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DHS Ties Election Grants to Paper Audits Over Chinese Voting Machine Parts
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told the White House Transparency Task Force that three vendors controlling more than 80 percent of U.S. voting systems — ES&S, Hart InterCivic and Dominion — use China-made components that create supply-chain risks. A tampered part could serve as an entry point for hackers and enable synchronized attacks across machines and jurisdictions, Mullin wrote. Intelligence assessments cited by the department describe China as the most active cyber threat and state that China, Iran, and Russia have the technical capability to access some U.S. election-related networks. States seeking full Homeland Security Grant Program awards must conduct random post-election manual counts of paper ballots, expected to cover about 5 percent of ballots cast, to detect errors or manipulation.
🏛️ News & Politics
Reports Detail Large Democrat Payments to Political Influencers
Democrat campaigns and aligned outside groups are paying social media influencers to promote candidates, often without disclosing it to viewers. There is no federal rule requiring those disclosures. Only a few states require them, and those rules cover state and local races. The cases reported recently involved Democrats. Tom Steyer paid at least 17 influencers $5,000 each, including $21,500 to Josh Greene and $400,000 to one TikTok creator. Katie Porter paid 12 influencers a total of $139,500. A super PAC tied to Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed also paid Greene. Some paid TikTok posts for Porter lacked clear disclosures. The FTC requires disclosure of commercial endorsements but exempts political messaging.
Democrats Hypocritically Attack Iran War They Long Framed as Necessary
Democrat National Committee Chair Ken Martin said Friday that President Trump has failed to end a war launched Feb. 28. Martin said the conflict has killed at least 18 U.S. troops and cost about $100 billion. The same report noted that many establishment Democrats spent years calling for a hard line on Tehran. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said before the strikes that confronting Iran’s terror campaign, nuclear work, and regional aggression demanded strength and resolve. After a closed-door briefing, Schumer said the administration had to make its case to the public. Party leaders earlier worked to limit a grassroots War Powers push even as some House Democrats later backed votes to constrain the president.
Clyburn Calls Support for Thomas a Mistake and Backs 13-Justice Court
Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) said on NBC’s Meet the Press that he does not stand by his 1991 support for Justice Clarence Thomas. “Absolutely not,” Clyburn said. “I have made mistakes in my life, and that is one that I’ve made.” He said he had no idea Thomas would “rebel” against his own background and experiences. Clyburn also said Congress should expand the Supreme Court to 13 justices, calling a baker’s dozen a good number. He said he had hoped Thomas would follow what he called the modern underpinnings of the Constitution.
Federal Judge Declines Immediate Halt of Order Targeting Birth Tourism
U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman in Greenbelt, Maryland, declined Friday to issue a temporary restraining order against President Trump’s August executive order aimed at birth tourism. Immigrant-rights groups that earlier blocked a 2025 birthright citizenship order had not named the new directive in their complaint. Boardman, a Biden appointee, said she could not block it on that record. She allowed the plaintiffs to supplement their lawsuit and set a swift briefing schedule. The order directs the State Department and Homeland Security to deny or revoke visas used to enter the United States solely for the purpose of giving birth.
Three Dead After Mass Shootings Minutes Apart in Trenton and Chicago
Gunfire tore through Trenton, New Jersey, and Chicago less than 15 minutes apart overnight. Trenton police responded near Locust Street around 12:25 a.m. Sunday after reports of multiple shots. Eleven people were shot. Two died, and nine others were wounded. Chicago police were dispersing a large South Side gathering around 11:37 p.m. Saturday when gunmen opened fire. Ten people were shot. A 35-year-old man died, and nine others were wounded. No arrests have been announced in either shooting.
Editor’s Note: But in Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson is more concerned about government contracts going to companies that support ICE…
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📢 The American Fifth Column
California Bill Adds Two Eid Holidays and Authorizes School Lessons
Assembly Bill 2017 would add Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha to California’s list of state holidays. The Assembly passed it 64-1 in May. The Senate amended it Aug. 27 and ordered it to a third reading Aug. 28. Schools and community colleges could close if boards and unions agree. State workers could use existing leave. Public schools could conduct exercises exploring the history of the two holidays. The State Board of Education could develop a model curriculum. The bill would not automatically close government offices. Christmas is already a state holiday. The education code has no matching provision for special Christmas, Easter, or Good Friday lesson guides.
Editor’s Note: Let the lawsuits fly over the unequal treatment of religions…
Piker Says Michigan Senate Nominee Asked Him to Campaign
Privileged nepo-baby Hasan Piker told Semafor’s Dave Weigel that Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed asked him to stump for the campaign. Piker said he had already hosted El-Sayed many times and raised money for him. El-Sayed later told reporters he was not interested in discussing “a social media person in California” or “a Twitch streamer.” Asked why he brought Piker to Michigan, El-Sayed waved off the question. A reporter said Jewish voters wanted to know whether he condemned Piker. El-Sayed said he would have that conversation with his voters.
State Department Revokes Visa of Iraqi Official After Terror Watchlist Placement
The State Department revoked the visa of Taif Sami Mohammed Al Shakarchi after she was placed on the FBI Terror Watchlist. Assistant Secretary Dylan Johnson said Friday that she is no longer in the United States. In 2022, then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken and then-First Lady Jill Biden gave her the International Women of Courage Award. She had served as Iraq’s deputy finance minister and later as finance minister. The department did not release the intelligence behind the watchlist listing.
Nearly 10,000 Complaints Detail Filth at Los Angeles Street Food Stands
Los Angeles County Public Health received 9,746 complaints about street vendors from 2023 through early 2026. The records fill 662 pages. Complainants described a dog eating meat that was then served, mice near open salsa, food left in the sun, cockroaches in a truck, unrefrigerated raw meat, and people urinating near cooking gear. About 50,000 street vendors operate in Los Angeles. Officials listed 687 active vending permits as of September 2024, including 53 food permits. Mayor Karen Bass directed police to stop criminal citations of vendors and to seek dismissal of some tickets already issued.
Editor’s Note: So DEI trumps health in Los Angeles…gotcha
Hochul Wears Hijab at New York Mosque Visit
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) appeared in a hijab while addressing an audience at an Islamic center in New York. Video of the visit circulated on Sunday. Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) posted the clip alongside a contrast between Democrat warnings about a “Handmaid’s Tale” and the governor covering her hair before Muslim men. The visit came weeks before the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks in New York. Critics on social media called the gesture pandering. Supporters described covering the hair as customary etiquette at a mosque.
Editor’s Note: The stunningly idiotic thing here is that in Islam, a woman is only worth half that of a man and has considerably fewer rights.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery."
— Thomas Jefferson
🌐 International
US Hits Iranian Launchers on Larak Island After Mine Threat
U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, a U.S. official said. Revolutionary Guard units were observed preparing to fire rockets carrying sea mines toward the Strait of Hormuz. The action was the first U.S. strike in weeks. Iranian media reported explosions near the island. The Guard said fighters were killed or wounded and vowed a response. U.S. Central Command said it recently finished clearing mines from international shipping lanes and remains ready to keep commerce moving through the strait.
Istanbul to Host First Talks Under Turkey-Saudi-Pakistan Defense Pact
The first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement will be held in Istanbul on Aug. 31. Foreign and defense ministers and military chiefs from Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia are expected to attend. The pact was signed Aug. 7 and treats an attack on one member as an attack on all. Officials plan to discuss international security, interoperability, joint defense production, and counterterrorism. The committee is also expected to set a secretariat framework and a roadmap for next steps.
Christian Lawmakers Seek Expedited US Path for Canadian Jews Facing Antisemitism
The National Association of Christian Lawmakers asked the State Department and Department of Homeland Security to create lawful, secure and expedited pathways for Jewish Canadians and their immediate families who face persecution or credible safety fears. More than 2,000 Jewish Canadians have expressed interest in relocating after harassment, vandalism, threats, and violence against schools, synagogues, businesses, and families. The group cited a disproportionate rate of antisemitic incidents in Canada. Signers, including Jason Rapert and former ambassador Sam Brownback, urged the use of existing refugee, humanitarian, and visa authorities. Oklahoma officials and Tulsa Jewish and Christian leaders have offered to help receive families who enter legally.
Iceland Voters Reject Restart of European Union Accession Talks
Icelanders rejected a government proposal to reopen European Union accession talks in a Saturday referendum, with public broadcaster RUV reporting that 52.8 percent voted no and 47.2 percent voted yes, with an 82.5 percent turnout. The ballot asked whether negotiations abandoned in 2013 should resume, not whether Iceland should join the bloc. Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir’s center-left government advanced the vote and said it would honor the outcome for the rest of its term. Reykjavik favored a restart, while rural constituencies, where fisheries remain a core export and part of their identity, voted against surrendering quota control and lawmaking to Brussels. Iceland already trades inside the single market through the European Economic Area after applying in 2009 and dropping candidate status in 2015.
Eight Dead After Cyprus Ferry Capsizes Minutes From Port
A high-speed ferry carrying about 270 passengers and crew capsized Sunday shortly after leaving Kyrenia in northern Cyprus for Tasucu, Turkey. At least eight people died, and 17 remained missing as coast guard boats and helicopters pulled survivors from the overturned Filo Jet hull. The vessel began taking on water about four miles offshore and later sank at a depth of 514 meters. Authorities arrested the captain and seven crew members while rescue operations continued.
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