“Federal agents on Thursday captured an accused election fraud ringleader who allegedly paid Skid Row homeless a few bucks each to sign California ballot petitions using the stolen identities of real voters. The FBI apprehended alleged election crook James Brass, a.k.a. ‘Lord,’ in Victorville, San Bernardino County, just before dawn. He allegedly ran his scheme through a small company he owns called Pinnacle Brass …. Also charged in the two-count indictment against Brass are two petition circulators who allegedly worked for him: Courtney Price, 49, of Jacksonville, Florida, and Jateisha Herron, 33, of Boron, California. … All three defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit identity fraud in furtherance of a state felony. Brass and Price are charged with an additional count of identity fraud in furtherance of a state felony.” (09/10/26)
“Vice-president JD Vance appeared to partially row back on Donald Trump’s outlandish claims that every adult citizen in the US would receive $5,000 if the Republicans retain the House and Senate in the midterm elections. … Vance, speaking after the president, suggested the so-called dividend payments would not go to the wealthy and that it could be paid for by US tariff revenues – though the suggested payment dwarfs what the US has taken in through the protectionist measures. Congress would need to approve or otherwise acquiesce to the payment. The sum would far exceed US tariff revenues even before the Supreme Court tossed much of the president’s tariff program last year.” (09/10/26)
“Travelers could soon be allowed to bring full water bottles through some airport security checkpoints — a major shift from longstanding airport security restrictions. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is weighing whether to allow TSA PreCheck passengers to bring water bottles through security checkpoints, according to reports. The change would apply to a select number of airports across the United States. … TSA PreCheck, which allows eligible travelers to use expedited security lanes and typically keep their shoes, belts and light jackets on during screening, generally costs less than $100 for a five-year membership, according to the agency.” (09/10/260
“China’s passenger car exports in the first eight months of this year already surpassed last year’s total, an industry association said Thursday, though domestic sales continued to decline. Passenger car exports in August jumped 67.1% from the year before to around 890,000 units, driven by plug-in hybrids and pure electric vehicles, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). China exported more than 6.2 million passenger vehicles in January-August. Exports of all types of vehicles totaled 7.1 million last year, CAAM data show, including about 6 million passenger vehicles. The world’s largest car exporter is on track to achieve 50% to 70% growth in full-year passenger vehicle exports, according to S&P Global Ratings.” (09/10/26)
“Twenty-five people have been killed in a fire on a foreign-flagged cargo ship docked at a port in eastern China, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. Of the 42 people on board, 17 were were evacuated of which five are in hospital in stable condition, CCTV reports. The vessel was undergoing maintenance at a shipyard in the city of Qingdao when the blaze erupted at around 11:15 local time (03:15 GMT). It was put out just over three hours later, according to CCTV. Photos released by state media showed the vessel to be the Ocean Melody, a 190m (623ft) long Liberia-flagged carrier which arrived in Qingdao on 31 August, according to tracking site MarineTraffic.” (09/10/26)
“The U.S. military has attacked another boat in the Caribbean, [murdering] three people, alleging the vessel was involved in narcotrafficking. The attack occurred Wednesday, the 69th publicly acknowledged strike in the Trump administration’s yearlong military campaign that has [murdered] at least 230 people whom the administration alleges were drug traffickers, though at least some of those [murdered] are believed to have been civilians. As is the case with such strikes, little information was made public by U.S. Southern Command, which conducted the strike, and described the boat as a ‘go-fast vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean.'” (09/10/26)
“The Trump administration is promising $500 rebate checks to an estimated 1 million Affordable Care Act enrollees across 30 states, who the White House alleged were overcharged by the Biden administration for exchange fees. … Enrollees who can expect refunds are those who do not receive premium assistance. Critics called the move a ‘gimmick’ that doesn’t represent a plan for addressing soaring healthcare costs. Trump in his address accused former President Joe Biden’s administration of ‘gross mismanagement’ of ACA funds, without providing evidence, and said that the Biden administration collected user fees from insurance companies that consumers paid through higher premiums.” (09/10/26)
“The chief justice of Brazil’s Supreme Court stepped in Wednesday to halt conflicting rulings by two fellow judges as a dispute over alleged links between Justice Alexandre de Moraes and a banker accused of fraud deepened. The clash has spilled into the campaign for next month’s presidential election, adding to tensions around the court.” (09/10/26)
“Russian forces have launched attacks across Ukraine, killing at least seven people, according to Ukrainian officials, as Kyiv claimed responsibility for a drone attack that set off a fire at a natural gas plant deep in Russia’s Arctic region. Four people were killed in a Russian attack in Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine overnight on Thursday, while three were killed in a drone attack on a shopping centre in the northeastern city of Sumy, according to Ukrainian authorities. … Russian authorities said Ukrainian forces had launched a drone attack on the country’s Yamal-Nenets region, which is located some 2,800 kilometres (1,700 miles) from the Ukrainian border. Dmitry Artyukhov, the region’s governor, said the attack targeted an industrial facility in Novy Urengoy. The attack was repelled, but falling debris from the drone caused a fire, he said on Telegram.” (09/10/26)
“A defiant Donald Trump vowed on Wednesday, August 9, that Republicans would ‘surge forward’ in November’s midterms, seeking to rally his party against grim election forecasts, weak approval ratings and mounting voter discontent over prices and his war with Iran. The president took the stage at an extraordinary Republican midterm convention in Dallas, a two-day gathering dubbed ‘Trumpapalooza,’ built around persuading his supporters that he is effectively on the ballot on November 3. … He promised every American adult would get $5,000 from the federal government if his Republican Party succeeds. … He did not say where the money would come from, citing only that ‘our country is making so much money.'” (09/10/26)
