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Pope hope, that’s entertainment, and getting ahead in the CIA

Happy Friday friends, I want to start by just breathing for all of us a big long collective sigh of relief at the news this week that the pope’s doctors have basically blown the all clear for Leo’s health. Going from knowing nothing to him declaring to the world he needed surgery, to a cancer diagnosis, to bouncing out of the hospital in barely even days, to ringing the bell in less than two weeks is whiplash inducing. But in the best possible way. We are living in a world in which the Roman pontiff, by dint of history, biography and circumstance, is once more at the epicenter of global affairs. Not just conversations about religion, or Christian and post-Christian values, but the bleeding edge of the most pressing issues of human affairs. Think I am exaggerating a touch? Consider the images of the crowds who greeted Leo in Paris just weeks ago, and juxtapose them with the absolute photo negative scenes unfolding there recently. Ask yourself how many world leaders are talking about AI right now and directly citing the pope as they do so. Try to name a country who has had as many top-ranked diplomats in and out of both Russia and Ukraine in the last three years as the Vatican has in the last three months. It has been fascinating to watch Leo XIV emerge as not just a kind of pop culture reference point or totem to be cited (Francis was often name-checked this way) but as a kinetic force in global conversation. Given the state of things, we need global figures of gravitas and values, even better if they have real wisdom behind what they are saying. So news of Leo’s illness was, it seemed to me, a tremor with potentially Richter Scale implications. That not only has the worst not come to pass but instead we’ve had the best of outcomes announced is something to really be grateful for. Humanity, it seems to me, is entering one of its irregular but cyclical phases where the pace of change — technological, social, and geopolitical — outstrips the ability of previously settled norms and received wisdom to cope. Such periods – and I think the first decades of the last century were a similar such time – throw into question the viability of all kinds of institutions. And many of ours have been straining to breaking point for a few years now. The papacy has the power and the potential to be a steadying pole in all of this. That’s my hope, anyway. It’s a lot to freight the office with, though it is arguably its ultimate purpose from its founding, to be a steadying rock on which all that matters can be anchored. It’s also, of course, an intolerable weight of responsibility to place on a single man. But I am encouraged to have hope in – and for – Leo. The apostle whom he succeeds, after all, was famously unequal to some moments, failed some tests of faith, and resiled from taking the road which led ultimately to the circus on Vatican hill. Human frailty and limitations, of health, of character, of temper, can open us to Christ, whose strength is greatest in our weakness, so St. Paul learned. That gives me hope, and I am sure it consoles Leo, too. And so I will continue to pray for him. Because we need apostles of rock right now. Here’s the news. Subscribe The News The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued yesterday a new document “Venite ad me: Considerations on the Transmission of the Faith in an Epochal Change.” It’s not a short document, and it is at pains to stress this isn’t a doctrinal note from the dicastery, either. Rather, it brings together reflections on an important issue from the Church around the world. Some of it I actually found really rather powerful. It is, however, 25,000, which is a lot for a busy reader to get through on a weekday. So, you can read our busy reader’s summary right here. — News broke yesterday of an Oct. 22 meeting of U.S. bishops with President Donald Trump. The meeting was organized by an official at the Heritage Foundation, according to several sources close to the meeting. Video of several U.S. bishops praying in the Oval Office over President Trump was posted on social media Thursday afternoon, first by White House Communications Advisor Margo Martin, and then by the official twitter.com account of the Archdiocese of Denver. The meeting has drawn sharp criticism because of its proximity to the upcoming midterm Congressional elections, in which Democrats are widely expected to win control of the House of Representatives, while control of the Senate remains closely contested. Sources close to the bishops’ conference told The Pillar that some USCCB senior officials were surprised by the existence of the meeting when video of it first emerged online. And a source close to conference president Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City told The Pillar that the archbishop was “deeply frustrated” by the occasion of the meeting. An official conference spokesperson told The Pillar that the meeting was “not organized with or by the USCCB” and was “not affiliated with the conference.” You can read the whole story here. — The next National Eucharistic Congress will be held in Indianapolis in 2029, a return to the city that hosted the last gathering in 2024. You read it here first. By here, I don’t mean this newsletter, I mean at The Pillar. We broke the story this week. It’s a big deal, in as much as the last congress was a roaring success and the next installment has the potential to be a real focal point for evangelizing efforts in the coming years. Read all about it here. — As Pope Leo prepares for the longest trip of his pontificate, Church leaders in Uruguay say the pontiff will encounter a highly secularized culture, in a country with a very different Catholic history than many of its South American neighbors. The nation has not had a papal visit since 1988, and leaders who spoke with The Pillar say it has a dire need for evangelization, even amid the prospect of a small revival in faith. This is real reporting on the Church in the country, and frankly a story you simply are not going to be able to read anywhere else. Read the whole thing. — The Archdiocese of Detroit announced this week a plan that would see the vast majority of its parish priests reassigned next summer, amid a restructuring process expected to dramatically shrink the number of parishes in the archdiocese. Archbishop Edward Weisenburger said this week that the plan “asks much of our priests,” but is a “sacrifice they are making as brothers of one, unified presbyterate.” The thing is, as JD pointed out in an analysis yesterday, pastors of parishes have a legal right to stability in office, so the only way this kind of wholesale reassignment goes ahead is if all of the archdiocesan clergy agree to resign. That creates its own kind of legal issues, though, and re-raises longstanding questions about the effectiveness of canonical due process protections for priests when dealing with coercive exercises in authority. Read the whole thing here. — More than three months after the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued its decree declaring the excommunication of the leadership of the Society of St. Pius X, questions remain about the full effects of the society’s schism. Specifically, the DDF’s July claim that marriages witnessed and confessions heard by SSPX priests are now invalid remains contested — and it emerged this week it appears that the Vatican’s own legal experts don’t agree. You can read my whole analysis of the situation and what it means here. All I would add is that the DDF’s undeveloped, some would say unsubstantiated, claim about the invalidity of some SSPX sacraments came in their July Explanatory Note on the schismatic consecrations by the society that month. It touches directly on both papal acts of governance — indeed it purports to nullify them — and the most intimate pastoral encounters possible in a parish setting. If there is one aspect of the Francis-era style of governance I would like the curia to finally cut out, root and branch, it would be these attempts to try to effect extraordinarily sensitive legislative acts via a note. — At least a dozen French bishops have spoken out following an eruption of violence on the country’s streets Oct. 17. Not surprisingly, they unanimously condemned the violence, but the length and content of their interventions varied significantly. Several sought to distinguish between the actions of rioters and what they suggested were the legitimate concerns of peaceful young protesters. Many also evoked Pope Leo XIV’s Sept. 25-28 visit to France, suggesting it offered a powerful counter-image to the scenes of looting and destruction. A number of bishops also stressed their solidarity with law enforcement officials who struggled to contain the disorder, as well as the owners of the roughly 3,000 damaged or looted businesses. What’s the background to the nationwide unrest that the French media calls “les violences du 17 octobre”? And what exactly are the bishops saying? Read all about it here. — A Polish bishop called for the firm defense of unborn children as well as compassion for their mothers this week, as the lower house of Poland’s parliament passed two bills seeking to liberalize the country’s abortion laws. The bill on decriminalizing assistance in an abortion passed by 217 votes to 213, while the abortion in cases of fetal abnormality bill passed by 233 to 203, thanks to the government’s majority in the lower house. Both bills will now move to the Polish Senate, the upper house of parliament, where the ruling coalition has a larger majority. The fetal abnormality bill is symbolically significant because if it became law, it would effectively overturn a 2020 ruling by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal that a 1993 law permitting abortion for a severe and irreversible disability or a life-threatening incurable disease was unconstitutional. Read the whole story here. Subscribe **[The St. Paul Center App | Bible Study On-The-Go Read and understand the Bible with St. Paul Center’s new app! With today’s leading Catholic Scripture scholars as your guides, the St. Paul Center app empowers you to read the Bible](https://stpaulcenter.com/app?utm_source=pillar&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=applaunch)** from the heart of the Church. Download the app for free at either the Apple or the Google app stores. https://stpaulcenter.com/app That’s entertainment I have written before about my deep and sincere reservations about the celebrity exorcist subculture which has taken root in American Catholicism. And, because I am very ill at ease with the entire thing, I try to keep a weather eye on the phenomenon without being drawn into the kind of online back-and-forth which these figures sometimes generate. Earlier this week, JD noted that one such celebrity exorcist type, Fr. Chad Ripperger, has undertaken, on the request of his bishop, a year’s fast from interviews and public speaking. I’m sure that will be salutary for him, if for no other reason than that receiving with docility requests from one’s rightful ecclesiastical superiors always comes with graces. Then a second thing happened this week which caught my eye. Apparently, another fixture in the celebrity exorcist world, Fr. Carlos Martins, has initiated a lawsuit against two lay men — apparently associates of Rippenger, though I am unclear in what way, exactly — for allegedly defaming him and his ministry on a podcast. It seems the suit was initiated nearly a year ago and is now pending. At issue, I read, is that the two men described Martins on a podcast as “not who he says he is” with regard to his exorcism ministry and that he “doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” These statements Martins considers to be false and defamatory and, his suit claims, “directly affected the sale and reception of [his] The Exorcist Files book that was newly released at the time these episodes aired.” I don’t want to get too into the weeds of the details here, but a couple of things struck me about all this.

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Oct 23 • 9:10 AM EDT • Entertainment • pillarcatholic.com
Minivan driver barrels through red light, plows into South L.A. business

A minivan crashed into a business in South Los Angeles after its driver allegedly ran a red light and collided with another vehicle, authorities said. Officers with the Los Angeles Police Departmen…

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Oct 22 • 10:17 PM EDT • Business • ktla.com
50 Cent allegedly bailed out suspect accused of assaulting Rick Ross' son

50 Cent allegedly bailed out a 20-year-old man identified in police filings as Don Roberts, who is accused of pistol-whipping Rick Ross’ son, 21-year-old William Roberts III. The two rappers have been feuding since the late 2000s.

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Oct 22 • 8:24 PM EDT • Entertainment • latimes.com
Domestic violence arrest follows standoff at Livermore downtown business

Livermore police on Wednesday arrested a man who allegedly barricaded himself inside a downtown business while officers were responding to a domestic violence call.

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Oct 21 • 9:43 PM EDT • Business • nbcbayarea.com
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Business mourns loss of boss allegedly murdered by employee

Factory Motor Parts, the business that employed the boss who was allegedly killed by an employee on Monday, released a statement addressing the loss.“

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Oct 21 • 2:46 PM EDT • Business • local21news.com
How prosecutors say Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa obtained $50,000 for family businesses

Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa faces felony charges after allegedly misusing a small business grant program.

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Oct 21 • 2:35 PM EDT • Business • wftv.com
Ohio bettor banned for alleged threats to Blue Jays manager

Ohio gaming regulators banned a man who allegedly made violent threats against Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider during the 2025 World Series.

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Oct 21 • 2:14 PM EDT • Sports • espn.com
Former employee accused of shooting inside Lynnwood business

The suspect turned himself in after allegedly firing a gun at another man on Monday morning, a police report said.

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Oct 20 • 1:41 PM EDT • Business • heraldnet.com
Home health worker accused of taking thousands in forged checks in Lincoln County

The employee allegedly took checks from a checkbook while providing care at a patient’s house.

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Oct 20 • 9:49 AM EDT • Health • wbtv.com
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‘Everything you would want from a politician’: who is Helen Haines, the MP allegedly attacked in Victoria?

Condemnation across political spectrum after incident in Wangaratta, as Nationals MP from nearby electorate says Haines ‘not a divisive figure’

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Oct 19 • 6:30 AM EDT • Politics • theguardian.com
Family of man shot, killed by police in downtown Portland says he struggled with mental health

On Sunday, police released the name of a 36-year-old man who was shot and killed by Portland officers after he allegedly attacked two people with a box cutter.

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Oct 18 • 7:49 PM EDT • Health • kptv.com
Lt. Governor candidate Shawn Oliver suspends campaign after being arrested for allegedly drunk driving

Oliver, a 42-year-old Republican, struck five parked cars along Dartmouth Street in New Bedford just before midnight on Saturday.

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Oct 18 • 5:55 PM EDT • Politics • boston.com
Woman allegedly hit business owner with a closed fist when he tried to stop robbery

WCYB NBC 5 Bristol and WEMT Fox 39 Greeneville offer local and national news reporting, sports, and weather forecasts to viewers in the Tennessee, Virginia Tri-Cities area including Bristol, Kingsport and Johnson City.

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Oct 18 • 9:30 AM EDT • Business • wcyb.com
Woman allegedly hit business owner with a closed fist when he tried to stop robbery

News4 NBC Reno covers news, sports, weather and traffic for the Reno, Nevada area including Sparks, Carson City, Virginia City, Silver City, Stagecoach, Silver Springs, Sun Valley, Cold Springs, Spanish Springs and Fenley, Nevada and Truckee and Tahoe City, California.

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Oct 18 • 9:30 AM EDT • Business • mynews4.com
Woman allegedly hit business owner with a closed fist when he tried to stop robbery

KOKH Fox 25 provides, news, sports, weather and local event coverage in Oklahoma City and surrounding areas, including McLoud, Shawnee, Tecumseh, Seminole, Wewoka, Maud, Asher, Wanetted, Goldsby, Norman, Blanchard, Chickasha, Pauls Valley, Purcell, Andarko, Bridgeport, Lawton, Duncan, Okarche, Kingfisher, Guthrie Stillwater and Cushing, Oklahoma.

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Oct 18 • 9:30 AM EDT • Business • okcfox.com
Woman allegedly hit business owner with a closed fist when he tried to stop robbery

WGXA News Fox 24 and ABC 16 in Macon Georgia provides local and national news, weather, sports and notice of community events in surrounding towns, including Warner Robins, Gray, Forsyth, Musella, Roberta, Milledgeville, Phoenix, Monticello, Hawkinsville and Montezuma, Georgia.

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Oct 18 • 9:30 AM EDT • Business • wgxa.tv
Woman allegedly hit business owner with a closed fist when he tried to stop robbery

WOAI NBC News Channel 4 San Antonio provides local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, investigations, and items of interest in the community, sports and entertainment programming for San Antonio and nearby towns and communities in South Central Texas, including Windcrest, Uvalde, Universal City, Somerset, Seguin, Schertz, San Marcos, Sabinal, Poth, Poteet, Pleasanton, Pearsall, New Braunfels, Live Oak, Kerrville, Hondo, Helotes, Goliad, Fredericksburg, Floresville, Eagle Pass, Devine, Del Rio, Cuero, Crystal City, Converse, Cibolo, Castroville, Carrizo Springs, Boerne, Bandera.

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Oct 18 • 9:30 AM EDT • Business • news4sanantonio.com
Woman allegedly hit business owner with a closed fist when he tried to stop robbery

KEYE TV CBS Austin is the news, sports and weather leader for the Texas Capitol Region, covering events in the surrounding area including Round Rock Pflugerville, Georgetown, Belton, Killeen, Taylor, Lakeway, Buda, Kyle, San Marcos, Wyldwood, Bastrop, Elgin, Bartlett, Jarrell, Bertram, Burnet and Salado.

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Oct 18 • 9:30 AM EDT • Business • cbsaustin.com
Nestle, Unilever face regulatory action in India over misleading health claims

Investing.com -- India’s food safety regulator has issued notices to Nestle India and Hindustan Unilever over allegedly misleading nutritional and health claims on dietary supplements, as authorities intensify scrutiny of food manufacturers.

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Oct 18 • 4:14 AM EDT • Health • uk.finance.yahoo.com
Former USC student facing felony charges seeks mental health diversion

The suspect was charged with assault involving a deadly weapon, after allegedly striking a USC professor in the face with a water bottle back in 2024.

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Oct 16 • 9:30 PM EDT • Health • uscannenbergmedia.com
Selma Blair breaks silence on arrest and plane incident

The actress was arrested on Oct. 11 after allegedly assaulting two flight attendants mid-flight during “a medical emergency.”

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Oct 16 • 3:02 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Footage from a reportedly cancelled Assassin’s Creed game set in China has leaked

The title known as ‘Assassin’s Creed Destiny’ was allegedly cancelled by Ubisoft…

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Oct 16 • 5:35 AM EDT • Technology • videogameschronicle.com
Lawsuit alleges mental health failures before Montpelier couple allegedly slain by son

The lawsuit says WCMHS workers were notified multiple times that Matthew Gomes was in a mental health crisis.

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Oct 15 • 5:19 PM EDT • Health • wcax.com
Scammers posing as employees from well-known companies, Better Business Bureau says

A warning for consumers after scammers allegedly pose as employees from well-known companies such as DoorDash, UCSF and Freedom Debt Relief.

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Oct 13 • 8:40 PM EDT • Business • abc7news.com
Man, 20, allegedly confesses to stabbing coworker to death at San Rafael business

San Rafael police arrested a 20-year-old man who allegedly confessed to fatally stabbing a coworker over an ongoing dispute.

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Oct 13 • 3:11 PM EDT • Business • nbcbayarea.com
Selma Blair charged with 2 felonies after allegedly kicking officer, nurse

Selma Blair has been charged with two counts of felony second-degree assault, following an incident on a plane in New York City.

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Oct 13 • 11:15 AM EDT • Entertainment • centraloregondaily.com
CT funeral home owner accused of stalking ex-business partner. He allegedly followed the man’s wife to church

He allegedly was seen driving through the parking lot or nearby on numerous occasions.

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Oct 13 • 5:15 AM EDT • Business • courant.com
"I was forced to ship the game" - Glen Schofield blames Krafton management for The Callisto Protocol's problems

PUBG company Krafton was allegedly not ready to enter a single-player game space, and The Callisto Protocol apparently paid the price.

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Oct 13 • 4:40 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
Selma Blair arrested after allegedly assaulting two flight attendants during ‘medical emergency’

Selma Blair was arrested on Sunday after allegedly biting one flight attendant and punching another during a ‘medical emergency’ on a plane to NYC.

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Oct 12 • 3:09 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Selma Blair in custody after allegedly injuring flight attendants on plane

(CNN) — Actress Selma Blair is in custody after an alleged incident during which flight attendants were injured aboard a commercial flight from Los Angeles to New York City on

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Oct 12 • 3:05 PM EDT • Entertainment • kten.com
Man charged with attempted rape for allegedly attacking woman behind business in Lyons

A man is facing multiple charges after allegedly attacking and choking a woman behind a business in Wayne County last month.

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Oct 12 • 11:07 AM EDT • Business • 13wham.com
Man fatally beaten outside adult entertainment store in Chelsea, suspect arrested, NYPD says

A suspect is in custody after a man was allegedly beaten to death outside an adult entertainment store in a late-night attack in Manhattan, the NYPD said.

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Oct 12 • 9:07 AM EDT • Entertainment • fox5ny.com
Melbourne man linked to suspected flydubai hijacker condemns 'false accusations'

A Melbourne man whose Islamic community centre has been linked by prosecutors in the United Arab Emirates to the co-pilot who allegedly attacked the captain of a flydubai jet has

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Oct 11 • 11:47 PM EDT • Business • starcitytv.com
Meta is allegedly deleting LGBTQ business Instagram accounts

One owner calls it a "puritanical culling."

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Oct 10 • 10:15 AM EDT • Business • mashable.com
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12 reactions · 3 comments | A politician allegedly killed for...

A politician allegedly killed for promoting health measures in the fight against Ebola. Health workers attacked, medical facilities put on fire. What's behind people's anger in response to aid in the...

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Oct 10 • 8:38 AM EDT • Health • facebook.com
Prospect man arrested for allegedly stalking and harassing a former business partner

A Prospect man was arrested for allegedly stalking and harassing a former business partner.

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Oct 9 • 4:48 PM EDT • Business • wfsb.com
Former Youngstown clerk accused of falsifying business records

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A woman is facing charges after she allegedly used a Village of Youngstown account to make fraudulent transactions while employed as a village clerk, the Niagara County…

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Oct 9 • 2:23 PM EDT • Business • wivb.com
Political Blogger Accused of Sending State Senator Lewd Photo of Shrek is Headed to Trial Over the Incident

A political blogger in Ohio is headed to trial after allegedly sending a state senator a lewd picture of the animated children’s character, Shrek. According to a report from People, D.J. Byrnes is the...

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Oct 9 • 7:00 AM EDT • Politics • yahoo.com
SoCal business owner allegedly hid cameras in bathroom

The owner of Young's Automotive in Covina was arrested and booked on multiple felony charges, authorities said.

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Oct 9 • 6:00 AM EDT • Business • latimes.com
Mexican Mafia suspects charged with shaking down L.A. County business

The FBI said six people were arrested Wednesday for allegedly extorting money from a business in Pomona and ordering the shooting of a man who owned a debt to gangsters affiliated with the Mexican Mafia.

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Oct 9 • 6:00 AM EDT • Business • latimes.com
Southern California man accused of recording victims through hidden bathroom cameras

A Southern California man was arrested for allegedly recording victims through hidden bathroom cameras installed at his business. The Ontario Police Department identified the suspect as Bryce Neigh…

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Oct 8 • 11:16 PM EDT • Business • ktla.com
Bobby Bones details how ‘DWTS’ allegedly decides performance order

Bobby Bones is sharing his theory about how the ‘DWTS’ performance order is determined: ‘They’re showing them off on purpose’

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Oct 7 • 5:22 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Prosecutor says man charged in killing of British ex-politician tried to break into Farage's home

A prosecutor says a man accused of killing former British politician Ann Widdecombe allegedly tried to break into Nigel Farage’s home about a year earlier

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Oct 7 • 6:52 AM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com
Prosecutor says man charged in killing of British ex-politician tried to break into Farage's home

A prosecutor says a man accused of killing former British politician Ann Widdecombe allegedly tried to break into Nigel Farage's home about a year earlier.

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Oct 7 • 6:45 AM EDT • Politics • clickorlando.com
Former CT resident admits to health care fraud. She caused almost $1.3M in losses to Medicaid

She allegedly participated in a scheme to defraud health care benefit programs by submitting fraudulent claims from the company she owned and operated.

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Oct 7 • 5:30 AM EDT • Health • courant.com
Rapid City man arrested after rock thrown through business window on St. Patrick Street

Rapid City police arrested Dominic High Hawk, 28, on felony vandalism after surveillance video allegedly showed him breaking a business window Oct. 5.

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Oct 6 • 11:48 AM EDT • Business • kotatv.com
Mother speaks out after son allegedly shot, killed by business partner in Antlers

A 33-year-old man was allegedly shot and killed by David Basham inside an Antlers shop one evening in late August, according to an affidavit obtained by KXII 12.

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Oct 5 • 7:00 PM EDT • Business • kxii.com
Science Teacher Arrested, Accused of Dragging 7th Grader 20 Feet by the Arm

A Florida middle school teacher was arrested after school surveillance video allegedly showed her pulling a student out of a classroom by the arm. Fada Concepcion, a seventh-grade science teacher at T...

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Oct 5 • 4:31 PM EDT • Science • yahoo.com
Why I Don’t Think Ride Or Die Should Have Been Cancelled (And What Company Should Save It...)

(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) So…I recently came across a Reddit thread, talking about films on streaming, wondering why there are no reliable sources out there for streaming ratings data. Sigh. Honestly, as annoyed as I am that so many still don’t realize that we have streaming ratings, I somewhat get it. Until now, there was such a long delay between when a show or film came to streaming and when we got its viewership data; I understand why people were confused. (But, as you know, this just changed.) Also, even back in the day, how many people knew how well films did on television? Luckily, as a reader, you’re in the know. Okay, on to this week’s issue. I want to take a look at Prime Video cancelling Ride or Die and whether I agree with that decision. Overall, we didn’t have any breakout hits (no TV shows landed over 20 million hours according to Nielsen) but we have a lot of steady performers on the streaming charts. Plus, we’ll look at where $50 million in missing box office dollars went. (Spoiler: straight-to-streaming.) All that, plus new episodes of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Supergirl heads to streaming, a new YA show does well on Netflix, the viewership for the Daily Wire’s $50 million fantasy show, what TV show hit-maker can’t make streaming hits, CD sales, all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. Let’s dive right in! (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the weeks of September 7th to September 13th, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Television - Ride or Die Is a Hit…But It Got Cancelled? What The Data “Says” I hate the phrase “here’s what the data says”, even though sometimes I find myself using it. If data just told us everything, we data folks would be out of a job! Data is often messy, complicated and nuanced. When it comes to strategy, many of the best decisions can’t actually use “data”, since it’s vastly too complicated to model. Anyways, I’ve been singing the praises of Prime Video’s Ride Or Die this summer, a show that did very well for them. And yet…it got cancelled. Now, usually when a show gets cancelled, a bunch of websites say “a hit show got cancelled”... Here’s the thing, though: in this case, they’re right! The data “says” that this show was a hit. Specifically, out of 522 first seasons to make a week on the Nielsen charts since 2020, it’s the 75th biggest. On Amazon, Ride or Die is eighth out of 41 first seasons: That’s top 15th percentile all time, almost exactly, which is my definition of a “hit”! I mean, outside of Reacher, Amazon needed a hit this summer! (Admittedly, Off Campus did well for Amazon in the spring, but Ride or Die performed even better.) So what happened? Why did Amazon cancel one of their rare 2026 bright spots? Well, Deadline reported a reason—which I’ll get to—but I’d break it down into three relevant questions: What is a given streamer’s reasoning? Is that reasoning sound? Could the stated reason not be the real reason? According to Deadline, Amazon felt the show “over-indexed” in middle-aged women. (This was based on leaks from within Amazon.) The logic is this: Amazon already reaches this demographic because of unlimited two-day shipping bundled with Prime, so they don’t really need more shows like this. Now, it’s my job to ask if that’s a good reason, and I’ll be honest, in this case, I don’t think it is. Sure, this show may “over-index” in middle-aged women—I’ll just assume that’s the case here—but I think folks often oversell how important over-indexing actually is. When a show is a “hit”, it isn’t a bit bigger than its rivals; it’s usually multiples bigger. For example, Elle only made the charts for two weeks at 8.3 million hours each. So Ride or Die was 80% bigger in its first two weeks, and likely had a much stronger hold, with its terrific 13 million hours in week three. Ride or Die was nearly three times bigger than Sterling Point through three weeks too. And that means that _Elle, Sterling Point a_nd other Amazon YA shows need to not just over-index a little with younger women (assuming that’s who Amazon prefers over middle-aged women), but massively over-index. Otherwise, more people in that demo (and a bunch more besides) likely watched Ride or Die. (I’ll try to explore this concept more in a future article.) And don’t get me started on how Ride or Die did compared to a certain (very, very popular, possibly the world’s most popular) YouTuber’s reality show…which didn’t make the charts after its first week and likely cost much, much more than Ride or Die. All to say, Amazon-MGM Studios/Prime Video can tell reporters that this show didn’t reach the right audience, but that excuse feels weak to me. So this leads to the third question: could other reasons have come into play? Yes! Renewal or cancellation decisions rarely (I’m tempted to say “never”) boil down to one variable. At its simplest, it’s two things: budget versus viewership. But often factors like critical acclaim, ownership and, yes, personal opinion come into play. In this case, Amazon has a new executive running things, and this show isn’t owned by Amazon-MGM Studios (unlike Elle). And yes, it may not have indexed with the right target viewers, too. Likely all of those factors came into play.1 My guess is ownership ended up mattering most. Amazon doesn’t own Ride or Die. It’s actually produced by another major studio. Fortunately/allegedly, this show is being shopped around. I can think of one brand new CEO who should consider it for one of his two major streamers…especially if he wants to rebuild goodwill in Hollywood. His name is on this list of exec producers of Ride or Die… If David Ellison needs some goodwill—and he does—rescue this female-led show tomorrow and grab some good headlines for a day. The data justifies it. Quick Notes on TV We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… How The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives latest season did on Hulu, post-controversy... Whether Supergirl soared on HBO Max... Why the box office is losing money due to the streamers... The viewership for the Daily Wire’s $50 million fantasy show... Updates on The Gentlemen, Lanterns, Outer Banks, King of the Hill and more... What former hit-maker has three streaming flops in a row... Whether The Mandalorian and Grogu popped in week two... All the flops, bombs and misses... And a whole lot more... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. If you want an idea of just how much content you’d get in a full issue, check out this older issue. Coming Soon! Oh man, we’re almost caught up! We just have two more issues, then the streaming Ratings Report will be coming out just two weeks after a TV show premieres! Next issue, I’ll be looking at the first two weeks of the NFL Thursday night games on streaming, a huge new spinoff, Reacher’s Neagly on Prime Video, and the latest edition of Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story on Netflix, the return of Slow Horses on Apple and MobLand (quietly one of their biggest shows) on Paramount+, and Dancing with the Stars on both ABC and Disney+. Plus I’ll take a look at animation for adults in 2026. The week after, a ton of movies are coming to streaming: Toy Story 5 on Disney+, Backrooms on HBO Max, Jackass: Best and Last on Paramount+ and The Breadwinner on Netflix, plus a Unabomber film on Netflix and a romcom on Prime Video. Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey have a show on Apple, along with a game show inspired by Willy Wonka that everyone seems to hate. Long term, some crazy (but hopefully crazy like a fox) IP news. FX ordered a new Sons of Anarchy show from Charlie Hunnam, but it’s not about the biker gang. No, it features the show’s cast playing themselves in a new “meta-thriller”. Huh. And a lot of the cast is coming back. Next, Ryan Gosling is producing a Flintstones movie about a “grown-up Bamm-Bamm Rubble”. Also, huh. This one is in “early development” so we’ll see what happens. Both projects are based on IP, but also seem to have crazy takes on the IP, which I like.

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Oct 5 • 3:42 PM EDT • Entertainment • entertainment.substack.com
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#TenYearsAgo in Health Law - Petrie-Flom Center

Since January 2026, the “10 years ago” viral trend on social media — fueled by nostalgia and literal rose-colored glasses (ok, filters) — has tried to remind us of the allegedly simpler times of 2016.

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Oct 5 • 12:19 PM EDT • Health • petrieflom.law.harvard.edu
Pixel 12 series leak allegedly reveals model numbers, display specs, no wide Fold

A new leak allegedly reveals Pixel 12 display specs, model numbers, and helps confirm Google isn't launching a wide Fold.

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Oct 5 • 9:45 AM EDT • Technology • 9to5google.com
Marvel's 'Project COMET' First Gameplay Trailer Allegedly Leaks

We've heard rumors and talk of Project COMET for weeks, and the new Marvel game has reportedly had its first footage leaked.

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Oct 5 • 8:06 AM EDT • Technology • insider-gaming.com
Kansas candle-making business accused of fraud to get a loan

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas, returned an indictment charging a Kansas woman for allegedly submitting fic

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Oct 3 • 9:00 PM EDT • Business • hayspost.com
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Rapper Rick Ross arrested on domestic violence battery charge

Rick Ross has been arrested in Miami on two counts of felony battery, including one by strangulation, which allegedly involve domestic violence. The "Hustlin'" rapper, 50, was arrested around 5

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Oct 2 • 7:54 AM EDT • Entertainment • centraloregondaily.com
Massachusetts man charged with cyberstalking conservative podcaster Katie Miller

The Justice Department charged a military veteran Thursday for allegedly making dozens of disturbing texts and calls to Katie Miller, a conservative podcaster married to White House senior adviser Stephen Miller, and her family.

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Oct 1 • 6:06 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
Feds probe Adam Kinzinger’s Kalshi bets on Biden pardons

Kinzinger allegedly made the trades in December 2024, betting that he would receive a pardon from then-President Joe Biden.

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Oct 1 • 2:45 PM EDT • Politics • chicagobusiness.com
Rapper Rick Ross arrested on domestic violence strangulation charge

Rick Ross has been arrested in Miami on two counts of felony battery, including one by strangulation, which allegedly involve domestic violence. The "Hustlin'" rapper, 50, was arrested around 6

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Oct 1 • 10:58 AM EDT • Entertainment • centraloregondaily.com
Holyoke man arrested after alleged downtown business break-in

A Holyoke man is in custody after allegedly breaking into a downtown business.

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Sep 30 • 2:18 PM EDT • Business • westernmassnews.com
Boardman bride, among others, allegedly scammed by bartending business

A Boardman woman says a mobile bartending business took nearly $500 from her on her wedding day. Now she wants her money back.

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Sep 28 • 10:55 PM EDT • Business • wkbn.com
NY Times exec allegedly slain by in-laws in California was reportedly mired in bitter divorce dispute

Police in Northern California are investigating the circumstances around the killing of a 40-year-old New York Times executive who was fatally shot by his in-laws in a parking lot over

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Sep 28 • 9:39 PM EDT • Entertainment • thederrick.com
Potsdam man allegedly stole $2,100 worth of deisel from business

A St. Lawrence County man is accused of stealing more than $2,000 worth of diesel fuel from a Potsdam trucking company.

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Sep 28 • 3:38 PM EDT • Business • wwnytv.com
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Miami-Dade Homeless Trust says Citrus Health employee charged in alleged theft of $1.2 million

A Citrus Health Network employee has been arrested and charged with allegedly stealing more than $1.2 million in funds.

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Sep 27 • 10:31 PM EDT • Health • caribbeannationalweekly.com
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Former Don Pedro's manager arrested after allegedly robbing South Side restaurant, affidavit says

Blanca Velasquez, 43, was arrested last Tuesday and charged with aggravated robbery in connection with an aggravated robbery at Don Pedro’s.

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Sep 27 • 7:21 PM EDT • Business • ksat.com
Sinema’s ex-bodyguard says stress, mental health crisis led to home damage

The former bodyguard accused of having an affair with former Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and allegedly breaking into her home and destroying property is now speaking out, saying he was going through a mental breakdown brought on by stress.

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Sep 26 • 5:45 PM EDT • Health • azfamily.com
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Family of paralyzed Marine vet allegedly shot by migrant speaks out as health issue could delay testimony

Jimmy Friesenhahn, a Marine veteran paralyzed in a San Antonio shooting, faces a health crisis before trial, his family told Fox News Digital.

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Sep 25 • 6:37 PM EDT • Health • foxnews.com
Pioneer of China NewCo model sued in US over trade secret misuse, double-dealing

A legal feud unfolding in New York is putting a spotlight on the work of a business development veteran who is credited for pioneering one of biopharma’s hottest dealmaking mechanism: the China “NewCo” model. In a lawsuit originally filed in New York state court and recently moved to federal court, China’s Lepu Medical Technology has alleged that biopharma business development consultant Su Zhang, who was hired to help shop its GLP-1 weight-loss candidates to Western partners, engaged in corporate double-dealing and trade secret leaks. According to the complaint, while acting as Lepu’s primary dealmaking liaison for a group of obesity and metabolic disease drug candidates, Zhang was secretly double-dipping as the acting chief business officer for a direct competitor, BrightGene Pharmaceutical. “She never adequately disclosed the role, never sought Lepu’s consent, and never proposed any safeguard,” Lepu alleged in its complaint, which was filed in July after Zhang’s consulting firm, CoDevCo, sought certain transaction-based success fees from its angry customer through an arbitration process in Singapore. Lepu, the parent company of Lepu Biopharma, has asked Zhang to pay back its $500,000 retainer and disgorge all benefits she received during the alleged breaches of fiduciary duty, plus other damages and relief. The company has also requested the court grant injunctions to protect Lepu’s trade secrets. The ill-fated partnership officially kicked off in December 2024, when Lepu tapped CoDevCo as its “exclusive business development mechanism” to identify collaborators for the company’s drug candidates. According to Lepu’s complaint, Zhang personally negotiated and signed the agreement as managing director for CoDevCo, which used her home address. Before the Lepu deal, Zhang made a name following a short stint as the global head of business development for Hengrui Pharmaceuticals. It was during her tenure that Hengrui signed a landmark deal granting exclusive rights for a portfolio of GLP-1 assets to Hercules, which was at that time newly established by a group of private equity and venture capital firms. In addition to the regular upfront and milestone payments, Hengrui also gained an equity stake in Hercules, which later became Kailera Therapeutics. The Hengrui-Hercules deal opened a new paradigm, where a Chinese biopharma company spins off certain early-stage assets to investors for further development through the creation of a new company abroad. The “NewCo” model quickly came into vogue as it allows Western investors to access high-potential assets originating from China at an early stage while giving the Chinese licensors an opportunity to reap long-term benefits through equity stakes in the new firms. The NewCo model proved its value when Kailera staged a record-breaking $625 million IPO on Nasdaq this April, merely two years into the Hengrui deal. Related Kailera CEO 'knew we were in a good spot' before obesity biotech's record-breaking $625M IPO On her LinkedIn page, Zhang described her work at Hengrui as “[b]uilding team and capability from the ground up,” forming NewCo and major pharma partnerships worth billions of dollars. Lepu clearly wanted that kind of track record to help boost its own cardiometabolic portfolio, which includes a range of assets for obesity, Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and muscle preservation during weight loss treatment. “Lepu’s pipeline is very valuable, but only if Lepu could secure the right international partner to expand into the overseas market during the available commercial window,” the company argued in its complaint. The Chinese biotech said it had little knowledge of U.S. laws, customs or business practices in the business development field, and therefore “needed to rely entirely” on the expertise of Zhang and her team as the firm’s first engagement of a U.S.-based BD consultant. “Zhang’s dominating influence on the business development strategy is further evidenced by the fact that she personally controlled the business-development communications on behalf of Lepu with potential partners,” Lepu said in its complaint. After entering the deal, Zhang introduced Lepu to her four associates. According to Lepu’s version of events, all of them were allegedly employed at different time points to perform similar jobs at other Chinese companies that Lepu described as its competitors, while having access to Lepu’s confidential information. As such, Lepu described Zhang’s team as “a roster of individuals whose primary professional loyalty, by virtue of their concurrent full-time employment, ran to Lepu’s competitors.” As well as the specific examples set out in the case, a look at Lepu’s deals over the period suggests Zhang may have been involved in at least one transaction. During their partnership, Lepu, through its subsidiary Shanghai Minwei Biotechnology, also out-licensed its GLP-1/GIP/FGF21 agonist MWN105 to a NewCo called Sidera Bio in the fall of 2025. The deal included an upfront and near-term payment of $35 million, up to $1.01 billion in milestones, and a 9.99% stake in the Danish startup. It seems likely that Zhang facilitated the Minwei deal given that Lepu is on record as having used CoDevCo as its “exclusive business development mechanism.” The big shock for Lepu came in the form of a news article on June 25, 2025. The article, reporting on phase 2 data for BrightGene’s GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist BGM0504, identified Zhang as acting chief business officer of the Lepu rival. Blindsided by her association with BrightGene, Lepu confronted Zhang in July 2025. “Lepu was given assurances that there was nothing to be concerned about and told that Zhang would explain the matter to Lepu,” Lepu alleged in its complaint. “Zhang never did.” Lepu claimed that Zhang had the motive and opportunity to steer potential prospective partners toward BrightGene or other competitors. Later, in February 2026, one of Zhang’s associates joined BrightGene as the vice president for global business development, according to the complaint. Around the same time, Lepu sent written demand letters asking Zhang to account for her BrightGene role, identify what confidential data were shared with the rival firm, and provide any conflict-of-interest or firewall policies during the engagement. According to Lepu, neither CoDevCo nor Zhang answered the questions in their responses. Related Novo vs. KBP: How a $1.3B deal turned into a fraud accusation and an international legal fight In a motion to dismiss filed with the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of New York on Sept. 4, Zhang’s legal team argued that Lepu’s agreement was signed with CoDevCo, and that an employee of the contractor does not owe fiduciary duties to the client. In its complaint, Lepu said: “That CoDevCo was the contracting entity does not insulate Zhang from personal liability for duties she personally undertook and personally breached.” Taking the argument one step further, the defending party argued that the consulting agreement “does not create a fiduciary relationship even between CoDevCo and Lepu; instead, it identifies CoDevCo as an independent contractor retained to market Lepu’s business to potential western partners.” Although CoDevCo was Lepu’s exclusive business-development contractor, there were no terms stipulating that the consulting firm should serve only Lepu, Zhang’s lawyer noted. As to Lepu’s claims that Zhang misappropriated trade secrets, the defendant argued that Lepu authorized the use of the information so Zhang’s team could perform their service per the agreement. In a rebuttal filed on Sept. 11, Lepu’s lawyer set out why they believe the Chinese biotech satisfied New York law’s misappropriation definition by alleging that the defendant used a trade secret “in breach of a duty or through improper means.” As an alternative to dismissing the suit, the defendant suggested the action should be stayed pending outcomes from the arbitration of a separate case in Singapore. While NewCo pioneer Zhang is defending her business arrangements, momentum behind the NewCo trend has continued unabated into 2026. Through August, Chinese biotech assets have spurred 15 NewCo deals this year, according to local trade publication PharmaDJ.

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Sep 25 • 8:40 AM EDT • Business • fiercebiotech.com
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Police: Driver was high when he crashed into Massena home business

A St. Lawrence County man was allegedly high on drugs when he drove a pickup truck into a house in Massena Thursday morning.

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Sep 24 • 2:54 PM EDT • Business • wwnytv.com
Sony Allegedly Surveyed Game Developers on its Disc-Killing Plan for 2028, Hinting at a Possible Reversal amid Fan Boycotts

According to leaker MLID, Sony has surveyed game developers on its disc-killing plan, suggesting they may consider a shocking reversal.

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Sep 24 • 4:00 AM EDT • Technology • wccftech.com
Virgil van Dijk: Liverpool captain slams Dutch reporter following claims he forced Ronald Koeman to change World Cup tactics

Virgil van Dijk claimed media in the Netherlands had said that he had ruined Dutch football after allegedly telling Ronald Koeman to change formation during the World Cup; Koeman switched to a back five against Morocco, but would be eliminated on penalties

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Sep 24 • 3:49 AM EDT • Sports • skysports.com
Jonathan Taylor Thomas detained after allegedly resisting police

The former 'Home Improvement' and 'Lion King' actor was arrested and spent the night in jail after he allegedly got unruly with police.

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Sep 23 • 8:27 PM EDT • Entertainment • latimes.com
Former South Jersey transit official enters plea deal in political revenge case

Bryan Bush pleaded guilty to obstruction in relation to a case where payment was denied to a contractor who had allegedly fallen out of favor with George E. Norcross III.

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Sep 23 • 5:30 PM EDT • Politics • inquirer.com
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Reform and the UAE – a threat to British politics

By Alex Carlen The United Arab Emirates likes to present itself as part of the solution to the climate crisis. The oil-rich Gulf state has committed to Net Zero by 2050, hosted COP 28, and even declared “championing climate action” as one of three strategic objectives for this week’s session of the United Nations General Assembly. But behind the scenes the UAE has quietly built one of its closest political relationships in Europe with the party most hostile to climate action in Britain: Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. There is no evidence that the UAE is funding Reform. But a new FairSquare report, Petro-populism: the UAE–Reform threat, published today, documents a growing political relationship that should concern anyone interested in the integrity of British democracy. Reform’s leaders have embraced the UAE’s political model and promoted positions that align closely with the Emirati government’s priorities, while the UAE has given Farage and his party unusually warm access and public backing. What is emerging is not simply a relationship between British politicians and a wealthy Gulf state, but a channel through which an authoritarian government can cultivate political influence here, and abroad. Democracy for Sale relies on its readers. If you already support us, thanks so much. If you don’t, sign up to support fearless independent investigative journalism. Subscribe Back in January, Nigel Farage appeared at a GB News event in Dubai. On the 50th floor of a tower overlooking the luxury resorts and upscale residences of Palm Jumeirah, the Reform leader declared: “I want Clacton to look like this.” At the event – which Farage never declared on his official register of interests – senior Emirati officials mixed with British expats. Farage was keen to flatter. “We recognise you are our friends”, he said, assuring them that “a Brexit London, a Reform London, will remember you.” Controversy surrounding Reform’s finances and its susceptibility to foreign influence have centred around high-profile donations from billionaire crypto donors, and the jailing of Nathan Gill, Reform’s former leader in Wales, for accepting bribes to give pro-Russia speeches. Far less attention has been paid to Reform’s blossoming new alliance with the UAE, an oil-rich authoritarian state with a track record of ruinous anti-democratic interventions. Farage wasn’t always so fond of the UAE. Back in 2023 he called it an “absolute monarchy with an abysmal human rights record.” Now Reform’s hierarchy calls the UAE home. Deputy leader Richard Tice splits his time between his constituency and Dubai and has called on the UK to learn from the UAE. The party’s treasurer Nick Candy runs a firm which has been in partnership with a UAE-state linked firm since 2024. Nadhim Zahawi sits on the board of an Abu Dhabi think tank alongside an array of the most senior UAE officials and is reportedly close to three brothers of the country’s despotic ruler Mohammed Bin Zayed. Reform’s leading lights have effusively praised the UAE’s governance model, defended it from criticism, and advanced its political agenda in the UK. GB News, whose two major shareholders – the Legatum Foundation and Paul Marshall – have strong links to the UAE, has been more than happy to broadcast UAE propaganda and was forced to pay damages in 2025 after airing a false claim about a UK charity by the UAE “disinfluencer” Amjad Taha. The UAE has responded in kind. When the UAE Minister for Foreign Affairs conducted an official visit to the UK in May, Farage was the only non-government figure granted an audience. UAE state media publicised the meeting, and said that they discussed “the strategic relations between the two countries and ways to enhance them in a manner that serves mutual interests.” For the UAE these ‘mutual interests’ largely concern its paranoia over political Islam, and in this regard the UAE-Reform alliance is part of a broad and troubling pattern. Following a crackdown on dissent at home in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, the UAE has offered material and political support to a range of violent and authoritarian actors willing to oppose the Muslim Brotherhood with no regard for the consequences. Its meddling in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, and most notably Sudan, have been devastating. The UAE’s strategy of seeking out partners on the political fringes who it believes will advance its interests is not unique to Britain – it extends beyond the Middle East to Europe and the US. In France, it has offered clandestine support to Marine Le Pen through secret meetings, as well allegedly funding trips to the region after which Le Pen returned with a renewed focus on the UAE’s perceived enemies – Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood. Left-wing opposition leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon has accused the UAE of smearing him and of “encouraging discrimination, hatred or violence”. In the US, the UAE actively supported the rise of Donald Trump, establishing itself as a key ally during both his first and second terms. Around these relationships sits a wider ecosystem of figures willing to amplify UAE narratives, that even extends to Andrew Tate and Tommy Robinson. Subscribe In Britain, the UAE has used a combination of aggressive diplomacy and illicit, disruptive tactics to achieve its policy goal of eliminating any perceived threat from political Islam. In 2012, for instance, it threatened to block billion-pound arms deals with the UK and stop inward investment if David Cameron did not act against the Muslim Brotherhood and rein in the BBC’s coverage of the group – going so far as to suggest, with no supporting evidence, that the group had infiltrated the BBC. It has financed smear campaigns against a high-profile UK charity and funded a mercenary to secretly surveil, and possibly assassinate, a British national on British soil. In Reform UK, the UAE has finally found an ally willing to not only ban the Muslim Brotherhood, but to publicly vilify the group and repeat the UAE’s claims that dangerous Muslims are a fifth column in British society, a narrative that aligns with the Islamophobia and anti-immigration sentiments that underpin Reform’s populist politics. The Rycroft review into foreign interference concluded that “hostile states and non-state actors have a clear incentive to attempt to undermine UK democracy.” The UAE’s network and alliance with Reform must be understood within that framework. It is a powerful, disruptive and deeply authoritarian actor with the resources and networks to intervene in our politics, and a track-record of doing so in a multitude of other countries. The evidence of the threat the UAE poses is overwhelming. The question is whether parliamentarians are willing to call the UAE out and demand action using the tools that the government has to respond. Placing the UAE on the “Enhanced Tier” of the Foreign Registration scheme alongside Russia and Iran would send a powerful signal to the UAE that its meddling will no longer be tolerated, and would place Farage’s next trips to the UAE under the scrutiny they deserve. Alex Carlen is research and advocacy manager at London based human rights organisation FairSquare and author of its new report Petro-populism: the UAE–Reform threat. Subscribe

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Sep 23 • 6:50 AM EDT • Politics • democracyforsale.substack.com
13-year-old boy accused of stealing multiple cars again, breaking into businesses in Oakland County

A 13-year-old boy was arrested after allegedly trying to steal multiple cars and breaking into businesses in Pontiac and Waterford Township.

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Sep 22 • 1:45 PM EDT • Business • clickondetroit.com
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Man arrested after allegedly taking A/C units from Mobile business

Video above: ‘News 5 Now’ — Top Stories from Sept. 21, 2026 MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — A man has been arrested after he allegedly stole air condition units from a local business, according to the Mobile…

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Sep 21 • 10:13 AM EDT • Business • wkrg.com
Silicon Valley spa was a brothel, and business was brisk, D.A. says

A Cupertino massage spa has been busted for allegedly providing sexual services to about 30 customers daily, authorities said.

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Sep 17 • 6:17 PM EDT • Business • latimes.com
Man and Woman Accused of Stealing Gold from Wiscasset Business

A man and woman from New York allegedly stole gold from a Wiscasset business as part of an international theft ring.

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Sep 17 • 8:00 AM EDT • Business • lcnme.com
Lawyers seek sanctions for alleged ‘judge shopping’ to avoid Colorado’s Daniel Domenico

Lawyers for a group of San Diego-based corporate defendants are seeking sanctions against the plaintiff's attorneys for allegedly dismissing and refiling similar cases to try and avoid one federal judge in Colorado.

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Sep 16 • 6:34 PM EDT • Politics • coloradopolitics.com
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Colorado Attorney General settles case involving misleading solicitations to businesses

The Colorado Attorney General's Office has reached a $150,000 settlement with two companies that allegedly mailed fraudulent marketing materials to businesses.

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Sep 16 • 4:29 PM EDT • Business • denvergazette.com
Woman allegedly walked naked into Watertown business, assaulted first responders

A woman allegedly high on drugs is accused of walking into a Watertown business naked before assaulting first responders.

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Sep 16 • 3:08 PM EDT • Business • wwnytv.com
Louisville's DeMelo sues doctors after cardiac arrest during NWSL game

Racing Louisville FC midfielder Savannah DeMelo is suing the University of Louisville Health and two physicians for allegedly failing to diagnose a heart condition that led to her suffering cardiac arrest on the field during a match in September 2025.

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Sep 15 • 7:18 PM EDT • Health • espn.com
JUST IN: Health care coalition leader charged with illegally filming teens in Tysons stores

The recently removed leader of a national coalition of health care purchasers is facing an assortment of criminal charges after allegedly taking obscene videos of teens at Tysons stores. Officers were called to the 1900 block of Chain Bridge Road at around 12:30 p.m. on both Aug. 16 and 17 for reports of unlawful filming,

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Sep 15 • 11:45 AM EDT • Health • ffxnow.com
Massage therapist accused of sexual assaults at Napa business

(KRON) — A massage therapist in Napa was arrested Sunday following two reports of sexual assaults that allegedly occurred at Herbal Health Massage on back-to-back days, police said. Liangfu Zheng, 50, of Napa, was booked into the Napa County Department of Corrections on suspicion of rape of an unconscious person, sexual battery involving an unconscious […]

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Sep 15 • 10:01 AM EDT • Business • kron4.com
Man out on bond shoots buyer over PlayStation in business parking lot, deputies say

A man is in custody after allegedly shooting a buyer during an online sale gone wrong in a store parking lot, according to investigators.

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Sep 15 • 10:00 AM EDT • Business • actionnews5.com
Portland business owner sued for fraud after taking $348K in COVID relief loans

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Portland business owner is being sued by the U.S. government for allegedly misusing COVID relief funds. Ramzy Hattar is accused of collecting money from multiple Small Bus…

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Sep 14 • 4:52 PM EDT • Business • koin.com
FBI: Houston-area woman wanted in health care fraud case has been arrested

Emylee Thai allegedly fled to Vietnam while facing federal health care fraud charges. The FBI says she has now been captured.

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Sep 14 • 1:57 PM EDT • Health • khou.com
Turbotville man reportedly cheats auction business

Kelly Township, Pa. — State police say the plan to charge a 25-year-old Turbotville man after he allegedly swindled a Union County auction business out of more than $1,000.

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Sep 13 • 10:00 AM EDT • Business • northcentralpa.com
Germany’s Political Tailspin: Your Weekly SPIEGEL Recap

It might be tempting to dismiss the results of last Sunday’s state election in Saxony-Anhalt, in which the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party raked in 43.8 percent of the vote, as a rather unimportant extremist blip in a state that hardly anyone can find on the map. And you wouldn’t necessarily be wrong to do so. The state’s population – around 2.1 million – is a mere 2.5 percent of the German total. And while the state capital of Magdeburg was once the political heart of the Holy Roman Empire back when Otto the Great used to hang out there (more than a millenium … no … milennium … nope … millennium ago), it is today something of a backwater, albeit one with a ginormous cathedral in its center. We wanted to briefly interrupt this week’s newsletter to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our subscribers, both new and old. And to remind you all that a free subscription gets you access to this newsletter every Saturday. A paid subscription, by contrast, gets you one DER SPIEGEL article every weekday, delivered to your inbox. We strive to select pieces that both demonstrate what Europe’s leading newsmagazine has to offer and provide an international audience – namely, you – with an insight into how Germany and Europe view the world. If you haven’t already signed up for a paid subscription, please consider doing so if you can. Our Substack channel relies entirely on reader support and we are excited to continue offering you the best of DER SPIEGEL. Subscribe But even beyond the fact that a huge percentage of the voters in the state decided to place an X next to a party with an ideological lineage that runs rather directly back to the right-wing extremist soup out of which the Nazi Party was born, the results are a perfect example of a phenomenon that has been plaguing German elections in recent years: the lack of an obvious path to a majority. Call it the Balkanization of German politics. There are a number of developments driving the phenomenon, but for the purposes of this newsletter, here are two of the most salient: Persistent voter frustration with the country’s two (former) big-tent parties – the Christian Democrats (CDU) on the center-right (17.2 percent in Saxony-Anhalt last Sunday) and the Social Democrats (SPD) on the center-left (9.3 percent). The presence of parties on the far left (Left Party), the populist left (the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance – BSW) and the far right (AfD) with which mainstream parties are reluctant to form coalitions. So what happens now? Stories of the Week A Lack of Leadership The answer for many people in the country, and particularly within the CDU, is clear: pin (some of) the blame on Chancellor Friedrich Merz. According to a survey taken directly after the election in Saxony-Anhalt, 88 percent of respondents agreed with the statement that if the federal government in Berlin were doing a better job, the AfD wouldn’t be as strong. And it is true that the predominant impression of the federal government ever since Merz was sworn in on May 6, 2025, is one of ineffectiveness and bickering. His rather unique combination of bumbling-plus-bravado has also not exactly endeared him to the German public. Indeed, his standing in the country is so shaky that his popularity – according to recent polls – has now dropped even below the historic lows associated with his predecessor Olaf Scholz. The situation is such that the CDU even opted to keep him largely out of the campaign ahead of the Saxony-Anhalt vote. And since then, dissatisfied rumblings within the CDU have grown louder. DER SPIEGEL’s Swantje Karich notes that the problems with the CDU go much deeper than Merz. “The center-right has a trust problem. At a press appearance following the devastating election result in Saxony-Anhalt, Friedrich Merz said that the party wanted to ‘reach people more effectively’ through ‘emotional engagement.’ It sounded as though he were announcing a political program. On the basis of that statement, it is difficult to take his empathy seriously.” “The Chancellor’s chastened appearance did, at least, reveal where he stands: with his back to the wall. Elections will be held in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania next week, and the CDU could fare even worse there. The party is polling at between 8 and 10 percent in the state.” “What is at stake is the political tradition that has lent stability to the Federal Republic since 1945: a democratic conservatism that understands what must be preserved, but also how to embrace progress and openness to the world. If the Union continues along its current path, it risks becoming politically irrelevant after the 2029 federal election – and Germany could soon find itself with a government of the far right.” The Trumpification of Political Debate? It is often said in Germany that to understand the political and social trends that will soon be dominant in Europe, one need only look across the Atlantic to the United States. When it comes to political debate, that has certainly proven true. Donald Trump understood early on that triggering mouth-foaming outrage among Democrats is an ideal way to both generate headlines and to secure loyalty among supporters. And he realized that far more quickly than the left side of the political spectrum understood that simply ignoring the old man might be the best recipe. To be sure, there have been signs recently that the US president may be over-relying on the strategy. Earlier this week, in an apparent grandpa-discovers-AI moment, Trump sent out 60 posts in the space of 10 hours, many of them AI-assisted images portraying him as a hero – or showing Iceland as part of the US (outrageous!!!). It was also during that slew of schlock that he explicitly backed the AfD with an “MGGA” post. In Germany, though, the outrage cycle remains in full swing, with much of the focus on those who would dare to vote for the AfD. They are alternately portrayed as being dim-witted, ungrateful, backward, racist or all of the above. That, argues DER SPIEGEL columnist Sabine Rennefanz, is not particularly helpful. “Everywhere on election night, people spoke of a watershed moment, a rupture, a turning point. But what is that supposed to mean in concrete terms? A watershed would imply an interruption, a moment of pause – perhaps even a willingness to rethink and learn. At first, there was little sign of that in the main television panels. Instead, the familiar rituals that had already shaped the election campaign continued: outrage, lecturing and abuse.” “That’s just the tone, one might object. They’re only talk shows. Given that the party’s state branch has been classified by domestic intelligence officials as confirmed right-wing extremist, there are more important problems than hurt feelings on television. Yet although the condescending tone is not the cause of the AfD’s success, it is an expression of the broader mood within the so-called political center – a kind of institutional blindness that too often treats material concerns as a communications problem.” “People have a pretty good sense of whether you like them – whether you approach them with curiosity or merely study, lecture and manage them as a problem group. They notice whether you genuinely want to understand their fears and pain, or whether you are simply waiting for the chance to correct them. They can also tell whether someone still has the energy to change things, or whether they have barricaded themselves behind platitudes and empty phrases.” “Anyone who wants an egalitarian democratic society cannot promise equality only to those whose language, tastes and moral convictions they share. They must also acknowledge the wounds, resentments and fears of those whose political conclusions they consider wrong. Acknowledging them does not mean agreeing with them. But a democracy that communicates with almost half its citizens only through warnings and labels gives up on political debate before it has even begun. An atmosphere must be created in which people can express their opinions without fearing that they will be canceled. We are currently a long way from that.” East-West? One of the clear undercurrents in the election last Sunday was, of course, Germany’s ongoing east-west divide, particularly as it pertains to the success of the AfD. Historically, the party has been far stronger in the former East German states than in former West German states. The fact that this generalization no longer reliably holds is certainly one of the primary concerns that many have about the party’s growth. And yet, there is still a distinct flavor of “stupid easterners, they don’t understand democracy” to the coverage. In the weeks before the vote, there was even a rather interesting back-and-forth in Germany’s culture pages about how ungrateful eastern Germans allegedly are for being pulled out of their pre-reunification backwardness and into the light of the West. DER SPIEGEL’s Jochen-Martin Gutsch has had enough. “Ten years ago, in 2016, elections were also held in Saxony-Anhalt. The AfD won more than 20 percent, which at the time rightly provoked outrage and incomprehension in western Germany. Today, in 2026, the AfD is also polling at around 20 percent in western German states, but this no longer provokes outrage and incomprehension. Instead, it is now regarded as proof of democratic conviction and civilizational resistance. After all, in the east, it’s 40 percent!” “This allows people to continue feeling morally superior to the East, but the wiser course would be to admit: if something doesn’t happen soon, the West will turn AfD-blue too. Or bluish.” “But will anything happen? The truly depressing thing about election night was not so much the AfD leaders intoxicated by their own success. It was the representatives of the other parties, who once again said that they were utterly shocked, needed some time to digest the result and would, of course, not simply return to business as usual. The SPD, a former big-tent party, celebrated its ‘stable’ result of 9.3 percent. Congratulations!” “For 10 years, the AfD has gone from one electoral success to the next. And still, the established parties remain ‘shocked’ and scratch their heads in astonishment. How long can they keep being shocked? Friedrich Merz says he may need to communicate his reform ideas in a more ‘emotional’ way. So the CDU’s political professionals sit down together after the election, mull over a strategy, and in the end come up with this: Fritz, try to be a little more relaxed, charismatic and emotional – or something. Beyond that: no political plan, no defiance, no promise of a future. That is frightening.” What was good, what was bad for democracy? Good: Voter turnout in Saxony-Anhalt was 77.8 percent, the highest ever recorded in the state. Whatever one thinks of the result, that figure is encouraging. Democracy needs citizens to take an interest. Bad: Although a strong AfD result had been expected in Saxony-Anhalt, many politicians from the mainstream parties – including in Berlin – appeared confused, helpless and overwhelmed in their initial reactions. That is not how they will win back voters’ trust. Last Week’s Highlights: 🗳️ Meet the Germans Who Voted for the AfD: Why would voters in a country like Germany, with its Nazi past, vote for a right-wing party? It’s a question only an editor in Berlin could come up with. On the ground, the view is different. 🟦 How the AfD Wants to Expand Its Power Across Germany: The far-right AfD is planning to decimate public broadcasting in Saxony-Anhalt, revamp education and install extremists in positions of power. And it is eyeing victory on the national stage as well. 🕯️ The Continuing Reverberations of September 11: It was a generational shock, and the consequences can still be felt today - from massive surveillance and significant increases in presidential power to violent excesses at ICE. 🤝 “For Europe, Canada Is the Preferred Partner in Trans-Atlantic Relations”: In an interview with DER SPIEGEL, Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne discusses his country’s failed trade deal with the US and why Canada is looking to Europe. 🏛️ The True Historical Roots of the AfD: During the Weimar Republic in the 1920s, there were numerous parties on the extreme right espousing “Germany first” nationalism. The Nazis may not be the best comparison for today’s AfD. 🌊 AfD in a Landslide: Merz Is the Wrong Leader for Germany: The right-wing Alternative for Germany won in a landslide in Saxony-Anhalt state elections on Sunday. What does that mean for the country at large? Thank you for your continued support and have a wonderful week! Subscribe Share Leave a comment Your SPIEGEL Substack Team Compiled and edited by Charles Hawley

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Sep 12 • 7:49 AM EDT • Politics • derspiegel.substack.com
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Man arrested after allegedly dismantling A/C units at Heights-area business

A 49-year-old man was arrested after a repairman reportedly caught him dismantling rooftop air conditioning units and taking copper at a Heights-area business.

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Sep 11 • 5:35 PM EDT • Business • click2houston.com
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SC television group requiring candidates to sign non-compete clauses for upcoming debate season

Television stations owned by Gray Media are allegedly requiring participants in upcoming debates for governor and U.S. Senate to agree not to work with their competition to participate.

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Sep 11 • 1:05 PM EDT • Politics • postandcourier.com
Fact check: Trump, RFK Jr. and others make false claims on night 2 of GOP convention

(CNN) — President Donald Trump delivered another rapid-fire series of false claims on the second night of Republicans’ midterm convention on Thursday. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did his own barrage of wrongness. And various other speakers uttered statements that were untrue, misleading or missing critical context.Here is a fact check of some of the assertions from the final day of the convention. This is not intended as a comprehensive list of Thursday’s falsehoods.Trump’s many false claimsTrump made numerous false claims, some of which he also made in his longer speech Wednesday.Trump claimed that there were “no empty seats” in the Dallas arena as he spoke Thursday, which was visibly untrue. CNN White House correspondent Alayna Treene, who was there, wrote in a live chat right after Trump made the claim that “I’m looking at rows of empty seats” and that “the idea that there are ‘no empty seats’ is just laughably untrue,” though she also said the room was mostly full. Trump has for years made false claims about supposedly never having had an empty seat.Trump further inflated one of his favorite fictional figures, claiming Thursday that “$22 trillion” in investment has come into the US; on Wednesday, he had put it at “over $20 trillion,” and even that lower figure has no apparent basis in reality. As of the time he spoke Thursday, the White House’s own website claimed there had been “$11.2 trillion” in “major investment announcements” this term, not “over $20 trillion,” and the White House figure was itself a major exaggeration of actual investment.Trump, talking about elections, lied that “there’s never been bigger cheaters” than Democrats; there is no basis for broadly describing Democrats as election cheaters. For the second straight night, Trump falsely claimed that the Biden administration allowed “25 million people” to pour into the country, though that number is nowhere close to correct. Trump again falsely claimed that former President Joe Biden and other Democrats “created the worst inflation in American history,” though even peak Biden-era inflation, 9.1% in June 2022, was far from the all-time record of 23.7%; it was a 40-year high, but the rate then fell sharply before Trump returned to office.Trump also baselessly claimed that Democrats would “defund the police” and give “voting rights and welfare to 25 million illegal aliens” if they won the midterms. Republicans will still control the White House in 2027 and 2028 and the president would be in position to veto any such changes if a Democratic-controlled Congress sought to make them, but there is no indication that Democrats want to do so. Also, even groups favoring strict immigration policies estimate that the total undocumented population is far less than “25 million” or even 20 million.As he did Wednesday, Trump claimed the US now has the world’s lowest prescription drug prices. The assertion is so broad that it is unclear what exactly Trump is referencing. But experts told CNN they highly doubt that the prices for brand-name drugs in the US are generally less than they are in other countries, and the Trump administration has not provided details to prove the claim.“It’s tough to claim that you’re getting the lowest prices anywhere in the world and then also not have any evidence to support that,” said Andrew Mulcahy, a senior health economist at RAND, while Diederik Stadig, senior healthcare economist at financial institution ING, said, “To say that the US now has the lowest drug prices in the world is at this moment not true.”And as he did Wednesday, Trump said “more Americans are working today than ever before” – which is true but nearly meaningless, since the number of people working in the US generally rises over time simply because the population rises over time.“There are more Americans working because there are more Americans. That’s the entire analysis,” Justin Wolfers, a University of Michigan professor of public policy and economics, wrote in his newsletter in August.RFK Jr.’s false claims on the pandemic, Trump’s record and moreFalse claim about Democrats and the 2024 electionKennedy unsuccessfully ran for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination before withdrawing to run as an independent and then eventually endorsing Republican candidate Donald Trump. In Kennedy’s Thursday convention speech, he complained of how the Democrats handled the nomination race.At one point, he said, “For the first time in history, they cancelled their own convention. No voter ever cast a primary ballot for Kamala Harris, no elected delegate was ever consulted; the party of ‘No Kings’ simply anointed a queen.”Kennedy is entitled to express unhappiness about how quickly Democratic leaders coalesced around then-Vice President Harris after Biden unexpectedly dropped out of the race in July 2024, after the primaries were over and less than four months from Election Day. But it’s not true that the party canceled its convention or that delegates didn’t get any say.The convention was held; it was a four-day event in Chicago in August 2024. Democratic convention delegates officially nominated Harris in a virtual roll call vote in advance of the convention. It’s true that Harris was the only candidate on the roll call ballot, but that’s because she was the only candidate who gathered enough delegate signatures to appear on the ballot.It’s clear that party elites’ backing of Harris played a key role in the unusual nomination process. But Kennedy’s specific allegations that the convention was abandoned and delegates were cut out of the process are not true.False claim that Democrats closed ‘every church’ during the Covid-19 pandemicWhile attacking Democrats, Kennedy claimed that, during the Covid-19 pandemic, “They closed every church in our country for a year.”It’s not true that every church in the country was closed for a year, nor even that every church in a Democratic state was closed for a year.Every state issued some type of guidance or order about social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic, but many states – including some led by Democrats and some led by Republicans – incorporated religious exemptions into those limitations on social interactions.According to a Pew Research Center analysis from April 2020, 15 states allowed religious gatherings to continue without a limit on their size. That set of states included Colorado, Michigan and Pennsylvania, which all had Democratic governors. And at least two states with Republican governors, Alaska and Idaho, were among the states that prohibited religious gatherings at least briefly.False claim that Trump ‘ended nine wars’Trump has repeatedly claimed that he has ended “eight wars.” Kennedy went one higher on Thursday, declaring, “President Trump has ended nine wars.”That’s false. Trump hasn’t even ended eight wars.Trump’s list of eight includes two situations that were never actually wars during his tenure: a diplomatic dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia and a mysterious supposed situation between Serbia and Kosovo. The list also includes a war, involving Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, that hasn’t actually ended despite a peace agreement brokered by the Trump administration.In addition, the list includes the war between Israel and Hamas, but Israel continues to conduct frequent attacks in Gaza despite a US-brokered ceasefire agreement. And it includes the brief 2025 conflict between Israel and Iran, though Israel proceeded to join the US in starting another war against Iran in 2026.Claim about reversing a decline in longevityKennedy speaking of the Trump administration, claimed Thursday: “We have now reversed a 30-year decline in longevity. “Kennedy referenced preliminary data that he said he had received from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week, but it’s unclear what metric of longevity he’s referring to.CDC data shows that US life expectancy had been steadily increasing for decades before a sharp drop during the Covid-19 pandemic. Life expectancy had already started to rebound in 2022, under the Biden administration, and reached a new record high in 2024 before Trump’s second term began.Preliminary data shared by the CDC in July suggests that life expectancy probably hit another record high in 2025.CNN has reached out to HHS for clarification on Kennedy’s comments.Claim that Democrats ‘lost 360,000 children’Speaking about Democrats, Kennedy said: “They somehow lost 360,000 children and they turned our federal government into the biggest child trafficking operation in world history.”Trump and other Republicans have made similar claims. But there’s no basis for the assertion that Democrats “lost” so many children or that the federal government was engaged in human trafficking.A 2024 report from the inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security said Immigration and Customs Enforcement had reported that more than 32,000 unaccompanied migrant children failed to appear as scheduled for immigration court hearings after being released or transferred out of custody between fiscal years 2019 and 2023 – a period that, notably, includes two years and four months under the first Trump administration. The report also said that 291,000 unaccompanied migrant children during this period were not given notices to appear in court.The report said that ICE had “no assurances” these children “are safe from trafficking, exploitation, or forced labor.” But it did not say all the children were actually “lost” and did not definitively assert that any of them were trafficked – let alone that the government was somehow involved in a trafficking operation. And, again, the report spanned parts of both a Republican administration and a Democratic administration.Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, told CNN in 2024: “Long story short, no, there are not 320,000 kids missing. 32,000 kids missed court. That doesn’t mean they’re missing, it means they missed court (either because their sponsor didn’t bring them or they are teenagers who didn’t want to show up). The remaining 291,000 cases mentioned by the (Office of the Inspector General) are cases where ICE hasn’t filed the paperwork to start their immigration court cases.”Vance on inflation, crime and taxes on Social SecurityA false claim about the media and Biden-era inflationVice President JD Vance mocked the media during part of his speech on Thursday. But he made a false claim about Biden-era inflation while lampooning how the media supposedly challenged him over another false claim on that subject.Vance said: “The president and I would go during a campaign, we’d say, ‘You know, inflation is as high as it’s been in 100 years,’ and the fake news would say, ‘No, no, no, it’s as high as it’s been in 68 years.’ That ain’t good, ladies and gentlemen.”Mainstream journalists, at least, wouldn’t say that inflation under Biden was as high as it had been “in 68 years.” Rather, CNN and others noted that peak inflation under the Biden administration, 9.1% in June 2022, was the highest in about 40 years.Vance is entitled to make his general point that this correction still doesn’t make Biden-era inflation sound good, but his specific number was, again, wrong. And he didn’t acknowledge that inflation fell sharply under Biden after hitting the 40-year high, declining to 2.9% in Biden’s last full month in office, December 2024, and 3.0% in January 2025, when Trump and Vance were inaugurated.The rate was 3.4% in July 2026, the most recent month for which data is available.Trump didn’t end taxes on Social SecurityVance claimed, “We’ve ended taxes on Social Security.” Several other convention speakers, including Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania and Ohio House candidate Derek Merrin, similarly said the administration has achieved “no tax on Social Security.”It hasn’t. The big domestic policy bill Trump signed in 2025 did create an additional, temporary $6,000-per-year tax deduction for individuals age 65 and older (which phases out for individuals earning $75,000 per year or more), but as the White House has implicitly acknowledged, millions of Social Security recipients will continue to pay taxes on their benefits even before the temporary new deduction expires after 2028.The Social Security Administration said in 2025 that “the bill ensures that nearly 90% of Social Security beneficiaries will no longer pay federal income taxes on their benefits.Claim about violent crime rate under BidenWhile criticizing the Biden administration, Vice President JD Vance claimed Thursday that the US “became a country where violent crime exploded, unless, of course, you could afford private security.”But violent crime did not explode under Biden. In fact, as FactCheck.org reported last month, data collected and published by the FBI shows that the national violent crime rate was at a lower level in 2023 and 2024, the last two full calendar years of Biden’s term, than it was in 2020, the last full calendar year of Trump’s first term. The year 2020 was highly unusual in many ways – violent crime jumped amid the Covid-19 pandemic – but Biden nonetheless left office with violent crime lower than it was when he took over. In fact, the 2024 violent crime rate was even lower than the 2019 rate under Trump before the pandemic.There was an increase in violent crime during the earlier part of Biden’s term. But given the subsequent decline, it’s misleading at best to claim violent crime “exploded” with no further context.Asked earlier this month about Trump’s similar previous claims to have reversed a Biden-era upswing in violence, crime data expert Jeff Asher said in an email: “No, crime began dropping significantly in 2023 during the Biden administration. Murder fell at record rates in 2023, 2024 and 2025 and, while 2026 may not feature a record decline nationally, it is still on track to see a sizable double-digit decline this year. Violent crime similarly fell nationally in 2023 and 2024, though the drops were more muted than the decline that was recorded by the FBI in 2025.”Other GOP speakersMike Johnson’s false claim about the inflation Republicans inherited from BidenSome other speakers at the convention took aim at inflation under Biden. House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed that “Republicans inherited from the Biden administration record-high inflation.”That’s not true. The inflation rate was 2.9% in Biden’s last full month in office, December 2024, and 3.0% in January 2025, when Trump took over. That’s lower than the most recent rate, 3.4% in July 2026, and nowhere close to the all-time record of 23.7%, which was reached in 1920, or the highest point of Jimmy Carter’s presidency, 14.8%, which was reached in 1980.Johnson correctly said moments later that inflation reached “a 40-year high of 9.1% inflation” under Biden. But a 40-year high is not an all-time record. More importantly, Johnson didn’t explain that 9.1% was much higher than the rate Trump inherited or that the 9.1% rate occurred in June 2022, with roughly two-and-a-half years left in Biden’s term.The cumulative increase in prices from the beginning of the Biden administration to the end was also not the highest in US history. Federal figures show that beginning-to-end inflation under Biden was less than half of that during Carter’s term.What Johnson left out of his claim about a congressional resolutionWhile attacking Democrats as extreme, Johnson said: “Just last week, nearly every Democrat in the House of Representatives voted against condemning socialism and Marxism. They voted against it.”But the resolution didn’t use the word “Marxism.” And Johnson didn’t mention that the resolution wasn’t only about condemning socialism. Rather, it contained other language that Democratic leadership said was the focus of the party’s opposition to the resolution.The resolution’s first provision said it “condemns and denounces socialism in all its forms, including the Democratic Socialists of America, and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States.” But its fifth provision said it “calls for enactment of the SAVE America Act,” Trump’s favored elections bill, which contains various provisions opposed by many Democrats.So while it’s very possible many Democrats would have opposed the resolution even without its expression of support for the SAVE America Act, the call to pass this elections bill served as a poison pill that ensured most Democrats wouldn’t support it.“House Resolution 1490 explicitly calls for enactment of the so-called SAVE America Act, which is the top legislative priority of far-right extremists,” Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement last week.A New Mexico candidate left out key context in an attack on his opponentGreg Cunningham, a Republican House candidate in New Mexico, used some of his Thursday speech to criticize his Democratic opponent, Rep. Gabe Vasquez. Cunningham said of Vasquez: “He even voted against a resolution honoring the sacrifices and service of the brave men and women in law enforcement who protect, every day, our communities.”But Cunningham left out important context about the resolution. While its focus was expressing support for law enforcement, its preamble contained statements praising the Trump administration and criticizing “leftist activists,” “progressive politicians” and “sanctuary city policies” for allegedly making law enforcement less safe.In other words, a House member might vote against such a resolution, as the vast majority of Democrats did, because they disagreed with conservative components of it, not the general expressions of support for law enforcement. (CNN has reached out to Vasquez’s campaign and House office for comment on his vote.) It’s common for parties to write resolutions in a way that would make it difficult for opponents to support but would open those opponents to campaign attacks if they voted “no.”An Ohio candidate’s misleading attack about Democrats and votingMerrin, the Republican candidate running against Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur for a House seat in Ohio, claimed in his speech, “While Democrats talk about letting illegal immigrants vote in our election, Republicans fight for proof of citizenship, photo ID and fair elections.”It’s a big country, so it’s possible some Democrat somewhere is talking about letting undocumented people vote in some election. But Merrin’s claim is misleading at best. There is no proposal from Democrats in Congress to let undocumented people vote in the 2026 midterms – the election Merrin appeared to be referring to when he said “our election” – or vote in future federal elections.CNN has reached out to Merrin’s campaign for an explanation of his claim.House Majority Leader Steve Scalise invoked a similar theme in his speech Wednesday, claiming that Democrats had voted last week “to allow illegals to vote in our federal elections.” But there was no congressional vote on letting undocumented immigrants vote in any elections.Rather, there was a vote on the non-binding Republican resolution that included multiple provisions, including one that “reiterates the notion that American elections are for American citizens only,” one supporting Trump’s favored elections bill and one denouncing socialism.Opposing that multi-clause resolution doesn’t necessarily mean someone supports voting by any non-citizens, let alone non-citizens in the country illegally.This article has been updated with additional items.CNN’s Deja Oliver contributed to this report.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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Sep 10 • 9:46 PM EDT • Politics • applevalleynewsnow.com
T-Pain Sues Konvict Entertainment for $489K in Unpaid Royalties, Alleges Contract Breach

T-Pain has filed a lawsuit against Konvict Entertainment in Fulton County Superior Court, seeking $489,047.76 in allegedly unpaid royalties, prejudgment interest, and attorney fees. The complaint, filed on Friday, Sept….

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Sep 10 • 3:58 PM EDT • Entertainment • foxy99.com
MN rabies scare: Health department warns of possible false test results

The Minnesota Department of Health says ASAP Wildlife Services allegedly failed to consistently submit bats for proper rabies testing, leaving some customers in the dark about possible exposures. FOX 9's Corin Hoggard has the latest details.

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Sep 9 • 7:35 PM EDT • Health • fox9.com
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KCK-area school fired employee for talking politics with state rep, lawsuit claims

The employee allegedly told the rep that “trans rights are human rights” and “diverting taxpayer $ to private schools is not right,” the suit says.

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Sep 9 • 5:32 PM EDT • Politics • kansascity.com
Pedophile support chatroom addresses Jim Thornton ‘Wheel of Fortune’ firing

NEW YORK — The organizers of a pedophile support chatroom allegedly visited by former “Wheel of Fortune” announcer Jim Thornton has issued a statement in the wake of his firing.

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Sep 9 • 3:57 PM EDT • Entertainment • recorderonline.com
NFL confirms Puka Nacua is playing in Rams' season opener

Rams receiver Puka Nacua, who allegedly bit a woman on the shoulder during on New Year's Eve, will play in the Rams' opener, according to the NFL.

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Sep 8 • 6:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
REPORT: Man had history of mental health disorders before stabbing fiancée at East Haven apartment

EAST HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — An incident report obtained by News 8 on Tuesday reveals that the suspect in an East Haven stabbing had a history of mental health disorders before allegedly assaulting h…

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Sep 8 • 4:29 PM EDT • Health • wtnh.com
Ohio gubernatorial candidate’s campaign says armed individual lunged at her, with multiple injured

An “armed individual” allegedly lunged at Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton on Sunday and injured several people at an event in Canfield, Ohio, according to Addie Bullock, a spokesperson for her campaign.

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Sep 6 • 5:29 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
Texas doctor loses license for prescribing ‘abortive’ to patient

The doctor allegedly had a sexual relationship with a patient and then prescribed her an “abortive.” Nearly all abortions are illegal in Texas, under a strict abortion ban.

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Sep 4 • 8:41 PM EDT • Health • dallasnews.com
Illinois files suit against ABC Plumbing over alleged deceptive business practices

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit against the home repair company for using allegedly deceptive business practices.

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Sep 4 • 7:10 PM EDT • Business • nbcchicago.com
Missouri candidate allegedly wanted campaign manager to plant cocaine in opponent’s car

The state’s GOP chairman called the allegations “serious and deeply troubling” and said Republican Thomas Christopher Ross should immediately drop out of the race.

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Sep 3 • 8:15 PM EDT • Politics • nbcnews.com
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