April 2025 - The Kaizen Blog

9. November 2026 16:09

NEWS UPDATE

November 9, 2026

05:00 AM Russian Military Satellite Comes Within a Few Hundred Meters of Western Satellite: Suspected Rehearsal for an Attack in Space

Russia's Cosmos 2612 military satellite came within less than a kilometer of X36, a radar satellite operated by Finnish company ICEYE, in mid-October. Some observers believe it got as close as a few hundred meters. ICEYE also provides radar imagery that Ukraine can use for military operations. American space expert Greg Gillinger believes the maneuver may have been a trial run for an attack, since getting that close wouldn't be necessary for routine intelligence gathering. U.S. Under Secretary of State Thomas DiNanno said Russia's behavior was consistent with the use of weapons in orbit. Meanwhile, two more Russian military satellites are moving toward the orbital path of another ICEYE satellite, X37. German Space Commander Major General Michael Traut warns that such maneuvers could be used to temporarily disrupt satellites or permanently disable them, although he stresses that the movements alone don't prove an attack is being planned. Moscow has repeatedly described Western satellites helping Ukraine as potential targets for retaliation. Russia has not commented on this particular incident.

November 8, 2026

02:10 AM After Trump's Election Disaster, JD Vance Positions Himself for 2028 and Distances Himself From the Iran War

After the Republicans' crushing defeat in the midterm elections, Vice President JD Vance is working on building his own political profile ahead of 2028. During his campaign speeches, he increasingly avoided mentioning Donald Trump by name or bringing up his controversial policies. After the election, Vance publicly blamed the Iran war in part for the defeat and called for a quick end to the war. He also demanded more affordable living costs and a fundamental reassessment of America's relationship with Israel. Trump, meanwhile, continues to defend his war and said he wouldn't do anything differently. According to information from inside the White House, Vance coordinated his move with then-Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, suggesting this isn't an open break with Trump. But Vance has taken a political hit himself: Republicans lost in several states where he campaigned, even as he's already positioning himself as a possible presidential candidate in 2028.

02:00 AM Merz's Approval Collapses: CDU/CSU Drops Below 20 Percent for the First Time, AfD Hits 29 Percent, and 82 Percent Are Unhappy With the Chancellor

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has hit a new low in his political downfall. In a new INSA poll, his CDU/CSU alliance has dropped to just 19 percent for the first time, while the far-right AfD is well ahead at 29 percent. The Greens are at 15 percent, the SPD at 14 percent, and the Left Party at 10 percent. The FDP could narrowly clear the 5 percent threshold needed to enter parliament. The numbers are especially devastating for Merz personally: 82 percent of respondents are unhappy with his performance, and the same percentage are dissatisfied with the entire federal government. Back in January, 67 percent were unhappy with the chancellor. For 60 percent, their personal living situation has gotten worse under the CDU/CSU-SPD coalition government, while just 6 percent say things have improved. The poll surveyed 1,004 people on November 5 and 6, with a statistical margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.