NYC: Regime housing tower partially collapses after explosion

Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]

“A massive brick chimney running 20 storeys up the side of a New York City apartment building collapsed after an explosion Wednesday, sending tons of debris plummeting to the ground. The falling bricks buried a sidewalk, landed on the public housing building’s playground and sent a cloud of dust billowing over the block in the Bronx. Amazingly, no one was injured. … Mayor Eric Adams confirmed no injuries or deaths were reported in the collapse of the chimney, which rose up from the building’s boiler room. Officials were notified of the explosion just after 8 a.m. and were trying to determine if there was a gas leak. … Around half a million New Yorkers live in aging buildings run by the city’s housing authority, known as NYCHA, which is the largest in the nation.” (10/01/25)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/new-york-building-collapse-1.7647937

Thomas L. Knapp

The Fast Food Index is Looking Bleak

Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker

“For the last several years I have relied on real (inflation-adjusted) spending at fast food restaurants as a useful gauge of consumer sentiment. I began this during the pandemic recovery when the media were constantly telling us that people were struggling to make ends meet. While this is always true in a country with a weak social safety net and extreme income inequality, the question any serious person asks is whether it’s getting worse or better. I kept pointing to the data showing that, at least for those at the bottom, it seemed to be getting better. … In 2021, 2022, and 2023, real fast-food spending was growing at an average annual rate of 5.4 percent, considerably faster than the 2.9 percent growth rate in the decade prior to the pandemic. But spending largely stagnated in 2024. Real spending in December 2024 was actually 1.0 percent less than it had been in December of 2023. That stagnation has continued into 2025.” (10/02/25)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/10/02/the-fast-food-index-is-looking-bleak/

Thomas L. Knapp

From fragmented projects to focused products — A VA case study in capability-based budgeting

Source: Niskanen Center
by Solitaire Carroll

“In the first article of this series, I introduced capability-based budgeting: aligning funding to outcomes, not just projects. At the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), we tested this idea against the realities of the federal budget process — rigid cycles, entrenched habits, and layers of oversight. What we learned were hard but valuable lessons on how to realign dollars around enduring capabilities and cut through the procedural bloat that holds agencies back.” (10/02/25)

https://www.niskanencenter.org/fragmented-projects-to-focused-products

Thomas L. Knapp

TX: Hearing to determine if redistricted maps can be used in 2026 congressional elections

Source: SFGate

“When Texas first proposed redrawing its congressional map earlier this summer, critics decried it as a political power-grab to appease the president, while state leaders claimed it was necessary after the Department of Justice raised concerns about some majority non-white districts. But now that the map is in federal court, the two sides have swapped stances. The state now claims they acted for purely partisan gain, which the U.S. Supreme Court has said is lawful, while a group of individuals and advocacy organizations argue the Department of Justice’s involvement reveals unconstitutional racial motivation. These plaintiff groups, who are also suing over the 2021 maps, have asked a district court in El Paso to block the maps from being used in the 2026 election. The nine-day hearing kicked off Wednesday, with state Rep. Joe Moody, a Democrat from El Paso, testifying that his Republican colleagues absolutely had partisan goals.” (10/02/25)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/hearing-to-determine-if-texas-redistricted-maps-21081236.php

Steve Trinward

Pope criticizes fake “pro-lifers”

Source: CBS News

“For the first time since being elected in May, Pope Leo XIV waded into U.S. politics, criticizing those who say they’re against abortion but support the death penalty, saying that’s ‘not really pro-life.’ Leo, a Chicago native, was asked late Tuesday about plans by Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich to give a lifetime achievement award to Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin for his work helping immigrants. The plans drew objection from some conservative U.S. bishops, given the powerful Democratic senator’s support for abortion rights. Leo called first of all for respect for both sides, but he also pointed out the seeming contradiction in such debates. ‘Someone who says ‘I’m against abortion but says I am in favor of the death penalty’ is not really pro-life,’ Leo told reporters.” (10/01/25)

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-leo-abortion-pro-life-death-penalty/

Thomas L. Knapp

Will California Zionise K-12 Education?

Source: Antiwar.com
by Rick Sterling

“Factual information about Israel and Palestine may soon be outlawed in the California K-12 school system. Assembly Bill 715 is currently on Governor Newsom’s desk. The legislation was recently rushed through the California legislature, amended just days before passage, and voted on at 1 a.m. with almost no time for public comment. The hurry is intentional because opposition grows whenever people learn about it. … If passed, AB715 will result in strict regulation of education and educational material that might subject Jewish students to ‘unlawful discrimination.’ Facts and informed opinions about the reality in Israel and Palestine may be considered ‘antisemitic’ or likely to cause discomfort.” (10/02/25)

https://original.antiwar.com/rick_sterling/2025/10/01/will-california-zionise-k-12-education/

Thomas L. Knapp