Former Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland Says Canada Must Focus on Psychological Operations Against Americans Now

August 23, 2026 | Sundance |

Those who have followed the Canadian trade squatter strategy from NAFTA through the USMCA likely know former Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, and her manipulative narcissism.Today the purple sausage reappears from Kiev where she is leading the Ukraine reinvestment and money laundering effort on behalf of Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Freeland calls in from Kiev to remind the Bloomberg audience that Canada’s best next steps will be to conduct targeted narrative operations against the American people in order to retain the Canadian parasite position. Rather than accept reciprocal terms for fair trade, Freeland notes the best strategy is to deliver targeted propaganda directly to American voters against President Trump. This was the approach Freeland, and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took in 2018.

It is ironic that Freeland says President Trump is trying to create Canada as a vassal state of the U.S. while she is in Ukraine, the ultimate vassal state being used for a proxy war against Russia. WATCH:

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/08/23/former-canadian-finance-minister-chrystia-freeland-says-canada-must-focus-on-psychological-operations-against-americans-now/#more-286275

US Trade Fight Escalates as Canada Digs In

Joining Bloomberg This Weekend, Former Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says Canada was right to walk away from a trade deal she argues would have harmed both countries, urging Ottawa not to back down and saying past retaliation against US tariffs proved effective. Freeland warns hosts David Gura and Christina Ruffini that Trump’s approach risks turning allies into “vassals” as Canada prepares dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs after the US imposed new 50% duties.

https://youtu.be/ns2xiFIv91Q

>>24966526

Freaks!!!

>>24966534

Good luck assholes! 4/5ths of Europe have no intention of challenging the USA and Trump. Why hasn’t she been arrested yet!

Kyle Kirkwood Dominates for Historic, Star-Spangled Victory in D.C.

Paul Kelly

INDYCAR Staff Writer

Kyle Kirkwood made history Sunday by winning the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., the first-ever motor race around the National Mall and the iconic monuments and buildings of the nation’s capital city.

And after a disastrous day for NTT INDYCAR SERIES points leader Alex Palou, can Kirkwood make even more history by catching Palou in the final three races of the season for a championship?

Florida native Kirkwood drove his No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda to a 3.0906-second victory over the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet of Christian Lundgaard, leading three Andretti Global drivers in the top four. That margin of victory was deceptive due to a late caution that bunched the field for a restart on the seven-turn, 1.7-mile temporary street circuit, as Kirkwood led by upward of 15 seconds at some points during the 147-lap, 250-mile race.

Andretti Global took the next two spots, with Will Power finishing third in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda and Marcus Ericsson fourth in the No. 28 Acura Honda in this race that was a vital part of the celebration of America’s 250th birthday.

Kyffin Simpson rounded out the top five in the No. 8 Sunoco Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Kirkwood trailed Palou by 133 points entering this historic race, but the gap is down to 91 with three races remaining after Palou finished 20th in the No. 10 OpenAI Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Stay tuned for a complete report.

https://www.indycar.com/news/2026/08/08-23-nics-dc-race

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed

@AbdulElSayed

So do we think JD is taking Usha with him back in time to meet Papaw, or no…

user avatar

Acyn

@Acyn

Aug 21

Vance on El-Sayed: I would love to go back in time and tell my papaw, that there is a man who claims to stand for working people, who says not only should we have sharia law, but if..

https://x.com/AbdulElSayed/status/2091151440433623395

OutKick

@Outkick

When you win the Freedom 250 as an American you get your picture taken with an eagle 🦅🏅🇺🇸

https://x.com/Outkick/status/2091621908081225971

WATCH: Sophie Cunningham Fans Clash With Trans Activists Outside Fever Game

"The WNBA is just one fail after the next. They just keep stepping in it."

Virginia Kruta

Aug 23, 2026

Indiana Fever played New York Liberty on Saturday night — and although Liberty walked away with the on-court win, 109-102, it was a battle between two groups of fans that made headlines.

Pro-trans activists and a number of pro-woman fans — including XX-XY Athletics founder Jennifer Sey — surrounded the Barclays Center ahead of the game, brought there by Fever shooting guard Sophie Cunningham.

Sey, there to support Cunningham and defend biological women in sports, told OutKick that the WNBA was consistently taking the wrong side on the issue of trans-identifying men in women’s spaces.

“The WNBA is just one fail after the next,” she said. “They just keep stepping in it. They keep trying to censor us and our message, whether it’s yelling at a young girl at the game in Seattle or telling Riley [Gaines] and I we couldn’t have a sign or telling a woman in Atlanta she couldn’t have the shirt.”

“It’s just censorship after censorship, they’re trying to manage this message, but people aren’t having it anymore. No one’s afraid. People are emboldened. 75% of Americans agree that women’s sports are for women,” she said, adding that the WNBA needed to step up and get on the right side of the issue.

During the game, things were no different. After a message paid for by a fan of XX-XY Athletics was reportedly changed by the venue, three pro-trans messages appeared on the Jumbotron throughout the game.

“Hey trans fans! Glad you’re here! Go Liberty!” one read, and the others: “Welcome trans Liberty fans! You are loved and you belong!”; “Big welcome to the NY Liberty transgender fan community! So excited to be here with you all!”

A Sophie Cunningham fan told Fox News reporter Jack Thompson that her Jumbotron message to the XX-XY founder — who was present at the game — was changed after she paid for it because Liberty only allowed “positive submissions.”

The clash comes after weeks of similar confrontations, as Sey mentioned, including two teen girls being berated by a WNBA team co-owner in Seattle for wearing XX-XY Athletics clothing and a mother and daughter in Atlanta being told that they needed to cover up their shirts or leave the game. In contrast, pro-trans messaging has been consistently allowed and even favored.

The protests ramped up after Cunningham defended women’s sports as a space for biological women, saying repeatedly that it was not about politics — and that she believed there was room for everyone in sports, trans-identifying or otherwise — but that women and girls deserved to be protected in sex-specific spaces.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/sophie-cunningham-fans-clash-with-trans-activists-outside-fever-game-in-nyc

Reform says it will prioritise British-born workers under 35 for social housing. 1/2

Nigel Farage’s party said it would also give precedence to veterans and married couples with children.

23 Aug 2026

Reform UK are pledging to prioritise British-born workers under 35 when allocating social housing.

Nigel Farage’s party said it would also give precedence to veterans and married couples with children.

The party has already said it would evict foreign nationals from social housing.

Housing charity Shelter hit out at the move, saying the solution to the social housing crisis is building more homes rather than “changing the order of the queue”.

Reform UK MP Richard Tice will also set out a plan for the party to build 50,000 affordable social homes a year, which he says will require no new taxes or borrowing, at a press conference on Monday.

Shelter says 90,000 a year are needed over the next decade.

Mr Tice said: “There are now 1.3 million people waiting for social housing in Britain. The vast majority of them do not have jobs.

“In terms of the social houses we have, less than half of households are in work and over half a million social homes are currently occupied by foreign nationals.

“Meanwhile, young British men and women, who are working hard, can’t afford to move out of their family home, and when they do often find themself sharing a house with strangers, with no realistic prospect of forming a family or getting on.

“It is time for us to prioritise young British workers, and that is what our policy is about.”

Shelter said a change from strict rules already in place toallocate social housing based on who has the greatest need would put more people at risk of homelessness.

Sarah Elliott, the charity’s chief executive, said: “Reform’s plans to change how social housing is allocated are a blatant distraction from the real cause of the housing emergency, which is decades of political failure to build enough genuinely affordable social homes – not because any one group has had an unfair advantage.

“The solution is building more social homes, not changing the order of the queue.”

She said Reform’s plans were “designed to stoke division” and would only serve to tear communities apart and put more people at risk of homelessness.

“Putting nationality and employment ahead of housing need, and moving away from a system designed to prioritise people who are homeless or at urgent risk of homelessness could leave even more families trapped in awful temporary accommodation for years on end.

“Not to mention putting those escaping domestic abuse and violence at serious risk of harm.

“There are already strict rules on who can access social housing, and councils are legally required to prioritise people in greatest housing need.”

She urged politicians to focus on building 90,000 social rent homes a year for the next decade.

https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/reform-prioritise-british-workers-social-housing-5HjdgQF_2/

>>24966656

2/2

UK or Irish nationals made up 88.5% of main householders – the person in whose name the social home is rented – in 2024/25, while 11.5% were non-UK/Irish nationals, according to the English Housing Survey.

There are an estimated 470,000 non-UK and non-Irish citizens living in social housing.

Reform UK estimates that 540,000 social homes are currently occupied by foreign nationals.

The Conservatives have said they would revoke the right of foreign nationals to social housing, and claim it would free up around 230,000 homes.

The Tory plan would allow Irish citizens and some EU nationals to remain in social housing.

Shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly accused Reform of trying to “catch up” with the Tories.

“This is yet another unfunded announcement from Reform and shows they have not done the hard work needed and is so often the case, their maths simply doesn’t stack up.

“The Conservatives have already set out comprehensive plans to ensure British nationals are at the front of the queue for social housing. Now Reform are trying to catch up.”

Labour called Reform’s proposal “unserious and unworkable”.

A party spokesperson said: “Access to social housing is already tightly controlled. Illegal migrants, asylum seekers and migrants on student or work visas are not eligible for social housing.

“This policy would go after long-term UK residents that have contributed to our country but are not British citizens, including NHS staff.

“It would leave more families at risk of homelessness and drive up use of temporary accommodation at the taxpayers’ expense. It would also mean renegotiations with the EU, resulting in years of wrangling.”

The Liberal Democrats called the move a “cruel gimmick”.

Lib Dem housing and planning spokesperson Gideon Amos said: “Threatening UK residents and workers, including for example many of our nurses and health care professionals, with eviction because they were born outside the UK shows the Reform Party are intent on dividing every local community for their own ends.

“This idea is a cruel gimmick aimed at victimising the poorest for Britain’s failure to build the social homes we need – a failure for which Conservative politicians, so many of whom are now found in the Reform Party, bear full responsibility.

https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/reform-prioritise-british-workers-social-housing-5HjdgQF_2/

Belgian car salesman becomes prince after DNA test proves royal parentage

By

Charlotte Reck

A Belgian car salesman has become a prince at the age of 26 after being acknowledged as the son of the king’sbrother, Prince Laurent.

Clément Vandenkerckhove’s mother, a Belgian singer who had a relationship with Prince Laurent in the 1990s, only told him who his father was when he turned 16 a decade ago.

It emerged this week that he was legally recognized as the son and heir of the 63-year-old younger brother of King Philippe, at a low-key town hall ceremony about six months ago after a DNA test proved his link to the royal family.

Prince Laurent has registered his paternity of Vandenkerckhove with Belgium’s civil registry, The Telegraph reported on Wednesday.

The formality affords the new prince equal inheritance rights to Laurent’s private estate with his half-sister Princess Louise, 20, and half-brothers Prince Nicolas, 20, and Prince Aymeric, 19, children Laurent shares with Princess Claire whom he married in 2003.

But he will not receive a royal allowance, nor will he be expected to take on official duties, and he has no rights to the Belgian throne.

Vandenkerckhove could take his father’s family name, Saxe-Coburg, but has indicated he may not choose to.

“I am proud of the name Vandenkerckhove,” he recently told Flemish daily newspaper Het Nieuwsblad. “If I were to sacrifice that family name, it would be a betrayal of everything my mother has done for me.”

Vandenkerckhove was born in August 2000 to Belgian singer Wendy Van Wanten, whose real name is Iris Vandenkerckhove.

She and Laurent dated in the 1990s after a chance encounter at a fashion show in Paris but the relationship did not last and there has been speculation that Laurent’s father, the former king, disapproved.

In a documentary that aired on Belgian network VTM last September, Vandenkerckhove recounted his mother’s admission that Laurent was his father.

Four years after that, he contacted his father to share what he’d been told and Prince Laurent agreed to a DNA test.

“We went to the hospital together and I remember him saying, ‘I’ll go first so you’re feeling at ease,’” Vandenkerckhove told VTM.

Once paternity was confirmed, Vandenkerckhove said he and his father had engaged in “open and honest conversations.”

This is not the first time a secret involving Belgium’s Royal Family has emerged.

Laurent’s father, now 92, fought a paternity battle for many years before admitting in 2020 that he had fathered a daughter during an affair.

Delphine Boël, 58, eventually won her legal fight and was granted the title of princess.

She now uses the name Delphine de Saxe-Coburg.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/22/europe/prince-belgium-secret-son-scli-intl

POLITICS & POLICY

As U.S.-Canada trade talks collapse, Carney says retaliatory tariffs will start Sept. 8

PUBLISHED SAT, AUG 22 20269:57 AM EDTUPDATED

KEY POINTS

• The U.S. and Canada failed to reach a trade deal on Friday to stave off new tariffs by the Trump administration.

• The tariffs impact roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian imports, including wine, furniture, dairy products, cement, clothing, fishing rods, hockey equipment.

• Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the country would retaliate “dollar for dollar” with tariffs starting on Sept.

The U.S. imposed 50% tariffs on some Canadian products on Saturday after trade talks between the two countries fell apart on Friday.

In response, Canada said it would impose its own retaliatory tariffs beginning on Sept. 8.

Negotiators for both sides had been working on a deal all week, at times signaling that an agreement was near. President Donald Trump had postponed the original deadline of Wednesday just hours ahead of it being imposed, saying that there was a soon-to-be finalized deal. Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s trade minister for the U.S., told reporters on Thursdaythat a deal was “very close.”

However, both sides blamed the other for not reaching a deal as the tariffs, impacting roughly $20 billion in Canadian exports, including wine, furniture, dairy products, cement, clothing, fishing rods, hockey equipment, went into effect on Saturday morning.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, in a post on X early Saturday morning, that “Canada declined to finalize the trade deal under the terms agreed earlier this week.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement released on Friday that despite working toward a deal, “that progress has not been enough to meet our objectives for Canadians,” saying that “last-minute changes in the U.S. proposed terms were unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal.”

In a Saturday press conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Carney said that the U.S. demands had gone too far.

“They asked too much and offered too little,” he said, adding that Canada had been willing to drop its remaining retaliatory tariffs on steel, aluminum and autos if the United States lowered its own.

As a result, Carney said Canada would put its own retaliatory tariffs into effect on Sept. 8, and those duties will target sectors such as steel, dairy, agricultural equipment, and pulp and paper, among others. He said additional details on those new measures would be released in the coming days, previously noting that the retaliatory measures would be “dollar for dollar.”

Carney also highlighted the energy relationship between the two countries: “Canada fuels American growth … I don’t think they want us to stop sending any of that energy.”

Trump criticized Canada’s trade policies.

“Canada wants the benefits of being a State, without being one!!!,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social early Sunday. “They have also charged our great farmers, for many years, massive amounts of Tariffs. No more!!!”

“Trump just slapped another bill on hardworking American families — who are already crushed by his skyrocketing costs. This nonsense with Canada should have never gone into effect. It must end now,” Schumer wrote.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, highlighted the impact to her state of what she called the “on-again/off-again trade talks between the U.S. and Canada” in a post on X, writing that “Maine imports approximately $2 billion in non-petroleum products from Canada each year.”

“The Administration must consider the negative impact tariffs would have on Maine businesses, communities, and families and work to reach a fair agreement with our Canadian neighbors,” she wrote, urging both sides to return to negotiations.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Business Roundtable CEO Joshua Boltensaid that while the “Business Roundtable appreciates the Trump Administration’s focus on addressing barriers facing American exporters … new tariffs and retaliation risk raising costs for American businessesand families, disrupting vital supply chains, and straining the important economic relationship between the United States and Canada.”

However, Greer, in an appearance on Fox News on Saturday, said that there are no new planned talks with the Canadians. “They’ve always had the best deal, and they still would have an even better deal, but they didn’t want that,” he said.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/22/us-canada-trade-talks-collapse-ushering-in-wave-of-new-tariffs.html

Trade Talks – President Trump and USTR Greer Respond to Canada’s Claims

August 23, 2026 | Sundance |

There are a few that ankle bite about President Trump focusing on trade agreements as if it is foreign policy and not economic policy for America that is the #1 factor in our future. I do not see value in such nonsense. Economic security is national security – period.

After a day of Canadian government officials pushing a twisted narrative about their position regarding U.S-Canada trade, President Trump puts forth a simple truthful statement:

Donald J. Trump*

@realDonaldTrump

Canada wants the benefits of being a State, without being one!!! They have also charged our great farmers, for many years, massive amounts of Tariffs. No more!!! President DJT

[SOURCE]

Additionally, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer talked to the New York Times about the current issues that created the fracture in negotiations. I will outline those aspects below.

CTH readers will note that in 2025 and again earlier this year, our prediction was the USMCA (CUSMA) would dissolve in/around early July, and the U.S. would ultimately end up withdrawing completely in/around August of 2026. I would be remiss if I did not note current events are following a very predictable path.

=Trade issues with Canada are irreconcilableagainst the entitlement that underpins the Canadian economic mindset. You will note these “friction points” do not exist with Mexico; there is a cultural and brutally factual reason for this.

Canada feels entitled to maintain a trade relationship with the USA as if they are a state in our union. However, just like the abusive mentality in any toxic relationship, Canada refuses any reciprocity. Canada maintains protectionist tariffs, non-tariff barriers, quotas against U.S. goods and one-way restrictions on banking, finance, intellectual property and media. The latter part they call “cultural” protection.

(https://theconservativetreehouse.com/

Canada believes the City of London will protect them. Carney will regret his dishonest lies and thinks he will change the problem.

Bear attacks, conflicts with humans reach historic levels in Colorado. 1/2

Mike Snider, USA TODAY

Updated Sat, August 22, 2026

Bear sightings and encounters are on the rise in Colorado and elsewhere in the United States as the animals travel out of the wild and into populated areas.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers have been busy recently with a series of run-ins with bears finding their way into cars, homes and apartment complexes. The increased sightings come as bears enter hyperphagia, the time in their annual biological cycle when they search for food to build up fat reserves for the winter, according to the CPW.

In Colorado, at least, drought has made it tougher for bears to find natural food. When they can't find that, they begin foraging in trash cans and looking for food that humans may leave within reach.

"This summer in particular, we ask people to be mindful that wildlife are having to work harder to find food and water," Casey Cooley, Colorado Parks and Wildlife habitat conservation supervisor, said in a news release. "The best thing we can do to support them is to keep them wild and not feed or disturb them."

So far this year, Colorado Parks and Wildlifehas received 6,129 reports of bear sightings and conflicts through Aug. 13 – nearly twice what the state agency received during the same period last year when it got 3,115 reports. The total has already surpassed the 5,299 reports recorded during all of 2025 and is on pace to be the highest since the agency began digitally tracking bear-human interactions in 2019.

Aspen: A homeless man sleeping in Rio Grande Park said he awoke Aug. 19 to a bear biting him on the head, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said. The man escaped and was transported to a hospital by ambulance, where he was treated for head and facial injuries and later released. Wildlife officers found the bear in the park and humanely euthanized it, in accordance with agency policy, CPW said.

Steamboat Springs: The previous day, a bear entered a home in Steamboat Springs early in the morning Aug. 18, damaging the wooden frame of a sliding glass door and knocking it off its track. When the woman inside attempted to chase the animal outside, the bear struck her in the face, causing cuts, the CPW said. She drove herself to a local hospital, where she was treated and released. Wildlife officers collected hair samples from the broken door for DNA analysis and set a trap at the property while alerting neighbors to take preventive precautions.

Fort Collins: Also on Aug. 18, a young black bear was seen wandering the campus of Colorado State University as about 6,000 students were moving into dormitories Aug. 18. The bear caused no known conflicts but was safely tranquilized and relocated. The week before on Aug. 13, a parks and wildlife team tranquilized a young bear found in the backyard of a home across the street from Dunn Elementary School in Fort Collins, reported the Fort Collins Coloradoan, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Eagle-Vail: A female black bear swiped at a man leaving the laundry room of an apartment complex Aug. 17 near Eagle-Vail, which is about 100 miles west of Denver, officials said. The man tripped and injured his foot while trying to escape. He was released from a medical facility after being treated for injuries to his arm and foot. CPW officers placed a bear trap in the neighborhood, the agency said.

Colorado Springs: Officials are warning residents to lock their cars after finding a deceased black bear on Aug. 17 inside an unlocked car in Colorado Springs. It entered the car while searching for food and died after likely spending days inside the car, officials said. Colorado Parks and Wildlife said the bear, which weighed about 300 pounds, entered an unlocked vehicle while searching for food, became trapped inside and likely was exposed to the summer heat over several days before it was discovered. As it tried to escape, the bear heavily damaged the vehicle's interior.

Breckenridge: On Aug. 11, a bear broke into the Grand Timber Lodge, police said. "Luckily only some M&M's were taken. Breckenridge Officers were able to coax the bear back into the wilderness, and no animals or people were hurt!" the department said in a post on its Facebook page.…

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/bear-attacks-conflicts-humans-reach-213500860.html

>>24966880

2/2

Bear opens door in NC. Another checks out Tennessee parking lot

Other recent bear sightings include a report from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission that said an adult female black bear swatted at a resident in north Asheville after entering their home Aug. 18. The bear opened an unlocked door while her three cubs played on the front porch, reported the Asheville Citizen Times, which is part of the USA TODAY Network. The resident was treated and released from a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Last month, a black bear caused a commotion in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, on July 18 when it trotted around a parking lot, the Knoxville News Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported. In a separate incident, a detective with the Dickson County Sheriff's Office filmed a black bear in another detective's yard on July 8 in middle Tennessee.

Bears have been spotted around Pittsburgh this summer and many have been seen in Stowe, Vermont, the Boston Globe reported…

Bear attacks, kills man in New Mexico

In New Mexico, an adult man died from injuries suffered in an Aug. 20 bear attack, the Navajo Police Department said in a post on Facebook. The incident occurred in Crystal, a community within the Navajo Nation near the New Mexico-Arizona border, reported KRQE, a TV station in Albuquerque. Law enforcement killed the bear, police said. The following day on Aug. 21, a bear bit a man who was camping near Red River, New Mexico, according to the state wildlife department.

Drought conditions in the state have resulted in bears foraging for food and that's led to the highest number of human-bear conflicts since 2014, said Nick Foreman, carnivore and small mammal program manager with New Mexico Department of Wildlife, in a bear update posted Aug. 14 on YouTube.

"This year, we've had a historically low snowpack combined with these high temperatures and not a lot of precipitation this year," he said."Bears came out of the den, there was really no green grass for these bears to start eating in the spring and that just put as at a deficit. … (Now) these bears are leaving their natural habitat to find (food) anywhere they can find it."

Tips for bear encounters

• With bear sightings and encounters on the rise, here are some tips on how to avoid and handle bear-related situations, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife:

• Do not feed or approach bears. This teaches bears to approach homes and people looking for more food. If you get too close, a bear may defend itself.

• Secure all trash cans. Also secure recycling and any food kept outdoors, such as pet foods.

• Remove bird feeders. Bears will seek them out when they are active.

• Clean your grill. Keep it stored securely.

• Tell your neighbors. Let them know if if you see bear activity.

• Hike, run and cycle in groups. Don't wear earbuds and make noise periodically so bears can avoid you.

• Don't leave trash or food scraps out when camping.

• Keep your dog leashed when camping or don't bring them. If able to roam, a dog could encounter a bear, which might defend itself.

• Cook away from your tent. And do not store food, trash, clothes worn when cooking, or toiletries in your tent.

If you see a black bear, don't approach it.Get a look, then quietly move away. If a bear sees you, back away slowly. Do not run, it may trigger a chase response. If a bear approaches, hold your ground, wave your arms and yell "Hey Bear" until it leaves.

• Carry bear spray and know how to use it. If a bear keeps approaching, use bear spray – it is proven to be the easiest and most effective way to deter a bear that threatens you. It doesn't work like bug repellent, so never spray your tent, campsite or belongings.

If a black bear makes contact with you, don't play dead. Fight back aggressively.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/bear-attacks-conflicts-humans-reach-213500860.html

Michigan GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers said to ask AIPAC not to campaign on his behalf

As pro-Israel lobby group becomes increasingly unpopular across US politics, Axios says aides for Rogers warned its involvement would be detrimental to defeating Abdul El-Sayed

Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers has asked the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) not to campaign on his behalf, fearing support from the pro-Israel lobby could harm his chances of winning the November general election in Michigan, according to a new report.

The decision reported by Axios demonstrates how far AIPAC’s standing has fallen in American politics, after it once enjoyed overwhelming support from both sides of the aisle.

Over the past year, most Democratic Party candidates have distanced themselves from AIPAC, and accusing one’s opponent of being tied to the pro-Israel group has increasingly becoming the norm, regardless of whether it’s true.

But Rogers’s reported decision to distance himself from AIPAC shows the desire to disassociate from the group now exists in both parties, as the lobby is battered by hostility from both the right and the left.

Polls have shown that Americans are increasingly hostile toward Israel.

Rogers spoke with AIPAC chair Michael Tuchin in Los Angeles last week. The next day, AIPAC shelved an already-prepared video ad targeting Rogers’s Democratic opponent and outspoken Israel critic Abdul El-Sayed, Axios reported.

Rogers’s decision to distance himself from AIPAC infuriated officials in the group, which had already spent over $30 million to defeat El-Sayed in the Democratic Party and was prepared to spend millions to help elect the Republican nominee in the general, the report said.

Rogers’s aides warned AIPAC before the Democratic primary that they believed El-Sayed would beat moderate Haley Stevens, but the pro-Israel group insisted on staying involved, thinking Stevens would win, Axios said.

The progressive, anti-Israel candidate ended up defeating Stevens by 1% of the vote, 48.5% to 47.5%.

AIPAC still wanted to stay involved in trying to defeat El-Sayed, but Rogers’s campaign believes the lobby’s involvement has backfired and will continue to be detrimental, according to sources who spoke with Axios.

The bitter and expensive campaign between El-Sayed and Stevens attracted national attention not just because the general election for the seat will help decide which party controls the Senate. It also became the most notable proxy battle between the Democratic Party’s establishment and progressive wings, with positions on Israel and the Middle East at the forefront of the fight.

El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director, campaigned on “Medicare for All,” finance reform, and ending military aid to Israel. He has voiced opposition to the idea of a Jewish state and has said money is the only reason Democrats who “believe in human rights” would support Israel.

Earlier this month, Senator Bernie Sanders urged Democratic leaders to ban super PAC spending in primaries, focusing on the efforts of AIPAC to influence the crucial Michigan Senate race.

“It is absurd that they spend tens of millions of dollars to try to determine who the Democratic nominee is and, if they fail, then proceed to support the Republican candidate in the general election,” said Sanders.

Critics say the demonization of AIPAC is linked to age-old antisemitic tropes about Jewish wealth and Jews wielding outsize power in politics.

Despite the outsize focus, AIPAC is not among the top lobbying groups in the US, ranking 18th in contributions last year, 21st in outside spending, and 191st in lobbying, according to OpenSecrets.

In general spending, other countries, including China, Qatar, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, spend more on lobbying in the US than Israel.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/michigan-gop-senate-candidate-mike-rogers-said-to-ask-aipac-not-to-campaign-on-his-behalf/

Scoop: Mike Rogers-AIPAC rupture roils Michigan Senate race. 1/2

Allies of Mike Rogers, Michigan's GOP nominee for the U.S. Senate, have asked AIPAC not to advertise on his behalf, triggering a rupture with the powerful but polarizing pro-Israel group.

Rogers spoke with AIPAC chair Michael Tuchin in Los Angeles last week.The next day, AIPAC shelved an already-cut video ad targeting Rogers' Democratic rival, outspoken Israel critic Abdul El-Sayed.

Why it matters: The extraordinary tension underscores how far AIPAC's political standing has fallen amid voters' anger over the war in Gaza. Even Rogers — a staunchly pro-Israel Republican — fears the group's public support could be a liability in the Nov. 3 election.

Driving the news: The move by Rogers' team angered AIPAC officials, who had spent more than $30 million to try to defeat El-Sayed in the Democratic primary and prepared to spend millions more to help elect Rogers, according to people familiar with the conversations.

Zoom out: El-Sayed made AIPAC a centerpiece of his successful primary campaign, using the group's spending against him to portray Democratic opponent Haley Stevens as beholden to the pro-Israel lobby.

El-Sayed has called Israel a "rogue state," accused it of genocide and apartheid, and has declined to say whether Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state.

That made defeating him a priority for AIPAC, which rarely mounts major spending campaigns in general elections.

Behind the scenes: Rogers' team warned AIPAC before the Aug. 4 Democratic primary that it believed El-Sayed would beat Stevens,though AIPAC held out hope Stevens would prevail. The two sides agreed to keep talking.

After El-Sayed narrowly won, AIPAC told Rogers' allies it wanted to continue its advertising offensive into the Nov. 3 general election.

But Rogers' team believed AIPAC's primary ads had backfiredby giving El-Sayed a powerful foil — one he was eager to use again.

"AIPAC, if you're listening, come back and burn it again," El-Sayed said before his primary victory.

Rogers' allies urged AIPAC to get involved without putting the group's name front and center, people familiar with the talks told Axios.

https://www.axios.com/2026/08/22/mike-rogers-aipac-michigan-senate

>>24966976

=2/2==

One option: Directing AIPAC donors to a pro-Rogers super PAC instead of the group running its own ads, or a joint fundraising group the Rogers campaign has established with the national GOP.

Rogers' team also proposed hiring AIPAC's political strategists to help guide its effort.

==But AIPAC officials weren't satisfied=+: The group wanted a visible role in defeating El-Sayed and argued that because Rogers is strongly pro-Israel, El-Sayed would tie him to the pro-Israel lobbying group regardless.

State of play: Direct talks between Rogers' team and AIPAC have now gone cold, prompting a broader GOP effort to broker peace==. Jewish Republican donors with ties to both sides are acting as intermediaries, people familiar with the discussions said.

Some national Republicans now worry that AIPAC— whose super PAC ended July with nearly $60 million in the bank — will sit out the general election entirely.

Others say AIPAC has too much at stake to not jump into the Michigan race, and they expect the group to eventually reconcile with Rogers' team.

The big picture: AIPAC has suffered a string of high-profile defeats in Democratic primaries. The group's latest setback was Tuesday, when a candidate it opposed won a special election for a Northern California House seat.

Rogers is running in a swing state with one of the country's largest Arab American populations, giving him reason to tread carefully on Israel and Gaza.

A recent Fox News poll found 55% of Michigan voters oppose continued U.S. aid to Israel.

Reality check: El-Sayed's attacks on AIPAC may have less potency in the November general election than they did in the Democratic primary, where voters were more likely to be critical of Israel.

Operatives from both parties believe the Michigan race — like others in manufacturing-heavy states —is more likely to turn on voters' perceptions of the economy than their views on Israel.

What they're saying: "I welcome any and all support from the pro-Israel community and I'm proud to have their involvement," Rogers told Axios.

"We appreciate [former] Rep. Mike Rogers' welcoming of pro-Israel support. Our members are highly motivated to be involved in this race and we will be looking at every option to make the case that El-Sayed's policies are bad for Michigan and bad for America," AIPAC spokesperson Deryn Sousa said.

https://www.axios.com/2026/08/22/mike-rogers-aipac-michigan-senate

Russian Orthodox leader condemns ‘cynical’ Ukrainian drone attack on church

A senior cleric and three others were injured in the strike during a service in Donbass

Published 23 Aug, 2026 23:25 | Updated 2

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill,has condemned a Ukrainian drone strike on a church during a service in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic.

The attack occurred on Sunday at the EpiphanyCathedral in Gorlovka, according to a statement on the Moscow Patriarchate’s website.

Metropolitan Mitrofan of Gorlovka and Slavyansk was wounded and treated at a hospital, the local diocese said. Protodeacon Roman Stepin and two volunteers with the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission suffered minor injuries.

“An enemy drone attacked people during prayer, once again demonstrating the lack of principle and flagrant cynicism of those who directed this criminal attack,” Kirill said.

On the same day, a civilian was injured in a separate Ukrainian drone attack on Gorlovka’s Central City district, Mayor Ivan Prikhodko said on Telegram.

Ukraine has intensified its deep-strike campaign in Russia in recent months amid battlefield setbacks. Moscow has described such strikes as acts of terrorism, pointing to drones and missiles hitting apartment blocks and other civilian targets.

Russia said it hasretaliatedwith missile and drone strikes against Ukraine’s arms factories, logistics centers, and infrastructure supporting the military.

Last week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russianforces would “respond proportionately to emerging threats” from Ukraine.

https://www.rt.com/russia/644568-russian-orthodox-leader-condemns-cynical/

Council on Foreign Relations President Says Trump Gave Mark Carney an Ultimatum, USA or China? Carney Chose China

August 23, 2026 | Sundance |

An interesting soundbite from Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) President Mike Froman who distills down the main point of contention.Essentially, the U.S. position is to demand a common trade approach toward China and the U.S. delegation gave Canada an ultimatum within the deal proposed, us or them.

If Mike Froman is correct, Mark Carney chose China. [X LINK] Video Below:

https://x.com/cbcwatcher/status/2091547783287177250