Russia Silences its Last Independent Newspaper

The Russian independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta has announced it is closing, citing pressure from authorities who recently searched the home of its senior editor and earlier this year detained one of its journalists.

“Novaya Gazeta is ceasing to exist,” the editor-in-chief, Sergei Sokolov, said in a video statement published on YouTube on Friday. “The Russian authorities – the Russian special services – have forced the editorial team to end its work.”

Russia has introduced near-Soviet levels of censorship since sending troops to Ukraine, pushing the vast majority of independent journalists into exile. Novaya Gazeta, a bastion of independent journalism in Russia, is classed by Moscow as a “foreign agent”, a label used to stifle dissent.

Sokolov said: “Novaya Gazeta has been killed … On November 9 we will turn off the lights in our home, where we have lived for 30 years. We will shut down the servers and leave.”

Read the rest here.

Trump's Latest Pardon Scandal

President Trump erupted last week after he learned that one of his former lawyers, Alina Habba Mildon, secured a contract worth more than $50 million to work for a billionaire Venezuelan family.

Angered at the size of Mrs. Mildon’s deal, Mr. Trump has told aides and allies that she should donate a portion of that money to his future presidential library or another Trump-related entity, according to multiple people briefed on the conversations.

His fury came in response to reporting by The New York Times that Mrs. Mildon, while working as an adviser at the Justice Department, had signed on last year to serve as an extraordinarily well compensated general counsel for a company started by the daughter of Julio Herrera Velutini, who at the time was seeking a pardon from Mr. Trump.

Mr. Trump told at least one ally that the Herrera family should not pay out the rest of the contract, a message that got back to them, the people said.

Mrs. Mildon, who had served earlier as a personal lawyer to Mr. Trump and then briefly as U.S. attorney in New Jersey, signed a four-year contract, and it is unclear whether the family could terminate it early. Mr. Trump also called Mrs. Mildon to discuss the contract, but it is not known whether he explicitly asked her to make a donation or only suggested it to others.

Read the rest here.

Alaska: The Secret Story of the Democratic Party's Dirty Ballot Trick

In the summer of 2025, a staffer for Mary Peltola, the Alaska Democrat who was eyeing a run for Senate, received unusual instructions from top campaign aides: Find as many people named Dan Sullivan in Alaska as you can.

The staffer complied, combing through voter records to produce a list of Dan Sullivans from across the state.

This was no random request. Dan S. Sullivan is the name of the state’s Republican senator. And if the Peltola campaign or its allies could track down and persuade another Dan Sullivan to run for Senate, the confusion could cost the senator crucial votes on the state’s unusual, four-person ballot.

The plan worked. This spring, a retired teacher from a tiny fishing village along the Alaska Panhandle, reachable only by air and sea, announced his candidacy for Senate. His name was Dan J. Sullivan.

The Peltola campaign has repeatedly denied any involvement in his candidacy. But The Times has found, based on interviews and text messages, along with documents prepared for a potential lawsuit against the campaign, that not only did Ms. Peltola’s team work with people trying to recruit Mr. Sullivan to run for Senate, but the effort was much broader. The group worked to coax other would-be spoilers into the race, to dilute the incumbent’s support and help catapult the Democrat to victory.

Read the rest here.

Crime Victims Lost ~$119 Million to Trump's Pardons

It was the summer of 2017 when Thomas Franco met Carlos Watson, a journalist and political commentator who seemed to be building a media empire. Over the next five years, Franco — a partner at the New York private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice — put almost $4 million into Watson's startup Ozy Media and urged friends to invest too.

But the company was largely an illusion. A federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Watson of fraud in July 2024. A judge later ordered him to repay investors almost $37 million, millions of it to Franco.

Hours before Watson was due to report to prison in March of last year, President Trump commuted his nearly 10-year sentence. The clemency grant wiped away the restitution.

In an interview, Franco said he felt victimized all over again. "Clearly the president has constitutional authority to grant clemency, and I certainly don't question that authority," Franco told CBS News. "But authority and accountability are two very different things."

Franco is just one of the many crime victims who may never recover money a court ordered they be repaid. All told, Mr. Trump's clemency orders have erased at least $119 million in unpaid restitution since January 2025, a CBS News investigation has found.

Read the rest here.

Horror films (Yes, it's that time of the year)

The Times recently did an article noting a resurgence of interest in 1970s era horror flicks. Some were really epic and have become classics, i.e. The Exorcist and Jaws. But there were a bunch of other films in the horror or shock genre that ranged from meh to fairly decent. I will add three that I think are worth a watch for those into that sort of thing, plus an honorable mention.

Horror Express (1972) - A solid film starring the great duo Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing with a respectable supporting performance from Telly Savalas. 

Count Dracula (1977) - An older adaptation of the novel from the BBC starring the late Louis Jourdan in the title role. The special effects have not aged well, but of all the various adaptations this is widely credited as the most faithful to the original book. 

Salem's Lot (1978) - The original made for TV adaptation of Stephen King's novel of the same name starring the late David Soul and Lew Ayres. Originally a two part mini-series, be sure to watch the unedited version. There is a cut down version that omits so much that it is almost unwatchable. A couple of scenes involving windows and a rocking chair still give me the creeps.

And an honorable mention...

The Car (1977) - Like every decade, the 1970s produced its share of low budget B grade films that served their purpose (making money) but were otherwise unimpressive and usually pretty forgettable. The Car starring James Brolin is a pretty good representative example of that sort. The film is listed in John Wilson's book The Official Razzie Movie Guide as one of the 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made. Oddly though, this one which was also once described as "so bad it might actually be good," has gained something of a cult film status among horror movie junkies. 

Who is really footing the bill for the AI data-centers?

Trump Administration Sues to Block Alaska Senate Certification if Republican Loses

The Justice Department has filed suit against Alaska election officials, seeking to block the results of November’s U.S. Senate election from being certified unless incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan wins.

In papers filed in federal court, attorneys for the DOJ argued the presence of Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr. on the ballot could mislead supporters of the sitting senator, Daniel S. Sullivan.

“For example, some supporters of Senator Sullivan likely will inadvertently vote for Daniel J. Sullivan,” the filing says.

“To guard against this danger, it is vital that Defendants not certify any election result that may be impacted by voter confusion,” the suit says.

The Trump administration is seeking a court order blocking the results from being certified “if: (1) Senator Sullivan does not win the election; and (2) had all votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan been cast instead for Senator Sullivan and Alaska’s rank-choice process played out accordingly, Senator Sullivan would have won the election.”

The filing by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said the action was brought “to protect the integrity of the 2026 Senate election in Alaska.”

Read the rest here. 

FWIW, there is not a shadow of doubt that the second Daniel Sullivan on the ballot is the product of some Democratic Party dirty tricks op. But as far as I am aware, it's no more illegal than the GOPs attempted election rigging via mid decade gerrymandering and redistricting. 

Liechtenstein prince vetoes abortion bill

Liechtenstein's Hereditary Prince Alois vetoed a bill on Tuesday that would have legalized abortion during the first 12 weeks of a woman's pregnancy, blocking a citizens' initiative co-signed by a quarter of voters and passed in the micro-state's parliament.

Performing an abortion is currently illegal in the principality, unless the pregnancy presents a severe risk to the pregnant woman's health or if it is the result of a sexual assault. Women seeking an abortion usually travel to clinics in neighboring Austria or Switzerland, which campaigners say adds uncertainty and an unnecessary financial hurdle to the process.

Read the rest here.

AXIOS!

A Seasoned GOP Pollster Isn't Buying the Blue Wave

Democrats are salivating over, and Republicans are bracing for, a potentially massive blue wave. One GOP pollster is urging everyone to calm down.

Patrick Ruffini, a founding partner at Echelon Insights, has been loudly throwing cold water on Democrats’ hopes of sweeping the red state Senate seats that have become battlegrounds in a worsening national environment for Republicans.

“The polls are, I think, intentionally inflating the size of the battleground,” Ruffini told POLITICO.

Democrats are pushing to flip Senate seats in Iowa, Texas, Ohio and Alaska — all states that President Donald Trump won by at least 11 points in 2024 — with dreams of going even deeper into the map Kansas, South Carolina and even Mississippi. Sensing a potential disaster, Republicans have significantly curtailed their investments in North Carolina and Georgia to direct resources elsewhere.

Ruffini, who isn’t polling for candidates or party committees in any federal races, said he’s skeptical of Democrats flipping some of those seats, particularly in the Midwest, and gives the GOP a coin flip’s chance at keeping control of the Senate.

If a blue wave were to come, he said it would defy the ingrained partisanship in deep-red states that has mirrored growing political polarization around the country.

“I think it would be somewhat of a historic shift if that were to happen,” he said.

Read the rest here.

Report: Musk approached Trump to slow down Starlink in Ukraine

Elon Musk approached Donald Trump with the idea of slowing down Starlink in Ukraine, The Telegraph can reveal.

The billionaire tech entrepreneur approached the US president with the proposal to introduce speed limits on the system, which hampered Ukraine’s drone defences, according to four sources familiar with the discussions.

One of the sources said Mr Trump “agreed” with Mr Musk’s suggestion, paving the way for the Pentagon to execute the slowdown on Starshield, the military-grade version of the satellite communications system.

Mr Musk had previously blamed Mr Trump for the chaos, claiming any changes would have been decided by the US military and ultimately the president.

At the time, Mr Trump was embroiled in a row with Volodymyr Zelensky over Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries.

US officials had warned Kyiv’s team of peace negotiators that Washington could shut off intelligence-sharing and other kinds of support if the long-range attacks were not halted.

Earlier this week, one of Mr Zelensky’s advisers said Mr Musk’s SpaceX had restricted access to the Starshield system, used by Kyiv to intercept jet-powered drones and strike behind enemy lines.

Speaking on the fringes of an EU summit in Brussels on Friday, the Ukrainian president called the slowdown a “very dangerous and unpleasant surprise”.

On Wednesday, Mr Musk denied he was responsible for limiting Starlink access, blaming the White House. He claimed that “any limits on speed or usage” were “decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS”, referring to Mr Trump.

However, after what was described as a “night of carnage” in Kyiv because of the blackout, a senior source said Mr Musk had been alarmed about the possibility of adverse consumer reaction in Europe.

Read the rest here.

U.S. may have withheld warnings to Ukraine of Russian strikes that killed 6, cut power to 600,000

The U.S. may have intentionally withheld early warnings this week of Russian strikes on Ukraine, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine "received no advance warning from our partners" when Russia launched a ballistic missile barrage at Kyiv and other locations early Tuesday. 

The sources said American officials told their Ukrainian counterparts the system used to detect Russian missile launches had failed due to "bad weather." Ukrainian officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the topic, told CBS News they did not believe the excuse, and they accused the U.S. instead of "playing" with the system. 

When Russia launched another wave of ballistic missiles around 3 a.m. local time on Wednesday, the sources said the U.S. early warning system appeared to be working again. 

Read the rest here.

Leo XIV Has Cancer

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery Tuesday that confirmed that he has lung cancer, and doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung, the Vatican said.

Tests confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin after the surgery. It said the diagnosis had been suspected by preoperative tests and was confirmed during surgery.

The statement made no mention of treatment going forward, and the Vatican said doctors were not currently speaking of chemotherapy or other therapies pending the results of other tests. The Vatican press office noted the medical statement spoke of the “radical” removal of the lobe as an indication that doctors removed all suspect tissue in hopes of removing any lingering traces of the cancer.

Leo’s lymph nodes also would have been removed and tested, to determine if the cancer had spread, and there was no word yet on those test results.

“Adenocarcinoma is the most common (type of lung cancer), also with the most favorable prognosis,” said Dr. Stephen Liu, a lung cancer expert at Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. “While we know the diagnosis we now need to know the stage.”

“We now need to know how big it is, how many spots in the lung are involved. Is it just one nodule, or more than one, and the lymph nodes, are they cancerous?” Liu said.

Read the rest here.

Poll Suggests Sharp Decline in Support for Trump Among Republicans

One in four Trump voters say GOP candidates should break with the president to win in November, according to the latest POLITICO Poll, conducted by independent firm PF Global.

The findings underscore the degree to which even loyal Republicans understand President Donald Trump is a drag on the ticket. Persistent inflation, $4 gas prices, 7% mortgage rates, a quagmire in the Middle East and a trade war with Canada have given Republican candidates no shortage of opportunities to take the president to task.

Read the rest here.

Trump to Strikes Deal to Buy Diesel From Putin

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said that he has struck a deal to obtain diesel from Russia, a stunning reversal of years of U.S. pressure on Moscow over its war with Ukraine and an attempt to address high fuel prices ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.

Trump said on social media on Friday that he struck the deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call in which he was expected to discuss a suspected case of plague in Russia. Instead, Trump announced that Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by an additional 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons “immediately thereafter.” Russia will deliver another 3 million tons “within a short period of time” after that, he wrote.

Trump’s shocking announcement comes after he signed a sweeping Russia sanctions law last month that aimed at clamping down on Russia’s energy economy, among other areas, that fuel its war against Ukraine.

His move casts doubt on the likelihood of the White House imposing sanctions on Russia this month, given that a bipartisan law passed by Congress directs the administration to target the top importers of Russian oil and gas.

Trump, in his announcement, did not address the sanctions or Russia’s war but said, “Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers, is my Greatest Priority.”

Read the rest here.

The sheer incompetence and immorality of this president beggars the imagination.

Trump plans to turn Mar-a-Lago into official presidential retreat

Donald Trump plans to turn his Mar-a-Lago club into an official presidential retreat where foreign leaders can be hosted and future presidents offered free memberships.

The US president wants the Florida resort to become a venue for international summits and a holiday residence for presidents visiting the state, according to a proposal submitted to Palm Beach County Officials.

The plans, presented by lawyers for the Trump International Golf Club, would also give future presidents complimentary memberships to the club.

“Just as Camp David, Windsor Castle, or the Élysée Palace are known worldwide, so too will the presidential golf course in Palm Beach county,” Harvey Oyer, a lawyer representing the Trump course, wrote to the Palm Beach county board of county commissioners in a letter last month seen by the Washington Post.

“It would further cement Palm Beach county as one of the most recognisable brands and destinations in the world,” Mr Oyer told the Washington Post, adding that a name had not yet been selected for the presidential golf course.

Read the rest here.

Pennsylvania nears 1,000 measles cases

Pennsylvania’s reported measles cases are almost at 1,000 for 2026, days after its health department confirmed the figure had passed 900.

“977 measles cases have been confirmed across 39 counties in Pennsylvania so far in 2026,” Pennsylvania’s Department of Health wrote in a statement Friday. 

The agency highlighted that 34 new Pennsylvania measles cases had emerged since Sept. 30, with hospitalizations tied to the infection reaching 195. The statement also reemphasized the state’s reported five measles-associated deaths amid an ongoing dispute between Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over the outbreak’s true death toll.

The outbreak is the worst the commonwealth has seen in more than 35 years.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Health added Friday that all but four of its measles cases have been among people who were not fully vaccinated against the virus.

“In a typical month, Pennsylvania health care providers administer approximately 25,000 doses of the MMR vaccine,” it wrote. “In August 2026, more than 49,000 MMR vaccines were administered and so far in September 2026, more than 53,000 doses have been administered.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes measles as a highly contagious virus but adds that two doses of the MMR vaccine provide the best protection. Pennsylvania’s health department stated that both doses together are 97 percent effective at preventing measles for life.

Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Department of Health began the process of requesting emergency assistance from the CDC’s Epi-Aid program following five reported deaths tied to the infection, but only on the condition that the federal agency publicly recognizes the state’s entire reported death count. 

The CDC has refused to acknowledge the same number of deaths as the Keystone State in its national count, sparking a bitter political dispute between Shapiro and Kennedy over what constitutes a measles death.  

The federal agency to date has only recognized two deaths in its measles cases and outbreaks index, though the website adds that “this number is subject to change.”

The CDC’s database does not specify where or when these deaths occurred, so it’s not clear if the tally includes Pennsylvania’s reported cases. However, no other state has recorded a measles death this year.

Read the rest here.

Trump Directed Use of Taxpayer Money for Ads Praising His Presidency

President Trump personally instructed his budget director to use taxpayer money for TV ads praising him and his presidency, setting in motion a $20 million contract that used funds from the Department of Homeland Security, according to people familiar with the matter.

The ads have run across cable and network television — on Fox News, CNN and MS Now, with football games on Fox and with national newscasts on CBS, ABC and NBC, including “Meet the Press,” which Mr. Trump is known to watch.

Mr. Trump was eager to see the laudatory ads on the air and told Russell T. Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, to come up with the money from within the government, the people said. Mark Paoletta, the budget office’s counsel, and Will Scharf, the White House counsel, both said it would be legal to use D.H.S. funds. The president and Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, both spoke with Markwayne Mullin, the homeland security secretary, about the ads.

On Sept. 20, U.S. Customs and Border Protection — which falls under D.H.S. — awarded the contract to LMD, a Maryland marketing firm, federal records show.

Read the rest here.

US, Russia talks on Ukraine involve oil deal tied to Kushner, Witkoff

The Trump administration’s ongoing discussions with Russia to end the Ukraine war now include a multibillion-dollar oil deal that would benefit Middle Eastern business executives tied to the lead U.S. negotiators, according to new reporting from The New York Times. 

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have been engaged in monthslong negotiations to end this four-year-long war. In September, the two men traveled to both Ukraine and Russia to reopen peace talks.

Several people with knowledge of these negotiations told the Times that Russian President Vladimir Putin introduced a substantial deal for one of Russia’s largest energy companies, Lukoil, to acquire oil fields, refineries and gas stations around the world during his Sept. 5 meeting with the U.S. negotiators. 

The group behind this deal includes two Middle Eastern groups that have done business with Witkoff and Kushner, as well as American investor and Trump donor Todd Boehly.

It is not apparent whether or not Witkoff and Kushner would profit from this deal, but the association has raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest in these ongoing talks. 

Read the rest here. 

Tennessee Execution Fails Despite Two Lethal Injections

Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike has been taken to hospital after an attempt to execute her by two lethal injections failed, her lawyer says.

Her legal team filed an emergency motion to halt the convicted murderer's execution as it was happening, saying: "Ms Pike has lost consciousness and still has a heartbeat and is audibly snoring."

One of her attorneys told the BBC that Pike, 50, was now "being provided life-saving measures" in hospital after two syringes of pentobarbital had been administered.

Pike was sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer. Her execution was the subject of a last-minute legal battle.

Read the rest here.

Lethal injection is a barbaric form of execution. Even when it works, it routinely takes between 30 minutes to an hour. Some executions have taken much longer. And some have simply failed. The British used to be able to carry out their executions in less than a minute from the moment the hangman entered the condemned person's cell. If we must have capital punishment something similar should be the standard here. 

Bond Rout Continues

U.S. Treasury yields hit their highest level in more than two decades on Thursday as a global bond sell-off deepened. A September manufacturing survey in the U.S. showed a sharp gain in prices.

The 10-year Treasury yield breached a level last seen in April 2002, before easing more than 4 basis points to 5.251%. The 10-year is a key benchmark for rates on mortgage and auto loans and credit card debt. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond also hit its highest in 24 years before pulling back to 5.61%.

Yields and prices move inversely. One basis point equals 0.01%.

“Stocks are near records, but with government bond yields also at multidecade highs, there are questions about how long this rally can last. Some investors also expect higher interest rates to undo the decades-long ‘there is no alternative’ to stocks regime,” Hardika Singh, economic strategist at Fundstrat, said in a Thursday note.

Read the rest here.

For a British perspective, see this.