This is regarding the seemingly lynched black man in Mississippi:

Tyler Robinson is ex-Mormon. That really explains everything to me about the motive and character of this assassination. The family is Mormon and active in the local church still, and the rat father is LDS.

For those who did not grow up in the LDS church, it is fairly all-consuming. You spend 3 hours on Sunday at Church, ~2 hour each Wednesday at Youth Group, ~5 hours per week at Seminary before school, ~2 hours cleaning the church once a month or so, time doing service, time doing your assigned roles in the church as it's all unpaid lay clergy. You hang out with Mormons all day every day. You have a certain certainty as you have the "gift of the holy ghost" which is basically deputized emotions given prophetic power, what you feel is always right. There is huge emphasis on the church being true, the only true church, with very specific rites and rituals that are required. This instills them a deep idealistic and romantic outlook, symbolic things are very real and materialism is a thing of the world. There are literal truths about existence that they have access to, the earthly world was one realm of many and they would eventually become Gods.

They are also very much into gun culture and vigilante non-government violence, as seen by the dudes who occupied the Malheur refuge in Oregon and the entire hundreds year history of Utah and their clashes with the US government, the native peoples they occupied and even just non-Mormon white settlers (Look up Mountain Meadow Massacre for starts, that's the tip of the iceberg).

It's not that they're "rebellious". They are very obsequious and subservient to authority. They just believe the authority of the world is mostly fake, or secondary, to the authority of the church and the prophet and Mormon material interests as a whole. Remember, Mormons are very rich and powerful and connected in Utah especially. Remember, the entire goal of their stated theology is to become Gods by accruing wives and children and obeying authority until they are rewarded.

When you first become ex-Mormon and leave the church, it doesn't come off all at once. For some, they only partially do it and become Jack Mormons, drinking and sinning and doing drugs but maybe attending church once in a while when your active Mormon friends come pick you up. But those who break more radically are often pissed off and angry at the lies they've been fed their whole lives, justifiably so. However, they still feel that there is an absolute truth, have a very idealistic and romantic outlook and very violent outlook that shirks popular opinion and widespread culture as shallow and material.

I remember when I went through the nu-Atheist phase of my early ex-Mormondom, I consumed hours of atheist "philosophy" on YouTube and forums and chats. I was in college and also taking philosophy 101 classes and my mind was being blown. I was moving to the left, very pissed and rebellious against the Bush-era conservatism of my father and family. I could see if I was familiar in hunting and handling guns I might just do something stupid out of the "principle" of the thing, if caught in a weird mood. This is like radliberalism times one hundred. Mormons are the most American religion, and an ex-Mormon is the most American radical.

The Israeli occupation of Gaza city, "Operation Iron Fist" has just begun. An initial division of the IDF/IOF have entered Gaza city, with close air support being provided by aircraft continuously landing and taking off according to Israel. Yes, Israel are actually planning to invade and occupy the entirety of the Gaza strip, including Gaza city, which they have not done so yet. They have now pulled the trigger on this plan, after much speculation.

Source, xcancel

Axios also reporting on it

Canada has imprisoned an autistic man for 4 years in federal prison despite not being found guilty of any crime

They literally just locked his ass up because they shut down the abusive health centre where he was previously being "cared for". I'm surprised they didn't try and use ~~aktion T4~~ MAID on him.

shit like this is why I'm going undiagnosed

🫡

Humanitarian aid driver kills two Israeli military personnel at Allenby crossing

There was apparently a meeting of 250 US lawmakers in israel today. I have yet to be able to find a list of the names though. If anyone finds it, I would be greatly appreciative

https://archive.ph/lou3K

Spain pulls the plug on $823 million Israeli-backed rocket launcher deal

Spain appears to have cancelled a €697 million ($823 million) contract for the acquisition of the High Mobility Rocket Launcher System (SILAM), developed from Israeli firm Elbit Systems’ Precise and Universal Rocket Launcher (PLUS) design.

This is in Kamala's new book, I could swear that she did say exactly this multiple times...?!?!?

[edit] IIRC, she was asked on the View what the biggest difference between a Biden and Harris admin would be and Kamala said that she'd have at least one Republican in her cabinet!

Trump's polling is fucking disastrous right now.

How bad is it? Even white people and rich people are negative.

Overall: -13

By race

By age

By income:

Also there's a bunch of questions in there about political violence and Charlie Kirk. One interesting tidbit is that Harris voters are 15% more likely to say political violence is sometimes justified than Trump voters. Another interesting one is if people feel like we are at a "significant turning point in American politics", and 67% of respondents said yes. Whites were more likely than Blacks or Hispanics to say that, but everyone is in the majority.

There's also a bunch of issue-specific polling on Trump's presidency. Jobs/economy, inflation/prices, immigration, civil rights, crime, and guns. He's negative on every single issue. Some by small margins (immigration, crime) and some by huge margins (economy, inflation). 60% of people disapprove of his handling of Epstein.

Despite all this, the Democrats still have worse approval than the Republicans! 60% of respondents describe them as ineffective compared to 35% who say the same for Republicans. The two party system is creaky and weak right now.

queer harmer tanking it like a champ 💪burying labour for a generation or hopefully longer.

Who would the turgidity of labour elect as their face next? wall streeting?

The special counsel investigating former first lady Kim Keon Hee has requested an arrest warrant for Unification Church leader Hak Ja Han Moon.

Senate Democrats voted unanimously to create a "National Day of Remembrance" for Charlie Kirk, fearing that not voting for the resolution would be a "messaging coup" for Republicans.

https://www.axios.com/2025/09/18/charlie-kirk-national-day-remembrance-senate

Put a fork in it, we're done here lmao

4 Israeli soldiers got smoked in Rafah source

Trump says he bombed another Venezuelan vessel on international waters.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/15/trump-says-us-struck-another-venezuelan-drug-vessel-killing-three

Yesterday in Vienna thousands came together for Palestine. The police claim 3,500 people attended, while the organisers say closer to 20,000, whatever the exact number, the energy was undeniable. Great people stood side by side in solidarity. The media is already twisting the story to delegitimise the protest, but their spin won’t last. Justice will prevail, and those who tried to silence this movement will one day be held accountable. FREE FREE PALESTINE.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_involvement_in_regime_change

Funny how NATOpedia extensively lists and documents many of the regime change activities of the 20th century, and even some from 2000-2020 but then they mysteriously peter off and disappear. Did you know that the US was doing an average of one regime change operation per year for a century and then just stopped suddenly? How strange!

Liberals actually believe this.

It is funny that there might be a government shutdown in ~10 days and it is barely being covered by the media. In short, health insurers have already revealed that the price for health insurance is going up by around ~15% next year. But that is only if Congress extends enhanced ACA subsidies, if not, health insurance for a lot of people on the ACA exchanges could go up by like 100%. The GOP House passed a government funding bill without those subsidies. The Senate Dems killed the bill (44-48) in the Senate. My guess is that House Republicans are just waiting for the Senate Dems to surrender?

Great news! https://archive.ph/3At7r

Bad News: North Korea Is Having a ‘Moment’

North Korea’s Economic Boom

North Korea has long been thought of as one of the world’s leading economic basket cases, but it appears to have found a formula for economic growth: Military help for Russia in its war with Ukraine. According to Reuters, North Korea has posted its fastest pace of growth in eight years, according to figures released by South Korea’s Bank of Korea (BOK). The country’s economy grew by 3.7 percent, the report said. This represented the highest rate of growth for North Korea since it jumped 3.9 percent in 2016. The gains, Reuters said, were “backed by expanded economic ties with Russia.”

pls mr. china don't lib out, pls (dogshit source, so maybe 2hrs later some updates will arrive)

Germany announced 125,000 industrial job cuts in 6 weeks. Congratulations to them! They worked hard for this.

Auto & Auto Supplier: 110k

Steel & Heavy Industry: 11k (~40% of the total workforce)

Rail & Transport: 35k

Other (logistic, tech, finance): ~15k

wake up babe, fresh strong condemnation coming up

Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has been ordered deported to Syria or Algeria after the Trump administration targeted him for political speech critical of Israel.

Basically, the judge said that he doesn't have any evidence against Rubio's statement that Khalil is a threat to national security, so he will just go along with Rubio's claim.

This happened on the 18th of September, it was posted here when it happened before details were known so I wanted to share it a little. No spoiler but CW for stalking and description of the shooting.

Deadly York County shootout that left three officers and suspect dead | Motive, how it happened

Authorities release names of 3 police officers killed in Pennsylvania shooting: Updates

The shooter was stalking a young woman who he briefly dated, went to the farm where her and her mother lived, and was waiting in ambush. They had put up a trail cam because the daughter's truck had been set on fire last month and they suspected the man, who had never been to the farm or invited there previously. They spotted him on the trail cam so they left and called the police.

The cops got there and swept the area and the surrounding fields with a drone, saw the house was unlocked so four of them went in and were immediately ambushed, leaving 3 dead and 1 wounded. The shooter fired at two sheriff's deputies in the street from the house, wounding one, then it sounds like he advanced on them and died in a shootout.

Guy definitely would've killed the woman and her mom if they'd been home or returned first. Guy killed dog in the basement.

This was all pretty depressing IMO. The district attorney correctly said this was caused by the scourge of domestic violence. Attorney general Pam Bondi called it an attack on our law enforcement, which whatever, fash is gonna fash. At the press conference Gov. Josh Shapiro said something about doing better for mental health for people who think picking up a gun is the answer - that bit really stuck in my craw. This is a typical line from politicians who don't want to grapple with gun violence, it is weasely in general but applying it to a DV situation was upsetting to me.

Also, spoiler because this sounds like

Dutch parliament wants to follow U.S. example and label Antifa a terrorist organization

Funny how I read like dozens and dozens of posts of americans/brits planning to seek refuge in the EU. Sweety, soon, there isnt going to be a place to run any more.

Spicy shit is happening internally in Your Party:

Interestingly I do not have an email from that morning, so whatever it was that they believe got sent out to all members did not reach me nor did it reach my spam box.

EDIT: Alright I think I'm up to speed now.

Allegedly Corbyn's faction were going to go ahead with a membership announcement without Sultana's approval, using the finance systems from his faction's backers, rather than hers. Allegedly her side having the finances and Corbyn's side having the mailing lists/info from PJP was part of the balance and this would have put all the material elements of the party under the Corbyn faction's control so this was a last minute attempt to prevent a coup.

This is why she was excluded from the signatures on the above email (cut off in my shitty crop)

Her statement is:

So basically, what looked like a data breach is actually factional infighting.

Trots are being trots. You wonder why I hate trots so much when they do this shit in every single org.

TL;DR: One party leader is accusing the other party leader of fraud while one party leader accuses the other of sexism.

My personal odds are over 50% that this kills the party completely.

In this time of de-industrialization and continuing failure of military industry to actually deliver new tech on time, you know what the military needs? That's right, to become just like Silicon Valley, well known for the quality of the things they produce! https://archive.ph/xFIe2

Army adopts venture capital model to speed tech to soldiers

The U.S. Army is rolling out a new initiative, dubbed Fuze, that leaders say will overhaul how the service invests in technology by borrowing from Silicon Valley’s venture capital playbook. The service is betting that venture-style risk-taking can shave years off procurement timelines and will determine whether Silicon Valley speed can mesh with Pentagon scale.

Resistance in Gaza has announced its intention to start actively targeting collaborators. Since then, a member of Yasser Abu Shabab’s Zionist gang has been executed

https://t.me/PalCommieChat/4710

TikTok Buyers Group to Include Oracle, Silver Lake, Andreessen

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-09-16/tiktok-buyers-group-to-include-oracle-silver-lake-andreessen

Humpty Dumpty is in control

Apparently 2026 elections have been canceled in Wholesome Democratic Ukraine.

‼️ Iran's Supreme National Security Council anmounces that Tehran will suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) after Britain, France, and Germany pushed to reinstate UN sanctions, and the Security Council voted against permanently lifting them.

Pez got again

This sounds like absolutely major changes in the Chinese model being announced by Xi.

"Rectifying disorderly low-price competition among enterprises" is probably the most important one. It sounds like something of the order of "houses are for living, not for speculation", the expression Xi used to announce the deflation of the real estate bubble.

Xi is saying he wants an end to "involution" ("内卷", Neijuan), a term he mentions several times in his text, and which is very trendy in China right now. Probably the best translation for it is not actually "involution" but more something akin to "rat race", "race to the bottom" or "destructive, zero-sum competition". It doesn't only relate to businesses, but also to social issues in China like the extreme competition for education, the 996 culture, the feeling of running faster and faster just to stay in the same place.

It's true that when you look at the current extreme competition in business, it makes everyone worse off: for instance China leads the world in solar because of this competition but when you look at it individual companies' margins are razor thin, making this quite the pyrrhic victory for individual Chinese companies.

Same thing for education for instance, where you need ever-higher degrees for the same jobs. What once required a bachelor's now needs a master's; everyone studies harder but no one is better off.

To call changing all this "major" is even an understatement given how deeply embedded these competitive dynamics are in all layers of Chinese society and economy. This isn't just tweaking policy at the margins: this is a bit like trying to transform a Formula 1 race into a marathon while the cars are still on the track. He's right that this is more and more of a problem in Chinese society but at the same time much of China's current architecture is built around this hypercompetitive model.

What Xi promotes instead is "high-quality development" which, when it comes to business, means innovation and differentiation rather than price wars, sustainable margins and market consolidation.

He doesn't touch much in his article about the social changes this implies but we got a preview about what that could mean a couple of years ago when China banned the tutoring industry - an attempt to break the education arms race where parents were outcompeting each others to give their kids every possible edge, which wasn't good for the kids and the families' wallets. A typical example of "Neijuan."

Let's see how this all materializes but the one thing is sure: the level of ambition here is staggering, even by Chinese standards.

Federal Reserve cuts US interest rates for first time since December The Guardian

The US Federal Reserve cut interest rates on Wednesday, its first rate cut since December, as the central bank moved to stabilize a wobbling labor market even as Donald Trump’s tariffs continue to push up prices.

Rates are now at a range of 4% to 4.25% – the lowest since November 2022. But the decision is unlikely to satisfy Trump, who has lambasted the Fed for acting “too late” and called for a far bigger cut.

“Job gains have slowed and the downside risks to unemployment have risen,” Fed chair Jerome Powell said during a closely watched press conference. At the same time, he warned, inflation has picked up.

It is “reasonable” to expect Trump’s tariffs will lead to “a one-time shift” in prices, Powell suggested. “But it is also possible that the inflationary effects could instead be more persistent, and that is a risk to be assessed and managed,” he said. “Our obligation is to ensure that a one-time increase in the price level does not become an ongoing inflation problem.”

Simultaneously, China sells TikTok.

Here’s what I wrote 8 months ago when Biden was going to ban TikTok:

Just last month, Fed’s Powell released more mixed signals, citing uncertainty in inflation and said that the Fed may only cut once or twice in 2025. Of course, interest rate has very little to do with inflation in the US, but it should be seen as an imperialist tool that controls foreign economies.

So Trump has a lot of leverage here: if he can get the Fed to cut more rates this year, then the PBOC can also cut their rates, this will then allow the local governments to borrow at an even lower interest to pay back their outstanding debt, and thus bringing huge relief to their current budgetary situations. Here, you can see how the Fed’s interest rate directly impacts China’s local government finances.

This is just one weapon the US can use. Tariffs, sanctions, interest rates are all “threats” that can be negotiated down if China gives in to what the US wants. What we will have to wait and see is how Trump and Xi deal with these issues in their ensuing negotiations.

Trump finally got the Fed to cut rate. China sells TikTok to hold up their part of the bargain. Read the linked comment above for full analysis. Much of it still holds up despite the shifting dynamics in the global economy and geopolitical tension over the months.

The US and China will continue to maneuver and maximize the leverage of their bargaining chips in the negotiations, until a new status quo emerges.

All this continues to imply that there is no decoupling between the two countries, despite what many wish to happen. As usual, the Global South continues to be screwed. But perhaps the biggest loser here is Europe, who will be forced to purchase American goods and de-industrialize themselves.

STOP THE COUNT!!

Bureau of Labor Statistics postpones key data report

The UK, Canada and Australia officially recognise a Palestinian state

Of course doesn’t mean anything if he’s (Keir in this instance) still gonna give weapons to Israel and wants a two state solution, but I’m gonna admit that I’m surprised he followed through at all, I kinda expected him to either stall or break this promise

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Sunday that the United Kingdom was formally recognizing a Palestinian state and reviving hope for a two-state solution, in step with Australia and Canada.

In the face of growing horror in the Middle East, Starmer said, the UK was acting to keep alive the possibility of peace.

Starmer said that recognition was not a reward for Hamas, as Israel has claimed. The UK’s call for a two-state solution meant that Hamas could have no future, he said.

Germany's AfD first in polls

Polling conducted from 12.09.–15.09, by YouGov.

^17.09.2025^

Photo by Oliver Mueller: "Our Land First!".

Polling results:

AfD – 27% (+2)

CDU/CSU – 26% (-1)

SPD – 15% (+1)

GRÜNE – 11% (-1)

LINKE – 9% (-1)

BSW – 5% (≈)

FDP – 4% (+1)

Zarah Sultana has tabled an Early Day Motion calling for a ban on landlords serving as MPs.

Tweet

Im still not up to date with the internal drama of the your party but Sultana seems cool

Maduro has consistently argued that his assassination would not lead to the "liberation" his enemies desire, but to a terrifying and uncontrollable escalation of conflict. In multiple speeches and interviews following the 2018 Drone Attack, he and his government have articulated a clear hypothesis: his removal by force would trigger a radicalization of the Bolivarian Revolution, far exceeding his own leadership in intensity. The core of this argument is a warning to his adversaries: I am the one holding back the floodgates. What comes after me will be much worse for you.

• Telegram

seem to arrive faster

B-21 rollout nears as China boasts it can shoot it down

The US Air Force has doubled its B-21 Raider test fleet, flying a second prototype in a milestone that signals faster progress toward its next-generation nuclear and conventional strike arm.

This month, multiple media sources reported that the US Air Force confirmed the maiden flight of its second B-21 stealth bomber, marking a significant milestone in testing the next-generation aircraft.

My take from the Iran bombing was that these stealth bombers are the most dangerous single weapon the US has because nobody has any capacity to defend against them. @MarmiteLover123@hexbear.net lemme know if that assessment is whack, but it's certainly how things looked to me following your discussions there.

But Xi says that he's got what it takes to down these things:

As development continues, China has already begun gaming out counters. In November 2023, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that Chinese researchers from Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xian simulated an air battle between the B-21 and its latest fighter and drone technologies, resulting in the aircraft’s shoot-down. The simulation was published in the peer-reviewed journal Acta Aeronautica et Astronautica Sinica.

According to SCMP, a Chinese supersonic stealth fighter with a “conformal skin” capable of detecting the subsonic B-21’s heat and electrical signals, along with a loyal wingman drone, launched an air-to-air hypersonic missile at the B-21.

From there the article just goes into gaming out actual nuclear war which is fucking terrifying to see discussed so casually. While the cold rationality of the Kissinger-era empire was more effective, it never really seemed like they'd actually nuke someone.