“Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky returned to the Senate to vote on Monday for the first time in three months, looking noticeably more frail after he was hospitalized for a June fall in his home. … He briefly addressed reporters Monday from a wheelchair outside the Senate chamber, smiling but speaking slowly and with some difficulty. McConnell joked that he wasn’t sure how many reporters would be there after dodging so many questions during his almost two decades as leader.” (09/14/26)
“A member of the UK armed forces died in Ukraine on Saturday, the British Ministry of Defence has announced. The unnamed service member died as the result of a “road traffic incident,” the ministry said in a statement posted to social media. ‘The family have been informed and have requested a period of grace before further details are released,’ it reads. ‘Our thoughts and sympathies are with the individual’s loved ones at this difficult time’. … Few details are available on the UK’s military presence in Ukraine, although Westminster has previously confirmed that British personnel are present in the country. These personnel support the security of the UK Defence Section in Ukraine and offer medical training and mentoring to Ukraine’s Medical Forces.” (09/14/26)
“The European Commission will propose new rules to restrict minors’ access to social media and video-sharing platforms before the age of 15, according to preparatory documents seen by POLITICO and a person familiar with the matter. The EU executive on Thursday will unveil a new EU KIDS Act setting out age restrictions, along with new rules requiring covered products, such as social media and AI companions, to be safe [sic] by design. The proposal aims to create a tiered system for accessing social media under parental supervision before age 15, the documents said.” (09/14/26)
“Donald Trump Jr. and his wife Bettina defended their friendship with a Russian oligarch linked to Vladimir Putin after a report that Umar Kremlev paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to help fund their wedding weekend at private islands in the Bahamas earlier this year. Calling Kremlev a ‘dear friend,’ the couple said in a lengthy statement posted to Instagram along with 20 photos of the event that he ‘very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding,’ calling it an ‘extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend,’ noting the two were married in a private ceremony a day before leaving for the Bahamas. … Kremlev has a longstanding relationship with the Russian government—days before the wedding Kremlev was part of Putin’s delegation on a trip to China … ProPublica reported …” (09/14/26)
“Sweden’s political parties have launched coalition negotiations as the Social Democrats leader, Magdalena Andersson, started the long and difficult process of trying to form a new government. Full results from Sunday’s election are not expected until after overseas votes are counted on Wednesday, but with 95% of the votes counted, the Social Democrats and the centre-left bloc had a narrow but growing lead of 176 seats to the right-leaning parties’ 173. After losing support for the first time since they were founded, the far-right Sweden Democrats, who were hoping to enter government for the first time, appear to be out of the picture. But many of its policy ideas – on immigration laws, integration and crime – have become mainstream, including in the centre-left.” (09/14/26)
“Macklemore has been kicked off the rest of Ed Sheeran’s stadium tour after several venues said they would refuse to let the rapper perform after his anti-Israel rants on stage. ‘We have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans,’ Messina Touring Group, which is promoting the US leg of Sheeran’s Loop Tour, told Rolling Stone magazine. ‘After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates,’ the company added. The lefty rapper was scheduled to play at eight of the 10 remaining shows, scheduled to resume on Saturday.” (09/14/26)
“Officials at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have warned that the institution is nearing bankruptcy and could be forced to close as early as Tuesday, Sept. 15, according to multiple reports. In documents obtained by The Washington Post and The New York Times, the Kennedy Center’s current leadership — which was installed by President Donald Trump — argued that the institution faces ‘certain fiscal collapse’ unless the president’s name is added back to its facade. … The draft resolution claims that within a few weeks the institution will not be able to pay employees or meet maintenance costs, according to the Post. … ‘The board understands that without such appropriate recognition it is unlikely that President Trump will provide the fundamental oversight of the renovation of the main building and lead the fiscal rescue of the center,’ the draft resolution states, the Times reported.” (09/14/26)
“Beijing rejects ‘groundless’ reports that Chinese entities supplied Tehran with satellite images of a military base housing US troops in Jordan, before and after an Iranian strike killed three American soldiers. The reports by the Wall Street Journal over the weekend related to July 17 missile strikes launched by Iran on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. Unnamed American officials cited in the Journal’s reporting did not name the Chinese entities involved, and did not suggest that Beijing was directly to blame.” (09/14/26)
“Former CIA Director John Brennan has been subpoenaed to testify next month before a Florida grand jury as part of a Justice Department investigation into whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired against President Donald Trump, one of his lawyers said Monday. Ken Wainstein, an attorney for Brennan, disclosed in a court filing that prosecutors last Thursday presented him with a subpoena for Brennan to appear Oct. 15 before a grand jury in Fort Pierce, Florida. He said he was told that the subpoena relates to a “far-reaching” criminal probe examining a loosely defined theory that the government officials who have investigated Trump over the last decade, including over Russia election interference in 2016 and his more recent retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate, conspired to deprive Trump of his civil rights. The subpoena to Brennan is among a flurry that have been issued in recent weeks.” (09/14/26)
“Polls closed on Monday across an autonomous Muslim region of the Philippines that waited decades to choose its own leaders, with officials praising a successful election despite sporadic violence. The parliamentary election was the culmination of a sometimes-bumpy peace process that began in the late 1990s and established the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in the country’s far south. More than two million voters were eligible to vote for 80 parliament seats that had previously been filled by appointees. … Gunfire erupted outside a polling station at a Cotabato school before polls opened, killing three people and wounding 15 others.” (09/14/26)
