“A Utah judge found on Tuesday that prosecutors had enough evidence to try the man accused of killing the conservative activist Charlie Kirk last year and said they could seek the death penalty. The highly anticipated ruling by Judge Tony Graf was a major step in one of the country’s most scrutinized murder cases. It came nearly a year after Mr. Kirk was assassinated during an open-air speaking event attended by thousands at Utah Valley University in Orem. … [Tyler] Robinson’s lawyers have tried to delay the case with procedural fights and have questioned DNA and ballistic evidence tying Mr. Robinson to the killing on Sept. 10. But they have not offered a concrete defense, apart from arguing that Mr. Robinson should not face the death penalty.” (09/01/26)
“The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said Wednesday that the thwarted drone attack at Leipzig-Halle Airport bore ‘all the hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism,’ after Germany blamed Russia for the incident. Speaking as the bloc’s foreign ministers gather in Wicklow, Ireland, Kallas said Germany’s attribution sent a ‘very strong signal’ and praised EU governments for closing ranks behind Berlin. … Berlin formally blamed Moscow on Tuesday for the Aug. 4 incident, in which three explosive-laden drones were detected around Leipzig-Halle Airport. Germany announced retaliatory diplomatic measures and plans to seek fresh EU sanctions. Russia denies any involvement.” (09/02/26)
“Voters in Independence have successfully recalled a councilman after his vote to approve a multibillion-dollar data center. District 1 Councilman John Perkins was recalled during a special election on Tuesday, with unofficial final results showing over 68 percent of voters in the district supported the recall. … Perkins, in March, voted to approve a proposed data center on 400 acres near Missouri 78 and Little Blue Parkway. He was one of five who voted to support the data center. … McKenna Cobb, who filed the recall petition, criticized the council’s decision to approve significant tax incentives for the project. ‘There’s hours of public testimony and they still vote in favor of billions of dollars in tax incentives,’ Cobb said.” [editor’s note: They left the corporate welfare part for the end of the story; it wasn’t just an “anti-data-center” thing – TLK] (09/01/26)
“The White House has published the terms of its Venezuela oil deal, naming the private company at its centre and confirming Washington’s majority control of more than 65 billion barrels, as President Trump vowed the US would be taking ‘all’ of it. … Venezuela’s interim authorities have granted NABEP 100-year concessions over 17 fields with the agreement signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. The Venezuelan reserves dwarf America’s own, as the 65 billion barrels covered by the concessions compare with roughly 46 billion across US territory. Speaking in the Oval Office on Monday, US President Donald Trump called the reserves ‘unbelievable value that was sitting dormant’ and added that the US is ‘going to be taking all of that. We’re going to be taking that oil out.'” (09/01/26)
“A U.S. Postal Service official has alleged that the agency is moving forward with a ‘secretive, rushed’ effort to implement President Trump’s order exerting federal control over mail voting, despite a court order blocking those plans. The official filed a whistle-blower report, published on Tuesday morning by the office of Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, asserting that the ‘risky and haphazard’ implementation of Mr. Trump’s order could lead to a ‘catastrophic failure’ in the mail ballot system ahead of this year’s midterm elections. The report said that the agency had planned to complete the new digital system overseeing mail ballots by Sept. 1. ‘Potentially millions of American voters may not receive their mail-in ballot this election cycle in a timely manner, or at all,’ the official said in the report, which was prepared with the assistance of Whistleblower Aid, a nonprofit group that represents people seeking to expose potential lawbreaking.” (09/01/26)
“Former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Tuesday he will leave the House of Commons, triggering a by-election in his central London constituency. Starmer, who quit as prime minister in July after losing the confidence of Labour MPs following a dreadful set of local election results, said it is the ‘right time’ to concentrate on new work. Starmer had told the BBC in July he would remain an MP until the next election, but told his local paper, the Camden New Journal: ‘I will now focus on other things and that will be international affairs including defense, security, trade and technology in a fast-changing world.'” (09/01/26)
“Job openings and hiring were nearly flat in July, according to the Labor Department’s monthly job openings and labor turnover survey, the latest sign that the labor market is stuck in ‘low hire, low fire’ mode. Some 7.3 million positions were available in July, up slightly from a revised 7.2 million in June. Hiring was also fairly steady, with 5.1 million workers finding new jobs in July, a slight decrease from 5.3 million in June as the professional business services sector shed jobs. The hiring rate was 3.2%.” (09/01/26)
“Diesel rose to the highest in more than four months after fresh attacks on refineries further tightened a market already dealing with a drop in supply due to wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.
The increase in the cost of the workhorse fuel of the global economy adds to inflationary concerns amid broader pressure on the price of basic goods. ICE gasoil futures, the global diesel benchmark, climbed as much as 4.2% to their highest level since April 9. The fuel’s premium to Brent crude, known as the crack spread, remains elevated, having risen to the highest on record last month. It is also trading at an increasing premium to supplies in Asia.” (09/01/26)
“Apple’s new CEO John Ternus takes the helm of the iconic tech giant on Tuesday, ending Tim Cook’s 15-year tenure during which the company’s value skyrocketed to $4.6 trillion thanks to the iPhone’s enormous popularity. The transition to a new CEO comes at a pivotal time for Apple. Artificial intelligence has unleashed the greatest upheaval within the industry since the late co-founder Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone in 2007. … Although he is handing over the CEO reins at Apple, Cook is widely expected to help the company maintain a good relationship with the Trump administration after he shifts to his new role as executive chairman.” (09/01/26)
“Former Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino retired while under internal investigation for his conduct during immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis and Chicago, records released last week by the federal government show. In early March, an internal government watchdog contacted Bovino with an ‘official Inquiry into allegations of misconduct reported to CBP,’ emails released by Customs and Border Patrol show. … In a direct message on X, Bovino told the [Chicago] Tribune Monday he was placed under investigation ‘to CAUSE me to retire.'” (09/01/26)
