“Protesters outraged by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman spent the night camped in Madrid’s historic Puerta del Sol plaza, where more people — including multigenerational families — joined them Sunday for a second day of demonstrations over Spain’s housing crisis. Tens of thousands of people marched in Madrid on Saturday to protest the eviction of María del Carmen Abascal from an apartment in the upscale Retiro neighborhood which had been her home for decades. Protesters are demanding protective measures for tenants, anti-fraud rules and a ban on evictions without alternative housing.” (09/27/26)
“The White House on Friday evening announced plans to claw back $810 million in congressionally appropriated funding, prompting criticism from lawmakers. A year ago, President Donald Trump’s administration blocked $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid through a pocket rescission, marking the first time in roughly 50 years that the president has attempted to use that authority. The controversial budget maneuver occurs when a president submits a request to Congress to block funding so close to the end of the fiscal year that the funds can expire before Congress receives the full 45-day consideration period under the law. … The rescissions would block $567 million appropriated for Health and Human Services programs for refugees, asylees and other non-citizens and $28 million for HHS research. Additional cuts target the Department of Education’s special programs for immigrant students, among other programs.” (09/26/26)
“The robotic spacecraft that failed to rescue an aging NASA telescope plunged back to Earth on Friday less than three months after launching on the bold mission. Katalyst Space Technologies announced the demise of its three-armed spacecraft named Link. It reentered the atmosphere overnight, bringing the $30 million, NASA-sponsored salvage effort of the Swift Observatory to a close. Swift is expected to follow in early November as its orbit steadily sinks.” (09/25/26)
“At least 27 people were killed in two separate shootings in South Africa on Saturday night and early Sunday morning, adding to the toll of mass shootings in a country struggling to control violent crime. The shootings, which like other attacks in recent years came at bars or taverns, occurred near the country’s two most populous cities, Johannesburg and Cape Town, in township communities that face socioeconomic challenges. … South Africa has one of the world’s highest murder rates.” [editor’s note: And some of the world’s most restrictive victim disarmament (“gun control”) laws. How’s that working out for them? – TLK] (09/27/26)
“Scoring illegal sex along Queens’ Roosevelt Avenue has never been easier — as the number of hookers has multiplied and prostitution-related arrests have plunged by 60% along the seedy strip since soft-on-crime socialist Zohran Mamdani became mayor this year. John, a 40-year-old Manhattan horndog, said he has no problem schlepping on the subway to the notorious open-air sex bazaar — nicknamed the ‘Market of Sweethearts’ — because the women are ‘cheap’ and cops have their hands tied by lax laws and policies. … NYPD officers reported making 193 prostitution-related arrests along Roosevelt Avenue this year through Sept. 13, records show. That’s a massive 59% drop from the 468 arrests during the same period the previous year when ex-NYPD captain-turned-mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch led a major enforcement effort dubbed ‘Operation Restore Roosevelt.'” [editor’s note: The Post reports this like it’s a bad thing – TLK] (09/27/26)
“Police evacuated homes Sunday near an air base in England used by the U.S. and arrested several men over suspected explosives offenses. The Gloucestershire Police force said Sunday that residents of ‘a number of properties’ in Whelford, western England, have been taken to a nearby leisure center and that the situation is ‘contained.’ That is close to RAF Fairford, a base that American forces have used for strictly limited strikes during the war with Iran. … Police say several men have been detained on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act, and army bomb-disposal experts are examining several vehicles.” (09/27/26)
“Voters in Switzerland have overwhelmingly rejected a stricter interpretation of the country’s tradition of diplomatic neutrality. More than 70% of Swiss voters rejected proposals that would have prevented the European nation from imposing sanctions without UN approval, official results showed. The move would have also prevented Switzerland from pursuing closer ties with the Nato military alliance. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has reopened the debate around Switzerland’s centuries-old non-alignment. Moscow openly backed the initiative, which was supported by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) and opposed by the federal government and all other major parties.” (09/27/26)
“President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he has approved new fuel economy standards for passenger vehicles, in another move meant to take aim at Biden-era policies supporting electric vehicles. … The final rule was not immediately available, and officials from the White House did not immediately respond to questions. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy amplified Trump’s post on social media, adding, ‘A major victory for America’s auto workers is COMING MONDAY.’ The new regulation is expected to slash fuel economy standards for passenger vehicles by nearly one-third through model year 2031.” (09/26/26)
“A Texas mental health clinic owner was convicted by a federal jury after prosecutors said he orchestrated a $26 million scheme to defraud the military’s health care program, using some of the proceeds to fund luxury purchases, including a gold-plated Tesla Cybertruck worth more than $100,000. Kevin D. Curry, 64, of Frisco, was found guilty Thursday in federal court in Fort Worth on three counts of health care fraud, three counts of offering and paying illegal health care kickbacks and three counts of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property, according to the Justice Department. Federal prosecutors said Curry exploited TRICARE, the health care program serving active-duty servicemembers, retirees and their families, by billing for transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, therapy that was medically unnecessary or, in many cases, never provided.” (09/27/26)
“Australia has called for the CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic to appear before a Senate inquiry into artificial intelligence, just days after revelations that a rogue OpenAI bot had hacked the country’s health-system database. OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei have been sent written requests to appear at the inquiry, which is to hold public hearings in the capital, Canberra, on Thursday, a spokesperson for Senator Sarah Hanson-Young of the Australian Greens party said. The inquiry is examining the potential impacts of AI and data centres on safety, data transparency, Australian communities, industries, water and energy. It is one of several state and federal inquiries into AI.” (09/27/26)
