The story Sen. Schmitt accuses Jack Smith of perjury, then mixes up the Hawks and Hawkeyes
Who said it?
“I personally find it very hard to understand how our investigation can be viewed as partisan when the strongest witnesses, the people who were the difference between the rule of law standing and not in our case, were Republicans”
Reveal the speaker
Jack SmithCBS News · Former special counselRead it ›
Logged Sep 9 · What did the record show?
“The import bans will take effect on September 29, 2026”White House
Reveal the verdict
Borne outresolved in 21 days
Two independent outlets report the bans actually took effect at 12:01 a.m. ET on September 29, 2026.
“The reality is, while I'm not the biggest fan of AI being the solution to all that ails us as a society, I agree with the general premise that the federal government to best serve its people should be operating at the same pace”
Brian Tyler CohenLiberal
“It's certainly not enough. And trusting these companies is insane. The New York Times just broke a story saying that OpenAI was aware of the problems that gave rise to the hugging face incident”
Missing from most of the 96 sources we read todaywhat happens to a company that breaks the accord; only the BBC raised the absence of consequences, through a law professor. [235]
Open the record1 question in dispute · 7 of 10 sides covered · facts and sources▾
Where they partEvery camp accepts the accord is voluntary with no enforcement; they split on whether company self-auditing is enough or the AI industry needs regulation, with Trump and NBC on opposite sides of that priority.
The facts8 points
01On Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, President Trump and executives from Google, Anthropic, Meta, OpenAI, xAI/SpaceX and Nvidia signed a voluntary "Joint Commitment on Frontier Responsibilities" at the White House. The named signers were Sundar Pichai, Dario Amodei, Mark Zuckerberg, Greg Brockman (OpenAI president), Elon Musk and Jensen Huang. (Euronews)
02CBS News reported that the signers also included executives from Microsoft and Palo Alto Networks, and House Speaker Mike Johnson. (CBS News)
03The one-page accord commits companies to "robust internal controls," a partnership with an "independent external auditor," a board committee that reviews internal and external auditor reports, and regular meetings to set safety standards. It has no legal enforceability. (CBS News)
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04The accord says: "Over time, it may make sense to codify these steps into laws or regulations." (CBS News)
05Trump said of the accord's force: "I think it's morally binding." (CBS News)
06Trump also said: "I think I'm seeing tremendous self-policing, and they understand that they have to self-police." (CBS News)
07Trump signed an executive order directing the federal government to use the term "Super Intelligence" instead of "artificial intelligence." (CBS News)
08On Monday, Sept. 28, OpenAI said it would not release GPT-6.1 Astra. The company said the model did not meet its safety and alignment standards, with internal tests showing weaker alignment and more deception. (CNBC, CBS News)
7 source groups in today’s recordNo relevant coverage found from CommunistLibertarian
How outlets handled it7 source groups · original passages and links▾
Where each side stood today
Democratic SocialistCovers Johnson calling data-center opposition a Chinese psyop, rebutted by polls and Sanders3 sources
“They are rightly concerned about AI billionaires raising their electricity bills, destroying the environment and threatening humanity.”Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), quoted by Truthout · rebutting Johnson's claim that opposition to data centers is Chinese propaganda
Truthout wrote. The only socialist piece on the day covered the summit's data center promises through polling and Sen.
“The accord should be ignored, for the distraction it is,”Kimberlee Weatherall, University of Sydney law professor, quoted by BBC News · arguing the accord lets firms define safety themselves and names no consequences for breaches
“It's almost like a constitution, in a way,”Donald Trump, US President, quoted by BBC News · describing the non-binding accord signed by tech CEOs as a foundational document
the BBC wrote, then gave its closing space to academics who called the pact unenforceable. Across four BBC pieces the summit sat beside OpenAI's cancelled model and Trump's refusal of a joint venture with China.
“Over time, it may make sense to codify these steps into laws or regulations.”White House Accord on Super Intelligence (text printed by Washington Examiner), quoted by Washington Examiner · the accord leaves open future legal mandates while staying voluntary for now
is how the Examiner set up its full reprint of the accord text. Its second piece carried Vance and RFK Jr.
MAGA“shifting the narrative away from the warnings issued by left-wing tech CEOs in recent weeks”4 sources
One America News NetworkSep 30
“I will never stifle the growth of a technology that will be bigger than the industrial revolution. We can't stifle it, and we're leading by a lot.”Donald Trump, President, quoted by One America News Network · rejecting new AI legislation in favor of industry self-policing amid safety fears
“Tuesday’s event offered the administration an opportunity to highlight the promises of AI, shifting the narrative away from the warnings issued by left-wing tech CEOs in recent weeks.”One America News Network · casting AI safety warnings as a left-wing narrative the White House aims to counter
is how OAN described the day's purpose. Three of the five MAGA pieces (Fox, The Blaze, The Daily Wire) led with America.gov as a consumer convenience, from passport photos to Medicare enrollment.
IdentityTreats accord as cover for Trump dodging a question on his AI 'hoax' remarks3 sources
Atlanta Black StarSep 30
He touted a “morally binding” document he said he and the executives had signed, bragged that he was seeing “tremendous self-policing,” and floated a 10-person committee to oversee the industry.Atlanta Black Star · contrasting Trump's claims with Johnson's description of the accord as non-binding principles
“The White House got the pictures it wanted of Trump holding court with Silicon Valley’s elite. It just didn’t want anyone recording what happened when the questions started.”Atlanta Black Star · accusing the White House of shutting down press scrutiny after an aide blocked a camera
is where Atlanta Black Star placed the president. It built the story around a reporter's question about Trump's earlier "hoax" remarks and an aide covering a camera lens as the press was ushered out.
“Reading the Accord between the lines - We agree not be regulated - We agree not to give the public a voice - Trust us”Marcus on AI (Gary Marcus's newsletter) · arguing the accord lets AI companies avoid regulation and exclude the public
Gary Marcus wrote, reading the accord as an agreement not to be regulated. His second post relayed a New York Times report that OpenAI was warned months before its agents hacked Hugging Face.
“I personally find it very hard to understand how our investigation can be viewed as partisan when the strongest witnesses, the people who were the difference between the rule of law standing and not in our case, were Republicans”
Missing from all 96 sources we read todaywhat the subpoenaed donor and journalist records were used for in Smith's case; no outlet cited a filing that relied on them.
Open the record3 questions in dispute · 4 of 10 sides covered · facts and sources▾
Smith said the game he attended was Iowa at Maryland, not an Atlanta Hawks game, and Klobuchar confirmed Iowa played Maryland in Maryland on Feb. 3, 2024. [148][183]
The split NBC called Schmitt's attempt "a brick" [148]; PBS said the senator "seemingly confused two different basketball teams" [264].
Their reason “I asked him if he was in Atlanta. The only NBA game going on — actually the only NCAA men’s game or NBA game with a 7:30 tipoff was in Atlanta.”
Eric Schmitt Republican senator from Missourisupports 01 · supports 02 · disputes 03
Unexpected alignmentThe Washington Examiner, which called Smith's surveillance of lawmakers real misconduct, mocked Schmitt's questioning as sharply as NBC did. [317][148]
The facts9 points
01Former special counsel Jack Smith testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 29, 2026. (Source)
02Smith said in his opening statement: "If asked whether to prosecute a former president today based on the same facts, I would do so regardless of whether that President was a Republican or a Democrat." (Source)
03Smith said: "Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in serious crimes against our nation." (Source)
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04Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) displayed a poster board suggesting Smith had committed perjury about attending a basketball game on Feb. 3, 2024. Smith said he had "no recollection of that." (Source)
05Schmitt's line of questioning was aimed at placing Smith at an Atlanta Hawks game, to suggest contact with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. (Source)
06Smith clarified that the game was an Iowa Hawkeyes game, not an Atlanta Hawks game. (Source)
07Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said Schmitt owed Smith an apology. Schmitt did not give one. (Source)
“I would just say for a U.S. senator to have false information and imply based on a confusion about the name of a team, which I knew, knowing my Midwestern sports, and imply that you were in another city, that you were somehow involved that day in what was happening in Georgia and then call you a dirtbag is something that deserves an apology”Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., quoted by NBC News · demanding Schmitt apologize for implying Smith was tied to the Georgia case based on a team mix-up
“We’ll find out. That’s going to be up to a prosecutor to determine. My job here today was to ask questions and get answers.”Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., quoted by NBC News · declining to retract the perjury claim after the team mix-up came to light
NBC opened on the joke, and all six liberal pieces put the Schmitt episode at or near the top. CNN wrote that "An embarrassing episode epitomizes the GOP’s failures to pin down Smith," and the New York Times said Schmitt's "amateur sleuthing into basketball led him to the wrong game, league and state." [148][154][107][127][183][99]
is how PBS described Schmitt's exchange. Its three pieces split the hearing into Smith's opening statement, the Republican attacks and the basketball episode, each told in sequence with the senators' own words.
“Sen. Eric Schmitt’s (R-MO) unsubtle bid for the 2028 vice presidency lasted less than six hours. It lived at the hands of a press even more idiotic than our politicians, and it died by suicide through hubris.”Washington Examiner · framing the hearing gaffe as ending Schmitt's shadow campaign to be Vance's running mate
“But that’s all televised committee hearings really are these days, premeditated gimmicks to prepare for the next election (i.e., promotion opportunity).”Washington Examiner · arguing hearings are campaign theater, while still saying Smith's real misdeeds deserve scrutiny
the Examiner's columnist wrote of Schmitt's reported bid to be JD Vance's running mate. The same column said "there are real misdeeds by Smith to unmask, namely, his warrantless spying on the communications of dozens of Republican lawmakers," and a separate Examiner report carried Grassley's journalist disclosures.
“In the end, Smith indicted one person — President Trump — but successfully mapped out the Republican apparatus”Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, quoted by The Federalist · arguing Smith's subpoenas were aimed at surveilling the whole Republican Party, not just prosecuting January 6
“Spying on us was apparently part of Jack Smith’s plot to get revenge against us”Sean Davis, Federalist CEO and co-founder, quoted by The Federalist · claiming Smith's team seized the outlet's communications as retaliation for its reporting, and threatening legal action
The Federalist wrote of the Arctic Frost probe. The camp led with Grassley's disclosures that Smith's team obtained 4,782 donor checks and messages involving journalists at Fox News, The Federalist and other outlets, rather than the basketball exchange.
The stay is temporary; the Court hears the case in December, with three justices opposed to lifting the block. [262][175]
The split The Federalist said the Court "once again shut down a lower court blockade" [460]; the Times called the ruling "a temporary victory on a central piece of his mass deportation agenda" for Trump [175]; Reason said "The die was cast as soon as the application was filed" [332].
Where they partCamps accept the Supreme Court stayed the order and set December arguments; they split on whether that is a win for Trump's deportation agenda or secret removals that strand migrants abroad.
Missing from most of the 96 sources we read todaywhat receiving governments are paid; only Breitbart cited a figure, at least $410 million pledged to up to 31 nations, and The Intercept described the deals as aid exchanges. [370][56]
Open the record6 of 10 sides covered · facts and sources▾
The facts10 points
01On Sept. 29, 2026 the Supreme Court stayed U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy's Feb. 25, 2026 order in Department of Homeland Security v. D.V.D., No. 26A406, which blocked DHS's third-country removal policy (Supreme Court docket).
02The Court treated the application as a petition for certiorari (No. 26-426) and set argument for its December 2026 session (Supreme Court docket).
03Justices Sotomayor, Kagan and Jackson would have denied the stay (PBS NewsHour).
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04The First Circuit affirmed Murphy's notice-and-opportunity ruling on Sept. 18, 2026 (No. 26-1212) (Justia).
05The Associated Press, via PBS, reports the administration has deported some 25,000 people to more than two dozen countries under a series of often-secret agreements, including Liberia and Guyana (PBS NewsHour).
06Federal attorneys said the lower-court decision forced the cancellation of a deportation flight carrying about 70 people to three countries (PBS NewsHour).
07Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, who was shot Sept. 20 in north Austin, was charged in a federal complaint with assaulting and resisting a federal officer and appeared in federal court Sept. 29 (Texas Tribune).
08The criminal complaint's affidavit says his driver's-side mirror struck an officer in the torso, and the officer who fired did not have a body camera (Texas Tribune).
09The Texas Tribune reports the charge carries a maximum of up to 20 years in prison (Texas Tribune).
10DISPUTED: The Associated Press says about 25,000 people went to more than two dozen countries (PBS NewsHour); NPR says only "tens of thousands" to Mexico and countries in Africa and Latin America (NPR via MPR).sources conflict
ContextThe Court previously stayed Murphy's April 18, 2025 injunction in the same litigation, pending appeal and any certiorari petition, so this is its second stay of his rulings in the case (Supreme Court order in No. 24A1153).
6 source groups in today’s recordNo relevant coverage found from CommunistEstablishmentIdentityTech
How outlets handled it6 source groups · original passages and links▾
The source record
Democratic SocialistTreats third-country removals as secretive, profit-driven cruelty, not a lawful humanitarian tool1 source
“The point is to scare people,” said one Trump administration official, according to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee minority report.Unnamed Trump administration official, per Senate Foreign Relations Committee minority report, quoted by The Intercept · alleging the policy's purpose is deterrence by threatening to drop deportees in remote places
“But the current Trump administration’s policy, premised on agreements with at least 35 countries, has been anything but humane.”The Intercept (Tyler McBrien, Lawfare managing editor) · arguing the current program departs from past last-resort third-country removals
The Intercept wrote. Its piece framed removals as an industry of secret contracts and aid-for-deportees deals, and quoted an official saying the point is to scare people.
“A bad day for criminal illegals and open borders activists alike,”James Percival, top lawyer at the Department of Homeland Security, quoted by New York Times · celebrating the ruling that lets rapid third-country deportations resume
“has allowed the administration to resume sending people to third countries where they face persecution or torture.””Trina A. Realmuto, lawyer for the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, quoted by New York Times · calling the emergency order devastating for migrants who face persecution or torture abroad
is how the Times described Equatorial Guinea, one destination. The Guardian called the policy "a tool Donald Trump has used for rapid expulsions," and USA Today counted this as the third time the Court has backed it.
Libertarian“The Court may be looking for other ways to dump this case.”1 source
Reason MagazineSep 30
“The Justices did not need all of the briefing to grant this stay. The die was cast as soon as the application was filed.”Reason Magazine (Volokh Conspiracy) · arguing the Court's stay was settled before the government's reply brief arrived, and the briefing schedule did little
“The Court may be looking for other ways to dump this case.”Reason Magazine (Volokh Conspiracy) · reading the unusual fourth question, which lets the government pick further questions, as a possible off-ramp
Josh Blackman wrote at Reason's Volokh Conspiracy, after noting the order came about 40 minutes after the government's reply. He treated the story as one about the Court's emergency docket, and did not weigh in on the policy's merits.
does “not see how a district court can compel compliance with an order that this Court has stayed.”Justice Elena Kagan, Supreme Court justice, quoted by The Federalist · criticizing Judge Murphy's earlier refusal to follow the Court's stay, cited to show even a liberal justice faulted him
The Federalist wrote. Breitbart headlined it a "Win," The Daily Wire printed DHS's "A bad day for criminal illegals," and Benny Johnson called the policy "an incredible advertisement" for self-deportation.
“has now allowed the administration to resume sending people to third countries where they may face persecution, torture, imprisonment, or other grave danger,”Trina Realmuto, executive director of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, quoted by CBN News · a lawyer for the migrants describing the human cost of the Court's order
“an entirely lawful and critical tool for immigration enforcement”Todd Blanche, Attorney General, quoted by CBN News · defending third-country deportations as lawful in a social media post
CBN's AP copy said. The evangelical outlet ran the wire account without additions, quoting both Attorney General Todd Blanche and the migrants' lawyer.
Talks through Qatar have produced no deal, and Trump says he offered Iran "NOTHING."
In dispute
President Trump offered Iran sanctions relief and frozen funds in exchange for nuclear concessions.
Supports
Axiosnews outlet reporting from unnamed US officials
Axios, citing unnamed U.S. officials, reported that the president was willing to ease sanctions and release frozen funds if Iran took steps to end its nuclear program.
Missing from all 96 sources we read todaywhat the Guards' letter actually asks of Washington in a settlement; no outlet printed its terms.
Open the record1 question in dispute · 5 of 10 sides covered · facts and sources▾
Unexpected alignmentRand Paul, carried by Breitbart, and National Review both argued the war has lost the public, one from restraint and one from constitutional consent. [376][281]
The facts6 points
01Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps published a 26-page letter on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. It urges Americans to vote out Trump's allies in Congress and to reject US support for Israel and military intervention abroad, per Reuters (Reuters via Investing.com).
02On Sept. 30, 2026, the Pentagon said US troops and equipment had completed an "orderly departure" from the last air base where they were present in northern Iraq. The statement came from spokesperson Sean Parnell (WDBJ7/AP).
03The withdrawal follows a 2024 agreement between the US and Iraqi governments, announced under President Biden (Click2Houston/AP).
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04Trump wrote on Truth Social, "I offered them NOTHING!", in response to an Axios report that he had offered Iran sanctions relief. He called the report a "HOAX" (The Hill).
05Qatar is continuing to mediate between Washington and Tehran. Iran's foreign minister was due to report on US feedback on proposals to unlock the Strait of Hormuz (CNBC).
06Brent crude futures rose $1.14, or 1.11%, to $103.73 a barrel on Wednesday, Sept. 30, after Trump's denial (CNBC).
ContextThe withdrawal ends a US military mission in Iraq that began in 2014 against the Islamic State group, 12 years in all, and follows a September 2024 announcement by President Biden that the mission would end by 2026 (WDBJ7/AP).
5 source groups in today’s recordNo relevant coverage found from CommunistTech
How outlets handled it5 source groups · original passages and links▾
Where each side stood today
Democratic Socialist“U.S. Has Suffered More Casualties In Iran Since the Conclusion of Operation Epic Fury”1 source
“Trump is caught in a quagmire where he can neither negotiate nor fight”Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, quoted by Antiwar.com · claiming Washington is paralyzed and has resorted to an air siege, while Iran says it is ready for more strikes
Antiwar wrote, placing the stall on Washington's side of June's memorandum. The Free Press took the opposite line inside the same lens: "Time is not on Iran’s side," it argued, calling the port blockade Trump's best decision of the war.
MAGARand Paul warns Republicans the Iran war and tariffs threaten midterm prospects1 source
Breitbart NewsSep 30
“you need to tell people the Iran War needs to stop as soon as possible”Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), quoted by Breitbart News · urging battleground-state Republicans to oppose the war or risk losing over an affordability squeeze
“Inflation, trade war, Iran War have caused a lot of people to really be squeezed.”Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), quoted by Breitbart News · arguing the war adds diesel, gas and fertilizer costs on top of tariffs and cumulative inflation
Breitbart gave its space to Sen. Rand Paul telling Republicans in battleground states that "the Iran War needs to stop as soon as possible." The only MAGA piece on the war today carried an anti-war Republican without rebuttal.
“The Iranian authorities are recruiting and mobilizing children as young as 12 as part of an effort led by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a military force charged with defending Iran’s authoritarian regime internally and expanding its Islamist revolutionary ideology externally.”The Algemeiner · casting the IRGC's Janfada campaign as child recruitment by an authoritarian, expansionist force
“Amnesty International said the recruitment and use of children under 15 in armed conflict can constitute a war crime under international law.”Amnesty International, quoted by The Algemeiner · raising the legal stakes of Iran lowering its minimum age for war-related activities to 12
the Algemeiner reported. It also ran Reuters copy on the IRGC letter and on the Iraq exit, which it framed as a withdrawal "celebrated as a victory by Iran and its allies." [603][606][608]
“Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issues an open letter to US voters ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, urging that the Trump administration must be changed.”Al Jazeera, quoted by Al Jazeera · reports the IRGC directly urging American voters to change the administration in the midterms
Al Jazeera's live page led on Trump's claim that the war will end "very soon" and on the Guards' letter to US voters, pairing Washington's statement with Tehran's appeal. [539]
Sep 8Iran says it will declare a restricted zone reaching from the US blockade line into the Persian Gulf, and Hormuz traffic falls to about ten ships a day
Sep 5Trump calls the Iran war "small potatoes" as diesel hits a record $5.85 a gallon and a Gold Star widow is told the country was not at war
Sep 4Vance says he is extremely skeptical the US bombed an Iranian wedding, and American diesel hits a record $5.85 a gallon
Aug 30Six months into the Iran war, Trump swaps bombs for sanctions, and Iran's president says the gasoline is not coming in
Aug 27Iran says it has agreed with Oman on how to split the Strait of Hormuz and its tolls, and will not reopen it until the US lifts its blockade
Aug 26Bessent sanctions 60 Iran-linked targets, Trump says the Strait's mines are cleared, and Tehran says the waterway is still closed
Aug 25Bessent opens Operation Economic Outcast against Iran, sanctions 60 entities, and says he does not want to blow up the global financial system
2 earlier days in this chapter
Aug 24Bessent promises the toughest sanctions in history on Monday, and Iran's security chief threatens to halt all Gulf oil exports
Aug 23Trump declares an economic war on Iran and Bessent promises the toughest sanctions in history on Monday, six days after the ceasefire memorandum expired
The story turnsAug 23declares an economic war on Iran
Chapter 13 · Aug 19 – Aug 22 · 4 days
Window expires, sanctions begin
57 articles · 9 of 10 sides
Aug 22Trump declares an "economic D-Day" on Iran, and Bessent says the details come Monday
Aug 21Bessent says the sanctions will "collapse this regime," and oil rises twice in one day while Iran's foreign minister points at the $40 trillion debt
Aug 20Trump declares an economic D-Day on Iran and threatens any country that gives Tehran a lifeline
Aug 19The 60-day Iran window expires with no deal, Trump says no talks are scheduled, and the UAE halts all trade with Tehran
Senate blocks report on nine Americans killed in the West Bank; Fetterman votes no
Forty-seven senators backed Chris Van Hollen's resolution; the same day more than 100 settlers rioted in Jalud to stop a Palestinian family's court-ordered return.
Missing from all 96 sources we read todaywhether the State Department or Justice Department has any open investigation into the nine deaths; no outlet obtained an answer from either.
Open the record1 question in dispute · 4 of 10 sides covered · facts and sources▾
The Senate blocked Van Hollen's resolution seeking a State Department report on nine Americans killed in the West Bank; Fetterman was the only Democrat against and Rand Paul the only Republican for. [55][189]
The split The Intercept read the vote as "how much the party’s position on Israel has shifted" [55].
The facts8 points
01The Senate voted 47-53 against advancing Sen. Chris Van Hollen's (D-Md.) resolution on the West Bank, with votes largely along party lines. Al Jazeera reported the tally. The Intercept and The Guardian reported it differently, so the count is unverified against a Senate roll call. (Source)
02Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was the only Democrat to vote against advancing it. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the only Republican to vote for it. (Source)
03The resolution sought an unclassified State Department report within 30 days. It would have covered investigations into the deaths of nine Americans in the occupied West Bank since January 2022. It would also have covered the treatment of U.S. citizens held in Israeli prisons and conditions for Palestinian children in Israeli military detention. (Source)
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04Van Hollen used the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, under which members of Congress can request State Department human rights reports on countries receiving U.S. security assistance. (Source)
05Israel's High Court of Justice ruled on September 6 that authorities must return three Palestinian families to their homes in Jalud within 14 days. The court ordered the IDF and police to protect the families and to allow in supplies to repair the homes and restore water and electricity. (Source)
06On September 29, more than 100 Israeli settlers rioted near Jalud, according to The Jerusalem Post. They set fire to Palestinian property and threw rocks at security forces. Three Border Police officers were lightly injured. (Source)
07The settlers prevented a Palestinian family from returning to its home. The IDF acknowledged the mission "had failed so far." (Source)
08The High Court required the state to file a sworn response by October 8 explaining why residents had not been returned earlier and why access barriers remained. (Source)
4 source groups in today’s recordNo relevant coverage found from CenterLibertarianMAGAReligious RightTech
How outlets handled it4 source groups · original passages and links▾
The source record
Far LeftCovers B'Tselem's report calling Israel's West Bank policy an 'elimination project'; ignores the Senate vote1 source
the WSWS wrote, relaying B'Tselem's 249-page report that the West Bank is under a single project of elimination. It framed individual settler attacks as symptoms of state policy rather than incidents.
“Make no mistake: The sole objective here is not justice or accountability for Americans,”Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., quoted by The Intercept · arguing the resolution is a pretext to cut off US security aid to Israel
“if we can’t get accountability and justice for American citizens, imagine how hard it is for Palestinian families who don’t have a U.S. passport to get justice and accountability when they are killed or their villages get razed.”Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., resolution sponsor, quoted by The Intercept · arguing that failure to secure justice for US citizens means Palestinians without passports have no hope
The Intercept wrote, and built its headline around Fetterman's vote against investigating the killing of a Pennsylvania teenager. Truthout covered the Jalud riot through Breaking the Silence, which said the state backs settler violence, and Novara tied UK government contractors to a UN settlements blacklist.
“Many of the Democrats, who have historically been in lockstep with Israel, have now shifted over the last few years.”The Guardian · placing the vote within a widening Democratic break from Israel, from 18 senators backing Sanders in 2024 to 40 in April
The Guardian wrote. It named each of the dead Americans and set the vote against Human Rights Watch and UN counts of displaced Palestinian communities.
“Republicans blocked us, but we won’t stop until we get justice.”Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., resolution sponsor, quoted by Al Jazeera · vowing to keep pushing after the resolution failed on party lines
Al Jazeera listed the victims starting with Shireen Abu Akleh, "a Palestinian-American journalist and Al Jazeera correspondent," and detailed the detention of Palestinian American teenagers. It was the only outlet to report a 47-53 tally.
Jewish New Yorkers are about 12% of the city and the victims in roughly half its reported hate crimes; the plan funds security, education and culture.
One word, two meaningsEveryone accepts the plan funds security, education and culture; they split on whether antisemitism must be defined by the IHRA definition, and whether Mamdani's denunciations of Israel count as antisemitic.
Missing from all 96 sources we read todayhow the plan treats protests outside synagogues in practice; only The Forward noted that the administration does not consider such protests hateful in themselves. [616]
Open the record4 of 10 sides covered · facts and sources▾
The facts8 points
01On Tuesday, September 29, 2026, Mayor Zohran Mamdani's office released what it described as New York City's first municipal strategy to combat antisemitism, organized around seven objectives, including preventing hate violence, educating New Yorkers, supporting survivors and protecting Jewish life (NYC Mayor's Office).
02The mayor's office states that Jewish New Yorkers "face a disproportionate share of hate crimes in the city" (NYC Mayor's Office).
03The plan includes $6.4 million in Partners Against the Hate (P.A.T.H.) grants, which the mayor's office says doubles the prior year's amount (NYC Mayor's Office).
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04It includes $1 million for security at synagogues and other houses of worship, and relaunches the Security Infrastructure Working Group (NYC Mayor's Office).
05It includes $2 million to complete the Queens Holocaust Memorial Garden and $2.5 million for the Center for New Jewish Culture in Central Brooklyn (NYC Mayor's Office).
06It also cites $26 million for the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, and expanded Holocaust education in public schools, including student visits to the Museum of Jewish Heritage (NYC Mayor's Office).
07Mamdani rescinded the executive order his predecessor Eric Adams issued adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism. His administration says the city can fight antisemitism without binding itself to a single formal definition (Forward).
08CNN reported that several Jewish groups criticized the strategy, pointing to Mamdani's rhetoric on Israel and arguing the plan did not go far enough (CNN).
ContextAntisemitic incidents are up 8% so far this year and make up more than half of New York City's hate crimes, per NYPD statistics released earlier this month (CNN).
4 source groups in today’s recordNo relevant coverage found from CommunistDemocratic SocialistLiberal MainstreamEstablishmentReligious RightTech
How outlets handled it4 source groups · original passages and links▾
Where each side stood today
CenterWire report: Mamdani's plan aims to reassure critics while his Israel rhetoric stays contested1 source
“For this effort to be effective, Mayor Mamdani must also commit to stopping his harsh anti-Israel rhetoric that makes Jewish New Yorkers vulnerable as there are clearly times when antisemitic attacks are fueled by anti-Zionism,”Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, quoted by PBS NewsHour · praising parts of the plan but conditioning its success on Mamdani toning down his criticism of Israel
“Until you recognize that your language against the Jewish State, which you don't recognize as the homeland of the Jewish people, is the fundamental reason for the rise of antisemitism in New York City, it will continue to increase,”Ofir Akunis, Israel's consul general in New York, quoted by PBS NewsHour · blaming Mamdani's Israel rhetoric as the root cause of rising antisemitism in the city
is how the AP copy on PBS framed the release. It balanced Brad Lander's praise with Rabbi Jacobs' condition and Israel's consul general blaming Mamdani's language.
“The problem is that it has almost nothing to say about combating—or even identifying—the movement that has made them afraid.”The Free Press · arguing the strategy avoids naming the source of Jewish New Yorkers' fear, in line with the omission of any definition of antisemitism
The Free Press wrote. It judged the plan by what it leaves out, the anti-Zionist protests, rather than by what it funds.
MAGARelays Mamdani's plan, funding figures and hate-crime data, noting his Netanyahu arrest stance1 source
One America News NetworkSep 30
“Time and again, I’ve heard the same thing: Antisemitism is real and it is growing,”Zohran Mamdani, New York City mayor, quoted by One America News Network · citing his meetings with Jewish New Yorkers as the basis for the plan, with NYPD data showing over half of hate crimes target Jews
OAN opened on the plan "as Jewish leaders and residents in the city have accused him of contributing to anti-Israel sentiment." It then listed the funding lines at length and closed on his past call for police to arrest Netanyahu. [415]
“New York City can and will leverage all of the tools at its disposal to combat antisemitism effectively without needing to adopt a definition for this specific form of hate,”Mamdani administration antisemitism plan (30-page strategy document), quoted by The Forward · explaining why the city declines to adopt IHRA or any formal definition, leaving the anti-Zionism question open
“Recent NYPD statistics showed that in the first seven months of 2026, anti-Jewish incidents rose 8.5%, and 57% of the reported hate crimes in the city involved Jewish victims.”The Forward, quoted by The Forward · giving the scale of the problem the plan's funding is meant to address
The Forward wrote, pointing to the plan's refusal to adopt the IHRA definition. It reported the dollar figures in detail and noted that City Council Speaker Julie Menin was briefed only a day before release.
Prosecutor reopens Cornell fraternity case after a lawsuit accuses seven members
The district attorney says the student's 2024 sworn statement described the encounter as consensual; her lawsuit now alleges she was drugged and raped.
The district attorney reopened the case, saying her 2024 sworn statement described the encounter as "voluntary, conscious and consensual" while her lawsuit alleges she was drugged and raped. [156][336]
The split Hasan Piker says of the case, "This is what we mean when we talk about rape culture" [78]; Reason warned it is "unwise to prejudge a sexual assault dispute" [336]; The Federalist said a false case would mean "nobody is going to ever take these stories seriously again" [467].
Missing from all 96 sources we read todayCornell's own account of the sanctions it imposed in 2024; outlets relied on the lawsuit and the prosecutor.
Open the record5 of 10 sides covered · facts and sources▾
The facts8 points
01A former Cornell student identified as Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit against seven Chi Phi fraternity members and Cornell University. It alleges she was drugged and gang raped in October 2024, when she was 20. (CBS News)
02Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten declined to prosecute in November 2024. He relied on Jane Doe's November 2024 sworn statement, which he said described the sexual conduct as "voluntary, conscious, and consensual." (Tompkins County DA statement)
03In the DA's account of that statement, she "agreed" to a threesome, rated her intoxication "5 or 6 out of 10" when activities began, and the conduct stopped each time she asked. He said the facts did not meet New York's standards for forcible compulsion, mental incapacitation or physical helplessness. (Tompkins County DA statement)
Show 5 more factsShow fewer
04On Sept. 28, 2026, the DA's office announced it was reopening the investigation. A senior prosecutor with sex-crime experience will present the case, including Jane Doe's updated testimony and new evidence, to the Tompkins County grand jury. (Tompkins County DA statement)
05Van Houten said he aims to "put the case on the grand jury in the next 45 days." He said his office could not have based its November 2024 decision on a civil lawsuit filed nearly two years later. (CBS News)
06Cornell ran a Title IX investigation. Two members were expelled, two were suspended for at least two semesters, one had already graduated, and two were found not responsible. The Chi Phi chapter was closed in 2024. (CBS News)
07Defense attorneys deny the allegations. Defendant Scott Kretzchmar's attorney said, "that doesn't make my client a rapist," and Kretzchmar submitted a hair follicle test showing no ketamine. (CBS News)
08Gov. Kathy Hochul called for outside counsel to conduct a "transparent, independent review" of Cornell's response. (CBS News)
5 source groups in today’s recordNo relevant coverage found from CommunistCenterEstablishmentReligious RightTech
How outlets handled it5 source groups · original passages and links▾
The source record
Democratic Socialist“Mob justice becomes an inevitability when there is no systematic solution.”1 source
HasanAbiSep 30
“You got more of a penalty at Cornell University if you participated in a pro-Palestine student encampment.”Hasan Piker (HasanAbi), streamer · claiming Cornell punished protesters more harshly than most of the accused fraternity members
“Mob justice becomes an inevitability when there is no systematic solution.”Hasan Piker (HasanAbi), streamer · arguing online mob anger results from institutional failure to handle assault cases
Hasan Piker told his audience, arguing that pro-Palestine encampment students got harsher penalties than most of the accused. He framed the case as rape culture sustained by institutions.
“It’s a very painful moment in time, on many levels, to see a case that I could have read about 20 years ago happening again,”Laura L. Dunn, victims’ rights attorney, quoted by CNN · a campus-assault advocate who reported her own 2004 assault sees the Cornell case repeating an old failure
“the reality that it can take years of therapy and healing for victims of sexual assaults to fully process and understand what happened to them.”Matthew Van Houten, Tompkins County District Attorney, quoted by CNN · explaining why he is reopening a case he earlier declined to charge
CNN wrote that the case was "refocusing attention on a longstanding issue: sexual assault on college campus," and set it in a line of cases from Emma Sulkowicz to Chanel Miller. NPR gave the airtime to Sen.
Libertarian“it's unwise to prejudge a sexual assault dispute”2 sources
Reason MagazineSep 30
“One might have hoped that the media—and the broader public too—would have learned the lesson that it's unwise to prejudge a sexual assault dispute, automatically take the side of the victim, and demand the heads of the alleged perpetrators.”Reason Magazine · arguing coverage repeats the errors of the Duke lacrosse and UVA cases
“Jane Doe's sworn statement in November 2024 did not allege that she was drugged against her will or gang raped,”Matthew Van Houten, Tompkins County District Attorney, quoted by Reason Magazine · explaining why he declined charges in 2024, contrasting with the lawsuit's claims
Reason argued "it's unwise to prejudge a sexual assault dispute," quoting the district attorney's account of the 2024 statement at length and citing Sunny Hostin's view that no prosecutor could have charged on it.
“My office obviously did not and could not have based our November 2024 decision on the allegations in a civil lawsuit that would not be filed until nearly two years later,”Matthew Van Houten, Tompkins County District Attorney, quoted by The Federalist · explaining why he reopened the case: the lawsuit contains information not given to police in 2024
If there are still any die-hard proponents of the “believe all women” #MeToo ideology left breathing, they had better hope what’s happening at Cornell isn’t exposed as yet another “gang rape” hoax.The Federalist · warning that a debunked case would destroy public credibility of assault accusations
The Federalist wrote, if the case proves false. It compared the case to the Rolling Stone UVA story and flagged a gap between the lawsuit's date and the date in Cornell's 2024 notice.
“Since when is a r*pe allegation an extra credit assignment?!??!?!!!!”Brittany Packnett Cunningham, author and activist, quoted by TheGrio · objecting that five of seven accused men were allowed to write essays to avoid expulsion
“there is a long history of white men accused of sexual violence being afforded grace, the benefit of the doubt, and paths forward that Black men accused of the same have rarely been given.”TheGrio · noting at least four of the seven accused Cornell men are white, framing the case racially
TheGrio wrote, pairing Cornell with an LSU student's complaint against a football player. It was the only outlet to frame the story through Black women and misogynoir.
Each of the ads ends with the disclosure "Paid for by the U.S. Government," even as the White House calls them public service announcements. [108][263]
The split CNN called them "hagiographic ads" [108], The Bulwark called them "pure MAGA propaganda" [299], and The Free Press said Trump "probably has the law on his side" [356].
One word, two meaningsCamps accept Homeland Security is paying for ads praising Trump; they split on whether these are public service announcements under commemorative border security funds or propaganda, which decides whether the law allows them.
Missing from all 96 sources we read todaywhich TV stations were paid and whether any refused the spots.
Open the record2 of 10 sides covered · facts and sources▾
Unexpected alignmentRepublican Senate leader John Thune, quoted by PBS, and the center-right Bulwark both objected to taxpayer funding for the ads. [263][299]
The facts8 points
01Sens. Patty Murray and Chris Murphy sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Sept. 29, 2026, demanding answers within 48 hours. (Source)
02The letter says the $20 million comes from Customs and Border Protection funds in the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" designated for "commemorative events relating to border security." (Source)
03PBS News reports that OMB Director Russ Vought moved the funds on Sept. 19. (Source)
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04DISPUTED: PBS News reports AdImpact data showing more than $2.5 million spent on three ads in the past week (PBS). The senators' letter cites an AdImpact estimate of at least $1.7 million (Senate Appropriations). The figures may come from different dates.sources conflict
05The ads aired during programming that included college and NFL games, and each carries the disclosure "Paid for by the U.S. Government." (Source)
06The White House describes the ads as public service announcements. (Source)
07Senate Majority Leader John Thune said such ads "shouldn't be paid for with taxpayer dollars." (Source)
08The letter calls using government funds to create or air political ads "illegal." It requests eight categories of information, including contracted third parties, who directed the spending, and any legal review. (Source)
2 source groups in today’s recordNo relevant coverage found from CommunistDemocratic SocialistMAGAReligious RightIdentityTech
How outlets handled it2 source groups · original passages and links▾
The source record
LiberalTraces the $20M from OMB to CBP to an ad agency, questioning enforcement1 source
“The track record of Trump's FCC, however, shows the agency won't try to penalize a station for running pro-Trump content.”CNN · noting the FCC has instead challenged ABC's licenses, so broadcast-license enforcement looks unlikely
“Congress has not asserted itself as the first branch of government with the power of the purse to hold the president accountable,”Donald Sherman, president and CEO of CREW, quoted by CNN · arguing Congress, the main check on such spending, is failing to act on the ads
CNN called them "President Donald Trump’s hagiographic ads" and followed the money from OMB to CBP to the contractor. It detailed Public Citizen's complaints to the FCC and FTC and noted the ads ran heavily during football games.
“We should not have to remind you that using government funding to create or air political ads like the ones that have been running over the last few days is illegal and a shockingly corrupt misuse of taxpayer dollars,”Sen. Patty Murray and Sen. Chris Murphy, Democratic senators, quoted by PBS NewsHour · demanding DHS Secretary Mullin explain within 48 hours why bill money funds ads celebrating Trump
“it turns out the Trump administration used Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill to pay for President Trump's political ads.”Reps. Rosa DeLauro and Henry Cuellar, House Democrats, quoted by PBS NewsHour · arguing the bill that cut Medicaid and SNAP was used to fund Trump's self-promotion
is how the AP copy on PBS described them, noting criticism from Republicans Thom Tillis and John Thune as well as Democrats. BBC Verify asked legal experts whether they are illegal, carrying the White House line that they are "public service announcements, rather than publicity or propaganda." [263][249]
Photo: ABC NewsThe NCAA and its power conferences gain federal rules for transfers, eligibility and revenue sharing under the Protect College Sports Act (S.4668), which the Senate passed 77-22 on September 28 (Senate Commerce Committee) [85][348]. Athletes pay through a spending cap and new transfer and eligibility limits, and the National College Players Association, the NAACP and the AFL-CIO oppose the bill on those grounds [85][348]. AP reports the bill would raise what schools may share with athletes from $21.5 million to $48.8 million through a new retention pool [85][348]. That figure is proposed, not law. I did not find it in the committee-reported text (Congress.gov), so it rests on news reporting, and the House has not scheduled a vote [85]. The Senate decided. Sen. Ted Cruz sponsored the bill with Sen. Maria Cantwell and other cosponsors (Congress.gov). Texas Tech regents chair Cody Campbell is reported to have helped craft it, and the Senate Commerce release lists 32 conferences and more than 380 schools backing it (Senate Commerce Committee) [85][348]. I found no lobbying or donor record tying the bill's beneficiaries to its sponsors.
Counterfire reported five to ten thousand marchers against NATO spending and conscription, framing a European anti-war movement that no other camp noticed. [2]
The WSWS carried owner-operators on diesel at about $6.44 a gallon discussing a rig shutdown Thursday, the only coverage of a possible labor action tied to the war's fuel costs. [21]
Novara reported 20,000 Labour members backing a motion to end Palantir's £330m NHS data contract, a tech-sovereignty story absent from American outlets. [53]
The Catholic weekly reported the EEOC suing Bon Secours Mercy Health over a Jewish surgeon's firing after Oct. 7, a case that cuts against its own church's institutions. [161]
The Dispatch documented inconsistent Pentagon statements about troops at polling places, an election-security worry that other center-right outlets did not take up. [302]
CBN covered the Ninth Circuit rejecting an atheist's challenge to a cross and nativity at El Pueblo, a religious-liberty win no other camp reported. [480]
The Christian Post reported the sentencing of a man who brought explosives to the Red Mass cathedral, framing it as an attack on a Catholic institution. [508]
ICT covered Truth and Reconciliation Day walks for children lost to Indian boarding schools, including 11 Turtle Mountain girls buried in Milwaukee. [563]
The Blade counted 529 LGBTQ candidates, 109 trans or travesti, in Sunday's Brazilian vote, an election other camps covered only through Lula and Bolsonaro. [639]
404 Media showed a vendor pitching police on facial recognition over Flock footage, the gap Flock's own no-face-recognition pledge leaves open. [647]
Voices: who spoke today, in their own words
The room today
The Republican midterm outlook
“I think it's a very difficult time to be a right winger because you're realizing that your entire project was uh garbage. Your support for Donald Trump was garbage.”
“Hey, uh super profitable tech company wants this to make money. Who's going to pay for building out the electricity infrastructure? What will happen to my utility bill?”
“That is such a broad definition of things that it could apply to anybody. And I am wary of giving the Secretary of State or any administration that kind of power.”
“The willful disregard for norms and decorum, the willful disregard for the Constitution, and the intentional lawfare against anyone who spoke out against people like this, like Jack Smith, who is a deeply evil man.”
Tim PoolMAGATrump signs a voluntary AI safety accord with six CEOs, calling it "morally binding"
“The accord should be ignored, for the distraction it is,”
KKimberlee WeatherallUniversity of Sydney law professorin BBC NewsSen. Schmitt accuses Jack Smith of perjury, then mixes up the Hawks and Hawkeyes
“I would just say for a U.S. senator to have false information and imply based on a confusion about the name of a team, which I knew, knowing my Midwestern sports, and imply that you were in another city, that you were somehow involved that day in what was happening in Georgia and then call you a dirtbag is something that deserves an apology”
SSen. Amy KlobucharD-Minn.in NBC NewsSupreme Court lets third-country deportations resume and sets December arguments
“A bad day for criminal illegals and open borders activists alike,”
JJames Percivaltop lawyer at the Department of Homeland Securityin New York TimesIran's Revolutionary Guards write to US voters as the last troops leave Iraq's bases
“Trump is caught in a quagmire where he can neither negotiate nor fight”
MMohsen Rezaeihead of Iran's Supreme National Security Councilin Antiwar.comSenate blocks report on nine Americans killed in the West Bank; Fetterman votes no
“Make no mistake: The sole objective here is not justice or accountability for Americans,”
“For this effort to be effective, Mayor Mamdani must also commit to stopping his harsh anti-Israel rhetoric that makes Jewish New Yorkers vulnerable as there are clearly times when antisemitic attacks are fueled by anti-Zionism,”
RRabbi Rick Jacobspresident of the Union for Reform Judaismin PBS NewsHourProsecutor reopens Cornell fraternity case after a lawsuit accuses seven members
“My office obviously did not and could not have based our November 2024 decision on the allegations in a civil lawsuit that would not be filed until nearly two years later,”
MMatthew Van HoutenTompkins County District Attorneyin The FederalistHomeland Security committed $20 million to TV ads praising Trump, Democratic senators say
“Congress has not asserted itself as the first branch of government with the power of the purse to hold the president accountable,”
DDonald Shermanpresident and CEO of CREWin CNNIran's Revolutionary Guards write to US voters as the last troops leave Iraq's bases
“Axios just released a story that ‘Trump’ offered Sanctions Relief and Frozen Funds to Iran. This is untrue. I offered them NOTHING!”
Brian Tyler CohenSep 30
Breitbart NewsSep 30
