Source: The Hill
“Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on Tuesday refused to restore Missouri’s new congressional map, which was poised to give Republicans a pickup opportunity this November, but the map’s fate remains unclear after a ruling in a separate lawsuit. Missouri Republicans hope to return to the new 7-1 House map favoring them after the Show Me State’s top court ruled officials must revert to their its existing GOP-leaning 6-2 House map for the midterm elections. Kavanaugh, an appointee of President Trump, handles emergency matters arising from Missouri by default. His one-sentence order declining to intervene contained no explanation. It appeared to be a setback for Republicans, who had hoped to dismantle and flip a Kansas City-area seat held by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D).” (09/08/26)
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/6077470-supreme-court-missouri-congressional-map/
Source: Liberalism.org
by Sarah Skwire
“One of the reasons some people scoff at virtue signaling is because they say it is performative—that the actions taken by virtue signalers are only done because other people see them. … But I think the performative aspect is exactly why virtue signaling is valuable. I marched because I wanted my kids to know that anti-immigrant actions and sentiments are not something that I will silently accept. I marched because I wanted my neighbors to know the same thing. And, though I didn’t know it when I set out, I marched because I wanted the families who stood in their doorways wearing traditional dress from their home countries to see friendly faces on the sidewalks of their town on a day when they felt threatened. None of that will change the political kerfuffle over immigration one bit. But it might help change my neighborhood just a little. And that’s valuable to me.” (09/08/26)
https://www.liberalism.org/p/bite-by-bite-the-value-of-virtue-signaling
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“Former senator John E Sununu triumphed on Tuesday in the New Hampshire Republican Senate primary [versus] Scott Brown, earning the GOP nod in what will likely be a must-win race if Democrats hope to seize the upper chamber. … Sununu will face congressman Chris Pappas, who beat back a progressive challenger in the Democratic primary, advancing as most observers expected to what will be a closely watched general election that is critical to Democratic hopes of flipping the upper chamber.” (09/08/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/08/new-hampshire-republican-senate-primary
Source: Center for a Stateless Society
by staff
“We live in a world of surveillance states, militarized police, and crackdowns on dissent. Meanwhile, corporate behemoths will often ally with the state to shut down dissident speech or aid and abet surveillance. In this context, it’s important for independent groups to develop and maintain encrypted communications platforms and independent web hosting. But the Trump administration recently declared that an Italian tech collective is a ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist’ for doing exactly this. … The executive branch can unilaterally declare that a provider of web hosting, email services, and other communications infrastructure is a ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist.’ By doing so, they can impose sanctions, and thereby destroy that provider. This can impose serious costs on speakers, organizers, and researchers that use the providers’ services. And the executive branch can do all of this unilaterally. No charges, warrants, trial, or due process is necessary.” (09/08/260
https://c4ss.org/content/61296
Source: Fox News
by Ted Jenkin
“You work. You get paid. Washington takes its cut. But have you ever stopped to ask one simple question: Where does the money actually go? Forget trillion-dollar numbers for a minute. Most Americans can’t comprehend the difference between $1 trillion and $7 trillion anyway. Let’s shrink Washington down to something we all understand: a $100 bill. In fiscal year 2025, the federal government spent roughly $7 trillion. Social Security alone consumed about $1.6 trillion. Major federal health programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, were another enormous piece. Defense approached $900 billion. And then there’s the number that should make every taxpayer spit out their morning coffee: interest. The federal government spent about $970 billion just on net interest on the national debt. Not roads. Not teachers. Not soldiers. Not Social Security checks.” (09/08/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/congress-spends-7-trillion-heres-math-works-100
Source: ABC News
“Police arrested a suspect Tuesday in connection with a series of attacks on power distribution systems across Germany which had led to a massive, dayslong search. A 48-year-old man was arrested near a power plant in Weisweiler, in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The man … was in possession of explosives and offered no resistance at the time of his arrest, Cologne police said in a statement. … The incidents took place as the country was on high alert after the government blamed Russia for an attempted attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport on Aug. 4 using a drone laden with explosives.” (09/8/260
https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/police-arrest-suspect-germany-power-grid-attacks-after-136269467
Source: National Review
“Gratitude for Higher Football Costs.” (09/08/26)
https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/capital-record/gratitude-for-higher-football-costs/
Source: Underthrow
by Max Borders
“A cultural rot pervades the West. It oozes into the tissues of society, making our civilization infirm. Those who remain unseized by it are becoming acutely aware of its reach. Awareness is the first step to understanding it and giving it an honest assessment. If we are to stop it, we can no longer afford to simply ignore it and hope it goes away. It originates in three underlying pathologies—all psychosocial—that spread like contagions. All three reinforce a central idea that personal responsibility is dead.” (09/08/26)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/nothing-is-ever-our-fault
Source: SFGate
“Russian President Vladimir Putin assured U.S. President Donald Trump in a phone call Tuesday that Moscow doesn’t harbor aggressive intentions toward Europe, a senior Kremlin official said, after European officials blamed Moscow for sabotage campaigns on their soil. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said meanwhile that U.S. envoys who visited Kyiv presented some ‘very good, worthwhile ideas’ for ending Russia’s 4 1/2-year-old war, adding that he hopes to meet with Trump within two weeks. But Russia remains determined to accomplish its military goals and it believes it is close to winning, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Ukrainian and Western observers, however, believe that Moscow has been unable to make any significant progress on the front line. The war could yet drag on for years as Russia reconstitutes its forces and its defense industry, said U.S. Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby. ‘We must be prepared for a protracted conflict and for Ukraine’s requirements to persist in the months and years ahead’, Colby told an online meeting of countries helping Ukraine.” (09/08/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/russian-drone-and-missile-strikes-on-ukrainian-22421480.php
Source: USA Today
by Maddie Salamone & Caitlin Styrsky
“A new Medicare pilot program covers hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) products to treat certain patients, even as Congress is moving forward with a law that will effectively wipe those same products off the market. The resulting policy quagmire threatens patient access, undermines the work of entrepreneurs and highlights a deeper truth: Hemp already plays a role in American health care, whether federal lawmakers are ready to acknowledge it or not. Millions of Americans across the country are using full-spectrum CBD products not for recreation, but for relief.” (09/08/26)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2026/09/08/medicare-cbd-costs-health-insurance/91547732007/