“A federal judge in Manhattan blocked New York state from enforcing a first-of-its-kind law prohibiting landlords and real estate industry professionals from using algorithmic pricing tools to set, and potentially inflate, residential rents. US District Judge Valerie Caproni issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday in favor of RealPage, a software provider owned by private equity firm Thoma Bravo, which said the law violated its First Amendment free speech rights by restricting use of its software’s pricing recommendations. … Richardson, Texas-based RealPage sued two days after reaching a settlement with the US Department of Justice and agreeing to restrict its algorithmic software from using non-public data from competitors to generate price recommendations.” (09/30/26)
“The Department of Justice filed a complaint Wednesday against federal judges in Minnesota over their remarks to the media related to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge. The complaint escalates the department’s battle with the federal judiciary, which has halted administration priorities, dismissed high-profile prosecutions and accused government lawyers in some cases of failing to comply with court orders. The department is demanding that the judges recuse themselves from all criminal or civil cases involving the Department of Homeland Security, Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters, because of what he described as ‘obvious bias they have shown’ in recent remarks to The New York Times. At issue is a September article in which seven federal judges in Minnesota — nominated by Democrats and Republican presidents — spoke on the record about their experience dealing with a flood of cases during last winter’s immigration crackdown that led to thousands of arrests.” (09/30/26)
“Romania’s parliament rejected Siegfried Mureșan’s attempt to form a government Wednesday, deepening a crisis that began when the coalition collapsed in May. President Nicușor Dan, an independent moderate, proposed MEP Mureșan for the job — but lawmakers in Bucharest refused to back his candidacy in a crunch vote Wednesday. It is the second time parliament has formally voted down Dan’s nominee, and under Romania’s constitution that means a snap election is now a possibility. But Dan does not want to dissolve parliament for a national vote that would likely benefit the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party, which is currently ahead in the polls. He wants the feuding political leaders to put aside their differences and make a deal to support a new coalition.” (09/30/26)
“A group of Senate Democrats on Wednesday pushed US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to pay back the nearly $1 million in Medicare payroll taxes that he reportedly owes from his years as a hedge fund manager. In a letter to Bessent, the senators pointed to a recent court ruling clarifying the scope of a self-employment tax loophole that is widely exploited by hedge fund managers and private equity executives. During his confirmation hearing last year, Bessent cited the then-pending litigation to justify his decision not to pay $910,000 in payroll taxes he potentially owes the Internal Revenue Service, and pledged to set up ‘a reserve fund to address any contingency related to this issue.'” (09/30/26)
“Core inflation, the key economic measure preferred by the Federal Reserve, rose by 3% in August on an annual basis, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Wednesday. The core inflation marker, which excludes volatile food and energy, rose by 0.2% for the 12 months ending in August. The overall personal consumption expenditures index marked a 3.4% annual increase and a 0.3% bump for the month. Wednesday’s report on annual inflation comes in cooler than expected. The Dow Jones consensus estimate forecasted a 3.7% increase in the personal consumption index for the year ending in August and a 0.3% increase for the month.” (09/30/26)
“More than 100 academics linked to British institutions have unwittingly assisted China’s espionage operations against the UK via a front company working for its intelligence and security services, MI5 has warned. In the highly unusual public alert, the UK’s internal security service warned universities and academics that continuing ties with China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI) could ultimately lead to criminal charges for aiding a foreign state. Security minister Dan Jarvis said MI5’s warning exposed attempts by Chinese intelligence agencies to use British academic research to undermine UK national security. A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in London said the accusation was ‘imaginary and purely fabricated’.” (09/30/26)
“Norway’s prime minister denied Wednesday an ‘unhealthy culture’ among the country’s diplomats, as current and former ministers addressed a hearing over ties between late US convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and senior Norwegian officials. … The Epstein files have shed light on ties between the US financier and Rod-Larsen and his diplomat wife Mona Juul, the architects of the 1993 Oslo Accords who are now under investigation in Norway—she for ‘aggravated corruption’ and he for ‘complicity in aggravated corruption’. The couple denies any wrongdoing. In total, 11 officials who have held the positions of foreign minister or development aid minister since 2005, will address the committee Wednesday and Thursday.” (09/30/26)
“The Federal Reserve’s internal watchdog said Wednesday that the central bank has broadly mismanaged an expansive building renovation project but did not find any criminal violations, as alleged by Trump administration prosecutors. A variety of missteps by the Fed’s Board of Governors and staff inflated the cost of the $2.4 billion renovation, the Fed’s inspector general said. The board did not secure a comprehensive cost estimate at the beginning of the project, nor did it nail down a maximum overall cost, a step that could have forced the building contractor to absorb the impact of inflation, the IG said in a 120-page report. Prices spiked after construction began in 2022. ‘Our review found that the Board has not effectively managed and executed its … contract and repeatedly deviated from its cost-management provisions,’ the report said. The building project became a high-profile flashpoint in the Trump administration’s efforts to pressure the Fed into cutting its key interest rate.” (09/30/26)
“The Defense Department on Tuesday announced plans to stop hiring civilians for tenured faculty positions at U.S. military service academies, a move that would make it easier to fire some professors in the future. In a memo, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the change was needed to ensure the academies are focused on their ‘warfighting mission’ of training military leaders.” (09/29/26)
“US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to announce the firings of 20% of admirals and generals across the armed forces, according to US media. The announcement is anticipated Wednesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, adding to an earlier round of personnel cuts in 2025. There are over 800 active-duty generals and admirals across the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force, according to the latest defence department tally. The last time Hegseth assembled military leaders at Quantico, in September 2025, he criticised the department as being ‘too woke’ and slammed its leaders for being out of shape, saying ‘fat generals and admirals’ is ‘a bad look’. Hegseth’s anticipated firings are the latest in a broader overhaul of the US military under his leadership, seeking to insert what he calls ‘a war fighter ethos’ into the defence department, including a rebrand, calling it the Department of War.” (09/30/26)
