“An Alabama construction worker and U.S. citizen who says he was [abducted] twice by immigration agents within just a few weeks has filed a lawsuit in federal court demanding an end to Trump administration workplace raids targeting industries with large immigrant workforces. The class-action lawsuit, filed Tuesday by concrete worker Leo Garcia Venegas with the public interest law firm Institute for Justice, demands an end to what the firm calls ‘unconstitutional and illegal immigration enforcement tactics.'” (10/01/25)
“The United States government is taking a minority stake in Lithium Americas, a company that is developing one of the world’s largest lithium mines in northern Nevada. The Department of Energy will take a 5 percent equity stake in the miner, which is based in Vancouver. It will also take a 5 percent stake in the Thacker Pass lithium mining project, a joint venture with General Motors. … The equity stake in Lithium Americas is the latest example of the direct intervention by President Donald Trump’s administration in private companies.” (10/01/25)
“Cell phone and internet services were restored in Afghanistan on Wednesday, local residents said, some 48 hours after diplomatic and industry sources said connectivity was abruptly cut on the orders of the Taliban administration. The cell phone services of Roshan and Etisalat companies, the foreign-owned biggest providers, came back to life in the late afternoon, residents in Kabul and other cities said. Internet access was restored, according to companies providing the service. A Taliban official from the information department said there were technical reasons for the outage and that services would be quickly restored. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the Taliban had ordered the outage.” (10/01/25)
“Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook will be permitted to stay on the central bank board at least through next year after legal questions over her [supposed] termination by U.S. President Donald Trump. On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Cook can remain on the job on an interim basis into 2026, and agreed to hear oral arguments in January with a likely ruling before June’s end. The nation’s high court, however, did not explain the basis of its decision in the brief ruling. In August, Trump [pretended he had the power to fire] Cook over his claims of mortgage fraud which Cook has since denied.” (10/01/25)
“South Korea’s president vowed Wednesday to sharply increase defense spending and build a more self-reliant military, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda raises questions about the U.S. security commitment to its Asian ally. A tariff war instigated by Trump’s administration and his transactional approach to security threaten to erode many South Koreans’ trust in the U.S. There are concerns that he may demand much higher South Korean payments for the U.S. military presence in the country or possibly downsize America’s military footprint to focus more on China. … To boost a self-reliant defense posture, Lee [Jae Myung] said his government would increase next year’s defense spending by 8.2% to introduce advanced weapons systems like AI combat robots, autonomous drones and precision-guided missiles.” (10/01/25)
“Scientists have uncovered new types of organics in icy geysers spouting from Saturn’s moon Enceladus, bolstering the likelihood that the ocean world may harbor conditions suitable for life. Their findings, reported Wednesday, are based on observations made by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft in 2008 during a close and fast flyby of Enceladus. The small moon, one of 274 orbiting Saturn, has long been considered a prime candidate in the search for life beyond Earth because of its hidden ocean and plumes of water erupting from cracks near its south pole. While Enceladus may be habitable, no one is suggesting that life exists. ‘Being habitable and being inhabited are two very different things. We believe that Enceladus is habitable, but we do not know if life is indeed present,’ said the University of Washington’s Fabian Klenner, who took part in the study.” (10/01/25)
“A brief roller coaster ride for mortgage rates caused yet another swing in demand. After dropping to a three-year low two weeks ago, rates then shot right back up again. As a result, total mortgage application volume dropped 12.7% last week compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. The drop was mostly driven by a pullback in refinancing. Applications to refinance a home loan fell 21% for the week and were 16% higher than the same week one year ago.” (10/01/25)
“Authorities temporarily closed Munich’s Oktoberfest celebration in response to a bomb threat Wednesday, local officials said. The flagship festival will remain closed until at least 5 p.m. local time, the city government announced in a statement Wednesday, after a bomb threat letter was received. Officials said they planned to conduct a thorough search for explosives. … The government said the threat might be connected to an explosion at a house in northern Munich early Wednesday morning that left at least one person dead.” (10/01/25)
“A nationwide general strike in Greece left ferries tied up in port and disrupted public transportation across the capital on Wednesday, as public and private sector workers protest changes to the country’s labor laws. No taxis in Athens or trains will run for the duration of the 24-hour strike, while buses and the city’s subway, tram and trolley services were operating on a reduced schedule. The strike was disrupting services across the country, including in schools, courts, public hospitals and municipalities. Two protest marches were planned in central Athens, with demonstrations also set for other cities. Unions representing civil servants and private sector workers called the strike to protest labor law changes that will introduce more flexibility, including allowing overtime that could stretch shifts to 13 hours in a day.” (10/01/25)
“Colorado officials are reviewing the death of journalist Hunter S Thompson, 20 years after it was ruled a suicide, at the request of his widow. Thompson died at the age of 67 at his home in Woody Creek, Colorado, a small town north of Aspen, in February 2005. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation said on Tuesday that it was conducting a ‘case review’ of the 2005 investigation into his death, though the agency said this was not as a result of new evidence. ‘By bringing in an outside agency for a fresh look, we hope to provide a definitive and transparent review that may offer peace of mind to his family and the public,’ Colorado Sheriff Michael Buglione said. He added that Thompson had had ‘a profound impact’ on his community and beyond. Thompson was a renowned writer and journalist who wrote for dozens of outlets including Rolling Stone, Playboy, and ESPN.” (10/01/25)
