Author: HP McLovincraft

Seeker of rabbit holes. Pessimist. Libertine. Contrarian. Your huckleberry. Possibly true tales of sanity-blasting horror also known as abject reality. Prepare yourself. Veteran of a thousand psychic wars. I have seen the fnords. Deplatformed on Tumblr and Twitter.

Iran-Backed Houthis Kill American in Saudi Airport Strike

The Iranian regime’s proxies continue to murder civilians across the Middle East.

At least 12 people died and over 300 suffered injuries after Houthi terrorists struck the airport in Saudi Arabia’s capita, Riyadh. One of the victims was an American. It was the worst mass casualty event in any Gulf Arab state since the start of the ongoing conflict with the Iranian regime this year, with only Israel suffering worse bombardments. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the American casualty.

President Donald Trump also told reporters on Saturday that his administration was now finally considering taking action against the Houthis in light of this new attack. The Houthis have stated their intention of making airports a “theater of operations.”

The strike illustrates the fact that while the Islamic world tends to band together when fighting Westerners, there’s plenty of internecine warfare due to political and geographical disagreements. Whenever Muslims are not killing Christians and Jews, they are killing each other.

Saudi Arabia is a sharia state that persecutes Christians, but it has not been on the side of the Iranian regime in the current conflict, which means it has become a target both for Iran and for Iran’s proxies. Exiled Persian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi certainly blames Tehran for the multiple Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, even on the Muslim “holy” city of Mecca, in recent weeks.

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China Builds a Parallel Global Governance System Ahead of Xiong’an Forum

China is turning its ambition to displace American leadership into an institutional strategy, building a coalition inside the UN while establishing organizations that could expand Beijing’s influence over international rules, mediation, AI, and data. Its promises of equality and cooperation raise questions about whether these institutions will serve their members or advance CCP interests.

A system that places state sovereignty above individual rights could shield authoritarian governments from international condemnation, while Chinese influence over technology standards could promote surveillance and censorship.

CCP officials have announced that China will host the first Xiong’an Global Governance Forum in Hebei Province this autumn and the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Shenzhen on November 18 and 19. Foreign Minister Wang Yi has listed both events among the next steps for implementing Xi Jinping’s Global Governance Initiative (GGI), Beijing’s plan to change how the world is governed.

Xi announced the initiative on September 1, 2025, at the “Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus” meeting in Tianjin. It followed three earlier Xi frameworks: the Global Development Initiative in 2021, the Global Security Initiative in 2022, and the Global Civilization Initiative in 2023.

These initiatives continue an older CCP ambition. Two decades before the GGI, Hu Jintao called for strengthening global governance as part of building a “harmonious world.”

Wang Yi made the GGI’s target clear when he said “a few countries monopolize global governance” and that this should no longer continue. A concept paper released by the Chinese government on the day of the announcement says the initiative seeks to make existing institutions more responsive to developing countries without overturning the international order or building a framework outside it. Its five core concepts are sovereign equality, international rule of law, multilateralism, a people-centered approach, and “real results.”

The Group of Friends of Global Governance is Beijing’s vehicle for promoting the GGI inside the UN. Nearly 40 founding member states attended its launch meeting in New York on December 9, 2025, chaired by China’s UN ambassador, Fu Cong. The group has since added chapters in Geneva and Vienna. At the group’s May 2026 meeting, Wang Yi proposed nine areas for reforming global governance.

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Savannah Car Fires Raise Gang Questions, But Officials Have Not Linked Them

A vehicle fire on the Talmadge Memorial Bridge shut down the bridge Friday evening. It came at the end of a week in which the city of Savannah and its residents grappled with the issue of gangs and gunfire. So far, however, no one has connected the fire to either issue.

The fire was brought under control by 7:16 p.m., according to fire officials. There were no injuries reported in the fire. Details regarding the cause of the fire have not been released by officials, reports WJCL.

Officials have not said the fire was arson, and so far there has been no connection made between the fire and any gang. Vehicles catch fire for many reasons and fire officials would have to investigate to determine the cause.

The question hangs over the city because of a shooting two weeks earlier in downtown Savannah. On Saturday, Sept. 26, officers of the Savannah Police Department were dispatched to a ShotSpotter alert near the parking lot of the Holiday Inn located on Bay Street. Upon arrival, they found that at least 27 rounds of ammunition had been fired and found 64 spent casings from four different calibers of ammunition as well as a handgun that had been fired, leaving several cars in the lot to sustain damage from the bullets. Although a person of interest was detained in connection with the incident, no arrests have been announced in connection with the shooting.

Chatham County Sheriff Richard Coleman called the shooting gang activity. “These behaviors are tied to gangs. They strike fear, they don’t care. And they’re reckless in their conduct,” he said. He has not found any physical evidence to confirm a gang link, WJCL reported, however.

The Sheriff announced a new gang enforcement unit on Oct. 1 and released a list of 18 different gangs he said are operating in the area. Of those listed, four are affiliated with the Crips, five are affiliated with the Bloods, and one is affiliated with the Vicelords, while the remaining eight are local “street gangs.” The Sheriff told gang members they had until that day to stop their activity.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson called video of the shooting “disturbing and unacceptable” in a statement. He cautioned however that the Mayor’s Office would not present speculation as fact and the Savannah Police Department is investigating the case and has a gang unit already in place to investigate gang activity.

At least two vehicles are said to have burned in Savannah this week, but only the Talmadge Memorial Bridge fire has been extensively publicly reported so far. Police and the fire department have not said whether any are under investigation, and nothing in the public record links the fires to each other or to any gang. We will update this story as we learn more.

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New York Times report on AIPAC hides a central truth about Israel’s unpopularity

At first glance, that recent New York Times article on AIPAC, the wealthy pro-Israel lobbying organization, may have looked promising. It ran on the front page of the Sunday print edition, the week’s most prominent location. It jumped inside, where it covered nearly an entire page. It was 53 paragraphs long. The byline indicated that 4 Times reporters had worked on the article.

But, astonishingly, not a single one of those 53 paragraphs explained that AIPAC’s efforts to influence American elections have changed dramatically in recent years. These days, the organization often actually hides its pro-Israel views, even though promoting Israel is the only reason it exists in the first place. Instead, it dumps money into political campaigns and frequently raises issues that have absolutely no connection to Israel and Palestine.

Let’s take, for example, the Democratic primary earlier this year for the House seat in New Jersey’s 13th Congressional district. AIPAC decided to target Tom Malinowski, a former congressman who had the temerity to mildly suggest that military aid to Israel should be “conditioned” on its human rights record. This site’s estimable Michael Arria succinctly explained how AIPAC acted:

“Of course, AIPAC can’t actually run ads telling Democratic voters to reject Malinowski for being sufficiently pro-Israel as the [Democratic] base has completely soured on the country, and lobbying groups supporting that relationship.

“So, the AIPAC-funded [television] ads attack Malinowski for allegedly supporting Trump’s immigration policies. The allegation stems from a 2019 vote, in which that year Congress passed a funding bill that included money for law enforcement at the southern border. Most Democrats, including Malinowski, backed the package.”

(In that race, AIPAC’s strategy backfired. It dumped $2 million into TV ads attacking Malinowski — which apparently damaged him enough so that Analilia Mejia, who is even more progressive on Israel/Palestine, won the Democratic primary, and is presently in Congress.)    

AIPAC’s new stealth strategy was by no means a secret. Both Politico and MS Now covered the New Jersey race, and revealed the Israel lobby’s behind the scenes maneuvering.

AIPAC deployed the same stealth strategy in August, when it helped defeat progressive former Rep. Cori Bush’s effort to win back her seat in Missouri’s Democratic primary. The pro-Israel lobby had already helped her opponent, Wesley Bell, two years before. This time around, AIPAC’s ads sidestepped Israel again, and instead emphasized Bush’s alleged missed votes in Congress and her supposed criticism of the Biden administration. 

So: how did 4 NYTimes reporters, who were handed 53 paragraphs of space, miss this vital Stealth AIPAC angle? How did the echelon of editors who reviewed the report also fail to do anything? The only plausible explanations are institutional bias and conscious whitewashing and self-censorship.

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Ohio Mental Hospital Reportedly Confirms that James Talarico was Discharged as Dem’s Campaign Screams ‘This is a Lie!’ and Calls It a ‘Pathetic Conspiracy Theory’

Receipts were just dropped by several investigative reporters producing a recorded call with a mental hospital that claimed that Texan Democrat James Talarico was just discharged. His campaign is still claiming he had the flu. More damning evidence is coming – time for Talarico to bow out of the race.

And there it is… Looks like Texan soy boy Democratic Senate candidate and all-around Marxist James Talarico has some ‘splainin’ to do, and the clock is ticking. As reported previously, Talarico was missing for roughly two weeks. His campaign claimed he had the flu, and Friday he finally showed his face with some supporters at the Austin City Limits music festival for about 15 minutes. However, investigative reporter Rhein Amacher confirmed with a mental hospital in Mason, Ohio, that Talarico was checked in there and has now been discharged. Oops.

Rumors are still swirling around the claim, but it now has a lot of credence since Amacher recorded that call. The reporter said he personally confirmed Talarico’s stay by calling the hospital, and he produced the receipts. That’s pretty damning.

“During my recorded call, an individual identifying themselves as a female facility employee reportedly stated that Talarico was no longer a patient and had been discharged within the previous 24–48 hours,” he posted on X.

The unidentified woman Amacher spoke with checked her records and told him that Talarico “was just discharged this evening; that’s why I don’t have it,” after telling him she could not confirm he was an inpatient. Except she just did.

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Coast Guard places $248 million order for first MQ-9B drones

The Coast Guard is purchasing MQ-9B drones for the first time, ordering four of the high-flying unmanned aerial vehicles for just under $250 million.

The aircraft will support the service to oversee offshore waters, conduct search and rescue operations, and help counter drug trafficking operations, among other things, the Coast Guard said in a news release today. They are not expected to carry weapons, a service spokesperson told Breaking Defense.

“The MQ-9B long-range unmanned aircraft systems will expand our reach and strengthen our ability to protect the nation,” Anthony Antognoli, the assistant commandant and program executive officer for robotics and autonomous systems for the Coast Guard, said in a statement. “This investment will give Coast Guard crews a longer-range view of our maritime domain, helping them detect threats earlier, make better-informed decisions and act faster across our missions.”

The Coast Guard first revealed its plans to purchase the drones last year, thanks to funding the service received from President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” that passed in July 2025, Military Times previously reported. 

The Coast Guard said today that funding for the MQ-9B acquisition stemmed from the FY25 reconciliation package that included nearly $25 billion for the service, along with FY26 appropriations. The MQ-9B purchase totaled $247.8 million for the four aircraft, along with ground control stations and other supporting equipment, the Coast Guard said. 

The Coast Guard has previously teamed up with the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and flown CBP’s MQ-9A drones for operations out of Texas, according to a Coast Guard factsheet. The Coast Guard noted in today’s release that the aircraft supported CBP to seize 60,700 pounds of illegal drugs and the apprehension of roughly 20 “smugglers” in FY26. 

The MQ-9B SeaGuardian is designed to conduct maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations for more than 30 hours at a time with a mission radius of roughly 1,200 nautical miles, according to General Atomics, which builds the aircraft.

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UK Airports Begin Replacing Passport Checks With Facial Recognition

In the UK, the government is now selling a switch to contactless facial recognition at airports as a time-saving measure for travelers.

And a major time-saving it is not – five seconds shaved off the previous 20 to 25 seconds it took to use an eGate.

The process of scanning your face instead of your passport is now in place at East Midlands Airport, and will be expanded to 13 airports by early 2027, the Home Office has announced.

The way it works is that your face is photographed as you approach the gate, and this is then compared to a gallery of passport photographs that the airlines have sent to border control.

But don’t think you can leave your passport at home – the government has made sure to inform citizens that they should keep it with them at all times.

This new “convenience” is available to British citizens first, with other nationalities to be onboarded in the coming months.

And what a win it is – for the government, that is. “This is a win for travelers coming to our brilliant country,” said Phil Douglas, Director General of Border Force.

He added, “Our digital transformation also builds on our work this summer to extend eGates to children aged eight and above, making life a little easier for families.”

The eGates are now available to children as young as eight, provided they are at least 120cm tall, and are traveling with an adult who is using the automated gates.

The government’s announcement was met with enthusiasm by the airports, with East Midlands Airport Managing Director Steve Griffiths declaring his facility to be “delighted” to be the first to introduce contactless eGates.

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Retired Air Force Colonel Warns Data Centers Could Put Nearby Residents at Risk

Living near an artificial intelligence (AI) data center already comes with several potential drawbacks [1].

Some facilities produce constant, high-pitched noise, while others rely on large diesel generators that release air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Nearby residents may also face higher electricity bills as the demand for power increases [1].

Recently, a retired Air Force colonel has warned that people living near artificial intelligence data centers could be targeted if a rogue artificial intelligence (AI) system attempts to protect itself and its infrastructure, according to a report by the Texas-based Collapse Survival Institute [1].

The report, written by retired Col. Drew Miller, states that data centers may become ground zero if a malicious or “misaligned” AI breaks out, and that residents living near those facilities could be treated as proxies for human control and resistance [1].

Similar warnings have been issued by other researchers, including Anthropic alignment science lead Evan Hubinger, who stated that AI could kill all humans within the next decade [2].

Report Details Potential Data Center and AI Risks

The Collapse Survival Institute report, described in an article by Futurism.com, states that data centers could become ground zero if a malicious or misaligned AI breaks out [1].

Broader concerns about AI control have also been raised by researchers and industry figures who say capabilities are advancing at a pace that could lead to systems surpassing human intelligence within the next few years [3].

The report’s recommendations reflect a broader pattern of concern about the rapid data center buildout, which has drawn opposition from residents across the country over noise, emissions, and electricity costs [4].

Calls for Stronger AI Safeguards

To address these concerns, Miller urges Congress to halt construction of new AI data centers temporarily. He also calls for mandatory emergency shutdown systems for advanced AI models and greater transparency from leading AI laboratories [1].

The report additionally considers the possibility of military strikes against AI facilities if governments believe a system poses an immediate danger. It proposes international cooperation as one possible response to such a crisis [1].

Miller’s recommendations extend to personal preparedness. The report encourages people to live farther from major AI infrastructure and suggests that rural residents could reduce their exposure by maintaining self-sufficient lifestyles [1].

Its accompanying recommendations even discuss using firearms against drones or robots that a rogue AI might deploy.

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U.S. Military Lost or Damaged 81 Aircraft Worth Up to $3.3 Billion in Iran War, Report Says

At least 81 U.S. military aircraft have been lost or damaged since the war with Iran began, with losses totaling as much as $3.3 billion, according to a Congressional Research Service report released Oct. 5. The tally was compiled from statements by the Pentagon, U.S. Central Command, the Pentagon Inspector General and news reports, and the report’s authors noted the number of aircraft “may remain subject to revision due to multiple factors” [1].

The losses include some of America’s most advanced warplanes, including one damaged F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter and 12 F-15E Strike Eagle fighters that have been destroyed or damaged, according to the report [2].

The White House and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. The report, updated Oct. 5, drew on military statements, news reports and findings from the Defense Department’s inspector general [3].

Fixed-Wing Losses Include F-15Es, F-35A, A-10s and E-3 Sentry

Twelve F-15E Strike Eagles were destroyed or damaged. Three were shot down in friendly fire over Kuwait on March 2, and another was shot down over Iran the following month [4].

One F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter was damaged when it came under fire from Iran on March 19.

The disclosures come as the financial cost of the war, which began Feb. 28 with coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes, rises.

Drone Losses Led by 45 MQ-9 Reapers, Fleet Below Requirement

At least 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones were lost, with each estimated to be worth between $30 million and $50 million, according to the report.

The Reaper, used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, close air support and combat search and rescue, accounted for more than half of the losses [5]. The scale of the Reaper losses tracks with earlier independent reporting: Iran destroyed approximately $1 billion worth of U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drones during the conflict, according to a Bloomberg report published May 21, representing roughly 20 percent of the Pentagon’s pre-war inventory of unmanned aerial vehicles [6].

The drone losses have forced the Air Force to look at alternatives. The service more than doubled the value of its contract with DZYNE Technologies, now part of Ondas, for long-endurance surveillance drones that could complement the MQ-9 Reaper and help fill intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission gaps following the reported heavy losses in the U.S.-Iran conflict [7]. The seizure of a U.S. Navy Dive-LD uncrewed underwater vehicle by Iran near the Strait of Hormuz in September also handed Tehran a rare opportunity to study and potentially reverse-engineer a sophisticated undersea surveillance asset, a setback for the Pentagon and drone maker Anduril [8][9].

CENTCOM Estimates War Cost at $43.6 Billion

U.S. Central Command estimated last month that the total cost of the war in Iran had grown to $43.6 billion — a $5 billion increase from August. Weapons costs also jumped by more than $6 billion in just over a month, from $21.7 billion listed in the latest Congressional Budget Office report to $28.1 billion in the latest figures, according to the report.

The Congressional Research Service report attributed the aircraft loss figures to its analysis of available data.

The White House and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment, officials said. The Congressional Research Service published a similar report in May that put the number of lost or damaged aircraft lower, reflecting the accumulating toll of a conflict that has now run more than seven months since U.S. and Israeli forces commenced military strikes on Feb. 28.

Report Details Aircraft Losses as War Costs Rise

The Congressional Research Service report lists 81 U.S. military aircraft lost or damaged in the Iran war, valued at up to $3.3 billion.

CENTCOM’s $43.6 billion war cost estimate and the weapons cost increase were provided in the report. No immediate comment was issued by the White House or the Pentagon, according to the report. The report’s authors said the tally was compiled from statements by the Pentagon, U.S. Central Command, the Pentagon Inspector General and news reports, and that the “number of aircraft may remain subject to revision due to multiple factors” [1].

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