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Middle East braces for more violence as Iran claims US is planning to renew bombing campaign

Tensions grow as Trump tells Fox News he is considering ‘wiping Iran out’ after attacks on Riyadh by Houthi rebels Governments across the Middle East are bracing for an escalation of violence after Iran claimed it had received intelligence that the US was preparing for a renewed bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic. In a potential sign of growing tensions before the UN general assembly in New York this week, Donald Trump cut short a weekend visit to the Camp David presidential retreat on Sunday with no official explanation, and a new security alert was issued by the state department to all US citizens in the Middle East. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Patrick Wintourin New York20 Sept

New York’s $75 Billion Climate Liability Law Faces an Uncertain Future

In 2024, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a law requiring large fossil fuel polluters to pay up to $75 billion in damages. However, after two years, a federal judge has ruled that the law conflicts with federal law and cannot proceed. The law that Hochul signed in December 2024 would have required companies that contribute heavily to fossil fuel pollution to pay to repair damage caused by extreme weather events, which have become increasingly common as global warming intensifies. The law focuses on pollution produced by the combustion of fossil…

OilPrice.comOilPrice.com•Felicity Bradstock20 Sept

Obama rips Trump over AI policy amid ‘doomsday’ warnings

Former President Obama on Friday slammed President Trump over his handling of how to approach artificial intelligence amid “doomsday” warnings coming from some in the tech industry about the technology’s potential existential threat to humanity. Obama said during an interview at Colgate University in New York that the federal government must regulate AI, before referring…

The HillThe Hill•Ryan Mancini20 Sept
  • neutral toward Donald Trump · 93%

US fashion CEO resigns after physically restraining animal rights activists

Steven Kolb of the Council of Fashion Designers of America was filmed during an altercation at New York fashion week The chief executive of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Steven Kolb, has resigned after he was filmed physically restraining two animal rights activists during an altercation at New York fashion week. “After 20 years leading the CFDA, I have made the difficult decision to step down as CEO and president,” Kolb said in a statement. “I am enormously proud of what we have built together and believe this is the right moment for both me and the organisation to begin a new chapter.” Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Chloe Mac Donnell19 Sept

Pakistan: Rights Lawyers Rearrested after Bail

Click to expand Image Human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari (right) and Hadi Ali Chattha, during a court hearing in Islamabad, Pakistan, December 5, 2025. © 2025 Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images (New York) – Pakistani authorities on September 17, 2026, rearrested human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha soon after the Supreme Court granted them bail, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should immediately release the two and drop the criminal charges against them, which appear aimed to punish peaceful expression and human rights advocacy. The authorities had originally charged and convicted Mazari and Chattha, a married couple, for social media posts in support of local activists and criticizing the military. The Supreme Court on September 17 granted bail and ordered their release pending the Islamabad High Court’s final decision on their appeals. Hours later, the police rearrested Mazari and Chattha on anti-terrorism charges related to a separate, older case from March 2025 concerning their participation in a protest the authorities allege was illegal. “Pakistani authorities should stop using criminal prosecutions to punish lawyers engaged in peaceful dissent,” said Patricia Gossman, senior associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Rearresting Mazari and Chatta hours after they were granted bail makes a mockery of the courts and safeguards against arbitrary detention. They should be released immediately.” Police allege that during the March 2025 protest in Islamabad, Mazari and Chattha were chanting anti-government slogans and blocking a public road, but they were not initially charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Following the rearrest of the lawyers, an Islamabad anti-terrorism court refused to give the police 30 days to hold and interrogate the couple and instead authorized officials to keep them in jail outside of police custody while the case proceeds. The authorities should disclose the evidence supporting the rearrest and the basis for bringing the case before an anti-terrorism court, Human Rights Watch said. Invoking an older case immediately after they were granted bail raises serious concerns that pretrial detention is being used as punishment. In January, an Islamabad court had convicted Mazari and Chattha under the draconian Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), in a trial that raised due process concerns, over social media posts that prosecutors characterized as hostile to state institutions, and sentenced them to 10 years in prison. Pakistani authorities have repeatedly sought to exploit PECA’s vague provisions on “cyberterrorism,” “glorification,” and “false information” to target government critics, lawyers, and journalists, stifling free expression and chilling dissent. The nongovernmental Human Rights Commission of Pakistan expressed concern that the successive proceedings against Mazari and Chatta appeared intended to punish and intimidate the lawyers. Lawyers’ associations and bar councils also condemned their January arrest. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Pakistan ratified in 2010, ensures the right to a fair hearing before an independent and impartial tribunal, adequate opportunities to prepare a defense, and the ability to challenge prosecution evidence. The United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers provide that governments should protect lawyers from intimidation, harassment and improper interference, and from prosecution for carrying out recognized professional duties. They also safeguard confidential communication between lawyers and their clients. The courts should promptly require prosecutors to produce credible evidence of a recognizable criminal offense and justify any continued detention of the couple, Human Rights Watch said. Prosecutors should drop all charges based on protected expression or legitimate legal work and withdraw any remaining charges unsupported by credible evidence. Courts should order the couple’s immediate release unless the authorities establish a lawful and necessary basis for detention. Pending release, they should have confidential access to counsel, family visits, and necessary medical care. “The longer the case against Mazari and Chatta drags out, the more the authorities will be discredited,” Gossman said. “The authorities should drop the charges against the lawyers for asserting their basic rights, which also undermines the rights of others.”

Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch•Human Rights Watch19 Sept

‘Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie’ Review: Alex Gibney Profiles the Controversial Author During His Harrowing Hospitalization

There’s nothing more distressing in “Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie’ than the unflinching closeups of the author’s wounded body in the days and weeks after August 12, 2022, when he was repeatedly stabbed while on stage at a literary festival in upstate New York. The camera lingers over his mangled hand and the […]

VarietyVariety•Guy Lodge18 Sept

Let’s beat California on AI, key Democrat says

SESSION LESSON: Assemblymember Alex Bores would really like to take another swing at regulating Big Tech before he leaves office at the end of the year. The New York lawmaker faced the multimillion-dollar wrath of the tech industry after leading the charge on crafting state regulations for artificial intelligence, falling short in his quest to move on to the halls of Congress. But he said he’s optimistic about policymakers taking action amid growing public alarm over the risks of AI — and that he’d support a special session in Albany on the issue. “This is an urgent problem, and too frequently we have left it to California to set the nationwide standards,” Bores said. “We’ve got some pretty darn talented people here in New York … and I would love to give them the chance to lead.” The outgoing assemblymember, who has work experience in the industry, has positioned himself as a national leader on the issue with the launch of a $30 million group to develop the Democratic agenda on AI rules. There are currently no plans for a special session on AI, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office. The lack of plans to return to Albany before January to work on AI rules contrasts with discussions in California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom has mused on the possibility of calling lawmakers back to Sacramento. Newsom signed an executive order today to speed up implementation of recently passed AI safety laws and consider proposals like requiring a “kill switch” for advanced AI models. New York regulators issued an order requiring gas, electric and water utilities to report on their use of AI yesterday, and New York Attorney General Letitia James urged employees at AI companies to report any rulebreaking. The jockeying between states to act on AI comes amid a crescendo of alarm, including from the industry itself, that the technology is outpacing humans’ abilities to monitor and control it. Hochul has also said she wants to take additional actions , but without offering specifics. The rhetorical flurry among state officials is also being sparked by the Trump administration’s dismissal of AI safety threats and a widespread sense that there’s little chance Congress will act on the issue anytime soon. Democratic lawmakers who’ll be returning to Albany in January are discussing their options — and gearing up for pushback from the industry. “The crux of the fight is in clawing back power from these oligarchs and putting real people in the driver's seat,” said state Sen. Kristen Gonzalez, chair of the Internet and Technology committee. Read the full story from POLITICO Pro’s Marie J. French. HEALTH CARE SETTLEMENT WATCH: NYU Langone agreed to pay $8.5 million and stop providing puberty blockers and hormonal treatment to minors under an agreement with the Justice Department announced today. DOJ has announced similar agreements with five other hospital groups, including the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, as part of a nationwide investigation into gender-affirming care that came at the direction of President Donald Trump. NYU Langone spokesperson Steve Ritea said the DOJ agreement “protects our providers and secures the privacy and confidentiality of our patients and their families,” noting the health system denied any wrongdoing or liability as part of the agreement. “Under this agreement, DOJ has agreed to resolve its investigations, removing the threat that NYU Langone would have to provide the confidential information previously demanded about patients under 18 who received gender-affirming care at our institution,” Ritea said in a statement. NYU Langone’s statement echoes comments by Mount Sinai upon reaching a similar agreement with the Justice Department. — Maya Kaufman MEASLES ON THE RISE: In response to a growing number of measles cases in rural New York, state Health Commissioner James McDonald is calling on all New Yorkers to make sure they’ve received the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. McDonald said yesterday at a Public Health and Health Planning Council meeting that there are 66 cases across the state, with roughly two-thirds of those in adults aged 18 years old and older. The state’s new measles dashboard reports 51 cases, but it hasn’t been updated since Saturday. The outbreak is primarily in rural and western parts of the state. Fifteen counties have reported at least one case, but the majority of cases are concentrated in Steuben, Seneca, Otsego and Allegany counties. McDonald said he’s been in contact with health officials in neighboring Pennsylvania, where 767 cases and four deaths have been reported in a fatal outbreak there, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health dashboard . “I can’t explain why the federal government is being as confusing as they are about vaccines,” McDonald said yesterday. “But I’m not confused. There was no new research or new science when they did their executive order. Nothing changed in New York State. States determine what the required vaccines are.” He said the state has been working with local health departments to distribute more than 700 MMR vaccine doses to people living in the affected counties, where health officials traditionally face skepticism surrounding healthcare and vaccines. The push is part of a broader effort to overcome confusion over an executive order signed by President Trump last month that directs federal agencies to reduce the number of recommended vaccines children receive and spread the shots out over a longer time period. The executive order has ignited renewed hope among parents seeking exemptions from the state’s vaccine laws, which do not include a religious exemption and have proven to be a challenge when attempting to qualify for a medical exemption. — Katelyn Cordero FROM CITY HALL SCHOOL SAFETY: A longtime union leader is demanding Mayor Zohran Mamdani come up with a plan to keep classrooms safe amid recent weapons seizures at public schools. Gregory Floyd, who heads Teamsters Local 237, pointed to several recent incidents, including a student caught with a loaded gun at a Staten Island high school. His union represents nearly 2,000 municipal workers, including school safety officers. “He’s yet to say anything, he’s yet to address it,” Floyd told Playbook. “Before we get further into the school year, we want him to come up with a comprehensive plan to make sure that no one in the public school system is seriously injured or possibly killed.” Floyd decried a shortage of school safety agents, noting that the city has lost 2,000 agents since 2022. And the Mamdani administration, he said, isn’t hiring. A City Hall spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The city saw a decrease in major felony crimes in schools, according to the mayor’s management report released Thursday. Mamdani faced criticism over the summer after eliminating vacant school safety agent positions , drawing backlash from parents and advocates as felony assaults in schools rose. Floyd pointed specifically to a lack of metal detectors. The most current version in schools, he said, has proven incapable of detecting smaller scalpels, which he described as an emerging threat in schools. Fewer than 100 schools currently have full-time scanners, according to Floyd. — Madina Touré IN OTHER NEWS — STOKING SPECULATION: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez plans to campaign for candidates across New York, reigniting speculation she’ll run for senator or president in 2028. ( The New York Times ) — PRE-K PAY: After severe funding delays, providers of free childcare in New York City are finally being paid by the Mamdani administration, but some are still waiting. ( Gothamist ) — $10M PAYOUT: Family of Robert Brooks, man beaten to death by corrections officers, to get $10 million settlement. ( WPTZ ) Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here .

POLITICOPOLITICO•By Marie J. French18 Sept