September 11: Trump’s Midterm Pledge and Hong Kong Tiananmen Vigil Sentences

At the Republican convention President Trump closed the Republican midterm convention in Dallas by asking attendees to raise their right hands and pledge to vote in November. He cast the appeal as a pledge to what he called the greatest president in history. Vice President JD Vance also used the gathering to attack Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, who is running against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton for the seat held by John Cornyn. In Algeria and the UAE Algeria has cut diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates and closed its airspace to Emirati civilian and military aircraft, accusing the UAE of provocative and hostile acts. Commercial flights to Algiers are exempt through the end of 2026. In Hong Kong Pro-democracy activists Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan have each been sentenced to seven years in prison under Hong Kong’s national security law. Their convictions for incitement to subversion centered on organizing the city’s annual vigil commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, an event authorities have effectively extinguished along with much of the city’s public dissent. In South Korea South Korea has introduced a real-time stalking tracking system for survivors, who can use an app to see a suspected stalker’s location. A Seoul control center monitors cases, can alert survivors when a stalker appears to be approaching, and can dispatch police. The program targets a crime that disproportionately affects women. In AI security Anthropic says it blocked attempts to use its AI systems in ways that could support biological-weapons development. The company disclosed the cases in a threat-intelligence report, adding to broader concerns over how rapidly advancing AI tools can be misused. In federal court The Sixth Circuit has ruled that federal courts cannot enforce a marijuana supply contract, overturning a $31.8 million award to Michigan grower Hello Farms. Michigan permits the business, but marijuana remains illegal under federal law, leaving state-legal cannabis companies with fewer options when commercial deals collapse.