IJR News

North Korea Warns Seoul Could Face Collective Retaliation — 4hNorth Korea warned that South Korea would become a target for collective retaliation if it serves as a central hub in a U.S.-led collective-defense system. The threat followed remarks by the U.S. Forces Korea commander and criticism from Pyongyang of joint drills and U.S. deployments, which it said serve Washington’s broader military ambitions.

Nicole Hardy Seoul should ignore this warning and keep working with Washington on defense because North Korea only respects strength.

U.S. and Iran Hold Rare New York Talks — 4dUS President Donald Trump said he is open to meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in New York during the UN General Assembly, while signaling that options against Iran could include military action. He also noted ongoing contacts with the Houthis as tensions with Tehran persist.

Trump threatens to annihilate Iran ahead of Pezeshkian UN address — 2dSecretary of State Marco Rubio warns that Iran is run by lunatic clerics and must never obtain a nuclear weapon, arguing that a nuclear-armed Iran would be catastrophic for the region and the world, akin to North Korea in the Middle East. He also said Washington is open to talks if they could yield a positive result, while tying the dispute to Gulf security, energy markets, IAEA verification challenges, and potential UN Security Council action that could shape the trajectory of a US-Iran deal through 2026.

Trump Administration Prepares Sanctions on ICC After Netanyahu Warrant — 4dRubio said the US would dismantle the ICC 'brick by brick' if necessary as the Trump administration prepares sanctions prohibiting most court transactions after a 6-7 month grace period.

Derek Foss Blocking the ICC from dollars could limit its ability to target leaders unfairly but might strain relations with Europe over this.

U.S., Iran Hold Indirect Talks Amid Threats — 5dIranian officials said there are no signs of a US message being conveyed through Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi during his Tehran visit, which is instead aimed at following up on bilateral agreements. They also note Iran’s conditions for ending the war and rising regional tensions as the US issues security alerts amid the broader US-Israel-Iran dynamic.

Mexican Senate advances bill to restore Liga MX promotion and relegation — 3dSen. Clemente Castañeda said a Sept. 22, 2026 bill would write Liga MX promotion and relegation into Mexican law after the league ended its COVID pause and made the closed system permanent.

New England Test Coach Fleming Targets No. 1 Ranking — 4dEngland's new Test coach Stephen Fleming, contracted through September 2030, said after meeting Ben Stokes that trying to reverse his retirement would be wrong.

Elena Vasquez Bringing Stokes into the conversation even after retirement shows they value experience for the bigger challenges ahead.

Two Ole Miss Student Deaths Spur Kratom Warning — 11hTwo Ole Miss students were found dead Monday; a Mississippi task force warned Tuesday against kratom though it said there was no confirmed link to either death.

China to Send Pandas to Atlanta Within Days — 13hXi Jinping said two pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, will arrive at Zoo Atlanta within days, calling them a symbol of friendship during his White House visit with Trump.

Rachel Meyers Pandas as a friendship symbol fits after the Xi and Trump meeting, though I wonder how long the goodwill will last.

Auto Industry Urges Trump: Keep Chinese Carmakers Out — Sep 17, 2026Six auto trade groups, including Tesla and 17,000 dealers, urged Trump to keep Chinese carmaker curbs after he said U.S. plants hiring Americans would be OK.

Priya Raman The trade groups have a point here. Chinese firms could still import most parts from home even with US assembly plants.

Rand Paul Says What Could Make Him A ‘Yes’ On Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ — Jun 15, 2025Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that if President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” were to “separate out the debt ceiling,” then he would vote in favor of it. Republican…

Silver Calls Potential Blazers Move ‘Failure’ — Sep 15, 2026Adam Silver said Sept. 15 he would see it as a "failure" if the Trail Blazers did not stay in Portland and called Moda Center among the league's least modern arenas.

Chris Dalton The county and state need to hold firm on that 20-year lease before handing over public money for the arena upgrades.

Canadian Mounted Police to Seek Body Cameras to ‘Enhance Trust,’ AccountabilityReporting — Jun 9, 2020The head of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Monday said she would seek to equip officers with body-worn cameras to increase trust, accountability and transparency, according to a statement from a spokesman. Earlier…

Trump Threatens Iran as Diplomacy and Energy Crisis Grow — 2dTrump told the U.N. he may "annihilate the Islamic Republic" or strike a rebuild deal, then said after three-hour Witkoff-Kushner talks that a settlement is going to be reached.

Sam Okafor The walkouts show these regimes won't face criticism, but empty threats won't resolve the standoff either.

Trump Says Police Choke Holds Should Be Banned in Most InstancesReporting — Jun 12, 2020U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview aired on Friday that he would like to see a ban on police choke holds in most instances, although he suggested their use would be understandable in some one-on-one…

Prince Harry makes first public appearance in Britain since US return — Sep 17, 2026Prince Harry made his first Britain public appearance since the US return at the Invictus Spirit Awards as Earl Spencer's memoir claimed King Charles said of Diana they would forget her soon enough.

Rachel Meyers Earl Spencer's memoir timing adds extra strain just when Harry is trying to resume UK work.

House GOP Eyes New Medicaid Reforms In ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ To Stave Off Conservative Revolt — May 15, 2025House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said Thursday that House Republicans would accelerate the timeline for Medicaid work requirements in President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” as House GOP leadership looks…

Ex-Satanist Who Says He Met Terrifying Satan in Hell During Out-of-Body Experience Now Devotes Life to ChristReporting — Nov 24, 2023John Ramirez said that in 1999, when he was a Satanist, God gave him an out-of-body experience he would never forget: a literal train ride to hell and a meeting with the devil. But in the 22 years since, Ramirez has…

Greenland, Antarctica Lose 11.3 Trillion Tons Since 1979 — Sep 16, 2026Ines Otosaka said Greenland and Antarctica's 11.3 trillion tonnes of ice lost since 1979 would fill a 23-km cube and raised seas 3.14 cm, with loss rates quadrupling by the 2010s.

Elena Vasquez Even with the slowdown after 2020 the overall trend points to needing stronger coastal defenses before more cities get hit.

Senators Ask FTC to Probe Amazon, Walmart AI on Made-in-USA Claims — Sep 17, 2026Baldwin and Scott on Sept. 17, 2026, asked the FTC to probe Amazon Alexa and Walmart Sparky after a report said Alexa refused a Made in USA filter because it would "redirect significant sales away from their largest seller base."

Jared Kim Amazon and Walmart should fix their AI tools to stop downplaying origin info even if they say improvements are already happening.

Trump says he would love to see Ireland unified — Sep 12, 2026During a two-day visit to Dublin, US President Donald Trump said he would love to see a unified Ireland and that it would be a great feather in everybody’s cap, noting the UK would have a say in the matter. He also suggested he could help resolve international disputes such as the Falkland Islands row and arrived amid one of Ireland’s largest security operations, meeting Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Irish President Catherine Connolly.

Rachel Meyers Trump's take on a unified Ireland makes sense in theory, but the UK still holds the real cards on any decision.

Barkin Backs Fed Hike, Citing Persistent Inflation Risks — 2dRichmond Fed President Tom Barkin said resilient spending and broader economic strength, alongside inflation pressures that have persisted longer than expected, justified last week’s rate increase. He said inflation risks currently outweigh employment risks, while leaving open whether further hikes will be needed.

Biden: US Will Hold Russia Accountable Over CrimeaReporting — Feb 26, 2021U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday said the United States would stand with Ukraine and hold Russia accountable for its aggression against Crimea, according to a statement released by the White House on the anniversary…

Sobbing Dem Says She Was ‘Forced Back’ To DC To Vote On ‘Disastrous’ Trump Bill — Jul 3, 2025Democratic Colorado Rep. Brittany Pettersen held back tears on Thursday as she claimed Congress “forced” her to vote on President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” bill. Pettersen said she struggled to hold back her tears…