Political Guyentist

1world

Trump says the U.S. and Denmark reached a deal giving America "permanent control over security" in Greenland

Danish officials have not confirmed the terms, and no text has been signed or released; Denmark and Greenland both said they expect a signing soon.

- Mon Sept. 7 — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen went to Nuuk, Greenland's capital, and pledged European Union money for the island, promising to more than double the sum later. The same week, 11 NATO countries — not the United States — ran military exercises there.

ContextGreenland is a self-governing part of the Danish kingdom: Copenhagen handles defense and foreign policy, and the island's 57,000 residents elect their own parliament. Trump floated buying Greenland in 2019 and has since refused to rule out taking it by force. A 1951 U.S.-Denmark treaty already grants American basing rights, used at Pituffik in the northwest. Denmark, for its part, announced new Arctic defense spending in January 2025.

AXIOS9 sources

2worldUpdateRussia-Ukraine war

Trump signs the bill authorizing 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian oil

The law, named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, also requires sanctions on Russian officials, defense contractors and shadow-fleet tankers; the House cleared it 214-211 on Sept. 16.

- Sept. 5–6 — The bill sat unsigned while the White House ran its own diplomacy: Witkoff and Kushner met Putin in Moscow, then Zelensky in Kyiv. Trump spoke with Putin by phone on Sept. 9 and again around Sept. 10. - Sept. 16 — The House cleared the bill 214-211; the Senate had passed it earlier. - Friday, Sept. 18 — Trump signed it in the Oval Office.

THE HILL1 source

3not newsus

Buffett, 96, steps down as Berkshire Hathaway chairman after 61 years; son Howard takes the chair

He keeps a board seat as chair emeritus, less than a year after handing the CEO job to Greg Abel.

What the chair emeritus seat leaves Buffett: Voting control through his remaining Class A shares, which he has been giving away to charity in annual batches No operating role: capital allocation now sits with CEO Greg Abel

ContextBuffett took control of Berkshire Hathaway in 1965, when it was a struggling New England textile mill, and built it into a conglomerate that owns Geico, BNSF Railway and large stakes in Apple and Coca-Cola. He turned 96 in August 2026. The obvious question is whether he is leaving the company: he is not. He keeps a board seat as chair emeritus, a title with no operating duties, while Greg Abel, who became chief executive earlier in 2026, runs the businesses and decides where the cash goes. Howard Buffett was long designated the family's non-executive successor — a role Berkshire describes as guarding the company's culture rather than setting strategy.

AXIOS7 sources

4not newsusIran war

Pentagon casualty database omits two U.S. service member deaths in the Middle East during the Iran war

One of the missing names is Maj. Sorffly Davius of the 42nd Infantry; both men died on missions unrelated to the fighting with Iran.

- Aug. 17 — Centcom answered complaints about conditions aboard the carrier Lincoln, at sea 260 days, by citing its low count of mental health cases. - Aug. 25-26 — ICE detained the father of a deployed Navy sailor after about 20 years in the U.S then released him a day later. - Sept. 1 — Four four-star commanders were reported to have objected to keeping more than 50,000 troops in the Middle East. - Sept. 3 — The Pentagon pulled decades of Defense Secretary orders records off its classified SIPR network, days after that reporting.

ContextThe casualty database is the Pentagon's own ledger. The department has not published the standard it uses to decide which deaths count as war-related, and it has not said how many deaths in the region it has listed since the fighting began. Without those two figures, a reader cannot tell whether two omissions are an error or the rule working as written.

WASHINGTON POST2 sources