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Fifth Circuit Says Constitution Gives No Right to Clean City Water
The full 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Jackson, Mississippi, residents cannot sue under the 14th Amendment over contaminated municipal water or official statements that the water was safe. The en banc court, in Sterling v. City of Jackson, said those alleged harms, while grievous, are not a deeply rooted constitutional right. Judge Kurt Engelhardt wrote that plaintiffs may use tort claims, elections and regulators instead. The decision reverses a November 2025 panel that had allowed a bodily-integrity theory to proceed. Judge James Graves dissented. The court did not decide whether the water facts were true. Federal Safe Drinking Water Act oversight of Jackson continues. A separate NAACP suit over state water-grant funds remains pending.
đď¸ News & Politics
Fourth Circuit to Hear Bid to Restore Comey and James Indictments
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments Sept. 14 on Justice Department appeals seeking to revive cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie, appointed by President Bill Clinton, dismissed both indictments after ruling interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan was unlawfully appointed under 28 U.S.C. § 546. Comey was charged in 2025 with lying to Congress about FBI leaks. James was charged with bank fraud and a false mortgage statement. Both deny the charges and call the cases retaliatory. The department says the 120-day interim clock restarted with Halligan. Currie said Bondi lacked power after the first interim term expired and set aside Halliganâs actions. Halligan later resigned after failing Senate confirmation.
White House Weighs Defense Act to Add Refining as Diesel Tops $6
The Trump administration is considering using the Defense Production Act to expand U.S. oil refining after diesel rose above $6 a gallon and gasoline stayed above $4.20. Officials discussed options with nearly a dozen refiners. No decision was made. Plants are running at about 98% utilization. Refiners said federal money would work faster expanding existing units than building new ones. America First Refining plans a 168,000-barrel-a-day plant in Brownsville, Texas, backed by Indiaâs Reliance Industries. White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said capacity is a top priority through permitting and investment. An April order already authorized DPA support for petroleum production, refining and logistics.
GOP House and Senate Ads Target Insurers on Premiums
Republican campaigns are running ads that blame health insurers for high premiums and denied claims. US Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-NJ), in an NRCC-backed spot, says he took on companies that leave families paying too much. A McLaughlin & Associates survey of 2,000 likely voters found 65 percent more likely to back a Republican who backs stricter penalties on insurers for waste and fraud. US Rep. Tom Barrett (R-MI) says he returned insurer donations and wrote a bill to force more spending on care. A Senate Leadership Fund ad in New Hampshire accuses US Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) of doing nothing while insurers booked $50 billion in profits.
Wisconsin GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Swims to Safety After Plane Ditches in Lake Wausau
US Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI), the Republican nominee for Wisconsin governor, and pilot Leonard Boltz made an emergency landing in Lake Wausau on Saturday after their four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza lost power approaching Wausau Downtown Airport. They were returning from a La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner. As the plane sank they swam to shallow water and were pulled out by boat about 9:05 p.m. Tiffany needed stitches above his right eye. Both were treated and released from Aspirus Wausau Hospital. Democrat David Crowley wished them a quick recovery. The aircraft remains in the lake. Officials are investigating the power loss.
Johnson Seeks Second Term as Chicago Mayor Amid Low Polls
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) said Sunday he will run again in the February 2027 election. He posted a campaign video pledging the safest, most affordable big city and a pause on new data centers. A University of Chicago Mansueto Institute poll found 14 percent of residents wanted him to run again, and 23 percent approved of his job. Challengers include Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias (D), Comptroller Susana Mendoza (D), US Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL), and local businessman and lobbyist John Kelly. Filings show Giannoulias with nearly $22 million and Johnson under $1 million. Johnson won in 2023 with the Chicago Teachers Union and progressive backing. A runoff is set for April 6 if no one tops 50 percent.
Editorâs Note: Johnson has been, arguably, the worst mayor in Chicagoâs history; a complete lackey for the CTU.
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North Carolina Democrats Drop House Candidate Over MAGA Death Posts
The North Carolina House Democrat Caucus withdrew support for Shelly Headen, who is running against US Rep. John Blust (R-NC), after social media posts wishing MAGA supporters would âdie offâ and calling for an attack on U.S. soil in Alabama and Louisiana. A caucus spokesman said the comments were unacceptable and did not reflect expected values. The Guilford County Democrat Party also cut financial and organizational help. Headen told The Assembly she could not remember specific posts but has been vocal against MAGA. She compared her sacrifice to Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln. One post after the UnitedHealthcare CEOâs killing said America was beyond peaceful protest.
Vandals Mark California State University 9/11 Flag Memorial With Palestine Slogans
Students with Young Americaâs Foundation planted 2,977 American flags at California State University, Stanislaus for the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Flags were found marked âFree Palestine,â âBlowbackâ and â161.â Some were pulled from the ground. Campus police opened an investigation after a report Friday. YAF President Scott Walker called defacing a memorial to 2,977 Americans disgraceful. Chapter president Madeline Iwasyk said the display was not political and that about 30 flags were destroyed. University officials confirmed the police report. The group runs an annual Never Forget Project on campuses.
Gallego Says He Would Tear Down Trump Ballroom and Arch
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), said Sunday he would advocate tearing down the White House ballroom and Great Triumphal Arch if he ran for president in 2028. He said he wants to remove honorifics and structures tied to President Trump since 2025. The ballroom is a $600 million, 90,000-square-foot project about two-thirds finished, with workers on 20-hour shifts. The administration says it includes security upgrades and an underground bunker. The Supreme Court last month, 5-4, allowed work to continue. The 250-foot arch, estimated at $100 million, is planned for Memorial Circle in Arlington near the cemetery. Gallego called it an ugly monstrosity. Public Citizen is backing a lawsuit to stop the arch. Trump has said the ballroom is under budget and ahead of schedule.
Charlotte Felon Accused of Shooting Officer Faces 62 New Charges
Dionte Antonio McCracking, 28, is charged with shooting a Charlotte-Mecklenburg officer in the shoulder after an alleged attempt to shoot him in the head during a struggle on Enderly Road. Police say he fled, then surrendered after a SWAT standoff. A judge denied bond. CMPD later tied him and his brother Jatarius, 27, to 190 charges since July 27. Dionte accounts for 62, including attempted murder of an officer, possession of a firearm by a felon and a stolen gun. Police called both habitual felons with more than a decade of convictions. Records show Dionte was released in June 2024 after a 2023 firearm sentence. The officer was stable and expected to recover.
Harvard Law Report on Israel Draws Fire as One-Sided and Error-Filled
Harvard Lawâs International Human Rights Clinic and Human Rights Watch issued âUncontrolled Burn,â claiming 23 Israeli white phosphorus uses in southern Lebanon from March to May 2026. Critics say the 45-page paper is one-sided, error-ridden and packed with unfounded opinions. Israel is named dozens of times. Hamas appears once. Hezbollah is absent. Lead author Bonnie Docherty works for Human Rights Watch and is a lecturer, not ladder faculty. A 2022 clinic paper partnered with Addameer, later sanctioned as PFLP-linked. Cited accounts include UNRWA and groups critics tie to militants. The text omits an Israeli reply. The Israeli military has said smoke-screen shells are not incendiary weapons and meet the law of armed conflict. Harvard slaps its logo on the file while saying it is not an official school view.
ON THIS DAY IN 1814:
During the War of 1812, British forces launched an overnight bombardment on Fort McHenry in Baltimore. Seeing the American flag still flying the next morning inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that became the U.S. national anthem.
đ International
Houthis Claim Saudi Base Strike After Seizing Mocha Near Djibouti
Iran-backed Houthis said they fired missiles and drones at a Saudi military base in Sharurah in the Najran region. Spokesman Yahya Saree gave no evidence or time. Saudi civil defense said a projectile hit al-Tawwal near the Yemen border, injuring two people. The rebels seized Mocha on Thursday and Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, putting them about 20 miles from the U.S. base in Djibouti. Yemenâs government called the coastal collapse painful and said forces would regroup. About 1,400 people fled to Djibouti in 24 hours. The IOM put displacement since July at more than 76,000. Shipping through the strait has dropped. Riyadh has not confirmed the base strike.
Russian Drone Hits Kyiv-Warsaw Train Two Kilometers From Poland
A Russian jet-powered drone struck the locomotive of a Kyiv-to-Warsaw passenger train at Yahodyn, about two kilometers from the Polish border. Ukraineâs railway said an advance warning let the crew evacuate and no one was hurt. Polish railways put about 208 people aboard. The service was delayed several hours. A truck was also hit near the Dorohusk-Yahodyn crossing. Polish officials said Polish airspace was not violated and identified Geran-5 drones. Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski called it an escalation. Ukraineâs foreign minister said the strike knocked on NATOâs door. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other officials had used the line minutes earlier. Lithuania briefly closed Vilnius airport after a possible drone sighting.
Most Germans Say Merz Should Leave Office as AfD Widens Lead
An INSA poll for Bild found 78 percent of Germans say Friedrich Merz is not the right chancellor and 14 percent say he is. Among Union voters, 58 percent opposed him and 36 percent supported him. Satisfaction with his work fell from more than 30 percent in mid-2025 to 16 percent in early September. A separate INSA Sunday trend put Alternative for Germany at 29 percent and the CDU/CSU Union at 20 percent, a nine-point gap, a week after AfD won Saxony-Anhalt. Forty-six percent said the firewall against AfD is outdated. Merz has been chancellor about 16 months. Names floated as alternatives include Markus SĂśder and Hendrik WĂźst.
Nationalist Leaders Plan Cardiff Pact Pressing UK Breakup Votes
John Swinney of the SNP, Rhun ap Iorwerth of Plaid Cymru and Michelle OâNeill of Sinn FĂŠin plan to sign a memorandum of understanding in Cardiff on Monday as party leaders. The text is expected to cover the economy, energy, international cooperation and self-determination and to press London for referendum rights. Scotland and Wales would seek EU membership as independent states. Sinn FĂŠin wants Northern Ireland in a united Ireland already in the EU. Swinney said the status quo is not sustainable. Prime Minister Andy Burnham later said Scotland and Northern Ireland have different constitutional rules after comments about a possible Scottish vote. DUP Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said OâNeill did not seek her consent. Scots rejected independence 55 percent to 45 percent in 2014.
Turkey Raids LGBT Groups in Muslim-Majority Family Values Drive
Turkish prosecutors detained 26 people and searched six LGBT association offices across 12 provinces after allegations of prostitution and obscenity. The Istanbul chief prosecutor said officers seized drugs, digital equipment, smuggled alcohol and a firearm in an operation called My Family Is Safe. Officials in the Muslim-majority country said the campaign protects family values and children. Same-sex marriage is not recognized. Kaos GL said at least 50 activists were held and websites were blocked. Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses in 15 provinces face proceedings. Human rights groups called the raids discrimination. Ankara and Cairo earlier barred a gay-chartered cruise on moral grounds.
Editorâs Note: You see, freedom in the far-Leftâs coveted Middle East, well, ainât so muchâŚ
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