Why CPI Ignores Homes, Stocks, and the Cost of Getting Ahead

Source: The Daily Economy
by Karl-Friedrich Israel

“Capturing only what households consume, inflation stats miss the assets they hope to own. Recent inflation has rewarded existing owners at the expense of aspiring ones.” (09/09/26)

https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/why-cpi-ignores-homes-stocks-and-the-cost-of-getting-ahead/

Thomas L. Knapp

Lock and [Re-]Loaded: Third Circuit Greenlights Major Challenge to NJ Gun Liability Law

Source: Jonathan Turley
by Jonathan Turley

“Some of us have been closely following challenges to A1765, New Jersey’s gun industry liability law. In my view, the law is facially invalid and preempted under federal law, and we may now find out after the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit greenlit a challenge from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) yesterday. The court found that the NSSF has standing to bring the lawsuit, which could reach the United States Supreme Court. In 2022, New Jersey enacted A1765 to expose ‘gun industry members’ (gun sellers, manufacturers, distributors, importers, and marketers) to lawsuits as ‘a public nuisance’. This is a common effort among blue states to circumvent Second Amendment cases that reinforce the right to bear arms. These laws are designed to achieve indirectly what the Court denied directly to the states: to effectively suppress the availability of guns.” (09/09/26)

https://jonathanturley.org/2026/09/09/lock-and-re-loaded-third-circuit-greenlights-major-challenge-to-new-jersey-gun-liability-law/

Steve Trinward

For first time in 20 years, UN nuclear watchdog board reports Iran to UN Security Council

Source: SFGate

“The U.N. atomic watchdog’s board on Wednesday reported Iran to the U.N. Security Council for the first time in 20 years, citing it for failure to cooperate in a long-running investigation into uranium traces detected by inspectors at undeclared sites. Western officials suspect that the traces could provide evidence that Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program until 2003. Iran says that it’s not pursuing nuclear weapons, and that its program is entirely peaceful. Reporting Iran to the Security Council opens the country to possible sanctions and asset freezes, though such punitive measures are unlikely because Iran’s allies Russia and China hold veto power on the panel. Twenty-three countries on the International Atomic Energy Agency ’s 35-member board of governors voted for Wednesday’s resolution at IAEA headquarters in Vienna. ” (09/09/26)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/un-nuclear-watchdog-board-reports-iran-to-the-un-22424034.php

Steve Trinward

Why Conservative Republicans Are Worried About License Plate Cameras

Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum

“Last month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott froze state funding for automated license plate readers (ALPRs), acknowledging concerns about the warrantless surveillance enabled by such AI-assisted cameras. Abbott took that step the day after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a fellow Republican, declared that ALPRs are ‘out of control.’ … The congressional response to ALPRs, including several bills and an investigation that Sen. Josh Hawley (R–Mo.) announced last month, has been dominated by conservative Republicans, which confirms that the backlash is not limited to libertarian or left-leaning critics. Whether it will yield effective constraints is another question.” (09/09/26)

https://reason.com/2026/09/09/why-conservative-republicans-are-worried-about-license-plate-cameras/

Thomas L. Knapp

EU court hands another defeat to Abramovich in fight against sanctions

Source: Politico

“The EU’s General Court has rejected Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich’s challenge to sanctions imposed on him following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, upholding asset freezes and travel restrictions against the billionaire. The Council of the EU acted within its powers when it extended the measures against the billionaire former owner of Chelsea Football Club in 2022 through September 2025 and March 2026, judges ruled, according to a statement issued by the Court on Wednesday. Abramovich, who holds Russian, Israeli and Portuguese nationality, is the majority shareholder in Evraz, one of Russia’s largest steel and mining groups. He also owns shares in Norilsk Nickel, a major producer of palladium and refined nickel. The EU Court said the bloc’s sanctions criteria were objective, sufficiently precise and proportionate. They target prominent businesspeople operating in Russia, particularly those active in sectors that provide significant revenue to the Russian government.” (09/09/26)

https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-court-hands-another-defeat-to-abramovich-in-fight-against-sanctions/

Thomas L. Knapp

25 Years Ago, 9/11 Triggered a US Crusade of Torture

Source: Antiwar.com
by Norman Solomon

“A quarter-century has passed since the terrorist attack that killed almost 3,000 people in the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. During the first seven years after that mass atrocity, Pentagon spending doubled. The aftermath of 9/11 was also a huge boost for ‘the intelligence community.’ Despite – and because of – their failure to prevent the carnage on that day, the CIA and the National Security Agency as well as 14 smaller spy agencies boomed with enormous jolts of funds. Along the way, some line items paid for torture that persisted during the George W. Bush presidency under the euphemism of ‘enhanced interrogation techniques.'” (09/09/26)

https://original.antiwar.com/solomon/2026/09/08/25-years-ago-9-11-triggered-a-us-crusade-of-torture/

Thomas L. Knapp