22 Sep, 2025 18:15

NATO member calls for deal to lower risk of war with Russia

As long as the hostilities continue, the conflict could spill over, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said

Ending the Ukraine conflict would entirely diffuse the risk of escalation between NATO and Russia, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in an interview with TASS on Monday.

Moscow has long characterized the conflict as a proxy war led by the US-led military bloc against Russia using Ukrainian manpower.

Speaking to the Russian news agency on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York,Szijjarto suggested peace in Ukraine as a way to prevent a dangerous escalation between Russia and NATO.

“If there is peace, if this [Ukraine] war ends, then we can reduce the risk of escalation to zero.But as long as this war continues, I fear that events will occur that carry the risk of escalation, and that is truly bad news,” he said.

Earlier this month, the top diplomat said thatUkraine and the EU were attempting to “drag”Hungary into the conflict. Despite pressure from Brussels, Budapest has resisted providing military support to Kiev and opposed the bloc’s sanctions against Russia, instead calling for a diplomatic solution.

In recent weeks,EU and NATO members Poland and Estonia have both accused Russia of violating their airspace– claims Moscow has denied as baseless.

In response to Russian drones allegedly crossing into Polish territory earlier this month, NATO launched its Eastern Sentry operation to increase the US-led military bloc’s presence near its eastward flank.

The Russian Foreign Ministry hasstated that the drone allegations were fabricated for the purpose of derailing the Ukraine peace talks. Russia has long accused European NATO members of working to prolong and escalate the conflict.

According to Moscow,the US-led military bloc is already “de facto” fighting a war against Russia.

“NATO provides both indirect and direct support to the Kiev regime,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week. Despite this, Moscow remains “ready and willing” to work towards diplomatically settling the Ukraine crisis, he added.

https://www.rt.com/russia/625080-nato-country-ukraine-peace/

The NATO and EU must have war, because they are tragically broke because the EU has spent more money then they have. To them the economic benefits more war is worth it.

(Of course it’s Mike Waltz that wants war with Russia. US envoy to the United Nations Mike Waltz at a UN Security Council meeting, New York City, September 22, 2025)

23 Sep, 2025 12:19

US pledges to defend ‘every inch’ of NATO

The vow follows alleged Russian airspace violations, claims that Moscow believes were orchestrated in order to appeal to Trump

The US is prepared to defend “every inch of NATO territory,” Washington’s envoy to the UN, Mike Waltz, said on Monday at a UN Security Council meeting.The pledge follows accusations from Poland and Estonia that Russia had violated their airspace– claims that Moscow rejects as baseless.

The council meeting was called to address Tallinn’s allegation that Russian fighter jets veered into Estonian airspace last week. Earlier this month, Poland accused Russia of deliberately flying drones across its border from Belarus, prompting a joint NATO response.

“The United States and our allies will defend every inch of NATO territory,” Waltz said, alleging that Russia either “wants to escalate and pull more countries” into the Ukraine conflict or is not fully controlling its forces.

Russian Deputy Representative Dmitry Polyanskyreiterated Moscow’s denials and accused European NATO members of seeking to disrupt improving US-Russia ties since President Donald Trumptook office in January. He claimedEuropean leaders are aiming to push Trump “back to an anti-Russian course”and compared their behavior to “an unhinged, paranoid person who is completely incapable of responding to criticism.”

Trump has downplayed the Polish incident, questioning whether it was done deliberately by Russia as claimed by Warsaw, but has maintained that NATO’s mutual defense commitments remain solid.

The EU is pursuing sweeping military buildup plansthat would have member states borrow hundreds of billions of euros to ramp up arms production and increase their standing armies.

Moscow has dismissed Brussels’ claims that the spending is needed to deter aRussian attack as baseless and intended to distract the public from domestic problems. Polyansky accused European politicians of “whipping up anti-Russian hysteria” so that “European voters would not notice anything.”

https://www.rt.com/news/625108-us-nato-defense-pledge/

23 Sep, 2025 04:20

US could sanction entire ICC – Reuters

Washington has previously targeted judges and prosecutors for launching cases against American soldiers and Israeli officials

The United States is weighing up whether to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a whole, Reuters reported on Monday, citing six people familiar with the matter.

Washington has already blacklisted individual judges and prosecutors, but placing the court itself on the sanctions list could cripple its day-to-day operations, from paying staff salaries to accessing banking services and basic software. One US official said entity-wide sanctions were under consideration, though no final decision has been announced.

The pressure campaign against The Hague-based court comes after the ICC issued arrest warrants last yearfor Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza, alongside charges against members of Hamas.

According to three sources,the ICC has already begun preparing for potential sanctions by paying staff salaries in advance through the end of 2025and seeking alternative providers for banking and office software. Emergency meetings were held among court officials and with diplomats from member states to assess the potential impact.

The threat of broader sanctions has triggered pushback among the ICC’s 125 member countries, several of which plan to raise concerns at the United Nations General Assembly this week, three diplomats told Reuters. “The road of individual sanctions has been exhausted. It is now more about when, rather than if, they will take the next step,” one senior diplomat said.

The ICC was established in 2002 under the Rome Statuteto prosecute genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The court recognizes Palestine as a member, which it says grants jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed in Gaza. Israel and the US reject this interpretation and do not recognize the court’s jurisdiction.

Last month, while announcing sanctions against two ICC judges and two prosecutors, US Secretary of State MarcoRubio described the court as “a national security threat that has been an instrument for lawfare” against the US and Israel. In February,Washington also sanctioned the ICC’s lead prosecutor, Karim Khan, after he sought arrest warrants against Israeli officials. Khan is currently on leave amid an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations, which he denies.

https://www.rt.com/news/625089-us-sanction-entire-icc/

22 Sep, 2025 15:10

Ukraine to sell off excess naval drones – Zelensky

The country’s arms industry, which has been =embroiled in corruption scandals, is preparing for an export push==

Ukraine produces more naval drones than it can use and plans to sell the surplus to other nations, Vladimir Zelensky said on Saturday.

Speaking to journalists, Zelensky described the plan as part of a strategy to ease the country’s budget deficit,noting that Kiev needs additional funds to produce the weapons it requires.

“We have some high-quality weapons systems, some stockpiles and production capacity.Funding the production while we have the budget deficit is stupid. But neither do we want to scale down production,” he said.

Last week, Ukraine’s new underwater drones were presented at a military expo in Lviv. Producer Toloka said its largest 12-meter-long torpedo-like drone could be used to attack the Crimean Bridge – a crucial piece of Russian civilian infrastructure.

Ukraine relies on Western donors to fund government operations. Defense Minister Denis Shmigal has saidthe country will need at least $120 billion for the military next year. The proposed 2026 budget projects a deficit exceeding 18% of GDP, which officials hope to cover with foreign aid.

Ukrainian military procurement has been plagued by numerous corruption scandals involving subpar, undelivered, or overpriced weapons.Kiev now promotes domestic arms production backed by Western investment as a way to meet its weapons needs.

Pro-Ukrainian media claim that local manufacturers have advanced rapidly in drone technology, with more than 200 small firms driving innovation.

Last month, the Kyiv Independent profiled Fire Point, a drone maker whose revenue soared from $4 million in 2023 to more than $100 million in 2024, andwhich holds government contracts worth billions. The paper noted that Fire Point – now a major player– was relatively unknown outside the defense sector until this year.

The report citedsources linking the company to Timur Mindich, a former business partner of Zelensky in entertainment, who is reportedly under investigation by the country’s national anticorruption bureau (NABU).

In July, Zelensky sought to limit NABU’s independence but backed down after pressure from Western governments. However, the senior detective who allegedly was investigating Mindich remains in custody of the Security Service of Ukraine, which reports directly to the president.

https://www.rt.com/russia/625061-ukraine-naval-drones-export/

22 Sep, 2025 12:08

Moscow ready to respond to any threat – Putin

The global security landscape continues to deteriorate, mostly due to the West’s destructive policies, the Russian president has said

Russia is ready to respond to any threats, President Vladimir Putin has said,adding that Moscow still supports a diplomatic path to ease tensions despite the West’s destructive policies.

Speaking ahead of the Security Council meeting on Monday, Putinsounded the alarm with regard to the “extreme danger of further deterioration”of the geopolitical situation, particularly amid the Ukraine conflict=.

He added that while Russia had offered “specific ideas” to correct this trajectory, these “warnings and initiatives received no clear response.”

“There should be no doubt about this: Russia is capable of responding to any existing and newly emerging threats.Responding not with words, but through the application of… military-technical measures,” Putin warned.

He noted Moscow’s decision to abandon the unilateral moratorium on the deployment of ground-based intermediate- and shorter-range missiles last month, describing it as “a forced step” caused by the need to counter plans to deploy US- and other Western-made missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

Putin stressed, however, that Russia is not interested in warmongering and saber-rattling. “We are confident in the reliability and effectiveness of our national deterrent forces,but at the same time we are not interested in further escalating tensions or fueling an arms race.”

He added thatRussia has always prioritized “political and diplomatic methods for maintaining international peace, based on the principles of equality, indivisibility of security, and mutual consideration of interests.”

Putin signaled that Moscow is ready to prolong the 2010 New START Treaty, the last remaining arms control pact between Russia and the US, which expires in February. It limits each side to no more than 1,550 deployed strategic nuclear warheads and 700 deployed delivery systems, and provides for inspections and data exchanges to verify compliance.

This initiative,Putin said, “could make a significant contribution to creating an atmosphere conducive to substantive strategic dialogue with the United States.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/625056-moscow-ready-respond-threats-putin/

22 Sep, 2025 11:43

VIDEO shows aftermath of Ukrainian bomb attack on Crimean school

At least three people died and 16 were injured in Sunday’s strike that targeted a peaceful resort area on the peninsula

Ukrainian drones armed with high-explosive warheads have caused severe damage to a school buildingin the Crimean town of Foros.

According to local education officials, the assembly hall of theschool, where more than 200 children study, was completely destroyed and the library was damaged. Footage from the site showed debris scattered across the courtyard, shattered windows in the library, and torn insulation and ventilation pipes in the ruined auditorium, where chairs lay overturned.

No students were hurt as the attack came on a day off, although a security guard was injured, according to local authorities. His condition has not been disclosed.

Specialists from the Emergencies Ministry have launched an inspection to assess the damage. Lessons will resume in the coming days, although students will temporarily study remotely, local administration head Yanina Pavlenko said.

The strike also hit a wellness complex in Foros. Crimean Governor Sergey Aksyonov reported that three people were killed and 16 injured in the town in total.

Most of the wounded were said to have sustained shrapnel injuries. It was noted thatlocal residents and visitors, including from Belarus, had been on the Foros shoreline at the time of the attack. Twelve of the injured have been hospitalized, four of whom are in serious condition. No children were among the victims.

The Russian Defense Ministry saidthe attack had targeted a resort area “where there are no military facilities,” calling it a “deliberate terrorist attack on civilian targets.”

Ukraine has stepped up long-range drone strikes inside Russia in recent months amid battlefield setbacks. The attacks have hit energy sites and civilian infrastructure, leaving dozens dead or injured. Moscow has repeatedly accused Kiev of deliberately targeting civilians, including children.

Russia has launched its own long-range drone and missile strikes in response, but the Defense Ministry insists it targets only military sites such as troop positions, weapons depots, and fuel storage facilities.

https://www.rt.com/russia/625047-video-aftermath-ukrainian-drones-school/

Leavitt: Charlie Kirk Reached Out to Send My Son a Book on Eve of Assassination

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed Monday that Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk reached out to her the day before his assassination to send a children’s book to her one-year-old son.

Turning Point USA Frontlines White House correspondent Monica Paige was in the new media seat for the briefing, and asked Leavitt for her favorite memory of Kirk.

“Charlie was a great guy, and he was, of course, a very influential person in the conservative movement, in the MAGA movement,” Leavitt responded. “He was so helpful to the president during the campaign and to all of us who worked on that campaign, that historic campaign. I myself had many great memories going on Charlie’s amazing podcast and his show.”

Leavitt added that Kirk frequently passed along “words of encouragement” to others via text message.

“In fact, my last text exchange with him was the day before he died, and he was asking for my husband and I’s address to send a children’s book to our son, and I think that just speaks to the type of person that he was,” she recounted. “And I know so many of us here at the White House are going to miss him very much.”

Paige also asked Leavitt if she had a message to Americans afraid to profess “their beliefs, values, and morals” in the aftermath of Kirk’s assassination, to which Leavitt cited the president.

“I think the President has answered this, and I will leave it to his response, Monica, where he so beautifully said we have to keep fighting, we have to keep speaking up. We have to keep speaking our mind,” she responded. “I know that’s what Charlie would want us to do. And we have a right to free speech in this country.”

Breitbart News asked Leavitt if Trump would like to see Congress pass a law establishing a national holiday to honor Kirk annually.

“That’s an interesting question,” she added. “I’m sure he wouldn’t oppose such a thing, but you can pose that to him yourself next time you get the chance.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/09/22/leavitt-charlie-kirk-reached-out-send-my-son-book-eve-assassination/

WATCH: Democratic Socialist NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani Accuses U.S. of ‘Bankrolling Genocide’ on Qatari State TV

Joshua Klein22 Sep 2025

Democratic socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani told Qatari state television that the American federal government is “bankrolling a genocide” against Palestinians, declaring U.S. support has resulted in the death of “a Palestinian child every hour for over a year.”

In a September 21 appearance on Al-Araby TV, a Qatar-based network,Mamdani used the foreign platform to deliver an extended tirade against American foreign policy, accusing Washington of complicity in Middle Eastern violence while at the same time running for mayor of America’s largest city.

“Our federal government is bankrolling a genocide, which has cost the life of a Palestinian child every hour for over a year,” Mamdani declared, according to a translation provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). “The people of New York are shocked by what they have witnessed, as well as by our collaboration, as Americans, in bankrolling what is happening.”

Even as he directed his criticism abroad, Mamdani maintained that his campaign is anchored in municipal priorities, saying his vision for New York City is about responding to the needs of New Yorkers. At the same time, he insisted that those values must extend globally, arguing that if America claims to uphold principles shared by all humanity — freedom, security, and justice — then those principles must be applied universally, including to the Palestinians.

Mamdani’s decision to accuse the United States of genocide on Qatari state television underscores his broader record as one of the most radical voices seeking power in New York politics. He has vowed to sever the city’s investments in Israeli bonds, refused to condemn the incendiary slogan “globalize the intifada,” and has been openly highlighted by the Democratic Socialists of America as their best chance to “seize state power.” His rhetoric has alarmed Jewish Democratic lawmakers, while his campaign events have already drawnhecklers on Staten Island.

Adding to the controversy is Mamdani’s personal connection to Qatar itself. The New York Post revealed that the regime financed years of films by his mother, director Mira Nair, while a separate Post column argued that such Qatari patronage formed “another piece of Mamdani’s privileged puzzle.”

His choice to attack America on Qatari state TV while benefiting from the same regime’s largesse has placed his radical foreign policy views squarely in the spotlight as he campaigns to run New York City.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/09/22/watch-democratic-socialist-nyc-candidate-zohran-mamdani-accuses-u-s-of-bankrolling-genocide-on-qatari-state-tv/

Trump Secures Victory as Pharma Giant Launches Drug at Same Price in U.S. and Europe

Bradley Jaye22 Sep 2025

U.S. pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) announced Monday its new flagship drug will launch at the same price overseas in the UK as in the U.S., a precedent-breaking move reflecting President Donald Trump’s push to end higher drug costs for Americans.

BMS will launch schizophrenia drug Cobenfy (xanomeline and trospium chloride) in the United Kingdom in 2026 at a list price equal to that in the U.S.The move makes BMS the first to align U.S. and overseas pricing in a huge victory for Trump that validates his push to force change in the industry to end “foreign free-riding.”

“We agree with the Trump Administration that other countries need to pay their fair share,” said Adam Lenkowsky, Chief Commercialization Officer, Bristol Myers Squibb. “By making this commitment, we are asking the UK to step up in recognizing the value of truly innovative therapies.”

Trump announced in May that he would sign an executive order on drug pricing to “do the right thing, something that the Democrats have fought for many years.”

“For many years the World has wondered why” prescription and pharmaceutical drugs are so much more expensive in the U.S. than they are “in any other nation,” Trump pointed out in a Truth Social post in May,adding that sometimes they are “five to ten times more expensive than the same drug, manufactured in the exact same laboratory or plant, by the same company.”

“I will be instituting a MOST FAVORED NATION’s POLICY whereby the United States will pay the same price as the Nation that pays the lowest price anywhere in the World,” he announced,predicting “Prescription Drug and Pharmaceutical prices will be REDUCED, almost immediately, by 30% to 80%.”

After the EO was signed, Breitbart News Economics Editor John Carney called Trump’s move “a starting point” and “a long-overdue assertion of national interest in a sector that has for too long been shielded from scrutiny.”

“Its success will depend on implementation, legal resilience, and follow-through in negotiations,” he wrote for Breitbart Business Digest in May. “But the principle it asserts is clear and long overdue: Americans should not be forced to overpay for medicine so that foreign governments can underpay.”

Monday’s announcement is good news for patients who have long borne the burden of higher U.S. drug prices.

Trump has long prioritized the issue. In an interview in September, he told Fox, “for years, we’ve been paying sometimes for a pill, $100, and [other countries] are paying $10 … We’re going to be reducing drug costs over the next year, year and a half,” calling his predicted developments “a monumental change in healthcare.”

Carney explained that the discrepancy in prices in the U.S. and overseas is “because every other developed country uses some form of centralized price negotiation or regulation. The U.S. stands virtually alone in letting manufacturers name their price— then requires insurance plans, public and private alike, to cover those products.”

“That is not a market. That is a racket.”

Guy Oliver, General Manager, Bristol Myers Squibb UK, acknowledged those challenges, as well as the need for the UK government to come to the table — a move it would not have made without Trump’s prodding.

“Despite the UK’s challenging commercial environment, we are committed to working with the NHS, NICE and other authorities to make this medicine available to all eligible UK patients,” he said. “However, to enable us to achieve this goal, a new approach is needed. We therefore call on the Government to collaborate with the life sciences sector to increase investment in new medicines and fully recognise the value that innovation brings to patients, society, and the UK’s long-term prosperity.”

Importantly, BMS is willing to walk away from the U.K. market if regulatory agencies refuse to purchase the drug at the same pricing offered in the U.S.

“Our intention is to work with the UK health authorities to make this medicine available, but we are prepared to make the difficult decision to walk away if they cannot better recognize the value our medicine brings to patients and society,” Lenkowsky said.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/09/22/trump-secures-victory-pharma-giant-launches-drug-same-price-u-s-europe/

TPUSA Presents This is The Turning Point Tour LIVE with Michael Knowles

1/40/54

https://www.youtu.be/0P2abFd3vpA

Trump says the Murdochs will most likely have a role in the U.S. TikTok deal

The president also said Michael Dell, the CEO of Dell Technologies, would be a part of the deal for the social media platform.

Sept. 21, 2025, 12:35 PM EDT / Updated Sept. 21, 2025, 1:13 PM EDT

President Donald Trump on Sunday suggested that media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan, who lead News Corp. and Fox Corp., are involved in the deal for U.S. control of TikTok.

"They're very well-known people," Trump told Fox News' "The Sunday Briefing" when asked about who was involved in the TikTok deal.

"Larry Ellison is one of them. He’s involved. This great guy, Michael Dell is involved. I hate to tell you this, but a man named Lachlan is involved. Do you know who Lachlan is? That’s a very unusual name, Lachlan Murdoch," the president added.

His remarks come one day after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Saturday divulged details about the deal, which would see the U.S. control TikTok's algorithm.

"This deal means that TikTok will be majority-owned by Americans in the United States. There will be seven seats on the board that controls the app in the United States, ==and six of those seats will be Americans=," Leavitt told Fox News' "Saturday in America."

A spokesperson for the White House on Sunday did not immediately respond to questions about whether Lachlan Murdoch would be one of the six Americans to sit on the board to control TikTok, or whether he would be involved in some other capacity.

A source familiar with developments told NBCNews that Lachlan Murdoch would not be involved in the TikTok dealindividually but that Fox Corp. would serve a role.

Murdoch officially took over Fox Corp. and News Corp. this month, ending a lengthy succession battle between him and his siblings over who would take over control of the companies from their father, Rupert Murdoch.

The Murdoch family media empire includes conservative-leaning news organizations like Fox News and The Wall Street Journal.

While Trump and White House administration officials frequently appear on Fox News, the president is currently at odds with The Wall Street Journal. He sued Fox Corp. and the elder Murdoch in July for $10 billion in damages== after the Journal published an article saying that Trump had sent a letter to the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein in 2003 that included a drawing of a naked woman.

Trump also mentioned that Rupert Murdoch could be involved in the deal, saying on Sunday: "Rupert is, is probably going to be in the group. I think they’re going to be in the group."

Ellison's involvement in the TikTok deal was previously known, as the software and cloud computing company that he co-founded, Oracle, will manage the data and privacy aspects of TikTok, Leavitt said Saturday.

Trump's revelation Sunday that Dell, the CEO of Dell Technologies, will also be involved with TikTok after its sale was a new detail. Neither the president nor anyWhite House officials have revealed the names of other American business leaders who may be involved with TikTok after the sale takes place.

A spokesperson for Dell Technologies did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On Sunday, Trump said simply that there would be a "couple of others, really great people, very prominent people," involved.

"And they’re also American patriots, you know, they love this country, so I think they’re going to do a really good job," he added.

=Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced last week that U.S. and Chinese officials had reached a "framework" for a dealto facilitate the sale of the platform, which has over 170 million U.S. users, to a U.S.-based owner.

The news of a deal came after Trump has several times extended the deadline for the sale of TikTok to a U.S.-based company since he began his second term in January. The sale is required based on a U.S. law that was passed on a bipartisan basis in Congress last year and signed by then-President Joe Biden.

The law was initially set to go into effect in January, hours before Trump was inaugurated. ==TikTok briefly shut down in the U.S. at the time until Trump promised that he would not enforce the penalties in the law once he was sworn in.=

U.S. officials have for years voiced concerns about the Chinese-based company that owns TikTok, ByteDance, saying that it could be sharing user data with the Chinese government or letting the Chinese government influence the platform's algorithm.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-rupert-lachlan-murdoch-tiktok-deal-fox-rcna232734

Turning Point USA

@TPUSA

This Is the Turning Point Tour at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities held a powerful moment as students chanted Charlie’s name

@tpusastudents

10:38 PM · Sep 22, 2025

·

306.7K

https://x.com/TPUSA/status/1970316740728103314

Jack Poso

@JackPosobiec

Hi @StateDept!=

Is this your official Preston Jacobs celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk?

“The world is a better place without Charlie Kirk, that f**king ghoul”

7:22 PM · Sep 22, 2025

·

672.8K

Views

https://x.com/JackPosobiec/status/1970267558340338168

Michigan HS took 'strong and decisive action' against player over disturbing play, athletics org says

A player from Kalamazoo Central pancaked a player on Lakeshore High School (the guy weighed 400 lbs.)

September 22, 2025 12:17pm ED

A Michigan high school took "strong and decisive action" after adisturbing video showed a junior varsity football player pancake an opponent much smaller than him, an official with the state’s high school athletics association said on Monday.

A Kalamazoo Central High School football player jumped on top of his opponent at the tail end of play during a game against Lakeshore High School on Thursday. The mother of the 15-year-old player told a local Michigan TV station thather son suffered two spinal fractures.

"Our staff has been speaking with both schools since Friday. Kalamazoo Central has taken this matter very seriously and they have taken strong and decisive action," the Michigan High School Athletics Association (MHSAA) told Fox News Digital. "Due to student privacy laws, we cannot disclose the specific accountability actions, butthey have exceeded what MHSAA regulations would otherwise require in cases of dangerous and unsportsmanlike behavior.

"Our schools can provide additional details as they decide to do so, since they are handling things internally."

Kalamazoo Public Schools provided a statement to Fox News later Monday.

"An incident that occurred during Kalamazoo Central High School’s Junior Varsity football gameon Sept. 19 was the action of an individual student who displayed an egregious act against a player on the opposing team," Kalamazoo Public Schools said.

"This type of behavior is unacceptable and does not reflect the values of sportsmanship, respect, and integrity that Kalamazoo Public Schools expects from student-athletes, coaches and the entire school community.

Officials said the =student "received consequences consistent with the Kalamazoo== Public Schools Student Code of Conduct and in compliance with Michigan High School Athletic Association regulations."

Lakeshore Public Schools superintendent Greg Eding sent a letter to students, staff and families about the incident.

"Following a play, a Kalamazoo Central student body slammed a Lakeshore student who was laying on the ground. This incident was an intentional, unprovoked and flagrant violation of the rulesand appropriate sports conduct and resulted in an injury to one of our Lakeshore student athletes," the letter read.

"We wish the Lakeshore student a speedy recovery and we are in regular communication with his family regarding this matter. We also have put in place supportive measures to ensure our student athlete can continue his education while he recovers.

"The incident, which was captured on video and shared widely on social media and across media outlets, is totally unacceptable and has no place in student athletics. The superintendent of Kalamazoo Public Schools has apologized for the incident and applied serious disciplinary consequences to their student athlete consistent with its student policies and code of conduct.

"Following the incident, both varsity teams came together before their game on Sept. 19 to say a prayer for the injured student in a showcase of sportsmanship and compassion."

The player who was on the receiving end of the tackle was identified as Colton by his mother, Courtney Mims. She told WSBT-TV in Michigan that the play left her 15-year-old son with two fractures in his spine.

"As soon as it clicked that it was, I couldn’t be stopped. I had to go down there. I’ve never felt anything like it. I’ve never been as upset or shaken up as I was over something for my son," she told the station on Friday.

"These boys are high school boys. They’re 15 years old. The game means a lot to them. It’s their whole life right now. They’re there from before I get up to go to work in the morning till after dinner, putting in the work and for somebody to try to take that from somebody doing so much is awful for me to see."

She said that her son was finished for the season and was expected to make a full recovery.

Mims, in posts on Facebook, thanked those offering prayers. She wrote that players from Kalamazoo Central reached out to her to apologize.

"This truly brought me to tears, and has helped remind me that one players actions does not in fact, reflect an entire team, & hasnt; in all regards," she wrote. "We stand with the right side, and are so thankful to everyone in this community and extending that are behind us; and continue to share the story."

The Kalamazoo Central player wasn’t identified.

Lakeshore school officials told the station that it was "working with the other school about this situation.

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/michigan-hs-took-strong-decisive-action-against-player-over-disturbing-play-athletics-org-says

>>23643034

Here’s the video

Disturbing conduct leaves Lakeshore JV football player with spine fractures

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. (WSBT) — A junior varsity football game sent a player to the hospital on Thursday evening.

https://youtu.be/nlHpoOGNglc

Secret Service dismantles telecom threat around UN capable of crippling cell service in NYC

PUBLISHED TUE, SEP 23 20257:13 AM EDT

While close to 150 world leaders prepared to descend on Manhattan for the U.N. General Assembly,the U.S. Secret Service was quietly dismantling a massive hidden telecom network across the New York area — a system investigators say could have crippled cell towers, jammed 911 calls and flooded networks with chaos at the very moment the city was most vulnerable.

The cache, made up of more than 300 SIM servers packed with over 100,000 SIM cards and clustered within 35 miles of the United Nations, represents one of the most sweeping communications threats uncovered on U.S. soil. Investigators warn the system could have blacked out cellular service in a city that relies on it not only for daily life but for emergency response and counterterrorism.

Coming as foreign leaders filled midtown hotels and motorcades clogged Manhattan, officials say the takedown highlights a new frontier of risk: plots aimed at the invisible infrastructure that keeps a modern city connected.

A broader investigation led to this discovery

The network was uncovered as part of a broaderSecret Service investigation into telecommunications threats targeting senior government officials, according to investigators. Spread across multiple sites, the servers functioned like banks of mock cellphones, able to generate mass calls and texts, overwhelm local networks and mask encrypted communications criminals, officials said.

“It can’t be understated what this system is capable of doing,” said Matt McCool, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s New York field office. “It can take down cell towers, so then no longer can people communicate, right? …. You can’t text message, you can’t use your cell phone. And if you coupled that with some sort of other event associated with UNGA, you know, use your imagination there, it could be catastrophic to the city.”

Officials said they haven’t uncovered a direct plot to disrupt the U.N. General Assembly and note there are no known credible threats to New York City.

Forensic analysis is still in its early stages,but agents believe nation-state actors — perpetrators from particular countries — used the system to send encrypted messages to organized crime groups, cartels and terrorist organizations, McCool said. Authorities have not disclosed details on the specific government or criminal groups tied to the network at this point.

“We need to do forensics on 100,000 cell phones, essentially all the phone calls, all the text messages, anything to do with communications, see where those numbers end up,” McCool said, noting that the process will take time.

An extensive, expensive operation

When agents entered the sites, they found rows of servers and shelves stacked with SIM cards. More than 100,000 were already active, investigators said, but there were also large numbers waiting to be deployed, evidence that operators were preparing to double or even triple the network’s capacity, McCool said. He described it as a well-funded, highly organized enterprise, one that cost millions of dollars in hardware and SIM cards alone.

The operation had the capability of sending up to 30 million text messages a minute, McCool said.

“The U.S. Secret Service’s protective mission is all about prevention, and this investigation makes it clear to potential bad actors that imminent threats to our protectees will be immediately investigated, tracked down and dismantled,” the agency’s director, Sean Curran, said in a statement.

Officials also warned of the havoc the network could have caused if left intact. McCool ==compared the potential impact to the cellular blackouts that followed the Sept. 11 attacks and the Boston Marathon bombing, when networks collapsed under strain++. In this case, he said, attackers would have been able to force that kind of shutdown at a time of their choosing.

“Could there be others?” said McCool, “It’d be unwise to think that there’s not other networks out there being made in other cities in the United States.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/23/secret-service-dismantles-telecom-threat-around-un-capable-of-crippling-cell-service-in-nyc.html

Vietnam Shuts Down Millions of Bank Accounts Over Biometric Rules

Patrick Johnson

Fact Checked By Kai Man Ng

Last Updated Sep 22, 2025

Cryptocurrencies are considered a high-risk asset class. Investing in them may result in the loss of part or all of your capital. The content on this website is intended solely for informational and educational use and should not be interpreted as financial or investment advice.

Vietnam has begun a sweeping crackdown on bank accounts that fail to comply with its new mandatory facial biometric identification system, sparking debate over financial inclusion and whether cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin offer a viable alternative for affected users.

Biometric Verification Now Required

As of September 1, 2025, banks across Vietnam are closing accounts deemed inactive or non-compliant with new biometric rules. Authorities estimate that more than 86 million accounts out of roughly 200 million are at risk if users fail to update their identity verification.

The State Bank of Vietnam has also introduced stricter thresholds for transactions:

Facial authentication is mandatory for online transfers above 10 million VND (about $379).

Cumulative daily transfers over 20 million VND ($758) also require biometric approval.

The policy is part of the central bank’s broader “cashless” strategy, aimed at combating fraud, identity theft, and deepfake-enabled scams.

AI Fraud Sparks Government Action

The timing follows several high-profile fraud cases. In May, police dismantled a network that used AI-generated facial scans to bypass banking checks, allegedly laundering more than 1 trillion VND (around $38 million USD).

Officials argue that biometric authentication has already reduced fraudulent incidents in some cases, even if direct causality remains hard to prove.

Impact on Foreigners and Inactive Accounts

While many Vietnamese citizens have updated their biometric data without issue, the measure has disproportionately affected:

Foreign residents and expatriates who cannot easily return to local branches.

Dormant accounts that had been left inactive for years.

These logistical hurdles, such as linking one-time passwords to local numbers and synchronizing crypto wallets, have added friction, fueling arguments from the self-custody crypto community, which views Bitcoin as a hedge against centralized banking restrictions.

Bitcoin as an Alternative?

For crypto advocates, Vietnam’s move illustrates how access to fiat funds can suddenly depend on state rules or biometric checks. By contrast, holding digital assets in self-custody wallets removes reliance on banks and centralized identifiers.

However, this “Bitcoin refuge” comes with its own risks:

Price volatility.

The need for strict key management.

Reliance on fiat bridges for daily spending.

Ultimately, Vietnam’s biometric banking purge underscores the tension between security, inclusion, and personal monetary sovereignty.While it may strengthen defenses against AI-driven fraud, it also raises fresh concerns about citizens’ right to access and control their own money.

As the digital economy expands, the balance between state control and individual financial freedom is likely to remain a flashpoint.

https://icobench.com/news/vietnam-shuts-down-millions-of-bank-accounts-over-biometric-rules/