Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 09/28/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Smotrich: Key To Cleansing Gaza Is ‘Taking Away Hope,’ More US Airstrikes in Somalia, and More.” (09/28/26)
Will AI Destroy Humanity? There May Be a Bigger Threat
Source: Independent Institute
by Richard K Vedder
“Artificial intelligence gets attention, but population decline and humanity’s destructive impulses may pose greater dangers.” (09/28/26)
SpaceX brings Starship home early after first orbital flight
Source: Axios
“SpaceX’s next-generation Starship rocket came back to Earth earlier than planned after its first orbital flight Monday, with an explosion visible on the company’s livestream just after touchdown in the Pacific Ocean. … Starship launched from South Texas just before 9 a.m. ET on a planned test flight of about 10 hours. It was set to orbit Earth about six times before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, west of Chile. But SpaceX decided to bring it back to Earth after only about 3 hours. As part of the mission, Starship deployed 26 of the company’s new, better-performing Starlink V3 internet satellites. The cause of the apparent explosion was not immediately clear, and the company didn’t offer any details.” (09/28/26)
https://www.axios.com/2026/09/28/spacex-starship-orbital-flight
Trump attacks socialism. His policies tell another story.
Source: Washington Post
by Carine Hajjar
“For all his talk about defeating ‘radical left lunatics,’ the president seems awfully cozy in their company. In the span of a week, Donald Trump managed to pose for chummy photo ops with New York’s democratic socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, and Venezuela’s illegitimate leader, Delcy Rodríguez. Last Wednesday, he rounded out his leftist tour de force by kicking off a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Smiling for the camera doesn’t make Trump a socialist — but the White House’s growing corporate portfolio might. … a democratic socialism that endorses ‘public ownership’ of large corporations and shrinking the workweek ‘with no reduction in pay or benefits’ used to be the kind of nonsense that Republicans could argue against. Today, the GOP could have credibility as the alternative to socialists only if its leader quit acting like one.” (09/28/26)
Reason Roundtable, 09/28/26
Source: Reason
“Trump’s Iran War Is Losing With Everyone (Even Republicans).” (09/28/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/09/28/trumps-iran-war-is-losing-with-everyone-even-republicans/
Saudi Arabia resumes oil exports via East-West pipeline
Source: Al Arabiya [Saudi state media]
“Saudi Arabia has resumed oil exports through the main pipeline extending from the east to the west of the Kingdom. According to Bloomberg, state-run Saudi Aramco was last week testing the East-West pipeline and building pressure, with the aim of resuming meaningful flows by the weekend, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be named because the information is not public. The resumption will restore Saudi Arabia’s access to the alternative export route that it had been using during the Iran war, even as the Kingdom has ramped up shipments through the Strait of Hormuz this month.” (09/28/26)
Stop Mad King Donald’s Iran War: An Open Letter to Members of the US Congress
Source: Antiwar.com
by Jeffrey D Sachs
“I write to you because you cannot simply walk away from Trump’s recklessness, shaking your heads silently. You have a job to do, so do it. The craven Republican Party has to find even a minimal level of guts to tell Trump, ‘No, you do not have the power to destroy Iran. Any war with Iran depends on us, and we don’t support you and our constituents want this war to stop.’ A clear majority of Americans oppose this war, and poll after poll shows that the opposition to the war is growing. A few Republicans have found that courage. Last week three more Republicans broke ranks to support ending the war. Their colleagues should follow.” (09/28/26)
Putin signs decree adding 15,500 troops to Russian army
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday boosting the size of the army by 15,500 troops in the fourth such order this year. Putin’s order comes as both Russia and Ukraine suffer mounting casualties in the more than four-and-a-half-year Ukraine war. The decree did not give a reason for the troop increase. … Putin had previously signed documents boosting the size of the army in March, June and July. The combined increase since March amounts to 47,860 soldiers. Russia’s battlefield advances have slowed this year, as widespread drone use on the front has made swift, large-scale troop movements almost impossible. Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of preparing for another military call-up, a suggestion that Putin has called Ukrainian ‘disinformation’.” (09/28/26)
The Coming GOP Bloodbath?
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
by Ron Paul
“Most indicators suggest that the Republicans in the House and Senate are going to face a brutal backlash from the American people in November. Polling with generic ballots suggest a big win for the Democrats and likely the loss of Republican control of both houses of Congress. There is little reason to cheer a Democratic party victory, however Republicans in charge have for the most part earned what is coming to them. They have refused to uphold their Constitutional obligation to take leading responsibility for war powers.” (09/28/26)
https://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/the-coming-gop-bloodbath
Somalia: Regime troops clash with local forces for control of Baidoa
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Intense clashes have broken out in the Somali city of Baidoa between government forces and fighters loyal to the ousted regional president. Fighter jets and drones were reported as the hostilities flared on Monday in the South West State city after thousands of local fighters entered the city in the morning. Violence has plagued the city in recent weeks as the army seeks to maintain the control it wrested earlier this year. … A number of states in Somalia oppose President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. His government sent troops to oust the head of South West State, Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen in March. Laftagareen has repeatedly attempted to retake the area, including the administrative capital of Baidoa.” (09/28/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/28/somali-army-clashes-with-local-forces-for-control-of-baidoa