“After three years of negotiations, lawsuits and appeals, the Illinois Supreme Court this week will hear arguments from attorneys for the city of Chicago and the Fraternal Order of Police in a case that will determine the future of serious misconduct cases involving Chicago Police Department officers and the public’s right of access. The crux of the dispute is whether officers accused of severe wrongdoing may have their disciplinary cases heard and decided by a third-party arbitrator — as is the case for other municipal employees represented by labor unions — instead of the Chicago Police Board, which has been the city’s practice since 1961. … Also at issue is whether or not officers who face termination from CPD should be paid while their cases are adjudicated.” (09/21/26)
“A UN report has concluded that recent US airstrikes on vessels allegedly trafficking drugs breached international law and could constitute crimes against humanity. The report by Special Rapporteur Ben Saul said since September last year there had been at least 68 US strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific, outside US territorial waters, which [murdered] more than 220 people. Saul said that even if targets could be identified as members of designated terrorist groups, they had not staged an armed attack on the US which would trigger a right to self-defence under international law. The report comes two days after the US military said it [murdered] four people in a strike on a vessel in the Caribbean.” (09/21/26)
“Google has been fined 403 million euros ($463 million) for breaching the European Union’s strict privacy rules because it mishandled users’ location data, the bloc’s data privacy watchdog said Monday. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission said its investigation found Google did not lawfully or fairly process location data in users’ Web & App Activity, a Google setting that tracks browsing and search history, and in their Location History, a service that maps places they’ve been with their mobile phones. Regulators also found the company failed to be lawful, fair and transparent when it processed personal data in its Location Accuracy feature in the Android mobile operating system. Ireland is the lead regulator for Google in the 27-nation EU because the U.S. tech giant’s European headquarters is based in Dublin.” (09/21/26)
“Conservatives are pushing back after Rep. Ilhan Omar. D-Minn., introduced legislation that would redirect over $100 billion in funds previously allocated to immigration enforcement and ‘invest it into communities across the country that have been impacted by the Department of Homeland Security’s heinous operations’. Omar explained in a press release Thursday that her Make ICE Pay Act is a response to ‘Operation Metro Surge’ in Minnesota and that it would send nearly $140 billion of ICE and Border Patrol funding from Trump’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act toward ‘local recovery efforts’ from immigration enforcement that has taken place across the country. Omar says the funding will be used by local jurisdictions to provide economic relief and distribute money through the states to nonprofits, small businesses and other impacted entities to support schools, healthcare and psychological services, increased local-government expenses, investigations and memorialization efforts.” (09/21/26)
“Florida has reported its first dengue fever death of 2026 as the mosquito-borne disease spreads across parts of the United States, with nearly 2,000 cases recorded nationwide this year. The death comes amid one of Florida’s most significant dengue outbreaks in recent years and as health officials monitor rising case numbers in several U.S. jurisdictions. … Florida’s 332 reported cases are the highest among U.S. states. State health officials have also reported more than 150 locally acquired infections this year, meaning residents were infected within Florida rather than during travel abroad.” (09/21/26)
“Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a statewide emergency for California in anticipation of this winter’s El Niño-fueled storms, a new sign of growing worry about coastal flooding and high waves expected in the coming months. El Niño may bring high surf and high-impact storms to the state, which ‘warrants early, coordinated, and targeted preparedness actions to protect Californians, critical infrastructure, agricultural lands, natural resources, and the State’s economy,’ the emergency proclamation read.” (09/21/26)
“Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said her government is preparing two legislative proposals that would ban face coverings in Italian schools and restrict the number of foreign students allowed in classrooms. … Roughly 930,000 students without Italian citizenship are enrolled in the country’s schools, representing almost 11.6% of the school population, according to research institute Fondazione ISMU. … It’s not the first time Meloni’s government has looked to ban face coverings. In 2025 her party said it had plans to ban the burqa and niqab in all public spaces nationwide, calling the legislation a response to ‘Islamic separatism.’ The bill is still under consideration in the country’s lower house.” (09/20/26)
“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)
