Health
Dr. Heidi Overton, nominated by President Trump to lead the FDA, told senators that vaccines available in the United States are safe and effective and that FDA-approved vaccines meet standards for safety and efficacy. She said the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine is not lethal and is the best tool against ongoing measles outbreaks. However, while signing an August executive order encouraging a break-up of the measles combination vaccine, Trump told reporters it is possibly quite lethal, and that separate shots appeared not at all lethal but just very effective. Overton also said mifepristone was safe and effective because it had been FDA-approved. In 2023, she had written that chemical abortion through such products was dangerous to women.
In Canada, medical assistance in dying accounts for about 5 percent of deaths nationwide, 8.5 percent in Quebec and 13.4 percent in Lanaudière. In British Columbia, more than 7 percent of deaths were from assisted suicide. Between 2016 and 2024, more than 75,000 people ended their lives through MAID. In 2024, the program ended 16,499 lives, a figure higher than Americans killed by gun homicide that year, though the United States has eight times Canada’s population.
Energy
Italian energy major Eni will cap fuel prices at Enilive stations from September 28, diesel at €2.19 per liter and petrol at €1.99, about €0.17 below current averages, for 30 days and could be extended through the end of 2026. Eni linked the step to Italian excise-tax relief and said it has absorbed part of international price rises since March. Nearly 30 European refineries have closed over 15 years. Trade groups including Figisc, Assopetroli, and independent operators accused the caps of potentially harming competition.
Geopolitics
Iran said it targeted 19 vessels in 48 hours in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, the biggest reported wave of attacks on shipping since the war began. Tehran said the ships were using an unauthorized southern corridor backed by the United States and running through Omani waters. Iran also said its forces were laying naval mines in the same corridor. US Central Command stated that thousands of ships plus more than 1 billion barrels of oil have transited freely in recent months.
Separately, the IRGC claimed to have caught a second advanced underwater drone, the REMUS 600, although the US military rejected Iran’s claim. Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said Washington maintains positive control of all operational drone assets and called the claim clearly desperate. C14 News reported that IRGC-released media of the alleged capture showed hallmarks of AI-generated fabrications.
US Politics
The Supreme Court refused to let Missouri Republicans run November’s House races on a 2025 map that would have given them a 7-1 edge, leaving 2022 lines that split eight seats 6-2. An unsigned opinion with no dissents said that, as a matter of state law, the 2022 map must be used in the 2026 congressional election. The justices did not decide whether different primary and general maps violate the Constitution, saying the merits are not entirely clear-cut and that federal courts should not change rules once an election has started. President Donald Trump criticized the ruling, saying the Supreme Court will just not let Missouri have an Election Victory.
British Politics
Prime Minister Andy Burnham used his first United Nations speech to announce a National Centre for Information Defence. Ministers said the centre would detect, attribute and disrupt what they call hostile information attacks and stop a distorted and untrue narrative about Britain. Burnham blamed Russian agencies for bots, fake websites, falsified articles and forged branding of 28 British organisations including universities and the BBC. The centre will sit in the Office for the Prime Minister and Cabinet and work with intelligence agencies, police and social media companies.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called it an Orwellian “Ministry of Truth” to clamp down on free speech. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said it would not police domestic political dissent. Big Brother Watch director Silkie Carlo said units including the Counter Disinformation Unit and the MoD’s 77th Brigade have already flagged lawful speech by Britons. Documents showed the 77th Brigade tracking identifiable accounts during Covid. Meanwhile, ministers are considering replacing the £180 BBC licence fee with an £11-a-month Home Internet Levy on every broadband household.
Also making British headlines, Home Office figures put small-boat arrivals since Labour took office on 4 July 2024 at 83,279. For reference, the size of the regular Army is 83,000. Wednesday saw 781 arrivals, the highest daily total since Andy Burnham replaced Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister in July. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said Labour has let an army-sized population cross illegally. Since December 2018, more than 200,000 have arrived by dinghy, a figure higher than the Army, Navy and RAF together. Two boats this week reached beaches without Border Force interception. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood ordered an urgent review. Labour’s first act in 2024 was to scrap the Rwanda policy. Some reports cited official figures showing small-boat arrivals down around 42 percent year-to-date versus 2025, with Angela Rayner highlighting the reductions as evidence of progress.
Artificial Intelligence
In a Meet the Press interview, Bill Gates said AI is certainly powerful enough to drive events that cause a billion deaths. He described the threat as people with ill intent using the latest tools. He said no one thinks self-regulation is enough and that Washington must pass legislation, with law enforcement and politicians involved in required safeguards and monitoring. After President Trump called AI-harm claims a hoax, Gates said if Trump wants credit for helping the entire world, the AI topic is his best bet.
Meanwhile, the United States and China agreed to a communication channel for AI-related incidents after President Xi Jinping’s three-day state visit to Washington, plus a formal China-US AI Dialogue next set for November. The White House described a channel for incidents involving what the administration now calls superintelligence. Trump said the United States is not going to put on the brakes and would rather not integrate because America is leading by a lot. Xi said AI must be kept under human control. Xi also said the two countries compete in AI but have even more reason to cooperate and should leverage respective strengths rather than guard against each other.
Economy
Stifel analysts highlighted a 25-year drawdown of the US government’s tungsten stockpile as China tightens export controls. China is a top-four supplier for 14 of 31 minerals and the single largest for eight. Analyst Jonathan Siegmann said clients should own miners that control scarce tungsten, magnets, microdisplays, lasers and drone components as Washington rebuilds the defense industrial base. Stifel initiated coverage on Almonty Industries as Western buyers seek tungsten outside China. The Stifel analysis also contained a version of the periodic table of the elements showing China’s share of production.
Sources
Burnham’s Ministry of Truth: UK Centre to Police ‘Untrue Narratives’
Andy Burnham is setting up a Ministry of Truth to clamp down on free speech.
Trump FDA Nominee Affirms All U.S. Vaccines Safe, Effective Despite President’s MMR Doubts
And what is currently known is that the vaccines that have been approved by the FDA meet the standards for safety and efficacy.
Source | Submitted by PhilH
Britain’s Army Outnumbered by Labour’s Channel Migrants
Britain now has more illegal Channel arrivals under the Labour government, which has been in power two years, than it has soldiers in the British Army.
Eni Caps Italian Fuel Prices as Europe’s Refinery Closures Drive Costs Higher
Eni said nearly 30 European refineries have closed over the past 15 years, leaving the market more exposed when supplies tighten or imports are disrupted.
Gates Predicts Billion AI Deaths, Demands Washington Control
Gates is touting AI as a species-level emergency, and calling for handing over total control to politicians and a new class of global inspectors.
25-Year Drawdown Leaves US Tungsten Stockpile Bare as China Tightens Export Controls
One of the most stunning charts Siegmann created for clients shows the 25-year drawdown of the US government’s massive tungsten stockpile, which it will have to reverse for national security reasons.
Supreme Court Blocks Missouri GOP’s 7-1 Map, Citing Chaos and State Law
In short, as a matter of state law, the 2022 map – not the 2025 map – must be used in the 2026 congressional election.
US-China AI Hotline: Incidents Yes, Superintelligence Sharing No
“When you’re leading, you don’t open it up to each other.”
Canada’s MAID Surge: Assisted Deaths Hit 13% in Some Provinces, Topping US Gun Homicides
Assisted suicides now make up 10% of deaths in Canada in many provinces, with the rate climbing as high as 13% in places.
Iran Claims 19 Ship Attacks, Mines U.S.-Backed Hormuz Corridor
Iran says it targeted 19 vessels in just 48 hours in the Strait of Hormuz
Iran Claims Second US Drone ‘Catch’ in Hormuz; Pentagon Says All Assets Accounted For
Iran says it has another piece of US military technology in its possession, while CENTCOM says none of its operational drone assets is missing.
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: Angela Rayner, Energia Oltre, Fox News, CGTN, Xinhua, The Hill, Newsweek, US Central Command, and C14 News.
by mike-from-jersey 
