Trump threatens to impose ‘serious tariffs’ on Europe if Canada joins EU as associate member - POLITICO

• The center-right CDU party is facing internal conflict and political pressure ahead of regional elections this Sunday. • The rival SPD party is gaining popularity by promising robust rent controls and the forced buy-back of corporate apartment holdings.

• German states have called on the European Union and the German government to provide urgent support to protect the domestic car industry from historic disruption. • State leaders warned that without swift action, the automotive sector faces the risk of irreversible damage.

• Pew Research Center released a report explaining the methods and limitations of weighting political polls by party affiliation and past voting behavior. • Nearly 70% of national election polls in 2024 now use weighting based on a respondent's political party or their reported vote in a previous election.

• Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed with a majority ruling that the United States Postal Service cannot implement specific mail ballot rules before the 2026 midterm elections. • Kavanaugh indicated in his opinion that he is not closing the door on the USPS enacting these rules at a later date.

• Verizon shares fell 3.11% to $49.85 on September 14, 2026, despite new technological milestones. • The company and Samsung completed the first AI-powered Integrated Sensing and Communication trial in Dallas to map crowd density using 6G sensing and 5G antennas.

• IBM shares fell 3.52% to $239.62 during today's trading session. • The stock price dropped as selling pressure pushed shares below key moving averages, which are indicators used to track price trends.

• Investors are paying a valuation premium for Apple because they prefer the company's approach to privacy and lower risk exposure in artificial intelligence. • This demand persists despite Apple experiencing slower growth than other major technology giants.

• Government Railway Police arrested a man at Ballabgarh station who was attempting to smuggle liquor to Telangana. • Officers discovered 82 bottles of alcohol hidden in the suspect's bags while he was posing as an oil trader.

• Eight state premiers from the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) issued a joint statement on Wednesday backing leader Friedrich Merz. • The premiers urged the party to focus on listening and political action rather than personnel debates following an election defeat in Saxony-Anhalt.

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a proposal to ban children under 13 from accessing social networks and restrict access for teenagers under 15. • The proposal explicitly states that there should be no social media access before the age of 13.

• German state premier Manuela Schwesig is campaigning to stop the far-right AfD party from winning an election this Sunday in a northeastern coastal state. • Schwesig has publicly challenged the national government in Berlin over rising fuel prices and plans to tighten pension rules to distance herself from voter anger.