IJR News

Dodgers, Nationals Affiliates Set for Triple-A ChampionshipSports — 2dThe Oklahoma City Comets, the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate, will face the Rochester Red Wings, the Nationals’ affiliate, in the winner-take-all Triple-A National Championship in Las Vegas. Oklahoma City is set to start Emmet Sheehan against Rochester’s Jack Cebert, with top prospects including Josue De Paula and Mike Sirota among the players to watch.

Brightline Parent Entities File Chapter 11, Service ContinuesBusiness — 3dBrightline Florida has reached a debt-restructuring deal providing $490 million in new financing, while certain parent and affiliate entities enter Chapter 11 proceedings. The Miami-Orlando train operator is not filing for bankruptcy and will continue running normally; the restructuring does not affect the separate Brightline West project.

Iran Shuts French Embassy-Affiliated Center in Tehran — Sep 20, 2026Iranian authorities shut down a French language center affiliated with the French embassy in Tehran, accusing it of operating without a license and engaging in activities deemed contrary to national security and Islamic culture, including identifying networks and facilitating the departure of skilled Iranians. The move occurs amid a broader crackdown on foreign-linked entities and efforts to tighten oversight of foreign influence in Iran.

Jared Kim Shutting language centers won't stop skilled people from leaving if the real problems at home aren't fixed.

TotalEnergies Partners With GIP on $1.8 Billion African Infrastructure Deal — Sep 18, 2026TotalEnergies and Global Infrastructure Partners, a BlackRock affiliate, have agreed to a US$1.8 billion investment into TotalEnergies’ African oil and gas midstream assets in exchange for a throughput-based tariff lasting up to 15 years, allowing monetization while preserving operational control. The deal signals a broader strategy to unlock value from midstream infrastructure and attract major investors to Africa’s energy sector.

Priya Raman BlackRock's affiliate backing African oil infrastructure at this level should draw more serious money into the sector.

Amway Agrees to Largest-Ever $225M FTC MLM Settlement — Sep 17, 2026The FTC and Washington state have reached a $225 million settlement with Amway and two affiliates over deceptive earnings claims and recruitment practices in MLM, with most funds to be returned to affected consumers and extensive changes to compliance including auditing and tighter limits on training fees. This represents the largest monetary recovery in an FTC action against an MLM, and the case underscores heightened scrutiny of direct-selling practices.

Maya Lindstrom It's about time the FTC hit Amway with real consequences for those inflated income claims that hooked so many recruits.

Most Influential Women in World HistoryYourlist — RankingFrom ancient queens who ruled empires to modern activists who changed laws, these women left indelible marks on politics, science, and culture. Vote for who you think shaped history most profoundly.

Migrants in Eastern Germany Report Rising Hostility Amid AfD Gains — Sep 18, 2026As Germany's eastern state elections loom, Chancellor Merz convenes a CDU crisis meeting amid AfD gains and internal party strains, underscoring a fragile stability dynamic in Berlin and regional power battles. In Rostock and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, migrants recount rising anti-foreigner hostility as AfD momentum concentrates support in the east, while a YouGov-dpa survey shows a broad share of Germans understand migrants' security concerns, though views diverge by political affiliation.

Mexico Antitrust Watchdog Probes Professional Soccer Market — Sep 14, 2026Mexico’s National Antitrust Commission opened a formal, ex-officio probe into possible monopolistic practices in the professional football market, prompted by fan complaints and focusing on the absence of promotion and relegation and the concentration of Liga MX’s ownership and broadcasting rights. If violations are found, the FMF could face penalties up to 10% of annual revenue as investigators examine affiliation, organization and access to competitions.

Nicole Hardy It's good the commission is finally checking how Liga MX blocks promotion and locks up TV rights.

Kimmel Moves Talarico Interview to YouTube Over FCC Equal-Time Warning — Sep 10, 2026Under pressure from the Trump-era FCC over equal-time concerns, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel say they will publish interviews with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico on YouTube rather than air them on broadcast, citing threats to station licenses and local affiliates. The move has amplified criticism of the FCC’s approach and followed a spike in Talarico’s fundraising after Colbert’s reveal.

Lawsuit Accuses Cesar Chavez of Raping Woman at UFW Compound — Sep 9, 2026Five civil lawsuits filed in Kern County allege that Cesar Chavez raped women in the 1970s at UFW compounds such as La Paz, with plaintiffs accusing the Chavez Foundation and the UFW Foundation of covering up or enabling the abuse. The suits, prompted by a New York Times investigation, name Chavez’s affiliated organizations and seek damages for negligence and civil rights violations, noting that Chavez died in 1993.

Chris Dalton Even if Chavez is long gone, organizations tied to him must face consequences for any negligence that allowed harm to these women.

ISU Revokes Neutral Status for Russian Skaters — Sep 8, 2026Kamila Valieva’s neutral-athlete status has been revoked by the ISU, barring her from international competition, a move that also affects fellow Russians Kondratiuk, Stepanova, and Bukin as part of ongoing scrutiny of athletes connected to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The ISU’s neutral-status criteria require no military affiliation, no wartime participation, and no public support for the war, with Valieva and others poised to appeal to CAS as Russia and Belarus continue to challenge the decision.

Boring Company Raises $3B, Valuation Hits $23B — Sep 10, 2026The Boring Company closed a $3 billion Series D led by UAE-affiliated investors, valuing the tunnel builder at $23 billion, to accelerate large-scale underground transport deployment in the UAE, including more than 150 kilometers of tunnels as part of the Dubai Loop, with funding also supporting projects in Las Vegas and beyond. Major co-investors include Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, Temasek and others, signaling strong strategic backing to convert prototypes into production infrastructure.

Elena Vasquez Valuing tunnel work at 23 billion still looks inflated until they deliver more than a handful of miles in Vegas.

Jim Carrey vs Adam SandlerYourlist — VS BattleRubber-faced mania versus deadpan slob comedy — two 90s comedy titans, two entirely different engines.

Vulcan Completes $39.4M Investment, Addresses Debt Maturity — Sep 10, 2026Vulcan Infrastructure and Power closed a $39.4 million private financing led by affiliates of Machine Investment Group and Atlas Holdings, with Conversant Capital and insiders, to redeem about $33.1 million of 8.50% senior notes due October 2026 and fund growth of its AI/HPC-powered infrastructure platform. The deal includes a $10 million convertible note and a three-year warrant, plus a governance refresh with new independent directors and an expanded board as Vulcan accelerates plans for up to 104 MW of near-term capacity and a 654 MW development pipeline.

Notre Dame teams secure five wins including late soccer stunner — Sep 11, 2026Notre Dame-affiliated teams across high school and college posted a spectrum of results this week, from Notre Dame Prep and Notre Dame High School delivering strong performances to close games and big offensive outputs, to Desert Edge stifling Notre Dame’s offense in a lopsided win for Desert Edge and a 1-0 Notre Dame victory over Clemson in men’s soccer illustrating a rare bold win for the Irish. The results underscore the program’s ongoing strength in some contexts while facing tough defenses and losses in others, including a turnover-prone clash and a rout that kept Notre Dame’s unbeaten runs at stake.

Nicole Hardy That soccer win over Clemson shows the Irish can still pull off big results when it counts most.

Two Fitchburg men arrested for UW–Madison pier sexual assaultWorld — Aug 29, 2026Two Fitchburg men, ages 31 and 27, were arrested early Aug. 29 for allegedly sexually assaulting a person at the Goodspeed Family Pier near Alumni Park, with authorities noting neither the suspects nor the victim are affiliated with UW–Madison. They face tentative charges including second-degree sexual assault with force, strangulation and suffocation, battery, and false imprisonment, with the Dane County DA's Office reviewing the case.

Pastors Arrested in Widespread Clergy Abuse ProbesWorld — Aug 31, 2026Across multiple states, pastors and church-affiliated individuals are facing serious sex-crime charges, including Devin Carroll in North Carolina for embezzlement tied to an initial child-sex-abuse case, Wade Booth in Kansas on multiple felony sex charges, Daniel Willis in Indiana facing ten counts of possession of child-sex-abuse material after an ICAC-led investigation, and Deshawn Keith Collier in Florida charged with lewd molestation of a 14-year-old and related offenses. The cases involve formal investigations by state police and ICAC units, with arrests and ongoing legal proceedings in each jurisdiction.

Can you read data — or just vibes?Quizie — QuizFifteen questions on charts, stats, and the tricks numbers play. The rank tells everyone whether to trust your slides.

Hundreds Of Migrants Have Reportedly Entered US Through ISIS-Affiliated Network — Jun 26, 2024Hundreds of migrants have reportedly entered the U.S. through an ISIS-affiliated network and the whereabouts of over 50 of these individuals remain unknown, NBC News reported Tuesday. The Department of Homeland Security…

UK Authorities Apprehend At Least 27 Climate Protesters Affiliated With Hardline Activist Group — Jun 28, 2024British law enforcement personnel arrested numerous Just Stop Oil activists on Thursday and Friday. At least 27 people affiliated with Just Stop Oil were apprehended by authorities for their plans to disrupt…

Nashville Reporter Reveals She Survived School Shooting at 13 Years Old, Gives Advice to ParentsReporting — Mar 28, 2023A reporter based in Nashville recounted the time she was involved in a school shooting when she was 13. On March 27, Joylyn Bukovac, a reporter affiliated with NBC affiliate WSMV , spoke about her experience in 2010…

Cheney Sends Out Mailer Showing Dems How to Change Party Affiliation to Back Her in GOP PrimaryReporting — Jun 24, 2022Rep. Liz Cheney’s (R-Wyo.) campaign is offering instructions on how Democrats can change their party affiliation to vote for her in Wyoming’s August primary. One of the questions on the instructions sent to voters…

Fox Affiliate’s Studio Hit by Suspected Arson AttackReporting — Feb 27, 2024Police in San Diego are seeking an arsonist who torched several vehicles and also set fire to a gate keypad Monday night at the city’s Fox affiliate station. KSWB-TV reported its location in the Kearny Mesa area of the…

Siris Affiliate Reports Exercise Equiniti Options — Jul 24, 2026Bullish, via a Siris affiliate, has exercised its option to acquire Equiniti’s non-core lines—EQ Retirement Solutions, EQ Customer Resolutions and Lenvi—while the overall $4.2 billion Equiniti deal is expected to close in January 2027, subject to regulatory approvals. The transaction, which regulators in the UK, US and Germany have cleared, aims to merge Equiniti’s issuer relationships and transfer-agent capabilities with Bullish’s tokenization platform to create an institutional-grade operating system for tokenized securities.

North Carolina Lawmaker Expected to Change Party AffiliationReporting — Apr 5, 2023UPDATE : Cotham announced in a Wednesday morning press conference she is switching parties. She will become a Republican. As The Hill notes , this has “massive implications for politics in the state.” She said, “The…

School Places Teacher on Leave Over Assignment Involving ObamaReporting — May 20, 2022A school placed a teacher on leave over an assignment involving former President Barack Obama . According to NBC affiliate WDIV of Detroit , the assignment asked, “Which of the following are primates?” and showed an…

Flashback: Chuck Norris Explains Why He Switched from Democrat to Republican, Rips on ObamaOpinion — Sep 9, 2023A 2014 video of Chuck Norris explaining his switch in political affiliation has once again garnered attention. In the interview, the “Walker Texas Ranger” star explained why he decided to change his political…