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TDFP News Roundup 9/16/26

Writer: Yossi S
Yossi S
7 hours ago
5 min read





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Grassley: new FBI files show agent push to probe Musk, join Trump Russia case:

Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley released Crossfire Hurricane-era records he called “worse than Watergate,” including emails from agent Walter Giardina repeatedly seeking assignment to the Trump-Russia probe. Another agent, Gounaud, sought a criminal case against Elon Musk in 2025 over a DOGE X post asking federal workers to list five things they did at work.


House GOP report: ActBlue weakened fraud checks and hid foreign donation risk:

Chairmen Bryan Steil, Jim Jordan, and James Comer accused Democrat fundraising giant ActBlue of taking a “more lenient approach” to fraud prevention in 2024 and of a cover-up of illegal foreign contributions. The report cites internal memos green-lighting gifts with Hong Kong IPs and passport checks that only count characters, not valid U.S. passport numbers; ActBlue denies wrongdoing.


Seven House Republicans join Democrats to rein in Trump’s Iran war powers:

A war-powers resolution passed 220–204 after Reps. Tom Barrett, Warren Davidson, Brian Fitzpatrick, Nancy Mace, Thomas Massie, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and Zach Nunn broke with the White House. Supporters say the 1973 War Powers clock has expired; Trump is expected to veto any bill that reaches his desk.


House adjourns early after seven workdays, ducking Hegseth impeachment and AI votes:

Speaker Mike Johnson canceled Thursday votes so the House won’t return until after the November midterms, ending a post-summer stretch of just seven session days. The early exit sidelines Rep. Thomas Massie’s Hegseth impeachment articles and a Democratic push for AI legislation.https://nypost.com/2026/09/16/us-news/congress-goes-home-after-just-7-workdays-since-summer-break-ended-and-wont-be-back-until-after-midterms/


Massie says he hid Hegseth impeachment from GOP leaders to reach the floor:

Rep. Thomas Massie told CNN he kept his eight articles against War Secretary Pete Hegseth secret from party leadership so they couldn’t block his floor time. The resolution, alleging the Iran conflict exceeded the 60-day War Powers limit, was tabled Tuesday night.


Federal judge refers Soros-backed Philly DA Larry Krasner to DOJ:

U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond referred District Attorney Larry Krasner and ADA Matthew Stiegler for possible perjury, obstruction, and related crimes tied to a pressure campaign over a 2009 murder case. Diamond removed both from the matter; Krasner said he “vigorously disagree[s]” and will appeal.


Charlie Kirk family files notice of claim alleging UVU ignored rooftop risk:

Erika Kirk and the couple’s children filed a wrongful-death precursor claim against Utah Valley University and state officials, alleging Chief Jeffrey Long promised rooftop coverage after TPUSA warned of access near the speaking site. The notice says only six officers covered ~3,000 spectators and that Losee Center rooftop access was left unsecured before the Sept. 10, 2025 assassination.


Anthropic’s preferred AI “watchdog” METR faces independence questions:

Breitbart reports Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s call for embedded third-party evaluators centers on METR, a group spun from Effective Altruism networks with deep staff and funding ties to Anthropic’s orbit. Critics including David Sacks and Alliance for the Future’s Perry Metzger call the arrangement anything but independent; METR says it takes no lab pay and funders don’t pick projects.


‘60 Minutes’ season premiere hits 25-year ratings low under Bari Weiss:

Nielsen figures cited by Breitbart’s John Nolte put Sunday’s season-59 debut at 7.94 million viewers—down 21% from last year’s premiere and the weakest premiere audience since at least 2000. The key 25–54 demo fell 33% to 1.6 million as Nolte argues legacy CBS news can’t win back conservatives without alienating its remaining left base.


August retail sales surge 1.2%, crushing 0.5% forecasts:

Commerce Department data showed seasonally adjusted retail sales jumped 1.2% in August—1.1% excluding gas stations—despite weak sentiment and higher pump prices. Online sales rose 2.6%, bars and restaurants 1.2%, and year-to-date sales are up 5.2% versus 2025.


FBI: Russian intel network plotted murder of DC-area dissident:

Federal prosecutors unsealed charges against five people abroad in a Russian intelligence-linked scheme that paid U.S. recruits to surveil and kill a prominent Russian dissident believed to be in Washington. A Brooklyn resident who completed surveillance refused a $40,000 murder offer; officials say the network also sought terror attacks on Ukraine-aligned European targets.


U.S. hits South African officials with visas over ‘anti-white’ policies:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced travel bans on unnamed South African officials accused of race-based discrimination, land-expropriation threats, and incitement against Afrikaners and other minorities. Ambassador L. Brent Bozell III called the step the first in a series of escalations ahead of UNGA; Pretoria invoked sovereignty in reply.


Jim Jordan subpoenas Boulder and Fairfax DAs over ‘criminal alien’ leniency:

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan issued compulsory process to Boulder DA Michael Dougherty and Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano after they produced no documents he sought. Jordan alleges preferential treatment for illegal immigrant defendants; Descano’s office called the probe a “political sideshow” and cited prior document productions.


Texas shuts down Trinidad PD after mom’s dirty-water Facebook arrest:

The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement revoked Trinidad’s police license for failing minimum standards and showing no “public benefit,” with the five-officer department set to close Friday. The probe followed Jennifer Combs’s jailing over a Facebook post about contaminated water—charges later dropped—as the county sheriff takes over the town of ~800.


Norway bill would jail citizens for West Bank business with Israeli communities:

A Foreign Ministry proposal under consultation through Sept. 19 would ban imports, exports, some real-estate deals, and investments tied to Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, with up to three years’ prison for intentional violations. Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon and Christian Zionist leader Dag Juliussen branded the measure obsessively hostile and “deeply racist toward Jews.”


IDF kills Hamas Nukhba commander tied to Oct. 7 Armored Corps abductions:

The IDF said it killed Jihad Samih Mahmoud Ismail in Khan Yunis; the military linked him to the Oct. 7 killings of Capt. Omer Neutra, St.-Sgt. Oz Daniel, and Sgt. Shaked Dahan and to later ambushes. Separately, the IDF and Shin Bet said a strike killed Hamas Rafah Brigade commander Nael Abu Obeid.


Saudi Arabia announces 110-million-ton rare-earth and uranium find in Medina:

Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told the IAEA conference of a major mineral and uranium cache the kingdom plans to develop under Vision 2030 while pledging nonproliferation transparency. The announcement follows U.S.–Saudi nuclear and rare-earth cooperation deals as Hormuz and regional attacks squeeze oil logistics.

Mexico deploys 1,800 troops to Sinaloa amid Chapitos–Mayiza cartel warSecurity chief Omar García Harfuch sent about 1,800 federal forces, including 1,000 Navy infantry, toward Mazatlán and Culiacán as factional Sinaloa Cartel fighting continues. Breitbart Texas cites more than 3,100 murders and at least 5,000 disappearances in two years since El Mayo’s betrayal rift, plus a U.S. citizen’s Monday killing in Mazatlán.


Maduro money man Alex Saab pleads guilty to money-laundering conspiracy:

Colombian businessman Alex Saab pleaded guilty in Miami to conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, facing up to 20 years and agreeing to forfeit $195 million. FBI Director Kash Patel hailed the case after Biden’s 2023 clemency returned Saab to Venezuela; a new January 2026 indictment and May extradition brought him back to U.S. court.


France apologizes to U.S. after UN human-rights dig blocked ambassador:

Paris issued a rare statement walking back its Geneva mission’s July swipe that America was no longer a “beacon of human rights,” clearing Aurélien Lechevallier’s path as Macron’s U.S. ambassador. The State Department said it appreciated the clarification and looks forward to collaborating on shared interests.

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