY: An Australian judge said he may order Tesla to give an independent expert access to its internal engineering platforms as part of a class action against the Elon Musk-led carmaker, a move designed to bypass a drawn-out discovery process that has dogged the case.
The lawsuit, filed in February 2025, alleges Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y vehicles suffer from “phantom braking” and that the advertised self-driving capability and battery range were overstated.
Federal Court judge Tom Thawley suggested appointing an independent expert after lawyers for the applicants, representing some 10,000 Tesla owners, complained the documents Tesla had turned over failed to capture crucial technical information they needed to run the case.
Bringing in an independent expert who was endorsed by both sides “would eliminate the discovery issue because they would have, if they needed access to something, the power to get access”, Thawley told the court on Tuesday (Sep 1).
He added that he would not necessarily keep the court-appointed expert away from certain material “just because one of the parties doesn’t like that idea”.
The matter is yet to go to trial as the parties clash over the discovery process.
Lindsay Clancy Supporters Praise Her Lawyer: “You’re the voice of so many moms”– www.louderwithcrowder.com News Source
EXCERPT:
The depravity of Lindsay Clancy supporters is getting worse by the day.
Clancy’s lawyer, Kevin Reddington, was confronted by a mother and her daughter outside the courthouse. Nearly in tears, they thanked him for defending Clancy, who admitted to killing her three children, while the daughter claimed how much she related and wished someone like him had advocated for her when she was postpartum.
This is incredibly embarrassing, cringe, and reprehensible. How pathetic does one have to be to travel from Houston just to tell the lawyer of a mother who killed her own children that they wish she had support like this when she was postpartum? Support for what? She is supporting an evil murderer. She does realize that, right? The mass psychosis is beyond evident at this point.
Witwen and her daughter, Hannah Estrada, both traveled from Houston, Texas to support Clancy in light of their own experience with postpartum.
“We came from Houston to watch you. I wish someone would have held my daughter’s hand,” said the 65-year-old mother through tears.
Well, why didn’t the mother hold her own daughter’s hand? Why are these people so pathetic? Why does she desperately need someone to coddle her? Why are they supporting a murderer? It truly is a whole new level of depravity.
“We want to take you out for a steak dinner, Mr, Reddington! We love you so much,” Estrada, 37, said. “I had my health weaponized against me in family court.”
(LifeSiteNews) — On August 27, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. government to refer, henceforth, to Lake Ontario as “Lake America.” Google Maps promptly obeyed; Americans now see “Lake America” and Canadians “Lake Ontario”; the Geographic Names Information System, the official U.S. repository of geographic names, also registered the update.
Trump’s move came in the wake of the collapse of U.S.-Canadian trade talks and features his signature childish style of revenge, a trollish pettiness that can be humorous in a commentator but embarrassing in a leader of the free world. But as many commenters were swift to point out, it wasn’t Trump who started the name-changing trend.
Ironically, liberal comedian Bill Maher — who loathes Trump — was one of the first to point this out. “Trump is so mad at Canada he renamed Lake Ontario, Lake America,” he told his audience last week. “Now I gotta buy a new globe, again! It’s like the fifth time it’s happened. Liberals are very pissed at this, they say you can’t just go around renaming things to suit your political agenda. Just ask any LatinX birthing person.”
Liberals are so mad at President Trump for renaming Lake Ontario. You can’t just go around renaming things for your political whim. Just ask any birthing person. 👇 pic.twitter.com/7MsNwQoyiA
Mamdani Locked in Unexpected War with NY Teachers Union Over Big Bonuses– www.westernjournal.com News Source
EXCERPT:
Well, this probably wasn’t on anyone’s scoreboard coming into Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s ballyhooed running of New York City.
As most could tell you, the far left — which Mamdani has acknowledged he’s a card-carrying member of — and worker’s unions have long been viewed as “on the same side.”
(There’s a reason President Donald Trump worked overtime to win worker’s unions in the lead-up to the 2024 election.)
But despite ostensibly being “on the same side,” it appears that Mamdani’s first true PR battle in the Big Apple won’t be against some conservative or Republican.
No, he appears to be going to war with the local teacher’s union — and some conservatives are actually lauding Mamdani for his stance on this.
And no, that’s not a typo. That’s literally how The New York Times frames it.
“By Fighting Union Pay Bonus, Mamdani Wins Rare Praise From Conservatives,” the outlet proclaims in its headline.
Democrats Admit They Don’t See Illegal Immigration As A Problem– thefederalist.com News Source
EXCERPT:
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., thinks the problem Democrats had with immigration was not that they allowed millions of illegals to invade the country, but rather that Democrats’ simply failed to explain to Americans that they should be grateful for living with illegal aliens who apparently make communities safer.
During an interview with the CT Mirror, Murphy claimed that President Donald Trump was trying to solve a “fake problem” of mass migration being a threat to the American people.
“The problem, according to the Trump administration, is a country that has been invaded, a country that is at risk physically because of the presence of people from other countries,” Murphy said. “That is a fake problem. That is not a real problem.”
Murphy then cited unnamed sources purportedly showing illegal aliens — who by definition have committed a crime by being here illegally — are actually less likely to be criminals than Americans.
“Nobody likes to hear this, but immigrants, first generation immigrants and undocumented immigrants both commit crimes at rates lower than natural-born Americans, than people that are born here in this country,” Murphy said. “So if you want to live in a safe community, you are actually better off living in a community with people that just got to the United States of America. And so we’re not seeking to solve ‘a problem’ of migrant crime.”
This answer makes a lot of sense if you understand that Democrats have learned absolutely nothing after the 2024 presidential election.
For four years the Biden administration facilitated a mass illegal alien invasion. Democrat cities and states became filled with Third World foreigners. Hotels were turned into migrant shelters, American students were sent home for remote learning so that illegal aliens could sleep in public schools, and taxpayers were forced to feed, clothe, shelter, and protect millions of illegal aliens who had no right to be here.
Trump Says US Reviewing Its Position On UK-Controlled Falkland Islands– www.ndtv.com News Source EXCERPT:
US President Donald Trump said he was reviewing the United States’ position on the Falkland Islands.
US President Donald Trump said he was reviewing the United States’ position on the Falkland Islands, the remote British-ruled archipelago in the South Atlantic.
“I always review every position. That’s just one of many,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the islands’ sovereignty.
Trump did not signal if the review would change the United States’ position on sovereignty, which has generally avoided taking sides since 1982.
Argentina, led by Trump-ally Javier Milei, has also claimed sovereignty over the islands.
A potential US shift was included among a range of options considered by the Pentagon earlier this year to pressure NATO allies it believes failed to support US military operations in the war with Iran.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Trump Asks SCOTUS To Weigh Military Ban On ‘Trans’ Troops– thefederalist.com News Source
EXCERPT:
The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to consider the legality of its policy effectively barring trans-identifying individuals from serving in the military.
In its petition, the Department of Justice (DOJ) requested the high court to determine whether the War Department’s rule that “generally disqualifies” those who have “gender dysphoria, a history of the condition, or a history of related interventions” violates the “equal-protection component” of the Fifth Amendment’s due process clause. The filing was made by U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer, who often represents the administration in oral arguments before the court.
At issue is a February 2025 Pentagon memo establishing guidance implementing such a policy. The directive came as part of the agency’s compliance with President Trump’s January 2025 executive order ordering War Secretary Pete Hegseth to revise the military’s policy on gender dysphoric individuals serving within 60 days the order’s implementation.
Upon request from trans-identifying individuals, D.C. District Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee with a laundry list of left-wing activism, issued a preliminary injunction in March 2025 blocking the policy from taking effect. A three-judge panel for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals later temporarily paused that order in December 2025.
Despite the U.S. Supreme Court pausing a similar injunction by a different district court on the policy in May 2025, a different D.C. Circuit panel upheld a portion of Reyes’ injunction in June. In a 2-1 ruling, the Democrat-appointed majority held “that the government could not enforce the ban against the challengers who were already in the military,” as described by SCOTUSblog.
Donald Trump Asks Apple To Change Lake Ontario Name To ‘Lake America’ On Its Maps Amid Trade Tensions With Canada– www.ndtv.com News Source
EXCERPT:
US President Donald Trump has asked Apple to change the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” on its maps app, his administration’s interior chief said Monday, days after signing an executive order over the body of water now in the spotlight amid his escalating trade war with Canada.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Fox’s “Mornings with Maria” program that Trump “reached out to Apple directly.” He said he was confident the “Lake America” name could be seen on its platform soon.
Apple did not immediately comment in response. Only the Lake Ontario name appeared on its platform as of Monday afternoon, although the label notably hovered above Canada’s water border.
Just over the weekend, competitor Google Maps rolled out the new “Lake America” name for US users looking at the body of water that sits between the state of New York and Canada’s Ontario province. The company cited the recent order by Trump, and its already-established practice of using names assigned by the US Geographic Names Information System, also known as GNIS.
“People using Maps in the US will see ‘Lake America,’ those in Canada will continue to see ‘Lake Ontario,’ and those outside of the US and Canada will see both names,” Google said in a brief statement on Saturday, reiterating that such updates “follow our long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country.”
Trump declared the new “Lake America” name last week — marking one of the latest provocations during his trade war with Canada that is now hiking tariffs on both sides of the border. His executive order on Friday directed the Interior Department to update the lake’s name in the US geographic naming service.
Canada Announces Major Retaliatory Measures Against the US– www.westernjournal.com News Source
EXCERPT:
Canada escalated its brewing trade conflict with the United States on Tuesday by issuing retaliatory tariffs that match America dollar for dollar, while also raising rates on steel products.
Minister of National Revenue of Canada François-Philippe Champagne announced the tariffs, saying, “Canada must respond, and today we are, in a proportionate, targeted, and strategic way. Today I’m announcing that Canada will match the United States’ tariffs, dollar for dollar, rate for rate.”
Minister of National Revenue of Canada François-Philippe Champagne announces retaliatory tariffs: “Canada must respond, and today we are…Canada will match the U.S. tariffs, dollar for dollar, rate for rate.” pic.twitter.com/EOxaAjGhEB
“Effective Sept. 8, Canada will impose counter-tariffs of up to 15, 25, or 50 percent on $27.6 billion in imports from the United States of America,” he added.
Canada’s Department of Finance said on its website that the tariffs will “focus on sectors such as steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics.”
CIA Director Made Secret Moscow Trip to Warn Putin Against Attacking NATO: Report– slaynews.com News Source
EXCERPT:
CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s mysterious trip to Moscow this week was reportedly intended to deliver a direct warning to Russia against attacking a NATO country amid U.S. intelligence concerns that President Vladimir Putin could eventually test the alliance with a limited military assault.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Ratcliffe’s surprise mission was connected to recent U.S. intelligence assessments indicating that Putin could attempt an attack against an allied nation in the coming years to gauge whether NATO would respond.
President Donald Trump, however, offered a different account of the closely guarded mission, describing Ratcliffe’s trip as “sort of semi-routine.”
Asked by conservative radio host Glenn Beck whether the CIA director had traveled to Moscow to warn Russia about NATO, potential strikes involving England, or sanctions against Iran, Trump responded that it concerned “none of the above.”
“Something may come out of it,” Trump added, saying his administration was “working very hard to get that war ended,” referring to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Ratcliffe’s visit nevertheless represented one of the highest-level contacts between Washington and Moscow in months.
Obama Judge Once Again Orders Postal Service To Defy Trump’s Mail-In Ballot Executive Order– dailycaller.com News Source EXCERPT:
An Obama-appointed judge once again temporarily barred the U.S. Postal Service from carrying out President Donald Trump’s restrictions on mail-in ballots in a Thursday ruling.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani lifted a preliminary injunction Wednesday after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that some of Trump’s limits could remain in place. The judge issued a new ruling reversing the previous decision, arguing that USPS overstepped its legal mandate, which once again blocked Trump’s rule.
Trump signed an executive order on March 31 titled, “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections,” which established certain rules for the USPS regarding mail-in and absentee ballots. Section 3 of the executive order required all outgoing election mail to be marked as “Official Election Mail,” including a unique Intelligent Mail barcode and be pre-approved by the USPS for design and barcode placement. (RELATED: Judicial Order Blocking Trump’s Post Office Rule For Mail-In Ballots Lifted After SCOTUS Intervention)
“Where a state or local election official does not obtain envelope and return envelope design approval, or does not upload voter information, or does not include unique intelligent mail bar codes on ballot envelopes, the U.S.P.S. will not mail ballots to voters,” the ruling stated.
JUST IN: Judge Talwani has again blocked the Trump administration’s mail-in ballot overhaul for the 2026 elections, saying it imposes onerous requirements and threatens to disenfranchise voters / harm states. https://t.co/TaUXk0EzoApic.twitter.com/K1mQvsCXkm
Talwani argued that Congress did not delegate authority to the USPS to regulate election mail. She argued the rules would prevent citizens from voting by mail unless the USPS approved the ballots in a timely manner.
The judge further argued that imposing these rules on the states is unconstitutional. She placed a fourteen-day stay on the “implementation or enforcement” of the rules, which prevents USPS from taking these steps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
“The court finds Plaintiffs likely to succeed on the merits of their claims that (1) the USPS lacked authority to issue the Final Rule; (2) the Final Rule is unconstitutional in imposing these requirements on the States; and (3) the Final Rule is unconstitutional in prohibiting non-compliant State and local officials from using the United States Postal Service to mail ballots,” the judge said.
Talwani initially barred Section 3 in an Aug. 11 ruling after the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts and other activist groups sued the administration over the executive order.
A court in California issued a similar injunction, which reached the Supreme Court in the case, Trump v. California. The high court stayed the injunction, allowing the administration to move forward with the executive order.
Trump signs order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America amid Canada trade war – US politics live | US politics– www.theguardian.com News Source EXCERPT:
Trump signs order to rename Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America’
Donald Trump summoned the press pool to the Oval Office to witness him signing an executive order that directs the Department of the Interior to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America”.
This comes after trade talks between Canada collapsed over the weekend and led to a fray of tariffs between Washington and Ottawa.
Trump claimed the name change was something “I’ve been thinking about for a long time”.
“Canada treats us very badly,” the president said. “People oftentimes they’ll ask me who’s the worst to deal with on trade, and I said that’s easy. Canada, they are the worst, and they feel entitled, and just we can’t have that.”
A 50% tariff on several Canadian imports kicked in on Saturday, with Trump threatening another round of 50% duties on Canadian steel, trucks, cars and auto parts to take effect in the new year. Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister, hit back with 25-50% tariffs on hundreds of US goods.
This, of course, is not the first time the president has made renaming a body of water a priority. At the beginning of his second term in office he issued an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America”.
Trump appeared to joke that there could be more to come: “We have a Gulf and we have a Lake – now all we need is an ocean. Maybe we’ll have to change the name of the Atlantic and/or the Pacific. Maybe we’ll change them both.”
Key events
New York congressman denounces Trump’s Lake Ontario rebranding stunt
Among those deeply unimpressed by Donald Trump’s stunt to direct federal agencies to refer to Lake Ontario and Lake America is Tim Kennedy, a Democratic congressman who represents a western New York district that borders Ontario and co-chairs the bipartisan House Northern Border Caucus on US-Canada affairs.
If Donald Trump spent half as much time trying to make life more affordable as he does trying to rename bodies of water, working families might actually be able to afford their rent, utility bills, and food costs. His pathetic proposal to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America” proves what we already know him to be: a petty, vindictive, failed president.
By declaring economic war on Canada, our strongest ally and New York’s largest trading partner, President Trump is waging that same war on border communities like Western New York, and we have been paying the price. Canadian tourism to New York is down 26 percent and Canadian spending is down 28 percent.
After picking fights with our allies and losing illegal wars of choice with our adversaries, President Trump is cementing his place as the worst president in the history of our country.
Here’s a recap of the day so far
Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America”. This comes as the trade war between the US and Canada escalated in recent days, and has seen both countries levy tariffs on hundreds of each other’s imports. The renaming of bodies of geographic features to spite neighbors and exert national pride is a familiar play for Trump, who issued a similar order rebranding the Gulf of Mexico as “the Gulf of America” at the start of his second term.
Trump also told reporters that he’s had “good talks” with Russian president Vladimir Putin, and insisted that “he’s not going to be attacking a Nato territory”. This comes after speculation continues to circulate around CIA director John Ratcliffe’s covert visit to Moscow this week, and reports that have emerged that say the spy chief’s trip was expressly to convince Putin to not take action against Nato allies.
Documents obtained by the Guardian and interviews with military leadership showthe war in Iran has depleted the US Navy’s budget. Consequently, the service branch has had to reallocate money intended for its payroll and from other reserves to fund combat operations. The financial strain comes after the protracted war has depleted US weapons stockpiles and led to counterattacks on bases throughout the region.
House Democrats have launched an investigation into Donald Trump Jr’s venture capital firm,1798 Capital. The president’s son serves as a partner for the firm, and now Democrats on the judiciary committee are asking the company’s founders to turn over records to detail the firm’s “miraculous” recent success. But Democrats likely have little authority to enforce that request while they remain a minority in Congress. More here
Karoline Leavitt departs from her role as the White House press secretary. President Trump’s outgoing press secretary, who had been a key mouthpiece for the administration since the start of Trump’s second term, addressed reporters for perhaps the last time earlier today. Leavitt described the parting as “bittersweet” and told the press pool that she would “miss you guys.”
Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr appears to have lied during congressional hearings last year. Newly obtained documents show that Kennedy lied to lawmakers last year about the intent of his 2019 visit to Samoa. In the hearings, ahead of his confirmation as the nation’s top health official, Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine crusader, told lawmakers that his trip to the island had “nothing to do with vaccines”. But the newly uncovered documents undermine that testimony, including one in which Kennedy told the Samoan prime minister that he wanted to study vaccination on the island. Kennedy’s visit came months ahead of a measles outbreak on the island that killed more than 80 people.
Donald Trump has left Washington for Houston, Texas to attend a Republican National Committee (RNC) fundraiser and campaign on behalf of attorney general Ken Paxton, who is vying to win the US Senate seat in the state.
Canada drops US seafood from sweeping tariff list
While the US and Canada continue to escalate a tit-for-tat trade war, Canadian officials have opted to back down from tariffs on a particular American export: seafood.
In a social media post on Thursday, Canada’s Department of Finance said it would remove seafood and fish products from a slate of counter-tariffs prepared against the United States. Canadian officials said the move was intended to “protect against broader economic harms”, even as the nation retaliates against the new US duties.
After a tentative deal between the two nations fell apart last week, US tariffs against Canada took effect, and Canadian authorities responded in kind.
Susan Collins, a Republican Senator from Maine facing a competitive re-election race this year, said in a social media post that she was grateful to the Canadians for pulling back from seafood tariffs. If imposed, she said, such a measure would have been devastating to her state’s lobster industry.
“I urge the US to respond to this show of good faith from our Canadian friends by returning to the negotiating table and working to amicably resolve this trade dispute,” Collins wrote.
Chuck Edwards, the North Carolina Republican facing a censure vote in Congress over allegations that he sexually harassed a pair of staffers,has issued a letter urging his colleagues to reject the disciplinary measure.
A report early this month by the House ethics committee recommended Edwards’ censure on the grounds that he’d engaged in inappropriate conduct toward a pair of young female staffers. That conduct, according to the committee, included sending lavish gifts and affectionate notes to the women, as well as inviting them to “intimate dinners and vacations”.
Edwards, in a letter dated earlier this week, said the committee –which argued the congressman’s actions made the women feel uncomfortable and pressured – overstepped in equating his conduct to misconduct or sexual harassment. “An affectionate friendship is not a sexual proposition,” Edwards wrote. “A gift is not sexual misconduct. A compliment is not sexual misconduct. Poetry is not sexual misconduct. Socializing with a colleague is not sexual misconduct. Caring deeply about someone with whom you have worked and come to know for years is not sexual misconduct.”
In light of the committee’s findings, Edwards abandoned his campaign for reelection earlier this month. North Carolina Republicans selected Jennifer Balkcom, a member of the state’s House of Representatives, as the party’s replacement nominee for the general election.
Trump insists that Putin will ‘not be attacking a Nato territory’ as speculation circulates after CIA director’s visit to Moscow
Donald Trump told reporters today that he’s had “good talks” with Russian president Vladimir Putin, and insisted that “he’s not going to be attacking a Nato territory”.
This comes after speculation continues to circulate around CIA director John Ratcliffe’s covert visit to Moscow this week, and reports that have emerged that say the spy chief’s trip was expressly to convince Putin to not take action against Nato allies.
Trump signs order to rename Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America’
Donald Trump summoned the press pool to the Oval Office to witness him signing an executive order that directs the Department of the Interior to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America”.
This comes after trade talks between Canada collapsed over the weekend and led to a fray of tariffs between Washington and Ottawa.
Trump claimed the name change was something “I’ve been thinking about for a long time”.
“Canada treats us very badly,” the president said. “People oftentimes they’ll ask me who’s the worst to deal with on trade, and I said that’s easy. Canada, they are the worst, and they feel entitled, and just we can’t have that.”
A 50% tariff on several Canadian imports kicked in on Saturday, with Trump threatening another round of 50% duties on Canadian steel, trucks, cars and auto parts to take effect in the new year. Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister, hit back with 25-50% tariffs on hundreds of US goods.
This, of course, is not the first time the president has made renaming a body of water a priority. At the beginning of his second term in office he issued an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America”.
Trump appeared to joke that there could be more to come: “We have a Gulf and we have a Lake – now all we need is an ocean. Maybe we’ll have to change the name of the Atlantic and/or the Pacific. Maybe we’ll change them both.”
Trump administration officials are seeking to radically accelerate the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Haitians who were previously living in the US under the aegis of a humanitarian program, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.
The Times reports that the administration is seeking to start deportation flights to Haiti weekly – as opposed to its previous pace of once a month. If put into effect, that could increase the number of Haitians flown out of the country by hundreds of people per month.
The Trump administration has deemed the island nation safe enough for those who fled it to return, even as the country remains mired in anarchy and gang conflict. The violence there has led the administration to reroute deportation flights away from the embattled Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, to a smaller city 120 miles away.
The more than 300,000 Haitians slated for removal from the country were previously allowed to work and reside in the US under Temporary Protected Status. But President Trump has taken aim at their inclusion in that program since early in his second term, and was able to terminate it for Haitians after a June supreme court ruling cleared the administration’s path.
Trump’s war on Iran is rapidly draining US navy budget, documents and interviews reveal
Aram Roston
Donald Trump’s war on Iran has driven the US military into a severe financial crisis, with the US navy forced to transfer money from its payroll and other sources to cover the costs of combat, according to documents obtained by the Guardian, and interviews with navy officials, contractors and defense analysts.
The US-Israeli operation, which has depleted US munitions stockpiles and prompted retaliatory Iranian strikes that have wrecked strategic bases across the Middle East, is piling pressure on budgets across the military.
One Pentagon memo about navy funding seen by the Guardian warns that there are “shortfalls in payroll” accounts due to the department “raiding” them to fund combat operations.
Experts and former officials say the accounts are running dry. “The piggy bank is broken,” said Harlan Ullman, a retired naval officer. Ullman is a member of the National Commission for the Future of the Navy but he said he is not speaking on the commission’s behalf.
One official and one navy contractor said non-emergency maintenance on shore-based facilities has been deferred because of the cash crunch.
A navy official who was briefed on how the service is planning to address the shortfalls said money is shifted around in imaginative ways. “The money for payroll,” he said, “was robbed to pay for overseas contingencies and is being backfilled by money that hasn’t been spent. They are backfilling payroll so we get enough money in our paycheck.”
Read the full report here:
US facing ‘beyond critical’ shortage of Patriot missile stocks in Europe due to Iran war – report
The US military is experiencing a “beyond critical” shortage of advanced missile interceptors in Europe largely driven by Donald Trump’s war against Iran, a US defense official in Europe and a Nato official have told the Associated Press, raising concerns about vulnerabilities in Nato countries to a potential Russian attack.
The US defense official told the AP the most concerning shortfall involves Patriot missile interceptors, which can shoot down Russia’s high-speed ballistic missiles.
In the event of a Russian ballistic missile assault on, for example, a military headquarters or power plant, Nato could be in a similar position to Patriot-starved Ukraine and be forced “to take punch after punch in the mouth”, they said.
The Nato official confirmed the low inventories of Patriots among US and Nato forces in Europe. The US military “definitely” does not have enough Patriots in Europe to stop any possible sustained ballistic missile attack and would have “very limited” capability to defend against a single ballistic missile strike or a stray Russian missile that goes off course, the US official added.
Though a Russian ballistic missile attack against Nato countries is not imminently expected, this report comes as CIA director JohnRatcliffe reportedly went to Moscow this week to dissuade Russia from attacking Nato members amid US intelligence assessments that Moscow could seek to test the alliance.
Trump has played down the significance of the rare and secretive trip, insisting it was “sort of semi-routine”.
European and Nato officials say Russia could be in a position to attack countries in the alliance by 2030. Patriot stockpiles are projected to rebound by then.
In the meantime, Russia’s war in Ukraine could hinder its ability to carry out any missile attack on Europe as it would be a challenge for Moscow to fight an air war on two fronts.
The state department said today that 90 Americans were missing after the devastating flash flooding in Nepal, adding no US deaths had been reported.
“We’re currently tracking 90 Americans who may be impacted by the flood, currently unaccounted for,” a spokesperson told AFP.
The state department said it could confirm three Americans had been rescued and it was not aware of any US deaths.
My colleague Tom Ambrose is covering the disaster:
House Democrats launch investigation into Donald Trump Jr’s venture capital firm
Democrats on the House judiciary committee have launched an investigation into Donald Trump Jr’s venture capital firm.
Trump Jr joined 1789 Capital as a partner just days after his father won a second term in office in November 2024. In a letter by Congressman Jamie Raskin, the panel’s ranking member, has asked the president’s son to detail the firm’s recent success.
The Guardian previously reported that after Trump Jr joined 1789 Capital, its assets under management ballooned, going from a reported $150m in 2024, to $1b last August, to $2.7b at year’s end, to a reported $3.5b by May, according to SEC filings. A significant proportion of that capital came from foreign investors: according to CNN reporting and the Guardian’s review of SEC filings; 40% of assets under management were from overseas investors.
In a letter to the president’s son, and the founders of the firm – Omeed Malik and Christopher Buskirk – judiciary committee Democrats have asked for records that include companies that have receive investments from the firm and any communications with any US elected official or federal government officials by 9 September. However, in the minority, Democrats have little subpoena power without Republican support for their cause.
“Two years ago,” Raskin wrote, 1789 Capital was “a struggling venture capital firm that earned consistently disappointing results by serially investing in total market flops” but has since undergone a “miraculous transformation”.
“With Don Jr’s new leadership role, 1789 Capital has developed an uncanny ability to identify companies that are about to receive massive influxes of cash from the Trump administration or to benefit from significant changes in federal policies and regulations,” the top Democrat wrote. “They say there is no such thing as a sure thing in investing, but this is about as close as you can get.”
Raskin also said “it is now impossible to believe” that the firm’s “astonishing growth and success are due to anything other than insider political influence and thoroughgoing corruption”.
The ranking member outlined a series of reports chronicling recent investments by 1789 Capital that include millions of dollars in Vulcan Elements, a rare earth company, in August 2025. Prior to this, the manufacturer had reportedly touted several government contracts they had secured in the months prior. Raskin then notes that the Pentagon announced a $620m direct loan to Vulcan Elements in November last year. At the same time, Department of Commerce (DOC) provided the company with a $50m grant under the CHIPS and Science Act.
“This was an amazing turn of events when the Trump Administration decided to pump over half a billion dollars into an unproven startup company,” Raskin wrote.
He also pointed to a recent July interview with CNBC in which the president said that his children have “inside information” due to the fact his policies touch nearly every part of the economy.
“I tell my kids, ‘stay away,’” Trump said at the time. “But they also have a life. You know, they were doing business long before I ever thought of running for president.”
In an interview with the New York Times last month, Trump Jr said he only talks to his father, the president, “every few weeks”, and never discusses business with him and – as a private citizen – holds “no policy position and no role within the administration whatsoever”.
Raskin’s letter also cites reporting from the Guardian that Anduril Inudstries, a major military contractor founded by Trump ally and donor Palmer Lucky, has received billions in government contracts over the last year. 1789 Capital, the judiciary Democrats note, has acquired a stake in the company. Anduril says in Trump’s first year in office it doubled its revenue – a growth rate of 100%.
Earlier this month, the Guardian also reported that two appointments to the…
Enes Kanter Freedom Banned From Sky Arena Over ‘Potential To Be A Threat’– dailycaller.com News Source
EXCERPT:
A “threat”? … They really went there.
Michael Alter, the owner of the Chicago Sky, stated Tuesday that former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom is banned from Wintrust Arena following Sunday’s confrontation with guard Natasha Cloud.
“He has demonstrated to us, unequivocally, that he has the potential to be a threat,” said Alter, per ESPN.
It’s not clear how it was determined that Freedom could be threatening.
The incident between Freedom and Cloud took place in the third quarter of Chicago’s defeat against the Indiana Fever. After Cloud scored, the Fever called a timeout, and she ended up directing her energy at Freedom, who was sitting around the basket. Freedom got out of his seat and began walking toward Cloud, and immediately, security and Sky players got in the middle of the two.
Enes Kanter Freedom has been banned from Wintrust Arena after he was removed by security Sunday following a verbal altercation with Natasha Cloud, Sky owner Michael Alter said.
Lindsay Clancy showed no ‘break from reality,’ Susan Smith prosecutor says– www.foxnews.com News Source
EXCERPT:
The prosecutor who secured a conviction for Susan Smith, who drowned her two sons, says Lindsay Clancy’s defense never proved a “break with reality” as jurors prepare to deliberate following Thursday’s closing arguments.
Clancy, 36, faces three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her children — Cora, Dawson and Callan, all under age 6 — who were found strangled at the family’s home in January 2023. Prosecutors rested their rebuttal case on Wednesday afternoon, with closing arguments scheduled for Thursday before the jury begins deliberating,
Her defense attorney argues that Clancy was experiencing postpartum psychosis when killing her children, a claim that has been heavily refuted by prosecutors.
Smith, a South Carolina mother, was convicted of killing her two young sons — 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alexander — after she strapped them into her car and allowed it to roll into a lake. Prosecutors contended she killed the boys at least in part because the man she was romantically involved with did not want a relationship with a woman who had children. She received a life prison sentence.
Major flash floods from a glacial collapse devastated parts of Tibet and Nepal, with Nepal being the hardest hit. The flash floods removed whole villages, hitting them with 30-plus-foot high walls. The alleged current death toll stands at around 500, with 1,300 reported missing. The true death toll may be much higher. There were scores of foreigners among the dead. They were there to make Hindu pilgrimages.
Catastrophic Nepal, Tibet flood death toll soars as 25 Canadians still missing – National– globalnews.ca News Source
EXCERPT:
Catastrophic flash floods in a border area of Nepal and Tibet, an autonomous region of China, have killed at least 353 and left more than 1,300 people missing as of Thursday. Many were foreigners in the area for trekking, guided tours or a pilgrimage to a sacred Hindu site.
The number of missing from Wednesday’s disaster may vary across agencies because of differences in how they collected data, when it was reported and how it was verified, as well as gaps in coordination between those assembling data and those conducting rescue efforts in the affected area.
Police reported at least 353 dead and 826 missing. Local reports cited the National Emergency Operation Center as saying Thursday the missing included 113 Nepali tourists, 85 security personnel from the army and police as well as 161 residents from the Rasuwa district and one from the Nuwakot district.
California’s Progressive Governor, Gavin Newsome, has signed the “Stop Nick Shirley” Act into law. The law makes it illegal for reporters to question immigration service providers on film and share the results online. The law selectively protects a certain class of people from American journalism. The law is sure to be challenged in the courts.
The law takes effect October 1, 2027. Progressive Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, who introduced the bill, claimed, “Our immigrant service providers are living in fear because of extremists looking to demonize the work that they do and the populations they serve.” This is not Americanism, this is progressivism. We are different nations altogether.
Newsom Signs ‘Stop Nick Shirley Act’ to Stop Investigations Into Immigration ‘Service’ Provider Fraud › American Greatness– amgreatness.com News Source
EXCERPT:
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Saturday expanding privacy protections for immigration service workers, despite warnings that the measure could chill investigative journalism and face First Amendment challenges.
Assembly Bill 2624, dubbed the “Stop Nick Shirley Act” by Republican Assemblyman Carl DeMaio, expands California’s Safe at Home program to certain nonprofit employees who assist people navigating the U.S. immigration system.
The law will take effect Oct. 1, 2027, after Newsom leaves office because of term limits.
Democratic Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, who introduced the bill in February, said the protections are necessary because immigration service providers face harassment and threats.
“Our immigrant service providers are living in fear because of extremists looking to demonize the work that they do and the populations they serve,” Bonta said Saturday.
The measure imposes penalties on people who distribute information or images of covered immigration workers under circumstances the law defines as inciting violence or threats. Penalties can range from $10,000 to $50,000, with violations potentially carrying jail or prison sentences.
Due to a breach in security, the Department of Homeland Security has let states know it will be conducting spot paper ballot audits of U.S. voting machines this November.
The announcement comes following news Chinese parts have shown up in U.S. voting machines, giving the Chinese government potential opportunity to manipulate election results. This is a follow-up on the announcement President Trump made in July about Chinese interference in U.S. elections.
DHS Secretary Says Chinese Parts in Voting Machines Necessitate Audit – PJ Media– pjmedia.com News Source
EXCERPT:
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is planning to require states do random audits of paper ballots in order to counteract the danger from potential Chinese access to voting machines this November.
The statement that China interferes in our elections is not supposition. It is fact, and the only question is to what extent. As part of his July reveal of classified document caches exposing a vast domestic and international election fraud network, President Donald Trump noted that not only did the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) steal 200 million voters’ data and manufacture fake ballots to help Joe Biden, it also has potential access to vote tabulation machines. Indeed, the CCP mounted a pressure campaign to influence American officials ahead of the 2020 election. It subsequently transpired that a Chinese company had bought the vendor involved in the New Jersey noncitizen registered voters scandal.
All of which is to say that it is perfectly understandable that DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin is concerned about the CCP’s and related entities’ possible ability to influence the midterm election, especially since he almost certainly has even more evidence than we, the public, do about Chinese meddling.
The Department of Justice announced the disruption of a Chinese Communist Party hacking operation that had successfully accessed government networks. Some institutions breached include the Senate, the DOJ, NASA, and the Federal Reserve.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced, “Today we announced the disruption of a global botnet and hacking platform used by Chinese state-sponsored hackers to target U.S. critical infrastructure. These tools were used by PRC cyber actors to hide the origin of their attacks… Today’s action is just the latest technical operation against PRC-sponsored hacking – and in support of President Trump’s Cyber Strategy for America, the FBI is surging efforts to shape adversary behavior and defend the homeland in cyberspace.”
Feds: Chinese Hackers Broke Into DoJ, NASA, Federal Reserve, Senate › American Greatness– amgreatness.com News Source
EXCERPT:
The platforms, known as QScan and QTRouter, were operated by a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group called QTFY, according to the Justice Department.
Federal officials said QTFY was employed by China-based Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company and provided computer intrusion services to paying customers, including China’s Ministry of State Security and People’s Liberation Army.
The hacking tools allowed malicious actors to infiltrate computer systems while concealing the country from which the attacks originated, prosecutors said.
Among the targets were the Justice Department, NASA, Federal Reserve and U.S. Senate. The Energy Department, Department of Health and Human Services and National Institutes of Health were also victims of QTFY-related intrusion activity, according to federal officials.
“State-sponsored malicious hackers preying on America’s critical infrastructure will be stopped and prosecuted,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said. “We are here to ensure security for the American people and will use every tool we have to keep that promise.”
The U.S. State Department has begun sanctioning progressive terrorist groups funding Antifa terror cells in America. The action appears to be an effort to cut off the international supply for progressive terror cells on American soil.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced, “Far-left terrorism poses a profound threat to the United States and the broader West. Today, the United States sanctioned several transnational far-left terrorist networks, including Autistici/Inventati – a major far-left tech collective whose services are used by the most active and violent Antifa cells in the United States and across the world.”
State Department Institutes Sanctions Against Far-Left Transnational Terrorist Groups › American Greatness– amgreatness.com News Source
EXCERPT:
The U.S. government has announced sanctions against multiple transnational far-left terrorist networks, including an Italy-based group that supplies the digital infrastructure for Antifa cells in the United States.
Just the News reports that the State Department says groups like the Autistici/Inventati Collective are designed to provide far-left extremist groups with the means to organize, recruit, communicate, and carry out violent attacks while remaining beyond the reach of the law.
Far-left terrorism poses a profound threat to the United States and the broader West. Today, the United States sanctioned several transnational far-left terrorist networks, including Autistici/Inventati – a major far-left tech collective whose services are used by the most active…
Sanctions have also been imposed on the transnational groups Palestine Action, a United Kingdom-based activist organization involved in pro-Palestinian protests and direct actions, and Masar Badil, a transnational network with branches in Europe and Canada that operates as a front for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Granicus reports that the Department of the Treasury and the State Department targeted these networks for allegedly supporting violent political extremism or acting as fronts for designated terrorist organizations.
According to a Wednesday press statement from Thomas Pigott, A/I’s full spectrum of digital services are specifically built to provide far-left terrorist groups with the means to organize, recruit, communicate, and carry out violent attacks – all while remaining beyond the reach of the law.
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