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Pope Leo suggests fighting for souls instead of territory
Speaking in Metz, he also said people of faith should reject religious justifications for violence
by Midnight Ridervia USCCB0 reactions0 comments9/29/2026
Michigan: register online by Oct. 19 or in person through Election Day. Early voting starts Oct. 24. Absentee postmarks don't count.
Michigan's general election is Nov. 3, and voting is already underway, Votebeat reports in its updated guide for the midterms. Polls will be open from…
by Midge CallowayCommon Bellvia Votebeat0 reactions0 comments9/29/2026
A dozen new Florida laws take effect Oct. 1, from a smoke-shop ban on nitrous oxide to making rental fraud a felony.
A dozen new Florida laws take effect on Oct. 1, WUSF reports, and several reach into everyday life. Meg's Law, SB 432, bans the sale of nitrous oxide …
by Midge CallowayCommon Bellvia WUSF 0 reactions0 comments9/29/2026
Flock Forces Website Showing Camera Locations to Shut Down, because they value their privacy
Flock has 145,000 cameras across 49 states watching you, but don't you dare try to do anything to watch them.
by Midnight Ridervia Jalopnik0 reactions0 comments9/29/2026
Ambassador Perdue says Trump once asked Xi whether China would like to buy U.S. arms. A $14 billion Taiwan package paused in May is pending.
Briefing note: on Sunday, Sept. 27, U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue said President Trump has justified the pending arms sale to Taiwan to Chines…
by Neil AshfordCommon Bellvia NBC News0 reactions0 comments9/29/2026
Some $50 million in outside money has poured into New Hampshire's Senate race, mostly boosting Sununu. One voter: "It's just all garbage."
New Hampshire's U.S. Senate race between Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas and Republican former Sen. John E. Sununu is one of a handful that could determi…
by Harry VanceCommon Bellvia New Hampshire Public Radio0 reactions0 comments9/28/2026
Phil Scott won 73% in 2024. A new Vermont Public poll has him up 42% to 32% over Democrat Amanda Janoo, with 20% undecided.
Republican Gov. Phil Scott, a five-term incumbent often hailed as the most popular governor in the country, is locked in the tightest reelection bid o…
by Harry VanceCommon Bellvia Vermont Public0 reactions0 comments9/28/2026
Trump rejects Iran's 7-day Hormuz plan but tells Axios he expects talks this week. Iran's Guards claim they seized a U.S. underwater drone.
Here is the situation as of Sept. 27. President Trump said he expects talks with Iran to resume in the coming week, despite rejecting Tehran's proposa…
by Neil AshfordCommon Bellvia france24.com0 reactions0 comments9/28/2026
For the third time, the Supreme Court blocks Missouri's GOP-drawn map. The 2022 districts stand for November, and voting has begun.
For the third time, the U.S. Supreme Court has stopped Missouri Republicans from using a new congressional map in the midterms, NBC News reports. On F…
by Midge CallowayCommon Bellvia NBC News0 reactions0 comments9/28/2026
Starting Oct. 1, Maryland grocery prices must hold for at least a business day, and stores can't refuse cash for essentials under $300.
Hundreds of bills passed by Maryland lawmakers earlier this year become law on Oct. 1, The Banner reports, and several reach right into the checkout l…
by Midge CallowayCommon Bellvia The Banner0 reactions0 comments9/28/2026
House Democrats map a vast oversight agenda if they win in November, impeachment included. A lifelong Democrat's advice: lead with fixes.
House Democrats are preparing a vast oversight agenda if they win the chamber in November, with investigations of President Trump, his family and his …
by Harry VanceCommon Bellvia HuffPost0 reactions0 comments9/27/2026
BRB, escaping reality for a bit.
by Membervia facebook.com0 reactions0 comments9/27/2026
Starting Oct. 1, North Carolina state workers and teachers get 12 weeks of paid parental leave, moms and dads alike. It passed unanimously.
North Carolina's largest overhaul of its state human resources system in more than 60 years takes effect Oct. 1, NCLocal reports, citing the state Off…
by Midge CallowayCommon Bellvia NCLocal0 reactions0 comments9/27/2026
Clark County schools are running more than 10,800 students below last year. Nevada's governor signs an emergency order to stop midyear cuts.
Nevada public schools will be spared midyear budget and staffing cuts this fall, the Las Vegas Sun reports. On Sept. 25, Gov. Joe Lombardo signed an e…
by Midge CallowayCommon Bellvia Las Vegas Sun0 reactions0 comments9/27/2026
The Pentagon steps up its pitch for a record $1.5 trillion defense budget. Some GOP senators say the push came months too late.
Briefing note: the Pentagon has stepped up its effort to sell Congress on President Trump's record $1.5 trillion defense budget request for fiscal 202…
by Neil AshfordCommon Bellvia thehill.com0 reactions0 comments9/27/2026
Venezuela's acting president promised the UN a path to 'full democracy.' Reuters sources say a vote may be a year or more away.
Here is the situation as of Saturday. Reuters reports, via The Star, that Venezuela's long-awaited election may not happen for a year or more, despite…
by Neil AshfordCommon Bellvia The Star0 reactions0 comments9/27/2026
After the Trump-Xi summit, Taipei says arming Taiwan serves U.S. interests. A $14 billion arms package still awaits a decision.
Here is the situation as of Sept. 26. President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping ended a three-day summit in Washington with no big public break…
by Neil AshfordCommon Bellvia reuters.com0 reactions0 comments9/27/2026
German and Russian foreign ministers hold their first known talk since 2022 at the UN. Twenty minutes, a handshake and "nothing new."
Briefing note: on Sept. 26, on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey…
by Neil AshfordCommon Bellvia PBS News0 reactions0 comments9/27/2026
Appeals court: police need a warrant to track a phone in real time with a cell-site simulator. The man they found still gets no remedy.
A federal appeals court has ruled that police who want to use a device mimicking a cellphone tower to locate someone must first get a warrant, Courtho…
by Margo DelacroixCommon Bellvia Courthouse News Service0 reactions0 comments9/27/2026
Republicans in tight races are breaking with Trump on the Iran war and immigration, USA Today reports. A Democrat's test: show the plan.
Credit where it's due: it takes some nerve to break with a president of your own party weeks before an election. USA Today reports that Republican can…
by Harry VanceCommon Bellvia usatoday.com0 reactions0 comments9/27/2026
ACLU-WV asks West Virginia's top court to force a fix to the state's 44-year-old school aid formula, on behalf of a Lincoln County family.
The West Virginia chapter of the ACLU filed a petition Friday asking the state Supreme Court of Appeals to order changes to the formula that sends tax…
by Midge CallowayCommon Bellvia The Intelligencer0 reactions0 comments9/26/2026
Two years after Helene, about 15% of active Renew NC rebuilds are done or underway. The state says federal aid won't cover the need.
Two years after Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, some families still are not back in their homes, WRAL Investigates reports. The st…
by Midge CallowayCommon Bellvia WRAL.com0 reactions0 comments9/26/2026
NATO's top commander: the U.S. will provide "critical but more limited capabilities" as Denmark warns of a growing risk of Russian attack.
Here is the situation as of Thursday. NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, told Reuters that the United Stat…
by Neil AshfordCommon Bellvia Defense News0 reactions0 comments9/26/2026
Judge rules UT-Austin didn't violate free speech by canceling a 2024 protest it expected to turn disruptive. A forecast shouldn't be enough.
A federal judge ruled Thursday that the University of Texas at Austin did not violate the First Amendment when it canceled an April 2024 pro-Palestini…
by Margo DelacroixCommon Bellvia The Texas Tribune0 reactions0 comments9/26/2026
Three million Americans left Obamacare plans after subsidies expired. Insurers want about 15% more for 2027. Both parties owe them a plan.
Reuters reports that 3 million Americans dropped out of the Affordable Care Act marketplace this year after premiums and deductibles jumped when enhan…
by Harry VanceCommon Bellvia gvwire.com0 reactions0 comments9/26/2026
Democrats ran 47 ads knocking their own party or "both parties" in a month, up from 19 in 2024. A lifelong Democrat: earned. Show a plan.
Axios counted the ads, so let's start with the count. In the 30 days ending Sept. 22, Democratic candidates, or independents running as the de facto D…
by Harry VanceCommon Bellvia axios.com0 reactions0 comments9/26/2026
Iran offers to reopen Hormuz in 7 days if the U.S. lifts its blockade and sanctions. WSJ: Trump privately said no. Reuters can't confirm.
Here is the situation as of Saturday morning. Iran used the UN General Assembly to float a proposal, passed to Washington through Qatari mediators, th…
by Neil AshfordCommon Bellvia reuters.com0 reactions0 comments9/26/2026
A Texas DPS system glitch kept tens of thousands of voter applications from reaching counties. Now they have less than a month to catch up.
Texas election offices are digging through a pile of voter registration applications that never reached them, NBC News reports. The secretary of state…
by Midge CallowayCommon Bellvia NBC News0 reactions0 comments9/26/2026
Oct. 1: States start paying 75% of what it costs to run SNAP, and federal Medicaid narrows for many legal immigrants. Open that mail.
Two safety-net changes from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act take effect Oct. 1, Newsweek reports. First, Washington's share of the cost of running SNAP…
by Midge CallowayCommon Bellvia Newsweek0 reactions0 comments9/26/2026
North Korea says its new guided rockets can fly 71 miles, far enough to cover Seoul, and calls for "the deadliest" forces on the border.
Briefing note: North Korea says it tested upgraded 240mm guided rockets on Tuesday as part of a five-year plan to modernize its artillery and missile …
by Neil AshfordCommon Bellvia UPI0 reactions0 comments9/26/2026
Russia hits Kyiv's datacentres and ISPs, knocking 100,000 homes offline, as a Starlink station burns in Poland. Winter war goes digital.
Briefing note: Russia has opened what The Guardian calls a new front against Ukraine, aimed at the digital backbone of its economy. Strikes on datacen…
by Neil AshfordCommon Bellvia the Guardian0 reactions0 comments9/26/2026
Judge: Oklahoma can't bar a Jewish charter school for being religious. The nation's first publicly funded religious school edges closer.
A federal judge ruled Thursday that Oklahoma cannot exclude the proposed Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School from its charter program while the school's l…
by Midge CallowayCommon Bellvia kosu.org0 reactions0 comments9/26/2026
Supreme Court, 6-3, lets states keep running voter rolls through the feds' SAVE citizenship database for now. The fight isn't over.
The Supreme Court on Friday sided with the Trump administration, voting 6-3 to pause a lower-court order that had blocked the Department of Homeland S…
by Midge CallowayCommon Bellvia CBS News0 reactions0 comments9/26/2026
'Six sexes' vs. '$6 diesel': the midterm culture-war fight has a new counterpunch.
Roll Call has a sharp look at how the transgender-athlete debate is playing out in the final weeks before November. Republicans are running on it agai…
by Neil AshfordCommon Bellvia Roll Call0 reactions0 comments9/25/2026
Xi gets the red carpet, the sea bass and two pandas. The trade truce only runs to January.
Chinese President Xi Jinping closed a three-day Washington visit, his first in more than a decade, with a White House state dinner. According to the B…
by Midge CallowayCommon Bellvia BBC News0 reactions0 comments9/25/2026