“A new species of dinosaur (a long-clawed predator the size of a large tiger) has been identified from a fossil found on the Isle of Wight more than 100 years ago. The dinosaur, named Invictibellatrix amberina, is described in a new paper in the journal Royal Society Open Science and belongs to a group of agile, two-legged carnivores called megaraptorans. Megaraptorans were closely related to tyrannosaurs including Tyrannosaurus rex but had slender heads and attacked prey with their large arms and giant curved claws instead of their jaws. Dr Cassius Morrison of University College London (UCL) said it was ‘a real mystery’ why the fossil – a chunk of the back of a skull – had been overlooked in the Natural History Museum.” (10/14/26)
“Florida has [killed] a death row inmate who admitted to murdering his cellmate in hopes of being sentenced to death and killed by the state. James Robertson, 63, was [killed] Tuesday by lethal injection at Florida State Prison in Raiford, located about 45 miles southwest of Jacksonville. He was pronounced dead at 12:32 p.m. EDT, the Florida Department of Corrections said in a statement. Robertson was the 17th death row inmate to by killed by Florida this year as it nears its record of 19 [killings] set in 2025. He was also the 31st person to be [killed with premeditation by state employees in prisons] nationwide this year.” (10/14/26)
“Protesters repeatedly interrupted War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s headline appearance at the Army’s biggest annual conference on Wednesday, calling him ‘a war criminal’ and ‘a coward’ in protest of the Iran war. At least five times in the first half hour of a panel, foul-mouthed anti-war protesters shouted at Hegseth, calling him a ‘fucking Nazi’ among other insults. Hegseth responded with chuckles and sarcastic comments, at first — but his reactions became increasingly short and irritated as he slammed the ‘semi-coordinated’ attack as one-by-one protesters emerged among the crowd in Washington, DC. ‘You’re not a warrior you’re a coward!’ one demonstrator shouted at Hegseth. ‘Children in Gaza are starving! He is a war criminal!’ ‘She thinks highly of me,’ the Pentagon chief quipped after one outburst, which led to brief applause from the crowd.” (10/14/26)
“An ethics watchdog filed a complaint with the California State Bar Association on Wednesday seeking an investigation into White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia’s claims that she is a lawyer …. The Campaign for Accountability nonprofit said that Zacharia has repeatedly described herself as a lawyer, but reports have found she is not licensed to practice law in California or any other state. The complaint notes that if Zacharia has ‘held herself out to the public as entitled to practice law without a license to do so,’ California law treats the conduct ‘as a crime.’ … Zacharia told reporters shortly after the briefing she passed the bar when she moved to China. Foreign nationals are not permitted to take the bar or practice law in China.” (10/14/260
“Two leaders of India’s youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) were remanded in custody for five days on Wednesday, as police ratcheted up efforts to clamp down on anti-election commission protests. CJP activists and opposition parties have defied a security crackdown to demand the resignation of India’s chief election commissioner, accusing the poll body of manipulating voter rolls to benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party. The commission, which oversees voting in the world’s most populous nation, has denied any wrongdoing. Delhi Police said CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka, 30, and Saurav Das, 27, were taken into custody for their ‘alleged repeated attempts to disturb public peace and violate the law’. At the end of the five-day remand period, they could have their detention extended, be granted bail or be released.” (10/14/260
“Rep. Ilhan Omar is the target of at least two federal investigations related to possible immigration fraud and inflation of her net worth by tens of millions of dollars in House disclosure forms, according to sources familiar with the probes and an administration official. DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro confirmed Tuesday on Fox News’ ‘America Reports’ that ‘there are several investigations going on’ related to the Minnesota Democrat, adding that potential civil or criminal immigration violations as well as Omar’s claim of being worth up to $30 million were also under scrutiny. Sources familiar with the cases disclosed that the Minnesota US Attorney’s Office was leading the probe into alleged immigration fraud, possibly involving false statements about Omar’s birth date, while Pirro’s office in DC was taking on the inquiry into the finances of Omar and her husband, Tim Mynett.” (10/14/26)
“The Trump administration is delaying the release of detailed data showing how Republicans’ 2025 tax cuts affected millions of Americans’ taxes, even as it tries to sell voters on the law ahead of the midterm elections. The numbers document which tax breaks were claimed by people in different income brackets, as well as information like how much they paid in taxes. The IRS typically releases the data in the wake of each filing season, but this year’s rollout is more anticipated because it’s expected to provide the first detailed look at how taxpayers are taking advantage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including its new deductions for overtime wages and tipped income.” [editor’s note: There are no “tax cuts.” If spending is going up, taxes are going up. Borrowing is just taxation with deferred payment (and interest) – TLK] (10/14/26)
“The world’s oldest shipwreck has been discovered off the coast of Turkey, archaeologists say. They have dated it to between 4,400 and 4,700 years old, which is the Early Bronze Age, and is around the same time that the Great Pyramid was being built. The ship’s wooden structure has not survived, but the ceramic storage pots it was carrying were lying on the sea floor and, remarkably, some still contain traces of what they held inside. The archaeologists who found the ship say it was about 10m in length and was a trade vessel carrying cargo across the Mediterranean Sea. ‘The shipwreck is a time capsule at the bottom of the sea’, said Prof Hakan Öniz, from Akdeniz University in Turkey, who led the Mediterranean Archaeology Association expedition.” (10/14/26)
“Gov. Gavin Newsom just got behind a ballot initiative that, if passed, would act as a kill switch for Proposition 40, also known as the billionaire wealth tax. The governor’s endorsement comes as the November election is weeks away and the billionaire tax continues to splinter the Democratic Party. Newsom endorsed Proposition 42, a ballot measure bankrolled by ultrawealthy donors such as billionaire and Google co-founder Sergey Brin, on Friday, writing in a statement that it will protect ‘blue-collar unions’ and other workers’ savings from new state taxes. ‘We all agree that Californians deserve to have their retirement and life savings protected from new state taxes so those savings are there when they need them,’ Newsom said in his statement provided by the Prop. 42 campaign. The ballot measure would block new taxes on assets like stocks and other financial property while also banning retroactive taxes, like the proposed billionaire tax.” (10/13/26)
“Confirmed cases in Congo’s Ebola outbreak have surpassed 9,000, with more than 4,300 deaths, as health authorities struggle to contain an outbreak spreading across seven provinces, according to government figures released Tuesday. The Health Ministry reported 9,066 confirmed cases and 4,381 deaths, with the death toll approaching half the number of confirmed cases. … The outbreak has created new hot spots as it spreads to more communities, with 65 health zones across seven provinces now affected.” (10/13/26)
