Trump rules out joint US-China venture to develop AI

Source: BBC News [UK state media]

“US President Donald Trump has ruled out any sort of joint venture with China in artificial intelligence (AI), arguing it would be tantamount to ‘giving away secrets’ to America’s main economic rival. Speaking at an event in Washington on Tuesday, Trump again argued against putting any restrictions on the technology that would stifle growth in the future, despite mounting public concern. Following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the White House last week, Beijing and Washington announced the launch of a new AI dialogue, with further talks scheduled for November. The two countries also established a new communications channel to prevent misunderstandings during AI-related incidents. During Tuesday’s event marking the launch of America.gov – a new AI-powered website designed to streamline government services – Trump argued the US is ‘leading by a lot’ in the AI sector and does not want to ‘mix it up’ with potential competitors.” (09/29/26)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwly5lmvy38qo

Shell backs $23 billion LNG Canada expansion in boost to Carney’s ‘energy superpower’ push

Source: CNBC

“A consortium led by British oil giant Shell is moving forward with expansion plans on its flagship liquefied natural gas project (LNG) in Canada, in a major boost to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s ambition to make the country an ‘energy superpower.’ Shell said in a statement on Tuesday that it had reached a final investment decision to double production capacity at the LNG Canada project in Kitimat, British Columbia, to roughly 28 million metric tons per annum (mtpa), up from 14 mtpa. Shell leads the LNG Canada project with a 40% stake. The joint venture also has the backing of Malaysia’s Petronas, China’s PetroChina, Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp and South Korea’s state-owned Korea Gas Corp.” (09/29/26)

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/29/shell-canada-lng-carney-oil-gas-energy.html

Why Observational Studies Lie to You

Source: Brownstone Institute
by Alan Cassels

“What is the Healthy User Bias? It’s embarrassingly simple. In observational studies—where researchers merely watch what people do in the real world rather than running an experiment—the people who voluntarily take preventive drugs or pop daily supplements are fundamentally different from those who don’t. No surprise there, right? On average, ‘healthy users’ are wealthier, better educated, and more health-obsessed. They are seriously more obedient when it comes to vaccines (including the Covid vaccine). These sorts of people want to do the best they can within their powers, which includes things that involve some friction: they eat organic kale, jog at dawn, wear seatbelts, don’t smoke, and visit their doctors regularly. They love tests of all kinds. A 2006 meta-analysis quantified the healthy user effect (which they called the healthy adherer effect) across 21 studies. What they found is mind-blowing in its implications.” (09/29/26)

https://brownstone.org/articles/why-observational-studies-lie-to-you/

MS: Attorney general won’t seek new trial for officer in fatal shooting of black motorist

Source: SFGate

“Mississippi’s attorney general said she will not retry a police officer after jurors failed to reach a verdict on a manslaughter charge stemming from the fatal shooting of a [b]lack motorist. Jurors on Monday deadlocked on the charge against Mississippi Capitol Police officer Michael Rhinewalt and acquitted a second Capitol police officer, Steven Frederick, who was also charged with manslaughter in the September 2022 shooting of 25-year-old Jaylen Lewis. The case has raised questions about policing in the majority-[b]lack city of Jackson and prompted a lawsuit from Lewis’ mom. The two officers who shot Lewis are both white. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office, which prosecuted the two officers, said in a statement that it ‘followed the process’ and will not pursue a new trial against Rhinewalt.” (09/29/26)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/mississippi-attorney-general-won-t-seek-a-new-22454610.php

‘Let’s go, Brandon’? We’re still fighting for students’ right to say it.

Source: Washington Post
by Conor Fitzpatrick

“In October 2021, an NBC sports reporter misheard a vulgar chant, ‘F— Joe Biden,’ as ‘Let’s go, Brandon’ while interviewing Brandon Brown after a NASCAR race in Alabama. The misunderstanding caught on, and conservatives, including members of Congress in official floor speeches, began to use the line. That Christmas, a mother in Newaygo County, Michigan, bought sweatshirts bearing the phrase for her two sons. When they wore the gifts to class, however, their assistant principal demanded that they change. Refusal to do so — a supposed violation of the dress code’s provision on profanity — risked punishment, including suspension. Good grief.” (09/29/26)

https://archive.is/2x6aZ

When War Crimes Become Normal: The Price of Impunity

Source: Common Dreams
by Barzin Jafartash Amiri

“On Tuesday, September 1, 2026, the United States military struck a home in the town of Kuhestak, in Sirik County, southern Iran, where a wedding was underway, killing four people and wounding more than 50. The youngest victim was 4-year-old Amir Ali Karimi. Asked about the strike, US Vice President JD Vance told reporters: ‘What I can say with 100% confidence is that, unlike the IRGC, the United States never targets civilians in combat. We never will do that. We never have done that.’ … It’s worth remembering that the campaign the United States and Israel waged against Iran … opened with a strike on the office of Iran’s Supreme Leader that killed him along with his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and his 14-month-old granddaughter. Roughly an hour or two later, the US struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab with Tomahawk cruise missiles, killing 156 people, including 120 schoolchildren …” (09/29/26)

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/no-more-impunity-for-war-crimes