Health
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sued Pfizer and CEO Albert Bourla, alleging the company misled consumers about its COVID-19 vaccine’s safety and effectiveness. The complaint states Pfizer described the shot as safe while omitting risks, including heart inflammation, and urged vaccination to protect others, though it never tested whether the vaccine stopped the spread. Florida cited more than $80 billion in sales and a price rise from $30 to $110-$130 per dose in 2023. The state seeks an injunction, fines of $10,000 per violation or $15,000 when seniors or disabled people were harmed, and return of profits. Pfizer said the claims have no merit and that its statements have been accurate and science-based.
In other news, CDC data show U.S. teen mental health improving after multi-decade lows during the COVID-19 pandemic. The share of high-school students who felt sad or hopeless almost every day for at least two weeks fell from 42.3 percent in 2021 to 33.3 percent, and serious suicide consideration dropped from 22.2 percent to 14.5 percent, the second consecutive biennial gain after a 2021 peak. Girls still report higher rates than boys. Among gay, lesbian, or bisexual students, 59 percent reported sadness versus 28 percent of heterosexual teens, and 32 percent had seriously considered suicide versus 11 percent.
Economy
Judy Shelton has joined Treasury as counselor to Secretary Scott Bessent as inflation and deficit concerns raise U.S. borrowing costs. The appointment came as bond yields rose despite multibillion-dollar Treasury buybacks, which Bessent said kept yields from going higher. Shelton has long advocated gold-convertible government debt, including Treasury Trust Bonds repayable in dollars or a specified quantity of gold at the holder’s choice, and a 50-year bond backed by U.S. gold reserves with conversion at maturity. She argues investors would accept lower yields for that protection, cutting federal borrowing costs, and has urged gold backing to defend the dollar’s international role.
US Politics
The Education Department formally rescinded the Biden administration’s 2024 Title IX rule and restored the 2020 regulation after eight courts enjoined the rewrite, two vacated it, and leftover cases were dismissed. Secretary Linda McMahon said rules now match court orders and that the 2020 text has been enforced since early this term. The Department ties Title IX to single-sex facilities and athletics limited to biological females, and it has secured sex-separated sports agreements, stood up a DOJ investigative team, moved to end Maine’s federal K-12 funding, put five Northern Virginia districts on high-risk status for more than $50 million, and referred Minnesota and California bodies to Justice. LGBTQ advocates and Democratic members of Congress criticized the rescission as a rollback of protections for gay and transgender students.
On election integrity, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to use an updated immigration database to verify voter citizenship, staying a June order that had vacated a 2025 update to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system linking Social Security data. Six justices said the challenge likely lacks merit because the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act lets DHS obtain citizenship information from other agencies, and that the injunction blocks help to states. Texas ran 18 million registered voters through the system and flagged 2,724 possible noncitizens. Justices Jackson, Sotomayor and Kagan dissented, citing the Privacy Act and limits in the 1996 statute. Election officials and voting-rights groups have warned that the SAVE system can wrongly flag eligible U.S. citizens, especially naturalized ones, due to outdated or incomplete records.
On immigration, Customs and Border Patrol Commissioner Rodney Scott withdrew the agency from a Biden-era Homeland Security delegation that let CBP solicit and use private donations for aliens in CBP and ICE custody. Deputy Secretary John K. Tien inaugurated the policy in May 2022. Scott said the order is no longer needed after a drop in encounters and apprehensions and does not align with the Trump administration’s border posture. CBP said leadership had not recalled the policy until a recent reminder.
On workforce discrimination, the Skills-Based Federal Contracting Act unanimously passed the Senate, sending the House-passed bill to President Trump. Led by Rep. Nancy Mace and Democrats, it would bar agencies from putting degree requirements in contract solicitations unless they explain in writing why those standards are critical to the mission. The idea followed IBM testimony that contractors can rarely place workers without four-year degrees on technology contracts regardless of qualifications. Mace said the bill would reach the White House within days.
Privacy & Surveillance
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) blocked a unanimous-consent request by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) to pass the Kids Online Safety Act without a vote, the fourth attempt in four years to push the bill through. A prior Senate-passed version did not advance in the House amid free-speech concerns. The bill would require platforms to mitigate foreseeable harms to minors, including eating disorders, substance abuse, and compulsive use, and would impose liability if a reasonable person would have known a user was a minor. It directs a study of device-level age verification. A House companion that passed 267-117 would require checks for every user. Platforms including Meta now support the Senate version after it was paired with a proposed federal ban on state AI laws. Critics of typical age-verification systems say they require government ID, a face scan, or identifying behavioral data. Sen. Blumenthal said he and Sen. Blackburn will fight as long and hard as necessary to pass the bill.
Geopolitics
The United States is closing its last major military base in Iraq after more than 23 years and $1.7 trillion spent in the country. A defense official said equipment and personnel are being airlifted out of Erbil. Marines will stay to protect diplomatic missions, and contractors will maintain Iraq’s F-16s and American-made tanks. President Trump said the military is no longer needed there. Some reports noted Iraqi forces now hold primary responsibility for ISIS remnants and Iran-aligned militias, with analysts warning of a potential security vacuum.
European Politics
Thousands marched through central Madrid against the government’s handling of the Ceuta migrant crisis and demanded a snap election. Organizers claimed 180,000 and the government 20,000. More than 70,000 migrants crossed into Spanish Ceuta from Morocco on July 30-31, and thousands remained after most returned within hours. Vox leader Santiago Abascal and People’s Party secretary general Miguel Tellado called for returns to Morocco. Organizers want a vote by November 15 instead of 2027 and military control of Ceuta. A report said the Cabinet plans a decree to speed returns by shortening asylum timelines, while the government has added shelters, police, soldiers, and funding.
Sources
Rand Paul Blocks Senate Fast-Track of KOSA Age-Verification Bill
A Republican senator has blocked an attempt to ram a bill through the US Senate that is designed to usher in age verification across the internet, but this time, without a vote.
Florida AG Sues Pfizer, CEO Over Misleading COVID Vaccine Claims
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Pfizer (PFE.N) and its CEO, Albert Bourla, accusing the drugmaker of misleading consumers about the safety and effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine.
Gold Advocate Judy Shelton Joins Treasury as Yields Climb
Judy Shelton has joined the Treasury Department as counselor to Secretary Scott Bessent, bringing an advocate of gold-convertible government bonds into his office as inflation and deficit concerns drive up U.S. borrowing costs.
Senate Unanimously Sends Skills-Over-Degrees Federal Contracting Bill to Trump
This opens up thousands of jobs to people who deserve them, and so it is a jobs bill.
SCOTUS Lets Trump Admin Verify Voter Citizenship via Immigration Database
The Supreme Court on Sept. 25 said the Trump administration can use an updated immigration database to verify the citizenship of voters.
Madrid Marchers Demand Snap Election Over Ceuta Migrant Crisis
Thousands of people marched through central Madrid on Saturday to protest against the Spanish government’s handling of the migration crisis in Ceuta and demand an early general election.
US Teen Mental Health Rebounds After COVID Lows, CDC Data Shows
Teenage mental health in the United States continues to show signs of improvement after having fallen to multi-decade lows during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Trump DHS Axes Biden Policy Soliciting Private Donations for Illegal Aliens in Custody
This order is no longer needed or appropriate. With the significant decrease in encounters and apprehensions, CBP no longer requires private donations or gifts for distribution to aliens in custody.
Education Dept. Formally Axes Biden’s Illegal Title IX Rewrite, Restores 2020 Rule
This once again aligns Title IX’s sex-based protections with biological reality, not ideological fantasy.
US Closes Last Iraq Base After 23 Years and $1.7 Trillion, Trump Says Military No Longer Needed
The US is officially closing its last major military base in Iraq after spending more than 23 years and $1.7 trillion in the country.
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: CT Mirror, Campaign Legal Center, FactCheck.org, Bill Melugin of Fox News, PinkNews, The Hill, and elDiario.es.
by mike-from-jersey 
