“California lawmakers are demanding Congress immediately pass artificial intelligence safety laws as panic grips much of the tech industry over fears of AI leading to human extinction. Reps. Sam Liccardo and George Whitesides, Democrats from California, co-signed a letter late Friday to House Speaker Mike Johnson urging the Republican leader to take immediate action on the ‘catastrophic risk’ that the new technology poses and requesting that Congress not leave the capital until a new AI safety measure is passed. The letter came just days after an Anthropic safety researcher resigned from the San Francisco company and warned that there’s a 10% chance AI could kill all humans within the next decade. The disclosure set off a wave of panic across the country. President Donald Trump and Johnson downplayed those fears over the weekend and emphasized that if American regulators slow down AI development, the U.S. could risk falling behind China.” (09/16/26)
“The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform unanimously voted Tuesday to recommend that the full House hold billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas issued in its investigation of the federal government’s handling of the criminal cases against convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. … The GOP-led committee has been investigating Epstein since February 2025, and has sought to speak with Black, a longtime friend and client of the disgraced New York financier, believing he has information related to how Epstein and Maxwell tried to curry favor and exercise influence to protect their illegal activities. Black sat for a transcribed interview in June, but walked out about an hour into the interview after declining to answer questions concerning nondisclosure agreements.” (09/15/26)
“Saudi Arabia said it shot down a Houthi drone on the outskirts of Islam’s holiest city Mecca on Tuesday –– prompting swift regional condemnation of the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group. It’s the first time that the Houthis have targeted Mecca in almost a decade, since a ballistic missile attack was intercepted in 2017, according to Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led Coalition Forces. The Houthis quickly denied threatening Mecca, with military spokesman Yahya Saree saying early Wednesday that its targets were Saudi oil facilities and military bases ‘far removed from the holy places.'” (09/16/26)
“Major cryptocurrency assets slid Tuesday as the Senate failed to pass the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, which seeks to create a federal regulatory framework for digital assets and faces opposition from some Democrats who say the legislation’s provisions are too weak. The CLARITY Act, which needed 60 votes to pass the Senate, failed after a 49-50 vote was held. Bitcoin dropped 4.1% on Tuesday afternoon to around $75,000, falling to its lowest point in its last five days of trading. Ethereum fell over 5% to $2,397, also recording its lowest point in the same period. … The CLARITY Act will have to be reintroduced to Congress at a later date after failing Tuesday, meaning it is seriously unlikely it will be presented in front of lawmakers again before the end of the year as midterm elections approach.” (09/15/26)
“For a third time, the US House has voted to end the war in Iran, approving a war powers resolution that would halt President Donald Trump’s ability to continue military action without congressional approval. The roll call late Tuesday, 220-204, was similar to earlier efforts this summer, with a few more Republicans joining all Democrats voting to bring an end to the conflict. … Congress has tried repeatedly to alter the trajectory of the war against Iran, but efforts to limit the Trump administration’s military action remain a long shot so long as the president can fend off or veto the measures.” [editor’s note: Joint resolutions are binding and can’t be vetoed, and one has already passed; since the votes aren’t there to impeach and remove the crook, he’ll continue his crimes – TLK] (09/16/26)
“Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie on Tuesday introduced articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, an extraordinary attempt by members of the president’s own party to oust a Pentagon chief. The articles are for high crimes and misdemeanors, including the war in Iran, the Trump administration’s boat strikes in the Caribbean and Hegseth’s alleged suppression of free speech in his fight with Democrats over their calls for troops to refuse illegal orders. Massie’s effort is unlikely to succeed in a GOP-controlled Congress. But the nature of the resolution means the House will be forced to vote on it this week, setting up a politically complicated vote for Republicans right before the midterm elections.” (09/15/26)
“The intelligence services of the Russian Federation are plotting to carry out targeted killings in the United States and in European nations supporting Ukraine, federal authorities said Tuesday as they announced charges against five people who remain at large. An indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court said a network of the intelligence services has paid and attempted to pay individuals in the United States and in other countries to surveil targets to be killed with plans to then kill them. … James C. Barnacle, Jr., head of New York’s FBI office, said the FBI disrupted the plans ‘through relentless work’ as members of the Russian Intelligence Services and their affiliates ‘conspired to intimidate, threaten, or murder people on U.S. soil and around the world.'” (09/15/26)
“Sweeping travel restrictions on Chinese citizens came into effect on Tuesday, including exit bans for people considered to have endangered China’s ‘industrial or technological security.’ The new exit-and-entry rules, which were passed in July, apply to citizens deemed to have violated technology import and export regulations, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence. The State Council in Beijing said the new rules were formulated to ‘safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests.’ The regulations apply not only to people within China but also to Chinese citizens deemed to have committed criminal acts abroad.” (09/15/26)
“Government borrowing costs hit their highest since the 2008 financial crisis on Tuesday, with 10-year U.S. Treasury yields now above 5%, increasing pressure on heavily indebted borrowers that so far have been shielded by resilient economic growth. The average 10-year yield for the Group of Seven largest economies hit 4.285%, the highest since mid-2008 and a full percentage point above where it was prior to the start of the war in the Middle East. … The bond selloff has raised the cost for governments to borrow new money, but also left them with higher interest bills that siphon funds from social, defence and other programmes, which in turn raises questions as to the sustainability of their debt burdens.” (09/15/26)
“Soldiers in the African nation of Eswatini accidentally shot two U.S. government personnel last week, the country’s government said. The U.S. personnel were shot during an anti-smuggling operation by the Eswatini army in a rural region in the northeast of the country late Friday, Eswatini’s government said in a statement late Monday. The Americans sustained ‘minor injuries’ and there was an investigation underway, Eswatini government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The Eswatini government didn’t immediately identify the U.S. personnel or say why they were present.” (09/15/26)
