US schools and police warn about viral ‘Cat in the Hat’ trend after teens’ arrests

• Hardline factions in Iran are leveraging escalating tensions with the United States to consolidate domestic power. • Holly Dagres of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy notes that rigid power centers are strengthening despite widespread Iranian belief that the state is plagued by corruption and repression.

• The Vatican convened an international symposium to document systemic violence and religious persecution against faith communities in the Middle East and the Global South. • The event focused on the geopolitics of 21st-century faith and the specific patterns of violence targeting believers in these regions.

• An Iranian commercial vessel was attacked near Qeshm Island, resulting in one death and four injuries. • An official attributed the attack to the "US terrorist enemy."

Police officer shared location of a woman with his relative who is accused of abusing womanA San Jose police officer was fired for using his department’s Flock license plate tracking system to share the location of a woman with the suspect accused of abusing her, Chief Paul Joseph told NBC Bay Area on Friday.The firing marks another in a growing number of cases of misuse of a controversial surveillance technology that has expanded rapidly over the last several years. Continue reading...

Jefferson county coroner says 40-year-old woman died on Saturday, while two infants died with disease in AugustA coroner in Pennsylvania announced the death of a 40-year-old woman associated with the state’s ongoing measles outbreak. The death appears to mark the third in the US state’s ongoing outbreak.Two previous deaths in the state were in infant children. In one case, the infant was born with a genetic defect that made her vulnerable to infection. The second infant child was infected with measles, and died of a ruptured spleen. Continue reading...

US president says ‘many people agree’ with his view on unification, brushing off Andy Burnham’s opposition to referendumDonald Trump has reiterated his support for Irish unification and brushed off Andy Burnham’s opposition to a referendum. “Everybody says that. Then things happen,” the US president said on Sunday of the British prime minister’s response.“It seems to me that one of the naturals of all time is to put them together,” Trump said of the unification of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Continue reading...

Call for ‘constitutional change in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland’ likely to challenge Burnham’s devolution agendaThe first ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are meeting to affirm their nations’ right to seek independence from the UK, as part of a summit that is likely to challenge Andy Burnham’s devolution agenda.Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, Scottish National party leader John Swinney and Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding at a landmark conference in Cardiff on Monday, calling on Westminster “to prepare, plan and facilitate constitutional change in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland”. Continue reading...

Woman’s family says she died of injuries after being shot in the head while sitting inside a tent near Khan YounisA pregnant Palestinian woman died on Saturday from injuries sustained after being shot in the head by Israeli forces south of Khan Younis, according to her family and medical workers, as strikes across Gaza killed more than 10 people over the previous 48 hours.The woman, named as Iman Shalouf, 27, who was nearly eight months pregnant, was sitting inside her family’s tent in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis when Israeli gunfire struck her in the head, according to paramedics and witnesses. Continue reading...

Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany and pilot swim to safety after plane made emergency landing in lakeA Republican congressman said he had to swim to safety after a plane he was traveling in made an emergency landing in a lake late Saturday.Representative Tom Tiffany says he was returning from the La Crosse county Lincoln Day Dinner when the light aircraft lost power as it approached Wausau downtown airport. The pilot made an emergency landing in Lake Wausau. They both ended up in the water and swam to safety. Continue reading...

The man who once helped Richard ‘Dirty’ Desmond save a load of tax was wheeled out to face Laura KuenssbergYou wait years for one party donation of £36m and then two come along at once. Reform can hardly believe its luck. All hail the crypto billionaires. Tacky pale turquoise suits all round. And Nigel Farage won’t have to worry about spending any of his own money – if you can call the £5m freebie his own money – on his security. Nor do those champagne and oysters lunches to discuss loose change donations of £500K from people living overseas pay for themselves. From now on Reform won’t need to bother getting out of bed for anything less than eight figures.Fair to say that if it had been Labour or the Tories trousering £72m from Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo then Reform would be on full outrage rampage. How the political system was rigged against it and how the two main parties are hotwired cash machines. In bed with the super-rich. But since the money is heading towards its own bank account, everyone in the party is totally chilled. This is just the way life ought to be. Who wouldn’t want a country where two billionaires can attempt to buy the democratic process? Continue reading...

Ex-president urged party at closed-door fundraiser to create sweeping framework, from safety ‘slow-down’ to job lossesBarack Obama urged Democrats to prioritize a “public conversation” about AI management and safety in a closed-door Manhattan fundraiser last week.The comments by the former US president reportedly urged the party to create a sweeping framework for everything from a safety “slow-down” to domestic job losses and children’s wellbeing. Continue reading...