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Oct 15, 2026
Jennifer Balkcom, a Republican running for Congress in western North Carolina, introduced herself to voters by informing them that her single mom once shot a home intruder.
"You break into my house, you're going to get shot," Balkcom's mother says in her twangy mountain accent in a campaign ad posted Sept. 29 on YouTube, which already boasts over 800,000 views.
The camera then pans to Balkcom, a 48-year-old state representative, whose mom says she would bring her family's mountain toughness from their house to the House of Representatives as both women hold white coffee cups at a wooden dining room table.
The commercial is airing in one of the nation's most competitive congressional races and illustrates the metamorphosis of how campaign ads are produced and consumed during this midterm cycle.
Advertisements must be attention grabbing as both parties fight for visibility ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3, political experts, including Travis Ridout, a professor of government and public policy at Washington State University, say.
Can you sue over targeted ads?
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Oct 15, 2026
President Trump said on Thursday that the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will not be livestreamed, reversing a plan announced by the Pentagon earlier this month.
The Pentagon announced Oct. 5 that Trump had approved Hasan's execution by firing squad at Fort Hood. Pentagon officials subsequently told the Associated Press that the execution, due to take place on Dec. 3, would be livestreamed.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that Hasan "will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed." He said the execution "may be viewed in person by the immediate families of the victims, if they so choose."
He said that streaming the execution "might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM," but added that "many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device."
Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a 2009 shooting at the Texas military base. The U.S. military has not carried out an execution since 1961 and has not used a firing squad to execute a service member since World War II.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the conservative TV outlet Real America's Voice on Oct. 8 that the execution would be "public."
"He's gonna get a firing squa
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Oct 15, 2026
Wholesale prices in September rose to their highest level in nearly four years, largely propelled by higher energy prices. The sharp increase stokes concerns that inflation could broaden and keep the Federal Reserve on watch for further rate hikes.
The Producer Price Index (PPI) for final demand, which measures the prices that factories, farmers, and producers charge for their finished goods and services, rose 6.3% last month, the largest increase since December 2022. The data trounced expectations for a 5.4% rise.
On a "core" basis, excluding food and energy, PPI jumped 0.7% month over month in September, handily higher than market expectations of 0.3%. On a year-over-year basis, this core measure jumped 5.0%, up from 4.7% previously
"With a second day in a row of higher-than-expected inflation numbers, it seems the Fed will have no choice but to raise rates again this year," said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer for Northlight Asset Management.
"While we don't expect them to raise rates later this month because it is so close to the mid-term election, we do think that they will increase the Fed Funds rate another 25 bps in December," Zaccarelli added.
Half of the September increase in the index for final demand goods can be traced to gasoline prices, which jumped 20.3%. In contrast, prices for chicken eggs dropped 39.7%.
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Oct 15, 2026
Group chats pulled from Nolan Wells' cellphone show what his friends said before and after the Mississippi teen vanished in early July following a boat outing with friends.
Wells disappeared after he and a group of friends celebrated the Fourth of July holiday off the Gulf Coast. They say he left his phone on their boat but didn't return with them.
A nearly 300-page report analyzing the late teen's phone and recently uploaded on the Justice for Nolan Wells website reveals his friends' reactions to his disappearance and speculation about his death in dozens of group chats.
On July 5, one group chat discusses when Wells was last seen, saying, "He got off our boat with this other guy and they started walking back to their boat." Minutes later, one friend calls it suspicious, saying, "There is def some sus s*** going on."
At one point, they talked about trying to find Wells, asking everyone to check their camera rolls. Another user added, "See if he was talking to anyone we don't know."
Another message read: "That's not like Nolan bro just to get left."
Someone else writes, "Hes gotta be shlumped somewhere rn hopefully." Another answers: "It's already noon though," followed by, "He might've got drugged or something."
Wells' body was recovered in the waters off Horn Island two days later. Once news broke of his death, one friend messaged: "Nolan was the most nice and caring guy we knew."
The day after his disappearance, the group appeared frustrated with the national headlines, writing: "All i keep seeing is white folk made it home and the one black kid didn't." Another answered: "It ain't ever been like that with us bro."
Last month, Jackson Cou
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Oct 15, 2026
A list obtained by The Washington Post reveals all the major donors to President Donald Trump's White House ballroom project, including previously undisclosed contributors who have benefited from regulatory decisions, government contracts and, in one case, a pardon for a family member.
Tech giants Nvidia and Apple each committed $25 million, the top contribution amount, the list shows. The Adelson family, one of the GOP's largest donor dynasties, committed that sum as well, as did billionaire Charles Ergen, co-founder and chairman of telecommunications company Dish Network.
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Absent from the list is Trump himself, who has said that he is helping to pay for the project. "It's being paid for a hundred percent by me and some friends of mine," he said last year, days after demolition began on the old East Wing.
The White House publicly identified 37 people, companies and foundations as donors last October, without revealing the amount of their individual gifts.
The list obtained by The Post, an internal spreadsheet used to track contributions for the fundraising effort, contains the source, date and amount of all 67 donations above $10,000 recorded as of late last month. It shows a total of $333 million from private donors, aligning with the administration's public statements. Additional records, also internal to the fundraising effort, provide more detail about the donations and indicate that at least $77 million came from donors who requested anonymity.
The list and ot
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Oct 15, 2026
By Daniel Flynn and Max Hunder
KYIV, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery on Thursday, after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv was "done" supporting a ceasefire on energy targets announced by US President Donald Trump and ignored by Russia.
Since Trump's surprise announcement on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to halt attacks on energy, Kyiv had suspended attacks on Russian refineries, which Trump blames for raising diesel ?prices on global markets.
But in the days that followed, Russia rained down deadly missile and drone strikes, including on energy targets such as power stations, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people.
In an interview ?with the Financial Times published on Thursday, Zelenskiy said Ukraine's patience had run out.
"The block (on attacking refineries) is out. We're done," he told the newspaper.
Zelenskiy also made clear he believed that changes in the capability of the military version of SpaceX's Starlink receptors this week, which have curbed Ukraine's ability to ?use them to pilot its drones, were a policy decision.
"It was not a technical problem, it was the will," he told the FT.
In a social media post overnight, SpaceX boss Elon Musk said usage of the military version of Starlink, known as Starshield, was ultimately up to Trump, as president of the United States.
"Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," Musk wrote.
BIGGEST RIFT WITH WASHINGTON OF THE WAR
By effectively walking away from Trump's demand that Ukraine halt attacks on refineries, Zelenskiy risks deepening the biggest rift between Kyiv and Washington since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Although Trump has described the ceasefire as a requirement for both Moscow and Kyiv, his public comment
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Oct 15, 2026
What to know about the Iran war today:Ships remain exposed to "indiscriminate attacks" in the Strait of Hormuz, even if they try to hide their movements by switching off tracking systems, a maritime monitor said Thursday, confirming three strikes on vessels in the waterway this week.The Saudi-led coalition battling the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen said Thursday it had intercepted a cruise missile over Saudi Arabia's western Medina region. The Houthis called the claim "a shameless and brazen lie."President Trump has said he's considering joining the Saudi-led attacks on the Houthis as the rebels threaten global energy supplies. The Houthis have threatened to target U.S. personnel and interests across the Middle East if Mr. Trump does order strikes, which could drag the U.S. deeper into the wider 7-and-a-half-month war.
2 men convicted in Germany of planning attacks on pro-Israel figures on behalf of Iran
A German court on Thursday jailed two men convicted of planning attacks on prominent pro-Israel public figures and spying on Jews on behalf of Iranian secret services.
The court in Hamburg sentenced a Danish national named as Ali S. to eight-and-a-half years in prison for planning deadly attacks on targets including the head of the German-Israeli society, Volker Beck, and the head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster.
An Afghan accomplice, Tawab M., was sentenced to
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Oct 15, 2026
Republicans nervous about the midterms are increasingly turning to the same salve: The polling will be wrong.
They aren't suggesting Republicans will have a good night come Nov. 3 — or that the party will hold the House. But they're clinging to the possibility that it could be a typically bad midterm year reminiscent of 2022, when polls projected Democrats would be pummeled, only for those predictions to fall short.
It's happened in other cycles, too, they note. President Donald Trump outperformed final polling averages in all seven swing states in 2024 and defied the national polls in 2016 as well.
This story is based on conversations with more than a dozen people, including veteran GOP operatives, pollsters, strategists working on battleground races and national party officials. Most conceded the national environment is bad for Republicans and has only gotten worse over the last few months. But even a small sampling error, they say, could completely change how election night turns out for the GOP.
"Part of the challenge here is polling still has not figured out how to model Republican voters who either don't answer the phone or just aren't really interested in polling, and so I do think that the Senate map across the board, there's more reason to doubt the polls than you would guess by seeing how both media and Democrats are treating this," said Matt Whitlock, a GOP strategist and former National Republican Senatorial Committee senior adviser.
Republicans' growing reliance on bad polling to ease their pain reflects the dour mood gripping the party. With less than three weeks until Election Day, Republicans are increasingly pessimistic about their prospects, as persistent inflation, high prices on everyday items, elevated mortgage rates and a lingering war in the Middle East hamper campaigns. On Wednesday, the Labor Departme
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Oct 15, 2026
On paper, Abdulrahman Alfozan seemed like an ideal candidate for one of Silicon Valley's most coveted artificial intelligence jobs.
The Saudi national attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and landed an engineering job at Meta, according to his LinkedIn page and online records. Alfozan later secured a green card, spoke enthusiastically on a podcast about his Silicon Valley career and was invited to speak at Stanford University, all while working as a part-time partner at a venture capital fund dedicated to expanding the tech ecosystem in the Middle East. He had lived in the United States for more than a decade when he scored a mid-level role at OpenAI last year.
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But Alfozan's arrest on Tuesday for allegedly planting a recording device in OpenAI's headquarters has ignited a fierce debate about the potential risks of Silicon Valley's international workforce - employees who often hail from nations seeking to rival the AI superpower status of the U.S.
Foreign nationals have long formed the backbone of the American tech industry, helping U.S. companies surpass their would-be international rivals. Last week, President Donald Trump awarded national medals to six tech titans for their contributions to American innovation. Five of them, including Google co-founder Sergey Brin and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, were immigrants.
As countries battle to dominate AI, some top executives in Silicon Valley have argued that winning what they see as an existential arms race requires aggressively recruitin
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Oct 15, 2026
President Donald Trump has shared new images of what he described as the "fully renovated" White House facade, saying extensive restoration work has given the historic building decades of additional life.
Trump posted photographs of the South side of the White House to Truth Social early Thursday, highlighting restoration of the exterior as well as a new South Entrance and helipad.
"Actual pictures of our fully renovated White House facade, facing South, with the new South Entrance, and Heliport!" Trump wrote.
"It had to be done, and I am very proud to be the President who did it!" Trump added.
President Donald Trump is seen on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on September 26, 2026. The work comes amid a much broader transformation of the White House complex during Trump's second term, including work on the North Portico, changes to the Rose Garden and extensive construction on the site of the former East Wing for a new ballroom and military complex.
Trump said Thursday that the ballroom and military complex were "on time, and on budget," describing them as an "unbelievably beautiful addition" to the White House.
The project has been the subject of legal challenges and scrutiny over its cost and funding, with the Supreme Court allowing construction to continue in August while litigation over the project proceeds.
Newsweek has contacted the White House and National Park Service for further comment.
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Oct 15, 2026
ISLAMABAD, Oct 15 (Reuters) - At least 27 students, most younger than 13, were killed in Pakistan on ?Thursday, along with a teacher, when a school ?roof collapsed during classes in the northwestern city of Peshawar, authorities said, ?warning that the death toll could rise.
Television images showed ambulances rushing to the site at the privately-run Al-Khair Education Center school while rescuers pulled bloodied students from the rubble.
"We have ?taken out at least ?45 children," said district emergency officer Iftikhar Khan, adding that some more children were reported ?to be buried in the rubble.
Rescue teams were working to extricate bodies and take the injured to hospital, said government ?official Bilal ?Faizi.
Twenty injured and most of ?the dead were brought ?to the city's Lady Reading Hospital, its spokesperson, Mohammad Asim, said.
A rescue official said the ceiling came down on the students after the roof of a higher floor collapsed, crumpling the two storeys.
Authorities said an investigation had been ordered ?to determine the cause.
Peshawar police chief ?Mian Saeed said he feared ?the death toll could ?rise as just 47 of the 110 ?students in three classrooms at the ?time had ?been rescued.
"It was a weak building structure," Saeed added. "Its roof was overweight with construction on a weak structure ?that caused the ?collapse."
There was no immediate comment from school officials.
(Reporting by ?Islamabad bureau; Writing by Hritam Mukherjee and YP ?Rajesh; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
This article originally appeared on Reuters at https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/seventeen-students-one-teacher-killed-061214216.html
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Oct 15, 2026
KYIV, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Ukraine has resumed its attacks on Russian refineries with a strike at an installation in the Ryazan region, the regional governor said on Thursday, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy voiced ?his anger at a "dangerous" withdrawal of US intelligence.
Since US President Donald Trump's surprise announcement of an energy ceasefire ?between Russia and Ukraine on Sunday, Kyiv had refrained from attacking Russian refineries, which the US leader had blamed for raising diesel prices on global ?markets.
But Zelenskiy had voiced increasing frustration with Russia's continued attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, which he said on Wednesday had left 600,000 people without power. He warned that Ukraine would not suspend its own attacks indefinitely if Russia did not reciprocate and also criticised what he said was Trump's favouritism toward Russia.
In an interview with the Financial Times published on Thursday, he said Ukraine's patience ?had run out.
"The block (on attacking refineries) is ?out. We're done," he told the newspaper.
Pavel Malkov, the governor of Ryazan, said in a post on Telegram that a major Ukrainian drone attack on the region had sparked a fire at ?an oil refinery.
"The material damage is now being assessed. Emergency services are working at the scene," he said.
In his interview, Zelenskiy criticised Washington's eagerness to strike business deals with Moscow and Trump's apparent admiration for Russia's Vladimir Putin.
Trump on Saturday called for Ukraine to ?replace Zelenskiy ?and railed against Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, one day ?after announcing a diesel supply deal with Russia, ?aiming to lower fuel prices that have soared since the US-Israeli war with Iran began in February.
Despite Ukraine's suspension of refinery attacks, Ukrainian officials complained that they had not received any US early-warning
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Oct 15, 2026
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has unveiled a plan that could allow the conditional early release of up to half of those detained under a state of emergency that authorities used to arrest more than 90,000 people in the past four and a half years as part of an effort to curb violent criminal gang activity.
Bukele's plan to cut the prison population was announced on Tuesday night. It would focus on freeing prisoners who were deemed gang collaborators, a broad term that can include various people, including gang lookouts and those who make extortion payments.
"There are many people who have indeed committed crimes, but their crime was collaborating with gangs," Bukele said. "They deserve to be in jail, but we come from a country where collaborating with gangs wasn't so unusual, and if we were to arrest everyone who collaborated with gangs, we would have to arrest 20% of the population."
Without offering details, the president indicated that authorities plan to analyze cases to determine potential early release with monitoring, which could apply to half of the people detained during the state of emergency.
Trump Administration Says Federal Authorities Have Arrested More Than 10,000 Suspected Gang Members
The state of emergency was declared in March 2022 after a surge in violence left more than 60 people dead in a single day. The measure was initially imposed for 30 days but has been repeatedly extended.
Read On The Fox News App
The emergency declaration has coincided with a dramatic decline in the country's homicide rate and helped make El Salvador a more
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Oct 15, 2026
Police are investigating a report that a woman was sexually assaulted during a fraternity party near the University of Chicago campus, an allegation that has drawn widespread attention as colleges and fraternities face renewed scrutiny over sexual violence and campus safety.
The incident was reported shortly after 2 a.m. local time on Oct. 11 at the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house, according to the University of Chicago Police Department's daily crime log. The log states that "a victim reported being sexually assaulted by an unknown suspect while at a party" at the off-campus residence.
The University of Chicago, a private school with about 18,000 students enrolled, said in a statement that a woman who is not affiliated with the school reported that she was sexually assaulted at around 1:50 a.m. local time during a party at the fraternity house. Another person intervened, and the suspect fled before police arrived.
In
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Oct 15, 2026
A man died after being ejected from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags in Austell, Georgia, on Monday. - Emilie Megnien/AP
In the years leading up to this week's fatal accident at its Georgia theme park, Six Flags has been accused of failing to maintain its parks amid hundreds of reports of injuries and dangerous malfunctions on its aging thrill rides, according to a CNN analysis of public records and court filings.
Six Flags temporarily closed 10 rides in seven states this week after 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem fell to his death and several others were injured while riding the Goliath rollercoaster at Six Flags Over Georgia just outside Atlanta.
In the last five years, safety records covering more than a dozen parks across three different states reveal maintenance issues, such as a train derailment, faulty restraint bars and guest injuries including dislocated joints and concussions.
Six Flags is the country's largest theme park operator - with 30 water and amusement parks in 13 states. In a statement to CNN, the company said it was "committed to rigorous ride inspection, maintenance and safety procedures that meet or exceed industry standards."
But Six Flags has struggled financially amid weak attendance and crushing debt following a 2024
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Oct 15, 2026
In the midterm elections, meat is on the menu.
As Democrats and Republicans argue over high prices and the Iran war, they're also having a food fight over who's the most red-blooded carnivore.
The latest example came this week in Mississippi, where Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom released a video with a snippet of Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith saying that if consumers are upset over high beef prices, "you know you have so many proteins to choose from."
The video cuts to a man grilling burgers who says, "Pick another protein? I'd rather pick another senator instead."
The Mississippi race is somewhat unusual because it's the Democrat hammering the Republican over beef. Elsewhere, Republicans have branded Democrats as vegans or otherwise opposed to meat, trying to show that they're culturally out of step with voters, hostile to local cattle industries or just not manly enough.
In Texas, Republicans seized on an old interview in which Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico boasted that his campaign, then for the Texas statehouse, was going vegan. Talarico has since been publicly scarfing down barbecue to rebut allegations that his dietary choices mean he's not a real Texan.
In Colorado, Republicans have gone after Democratic congressional candidate Manny Rutinel for his activism against meat production and factory farming. In college, he was photographed shirtless with a banner for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals around his chest. In 2021, Rutinel founded Climate Refarm, which advocated for cutting down on the use of meat and has signed onto letters advocating for raising taxes on meat and dairy. He also suppo
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Oct 15, 2026
A Massive Ordinance Air Blast (MOAB) weapon at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, on March 11, 2003. - Department of Defense/Getty Images/File
The US military has developed new strike plans that include potentially using the so-called "mother of all bombs" to target Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites should President Donald Trump give the order to resume combat operations either before or after the midterm elections, according to multiple US officials familiar with the matter.
Using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb or MOAB, the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal, for the first time in the conflict with Iran would mark a notable escalation, even though there are doubts over how effective it would be in accomplishing any of Trump's stated strategic objectives or tipping the balance of the war, multiple sources familiar with internal military planning discussions about potentially deploying the weapon said.
Trump is facing pressure to bring an end to the deeply unpopular war — as Republicans brace for potential political backlash from voters in the upcoming midterm elections and there is little indication the two countries are close to a negotiated r
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Oct 15, 2026
A Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) weapon at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, on March 11, 2003. - Department of Defense/Getty Images/File
The US military has developed new strike plans that include potentially using the so-called "mother of all bombs" to target Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites should President Donald Trump give the order to resume combat operations either before or after the midterm elections, according to multiple US officials familiar with the matter.
Using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb or MOAB, the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal, for the first time in the conflict with Iran would mark a notable escalation, even though there are doubts over how effective it would be in accomplishing any of Trump's stated strategic objectives or tipping the balance of the war, multiple sources familiar with internal military planning discussions about potentially deploying the weapon said.
Trump is facing pressure to bring an end to the deeply unpopular war — as Republicans brace for potential political backlash from voters in the upcoming midterm elections and there is little indication the two countries are close to a nego
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Oct 15, 2026
A Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) weapon at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, on March 11, 2003. - Department of Defense/Getty Images/File
The US military has developed new strike plans that include potentially using the so-called "mother of all bombs" to target Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites should President Donald Trump give the order to resume combat operations either before or after the midterm elections, according to multiple US officials familiar with the matter.
Using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb or MOAB, the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal, for the first time in the conflict with Iran would mark a notable escalation, even though there are doubts over how effective it would be in accomplishing any of Trump's stated strategic objectives or tipping the balance of the war, multiple sources familiar with internal military planning discussions about potentially deploying the weapon said.
Trump is facing pressure to bring an end to the deeply unpopular war — as Republicans brace for potential political backlash from voters in the upcoming midterm elections and there is little indication the two countries are close to a nego
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Oct 14, 2026
Jackie, the beloved California bald eagle whose life was watched via live video feeds by millions around the world, died of complications resulting from avian influenza, according to a newly released necropsy report.
"Jackie's necropsy confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) as the primary underlying cause of her decline," Steve Kubiski, director of disease investigations for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, said in a statement Wednesday, Oct. 14. "In an uncommon presentation of the virus, the infection caused a severe ulcer in her stomach that led to persistent internal bleeding, anemia, and the development of bacterial sepsis."
The newly released report sheds light on the mysterious illness that veterinarians struggled treat throughout the summer. The Big Bear Lake, California, bald eagle's life was livestreamed on YouTube, leading to her becoming an object of global fascination and to her hometown becoming practically synonymous with America's iconic bird.
She died in August after a weeks-long fight with an illness that confounded the eagle's doctors. Efforts to save the eagle saw Jackie hospitalized and placed under anesthesia for veterinarians to perform what many hoped would be a life-saving blood transfusion. Veterinary pathologists at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance performed the necropsy.
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Oct 14, 2026
Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Election officials in Ohio, Louisiana and Oklahoma said they were sent packages containing suspicious white powder, prompting law enforcement to investigate.
The suspicious powder was discovered in Louisiana and Oklahoma on Tuesday, while a similar mailing intended for Ohio was intercepted Wednesday.
Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry said in a statement that her office in Baton Rouge was closed Tuesday after an Elections Division employee opened a package at around 12:20 p.m. CDT and found white powder inside.
The Oklahoma State Election Board said in a statement it received an envelope containing a "suspicious white powder" on Tuesday morning.
And a statement from Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose on Wednesday states that U.S. Postal Service investigators intercepted a letter containing "a powdery white substance" intended for his office.
The offices in Louisiana and Oklahoma wer
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Oct 14, 2026
Newly appointed White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia in Washington, D.C., on October 13, 2026. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images)
A government watchdog group filed a complaint Wednesday with the State Bar of California, seeking an investigation into newly appointed White House press secretary Katie Zacharia over allegations she falsely represented herself as a lawyer despite apparently never having been licensed to practice.
Campaign for Accountability alleges that Zacharia might have violated California law by repeatedly identifying herself as a lawyer on television and serving as general counsel for a California nonprofit organization.
"If that reporting is accurate, Ms. Zacharia has repeatedly held herself out to the public as entitled to practice law without a license to do so, conduct California law treats as a crime," the complaint stated.
Rick Coca, a spokesperson for the State Bar of California, confirmed the agency had no record of Zacharia being licensed in California under her married or maiden names.
"Ms. Zacharia has represented herself as a lawyer repeatedly to buttress her reputation and credibility as a television legal commentator and now as the White House spokesperson, yet it seems it was all a lie," CfA Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith said in a news release.
"In California, calling yourself a lawyer without a license isn't puffery; it's a crime," she said.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung
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Oct 14, 2026
The U.S. may have intentionally withheld early warnings this week of Russian strikes on Ukraine, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine "received no advance warning from our partners" when Russia launched a ballistic missile barrage at Kyiv and other locations early Tuesday.
The sources said American officials told their Ukrainian counterparts the system used to detect Russian missile launches had failed due to "bad weather." Ukrainian officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the topic, told CBS News they did not believe the excuse, and they accused the U.S. instead of "playing" with the system.
When Russia launched another wave of ballistic missiles around 3 a.m. local time on Wednesday, the sources said the U.S. early warning system appeared to be working again.
The sources said the U.S. had failed to provide intelligence on Russian ballistic missile launches during one previous instance earlier this year, citing the need to focus more resources on the Middle East.
Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Russia launched more than 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 attack drones and loitering munitions during the overnight attack, primarily targeting energy and critical infrastructure in Kyiv and Kharkiv, killing six people and leaving some 600,000 without power.
President Trump, asked Tuesday if th
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Oct 14, 2026
[Getty Images]
Starlink satellites operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX provide high-speed internet - something modern war relies heavily on.
Kyiv has adopted it as a vital battlefield communications tool and also uses it in drone warfare.
Using Starlink, Ukrainian drones are able to maintain stronger connections with operators over longer distances than conventional radio networks and are less vulnerable to jamming.
But a sudden speed restriction for drones connected to Starlink means some battlefield "missions" have been disrupted, according to a top Ukrainian official.
Serhiy Beskrestnov also said officials had not been told about the 100mph (160km/h) speed limits set overnight on Tuesday by Elon Musk's SpaceX company.
Throttling drones connected to the network at this relatively low speed makes Ukrainian efforts to intercept jet-powered Russian drones all but useless, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Musk's network of satellites makes Ukrainian drone operators more effective [Getty Images]
Starlink is "the backbone of military communications in Ukraine", the institute's George Barros says, and is used across Kyiv's naval, land, and air forces.
Barros, who is the ISW's Dir
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Oct 14, 2026
The suit mentions numerous overlapping interests in Jared Kushner's diplomatic and business work. (Nathan Howard / Pool via Getty)A watchdog group filed suit Wednesday alleging President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner's current role as a top envoy for the administration is unlawful and raises numerous conflict-of-interest concerns.
Kushner is wielding tremendous influence internationally "without having been confirmed by the Senate and without having filed a single financial disclosure," the suit by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, reads.
Kushner "has not been properly vetted for his government role, and he has evaded transparency obligations that aim to ensure he exercises government authority for the good of the American people and not himself," the suit reads.
The suit seeks to have Kushner removed from his position or at least file financial disclosure statements.
Chad Mizelle, an attorney for Jared Kushner, said in a statement that the suit "is without merit."
"Both outside ethics counsel and government ethics attorneys have reviewed Jared Kushner's volunteer government service and confirmed that his arrangements comply with applicable ethics requirements. Jared receives no government salary or compensation, pays his own expenses, and will contin
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Oct 14, 2026
Amid a pronounced public backlash against data center construction in the U.S., one real estate developer is making an offer it hopes will win over one Kansas community: money.
Digital Realty is offering every household in De Soto, Kansas, where it plans to build a data center, $1,000 in utility and property tax credits for 10 years.
"Digital Realty builds critical infrastructure that enables the modern economy, and we believe we also have a responsibility to help strengthen the communities that make this growth possible," Andy Power, the developer's president and CEO, said in a statement on Wednesday.
The offer is part of a $20 million community investment Digital Realty is pledging in De Soto as the company paves the way for a 280-acre data center site. The company said the project, which will eventually cover 1,400 acres, will provide recurring tax revenue, create jobs and deliver other economic benefits to local residents.
Digital Realty, a publicly traded company based in Austin, Texas, with a market worth of more than $67 billion, said in a news release that it is working with De Soto to finalize distribution of the $1,000 credits to households.
The company, whose clients include Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and Nvidia, expects to create 250 permanent jobs for local suppliers and contractors once the site is complete. The initial phase of development will also support "thousands of construction jobs over time," Digital Realty said in its news release.
A recent CBS News poll found that more Americans oppose than favor building a new data center in their area, citing concerns that the facilities
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Oct 14, 2026
Amid a pronounced public backlash against data center construction in the U.S., one real estate developer is making an offer it hopes will win over one Kansas community: money.
Digital Realty is offering every household in De Soto, Kansas, where it plans to build a data center, $1,000 in utility and property tax credits for 10 years.
"Digital Realty builds critical infrastructure that enables the modern economy, and we believe we also have a responsibility to help strengthen the communities that make this growth possible," Andy Power, the developer's president and CEO, said in a statement on Wednesday.
The offer is part of a $20 million community investment Digital Realty is pledging in De Soto as the company paves the way for a 280-acre data center site. The company said the project, which will eventually cover 1,400 acres, will provide recurring tax revenue, create jobs and deliver other economic benefits to local residents.
Digital Realty, a publicly traded company based in Austin, Texas, with a market worth of more than $67 billion, said in a news release that it is working with De Soto to finalize distribution of the $1,000 credits to households.
The company, whose clients include Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and Nvidia, expects to create 250 permanent jobs for local suppliers and contractors once the site is complete. The initial phase of development will also support "thousands of construction jobs over time," Digital Realty said in its news release.
A recent CBS News poll found that more Americans oppose than favor building a new data center in their area, citing concerns that the facilities
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Oct 14, 2026
NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for a man wounded by an immigration officer while driving with his young son in New York said in a court filing Wednesday that the agent who shot him never identified himself before he ran up to the car, smashed one of its windows, then fired several shots into the vehicle.
The account by lawyers for Oscar Belgal contrasted sharply with the version of events outlined by Department of Homeland Security officials. They have said officers opened fire only after Belgal smashed his car into two government vehicles and "accelerated toward other officers."
The Legal Aid Society, in a petition filed in Brooklyn federal court seeking Belgal's release, said he had picked up his son from school on Oct. 8 and was stopped in front of a fire hydrant, looking for a parking spot, when "an anonymous, masked man" stormed up to the vehicle with his gun drawn, followed by other masked men with guns.
"The men did not identify themselves, show any documents or otherwise communicate with Oscar in any substantive way," Belgal's lawyers wrote. "Instead, without identifying himself, the first man struck and shattered Oscar's window and began firing a pistol into Oscar's car while his son cowered in the back seat. One of those bullets struck Oscar in the neck and he immediately began to bleed."
New York City police security camera footage released by the department last week shows some of the encounter but doesn't conclusively resolve the dispute about how the shooting happened.
The video shows a man wearing a sweatshirt and a red hat running up to the car with his gun pointed at Belgal, then immediately using the barrel of his gun to bash the driver's side window. The window shatters on the second blow.
A second officer comes into view
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Oct 14, 2026
By John Kruzel
WASHINGTON, Oct 14 (Reuters) - The US Supreme Court again sided with Republicans on Wednesday in the latest clash over a new Federal Communications Commission policy that gives party committees access to discounted TV and radio advertising rates long available to political candidates.
The court agreed to ?let the FCC, which is chaired by Trump ally Brendan Carr, avoid a judicially imposed deadline that would have forced the agency to rule ?on a Democratic challenge to the policy before the November 3 midterm elections. The FCC joined two Republican committees in filing a request to the Supreme Court to lift the lower court's deadline.
The court ?has a 6-3 conservative majority. Liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson indicated they would have denied the request.
The FCC, which currently has a 2-1 Republican majority, modified its so-called "lowest unit charge" rule in March in a move seen as a boost to President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans. The president's party is seeking to retain control of Congress in the November 3 midterms.
"We are pleased the Supreme Court has granted the FCC's stay request. The court's decision is right on the law and avoids the specter of upending ?the rules for political ads right in the middle of ?an ongoing election," an FCC spokesperson said.
Chief Justice John Roberts had previously lifted the October 9 deadline that was given to the FCC by the Richmond-based 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals. The 4th Circuit has accused the FCC of repeated "delay tactics" in ?the case, and emphasized the need for an urgent ruling in the Democratic challenge given the looming election.
The Supreme Court's latest action marks the second time in recent weeks that it has addressed the FCC's policy, as major Republican committees head toward the midterms with a cash advantage over their Democratic counterparts.
In September, the court gr
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Oct 14, 2026
More than 4 in 10 Americans said they are struggling to afford basic living costs amid rising inflation levels in the country, according to polling data released Wednesday.
The Pew Research Center surveys, which were conducted in late July and August, found that 44 percent of U.S. adults reported struggling to pay for basic necessities like medical care, rent or mortgage, transportation and food.
Rising costs had an even greater impact on lower income Americans, as 71 percent of those surveyed said they struggled with costs for at least one of these expense categories.
Additionally, 60 percent of people said they did not have enough income to "lead the kind of life they want," while 53 percent said they did not have sufficient emergency funds.
The inflation rate in August was 3.4 percent, down from 3.7 percent in July. Since then, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported further increases to the consumer price index, including a 0.6 percent increase in September.
Gas prices have accounted for a sizable share of the inflation rate increases, as the effective
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Oct 14, 2026
The unexplained death this month of a Russian lab technician at a Siberian facility for the study of dangerous pathogens raised global anxieties over the potential for an outbreak of pneumonic plague.
But while the cause of concern - bound up in a lack of transparency from Moscow - was new, Russia's frozen hinterlands have long been the source of a separate fear that they could harbor disease risks for which the world is not prepared.
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Russian authorities imposed containment measures after the 28-year-old's death from what they said was pneumonia of "unknown origins," prompting the United States to ask for more information. A World Health Organization report released Saturday said that Russian authorities found no signs of an outbreak of plague or some other infectious disease, but did not provide sufficient details to identify the origin of the woman's illness or say whether exposure at work played a role in it.
Siberia's vast wilderness harbors natural reservoirs of pathogens, from fleas that spread plague found in marmots and squirrels to ticks bearing encephalitis to the ancient pathogens frozen in the layer of permafrost.
The Russian institute where the lab technician worked was set up in the 1930s as a plague prevention station to curb outbreaks of the deadly bacterial disease that periodically affected local populations as well as people in neighboring Mongolia and China's Manchuria region. The disease, for which early antibiotic treatments were pioneered that decade, could be spread through contact with marmots, which were hunted for meat and sometimes eaten undercooked or even raw, like in a 2019 case of a Mongolian couple.
The s
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Oct 14, 2026
ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) — Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff faced angry members of the school's faculty Wednesday at a meeting that underscored deep frustration over his administration's handling of a woman's report that she was gang raped at a fraternity house in 2024.
Kotlikoff acknowledged some missteps, but also defended his leadership as he took questions from the university's Faculty Senate before it debated a no-confidence resolution in his administration.
The meeting was closed to the media, but in an audio recording obtained by The Associated Press, Kotlikoff asked for more time to implement reforms and push for cultural changes in student social life.
He insisted experienced leadership was necessary to confront problems "that are not simplistic, they're not easy, they can't be brushed aside with a wave of a hand."
Replacing a president isn't the right way to address the situation and would harm Cornell's reputation, Kotlikoff said.
Kotlikoff also left open the possibility of sweeping restrictions on Greek life, saying Cornell needed to determine whether fraternities could operate safely. On Tuesday, Kotlikoff announced a ban on fraternity parties through the end of the academic year.
"If, at the end of the day, fraternities cannot exist in a safe environment and we can't be convinced that they can be safe, then we should make that decision," he said, adding that the university should rely on research and evidence rather than emotion.
After Kotlikoff departed, a string of faculty speakers said they had lost confidence in the administration's ability to combat sex
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Oct 14, 2026
On Saturday, Donald Trump said Ukraine needed a new leader - AFP via Getty Images/BRENDAN SMIALOWSKIVolodymyr Zelensky said that he felt betrayed by Donald Trump, and warned the US president was not acting on the "right side of history".
"It is a pity that we are losing a strong partner," the Ukrainian leader said on Wednesday amid an escalating public clash with his American counterpart.
Relations between Kyiv and the White House have sharply deteriorated after Mr Trump agreed on Friday to waive sanctions on Russia to import diesel.
The US president has been pressuring Ukraine to halt its strikes on Russian oil refineries, blaming Kyiv - not the Iran war - for rising energy prices. On Saturday he said Ukraine needed "a new president".
In an interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored, scheduled to air on Wednesday, Mr Zelensky said he would not resign under US pressure.
Asked whether he felt "betrayed" by recent events, he said: "Really, yes, between us. But it's a little bit more complicated than just my emotions or my feelings.
"Our country has to survive, and we count on our real partners, strategic partners, the United States and President Trump. They wanted us not to attack. My opinion was, it is not fair."
‘People will die'The US has also threatened to suspend intelligence-sharing to force Ukraine to stop its refin
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Oct 14, 2026
Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, during a news conference at the US Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. —Daniel Heuer—Bloomberg via Getty ImagesIn a highly unusual step, federal agents this week aggressively intensified their investigations into Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, weeks before she stands for reelection in her home district.
The Department of Justice on Tuesday subpoenaed relatives of Omar's family members, including her sister Sahra Noor, according to The New York Times. The grand jury subpoenas were issued shortly after a raid of the lawmaker's residence in Washington, D.C. on Monday.
The judicial search warrant, which is under seal, was executed by Homeland Security Investigations, the investigative branch of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Although the Department of Justice did not provide any more details of the investigation, multiple outlets, citing anonymous sources, reported that the search stemmed from Omar's immigration paperwork, which was filled out by her late father when she was a child.
Prior to the investigation, multiple Trump Administration officials have accused Omar of immigration fraud
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Oct 14, 2026
The Comptroller of the Currency says the nation's nine largest banks denied financial services to customers based on their political, religious, or social beliefs, according to a regulatory review released Wednesday.
The OCC reviewed nearly 100,000 complaints and received approximately 50,000 documents from JPMorgan Chase Bank, Bank of America, Citibank, Wells Fargo Bank, U.S. Bank, Capital One, PNC Bank, TD Bank, and BMO Bank regarding their policies, procedures, practices, and individual customer decisions.
The federal banking watchdog determined that the banks' sweeping internal guidelines lacked objective, risk-based criteria, effectively shutting out legitimate customers and businesses based on ideological leanings rather than financial risk.
The OCC said its findings reveal a systematic effort within the banking sector to restrict access for politically sensitive industries through both public and nonpublic policies.
Federal regulators found that lenders restricted certain sectors' access to financial services, including oil and gas exploration; coal mining; firearms or ammunition manufacturing or distribution; construction or operation of detention facilities; and the manufacturing, distribution or online retail of tobacco or e-cigarettes.
The Trump administration has voiced growing concerns over "de-banking" and the use of the financial system to achieve social and political objectives.
"Today's report provides irrefutable evidence that the nation's largest banks have denied, debanked, and discriminated against customers and lawful businesses," said Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould. "Americans should have access to financial services regardless of their beliefs, affiliations, or political views. "
All ni
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Oct 14, 2026
WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time in more than a quarter-century, Americans have a new option when shopping for sunscreen: a skin-protecting chemical that's long been a go-to option in Europe and other parts of the world.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved bemotrizinol — sometimes called BEMT — in June. The first sunscreens containing it are now hitting U.S. store shelves, including formulas from Neutrogena and other manufacturers.
Dermatologists say the chemical fills an important market gap by offering broad protection, like the most well-established sunscreen ingredients, but without their cosmetic downsides, including white streaking.
BEMT has decades of safety data behind it, including studies showing it has minimal absorption into the skin. That's been a concern with some older sun-blocking chemicals.
"It's not a brand-new ingredient that you're going to be the first person to try," said Dr. Jennifer Stein, a dermatologist at NYU Langone Health.
Here's what to know:
New ingredient offers broad protection without streaks
To be effective, sunscreens must protect against both forms of ultraviolet light that can damage the skin — UVB rays, which cause most sunburn, and UVA rays that pose the greatest risk of skin cancer and wrinkles.
Sunscreens that block both forms are labeled "broad spe
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Oct 14, 2026
A recently applied blue coating on the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was damaged in at least 85 places after workers rushed to refill the pool before the Donald Trump-requested liner had set.
A report commissioned by the contractor that did the work, obtained by The Washington Post, does not make any mention of vandalism despite the president's ongoing claims and sworn statements from administration officials that attributed the peeled-off lining to "botched installation."
The report instead blames a rushed job to meet Trump's demands that the work be completed for the nation's 250th anniversary on July 4.
The 75-page "failure analysis" by Atlantic Coating Inspection reveals that Trump's "American flag blue" coating buckled along eight of the 10 expansion joints on the pool's basin.
The liner also blistered in nearly 40 places due to moisture or chemical fumes trapped beneath it, and the paint peeled in nearly two dozen spots before detaching from the pool floor and flapping to the surface, the report found.
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Oct 14, 2026
Social Security and SSI benefits will increase by 3.6% in 2027 for more than 72 million people, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced today.
The cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is the biggest since 2023 and means, on average, retirement benefits will rise by $75 a month, SSA said.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) says that works out to roughly $900 a year, and estimates the highest earners will see an increase of more than $2,200 a year.
SSA calculates the COLA based on the average year-over-year change in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (a form of measuring inflation) for July, August and September.
SSI recipients will see the first higher payment on Dec. 31, 2026. Some people receive both SSI and Social Security. Most Social Security recipients will be paid the higher amount starting Jan. 1, 2027.
The COLA will also affect Medicare Part B beneficiaries, whose premiums are deducted from their Social Security payments. The 2027 standard premium is projected to rise to $209.50 from $202.90, an increase of $6.60 a month, which would leave the average retired worker about $68 a month better off after COLA.
'Next year's COLA can't come soon enou
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Oct 14, 2026
Six people are dead following a plane crash Tuesday night near Reedsburg, Wisconsin, Tuesday night, according to a statement from the Sauk County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office said in an initial statement that the Sauk County Dispatch Center received reports of a downed plane just after 9:30 on Tuesday night.
Deputies and emergency personnel located the aircraft with "multiple individuals involved."
2 found dead after Idaho-bound plane goes missingFive adults and one child were on board the plane, which was flying a return trip from Kenosha, Wisconsin, to Menomonie, Wisconsin, officials said in a follow-up statement.
"As a result of the search, all six occupants of the aircraft were located deceased on scene," according to the sheriff's office.
WKOW - PHOTO: A downed plane was discovered in Dellona, Wisconsin, Oct. 13, 2026.According to authorities, the plane was located "in a densely wooded area."
The sheriff's office said the plane was reportedly "in contact with a nearby air traffic control tower," and they are working to learn what the transmissions were "and if a weather event in the area may have played any role in the crash."
Authorities are not identifying the deceased at this time.
The sheriff's office also shared there have been no reports of damage to structures or injuries to people on the ground.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a Piper PA-46.
According to preliminary information included in a statement from t
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Oct 14, 2026
American drivers face a daunting market. The average monthly payment on a financed new car hit a record $787 in the third quarter, according to Edmunds, up from $777 in the second quarter and $756 a year earlier.
Buyers are also borrowing more than ever. The average amount financed climbed to a record $44,664, while the average new vehicle sold for $50,562 in September, per Kelley Blue Book, just $52 shy of the all-time high. Nationwide, auto loan balances reached $1.71 trillion in the second quarter, according to the New York Fed, roughly 56% more than a decade earlier.
For Joseph Yoon, consumer insights analyst at Edmunds, the math is brutally simple: Vehicle prices sit near record highs, and interest rates remain stubbornly elevated, with the average new-car APR holding at 7%.
"Mix those things together and then you get record-high monthly payments," Yoon told Fortune. "Just how the math works out."
The road that led to record car payments
So how exactly did we arrive here? Yoon points to the pandemic as a significant precursor to the state of car sales. When factories shut down and parts ran short, manufacturers faced a choice: build fewer cars, or bu
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Oct 14, 2026
More than half of the top holders listed as competing for seats at President Trump's next meme coin dinner have used cryptocurrency exchanges that prohibit U.S. customers, indicating that many of the buyers are based overseas, according to a CBS News analysis.
The gala, set for Nov. 22 at the Trump National Golf Club outside Washington, D.C., will seat the 185 largest holders of the $TRUMP meme coin, according to the website for Fight Fight Fight LLC, the company behind the coin. A public leaderboard for the event only lists the top 100 holders.
Mr. Trump is billed as the featured speaker alongside three yet-to-be-named "legends." The top 29 holders will get upfront seating and a VIP reception with the president, the website says.
The upcoming dinner is the latest example of the unprecedented intermingling of business and politics during Mr. Trump's second term.
Mr. Trump earned at least $635 million in royalties last year from a licensing deal tied to the $TRUMP token, according to his financial disclosure. Mr. Trump stands to earn more money from the coin, since an affiliate of the Trump Organization earns revenue whenever the coin is traded, according to the meme coin's website.
"Foreign actors used to need a back door to try to influence a president," said Zach Everson, a researcher for the progressive consumer rights advocacy group Public Citizen. "Trump is holding the front door open and inviting them in for a steak dinner."
Out of the 100 top holders listed as competing for seats, at least 52 moved funds through crypto exchanges that bar U.S. customers, including Binance, Bybit and M
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Oct 14, 2026
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Most of the layoffs will affect workers in Netflix's product, technology, legal and HR teams, co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters wrote in an email to employees Wednesday morning about the layoffs.
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"Our mission — to entertain the world — is ambitious, and delivering on it requires us to be disciplined about where we prioritize our people and resources," the co-CEOs said in the memo, a copy of which was obtained by Variety (read it in full below).
A Netflix spokesperson said the company did not have any comment beyond the memo from Sarandos and Peters.
Netflix, the industry's biggest premium streaming provider with more than 325 million customers globally, has posted double-digit growth in both revenue and profits in recent years. In 2025, the company had $45.2 billion in revenue (up 16%) and net income of $11 billion (up 26%).
"Our business is strong and growing,
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Oct 14, 2026
Attractions are seen at Six Flags Over Georgia near Atlanta on Tuesday. - Mike Stewart/AP
On a warm Columbus Day afternoon, with many area schools closed for Fall Break, the winding midways of Six Flags Over Georgia must have made a wooded stretch about 10 miles west of downtown Atlanta feel both electric and nostalgic.
Carousel music mixed with the thunderous roar of roller coaster carts exploding through dizzying loops and heart-stopping drops. The piercing screams and cheers of thrill seekers clashed with blaring music and barkers calling crowds to their games. The sweet, woody scent of Georgia pines blended with the wafting aroma of sizzling hot dogs and hamburgers.
Under a skyline of soaring steel structures, the Goliath roller coaster stands as one of the Southeast's most popular attractions. The 210-second ride reaches a top speed of 70 miles an hour and an elevation of 200 feet along 4,480 feet of track, featuring "razor-sharp turns" and "colossal hills," according to the park. The "hypercoaster," as Six Flags describes it, celebrated "20 years of airtime" last June and "challenges even the bravest of the brave."
On Monday, Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, a 42-year-old Atlanta resident and "cherished member" of Wesley International Academy, an Atlanta public charter school,
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Oct 14, 2026
Gas prices set a record on Wednesday for the most days in a year that the national average topped $4 a gallon.
The average regular gasoline price stood near $4.33 per gallon, about $0.02 less than a week ago but about $1.25 more than a year ago, according to AAA data.
Wednesday marked the 158th day on which prices remained above $4, according to a GasBuddy analysis, breaking the 2022 record of 157.
Wednesday marked a record for the number of days in a year that gasoline stayed above $4 per gallon.In California, where higher taxes and strict fuel regulations contribute to elevated prices, regular gasoline averages $6.28 per gallon, up from $4.65 a year ago.
The war in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have driven gas prices to seasonal record highs.
"I think gasoline prices will remain above $4 for the next several months unless there is some resolution b
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Oct 14, 2026
New surveillance video is shedding light about the circumstances behind the viral feud between singer Kelly Clarkson and a novelty store in Brooklyn.
The video, which was obtained by the "Pablo Torre Finds Out" podcast and does not have any audio, appears to show the moments leading up to Clarkson's social media complaint about the customer service treatment she said she received at Art of Play, a magic and games store.
Charles Sykes/Invision/AP - PHOTO: Kelly Clarkson performs in Rockefeller Plaza, May 6, 2025, in New York. Clarkson appears in the grainy surveillance video wearing a yellow hoodie and baseball cap. She can be seen browsing items in the store, testing a kaleidoscope and examining a wooden songbird on display named "Molly."
PABLO TORRE FINDS OUT podcast - PHOTO: Kelly Clarkson is seen shopping at Art of Play in Brooklyn, NY, Oct. 10, 2026, in store surveillance footage obtained exclusively by "PABLO TORRE FINDS OUT" podcast.The singer is then seen setting the kaleidoscope down, moving toward the bird, talking to an employee, presumably about the bird, pointing at it and later, moving toward the exit, before backtracking to speak to a cashier.
Shortly after the store encounter, Clarkson posted on X, comparing her experience to that of the fictional Vivian's experience with staff at a clothing store in the 1990 movie, "Pretty Woman."
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Oct 14, 2026
Inflation heated up in September as energy prices soared, according to the latest Consumer Price Index data.
Annual inflation jumped to 3.7%, accelerating from 3.4% in August and outpacing economists' expected 3.6% jump. On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.6% in September from 0.4% a month earlier.
Gas prices were a particularly large contributor to September's inflation figures, rising 9.1%. Average prices at the pump hit a record $4.33 last month, according to AAA data, nearly $0.50 above the previous monthly record set in 2023.
"Core" inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy prices and is watched more closely by Federal Reserve officials, was also hotter than expected, rising 2.6% annually, up from 2.4% in August. Monthly core inflation was unchanged from August's higher-than-expected 0.3% but also came in above the expected 0.2%.
Claire Boston is a Senior Reporter for Yahoo Finance covering housing, mortgages, and home insurance.
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Oct 14, 2026
By Joshua McElwee
VATICAN CITY, Oct 14 (Reuters) - World leaders, Catholics across the globe and senior cardinals at the Vatican offered prayers for Pope Leo on Wednesday after doctors announced the 71-year-old pontiff had been diagnosed with lung cancer and had part of one ?lung removed.
The cancer diagnosis for a pope known to be relatively young and energetic and who was elected only in May 2025 ?caused shock.
A prayer was recited for Leo to have a good convalescence and complete healing during an open-air Mass in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday following the surgery.
The pope was diagnosed on ?Tuesday with lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer, after doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung during an operation.
Leo spent a peaceful night in hospital, the Vatican said, adding that further information about his condition would be released later on Wednesday.
The pontiff had been admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital after doctors discovered a growth during a recent routine health check.
The operation lasted about 90 minutes and was completed without complications, the pope's lead surgeon, Stefano Margaritora, ?and his personal physician, Luigi Carbone, said late on ?Tuesday.
The doctors said in a joint statement that the entire lower lobe of the right lung was removed in an effort to eliminate all cancerous tissue. Human lungs have five lobes — three in the right lung and two in the ?left.
The Vatican has not disclosed the size of the tumour or whether the disease had spread to nearby lymph nodes, key factors in determining prognosis.
Leo is relatively young for a Church leader. He enjoys sports, including tennis, and is not known to be a smoker or to have had recent health issues.
BEST WISHES AND PRAYERS
The Vatican said ?earlier ?this week that the pope was expected to remain in hospital for about a ?week and that al
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Oct 14, 2026
The world's oldest shipwreck has been discovered off the coast of Turkey, archaeologists say.
They have dated it to between 4,400 and 4,700 years old, which is the Early Bronze Age, and is around the same time that the Great Pyramid was being built.
The ship's wooden structure has not survived, but the ceramic storage pots it was carrying were lying on the sea floor and, remarkably, some still contain traces of what they held inside.
The archaeologists who found the ship say it was about 10m in length and was a trade vessel carrying cargo across the Mediterranean Sea.
"The shipwreck is a time capsule at the bottom of the sea," said Prof Hakan Öniz, from Akdeniz University in Turkey, who led the Mediterranean Archaeology Association expedition.
The divers found three stone anchors, as ships carried spares on long voyages [Hakan Öniz]
The wreck is close to the shore of Kekova Island in Antalya, Turkey. The artefacts lie scattered across an underwater slope, just 30m beneath the waves.
Three large stone anchors were found, as well as more than 30 ceramic storage
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Oct 14, 2026
The Trump administration is delaying the release of detailed data showing how Republicans' 2025 tax cuts affected millions of Americans' taxes, even as it tries to sell voters on the law ahead of the midterm elections.
The numbers document which tax breaks were claimed by people in different income brackets, as well as information like how much they paid in taxes.
The IRS typically releases the data in the wake of each filing season, and this year's rollout is more anticipated because it's expected to provide the first detailed look at how taxpayers are taking advantage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including its new deductions for overtime wages and tipped income.
The data was scheduled to be released in July, and then updated again in September, as the IRS processed more people's returns —but the agency hasn't published either. The IRS said it is awaiting approval from the Treasury Department to publish the figures.
But the delay has already irked some who complain it is part of a pattern of the administration withholding otherwise routine releases of tax data.
"I think they are hiding stuff that doesn't line up with all the crowing the CEO has been doing," Nina Olson, a former national taxpayer advocate, said of Frank Bisignano, the IRS's day-to-day leader who has joined Republican lawmakers in touting the breaks to voters.
The lack of detailed numbers on the 2026 filing season comes as the agency is also under fire for withholding a periodic report on the so-called tax gap, which is the share of taxes owed but not yet paid.
The administration declined to answer questions about the delay on the record. In an emailed statement, an official speaking on condition of anonymity said its "priority is to release accurate and reliable data" following "major changes" to the tax code. The official did
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Oct 14, 2026
The Trump administration is delaying the release of detailed data showing how Republicans' 2025 tax cuts affected millions of Americans' taxes, even as it tries to sell voters on the law ahead of the midterm elections.
The numbers document which tax breaks were claimed by people in different income brackets, as well as information like how much they paid in taxes.
The IRS typically releases the data in the wake of each filing season, but this year's rollout is more anticipated because it's expected to provide the first detailed look at how taxpayers are taking advantage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including its new deductions for overtime wages and tipped income.
The data was scheduled to be released in July, and then updated again in September, as the IRS processed more people's returns —but the agency hasn't published either. The IRS said it is awaiting approval from the Treasury Department to publish the figures. But the delay has already irked some who complain it is part of a pattern of the administration withholding otherwise routine releases of tax data.
"I think they are hiding stuff that doesn't line up with all the crowing the CEO has been doing," Nina Olson, a former national taxpayer advocate, said of Frank Bisignano, the IRS's day-to-day leader who has joined Republican lawmakers in touting the breaks to voters.
The lack of detailed numbers on the 2026 filing season comes as the agency is also under fire for withholding a periodic report on the so-called tax gap, which is the share of taxes owed but not yet paid.
A Trump administration official told POLITICO in an emailed statement that its "priority is to release accurate and reliable data" following "major changes" to the tax code.
During the filing season, the IRS publishes weekly top-line statistics documenting how many retur
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Oct 14, 2026
Some top congressional Republicans have privately concluded that it is likely impossible for them to keep control of the House of Representatives in the midterm elections, and they are now focused on limiting the scale of the defeat and salvaging the party's Senate majority.
Five senior Republican lawmakers, all granted anonymity to speak candidly about their party's dire position, told POLITICO the House had all but slipped away.
One senior House Republican said the GOP's goal at this point was to "save as many Republican seats as we can." The president, this person said, was not helping.
"President Trump has made this election all about himself," the lawmaker said. "Now we have to survive that political storm."
A second Republican member of Congress said the movement of campaign advertising made plain which side was in control of the midterms. This lawmaker predicted Democrats would pick up about 10 seats, more than enough to take control of the chamber.
Even in newly redistricted red states like Florida and Texas, this person said, Republican candidates were "hanging on with their fingernails."
Republicans have already fallen back from several contested House districts that they feel are no longer winnable, including those held by Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa and Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey. Trump carried their districts just two years ago. The party last week gave up on an Omaha-based district held by retiring Rep. Don Bacon.
Trump officials and other top GOP operatives say more candidates may be cut off in the coming days, in order to shift advertising money to races where it can make more of a difference. Republican groups have already given up on multiple races where they once hoped to unseat Democratic lawmakers.
The Republican Party is under extreme pressure across the Midwest, where it is now spending heavily to defend Senate seats in once-reliably MAGA states like Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas.
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Oct 14, 2026
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian air strike on a residential building in Kyiv [EPA/Shutterstock]
At least 600,000 people across Ukraine are now without electricity after deadly overnight Russian missile and drone strikes, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
He said "critical" energy infrastructure had been hit in Kyiv and the capital region and also in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv - despite a claim by US President Donald Trump on Sunday that an "energy ceasefire" was in place between Russia and Ukraine.
In Kyiv, at least three people were killed and 21 injured, Ukraine's state emergencies service DSNS said.
Russia's defence ministry said its "massive" strikes overnight had targeted communications and energy facilities in the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions used by Ukraine's military.
The defence ministry also said 902 Ukrainian drones had been shot down overnight over a number of Russian regions, including the capital Moscow and Crimea - Ukraine's southern peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.
Ukraine's air force said that overnight, Russia had launched 39 ballistic and cruise missiles and 128 drones, and that four of those missiles and 115 drones had been shot down.
On Sunday, Trump wrote in a post on social media: "Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!"
President Zelensky has since repeatedly said Ukraine is ready to halt its strikes on Russian oil refineries and other energy facilities if Moscow did the same.
But Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said Ukraine d
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Oct 14, 2026
Greenland has untapped rare earth deposits and could be a critical player as melting polar ice opens up new shipping routes (Ina FASSBENDER)US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that oil, gas and mineral exploration was preparing to begin in Greenland, and hailed the Arctic island's position for US and European security.
Washington signed a security deal with the leaders of Greenland and Denmark after Trump threatened to take Copenhagen's strategically important Arctic Circle territory by force.
Greenland, which lies on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States, represents a highly strategic location for Trump's desired "Golden Dome" defense shield.
It also has untapped rare earth deposits and could be a critical player as melting polar ice opens up new shipping routes.
"Massive Oil, Gas, and Mineral Exploration is getting ready to begin in our new and beautiful Greenland!" Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Citing experts, Trump said "the amount of easily available Oil is far greater than that of almost... anywhere in the World."
He did not give details of prospective American involvement.
In August, media reports of a US oil company's preparatory operations in a remote region of eastern Greenland left locals and authorities on the island uneasy.
In the same message on Truth Social, Trump hailed Greenland's position as "second to none" for US and European security.
"Any future attack on the United States will have to come across Greenland, where our Defense will routinely knock down drones, missiles, or any other form of weapon not yet even conceived," Trump said.
"It gives us time, location, and sightline, like nowhere else in the World!" he added.
Trump signed a security deal with the leader
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Oct 14, 2026
Several White House officials are questioning how long Katie Zacharia will keep the press secretary job after her first briefing Tuesday, saying her performance was unlikely to satisfy President Donald Trump.
Several advisers and officials offered negative reviews of the briefing to CNN, with one characterizing it as "brutal." Others described it as unusual, awkward, stilted and, at times, uncomfortable. Zacharia appeared at the podium for only about 15 minutes, and most of that time was dedicated to an opening statement touting Trump's accomplishments. She called on only three reporters for questions before ending the briefing.
Some White House officials and Trump advisers expressed confusion about why the White House rushed Zacharia to the podium. A source familiar with the matter said Trump had asked Zacharia to conduct the briefing, and while some in his orbit had misgivings, the source was unaware of anyone relaying them to Zacharia or Trump.
"She should have been doing murder boards for two weeks before going up there," one Trump adviser told CNN, before critiquing Zacharia's performance. "The best thing she did was
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Oct 14, 2026
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats are preparing an ambitious 100-days agenda focused on delivering their campaign promises — making life more affordable and conducting vast oversight of the Trump administration — if the party seizes majority control in next month's elections.
Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is in line to become House speaker if the party wins power, said the Democrats will be united "right out of the gate" on reinstating Affordable Care Act tax breaks, reversing Republican Medicaid cuts, holding votes against the Iran war and undoing President Donald Trump's tariff regime.
They expect to launch the agenda in the first 100 hours, once the new Congress is seated in January.
"Fighting for an affordable America — that's what unites Democrats all across the country," Jeffries said recently at the party campaign headquarters in Washington.
"That's our commitment to the American people, because the cost of living is way too high and far too many people who are working hard, playing by the rules, can't thrive and can barely survive — and are drowning — in the Trump economy."
It's a hyper-focused agenda tapping into the voter sentiment that is driving much of the midterm election as Americans wrestle with
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Oct 13, 2026
By Jacob Bogage and Andrew Goudsward
WASHINGTON, Oct 13 (Reuters) - The US Justice Department on Tuesday gave California officials 48 hours to review a list of alleged noncitizen voters or face legal action, according to a letter reviewed by Reuters - part of an unprecedented effort to find evidence ?of voter fraud ahead of next month's elections.
The letter, written by acting Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter and addressed to California Secretary ?of State Shirley Weber, says the Justice Department provided officials in Los Angeles County with a "password-protected thumb drive" with the names of people the federal government "believes are likely noncitizens" and were sent mail-in ballots.
The ?letter demands that the state refuse to send ballots to those on the list until their citizenship status has been confirmed. Voters in question who have already received ballots should have their ballot "segregated" once it is mailed back; ballots already returned should not be tabulated "until citizenship has been determined," the letter stipulates.
The federal government "will have no choice but to seek emergency relief," according to the letter, if state officials do not follow its instructions.
"Allowing noncitizens to vote cancels citizen votes," McCotter wrote.
The letter marks an escalation of the ?Trump administration's attempts to pressure states over alleged voting ?by non-US citizens and signals the Justice Department may be prepared to challenge ballots in the weeks leading up to the November 3 election, when Republicans will be defending their narrow majorities in Congress.
Justice Department spokeswoman Kiersten Pels confirmed the existence of the ?letter in a statement to Reuters, adding: "The department will take all necessary legal action to protect election integrity and ensure compliance with federal law."
Representatives from the White House and the California secre
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Oct 13, 2026
A federal judge on Tuesday extended an order blocking President Donald Trump's administration from banning reporters for three news outlets from the White House, a pivotal operational development for the organizations as the extraordinary case — pitting the president against the media that cover him — makes its way through the legal system.
In a victory for media organizations at a time when tension between the White House and journalists is high, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that CNN, MS NOW and Politico are likely to succeed in their constitutional free speech and due process claims.
"Still," he added in his late-night order, "no one should interpret the Court's decision to suggest that President Trump's concerns about accuracy and fairness in the media's reporting are unfounded, or that the government is powerless when its true aim is to protect national security when classified information is unlawfully disclosed."
But Kelly agreed with the plaintiffs that the national security arguments came after the fact and were unsupported by the administration.
The judge also wrote that without a preliminary injunction the outlets "are likely to suffer irreparable harm, and that the balance of the equities and the public interest tip in their favor."
An email to the Justice Department, which is arguing the case on behalf of the administration, was not immediately returned. The White House also did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
Theodore Boutrous Jr., attorney for the three media organizations, hailed the judge's ruling.
"When the President issued his ‘ban on the free press,' he blatantly and explicitly violated due process and the First Amendment," Boutrous said in a statement. "The harm
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Oct 13, 2026
Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, resigned on Tuesday amid allegations of improper conduct while denying the claims and vowing to "vigorously defend" herself.
In a lengthy post on her personal X account on Tuesday morning, Guilfoyle thanked President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for "entrusting me with the extraordinary privilege of representing the greatest country in the history of the world."
Guilfoyle also denied the "recent allegations" against her. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Guilfoyle asked a Trump donor to pay off a $100,000 American Express credit card bill ahead of her confirmation as ambassador in exchange for access to administration officials.
"These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity," Guilfoyle wrote. "I have dedicated my professional life to fighting for justice, standing up for what is right, and defending the values that make America exceptional. I will not allow false accusations to define my decades of public service."
Earlier Tuesday, Katie Zacharia, the new White House press secretary, announced during her first briefing that the administration had asked Guilfoyle to resign.
"We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign," Zacharia said when asked about the
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Oct 13, 2026
The federal investigation that prompted the search of Rep. Ilhan Omar's D.C. residence on Monday centers on claims that she or her late father may have lied on decades-old immigration paperwork to secure legal status and eventually U.S. citizenship, three people familiar with the matter said.
Omar - a Minnesota Democrat who was born in Somalia and fled civil war there with her family before eventually immigrating to the United States in 1995 - has repeatedly rejected such allegations, which have circulated in conservative media for years. She dismissed them again in a statement Monday as "baseless lies and smear campaigns."
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It is extremely unusual for federal agents to take public investigative actions related to a member of Congress just weeks before an election because doing so could cast a candidate who is not criminally charged in a negative light.
In Omar's case, the investigation is notable for other reasons as well: It involves long-ago paperwork from when she was a teenager, and Omar is a lawmaker who has frequently been singled out for criticism and vitriol by President Donald Trump and his allies.
The president condemned her again in a social media post Tuesday, after U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro told Fox News that her office had launched a separate inquiry into Omar's financial disclosure forms - a matter that has previously drawn the attention of House Republicans.
"America wants answers, and we want them, NOW!" wrote Trump, mirroring his previous calls for Justice Department investigations of his perceived political enemies.
The immigration-related inquiry, which could result in fraud charges and potentially
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Oct 13, 2026
Pope Leo XIV has been diagnosed with lung cancer after having surgery to remove a nodule, or growth, on his right lung, according to a statement the Vatican shared with CBS News. The Vatican noted that his diagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma was "as suspected from pre-operative tests."
During the 90-minute surgery, doctors at Rome's Gemelli Hospital ultimately removed the lower lobe of his lung. It's called a "radical resection," as the Vatican noted, and is designed to completely remove the cancer. It's not yet clear what stage the pope's cancer is or whether he may require further treatment. Determining that will require further testing of the tumor. But for the 71-year-old pontiff, the first step — and a critically important one, experts tell Yahoo — is to recover.
As extreme as the procedure sounds, life without part of a lung can be surprisingly normal, according to two experts.
The lobes of the lungs There are a total of five lobes, or sections, in a pair of lungs: three in the right lung and two in the left. Pope Leo XIV's surgery removed approximately 20% of his total lung tissue, estimates Dr. Sudish Murthy, section chair of thoracic surgery at Cleveland Clinic, who was not involved in the pope's care.
The lower lobes of the lungs receive slightly more blood flow than the upper ones because of gravity, Murthy explained. "But they all do essentially the same function, so if you have one lobe taken out, you would not lose so
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Oct 13, 2026
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., speaking in September. (Elijah Nouvelage / Getty)Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., said Tuesday night during a debate that he will not run for president in 2028.
Ossoff made the statement in response to a question as he faced off with his Republican challenger, Rep. Mike Collins. Ossoff is seeking a second six-year term in Georgia and said he would serve the full term.
"I have zero interest in running for president," Ossoff said when he was asked directly by one of the moderators. "I'm not running for president. I'm running for re-election to the Senate."
Ossoff has been regularly discussed as a potential Democratic contender in 2028. If he were to win the presidency, he would have to give up his Senate seat, which he stressed Tuesday night that he would not do.
After the brief remark, Ossoff quickly transitioned to pressing Collins about why he has supported President Donald Trump's tariffs, a main focus of both his campaign and a debate the two held last week. Tuesday was the second debate in the nationally watched Georgia Senate race, this one organized by the Atlanta Press Club.
Collins quipped that Ossoff was actually trying to run for president and will be "your DSA candidate," a reference to the Democratic Socialists of America.
The exchange came at the beginning of the hourlong debate, which covered ground including data centers; the economy under Trump, whose approval rating is at record lows; the war in Iran; and the issue of Collins'
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Oct 13, 2026
By Parisa Hafezi, Jonathan Saul and Phil Stewart
DUBAI/LONDON/WASHINGTON, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Iran is deploying new tactics to target ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz as it seeks to keep oil prices high and influence the US midterm elections, two senior Iranian officials told Reuters.
Tehran has tried to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel ?launched strikes against Iran on February 28. It has restricted passage through the waterway, which carried about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war, in an effort ?to gain leverage over Washington.
Its threats and attacks have severely curtailed traffic through the strait, driving up oil prices, though some oil has continued to transit.
The two officials declined to provide details of the new strategy, but one said that Iran had started using ?different offensive tactics against vessels it considered in violation of its restrictions about 10 days ago, adding that this had led to an increase in attacks on such ships.
The strategy included a change in the type as well as the pace of attacks, with one goal being to influence the outcome of the US vote, they said.
"The aim is to frustrate efforts by the United States and its allies to bring down global oil prices," one of the two officials said.
The decision to adopt the new strategy had been taken at the highest levels of Iran's leadership and was fully coordinated across the country's ruling system, the officials said.
IRAN USING SPOTTERS
A US military official, speaking on condition ?of anonymity, confirmed that Iran had changed tactics in one significant way: ?after the US destroyed much of Iran's radar capabilities, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had started using unarmed spotters in small boats to identify potential targets, including US naval vessels, the official said.
Last week, in a pre
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Oct 13, 2026
By Parisa Hafezi, Jonathan Saul and Phil Stewart
DUBAI/LONDON/WASHINGTON, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Iran is deploying new tactics to target ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz as it seeks to keep oil prices high and influence the US midterm elections, two senior Iranian officials told Reuters.
Tehran has tried to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel ?launched strikes against Iran on February 28. It has restricted passage through the waterway, which carried about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war, in an effort ?to gain leverage over Washington.
Its threats and attacks have severely curtailed traffic through the strait, driving up oil prices, though some oil has continued to transit.
The two officials declined to provide details of the new strategy, but one said that Iran had started using ?different offensive tactics against vessels it considered in violation of its restrictions about 10 days ago, adding that this had led to an increase in attacks on such ships.
The strategy included a change in the type as well as the pace of attacks, with one goal being to influence the outcome of the US vote, they said.
"The aim is to frustrate efforts by the United States and its allies to bring down global oil prices," one of the two officials said.
The decision to adopt the new strategy had been taken at the highest levels of Iran's leadership and was fully coordinated across the country's ruling system, the officials said.
IRAN USING SPOTTERS
A US military official, speaking on condition ?of anonymity, confirmed that Iran had changed tactics in one significant way: ?after the US destroyed much of Iran's radar capabilities, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had started using unarmed spotters in small boats to identify potential targets, including US naval vessels, the official said.
Last week, in a pre
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Oct 13, 2026
HOUSTON — Videos collected by local investigators make it "pretty obvious" that an ICE officer intentionally ran over Miguel Parra Hernandez during an immigration stop Saturday, which could lead to assault charges, the district attorney said Tuesday.
"This was an intentional striking and running over of the person by the vehicle, and in that case, that is an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Texas," Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare told NBC News.
Teare said the federal government is not cooperating with the investigation conducted by his office and the Harris County Sheriff's Office. He also said ICE may have allowed the erasure of critical data in the vehicle involved in striking Parra, who was on foot.
Teare said that in his seven years as a Harris County vehicular crimes division chief, he has reviewed video from a number of other auto-pedestrian collision cases. He said the video his investigators have gathered in Parra's case "goes above" the video that was posted online and obtained by NBC affiliate KPRC of Houston.
"My viewing of it, and many other investigators that have viewed it, as well, it's pretty obvious that this was an intentional striking and running over of the person by the vehicle, and in that case, that is an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Texas," he said.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare. (Raquel Natalicchio / Houston Chronicle via Getty)Parra, 48, was left with multiple breaks and fract
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Oct 13, 2026
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. (AP)
The Justice Department, in an apparent escalation of a long-running investigation involving the immigration history of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., has issued subpoenas to members of her family, The New York Times reported Tuesday, as the congresswoman accuses the Trump administration of political retribution for her outspoken criticism of the president.
The subpoenas mark a new development in a probe that has drawn scrutiny after federal agents searched Omar's Washington-area home Monday, an action she condemned as an attempt to intimidate political opponents and weaponize federal law enforcement.
"For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns," Omar wrote on social media Monday. "This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not be silenced."
Federal authorities have not publicly laid out the full scope of the investigation or disclosed what evidence investigators are seeking through the subpoenas.
The search Monday was conducted by agents with Homeland Security Investigations under a court-authorized warrant, the Justice Department confirmed, but officials offered few details about the criminal investigation.
The inquiry follows months of public comments by Trump administration officials about allegations involving Omar's immigration history.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said last month that an ongoing investigation was examining, in part, whether Omar had lied on immigration forms, adding that "something's going to happen," according to The Associated Press.
Omar, who was born in Somalia and became a naturalized U.S. citizen, has repeatedly rejected allegations concerning her immigration
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Oct 13, 2026
Trump administration officials are leaning against livestreaming the execution of the ex-Army major convicted of the killing of 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009, sources familiar with the discussions said. Last week, the Pentagon had said that the public would be able to view the execution live.
President Trump had not yet made a final decision on Tuesday, two of the sources told CBS News.
White House and Pentagon spokespeople didn't immediately comment.
There has been pressure from Congress and elsewhere not to livestream Nidal Hasan's execution by firing squad, which is scheduled to take place on Dec. 3.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last Thursday in an interview with Real America's Voice that the Pentagon planned to make the execution public.
"He's going to get a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be," Hegseth said. "We'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public — because people need to understand that there's serious consequences for these types of things."
CNN reported earlier Tuesday that Mr. Trump and his advisers were debating whether to air the firing squad execution live, and that Mr. Trump had remarked privately that he didn't initially know Hasan was paralyzed from the waist down.
Several top Republicans in recent days expressed opposition to livestreaming Hasan's execution, and Vice President JD Vance said that if it were broadcast live, "I'm not going to be watching it."
As the president departed for a campaign rally in Alaska on Tuesday, a reporter asked him whether he's decided to allow
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Oct 13, 2026
Trump administration officials are leaning against livestreaming the execution of the ex-Army major convicted of the killing of 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009, sources familiar with the discussions said. Last week, the Pentagon had said that the public would be able to view the execution live.
President Trump had not yet made a final decision on Tuesday, two of the sources told CBS News.
White House and Pentagon spokespeople didn't immediately comment.
There has been pressure from Congress and elsewhere not to livestream Nidal Hasan's execution by firing squad, which is scheduled to take place on Dec. 3.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last Thursday in an interview with Real America's Voice that the Pentagon planned to make the execution public.
"He's going to get a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be," Hegseth said. "We'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public — because people need to understand that there's serious consequences for these types of things."
CNN reported earlier Tuesday that Mr. Trump and his advisers were debating whether to air the firing squad execution live, and that Mr. Trump had remarked privately that he didn't initially know Hasan was paralyzed from the waist down.
Several top Republicans in recent days expressed opposition to livestreaming Hasan's execution, and Vice President JD Vance said that if it were broadcast live, "I'm not going to be watching it."
As the president departed for a campaign rally in Alaska on Tuesday, a reporter asked him whether he's decided to allow
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Oct 13, 2026
By Olena Harmash and Daniel Flynn
KYIV, Oct 13 (Reuters) - US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Washington was still sharing intelligence with Ukraine, even as Kyiv reported new Russian missile attacks that came without usual warnings and accused Russia of violating an energy truce the US president announced at the weekend.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russian forces attacked Kyiv ?on Tuesday with ballistic missiles, targeting a thermal power plant, and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a strike on a high-rise apartment building killed two people.
"Once again, no advance warning from ?our partners," Zelenskiy said on Telegram without explaining why no warning was given.
"According to our intelligence, the Russians are preparing further ballistic missile launches," he said, adding that the attacks showed Russia did not feel bound by Trump's energy ceasefire.
Trump on Sunday announced a ?ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, but the warring sides have not confirmed the truce.
Zelenskiy has come under pressure from Trump to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries after the US president eased sanctions on Russian diesel exports, arguing the move would help lower fuel prices ahead of next month's midterm elections.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump said Washington continued to share intelligence with Ukraine and was working with both Kyiv and Moscow to end the war. "We are helping them, and we are sharing intel," he said.
Kyiv relies heavily on US intelligence for early warnings of missile strikes and for its own targeting of Russian military sites, experts and officials say.
Trump was asked whether Russia had ?violated the ceasefire and answered: "I'll let you know about that later."
Asked if ?Russia could use proceeds from the diesel deal to purchase more bombs, Trump sidestepped the question. "That's a diesel deal, not for us. That's bei
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Oct 13, 2026
Louis Prevost, Pope Leo XIV's older brother who lives in Florida, has multiple myeloma, his wife told CBS News on Tuesday. The news comes amid the Vatican's earlier announcement that the pope has been diagnosed with lung cancer after undergoing surgery to remove a nodular lesion from his right lung.
Deborah Prevost did not share what stage Louis' cancer is in but said he's currently in a clinical trial at a local hospital where he's being treated.
Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that affects plasma cells, according to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.
Deborah Prevost said Louis was first diagnosed in 2017 but was able to maintain it at a "very low level" after undergoing treatment in 2019 that included stem cell treatment and a clinical trial. He "fell out of remission" three months ago, she said.
She could not comment on the specifics of Pope Leo's condition but said her husband and his brother spoke last week before Louis went in for his clinical trial.
"He called to let us know what would be happening," Deborah said. "We keep praying, keeping spirits up for both of them."
Pope Leo underwent surgery Tuesday that confirmed he has lung cancer, the Vatican said earlier in the day. The 71-year-old pontiff was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma.
The Vatican didn't disclose what stage the cancer was in or whether the cancer may have spread. It also did not detail what further procedures or treatment the pope may have to undergo.
Deborah Prevost told CBS News the family was "going through a lot," but she was hopefu
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Oct 13, 2026
Katie Zacharia made her debut as President Donald Trump's new White House press secretary Tuesday morning, breaking news (announcing that Kimberly Guilfoyle had been asked to resign as ambassador to Greece) and sparking commentary about her performance (Trump, for one, said he "thought she was very good").
But Zacharia has also made news, regarding how she has represented herself and her résumé in public appearances.
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"What state did she pass the bar exam in?" a journalist shouted at Trump on Tuesday morning as he walked to Marine One. The president leaned in. Zacharia stood behind him. "She said she's an attorney," the journalist repeated. "Where did she pass the bar exam? Which state?"
Trump stepped aside to let Zacharia answer: "When I moved to China," she appeared to say through muffled audio.
Journalist Judd Legum, who writes the Popular Information newsletter, identified numerous occasions when Zacharia appeared on national media outlets citing her credentials as a lawyer. He counted 18 appearances on Fox News Channel when she made such mentions, and he found that she also called herself a lawyer on her social media accounts.
Zacharia graduated with a law degree from Pepperdine University, but Legum wrote that he could not find that she passed any state's bar exam, which is almost always a requirement for practicing law in the United States.
The Washington Post conducted its own review and also could not find any active or expire
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Oct 13, 2026
WASHINGTON (AP) — An engineer at OpenAI has been charged with secretly installing a recording device inside a conference room in what officials said Tuesday was an effort to capture sensitive conversations about the company's technology.
The employee, identified as a 35-year-old Saudi national named Abdulrahman Alfozan, was arrested Friday, a week after the ChatGPT maker discovered an audio recording device hidden in the conference room, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in San Francisco.
The complaint did not identify the company, but the company confirmed in a separate statement that it had discovered a "sophisticated recording device that was hidden inside one of our offices," reported the finding to the FBI and fired the employee.
"We used our models to understand the device and where it had come from, identifying that a specific employee had planted it a few days earlier. We referred the matter to the FBI, and we're grateful to the agents and prosecutors who moved quickly to make an arrest. The FBI's investigation is ongoing and we will continue to support their work," an OpenAI spokesperson said.
"At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data. The employee was terminated," the statement said.
The complaint does not detail what Alfozan might have wanted to do with any captured communications.
Alfozan made his first court appearance Tuesday on a charge of using or endeavoring to use an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept ora
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Oct 13, 2026
Regulators fined Bank of America (BAC) more than $1.2 billion on Tuesday over widespread failures in the banking giant's safeguards against money laundering and other illicit financial activity.
The Treasury Department said the nation's second-largest bank failed to properly monitor trillions of dollars in transactions and to report more than $5 billion in suspicious activity, including transactions potentially tied to Chinese money-laundering networks, narcotics trafficking, and fraud.
The enforcement actions include a $1.2 billion penalty from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), the third-largest fine in the Treasury Department's history after it fined crypto exchange Binance $3.4 billion in 2023 and TD Bank for $1.3 billion in 2024. The fine also includes a $750 million penalty from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the largest ever imposed by that regulator.
The OCC penalty will be credited against FinCEN's assessment rather than added to it. Separately, a $11.6 million sanctions settlement brings the total penalties to more than $1.21 billion.
"Even the biggest financial institutions are not above the law," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
Bank of America's stock fell more than 2% after markets closed on Tuesday. It reports third quarter earnings Wednesday morning.
The bank said it
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Oct 13, 2026
Georgia police have identified the man who died Monday after falling from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia in an incident that also injured several others.
The Cobb County Police Department identified the 42-year-old Atlanta man as Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem. "Preliminary information gathered through witness and employee interview indicates Kariem was ejected from the ride and struck other patrons before falling beneath the attraction," according to a Tuesday statement from the Cobb County Police Department's Major Crimes Unit.
Eyewitnesses shared what they saw as Monday's accident unfolded. "He fell and hit the car three different times," a witness told WXIA Atlanta, adding that their souvenir photo from the ride captured Kariem falling.
Another witness told NBC News that he was on the ride with his partner when he saw Kariem ejected from his seat. "The man started levitating in the air sideways," he said. "We made direct eye contact with him."
A woman waiting in line to ride Goliath again told Fox
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Oct 13, 2026
The Justice Department (DOJ) announced Tuesday that CVS Health has agreed to pay $315 million to settle lawsuits alleging the company illegally filled prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances.
The settlement resolves a lawsuit first filed in 2019 by former CVS employee Hillary Estright in 2019 under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which allows private parties to sue on behalf of the U.S. It also settles the ensuing 2024 complaint that the federal government filed against CVS Health.
Allegations against the pharmacy chain included claims that it knowingly filled prescriptions for controlled substances that had no legitimate medical purpose, were not valid or were not issued through common professional practices. CVS Health's corporate performance metrics allegedly encouraged these actions to enhance profit.
The settlement agreement does not serve as an admission of guilt by CVS Health or a reversal of the federal government's argument that there were well-founded claims against the company.
"Today's settlement requires CVS to implement additional safeguards to ensure that prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances are dispensed only when medically appropriate," DOJ Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate said in a statement.
Shumate continued, "The remedial measures in this agreement — including proactive monitoring of opioid prescribing patterns — will provide critical protections for patients and federal healthcare programs. The Department of Justice will continue to take steps to prevent the unlawful dispensing of opioids."
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Oct 13, 2026
By Jack Queen and Steve Gorman
LAS VEGAS, Oct 13 (Reuters) - A former gang leader was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison on Tuesday for orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting death of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas, capping the prosecution of a long-unsolved ?murder that shaped the golden age of rap music.
Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, found guilty of first-degree murder in August, received the sentence during a hearing ?in a Las Vegas courtroom.
In tearful testimony before Judge Carli Kierny, Shakur's younger sister Sekyiwa Shakur said their mother had raised him to be a human rights activist and treated him as if he ?had the potential to change the world.
"He believed her," said Sekyiwa Shakur, wearing a black shirt. "He went out in the world to do that. And I believe he would have done it."
Until Davis' 2023 arrest, the killing of Shakur, shot dead in the passenger seat of an SUV driven by his record executive, Marion "Suge" Knight, had stood for nearly three decades as one of America's most notorious cold cases.
The murder, which silenced one of rap's most commercially successful and influential artists, heightened the image of violence permeating 1990s hip-hop culture ?while stoking the infamous East Coast-West Coast "gangsta" rap feud ?of the era.
Despite Davis' conviction, the question of who pulled the trigger in the fatal shooting of the 25-year-old rap legend has never been conclusively decided.
Davis was tried and convicted for masterminding the murder to avenge the beating of his nephew by Shakur and ?members of the rapper's entourage inside the MGM Grand casino on the Las Vegas Strip on September 7, 1996.
Davis has said he would appeal his conviction.
'THE WORLD NEVER FORGOT'
Authorities said they long believed Davis was involved in Shakur's killing but lacked sufficient evidence to charge him.
That changed when he went
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Oct 13, 2026
Katie Zacharia responded after criticism of her first White House press briefing on Tuesday, telling Newsweek via email that "I am grateful to serve President Trump as Press Secretary, and I will diligently and effectively amplify his successful agenda."
During her debut at the podium, Zacharia announced that the White House had asked U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign.
Yet much of the reaction to Zacharia's debut centered on its brevity. She spent just 14 minutes at the podium and took questions from only three outlets before ending the briefing as President Donald Trump prepared to depart the White House for a campaign trip to Alaska.
Zacharia, a conservative commentator who most recently worked for Trump's social media company, was named press secretary on Friday, succeeding Karoline Leavitt, who left the administration in August to spend more time with her family.
Her first appearance offered an early glimpse of how Zacharia intends to approach the job. She told reporters that her goal was to "amplify, multiply and expand upon President Trump's incredible agenda for the American people" while describing Trump as "his own best spokesperson."
Speaking to reporters before his trip to Alaska, Trump responded to a question about Zacharia's briefing, saying only, "I thought she was very good."
But the brevity of the appearance, along with Zacharia's delivery and handling of questions, quickly generated criticism from former White House communications officials, journalists and commentators.
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Oct 13, 2026
President Trump has begun to downplay his new deal with Russia after a plan to allow imports of Russian diesel into the US came under withering criticism, even from members of his own party.
"It's a deal for the world ... It's not a deal with me," Trump told reporters on Tuesday morning, repeating that it was "not a USA deal."
"They're releasing it to the entire world," Trump added, after making similar comments on Monday that the deal would help US farmers, but said, "It's not really a deal with me, it's a deal for the rest of the world."
President Trump speaks to members of the media as he departs the White House on Oct. 13 to travel to Alaska for a rally. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Oct 13, 2026
Control of both chambers of Congress is up for grabs in November's election. But as important as the House of Representatives is, all signs point to the true drama of the midterms being in the battle for the Senate.
There are 35 Senate seats on the ballot this year. Most of those races won't be competitive. The balance of power in the Senate will be decided by the dozen or so states where the outcome truly is uncertain. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority, which means they can lose three seats and still maintain control of the chamber — thanks to Vice President JD Vance's constitutionally granted power to break ties in an evenly split Senate.
Forecasters widely expect Democrats to flip the House, but view the Senate as a "true toss-up."
The key Senate battlegrounds include traditional swing states, idiosyncratic areas of the Northeast and historically Republican states where Democrats have rarely been competitive in recent elections.
The outcome will have enormous implications for the final two years of President Trump's tenure in the White House. Democrats only need to gain control of one chamber to have the power to block or reshape Trump's legislative agenda. But a Senate majority would empower them to do
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Oct 13, 2026
Leo XIV is having a pulmonary nodule removed in his first hospitalisation since he became head of the Catholic Church last year. (Filippo MONTEFORTE)Pope Leo XIV's underwent an operation at a Rome hospital Tuesday to remove a nodule from his lung that was "successfully completed", the Vatican said.
Pope Leo XIV entered the hospital smiling and waving on Tuesday morning hours before the surgery to remove the growth that looks like a coin on the lung.
"The procedure was successfully completed, within the expected time and in the planned manner," the Vatican said in a brief statement.
"The Holy Father has returned to his room," it said, adding that more details would be given later.
The surgery marks the 71-year-old Leo's first hospitalisation since he became head of the Catholic Church on May 8, 2025. Vatican officials who saw the pope on Monday said he appeared relaxed about the hospital stay.
In a surprise announcement following Angelus prayers on Sunday, Leo told crowds in St Peter's Square that doctors had discovered the nodule "at a very early stage" during medical checks.
"The doctors believe it would be right to intervene," he said.
The Vatican has historically been very secretive about the health of popes, but began to be more transparent during the illness of Leo's predecessor Francis, an Argentine who freely discussed his ailments.
People outside the hospital expressed concern over the pope's condition.
Giorgia Fei, a 57-year-old Italian, said she had been worried by the news.
"However, the Holy Father is in very good hands here at the hospital because we have some outstanding doctors," she said.
"I will pray a lot for him."
Giuseppe Purpura, 72, said he was also concerned.
"He's still quite young and
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Oct 13, 2026
NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin have reached a deal to abolish the city's horse carriage industry — a critical breakthrough in a decadeslong, politically fraught effort to ban the tourist attraction.
Since 2010, mayors and local legislative leaders have tried to outlaw horse-drawn carriages from operating in Central Park, citing concerns about the safety of the animals as several have died in accidents and from exhaustion. But despite broad popular support, the efforts have failed, in large part due to political pressure from New York's powerful transport union, which advocates for hundreds of carriage drivers who make a living shuttling tourists on buggies around the park.
Now, that stalemate appears closer than ever to being broken.
In an announcement shared exclusively with POLITICO on Tuesday, a Menin spokesperson said Mamdani's administration has agreed to back a bill that would make it illegal to operate a horse-drawn carriage in the city, starting in June 2028.
With Mamdani onboard, Menin — who first announced her support for the bill in July — said she's scheduling a full Council vote on the measure for Oct. 22. The legislation has already secured formal support from more than half of the Council's 51 members, meaning it's on a glidepath to becoming law now that Mamdani is committed to supporting it.
"Horse-drawn carriages have long been part of New York City's history, but in an increasingly busy Central Park, this tradition has become a growing public safety liability," Menin said in a statement. "Next week, the Council will take decisive action by voting on [this bill] to protect New Yorkers, visitors, and the horses themselves."
Mamdani spokesperson Sneha Choudhary confirmed the mayor and the speaker have reached a deal on the legislation. She also said Mamdani is committed to working on helping
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Oct 13, 2026
Cornell University is suspending parties and other social events at fraternity houses for the rest of the academic year and will give the New York State Police a role in investigating sex crimes on campus, university officials announced Tuesday, amid mounting outrage over its handling of allegations that a female student was sexually assaulted at a fraternity house in 2024.
The measures announced by Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff include a suspension of all parties and social events at Interfraternity Council houses through the end of the 2026-27 academic year and a new "zero tolerance" policy for violations that would result in the immediate emergency suspension of a chapter.
"These measures will provide time for a thorough review of fraternity life at Cornell to determine whether and how it can safely continue," Kotlikoff wrote in a letter to the campus community.
Cornell has more than 20 active fraternities affiliated with its Interfraternity Council. The council did not immediately respond to an email request for comment.
The university president said the school would begin conversations with students and faculty experts about "the development of safe social alternatives" to Greek life party culture and invest money to get those initiatives off the ground.
He also committed to adding a case manager to the school's Office of Civil Rights to help those who report sexual misconduct on the Cornell campus navigate the process, and to working with the New York State Police to allow its criminal investigators — who are independent of Cornell — to investigate allegations.
Crimes reported on Cornell's
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Oct 13, 2026
For millions of families in the US, wealth has inched up modestly in the last few years, but for older Americans, it's surged.
People 75 and older are now the richest group in the US, according to the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances. The survey, published every three years, found that the median family net worth in the US, adjusted for inflation, rose 2% to $215,900 between 2022 and 2025.
But among the 75 and older cohort, their median net worth rose 37% to $505,000, compared with $367,000 in 2022.
Families younger than 35, meanwhile, saw their median net worth dive 23% to $33,000.
As Mark Zandi, Moody's chief economist, told Yahoo Finance: "The baby boomers have arrived!"
"The oldest of the large boomer generation has aged into the 75 and older age group, and the surging stock market has benefited older Americans more because they have more of their wealth in retirement accounts," he said.
Wealth inequality on displayThis isn't startling news given long-held patterns of wealth inequality in America.
"On balance, wealth inequality appears little changed since 2022," according to the Fed research. "These changes in wealth largely reinforced existing patterns of wealth inequality by family characteristics."
Groups that typically have less wealth — young people, renters, and those without a high school diploma — saw their wealth slip in the years following the pandemic.
Families that already had more wealth, whether thanks to age or higher income, saw some of the largest gains.
One reason: Higher-income families tend to save more, which in tu
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Oct 13, 2026
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes on Tuesday ordered a halt to tree-cutting at the East Potomac Golf Course until Oct. 26, putting a further pause on work at the historic D.C. course that has been part of President Donald Trump's plans to remake the city.
Reyes issued the order one day after a tense three-hour hearing in which she harshly criticized the government for having deceived her with its actions over the holiday weekend.
At the Monday hearing, Reyes ordered a 24-hour pause that could be extended to 14 days if necessary. It was limited to one day while the government tried to find a key Trump administration official to discuss why a massive tree-cutting at the park needed to occur over the holiday weekend, with little notification to plaintiffs in a lawsuit trying to halt renovation plans or the judge.
The judge also ordered during that period the government "must provide the court and plaintiffs three business days' written advance notice prior to making any irreparable modification to any permanent form or feature of the East Potomac Golf Course."
The DC Preservation League and two individuals are the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
The Monday hearing and Tuesday order were prompted by the National Park Service ordering the cutting of hundreds of trees at the golf course after filing the court notification only minutes before the close of business on Oct. 9 on a holiday weekend, giving the plaintiffs little time to respond. At least 400 trees were cutdown over the weekend with plans for several hundred more.
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Oct 13, 2026
The battle for control of Congress is getting the lion's share of the attention in the lead-up to the midterms, but there are a lot of other consequential measures that'll appear on ballots this November that could have a direct impact on voters' lives.
Ballot measures often don't receive much national attention, but every two years, voters across the country decide whether to adopt policies that have major implications for their states. This year is no different.
There are more than 140 total measures collectively across 40 states this year. Many touch on some of the biggest issues in U.S. politics, including abortion, transgender rights, voting and the democratic process itself.
Ballot measures can give the people a way to directly alter the laws in their states instead of relying solely on their elected representatives to create policy on their behalf. In some cases, they provide an opportunity for voters to endorse or reject something their state legislature wants to do. In other cases, regular citizens can get their preferred policy on the ballot directly through a signature-gathering campaign.
Here's a rundown of some of the major measures on statewide ballots this year.
AbortionThe Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn the nationwide abortion protections established by Roe v. Wade instantly turned abortion access into a state-by-state issue. It also led to a flurry of ballot measures across the country in which vote
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Oct 13, 2026
Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, resigned on Tuesday amid allegations of improper conduct while denying the claims and vowing to "vigorously defend" herself.
In a lengthy post on her personal X account on Tuesday morning, Guilfoyle thanked President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for "entrusting me with the extraordinary privilege of representing the greatest country in the history of the world."
Guilfoyle also denied the "recent allegations" against her. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Guilfoyle asked a Trump donor to pay off a $100,000 American Express credit card bill ahead of her confirmation as ambassador in exchange for access to administration officials.
"These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity," Guilfoyle wrote. "I have dedicated my professional life to fighting for justice, standing up for what is right, and defending the values that make America exceptional. I will not allow false accusations to define my decades of public service."
Earlier Tuesday, Katie Zacharia, the new White House press secretary, announced during her first briefing that the administration had asked Guilfoyle to resign.
"We have asked Ambassador Guilfoyle to resign," Zacharia said when asked about the
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Oct 13, 2026
London — Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have dramatically upped the stakes in the complex Middle East war, killing at least 20 people — including an American — and wounding hundreds more with strikes on Saudi Arabia's airports over the last week.
The question is whether President Trump will order U.S. military action in support of Saudi Arabia, which has been at war with the rebels in Yemen for more than a decade.
Mr. Trump campaigned on ending wars, and he is likely aware, less than a month before the U.S. midterm elections, that opening a new U.S. front in the wider conflict sparked by the Feb. 28 joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran could be politically perilous.
If he did, he could argue that it is both to protect the Saudis, as a key U.S. ally, and to stop the Iranian proxy group from threatening global shipping in the vital trade routes of the Red Sea.
Mr. Trump rejected a request last month by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to join in the kingdom's strikes on the Houthis, two sources familiar with the matter told CBS News. He came close to ordering airstrikes against the group a week later, but again declined.
Asked Sunday if the U.S. would join Saudi strikes, however, the president replied: "We may. We're gonna look at it … We'll make a decision. We move very quickly."
So, what has changed, and will it be enough to force Mr. Trump's hand?
An American deathLittle information has come out about the U.S. citizen killed in th
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Oct 13, 2026
A 42-year-old man died after being ejected from a roller coaster at a Six Flags amusement park in Georgia, police said.
The man -- Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, of Atlanta -- was found dead beneath the ride at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday, according to the Cobb County Police Department.
"Preliminary information gathered through witness and employee interviews indicates Kariem was ejected from the ride and struck other patrons before falling beneath the attraction," the Cobb County Police Department said in a statement on Tuesday. "Investigators continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident."
WSB - PHOTO: The Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia in Cobb County, Georgia, is seen on Oct. 12, 2026.The state's Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, which is responsible for the safety of amusement park rides in Georgia, also said it is "actively investigating" the incident.
"Our investigative team is conducting an in-depth and comprehensive review to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident and to ensure full compliance with all applicable policies and procedures," Garrison Bennett, the agency's press secretary, said in a statement on Tuesday.
State officials investigating after woman injured on alpine coaster in ColoradoSeveral people were also injured in the incident, which occurred shortly before 4 p.m. Monday at the Atlanta-area amusement park, according to police.
Distraught witnesses described the horrific incident to a local station, saying
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Oct 13, 2026
After House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) ascended to one of the most powerful offices in Washington three years ago, his wife, a faith-based counselor, turned her focus to the nation's capital.
Kelly Johnson reoriented a religious nonprofit she was running back home in the Shreveport area into a ministry focused on female congressional staffers. Its new purpose, according to an IRS filing, was to help "the hundreds of unreached young women" working around Capitol Hill "find purpose, belonging, and Christian community."
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Through the organization, a part-time endeavor run solely by Johnson, she provides counseling, delivers speeches and conducts "spiritual heritage tours" of the U.S. Capitol that highlight the nation's Christian history. In 2024, financial disclosures show Johnson was paid $50,000 for 10 hours of work per week.
The nonprofit, Onward Christian Education Services, has become part of the rising presence in official Washington of evangelical Christianity as its devotees, a key bloc of support for President Donald Trump, seek to inject a biblical worldview into American politics and government.
The centerpiece of Johnson's organization is the faith-based counseling that she said she provides free to staff and the spouses of House members.
"I'm a missionary here," Johnson said in an interview.
"It's kind of a calling in this life for me," she added. "This is what I love to do. This is my heart."
The full extent of Kelly Johnson's work in Washington is unclear, however. Some mysteries remain about her organization, including who is funding it.
Onward Christian Education Service
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Oct 13, 2026
Police seized the 1.2m-tall android resembling the comic book hero Iron Man - Cologne policeA humanoid robot was used to assault a teenage girl in Germany, police said.
A man, 19, and a boy, 16, are being investigated after the robot groped a 16-year-old girl's backside and made "thrusting motions" towards her, according to Cologne police.
Officers are investigating whether the robot was being directed via remote control or had its actions pre-programmed.
The robot, resembling the comic book hero Iron Man, allegedly approached the 16-year-old outside a burger restaurant in Cologne just before midnight on Saturday.
The android, dressed in a white vest, tracksuit bottoms, a fake gold chain and a stick-on moustache, then allegedly assaulted her.
A 16-year-old male, the robot's alleged owner, and a 19-year-old man are suspected of livestreaming and providing commentary on social media as the alleged attack occurred.
The girl allegedly screamed and moved away before the 1.2m-tall robot left the scene.
Cologne police said they were alerted to the incident and found the men, who had put the android into the boot of a Volkswagen car.
Robot seized by policeThey seized the robot and two mobile phones belonging to the suspects while carrying out their investigation into suspected sexual harassment.
The
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Oct 13, 2026
Elon Musk elevated a false conspiracy theory about Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico over the weekend, lifting a fringe claim concerning the Texan's mental health to the forefront of users' X feeds, where it garnered hundreds of thousands of impressions.
"The Talarico campaign is hiding something big that voters ought to know about," Musk wrote Sunday afternoon, replying to a post alleging that Talarico had been checked into the Lindner Center of Hope, a mental health facility in suburban Cincinnati. Musk's reply amassed over 870,000 views, more than double the impression count of the post to which he was responding.
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The theory had been circulating online for days, fueled by Talarico's absence from the campaign trail, which his team has consistently said was due to the flu. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton promoted a "Tala-Freak-Out Tip Line" on Friday, which was still active as of Monday night. President Donald Trump weighed in, arguing the Democrat's convalescence was too long to be the "flu bug."
Musk's engagement with the theory gave it a much wider audience - and the flurry of attention ultimately prompted the treatment center in Mason, Ohio, to publicly refute the allegations.
"Rep. James Talarico has never received treatment from Lindner Center of Hope," the facility wrote in a statement posted to X, five hours after Musk's initial posts on the subject. Talarico replied to the post Monday, saying he had "never even been to Ohio," with a laughing emoji.
A day earlier, he described the conspiracy theory as "the craziest thing I've ever heard" in an interview with MS NOW. Talarico's spokesperson, JT Ennis, said the claims w
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Oct 13, 2026
After months of rumors, Apple is officially (and finally) making its biggest effort yet to grab a piece of the smart home pie. The iPhone maker announced the $299 HomeView on Tuesday, its first smart hub designed to put Siri front-and-center in people's homes. HomeView comes as a countertop device, or a slab you can mount to the wall, both with touchscreens, cameras and the ability to hear and execute Siri voice commands.
This is Apple's first dedicated smart home hub ever, and it supports the numerous reports suggesting the company wants to make inroads in the home space. HomeView is designed to be stationary, and it not only connects all of your compatible devices together — things like smart lights, door locks and sensors (including the new Apple Home Collection) — but also lets you control them using either the on-screen interface or Siri voice commands.
But Apple may have a hard time convincing people to add yet another iPad-like screen to their homes, particularly one that emphasizes Siri. The new Siri, known as
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Oct 13, 2026
After months of rumors, Apple is officially (and finally) making its biggest effort yet to grab a piece of the smart home pie. The iPhone maker announced the $299 HomeView on Tuesday, its first smart hub designed to put Siri front-and-center in people's homes. HomeView comes as a countertop device, or a slab you can mount to the wall, both with touchscreens, cameras and the ability to hear and execute Siri voice commands.
This is Apple's first dedicated smart home hub ever, and it supports the numerous reports suggesting the company wants to make inroads in the home space. HomeView is designed to be stationary, and it not only connects all of your compatible devices together — things like smart lights, door locks and sensors (including the new Apple Home Collection) — but also lets you control them using either the on-screen interface or Siri voice commands.
But Apple may have a hard time convincing people to add yet another iPad-like screen to their homes, particularly one that emphasizes Siri. The new Siri, known as
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Oct 13, 2026
Apple (AAPL) is reinventing its smart home strategy with its new HomeView hub, the HomePod Mini 2, and Apple TV 4K.
Sporting a seven-inch Liquid Retina Display, the HomeView is designed to sit on a counter in its built-in speaker mount or be mounted to a wall. The $299 HomeView is designed to serve as the home base for your smart home and goes on sale Nov. 13.
According to Apple, HomeView can recognize up to six household users via facial recognition and serve up their specific apps, notifications, and more. It can also play music and podcasts, make FaceTime calls, or look up quick video recipes in the kitchen.
Users can control smart home devices ranging from lights and locks to thermostats and more, check their calendars, and interact with Siri AI to do things like find their keys via AirTags.
Apple has dipped its toes into the smart home space over the years, including with the original HomePod, HomePod mini, and Apple TV, as well as software like its Home app, but has never offered a full-fledged hub like the HomeView before.
Read more: 'I'm going to keep winning by innovating': Ring founder Jamie Siminoff isn't sweating Apple's smart home push
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Oct 13, 2026
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine received no early warning from its partners about five Russian ballistic missiles that hit civilian infrastructure in the capital of Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday, as tensions rise between the Ukrainian leader and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Zelenskyy did not specify which partners he was talking about. He characterized the barrage as "particularly vile" and emphasized that receiving intelligence from partners about such attacks "helps save lives" and is "one of the most critical issues."
"This is precisely what helps prevent people from being killed — when there is an early warning about ballistic missiles," he wrote in a post on X.
Trump said the U.S. has not stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine.
"We are helping them, and we are sharing intel," Trump told reporters at the White House. "We want the war to end, so we're working with them and with Russia on getting the war to end."
Zelenskyy's remarks come days after Trump unleashed biting criticism of him, including comments that it was time for a new president in Ukraine and that Zelenskyy has not done enough to end the war. The criticism marks perhaps the lowest point in their relationship since their disastrous Oval Office meeting in February 2025.
Kyiv continues to rely heavily on Washington for military assistanc
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Oct 13, 2026
Officials are reviewing the off-base code of conduct for U.S. troops in Japan following the killing of an Okinawan woman, allegedly by a U.S. Marine, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Tuesday.
Crimes including rapes, assaults, hit-and-runs and drunk driving by U.S. military personnel have long triggered protests on the southern Japanese island, which has for years urged other regions of the country to share the burden of hosting U.S. troops.
"We plan to hold discussions including whether the existing rules are effectively functioning," Motegi said, adding that "matters such as patrols and curfew management" would be under review in talks with the United States.
The high-level bilateral consultations will examine off-duty conduct and the "liberty" policy governing off-base private activities of U.S. military personnel, he said.
The existing policy, updated in 2024 following a string of sexual assaults by U.S. military personnel in Okinawa, includes a ban on them drinking in public off-base between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. or going to bars during those hours.
Japanese police arrested a U.S. Marine stationed on Okinawa early this month on suspicion of killing a 39-year-old woman at a hotel in Naha, the capital of Okinawa Orefecture. Word of the arrest drew outrage.
The U.S. military
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Oct 13, 2026
After the third day of squirting an experimental drug up his nose, Dylan Meetze felt horrible.
"It was like I was underwater, like it took the most to do anything," he said.
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Meetze stopped taking the drug, but he endured fatigue and anxiety for months afterward, and his eyes and muscles twitched, he said.
He had taken BPC-157, a peptide drug popularized by podcasts about wellness, longevity and what's called "body optimization." Peptide is a general term for substances that are smaller than proteins but composed of the same building blocks. Dozens of peptide drugs, including insulin and GLP-1 weight loss medicines, have garnered approval by the Food and Drug Administration. But BPC-157 and many others have not because they haven't undergone clinical trials.
This fact hasn't stopped online influencers from promoting them as remedies for muscle injuries, gut issues, covid and more. Use of BPC-157 is growing in the United States, particularly among White males, according to a new analysis of millions of de-identified electronic health records. Since 2020, the analysis, which hasn't yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, found that more than 1,000 people told doctors they had used the drug.
Meetze said he decided to take BPC-157 after listening to Andrew Huberman, a Stanford neuroscientist with more than 16 million followers on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, who talks up peptides frequently on his podcasts. Studies in mice suggest that BPC-157 helps muscles hea
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Oct 13, 2026
WSB
Six Flags said it has temporarily closed nine rides across the country after a man died and several others were injured Monday in a roller coaster incident at an amusement park in Georgia.
Police did not say how the man died or how many people were injured, but witnesses say a man fell from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia, around 10 miles west of downtown Atlanta.
"He fell and hit the car three different times" before falling onto the roof of a haunted house attraction below, a witness told CNN affiliate WXIA.
The 210-second ride reaches a top speed of 70 mph and an elevation of 200 feet, according to the Six Flags website.
The park, one of the largest in Georgia and a popular attraction for families and kids, operates on weekends in October but was open Monday for the Columbus Day holiday - a time when many schools in the Atlanta area celebrate fall break.
Nine roller coasters across six other Six Flags have been temporarily closed "out of an abundance of caution," a Six Flags spokesperson said Monday evening.
Detectives from the Cobb County Police's Major Crimes Unit are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, police said in a statement.
"We are deeply saddened by the guest incident at our park today," Six Flags Over Georgia said in a statement. "Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the guest's family, friends, and loved ones."
Monday's incident comes nearly two weeks after S
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Oct 13, 2026
Republicans have had to defer many of their legislative dreams, hoping the post-election release of political pressure could set up a productive "lame duck" session before a new Congress is seated.
Fat chance, many GOP lawmakers now say.
Beyond the uncertainties surrounding the midterms and a potential transition of power on Capitol Hill, members will return to Washington facing a considerable list of must-pass bipartisan bills but also potentially messy internal leadership fights, a foul national mood and a mere 24 legislative days to get anything done.
One thing on Republicans' minds is whether some of their members even come back to vote.
"The question becomes: Who shows up for work after the elections?" Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) said in an interview. "Attendance is an issue right now."
There are some items, Scott added, that "ultimately … have to get done." Those include an extension of government funding past Dec. 11 and the annual Pentagon policy bill. Major pieces of legislation to reauthorize farm, transportation and surveillance programs are also on deck. All are loaded with potential partisan flash points, however, and won't be legislative chip shots.
Then there are pending bipartisan bills overhauling energy permitting and the college sports industry that many members are itching to get done this year. But many lawmakers fear those could easily get left behind — especially if Democrats can win control of either chamber and seek greater influence on the final products.
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Oct 13, 2026
[BBC]Americans head to the polls on 3 November to decide how the rest of Donald Trump's presidency will play out.
Thousands of races are taking place across the US, at different levels of government. But the main event for voters will be electing members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, the two chambers that make up Congress.
Both of them are currently controlled by the Republicans, the president's party. The success or failure of Trump's final two years in office could rest on the outcome.
Here's our visual guide to where the battle for power will be won and lost - from approval ratings, to key races and issues and the huge amount of money being spent.
Midterms come at bad time for TrumpOne of the reasons the opposition Democrats have a chance to take back Congress is the president's low approval rating, which is a good indicator for how well his party could perform.
He began his second term as president with an approval rating of just over 50%, according to polling resource website Silver Bulletin, but it quickly fell into the 40s.
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Oct 13, 2026
ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery Tuesday that confirmed that he has lung cancer, and doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung, the Vatican said.
Tests confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin after the surgery. It said the diagnosis had been suspected by preoperative tests and was confirmed during surgery.
The statement made no mention of treatment going forward, and the Vatican said doctors were not currently speaking of chemotherapy or other therapies pending the results of other tests. The Vatican press office noted the medical statement spoke of the "radical" removal of the lobe as an indication that doctors removed all suspect tissue in hopes of removing any lingering traces of the cancer.
Leo's lymph nodes also would have been removed and tested, to determine if the cancer had spread, and there was no word yet on those test results.
"Adenocarcinoma is the most common (type of lung cancer), also with the most favorable prognosis," said Dr. Stephen Liu, a lung cancer expert at Georgetown's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. "While we know the diagnosis we now need to know the stage."
"We now need to know how big it is, how many spots in the lung are involved. Is it just one nodule, or more than one, and the lymph nodes, are they cancerous?" Liu said.
If the cancer has spread, more tests will be needed to determine what kind of therapy to pursue, he said. Options include chemotherapy, a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy or targeted therapy, which involves oral pills for specific cancers.
The Vatican says the surgery was successful
The 71-year-old was in the o
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