Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News,
Another week, another historic church reduced to smoke, rubble. The former Saint Agnes Church on Martha Avenue in Toledo, Ohio went up early Saturday morning. The 116-year-old landmark's steeple came down. The roof burned out. Nearby homes were evacuated. Once again the cause is listed as currently unknown.
Toledo Fire & Rescue was called around 6:30 a.m. Saturday after reports of heavy black smoke pouring from the roof of the vacant church in the Five Points neighborhood. Crews arrived to find the building already heavily engulfed.
Officials warned of collapse risk and alerted people in surrounding homes. The steeple later fell. By Saturday afternoon excavators were tearing the ruined structure down.
TODAY ? The steeple of the former Saint Agnes Church on Martha Avenue in Toledo, Ohio, burned down.
In America, churches are burned or destroyed, while mosques are not. pic.twitter.com/2n20ae0FcO
Saint Agnes opened in 1910. It was among 29 parishes closed or merged by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo in 2005. The parochial school shut the same year. The diocese no longer owns the property. A charter school now occupies the old school building next door and reported only minor smoke, water, and a cracked window.
One neighbor told local television: "About 6:45 we heard fire trucks and I peeked out my window and it literally looked like the whole street was on fire."
BREAKING: 116-year-old historic church just went up in flames in Toledo, OH
Another "cause unknown" church fire
I'm sure it's just a "coincidence" pic.twitter.com/f3ojltC6Gc
Investigators in Toledo have not named a suspect, a motive, or even a cause. Vacant churches do burn by accident. They also burn because someone wants them gone. The public is asked, week after week, to accept "unknown" as the last word while the buildings keep falling.
In the U.S. hostility against churches has jumped to hundreds of incidents a year - vandalism, arson or fires of uncertain origin, gun incidents, bomb threats.
Churches are not supposed to be disposable scenery. They are the markers of the civilisation that built the towns around them. When those markers keep mysteriously burning to the ground what does that say about our civilisation?
This is now happening every week all over the world.
Historic London Church BURNS To The Ground Amid SILENCE From Government
ANOTHER Historic UK Church TORCHED; Cause “Unknown”
Another Day Another Church BURNED To The Ground
Another TWO Historic Churches Explode Into Flames…
Historic Buffalo Church TORCHED TWICE In Four Days Following Sale To ISLAMIC Group
NYC Historic Church TORCHED in Confirmed Arson — City REJECTS Save Plan As Demolition Ordered
NYC Church BURNS; Cause “Unknown”
Yet Another HISTORIC CHURCH TORCHED In Canada
Yet MORE Churches Torched; Sustained Attack On Christianity Gathers Pace
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Tyler Durden Mon, 09/07/2026 - 07:20American travelers are facing record-high gasoline prices this Labor Day weekend as conflict in the Middle East and disruptions to global fuel supplies keep prices elevated.
The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline stood at about $4.15 on Sept. 5, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). That is nearly $1 higher than a year ago.
This year's Labor Day is now the first in history with a national average above $4 per gallon. The previous Labor Day record was $3.82 per gallon, set on Sept. 3, 2012.
Gas prices are displayed at a gas station in the New York City borough of Brooklyn on Sept. 4, 2026. Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesAs Bill Pan reports for The Epoch Times, GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan said he expects the national average to be about $4.03 on Labor Day, well above the previous record.
"Gasoline, while not at all-time records, is at its highest level ever recorded this late in the calendar year," De Haan said.
Prices vary widely across the country.
AAA said California has the nation's highest average on Sept. 5 at $5.83 per gallon, followed by Washington at $5.50 and Hawaii at $5.40. Oregon, Alaska, and Nevada are all near or above $4.90.
At the other end, Indiana has the lowest average at $3.43, followed by Texas at $3.67. Oklahoma and Mississippi are just above $3.70.
Air Travel Also Costs MoreDrivers are not the only travelers facing elevated costs.
AAA booking data show that domestic round-trip airfare for Labor Day is averaging about $750, up by 2 percent from last year.
Travelers flying to the most popular domestic destinations face a much larger increase. Those fares are nearly 20 percent higher than a year ago, averaging close to $800 for a round trip.
However, international travelers are seeing some relief. Average international airfare is down by 4 percent from a year ago, according to AAA.
Oil, Fuel Supplies Under PressureGasoline demand typically begins to decline near the end of summer as vacations end and schools reopen, putting downward pressure on prices. However, this year, high crude oil costs have outweighed the seasonal drop in demand.
Oil prices moved back above $90 per barrel this week, after renewed exchange of fire between the United States and Iran raised concerns about supplies moving through the Middle East.
The wartime disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important oil shipping routes, have been a major source of uncertainty.
Oil traffic through the waterway has improved from earlier disruptions. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said 17 million barrels of crude passed through the strait on Aug. 31, the highest daily volume since shipments were disrupted by the war.
But continued fighting and threats to commercial shipping have kept energy markets on edge.
Another source of pressure has come from Russia, where Ukrainian drones target oil refineries deep inside Russian territory. Those strikes have tightened supplies of refined products such as gasoline and diesel.
"While some oil shipments are apparently getting through the Strait of Hormuz, the dominant force propping up both gasoline and diesel prices is increasingly the growing loss of Russian refinery capacity," De Haan said.
"Until that refining supply picture improves, both gasoline and diesel prices face continued upward pressure."
Measures to Boost SupplyFor the week that ended on Aug. 28, American refineries were running at 98 percent of capacity, according to the Energy Information Administration. That was the highest utilization rate since August 2018.
The federal government has also taken steps to make it easier to move fuel around the country.
President Donald Trump extended a waiver of the Jones Act for another 90 days, through Nov. 15. The waiver allows some foreign-flagged vessels to carry fuel and other covered cargo between U.S. ports when qualified American ships are unavailable.
The Environmental Protection Agency has also relaxed seasonal fuel rules. An emergency waiver effectively ended summer-blend gasoline requirements early, beginning on Sept. 1, allowing more gasoline to enter the market.
Gasoline supplies remain tight. U.S. gasoline inventories fell by 1.2 million barrels last week to 205.7 million barrels. That was about 6 percent below the five-year seasonal average.
Tyler Durden Mon, 09/07/2026 - 06:45Authored by Victoria Friedman via The Epoch Times,
The Cambodian army announced it would resume joint military exercises with the United States early next year, in a bid to foster stronger relations nearly a decade since the last bilateral drills were held.
U.S. Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby speaks as part of a meeting of NATO Ministers of Defense Summit at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Feb. 12, 2026. John Thys/AFP via Getty ImagesThe Royal Cambodian Army (RCA) said in a statement on Facebook that it and other officials met with representatives from the U.S. Army Pacific and the Idaho National Guard between Aug. 31 and Sept. 4 to begin planning for Exercise Angkor Sentinel 2027.
The Sept. 4 statement said the meeting was "marking an important step toward the resumption of the bilateral exercise."
Cambodian officials said both sides had discussed training activities, including a command post exercise, explosives disposal, and medical and engineering exchanges.
"Exercise Angkor Sentinel 2027 is scheduled to take place in February 2027, with the aim of strengthening interoperability and disaster-response capabilities, reflecting renewed momentum in Cambodia-U.S. military cooperation and a shared commitment to strengthening defense cooperation," the statement said.
The announcement follows several meetings between U.S. and Cambodian officials in an effort to improve relations, after Phnom Penh suspended joint exercises with the U.S. military in 2017.
Cambodia said it canceled the 2017 exercises because its armed forces were needed for local elections and an anti-drug campaign. Some observers, however, saw the move as a sign that then-Prime Minister Hun Sen was distancing Cambodia from the United States, according to a 2018 report by the Congressional Research Service.
Last month, Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby met with Cambodia's prime minister, Hun Manet, as well as the country's Minister of National Defense Tea Seiha.
Mutually-Beneficial Military CooperationColby said in a series of Aug. 15 X posts that the United States was "building a stronger, practical defense relationship in a spirit of partnership, mutual respect, and pragmatism."
The U.S. official said he and Seiha discussed Washington's and Phnom Penh's shared interest in expanding military cooperation in a way that is pragmatic and mutually beneficial.
"We are ready to work with countries like Cambodia where they are, through a realistic approach that focuses on where our interests overlap," Colby said. "We want a Southeast Asia of independent, strong, and economically prospering nations."
At the time, Manet said he was satisfied with the "positive momentum" in U.S.-Cambodian relations, as well as with the progress in preparing for Exercise Angkor Sentinel.
The Cambodian prime minister said that "the joint exercises and training not only build military capability but also serve as a vital bridge to foster close friendship between the armed forces of both countries."
Washington has previously been concerned over China's military presence at a Cambodian naval base on the Gulf of Thailand. China has assisted in upgrading the base, and the United States has voiced its suspicions that Beijing was granted special but secret privileges there. Cambodian officials have repeatedly rejected that claim.
US Seeks 'Partners Not Protectorates'Colby said on Aug. 10 that the United States was not disengaging from its Asian partners but wanted those partners to be more proactive in their own defense.
"America is definitely not disengaging from Asia," Colby said in a speech in Manila, the Philippines. "We are not leaving; in fact, we are digging in, to ensure a favorable balance of power where it matters most."
The Pentagon official made the remarks while on a broader tour of Asia, that included the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia.
Colby, the third-ranking official in the Department of War, said that when the United States asks for allies "to step up, to invest more in their own defense, and to take responsibility for their own sovereign security, we are not signaling abandonment."
"We are looking for partners, not protectorates," he said.
"When our partners are strong, deterrence is strong."
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Tyler Durden Mon, 09/07/2026 - 06:10Update(1400ET): In a political earthquake, the AfD has taken a massive lead, per exit polls, at the Saxony-Anhalt election in what the party's state leader hailed as sending a resounding "signal to Berlin." This moment marks the first time what has been dubbed a German "far-right party" taking power at a state level since World War II. This is absolutely historic.
"The exit polls, published by German public television stations, suggested that the party, known by its German initials AfD, would win between 39 and 41 seats in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt," NY Times reports. "That would leave it just short of an absolute majority of 42, but far ahead of its nearest rival."
But it remains unclear whether it will be able to form a government. Below is the latest via Deutsche Welle:
Alternative for Germany (AfD) co-leader Tino Chrupalla says his party secured a mandate to govern with its strong election result in Saxony-Anhalt.
"We have halved the CDU, so from that point of view it’s a great evening," Chrupalla told journalists in Magdeburg, referring to an earlier remark by Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader and chancellor Friedrich Merz that AfD's result could be cut in half.
Chrupalla called the outcome "sensational."
"Ulrich Siegmund will be the new premier of Saxony-Anhalt," he said. "From here, we will change Germany."
If the party falls short of an absolute majority, Chrupalla said it would be open to talks and even suggested an AfD minority government could be tolerated by other parties.
AfD has signaled it is open to a coalition partner that would be open to changing its migration and energy policy - though this option doesn't seem to be on the political map realistically at this early point.
Youth turn to AfD in droves...
Bei den jungen 5%! pic.twitter.com/W7Mb67WpRc
— Anosteras (@anosteras) September 6, 2026 AFP/Getty Images* * *
Voters in Saxony-Anhalt head to the polls today in an election that could deliver Germany's most massive political shock in decades, with the right-wing Alternative für Deutschland on track to beat Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats.
AfD is the only hope for Germany https://t.co/6ONn1LOipE
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 19, 2026Final polling estimates put the AfD at 40% to 41%, nearly double the CDU's 23%. The party's lead candidate, 35-year-old Ulrich Siegmund, has ruled out governing in a coalition, suggesting the AfD would need an outright majority to take power of its first German state government.
🚨 BREAKING: Germany's right-wing anti-mass migration AfD party backed by Elon Musk is poised for a HISTORIC VICTORY in the Saxony-Anhalt elections — with polling showing them over 40% support, a STUNNING LEAD of close to 20 points
CDU at just over 20%, and other parties near… pic.twitter.com/HnYvxgKlQr
About 1.7 million people are set to vote today, with polls closing at 6 p.m. local time. AfD's rapid ascent comes as voters are furious over Germany's stagnant economy, deindustrialization, energy costs, and the Third World migrant invasion.
The Polymarket bet on how many seats the AfD is expected to win today assigns a 74% probability to 38 to 41 seats, with 42 to 45 seats at 16%.
Ahead of the historic election, thousands of far-left Antifa crazies took to the streets wearing all black and holding Antifa and LGBT flags. Others were seen carrying signs reading "FCK NZS" and "FCK AFD."
EIL: Schwere Krawalle in Halle, Antifa-Demo eskaliert! 🚨
Am Vorabend der Landtagswahl hat die linksextreme Szene nach Halle mobilisiert. Die Demo versinkt in Gewalt, es werden Unmengen an Pyrotechnik gezündet und teils auf die Polizei geworfen. Straßenkampf mit Ansage. Und ein… pic.twitter.com/k2bwEQtZ8N
A reported 15,000 left-wing activists joined a so-called pro-democracy festival in the state capital, Magdeburg, on Saturday, organized by the "Saxony-Anhalt Open to the World" alliance. Yet the whole globalist cult in Germany has likely run its course. It has been nothing more than what some call a nation-killing experiment, pushing uncontrolled mass migration and deindustrialization policies that have sent Europe's largest economy into a tailspin.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Saturday threatened the AfD, saying, "We will not let these people, who trash Germany and everything we have achieved in recent years and decades," before adding, "We will not let these people talk our country into ruin!"
🚨🇩🇪 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is once again threatening to ban the AfD?!
"We will not let these people — who trash Germany and everything we have achieved in recent years and decades."
"We will not let these people talk our country into ruin!" pic.twitter.com/3iiyrwBRV2
German politics coverage:
Germany Braces For AfD Election Breakthrough In Saxony-Anhalt
Germany's Anti-Immigration AfD Party Reaches Record Support Days Before Pivotal State Election
"Citizens Want Political Turnaround": AfD Now Polls At 43% Across Eastern Germany
Merz Warns Right-Wing Victory Will Hurt Germany, But Nomura Says Investors Aren't Buying It
What Nomura analysts see over the next 18-month election cycle across Europe:
Yet what did Merz actually achieve? Destroying Germany's economy? That is something he certainly accomplished.
Tyler Durden Mon, 09/07/2026 - 06:00A trove of identity documents allegedly containing more than 153 million US and Canadian driver’s licenses has drawn the attention of the FBI after appearing for sale in the cybercrime underground. The collection also reportedly included millions of passports, identification cards and other sensitive records, according to Yahoo News and Tom's Hardware.
Cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs investigated the database after a copy of his own driver’s license was posted as a promotional sample on Exploit, a Russian-language cybercrime forum. The seller operated a service known as Nexus, which allowed prospective customers to search its collection. Nexus has since gone offline.
Krebs tested the database with several people he knew, after obtaining their permission, and found records that appeared authentic. He also reported seeing a preview of information associated with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. That discovery raised the stakes of the incident, given the potential security implications of exposing identification belonging to senior government officials.
Rather than originating directly from the businesses where customers presented their IDs, the data may have passed through a common third-party verification provider. Several affected people had previously supplied identification while renting vehicles from Hertz. Security researcher Zach Edwards, whose information also appeared in Nexus, traced his record to an ID check performed at Planet 13, a cannabis dispensary.
The Yahoo report says that both companies relied on Louisiana-based IDScan for identity-verification services, according to Krebs. Timestamps attached to some of the exposed scans reportedly corresponded with the dates and times the individuals had presented their identification. That overlap led investigators to focus on IDScan as a possible common link, although the precise cause and scope of the apparent compromise have not been publicly established.
The scale extends well beyond driver’s licenses. Nexus claimed its inventory included roughly 10 million ID cards, 1.9 million travel documents, 1.3 million international driving permits, hundreds of thousands of medical, residence and employment-related records, and about five million documents in other categories.
IDScan told Krebs that it was examining the information he provided but was not yet in a position to disclose further details. Meanwhile, the FBI’s New Orleans field office has reportedly opened an investigation into the incident.
Beyond the sheer number of records, the type of information involved makes the apparent breach particularly significant. Detailed scans of government-issued identification can provide criminals with material for impersonation, fraudulent financial applications and other forms of identity theft. Some leaked licenses reportedly included photographic as well as UV and infrared scan data, potentially making misuse more sophisticated.
The episode also illustrates a broader privacy concern surrounding outsourced identity checks. When businesses rely on centralized verification companies, large volumes of highly sensitive documents can flow through a relatively small number of providers. A compromise at one point in that chain can therefore expose customers from multiple unrelated businesses at once, while creating potentially serious consequences for people whose personal information or whereabouts require additional protection.
Tyler Durden Mon, 09/07/2026 - 05:35