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Russia Begins First Duma Election Since Invasion — Sep 12, 2026The Russian State Duma elections, slated for September 18-20, are expected to again favor United Russia under tight Kremlin control and serve as a barometer of public support for the war in Ukraine, with limited real opposition on the ballot. Russians abroad—from Kerala in India to South Africa and other consulates—are voting at dedicated polling sites, reflecting efforts to mobilize turnout while observers flag concerns about legitimacy and potential manipulation of participation.

Wichita Police Investigate Woman Found Dead in Suitcase — 2dWichita police are investigating a homicide after a 67-year-old woman, later identified as Lorretta M. Moody, was found dead inside a suitcase delivered to Fire Station 22 by two men; investigators are working to determine how the woman and the two individuals are connected and to establish a timeline, with no arrests announced and no threat to the public. Authorities have not released Moody’s name initially and are awaiting fingerprint confirmation to confirm identity, as they canvass the neighborhood and interview witnesses.

Russia Returns to FIFA Competition in U-15 World Cup — 1dRussia's youth teams will compete in the FIFA Under-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan, marking the first return to international play since the 2022 invasion, though senior teams remain suspended from major competitions. The move, part of a gradual easing by FIFA and the IOC, places Russia in a group with Turkey, Afghanistan, Djibouti, Sierra Leone and Sudan, amid ongoing questions about wider Olympic participation.

Lakeview School Faces Backlash Over Menstrual Disclosure Policy — 4dLakeview High School in St. Clair Shores is facing backlash over a gym syllabus that asks female students to disclose menstrual cycle length to make up missed swimming days, with critics calling the requirement invasive and potentially discriminatory. The district says it will meet with a concerned parent, asserts no district-wide change yet, and maintains a commitment to educational best practices while addressing privacy concerns.

Alaska Drops 11 Voter Cases Against American Samoans After Court Ruling — Sep 12, 2026Alaska prosecutors are dropping voter misconduct charges against American Samoa–born residents after a three-judge Alaska Court of Appeals ruled that prosecutors must prove consciousness of wrongdoing and intent to violate the law in erroneous voter registration forms, a finding that invalidated the Tupe Smith case and prompted review of remaining charges. The move affects 11 Whittier residents previously charged, with authorities citing flaws in the grand jury process and a state trooper’s questioning as part of the reason to concede there is insufficient proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

Maya Lindstrom The original charges seem sloppy if a trooper's questions and grand jury issues created all the doubt.

Olga Mejía Glenn memoir traces Panama invasion survival to U.S. life — Sep 11, 2026Five articles profile Dr. Olga Mejía Glenn and her memoir Between Two Worlds, which recounts an immigrant’s journey from El Chorrillo in Panama to life in the United States, emphasizing resilience, education, and human rights. The book interweaves personal hardship, the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama, and themes of faith, family, and belonging, urging readers to see the universal immigrant experience.

Derek Foss It is inspiring how she turned hardship in El Chorrillo into a focus on education and human rights in her new country.

Scientists Warn Strong El Niño Could Harm Galápagos Wildlife — Sep 9, 2026Forecasts of a stronger-than-normal El Niño indicate the Galápagos could face significant ecological stress as sea temperatures rise about 2.2°C above average, threatening both marine food chains and terrestrial forests. The impact endangers iconic wildlife such as penguins, boobies, petrels, albatrosses, sea lions, and key habitat like Scalesia forests, with invasive plants compounding the risk and prompting a coordinated mitigation effort including invasive-plant removal and seed preservation.

Maya Lindstrom Sea lions might suffer most from the heat stress on top of everything else already hitting the islands.

Measles Cases, Exposures Reported Across StatesHealth — Sep 7, 2026Measles cases are rising, prompting hospitals to tighten safety protocols, expand vaccination efforts to vulnerable groups, and reinforce that vaccination is the most effective protection, especially since unvaccinated individuals are disproportionately affected. Public health officials are also warning of recent exposures at hospitals, urging immunity verification, monitoring for symptoms, and encouraging informed conversations with physicians to counter vaccine myths and restore high vaccination coverage.

Ukraine's students open fifth school year in bunkers and online classes — Sep 1, 2026Across Ukraine, the return to school amid Russia’s ongoing invasion is characterized by a heavy shift to remote, hybrid, or basement/underground learning as ballistic missiles and drones keep air-raid alerts frequent in cities like Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia. Officials warn of war-inflicted losses—unreachable classrooms, destroyed textbooks, and the looming winter—amid a sprawling, resilient effort to keep education going through shelters, basements, and fortified schools.

Marcus Bell Hard to imagine studying while listening for air raid sirens. Winter is going to make this so much harder for these students.

FDA approves Ionis' Zanvastro as first treatment for rare Alexander disease — Sep 3, 2026The FDA approved Zanvastro (zilganersen) from Ionis as the first disease-modifying therapy for Alexander disease, a rare GFAP-related brain disorder, for adults and children. The intrathecal antisense oligonucleotide lowers abnormal GFAP protein and trials showed stabilization or improvement in motor function with a favorable safety profile, though administration requires specialized settings.

Elena Vasquez Intrathecal delivery is going to be a barrier for a lot of families depending on where they live. Access to specialized centers matters just as much as the approval itself.

Argentina court orders return of Nazi-looted portrait found in real estate listing — Sep 4, 2026An 18th-century painting known as Portrait of a Lady, looted from Jewish art dealer Jacques Goudstikker during the 1940 Nazi invasion, has been ordered returned to his heir, Marei von Saher, after the daughter of a Nazi official agreed to relinquish her claim in Argentina. The case highlights the ongoing, global effort to restitute Nazi-looted art, with court rulings, settlements, and donors tied to ensuring the work is eventually exhibited to raise awareness of Holocaust-era crimes.

Derek Foss It's wild it took a real estate listing to surface this after 80 years. Makes you wonder how much stolen art is still hiding in plain sight.

Citizenship voting group asks Supreme Court to save Michigan ballot bid — Aug 31, 2026Michigan voters are at the center of a high-stakes fight over a citizen-proof ballot amendment, with Americans for Citizen Voting asking the U.S. Supreme Court for emergency relief after the state Board of Canvassers deadlocked on certifying signatures. The dispute touches ballot-access standards, signature validity reviews, and could influence voting rights and election integrity nationwide as its fate plays out in state and federal courts.

Gladys Aylward Leads 100 Orphans Over MountainsGood News — FROM 1940Missionary guides children to safety during Japanese invasion.

St. Clare Defends Assisi with the EucharistGood News — FROM 1240Clare holds up the monstrance to repel invading troops.

St. Genevieve Defends Paris from AttilaGood News — FROM 451The shepherdess rallies Parisians in prayer during the Hun invasion.

European Mountain Plant Losses Rise Amid Species GainsEnvironment — Sep 3, 2026A set of studies analyzing Europe’s mountain floras shows that climate warming is paradoxically increasing overall plant richness on summit peaks while driving higher extinction rates among cold-adapted, high-elevation species. Long-term monitoring across 62 summits reveals that losses rise with warming and that “extinction debt” and competitive replacement by upslope invaders explain why local extinctions accelerate even as total species numbers climb.

Montana girl's rare freshwater jellyfish find raises ecological questions — Sep 3, 2026A 10-year-old girl and her father reported dozens of Craspedacusta sowerbii, the common freshwater jellyfish, near Canyon Ferry Reservoir in Montana, prompting sample collection by the state’s invasive species team and continued monitoring. While harmless to humans, ecologists caution about potential ecological impacts of this eastern Asian invader, which Montana has only rarely seen since its first 2009 sighting.

Cipla and Qilu ink exclusive deal to sell Keytruda biosimilar in US — Sep 3, 2026Invagen Pharmaceuticals has signed an exclusive US licensing deal with Qilu Pharmaceutical to commercialize QL2107, a Keytruda (pembrolizumab) biosimilar, with Qilu handling development, regulatory work, and supply while Cipla USA drives commercialization. The arrangement underscores Cipla’s strategy to expand its oncology-focused biosimilars portfolio and reduce cancer treatment costs for patients, following multiple collaborations with Chinese manufacturers.

Derek Foss Patent cliff for Keytruda can't come soon enough. Hope this actually translates to lower prices once it hits the US market, not just corporate profit shifting.

Walmart Opioid Settlement Reaches $50 Million — Aug 29, 2026The Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Administration announced Walmart will pay 50 million dollars to settle federal allegations that its pharmacies dispensed thousands of invalid opioid and other controlled-substance prescriptions dating back to 2013, with new oversight measures including a reporting hotline and active monitoring of prescriptions. Walmart did not admit liability as part of the agreement, which includes strengthened compliance requirements to curb future violations.