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Johnson Shreds Shutdown Lies, GOP Leading on Health Care

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Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) addressed reporters on day six of the ongoing government shutdown, calling out Democrats for what he described as misleading messaging. Johnson argued that Republicans are the ones actively working to fix the nation’s healthcare system, while Democrats are using the issue as a political distraction.

Johnson explained that House Republicans introduced a straightforward continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government funded through November 21. The 24-page measure, which he described as “clean,” contains no policy changes and simply extends existing funding levels. Johnson emphasized that the CR maintains the Biden-era status quo—something Democrats claim to support—but provides additional time to negotiate appropriations.

Despite bipartisan support for the CR in the House, Johnson accused Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) of derailing negotiations by introducing healthcare demands into the conversation. “They created a red herring,” Johnson said, adding that the healthcare debate was always scheduled for later in the year. He pointed to the December 31 expiration of certain tax credits and subsidies as the appropriate timeline for such discussions.

Johnson maintained that Republicans are serious about fixing healthcare and that the issue is not just campaign rhetoric. He referenced the “working families tax cut” as part of a broader Republican healthcare agenda, which includes making care more affordable, increasing access, and improving quality. According to Johnson, GOP lawmakers are actively drafting solutions and plan to advance them in the coming months.

He accused Democrats of attempting to tie healthcare to government funding as a way to regain political momentum, saying their current policy platform lacks popular support. “In his desperation, [Schumer] hastily filed an outrageous counter proposal. It is a wild wish list of big government liberal nonsense that we can’t do,” Johnson stated.

Republicans insist the CR would allow time for substantive debate on healthcare while avoiding a prolonged shutdown. Johnson concluded by reaffirming that the GOP remains focused on responsible governance and real policy solutions.

Wikipedia Scrubs Tablet Report on Anti-Israel Bias

Wikipedia
Wikipedia (Oberon Copeland/@veryinformed via Unsplash)

Wikipedia’s internal newsletter, The Signpost, has deleted references to a Tablet Magazine exposé by journalist Ashley Rindsberg that accused pro-Palestinian editors of smearing Zionism and manipulating Israel-related pages. The removal was executed by a member of Wikipedia’s powerful Arbitration Committee, sparking accusations of censorship and bias within the online encyclopedia.

Rindsberg’s September 3 article, “Wiki Wars,” alleged that a network of roughly 40 editors — many reportedly foreign — had “systematically pushed extreme anti-Zionist narratives,” including editing Israel- and Gaza-related pages to portray Zionism as equivalent to ethnic cleansing. He linked these editors to over 850,000 combined edits across 10,000 articles.

One example Rindsberg cited was the controversial line in Wikipedia’s “Zionism” article claiming that Zionists sought “as few Palestinian Arabs as possible” in establishing a Jewish state — language he said mirrored anti-Israel propaganda. The editor who first inserted the statement was later banned by Wikipedia’s Arbitration Committee for “consistently non-neutral editing.”

After The Signpost included Rindsberg’s reporting in its “In the media” section, the entire entry was later scrubbed. Public edit logs show that the removal was made by an Arbitration Committee member using “oversight” privileges — a rare tool that hides revisions from the public. Former committee member Doug Weller said the deletion was due to “doxing,” though the names Rindsberg mentioned had already been published by reliable outlets such as the Washington Free Beacon.

Tilman Bayer, a former Wikimedia Foundation employee and long-time Signpost contributor, objected to the suppression, warning that it set a dangerous precedent for internal censorship. “Whether we like it or not, Tablet and National Review are widely read,” Bayer wrote. “There is value for the community in being aware of what kind of viewpoints they push — especially as these reports may inform the current congressional investigation into Wikipedia.”

The episode follows a pattern of the site’s moderators removing coverage critical of Wikipedia, including Breitbart News’s reporting on the 2019 banning of a prominent administrator. Critics say the platform applies its “doxing” and sourcing rules selectively — allowing links to pro-Palestinian media like Al Jazeera while banning outlets such as Breitbart and marginalizing sources that highlight antisemitism or bias against Israel.

The controversy comes as the U.S. House Oversight Committee investigates alleged political manipulation on Wikipedia, focusing on potential foreign interference in articles about the Gaza war and Ukraine. Co-founder Larry Sanger has also condemned the growing secrecy of Wikipedia’s top moderators, calling for reform and transparency regarding the site’s “Power 62” — its small cadre of anonymous high-level enforcers.

Kemi Badenoch Faces Backlash in Tory Leadership Poll

Republican, Democrat (Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash)

More bad news has arrived for Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch after a year of grim polling, as new data shows even her own party members doubt she should remain in charge.

As the Tories gather in Manchester for their annual conference, the mood appears bleak. Once the dominant force in British politics, the Conservative Party is now struggling with dwindling membership enthusiasm and half-empty halls — even for senior figures’ speeches.

A new YouGov poll of party members, who would vote in any future leadership contest, found that 50 percent of Conservatives believe Badenoch is not the right person to lead the party into the next election. Only 46 percent think she should stay on.

Despite this, Badenoch remains personally popular among the rank and file. The survey found that both her supporters and those who backed her 2024 rival, Robert Jenrick, view her favorably. But after a year of deep divisions and electoral setbacks, many Tories appear to want a change in direction.

There is currently no clear favorite to replace Badenoch, though Jenrick leads the pack with 37 percent support among members. His steady rise mirrors growing frustration within the party as it struggles to define its post-Brexit identity.

The YouGov poll comes just days after another survey predicted a historic collapse for the Conservatives in the next general election — placing them in fourth, behind Reform UK, Labour, and the Liberal Democrats. Such a result would mark the first time in centuries the Tories failed to rank among Britain’s top two parties.

As YouGov noted, this turmoil is a far cry from the optimism of a year ago, when more than half of Conservatives still believed their next leader would soon be Prime Minister.

White House Blasts SNL Premiere Mocking Trump as “Waste of Time”

Image of White House (Ray Harrington/Unsplash)

The White House brushed off the Saturday Night Live season premiere after the show’s opening sketch mocked President Donald Trump, calling the program a “waste of time.”

The NBC comedy show kicked off its new season with cast member James Austin Johnson reprising his role as Trump, delivering a cold open centered on the former president’s return to power. Johnson’s Trump quipped that he was “just here keeping my eye on SNL,” warning the show’s cast not to be “too mean” about him.

“They better be on their best behavior, otherwise they’re going to have to answer to my attack dog at the FCC, Brendan Carr,” Johnson said, referencing the Federal Communications Commission.

The segment ended with Johnson’s Trump warning the audience, “Daddy’s watching,” before introducing the musical guest.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson responded sharply to the sketch on Sunday, saying the administration had no plans to engage with the show’s political humor.

“Reacting to this would require me to waste my time watching it,” Jackson told reporters. “And like the millions of Americans who have tuned out from SNL, I have more entertaining things to do — like watch paint dry.”

Once considered a cultural institution for political satire, Saturday Night Live has seen declining viewership in recent years, particularly among conservative audiences. The show’s frequent focus on mocking Trump and Republican officials has fueled criticism that it functions more as partisan commentary than comedy.

Despite this, NBC continues to promote SNL as a key player in late-night television, even as many viewers — and apparently the White House — have stopped paying attention.

David Hogg’s PAC Rakes in Millions, Spends Little on Candidates

U.S. Money (Giorgio Trovato/Unsplash)

Democrat activist David Hogg is facing scrutiny after reports revealed that his political action committee, Leaders We Deserve, has raised millions in donations — but spent very little of it directly supporting political candidates.

According to a report from the New York Post, only about $455,000 of the PAC’s funds went to political candidates, with $300,000 of that sum directed to New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, a left-wing Democrat who reportedly didn’t need the support.

Meanwhile, over $2.5 million from Leaders We Deserve went to political consultants, $1.1 million was used for digital advertising, and nearly $965,000 was spent acquiring donor mailing lists. Hogg also reportedly billed donors $5,000 for a personal fitness class subscription.

Hogg launched Leaders We Deserve in 2023, vowing to spend $20 million to challenge moderate Democrats and push the party further left. However, his promise to take down sitting incumbents led to his removal from the Democratic National Committee. Since then, his PAC’s expenditures appear to have benefited consultants and vendors more than the candidates he pledged to support.

The Post described the organization’s finances as typical of Washington’s political ecosystem, where consultants and strategists often reap the rewards of grassroots fundraising efforts. “Washington is a frothing ecosystem of influencers, lobbyists, consultants, politicians, organizers, etc., paying and billing each other in the name of greater causes,” the outlet noted.

Critics argue that Hogg has capitalized on his political fame for personal gain. The 24-year-old activist rose to prominence after the 2018 Parkland school shooting, later parlaying his national profile into a Harvard education, media appearances, and a network of high-dollar donors.

Despite his rhetoric about reforming politics, Leaders We Deserve’s financial trail paints a familiar picture — one where big promises and donor dollars end up fueling self-promotion rather than political change.

OpenAI Reaches Major Deal with Chipmaker

(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

OpenAI and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) have reached a landmark agreement that will see OpenAI using 6 gigawatts to power its artificial intelligence systems. According to CNBC, the agreement may see OpenAI take a 10% stake in AMD.

“We are thrilled to partner with OpenAI to deliver AI compute at massive scale,” said Dr. Lisa Su, Chair and CEO of AMD. “This partnership brings the best of AMD and OpenAI together to create a true win-win enabling the world’s most ambitious AI buildout and advancing the entire AI ecosystem.”

“This partnership is a major step in building the compute capacity needed to realize AI’s full potential,” added Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI. “AMD’s leadership in high-performance chips will enable us to accelerate progress and bring the benefits of advanced AI to everyone faster.”

The deal follows OpenAI partnering with Nvidia in a $100 billion deal for the use of “at least 10 gigawatts of NVIDIA systems for OpenAI’s next-generation AI infrastructure to train and run its next generation of models on the path to deploying superintelligence,” the tech company said in September.

OpenAI’s agreements are the latest in a string of partnerships secured in recent months.

In July, OpenAI entered into a strategic partnership with the UK government for the deployment of AI through “justice, defence and security, and education,” the government said at the time. In June, the company was awarded a $200,000,000 contract with the War Department, a move that the agency said will center on the development of “prototype frontier AI capabilities to address critical national security challenges in both warfighting and enterprise domains.”

Chicago Establishes ‘ICE Free Zone’

(Photo by Audrey Richardson/Getty Images)

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) signed an executive order Monday prohibiting federal immigration officials from using city property during their activities.

“We will not tolerate ICE agents violating our residents’ constitutional rights nor will we allow the federal government to disregard our local authority,” Johnson said in a statement on the executive order. “ICE agents are detaining elected officials, tear-gassing protestors, children, and Chicago police officers, and abusing Chicago residents. We will not stand for that in our city. With this Executive Order, Chicago stands firm in protecting the Constitutional rights of our residents and immigrant communities and upholding our democracy.”

The order prohibits immigration officials from using a “city-owned and controlled parking lot, vacant lot, or garage” as a base for immigration enforcement. It further allows “private landowners and leaseholders” to display signage delineating “non-public areas of the property in which the landowner or leaseholder wishes to restrict activities related to civil immigration enforcement.”

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin condemned the order, stating that Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker “refused to allow the local police department to give our officers back up at the scene of a law enforcement attack—a growing and violent crowd began throwing rocks at our law enforcement, yet their chief of patrol ordered their officers not to help.”

She said the mayor’s policies “not only endanger our law enforcement but [also] public safety. While he continues to release pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and murderers onto Chicago’s streets, our brave law enforcement will continue to risk their lives—without pay—to arrest these heinous criminals and make Chicago safe again.”

Amgen Follows Trump’s Call to Put Patients Before Profits

(Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Amgen announced that it will offer discounted, direct-to-consumer sales of the injectable drug Repatha, used to treat high cholesterol.

“In support of the Trump Administration’s efforts to lower drug prices for Americans, Repatha will be available through AmgenNow at a monthly price of $239, nearly 60% lower than the current U.S. list price,” the company said in a statement. The direct-to-patient price is the “lowest among the economically developed (G-7) countries and is being offered exclusively for the first time to U.S. patients,” Amgen added.

Murdo Gordon, executive vice president of Global Commercial Operations at Amgen, said the company is “committed to finding new ways to help patients benefit from our medicines.”

“Repatha has already helped more than 5 million patients, and the AmgenNow program will make it easier for uninsured patients or those who choose to pay out-of-pocket to access treatment,” Gordon added. “This will allow even more Americans at increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events to benefit from this effective medicine.”

Amgen’s decision follows one made by Pfizer, which made an agreement with the Trump administration to “bring American drug prices in line with the lowest paid by other developed nations,” a White House fact sheet explains. The agreement further “ensures foreign nations can no longer use price controls to freeride on American innovation by guaranteeing [most-favored nation] prices on all new innovative medicines Pfizer brings to market.”

Pfizer is also required to “repatriate increased foreign revenue on existing products that Pfizer realizes as a result of the President’s strong America First U.S. trade policies for the benefit of American patients.”

U.S. Sanctions Fentanyl Network Supporting Cartel

drug
Drugs (freestocks/Unsplash)

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned eight Mexican individuals and twelve companies based in Mexico that are connected to the Sinaloa Cartel. The sanctioned entities supply illicit fentanyl precursor chemicals to the cartel’s Los Chapitos faction.

“Over 500,000 Americans have died of fentanyl poisoning,” Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley said in a statement. “President Trump has made clear that stopping the deadly flow of drugs into our country is a top national security priority. Under Secretary Bessent’s leadership, the Treasury Department is committed to dismantling the complex financial networks that support these terrorist organizations.”

According to the Treasury Department, Los Chapitos have “consistently procured precursor chemicals, overseen illicit laboratories, and managed drug distribution.”

In February, the State Department designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. The State Department described the entity as “one of the world’s most powerful drug cartels and is one of the largest producers and traffickers of fentanyl and other illicit drugs to the United States.” It has used “violence to murder, kidnap, and intimidate civilians, government officials, and journalists.” 

Similarly, a $10 million reward was offered for two fugitive leaders of Los Chapitos, Archivaldo Ivan Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar.

“Los Chapitos is a powerful, hyperviolent faction of the Sinaloa Cartel at the forefront of fentanyl trafficking into the United States,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in June. “At the Department of the Treasury, we are executing on President Trump’s mandate to completely eliminate drug cartels and take on violent leaders like ‘El Chapo’s’ children. Treasury is maximizing all available tools to stop the fentanyl crisis and help save lives.”

Defensor del control de armas y profesor de Harvard arrestado frente a una sinagoga en Yom Kipur con una pistola de perdigones

Harvard University
Harvard University (Somesh Kesarla Suresh/Unsplash)

Un profesor visitante de la Facultad de Derecho de Harvard, conocido por su activismo a favor del control de armas, fue arrestado el miércoles por la noche después de disparar una pistola de perdigones cerca de una sinagoga en Massachusetts durante Yom Kipur. El incidente ha llamado la atención por la ironía de que un destacado activista contra las armas enfrente ahora cargos relacionados con ellas.

Carlos Portugal Gouvea, descrito por la Facultad de Derecho de Harvard como un “activista de derechos humanos” que ayudó a aprobar la histórica Ley de Control de Armas de 2003 de Brasil, fue detenido después de que la policía respondiera a reportes de disparos cerca del Templo Beth Zion en Brookline, Massachusetts. Los agentes arrestaron a Gouvea tras un “breve forcejeo físico”, según las autoridades, y más tarde encontraron un automóvil con una ventana rota en las cercanías. Gouvea dijo a la policía que estaba “usando el rifle de perdigones para cazar ratas en la zona.” Las autoridades determinaron que no estaba apuntando a la sinagoga.

El historial de Gouvea resalta la ironía del arresto. En su país natal, Brasil, donde las leyes de armas son de las más estrictas del mundo, cofundó el Instituto Sou da Paz, que lideró la campaña por amplias restricciones a las armas de fuego. Su organización defendió la constitucionalidad de la ley ante los tribunales, ayudando a consolidar el registro nacional de armas de Brasil.

Harvard confirmó que Gouvea ha sido puesto “en licencia administrativa mientras la universidad busca conocer más sobre el caso.”

En Harvard, Gouvea ha impartido cursos como “Capitalismo Sostenible” y “Corrupción e Inequidad”. No respondió a las solicitudes de comentarios del Washington Free Beacon.

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