America is at war in … Ecuador?

Source: Los Angeles Times
by Jon Duffy

“American forces are conducting combat operations in South America right now. If that comes as news, it is because the administration has disclosed the mission only in fragments, and Congress has not forced a public accounting. United States Green Berets are operating alongside Ecuadorian forces in the northern province of Esmeraldas in what the provincial governor described as joint operations against ‘narcoterrorism.’ Neither government has said which organizations the ground operations are targeting, what the troops are doing or how many Americans are involved.” (09/08/26)

https://archive.is/GMKwM

Thomas L. Knapp

British widow faces deportation from Sweden after 22 years

Source: BBC News [UK state media]

“A 78-year-old British widow has told the BBC she is struggling to eat or sleep as the Swedish government threatens to deport her over a late post-Brexit residence application. Joyce Thomas, a retired nurse, moved to Sweden 22 years ago with her husband, who passed away from cancer three years ago. This came after they were informed by the Swedish authorities that they should have made a formal application to stay in the country after Brexit. Thomas has since had numerous applications and appeals rejected, and Tuesday marks the latest deadline for her to leave voluntarily. ‘This is absolute hell’, she said from her home in Sweden. ‘I can’t sleep, I can’t eat. You get up in the morning, you don’t know what’s going to happen.'” (09/08/26)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62k0d4px6ro

Steve Trinward

Washington Is Underwriting the Proliferation It Went to War To Stop

Source: Antiwar.com
by Thomas S Karat

“The Trump administration sent Congress its civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia. Asked what the deal permits, the president wrote: There will be no enrichment of material. His own Energy Secretary, Chris Wright, has said the opposite. The agreement gives Riyadh a pathway to enrich uranium on its own soil, and in doing so the potential for a Saudi nuclear Bomb. To placate fears Wright has put enrichment years down the road but not in doubt. Wright is describing the document. Trump is describing a country he is at war with to prevent from doing exactly this.” (09/08/260

https://original.antiwar.com/thomas_karat/2026/09/07/washington-is-underwriting-the-proliferation-it-went-to-war-to-stop/

Thomas L. Knapp

As Another School Year Begins, Whose Children Do We Remember?

Source: Common Dreams
by Zahra Eslami

“Summer passed. People traveled, went into nature, spent time with family, laughed, rested, and enjoyed life—and that is a good thing. Now school has started again, and children are walking back into classrooms with backpacks, excitement, and plans for another year. But for many families, there is no return to normal. Since the war in Iran began earlier this year, civilians have been killed, injured, displaced, and traumatized. Sometimes their stories reach us. Sometimes they barely break through the noise. I still think about the girls’ elementary school in Minab, where more than 100 children were killed. They were children. Students. We call children ‘angels’, and then somehow their deaths become another statistic of war.” (09/08/26)

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/which-children-remember

Steve Trinward

Petition Urging Mamdani’s Exclusion From 9/11 Event Hits 100,000 Signs Amid Similar Push By Giuliani, Pataki

Source: Forbes

“An online petition calling for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s exclusion from the 9/11 remembrance ceremony later this week has crossed 100,000 signatures amid a similar push made by several prominent Republican leaders from the state, including former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Gov. George Pataki. … The petition says the organizers oppose Mamdani’s attendance because of various ‘public positions, associations, and responses to rhetoric’ that are hostile to their values. The petition then outlines eight grievances against the New York Mayor, including allegations of support or association with people who are ‘dismissive of American institutions or insufficiently critical of extremist ideologies.'” (09/08/26)

https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2026/09/08/petition-urging-mamdanis-exclusion-from-911-event-hits-100000-signs-amid-similar-push-by-giuliani-pataki/

Thomas L. Knapp

Americans’ satisfaction with schools at a low point, new Gallup poll shows

Source: SFGate

“Americans’ satisfaction with the quality of K-12 education in the country has hit a low point, driven by a growing political divide and concerns that schools are not preparing children for college and future jobs. Just 32% of American adults say they are ‘completely’ or ‘somewhat’ satisfied with the U.S. school system, according to an August poll published Tuesday by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation and shared exclusively with The Associated Press. That’s an 11-point drop over the past two years and the lowest since Gallup began polling on the subject 27 years ago. At the same time, dissatisfaction has increased to a high of 67%. Experts on education and school policy say the findings are deeply concerning but not surprising. Democrats are driving the recent slide, with their satisfaction dropping about 19 points since President Donald Trump’s second term began in 2025.” (09/08/26)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/education/article/americans-satisfaction-with-schools-is-at-a-low-22421404.php

Steve Trinward