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U.S. helps capture baby trafficking cartel leader ‘La Diabla’

U.S. officials said they helped arrest a Mexican cartel ringleader known as “La Diabla,” who was accused of running a baby trafficking and organ-harvesting scheme that left pregnant women dead and their newborns sold off for big bucks.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said Wednesday that authorities arrested Martha Alicia Mendez Aguilar, a member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, during a joint operation with Mexican police earlier this month in Juarez, Mexico.

The ODNI said La Diabla lured pregnant, often impoverished women to remote locations before forcing them to go through with the illegal cesarean sections.

The infant would fetch roughly $13,500 on the black market, officials said, while the mother, who was usually killed during the procedure, had her organs removed to be sold as well.

“This is one example of what terrorist cartels will do to diversify their revenue streams and finance operations,” said Joe Kent, the ODNI’s director of its National Counterterrorism Center.

He said U.S. intelligence tracked down La Diabla and helped Mexican and American authorities carry out the Sept. 2 arrest of the ringleader.

“I am proud of our team’s ability to work with our forward deployed U.S. partners and Mexican law enforcement to stop these horrific acts,” Mr. Kent said. “NCTC remains committed to disrupting all aspects of terrorist cartels and their operations. And in this case, the lives of innocent women and children depended on it.”

Ms. Mendez Aguilar’s arrest was aided by President Trump’s designation of Mexican cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations.”

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Microsoft reduces Israel’s access to cloud and AI products over reports of mass surveillance in Gaza

Microsoft said Thursday it had disabled services to a unit within the Israeli military after a company review had determined its artificial intelligence and cloud computing products were being used to help carry out mass surveillance of Palestinians.

The action comes after The Associated Press and The Guardian published reports earlier this year revealing how the Israeli Ministry of Defense had been using Microsoft’s Azure platform to aid in the war in Gaza and occupation of the West Bank. Brad Smith, Microsoft’s vice chair and president, wrote in a blog post that the company was taking steps to enforce compliance with its terms of service.

An AP investigation in February showed that the Israeli military’s use of Microsoft products skyrocketed after a deadly surprise attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023. The AP’s report cited internal Microsoft data showing the Israelis were using gigabytes of cloud storage and massive amounts of AI-enabled language translation services.

The AP also reported that Israel’s military used Microsoft Azure to compile information gathered through mass surveillance, which it transcribes and translates, including phone calls and text messages. That intelligence is then cross-checked with Israel’s in-house AI systems for targeting airstrikes.

AP reported that internal Microsoft data showed multiple Azure subscriptions were tied to Unit 8200, an elite cyber warfare unit within the Israeli Army responsible for clandestine operations, collecting signal intelligence and surveillance.

Following AP’s report, Microsoft acknowledged in May that it had sold advanced AI and cloud computing services to the Israeli military during the Gaza war and aided in efforts to locate and rescue Israeli hostages. But the company said an internal review found “no evidence” its Azure platform was used to target or harm people.

The Guardian, working in partnership with the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, reported in August that the commander of Unit 8200 had met directly with Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella in 2021. The Israeli unit then used Microsoft products to aid in the development of an AI-powered mass surveillance system that was sweeping up, translating and analyzing millions of telephone calls per day made by Palestinian civilians. The report also revealed that data from the Israeli surveillance system was being stored at Microsoft cloud data centers in Europe.

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NYC passes new appliance mandate that critics argue will make rent, other costs skyrocket

The City Council overwhelmingly approved new rules for installing appliances on Thursday despite critics arguing the mandates would mean higher costs for building owners — and larger rent bills.

Lawmakers voted 47-1 on a bill to require New Yorkers to hire master plumbers or specially qualified handymen to handle putting in gas ovens, dryers and other appliances.

But critics have argued the legislation could cost homeowners or landlords as much as $500 more per installation — which would ultimately be passed along to renters.

Bronx Councilwoman Pierina Sanchez, who spearheaded the proposal, pointed to a deadly 2015 gas explosion in the East Village as justification for the bill, which still needs to be signed into law by Mayor Eric Adams.

The explosion — which killed two people and leveled three buildings — was caused by an illegal hookup.

“Y’all, public, in the city of New York, should not be installing a gas range yourself,” Sanchez said Thursday ahead of the council’s vote. “It’s not safe.”

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Galactic alert: NASA confirms mysterious object entering solar system is ‘interstellar’ visitor

A mysterious object hurtling through space has been identified as a rare “interstellar object,” only the third of its kind ever seen.

In July, NASA reported its ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) survey telescope in Chile identified a comet that originated from interstellar space. Arriving in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius, the comet was dubbed 3I/Atlas.

The comet poses no threat to Earth – it will remain at a distance of about 150 million miles away – but is unique. According to Livescience, the object is traveling towards the sun extremely fast, around 152,000 mph and is on an flat and straight trajectory that’s unlike anything else in the solar system.

NASA has confirmed 3I/Atlas is an interstellar object, meaning it originated outside our solar system and is briefly traveling through it. It’s only the third such object to have ever been spotted after Comet 2I/Borisov passed through in 2019 and ‘Oumuamua, a cigar-shaped object that appeared in 2017 and sparked a social media fury after it was suggested it was an alien probe.

Scientists are studying the size and makeup of 3I/Atlas but NASA said it should be visible to ground-based telescopes through September, though after that it will pass too close to the sun to be seen. It will reappear on the other side of the sun by Sunday and remain visible through early December.

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Britain joins the illustrious ranks of North Korea, China and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan as it announces compulsory ID cards: Countries that enforce Big Brother rules – and how they punish those who disobey

Britain will join the illustrious ranks of North Korea, China and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan by declaring it compulsory for every citizen to have a government-issued digital ID card.

The ‘BritCard’ is a fresh attempt by Sir Keir Starmer to clamp down on illegal immigration, allowing the government to clearly verify a citizen’s right to live and work in the UK.

The plan, which is expected to be announced fully in a speech on Friday, will likely be subject to consultation before coming into action.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is already supportive of the idea, which will require anyone enrolling in a new job to first present the digital ID to potential employers.

The card would then be automatically checked against a central database of those entitled to work in the UK – weeding out people who have tried to fake their physical ID documents to get a job.

‘My long-term personal political view has always been in favour of ID cards,’ Ms Mahmood said.

‘We do have to deal with the pull-factors that are making the UK a destination of choice for those that are on the move around the world,’ she continued.

‘I want to make sure that we can clamp down on that. I think that a system of digital ID can also help with illegal working enforcement of other laws as well. I do think that that has a role to play for dealing with our migration.’ 

But the Prime Minister was understood to have reservations about the scheme, over fears it infringes upon civil liberties.

In fact, compulsory ID cards are a feature of many authoritarian governments around the world, including in Russia, Iran and Belarus. 

In North Korea, Kim Jong Un’s insistence on compulsory identity cards has led some to assume that the measure enables his government to easily hunt down people who have fled the country.

Travelling abroad or moving from one province to another without prior consent remains illegal in Kim’s regime and anyone caught violating the law is risking their life. 

Amnesty International states those convicted of illegal border-crossing in North Korea may be executed. 

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Moldova: The Next Front in the West’s Confrontation With Russia?

Moldova’s September 28, 2025, parliamentary elections are shaping up to be another highly contentious struggle between pro-Russia and anti-Russia factions.  Both the European Union and Moscow also are accusing each other of illicit election meddling to put their respective Moldovan clients in power.  In many respects, the lead up to this election is reminiscent of the tense atmosphere and inflammatory accusations of the 2023 vote for parliament and the 2024 presidential election that resulted in a disputed victory for pro-Western incumbent President Maia Sandu.

The situation also has the potential to become another prominent arena for the ongoing, dangerous geopolitical power struggle between the West and Russia.  Moldova shares a 1,222-kilometer border with Ukraine and the Kremlin currently stations some 1,500 troops in Moldova’s secessionist region of Transnistria. The U.S. government should, in this case, as in many others, stay out.

U.S. and European think tanks and news media outlets reliably parrot the allegations of Sandu and her supporters. The Atlantic Council’s Aidan Stretch notes: “Moldova is raising the alarm over escalating Russian interference as the country approaches a crucial geopolitical crossroads. On September 28, Moldova’s pro-Western government will face a parliamentary election amid widespread allegations of Kremlin cyberattacks, propaganda, and various other Russian attempts to influence the outcome of the vote. If pro-European parties lose their majority, Moldova’s Western integration could stall.”

Stretch continues:

“The implications of an election victory for pro-Russian forces would extend far beyond Chisinau [Moldova’s capital]. Moldova shares a long border with Ukraine, while the two countries are currently on a joint EU accession track. A Kremlin-friendly government in Moldova could potentially derail EU integration for both nations, while also creating a significant new security threat on Ukraine’s southwestern frontier. The coming vote is therefore an important test of Russia’s ability to reassert its influence and a potential landmark moment for the wider region.”

In the short term, though, the East-West struggle is confined to the political arena.  Sandu and her supporters in Europe and the United States are quick to highlight any evidence of Moscow’s support, especially financial support, for friendly political factions.  She recently accused Russia of spending “hundreds of millions of dollars to buy Moldova’s election.”

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Will I get fined for not having a national ID card, and what if I don’t have a smartphone? How the scheme could work and the massive pitfalls it faces

A Government-issued digital identity card could be required by every adult in Britain under a ‘dystopian’ plan set to be announced by the Prime Minister.

The ‘BritCard’ could be used to prove a person has the right to work in this country, and even to access public services.

The idea of a mandatory identification system has long been advocated by Labour as a way to tackle illegal migration.

But the proposal is fiercely opposed by civil rights campaigners, who warn it will erode civil liberties and turn the UK into a ‘papers please’ society.

Meanwhile, polls show a majority of the public do not trust ministers to keep their personal data safe from cyber-criminals.

Detailed proposals for what has been dubbed a ‘BritCard’ could be announced by Sir Keir Starmer as early as tomorrow.

The Prime Minister will speak at the Global Progress Action Summit in London alongside Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney. 

These plans will then be subject to a consultation and are expected to require legislation. The UK is one of the few countries in Europe without an ID system. 

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Curfew declared in Madagascar capital after violent protests over water, power shortages

Authorities in Madagascar on Sept 25 imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the capital, after protests over frequent power outages and water shortages turned violent, according to a top security official.

Police fired teargas to disperse the thousands of mostly youth protesters who were marching and carrying placards, in Antananarivo, the capital, according to a Reuters witness.

The demonstrators were denouncing the government and demanding restoration of reliable water and electricity across the country.

“There are unfortunately individuals taking advantage of the situation to destroy other people’s property,” General Angelo Ravelonarivo, who heads a joint security body that includes the police and the military, said in a statement he read on privately owned Real TV late on Sept 25.

To protect “the population and their belongings,” the security forces decided to impose a curfew from 7pm to 5am “until public order is restored,” the statement said.

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Jihad in Texas? Bullets Rain Down on Kids’ Baseball Tournament

A kids’ baseball coach was leading his team in a pre-game prayer when bullets flew across the Ameripark sports complex, locally known as The Rac, in Katy, Texas.

Players ran as the shots rang out. The team’s coach took a bullet to the shoulder. He was evacuated to a hospital by helicopter.

“I have to legit bear crawl to my mom on my arms,” Colton Bierman, 11, told a reporter for KPRC.  

That’s when things got wonky.

I first read NBC’s version of this story, and I immediately smelled a sink badger in the perfume aisle.  

The Operation Mockingbird mouthpiece suggested, with help from The Rac, that the shooting was possibly the result of “hunting” or “recreational shooting.” ABC claimed the Waller County Sheriff attributed the shooting to “target practice,” but when you watch the video — and hear the number of shots fired — these excuses fall apart.

The Rac suggested on Facebook that the shooters were engaging in a little “target practice” roughly 600-700 yards away.

Call me a wackydoodle, but that doesn’t sound like hunting. Nor does it sound like the shooters are 600-700 yards away.

“There was bullets flying everywhere. It wasn’t one shot,” Assistant Coach (for a different team) Corbin Geisendorff stated. “There’s bullets flying everywhere off the poles, onto the field. It’s just unbelievable.”

“I actually went over to the gentleman and saw him, like, right there. I prayed over him,” Geisendorff continued. “There was a gentleman who was already there. They used a belt to tourniquet his arm, you know, stop the bleeding really quick.”

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MSM Reports on How Ukraine Is Crumbling Under Military, Political and Economic Problems

The real Ukraine is not what they dreamed of.

Two years ago, The Economist published an editorial that predicted a ‘Ukraine 2.0’ that was a secure, democratic, and prosperous nation.

But now, the British magazine has been forced to the conclusion that the Kiev regime is anything but what they expected.

They found that Ukraine is ‘eroded across multiple fronts’, a nation in slow decline, and the article questions the purpose of their prolonged resistance.

The Economist reported:

“’We can fight for years, losing positions slowly,’ says a senior Ukrainian official. ‘But why?’”

Ukrainian forces have been capable of holding out Russian advances but at the cost of incremental territorial concessions.

The article reasons that Russia’s attrition strategy is succeeding, hollowing out Ukraine’s defensive posture.

“Russia’s plan is to grind Ukraine down, and it is working.”

Ukraine’s society is broken, with centralized power, tested institutions, and complicated alliances, particularly as Western support is diminishing.

Prosperity is but a dream, with a Ukrainian economy battered by destruction, displacement, and a complete dependency on aid.

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