Originally published at: Bessent Threatens Shutdown of Iranian Airlines, White House Debuts TrumpTV, Anthropic Enters Pharma – Peak Prosperity
Geopolitics
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that by Wednesday, September 23, all Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world. Anyone providing fuel, landing services, or tickets would risk being cut off from the dollar system. Washington recently sanctioned remaining Iranian carriers, bringing the total to some 27, which officials described as denying Iran the ability to move weapons, personnel and illicit cargo. China’s Foreign Ministry opposed the measures as illegal unilateral sanctions lacking U.N. Security Council authorization. President Pezeshkian is expected in New York a day earlier to address the UN General Assembly.
Separately, Iran’s Fars News Agency called invalid and incorrect reports that Tehran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if Washington eased naval pressure and lifted a blockade of Iranian ports. Brent crude fell as much as 3 percent, below $100. A senior Iranian official was cited as saying the proposal went through mediators. Trump said he was open to meeting President Masoud Pezeshkian at the UN General Assembly.
Meanwhile, a U.S.-bound shipment of F-35 components from Australia, intended for repair on American soil and transported for Lockheed Martin, was diverted to Hong Kong, and its whereabouts remain unknown. Neither the Pentagon nor Lockheed has explained why. The cargo included an F-35 canopy with sensitive technology. China has long sought F-35 intelligence. Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said his understanding is that the missing equipment did not include sensitive components.
US Politics
CNN, MS NOW and Politico said they would sue after President Trump barred them from the White House over coverage he called fiction and lies. CNN was dropped from pooled coverage. Fox News bureau chief Bryan Boughton said no replacement pool would be formed after other networks declined to fill in. WHCA president Jacqui Heinrich said the First Amendment does not depend on whether the president likes the coverage. Vice President JD Vance stated it is not a ban but a refusal to grant special access to outlets engaged in dishonest reporting.
Coincidentally, the White House launched Trump TV, a 24/7 YouTube stream also carried on its website, opening with footage of Trump at Mount Rushmore on July 3. California Gov. Gavin Newsom called it state-run TV. Former WHCA president Weijia Jiang said America cannot have state TV. The White House said the stream puts top past moments, announcements, and the latest from the administration in one place because not every big moment has made it on television.
In other political news, Rep. Darrell Issa introduced the American Copyright Protection Act of 2026, which would authorize courts to order VPNs and DNS resolvers to block websites. Covered service providers would include broadband access, domain-name resolution and virtual private networks, excluding root nameserver operators and top-level domain registries. The measure would apply to providers with at least 100,000 monthly U.S. users, excluding airports, libraries, universities and restaurants. Public Knowledge opposed the measure, saying it would turn broadband providers into copyright police and risk overblocking of legitimate sites.
Lastly, Republican Joe Arminio was removed from a Wilmington forum after using male pronouns for Rep. Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress. Moderator Ken Grant issued a final warning, then ordered Arminio off stage after Arminio attributed healthcare costs to “gentlemen like the two up here with me in the Democratic Party.” McBride attempted to intervene and later said she would not be distracted from lowering living costs. Fellow Republican Senate candidate Dr. Mike Katz called on Arminio to withdraw from the House race, citing the need for civility and respect.
European Politics
Clayton Morris reported that the AfD placed first in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with roughly 38 percent of the vote, its second state victory in two weeks. Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU fell below the representation threshold in what Morris described as its worst state result since 1949. Merz has said he will remain in office. Morris noted that Reuters labeled the AfD far-right and referenced Germany’s Nazi past. A court has blocked classification of the legal party as a confirmed extremist organization.
In other news, a private arbitration service opened last year in Sweden, described as the country’s first independent sharia court, permits consenting parties to settle civil disputes under sharia law. Awards may be binding under Swedish arbitration law and be enforced by the Enforcement Authority in the same manner as a court judgment. The service has collaborations in Stockholm and Malmö. Police have warned of a parallel social order that challenges Swedish law, including self-appointed morality police who enforce dress rules on women. Founder Mattias Walving-Lundberg has said the service is a private arbitration institute handling only civil matters and cannot impose criminal punishments.
British Politics
Footage shows three female officers surrounding a Christian street preacher in a British shopping precinct after a passerby reported an offence at Bible passages. Officers cited Sections 4A and 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, which address threatening or abusive words causing harassment, alarm or distress. Shaun O’Sullivan has been arrested 16 times for street preaching and acquitted. Some 62,199 people were arrested for communications offences from 2021 to 2025, about 34 a day, with roughly one in five convicted.
Economy
President Trump posted on Truth Social that the United States is working on a deal to buy potash fertilizer from Belarus at prices substantially below those from Canada, which he called very good news for farmers and ranchers. Shares of Intrepid Potash, CF Industries and Mosaic fell 4.6 percent, 3.5 percent and 4.5 percent. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was quoted as saying his country lacks capacity to supply potash to the West. A StoneX analyst doubted Belarusian material would materially lower U.S. prices or boost supplies.
Artificial Intelligence
Anthropic has opened a wet lab in the San Francisco Bay Area as it moves into pharmaceutical research and seeks treatments for rare and “undruggable” diseases that traditional drug makers often neglect. The company’s biology work now goes beyond computer models, with Claude directing robots that run physical experiments in its own facilities and with outside partners. Anthropic has also launched science software, added Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan to its board, and bought a biotech startup for $400 million in stock.
Health
Retired Army flight surgeon Lt. Col. Theresa Long filed a sworn declaration in a federal defamation case, stating she has firsthand knowledge of more than 29 service-member deaths after COVID-19 vaccination and is examining about 55,000 military adverse-event reports, including 2,544 death reports. The filing does not establish causation. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth assigned her the review. A Pentagon analysis found a short-term rise in myocarditis and pericarditis that was not sustained over a year and identified no vaccine-attributed deaths.
Sources
Sweden’s First Sharia Court: Binding Islamic Rulings Now State-Enforced
People in Sweden can now get their civil disputes settled under sharia law instead of Swedish law.
Source | Submitted by Patriot83
Trump’s Belarus Potash Talk Sends Fertilizer Stocks Lower
The United States is working on a massive Deal with respect to the purchase of Potash from Belarus,
Source | Submitted by Barry Silverthorn
GOP Candidate Ejected From Delaware Forum After Misgendering Trans Rep McBride
Republican nominee Joe Arminio was removed from a forum debate in Wilmington, Del., after misgendering his opponent, Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.).
Source | Submitted by Mike from Jersey
Watch: UK Cops Grill Street Preacher After Passerby Takes ‘Offense’ at Bible Passages
This is not law enforcement. It is customer service for the emotionally fragile.
Source | Submitted by Acorn Endeavors
ECB: Wholesale Gas Price Surges Hitting Eurozone Consumers Faster Than in 2022
The surge in wholesale natural gas prices is set to pass through the retail and electricity inflation in the Eurozone faster than in the past
Bessent Vows to Ground Iranian Airlines Worldwide Wednesday via Dollar Exile
All the Iranian airlines will be shut down around the world.
Iran’s Fars Rejects Reuters Hormuz Reopening Reports as Invalid Ahead of Trump UN Address
Fars called those two reports “invalid and incorrect.”
Source | Submitted by PhilH
F-35 Parts Vanish After Mysterious Hong Kong Detour
The current whereabouts of the components remain unknown, triggering concerns over whether China may have gotten its hands on them.
Networks Refuse White House Pool Coverage After Trump Bans CNN, Politico and MS NOW
Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting.
Anthropic Opens Wet Lab for Claude-Run Bio Experiments as CEO Pushes AI Slowdown
The lab will have a focus on automation, with the company’s Claude AI directing robots to carry out science experiments.
Issa Bill Would Let Courts Order VPNs to Block Websites
A US congressman has introduced a bill that, if it becomes law, will write into US statute the ability of courts to order VPNs and DNS resolvers to block sites.
German Voters Reject War; Media Reaches for Nazis
You can oppose that platform, but treating millions of voters as crypto-Nazis is propaganda masquerading as analysis.
Army Doctor’s Sworn Filing Puts Military COVID Deaths, 55,000 Adverse Reports Before Federal Court
I have first hand knowledge of over 29 deaths of servicemembers after vaccination with the COVID-19 vaccines.
White House Launches 24/7 Trump TV as Banned Outlets Sue Over Access
The White House on Monday launched Trump TV, a 24/7 stream on YouTube, days after President Trump banned reporters from CNN, Politico and MS NOW over their coverage of him and his administration.
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: Expressen, Reuters, WHYY News, Rapid Response 47, The White House, Public Knowledge, Firstpost, and CNN.
Just sent him a text for an update.