Putin: Ready To Use 'All Weapons' Including Nuclear, If Kaliningrad Attacked

Now it's no longer just high-ranking Kremlin officials saying it, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has now directly weighed in amid the ongoing nuclear threat tit-for-tat involving European officials.

Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow on Thursday, he warned the Western allies to cease their escalation in Ukraine, stressing he's willing to use "all weapons" in the Russian arsenal in the scenario that Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad comes under attack.

"The drills in the Baltic Sea, following one another… Then the attempts to arrest our ships and vessels. All this is an escalation. And then we began to hear statements regarding the Kaliningrad region," Putin said.

"If it comes to direct attack against the Russian Federation, in this case on Kaliningrad and possibly some other territories, of course the issue of using all weapons in our country’s arsenal will inevitably and unavoidably emerge on the agenda. This is unavoidable," he asserted in a warning that includes nuclear weapons.

NATO held recent military drills near Kaliningrad which were broadly described as deterrence operations, which Putin referenced in the remarks.

Rhetoric has been running particularly hot over the exclave which is sandwiched between NATO members Poland and Lithuania all week, as Associated Press earlier described:

The warning sent to NATO echoed statements issued by several Russian embassies in Europe this week which said that Moscow has "information that NATO is preparing (an) air and naval blockade of Kaliningrad and Kaliningrad region."

The embassies in the U.K. and Ireland posted their statements on their Telegram channels, and the embassy in Belgium released it to the Tass news agency.

The ratcheting accusations from the European side have also centered on charges of a Russian sabotage campaign targeting the Baltics as well as Germany.

Moscow at the start of the week took the rare step of submitting a formal letter to NATO leadership in Brussels.

The letter accused NATO of an "unprecedented escalation of the military-political situation around Russia's region of Kaliningrad accompanied by highly provocative public statements by NATO Allies' officials."

"This dangerous and reckless course entails high risk of the outbreak of a direct armed conflict with the possibility of Russian strikes against decision-making centers of the alliance's member states right from the outset of the conflict," the letter said.

NATO was especially incensed and alarmed at this key line of Moscow's letter:

"Russia will be ready to use the entire arsenal of forces and capabilities at its disposal, including nuclear weapons, in order to defend its territory, should NATO countries undertake any attempt aimed at isolating the Kaliningrad region from the rest of the country."

Apparently this most recent tense back-and-forth over Kaliningrad was initially triggered by a television show which recently aired in the UK this month.

Preview of the provocative UK series The WarGame which started airing this month. The Kremlin has vehemently condemned it, and sees in it some clear messaging and an ominous threat:

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/putin-ready-use-all-weapons-including-nuclear-if-kaliningrad-attacked

The debt is stolen by the bankers - they should be arrested tried and hung and the debt abolished!

Trump Says Inflation Will Pay Off The $40 Trillion Debt "Very Rapidly"

"You know, inflation. Certain levels of inflation will also pay off that debt very rapidly. Very rapidly," he told TIME in an interview published Thursday, after the outlet pointed out has grown by about $11 trillion over his five years in office. In response, Trump first blamed Joe Biden, then the Fed, then hinted at a plan he wouldn't share.

"I know I'm the best in the world," Trump said. "The best - I don't want to tell you what those means are, but you can pay off the debt through other means. But the one thing that you can do is pay it off through growth, and we've never had growth like this."

Later he circled back, saying "the growth is going to pay off the debt" and that the Fed's hikes were "hurting our country more than inflation is hurting our country."

He didn't say what level of inflation he had in mind, or whether he wants the Fed to tolerate more of it. Earlier in the same interview, though, he blamed Biden for "the biggest inflation in history" and said he "inherited the greatest inflation in history," adding that "the only thing I have to get down now is the gas."

Headline CPI rose 3.4% in the 12 months through August, with core at 2.4%, according to the BLS. On Sept. 16 the Fed raised rates for the first time since July 2023 - a unanimous quarter-point hike to 3.75%-4% that included Trump's own pick for chair, Kevin Warsh - and penciled in another before year-end. Trump told TIME he "probably would have voted against the board" if he were Warsh, and has called for rates of 1% "or less."

On Thursday, the day TIME published the interview, the 10-year Treasury yield touched 5.34%, its highest since 2002. It closed at 5.24%.

He's Floated This Before

None of this is new for the self-described "king of debt." In May 2016 he told CNBC the US could buy back its own bonds at a discount if rates went up. That was widely read as a default threat, so a few days later he went on CNN to walk it back. "You never have to default because you print the money, I hate to tell you, OK?" he said.

A month before that, he told the Washington Post he could wipe out what was then a $19 trillion debt "over a period of eight years" - a debt that has since more than doubled.

Buybacks are back, too. After the debt crossed $40 trillion and long-dated yields kept climbing, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tripled the cap on the first expanded buyback to $6 billion. As we noted at the time, yields surged anyway, since $6 billion barely registers against more than $2 trillion in gross issuance a year.

Bessent, for his part, prefers to talk about growth. In June 2025 he told CBS's Margaret Brennan that "everything has been alarmist" on inflation and that the US would never default. And the day after Treasury reported the $40 trillion milestone, he went on CNBC to say there was "nothing magic" about the number and "we can grow our way out of that."

The Part He Left Out

Last year we ran a piece arguing Bessent was effectively putting the national debt on an adjustable-rate mortgage by leaning on floating-rate financing, which also projected the debt would top $40 trillion by the end of fiscal 2026 - it got there in mid-August, about six weeks ahead of schedule.

Back in April 2025, Bloomberg's Simon White made the case that higher inflation and a weaker dollar - where US policy seemed to be headed - were consistent with a falling debt burden. But he warned that unlike Britain's post-WWII "beautiful deleveraging," erratic policymaking could wreck trust in the dollar system, spark capital flight and end up adding to the debt.

Nick Giambruno spelled out the mechanics in July: financial repression, where the government keeps interest rates below inflation and the difference quietly moves wealth from savers to the Treasury. With 9% inflation and 4% rates, he noted, that's a 5% transfer every year, and it compounds.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/trump-says-inflation-will-pay-40-trillion-debt-very-rapidly

Another Tanker Struck & Damaged By Iran In Strait Of Hormuz

Update(1233ET): On Friday there are reports of another foreign tanker which has been struck and damaged in the Strait of Hormuz. Several similar drone attacks have occurred this week, and over the last few days - however unlike with prior attacks these latest are not being heavily featured in the media, and have also made surprising little impact on oil prices.

The US has deployed two additional Patriot missile batteries to Saudi Arabia and Qatar to protect energy infrastructure from aerial threats, according to a new report, reinforcing the urgent need to defend allied energy infrastructure ahead of potential renewed strikes on Iran. The report came before Thursday's news that the Department of War is sending a third aircraft carrier strike group and additional Marine Corps ships to the region.

Axios reported late Thursday that one Patriot battery was sent last month to protect a key Saudi oil facility, while another was deployed to defend a natural gas plant in Qatar.

"The U.S. military transferred batteries and interceptors to the Middle East from other regional commands, raising concerns about readiness in other parts of the world," the report said.

Trump told reporters yesterday that he was considering renewing a bombing campaign in the coming weeks. "Now I have to make a decision: either Iran signs the deal, or it won't exist any longer," he warned.

The urgent need for two more Patriot batteries in the region, designed to intercept aircraft, cruise missiles, certain ballistic missiles, and one-way attack drones, comes as Iran and proxy forces have hit critical energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The latest attack on Saudi infrastructure came last month, when Iranian proxies hit the critical East-West pipeline, rendering it inoperable for weeks. Flows were restored only last week. Meanwhile, the latest Goldman data shows Hormuz crude flows have returned to pre-war levels as Tehran's grip on the critical maritime chokepoint erodes.

Also overnight, a report said the DoW is preparing to send a third aircraft carrier strike group and additional Marine Corps ships to the Middle East, adding 9,000 to 10,000 more troops to the region. That news sent Brent crude futures to nearly $104 a barrel overnight, but the oil benchmark slipped below $100 as trading moved through Asia and Europe and into the early US session.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-sends-patriot-batteries-defend-critical-gulf-energy-assets-trump-weighs-renewed

Serial Predator Larry Nassar and More than 20,000 Sex Offenders Removed from Michigan Registry Thanks to the Unanimous Ruling by Democrat-Controlled State Supreme Court

The Democrat-controlled Michigan Supreme Court has forced the state to scrub convicted serial child molester Larry Nassar, along with over 20,000 other sex offenders, from the state’s public sex offender registry.

On September 9, 2026, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled in People v. Eddie Lee Smith that the 2021 version of the Sex Offenders Registration Act cannot be applied to anyone whose registrable offense was committed before July 1, 2011.

The court called the current registry requirements unconstitutional ex post facto punishment.

According to the Detroit News, the opinion was unanimous.

Democratic nominees hold a 6–1 majority on that court, according to Bridge Michigan.

The sole Republican-nominated justice is Brian Zahra. Two Democrat-nominated incumbents, Chief Justice Megan Cavanagh and Justice Noah Hood, are on the November ballot.

Michigan State Police said roughly 43,000 offenders were on the registry or required to register when the order landed.

By September 11, MSP had already scrubbed more than 20,000 names. Col. James Grady II, the MSP director, made clear the agency did not write this outcome: “The MSP did not make this change to the law… Any concerns about or efforts to change the law should be directed to the state Legislature.”

Larry Nassar is one of the names that disappeared.

According to FOX 2 Detroit, the Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office confirmed Nassar was on the registry at sentencing and stayed there until last week. His state convictions came in 2018. The conduct did not.

The office said his charging documents reference crimes committed before the 2011 cutoff: “Nassar is no longer there because his conduct occurred before 2011 despite his convictions coming after.”

Fox News reported the same result. Nassar pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct in Ingham and Eaton counties after years of abusing athletes in his care at Michigan State and USA Gymnastics.

He was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in Ingham County and 40 to 125 years in Eaton County, on top of a 60-year federal sentence for child pornography. Searches for his name on the Michigan registry now come up empty.

He is not getting out. The ruling does not touch the prison terms. It does mean that if he were ever released, Michigan would not require him to register under the current law.

He is also not the only one.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2026/09/15/michigan-high-court-order-removal-20000-sex-offender-registry/91778411007/

https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/case-documents/uploads/sct/public/orders/168200_78_01.pdf

Deep state keeps winning

RTX's Raytheon Awarded $24.4B Missile Contract as Trump Finally Admits Stockpiles "A Little Bit Lower"

The Pentagon on Thursday announced a massive new defense contract at a moment many Congressional members are concerned over America's dwindling arsenal of both defensive and offensive missiles and weapons systems.

Raytheon, an RTX unit, has been awarded a $24.4 billion contract for the accelerated production of SM-6 missiles, amid the scramble to replace them in the wake of Trump's Operation Epic Fury bombing campaign of Iran.

A Pentagon statement described the missiles as "critical anti-air and anti-surface warfare munition" and previewed that "this five-year agreement, with two additional option years, will drive faster production."

The announcement further described that the deal "provides the defense industry with the long-term predictability needed to expand workforce capacity and secure critical supply chains."

Additionally, "The Navy said the multiyear contract is meant to provide a steady and reliable supply of the Standard Missile-6 interceptors, which can carry out both offensive strikes and missile defense missions."

President Trump has stretching back over weeks and months consistently denied that the Pentagon is suffering a weapons shortage due to the Iran war. Instead, he has blamed any shortfall or stockpile concerns on his predecessor Biden and his Ukraine war policies.

But certainly the Pentagon is acting like there's a problem, given it is quickly handing out these large contracts in order to establish "faster production" and greater "long-term predictability". This after a mid-July report from the Pentagon's inspector general did point to a serious and growing problem.

Trump had slammed the report as "mostly fake news" at the time; however, just this week he finally did acknowledge that some munitions "are a little bit lower" in the wake of the seven-month long Iran conflict. Trump's new remark this week is as follows:

"Some forms of ammunition are a little bit lower than other forms," the president said in an interview with TIME magazine published Thursday, adding: "We're stocking up at levels we've never done before."

Some critics among MAGA have underscored that the munitions crisis reveals an abandonment of 'America First' policy, also given the immense amounts of interceptors expected on Israel and Gulf allies of late.

Ultimately the only winners in all of this are Israel and the major defense contractors, who will continue to see huge returns with the help of the US taxpayer.

https://www.zerohedge.com/military/rtxs-raytheon-awarded-244b-missile-contract-trump-finally-admits-stockpiles-little-bit

Drone firm linked to Trump sons eyes Ukrainian tech

Powerus wants to manufacture Ukrainian designs in America as Kiev pursues arms exports amid multiple procurement scandals

A US drone company linked to President Donald Trump’s sons wants to bring Ukrainian military technology to America, Reuters has reported, as Kiev pursues billions in arms exports despite multiple corruption scandals in its procurement programs.

Powerus is negotiating with Ukrainian defense firms and wants to manufacture their technology in the US, potentially including long-range attack drones. Its Guardian interceptors, introduced in March, were also jointly developed with Ukrainian partners, according to company president Brett Velicovich.

The company completed a merger with golf course operator Aureus Greenway Holdings on Thursday. Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump hold an indirect investment in Aureus through American Ventures, which regulatory filings projected would own 9.9% of the combined business.

Velicovich, a former US Army Special Operations intelligence analyst, told Reuters he wants Powerus to become a “one-stop solution” for the Pentagon, offering foreign technology with an “American face.”

Company executives and representatives of the brothers say they are passive investors with no operational role. However, Powerus adviser Keith Kellogg, Trump’s former Ukraine envoy, said “it never hurts to have their name on something.”

Powerus has secured a US Air Force contract with a ceiling of $90 million, although purchases are not guaranteed. It has also received an initial Pakistani order for drones and associated support.

Kiev has meanwhile been seeking billions in weapons-export revenue while continuing to rely heavily on Western military and financial assistance. Vladimir Zelensky has announced overseas export hubs and previously touted a proposed US drone agreement worth $10-30 billion.

Kiev’s weapons export ambitions come as multiple corruption scandals have rocked its military procurement system, including programs intended to supply drones to its own forces.

On September 23, Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) announced new charges in a case involving border guard officials and a private supplier. Investigators say a manufacturer won a drone tender by offering a lower price, only for a rival working with officials to demand $1 million to allow the contract and equipment deliveries to proceed.

In a separate investigation, NABU said in August that suspected losses from drone purchases reached approximately $5.7 million. Investigators alleged prices were inflated by 60-90%, competing bids were staged, and illicit proceeds were transferred to company accounts, including abroad.

European officials have also raised concerns over weapons supplied to Kiev disappearing and potentially reaching criminal networks.

https://www.rt.com/news/646641-us-trump-sons-ukraine-drones/

Puppet

Don’t write off Netanyahu over Oct. 7 warning claims – Trump

The Israeli prime minister is not necessarily politically doomed after being accused of ignoring a UAE tip-off, the US president has said

“People have written off Bibi many, many times, just like they’ve written off me many, many times. I wouldn't underestimate Bibi,” Trump said.

He said his primary concern is “to help them defend Israel,” and suggested that if Netanyahu knew about an imminent attack, “he would have done something about it.”

Netanyahu losing sway in US media

The latest wave of accusations against Netanyahu was triggered by a Haaretz report in early September claiming UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed had warned him that Hamas was preparing a major attack. According to the outlet, Netanyahu downplayed the warning and did not pass it on to his security chiefs. Reports about a separate Egyptian warning date back to the immediate aftermath of the incursion three years ago.

Netanyahu’s office has rejected the claims. The Associated Press reported this week that the Israeli prime minister sought to persuade the UAE leader to publicly deny the story during a surprise visit to the Arab nation over the weekend.

The allegations have become a major political issue in Israel and have also received significant coverage in the US mainstream and international media.

MS Now host Mika Brzezinski said Israel’s border with Gaza was “wide open, the gates were empty” on the day of the attack, arguing that the Israeli government “had practically opened the door” by moving security forces to the West Bank.

“Netanyahu was warned repeatedly that it was coming, and yet he continued funding Hamas through Qatar,” her husband and co-host Joe Scarborough added.

Brzezinski and Scarborough are part of the US media establishment and are consistent pro-Israeli voices on cable television, whose criticisms of Netanyahu indicate he is losing sway in the US.

In August, Netanyahu claimed personal credit for influencing American policy, saying that his nearly 1,000 hours of appearances on American television had helped him shape opinion in Washington and eventually bring the Trump administration around to attacking Iran.

https://www.rt.com/news/646635-trump-netanyahu-uae-warning/

KUSHNER CONFLICT: Firm’s Israeli Investment Grows as the Iran War Drags On

Affinity’s $1 billion Phoenix stake sits beside Jared Kushner’s unpaid Middle East envoy role as the Israeli firm holds military-industry investments.

Jared Kushner shapes Middle East diplomacy while his firm holds $1 billion in an Israeli financial giant tied to military industry.

CNN found Affinity owns 7.4% of Phoenix, worth over $1 billion in July. Affinity sold one-quarter of its position that month for more than $340 million.

Phoenix value rose fivefold after Affinity’s 2024 investment, the firms announced. Affinity kept the largest stake.

CNN traced Phoenix holdings to Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons maker, plus eight firms supplying drones, warships, demolition machinery, tank components, or munitions-related equipment to Israel’s military. Those stocks rose as demand increased.

JARED KUSHNER'S FIRM'S INVESTMENTS IN AN ISRAELI COMPANY COULD BE A MAJOR CONFLICT OF INTEREST!

This After Trump Lied On The Campaign Trail Touting That Kushner Would Have No Role In This Presidential Administration.

https://twitter.com/i/status/2105805976494362942

Harrison Smith named the mechanism: a lead U.S. negotiator has an ownership position in a financial group whose military-linked holdings rise as war demand grows.

“And the whole time, one of our two lead negotiators in all of this has had hundreds of millions of dollars invested in a company that only succeeds when Israel is at war,” Smith said. “Because now you’re not just talking about using information to gain money, now you’re talking about orchestrating geopolitical events, including genocide, in order to make money.”

That is the Kushner conflict. Affinity owns Phoenix. Phoenix holds the military-industry positions. Kushner remains an unpaid presidential envoy as the Iran war continues.

https://nationalfile.com/israel/kushner-conflict-firms-israeli-investment-grows-as-the-iran-war-drags-on

What Is the Sinaloa Cartel, the Terror Organization Facing Dozens of New U.S. Sanctions?

The Sinaloa Cartel is at the epicenter of the Trump administration's heightened campaign against drug trafficking into the United States from Latin America this week, with the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioning 46 entities and individuals, including corrupt Mexican politicians, linked to the organization. But where did the cartel come from, what crimes has it orchestrated, and what are its future prospects under pressure from the Treasury and, as a designated terrorist organization, the Department of War?

The Origins of the Sinaloa Cartel.

The Sinaloa Cartel is a drug-trafficking syndicate based in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa. It is one of the oldest and most powerful drug trafficking organizations in the country, emerging out of criminal networks associated with the Guadalajara Cartel, which dominated Mexican drug trafficking throughout the 1980s.After the Guadalajara Cartel was dismantled, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, two former members, co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel, using former Guadalajara Cartel networks. Initially dealing in marijuana and heroin, the Sinaloa Cartel later moved into trafficking cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl.Since its creation, the Sinaloa Cartel is estimated to have integrated tens of thousands of criminals into its operations, and it continues to operate through decentralized networks throughout Latin America, the United States, and beyond.

The Crimes of the Sinaloa Cartel.

The Sinaloa Cartel’s crimes span drug trafficking and manufacturing, money laundering, weapons trafficking, people smuggling, murder, kidnapping, bribery, terrorism, and narcoterrorism. The organization’s networks involve suppliers, brokers, transporters, distributors, and money launderers.U.S. authorities have identified Sinaloa-linked activity in at least 40 countries, with networks extending into markets including Europe, Asia, and Australia. According to reports from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), during one week of Sinaloa-targeted operations in late August 2025, authorities seized 480 kg of fentanyl powder, 714,707 counterfeit pills, 2,209 kg of methamphetamine, 7,469 kg of cocaine, and 16.55 kg of heroin. The Sinaloa Cartel’s crimes have triggered a campaign from the United States and its allies in Latin America which has lasted for roughly four decades, and radically stepped up throughout the second term of President Donald J. Trump.

How Has the United States Responded?

The United States has pursued the Sinaloa Cartel through criminal prosecutions, extraditions, financial sanctions, intelligence operations, international cooperation, and rewards for information leading to the capture of senior members. In 2009, the cartel was designated as a “significant foreign narcotics trafficker” under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, which aimed to freeze its assets, among other actions. After being arrested in 2016, Guzmán was extradited to the United States the following year and convicted in 2019. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. Zambada was taken into U.S. custody in July 2024, pleaded guilty in August 2025, and was sentenced in July 2026 to life imprisonment.The Trump administration significantly escalated its campaign against the Sinaloa Cartel last year. In February 2025, the Department of State designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) following an executive order by President Trump.

Future Prospects.

While “El Chapo” and “El Mayo” have both been captured and arrested, the Sinaloa Cartel’s drug-trafficking networks remain in place. The networks remain hard to dismantle due to their decentralized nature, although reports have revealed that the cartel has descended into infighting between “Los Chapitos” (networks and personnel associated with El Chapo) and “Los Mayitos” (networks and personnel associated with El Mayo).Despite this, it has managed to develop clandestine laboratories, which can be used to manufacture drugs while avoiding law enforcement. Nevertheless, since the start of the year, the Trump administration has escalated its campaign against the cartel, signaling a willingness to conduct land strikes in tandem with the strikes on cartel-linked boats it is already carrying out at sea.U.S. authorities have also indicted cartel-linked Mexican officials, such as Rubén Rocha Moya, the Governor of Sinaloa. The cartel may also have to contend with further escalations, Treasury sanctions, and joint military operations between the U.S. and Latin American countries, such as Colombia.

https://thenationalpulse.com/2026/10/02/what-is-the-sinaloa-cartel-the-terror-organization-facing-dozens-of-new-u-s-sanctions/

Pharma Spent Record $456.9 Million Last Year on Lobbying — With No Signs of Slowing Down

The pharmaceutical and health industry spent $456.9 million on lobbying expenses in 2025, according to OpenSecrets.

Big Pharma set a new record for lobbying spending in 2025 — and 2026 is shaping up to be another year of big spending, as the industry seeks to influence U.S. healthcare policy.

The pharmaceutical and health industry combined spent $456.9 million on lobbying expenses in 2025, according to OpenSecrets, up 16.7% from 2024. According to The Boston Globe (citing STAT), it was the largest-ever single-year increase in lobbying spending.

This spending was part of what OpenSecrets called a “record” $868 million in lobbying outlays by the healthcare sector in 2025.

Big Pharma’s leading trade group — the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) — led the way, spending nearly $38 million on lobbying last year, a 22% increase from 2024, according to Politico. PhRMA was joined by “nine of the 13 U.S. drugmakers on the Fortune 500,” who reported “their highest spending in at least a decade” on lobbying.

There are no signs of a slowdown. OpenSecrets data show the pharmaceutical industry has reported $245.7 million in lobbying expenses so far this year, part of the $459.3 million the health sector overall has spent in 2026.

PhRMA spent a reported $19.8 million in lobbying expenses in 2026, ranking third among business and trade organizations this year — a position it also held in 2025, when it spent $38.19 million.

Among drugmakers, Eli Lilly has spent over $7 million on lobbying this year. Pfizer has spent $6.62 million, and Merck has spent $6.58 million.

According to OpenSecrets, PhRMA’s record spending bucked the overall trend, in which “some of Washington’s biggest spenders, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Realtors, cut back from their 2024 lobbying expenditures.”

Big Pharma ‘using its enormous profits to influence politicians’

The Congressional Times described the pharmaceutical industry’s lobbying spending in 2025 not as an “aberration” but as “the apex of a sustained, institutionalized expenditure pattern stretching back more than two decades” in which the industry sought to capture policymakers and federal regulatory agencies.

Daniel O’Connor, president and founder of TrialSite News, said the lavish spending points to a broader issue of representation and industry influence in Washington.

“The problem is bigger than Big Pharma. Washington has built a system where money buys access, access buys influence, and influence can shape the rules governing American healthcare,” O’Connor said.

For Leslie Manookian, president and founder of the Health Freedom Defense Fund, Big Pharma’s big lobbying spending shows the industry may feel threatened by Kennedy’s presence in the nation’s top health post and the health freedom movement’s growing momentum.

“First, with Secretary Kennedy in office, more scrutiny is being applied to the drug industry than ever before. Second, with the growing health freedom movement, more focus has been directed towards the drug industry’s products,” Manookian said.

Manookian cited a 2025 poll showing 90% of American voters are concerned about the pharma’s corrupting influence. She said the “pharmaceutical drug industry is feeling the heat and using its enormous profits to influence politicians.”

Jeffrey Tucker, president and founder of the Brownstone Institute, agreed. He said the COVID-19 pandemic was the pharmaceutical industry’s “high-water mark in policy influence — but could also prove to be its downfall.”

“The industry might be panicking about growing public resistance,” Tucker said.

Pharma lobbying group a ‘behemoth of an organization’

https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/big-pharma-lobbying-record-2025-no-signs-slowing-down/

Almost All GOP Senators Block Resolution To Require Report On Israeli Violence In West Bank

Almost every Republican senator shot down a resolution Tuesday that sought answers regarding increased violence in the West Bank by Israelis.

The resolution would have required the State Department to provide lawmakers with reports on violence and human rights violations in the territory. It failed in a 51 to 47 vote, with almost all Republican senators voting against it.

Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul voted “yes” on the measure, while Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman voted against it. Republican Sens. Dan Sullivan of Alaska and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana did not vote.

Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Tim Kaine of Virginia, along with independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, introduced the measure in August. The three senators were joined by eight of their colleagues, including Democratic Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey.

Van Hollen vowed Democrats would not stop fighting for “justice.”

“Tonight, 47 Senators supported my resolution to get accountability for the 9 Americans killed on the West Bank & for Palestinians who face injustices daily,” Van Hollen said on X. “That’s more support than we’ve ever had in this fight. Republicans blocked us, but we won’t stop until we get justice.”

The resolution stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was not held accountable for the deaths of the nine Americans. Omar Assad, a 78-year-old U.S. citizen, was stopped at a checkpoint in the village of Jiljilya, dragged by Israeli soldiers out of his vehicle and died of a stress-induced heart attack while left lying on the ground with his hands bound behind his back, according to the resolution.

In 2024, two 17-year-old Americans were shot by Israelis while driving, according to the resolution. Tawfic Abdel Jabbar was shot in the head in January 2024 by an Israeli settler, an off-duty Israeli police officer and an Israel Defense Forces soldier, while 17-year-old Mohammad Ahmad Alkhdour was fatally shot twice in the head by Israeli forces in February 2024.

“This Administration has said ensuring the safety and security of American citizens abroad is one of its highest priorities,” Van Hollen said in a press release. “And yet, as we’ve seen violence rise in the West Bank, American citizens have been killed time and again, and they have received no justice and no accountability. It’s past time we get answers on their deaths – and on the growing violent instability in the West Bank and the injustices facing Palestinian civilians on a daily basis.”

The resolution drew upon Section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act, which allows Congress to require the State Department to provide information on any country receiving U.S. assistance and its observance of human rights, according to Van Hollen’s press release. After introduction, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has ten days to consider it, and if it fails to do so, it can be taken up for a floor vote.

Israel has become a divisive topic among lawmakers, particularly Democrats, as 103 House Democrats voted for Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie’s amendment to slash $3.3 billion in foreign aid to Israel. In April 2024, 37 Democrats voted for a similar measure that would have cut aid to Israel.

https://dailycaller.com/2026/09/30/senate-rejects-resolution-israel-violence-west-bank/

The US economy adds just +29,000 jobs in September, well below expectations of +89,000. The unemployment rate rose.

The US added just 29,000 jobs in September, missing expectations, as the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2%, according to Labor Department data released Friday.

September’s miss points to a labor market that’s continuing to lose steam amid a long period of “low hire, low fire” dynamics. Average hourly earnings rose an anemic 0.1% from August and are up 3% year over year, a level that’s likely below the current rate of inflation.

In addition, job gains in July and August were revised lower by a total of 60,000.

Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected the latest data to show a gain of 90,000 jobs in September and expected the unemployment rate to remain at 4.1% for a third straight month.

The report looked “all around weak — but not tragic,” economist Justin Wolfers wrote on X.

Fox Business on the September jobs report: "The numbers do not look good. I'm looking at 29,000 jobs added. That is well below expectations for 90,000, and our unemployment rate jumps up to 4.2%. A significant slowdown."

https://twitter.com/i/status/2106000285466333256

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/breaking-the-us-economy-adds-just-29000-jobs-in-september-well-below-expectations-of-89000-the-unemployment-rate-rose/

Did an Israeli Plumber Really Pull an Emirati Plane Out of a Suicide Nosedive?

Let’s begin with the official story. In today’s AI-addled world, it’s easy to get concise summaries of official stories: Just ask AI. So Gemini: Did an Israeli plumber really pull an Emirati plane out of a suicide nosedive?

The Incident: During a Flydubai flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, an in-flight altercation broke out in the cockpit. Officials stated that a pilot allegedly attacked the captain (identified as Smit Machchhar) with a knife, causing the aircraft to plunge rapidly thousands of feet. [1, 2, 3]

The Intervention: The wounded captain managed to open the cockpit door and call for help. Yaniv Hayun, an Israeli passenger and plumber, rushed forward, put the attacker in a chokehold, and pulled him away from the controls. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Pulling Up: Finding the cockpit momentarily vacant of functional control, Hayun grabbed the yoke and pulled back to help level the plane, later stating that watching aviation safety shows like Air Crash Investigation gave him a basic idea of what to do. [1, 2]

The Resolution: Other passengers and off-duty pilots on board quickly stepped in to fully restrain the attacker and take over the aircraft. The flight safely diverted and made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Wow. So it wasn’t just an Israeli plumber. It was an off-duty Israeli plumber! Good thing he was off-duty. Had he been hard at work unclogging the plane’s toilet, which he would have needed to do had it been as full of shit as this story, he would never have had the chance to heroically save the lives of 174 passengers by doing the unprecedented and near-impossible: Pulling the plane out of a suicide dive induced by a disgruntled pilot. (But at least he could have saved the toilet, and the passengers’ noses—as well as the noses of most of the world’s population, which are being tightly and unrelentingly squeezed to ward off the reek of this stinking story.)

Here is the plumber recounting his heroics to Bibi, who needs to work on his acting skills.

In the whole history of commercial aviation, there have been at least ten cases in which suicidal-homicidal pilots plunged their planes into steep high-speed nosedives. In all ten of those cases, the planes went splat and everyone died.

Not once, before yesterday, had any commercial flight that had been put into a steep high-speed nosedive by a demented pilot EVER survived. Not once. The success rate for rescue efforts, even by other experienced pilots, is exactly 0%. Or was. After today, it is pushing 10%. The obvious lesson: In the name of aviation safety, every airline should offer a free first-class seat to a plumber who watches TV, just in case a knife-wielding suicidal pilot needs to be subdued after putting the plane into a steep nosedive, and the plane needs to be righted—a feat that pilots can’t accomplish, but TV-watching plumbers apparently can.

Even Donald Trump, who peddles the most atrociously ridiculous tall tales on a daily basis, had a hard time swallowing this one.

Donald Trump: An Israeli plumber flew the plane, which he supposedly learned to fly by watching an air-disaster show. I don’t know if it is true or not, but this is the story I got from Bibi.

Story is so fake that even Donald Trump is doubting it. 😭😭

https://twitter.com/i/status/2105578291000467721

https://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/?p=331635

Elon wants f**king socialism: “I think by FAR the most likely outcome is an AGE OF ABUNDANCE where we don’t have just universal basic income, we have universal HIGH income. And people speak about medical benefits.”

Elon Musk, shoulder to shoulder with President Trump, explains why AI is going to lift up ALL of humanity — not force them into poverty

@elonmusk

: “I think by FAR the most likely outcome is an AGE OF ABUNDANCE where we don’t have just universal basic income, we have universal HIGH income. And people speak about medical benefits.

“Maybe it’s worth talking a bit more about that. When you have robots and you have superintelligence, it means that EVERYONE in the world can have better medical care than anyone here, including ME. And wouldn’t that be wonderful?!”

Jobs are going to change. Jobs have ALWAYS changed.

But being a computer used to be a job. There used to be buildings FULL of people doing calculations, but now digital computers to do those tasks. I don’t think anyone is pining to go back and do calculations all day to do bank interest rates, which is what they used to do.

So I think we’ll see an evolution of roles. And as the President has mentioned, it’s not as though unemployment has increased. In fact, there’s a TREMENDOUS demand for people.

So I think the most likely outcome–and it’s probably worth looking at–the most likely outcome is one which is INCREDIBLY beneficial. And it’s a future that you, if you could look into the future, it has a future you would WANT.”

WELL SAID, Elon. No notes 👏

https://twitter.com/i/status/2105031842609185201

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/elon-wants-fking-socialism-i-think-by-far-the-most-likely-outcome-is-an-age-of-abundance-where-we-dont-have-just-universal-basic-income-we-have-universal-high-income-and-people-speak-about-me/

JD Vance needs "Jewish money" to win the presidency, Israeli podcaster Ariel Whitman tells FDD's Mark Dubowitz.

"It sounds horrible," Whitman says, "but he needs Jewish donors."

"Miriam Adelson… the Ellisons… Bill Ackman…"

https://x.com/infolibnews/status/2105998561338871925/video/1

Sean Hannity laments to Netanyahu that "anti-Semites" don't understand that the death of 1,200 Israelis on October 7th is "the equivalent of 40,000 dead Americans."

He glazes "Bibi" for his "moral clarity" and urges Israelis to get out and vote for him.

Fox=Israeli state media.

https://x.com/infolibnews/status/2105499162729148620/video/1

This explains everything you need to know about why the USA 🇺🇸 is involved in Middle Eastern wars that never end.

This is quiet part said out loud. 🔥🔥🔥

https://twitter.com/i/status/2105694879560986741

We Investigated Starlink. The Corruption We Found Will Shock You.

The U.S. was supposed to spend $40 billion to build internet in rural America, then Elon Musk got a huge chunk of that money redirected to Starlink.

He made hundreds of millions, while countless people still don't have good internet.

We went to Louisiana where kids can't do their homework, schools can't support their students, and businesses struggle without a reliable connection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQYnlg4pO9o

PENTAGON BIOTERRORISM – How EBOLA became a Lethal NIGHTMARE in Congo (almost 4,000 deaths) after Dangerous, Secret FAUCI & GATES Experiments

Ebola cases surpass 8,000 as DRC struggles to control outbreak

Fauci’s NIAID Funded Aerosolized-Ebola Experiments That Left 80% of Vaccinated Primates DEAD

From the Antrax to SARS-CoV-2: the culprit was never a dangerous foreigner, but the US “biosecurity state.”

Ebola cases surpass 8,000 as DRC struggles to control outbreak

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has recorded over 8,000 cases of Ebola, including almost 4,000 deaths, amid the worst outbreak in the country’s history, according to government data.

The latest report, published on Monday by the DRC’s public health institute, put the number of cases at 8,067 ⁠⁠and deaths at ⁠⁠3,901, representing a fatality rate of 48.4 percent.

People’s mistrust and anger towards government policies have become a major obstacle in limiting the outbreak since it was officially declared on May 15. A senior ‌‌member of the ruling UDPS party was beaten to death after raising awareness about the epidemic on radio, a party representative said on Monday. The ⁠⁠killing happened on Sunday in Butembo in North Kivu province, which has become a hotspot in the ongoing Ebola outbreak» Al Jazeera reported.

The number of cases has levelled off after a rapid increase, according to the African Union’s health agency, Africa CDC, though it still considers the outbreak “not under control”.

Several treatments and vaccines are being trialled targeting the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment.

In the previous investigation we explained that just a few months ago (January 2026), Bill Gates’ vaccine cartel CEPI gave Moderna and University of Oxford $26.7 million to begin developing Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV) mRNA and viral vector injections.

https://vtforeignpolicy.com/2026/10/pentagon-bioterrorism-how-ebola-became-a-lethal-nightmare-in-congo-almost-4000-deaths-after-dangerous-secret-fauci-gates-experiments/

Khan Yunis

Beit Lahia

Wahsh

Rafah

https://consortiumnews.com/2026/10/02/gaza-from-the-sky/

>>25099055

>cabin would've been covered in debris, the oxygen masks may have deployed

yep

>>25099076

Just like Bondi in Sydney where the shooter is filmed by someone in an open grassed area without any fear the gunman would shoot them