August 28, 2026

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Japan’s economy slows, missing growth forecasts | Business and Economy– www.aljazeera.com

pgnewser August 17, 2026 0

Japan’s economy slows, missing growth forecasts | Business and Economy– www.aljazeera.com
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EXCERPT:

Japan’s economy has slowed in the second quarter of the year amid moribund consumption and capital spending, according to official figures.

Gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.3 percent in the April-June period from the first quarter, data released by Japan’s Cabinet Office on Monday showed. It was the third consecutive expansion but was down from 0.5 percent growth in the previous quarter and missed the 0.5 percent growth analysts had forecast.

On an annualised basis, the world’s fourth-largest economy expanded 1.1 percent.

A survey of 37 economists conducted by the Japan Center for Economic Research, a think tank, had forecast an annualised expansion of 1.67 percent.

Private consumption was flat in real terms while capital expenditures fell 1.2 percent, or 4.6 percent on an annualised basis, offsetting strong exports, according to the data.

Fauci Refuses Second Senate Testimony After Pleading the Fifth 111 Times– slaynews.com

pgnewser August 17, 2026 0

Fauci Refuses Second Senate Testimony After Pleading the Fifth 111 Times– slaynews.com
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EXCERPT:

Dr. Anthony Fauci has refused to voluntarily appear before a second Senate panel investigating his handling of the pandemic, weeks after invoking the Fifth Amendment 111 times during testimony before another committee.

Fauci’s attorney, David Schertler, rejected a request from Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, arguing that another appearance would “impermissibly harass or degrade Dr. Fauci for political purposes.”

The refusal deepens Fauci’s confrontation with Republican lawmakers who are examining his role in the federal pandemic response, COVID-19 origins, vaccine policy, and government-funded research.

GOP Senators Launch Modern Inquisition Against Dem Candidate– crooksandliars.com

pgnewser August 17, 2026 0

GOP Senators Launch Modern Inquisition Against Dem Candidate– crooksandliars.com
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EXCERPT:

Sen Ted Cruz and Sen. Roger Marshall called a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate a heretic. The candidate they attacked is a pastor in a United Methodist Church. Cruz and Marshall target Adam Hamilton, the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Kansas. Media outlet Kansas.com explains the reason for the aggressive attack.

“Marshall finds himself facing something he’s never seen before, an opponent with a decent chance of actually beating him, the Rev. Adam Hamilton.”

Less than a week after winning his primary, the GOP senators are already launching what some call a modern-day Spanish Inquisition. For those who may not be versed in the horrors of religious persecution, the Spanish Inquisition was a dark period in history known for extreme religious fanaticism, harsh intolerance of different beliefs, and strict demands for ideological purity.

Does that sound familiar? It should because it’s the type of religious extremism the GOP is trying to implement in America.

Kansas.com journalist Dion Lefler wrote:

“Marshall and Cruz have appointed themselves The Kansas Inquisition…attacking mainstream Christian beliefs for lacking the zealotry and bigotry they associate with Christ’s ministry and message on Earth.”

Iran-US war latest: Tehran’s army chief tells Trump ‘we’ll break your legs’ and places $30k bounty on US soldiers– www.independent.co.uk

pgnewser August 17, 2026 0

Iran-US war latest: Tehran’s army chief tells Trump ‘we’ll break your legs’ and places $30k bounty on US soldiers– www.independent.co.uk
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EXCERPT:

An Iranian military official said on Sunday that Qatar should let an Iranian team in to investigate the fate of Iranian pilots who Tehran says are being held there, Iranian media said on Sunday. Qatar denies holding ⁠any pilots.

Mohammad Baqerzadeh, commander of the Committee for the Search for Missing Persons of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff, said the air force and fact-finding team had been waiting for months to enter Qatar, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Baqerzadeh accused Qatari officials of repeatedly delaying the investigation and ‌preventing the pilots’ ​return to Iran. ‌He called for ⁠the International Committee of ⁠the Red Cross to urgently follow ‌up ​on the ‌case.

Push to oust US ambassador from Canada expands – and ‘51st state’ could take up the issue in fall– www.independent.co.uk

pgnewser August 17, 2026 0

Push to oust US ambassador from Canada expands – and ‘51st state’ could take up the issue in fall– www.independent.co.uk
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EXCERPT:

The DNC Just Made Abolishing ICE Official Party Policy * The Gateway Pundit * by Ben Kew– www.thegatewaypundit.com

pgnewser August 17, 2026 0

The DNC Just Made Abolishing ICE Official Party Policy * The Gateway Pundit * by Ben Kew– www.thegatewaypundit.com
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EXCERPT:

“ERO Cross Check 2017” by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Public Domain Mark

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has formally backed a resolution calling for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Newsweek reports that DNC members approved the measure Saturday during the party’s summer meeting in Austin, Texas, calling on congressional Democrats to pass legislation eliminating ICE and winding down the federal immigration detention system.

The resolution also calls for withholding Department of Homeland Security funding unless the administration ends a series of enforcement practices, including workplace raids, large-scale roundups and arrests at courthouses and ICE check-ins.

It additionally demands the closure of immigration detention facilities, the termination of private detention contracts and the release of most immigration detainees while their cases proceed.

The vote makes abolishing ICE a position formally endorsed by the DNC, although it does not amend the Democratic Party’s official national platform.

How to beat an earthquake: The Colombian city where no one died – The Washington Post– news.google.com

pgnewser August 17, 2026 0

How to beat an earthquake: The Colombian city where no one died – The Washington Post– news.google.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

  1. How to beat an earthquake: The Colombian city where no one died  The Washington Post
  2. Hopes fade in Colombia as more bodies recovered days after powerful quake  reuters.com
  3. Groom-to-Be, 24, Found Dead in Rubble of Collapsed Building Days Before His Wedding  People.com
  4. A Bright Spot in Colombia as Rescuers Free Quake Victim  The New York Times
  5. Colombia’s earthquake tore apart this family with triplets. Only one survived  cnn.com

 

D.C. police arrest numbers rebound amid federal surge, but operation’s effect still unclear– www.washingtontimes.com

pgnewser August 17, 2026 0

D.C. police arrest numbers rebound amid federal surge, but operation’s effect still unclear– www.washingtontimes.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

The first full year of President Trump’s crime crackdown in the District saw federal law enforcement agencies make thousands of arrests, with the extra manpower contributing to lower crime statistics and helping the Metropolitan Police Department apprehend the most suspects since before the pandemic.

But a clear breakdown of the 16,000 arrests during the federal surge, which began in August 2025, is unavailable. For all of 2025, Metropolitan Police recorded more than 24,000 arrests — the highest total since 2019, when nearly 28,000 suspects were apprehended.

Arrest records show that Metropolitan Police nabbed more people for weapons offenses (1,552) and traffic violations (4,537) last year than in any year listed in the department’s arrest history, which dates back to 2013 on the Open Data DC platform.

Democrat Ro Khanna Thinks That Racist America Needs a ‘Multi-Racial New Deal’– townhall.com

pgnewser August 17, 2026 0

Democrat Ro Khanna Thinks That Racist America Needs a ‘Multi-Racial New Deal’– townhall.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna, who is openly floating a run for the presidency in 2028, is now advocating for a “multi-racial New Deal” because of the allegedly racist nature of the United States.

“A multi-racial New Deal, in my view, is what is needed,” Khanna told NPR. “It will probably be one of America’s greatest moments because of what we can do, or will do, in America. I don’t know if it’ll be my generation or the next generation. We will become the world’s first cohesive multi-racial democracy.”

Khanna’s proposal has followed the work of his fellow California Democrats, who approved a “reparations fund” for black residents in San Francisco earlier this year. A proposal for the fund had suggested that the city dole out one-time payments to the tune of $5 million for each eligible party.

Abbott’s data center pause taking several months in Texas– www.washingtonexaminer.com

pgnewser August 17, 2026 0

Abbott’s data center pause taking several months in Texas– www.washingtonexaminer.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

Around 300 proposed Texas data center projects are on hold for several months after Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) ordered an audit of new development, according to state regulators.

Between 250 and 300 projects, most of them data centers, are set to move through the audit queue, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas told the Public Utility Commission. The ERCOT is the state system that regulates the energy grid, which Abbott is aiming to boost through his order earlier this month, mandating certain reforms for data center developers looking to come to Texas.

Under standard procedure, proposed data centers undergo extensive evaluation by the ERCOT before being approved in the Lone Star State. Abbott’s order added some more standards to the process and will audit only “Batch Zero” projects, which are data center proposals that have already secured financing and land to build on, in the ERCOT’s queue.

It would take “several months” to audit the projects before greenlighting them to connect to the state grid, according to the ERCOT. Regulators are aiming to complete their study of the first batch of projects by April 2027, ERCOT Senior Vice President Chad Seely said. Regulators will send information requests to up to 300 large energy consumers to verify their eligibility for the study. They will also collect “community impact information.”

“Just from a holistic standpoint, having all that community impact information on how they’re handling water technology [and] power deliverability gives a better perspective to the state as we see these loads start to come onto the grid over the next several years,” Seely added.