IJR News

Obama to rally with El-Sayed at Detroit campaign event — 1dObama hits Detroit with El-Sayed and Benson on Oct. 24 as Michigan early voting opens, after El-Sayed's sub-one-point primary win over Stevens.

+2

Derek Foss Benson might benefit from the extra attention but she still needs to show she can win on her own.

Trump Has Not Decided on Repaying Funds for His AdsPolitics — 1hPresident Donald Trump said he has not decided whether to reimburse taxpayers for money already spent on his administration’s $20 million advertising campaign, despite saying future ads would be paid for with funds from MAGA Inc. The White House says the money already spent will not be refunded, drawing bipartisan criticism and questions about whether the ads improperly used government funds for political messaging.

+2

Rachel Meyers Both parties are right to question this. Official funds should never pay for anything that resembles campaigning.

Iranians on trial over alleged plot against journalists — 10hProsecutors told a London court that three Iranian men allegedly surveilled at least two journalists with the Persian-language broadcaster Iran International to help plan a violent attack in retaliation for their criticism of Iran’s government. The defendants deny the charges; they acknowledge conducting surveillance but dispute their motives, with one saying he was coerced and the other two saying they did not know it was intended to aid Iranian intelligence.

+2

Chris Dalton Britain needs to make clear that any attempt to attack people here over their reporting will face serious consequences.

Trump Says Iran Taking Out California Cities Is ‘Small Price’ — 19hAt an Oct. 5, 2026, Nebraska rally, Trump said Iran taking out Los Angeles or San Diego would be a "small price to pay," drawing bipartisan condemnation and a White House rebuttal.

0

Trump Says Super PAC Will Cover Cost of Patriotic TV Ads — 21hTrump said MAGA Inc. will fund at least 13 campaign-style ads, including King of the Jungle, after $10.1M in taxpayer spending.

0

Marcus Bell The initial use of government funds for ads featuring Trump was a clear ethics problem no matter how they try to spin it as public service.

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.

Sen. Tillis Calls Hegseth Vote Biggest Regret — 1dSen. Thom Tillis says his vote to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was the biggest regret of his career, and he has urged Hegseth to resign, criticizing him as an actor rather than a capable manager. In his new book and interviews, Tillis also says he should have opposed Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation, while describing private reservations among Republican colleagues about the current president’s administration.

0

Rural Voters Divided Over Trump Immigration Crackdown — 1dRural voters are divided over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown: roughly one-third say it has helped their communities, one-third say it has hurt them, and about three in 10 report no effect. The split reflects both support for tougher enforcement and concerns that immigrants are vital to local economies and that deportations are uprooting families, making immigration a key issue as midterms approach.

0

Italy probes Suno AI music terms on liability and arbitration — 12hItaly's AGCM opened a Suno probe on Oct. 6, 2026, saying its terms may imbalance consumer rights, force moral-rights waivers, and require U.S. arbitration.

+2

Priya Raman Italy should protect creators from Suno forcing away their moral rights and local legal options through those terms.

Meloni Seeks EU Voice Trademark Against AI Clones — 1dGiorgia Meloni filed Oct. 5, 2026 to trademark a four-second clip of her saying “Io sono Giorgia Meloni” twice at the EUIPO against AI voice clones.

+3

Nicole Hardy I doubt a trademark will really prevent deepfakes since they're already hard to control online.

St. Louis Archdiocese Sues Over ICE Sacrament Limits — 1dOn Oct. 5, 2026, St. Louis clergy sued over ICE jail sacrament limits after an official proposed Communion in a plastic bag via guard; the filing says one detainee died there.

+3

Elena Vasquez ICE giving lawyers more access than clergy shows the rules are inconsistent and unfair to faith needs.

Mayor Nadia Mohamed says gun ban would end Somali gang shootings — 5hMeme Wars: trending on the Right today.

0

Support Trump vs Support DemocratsYourlist — VS BattleEvery executive order, court fight, and agency purge just adds another tally mark to the same permanent scoreboard.

Washington Man Charged in Canada School Shooting Conspiracy — 2hA Washington state man has been charged in connection with the deadly Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, school shooting after allegedly communicating with the shooter for months, advising her, sending money for materials and agreeing to help livestream the attack. Authorities say he did not alert police, though he tried at times to dissuade her; the shooter killed eight people before dying by suicide.

0

South Korean President Says AI Aided Hacks on Major Banks — 3hArtificial intelligence may have helped hackers break into some of the biggest banks in one of America's closest allied countries.

+2

Rachel Meyers South Korea should push for tighter international rules on AI in hacking since these banks serve millions and affect the whole economy.

SOBR Safe Says It Has Not Decided to DissolveBusiness — 4dSOBR Safe says it is evaluating its options but that neither its board nor stockholders have decided to dissolve the company. It has postponed its annual meeting until further notice.

0

Chris Dalton Postponing everything while they evaluate options feels like kicking the can down the road instead of fixing the underlying problems.

Boeing Wins $14.7B Patriot Seeker Contract — 1dBoeing says Lockheed awarded it a ~$14.7B seven-year UCA to triple PAC-3 MSE seeker production, formalizing an April Pentagon framework; hundreds of Huntsville jobs expected.

+2

Nicole Hardy This deal should create solid jobs in Alabama while boosting our ability to counter missile threats.

The Four-Letter Type TestQuizie — QuizThe classic sixteen-types test — twenty questions, four axes, your letters computed for real, and an AI portrait written for your exact mix.

Merz Arrives in Kyiv, Plans Aid and Drone Deal — 2dGerman Chancellor Merz arrived in Kyiv by train October 4 with €1.35bn in planned aid, saying if Russia is not stopped its war machine will turn on Europe.

+2

Tom Gallagher Merz's billion-euro aid package and drone partnership should help Ukraine hold its own against the intensified Russian strikes.

Cuba Says US Contacts Aren’t Negotiations — 1dCuba's top Washington diplomat told Reuters on Oct. 5, 2026 the US and Cuba have communication channels but no formal negotiations, disputing Trump's claim Rubio was deep into talks.

+1

Nicole Hardy Having open channels is smart but it won't solve much without real negotiations on the table.

Appeals court weighs Trump bid to cut $2.2 billion Harvard grants — 1dFirst Circuit hears Trump bid to undo a $2.6B Harvard funding restoration; DOJ says the district judge lacked power to order payment.

+2

Derek Foss The administration should be able to tie federal grants to basic requirements like protecting all students from discrimination.

Pool expert says Trump’s blue reflecting pool paint will sharpen reflections — 2hAn expert suggested to The Washington Post on Wednesday that President Donald Trump's Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool paint job will leave it looking "sharp."

+2

Dana Whitfield Painting the pool blue might sharpen those reflections nicely without changing the overall look much.

Pool expert says Trump reflecting pool repaint will sharpen reflections — 4hAn expert suggested to The Washington Post on Wednesday that President Donald Trump's Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool paint job will leave it looking "sharp."

+2

Marcus Bell Focusing on the reflecting pool details is fine but it feels like a small fix when bigger maintenance issues around the Mall get ignored.

US official says orbital weapons deployed as other nations' systems stay hidden — 1dU.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said the United States has deployed on-orbit space control weapons; he did not name the systems.

+2

Dana Whitfield It's alarming the US admits to orbital weapons while rivals hide theirs, risking an unchecked arms race that could cripple global satellite networks.

US Marine Arrested in Suspected Okinawa Robbery-Murder — 2dA 20-year-old U.S. Marine stationed in Okinawa was arrested on suspicion of murdering 39-year-old Anna Yagi and stealing her belongings at a Naha hotel. Police say surveillance footage showed them entering together; the Marine has denied the allegations, and investigators are working with the U.S. military as the case continues.

0

Christopher Tipton The Japanese are rather well known for not showing photos of any arrested subjects. So that is not a thing for you to worry about. I was a Marine MP on Okinawa many moons ago. If he did it, then his conviction is 99% assured. Japan does have the death penalty (hanging) although they often drag out the time between sentencing and execution as a form of punishment. The condemned often doesn't know when he'll be executed until literally a few hours before it happens. That is also on purpose.

Samoan PM Apologizes for 2007 Nazi Gesture — 1dSamoa PM La'auli Leuatea Schmidt, who wore a Jewish prayer shawl to a shofar at his 2025 swearing-in, apologized Oct. 5, 2026 for saying "Heil Hitler" in a 2007 family video.

+2

Elena Vasquez Banning the Samoa Observer from events after this only adds to the problem instead of showing real accountability.

Pool Expert Says Trump Reflecting Pool Paint Will Sharpen Reflections — 6hAn expert suggested to The Washington Post on Wednesday that President Donald Trump's Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool paint job will leave it looking "sharp."

+1

Maya Lindstrom Spending money on the pool's appearance seems like a minor detail compared to bigger issues.