September 2, 2026

00 First Filter

EU puts sanctions on Israeli settlers after Hungary drops Orban’s veto – The Washington Post– news.google.com

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  1. EU puts sanctions on Israeli settlers after Hungary drops Orban’s veto  The Washington Post
  2. EU diplomats agree to sanction Hamas leaders and Israeli settlers  NPR
  3. EU agrees sanctions on Israeli West Bank settlers, Hamas leaders  Al Jazeera
  4. EU announces sanctions against violent Israel settlers  The Guardian
  5. EU agrees sanctions on Israeli settlers over West Bank violence  BBC

On Redistricting, Will Virginia Democrats Surrender, or Get Creative?– www.thenation.com

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Democrats must stop conceding that the only answer for various racist voting laws is that Democrats just have to vote more and harder and better.

We try to keep despair out of these pages, tough as the times are. That’s why I didn’t write about Friday’s Virginia Supreme Court’s decision striking down new voter-approved congressional maps for extremely dubious reasons (read Virginia political expert Carolyn Fiddler’s awesome explanation of the ruling here).

Coming after the Supreme Court (of the United States) decision invalidating Louisiana’s congressional maps for taking race into account, the Bayou State’s immediately postponing upcoming elections as a result, and Tennessee’s swift move to use the SCOTUS ruling to wipe a majority-Black congressional district literally off the political map, last week was the worst for voting rights since the court’s 2013 Shelby v. Holder ruling struck down two vital sections of the Voting Rights Act. I admit to not seeing much light down this tunnel that afternoon.

Huge blast blows 10 houses to rubble killing one and leaving several injured– www.thesun.co.uk

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A DEVASTATING explosion has destroyed 10 homes in Brazil, killing one person and injuring several others.

The blast happened in the early hours of Monday morning in western São Paulo.

An explosion in São Paulo killed one and injured several more Credit: Reproduction/Globonews
It is thought the blast was caused when a nearby gas pipeline was damaged Credit: AFP

Authorities said a 45-year-old man was found dead, while three other people were rescued from beneath the rubble.

Germany’s Nuclear Confession Is a Crack in Net‑Zero Pretense – PJ Media– pjmedia.com

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called the nuclear phaseout a “serious strategic mistake” that left Germany short of firm power that turned the Energiewende into the most expensive energy transition on the planet. This is an early marker for a developing worldwide retreat from policies that sidelined nuclear power and demonized coal, oil, and natural gas.

 

Capitalism’s Long Revolution | The Nation– www.thenation.com

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No one agrees on when, where, or how capitalism began, or whether it had a beginning at all, but everyone agrees that capitalism, the word, first appeared in the 19th century. Capital and capitalist slipped into use, unnoticed and unremarked, in the 13th and 17th centuries. Capitalism burst through the barricades of political argument in the 1830s, announcing immediately the hostility of its user. “Long live capital!” cried the French socialist Louis Blanc in 1839. “Long may we go on to attack capitalism, its mortal enemy, with even more intensity.” As much as the word named something, so did it identify its speaker—as a worker, a radical, a hater.

If capital was viewed as a thing and capitalists as people, capitalism was something else. Blanc described it as an act, the taking of collective wealth and turning it into individual or private profit. Proudhon claimed it was a citadel, casting medieval and military shadows across the land. Despite his obvious interest and extensive writing on the subject, Marx steered clear of the term.

A 160-million-year-old ‘technicolour’ dinosaur fossil discovered in China with four wings and bird-like feathers |– timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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For years, the evolution of flight seemed fairly straightforward. Dinosaurs developed feathers, with some learning to glide, and eventually, birds appeared and mastered the skies. Now, a strange fossil from China is making scientists rethink that neat timeline. The feathered dinosaur Anchiornis huxleyi reportedly had four wings, colourful feathers, and a surprisingly messy moulting pattern that suggests it may not have been capable of proper flight at all.Experts say it hints that some dinosaurs could have evolved flight-related features and later lost the ability entirely. A bit like modern ostriches or penguins. The fossil has even been described as the first real “technicolour” dinosaur discovery because traces of its original feather patterns were preserved in remarkable detail.

China develops AI-powered technology that converts dirty wastewater into valuable fertiliser |– timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Chinese researchers have made a significant advancement in circular resource recovery by creating a new way to turn nitrate-laden wastewater into valuable ammonia for fertilisers. They used artificial intelligence to find a super-effective dual-atom catalyst, which led them to a process that tackles two major global issues: water pollution and the heavy energy use of traditional industrial ammonia production. Their findings, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, show that this method achieves almost three times the conversion efficiency of earlier technologies. By converting runoff from farms and factories, this approach provides an eco-friendly solution to lessen environmental ‘dead zones’ and cuts down on the agricultural sector’s dependence on energy-heavy chemical methods.

Canadian Doc Offered to Euthanize Woman with Back Pain, Before Diagnosing Her – Now She’s All Better– www.cbn.com

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Canadian citizens are expressing outrage after a woman who was seeking medical attention for back pain was offered euthanasia before she was ever diagnosed. Now, a member of Parliament is citing the story of Miriam Lancaster as proof that Canada needs to stop expanding its euthanasia program.

Miriam told her story in a social media video as well as in a post on The Free Press called, “Never Kill Yourself: When I went to the doctor in Vancouver with back pain, she offered me assisted suicide; instead, I recovered—and went to Cuba!”

It started a year ago when Miriam woke up with back pain and went to the hospital. Before testing her or diagnosing her condition, the hospital staff immediately offered to help her kill herself.

Key swing state’s must-win Senate race is now a mud-slinging showdown over ICE, Israel and dark money– www.independent.co.uk

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Bahrain Arrests 41 Suspected Iranian Military-Linked Operatives Amid Escalating Crackdown– slaynews.com

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The government of Bahrain announced Saturday that security authorities arrested 41 individuals allegedly tied to a network linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), marking one of the kingdom’s largest recent crackdowns on suspected Iranian influence operations.

According to a statement from Bahrain’s Interior Ministry, the detainees were identified as central members of the organization’s “main structure” operating inside the country.

Authorities said the arrests followed intelligence operations and investigations conducted alongside public prosecutors into alleged espionage activities involving foreign entities and support for Iranian aggression.

Britain’s Starmer fights for his job as calls for his ouster grow after local election losses– japantoday.com

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is fighting for his job after devastating local election results for his Labour Party spurred dozens of lawmakers to call for his resignation.

Starmer plans to use a speech on Monday to argue that he can change tack and revive his government’s fortunes. But his position is fragile as rivals weigh their options. One lawmaker, Catherine West, said she will try to trigger a leadership contest if she doesn’t like what she hears in the speech.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, often seen as a potential challenger, said the party “needs to change,” though she did not explicitly call for Starmer to go.

Donald Trump Heads To China With Xi Jinping Holding The Upper Hand– www.ndtv.com

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US President Donald Trump will arrive in China from May 13 to May 15 for a closely watched state visit that could shape the next phase of relations between Washington and Beijing. The trip marks the first visit by a sitting American president to China in nearly a decade and the first since Trump’s own 2017 visit during his first term.

Despite years of harsh rhetoric on China, Trump has continued to publicly praise Chinese President Xi Jinping. Just last week, he described Xi as a “good man” and a “smart man” with whom he has “a very good relationship”.

But behind the warm language lies mounting pressure. The summit comes at a moment when Washington is struggling to convert its military and economic power into diplomatic outcomes, particularly in the Middle East.

The Trump-Xi Summit Could Be a Positive Paradigm Shift • Stimson Center– www.stimson.org

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When Donald Trump visits Beijing this week, the focus of think tankers and pundits will largely be on what the policy outcomes will be, and there is a tendency to lean towards the negative. Will China deepen the trade war? Will Trump bristle at Xi’s stance on the war against Iran?

But for the trajectory of the relationship between China and the United States, the summit could play a constructive role, facilitating a peaceful recognition of the shift in power dynamics between the two countries and globally. Perceptions in both countries of one another, and of the role each seeks to play in the world, will be shaped by the art of the summitry and what the meeting between the two leaders conveys.

Historically, high-profile summits have proven to be important turning points in U.S. foreign policy by mediating enduring tensions in bilateral relations. The 1959 US-Soviet summit humanized the Soviet Union and Nikita Khrushchev in the eyes of some Americans. The 1972 Nixon visit to China allowed pro-rapprochement sentiment to emerge and circulate in American public discourse, contributing to ongoing discussions and debates on diplomatic normalization for years following the summit. The 1985-87 US-Soviet summits between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev were crucial for transforming bilateral distrust into trust.

Confident in China’s power, Xi is ready to host an unpredictable Trump – The Washington Post– news.google.com

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  1. Confident in China’s power, Xi is ready to host an unpredictable Trump  The Washington Post
  2. As Trump Heads to Beijing, China Is ‘Locked and Loaded’ for a Fight  The New York Times
  3. US standoff with Iran deepens and strait remains closed after Trump rejects latest proposal  AP News
  4. Trump and China’s Xi set for talks spanning Iran, nuclear, trade and AI  Reuters
  5. Iran, China and AI collide in Trump’s legacy-defining week  Axios

 

Fears of an AI breakthrough force the U.S. and China to talk– www.latimes.com

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CHONGQING, China — Three years ago, in the idyllic town of Woodside south of San Francisco, the United States and China held their first high-level talks on the dangers posed by artificial intelligence. President Xi Jinping and his longtime foreign minister appeared serious in their conviction that a channel should be a established between Beijing and Washington — a red phone for AI in case of emergencies.

They authorized a diplomatic effort that would begin in 2024 in Switzerland, only months before the U.S. presidential election. A large U.S. delegation arrived with high hopes that were abruptly dashed, according to four sources who attended the talks. The Chinese contingent dismissed American concerns over runaway AI as academic, almost theoretical, quickly turning the conversation to export controls seen in Beijing as yet another U.S. effort to hold China back.

UK PM Starmer fights for his political future in pivotal speech– www.cnbc.com

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to “face up to the big challenges” facing the U.K. in a make-or-break speech on Monday, amid mounting pressure on his leadership.

Starmer cited growth, national defense, the U.K.’s relationship with Europe and energy needs as key issues that must be tackled urgently, in an attempt to convince Labour Party colleagues to keep him in the job.

“To meet the challenges that our country faces, incremental change won’t cut it,” he said, recognizing that “some people are frustrated with me” and acknowledging that he has “doubters.”

“I know I need to prove them wrong and I will,” he told an audience of supporters.

Starmer Pushes Spectre of Supposed ‘Far-Right’ in Bid to Save His Job– www.breitbart.com

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Labour’s political opponents are un-British, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said as he made a final Hail Mary speech to save his job on Monday, while attempting to use boogeyman scare tactics over the so-called “far-right” to justify his continued presence in Number 10.

The answer to the country rejecting his Labour party at the ballot box with its worst election results in a century is simply to be more Labour than ever, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said at yet another ‘reset’ speech on Monday morning. Even as coup plotters break into the open to challenge his position, Starmer said clinging on to power rather than accepting his time is up is his “responsibility” while criticising people who notice the problems the country has, vowing to crack down on the right wing, and vowing to nationalise the steel industry.

Bellwether Digest – Tuesday, May 12, 2026

pgnewser May 12, 2026 0

By STAFF

This digest covers political, world, cultural, market, and sci-tech news from May 11-12, 2026.

This digest contains the Global Outlook, Headlines Missed, and People Advance Report.

TOP NEWS TAGS

  1. Gerrymandering Wars
  2. Iran War
  3. UK Local Elections
  4. Election 2026
  5. Progressive Virginia

GLOBAL OUTLOOK

  1. ANOTHER DEMOCRAT ARRESTED FOR BEING A CCP SPY – The former Mayor of Arcadia, California has pled guilty to being a Chinese Communist Spy, Eileen Wang pled guilty to charges she cooperated with the Chinese Communist Party through a website called “US News Center.”
  2. PURGE THE COURTS, VA PROGRESSIVES SAY – After the Virginia Supreme Court threw out a new congressional district map that eliminated four GOP seats, progressives want to purge the court and replace it with more loyal progressives. The plan is to lower the mandatory retirement age of judges to below the youngest member of the VA Supreme Court so they can put progressive activists in to take their place.
  3. NYC MOB ATTACKS JEWISH SYNAGOGUE, MINIMUM ARRESTS FOLLOW – A mob of far-left progressive anti-Israel terrorists assaulted Jews as they were coming out of their synagogue. When cops arrived, the mobs attacked the cops. The response from Mamdani’s office has been tepid, with only three arrests announced as a follow-up.

HEADLINES MISSED

  1. ICE MIGHT HAVE YOUR PERSONAL DATA SOON – Immigrations and Customs Enforcement have been using a Palantir tool to track far more than illegal aliens, critics allege. ICE has over 20 million people worldwide in a database that some suspect includes American citizens.

DHS told 404 Media, “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is committed to achieving the nation’s mandate to clear the backlog of illegal aliens who pose a threat to the security of our communities. Like other law enforcement agencies, ICE employs various forms of technology while respecting civil liberties and privacy interests.”

  1. CCP AND CANADA’S COPS HAVE SECRET SECURITY AGREEMENT – Canadians are asking questions after learning in a foreign interference trial that the Canadian Royal Mounted Police have a secret security agreement with the Chinese Communist Party. The suspicion is that Canada’s cops are enforcing CCP laws against CCP dissidents living in Canada.
  2. DID CHATGPT COMMIT MANSLAUGHTER? – A Texas couple is suing OpenAI, alleging their product, ChatGPT, led to their son’s overdosing on drugs after following the AI platform’s advice.

OpenAI released this statement, “This is a heartbreaking situation, and our thoughts are with the family… ChatGPT is not a substitute for medical or mental health care, and we have continued to strengthen how it responds in sensitive and acute situations with input from mental health experts…”

PEOPLE ADVANCE

  1. PAKISTAN PLAYS MODERATOR WHILE SIDING WITH IRAN – New evidence has revealed Pakistan has been allowing the Iranians to park their warplanes in its territory for safekeeping. Pakistan is currently playing the role of mediator in ceasefire negotiations between Iran and the U.S. (and Israel).
  2. AMERICA SAYS NO TO UN PLANVASION – The American State Department released two recent statements that break with the mass migration strategy of the UN. One release made it clear America stands in direct opposition to the plan, and one exposes how the UN is working to “assure” Britian’s recent “migrants” aren’t deported.
  3. PA SCOTUS JUDGE NIXES DEMS OVER ISRAEL – Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht has announced his intentions to leave the Democrat Party. He accused them of being antisemitic. He stated, “… acquiescence to Jew-hatred is now disturbingly common among activists, leaders and even many elected officials in the Democratic Party. I can no longer abide this. So, I won’t. I am no longer registered with any political party,”

 

Top Newslinks

 

NYC Mob Attacks Jewish Synagogue, Minimum Arrests Follow

pgnewser May 12, 2026 0

A mob of far-left progressive anti-Israel terrorists assaulted Jews as they were coming out of their synagogue. When cops arrived, the mobs attacked the cops. The response from Mamdani’s office has been tepid, with only three arrests announced as a follow-up.

NYC Police Arrest Three After Anti-Israel Mob Ambushes Synagogue– legalinsurrection.com
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New York City police arrested three people after an anti-Israel mob swarmed the Young Israel Senior Services of Midwood in Brooklyn on Monday night.

The synagogue hosted “an event promoting real estate in Israel and the West Bank.”

The anti-Israel group Pal-Awda NY/NJ organized the protest. The group uses “slogans such as ‘No settlers on stolen land’ and ‘Stop the sale of stolen Palestinian land.’”

New York State Sen. Sam Sutton condemned the event.

“Neither of these protests would have happened had these venues not chosen to host illegal sales of stolen Palestinian land,” the group responded. “The people of New York will not stand by while the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people is aided and abetted by institutions in our own city.”

From The New York Post:

The anti-Israel mob chanted “Palestine is ours alone,” and several carried a wide banner that read “Israel is killing children.”

During one fight, a person who concealed their face with a medical mask yanked a girl’s hair — and nearly threw her against a parked car in the process, according to a video obtained by The Post.

Shortly after, another man squared up against a squad of young men carrying a Palestinian flag.

“Let’s go, motherf–kers, c’mon! C’mon, motherf–kers!” the man yelled.

At least two teenage pro-Israel protesters were detained. As the NYPD marched them down the streets, their supporters followed and chanted for the cops to “let them go.”

An anti-Israel protester was also detained, cops said.

All three individuals taken into custody had thrown items during the heated protest, according to the NYPD.

PA SCOTUS Judge Nixes Dems over Israel – americanistpress.com

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Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht has announced his intentions to leave the Democrat Party. He accused them of being antisemitic. He stated, “… acquiescence to Jew-hatred is now disturbingly common among activists, leaders and even many elected officials in the Democratic Party. I can no longer abide this. So, I won’t. I am no longer registered with any political party,”

Go Deeper

Did ChatGPT Commit Manslaughter? – thebethlehem.com

pgnewser May 12, 2026 0

A Texas couple is suing OpenAI, alleging their product, ChatGPT, led to their son’s overdosing on drugs after following the AI platform’s advice.

OpenAI released this statement, “This is a heartbreaking situation, and our thoughts are with the family… ChatGPT is not a substitute for medical or mental health care, and we have continued to strengthen how it responds in sensitive and acute situations with input from mental health experts…”

Go Deeper