🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️ — The Pentagon has added another U.S. military death to its public casualty database amid the war with Iran, bringing the officially disclosed total to 19, although U.S. officials say the actual number is higher, WaPo reports.

The Army identified the officer as Capt. Bianca C. Wilkerson, 37, of Norfolk, Virginia, who died on September 18 following a "non-combat-related medical emergency" while flying to the Middle East.

She was assigned to Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina and was supporting operations in Doha, Qatar.

Wilkerson was posthumously promoted to major.

📝 🇩🇪 🗳 Björn Harms on X: The results from the individual Berlin electoral districts provide the most interesting map of the election in the capital. The Left's electoral victory is geographically clearly concentrated in the urban center, especially inside the S-Bahn ring, where many young newcomers and migrants live. In the outskirts, they (as of yet) have no widespread support, because the population is considerably older. In the outer west Spandau, Reinickendorf, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Steglitz-Zehlendorf – the CDU continues to dominate. And often with a large lead, especially in the wealthy southwest.

For the first time, the AfD has managed to secure individual electoral districts in every district, even in West Berlin. Such as Mariendorf, Rudow, Schönow, Tegel, or Spandau. None of these are wealthy areas, but they have a high proportion of long-established, Berlin residents. In the outer east Lichtenberg, Marzahn-Hellersdorf, Treptow-Köpenick, and the northeastern tip of Pankow – the AfD dominates anyway. Young Berliners, however, steers well clear of the party.

📎 Björn Harms

🗳 🇩🇪 📊 In polls for the next federal election AfD is now top in West Germany, including here in Germany's largest state. Given that NRW has more residents than the entire former East, it's simplistic to keep blaming the AfD's rise on disgruntled Ossis

NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA | Sunday Poll Federal Election Forsa/Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger

AfD: 24% (+2)
CDU: 22% (-4)
GREEN: 18%
SPD: 14% (+1)
LEFT: 12% (+3)
FDP: 3% (-1)
Others: 7% (-1)

Changes from the last poll on April 22, 2026

📎 David Broder

🗳 🇩🇪 📊 Bundestag Projection

Nowcast (09/21/2026) for the 299 Bundestag constituencies:

Strongest force in the first votes:
🟦AfD: 150
⬛️CDU/CSU: 87
🟩Greens: 39
🟥SPD: 17
🟪Left: 6

https://poll.graphics/bundestag

📎 poll.graphics

🗳 🇩🇪 🛠 Some of the densest points from Die Linke's plan for Berlin:

-Police work replaced or supplemented with social work
-Permissible covering of faces during demonstrations and wearing of protective accessories
-Cessation of the constitutional protection office's activities as a secret service; Berlin would also apply in the Bundesrat for a ban on AfD activities
-Consistent rejection of requests for the deportation of foreign activists;
-Taking ownership of vacant properties by people who have lived in them for at least a year
-No fines for fare evasion (!)
-Pre-trial detention as an absolute exception, and detainees to receive minimum wage
-No one will be deported
-Berlin will establish its own migration policy
-State facilities for crack use will be designated (modeled on Switzerland)
-End of ID checks upon entry to swimming pools
-Berlin hospitals will not participate in war preparedness exercises; cooperation between Berlin schools and the Bundeswehr will be terminated
-No grades in schools until 9th grade.

Well, interesting what will come of this...

📝 Paweł Rutkiewicz: He missed the last point for me, which is particularly interesting. Namely: the ban on issuing building permits for single- and two-family buildings. In exchange, 7.5 thousand apartments are to be built each year (as I understand, municipal ones).

📎 Paweł Rutkiewicz

🔼 🇺🇸 💵 The US 10Y Note Yield rises to 5.05%, its highest level since July 2007.

That's a total of +113 basis points from the low seen in March.

Mortgage rates are pushing toward 7.50%.

📎 KobeissiLetter

🇺🇸🇨🇳⚡️ — U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng held substantive talks in Washington today ahead of President Trump’s meeting with President Xi Jinping.

Bessent said the discussions focused on securing commitments from China to protect American workers, farmers and businesses while advancing U.S. economic and national security interests.

🇨🇦🇺🇸⚡️ — The first F-35A Lightning II fighter jet intended for the Royal Canadian Air Force conducted its maiden flight at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, USA today.

Initial Royal Canadian Air Force F-35As are expected to be delivered to Luke AFB, Arizona, USA by the end of 2026 to train RCAF pilots. They are expected to reach Canadian soil by 2028 and reach Initial Operation Capability no later than 2030, where they will enter service as the CF-35A.

✈️ 🇪🇹 🇪🇹 In a major setback for Ethiopia’s Federal Government, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has reportedly taken control of the three main airports under federal control in Tigray: Shire, Mekelle and Axum. Ethiopian Airlines has suspended flights to the region.

📎 AfriMEOSINT