IJR News

Spain Eviction-Crisis Figure Maricarmen Abascal Dies — 2dMaricarmen Abascal, 87, died after being hospitalized following her eviction from the Madrid home where she had lived for more than 70 years; her case fueled nationwide protests over Spain’s housing crisis and a political crisis that led Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to call an early election. The crisis continues to play out in threatened evictions in Barcelona and protests in Madrid, where police used rubber bullets to keep far-right demonstrators from reaching a housing activist camp.

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Arcadia house of horrors exposes California surrogacy free-for-all — 17hZhang and Xuan face abuse and conspiracy charges after 21 children were linked to their mansion. Prosecutors describe beatings on camera. Defense cites a right to a large family. Experts call the industry a Wild West.

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Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert dies at 84 after prison term — 3dDennis Hastert died at 84 after a $3.5 million hush-money deal and 13 months in prison; the judge called him a serial child molester.

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Kathleen Sager What do left and right disagree on here?

California Candidates Differ on Housing Growth and Local Control — 3dAliso Viejo City Council candidates offered approaches to meeting state housing requirements while preserving neighborhood character, including resident input, carefully located development and compatible designs; they also emphasized spending discipline, reserves and responsible economic development. In the Orange County supervisor race, candidates called for expanding affordable and supportive housing and using county resources to move people into permanent homes, with one highlighting additional housing vouchers and another advocating outcome-based funding and consequences for cities that resist development.

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Marcus Bell Cities need to meet the housing mandates but shouldn't force incompatible projects on existing neighborhoods.

Sánchez Calls Snap Election After Housing Defeat — 6dSpanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is weighing a snap election, potentially on Nov. 29, after Junts joined conservative and far-right parties to defeat housing measures intended to protect tenants and extend rental contracts. The vote has intensified debate over Spain’s housing crisis, while a possible election would fall shortly before the European Parliament’s scheduled vote on the UK-EU treaty concerning Gibraltar.

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Most Influential Women in World HistoryYourlist — RankingFrom ancient queens who ruled empires to modern activists who changed laws, these women left indelible marks on politics, science, and culture. Vote for who you think shaped history most profoundly.

Trump and Tech Leaders Sign Voluntary AI Accord — Sep 29, 2026Trump and tech CEOs signed a voluntary AI accord at the White House on Sept. 29, 2026; he called it "morally binding" and "almost like a constitution."

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Tom Gallagher Trump getting these leaders to agree on anything shows some progress on managing AI risks.

Renee Good’s Family Sues US Over Minneapolis Killing — Oct 1, 2026Renee Good’s family filed two lawsuits over her fatal January shooting by an ICE officer in Minneapolis, accusing the federal government and administration officials of excessive force and a broader crackdown that they say led to her death. The White House called the suits baseless and said it would defend them.

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Former Official Ties NIH Grant to Tension With Russ Vought — 11hAbout a month before the White House considered an executive order giving it greater control over the National Institutes of Health, outside experts close to the administration lea… — by Daily Caller News Foundation

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Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Challenge Affecting MillionsPolitics — Oct 1, 2026U.S. domestic news included sluggish job growth and higher SNAP benefits, while Democrats were positioned to make House gains and control of the Senate was rated a toss-up. Other developments included a Supreme Court review of the Trump administration’s immigrant-detention policy, calls to revise New York’s sexual-assault laws, a state lawsuit against Pfizer, a major Lyft settlement, and an investigation into a botched execution in Tennessee.

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China to Send Pandas to Atlanta Within Days — Sep 24, 2026Xi Jinping said two pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, will arrive at Zoo Atlanta within days, calling them a symbol of friendship during his White House visit with Trump.

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Rachel Meyers Pandas as a friendship symbol fits after the Xi and Trump meeting, though I wonder how long the goodwill will last.

Trump Denies Report of Name Addition to Ford’s Theatre — Sep 24, 2026President Donald Trump has called a report he wants his name added to Ford’s Theatre “a ridiculous lie.” “The story that the White House, or me, want to affix my name to Ford’s Th… — by Sandra Rhodes

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Nicole Hardy Denying the report was the only sensible move here. No modern name belongs on such a specific piece of history.

Quentin Tarantino vs Martin ScorseseYourlist — VS BattleThe video store savant versus the film-school don — two visions of American violence, guilt, and cool.

US Drafted Memo for Rubio to Condemn Allies Over West Bank Curbs — Sep 23, 2026Draft for Rubio dated Sept. 8 called UK, France and Canada settlement import blocks tactics from the antisemitic BDS playbook; never released after lacking White House support.

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Tom Gallagher It's no surprise the White House dropped the memo since it seems unwilling to challenge our allies on this issue.

Trump Calls White House a Dump and Praises Renovations — Sep 14, 2026President Donald Trump praised the renovation efforts at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and called it a “dump” before the work started. The president took to Truth Social Sunday to say th… — by Sandra Rhodes

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Chris Dalton Trump should focus on the history of the place instead of calling it names before the fixes.

Kean, Bennett Clash in Key House Debate — Sep 27, 2026Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. and Democratic challenger Rebecca Bennett clashed in their only debate in New Jersey’s closely contested 7th Congressional District race, with affordability, gas prices, tariffs and the Iran conflict among the key issues. Bennett criticized Kean’s support for President Trump’s policies and called for ending the war and curbing tariffs, while Kean defended his positions and promoted domestic energy production.

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Marcus Bell The Iran conflict needs a clear plan to deescalate before it hits our economy harder.

Trump Signs Russia Sanctions and Tariff Bill — Sep 15, 2026Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the US House’s passage of the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, linking it to Russia’s overnight missile and drone strikes that damaged energy infrastructure and injured civilians across eight regions. He urged that sanctions remain strong and not be eased, calling the bill a powerful tool to pressure Moscow toward peace amid ongoing attacks and renewed diplomacy efforts with partners.

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The grammar gatekeeper testQuizie — QuizTwelve spelling and grammar traps that catch almost everyone. Pass, and the AI knights you. Fail, and it's gentle about it. Mostly.

US, China Establish AI Dialogue Ahead of Summit — Sep 16, 2026Democrats urge sustained U.S.–China diplomacy on AI safety to address cross-border risks, calling for ongoing talks beyond Xi Jinping’s Washington visit. Meanwhile, international security forums warn that AI is compressing military decision cycles and advocate guardrails and human oversight, as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signals openness to discussions on shared AI risks ahead of a U.S.–China summit, with White House talks anticipated this week and next week featuring both open and closed-weight AI models.

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Pelosi Calls for the Removal of Portraits of Former House Speakers Who Served in the ConfederacyReporting — Jun 18, 2020In observance of Juneteenth, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is calling for the removal of the portraits of House speakers who served in the Confederacy. In a letter to Cheryl Johnson, Clerk of the House of…

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White House Says Biden in Call With Russia’s Putin Called for Navalny ReleaseReporting — Jan 30, 2021U.S. President Joe Biden called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to release jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny during their phone call this week, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Friday. Biden…

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Top Lawmakers on House Oversight Committee Call on Secret Service Director to Resign — Jul 23, 2024The top lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee are calling on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to step down after she appeared before the panel. On Monday, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer…

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Republican Lawmakers Call for Pelosi To Be Fined, Say She Evaded New Security MeasuresReporting — Feb 6, 2021House Republicans are calling for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to be fined, alleging she “broke her own rules.” Republican lawmakers on the House Administration Committee wrote in a letter on Friday…

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Trump Urges Libya De-Escalation on Call With Erdogan: White HouseReporting — May 24, 2020U.S. President Donald Trump called for a “rapid de-escalation” of the Libyan conflict on a call with Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday, the White House said, after recent gains by forces backed by Turkey…

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Newt Gingrich Calls Dems ‘Hypocrites’ Amid House Probe Into Results of Iowa RaceReporting — Mar 29, 2021Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is calling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democrats “hypocrites” for opening an investigation into the results of Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District election…

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Biden Called Pelosi With a Plea As Republicans Racked Up House Wins: ReportReporting — Nov 15, 2022As the election results showed Democrats had avoided a “red wave” wipeout in the House, President Joe Biden called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday to ask her to serve one more term in Congress, Politico reported…

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House Dems Call for Inspector General Review of Reassignment of Vaccine ExpertReporting — Apr 23, 2020House Democrats are calling on the inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to investigate the reassignment of an official charged with overseeing the development of a coronavirus vaccine…

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