“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)
“Ukraine launched hundreds of drones at Moscow on Sunday, killing two people on the final day of a Russian parliamentary election that President Vladimir Putin has cast as a test of support for the war in Ukraine. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram: ‘In the Moscow region tonight, our long-range responses hit very noticeably. One of the key enterprises of Russia’s oil industry and an aggressor logistics facility were struck.’ He did not specifically mention the ongoing State Duma election, but added that Moscow could ‘end its brutal war and choose peace” if there is “political will’ to do so. An oil refinery was damaged in the strike, with videos showing smoke billowing out across the city.” (09/20/26)
“An Immigration and Customs Enforcement [gang member] shot and wounded a man from Venezuela who was working as a DoorDash driver Sunday in Texas’[s] capital, city officials confirmed, with protests erupting at the scene against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Federal authorities have not said what led up to the shooting, which came as the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement operations across the country and just two months after ICE [gang members murdered] a Mexican man during a traffic stop in Houston. The man shot Sunday in Austin was identified as Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, by Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, an immigration lawyer who said she is representing his family.” (09/20/26)
“Iran has issued a warning after reportedly learning that the US is planning to resume military action – after also insisting the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until its conditions are met. Iran’s central military command said in a statement on Sunday that Tehran had received information that the United States was planning to resume action, with the backing of some other countries in the region. According to Iranian state media, the country’s military said any US attack will trigger sustained strikes on US bases and interests in the region. Iran also warned that regional countries supporting any aggression from the United States would be considered parties to the conflict.” (09/20/26)
‘Dozens of people protested in Tunis on Saturday demanding the release of four Global Sumud Flotilla activists, as concern mounts over their deteriorating health after one of them entered his second month of a hunger strike. The protesters marched from the headquarters of the Tunisian National Journalists’ Union (SNJT) to Avenue Habib Bourguiba in central Tunis, carrying Tunisian and Palestinian flags and portraits of the four detainees and calling for their release and an end to the case against them. … The demonstration came days after a court extended the pre-trial detention of Wael Naouar, Ghassen Henchiri, Ghassen Boughdiri and Nabil Channoufi by another four months. They have been held since March in an investigation into alleged financial irregularities linked to fundraising for the flotilla, according to Tunisian state media, citing judicial sources.” (09/20/26)
