Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“Organizing and running elections in the United States is left to individual states to determine and oversee. But this month alone, the U.S. Supreme Court has weighed in on these processes multiple times. On Sept. 14, it issued a one-paragraph concurrence limiting proposed federal changes to mail-in voting. Earlier this week, Missouri’s redistricted voting map was back on the emergency docket for the third time this month. And on Friday, the court ruled to allow use of a vast federal database to check voter eligibility. Amid the legalese and partisan arguments surrounding such cases, American voters are both confused and concerned about the trustworthiness of the country’s election processes. According to two recent surveys, the share who believe that November midterms will be ‘fair’ ranges from 49% to 55%.” (09/26/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0925/The-renewed-roots-of-election-integrity
Source: United Press International
‘The Tompkins County, N.Y., District Attorney’s Office announced Monday that it is reopening its investigation into an alleged gang-rape involving Cornell University fraternity members. The victim in the case says they were drugged and raped by multiple members of Chi Phi fraternity at Cornell University in 2024. … [Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew] Van Houten noted in his statement that the victim’s original statement did not appear to require criminal charges to be filed as she ‘described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious, and consensual.’ However, in the decision to reopen the investigation, Van Houten said he recognized ‘the reality that it can take years of therapy and healing for victims of sexual assaults to fully process and understand what happened to them.'” [editor’s note: When something isn’t rape shortly after it happens and suddenly becomes rape years later, that’s pretty much the definition of “reasonable doubt” – TLK] (09/28/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/09/28/cornell-chi-phi-fraternity-gang-rape-investigation-grand-jury/6551790622079/
Source: SFGate
“Metal mixtures found in the leftover smoke, ash and debris from the deadly 2023 Maui wildfires were harmful to the lung health of people living nearby long after the burning ended, a new study says. The work shows that major wildfires, which are worsening with the planet’s warming, could have lasting effects beyond immediate exposure. Post-wildfire air quality needs to be monitored longer term, the research suggests, and recovery efforts need to consider what might remain in contaminated soot, residue and dirt well after burning stops. The wildfires, caused by wind spreading a brushfire spurred by downed power lines, burned on the Hawaiian island of Maui in August 2023, destroyed the town of Lahaina and killed more than 100 people.” (09/28/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/residents-near-maui-wildfires-show-elevated-22453254.php
Source: Hoover Institution
“Trump Moves to Bar CNN, MS NOW & Politico From the White House Over “Bias” — Sparking Legal Fight.” (09/28/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qpga3o_ix_o
Source: Independent Institute
by Abigail R Hall
“Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman famously said, ‘Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program.’ Friedman’s statement, clear and to the point, is supported by a mountain of evidence. From extended unemployment and crop insurance to deposit insurance and mass income tax withholding, these are but a few ‘temporary’ programs that traded their provisional status for permanency. Each of these examples, as well as many others, has something else in common. That is, each was born because of crisis. From economic recessions to war, policies and programs begun in the name of combating today’s threats have a unique way of staying long after the crisis has passed. This phenomenon is not a relic of centuries past, but one that remains wholly relevant today.” (09/28/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/09/28/big-government-born-in-crisis-built-to-last/
Source: Jonathan Turley
by Jonathan Turley
“October is when hype meets reality. In baseball, the final teams are sorted out for the playoffs, and your football teams are well into the winnowing-out process for the Super Bowl. For court nerds, the start of the October term at the Supreme Court can have a similar dynamic, as long-watched cases finally come up for oral argument. Although the court continues to accept cases on a rolling basis, this term is looking like another blockbuster, with cases that range from climate change to gun rights to parental rights. The odds of making the oral argument docket make the NFL season look like a walk in the park. After thousands of petitions, the Supreme Court accepts on average between 70-80 cases for the coveted ‘writ of certiorari.'” (09/28/26)
https://jonathanturley.org/2026/09/28/the-october-term-a-preview-of-the-coming-cases-for-another-big-year-on-the-court/
Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]
“British police said on Monday they had released on bail five men who were arrested on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences near a British airbase used by the U.S., although they remain under investigation. Officers arrested the men in the early hours of Sunday after a tipoff that three large white vans were heading to the military airfield in west England. … The British government had given authorization to the U.S. to use bombers based at Fairford to strike Iranian missile sites that were attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had warned Britain in July not to allow U.S. bombers to fly from Fairford, saying any base used to launch attacks would be a legitimate target. … Iran has repeatedly denied involvement in attacks or plots in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.” (09/28/26)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/uk-raf-fairford-incident-9.7360562
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Apple has been ordered to pay $5.7bn (£4.3bn) in damages after a US jury found it had used another firm’s tech without permission. Audio firm Taction Technology claimed in 2021 that Apple had infringed two of its patents for haptics systems, which enable vibrations for actions such as receiving a message or pressing a button. This tech is built into devices like the iPhone and Apple Watch. Apple said it had not used Taction’s vibration tech and would appeal the verdict. ‘While we thank the jury for their consideration, we strongly disagree with today’s verdict and the damages awarded, which are entirely unsupported by the facts,’ it said. ‘Apple’s Taptic Engine is fundamentally different from Taction’s technology, which Taction’s own testing of Apple’s products confirmed during trial.'” (09/28/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6je85n2vyleo
Source: The Hill
by Juan Williams
“Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is a singular figure in U.S. history. If he remains on the bench for the next two years, he will be the longest-serving justice in American history. But his singular place in history is now tragic. First, he is at the heart of a historic decline in public trust in the Supreme Court. Second, as the most powerful Black Republican in national politics, he has damaged trust in Black conservatives as a source of innovative thinking for dealing with racial problems. … several Democrats running in the midterms appear focused on Thomas as they propose ethics codes, term limits and even adding more seats to the court to restore ideological balance. That political push began after investigative reports showed Thomas accepted, without disclosure, luxury vacations, help with tuition for a relative and real estate funding for his mother from a wealthy Republican.” (09/28/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/supreme-court/6114201-thomas-supreme-court-legacy/
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“The Wall Street Journal has a new article out titled ‘Why Are So Many Adults Cutting Off Their Parents?’ about the rising levels of family estrangement in our society. ‘Many experts believe that estrangements between adult children and their parents are becoming an epidemic in the U.S., just like divorce in the 1970s,’ writes Elizabeth Bernstein. ‘Much like then, the movement is driven by a convergence of large societal trends — this time the rise of social-media algorithms, changing therapeutic approaches and a broadening definition of trauma.’ As has become the fashion these days, Bernstein largely pins the blame for this phenomenon on TikTok. ‘Last month, more than 138,000 new videos that mentioned cutting off or going low-contact with parents were posted on TikTok, up more than 10-fold compared with August 2020,’ Bernstein writes, adding that ‘More than 82% of the posts were by women.'” (09/28/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/09/28/be-kind-to-your-adult-children-or-theyll-stop-talking-to-you/
