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US Troops in Southern Somalia Come Under ‘Indirect Fire’

US troops and allied forces in Kismayo, southern Somalia, came under “indirect fire” on September 4, US Africa Command said in a press release.

The press release came after al-Shabaab said it attacked Kismayo’s airport, where US personnel are based, according to Somali media. Al-Shabaab claimed that it killed and wounded American troops, but AFRICOM denied that there were any casualties.

“There were no US or partner force injuries or casualties as a result of the attack, and no damage to the base or coalition property has been reported,” AFRICOM said. “Al-Shabaab routinely disseminates false and exaggerated claims regarding attacks to undermine public trust. These claims should be treated with skepticism.”

The US military is known to coordinate airstrikes against al-Shabaab from the base in Kismayo, which is located in Jubaland, Somalia’s southernmost region, which has a significant al-Shabaab presence. In June of this year, the US Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa said US Army engineers were enhancing security at the US base in Kismayo.

While the US and al-Shabaab have been at war for nearly two decades, al-Shabaab cited US support for Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza as the reason for the attack. Back in 2020, al-Shabaab attacked a US base across the border in Kenya, killing one US soldier and two American contractors.

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Hungary passes constitutional amendment to ban LGBTQ+ public events, seen as a major blow to rights

Hungary’s parliament on Monday passed an amendment to the constitution that allows the government to ban public events by LGBTQ+ communities, a decision that legal scholars and critics call another step toward authoritarianism by the populist government.

The amendment, which required a two-thirds vote, passed along party lines with 140 votes for and 21 against. It was proposed by the ruling Fidesz-KDNP coalition led by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Ahead of the vote — the final step for the amendment — opposition politicians and other protesters attempted to blockade the entrance to a parliament parking garage. Police physically removed demonstrators, who had used zip ties to bind themselves together.

The amendment declares that children’s rights to moral, physical and spiritual development supersede any right other than the right to life, including that to peacefully assemble. Hungary’s contentious “child protection” legislation prohibits the “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality to minors aged under 18.

The amendment codifies a law fast-tracked through parliament in March that bans public events held by LGBTQ+ communities, including the popular Pride event in Budapest that draws thousands annually.

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Ed Dept ends ‘abusive’ Biden policy that funded left-wing work-study election jobs

Conservative election integrity advocates praised the Trump administration for rescinding a Biden-era guidance that allowed Federal Work-Study funds to be used to employ students to perform election jobs. 

The announcement came after The College Fix reported on multiple incidents of the work-study program being used to fund left-wing get-out-the-vote efforts.

Hans von Spakovsky, senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese Center, called the Biden-era work-study guidance an “abusive misuse” of tax dollars, intent on ensuring “liberal organizations supporting the Biden reelection effort and the Democrat Party were provided with interns … to enhance the party’s prospects of winning elections.”

The Trump administration rescinded Biden’s guidance on Aug. 19, according to a press release by the Department of Education.

The new guidance prohibits work-study jobs that involve “any partisan or nonpartisan political activity.”

The department told higher education institutions that they “must have proper controls in place to avoid employing students in FWS jobs where they engage in any political activity or in work that serves the interests of a particular group.”

Additionally, while institutions under the Higher Education Act are required to make a “good faith effort” to distribute voter registration forms to students, they also have a duty to ensure said students are “eligible voters,” the department stated in its guidance.

von Spakovsky, a former Federal Election Commission member, told The Fix in a recent email that the government shouldn’t engage in “any type of voter registration activity” because it’s “inevitable” that any such activity will eventually be aimed at aiding “the political party in power.”

“There is too much danger of individuals who depend on government benefits and resources being intimidated and thinking that they must support the political party in power or risk losing such benefits and resources,” Spakovsky said.

When asked what this decision could signal about the direction the Trump administration is taking the Education Department, he told The Fix that it is trying to “rid” the department of “partisan politics and bring it back within its legal statutory authority.”

The work-study program should focus on “furthering educational opportunities” rather than “help[ing] the election prospects of the political party in power,” he said.

The federal, taxpayer-funded program provides paid jobs to low-income students as a way to help pay for their college tuition.

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New Postal Rule Is An Admission That Mail Voting Is A Mess

he United States Postal Service has announced a proposed new section to its mailing standards that would have a major impact on the return of mail-in ballots, as it would shift the responsibility to the voter to confirm the exact receival date by the postal service.

USPS realizes that with their new mail processing system, the postmark is no longer proof of the date that it received a piece of mail. Their solution is to make the customer — in the case of ballots the voter — responsible for confirming the receipt date of their piece of mail. It will be up to the voter to obtain proof of date of receipt, or without it, a ballot may not be counted.

“While the presence of a postmark on a mailpiece confirms that the postal service was in possession of the mailpiece on the date of the postmark’s inscription, the postmark date does not inherently or necessarily align with the date on which USPS first accepted possession of a mailpiece,” the proposal notes.

Voters can confirm the exact date that the postal service first accepted possession of their ballot in various ways. The customer can hand the ballot or mail to a postal clerk at the post office and request a manual postmark, purchase a “Certificate of Mailing,” or pay extra for registered or certified mail.

The postal service’s postmark has been considered the mail date for payments by mail, filing taxes, and other legal documents and, in 19 states and Washington, D.C., the mail date for mail-in ballots that are to be mailed by Election Day.

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Wealthy Liberal Enclave of Santa Monica to Declare ‘Fiscal Emergency’ over Sexual Abuse Payouts

The city council of Santa Monica, California, will be asked to declare a “fiscal emergency” this week over hundreds of millions of dollars that it has paid in ongoing sexual abuse litigation.

The city by the beach, which has been hit by homelessness, crime, and an ongoing retail collapse, now faces fiscal catastrophe.

The Santa Monica Daily Press reported: “The dire financial situation is a result of a shortfall in revenue relative to forecasts combined with ongoing litigation, most notably the Uller sexual abuse case.”

The publication reported in 2023 that the city had reached a $229.8 million settlement over the claims: “Eric Uller was accused of abusing young boys between the late 1980s and early 2000s while he was employed by the City and volunteered in the Police Activities League (PALs), a city owned nonprofit. He committed suicide before his criminal trial in 2018.”

The Los Angeles Times reports that the case has crashed the city:

Services in Santa Monica are also suffering, according to the [city’s] report. During the COVID-19 pandemic, city leaders slashed the city’s budget and eliminated hundreds of positions. City services haven’t been restored to pre-pandemic levels, and several capital projects remain unfunded.

…

The report also cites recent and proposed changes by the federal government, including tariffs and mass deportations, that could affect the local and national economies.

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In April, Santa Monica ended negotiations with Olympics organizers to host beach volleyball during the 2028 Games.

Santa Monica is often referred to as the “People’s Republic of Santa Monica,” due to its left-wing policies. It is one of the wealthiest towns in America, and diverts public resources to ideological policies as climate change, criminal justice reform, and resisting immigration enforcement (though it is not officially a “sanctuary city”).

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Politico Is Doing Insurance Companies’ Bidding, And It’s Obvious Why

n February, I analyzed how Politico functions as a glorified patronage racket, whereby “reporters serve as a publicity rag for K Street and get paid handsomely for doing so.” Six months later, another such article serves as Example No. 8,579 (or thereabouts) of this swamp machine in action.

In this particular case, Politico published an advertisement — I mean, article — about a potential extension of Obamacare’s enhanced insurance subsidies, which expire at the end of the year. That story ignored sizable evidence of fraud associated with the subsidies, while including not a single quote from a critic or skeptic of such an extension. It looks like a not-too-subtle attempt from Politico to cheerlead for the insurance industry — i.e., its corporate subscribers.

Big Signs of Fraud

The article focused largely on Florida and highlighted that state’s sizable enrollment in Exchange coverage, particularly for households claiming very low incomes, which qualify for the biggest subsidies: 

Florida is one of 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid, so it’s more difficult for some low-income residents to qualify for the government health insurance program. The enhanced subsidies ensure that people who would be eligible under an expansion — those making just above the federal poverty level, with incomes between about $15,600 and $21,600 — can get Obamacare coverage, typically with no premiums. Two-thirds of the 4.6 million Floridians on Obamacare plans are in this gap…

But there’s one big fact Politico omitted: According to one study, while there are nearly 3.1 million Obamacare enrollees claiming income just above poverty in Florida, estimates derived from the Census Bureau suggest that only about 630,000 households actually have incomes in that range. (Disclosure: While I have done work for the Paragon Health Institute, which published the study in question, I had no involvement with this particular report and am writing this article on my own behalf.)

In other words, by one organization’s estimate, more than 2.4 million enrollees — over half of Florida’s total Exchange enrollment — are potentially fraudulent. These individuals may have overstated their income because households with income below the poverty level don’t qualify for subsidies at all, or conversely, they may have understated their income if they make two or three times the poverty level, so they can qualify for bigger subsidies. Alternatively, people could have been enrolled in “free” coverage without their knowledge by insurance brokers seeking commissions, an offense one Florida-based insurance executive pleaded guilty to this April.

Yet Politico mentioned none of this. It advertised the total enrollment in the Florida Exchange, and the billions of dollars in enhanced subsidies that went to Florida, without noting either the significant questions about enrollment discrepancies in Florida’s Exchange population or the fraud — totaling $133.9 million, according to the Justice Department — that one Florida-based individual has already admitted to.

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Nepalese government blocks access to nearly every major social media platform

The government of Nepal has blocked public access to 26 social media and communications platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp and X, due to the companies’ failure to comply with the government’s demand for registration.  The deadline to register was 4 September 2025.

The Nepal Telecommunication Authority ordered the platforms to be taken offline under government direction, citing a Supreme Court-mandated compliance push that requires all digital platforms to formally register and monitor content deemed inappropriate by officials.

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology had given the platforms seven days to comply with the “Directive on Regulating the Use of Social Media, 2080.”  The failure to do so resulted in the access being revoked, as stated by the Ministry’s spokesperson, Gajendra Kumar Thakur, who confirmed that unregistered social media platforms would be deactivated immediately.

The blocked list includes nearly every major social media platform, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, X, Reddit, Rumble, LinkedIn, Signal, Pinterest, Threads, Discord, WeChat and more, Reclaim the Net said.

TikTok and Viber have not been blocked because they had completed the registration process earlier, as well as Telegram, Wetalk, Nimbuzz and Global Diary, which are either registered or currently in the process of registration.

The government’s action is a response to a collection of legal petitions filed over several years, aimed at regulating unregistered digital platforms that broadcast advertising and media content in Nepal.  Officials, including Nepal’s Minister for Communications and Information Technology, have stated that the companies were warned repeatedly to register and comply with the government’s request.

The government insists that access to the blocked platforms will be restored immediately once they comply with the registration demands, which include appointing a local representative, establishing a complaints process and taking responsibility for censoring speech, as outlined in the strict rules introduced by the Government.

The move has caused widespread confusion, disrupted communication for migrant workers, affected the tourism industry and sparked protests.  Private operator Ncell warned that 50 per cent of its internet traffic comes from social media platforms and that shutting them down would severely hurt business.

The Government says it is part of a broader effort to regulate online content and combat misinformation, although critics warn it threatens freedom of expression and press freedom.

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Minneapolis Dems: We Know Our Election Was Rigged But Let’s Keep The Results Anyway

The voting process at the Minneapolis Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party convention in July was such a mess that state DFL leadership investigated and nullified the local party’s endorsements. Now the Minneapolis DFL wants the state DFL to restore the results it nullified and give the endorsement back to DFL candidate Omar Fateh, a member of the Democrat Socialists of America (DSA), KSTP Television reports.

Fateh is challenging incumbent DFL Mayor Jacob Frey, who came in second in the shady Minneapolis endorsement convention.

The Federalist previously reported that the Minnesota DFL’s Constitution, Bylaws and Rules Committee (CBRC) investigated the local convention and found the voting process had “substantial failures.”

The investigation revealed that the convention organizers undercounted 176 votes in the mayoral race. During voting, one candidate was “errantly eliminated from contention.” The digital spreadsheet used to count votes was left unsecured. The computer tallying results didn’t work properly, and the task of tallying results was switched to a different computer in the middle of the process. The creator of the results program left before results were counted. At some point the convention members decided to change their voting method from digital to “show of badges.”  

With so many obvious breaches in election integrity, it looks like the convention was rigged. But the local DFL wants the state DFL to ignore all that its investigation found and hand Fateh an endorsement.

The state DFL barred Minneapolis DFL from conducting another 2025 mayoral endorsing convention and from endorsing a mayoral candidate in 2025. Minneapolis DFL is on probation for two years, and it must convince the state DFL that it can meet the “standard DFL principles and practices.”

The Federalist asked the state DFL if it would consider reinstating the local party’s endorsement but did not receive a response. It should not.

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Josh Hawley Proposes AI Regulations, Section 230 Repeal, and Digital ID Checks for Chatbots

Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is pushing for broad new regulations on artificial intelligence, including age verification for chatbot access, data ownership rights, and the full repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

While the proposals are framed as efforts to curb corporate overreach in the tech industry, they will ignite concern among digital rights advocates who warn that such measures could undermine online privacy and freedom of expression.

At the National Conservatism Conference, Hawley accused AI developers of building their systems by collecting and using copyrighted material without permission. “The AI large language models [LLMs] have already trained on enough copyrighted works to fill the Library of Congress 22 times over,” he said.

“Let me just put a finer point on that — AI’s LLMs have ingested every published work in every language known to man already.” He claimed that creators were neither consulted nor compensated.

In July, Hawley introduced the AI Accountability and Personal Data Protection Act, which would allow individuals to sue companies that use personal data without consent and would establish property rights over certain categories of digital information.

However, two key components of Hawley’s platform are raising some alarm. His call to repeal Section 230 has been criticized for potentially damaging the open internet.

Section 230 currently shields online platforms from legal liability for content created by users. Without it, many sites could be forced to preemptively remove user content out of legal risk, resulting in widespread over-moderation and silencing of lawful speech.

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Liberal media accused of covering up Ukrainian girl’s brutal murder in Dem-led city as video explodes online 

Horrific footage of a career criminal stabbing a Ukrainian refugee from behind on a North Carolina train has prompted a national uproar – but you won’t find it on any liberal media websites. 

Recently surfaced surveillance footage shows the suspect, whom police have named as Decarlos Brown Jr., 35, killing Iryna Zarutska, 23, on board a South End light rail train in Charlotte on August 22. 

The crazed attacker can be seen lunging at Zarutska from behind, before the footage skips the graphic slaughter to show him carrying a knife dripping with blood as he walked through the train carriage and another passenger sprinted away.

Zarutska came to the US for safety after fleeing Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s ongoing invasion of her home country, and the shocking video of her final moments exploded online. 

People took to social media to share their sadness that she was not protected by the state of North Carolina or the liberal city of Charlotte, where Brown had allegedly been arrested more than 14 times previously but remained on the streets. 

However, the shocking story is notably absent from US liberal media sites, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press and CNN. 

The Daily Mail has contacted the outlets for clarification on the reasoning behind their editorial judgment. 

Democrat Mayor of Charlotte Vi Lyles suggested that some publishers chose not to share the footage ‘out of respect for Iryna’s family’ – but the police force she is in charge of made the video public first of all. 

The Daily Mail has contacted Lyles’s office for more information. 

In her statement, she said: ‘The video of the heartbreaking attack that took Iryna Zarutska’s life is now public. 

‘I want to thank our media partners and community members who have chosen not to repost or share the footage out of respect for Iryna’s family. 

‘This was a senseless and tragic loss. My prayers remain with her loved ones as they continue to grieve through an unimaginable time. 

‘Like so many of you, I’m heartbroken — and I’ve been thinking hard about what safety really looks like in our city. 

‘I remain committed to doing all we can to protect our residents and ensure Charlotte is a place where everyone feels safe.’

But people on social media lambasted the liberal media for the lack of coverage, with many speculating that the outlets did not want to write about the killing for racial reasons. 

Elon Musk highlighted the lack of coverage by re-sharing one post counting how many articles each outlet had written about the stabbing, with the comment: ‘Zero’.  

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