Artificial Intelligence
Reports state that on February 28 two Tomahawk missiles struck an elementary school in Minab, Iran, killing 156 people, including at least 123 children. The Pentagon was informed within hours, according to those accounts. Palantir’s Maven Smart System, a $1.3 billion AI targeting platform that incorporates Anthropic’s Claude, processed more than 1,000 targets in 24 hours. The reports say it used seven-year-old imagery and a database that still tagged the school as an Islamic Revolutionary Guard facility. The school had a website, a Google Maps listing, and a visible soccer pitch, yet human operators approved the targets. A second missile struck people who arrived to assist, according to the same accounts. Personnel assumed Maven would identify outdated intelligence, but it did not. Palantir stated that the government is responsible for the underlying data. A U.N.-backed panel described the strike as a potential war crime. Some observers have called it the deadliest American targeting error of the 21st century involving children. The U.S. has not publicly accepted responsibility, and the full Pentagon probe remains unreleased.
In other AI news, Meta stock hit a 2026 high after Muse launched two weeks ago, climbing 21% versus 1% for the S&P 500 as the $100-a-month agent that handles purchases, travel, and email saw first-two-week downloads surpass ChatGPT. Adoption is rising faster than other models, with Muse already the top free U.S. App Store app. However, critics argue that Muse comes with a steep privacy cost: users must grant it broad account access. In one test, a writer who denied message permissions still received a suggestion related to a private conversation and a text message after Muse read notification banners and uploaded his private messages.
Great Taking
After the Senate failed on September 15 to advance the CLARITY Act, the CFTC and SEC proceeded on tokenization under existing authority. CFTC Chair Michael Selig said markets should prepare for mass tokenization of real-world assets for near-instant settlement and real-time collateral, using principles-based rules. On September 17 the CFTC sent a pre-rule crypto action for White House review, and the SEC granted a temporary Innovation Exemption for certain platforms to trade tokenized U.S. stocks. Some have argued that agency actions cannot provide the permanence of legislation.
Economy
The 5-year Treasury auction cleared at 5.033% versus a when-issued 5.002%, a 3.1 basis-point tail, the second largest on record. Bid-to-cover was 2.21 against a 2.33 average. Indirect bidders took about 54% versus 65%. Direct bidders took nearly 30% versus 22%, dealers about 16%. Buyers sought a better price than expected after yields had already risen. Analysts noted the offering still sold and that a single weak result does not constitute a funding crisis.
Additionally, more homebuyers sought adjustable-rate mortgages as the 30-year fixed rate rose to 7.12% for the week ending September 18, the highest since May 2024, and 7.17% by September 22. Applications fell almost 2% for a third consecutive week. The ARM share reached 9.8%, with 5/1 rates more than a point cheaper. Mortgage rates have risen more than 100 basis points since late February, tracking the 10-year yield from 3.96% to 5%. Investors have priced in another quarter-point increase at the Oct. 27-28 meeting after last week’s first hike since July 2023.
US Politics
Pennsylvania Republicans say Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 502-page disease-rule rewrite would let health agencies enter homes, schools, apartments, healthcare facilities, or other buildings without a warrant and speak to students in private without a parent’s consent or knowledge. The document, signed by Health Secretary Debra Bogen, expands the list of reportable diseases and adds prevention, containment, or mitigation as grounds for control measures. Rep. Russ Diamond called the rewrite “COVID 2.0” that circumvents a 2021 referendum limiting disaster declarations to 21 days and predicted constitutional lawsuits. More than 4,000 comments were submitted, most of them opposed. Democrat Rep. Arvind Venkat said Republicans are jumping to extreme conclusions. Rep. Kathy Rapp said unelected bureaucrats would receive broad, unchecked authority.
Missouri’s GOP congressional map is before the Supreme Court for a third time regarding its use on November 3. The 2025 map, used in August primaries and supported by President Donald Trump, is designed to produce a 7-1 Republican edge rather than 6-2. The Court stayed the map on September 10. On September 21 the Eighth Circuit ordered a permanent injunction requiring the 2025 lines after the primaries, paused until September 28. People Not Politicians asked the justices on September 22 to treat that order as barred by the stay and as beyond the circuit’s jurisdiction. Map supporters have until midday Wednesday to respond. Supporters have argued the 2025 map splits fewer counties and municipalities than the 2022 map.
California spent at least $11 billion last fiscal year on health care, cash, food, tax credits, rent, insurance, and phones that noncitizens can obtain themselves or through U.S.-born children. Four Southern California welfare offices said noncitizens can enroll or collect aid for citizen children. Because federal law bars the use of federal dollars, the state funds parallel programs, including full-scope Medi-Cal for about 1.7 million people at an estimated $10 billion a year, more than twice original projections. The Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants is closed to citizens. CalWORKs pays noncitizen parents only for citizen children. A mixed-status family of five can receive more than $100,000 a year, according to the reporting. Gov. Gavin Newsom has highlighted Medi-Cal coverage for noncitizens. Earned-income credit materials state that the absence of a Social Security number is not a barrier.
Florida’s state pension fund and the National Center for Public Policy Research sued The New York Times for internal records, alleging anti-Israel bias and a failure to enforce its standards. The 48-page complaint focuses on Hamas language, Gaza casualty figures, columns accusing Israeli authorities of atrocities, and a photo of a starving child that initially omitted congenital conditions. The New York Times called the lawsuit without merit and an attempt to chill First Amendment-protected journalism.
Lastly, online streamer Hasan Piker said, “I will throw you in prison. I want Chinese-style communism to happen inside of the Democratic Party right now. I want to do cultural revolution shit.” A national survey found 55% of registered voters view the Democratic Socialists of America unfavorably, 30% favorably, and 13% had never heard of the group. Piker has characterized similar remarks as jokes from his Twitch streams that were circulated out of context.
Geopolitics
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council warned neighboring states that their airports will be paralyzed if they join U.S. sanctions blocking Iranian airliners. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had said all Iranian airlines would be shut down worldwide by September 23, with any fuel, landing, or ticketing support risking exclusion from the dollar system. Turkey canceled flights by Iranian carriers. Mohsen Rezaei said regional countries should not join America’s adventure. Notably, China has refused to enforce US demands on this matter, with all flights continuing as normal.
Health
In a recent essay, Dr. McFillin argues that psychiatry recasts ordinary coping as self-medication of a brain disease so that patients become lifelong customers for manufactured pills. The essay states that stopping daily drinking might have helped one client rather than replacing alcohol with prescriptions. It describes a 23-year-old who received Lexapro after a 15-minute visit following an online quiz, and a 14-year-old poet who declined Prozac because her pain fueled her art. McFillin writes that wine can simply be wine. Some clinicians maintain that depression and ADHD are medical conditions involving chemical or neurodevelopmental factors that medication can help manage.
Sources
PA GOP: Shapiro Disease Rules Would Allow Warrantless Home Entries
Republicans Say Pennsylvania Disease Rule Proposals Allow for Warrantless Entry Into Homes
Source | Submitted by Friedrichs_teeth
Zuckerberg’s $100 Muse: Pay Meta to Run Your Life
Zuckerberg’s $100-A-Month Bet That You’ll Let Facebook Run Your Life
Hasan Piker Calls for Chinese-Style Communism and Cultural Revolution Inside the Democratic Party
I will throw you in prison. I want Chinese-style communism to happen inside of the Democratic Party right now. I want to do cultural revolution shit.
Missouri GOP Map Returns to SCOTUS for Third Time as Midterms Near
The dispute over Missouri’s new congressional map returned to the Supreme Court for the third time, with justices considering whether the state can use the GOP-backed map in the midterm elections.
Iran Threatens to Paralyze Neighboring Airports Over US Flight Sanctions
If they do not allow Iranian aircraft to travel, their own airports will not be able to have flights either.
More Homebuyers Gamble on ARMs as Rates Top 7% After Fed Hikes and Iran War
Higher interest rates pushed prospective homebuyers toward riskier mortgages last week, new industry data show.
Weak 5-Year Auction Tails 3.1 Bps, Warning of Bond Market Strain
The latest 5 year Treasury auction was genuinely weak and adds another layer to the pressure already building across the bond market.
CFTC, SEC Push Tokenization After Senate Sidelines CLARITY Act
Just as the transition from hand signals to electronic trading advanced our financial system, I believe tokenization can do the same for all asset classes
California’s Shadow Welfare System for Illegal Immigrants
In California, citizenship merely determines who pays.
You’re Not Self-Medicating—Psychiatry Just Recruited a Lifelong Customer
The psychiatrist hasn’t just gained a patient; they’ve gained a lifelong customer who believes they require chemical management from cradle to grave.
NYT Sued for Breaking the Israel Criticism Taboo
Covering Israel’s atrocities is normal now. The decades long taboo has been broken.
Exactly as Designed: Pentagon AI Speed, Stale Data, and 123 Dead Schoolchildren
If a piece of software helped kill 123 children in a single morning while behaving exactly as designed, what does “responsible AI” even mean anymore?
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: Liberty Alliance USA, @hasanthehun, The New York Times, Reuters, Bloomberg, EndGame Macro, Malhar Oza, and Dr. Jason Philip.
by westcoastjan 
