“A federal judge issued a stay forbidding the administration from asking those seeking jobs in the federal government to say how they would help carry out presidential executive orders, in what some saw as a test of ‘loyalty’ to President Trump. U.S. District Judge George A. O’Toole Jr., a Clinton appointee to the court in Massachusetts, sided with labor unions that argued asking the question was an unconstitutional politicization of federal jobs. The question, the third in a series of four essay questions, was added to the hiring process last year in response to a Trump executive order. It asked applicants to say how they would advance such orders and to name one or two in particular. ‘The plaintiffs are likely to succeed in showing that Question Three is neither related to an important government interest nor narrowly tailored to promote that interest,’ the judge wrote.” (09/12/26)
“A growing consumer push to buy Canadian and boycott U.S. products is reshaping supermarket shelves in Canada, forcing grocers to improve country-of-origin labeling and secure new sources of supply. In Ontario, the president of independent grocer Vince’s Market, Giancarlo Trimarchi, turned to Facebook to show customers that most produce on the shelves of his stores is Canadian after receiving angry emails and comments about the grocer stocking U.S. produce. A bitter trade war between the United States and Canada has made consumers more conscious of where their dollars go. ‘Buy Canadian’ movements started last year after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods. They have intensified in recent weeks after trade talks broke down and Trump signed an executive order to change the name of to Lake America.” (09/12/26)
“President Trump on Saturday expressed optimism about the reunification of Ireland during a meeting with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Dublin. The president, who is visiting his Irish golf course this weekend for a major golf tournament, said he would ‘love’ to see the joining of the Republic of Ireland and the [UK-occupied Six Counties]. … Previous U.S. presidents have typically avoided directly commenting on this contentious issue.” (09/12/26)
“Nashville’s airport authority board unanimously voted Friday to begin the process to rename the city’s airport to honor late country music legend and Tennessee icon Dolly Parton. The vote by the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority did not establish a new name for Nashville International Airport, but it begins the process, the board said in a statement. … Parton, beloved by country music fans around the world, died last month at the age of 80 after a brief battle with cancer, her family said on Aug. 25. … Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee thanked the airport authority board for its action Friday and called the vote an ‘important step to honor her remarkable legacy.'” (09/11/26)
“Police in Turkey have [abducted] 47 people in a series of raids on gay bars and the homes of LGBTQ+ activists, officials say. Raids took place in 12 provinces over the weekend as part of a campaign dubbed ‘My Family is Safe’ that the Turkish government says has been designed to protect family values. One of the targets of the operation was LGBTQ+ association Kaos GL. Same-sex marriage is not recognised in Turkey, with growing pressure on gay couples. Human rights groups in Turkey have accused the government of using the campaign to target the LGBTQ+ community. Officers detained 26 people and seized drugs, digital equipment, smuggled alcohol and a firearm during the raids, according to the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office.” (09/13/26)
“Authorities suspect sabotage caused a train derailment in northwestern France that injured 44 people after a piece of rail was found on the track. The regional train was carrying 186 passengers from Rouen to Caen when it derailed Friday evening in Cleon. One carriage tipped onto its side while four others left the tracks. … A spokeswoman for the French national police communications service, known as SICOP, told The Associated Press the piece of rail found on the track was ‘probably’ linked to the derailment. She spoke on condition of anonymity because she wasn’t authorized to be publicly named in line with police policy.” (09/12/26)
“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday offered the lone holdout juror of the Lindsay Clancy case ‘asylum’ after a report alleged that the juror had faced domestic violence accusations in the past. … DeSantis said the report was an attempt at damaging the reputation of the man, who has not identified himself but who others on the jury said is black and in his 30s. ‘A man objected to allowing a woman to kill her three young kids and get away with it, so NBC is trying to smear that juror, whose identity should be protected. Another low for legacy media,’ DeSantis wrote on X in response to the NBC10 report. ‘If the juror is being harassed, Florida will provide asylum — I’m sure he’d be welcomed and appreciated.’” (09/12/26)
“David Keith Cobb, a longtime organizer within the Green Party of the United States who helped the party secure federal recognition as a national committee before going on to become its 2004 presidential nominee, died Monday at the age of 63. The national Green Party announced Cobb’s passing this week, confirming that he died on Labor Day. … The Green Party nominated Cobb for president at its 2004 national convention, with Maine activist Pat LaMarche selected as his running mate.” [editor’s note: I was a few feet away when Cobb and 2004 Libertarian presidential nominee Michael Badnarik got arrested together while attempting to serve a lawsuit to Presidential Debate Commission in St. Louis; he was an opponent, but not an enemy – TLK] (09/11/26)
“Sweden’s general election remains too close to call, early results suggest.
With 50% of the votes counted, the two main blocs were separated by only 20,000 votes, Sweden public broadvasteer SVT said. Exit polls had given the left-wing political bloc led by Social Democrats leader Magdalena Andersson a small lead over the rival four-party coalition put together by current conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Kristersson has been supported in government by the hard-right Sweden Democrats (SD), which have neo-Nazi roots. He has promised cabinet jobs for the SD if he stays in charge, but partial results suggest the party was losing support for the first time since 2010 when it entered parliament. Sweden has two major political blocs featuring four parties on the right and four on the left – meaning coalition and minority governments are relatively common.” (09/13/26)
“A Guatemalan court has cleared a deputy minister and three other Indigenous leaders of terrorism charges, brought over their role in leading protests against a prosecutor accused of trying to block President Bernardo Arevalo from taking office. The Third Criminal Court judge, Mynor Moto, dismissed the case on Friday at the request of prosecutors, who concluded after their own investigation that the four had not broken any laws by organising the protests in October 2023.” (09/12/26)
