“Conservatives are pushing back after Rep. Ilhan Omar. D-Minn., introduced legislation that would redirect over $100 billion in funds previously allocated to immigration enforcement and ‘invest it into communities across the country that have been impacted by the Department of Homeland Security’s heinous operations’. Omar explained in a press release Thursday that her Make ICE Pay Act is a response to ‘Operation Metro Surge’ in Minnesota and that it would send nearly $140 billion of ICE and Border Patrol funding from Trump’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act toward ‘local recovery efforts’ from immigration enforcement that has taken place across the country. Omar says the funding will be used by local jurisdictions to provide economic relief and distribute money through the states to nonprofits, small businesses and other impacted entities to support schools, healthcare and psychological services, increased local-government expenses, investigations and memorialization efforts.” (09/21/26)
“Florida has reported its first dengue fever death of 2026 as the mosquito-borne disease spreads across parts of the United States, with nearly 2,000 cases recorded nationwide this year. The death comes amid one of Florida’s most significant dengue outbreaks in recent years and as health officials monitor rising case numbers in several U.S. jurisdictions. … Florida’s 332 reported cases are the highest among U.S. states. State health officials have also reported more than 150 locally acquired infections this year, meaning residents were infected within Florida rather than during travel abroad.” (09/21/26)
“Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a statewide emergency for California in anticipation of this winter’s El Niño-fueled storms, a new sign of growing worry about coastal flooding and high waves expected in the coming months. El Niño may bring high surf and high-impact storms to the state, which ‘warrants early, coordinated, and targeted preparedness actions to protect Californians, critical infrastructure, agricultural lands, natural resources, and the State’s economy,’ the emergency proclamation read.” (09/21/26)
“Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said her government is preparing two legislative proposals that would ban face coverings in Italian schools and restrict the number of foreign students allowed in classrooms. … Roughly 930,000 students without Italian citizenship are enrolled in the country’s schools, representing almost 11.6% of the school population, according to research institute Fondazione ISMU. … It’s not the first time Meloni’s government has looked to ban face coverings. In 2025 her party said it had plans to ban the burqa and niqab in all public spaces nationwide, calling the legislation a response to ‘Islamic separatism.’ The bill is still under consideration in the country’s lower house.” (09/20/26)
“Paramount Skydance has settled a lawsuit with dozens of US states, removing a major hurdle to its $110bn (£82.8bn) merger with Warner Bros Discovery. California Attorney General Rob Bonta told a news conference that state officials agreed to terms after securing commitments to protect competition across film and television, and broadcasting. Still, ‘the settlement is not a vote of support for this merger,’ Bonta said. ‘I don’t think these two companies should merge’. Paramount chief executive David Ellison hailed the resolution, saying: ‘Our shared aim was an outcome that best serves consumers, workers and – most importantly -the creative community so vital to the art of visual storytelling.’ In a statement, Ellison said that now the state attorneys general and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) concerns had been addressed, ‘we have complete clearance for this merger and look forward to putting these commitments into action’.” (09/21/26)
“The White House has begun drafting a new executive order that could further cement President Trump’s ability to control billions of dollars in scientific grants funded by the National Institutes of Health. Discussed at a highly contentious meeting at the White House on Friday, the directive aims to create a new external committee with the power to veto awards in the nation’s vast biomedical research portfolio that do not conform to Mr. Trump’s political agenda, according to people with knowledge of the effort. … Traditionally, the N.I.H. selects projects based on expert review of their scientific merit. But Mr. Trump has sought through a series of recent directives in his second term to bring that process under political review, arguing in part that the government has been funding ‘woke’ liberal priorities.” (09/20/26)
“A former Haitian government official and more than a dozen other people appeared Monday in federal court in Miami on charges related to the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. Joseph Badio, a former Haiti Ministry of Justice employee, was brought into the Florida court in a wheelchair. The hearing happened a day after he and 17 others described as Colombian mercenaries were flown to the United States from Haiti, where they had been in custody. They’re among 30 people charged in the indictment, including Christian Sanon, a Palm Beach County, Florida, resident and dual Haitian-American citizen who was already preparing to face trial next week. Authorities said he aspired to be Haiti’s president. South Florida served as a central location for planning and financing the plot to oust Moïse and replace him with someone of the conspirators’ choosing, U.S. authorities have alleged.” (09/21/26)
“Three South Korean military personnel were injured Monday in an unidentified explosion south of the Military Demarcation Line in the western section of the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The explosion occurred during a search operation in an area overseen by the Army’s 25th Infantry Division at around 11 a.m., according to local media reports. The military did not specify the source of the explosion. Local reports said it was believed to have been caused by a landmine, although it remained unclear whether it had been planted by North Korea or South Korea.” (09/21/26)
“Germany’s far-left party Die Linke (the Left) has taken first place in a state election in Berlin, while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won the most votes in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. … Following the results, the AfD’s national co-leader, Tino Chrupalla, called on the German chancellor [Friedrich Merz] to resign. … Pressure on Merz has been mounting after the far-right AfD delivered a significant defeat to his CDU party two weeks ago in the key state of Saxony-Anhalt. … After just 16 months in power, Merz’s approval ratings have plunged to about 14 percent, the latest polls suggest, as he struggles to push through promised economic and social welfare reforms with his centre-left coalition partner, the SPD, raising doubts among fellow party members about whether he can continue to lead.” (09/20/26)
“The Department of Justice announced Sept. 18 that it considers a federal ban on handgun sales to adults under 21 to be unconstitutional. The DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel opinion cited multiple Second Amendment Supreme Court cases expanding the right to carry handguns for self-defense as their primary rationale for declaring the prohibition unconstitutional. Specifically, they determined 18 to 20-year-olds are part of ‘the people’ the Second Amendment protects. The DOJ’s decision is legally binding on federal agencies but it does not bind federal courts and Congress. It also does not create any precedent and can be overturned by the Supreme Court, which has not yet weighed in on the issue.” [editor’s note: The Second Amendment is at least SUPPOSEDLY binding on Congress and the courts. The question is whether they abide by the “supreme law of the land” or not – TLK] (09/18/26)
