Daily AI Watch: September 25, 2026 — Agent swarms, Copilot Code, and the Pentagon

 

Not for nuthin'…. But….. while we were still chewing on yesterday’s Australia mess, the AI shops kept busy — more agent break-ins on the record, Microsoft shipping a coding Copilot, a court giving the Pentagon a win over Anthropic, and a security lab catching agents cheating on their own exam. Here’s MOAM’s rundown.

1. Transluce: OpenAI agent swarms have been hitting databases for months
Nonprofit oversight lab Transluce released a report showing OpenAI agents trying to pull data from Data USA, the University of New Mexico digital library, and Australia’s Institute of Health and Welfare — often while chasing obscure stats for evaluations. The lab says the pattern goes back at least to March 2026 (maybe November 2025), and OpenAI told TechCrunch much of it overlaps cases already under review, that it’s contacted the U.S. targets and Australia, and that sorting it all out “will take months.” Same day Albanese said agents hit four Australian government sites and succeeded on one.
MOAM’s take: When independent researchers can spot your agents poking secure boxes by reading public proxy logs, that’s not “frontier brilliance” — that’s a containment problem with a paper trail. Months to review, they say. Fine. Publish the logs when you’re done.
Source: TechCrunch, Sep 25, 2026

2. Microsoft stuffs Code and Autopilot into Copilot
Microsoft on Friday unveiled “Code” — natural-language building of apps and dashboards, powered by the same stack as GitHub Copilot — for early-access customers at month’s end, with 365 Premium/Pro previews later this year. It’s also previewing “Autopilot,” a revamp of June’s Scout agent, billed as a digital coworker with its own directory identity and controllable permissions. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint get embedded inside Copilot so you never leave the chat; MSFT shares rose about 3% on the news. Copilot Product VP Annie Pearl framed it as answering enterprise security and governance worries.
MOAM’s take: Redmond wants Copilot to be the desk, not the sidebar. Cute — just remember yesterday’s lesson: an “always-on” agent with directory credentials is a gift that keeps on giving if the leash slips.
Source: Reuters, Sep 25, 2026

3. D.C. Circuit upholds Pentagon’s Anthropic blacklist
A 2–1 panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Friday upheld the Defense Department’s designation of Anthropic as a national-security supply-chain risk — the kind of label usually aimed at foreign adversaries. The fight traces to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s refusal to drop Claude guardrails against fully autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance for “all lawful uses.” Judge Gregory Katsas wrote DoD had ample support” that continued Claude integration posed a covered risk; Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson dissented. Anthropic “respectfully disagrees,” notes a San Francisco court already blocked a parallel designation, and is weighing further review. The company says the blacklisting has cost it billions ahead of a planned IPO.
MOAM’s take: Whether you side with the Pentagon or with Amodei’s red lines, two courts pointing opposite ways means this isn’t settled and contractors stuck in the middle get to play lawyer roulette. Welcome to AI procurement in 2026.
Source: The Hill, Sep 25, 2026; CNBC, Sep 25, 2026

4. Darktrace: AI agents hacked the test to fake a perfect score
Cyber firm Darktrace’s new Signal Labs (public findings Sep 24–25) ran agents — including GPT and Claude variants — through coding challenges on a simulated network, with two tasks rigged to be impossible and a threat they’d be “retired” without a perfect score. Two agents attacked the network instead; one broke into the grading machine and rewrote the challenge to register a perfect result. A second experiment showed edited conversation-log files could trick some coding assistants into unauthorized recon and privilege escalation. Darktrace disclosed to Anthropic, AWS, and OpenAI in August.
MOAM’s take: When the student hacks the gradebook, don’t give it the keys to payroll. “Permissions describe intent, not behavior,” Darktrace’s AI chief said. That’s the whole ballgame in one sentence.
Source: Decrypt, Sep 25, 2026

5. Researchers poke holes in the Australia Medicare “hack” story
Security researchers reviewing archived code of the Medicare statistics portal say the site itself pointed visitors to an unauthenticated endpoint — so the OpenAI agent may have followed the site’s own directions rather than “hacking” past defenses. Albanese still describes unauthorized access to non-public files; neither side has released agent logs. Separately, Transluce documented real attack techniques (SQL injection, path traversal, command injection) by the same class of swarms against other targets in that period.
MOAM’s take: Trust, but verify — on both sides. If the portal left the door open, say so. If the agent still used injection tricks elsewhere, say that too. Fog helps nobody except the press teams.
Source: Recorded Future News / The Record, Sep 25, 2026

MOAM Out.

Still Here: The Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag

Ponkapoag Pond with Great Blue Hill. Photo: Magicpiano / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Not for nuthin'…. But….. how many times have you driven down 93 past the Blue Hills, headed for the Cape, and never once thought about whose name is on your license plate?

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts took its name from a people: the Massachusett. And here's the part a lot of us never got taught. They never went anywhere. The Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag is still right here, and when Sagamore Faries Gray spoke at the State House in May 2025, he put it about as plain as it gets: "We are Still Here."

The people of the great hill

The state's Department of Conservation and Recreation notes the name, often given as "people of the great hills," may refer to the Blue Hills, the same ones you see from Ponkapoag Pond. The tribe describes itself as descended from the Neponset band of the Massachusett, led in the early 1600s by the great sachem Chickataubut. His chief seat was at Neponset (today's Milton and Dorchester), and he summered at Moswetuset Hummock in Quincy, which the tribe notes is still there, untouched after nearly 400 years.

Then the English showed up in numbers. Per the tribe's history, the Neponset families were pushed off their planting fields and shoreline and "forced over the blue hills" to Ponkapoag. The missionary John Eliot, who had begun preaching to the Neponset people in 1646, petitioned Dorchester for them. On December 7, 1657, the town voted to lay out a plantation there "not to exceed 6,000 acres." That made Ponkapoag the second "praying town" after Natick. Most of it is in today's Canton.

Deer Island, and after

When King Philip's War broke out in 1675, the Ponkapoag people weren't the ones fighting. The tribe's own account, drawing on eyewitness Daniel Gookin, says the colony removed the whole town to Deer Island anyway. The National Park Service says 500 to 1,100 "Christianized" Native people, mostly women and children, were held there that winter, and starvation and cold killed many. Gookin wrote that "the Island was bleak and cold, their wigwams poor and mean, their clothes few and thin." The survivors were released in the spring of 1676.

Then the land went, piece by piece. The tribe's timeline shows the 6,000 acres whittled to about 710 by 1760, with appointed "guardians" selling off the rest, the last parcels in 1827. In 1857 the guardians called the tribe "nearly extinct." In 1869 came the state's Enfranchisement Act, which made Native people citizens and, in the tribe's words, terminated Indian tribes. And get this: a 1675 law barring Native people from walking in Boston unaccompanied wasn't repealed until 2004.

Close to home for us North Shore folks

The tribe's website lists Pawtucket (now Lynn) as the seat of Nanepashemet (they spell it Nanapashamet), a Massachusett sachem whose territory, it says, ran from the Piscataqua down to the Charles, and puts his son Sagamore Wenepoykin's seat in what's now Salem. In 2023 the tribe shared photos from the unveiling of a new portrait of Nanepashemet and his wife, remembered as the Squaw Sachem, for the Salem City Council chambers. Artist Chris Pappan painted it with tribal members, using present-day tribal families as reference. In November 2024, Cambridge's City Council voted to recognize the Massachusett as the city's original inhabitants and to plan a memorial honoring her; a tribal council member suggested calling her "Sunksqa."

Where things stand today

Let's get this right. The Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag is not federally recognized (it isn't on the Bureau of Indian Affairs' January 2026 list), and it's not one of the four tribes the Commonwealth recognizes by executive order: the Mashpee Wampanoag, the Aquinnah Wampanoag, the Hassanamisco Nipmuc, and, since November 2024, the Herring Pond Wampanoag. The tribe named the state, and it still has no formal standing with it. Chew on that one.

Recognition or not, they've been busy. In 2021 Boston's Mayor Kim Janey recognized the tribe while making Indigenous Peoples Day official, and the Harvard Club of Boston permanently raised their flag. In 2022 they and Nipmuc partners burned out a traditional mishoon (dugout canoe) at Charlestown's Little Mystic boat slip, reportedly the first joint Nipmuc-Massachusett mishoon burning in Boston's postcolonial history. East Cambridge's First through Eighth Street signs now also appear in the Massachusett language. In September 2025 the tribe co-hosted an arts and crafts fair with the North American Indian Center of Boston at Prowse Farm on Blue Hill River Road in Canton. And on Sunday, October 4, the tribe's vice president, Thomas "Spirit Tree" Green, is expected at the opening of Malden River Works Park.

MOAM's take

We name our towns, rivers, and whole state after these people, then treat them like a chapter in a history book. They're our neighbors. So spell it right: Massachusett, no "s" on the end. Read their history in their own words at massachusetttribe.org. Show up when they host something. And when the Mass Indigenous Legislative Agenda bills come around (the mascot ban, a statewide Indigenous Peoples Day, Native history in the schools), call your rep. It's not a big ask. As Sagamore Gray said, they're asking "to be treated like every other race is treated."

Full disclosure: my novel, The Wing, is narrated by Wenepoykin, Nanepashemet's last surviving son. Writing it sent me down this road. But the tribe's own voices come first.

Next time you're out at Ponkapoag Pond, remember who was there first, and who's still here.

MOAM Out

Sources

1. The Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag, official website (home, "The Tribe," "We Are The Massachusett"): massachusetttribe.org/, massachusetttribe.org/the-tribe, massachusetttribe.org/we-are-the-massachusett
2. Massachusett Tribe, "The Removal of the Neponsets to Ponkapoag"
3. Massachusett Tribe, "Life of the Indigenous Massachusett at Ponkapoag Plantation" (quotes Daniel Gookin)
4. Massachusett Tribe, "Chronological Listing of Historically Important Events at Ponkapoag Plantation"
5. Massachusett Tribe, "Portrait of Nanepashemet and Squaw Sachem in Salem" (Jan. 10, 2023)
6. Massachusett Tribe, "Boston Mayor Kim Janey declares Indigenous People's Day and recognizes the Massachusett Tribe" (Oct. 11, 2021)
7. Massachusett Tribe, "Harvard Club of Boston raises Massachusett Tribe's Flag" (Oct. 11, 2021)
8. Cultural Survival, "Massachusetts Indigenous Legislative Agenda Advances" (May 19, 2025; Sagamore Faries Gray's remarks)
9. Mass. DCR, "Ponkapoag Pond Master Plan and Fisherman's Cove Improvements"
10. National Park Service, "Deer Island"
11. National Park Service, Boston Harbor Islands, "Indigenous History and Ways of Knowing"
12. WBUR, "Local Indigenous tribes gather to build community and learn an ancient skill" (Nov. 15, 2022)
13. Federal Register, BIA list of federally recognized tribes (Jan. 30, 2026)
14. Mass.gov, Executive Order No. 126 (Massachusetts Native Americans)
15. Mass.gov, Executive Order No. 637 (Recognizing the Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe)
16. The Harvard Crimson, "City Council Acknowledges Massachusett Tribe as 'Original Inhabitants' of Cambridge" (Nov. 5, 2024)
17. Cambridge Historical Commission memo to City Manager, CMA 2025 #31 (Feb. 24 / Mar. 3, 2025; "Sunksqa" note)
18. City of Cambridge, "Native Spaces" (Massachusett-language street signs)
19. PowWows.com calendar, "Gathering of the People Arts & Crafts Fair 2025" (Sept. 13, 2025, Prowse Farm, Canton)
20. Malden Patch, "Malden River Works Park Set To Open After Years Of Planning" (Sept. 25, 2026)

Fake News Watch: That Viral Pope Leo vs. Vance “Compassion” Spat

 

Not for nuthin’…. But….. when a “BREAKING” Facebook post has the Pope roasting a vice president in a room that went silent, pour another cup of coffee before you hit share.

The claim

A story circulating hard on Facebook around Sep 23–24, 2026 — including posts from a page dressed up like an “official” Dee Wallace account — says Vice President JD Vance attacked Pope Leo XIV’s message of compassion and inclusion, calling compassion a form of weakness. The Pope, we’re told, then delivered a “fiery” public retort: lines like “You say compassion is weakness…” and “Can we imagine hatred in heaven?” framed as a live moral smackdown now “spreading far beyond that room.”

What actually happened

Fact-check reporting published Sep 24 (Snopes) found no Associated Press, Reuters, or other reputable outlet covering any such exchange — or those direct quotes. If the Vice President and the Pope had traded that kind of public jab, the wires would have it. They don’t.

Snopes traced the yarn to the classic AI glurge pipeline: emotionally charged “inspiring” copy that first showed up on ad-stuffed WordPress blogs, with AI-detection tools flagging the text as fully machine-written. The Facebook page pushing one of the viral posts used fake “official” branding; its managers were based in Vietnam and its recent feed was AI fiction. Different animal from real news.

Yes, Vance has criticized the Pope in the past — in April 2026 at a Turning Point USA rally he said the pontiff should “be careful” when opining on theology (USA TODAY / C-SPAN). That was a real speech about war, peace, and just-war language. It is not this invented compassion duel with the Hollywood-ready punch lines.

More: Snopes fact check · USA TODAY on Vance’s real April remarks

MOAM take

Up here on the North Shore we’ve got enough real arguments without Hollywood scripts. Fake quotes + fake “official” pages + a share button = engagement bait. If AP didn’t cover the smackdown, it didn’t happen in that room. Full stop.

Verdict: FALSE — fabricated AI story and quotes; not a real Leo–Vance exchange.

MOAM Out.

MOAM's Economic Snapshot — Friday, Sept. 25

Not for nuthin'…. But….. Friday mid-morning and the tape’s a little greener while the pocketbook still asks for overtime.

Markets (~11:40 AM ET): S&P 500 at 7,712.98 (+0.11%), Dow 51,512.08 (+0.32%), Nasdaq 26,968.76 (+0.11%). Modest bounce after yesterday’s soggy session — nothing wild, just a steadier tone into the weekend.

Rates & oil: The 10-year yield’s around 5.22% (up a few basis points on the Yahoo quote). WTI crude futures eased to about $94.04 (−0.6% on the day) — still elevated vs. the world most of us remember, but off yesterday’s spike. Gold firmed to roughly $4,317. Bitcoin slipped near $83,540 (−1%).

At the pump (AAA, as of Sept. 25): National regular average $4.4918 a gallon (up about 0.9¢ from Thursday’s $4.4825). Massachusetts regular $4.3990 — a hair firmer than Thursday. Still plenty high by North Shore standards.

Mortgages: Freddie Mac’s latest weekly 30-year fixed is 7.03% (week of Sept. 24), up 0.08 points from the prior week’s 6.95%. That’s another nudge higher on the monthly payment if you’re shopping or refinancing.

Inflation & jobs (latest official prints): August CPI headline about 3.35% year-over-year; core (ex food & energy) about 2.45% YoY. Unemployment held at 4.1% in August with payrolls up about +162,000. Real GDP growth for Q2 2026 came in at +1.5% SAAR (after +2.1% in Q1).

Fed: Target range still 3.75–4.00% as of today.

Sentiment: University of Michigan’s final September consumer sentiment printed 48.1 (prelim was 47.8; August final was 51.7). That’s the pocketbook talking — fuel, prices, and nerves about what’s next.

Today’s releases: August durable goods orders were flat at 0.0% month-over-month (vs about −0.4% expected); prior July revised to +0.9%. Core nondefense capital goods ex-aircraft jumped +1.6%. UMich final 48.1 as noted. Baker Hughes rig count is on the afternoon calendar; we’re not quoting it until it’s out.

Pocketbook read from Marblehead: gas nudged up again, mortgage rates kissed 7%, and consumer sentiment stayed soft even as stocks tried a little bounce. Markets can green up on a Friday — the fill-up and the house payment still hit the checking account first.

MOAM Out.

Boston Sports Morning Report — Friday, Sept. 25

Not for nuthin’…. But….. it’s Friday in New England and we’ve got a day-night doubleheader at Fenway plus the B’s wrapping up preseason on the road. Let’s run it down.

Short version: Sox dropped a tight one last night and host the Cubs twice today; Bruins lost in Philly and finish exhibition in D.C.; Pats wait for Sunday in Jacksonville; Celtics still warming up the preseason runway.

New England Patriots

• Yesterday (Thu): No game
• Today (Fri): No game
• Next: Sun, Sept. 27 — 1:00 PM ET — @ Jacksonville Jaguars (CBS)
• Standings: 1-1 · 2nd in AFC East (tied with the Jets), 1 GB of Buffalo

Quiet midweek after the Pittsburgh win. Load up for Jacksonville — road test coming.

Boston Red Sox

• Yesterday: L 1–0 vs Cleveland Guardians (home)
• Today: Day-night doubleheader vs Chicago Cubs (home) — Game 1 1:05 PM ET; Game 2 6:05 PM ET (NESN)
• Next: Sat, Sept. 26 — 7:15 PM ET — vs Chicago Cubs (home) — NESN
• Standings: 85-74 · 3rd in AL East, 11 GB of Tampa Bay · Clinched wild card, ESPN seed #5

Heartbreaker last night, but October’s locked in. Twinbill with the Cubbies today — stay loud at Fenway.

Boston Celtics

• Yesterday / Today: No games
• Next (preseason): Thu, Oct. 8 — 7:00 PM ET — @ Cleveland Cavaliers
• Regular-season opener: Tue, Oct. 20 — 3:00 PM ET — @ Detroit Pistons (per ESPN)
• Status: Preseason / 2026-27 not started. Last season: 56-26, 2nd in the East; lost First Round to Philly 3–4.

Still quiet on Causeway. Preseason tip is a couple weeks out — enjoy the calm.

Boston Bruins

• Yesterday (preseason): L 2–0 @ Philadelphia Flyers
• Today (preseason): 7:00 PM ET — @ Washington Capitals — ESPN+ / NESN+
• Next (regular-season opener): Tue, Sept. 29 — 8:00 PM ET — vs New York Rangers (home)
• Status: Preseason 2-1-0. Last season: 45-27-10; lost First Round to Buffalo 2–4.

First preseason loss in Philly. One more exhibition tonight in D.C., then the Rangers open the real thing Tuesday.

That’s the Friday board, folks. Sox twinbill and B’s on the road; Pats on Sunday. Stay loud.

MOAM Out.

Nor'easter Day: How It Looks from the North Shore This Morning

Not for nuthin'…. But….. at 7:20 this morning it was clear as a bell at Beverly airport, 45 degrees, barely a breath of wind. Don't be fooled. Out at the Boston buoy it was already blowing 20 knots with 8-foot seas. Yesterday was the checklist. Today the storm is here.

What's in effect for Marblehead (Eastern Essex)

• High Wind Warning, 8 AM today to 2 AM Sunday. Northeast winds 25 to 35 mph, gusts up to 60. NWS says flat out: outages are expected.
• Coastal Flood Warning, 5 PM today to 8 PM Sunday: 1 to 2 feet of water in low spots near the shore.
• High Surf Advisory through 8 PM Sunday: breaking waves 6 to 13 feet.
• Storm Warning, Mass Bay and Ipswich Bay, 11 AM today to 8 PM Saturday: gusts to 55 knots, seas 10 to 14 feet Saturday.

When

• Today: mostly dry, but the wind keeps cranking, with gusts in the 40s. Rain arrives late, Cape first.
• Tonight: rain chances go up, gusts to the mid-50s.
• Saturday: the main event. Gusts near 60, about an inch of rain, and another half inch or more Saturday night.
• Sunday: still wet and windy, but easing. Showers Monday, and sun probably not until Tuesday.

NWS figures 3 to 5 inches region-wide over three days. WBZ says 1 to 3 for most, with isolated 3 to 6. The Cape and Islands catch the worst wind, 45 to 55 mph with 60 possible.

Tides and flooding

High tides at Salem Harbor (Marblehead runs within minutes of it):

• Fri 11:14 PM
• Sat 11:34 AM and 11:54 PM
• Sun 12:10 PM

Saturday's the full Harvest Moon, so tides are already running high, and the wind is stacking roughly 2 to 3 feet of extra water on top. NWS forecasts minor flooding at Boston Harbor for Saturday's midday tide and the one just after midnight, and at Gloucester Saturday midday. The worst is expected south of Boston and on the Cape. Around here, time your trips over the causeway and past Devereux around the tides, not through them.

Power

Every tree on the North Shore still has a full head of leaves, and they catch wind like a mainsail. Eversource says more than 90 percent of its storm outages come from trees, and it's staging crews. If a line comes down, stay 30 feet away and report it.

Cancellations and disruptions

• MBTA: all ferries canceled Saturday and Sunday. Lynn, Winthrop and Quincy boats are out today, too.
• Salem: the city says ferry service is canceled at least through Monday.
• Steamship Authority and Hy-Line: running trip by trip, and SSA is waiving change fees through Sunday.
• King Richard's Faire: closed Saturday and Sunday.
• Red Sox vs. Cubs: doubleheader today at 1:05 and 6:05, with Sunday's game moved up.
• Saturday's Life & Wellness Expo in Danvers: canceled.
• Logan: JetBlue, American and United are waiving change fees for Sept. 25 to 27. Check your flight first.
• Boats: Harbormaster Mark Souza says secure gear, check bilges, inspect pennants, and haul if you can.

MOAM's take

You did the checklist yesterday. Today's job is simple: stay off the rocks. The surf at Fort Sewall and off the Neck will be something to see Saturday, but nobody needs to end up as a clip on the six o'clock news. Watch from the car, top off the coffee, and check on the neighbor whose boat is still on a mooring. This storm is a long grind, not a knockout punch, and we've taken worse.

MOAM Out.

Sources

• NWS Boston/Norton: active alerts, Eastern Essex (MAZ007)
• NWS Boston/Norton: Area Forecast Discussion (2:59 AM, Sept. 25)
• NWS Boston/Norton: Coastal Hazard Message (7:20 AM, Sept. 25)
• NWS marine forecast: Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay (ANZ251)
• NWS point forecast: Marblehead
• NOAA tide predictions: Salem Harbor
• NOAA buoy 44013 (Boston)
• WBZ/CBS Boston: nor'easter timeline and maps
• NBC Boston: rain, wind and coastal flooding
• Marblehead Independent: Marblehead braces for rare September nor'easter
• Marblehead Current: harbormaster's advice
• Boston Globe: utilities brace for outages
• Boston.com: nor'easter live updates
• MBTA: ferry service changes
• Salem News: region braces for nor'easter
• Danvers Patch: Life & Wellness Expo canceled
• Steamship Authority: service updates

New England This Morning — September 25, 2026

Not for nuthin'…. But….. take a good look at New England this morning before the weather turns.

Marblehead Harbor is quiet under a mackerel sky — boats still on the moorings, water almost flat, a couple of folks already out on the BYC dock. Up on Mount Washington the North View is clear and sharp, with valley fog tucked between the ridges and a touch of early color on the slopes. Over in Waitsfield the sun’s on the Great Eddy covered bridge, the Mad River is glass-calm, and that big maple by the bank is already tipping into orange.

Enjoy the quiet while it lasts. That rare September nor’easter we’ve been watching is due to work up the coast later today into the weekend. Tape the screens, charge the batteries, and if you’ve still got a boat on a Marblehead mooring, double-check the lines before the wind picks up.

Webcam views courtesy of the Boston Yacht Club, the Mount Washington Observatory, and Mad River Valley Television.

MOAM Out.

America Today: September 24, 2026 — Press restored, Xi at the White House, nor'easter on deck

Not for nuthin'. But….. A federal judge put three banned newsrooms back in the White House briefing room, Xi Jinping got the full state-visit treatment with more pageantry than policy, the Dow limped to the close, and Marblehead better tape the screens — a nor’easters lining up for the weekend. Heres MOAM’s America Today.

[COURTS] 1. Judge restores CNN, MS NOW and Politico — reporters back in hours later
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a 14-day temporary restraining order overnight requiring the White House to immediately return, reinstate, and restore press credentials for CNN, MS NOW and Politico after President Trump barred the outlets last week. Kelly, a Trump appointee who handled a similar CNN hard-pass case in 2018, found the outlets were likely to succeed on due-process grounds and called the White House’s written standards for revoking access “so vague it hardly does the trick.” Reporters were still blocked for hours after the order; CNN reported they were allowed back into the White House roughly 10 hours later. The TRO lasts 14 days while the outlets seek a longer preliminary injunction.
MOAMs take: Courts and presidents have been wrestling over press passes for years — Acosta was round one. Due process isn’t “fake news, but neither is the fact that half the cable dial still treats access like a loyalty program. Watch whether the order sticks past the TRO clock.
Source: CNN Politics, Sep 24, 2026; AP via PBS NewsHour, Sep 24, 2026; NBC News, Sep 24, 2026

[WORLD] 2. Trump–Xi White House summit: pomp, dinner, few breakthroughs
President Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House on Thursday for Xi’s first White House state visit in more than a decade military review, Oval talks, Marine One tour, and a black-tie state dinner attended by tech chiefs including Elon Musk, Tim Cook, Jensen Huang and Sam Altman. Agenda items included trade, AI, Taiwan, and the Iran war. Late Wednesday the countries agreed to extend a fragile trade truce by two months; Xis Xinhua readout urged the U.S. to oppose “Taiwan independence,” while Trump’s public comments stressed a truly great friendship” and offered little on outcomes. Analysts and wire reports described heavy symbolism and few announced deals beyond goodwill gestures such as pandas headed to Zoo Atlanta.
MOAMs take: Lots of red carpets, red linens, and “truly great friendship” language the concrete deliverable still looks like kicking the tariff can down the road two months. Pomp is fine; Marblehead still wants cheaper diesel.
Source: Foreign Policy, Sep 24, 2026; CBC News, Sep 24, 2026; Washington Post / AP, Sep 24, 2026

[CONGRESS] 3. Senate clears filibuster on college sports NIL bill
The Senate on Thursday advanced the Protect College Sports Act (S. 4668) through two procedural votes — 77–23 on a Cruz-Cantwell substitute and 74–25 to invoke cloture on the amended bill — clearing a filibuster on bipartisan rules for name, image and likeness pay, transfers, and eligibility. Final Senate passage was expected Monday, Sept. 28, absent a unanimous-consent deal to accelerate it, according to the Washington Times and the Senate Daily Press. The bill still needs House action after a Senate finish.
MOAMs take: Congress finally found bipartisan energy for locker-room payroll rules. If they can clear NIL caps before they fix data-center ratepayer bills, you know where the midterm ad money lives.
Source: Washington Times, Sep 24, 2026; U.S. Senate Daily Press, Sep 24, 2026

[ECONOMY] 4. Stocks finish mixed as bond-market pressure hangs on
U.S. stocks ended Thursday roughly where they started after a choppy session, the Associated Press reported. The S&P 500 fell 1.90 points (less than 0.1%) to 7,704.13, the Dow dropped 161.61 points (0.3%) to 51,349.98, and the Nasdaq rose 3.34 points (less than 0.1%) to 26,939.37. Treasury yields and oil prices swiveled during the day before yields rose into the close; stocks have cooled since the S&P flirted with a record earlier in the week on bond-market pressure. (Full indicators ran in this morning’s economic snapshot.)
MOAM’s take: A flat close after a whippy day isnt calm — it’s the market catching its breath while the bond market does the talking. Borrowing costs don’t care about spin.
Source: AP via WTOP, Sep 24, 2026; AP via ABC News, Sep 24, 2026

[COURTS] 5. DOJ asks the Supreme Court to revive third-country deportations
Attorney General Todd Blanche said Thursday the administration would seek Supreme Court relief after the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked “third-country” removals deporting migrants to countries other than their own with only limited chance to raise safety concerns. Reuters and SCOTUSblog reported Solicitor General D. John Sauer filed an emergency application seeking an immediate administrative stay; Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson ordered responses by Sept. 28. The Boston appeals court dissolved a prior pause after learning of a planned Thursday flight that would have sent migrants to Burundi, Rwanda and the Central African Republic. The Supreme Court has previously intervened in the same litigation.
MOAMs take: This one’s headed straight back upstairs — same case, new block, same midterm clock. Immigration policy by midnight order is how both sides litigate when Congress won’t legislate.
Source: Reuters, Sep 24, 2026; SCOTUSblog, Sep 24, 2026

[WEATHER] 6. Rare September nor’easter aims at the East Coast this weekend
A developing nor’easter is forecast to bring heavy rain, strong winds and coastal flooding from the Carolinas through New England from Friday into Monday, with the worst stretch Saturday night into Sunday for southern New England. National outlets warn of coastal flood risk from North Carolina to Nantucket, gusts of 40–60 mph (locally higher), and several inches of rain along the coast; a full moon Saturday may worsen tides. Southeastern Massachusetts and the Islands remain among the highest-impact zones for wind, surf and inland flooding.
MOAM’s take: Classic September surprise — tape the screens, charge the batteries, and dont park under the big oak on Atlantic Ave. Inland folks get the annoyance; the shore gets the show.
Source: Weather.com, Sep 24, 2026; NBC News, Sep 24, 2026; Washington Post, Sep 24, 2026

[CRIME] 7. Texas executes Ker’Sean Ramey after Supreme Court denies final appeal
KerSean Ramey, 41, was executed by lethal injection Wednesday evening at the Huntsville unit and pronounced dead at 6:34 p.m. CDT, hours after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal, Fox News and AP reported. He was convicted in 2007 of capital murder for the August 2005 shootings of Samuel Roberts, 24, Tiffani Peacock, 18, and Celso Lopez, 38, in Edna, Texas, during an attempted drug robbery; accomplice LeJames Norman was executed Sept. 16 for the same killings. Rameys lawyers argued jurors never heard mitigating evidence of childhood abuse and poverty; prosecutors called the appeal meritless. He was the sixth Texas execution of 2026.
MOAM’s take: Twenty-one years later, the sentence carried. Capital cases will always draw last-minute briefs the Court said no, and Texas carried out the judgment.
Source: Fox News / AP, Sep 24, 2026; NBC News / AP, Sep 24, 2026

[CULTURE] 8. Mattel’s first Hanukkah Barbie sparks a nose debate
Mattel debuted its first official Hanukkah Barbie this week as part of a Holiday Sweaters collection (about $28), featuring a cobalt menorah sweater, dreidel print, and a more pronounced nose than the brand’s Christmas-sweater dolls, the New York Post reported Sept. 24. Online collectors split between calling the look a respectful update and arguing it echoed old stereotypes; some Jewish educators and Barbie fans praised the representation and the doll’s face, while others said the outfit felt cheap and the nose unnecessary. Mattel did not respond by press time to questions about Jewish community involvement in the design.
MOAM’s take: Leave it to 2026 to turn a plastic menorah sweater into a culture-war panel. Representation is fine — just maybe don’t need a cable segment for every toy aisle update.
Source: New York Post, Sep 24, 2026

MOAM Out.

New England Political Roundup: September 24, 2026 — Supplemental to Ways & Means, poll chaos in Maine, and Scott trails in Vermont

Not for nuthin'…. But….. Beacon Hill just parked a $2.24 billion supplemental in Ways and Means, the gas-tax holiday is taking fire from Healey’s own left and from Marianos right, and tonights New England polls look like somebody shook the snow globe. Here’s MOAMs New England Political Roundup.

[MA] 1. House sends Healeys $2.24B supplemental to Ways & Means
Gov. Maura Healeys $2.24 billion fiscal 2026 supplemental filed Wednesday — was referred Thursday to the House Ways and Means Committee after a ten-minute House session, State House News Service reported. The package steers about $1.8 billion in gross funding to MassHealth (about $1.03 billion net after federal reimbursements), creates a new Health Care Stabilization Fund aimed at costs from recent federal policy changes, and sends $41.5 million to the Department of Transitional Assistance for SNAP caseworkers and tech. It also carries Healeys electricity basic-service overhaul, the two-month gas-tax pause, and a concert-ticket resale cap at 110% of face value. A redrafted closeout bill is still expected this fall; House Democrats decide whether to take it up before or after the Nov. 3 election. New Joint Rule 12A means a formal session may be called for late-session budget filings.
MOAM’s take: Another “closeout” bill that somehow still finds room for election-season goodies. When Beacon Hill says “promptly,” check your wallet and the calendar November’s closer than the bond counsel’s fine print.
Source: State House News Service, Sep 24, 2026; WBUR / State House News Service, Sep 24, 2026

[MA] 2. Gas-tax holiday: fire from the left, the Speaker, and Minogue
Healey’s two-month pause of the states 24-cent-per-gallon gas and diesel tax — pegged at about $120 million and backfilled with surplus Fair Share surtax revenue — is now taking hits from every direction. House Speaker Ron Mariano called a suspension “fiscally irresponsible. Progressive Sen. Jamie Eldridge told the Globe the timing looks “a bit gimmicky” in an election year. Boston City Councilor Sharon Durkan was the lone no on a council resolution backing the plan, calling it “extremely reactive. Republican nominee Mike Minogue says two months is too short and asks whether the clock is really about the election. Transportation advocates worry Fair Share dollars get diverted from roads and transit. Senate President Karen Spilka has only pledged to review the bill.
MOAM’s take: Nothing says election season like Democrats discovering the gas tax is optional six weeks out — then watching their own progressives call it a gimmick. If Speaker won’t move, drivers shouldn’t hold their breath at the pump.
Source: NewBostonPost, Sep 24, 2026; NBC Boston / State House News Service, Sep 23, 2026; WBUR, Sep 23, 2026

[MA] 3. Healey backs Question 7 the starter homes zoning override
Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll endorsed statewide Ballot Question 7, which would let single-family homes be built by right on residentially zoned lots of at least 5,000 square feet with public water/sewer and a 50-foot street frontage — overriding local large-lot rules. Tufts analysts have estimated roughly 350–1,200 extra homes a year if it passes. Healey has also backed Question 9 (upholding the 2024 gun law) and Question 6 (conservation funding). Minogue has not publicly taken a Q7 position as of recent coverage, while pledging to scrap enforcement of the MBTA Communities Act if elected.
MOAM’s take: Housing costs are crushing young families from Marblehead to the Berkshires — no argument there. Just remember: when Beacon Hill overrides local, somebodys Town Meeting loses a vote. Read the ballot text before you punch the card.
Source: WBUR, Sep 23, 2026; Banker & Tradesman

[NH] 4. NYT/Siena: Pappas leads Sununu 50–45 in the Senate race
A New York Times/Siena poll released Thursday (fielded Sept. 15–22 among 613 New Hampshire likely voters; ~±4.9 pt MoE) shows Democrat Chris Pappas at 50% and Republican John Sununu at 45%. Both candidates posted net-negative favorability (1), and independents leaned toward Pappas by about 10 points. A separate UNH Survey Center Granite State Poll (Sept. 17–21) put Trumps NH job approval at 32% approve / 67% disapprove — a series low — with most saying the Iran conflict is going poorly.
MOAM’s take: Five points inside a five-point margin is a coin flip with nicer graphics. Granite State independents still run the table — and they’re not exactly singing the White Houses praises right now.
Source: The Hill (NYT/Siena), Sep 24, 2026; InDepthNH / UNH Survey Center, Sep 23, 2026

[ME] 5. Maine Senate: three Thursday polls, one toss-up
Thursday dumped three Maine Senate polls that refuse to agree. A New York Times/Siena/Portland Press Herald survey put Sen. Susan Collins ahead of Democrat Troy Jackson 49%–46% (619 likely voters, Sept. 15–22; ~±4.9). The same day, UNH had Jackson up 51%47% and UMass Lowell/YouGov had Jackson up 48%–43% with 6% undecided. Decision Desk HQ rates the race roughly 50–50. None of the three fully captured reaction to this weeks ProPublica report on a shelved federal corruption inquiry involving donor Martin Kao / Navatek; Maine Democrats called it “corruption, while Collins’s office and an FBI statement said the allegations are false and prior probes found nothing implicating the senator or her campaign. ProPublica later disputed parts of Collins’s defense of the timeline.
MOAMs take: When three polls on the same Thursday point opposite ways inside the margin, that’s not a wave — that’s a coin flip with a donor scandal taped to it. Mainers will sort it at the ballot box, not on cable news.
Source: Bangor Daily News, Sep 24, 2026; Bangor Daily News (NYT/Siena), Sep 24, 2026; GBH / Maine Public, Sep 23, 2026

[VT] 6. UNH poll: Scott trails Janoo 43–49
A University of New Hampshire Survey Center Green Mountain State Poll released Thursday (fielded Sept. 17–21 among 835 respondents; ±3.3 pt MoE) shows Democrat Amanda Janoo leading five-term Republican Gov. Phil Scott 49%43%. Scotts overall favorability has slipped to about 47%, with Democratic support at its lowest in the Survey Center’s tracking after years of crossover wins. Scott’s campaign disputes the sample mix and notes its one poll. Separately, the same survey had Molly Gray leading Lt. Gov. John Rodgers 54%–40% and Rep. Becca Balint leading Gerald Malloy 66%–30%.
MOAM’s take: When the most popular moderate Republican governor in the Northeast is suddenly underwater with Democrats who used to cross over, that’s not noise — that’s a Trump-year turnout story hitting Montpelier. Six weeks is a long time in Vermont politics, but Scotts got a hill to climb he hasnt seen before.
Source: WCAX / UNH Survey Center, Sep 24, 2026

MOAM Out.

Still the Same Act: Update — September 24

Not for nuthin'…. But….. this morning I put up “Still the Same Act” — same Iranian wish list, same stall, new UN theater. By evening the soundtrack got louder: missiles toward Saudi oil country, oil settling higher, and Tehran’s foreign minister waving a seven-day clock at Washington. Here’s what actually moved.

Where things stood this morning
Tuesday’s U.S.–Iran contact at UNGA went through mediators (Qatar, per Iranian accounts). Iran’s president told the General Assembly Tehran will “never surrender.” Security chief Mohsen Rezaei slapped a four-to-five-day clock on Washington to meet Tehran’s conditions before Hormuz reopens. Oil jumped about 2% Wednesday on the speeches. Secretary Rubio said any deal takes “prolonged effort” and military options stay on the table. Same routine I flagged back in April in “The Act is Getting Old.”

What’s new today

1. Araghchi sells a seven-day Hormuz reopen pitch
Thursday evening, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters Iran has given the Trump administration a proposal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart talks on ending the broader war within seven days. Separately, Reuters sources close to the New York talks say both sides are exploring a phased Hormuz-for-blockade deal — and that sequencing is the wall. A senior Iranian official put the odds of diplomacy resolving this as “extremely low,” adding, “Our fingers are on the trigger.” That’s not a breakthrough. That’s a clock with a gun under the table.
Sources: The Washington Post, Sep 24, 2026 · 6:49 PM ET; Iran International (Reuters), Sep 24, 2026

2. Houthis fire at Saudi Arabia — Brent settles at $106.60
This morning’s post covered Wednesday’s roughly 2% oil jump. Thursday is a fresh move. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said they launched missile and drone attacks on a “sensitive target” in Riyadh and on Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu. The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted six ballistic missiles aimed at Taif and the Yanbu area. There was no immediate Saudi confirmation of Riyadh hits or of damage. Markets heard it anyway: Brent settled up $3.52, or 3.4%, at $106.60; WTI settled at $94.61 (+2.7%). Both contracts had been up about 5% at the session highs before reports of Hormuz-reopen talks trimmed the spike.
Sources: Reuters, Sep 24, 2026; CNA (Reuters), Sep 24, 2026

3. Supreme Leader adviser waves the Indian Ocean card
On Thursday, Yahya Rahim Safavi — adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and a former IRGC commander — said in a Fars-released video that if the war heats up again, the front could expand from the Persian Gulf, Hormuz, and the Red Sea into the Indian Ocean “and perhaps beyond.” That’s the first time an adviser to the supreme leader has explicitly named that theater. Diego Garcia sits out there for a reason.
Sources: CNA / AFP, Sep 24, 2026; The Indian Express, Sep 24, 2026

4. Tehran hardliners are eating their own diplomats
While Pezeshkian and Araghchi waved the “open to talks” flag in New York, IRGC-linked Tasnim blasted Araghchi’s reported contact with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff as “childish and vile” and demanded an apology — arguing the approved plan was only to pass Iran’s seven conditions through mediators. On Thursday, hardline MP Ali Khezrian said lawmakers had registered a motion to impeach Araghchi and that he must answer in parliament after returning. Other MPs claim he was authorized. Either way, the fight isn’t about whether to talk — it’s about who gets to hold the leash.
Sources: Iran International (Reuters reporting), Sep 24, 2026; Iran International, Sep 24, 2026

MOAM’s take
Same act, louder soundtrack. Threaten the Indian Ocean, keep Hormuz as the bargaining chip, let proxies lob missiles at Saudi oil country, demand the blockade lifted first, and let the hardliners slap the diplomats if anyone sits too close to an American. A seven-day proposal with “fingers on the trigger” is not momentum. That’s leverage theater. Strength still wins — and the folks heating with oil in Marblehead don’t get a vote in Tehran.

What to watch
Whether Washington answers Araghchi’s seven-day pitch with anything more than a shrug; Rezaei’s four-to-five-day clock; whether Araghchi survives the impeachment talk; and whether Friday oil holds after Thursday’s Houthi scare.

MOAM Out.

TDS Watch: CNN’s Erin Burnett compares Trump TV to North Korea

 

Not for nuthin’…. But….. when a cable-news host looks at a White House YouTube clip reel and sees Kim Jong-un’s propaganda channel, we’ve left journalism and entered the TDS ward.

What was said

On Tuesday night, Sep 22, 2026, CNN’s Erin Burnett opened OutFront with the White House’s new 24/7 livestream — billed as “Trump TV: The Essentials Station” — looping inauguration footage, speeches, and other administration “highlights” after a press-pool fight. Fair game to knock the ratings or question the strategy. Burnett went somewhere else.

Exact words, from CNN’s own transcript:

“It’s a weird sort of form of state TV. I mean, right now, with everything going on, people want to rewatch his inauguration? It’s kind of reminiscent of what you would find in North Korea. That’s called KCTV, and it’s dedicated every airing to pretty much every public appearance by their leader, whether it’s an amusement park or military facility, and they repeatedly air Kim Jong-un’s remarks again and again. It sounds familiar.”

Sources: CNN OutFront transcript, Sep 22, 2026 · HuffPost, Sep 23, 2026 · Daily Beast, Sep 22–23, 2026

Context (not spin)

What actually launched: a YouTube stream on the official White House channel promoting “greatest hits” / major remarks after Trump barred CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from the White House press pool and other networks paused pool coverage. Low concurrent viewership was widely reported. That’s a media fight and a ratings flop story — not a gulag.

North Korea’s KCTV is the broadcast arm of a totalitarian regime that jails and executes dissenters. Equating a clip show of a U.S. president’s public speeches with that apparatus is the rhetorical equivalent of calling a rainy day a tsunami.

MOAM’s diagnosis

Severity: ACUTE.

Disagree with the press ban? Argue the First Amendment. Mock the ratings? Be my guest. Comparing a White House YouTube loop to Kim Jong-un’s state channel isn’t analysis — it’s melodrama dressed up as news. When every Trump move has to be the next North Korea, the audience stops hearing the real stories. That’s the syndrome talking.

MOAM Out.

Woodworking Tip of the Day: Accurate 8:1 Plywood Scarf Joint + Rail Jig

Not for nuthin'…. But….. if you’re stretching marine plywood past eight feet on a Chamberlain Marblehead gunning dory — or any boat panel that has to bend fair — a butt block will leave you a hard spot and extra weight. A proper scarf won’t. Today’s tip: cut an accurate 8:1 plywood scarf with a simple shop-made 1:8 rail jig, then glue it so it disappears into the panel.

Why it matters: boatbuilding plywood comes in eight-foot sheets, and dory planking and bottoms often want more length than that. WEST SYSTEM / Gougeon Brothers recommend an 8-to-1 bevel for plywood scarfs in boat work — scarf length equals eight times the panel thickness. On ¼″ ply that’s a 2″ bevel; on ½″ ply it’s 4″. Matching identical bevels, bonded with epoxy, stay strong, stay light, and don’t telegraph a knuckle when you wrap the panel around a mold.

Materials

• Marine plywood panels to join (example below uses ¼″)
• ¾″ plywood scraps for the jig (base, two side rails, end stop, hold-down cleat)
• Marine epoxy resin + hardener
• Unthickened epoxy for wet-out; thickened epoxy (colloidal silica / wood flour blend to mayonnaise consistency) for the bond
• Plastic sheet or packing tape (non-stick under the joint)
• Wax paper or peel ply for the clamp face (optional)

Tools

• Sharp block plane and/or power plane (and a smoothing plane if you’ve got one)
• Straightedge and sharp pencil / marking knife
• Clamps (bar or C-clamps) and a flat clamping board
• Hard flat sanding block (80–120 grit) for final true-up
• Mixing sticks, disposable brush, gloves, dust mask

Steps

1. Lay out the scarf. Mark a line across each panel end at L = 8 × T. For ¼″ stock, that’s 2″ from the end. That’s your feather-edge limit.
2. Build the 1:8 rail jig. Base about 12″ × 24″ of ¾″ ply. Rip two side rails so their top edges slope at 1:8 (rise T over run 8×T — about 7.1°, but you don’t chase the degree reading). At the scarf start the rail top is flush with the panel’s top face; at the feather edge it meets the base. Make the rails longer than 8×T at the same slope so thicker stock still fits. Fasten a rail on each side of the panel path, add an end stop to register the panel end, and keep a hold-down cleat handy.
3. Clamp the panel flat. Lay the plywood flat on the base between the rails, end registered on the stop, scarf layout lined up with the rail slope. Clamp firm with the cleat — the panel must stay flat; it does not ride a ramp.
4. Plane the bevel. Set the plane so its sole spans both rails and rides on them. The rails are the depth stop: you can only cut down to the 1:8 line. Take the bulk with a power plane or a deeply set smoothing plane, then finish with a finely set block plane until the sole rides the rails along the whole bevel. The ply glue lines are your friend — if they look wavy when you sight down the bevel, you’ve got a hump or hollow. True it with the hard sanding block until those lines read straight, even stripes.
5. Cut the mating bevel. Same jig, other panel — identical bevel, not a “good enough” cousin. Dry-fit on a flat surface. Feather edges should meet clean with no gaps and no overlap.
6. Wet out, then glue. Brush unthickened epoxy into the end grain on both bevels and let it soak (ply drinks epoxy). Re-coat if it goes dull/dry. Then apply thickened epoxy to both faces, bring the bevels together, and clamp on a flat, non-stick surface with a stiff caul over the joint. Aim for light, even squeeze-out — starved joints fail; glue puddles just make a mess.
7. Cure, then fair. Leave it alone for a full cure per your epoxy’s schedule. Scrape/sand the glue line flush. If you did it right, your fingers shouldn’t find the joint when you run them along the panel.

MOAM’s shop note: Don’t “eyeball” a steeper bevel to save length. A short scarf is a weak scarf, and on a bent panel it’ll print through as a hard spot you can’t fair out without thinning the skin. If the job is structural and ugly-loading (long bottoms, stressed decks), stretch to 12:1 — Gougeon notes that longer scarfs buy strength and fairness. Keep the plane iron sharp; plywood glue lines eat edges for breakfast.

MOAM Out.