September 30, 2026

x01 Archives

Pope Leo ignores audience request from traditionalist Summorum Pontificum pilgrims– www.lifesitenews.com

pgnewser September 23, 2026 0

Pope Leo ignores audience request from traditionalist Summorum Pontificum pilgrims– www.lifesitenews.com
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EXCERPT:

Pope Leo XIV has yet to respond to a request for an audience from a major traditional Catholic pilgrimage to Rome, nine months after organizers formally asked to meet him.

The organizers of the annual Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage, which will take place in Rome from October 23-25, requested an audience with Pope Leo in a letter personally delivered to the Pope by Bishop Athanasius Schneider at the Vatican in December 2025, according to a report by Edward Pentin. The letter was signed by two lay representatives of the pilgrimage and sought an opportunity for the Pope to meet a large group of traditional Catholic faithful from around the world. As of writing, no papal audience had been confirmed.

As reported by Pentin, the absence of a response comes despite Pope Leo having expressed a desire to meet Catholics attached to the Traditional Roman rite. In an interview with Vatican journalist Elise Ann Allen published in September last year, Leo said that he had not yet had the opportunity “to really sit down with a group of people who are advocating for the Tridentine rite.” He added, “There’s an opportunity coming up soon, and I’m sure there will be occasions for that.”

Soros-Linked Political Groups Pour Millions Into Democratic Efforts Ahead of Midterms › American Greatness– amgreatness.com

pgnewser September 23, 2026 0

Soros-Linked Political Groups Pour Millions Into Democratic Efforts Ahead of Midterms › American Greatness– amgreatness.com
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EXCERPT:

Political committees tied to the Soros family have directed tens of millions of dollars to Democratic-aligned organizations during the 2026 election cycle, including a group spending heavily in Michigan’s closely watched U.S. Senate race.

Democracy PAC and Democracy PAC II had distributed more than $40 million to Democratic-aligned organizations as of the end of June, according to campaign finance records. Recipients include Senate Majority PAC, House Majority PAC and J Street Action Fund. Federal Election Commission records show Democracy PAC II alone reported more than $6 million in total disbursements through June 30.

The spending has drawn attention in Michigan, where Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is running against Republican Mike Rogers.

Senate Majority PAC, which received $9 million from Democracy PAC this cycle, has committed $30 million to supporting El-Sayed in Michigan, according to recent reports.

The outside support comes as El-Sayed has made reducing the influence of wealthy donors a prominent campaign theme.

“The fundamental corruption of our politics has been the system that allows corporations and would-be oligarchs and billionaires to buy politicians,” El-Sayed said in a 2025 interview.

Andy Burnham seeks common ground with Trump at the UN and pitches the UK as a major AI player– abcnews.com

pgnewser September 23, 2026 0

Andy Burnham seeks common ground with Trump at the UN and pitches the UK as a major AI player– abcnews.com
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EXCERPT:

NEW YORK — British Prime Minister Andy Burnham faces a double test on the world stage Tuesday when he meets U.S. President Donald Trump for the first time and addresses the United Nations General Assembly.

It’s a baptism of fire for the neophyte leader, who has gone from mayor of the northwest England city of Manchester to leader of a G7 country in a matter of weeks.

He will urge Trump to step up U.S. support for Ukraine and hopes to avoid U.S. criticism of the U.K.’s decision to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

He also will try to send a message that Britain can play a key role in solving the world’s biggest challenges, from conflict in the Middle East to the dizzying evolution of artificial intelligence. And he will attempt to turn the page on a decade of Brexit-driven discord with the U.K.’s European neighbors.

As he flew to New York for the annual gathering of world leaders, Burnham announced he had authorized limited military support for Saudi Arabia to repel attacks from Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. A Royal Air Force plane will refuel Saudi jets engaged in “defensive” action to shoot down Houthi missiles, he said.

Burnham said he would raise with Trump ways to end the on-off war between the U.S. and Iran, which has choked off oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz and sent global fuel prices soaring. Houthi attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure are making the problem worse while rendering Burnham’s pledge to ease cost of living pressure for British voters even harder.

Republicans were bullish about the Senate. Now they’re playing defense in red states.– www.politico.com

pgnewser September 23, 2026 0

Republicans were bullish about the Senate. Now they’re playing defense in red states.– www.politico.com
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EXCERPT:

Republicans are playing defense deep in their own territory as voter anger over price hikes puts more House and Senate seats in play in the midterms.

New rounds of big spending, visits from Trump administration officials and private conversations among top GOP officials overseeing the battle for control of Congress reveal a party rushing to shore up red seats and states President Donald Trump won handily in 2024.

In the House, the fight has expanded far outside the few-dozen seats considered the most competitive as Republicans start to unleash their massive warchest: Since Aug. 1, more than $110 million in ad bookings have gone toward Republican-held districts so red that Trump won them by double digits.

In the Senate, Republicans are racing to shore up Ohio GOP Sen. Jon Husted as the Midwest struggles under the weight of Trump’s tariffs and high diesel prices. Trump and Vice President JD Vance are both expected to travel to the state before the midterms to boost Husted, according to four people familiar with the matter who were granted anonymity to discuss not-yet-public plans.

GOP leaders are also trying to keep a handle on contests in Iowa and Kansas — and they’ve quietly begun deprioritizing Georgia and even North Carolina, which a growing number of Republicans are privately bracing for Democrats to flip.

“We need to stop the contagion,” said one senior GOP official, who, like others, was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the midterm landscape. 

Horror shooting at school as police and ambulance swarm in on attack | World | News– www.express.co.uk

pgnewser September 23, 2026 0

Horror shooting at school as police and ambulance swarm in on attack | World | News– www.express.co.uk
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EXCERPT:

At least eight students have been injured in a reported shooting outside a school in Turkey. It happened outside a high school in Turgutlu on Tuesday.

Reports from Turkey said the alleged shooting took place outside a vocational and technical Anadolu high school in the area.

Emergency services rushed to the scene after reports that students had been wounded during the attack. HaberTurk news channel said at least four people were wounded in the attack.

It said the assailant fired at students arriving at the school with a shotgun. The motive of the attack was not immediately known.

Ahmet Öküzcüoğlu, the municipality’s mayor, said: “A firearm attack has occurred at Turgutlu İnci Üzmez Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School, one of our province’s beautiful districts. I learned with sorrow that five of our students have been injured. I wish a speedy recovery to our students.”

In a statement, the governor’s office said: “After the incident, the suspect believed to have fired the weapon was caught by security forces and taken into custody.” CCTV images of the suspect have been released.

Turkey has been shocked by two school shootings this year. In April, a 14-year-old student opened fire on two classrooms at his school in southeastern Kahramanmaras province, killing nine students and teachers and wounding 13 others. The attacker was killed by the police.

Man shot by ICE says he was put in detention with bullet lodged near spine – The Washington Post– news.google.com

pgnewser September 23, 2026 0

Man shot by ICE says he was put in detention with bullet lodged near spine – The Washington Post– news.google.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

  1. Man shot by ICE says he was put in detention with bullet lodged near spine  The Washington Post
  2. Man shot by ICE in Austin says he has a bullet lodged in his back and was denied medical care  KUT
  3. ICE agent shoots man in Austin, victim hospitalized  FOX 7 Austin
  4. Venezuelan man shot by ICE agents in Austin gives phone interview during press conference  KVUE
  5. DoorDash driver’s ICE arrest in Austin raises questions about worker verification  KXAN Austin

 

North Korea touts new weapons system described as hypersonic– abcnews.com

pgnewser September 23, 2026 0

North Korea touts new weapons system described as hypersonic– abcnews.com
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EXCERPT:

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Tuesday its latest missile tests involved a new weapons system of “great significance,” with photos indicating it launched a missile previously described as hypersonic.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the weapon’s development would strengthen the country’s war readiness and give its enemies an “incurable headache,” the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said. He did not describe what the weapon was.

Kim observed Sunday’s tests with his teenage daughter, widely seen as a potential successor.

South Korea’s military detected North Korea firing two short-range missiles three hours apart from the eastern coastal Wonsan area Sunday. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles flew about 450 and 600 kilometers (280 miles and 370 miles) toward the sea, while Japan’s military said they landed in waters outside the country’s exclusive economic zone.

The launches extended a recent run in military displays, including live-fire exercises and the commissioning of a new warship, as Kim continues to flaunt his growing nuclear program despite U.S. calls to revive diplomacy.

Russia Retaliates After Ukraine Launches 1,000 Drones with Hundreds Targeting Moscow– www.cbn.com

pgnewser September 23, 2026 0

Russia Retaliates After Ukraine Launches 1,000 Drones with Hundreds Targeting Moscow– www.cbn.com
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EXCERPT:

Ukraine fired more than 1,000 drones at Russia over the weekend, including hundreds launched at Moscow.

The mayor of Moscow called it the “largest ever” drone attack on the city and said there was damage to the Moscow oil refinery and a residential building.

Due to the ongoing war, Ukraine has become a global leader in military drone technology, launching their long-range drones alongside missiles for strikes deep inside Russia.

Russia struck back after the Moscow attack, sending drones to blast Ukraine’s southern city of Zaporizhzhia. Officials say Russia’s drones hit apartment blocks, a university and a shopping mall, wounding five people. The Russian Defense Ministry says it also struck military targets.

Ukraine’s air force said Monday it shot down or suppressed 148 Russian drones in that overnight attack.

More than four years after Russia invaded its neighbor, the war shows no signs of easing as world leaders gather at the U.N. General Assembly. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, while Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend.

“Russia is not backing down from its escalation and is sending many signals that it is ready to expand the war,” Zelenskyy said. “At the U.N. General Assembly, we will discuss how we can achieve peace through joint efforts.”

Neighboring countries fear being dragged into the war with Russia as drones have repeatedly entered their airspace. Moldova’s Ministry of Defense said Monday that part of the country’s northern airspace was temporarily closed overnight after surveillance systems detected an “aerial object” entering its national airspace.

Drone incursions into Romania’s airspace have also increased significantly.

 

AI Doomers Unite: Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman to Address UN Security Council– www.breitbart.com

pgnewser September 23, 2026 0

AI Doomers Unite: Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman to Address UN Security Council– www.breitbart.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is scheduled to address the UN Security Council on Wednesday alongside OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in a meeting focused on the future of AI.

Bloomberg reports that Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei will brief the UN Security Council on the risks of artificial intelligence this week. He’ll join Wednesday’s session remotely, according to a program of the meeting seen by Bloomberg News.

Amodei asked companies this month to slow the pace of frontier model development, a call backed by OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Tesla’s Elon Musk and opposed by Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang.

President Trump has forcefully responded to calls for an AI slowdown in response to AI doomers including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, writing on Truth Social:

The only control or “guardrails” that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades! The Trump Administration has stopped AI “people” from doing bad, or potentially bad, “things,“ like Dario (Anthropic!), who is now pretending to be a “perfect little angel” – and we will continue to do so! We already have tremendous CRIMINAL and REGULATORY power over these companies! There is a SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China. WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS! We are leading China, and all others, and will continue to do so. Conspiracy Theorists, Treasonists, Traitors, and Leakers, BEWARE! Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP

Penn State Law Faces Scrutiny Over Mandatory ‘Antiracism’ Course– legalinsurrection.com

pgnewser September 23, 2026 0

Penn State Law Faces Scrutiny Over Mandatory ‘Antiracism’ Course– legalinsurrection.com
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EXCERPT:

Even the students are calling this political indoctrination.

Penn State law school defends mandatory ‘antiracism’ class

Penn State Dickinson Law defended a mandatory first-year class about “antiracism” recently after at least two students accused the school of political indoctrination.

The law school, which is public, has faced Congressional scrutiny and is the target of a civil rights complaint. Along with requiring the course “Race and the Equal Protection of the Laws,” it also runs an Antiracist Development Institute that works “to dismantle structures that support systemic racial inequality and intersectional injustice.”

“No changes are planned to 1L [first year] curriculum established for the 2026-2027 academic year,” including the controversial class, the law school told CBS News 21 in a statement last week.

“The law school also endeavors to provide an open and respectful learning environment for all who teach and study at Penn State Dickinson Law …  one in which students are encouraged to explore and challenge differing perspectives,” it stated.

However, some students who have taken the class said the opposite.

One male student, who spoke to CBS 21 on the condition of anonymity, described it as “purely political.”

“They wanted to indoctrinate a new generation of more activist lawyers,” the student said, adding that the class teaches that the U.S. was “founded on white supremacist ideals.”

3-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Launches Petition Demanding the WNBA Define What a Woman Is– www.dailysignal.com

pgnewser September 23, 2026 0

3-Time Olympic Gold Medalist Launches Petition Demanding the WNBA Define What a Woman Is– www.dailysignal.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

With the backing of Lara Trump, tennis legend Martina Navratilova, and former professional basketball players Charles Barkley and Enes Kanter Freedom, a three-time Olympic gold medalist recently launched a petition demanding that the Women’s National Basketball Association define “woman” as female.

Nancy Hogshead, who won three gold medals and one silver medal in swimming for the United States at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, is also now speaking out publicly after several Republican members of Congress, led by Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., sent a letter to the league demanding that it define what a woman is.

As it stands, the league claims that only women are allowed to play, but it has not defined what being a woman is, despite numerous calls from members of Congress and current and former athletes.

“I’ve spent decades fighting for safe and equal opportunities for women in sports, both as an athlete and as a civil rights attorney,” Hogshead, who is now an American civil rights lawyer, said in a press release. “As a three-time Olympic gold medalist, I underwent sex verification myself. It was a simple cheek swab, and I know firsthand why clear eligibility standards matter.”

“I only wish we’d had similarly effective safeguards to catch the systematic doping of East German women swimmers in my era,” the gold medalist continued.

Hogshead, whose petition has garnered more than 21,000 signatures since its launch, added that this effort, along with the House Republican letter, is crucial for protecting women’s sports.

“That’s why I support Rep. Stutzman’s letter and launched my Change.org petition calling on the WNBA to define ‘woman’ as female. Without clear standards, male intrusion is inevitable. Males have competed in every level of female sport, from elite international competitions to schools, professional leagues, and masters leagues,” she added. “It’s time for the WNBA to protect what generations of women fought to build: the female category.”

American Federation of Teachers Is Still Fighting DOT’s Efforts to Keep Roads Free of Dangerous Illegal Drivers– www.standingforfreedom.com

pgnewser September 23, 2026 0

American Federation of Teachers Is Still Fighting DOT’s Efforts to Keep Roads Free of Dangerous Illegal Drivers– www.standingforfreedom.com
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EXCERPT:

 The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has joined a lawsuit seeking to stop the DOT from accessing commercial driver’s license (CDL) records from the CDLIS database operated by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, which contains information about 17 million people.

A U.S. District Court in California has since issued an injunction against the DOT while the lawsuit advances through the court system. The DOT is expected to appeal.

The legal fight is over ongoing actions being taken by the Trump administration to get illegal immigrants and unqualified drivers off the road following numerous deadly crashes caused by truckers who never should have been on the road. At least 30 Americans were killed in crashes caused by illegal truck drivers in 2025, including a high school basketball coach and his wife, and numerous others have been killed and maimed in 2026.

The DOT, along with other agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), have been working to shut down “sham schools” that don’t provide proper or complete training to its students and who give CDLs to illegal immigrants who can’t speak or read English or identify road signs. On September 8, DHS officials launched a new tipline so everyday Americans can report CDL fraud.

“Too many American lives have been lost or permanently changed because illegal aliens who have no business being on our roads have been granted CDLs,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said.

The agencies have also engaged in law enforcement stings to take illegal drivers off the road and implement policies to strengthen English language requirements.

MS NOW Legal Analyst Andrew Weissmann Compares WH Bans to 1930s Nazi Germany– www.newsbusters.org

pgnewser September 23, 2026 0

MS NOW Legal Analyst Andrew Weissmann Compares WH Bans to 1930s Nazi Germany– www.newsbusters.org
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EXCERPT:
MS NOW/SnapStream

In response to the White House barring reporters from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from entering White House grounds, reactions on liberal networks have started to delve into comparisons of the Trump administration to Nazi Germany. On Monday’s Deadline: White House, MS NOW legal analyst Andrew Weissmann compared the bans to the “1930s in Germany.”Host Nicolle Wallace turned to Weissmann, in a panel that included former CNN reporter turned podcaster Jim Acosta, who also had his press pass revoked in the first Trump term before a judge reinstated it, and asked what the next legal steps would be in a lawsuit from the barred outlets.Weissmann said, “You’re going to win. It’s that simple.

Kremlin Backs UN Security Council Reform, But Says Permanent Members and Veto Powers Should Remain– www.themoscowtimes.com

pgnewser September 23, 2026 0

Kremlin Backs UN Security Council Reform, But Says Permanent Members and Veto Powers Should Remain– www.themoscowtimes.com
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EXCERPT:

Russia supports reforms to the UN Security Council that would increase the number of permanent members but otherwise rejects proposals to abolish veto powers, the Kremlin said Tuesday.

“We believe that the Security Council certainly needs to be reformed,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a daily briefing.

However, Peskov said, Moscow still believes “this institution of permanent Security Council members, as well as the right of veto, is a very important element of the entire structure of the United Nations.”

“And we maintain our commitment to this very important element,” he added.

His comments followed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s renewed calls to abolish both permanent membership on the Security Council and the veto privilege ahead of the 81st UN General Assembly.

How Diffractive Solar Sails Could Stop a Killer Asteroid at 100 km/s– www.universetoday.com

pgnewser September 23, 2026 0

How Diffractive Solar Sails Could Stop a Killer Asteroid at 100 km/s– www.universetoday.com
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EXCERPT:

Asteroids don’t come with a warning label that they might one day hit Earth. While we don’t know of any currently on course to do so, we are finding thousands of new ones each year, and there’s always a potential that one could. We proved a viable technique for dealing with that eventuality – the DART mission successfully moved a small asteroid using a “kinetic impactor” – basically a big rod designed to push the asteroid off its trajectory. But DART had one big flaw – it was traveling in the same direction as the asteroid, and approached it from behind, eventually hitting it with an impactor launched while in orbit around it. That technique might work if we have enough warning, but would require years of orbital mechanical maneuvering to pull off. An alternative, proposed by researchers at Beihang University, is to use a new type of solar sail to deflect a potentially hazardous asteroid by hitting it head on.

Deflecting an asteroid using an impactor comes down to one simple factor – energy. The more energy transferred from the impactor to the asteroid, the more the asteroid will move. And the great thing about energy is that it increases with the square of velocity. In other words, the faster you hit something, the more energy you impart to it.

DART smashed into Dimorphos, its target asteroid at about 6 km/s – a respectable speed, but limited by the fact that it was coming from the same direction. According to the new paper, an impactor using a solar sail can come at an approaching asteroid from the opposite direction – akin to a wrong-way highway driver – and smash into its target at around 100 km/s – imparting something like 230 times the force per kilogram of impactor mass than the DART test did.

Fraser talks about how we could potentially stop a killer asteroid.

Siena Poll Of Likely New York State Voters: Hochul 50%, Blakeman 41% (Hochul 49-39% in August) – Siena Poll– news.google.com

pgnewser September 23, 2026 0

Siena Poll Of Likely New York State Voters: Hochul 50%, Blakeman 41% (Hochul 49-39% in August) – Siena Poll– news.google.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

  1. Siena Poll Of Likely New York State Voters: Hochul 50%, Blakeman 41% (Hochul 49-39% in August)  Siena Poll
  2. Bruce Blakeman within single digits of Kathy Hochul in NY governor’s race: poll  nypost.com
  3. Blakeman’s short poll vaulting  Politico
  4. New York Governor’s Race Tightens, With Blakeman Continuing To Sway Independent Voters, as Debate on the Horizon  The New York Sun
  5. Hochul hits 50% in new Siena poll, but lead over Blakeman shrinks  buffalonews.com

 

Winning by the Rules: Optimizing Weapons Reviews in the Age of Technological Innovation– warontherocks.com

pgnewser September 23, 2026 0

Winning by the Rules: Optimizing Weapons Reviews in the Age of Technological Innovation– warontherocks.com
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EXCERPT:

We spare the reader another detailed story from Ukraine to establish the now-familiar point that battlefield technology changes faster than militaries can acquire, review, and field it. The villain in this story is easy to identify: bureaucracy. The fashionable remedies are equally familiar — cut the red tape slowing procurement, or revise the policy review requirements for autonomous weapon systems. But bureaucratic reform, however necessary, cannot eliminate the fundamental challenges machine-learning-based systems pose for rapid testing, evaluation, validation, and verification. Moreover, legal and operational reasons make it unwise to cut corners on compliance with domestic and international law.

Rather than relying on red-tape cuts or curtailed review to speed things up, we argue the United States and other NATO militaries can streamline weapons review and improve design programs by embedding legal and operational advisers within defense firms who can, at a company’s discretion, give input and advice. Such advisers would support companies and speed reviews, without adding oversight or overhead. The core idea is to change the review architecture: Rather than becoming a discrete hurdle at the end of development, review becomes a continuous process running alongside development. This is no silver bullet, but a concrete step militaries and industry may take together to meet today’s challenges.

A clarification first, since “review” covers several distinct processes. In the United States, a law of war weapons review, conducted as a matter of policy since 1974 and required today by U.S. Department of Defense Directive 5000.01, asks whether a weapon could be lawfully used. A separate senior-level review under Directive 3000.09 asks both before development and fielding whether (semi-)autonomous weapon systems satisfy policy requirements. Test and evaluation establishes actual capabilities and limits. Our proposal serves all three, which draw on the same underlying evidence, though time pressure is sharpest on the Directive 3000.09 review, our running example here.