“The Trump administration is promising $500 rebate checks to an estimated 1 million Affordable Care Act enrollees across 30 states, who the White House alleged were overcharged by the Biden administration for exchange fees. … Enrollees who can expect refunds are those who do not receive premium assistance. Critics called the move a ‘gimmick’ that doesn’t represent a plan for addressing soaring healthcare costs. Trump in his address accused former President Joe Biden’s administration of ‘gross mismanagement’ of ACA funds, without providing evidence, and said that the Biden administration collected user fees from insurance companies that consumers paid through higher premiums.” (09/10/26)
“The chief justice of Brazil’s Supreme Court stepped in Wednesday to halt conflicting rulings by two fellow judges as a dispute over alleged links between Justice Alexandre de Moraes and a banker accused of fraud deepened. The clash has spilled into the campaign for next month’s presidential election, adding to tensions around the court.” (09/10/26)
“Russian forces have launched attacks across Ukraine, killing at least seven people, according to Ukrainian officials, as Kyiv claimed responsibility for a drone attack that set off a fire at a natural gas plant deep in Russia’s Arctic region. Four people were killed in a Russian attack in Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine overnight on Thursday, while three were killed in a drone attack on a shopping centre in the northeastern city of Sumy, according to Ukrainian authorities. … Russian authorities said Ukrainian forces had launched a drone attack on the country’s Yamal-Nenets region, which is located some 2,800 kilometres (1,700 miles) from the Ukrainian border. Dmitry Artyukhov, the region’s governor, said the attack targeted an industrial facility in Novy Urengoy. The attack was repelled, but falling debris from the drone caused a fire, he said on Telegram.” (09/10/26)
“A defiant Donald Trump vowed on Wednesday, August 9, that Republicans would ‘surge forward’ in November’s midterms, seeking to rally his party against grim election forecasts, weak approval ratings and mounting voter discontent over prices and his war with Iran. The president took the stage at an extraordinary Republican midterm convention in Dallas, a two-day gathering dubbed ‘Trumpapalooza,’ built around persuading his supporters that he is effectively on the ballot on November 3. … He promised every American adult would get $5,000 from the federal government if his Republican Party succeeds. … He did not say where the money would come from, citing only that ‘our country is making so much money.'” (09/10/26)
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that he had instructed his lawyers to file a defamation lawsuit against Haaretz, journalist Shlomi Eldar and others over the newspaper’s claims that the United Arab Emirates had warned him ahead of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre. Netanyahu said reviews by the Prime Minister’s Office, National Security Council and military secretariat found no record of a conversation between him and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan from the beginning of September through Oct. 7, 2023. He also said entry records showed no visit by an Emirati representative who, according to Netanyahu, would have been required to facilitate such a call. … Haaretz reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed senior foreign sources, that Mohammed bin Zayed had warned Netanyahu shortly before Oct. 7 that Hamas was planning a major attack.” (09/09/26)
“The Trump administration on Wednesday proposed changes to the US census intended to exclude immigrants without legal [sic] status in addition to other groups, with potentially significant effects on the allocation of federal resources and drawing of districts in the House of Representatives. In a proposed rule published in the Federal Register, the Census Bureau also announced it was considering changes to the data it collects about race and ethnicity, amid the Trump administration’s push to rid the government of diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Conducted decennially, the census historically counts the ‘whole number of persons’ in the United States …” [editor’s note: Counting the whole number of persons in the US is what it’s constitutionally required to do and all it’s constitutionally allowed to do. Anything less or more isn’t “the census” as defined therein – TLK] (09/09/26)
“Rhode Island Democratic Gov. Dan McKee became the first governor in eight years in the U.S. to lose a primary, falling on Wednesday to former CVS executive Helena Foulkes and becoming the latest victim of a rough year for incumbents. McKee’s campaign was bogged down by the botched handling of a years-long project to rebuild the Washington Bridge, which transports more than 70,000 drivers through Providence each day. The project has suffered from delays, cost overruns and disputes between state officials and former contractors that have raised questions about transparency and accountability for the project. … The last incumbent governor to lose a primary was Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer in 2018.” (09/09/26)
“The Metropolitan Police is carrying out a criminal investigation into Reform UK over allegations it broke foreign funding laws, following a broadcast by Channel 4 News last week. An undercover reporter recorded two senior Reform aides apparently suggesting a way around electoral law to secure foreign party donations, one of which would have totalled £500,000. The police investigation by the Met’s Special Enquiry Team is being folded into an inquiry that has been under way into other donations to the party. A Reform UK spokesman said the party ‘denies any wrongdoing and will fully cooperate with the investigation’.” (09/09/26)
“Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic on Wednesday called an early parliamentary election for Oct. 25 after nearly two years of street protests that have rattled his rule. He issued a decree dissolving the 250-member Parliament and paving the way for the vote. He said a snap election was necessary because of ongoing tensions and divisions in the Balkan country. Vucic, who cannot run for another presidential term, has said he plans to run for prime minister instead. … The ballot will be held against the backdrop of heightened political tensions as ruling populists seek to hold on to power despite widespread popular discontent.” (09/09/26)
“The plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to Oslo for the funeral of the king of Norway was nearly struck by a drone when taking off from Moldova on Tuesday, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told public broadcaster NRK on Wednesday. … Officials in Moldova made no comment on Stoere’s statement regarding Zelenskiy’s plane. Arrivals and departures at Chisinau airport were suspended for a time on Tuesday in connection with two Russian drones that entered Moldovan airspace. Several flights bound for the capital landed at airports outside Moldova or were forced into holding patterns, according to data from Flightradar24. One drone landed in a field, triggering a fire, while the second carried on into Romanian airspace.” (09/09/26)
