Trump campaign ads paid with public money violate federal law, critics say

White House has labeled ads ‘public service announcements’ and has responded defiantly to criticism

Federal regulators have been urged to stop the broadcast of White House advertisements promoting Donald Trump that critics say amounts to government propaganda and violate laws against using public money to promote partisan causes.

Public Citizen, an advocacy group, called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to intervene and block further airing of three ads it said were “designed to boost the image and character of Donald Trump” as part of the Republicans’ campaign for November’s midterm elections.

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As AI images become common, the threat to elections draws alarm: ‘How will voters know what’s true?’

Deepfakes and misinformation driven by artificial intelligence have become a point of deep concern for legislators, advocates and the public

An image of College Park, Georgia mayor Bianca Motley Broom kissing a man – who was not her husband – in a bar spread far and wide on Facebook. The fact that it’s fake is spreading faster, now, but only after it had been seen by thousands of people.

“I think this is a sad commentary about where we are in our democracy, and where we are in our political discourse,” Motley Broom said. “It also seeks to reinforce really tired stereotypes about women in leadership.”

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‘I wanted to live’: A Ukrainian orphan’s journey through Russian occupation – Al Jazeera

  1. ‘I wanted to live’: A Ukrainian orphan’s journey through Russian occupation  Al Jazeera
  2. Canada seeking mediators to help rescue Ukrainian children  The Globe and Mail
  3. Norway to allocate $2.6 million for humanitarian programs in Ukraine  The Kyiv Independent
  4. What could be a just, dignified and lasting peace in Ukraine?  The Indian Express
  5. He was raised in occupied Crimea and trained to kill. Inside a teen’s dramatic escape to Toronto  Toronto Star
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Putin Humiliated as Irreplaceable Nuclear Bomber Crashes – The Daily Beast

  1. Putin Humiliated as Irreplaceable Nuclear Bomber Crashes  The Daily Beast
  2. A Russian long-range bomber crashes during training, killing 6 crewmembers  NBC News
  3. Russia lost one of its irreplaceable Tu-95 nuclear-capable bombers in a deadly training crash  Business Insider
  4. Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bomber plane crashes, killing six people  Al Jazeera
  5. ‘Bear’ Strategic Bomber Crashes on Training Sortie Near Russian Far East Home Base  Kyiv Post
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Pope at Audience: Apostolic Journey to France was ‘sign of rebirth’ – Vatican News

  1. Pope at Audience: Apostolic Journey to France was 'sign of rebirth'  Vatican News
  2. Two Spectacles, Two Frances  First Things
  3. Pope Leo criticizes legalization of assisted dying as immoral "false compassion"  CBS News
  4. Opinion | Pope Leo’s French Resistance  WSJ
  5. Pope Leo Praises Europe’s Democracy, Diverging Once Again From Trump  The New York Times
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Poundland management in talks to lead bid that could save 11,000 jobs

Ex-Asda boss Andy Bond linked to plan, with buyout team understood to be negotiating with financial backer

Poundland’s management team are in “advanced talks” to lead a bid for the ailing cut-price retailer that could save up to 11,000 jobs.

The former Asda boss Andy Bond, who ran Poundland for a number of years from 2016 then stepped up to its former parent Pepco before leaving in 2025, is understood to be part of the negotiations to take on the business.

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South Korea calls for apology from North Korea after mine injures three soldiers

Blast during search operation near border fuels political tensions amid attempts to revive diplomatic channels

South Korea has demanded an apology from North Korea over a landmine blast that injured three soldiers, saying they were hurt by North Korean mines on the southern side of the border.

Kang Hyun-woo, the director of operations at South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff, demanded an apology and “responsible measures” from Pyongyang over the blast, which occurred on 21 September during a search operation south of the border.

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‘If people are in a bunker, business stops’: Missile alerts cost Ukraine $45m for every hour they halt businesses

Minister tells Guardian of trade-offs Kyiv facing as it tries to keep normal life moving amid Russian strikes

Missile alerts are costing Ukraine an estimated $45m (£34m) for every hour they bring business to a halt, according to the country’s economy minister, as Kyiv searches for ways to keep the economy running under an intensifying Russian bombardment.

Russia has increasingly targeted the infrastructure underpinning Ukraine’s economy, striking industrial sites, warehouses, logistics hubs and datacentres in what Oleksandr Kravchenko, the minister for economy and the environment, described as an effort to “destroy pretty much the entire economy”.

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Andy Burnham: UK could ‘go all the way’ by rejoining EU

PM says he is looking at all options and ministers will examine ‘what is doable’ and the ‘pros and cons’

Andy Burnham has opened the door to the UK rejoining the EU, saying Britain could “go all the way”, as he prepares to reconsider Labour’s post-Brexit red lines.

The prime minister used a series of interviews after his emotional Labour conference speech to spell out how wide-ranging his consideration of Britain’s future with Brussels could be because Brexit had caused “more harm than good”.

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David Shoebridge wants the Greens to ‘seize this moment’. Is his more combative style the answer?

New leader says his party must connect with millions of disaffected voters and ‘make them believe in politics again’

As One Nation’s polling surged this year, and Pauline Hanson ate away at the votes of first the Coalition and then Labor, one curious mainstay emerged; the Greens remained seemingly anchored to the 10-12% range, no matter which poll you look at.

That’s despite the fact that, arguably, there’s rarely been more fertile political ground for the Greens leader to reap rewards; a centrist Labor government with a big majority but increasingly on the nose, a resurgent anti-immigration populist party backed by Australia’s richest mining billionaire, a Coalition in disarray, a cost-of-living crisis set ablaze by rising interest rates and inflation, and a public increasingly alarmed about the nexus of big tech, big datacentres and shadowy AI oligarchs operating with impunity.

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An 87-year-old woman whose eviction sparked protests in Spain is returning home – NPR

  1. An 87-year-old woman whose eviction sparked protests in Spain is returning home  NPR
  2. Evicted Woman Set to Return Home as Spain Announces Plans to Fix Housing Crisis  The New York Times
  3. How Europe’s housing crisis is fuelling a new movement  The Guardian
  4. Spain announces ban on evictions after protests over 87-year-old woman's removal from flat  BBC
  5. Protesters camped out across Spain demand passage of housing measures  reuters.com
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Shark stranded in South Korean canal draws 600,000 visitors as rescue bid fails – reuters.com

  1. Shark stranded in South Korean canal draws 600,000 visitors as rescue bid fails  reuters.com
  2. South Korea: Lost shark draws over half a million visitors  DW.com
  3. 600K Flock to Korean Canal to Spot 'Bukangi'  Newser
  4. Large shark stuck in South Korean city canal draws 600,000 visitors  The Guardian
  5. Busan shark becomes tourist sensation, but stirs concerns over warming seas  The Korea Times
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Investigators announce break in Mexico’s most notorious unsolved crime – The Washington Post

  1. Investigators announce break in Mexico’s most notorious unsolved crime  The Washington Post
  2. Search for dozens of missing college students in Mexico leads to human remains, 17 new suspects  CBS News
  3. Mexican authorities present 4 new lines of investigation in Ayotzinapa case  Mexico News Daily
  4. Mexico Links Vanished Students to Funeral Home  Newser
  5. New evidence emerges in case of Mexico's 43 missing students  upi.com
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