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After the blissful news avalanches of campaign hijinks and the Olympics, we’re back to the usual soup of science, retail and animals. Plus, the latest from the ever-reliable quiz subject RFK Jr.
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Don’t Give Donald Trump’s Half-Baked Elections Plans More Juice Than They Deserve
This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis.
An early episode of South Park features a subplot in which tiny gnomes sneak into the houses of South Park residents in order to steal their underpants. When asked why, they explain that collecting underpants is just the beginning: “Well, Phase 1, we collect underpants.” “What about Phase 2?” “Well, Phase 3 is profit.” When pressed, they explain again: “You see, Phase 1, collect underpants. Phase 2 … . Phase 3, profit.”
It’s a beautifully crisp lampooning of half-baked ideas, built for business plans but readily adaptable to any sort of scheme. And it’s profoundly relevant to the current electoral conversations.
Last month, President Trump...
Chicago Has Hundreds of Thousands of Toxic Lead Pipes—and Millions of Unspent Dollars to Replace Them
This story is a partnership between Inside Climate News, Grist and WBEZ, a public radio station serving the Chicago metropolitan region.
CHICAGO—No U.S. city has more toxic lead pipes pumping water into people’s homes. And millions of federal and city dollars earmarked to replace them remain unused, a city official said Monday, at the same time that the city is struggling to keep up with deadlines to warn people of the risks.
Replacements of Chicago’s more than 412,000 confirmed and suspected lead service lines are lagging. The city doesn’t anticipate replacing all its pipes until 2076, some 30 years after a federal deadline. Lead plumbing can leach the toxic metal into drinking water, causing brain damage, developmental delays and other harms.
Water department officials say they can’t afford to move as quickly as federal deadlines require, but Department...
INEC promises transparent Anambra and FCT elections
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has pledged that the forthcoming Anambra State governorship election and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council polls will be conducted transparently.
The assurance was given by the chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, during a strategic meeting in Abuja to review preparations for the elections.
The session also discussed the conduct of party primaries ahead of the 2026 governorship races in Ekiti and Osun States.
Yakubu said INEC was committed to ensuring that every stage of the process would meet the expectations of voters.
We are determined to deliver credible and transparent elections in Anambra and the FCT, he told senior officials of the commission.
The chairman also announced the approval of promotions for 471 junior staff members, following recommendations from the Appointment, Promotion and Disciplinary Committee. He said the decision reflected...
Top Hungary news: Ukraine bans Hungarians, Kádár canteen, population decline, Trump’s words, Budapest Airport rail — 26 September, 2025
Featured Hungary news stories:Storm alert as end of summer brings changing weatherHungary faces a Friday forecast of thunderstorms, heavy rain and possible hail, especially in the southwest, but conditions should improve into a sunnier, milder weekend.Read moreHungary’s population decline worsens: What’s behind itBirths in Hungary have fallen sharply in 2025, with the fertility rate dropping and deaths outnumbering births, driven by fewer women of childbearing age, lower fertility, and economic and social pressures.Read moreBudapest's Legendary Kádár Canteen Reopens!The famous Kádár canteen in Budapest, closed for years, has reopened its doors with nearly the same menu it had before, reviving a nostalgic taste of local history.Read moreTrump: Hungary should not be blamed for oil dependence on RussiaDonald Trump defended Hungary’s continued oil purchases from Russia, arguing that external pressure overlooks the country’s limited options and energy...
Livestream: The Probe discusses Africa’s contribution at UNGA
This Sunday edition of JoyNews’ The Probe will turn the spotlight to Africa’s voice on the global stage.
As world leaders gather for the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), how well is Africa making its case? What successes can the continent point to, what gaps remain, and where have opportunities been missed?
Host Carlos Calony will engage a distinguished panel: Dr. Liborous Oshoma, Legal Practitioner and Foreign Policy Analyst from Nigeria; Dr. Lassane Ouédraogo, Associate Professor at Nazi Boni University, Burkina Faso; Jerolinmek Piah, Liberia’s Minister of Information, Cultural...
ZCash Breaks 8-Year Downtrend – What’s Driving ZEC’s 73% Surge?
ZCash has delivered a breakout performance this week, surprising the crypto market with robust price action and investor interest. Over the past month, the ZEC price has soared by over 73%, driven by a combination of technical, product, and sector-wide factors.
Talking about numbers, the coin’s daily volume sits at $215.77 million, taking its market cap to $1.12 billion. It is worth noting that this rally is not just another speculative run but signals deep changes in ZEC’s narrative, positioning, and adoption profile.Top Reasons Behind ZCash’s Price SurgeRecent product developments have added substance to this rally. The launch of Zashi CrossPay on September 16 enabled shielded ZEC transfers across 20+ blockchains. Plus, ZEC’s market cap ranking improved, and adoption metrics for shielded transactions in Q4 are worth monitoring closely.
The broader privacy coin sector is also trending...
Zamfara, Kwara, Benue listed as Nigeria’s poorest-managed states
Zamfara, Kwara, Benue listed as Nigeria’s poorest-managed states
To fly you
A new governance performance review has ranked Zamfara, Kwara, an Benue as the worst-performing states in Nigeria between 2023 and 2025.
The ranking was contained in a midterm report released on Monday in London by the Good Governance Rating Index (GGRI), a UK-based organisation that tracks and evaluates leadership quality, service delivery, and accountability in developing democracies.
According to the report, the three states, under the leadership of Governors Dauda Lawal of Zamfara, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, and Hyacinth Alia of Benue, performed abysmally across major governance indicators such as health, education, infrastructure, economic opportunities, transparency, and security.
GGRI said its findings were based on data gathered from official government reports, independent audits, field surveys, and citizen feedback mechanisms between May 2023 and August 2025.
“The performance of Zamfara, Kwara,...
Saudi Market Poised for Historic Shift as Tadawul Pursues Opening to Foreign Investors
TadawulIn a bold step aimed at fostering liquidity and attracting global capital, Saudi Arabias Capital Market Authority (CMA) has opened a public consultation on landmark reforms that would open Tadawul to foreign investors, according to Gulf News.
The CMA has published the draft amendments on the Public Consultation Platform Istitlaa, to collect feedback from the public and government entities on proposed laws and regulations.
Crucially, the draft plan proposes eliminating foreign investor restrictions, ending swap agreements, and granting direct access to Saudi equities.
Currently, overseas investors are required to register as foreign institutional investors.
Under the new plan, however, this requirement would be abolished, opening the door to unrestricted direct participation in the Saudi market.
Moreover, foreign investors would have full access to direct ownership of Saudi-listed stocks after removing the use of swap agreements.
A CMA board member told...
Trump Envoy Steve Witkoff and His Sons Blur Lines Between Profit and Politics
Honest, paywall-free news is rare. Please support our boldly independent journalism with a donation of any size.As officials with Hamas say they will respond “soon” to President Trump’s ceasefire proposal to end Israel’s nearly two-year war on Gaza, brokered with Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, we look at the many other deals Witkoff and his family are involved with. A New York Times investigation reveals that when Witkoff, a real estate developer and longtime friend of Trump, began his new position as a diplomat in the Middle East, his son Alex took over his company, the Witkoff Group. Since then, not only has the Witkoff Group continued to ink major deals with investors in...
Political Risks in ACA Subsidy Debate Spark Blame Game, Test Parties’ Resolve
A clash over the Affordable Care Act that has led to a shutdown of the federal government has ramifications for public health as agencies cease some services. The Trump administration vows mass layoffs during the impasse.
The shutdown centered largely on a disagreement over the Obama-era health law. Democrats want a further extension of enhanced subsidies that reduce ACA health insurance premiums, but GOP lawmakers insist any debate wait until after a budget deal is reached to keep the federal government afloat.
With the sides far apart, federal funding ran out at midnight Oct. 1 after Congress failed to pass even a stopgap budget. The issue now is how long the deadlock will continue.
In a KFF poll released today, more than three-quarters — 78% — of the public say they want Congress to extend the enhanced tax...
Trump news at a glance: Democrats say administration refusing shutdown talks as president repeats threat of firings
The Trump administration will start mass layoffs of federal workers if the president decides negotiations to end the government shutdown are “absolutely going nowhere,” a senior White House official has said.
Kevin Hassett told CNN he still saw a chance that Democrats would back down, but added that Trump was “getting ready to act” if he has to.
No tangible signs of negotiations have emerged between congressional leaders since Trump met with them last week. The shutdown began on 1 October, after Senate Democrats rejected a short-term funding measure that would keep federal agencies open through to 21 November. Democrats are demanding that funding include healthcare measures for low-income Americans.
“They’ve refused to talk with us,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told CBS, saying the impasse could be solved only by further talks between Trump and the four...
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