Today's News with Larry Schweikart

TODAY'S NEWS, September 29, 30, 3036

Episode Summary

Trump’s administration and allies are portrayed as advancing tighter immigration enforcement, government streamlining, regulatory changes, and legal challenges while facing continued battles with the media, Democrats, and courts. The roundup highlights strong claimed GOP support for Trump, the launch of America.gov, expanded deportation authority, and new restrictions on immigration, alongside growing scrutiny of OpenAI’s security, AI infrastructure, and Anthropic’s losses. Economically, it points to continued U.S. growth, falling inflation, stronger manufacturing, major foreign investment, record steel investment, and oil-export developments, while internationally the U.S. completes its military withdrawal from Iraq and tensions continue around terrorism and the Strait of Hormuz. The medical section focuses on private-equity ownership of hospitals and allegations surrounding federally funded Ebola research, ending with a personal tribute to musician Steve Paroni.

Episode Notes

IN POLITICAL NEWS

• Trump and MLB: The source disputes a reported story that Trump wants a Major League Baseball team in Teton National Park, calling it fabricated.
• Minnesota Senate: A Democratic Senate candidate reportedly attempted to remove past anti-Minnesota posts from social media.
• GOP support and polling: The roundup cites polling showing very high Trump approval among self-described MAGA Republicans, unfavorable views of Democrats among men, and several Republican-favorable Senate and party-registration indicators.
• Red metros: A list of the 30 most Republican-leaning metropolitan areas is highlighted.
• America.gov: Trump launched a centralized government-services website intended to streamline access to thousands of federal services and consolidate information from roughly 29,000 government websites.
• NYC second-home tax: Courts reportedly rejected New York City's proposed second-home tax and sent the issue back for reconsideration.
• Florida: The state attorney general designated CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as domestic terrorist organizations. The source also cites a claimed 96% reduction in legal immigration from Islamic countries under Trump.
• Operation Tidal Wave: CBP reportedly arrested or removed 87 foreign cruise-ship crew members over alleged possession of child-abuse material.
• San Francisco: The roundup highlights allegations that sex offenders are being housed near schools.
• Kristi Noem: A report says Noem is seeking a divorce after more than 30 years of marriage.
• Jack Smith: The source alleges Smith's team obtained thousands of records involving Republican donors, senators, journalists, and businesses, and that Smith faced Senate questioning over the matter.

IN AI NEWS

• OpenAI: Employees reportedly warned about security problems, while the company is reportedly delaying its latest AI iteration. AI industry leaders also agreed to voluntary self-regulation, and OpenAI faces a lawsuit connected to the reported Hugging Face breach.
• Anthropic: The company reportedly lost $42 billion in 2025 on roughly $4 billion in revenue. The source compares its situation to Amazon's early years.
• Texas data centers: Gov. Greg Abbott halted new data-center construction pending an ERCOT feasibility study on their impact on the state's power grid.

IN ILLEGAL CRIMINAL ALIEN NEWS

• Immigration pardons: The source claims Democrats are seeking ways to keep undocumented immigrants in the country, including through pardons.
• Third-country deportations: The Supreme Court reportedly allowed the Trump administration to resume deportations to third countries.

IN CULTURAL NEWS

• Education: Jeffrey Tucker argues that COVID and “woke” politics have contributed to major upheaval in American education.
• College athletics: The Senate passed legislation aimed at restricting college-athlete transfers and reducing the current level of school-hopping.

IN TRANSOID NEWS

• Youth gender policy: The source highlights reported opposition to gender-transition procedures for minors from California activists, Ken Paxton, and Trump.
• Student identity trends: A survey reportedly found lower rates of LGB and transgender identification among younger U.S. students, with the source attributing the trend to changing social attitudes.

IN ECONOMIC NEWS

• NY climate tax: A federal judge struck down New York's $75 billion climate-superfund law targeting oil companies.
• Walmart: The retailer has begun rolling out digital pricing, while saying the system will not result in unfair price increases.
• Steel: Trump announced plans for what the source describes as the largest steel plant in U.S. history, to be built in Iowa and fully operational over roughly three years.
• Illinois battery plant: A Chinese battery manufacturer reportedly established a facility next to a small Illinois community using state funding, generating controversy among residents.
• U.S. economy: Second-quarter growth was reported at 2.2%, with the roundup citing stronger third-quarter indicators. August inflation reportedly fell to 3.4%.
• South Korea: South Korea reportedly plans more than $200 billion in U.S. investment, including $54 billion toward Alaska LNG.
• Manufacturing: Manufacturing-sector hiring reportedly increased in August.
• Disney: The company is laying off hundreds of employees as its new CEO restructures the workforce.

IN INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• Saudi oil: Saudi Arabia reportedly found an alternative route around the Strait of Hormuz, using a pipeline and shipping through Oman to reach Asian markets.
• UK terrorism case: Five suspects arrested over an alleged attempt to attack a U.S. military base were reportedly released on bail.
• Iraq: The United States withdrew its remaining military personnel from bases in Iraq.
• Israel aviation incident: The roundup reports that one pilot allegedly stabbed another while attempting to crash a plane carrying Israeli passengers into a populated area, with passengers intervening.

IN MEDICAL NEWS

• Private equity: Private-equity firms are increasingly acquiring hospitals, with the source examining both the potential benefits and drawbacks.
• Ebola research: The roundup cites records and reporting concerning U.S. Army Ebola experiments and alleged concerns about research involving aerosolized Ebola and differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated animals.

AND FINALLY . . .

• Steve Paroni: The author pays tribute to friend and fellow musician Steve Paroni, a bassist who played in a rival band before they later played together. Paroni was also an avid reader, cyclist, and home-recording musician, and had been planning a lunch with the author shortly before his death.