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Sep 11, 2026
Pivotal GOP candidate's midterm strategy on Iran: 'Out of sight, out of mind'
Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA), the Republican nominee for Iowa's open Senate seat, downplayed the war with Iran as "out of sight, out of mind for so many Americans."Hinson made the remark on The Iowa Podcast with Justin Brady, in an episode published Aug. 26, when the host asked what her message would be heading into her Senate campaign.The episode drew little notice, logging 137 views on YouTube. Journalist Aaron Rupar resurfaced the Iran exchange Friday on X, where his post had drawn more than 21,000 views."It seems like Americans are kind of like, 'Ah, gosh. I don't know. I signed up for this America First stuff. I don't know what this stuff is,'" Brady said, describing the mood among voters after the United States went to war with Iran."So what is the message going into your Senate election?" Brady asked. "Are we still America First, or are we focused elsewhere?""And when it comes to Iran, you know, I don't want an endless war in Iran," Hinson answered. "I think it is important to make sure Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and it is thousands of miles away. It's out of sight, out of mind for so many Americans.""Why I'm running for the U.S. Senate [is] we need to protect taxpayers," Hinson continued. "We need to make sure rural America has a seat at the table, and we have to have a safe and secure country. And that starts by eliminating threats not only at our southern border, but abroad as well.""And Iran has been massively increasing its stockpiles, not just of nuclear materials, but of missiles, of drones, that could have been not only a threat to our allies in the Middle East, but us here in the homeland as well," she said."And so I want to make sure we get this done quickly," Hinson added, "but the end goal for me in any deal or any negotiated deal end to this war is we need to make sure Iran doesn't get a nuclear weapon, and we need to make sure our allies in the region are protected."The war Hinson described as distant has been running for more than six months. The United States and Israel began military operations against Iran in late February, according to the Congressional Research Service, and the fighting has continued since.Iran's Revolutionary Guard said Thursday that it targeted two U.S. Navy vessels, eight oil tankers and 10 other ships near the Strait of Hormuz, The Washington Times reported. The announcement came a day before Rupar posted the clip.Gasoline averaged $4.15 a gallon nationally this week, up from $4.08 a week earlier, Al Jazeera reported, with the increase tied to the fighting around the strait.Rupar noted in his post that Hinson has defended the war and voted against war powers resolutions, the measures that would force the president to seek congressional approval to keep fighting.Hinson and Iowa's three other House Republicans voted in March against a resolution that would have limited the military campaign against Iran, Radio Iowa reported. It failed 219-212.The House passed a similar measure 215-208 in June with four Republicans crossing over, CBS News reported. Hinson was not among them."Even though the Iran war is thousands of miles away, it is important that we finish the job there, because Iran can never get a nuclear weapon," Hinson told The Gazette in June, using nearly the same phrasing she would repeat on the podcast."If it drags on beyond that, it's a political liability for us too, because we've lost Iowa soldiers," Hinson told voters at a meet-and-greet in Webster County in late May, according to audio obtained by Politico and reported by The New Republic. "I've been to four funerals since December, it's awful."Six Army Reserve soldiers assigned to a Des Moines-based command were killed in an Iranian strike on a facility in Kuwait on March 1, The Gazette reported. Two were from Iowa.Hinson faces state Rep. Josh Turek, an Iowa Democrat, in November for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), in a race Democrats are targeting as a long-shot pickup, 19th News reported.
Sep 11, 2026
Profane flight-path signs to greet Trump as he approaches Ireland: 'Great big unwelcome'
An attempt to shield President Donald Trump from protests in Ireland has likely failed after a Co. Clare family painted a profane message across the field behind their house, directly under the flight path he will use on Saturday.The woman behind the sign, who was not named, described the project on Today FM's Ray Foley Show, saying the field sits beneath the approach to the main runway at Shannon Airport.Trump is due to land at Dublin Airport on Saturday morning before flying west to Shannon and traveling on to his golf resort at Doonbeg, which is hosting the Irish Open this weekend.The woman's original plan was to protest outside the resort itself, she told Today FM, but she abandoned it once she understood how tightly the area would be sealed."I was going to go down and try and protest down there, but I'd say we wouldn't even get near it. So we just said we'll do this instead," she said.Ray Foley asked her during the interview whether the house was actually in the flight path, and she said that it was.It took weeks of persuading her husband, Paul, to help, she said."I've been troubling him for a long time to do this, because we knew he was going to be coming," she said, adding that she kept needling him until he gave in.The finished letters spell out "F— TRUMP" and dwarf the house beside them, according to the Daily Beast, which reported that the sign stretches across the entire field.A second message appeared on Thursday on a beach in Dublin Bay, under the approach to Dublin Airport, RTÉ reported.The campaigning organization Uplift carved the words "NO KINGS — GAZA IRAN ICE" into the sand, the broadcaster reported.Waterford environmental artist Seán Corcoran designed the piece using rakes, according to RTÉ, and Uplift said it chose sand so the work would vanish with the tide."We want to send a message to Trump that he is not welcome here in Ireland," Uplift executive director Siobhán O'Donoghue said in a statement."We chose sand to drive home the message that Trump's administration will one day be history," O'Donoghue said.Both messages were finished ahead of a shutdown that An Garda Síochána has described as "one of the biggest policing and security operations" it has ever mounted.The force has declared an extraordinary event, and officers will work more than 10,000 12-hour tours of duty between Friday and Sunday, the Press Association said.The Phoenix Park in Dublin was sealed off at 11 p.m. on Thursday and is expected to stay closed until 6 p.m. Saturday, RTÉ reported, closing Dublin Zoo and the Magazine Fort to visitors.In Clare, access to Doonbeg village and stretches of the N67 road is restricted, the broadcaster reported, and drone flights are barred near Dublin Airport. The Irish Aviation Authority has placed temporary restricted areas over Shannon Airport and the Doonbeg course, and a maritime exclusion zone is in force off Co. Wicklow."We have robust policing plans in place and will arrest and prosecute those committing offenses," Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly told reporters on Friday.Justin Kelly also said there would be "no tolerance" for public disorder, and that the force's water cannon would be on standby, according to the Press Association, though he said he hoped it would not be needed.Gardaí have said they will facilitate peaceful protest, and several demonstrations are going ahead, RTÉ reported.The Irish Neutrality League plans to assemble at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin and march to the GPO at 1 p.m. Saturday, the broadcaster reported, with further protests at the entrance to Shannon Airport, at an agreed location in Doonbeg village, and in Galway city center."We hope to give Trump a great big unwelcome when he arrives in Shannon on Saturday morning," Futureproof Clare member Sinead Sheehan told the Clare Champion.The Trump Organization's Boeing 757 touched down at Shannon shortly after 6:30 a.m. Friday with Eric Trump aboard, Clare FM reported, and a cavalcade of Garda and U.S. Secret Service vehicles reached Doonbeg about an hour later.The flight path message can be seen here.
Sep 11, 2026
Trump imperils 'US-led order' worldwide with single 'incredible' snub: analysts
President Donald Trump’s recent refusal to provide military support to a major U.S. ally marked a turning point for the post-World War II era, geopolitical analyst Brandon Weichert argued on Friday, one in which the United States no longer leads as the world’s top superpower.As the United States continues to wage war against Iran, Yemen’s Houthis made significant gains in their efforts to control the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a major chokepoint for global shipping alongside the Strait of Hormuz. Amid the Houthis’ advances, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia repeatedly called Trump on Thursday with pleas for military assistance.Trump declined those requests, according to a U.S. official who spoke with Axios on the condition of anonymity.With the U.S. military already stretched thin amid the deeply unpopular war against Iran, and with U.S. stockpiles of long-range missiles critically low, Weichert, the senior national security editor for The National Interest, declared that U.S. global dominance had officially reached its end.“It's over. The US-led order is done,” Weichert wrote Friday in a social media post on X to his more than 74,000 followers. “Saudis need to start cutting deals with Houthis and the rest of the region needs to do the same (unless Washington comes to its senses and negotiates a reasonable off-ramp now).”Middle East geopolitical analyst Firas Modad called Trump’s refusal to provide support to MBS a “total abandonment of the Saudis” and “incredible,” and Marc Polymeropoulos, a former CIA intelligence officer and national security analyst, was taken aback by Trump’s refusal, particularly given Saudi Arabia’s extensive investments in Trump-linked businesses, his family's ventures and figures within his administration.“So the US fails to assist Riyadh in their time of need? The Saudi investment in the Trump relationship gets them, what?” Polymeropoulos asked aloud.Polymeropoulos also questioned how the Trump administration failed to foresee such a scenario developing.“We [are] so overstretched [on] Iran, I presume that this front is a problem for us, but did we not plan for this possible [Houthi] scenario when launching the Iran campaign?” Polymeropoulos continued. “Ultimately, I find it hard to believe we will let the [Houthis] keep rolling. That’s a disaster for us strategically. Iran has huge leverage now. Like it or not, we in this. And the Saudis likely will see this as a huge betrayal, if we do not actively participate. Yes, with air strikes. Lots to ponder as a huge wrinkle now emerges in Trump’s war of choice.”It's over. The US-led order is done. Saudis need to start cutting deals with Houthis and the rest of the region needs to do the same (unless Washington comes to its senses and negotiates a reasonable off-ramp now). https://t.co/YqEHeKkF89— Brandon Weichert (@WeTheBrandon) September 11, 2026
Sep 11, 2026
Trump stiffs major US ally after ignoring pleas for help as Iran war spirals: report
President Donald Trump declined a request for military support from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia on Thursday, a U.S. official told Axios on the condition of anonymity, as analysts warn that the U.S. war against Iran is starting to spiral out of control.On Wednesday, Yemen’s Houthis captured a critical town near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, which, like the Strait of Hormuz, is a critical chokepoint for global shipping. The Houthis are also inching closer toward capturing the entirety of Yemen’s west coast, sparking fears that a “second front” in the U.S. war against Iran may soon open.As the Houthis made additional advances on Thursday, MBS called Trump to brief him on the developments, Axios reported, and “several hours later,” called the president again and “urged” him to “order U.S. strikes against the Houthis.”“Trump declined, but a U.S. official said the administration will provide Saudi Arabia with intelligence on the Houthis and targeting data,” Axios’ report reads. “A senior Trump administration official signaled that Washington's priority is keeping the Red Sea open while leaving the broader fight to its regional partners.”Also on Thursday, reports circulated that the Houthis may have inflicted damage on Saudi Arabia’s “strategically important” East-West oil pipeline, a development that could have major ramifications for global oil prices.Diesel prices in the United States reached their highest levels in history last week, and the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline reached $4.15. On Thursday, gas prices jumped by 13 cents over the course of the previous week.The development also comes after the U.S. had used up “virtually all” of its long-range precision missiles amid its bombardment of Iran, which raised major “concerns about the military’s readiness for future conflicts,” Reuters previously reported.“With Iran already disrupting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, Houthi control of Bab al-Mandab [Strait] could give Tehran a powerful new point of leverage over the U.S. and its Gulf allies,” Axios’ report reads. “The U.S. is concerned about the rapidly escalating fight in Yemen and is stepping up support for Saudi Arabia while trying to avoid direct military involvement.”
Sep 11, 2026
$15m fund launched to create ‘unstoppable momentum’ to end FGM worldwide
Her Horizon Fund seeks $100m to stop practice harming 230m women and girls globally Frontline activists and leaders in the fight against female genital mutilation, which has affected more than 230 million women and girls worldwide, have welcomed an unprecedented $15.5m (£11.4m) fund aimed at creating “unstoppable momentum” to finally end the practice.The launch of the fund comes as women’s rights are increasingly under attack and donor funding is in sharp decline, particularly for work led by FGM survivors in local communities. It is thought to be the largest single philanthropic contribution to ending the practice of FGM. Continue reading...
Sep 11, 2026
Marco Rubio's diplomatic trip backfires as America's top rival seizes the moment: report
Secretary of State Marco Rubio's three-country tour through Latin America this week backfired despite visiting nations led by Trump-friendly presidents, Politico reported.According to a Thursday report, Rubio visited Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru over three days. All three countries are governed by right-wing leaders who campaigned on combating crime and partnering closely with Washington, Politico noted. In Colombia, he spoke of a "golden era" between the two countries.Politico reported that the visit exposed sharp tensions inside the countries, where critics and commentators accused Rubio of pressuring governments to work against their own interests. The friction was clearest over China, a dominant economic force across the region, and the Trump administration's Shield of the Americas military alliance, according to Politico.In Peru, which Rubio announced would join the alliance, he used the moment to attack Beijing, charging that Chinese-backed projects "circumvent Peru's legal frameworks," according to Politico. Peru's government welcomed the step as part of its push against organized crime, Politico reported.Others were far less enthusiastic. Mirtha Vasquez, a left-wing Peruvian senator and former prime minister, said her country "needs to have a relationship with the U.S. but also with other powers," Politico reported.A survey released this week by the Kellogg Institute and Vanderbilt University found that citizens across the three nations place more trust in the Chinese government than in the U.S. administration, according to Politico. Benjamin Gedan, a former State and Treasury Department official, said the election of pro-Trump leaders was "clearly not enough to move the needle" in the U.S.-China contest.The timing sharpened the backlash, as Rubio arrived soon after a Venezuelan oil deal that drew heavy criticism across the region as gunboat diplomacy. In Colombia, defeated left-wing candidate Ivan Cepeda called the visit "an act of surrender" of regional sovereignty in a social media video, according to Politico.Beijing moved fast to press the advantage. Before Rubio landed in Peru, the Chinese embassy in Lima posted that the Western Hemisphere is "no one's backyard," Politico reported. Rubio was pressed by reporters on whether Washington would act alone against groups it labels as terrorist threats. He said the United States has "the capacity to act unilaterally."
Sep 10, 2026
‘Our forefathers are coming back’: Naga people celebrate after Oxford museum agrees to return remains
Following six years of talks, Pitt Rivers Museum will return body parts collected by British colonial administrators to north-east IndiaAnthropologists and community leaders from Nagaland, a remote state in north-eastern India bordering Myanmar, have expressed joy and relief that human remains belonging to their ancestors that had been on display in a British museum for nearly a century are finally being returned.On Monday, the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford announced that 39 pieces of human remains – including parts of skulls, a finger and a piece of skin with hair – belonging to the Naga tribes, will be returned to Nagaland after six years of negotiation between the community and the museum. Continue reading...
Sep 10, 2026
'Everyone pays': Trump aides privately brace for a fight lasting his whole term
White House advisers have privately warned President Donald Trump that the Iran conflict could last through the end of his term.According to a Wednesday article by The Wall Street Journal, the message cuts sharply against the swift victory Trump has promised the public. Citing unnamed U.S. officials, The Journal reported that Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and others have told the president in the Oval Office and Situation Room that Tehran may keep resisting the American pressure campaign well past Inauguration Day in January 2029.Trump has offered a far rosier timeline. He told reporters this week that the war would end "immediately" after November's midterm elections "because they can't hold out any longer," The Journal noted.The conflict is in its seventh month and has killed 18 service members, The Journal added. Rather than escalate major combat, Trump has leaned on a naval blockade and sanctions meant to force Tehran to abandon its nuclear program, a strategy the Trump administration has dubbed "Operation Economic Outcast."When asked about the war's trajectory, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales defended the approach and played down any fixed timeline. "Only President Trump knows what he will do and when," she said, per The Journal.Vance likewise declined to set an end date. It would be "irresponsible" to write out a strategy and timeline for an adversary that keeps targeting commercial ships, he told reporters.Analysts told The Journal that a drawn-out siege looks increasingly likely and increasingly costly. Suzanne Maloney of the Brookings Institution said the blockade is "unlikely to produce a decisive outcome in the near or even medium term."Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group framed the standoff as a grinding stalemate that punishes both sides without breaking either."Everyone pays," he said. "But neither leadership is yet paying enough to accept the other side's terms."Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has already pushed some Middle East troop deployments into 2027, signaling Washington is bracing for a longer fight, The Journal reported.
Sep 10, 2026
Rubio signals shift to working with allies to fight drug trade as latest boat strike kills three
Rubio visits Ecuador and welcomes cooperation after campaign of unilateral strikes on alleged ‘narco-terrorists’The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, gave new clarity on the approach toward combating drug trafficking in Latin American waters, saying the Trump administration was focused on working with allied countries and aligning with their laws but insisted the military would “still blow up ships if need be”.The public acknowledgment of a shift in US strategy comes a year after Washington began a campaign of unilateral deadly strikes against those it calls “narco-terrorists” operating boats in international waters. Continue reading...
Sep 9, 2026
Notorious Ecuadorian crime gang designated a terrorist group by US
Trump administration to seek extra funding from Congress to ‘dismantle’ Los Tiguerones over narcotics traffickingThe US has designated Ecuador’s Los Tiguerones gang, which stormed a television station during a live broadcast in 2024, as a terrorist organisation as the Trump administration expands its campaign against narcotics traffickers it says are destabilising Latin America.The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, made the announcement in Quito, where he met Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa, one of several rightwing allies of Donald Trump whom Rubio is courting as a security partner during a three-nation tour through Latin America that began on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Sep 9, 2026
Family of British man found dead in Grenada ask local police to work with UK investigators
Andrew Frederick’s body was found in property he was staying at in Grenada in JanuaryThe family of a British father who was found dead in the Caribbean in January is urging authorities in Grenada to work with UK police to uncover the truth about his death.Andrew Frederick’s body was found in the property he was staying at in Grenada on 4 January. An autopsy, performed in the same week by a privately hired pathologist, concluded that the 47-year-old’s death was a homicide. Continue reading...
Sep 8, 2026
‘Trust deficit’: Why India’s economic data has sparked a furore
India’s statistical system once commanded respect, and its data on economic and social indicators was considered rigorous – that appears to have eroded• Don’t get This is India delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereThere isn’t much that we Indians agree on these days. GDP numbers are no exception. Last week, India released glowing GDP numbers for the latest quarter – 7.8% growth – higher than the forecast 7%. It sparked a furore.Subhash Garg, a former finance secretary under Narendra Modi’s government and now a critic, reframed what Modi called a “herculean feat” as mere smoke and mirrors. According to Garg, the government revised last year’s current-price GDP downwards to inflate this year’s number – he believes the real growth is only 2.6%. Continue reading...
