“A federal appeals court heard opposing arguments Monday over whether a judge had the authority to restore billions of dollars in funding that the Trump administration cut from Harvard University. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled last year that the cuts amounted to illegal retaliation for Harvard’s rejection of the administration’s demands for changes to Harvard’s governance and policies. The government had tied the move to Harvard’s delays in dealing with antisemitism, but the judge said the university’s federally backed research had little connection to discrimination against Jews. The ruling restored more than $2.6 billion in research funding for the wealthy Ivy League school. Though the money has resumed flowing, a Justice Department attorney told a three-judge panel of the First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday that Burroughs lacked the legal power to require the administration to pay it.” (10/05/26)
“The FBI has arrested a ‘Chinese foreign agent’ at Los Angeles International Airport accused of spying on the Taiwanese president’s son. Wanying Zhang, also known as Heather, was arrested on Sunday before her planned departure to China, the first assistant US attorney for the Central District of California, Bill Essayli, said in a post on X. Authorities charged Zhang, 34, of Irvine, California, with acting as an unregistered foreign agent. Zhang surveilled Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te’s son, the FBI said. The agency did not directly name Zhang’s alleged target, but later shared a news article identifying him as Lai Ting-yu.” (10/05/26)
THANK YOU to supporter JS and subscribing contributors T and SH! Their donations over the weekend, totaling $105, bring our annual fundraiser total (as of 5am on Monday, October 5) to $115!
Our goal is $5,503 — with supporter GL’s “matching funds” pledge, we only have to raise $2,751.50 from our other 5,000 or so readers … which seems like an easy ask, but always seems to take a while.
Remember, once we’ve reached our goal, I stop talking about money ENTIRELY for the rest of the year and MOSTLY for the first nine months of NEXT year. So please, support the freedom movement’s daily newspaper at:
I’ve always called this event our “year-end fundraiser,” because it takes place in the fourth quarter of the year. But “annual fundraiser” seems more appropriate. This is the ONLY time each year when we set a fundraising goal and I start bugging you to help us reach it. That seems worth emphasizing.
We’re $2,636.50 short at the moment. You can change that. Please do.
“The right-wing Flávio Bolsonaro has won the first round of Brazil’s presidential election, beating the incumbent left-wing President Lula da Silva. But he did not obtain more than 50% of the votes required to win outright. There will be a run-off vote between these two candidates on 25 October. Flávio Bolsonaro is the son of the former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for masterminding a failed coup attempt after losing the last election. … With 98.81% of the votes counted, Bolsonaro had 47.24% to Lula’s 44.91% of the vote.” (10/05/26)
“At least two tankers were struck in waters near Oman and Iran over the weekend as Tehran warned it would not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions for ending the war with the United States are met. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a British maritime security service, said a crude oil tanker was struck by an unknown projectile Saturday about four nautical miles east of Oman. Another tanker was struck Sunday in the Strait of Hormuz, suffering damage to its engine room, according to UKMTO.” (10/04/26)
“The Pentagon pulled all 12 B-1 bombers this weekend from the U.K.’s RAF Fairford air base to their home stations in the U.S. weeks after an alleged terror threat against a U.S.-operated post in England. … The withdrawal comes after British authorities arrested six men linked to a suspected attack on the air base that officials said was foiled. The U.K. police have released the suspects on bail, but the investigation into the incident has continued.” (10/04/26)
“Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called a snap election after facing mounting pressure from mass protests over the country’s housing crisis. Sánchez called the early election for November 29 during a televised speech to the nation from the Palace of Moncloa, his official residence in Madrid. … The announcement comes less than 72 hours after Sánchez’s government failed to secure parliamentary backing for two housing-related royal decree laws aimed at easing mounting public pressure over Spain’s housing crisis. … For days hundreds of people have camped out in Madrid’s central Puerta del Sol to protest the housing crisis gripping the country.” (10/05/26)
“Police in Moscow have detained around 60 people at a rally held by Russia’s Kremlin-friendly Communist Party, according to the organisation. A party statement said the arrests took place as the event was ending on Sunday, with its Moscow branch trying to secure the release of detainees, who were mostly young people. The gathering marked the anniversary of the Kremlin’s 1993 crushing of a parliamentary uprising. Telegram news channel Ostorozhno Novosti said protesters chanted slogans including ‘Freedom for political prisoners,’ ‘For fair elections,’ and ‘Down with the Tsar.’ The rally came as public frustration has been simmering in Russia during the intensifying Ukrainian drone attacks deep inside the country.” (10/04/26)
“Ministers have scrapped plans that would have slashed the number of jury trials in England and Wales and replaced them with a judge sitting alone. The proposals had sparked a fierce backlash from lawyers, who have welcomed the U-turn. But the victims’ commissioner expressed concern about the abandonment of measures drawn up by the then justice secretary, David Lammy, under Keir Starmer’s government, to tackle the record backlog in the courts. … Legislation would have removed jury trials for defendants who were likely to receive a sentence of up to three years. Ministers have not abandoned judge-only trials altogether, but they will only be for a small number of especially lengthy and technical fraud cases where the judge decides a jury trial is not appropriate.” (10/04/26)
“Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders took center stage in downtown San Francisco on Saturday, his latest appearance in the Golden State as he lends his star power to the effort to pass Proposition 40, a proposed one-time tax on billionaires. Sanders, an independent [sic], is arguably the measure’s most fervent supporter and its most high-profile endorser. San Franciscans and health care workers filed into the 1,650-seat Curran Theatre on Saturday evening decked out in old ‘Feel the Bern’ merchandise and signs with the message ‘SAVE LIVES, TAX BILLIONAIRES.’ Most of California’s biggest names in Democratic politics oppose the measure. Sanders was also on hand when Prop 40 supporters kicked off their campaign in Los Angeles in February.” (10/03/26)
