“A Russian drone struck a train near the Ukraine- Poland border on Sunday shortly after senior visiting officials — including the former prime ministers of the U.K. and Sweden — passed through, Ukraine’s state rail operator said. According to Ukrzaliznytsia, a diplomatic train carrying Boris Johnson, Carl Bildt and security advisers from several European Union states had purposely left the station at Yahodyn ahead of schedule. The visitors were on their way back from a security conference in Kyiv. ‘It is highly probable that the Russian drone ’s intended target was in fact the diplomatic train, which had departed the station earlier than scheduled,’ the company said in a Telegram post.” (09/13/26)
“Politicians generally operate within their partisan bubbles, as they stake out poll-tested positions that conform to the political lean of their districts and the priorities of their party. Once in a while, though, an issue so upsets the public that it transcends partisanship. Then all bets are off, as lawmakers try desperately to placate those proverbial ‘peasants with pitchforks.’ The latest example involves the construction of data centers. Voters, and hence politicians on the political left and right, are incensed about the construction of large facilities that house computers, networking equipment, servers, and storage systems that support the tech economy and the growth in Artificial Intelligence (AI). It’s hard to understand the level of upset given that these facilities are necessary to power industries that power our economy and fund state budgets.” (09/11/26)
“Talks between Iran and several Gulf states on the disputed Strait of Hormuz have been postponed, Oman said on Sunday. Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said Monday’s meeting had been postponed ‘in the interest of consensus.’ ‘We remain committed to fostering dialogue that supports stability and lasting cooperation in our region,’ he wrote on X. He did not announce a new date or elaborate on the reason for the postponement. … Tehran and Muscat have been negotiating for weeks on a mechanism to regulate shipping traffic through the strait, a key waterway for the global oil, gas and fertilizer trade. For Iran’s leadership, the Strait of Hormuz has become an important means of leverage in its conflict with the United States.” (09/13/26)
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer
by the editorial board
“During a recent cable news appearance, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick claimed no American lives had been lost in the Iran war, an error he blamed on confusion with President Donald Trump’s earlier invasion of Venezuela. And perhaps it is difficult to keep one’s wars straight in an administration that has attacked seven countries in less than two years. But while Lutnick’s claim was horribly wrong in fact, it was an accurate reflection of the administration’s consistently reprehensible diminishment of the costly war it started more than six months ago without congressional authorization or public support. The day after the secretary’s gaffe, Vice President JD Vance denied the very existence of the conflict, telling reporters, ‘I wouldn’t call it a war’ …. The day after that, Trump himself dismissed the war as ‘small potatoes’…” (09/13/26)
“A 40-year-old woman has died from measles complications in Pennsylvania, marking the state’s third measles-associated death this year as the U.S. experiences its worst resurgence of the highly contagious disease in 35 years. The woman, a Jefferson County resident, died Saturday, county Coroner Greg Furlong said on Facebook. … At least 676 measles cases have been confirmed in 37 counties in Pennsylvania so far this year, the state’s health officials reported Friday. The outbreak has hospitalized 124 people in the state. Of the confirmed cases, fewer than 1% had been fully vaccinated, Pennsylvania health officials said.” (09/13/260
“If you’re a sane Republican – and yes, I do believe such people exist – the past week had to be monumentally embarrassing. President Donald Trump, who’s terrible at pretending to be a conservative, tried to bribe U.S. voters by saying every adult would receive a $5,000 ‘Trump Dividend’ if Republicans win the midterm elections. If it weren’t a complete con, that would cost about $1.3 trillion at a time when the national debt has surpassed $40 trillion. So much for fiscal conservatism. The president made the embarrassing kickback offer Sept. 9 during an equally embarrassing Republican midterm convention that centered around idolatry of Trump. At the event in Dallas, he implored GOP voters: ‘Pretend that I am on the ballot.’ Does that make you feel good if you’re a Republican?” (09/13/26)
“Indonesian rescuers say about 130 passengers and crew are missing after a ferry carrying more than 240 people sank in bad weather in the Java Sea. At least 113 people were rescued, and the bodies of six passengers were recovered as the search operation expanded in waters around the vessel’s last known position. The Indonesian passenger ship carrying 243 people was reported missing after losing contact early on Sunday during bad weather. … Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands, relies heavily on ferries as a key mode of transportation, with sea routes more affordable and readily available than air travel. However, safety standards are not always rigorously enforced, resulting in a relatively high accident rate.” (09/13/26)
“In a Thursday address at the GOP midterm convention that exalted President Donald Trump and demeaned his opponents as ‘extremists who openly hate our nation,’ Vice President JD Vance hardly spoke about foreign policy. He did not mention the war in Iran directly, and he only brought up foreign policy as an example of an issue that divides the party’s base. He urged voters not to ‘throw the baby out with the bathwater’ because ‘you happen to disagree with us on a policy issue here or there.’ The acknowledgement of foreign policy as a divisive issue in the MAGA coalition is a stark retreat for Vance, who staked his 2023 endorsement of Trump on the fact that ‘he started no wars despite enormous pressure from his own party and even members of his own administration,’ framing the president’s America First record as a much-needed deviation from decades of bipartisan hawkishness.” (09/11/26)
“Jay discusses giving kids a head start in life by keeping them off of tablets and teaching them skills :: Dave Ridley came out with an audiobook :: Caller lost use of legs after meth-related car accident and gained a new meaning for his life :: 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center caused by the FBI :: TSA and Flock have killed the fourth amendment :: Correcting your citizenship status to take your rights back from the feds :: Lindsay Clancy, should her drs be accountable? :: Jury rights and red flag laws :: Just asking questions about the Holocaust :: Riley got 5% of the vote in his state rep run :: SignalTrace, new business like Flock :: Green language the language of synchronicity :: They don’t listen to the constitution anyway :: VT has fewer people than NH but more homeless :: 2026-09-12 Hosts: Bonnie, Jay Noone, Riley O’Bill.” (09/12/26)
