Mini laptop demands a custom kernel, because of course it does

Struck by cyberdeck envy, a tinkerer tried loading Linux onto a tiny travel laptop and was greeted by a blank installer, a twitchy display, and an onion’s worth of troubleshooting tears. Nomodeset did not help. An AI oracle delivered the usual mix of insight and hallucination. So he rolled a custom kernel using /proc/config.gz, got the screen to light up sideways, then used divide-and-conquer debugging and VM tests to finger an errant video module. Sound and the touchpad ghosted him thanks to murky documentation. The result is a mostly working pocket machine with no sleep mode that runs hot, and it is getting better as the orientation quirks are tamed. Reminder: building a kernel is not writing one, start from something old, script the drudgery, then debug like a detective.

Nebraska nursing home launches Taylor Swift fan club, led by a 95-year-old Swiftie

In Omaha, Frank Uryasz swapped bingo for a full Swiftie summit after therapist Sarah Zajic introduced him to Taylor lore. What began with memorizing an album date became homemade buttons, clippings, and a meeting room of senior Swifties in orange, all trying to catch Swift’s attention. The activity director says she has not seen this much energy in nearly two decades, proof that a pop chorus can do what a thousand wellness seminars cannot. For Uryasz, the camaraderie helps fill the void after his wife’s passing. A Chiefs fan, he even shook off a shoulder tweak after leaping for a Travis Kelce play. If Swift visits, he plans to greet her with a hug, politely asking Kelce’s permission first.

In Reading, quiet leadership guides men through recovery

Antonio Carerro, 41, assistant program manager at New Journey Community Outreach, uses his own recovery to mentor men with steady, hands-on support. No slogans, just work that moves lives forward.

Rachel Reeves keynote signals room for tax rises after all

The Labour conference cheer was loud inside the hall, the collective wince outside was quieter. Reeves has edged away from her no-more-tax-hikes line, citing fiscal reality, a pivot from slogan to spreadsheet. The balance sheet won.

Reports suggest Tony Blair could help oversee post-Hamas administration in Gaza

Briefings indicate the former UK prime minister is being considered to guide a transitional setup, with claims of broad diplomatic backing. Given the ongoing suffering in Gaza and the legacy of Iraq, critics are questioning legitimacy, optics, and trust. The viceroy label is already circulating, a sign that any such plan would face intense scrutiny from those who live with the consequences.

Kent map pins areas set to benefit from Pride in Place funding

Communities across the county are flagged for government investment aimed at local improvements. The real test will be turning pins on a map into brighter high streets, not just brighter ministerial photo ops.

M25 diversions in Kent as the Dartford Tunnel partially closes for maintenance

Expect reroutes while crews work under the Thames. Height restrictions apply, so vehicles tall enough to scare pigeons should plan ahead. Pack patience. Nothing says essential maintenance like a week of carefully choreographed inconvenience.

AI Autocomplete Writes More, Not Better

A developer found Copilot great at cranking out eight near-identical JSON entries and awful at proposing the obvious fix, a loop, maybe even a tiny embedded language. The gripe is simple, next-token engines are trained to add text, not subtract it. In code, brevity and abstraction are the win conditions. The tool saved time, ten bucks well spent, but vendors, please build a model that reaches for structure before it reaches for another line.

Woman Suffers Catastrophic Complications After Discharge

Shirley was discharged, then rushed back to intensive care, spent four weeks in a coma, and ultimately lost fingers and toes. It is a harrowing case that raises serious questions about discharge decisions, follow-up care, and patient safety. No punchline here, just the human cost of getting it wrong.

Asylum Ruling Trumps Rhetoric

An immigration judge granted refugee status to S, the nephew of a Taliban commander, and allowed seven relatives in Turkey to join him, finding they had no safe options and could not return to Afghanistan. Ministers tout tougher family reunion rules, but the courtroom prioritized safety over soundbites. Policy grandstanding met legal standards, and the latter won.

Intern Nearly Bricks Mainframe, Vague Runbook Takes a Bow

In The Register's latest Who, Me, a junior tech almost turned a mainframe into a monument to chaos after following instructions that were outdated, ambiguous, and wildly optimistic. Crisis averted, lesson learned, if your documentation reads like a treasure map drafted by a committee, do not be surprised when the digging starts in the wrong place.

Can Labour Rebuild Business Trust

After courting boardrooms before the vote, the government now has to convert charm into consistency. The test is dull but vital, clear rules, credible budgets, and fewer policy pirouettes. Business likes certainty, not another round of post-election amnesia.

A2 Crash Snarls Traffic Near Gravesend

A crash on the A2 is causing long delays near Gravesend, with congestion stretching back toward the M2. Expect queues, allow extra time, or consider alternate routes.

NASA Chief Talks Moon Village Within a Decade

NASA administrator Sean Duffy told the International Aeronautical Congress in Sydney that the United States could be running a lunar village in about ten years, a vision floated alongside leaders of other top space agencies. Ambition is great, but perhaps fix a few earthly potholes while we plan a cul-de-sac on the Sea of Tranquility.

Is Nuno the Right Fit for West Ham

BBC Sport runs his Nottingham Forest stint through the West Ham filter. He could steady the ship with structure and pragmatism, or become the next spin on the managerial carousel, albeit with elite beard maintenance. The squad balance and patience from the board will decide which way it breaks.

SpaceX adds 28 more Starlinks to low Earth orbit

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Thursday evening, deploying 28 Starlink satellites and plumping up the broadband constellation. Stargazers can keep practicing the ancient art of telling planets from high speed Wi-Fi, while astronomers sigh into their coffee.

England to mandate reading tests for 13 year olds

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson will introduce a compulsory end-of-Year 8 reading exam to spot literacy slippage, filling the gap since Year 9 tests were scrapped in 2008. Officials cite data showing 38 percent of pupils leave primary school below expected standards in reading, writing, and maths, and that reading enjoyment is at a two-decade low. Unions call the plan wasteful and unnecessary, warning it invites league-table creep, narrower curricula, and more stress. Ministers say results will go to the government and Ofsted, not public tables, with details in a forthcoming White Paper. Nothing woos teenagers into loving books like another exam, ministers insist it is the fastest way to find who needs help.

Jeffries praises Eric Adams after reelection bid ends

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries lauded New York City Mayor Eric Adams for decades of service in the NYPD, the New York State Senate, Brooklyn Borough Hall, and City Hall, offering a tribute that sounded like a retirement gala highlight reel. The praise came shortly after Adams ended his reelection campaign on Sunday.

Michkov and Zegras headline Flyers three stars in a gloomy preseason

Philadelphia went 1-3 in preseason, but the kids paid the electric bill. Third star Sean Couturier logged 1 assist, 3 shots, and a 69.35 percent CF% at 5-on-5 in two games, plus a power play helper on Travis Sanheim’s goal. Second star Trevor Zegras posted 1 goal, 1 assist, and 6 shots in two outings, burying a slick feed from Matvei Michkov and setting up Nikita Grebenkin. First star Michkov did the marquee work with 1 goal, 2 assists, and 6 shots in two games, including a drive-and-finish against the Islanders and the dish to Zegras versus the Bruins. If this is the warm-up, the best line in Philadelphia might be the one between Michkov and Zegras, and for once it showed up on time.

You can play Doom inside Discord, sort of

Doomcord hijacks Discord embeds so you steer Doomguy by sending text commands after posting a very particular image link. The backend had to masquerade the feed as an animated GIF to keep it updating, otherwise it froze into a polite PNG, and Discord’s message throttling turned real-time action into a turn-based museum tour. Plan C runs Chocolate Doom headless, prerenders demo playback into cached clips, and serves them via embeds using WEBP with cache expiry. There is even a server template if you want to try it. Minor catch, the combinatorial storage bill is absurd, Level 1 alone with all possible input sequences would chew through about 12 TB. Because nothing says cutting edge like playing a 1993 shooter through a chat app that thinks it is a picture.

Iran’s leadership tightens its grip three years after Jina Mahsa Amini

Three years after Jina Mahsa Amini’s death ignited the Woman, Life, Freedom protests, Iran’s clerical establishment has consolidated power. The state’s repression proved relentless, and the rally-around-the-flag effect after Israeli strikes in June reportedly killed around 1,000 civilians further blunted momentum. Meanwhile, the opposition is divided and depleted. Inside the country, reformists split between incrementalism and demands for a new constitution, with prominent figures jailed or silenced, from Mir-Hossein Mousavi on down. Outside, exile leadership undercuts itself, with Reza Pahlavi’s overtures to Israel alienating many Iranians who remember 1953 and the MEK’s history with Saddam. The result is a sobering picture. Mass mobilization has ebbed, foreign patrons remain toxic, and for now the regime is, regrettably, more secure than before.

Hackaday roundup, from drone narcs to a Defender revival

In the latest dispatch from our DIY dystopia, Flock Safety pitches rooftop drone docks and remote pilots to chase suspected shoplifters, because nothing says public safety like privatized airborne surveillance managed by the HOA. A smart history lesson punctures the T1 mystique, reminding us that the legendary leased line was often a fussy, overhyped pain. Over on Amazon, someone unboxed an RTX 5080 and found a brick, proof that return fraud can be as lazy as it is effective. An Apple I with pristine provenance just sold for $475,000, which is a lot of money for wood and nostalgia, unless it is your wood and your nostalgia. And a YouTuber’s 60-hour resurrection of a Williams Defender cabinet delivers the rarest headline of all, patience beats planned obsolescence.

Box office, DiCaprio wins the weekend

Leonardo DiCaprio’s One Battle After Another opened at No. 1 in North America with $22.4 million, because if Leo picks a fight on screen, audiences line up to fund the legal fees.

AI Upends Language Rankings, or Just the People Counting Them

IEEE Spectrum says the usual leaderboards are wobbling because developers are whispering their bugs to LLMs instead of asking in public. Stack Exchange traffic in 2025 is reportedly 22 percent of 2024, assistants like Cursor are auto-writing boilerplate, and prompt to intermediate representation could make the surface language feel like railway gauges. That raises real questions. Do current languages freeze in place, can new ones reach critical mass, and does the value shift to architecture, algorithm choice, and integration over quick-fix bootcamps. Even if the AI bubble deflates, LLM assisted coding is probably here to stay, so the metrics will need a rethink soon. For now the scoreboard flickers. Python is No. 1 with programmers and in job demand, JavaScript slips from third to sixth, and SQL remains resume gold. The language wars may soon be cosplay, your AI does not care what emoji you indent with.

ChatGPT Tests On the Fly Safety Routing, Says Head of ChatGPT

Nick Turley says ChatGPT is testing a system that swaps models per message when conversations veer into sensitive or emotional territory. Think model musical chairs, temporarily handing control to a reasoning model or GPT 5 for extra care, then returning to the default once the moment passes. If you ask which brain is on duty, ChatGPT will tell you. Transparency, but make it toggled.

Giuliani Settles Dominion Defamation Case, Terms Confidential

Rudy Giuliani has agreed to a confidential settlement in Dominion’s 1.3 billion dollar lawsuit stemming from his 2020 election fraud allegations. No terms disclosed, no victory laps, just the reminder that accusing a voting machine company of rigging democracy can get very expensive. The broadcast was loud, the ending is quiet.

Philadelphia Orchestra Marks 125th With China Tour, Harmony the Old Fashioned Way

A 10 player delegation will visit Qingdao, Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou from Oct. 10 to 18, continuing a cultural bridge first built in 1973 under Eugene Ormandy. The orchestra has returned 13 times, most recently in 2024, and will blend concerts with community work. Highlights include a side by side Beethoven Sixth with the Qingdao Symphony that echoes the 1973 program, pop up performances in Qingdao and Beijing, collaborations with the Shanghai Philharmonic, and chamber sessions for students at ShanghaiTech University. The tour wraps in Hangzhou with a joint concert with the Zhejiang Provincial Symphony at the Grand Canal Theater, featuring Mason Bates’s Spring River Flowers by Moonlight tied to the Liangzhu Forum and a video filmed at the UNESCO listed Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City. In a world where leaders cannot agree on lunch, the orchestra is exporting harmony by literally playing some.

UK Foreign Office Clips Ministers’ Jet Wings, Austerity at 30,000 Feet

Guido claims a win as Yvette Cooper’s Foreign Office briefs a clampdown on ministerial use of government planes, pointedly highlighting what it calls the profligate jet habit of demoted former Foreign Secretary David Lammy. It is climate virtue, fiscal rectitude, and political score settling all sharing one aisle seat. If Damien McBride needs more fodder, Guido hints the overhead bins are full.

High earners keep the economy on life support

GDPNow lifts third quarter growth to 3.9 percent from 3.3 percent, powered by real consumer spending and net exports even as private investment sags. August PCE rose 0.6 percent, 0.4 percent after inflation, goods spending jumped 0.8 percent, and new home sales surged 20 percent. Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin says higher earners reopened their wallets, while CFO optimism creeps back toward 2021 highs despite tariff jitters and a split economy, data centers hot, housing and agriculture not. Moody’s Mark Zandi warns the expansion leans on wealthy households riding stock gains, and if markets crack, saving spikes and growth stalls. Translation, the AmEx elite are keeping the lights on, and everyone else is paying the utility bill.

Selena Gomez posts the big day, internet dutifully applauds

Selena Gomez shared photos and videos from her Santa Barbara wedding to Benny Blanco, a curated weekend reveal for the feed-first era. Fans refreshed, reacted, and repeated, proving that if love is blind, it still finds the camera.

Trump’s last-minute drop-in at generals’ gathering scrambles the script

After a late decision to attend a major conclave of top brass at Quantico, reportedly ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the presidential cameo upstaged the event and gifted planners an extra security migraine. Nothing like a surprise entrance to test a chain of command already stretched by logistics and egos.

Exeter snatch a draw at Saints, powered by Feyi‑Waboso brace

Immanuel Feyi‑Waboso marked his Exeter Chiefs return with two tries, sparking a comeback that wrestled a share of the points from Northampton. Saints had the script, Exeter stole the pen.

Kansas soldier killing leads to 24-year sentence

Margaret E. Shafe, 31, was sentenced to 293 months for the fatal shooting of her husband, Army soldier Greg Shafe, at their Fort Riley home on Feb. 19, 2024. A jury convicted her of second degree murder on Feb. 14. Prosecutors described years of alcohol-fueled abuse culminating in the killing. The children were unharmed physically, and the 9-year-old’s testimony helped secure the conviction.

Shutdown clock ticks, Johnson insists the stopgap is not partisan

With a Wednesday deadline looming, Speaker Mike Johnson says there is nothing partisan about the Republican continuing resolution, pushing back on Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’s criticism. Only in Washington can a bill written by one party become bipartisan by declaration, especially when the countdown clock is doing the negotiating.

Police remove Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner from flat after reports he was watching children playing outside

Police remove Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner from flat after reports he was watching children playing outside: The convicted rapist and prime suspect in the McCann case was taken from a council-provided two-bed flat in northern Germany after parents reported him staring at kids from a window overlooking a play area. He’d been placed there days after his September 17 release—conveniently near a shelter for vulnerable girls, a decision that invites questions about official judgment. After images circulated in a local WhatsApp group—one he reportedly joined himself—three police vans and 15 officers arrived and removed him as angry residents jeered. Families had emptied parks, pepper spray reportedly sold out, and a protest was in the works. Recently, a shop manager said Brueckner boasted he could end “the scandal of the century,” hinting at “USB sticks” and evidence to clear himself—claims as grandiose as they are unverified.

Russia deploys mobile counter-drone units during fuel crisis

Russia deploys mobile counter-drone units during a fuel crisis, scrambling to shield refineries and depots as Ukrainian drone strikes hammer energy infrastructure, slash refining capacity, and trigger the country’s worst gasoline shortage in three decades—proof that when your fuel is on fire, the air-defense plan arrives by van.

Russia unveils Legioner armored vehicle

Russia unveils Legioner armored vehicle, a light 4×4 from Russkiye Boyevyye Mashiny aimed at the no-man’s-land between soft‑skinned trucks and the bulkier BTR‑82A. The compact platform promises improved mobility, basic protection, and versatility—military Goldilocks engineering for units that want more than a pickup but less than a full APC. In other words, a halfway house with armor plating.

Housing Secretary Unable to Say How Many New Homes Have Been Built Under Labour

Housing Secretary Unable to Say How Many New Homes Have Been Built Under Labour — and on live TV, no less. Pressed by GB News’ Camilla Tominey for the tally, Steve Reed repeatedly couldn’t produce a number, snapping “I’m not Wikipedia” while admitting it’s “really low” and blaming Conservative-era planning delays. Tominey eventually supplied the figure herself: 117,390 completions since Labour took power—at that pace, she calculated, it would take roughly 13 years to hit the Government’s 1.5 million target for this Parliament. Meanwhile, the backdrop isn’t helping: planning permissions have fallen to record lows, with just 29,000 residential developments approved in the 12 months to June 2025. From April to June 2025, councils received 80,400 applications (down 5% year-on-year) and processed 80,000 (down 1%). A housing drive built on numbers—just not ones the Housing Secretary brought to the interview.

Camilla Tominey criticizes Steve Reed, calling Labour’s policies the “worst in history,” amid poor polling

With Labour’s polling in freefall and a Survation survey for LabourList suggesting Sir Keir Starmer is now the least popular Prime Minister on record, Camilla Tominey went for the jugular, branding Labour’s policies “the worst in history.” The poll also found 53 percent of Labour members want new leadership before the next general election. Pressed on the backlash, frontbencher Steve Reed swerved into the classic refuge of the beleaguered: blame the Conservatives for a “broken system,” and remind everyone it takes “18 months from an application to a home being built.” In other words, history is long, but not as long as a minister’s timeline when the numbers tank.

Tunbridge Wells clock may be removed as council seeks to revitalise the town centre

Tunbridge Wells’ town-centre clock may be removed as the council seeks to revitalise the area—no small feat for the “Marmite” of monuments, still polarising locals 25 years on. Depending on whom you ask, it’s either time for a change or an alarmingly bad idea; the only consensus is that something needs a reset—either the clock, or the council’s taste.

‘Clean Houses’: When Hiring a Housekeeper Conflicts with Feminist Principles

“Clean Houses”: When Hiring a Housekeeper Conflicts with Feminist Principles — In her second novel, Spanish writer María Agúndez lifts the spotless rug on modern Spain to ask who’s doing the cleaning for “liberated” households. By centering a profession still treated as taboo, she probes the class and gender contradictions of feminism that outsources care work, hinting that a society busy congratulating itself on progress may just be shining because someone else is scrubbing.

Moldova votes in tense parliamentary election amid reports of Russian interference

Moldova votes in a tense parliamentary election amid reports of Russian interference, after police carried out hundreds of raids and made numerous arrests over alleged Kremlin-backed plans to stir unrest. Framed as the most consequential vote in recent memory, the country heads to the polls while authorities try to keep democracy from being drowned out by Moscow’s favorite export: chaos with plausible deniability.

Functional drinks and their calming claims: what the evidence shows

Functional drinks and their calming claims: what the evidence shows—tonight, we examine how beverages like TRIP bottle “chill” for a wellness-obsessed crowd chasing quick fixes, and ask whether the promised serenity is science-backed or just sparkling suggestion. In a market where labels sell peace by the can, the real question is whether the data can keep up with the marketing zen.

Trump’s UN Speech Highlights His Climate Stance

Trump’s UN Speech Highlights His Climate Stance—hailed as a masterclass in “unfashionable truth” that leaves the “climate emperor” exposed and warns the world it’s fallen for a dangerous delusion, according to The Daily Sceptic.

Date announced for return of coastal holiday market, including Christmas Eve shopping

Mark your calendars: the date’s been announced for the return of the coastal holiday market, complete with Christmas Eve shopping for the cheerfully last-minute. December adds a Santa’s Grotto and free movie showings—festive capitalism softened with cocoa, photo ops, and popcorn.

Consumer Reports Criticizes Microsoft Over Windows 10 Problems, Urges Extension of Free Updates

Consumer Reports Criticizes Microsoft Over Windows 10 Problems, Urges Extension of Free Updates as the consumer watchdog fires off a letter to CEO Satya Nadella, warning that ending free Windows 10 support next month strands millions on machines barred from Windows 11. Joined by PIRG, iFixit, and the European Right to Repair coalition, CR says Microsoft is effectively telling users to pay $30 for a one-year security patch lifeline, shell out hundreds for new hardware, or watch their PCs become sitting ducks—an outcome that’s not just anti-consumer but a national security headache when unpatched systems get roped into attacks. PIRG estimates up to 400 million perfectly functional PCs could be junked thanks to Windows 11’s hardware demands. Citing a survey of 100,000 owners, CR notes more than 95% of laptops and desktops bought since 2019 are still in use, and buyers reasonably expected their machines to survive the next OS transition. Translation: Microsoft’s sustainability plan shouldn’t be “turn working computers into e-waste and charge for the privilege of staying safe.” Consumer Reports wants free updates extended to keep those PCs secure while the industry catches up to its own upgrade math.

Graham Potter: From England candidate to a damaged reputation

Graham Potter: From England candidate to a damaged reputation—West Ham have sacked the coach once touted as a future national manager, sealing a spectacular fall from grace and reminding everyone that in the Premier League, the only long-term plan is the short fuse.

Switzerland to Hold Second Vote on Electronic Identity Cards

Switzerland to Hold Second Vote on Electronic Identity Cards, this time with a revised proposal after voters rejected the idea in 2021 over data-protection concerns—because in Switzerland, even your digital ID has to pass the trust test twice.

Lavrov turns the volume up, NATO checks the exits

Russia’s Sergei Lavrov warned that any attack on Russia would trigger a decisive response, a fresh blast of deterrence by loudspeaker just as some NATO members worry the Kremlin might widen the war beyond Ukraine after reports of Russian jets brushing Estonia’s airspace and assorted drone frights. Nothing says stability quite like brinkmanship conducted via flyovers and press conferences.

Bruins 4, Flyers 3, preseason edition, where optimism goes to stretch its hamstrings

Boston’s AHL-heavy mix squeaked past a Flyers group that dressed closer to an NHL lineup and looked average with flashes. Trevor Zegras cashed on special teams with a power play goal and an assist, Sam Ersson went the distance with composure through strange bounces, and cohesion beat the first three tune ups by a nose. Then came the charity, including an Alex Bump giveaway with 0.6 seconds left in the first and a rapid fire Travis Konecny penalty duo. The expected spark from Matvei Michkov and Konecny barely flickered. Rick Tocchet kept banging the drum for clarity and consistency, Jamie Drysdale says you always know what he wants, and Ersson noted the odd hops and need for tighter gaps. Camp trims sent Jack Nesbitt and Spencer Gill back, leaving 40 in the mix as the Flyers head to Boston on 9/29 to see if promising can upgrade to productive.

Drones, Denmark, and the difference between vigilance and theater

A spate of drone sightings shuttered runways across Denmark, with the usual geopolitical spice as some pointed at Russia and Russia denied it. Europe has seen this movie, remember the UK’s 2018 airport shutdowns that later lacked evidence. Some Danish reports look credible, but once the sky-watch starts, every seagull and streetlight becomes a quadcopter. The sensible request is simple, sober, proportionate, evidence first responses that protect safety without whipping up a witch hunt or grounding responsible hobbyists. Less security theater, more receipts.

Feds tighten CDL rules for non domiciled drivers, states put on notice

Transportation Secretary Duffy announced emergency action after an FMCSA audit he says tied fatal crashes to unauthorized non citizen big rig drivers and state licensing failures. The rule limits CDL eligibility to non citizens on employment based visas, requires immigration status checks through the federal SAVE system, and tells states to revoke and reissue any noncompliant licenses. California faces immediate enforcement, a pause on issuing non domiciled CDLs, a sweep to yank invalid licenses, and a 30 day clock before federal highway funds get withheld, starting at 160 million dollars and doubling in year two. Colorado, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington were also cited. Duffy called it an imminent hazard and promised to hold states accountable, a reminder from Washington that 80,000 pound trucks should not be vetted like gym memberships.

Maduro Offers to Help U.S. Target Tren de Aragua, White House Says Hard Pass

Nicolás Maduro sent U.S. envoy Richard Grenell a plan to help locate and apprehend Tren de Aragua leaders, pitching peace through constructive dialogue while rumors of strikes inside Venezuela swirl. Washington promptly rejected the outreach, reiterated that Maduro’s regime is illegitimate, and stuck with maximum pressure, foreign policy CrossFit for those who prefer optics to outcomes. Analysts frame Maduro’s offer as survival math, cooperate to discourage escalation, and note Washington can coordinate without recognizing him, which it already does when convenient. Others point out Venezuela is not a major drug source and that the offer telegraphed transparency. So why keep the saber rattling warm. Domestic politics. Tough talk plays well with hardline constituencies, and Venezuela is an easier foil than Mexico. If bombs drop, expect a rally around the flag in Caracas, not regime change. Tren de Aragua is violent and now labeled a foreign terrorist organization, but experts doubt it is a cohesive force with capacity to threaten a country, let alone the United States. Translation, Maduro is offering help to avoid getting hit, Washington is refusing to keep the villain and the narrative.

Man Jailed for Using COVID Relief Loan to Buy a House

Mohammed Rashidzadeh, 34, landed a £50,000 Bounce Back Loan for Cozy Bed Ltd in June 2020, shifted the cash to his personal account within days, used it toward a £116,000 Huddersfield semi, then tried to dissolve the company eight days later without telling the lender. After a four day trial at Leeds Crown Court, he was convicted under the Fraud Act and Companies Act and given 18 months on Thursday, September 25. No repayments were made, the Insolvency Service called it deeply cynical, Cozy Bed Ltd was dissolved in October 2020, and the house was sold in August 2021. Pandemic aid was meant to keep businesses afloat, not bankroll a quick property ladder hop, but some folks heard bounce back and thought bounce into bricks.

George Hardy, Tuskegee Airman and Veteran of Three Wars, Dies at 100

George Hardy served with distinction from World War II through Korea and Vietnam, becoming the youngest Red Tail pilot to fly a combat sortie at 19 and completing 21 missions over Europe in a P 51. He later flew 45 missions in Korea and 70 in Vietnam, earned advanced degrees, and helped develop the Department of Defense’s first global military telephone system before retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1971. A tireless advocate for preserving the Tuskegee legacy, he helped secure the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 and the National WWII Museum’s American Spirit Award in 2024. Only 13 Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen remain. Hardy’s life was courage and perseverance in the face of racism, service without theatrics, and a reminder that heroism is real even when headlines forget it.