Source: Times of Israel [Jerusalem]
“Beijing rejects ‘groundless’ reports that Chinese entities supplied Tehran with satellite images of a military base housing US troops in Jordan, before and after an Iranian strike killed three American soldiers. The reports by the Wall Street Journal over the weekend related to July 17 missile strikes launched by Iran on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. Unnamed American officials cited in the Journal’s reporting did not name the Chinese entities involved, and did not suggest that Beijing was directly to blame.” (09/14/26)
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/china-denies-reports-it-gave-iran-intel-before-deadly-strike-on-us-base-in-jordan/
Source: Parallax Views w/ JG Michael
“Is This the End of American Empire? Iran, Israel, & the New Middle East w/ Wahid Azal.” (09/14/26)
https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/e/wazal9-14-26/
Source: Reason
by Tosin Akintola
“For much of human history, moving house has been a death-defying ordeal. When pioneer Loren Hastings reached Portland, Oregon, in 1847, he looked back on the Oregon Trail and called it a ‘graveyard.’ Today, you can pack up everything you own and move anywhere in the country without risking life and limb. Convenience has made nomads of us all, turning a tedious and life-threatening experience into one that requires minimal time and effort. It does not matter whether you live in a Texas Hill Country ranch house or in a 500-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment in Washington, D.C. Thanks to the click-and-tap world of same-day delivery made possible by capitalism, it has never been easier to pull up stakes and move to new digs.” (for publication 10/26)
https://reason.com/2026/09/14/moving-made-easier/
Source: New York Post
by staff
“Ronald Reagan famously said that he didn’t leave the Democrats, the Democrats left him — and now the party threatens to do the same to Sen. John Fetterman. The Pennsylvanian’s video appearance at the Republican midterm convention, praising GOP colleague Dave McCormick as a bipartisan ally as they ‘work with President Trump to fight and defend the steel way of life’, drove his critics around the bend. The left loathes Fetterman even though he votes with his caucus most of the time, and stands by policies central to the Democratic identity … at least until 15 minutes ago … simply because he refuses to go along with the lunacy he calls an ‘orgy of socialism’.” (09/14/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/09/14/opinion/fury-at-fetterman-refutes-democrats-claim-to-be-a-big-tent-party/
Source: SFGate
“Former CIA Director John Brennan has been subpoenaed to testify next month before a Florida grand jury as part of a Justice Department investigation into whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired against President Donald Trump, one of his lawyers said Monday. Ken Wainstein, an attorney for Brennan, disclosed in a court filing that prosecutors last Thursday presented him with a subpoena for Brennan to appear Oct. 15 before a grand jury in Fort Pierce, Florida. He said he was told that the subpoena relates to a “far-reaching” criminal probe examining a loosely defined theory that the government officials who have investigated Trump over the last decade, including over Russia election interference in 2016 and his more recent retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate, conspired to deprive Trump of his civil rights. The subpoena to Brennan is among a flurry that have been issued in recent weeks.” (09/14/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/ex-cia-director-john-brennan-issued-subpoena-in-22431091.php
Source: Antiwar.com
by Trita Parsi
“If you’ve followed my interviews, you know I’ve been warning about the high likelihood of a third round of the war – one that would almost certainly be far more intense than the previous two. I’ve also argued that, given Trump’s erroneous reading of the current balance, perhaps the only diplomatic wildcard that could pull us back from this looming disaster is Beijing deciding to step in and force a settlement. I discussed precisely this with Glenn Diesen on his show just yesterday. Hours later, President Xi Jinping declared China’s willingness to use its diplomatic clout to help end the war.” (09/14/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/trita-parsi/2026/09/13/china-to-the-rescue-why-only-beijing-may-be-able-to-end-the-iran-war/
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Polls closed on Monday across an autonomous Muslim region of the Philippines that waited decades to choose its own leaders, with officials praising a successful election despite sporadic violence. The parliamentary election was the culmination of a sometimes-bumpy peace process that began in the late 1990s and established the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in the country’s far south. More than two million voters were eligible to vote for 80 parliament seats that had previously been filled by appointees. … Gunfire erupted outside a polling station at a Cotabato school before polls opened, killing three people and wounding 15 others.” (09/14/26)
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260914-philippine-muslim-enclave-heads-to-polls-after-deadly-shooting
Source: EconTalk
“Incentives Are for Losers (with Adam Mastroianni).” (09/14/26)
https://www.econtalk.org/incentives-are-for-losers-with-adam-mastroianni/
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Jennie Jones
“I spent my whole day today trying to save a $200 Chromebook. When I think about the hourly rate, it really wasn’t the best use of my time. School starts in less than a week, and I had many other things on my to-do list. But alas, Gemini made me feel like I could solve it, so I kept troubleshooting, and before I knew it, it was 5:00. This is an ironic pattern I have noticed lately as I use chatbots more and more for work. It makes me feel like I can do anything. Things I wouldn’t have ever considered even attempting (read: most tech-related projects), I suddenly feel like trying because there is no harm in asking. And when it works, it does feel so good. ‘I did it myself!’ I cry out like a small child learning to tie her shoes. But there have been a few times now where I realized that just because ChatGPT makes me feel like I could doesn’t always mean that I should.” (09/14/26)
https://fee.org/articles/what-is-worth-learning-in-an-ai-world/
Source: Fox News
“New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is suing President Donald Trump’s administration over plans to expand federal authority to deny visa and green card applications based on welfare status. The lawsuit, filed jointly with NY Attorney General Letitia James, targets the Trump administration’s plan to expand the ‘public charge’ rule, which allows the federal government to deny visa applications based on the likelihood that the applicant will receive public benefits. Trump’s administration seeks to expand the list of benefits that apply under the rule, with the change taking effect Sept. 18. ‘If you are a citizen, or an individual seeking humanitarian relief like asylum, these changes will not affect you,’ Mamdani said at a press conference Monday. ‘The new public charge rule not only sweeps aside more than a century of established law, it is intentionally vague as a means of creating uncertainty and fear to isolate immigrant New Yorkers.'” (09/14/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mamdani-letitia-james-sue-block-trump-admin-from-refusing-immigrants-over-welfare-status
