September 4, 2026

00 First Filter

Special Operations Forces, Marines and Army troops now in Middle East, sources say– www.cbsnews.com

pgnewser March 31, 2026 0

Blurb:

Hundreds of U.S. Special Operations Forces, including Navy SEALs and Army Rangers, are now in the Middle East, as well as thousands of Marines and Army paratroopers, according to sources familiar with the deployments.

The sources said having the forces in the region gives President Trump military options in Iran, including operations that could target opening the Strait of Hormuz, take oil from Kharg Island or seize Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.

The New York Times first reported the forces had arrived in the region.

Oil-thirsty Asian nations seek Russian crude as Iran war strains supplies– abcnews.com

pgnewser March 31, 2026 0

Blurb:

BANGKOK — Asian nations are increasingly competing for Russian crude oil as an energy crisis mounts amid the month-old war by the U.S. and Israel against Iran, which has choked off roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply.

Much of the oil from the mostly shut Strait of Hormuz was headed for Asia, hit hardest by recent energy shocks. Over the weekend, Iran-backed Houthi rebels entered the conflict, further threatening shipping.

Attack on Michigan synagogue was Hezbollah-inspired ‘act of terrorism,’ FBI says– japantoday.com

pgnewser March 31, 2026 0

Blurb:

The FBI said on Monday that an attack on the largest Jewish temple in ‌Michigan earlier this month was an “act of terrorism” inspired by Hezbollah.

Ayman Ghazali, a 41-year-old man who was born in Lebanon and became a U.S. ‌citizen in 2016, killed himself during the March ⁠12 attack, when he crashed his truck ⁠into the Temple ⁠of Israel synagogue before opening fire on security guards ‌and causing an explosion using fireworks, said Jennifer Runyan, the special agent in ⁠charge of the ⁠Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Detroit field office.

Iran's foreign minister calls on Saudis to 'eject' US forces– thehill.com

pgnewser March 31, 2026 0

Blurb:

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday that the Saudi Arabian government should “eject” U.S. troops from its country, three days after the Iranian military attacked a U.S. air base in Saudi Arabia. “Iran respects the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and considers it a brotherly nation,” Araghchi wrote on the social platform X. “Our operations…
from thehill.com

Trump Live Updates: TSA Pay to Resume, but ICE Could Remain at Airports, Homan Says – The New York Times– news.google.com

pgnewser March 31, 2026 0

Blurb:

  1. Trump Live Updates: TSA Pay to Resume, but ICE Could Remain at Airports, Homan Says  The New York Times
  2. How Trump is paying TSA, briefly explained  Vox
  3. Major US airports return to normal as TSA workers get paid  Reuters
  4. Atlanta TSA employees begin receiving back pay. Future pay remains uncertain.  AJC.com
  5. TSA officer absence levels still elevated at some airports, even as workers begin to receive back pay  CBS News

Gang Attacks Leave Dozens Dead In Haiti Before International Forces Arrive, Rights Group Says– dailycaller.com

pgnewser March 31, 2026 0

Blurb:

At least 70 people are dead after Haitian gangs allegedly attacked an agricultural district of the Caribbean nation as international forces prepare to respond.

Gang members marched into the regions of Jean-Denis and Pont-Sondé, located on the west of the country, before shooting civilians and burning residences from Sunday to Monday, CNN reported, citing rights groups. The attacks have left at least 70 people killed and more than 50 homes burned down, and have displaced nearly 6,000 people, according to the rights organization Defenseurs Plus.

Two Young Boys Were Detained by ICE. Then Ms. Rachel Shared Their Stories. – Mother Jones– www.motherjones.com

pgnewser March 31, 2026 0

Blurb:

“One woman became so sick from eating the food that she began vomiting blood.”

“My kids are terrified; we are all depressed.”

“I always ask my children for forgiveness for making them suffer through all of this.”

Though the number of families inside Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas has dropped dramatically in recent months, for dozens of children still inside, such brutal conditions remain. Now, at the risk of their stories fading to the background of the Trump administration’s cascading crises, Ms. Rachel, the beloved children’s educator, is calling on the public to fight for their release.

“We have to hold on to hope for families who are locked in Dilley and keep going,” Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, told Mother Jones. “I do believe the public outcries and the people who have come together and worked on this long before I have are making a huge difference.”

“I do believe the public outcries and the people who have come together and worked on this long before I have are making a huge difference.”

AI Job Panic Still Outruns the Evidence | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org

pgnewser March 31, 2026 1

Blurb:

Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, both Democrats, have proposed pausing new data center construction until federal safeguards for workers, consumers, and the environment are in place. Given how far Congress is from passing comprehensive AI legislation, the proposal could stall new projects for years. It reflects deep concern about AI’s economic and social impact—but rests on an ASAP sense of urgency that outpaces the best current evidence on how quickly those effects are materializing.

What do we know right now about the job impacts of the emerging AI revolution, given the rising level of concern in Washington? Some recent analysis for consideration on Capitol Hill:

  • Challenger, Gray & Christmas tracked more than 1.2 million layoffs in 2025. According to The Wall Street Journal, citing Forrester, fewer than 100,000 were primarily attributable to AI-driven efficiency gains. Even that likely overstates the impact. Companies have an incentive to blame AI for cuts because it signals technological sophistication and can lift their stock prices. From the piece: “The most likely reasons for head-count reductions remain the same as ever: slower sales, shifting priorities and previous overhiring.”

International observers urge violence-free elections after clashes at Serbia vote– abcnews.com

pgnewser March 31, 2026 0

Blurb:

BELGRADE, Serbia — International observers at a local election in European Union candidate Serbia said Monday they had witnessed violence and irregularities during the vote.

“Yesterday, the delegation observed procedures inside polling stations often largely in line with provisions but was alarmed by the situation outside the premises,” the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe said in a statement.

“Congress observers witnessed acts of violence … and in all but one of the municipalities visited, saw heated arguments and the threatening presence of large groups of people, often unidentified and sometimes masked,” they added.

Trump Extends Pause on Plans to Destroy Iranian Energy Infrastructure

pgnewser March 27, 2026 0

President Trump announced, “As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time. Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well.”

Blurb:

Middle East crisis live: Trump says he is ‘pausing’ planned destruction of Iranian energy sites as he claims talks are ‘ongoing’  – theguardian.com

Donald Trump has said he will extend his pause on his threat to attack Iran’s energy infrastructure for 10 days until 6 April, claiming that the request came from Tehran.

In a post on Truth Social, the US president claimed talks are going “very well” and repeated his attacks on the “fake news media” for reporting to the contrary (Iran has also reported to the contrary).

Trump threatened last Saturday to would strike Iranian energy infrastructure if Tehran did not reopen the strait of Hormuz.

Then, on Monday he postponed his threat for five days (until Friday), citing “very good and productive conversations” with Iran on ending the war (which Tehran dismissed as “fake news” designed to “manipulate” the oil markets).

Trump Announces Plan to End DHS Pay Freeze with Emergency Declaration

pgnewser March 27, 2026 1

In a move that is sure to be immediately challenged in a progressive court, President Trump has announced a plan to end the DHS pay freeze without using congress. He declared, “They are refusing to fund Immigration Enforcement unless the Republicans agree to their Open Border Policies, which will never, ever happen again….

Because the Democrats have recklessly created a true National Crisis, I am using my authorities under the Law to protect our Great Country, as I always will do! Therefore, I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports.”

Blurb:

Trump Ends DHS Payment Freeze Without Congress, Issues Immediate Orders to New DHS Sec. Markwayne Mullin – westernjournal.com

In an announcement on Truth Social Thursday evening, President Donald Trump announced that he would be ordering new Department of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin to pay Transportation Security Agency officials who have been working without salary during the DHS shutdown.

It was unclear from the statement how he planned to find the funds, but said the move would be through executive order.

The Associated Press noted that the administration had considered using the declaration of a national emergency to move funding through, although the wire service noted it “would be politically fraught and almost certain to face legal challenges.”

U.S. District Judge Doubles Down on Ordering Pentagon to continue to Use Anthropic

pgnewser March 27, 2026 2

U.S. District Judge Rita Lin has issued a ruling that prevents President Trump from ordering the Pentagon to sever ties with the AI company, Anthropic. The Trump administration has determined Anthropic’s governance standards are not aligned with America’s standards.

The Federal judge has essentially ruled she knows better than Trump if Anthropic is aligned or not aligned with American standards. She said in her ruling, “Defendants’ designation of Anthropic as a ‘supply chain risk’ is likely both contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious.”

Blurb:

Judge Lin Blocks Pentagon AI Decision and Extends Lawfare Pattern – PJ Media

U.S. District Judge Rita Lin has stepped in again, blocking President Donald Trump from forcing the Pentagon and federal agencies to cut ties with Anthropic.

The ruling halts a supply chain designation tied to national security concerns over AI in military use. The designation also said mean things about Anthropic, hurting Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s feelings, so he took the Trump administration to court.

Federal agencies must now continue working with a company the executive branch flagged as a potential risk.

A federal judge in California has blocked the Trump administration from designating Anthropic a supply chain risk to national security and cutting off all work with the AI company.

Anthropic sued the Defense Department and other federal agencies this month after the Pentagon labeled it a “supply-chain risk to national security.” President Donald Trump said he would also ban the use of Anthropic’s products across other federal agencies.

“Defendants’ designation of Anthropic as a ‘supply chain risk’ is likely both contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious,” Judge Rita Lin, a U.S. district judge in California, wrote in her order Thursday night. “The Department of War provides no legitimate basis to infer from Anthropic’s forthright insistence on usage restrictions that it might become a saboteur.”

Lin paused her own order for a week to allow the administration time to appeal.

9th Circuit Court of Appeals allows feds to use crowd-control munitions on Portland anti-ICE protesters | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com

pgnewser March 27, 2026 0

Blurb:

The lower court order barred the use of chemical or projectile munitions, such as tear gas, pepper balls, flash-bang grenades, rubber bullets, pepper or oleoresin capsicum spray, and other less-lethal weapons.

The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has temporarily blocked an order prohibiting federal agents from using crowd control munitions on protesters at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland, Oregon.

The 2-1 panel decision, issued on Wednesday, intervenes in two separate federal cases, with two Trump-appointed judges, Kenneth Lee and Eric Tung, granting the Trump administration administrative stays. Judge Ana De Alba dissented.

An administrative stay is intended to “minimize harm while an appellate court deliberates” and lasts “no longer than necessary to make an intelligent decision on the motion for stay pending appeal,” as stated in the order.

The decision comes just days before the nationwide “No Kings” protests, a coordinated left-wing event that led to the siege of the ICE facility twice last year: in June and again in October. Riots were declared at both of those events.

Trump Pushes for End to Iran War as Markets Feel Burden of Blocked Strait

pgnewser March 26, 2026 1

President Donald Trump has put together a 15-point peace proposal to what’s left of the Iran regime. Alleged representatives of the regime are telling corporate news media they have already rejected the deal. The President has fired back, threatening he will “unleash hell” if Iran “fails to understand that they have been defeated.” Read more about the Iran War in our Situation Report on pg. xx.

Blurb:

White House Warns: Trump Will ‘Unleash Hell’ if Iran ‘Fails to Understand That They Have Been Defeated’ – gellerreport.com

President Donald Trump is “prepared to unleash hell” if Iran refuses to “come to a deal,” the White House warned Wednesday, cautioning that the regime “should not miscalculate again” after suffering devastating battlefield losses, as U.S. forces — including Marines and elements of the 82nd Airborne Division — deploy to the Middle East to support combat operations against Iran.

Speaking at a White House briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president remains willing to listen as talks with Tehran continue, but stressed the regime is now being given a final opportunity to accept the reality of its battlefield defeat and come to terms.

“Iran should not miscalculate again,” Leavitt warned, arguing that the regime’s last miscalculation has already cost it “their senior leadership, their navy, their air force, and their air defense system.”

She said the message from the president is clear: If Tehran refuses to accept that reality, the consequences will intensify.

“If they fail to understand that they have been defeated militarily and will continue to be, President Trump will ensure they are hit harder than they have ever been hit before,” Leavitt said, adding that “President Trump does not bluff and he is prepared to unleash hell.”

Social Media Hit Hard in Two Landmark U.S. Cases, Both Addressing Child Safety

pgnewser March 26, 2026 0

Meta and YouTube have each faced legal setbacks that could portend badly for the social media industry as a whole. The first saw Meta lose $381 million lawsuit over child exploitation and safety, the second saw YouTube and Google lose $3 million each for not preventing child addiction. Both cases are expected to set off copycat cases, including against other social media platforms.

Blurb:

Meta, YouTube face thousands of cases on whether they harmed children after bellwether cases go against them  Fortune
from news.google.com

Two landmark jury verdicts against social media companies have arrived at the front of a wave of lawsuits alleging that the popular platforms endanger the mental health of children.

Financial penalties total $381 million in the two cases involving tech giant Meta in New Mexico and both Meta and YouTube in California. The verdicts highlight a growing shift in the public perception of social media companies and their responsibilities toward child safety.

But it may be too soon to tell whether litigation will change the way popular social media and messaging platforms function — or influence the complex algorithms that deliver content to billions of users worldwide.