The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency expanded an air-quality alert to cover most of Minnesota from 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, through at least 11 a.m. Friday, July 17, warning the advisory may be extended.

The Twin Cities metro is under a code red air-quality alert through Friday, and smoke is expected to intensify Wednesday night into Thursday morning before shifting north as winds change. FOX 9 Current AQI colors are hazardous in Brainerd, Hinckley, Two Harbors, Hibbing, Ely and Duluth. FOX 9 The Twin Cities, Alexandria and St. Cloud are in the very unhealthy range, while parts of Winona, Moorhead and other areas are unhealthy. FOX 9 State officials say about 55,000 acres have burned across 17 active wildfires in northeastern Minnesota, a cluster they are calling the "July Lightning Event." FOX 9 Evacuations are under way, concentrated in Cook, Lake and St. Louis counties, and the governor will receive a briefing as officials consider extending the state's peacetime emergency. FOX 9 Response resources include more than 150 firefighters, 18 aircraft and four Minnesota National Guard helicopters working with federal, local and Canadian partners.

Federal workers removed 2010 slavery exhibit panels at the President's House site in Philadelphia and installed new panels overnight into Wednesday, July 15, 2026.

The Interior Department says the new panels retain stories of the nine enslaved people who lived there with George and Martha Washington in the 1790s. PBS It says the panels add context on abolition, slavery in the Constitution and Pennsylvania's end of slavery.

Nolan Wells' family pressed for a new probe after GPS data showed the boat that took him to Horn Island left the island on July 4 without him aboard.

The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources report shows the vessel left its dock about 9:56 a.m., arrived at Horn Island at 11:14 a.m., and departed the island at 4:31 p.m. without Wells aboard. CBS News The track shows the boat returned to its dock, then entered Fort Bayou around 5:52 p.m. and returned about 6:06 p.m. CBS News MSDMR said the owners, the owner's mother and a third person who was reportedly with Wells cooperated, and that MSDMR ended its role on July 5 when Jackson County became the lead agency.

On Wednesday, July 15, 2026, the United States reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports to control traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and backed away from a plan to charge a 20% transit fee after renewed strikes and tanker attacks.

U.S. Central Command said it carried out fresh strikes on Iranian coastal-defense, missile and drone sites as it prepared the blockade and to degrade Tehran's ability to threaten shipping. CBS News Iran responded by striking Gulf allies and attacking commercial tankers; at least two Emirati-linked ships, the Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, were set ablaze and reported mariner casualties, raising the stakes for regional commerce.

Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie pressed the Justice Department over missing court-ordered explanations for redactions in Epstein-related records, sending a July 9 letter and renewing pressure as Acting AG Todd Blanche faced a Senate hearing.

Blanche defended DOJ's implementation of the Epstein Transparency Act and said the department was reviewing "millions and millions" of potentially responsive files. PBS News He acknowledged "redaction errors" that exposed survivors' personal information and images and said he takes responsibility while dozens of lawyers worked to correct errors quickly. CBS News He told senators DOJ has spoken with more than 30 representatives for dozens of victims and invited survivors and their attorneys to meet with the FBI.

Minnesota health officials are tracking Cyclospora infections as U.S. cyclosporiasis cases surge, with thousands sick nationwide and dozens of cases already confirmed in the state.

Public health labs have confirmed 41 infections in Minnesota since May 1, which the Minnesota Department of Health calls not unusual but concerning. FOX 9 Cyclosporiasis has caused at least 6,000 illnesses in 34 U.S. states this year, including more than 3,000 in Michigan.

President Trump said he will not sign the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, but the bill will become law at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 11, 2026, unless he issues a veto.

Trump framed his refusal as a protest over the Senate's failure to pass the SAVE America Act. Nytimes The White House confirmed he will let the measure become law without his signature rather than veto it. PBS News Congress approved the package by wide margins, leaving its enactment likely even without a presidential signature.

Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett testified before House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees on July 14, 2026, asking Congress to raise the Supreme Court's security funding amid a surge in threats.

The Court sought more than $228 million for fiscal 2027, commonly reported as about $230 million. CBS News That request includes $14.6 million to expand personal protection, fund roughly six extra Supreme Court Police agents per justice and cover security travel when justices are outside Washington, D.C. CBS News Kagan testified the Supreme Court Police expects a 38% increase in threats in 2026 and noted a 57% jump in Marshals Service security incidents in fiscal 2025. CBS News Barrett said her home was swatted about six weeks before the hearing and that she had been issued a bulletproof vest after the May 2022 leak of the Dobbs draft.

Robbinsdale switched from tip411 to the Bridge911 alert and tip app on July 6, 2026, moving city alerts and police tip-taking to the new platform.

Bridge911 will carry city alerts for snow emergencies, critical incidents and traffic-impacting events, and it will accept police tips. FOX 9 The app adds video calling and an officer-verification tool so residents can confirm the identity of Robbinsdale officers.

Timothy Ryan Gregg, 53, a former Department of Homeland Security agent from Eagan, Minnesota, was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison on a transportation-of-child-sexual-images charge.

Prosecutors say Gregg admitted having sex with the victim at least nine times between early March and May 2025. FOX 9 He continued the encounters after checking a law-enforcement database and confirming the girl was 17. FOX 9 He also used his Homeland Security number and email to book the hotel rooms where the encounters occurred. FOX 9 As part of a plea deal, prosecutors dropped a production-of-child-pornography count that would have carried a 15-year mandatory minimum.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services said it will extend its pause on enrolling new providers in 12 high-risk Medicaid programs for at least six more months.

The extension continues a moratorium that began in January 2026 and reflects the agency's effort to tighten oversight amid a fraud crackdown.

Human Rights Watch and the ACLU released an 84-page report on conditions at ICE's Camp East Montana at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.

Of 71 detainees interviewed over a five-month period, 64 said they had been beaten by staff or had witnessed other detainees being beaten, the groups reported. PBS The report cites at least three deaths since the camp opened in August 2025. PBS One death involved a 55-year-old Cuban migrant whose restraint-related death was ruled a homicide and whose investigation showed missing or destroyed evidence.

On Wednesday, July 15, 2026, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in a video that the Pentagon will institute annual "testosterone deficiency" screening for service members age 30 and older and offer voluntary testosterone replacement therapy.

Hegseth said service members younger than 30 could request testing, and he framed the initiative as helping troops operate at their "absolute best." PBS In his social media video he referred generally to "troops" but appeared to be talking mainly about men, and the Pentagon did not answer whether women will be eligible for analogous estrogen-based evaluations. PBS When asked about the evidence base, the Pentagon did not identify specific research and instead cited Hegseth's remarks about strength, resilience, and psychological and mental readiness.

On Wednesday, July 15, 2026, the House voted 104-314-10 to reject an amendment that would have cut $3.3 billion in aid to Israel, exposing deep divisions among House Democrats.

The amendment was offered by Rep. Thomas Massie and was attached to the State Department appropriations bill. CBS News Among House Democrats, 103 voted for the cut, 98 opposed it and 10 voted present. CBS News Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged Democrats to oppose the amendment in a Tuesday letter, while Whip Katherine Clark publicly supported it. CBS News Rep. Greg Casar said blocking billions in military funding to Israel mattered more than preserving the specific humanitarian aid affected.

On Tuesday, July 14, 2026, the U.S. Forest Service closed the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota and ordered evacuations as 17 lightning-caused fires spread.

Rangers estimated between 6,000 and 10,000 people were inside the 1.1 million-acre wilderness when the closure took effect and were being evacuated by canoe and boat, sometimes after hours-long paddles and portages. PBS Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the Canadian Air Force was rescuing two groups of youth campers who had crossed the border, including one stranded on an isolated sandbar. PBS Minnesota officials said some fires in the Boundary Waters will be allowed to burn indefinitely under monitoring, and the wilderness will remain closed until authorities determine it is safe to reopen.

The Senate Health Committee held a confirmation hearing Wednesday, July 15, 2026, for President Trump's nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Erica Schwartz, testing whether she can protect agency science amid political pressure.

Schwartz told senators she "will never betray the science" and promised to use "radical transparency" to rebuild public trust in the CDC. PBS Several senators pressed her on whether she would resist political pressure from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and she repeatedly declined to directly dissent from some of Kennedy's prior vaccine and CDC policy moves. PBS Schwartz emphasized her operational experience leading 41 clinics and 150 sick bays in the U.S. Coast Guard and later serving as deputy surgeon general overseeing uniformed health professionals.

Maine Democrats are racing to lock in delegates ahead of a July 25 nominating convention that will pick a replacement for withdrawn Senate nominee Graham Platner.

Party leaders plan to gather 601 delegates at the convention to meet a statutory July 27 ballot-replacement deadline that is seen as critical to Democrats' bid to flip the Senate this fall. NPR NPR

Ramsey County sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, asking a federal court to compel DHS to hand over evidence in a local criminal probe of a January 18 ICE raid in St. Paul.

The complaint says county investigators are probing possible kidnapping, burglary and false imprisonment of U.S. citizen Chongly Scott Thao and alleges DHS has adopted a blanket "noncooperation" posture toward the inquiry. Minnesota Reformer Ramsey asks the court to overturn that policy and compel production of body-camera and operational video, investigative reports and agent identity information. Minnesota Reformer The suit frames the dispute as a federalism claim, saying DHS cannot block local criminal probes of state-law crimes by invoking internal policy and that doing so violates the Tenth Amendment.

The United Nations has launched a $300 million appeal to curb surging post-earthquake illnesses and to support more than 1 million Venezuelans in hard-hit coastal regions.

Humanitarian agencies say clinics are overwhelmed, trauma cases are rising and dozens of health facilities have been damaged, raising urgent fears of infectious disease outbreaks. PBS The United States says it has moved over 1.5 million pounds of assistance into Venezuela and repaired a runway at Simón Bolívar Airport so C-17 transport planes can land. Fox News U.S. troops also unloaded an Air China-branded flight on July 6 that Washington described as China's only known aid delivery so far. Fox News Florida-based Global Empowerment Mission says it has shipped nearly 1 million pounds of supplies and aims to deliver 100,000 boxes of aid per month for three to six months.

Department of Homeland Security ordered ICE to pause most non-urgent vehicle stops nationwide on July 14-15, 2026, after two fatal shootings in Houston and Biddeford, Maine, and a third deadly encounter in Florida.

The suspension exempts operations targeting serious criminals and some joint partner missions and is meant as a temporary measure while ICE retrains officers on vehicle-stop tactics. PBS News DHS also ordered that every ICE arrest team include at least one officer wearing a body-worn camera and projected full deployment within about 60 days.

Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 25-year-old Colombian delivery driver and father, was fatally shot by an ICE agent during an attempted vehicle stop in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday, July 13, 2026.

The ICE officer who fired has been placed on leave, and the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General and the FBI are investigating the shooting. PBS News A New York Times frame-by-frame analysis of surveillance footage appears to conflict with DHS's initial account that the driver posed an imminent threat. New York Times Sen. Angus King and other officials say Guerrero was not the operation's intended target, and reporting shows the agents involved were not wearing body cameras.

Senior Pentagon officials are exploring contingency military options for Cuba as the war in Iran strains U.S. forces, senior defense officials said.

The review included a late-June concept-of-operations briefing that discussed a range of missions, including an Army-led air assault by the 101st Airborne Division. CBS News Multiple unnamed officials emphasized the planning is contingency work only and that no operation has been approved while the Iran war consumes key assets.

Pentair cut its 2026 revenue outlook and said CFO Nick Brazis has resigned after roughly four months, with former CFO Bob Fishman returning as interim chief.

The company now expects 2026 revenue to fall as much as 7% from 2025's $4.2 billion, down from earlier guidance of 2%-4% growth. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Preliminary second-quarter revenue was about $930 million, a 17% year-over-year decline, and adjusted earnings per share came in at $1.12 versus prior guidance of $1.47 to $1.50. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Pool treatment sales plunged 16% amid dealer destocking and weaker demand tied to higher interest rates and inflation.

House Republicans passed a party-line procedural rule on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, allowing Speaker Mike Johnson to attach the SAVE America Act to a State Department appropriations bill before sending it to the Senate.

The move ended an hourlong initial vote and tense floor negotiations that had paralyzed other House business. CBS News The SAVE America Act would require proof-of-citizenship documentation to register for federal elections and photo identification to vote. CBS News Rep. Anna Paulina Luna agreed to Johnson's plan only after he pledged to add the bill to all appropriations and other must-pass measures, and GOP hard-liners had earlier blocked his attempt to add it to the defense bill. CBS News Rep. Don Bacon criticized the internal divisions, saying a small bloc of Republicans was effectively operating as its own party.

A three-deck pontoon pleasure boat capsized and sank near Alcatraz Island on Tuesday afternoon, July 14, 2026, killing one person and leaving three others missing, officials said.

There were 20 people aboard the three-deck pontoon, officials said. CBS News San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen said crews found the vessel nearly submerged about 600 yards from Alcatraz, with its motor still running and leaking fuel. PBS News Three people were hospitalized for injuries after falling from the boat and were expected to be released the night of July 14, and a dog aboard also died. PBS News Witness captain Aaron Anfinson of the vessel Bass-Tub said he responded in "pretty windy, a little choppy" conditions after being flagged down and helped pull injured passengers aboard.

A 13-year-old boy from Apple Valley was killed in a hit-and-run crash Tuesday around 9:45 p.m. at Highway 50 and Dushane Parkway in Farmington.

Two boys were crossing Highway 50 near a McDonald's when a westbound SUV struck the 13-year-old; he died at the scene, police said. FOX 9 Police are searching for a black SUV with front-end or passenger-side damage and a missing passenger-side mirror and ask anyone with tips or video to call 651-280-6700.

Three Mamdani-endorsed candidates — Brad Lander, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier — won Democratic primaries in New York City on June 23, 2026, sweeping Mayor Zohran Mamdani's slate.

Brad Lander routed two-term Rep. Dan Goldman in New York's 10th District by roughly 65.7% to 34.1%, according to near-final returns. BBC Lander pledged to abolish ICE, publicly called Israel's conduct in Gaza "genocide," and said criticism of Israel need not be antisemitic. PBS Mayor Zohran Mamdani backed the three winners, while Gov. Kathy Hochul and House Leader Hakeem Jeffries had campaigned for some of the incumbents but sought to minimize the long-term implications of the losses.

The House passed the Common Cents Act on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, sending a bill to the Senate that would end the penny and standardize cash rounding.

The bill directs the Treasury to stop minting pennies and sets a national rule that cash purchases be rounded to the nearest five cents. CBS News Pennies would retain full legal value, and the bill gives examples showing $10.02 would round down to $10.00 while $10.04 would round up to $10.05. CBS News Business advocates said the national standard will reduce legal liability and estimated rounding down could cost restaurants as much as $168 million a year.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told senators at his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing in Washington on Wednesday that the $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund in the Trump-IRS settlement is "dead" and "moot." CBS News

He said no Treasury money has been transferred and acknowledged the written settlement on file has not been amended and "may be modified only upon the written agreement of the parties." CBS News Under questioning, Blanche acknowledged the written settlement is still an "enforceable document" and that Trump lawyers could claim DOJ breached it. CBS News He said he was unaware of any lawsuit plan and asserted Treasury had not moved funds.

Israeli strikes killed at least 12 people across Gaza on July 14 and July 15, including six police officers in Jabaliya and civilians in central Gaza, Khan Younis and near Rafah.

Hospital officials said an Israeli airstrike hit a police station in the Jabaliya refugee camp, killing a woman and six police officers. PBS Al Aqsa Hospital said three members of a family were killed in an Israeli strike in central Gaza. PBS Nasser Hospital officials said a man was killed in a bombing of a tent camp in Khan Younis, and a child was shot dead by Israeli forces near Rafah. PBS The Israeli military said four of the slain Jabaliya officers were Hamas militants but offered no evidence of their involvement in planning or carrying out attacks.

On Tuesday, July 14, 2026, Gov. Kathy Hochul imposed a one-year moratorium on construction of hyperscale AI data centers in New York, pausing projects while the state studies energy, cost and environmental impacts.

The pause specifically targets very large, AI-related "hyperscale" facilities rather than all data centers. CBS News The move halts new construction while state agencies investigate broader economic, environmental and grid effects cited as central reasons for the decision.

A tornado touched down in northwestern San Antonio near Interstate 10 on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, and officials reported no injuries.

Uvalde County had collected as much as 16 inches of rain, forcing at least two dozen water rescues, officials said. PBS News Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens rescued nine people from floodwaters on Tuesday. PBS News Governor Greg Abbott issued disaster declarations for dozens of affected counties as crews responded to flooding.

On Wednesday, July 15, 2026, state officials said northeastern Minnesota wildfires have burned about 55,000 acres, and the Royal Canadian Air Force is rescuing two groups of stranded Minnesota YMCA campers in Canada.

One camper group was located and expected to be extracted within an hour of a July 15 briefing, while a second group was reported safe but stranded on a remote sandbar, complicating rescue efforts. FOX 9 Officials said more than 150 firefighters, 18 aircraft and four Minnesota National Guard helicopters are working with federal, local and Canadian partners on the response. FOX 9 Gov. Tim Walz thanked Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Canadian authorities for activating forces overnight after what officials described as a single call.

The House on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, passed the Sunshine Protection Act 308-117 to make daylight saving time permanent nationwide, sending the measure to the Senate and the president.

The vote was 308-117 and included bipartisan support, with proponents saying extra evening light will help tourism and small businesses and opponents warning of darker winter mornings for children and commuters. MS NOW The White House publicly called the bill a "popular, common-sense reform" and said advisers would recommend the president sign it if it reaches his desk. PBS President Donald Trump posted "Great News for America!" on July 15 and has said he will sign the bill if it reaches his desk.

Chinese authorities have formally charged U.S. seismologist Youlin Chen with espionage after secretly detaining him since late 2024.

Chen, 54, is China-born, lives in Massachusetts, and researches underground nuclear tests, including monitoring North Korean detonations. New York Times The U.S. government is actively pressing China to secure his release as his case figures in current bilateral talks. New York Times China's Foreign Ministry has rejected reports that he is being wrongfully detained.

China reported 4.3% year-over-year GDP growth in the second quarter, down from 5% in Q1, the National Bureau of Statistics said on July 15, 2026.

First-half growth averaged 4.7%, inside Beijing's 4.5%-5% full-year target, but weak domestic demand and a property slump left fixed-asset investment down 5.7% and retail sales up just 1.3%. NPR Exports surged, rising 17.6% in the first half and 27% in June, helping sustain output even as household spending lagged.

Subaru is recalling 541,237 U.S. vehicles because certification labels list incorrect gross axle weight ratings, which could allow overloading and increase crash risk.

The recall covers 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid; 2025-2026 Forester and Forester Hybrid; and 2019-2026 Ascent SUVs. CBS News NHTSA warned the incorrect rear-axle ratings on Part 567 certification labels could lead to overloading, though Subaru said it has no reports of crashes or injuries tied to the error. CBS News Beginning August 25, 2026, Subaru will mail corrected labels to owners, who can apply them or have dealers replace them at no cost.

Nearly 7,000 people in 34 U.S. states have reported illnesses tied to Cyclospora as the CDC investigates several possible food items, officials said Tuesday.

Michigan is the outbreak's epicenter, with state officials reporting about 3,300 cases and 44 hospitalizations in a statewide cluster.

Donald Trump endorsed MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell for Minnesota governor via a Truth Social post Wednesday morning, injecting his backing into the Republican primary and potentially reshaping a competitive three-way race.

Trump praised Lindell for "sacrificing" for "election integrity" and said he had his "complete and total endorsement" and "will not let you down," according to the post. FOX 9 The endorsement comes amid a field that includes House Speaker Lisa Demuth and the party-endorsed Kendall Qualls, setting up a high-stakes Republican primary ahead of the August 11, 2026, nomination.

Flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were disrupted for hours on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, amid security tied to Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's official Washington visit.

CBS reported the grounding was linked to al-Zaidi's meetings with President Trump at the White House and with Pentagon officials. CBS News The network said the security actions prompted delays and cancellations but did not offer new quantitative totals.

Clarence A. Frazier Jr., 48, of Alexandria, Louisiana, allegedly shot and killed Deputy U.S. Marshal Drew Hanson while officers tried to serve an arrest warrant on Monday, July 13, 2026.

Frazier was federally charged with one count of murder of a federal officer when a complaint based on an FBI affidavit was unsealed Tuesday, July 14, 2026. CBS News If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison or the death penalty, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana said. CBS News The affidavit says marshals and sheriff's detectives entered Frazier's home, encountered him in a bedroom, and that he opened fire, fatally wounding Hanson before barricading himself and later surrendering. CBS News The U.S. Marshals Service said Hanson is survived by a wife and two children.

Researchers reported in JAMA on July 15, 2026, that baseline plasma p-tau217 levels in symptom-free older adults strongly predicted Alzheimer's-type cognitive decline years before symptoms.

Among 2,684 cognitively normal participants enrolled since 2004, those with very high p-tau217 faced a 38% risk of impairment at five years and 78% at ten years. CBS News Study authors and outside commentators cautioned the blood test is not yet accurate enough to give individual prognoses but said it could immediately help enroll high-risk people into prevention and treatment trials.

Environmental groups sued to block a new federal rule that rescinds the regulatory definition of "harm" under the Endangered Species Act on July 14, 2026.

Earthjustice and allied groups filed suit in federal court in Seattle, and the Swinomish and Squaxin Island tribes filed a separate ESA challenge. NPR The government's new rule removes explicit coverage of "significant habitat modification or degradation" from the harm definition and is scheduled to take effect September 14, 2026. NPR Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the change restores "common sense" and reduces permitting burdens, while environmental plaintiffs said it undercuts the ESA's core purpose and will trigger extensive litigation.

Darline Graham was sworn in on the U.S. Senate floor on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, to serve out the remainder of her late brother Sen. Lindsey Graham's term.

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa administered the oath as dozens of senators and high-profile guests attended, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. CBS News Her swearing-in made her the 27th woman serving in the U.S. Senate at the same time, a record concurrent total, and made her South Carolina's first female U.S. senator.

Kathryn Ruemmler, the former chief legal officer at Goldman Sachs, was interviewed behind closed doors Wednesday by the House Oversight Committee about her ties to Jeffrey Epstein in Washington.

The closed-door session was taken under oath and transcribed at the committee's request as part of its review of records from the Justice Department. MS NOW A June joint statement by Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Sen. Elizabeth Warren cited DOJ records that say Ruemmler stayed in frequent contact with Epstein from 2014 to 2019. MS NOW The lawmakers' statement also alleges she accepted luxury gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars. MS NOW Ruemmler resigned as Goldman Sachs chief legal officer in February 2026 amid public backlash. MS NOW She remains an adviser to the firm and denies wrongdoing, saying she never formally represented Epstein.

Jay Clayton is testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, as President Trump's nominee for director of national intelligence, with Section 702 surveillance authority and acting oversight at stake.

Clayton is expected to face questions about the lapsed Section 702 authority under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. CBS News His office also subpoenaed three New York Times journalists to appear before a Manhattan grand jury on July 15. CBS News Bill Pulte has served as acting director of national intelligence since June 19 after Tulsi Gabbard resigned in May, and senators say oversight gaps during the acting transition are a central concern.

Twenty-six Meta employees filed a federal lawsuit in Oakland on Monday, July 13, 2026, alleging the company used AI tools to target workers on medical or family leave for layoffs.

The complaint says Meta relied on internal AI systems, keystroke and activity data, and algorithmically assisted performance rankings that disadvantaged workers on protected medical or family leave. CBS News All 26 plaintiffs had taken protected leave or requested disability accommodations, and their separations are scheduled to begin July 22, 2026. CBS News The filing alleges violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and disparate-impact provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service reported on July 8 that June 2026 was Western Europe's hottest June on record and the second-hottest June globally.

Western Europe averaged nearly 5.5°F above the 1991-2020 average, while continental Europe was about 3.2°F above that baseline. CBS News Wildfires in southern France had burned more than 11,000 acres and forced about 10,000 people to evacuate. CBS News The World Health Organization says Europe has seen more than 1,300 heat-related deaths since June 21. CBS News About 1,000 of those excess deaths were reported in France.

British police arrested a 26-year-old man on Friday, July 10, 2026, on suspicion of murdering former Member of Parliament Ann Widdecombe at her Haytor Vale, Devon, home.

Widdecombe, 78, was found dead with serious injuries at the house on Thursday, July 9, 2026, police said. PBS News Devon and Cornwall Police said there is no indication the killing was terrorism-related or politically motivated at this stage. PBS News Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly addressed the case and said the security of lawmakers must be protected.

Congolese authorities report at least 1,926 infections and 702 deaths from the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as of Monday, July 13, 2026, with confirmed cases also in Uganda.

WHO emergencies chief Chikwe Ihekweazu said roughly 80% of new cases in eastern Congo now come from unknown chains of transmission, and many recent deaths occurred in the community without patients reaching health facilities. NPR Treatment capacity in Bunia has expanded to nearly 800 beds and laboratory capacity has grown from one lab to 14 labs, but WHO officials warn the outbreak continues to outpace response efforts. NPR Dozens of health workers at a northeast Congo treatment center briefly struck over unpaid salaries and bonuses before agreeing to resume care if paid within 72 hours, and U.S. health officials said a U.S. citizen working in Congo tested positive for Ebola.

President Trump left Ankara on an older presidential jet on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, after the Secret Service advised against using the newly retrofitted, Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8 amid Iran-war security concerns.

Trump flew into the NATO summit in Ankara on the Qatari 747-8, departed Turkey on the older Air Force One, and later reboarded the gifted jet after landing in the United Kingdom. CBS News CBS reported the 747-8 was hurried into service and currently lacks some defensive and secure-communications capabilities, including laser-based countermeasures to blind or misdirect incoming missiles. CBS News The Air Force and White House said the new plane is safe and fitted with high-level security protocols, but they acknowledged trade-offs on "less commonly used" mission sets.

Minnesota will receive $514,871 from consumer genetics firm 23andMe as part of an $18 million multistate recovery tied to the company's bankruptcy over a 2023 data breach.

The payout is Minnesota's share of the larger recovery that resolves state claims against 23andMe's estate, officials said. FOX 9 The 2023 breach exposed genetic and ancestry data for about 6.9 million customers worldwide, including 92,385 Minnesotans. FOX 9 Attorneys general found 23andMe failed to implement basic safeguards like multifactor authentication and protections against credential-stuffing, and they said the company did not promptly detect the intrusion.

A crisis call to a Burnsville home around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday ended in a large house fire that left one adult male dead, police said.

Officers reported seeing a man inside the Maple Island Road residence who was armed with a firearm and withdrew from the house out of caution. FOX 9 Police deployed non-flammable chemical irritants in an effort to get the man to come out before the home became fully engulfed. FOX 9 After firefighters extinguished the blaze, investigators found one adult male dead inside the home. FOX 9 The City of Burnsville asked the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the State Fire Marshal Division to lead the investigation.

Heavy storms in Central Texas earlier this week triggered a flash flood emergency after parts of the region received more than a foot of rain, swelling rivers and causing localized chaos.

National weather maps show widespread extreme heat and flood threats across large swaths of the country, putting tens of millions of people at risk. CBS News Combined, heat alerts and flood warnings cover areas that place more than 150 million Americans in some level of danger from heat or flooding.

Minneapolis officials are seeking $2.5 million in emergency funds to relocate 686 residents from the troubled Heritage Park housing complex.

City staff say the request would move 686 residents in 212 households and pay for immediate repairs and relocation costs. FOX 9 Officials reported severe mold, mice infestations and holes in roofs, and said it is unclear whether any of the more than 400 units can be saved. FOX 9 A Hennepin County court has placed Heritage Park into receivership to stabilize the property amid finger-pointing between the landlord and city agencies.

On Thursday, July 9, 2026, the Wisconsin Elections Commission voted 5-1 to refer two criminal complaints accusing Elon Musk of offering $1 million checks to voters to the Brown County district attorney.

The commission found probable cause that Musk may have violated state election bribery law by promising $1 million payments tied to a 2025 state Supreme Court race. CBS News The commission also said Musk's America PAC awarded $1 million checks to three Wisconsin voters who signed a petition while the PAC spent millions supporting Judge Brad Schimel's unsuccessful April 2025 Supreme Court bid.

President Trump plans a prime-time address on Thursday night, July 16, 2026, focused on voting machine security and foreign influence in U.S. elections, officials said Tuesday.

The White House is preparing to release declassified intelligence documents related to election security and foreign interference as part of or alongside the speech. MS NOW A task force that includes Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and adviser John Solomon has been reviewing thousands of documents to decide what to declassify.

Officials in Eagan and New Brighton say catalytic converter thefts in their cities have dropped about 95% since Minnesota's new law took effect Aug. 1, 2023.

Police say officers have been able to reassign resources from converter stings and bait-car operations back to broader investigations and regular patrol work. FOX 9 The law requires converters to be clearly tied to a specific vehicle and makes illegal scrap purchases a crime.

Iraqi authorities seized more than 825 pounds of gold and tens of millions of dollars in cash and arrested at least 21 people in anti-corruption raids on July 14, 2026.

Judge Diaa Jaafar said 790 pounds of gold were found in one operation and 37 pounds in another, and the gold was transferred to Iraq's central bank. CBS News The probe centers on former deputy oil minister Adnan Al-Jumaili. CBS News Government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi estimated investigators seized more than $96 million in funds and about $24 million in real estate, vehicles and gold tied to the Al-Jumaili case. CBS News Al-Aboudi said Iraq has prepared legal documents to seek the extradition of several hundred suspects abroad.

Senators introduced the Promise Act on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, to fast-track a bipartisan plan aimed at fixing Social Security and averting an estimated 22% cut to benefits if Congress takes no action.

The bill directs the bipartisan Social Security Advisory Board to draft a solvency plan that keeps the retirement trust funds sound for at least 50 years and requires any plan win a three-fifths vote in the Senate. CBS News The Promise Act itself does not change taxes, benefits or eligibility; it creates a structured, fast-track process for future reforms.

Senators unveiled the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 on Tuesday, July 14, advancing a package of sweeping sanctions and tariffs that late Sen. Lindsey Graham had championed.

The bill would mandate sanctions on President Vladimir Putin, senior Russian officials, the military, major banks and energy firms, and foreign entities doing business with Russia or its "shadow" oil fleet. CBS News It would impose tariffs of up to 100% on the top five purchasers of Russian oil and natural gas, with the list reviewed every 180 days. CBS News The measure would also bar U.S. persons from buying Russian debt or doing business with the Russian government or its energy sector, while allowing presidential exemptions with a justification to Congress. CBS News By 1 p.m. Central on July 14 the bill had 26 Senate cosponsors, and House allies plan to introduce a companion measure.

Hennepin County Attorney's Office says it has received a case after fireworks were set off at Sen. John Hoffman's Champlin home over the July 4, 2026 weekend and is considering charges.

Champlin police have made no arrests and have not publicly released details about the fireworks incident.

Florida has scheduled two more elderly inmates for execution this month: Dennis Sochor on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, and 80-year-old Dominick Anthony Occhicone on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.

Sochor was convicted in 1982 in the rape and murder of 18-year-old Patricia Gifford and has spent more than 40 years on death row. Occhicone would be only the second known U.S. inmate executed in his 80s if Florida carries out the sentence.

E. Jean Carroll received $5,625,005.48 transferred from a federal escrow account to her legal team on Monday, July 13, 2026, covering the $5 million jury award plus accrued interest.

On Tuesday, July 7, 2026, Donald Trump filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to reconsider its June 29 refusal and asked the trial judge to delay disbursing the escrowed funds. CBS News Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ordered on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, that Carroll could collect roughly $5.8 million that had been held in the court's escrow account. PBS Trump's emergency requests to halt the disbursement, including an administrative-stay bid tied to his rehearing petition, were denied, allowing the transfer to proceed. MS NOW Carroll's attorney Roberta Kaplan confirmed Carroll received the payment and told the court she plans to place the funds in a retirement account.

On Monday, July 13, 2026, former President Donald Trump ordered sharp reductions to Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, reigniting legal and tribal fights over protected lands.

The proclamations cut the two monuments from more than 3.2 million acres combined to under 303,000 acres combined, a larger reduction than Trump's first-term changes. PBS Utah Gov. Spencer Cox backed the move, while leaders of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition said it undermines sacred sites and tribal co-stewardship. PBS The action also reopens legal questions over whether the Antiquities Act permits presidents to substantially shrink existing national monuments.

Warren Buffett announced on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, that his 2026 donations will total about $6 billion and will not include a gift to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

He said he will give roughly $4.5 billion in Berkshire Hathaway stock to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation and about $500 million each to the Sherwood, Howard G. Buffett and Novo foundations. PBS He also said all of his remaining Berkshire Hathaway stock, worth more than $140 billion, will be donated to those four foundations by December 31, 2034.

U.S. marine biologist Kent Carpenter was shot dead inside his home in Sibulan, Negros Oriental, on Sunday night, July 12, 2026, when three masked men entered and shot him in the head.

The assailants stole a laptop, cash and a backpack before fleeing. CBS News Carpenter's Filipina companion was injured and is receiving treatment, and police said they are still seeking to identify the attackers and establish a motive.

On Tuesday, July 14, 2026, the Labor Department reported that U.S. consumer prices in June rose 3.5% year-over-year and fell 0.4% from May, a sharp cooling in inflation that could ease pressure on monetary policy.

Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, was unchanged month-to-month in June and up 2.6% on a 12-month basis. PBS News The monthly drop was the largest in four years and was driven in part by cheaper gasoline; AAA data show the national average was $0.71 per gallon below May's peak. NPR GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan warned the national average could return to about $4 per gallon within days, risking a reversal of the June improvement. NPR Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh told the House Financial Services Committee that FOMC members have "no tolerance for persistently elevated inflation" as they weigh next steps. CBS News After the CPI release, the CME FedWatch tool showed an 86% implied probability the Fed will hold interest rates at its upcoming meeting.

The Defense Department inspector general found that a $469 million 155mm artillery plant in Mesquite, Texas, had produced no contract-specification metal parts as of March 2026.

The facility, opened in May 2024, was expected to produce 30,000 projectile metal parts per month but had yielded none, the inspector general said. CBS News Army officials now project that, without Mesquite, monthly 155mm output will reach only about 71,000 rounds by September 2026, far short of the 100,000-per-month goal set for October 2025. CBS News An Army spokesperson told CBS in mid-July that Mesquite still had not produced any conforming projectile parts despite a new "path forward" agreement with General Dynamics.

Somali American leaders have scheduled a formal news conference for 9:30 a.m. Central on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in St. Paul to respond to Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher's comments about Somali gangs.

Confirmed speakers include Sen. Omar Fateh, Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman and State Rep. Mohamud Noor, joined by other community and faith leaders. FOX 9 The Somali American Partnership said Fletcher sensationalized violence, made sweeping generalizations about Somali youth, and stigmatized the broader community.

The Trump administration on Monday began enforcing a rule that U.S. citizens recently in the Democratic Republic of Congo must spend at least 21 days in a third country before boarding commercial flights to the United States.

The restrictions are being applied under Title 49 and place affected travelers on a temporary "Do Not Board" list until the 21-day period is complete, the administration said. CBS News Roughly two dozen U.S. citizens with planned flights were identified as affected, and the CDC will conduct medical assessments for Americans still in the DRC.

President Trump used his July 4 "Salute to America 250" address on the National Mall to press for the partisan SAVE America Act while honoring veterans and marking the semiquincentennial.

The speech was delayed by roughly two hours after a storm forced an evacuation of the Mall, and Trump again warned of a "communist menace" while praising recent military actions and touting strict voter ID and citizenship rules in the SAVE bill. CBS News PBS News

On Monday, July 6, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an unsigned, unexplained order allowing Texas to enforce its App Store Accountability Act while lower-court appeals proceed.

The law requires app stores to verify every user's age and generally bars Texans under 18 from downloading most apps without parental consent, with narrow exceptions for emergency services and college-entrance-exam apps. NPR A federal district judge had blocked the law as unconstitutional, but a Fifth Circuit panel reinstated enforcement in June and the Supreme Court's order leaves that reinstatement in place while lower-court appeals continue.

Attorneys general from 12 U.S. states on July 13, 2026, sued to block Paramount's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, arguing the deal would reduce competition and harm consumers.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the merger would lead to higher prices, lower quality and less content for consumers and would remove competition among five of the largest Hollywood studios. NPR The U.S. Justice Department declined to sue, saying the combination could strengthen competition against Netflix and Amazon, which prompted the states to step in.

On Tuesday, July 7, 2026, federal immigration officers were deployed to truck weigh stations with state troopers to intercept and arrest unauthorized commercial driver's license holders.

Tom Homan said the effort targets an estimated 200,000 non-U.S. citizens who obtained CDLs after entering the country illegally. Washington Examiner The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says roughly 28,000 commercial driver's licenses have already been rescinded. Washington Examiner DHS linked the enforcement push to the arrest of Haitian national Michael Bon, who is charged in the death of Pennsylvania state trooper Michael Pahira. Washington Examiner Homan said Democrat-led states including New York are resisting by denying ICE and CBP access to DMV databases. Washington Examiner He said Attorney General Todd Blanche is suing some cities and states over data access.

On Tuesday, July 14, 2026, a Defense Department official confirmed that President Trump has extended the National Guard deployment patrolling Washington, D.C., through Inauguration Day in January 2029.

The Guard presence was recently doubled to more than 5,000 troops to support the nation's 250th anniversary events, making it the costliest Guard mobilization to a major U.S. city. MS NOW Officials estimate the deployment costs about $607 per Guard member per day and has totaled roughly $330 million so far. MS NOW That bill is projected to exceed $600 million by August 2026, surpassing the Metropolitan Police Department's $599 million annual budget; an MPD officer costs about $384 per day by comparison.

On Thursday, July 9, 2026, President Donald Trump dismissed the remaining members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, leaving the agency without commissioners just months before the November midterms.

Democratic commissioners Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland were terminated, Republican Christy McCormick resigned, and Republican Donald Palmer had departed earlier this year. NPR The White House said Trump "reserves the right to remove individuals that may not be totally aligned" with his election-security priorities and explicitly cited the Supreme Court's Trump v. Slaughter decision as precedent.

Apple filed a trade-secrets lawsuit against OpenAI in a California federal court on Friday, July 10, 2026, accusing the ChatGPT maker of stealing secret hardware designs and seeking damages and injunctions.

Apple's complaint says OpenAI encouraged recruits to share confidential Apple information and coached them on how to avoid internal scrutiny when moving to OpenAI. PBS News The suit names two former Apple employees now at OpenAI — Tang Tan, identified as OpenAI's chief hardware officer, and Chang Liu, a former Apple electrical engineer entrusted with highly sensitive product work. PBS News Apple alleges Liu accessed and downloaded multiple confidential hardware files onto an Apple-issued device he kept after leaving, and it says Tan asked Apple candidates to bring "actual parts" to OpenAI interviews. PBS News Apple says an internal investigation uncovered a pattern of theft of hardware trade secrets and that both Liu and Tan accessed Apple confidential information while employed at OpenAI. PBS News Apple also says it contacted OpenAI in February to raise concerns but received no response before filing the suit in July. PBS News OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said OpenAI has "no interest in other companies' trade secrets" and that the company is reviewing the filing.

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health warned that dogs adopted or imported from South Dakota are showing a high prevalence of canine brucellosis, an incurable bacterial disease that can force lifelong quarantine or euthanasia.

The board said it has traced seven brucellosis-positive dogs to South Dakota and is considering new import and quarantine rules for dogs coming from that state. FOX 9 The agency recommends veterinary exams, certificates of veterinary inspection, and testing before adoption or resale while it evaluates those measures.

An 8-year-old boy riding an electric scooter was struck and killed by a pickup truck Friday around 2 p.m. at Candlewood Drive and Brunswick Avenue North in Brooklyn Park.

Police say the driver immediately called 911 and remained at the scene. FOX 9 Authorities say he showed no signs of impairment and is cooperating with Brooklyn Park police and the Minnesota State Patrol investigation.

The House of Representatives last month voted 414-2 to approve the Financial Exploitation Prevention Act, allowing open-end investment companies to temporarily pause suspected elder fraud redemption requests.

The bill would let funds freeze redemption requests for up to 15 business days, with a possible 10-day extension for investors age 65 or older or adults believed unable to protect their own interests. PBS News It also directs the Securities and Exchange Commission to submit recommendations to Congress within one year on further steps to reduce financial fraud against older and disabled adults.

The Federal Communications Commission approved a notice in late June 2026 to launch a top-to-bottom review of the E-Rate school and library internet subsidy, tying the probe to concerns about children's screen time.

Chairman Brendan Carr framed the review as a way to ensure federal funding supports learning outcomes rather than excessive or unsupervised screen time. NPR Educators and child-safety advocates warned that cutting E-Rate would jeopardize essential connectivity for classrooms and libraries rather than simply reducing device use. NPR Technology officials in California's San Bernardino County said losing the subsidy would force districts to absorb tens of thousands of dollars a month in internet utility costs.

Young America's Foundation filed a federal lawsuit challenging the University of Minnesota's gender-identity and pronoun policies, seeking policy changes and $1 in nominal damages and alleging the rules chill speech.

The complaint says students can be disciplined for refusing to use preferred pronouns or for expressing views that "there are only two genders" or opposing transgender participation in women's sports. FOX 9 It points to a U of M administrative policy that expects community members to use names and pronouns consistent with individuals' specified gender identities and pronouns.

The White House removed all three sitting commissioners of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission effective July 9, 2026, leaving the agency without a quorum and unable to act.

Democratic commissioners Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland were notified of their firings by email, while Republican Christy McCormick was permitted to resign. FOX 9 Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, who sat on the EAC board of advisors, said the removals will hamper the agency's work but he does not foresee immediate effects on Minnesota's election administration.

A passenger was partially sucked out of a dislodged window on a Thessaloniki-to-Memmingen flight operated by Malta Air on Friday morning, July 10, 2026.

Fellow passengers pulled the 61-year-old man back into the cabin; he sustained neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns and was treated in Thessaloniki. PBS News The Boeing 737-800 returned to Thessaloniki after the cabin decompressed.

On Friday, July 10, 2026, former Afghan general Abdul Zahir Qadeer appeared in federal court in Manhattan, was ordered detained and was charged in a U.S. heroin, meth and weapons import plot.

He is charged with one count of conspiracy to import narcotics and two counts of conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. CBS News A DEA affidavit says Qadeer sold a 2 kilogram methamphetamine test shipment in December 2024. CBS News The affidavit says he negotiated to provide 500 to 600 kilograms of heroin and meth and hundreds of rifles, machine guns, grenades and ammunition. CBS News Kenyan authorities arrested Qadeer in Nairobi in April 2025 after a meeting with multiple DEA confidential sources, and he was extradited to the U.S. on July 10, 2026. CBS News If convicted, he faces a minimum of 10 years on the drug charge and 30 years on the weapons charges, and a maximum of life imprisonment.

Minnesota has recorded 37 motorcycle fatalities so far this riding season, up from 24 at the same point in 2025, officials said.

Department of Public Safety officials say this is the highest year-to-date motorcycle death toll in a couple of decades and project around 90 deaths if the trend continues. FOX 9 Roughly half of the state's motorcycle fatalities have occurred in the Twin Cities metro and half in greater Minnesota, officials said. FOX 9 Officials reported a rise in single-vehicle, high-speed crashes where riders fail to make turns and an increase in impairment among riders and other drivers. FOX 9 They urged helmet use, high-visibility gear and participation in Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Training Center courses for new and experienced riders.

A fast-moving wildfire that began late Thursday near the Sierra de Los Filabres in Almería province has killed at least 12 people and left 23 others missing, officials said.

As of Friday afternoon, authorities reported at least 12 dead, 8 injured and 23 missing, and said more than 3,200 hectares had burned. PBS News Andalusian emergency chief Antonio Sanz said most victims died after ignoring shelter-in-place orders and that some who fled into a dry riverbed were trapped. PBS News Regional officials said four of the dead are believed to be British based on a burned car with a right-hand steering wheel, and that most of the deceased are thought to be foreign nationals. PBS News Roughly 150 firefighters and 220 soldiers from Spain's military emergency unit have been deployed, but officials say steep, scrub-covered terrain and wind are complicating containment.

Judge Tony Graf set four hours of oral arguments for Sept. 1 after a five-day preliminary hearing in Fourth District Court in Provo to decide whether Tyler Robinson should be bound over for trial in the killing of Charlie Kirk.

During the July 6-10 hearing, prosecutors showed surveillance video, autopsy findings and DNA evidence they say ties Robinson to a Mauser 98 bolt-action rifle recovered wrapped in a towel near Utah Valley University. MS NOW Prosecutors also played a redacted recorded interview in which Robinson's former roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs, said Robinson told him he "wishes he hadn't done it." CBS News Robinson declined to testify when invited by the judge, and his lawyers said they would rely on cross-examination and forensic records instead. New York Times The Kirk family filed a motion asking Graf to make a bind-over ruling by Sept. 1 and said prosecutors had presented "overwhelming evidence." CBS News

A federal grand jury in Columbus, Ohio on Thursday, July 9, 2026 returned a two-count indictment charging eight men with conspiring to attack the White House during the June UFC Freedom 250 event and to kill federal government officials.

The indictment accuses the group of two conspiracies: conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to commit murder on federal government territory and to murder a federal government official. Justice Prosecutors say the alleged plot involved money, firearms, ammunition, body armor, explosives, drones, medical and communication equipment, and personnel. Justice Authorities say the group used Signal, SimpleX, Discord, TikTok and Instagram to plan the June 14 event, and that members engaged in marksmanship and combat training and developed operational and escape plans.

A federal appeals court upheld Illinois' semiautomatic-weapons and high-capacity magazine ban in a 2-1 ruling by the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday, July 9, 2026.

The three-judge panel said the Protect Illinois Communities Act is consistent with the nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation and thus permissible under the Second Amendment. Foxnews Gun-rights groups said they will seek review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Forecasters say a very strong El Nino is likely to suppress Atlantic hurricane activity in 2026, prompting seasonal outlooks that now call for a below-average hurricane season.

NOAA told forecasters in its July monthly update that the 2026-27 El Nino has an 81% chance of reaching "very strong" strength by fall. PBS News Ocean temperatures in key equatorial Pacific regions are already at or near record highs for this time of year, and the event — which formed only last month — has intensified from weak to moderate. PBS News Colorado State University revised its July 8 seasonal outlook and now expects Atlantic activity to be "well below normal" because of increased confidence in a strong or very strong El Nino. PBS News The first major seasonal forecast published just before NOAA's update similarly moved to a quieter outlook for 2026.

On Friday, July 10, 2026, the NAACP asked Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to end the Memphis Safe Task Force and open federal probes into recent law-enforcement-related deaths of Black men in Memphis.

The group's letter cites at least four officer-involved shootings and alleges at least four deaths tied to the task force, and it criticizes delays in releasing body-camera footage. MS NOW The demand came days before Blanche's scheduled Senate confirmation hearing, which the NAACP highlighted as a test of the Justice Department's commitment to accountability.

The D.C. Circuit issued a 10-day administrative injunction on Friday, July 10, 2026, blocking the Justice Department from releasing recordings and transcripts of former President Joe Biden's interviews with his biographer.

The injunction runs through 11:59 p.m. Central on July 20 and explicitly does not decide the merits of Biden's emergency motion. CBS News The pause prevents the Justice Department from providing the redacted files to the Heritage Foundation and to congressional offices while the appeal proceeds.

The Minnesota Clemency Review Commission is weighing 35 commutation applications Friday, including requests from people convicted in several high-profile Twin Cities murders.

Among the applicants is Ronald Reed, who was convicted in 2006 of the 1970 killing of St. Paul Police Officer James Sackett and is seeking parole for at least the fourth time. FOX 9 Police groups and Sackett's family oppose Reed's release, saying under current law he would be serving life without parole even though his original sentence allows a clemency route. FOX 9 The panel is also reviewing Jason Williams' 1992 Brooklyn Park home-invasion murder and Meng Veng's conviction in a 2005 double murder at Jimmy's Pro Billiards in Columbia Heights. FOX 9 The commission's recommendations go to the Minnesota Board of Pardons, which has the final authority to grant or deny sentence reductions.

Trump administration officials are weighing a plan to install permanent fencing on the Pennsylvania Avenue block near the White House and around Lafayette Square, as discussions continued Friday over security and public access.

The proposed barrier would run near 15th and 17th Streets NW and could be opened or closed in sections based on security needs. CBS News Officials said the plan would rely largely on repurposed existing barrier materials and that no final decision has been made or contractors hired. CBS News A White House official said discussions are ongoing and that any project would undergo the necessary review process.

The Department of Health and Human Services abruptly canceled most Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program grants in late June, cutting about $66 million in funding and threatening layoffs and service reductions nationwide.

HHS left roughly a dozen grants in place and ended the rest, officials said. NPR Most awards were five-year grants with about two years remaining on them. NPR Healthy Futures of Texas lost a $2 million annual grant and said 13 employees are losing their jobs and services may be reduced.

The Department of Homeland Security deported Tou Lue Vang from the United States on Friday, July 10, 2026, despite a full pardon granted by Gov. Tim Walz and the Minnesota Board of Pardons.

DHS publicized the removal on Friday morning and released a photo showing Vang in custody in front of a plane. FOX 9 The pardon had been granted in June after the Minnesota Board of Pardons reviewed a victim's support letter, but federal immigration authorities said the state action did not block the removal order.

On July 10, 2026, the Pentagon said it will tighten enforcement of shaving, grooming and fitness standards and hold commanders accountable as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth presses compliance.

A 2025 Defense Department memo ordered commanders to begin separation proceedings for service members who still rely on medical shaving waivers after more than one year of treatment. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said commanders will be held accountable for enforcing hair, weight and grooming standards as part of restoring a culture of excellence and readiness.

The National Capital Planning Commission voted 8-1, with three members voting present, on July 9, 2026, to advance preliminary site and building plans for President Trump's proposed 250-foot arch near the National Mall.

The approval was conditional; commission staff said the arch must be revised to comply with the 1910 Heights of Buildings Act. CBS News Staff proposed lowering the internal mezzanine to 130 feet and the observation level to 20 feet while enlarging the Lady Liberty statue to 100 feet so the overall height remains 250 feet. CBS News NCPC also raised air-safety concerns because the arch sits near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and required the project to incorporate any FAA recommendations after a full aeronautical study. CBS News Commissioners flagged pedestrian access and lighting issues, calling 32 proposed traffic poles visual clutter and warning about eight 14-to-20-foot lighting stanchions. CBS News More than 40 people spoke against the project at the meeting; the commission has received nearly 2,000 written comments and faces a lawsuit from Vietnam War veterans. NPR Speakers including Gold Star mother Cynthia Morrison and Vietnam veteran Michael Lemmon said the arch's scale and location would obscure and disrespect the vista between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

On Thursday, July 9, 2026, former Epoch Times chief financial officer Weidong "Bill" Guan pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court to a money-laundering conspiracy tied to a $67 million scheme.

Prosecutors told the court that Guan's Vietnam-based "Make Money Online" team used cryptocurrency beginning in 2020 to buy tens of millions in criminal proceeds, including fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits loaded onto prepaid debit cards. CBS News They say the illicit flows coincided with Epoch Times revenues jumping about 410%, from roughly $15 million to $62 million, and that Guan misled banks by calling the surge legitimate donations.

On Tuesday, July 7, 2026, Nashville's Metro Council advanced a plan to use eminent domain to seize land next to the Nashville Zoo proposed for a DC BLOX data center.

The council also moved forward three bills to impose a moratorium on new data center projects and add operating regulations, steps supporters say could block the development.

St. Paul officials say the city will begin clearing the large homeless encampment at Pig's Eye Park on Aug. 5 to protect residents and the surrounding community.

Volunteers estimate more than 100 people stay at the Pig's Eye encampment at any given time. FOX 9 They describe semi-established living conditions that include gardens, chickens, many pets and a strong sense of community. FOX 9 Long-time volunteers Marie Fitch, Kelly Rashaw and Fred Rashaw say addiction and mental health drive most problems at the site and warn that simply pushing people out will create bigger problems. FOX 9 Assistant Mayor Cedrick Baker and Mayor Kaohly Her reiterated that the closures are necessary to protect both encampment residents and the broader community.

Facebook permanently disabled the account of AMPERS president and CEO Joel Glaser after it flagged two news posts as child sexual exploitation, a move tied to a June 25, 2026 suspension notice in Minnesota.

Glaser says the flagged posts included a missing child alert and a Holocaust survivor story. FOX 9 After he appealed by submitting facial scans, Facebook denied the appeal in about a minute and permanently disabled his account, and also removed pages he administered including the MN90 Minnesota History in 90 Seconds page.

Gary Edward Glowacz, 70, was arrested Wednesday in Jacksonville after he contacted the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office claiming he had information about the 1987 killing of Melissa Ellison.

After interviewing him, detectives obtained a warrant and arrested Glowacz on charges of murder and burglary with battery, and he was booked into the Duval County Jail. Fox News Sheriff T.K. Waters publicly announced the arrest Thursday and said the case had remained unsolved for nearly 40 years. Fox News Waters said Glowacz had a history of burglary.

Osseo residents blasted a proposed $4 million, 20-year tax abatement to help fund a city-owned cannabis dispensary and brewery at a Thursday night town hall, and the council chose to revisit the plan rather than approve it.

The dispensary would go into the former Osseo Press and News building, which the city owns, and be operated by Voyageur Cannabis Services alongside Heavy Rotation Brewing under a negotiated lease. FOX 9 City officials told residents cannabis revenues would be used to service the bond debt, but several people warned taxpayers could be left on the hook if the venture fails. FOX 9 One woman told the council her property taxes rose from $2,200 in 2011 to $6,300 a year and called the proposal "disgusting." FOX 9

U.S. Coast Guard investigators are probing a new theory that Lynette Hooker may have returned to her sailboat Soulmate before she vanished near Hopetown off Elbow Cay in the Bahamas.

Investigators told Hooker's family they are exploring whether she made it back to the Soulmate and whether a physical altercation occurred aboard the vessel. CBS News Authorities seized the Soulmate in May about 40 nautical miles off Florida and recovered the dinghy in June in the Bahamas, with evidence sent for analysis at an FBI facility in Quantico, Virginia.

Education Department officials told disability advocates in a private briefing call on Thursday, July 9, that special education staff will move to the Department of Health and Human Services, prompting alarm among disability groups.

Acting assistant secretary Kelly Rogers said the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services staff would transfer to HHS while she continued to oversee them with HHS support. NPR Advocates from the Council for Exceptional Children and the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates said the briefing left them with more questions and no clear plan or timeline. NPR Education Department press secretary Savannah Newhouse emailed NPR that advocates "have nothing to fear" and that the partnership places responsibilities in a better positioned agency.

The Justice Department announced it will resolve its probe of Alibaba and its U.S. payment processor with non-prosecution agreements and misdemeanor charges instead of pursuing felony prosecutions.

Under the agreements, Alibaba will pay a $125 million criminal penalty and forfeit $200 million, while AUS Merchant Services will pay an $85 million penalty and forfeit $190 million — about $600 million in total.

On Thursday, July 9, 2026, an MTA bus crashed into about 12 cars and a commercial building on Reisterstown Road in Pikesville, injuring 33 people, two critically.

Baltimore County Fire officials called it a mass-casualty incident that drew roughly 100 first responders from multiple counties and a Shock Trauma team. WBAL BGE crews worked to repair a damaged power pole as tow trucks removed the bus and the wrecked cars from the scene.

Allies of Viktor Orbán rallied outside the Sándor Palace in Budapest on Thursday, July 9, 2026, to oppose a proposed constitutional amendment that would remove President Tamás Sulyok.

Several thousand people gathered to back Sulyok and to denounce the new prime minister, Péter Magyar's, plan to oust him. PBS News The amendment up for a parliamentary vote next week would end Sulyok's term, add parliamentary term limits, reform the judiciary and create an anti-corruption authority.

Seventeen migrants deported from the U.S. are being held in a Malabo hotel where lawyers say two suspected Ebola patients were placed, including a woman on Sunday, July 5, 2026.

Lawyers say the detainees — four women and 13 men — all have U.S. court orders that should have protected them from removal. PBS News They have filed a case against Equatorial Guinea at the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, the lawyers said.

New federal data show Affordable Care Act enrollment fell by nearly 3 million people over the past year after enhanced pandemic-era premium subsidies expired.

The loss is slightly larger than earlier federal estimates of about 2.6 million and came as premiums jumped at the start of 2026 when Congress allowed the temporary subsidies to lapse. CBS News A KFF review of insurer filings found a median proposed 14% premium increase for 2027 and said the median hike for 2026 was 20%, meaning two straight years of double-digit increases if regulators approve the filings.

Jillaine Mertens pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of wire fraud after admitting she stole $426,382 from Minnesota's Great Start Compensation Support Payment Program.

Under a plea agreement, Mertens faces a federal guideline range of 21-27 months in prison, forfeiture of the stolen funds and supervised release pending sentencing. FOX 9 Prosecutors say she submitted false and inflated payroll claims tied to three day cares, including Tree of Life in Ramsey and Creative Stars Academy centers in Rochester and Kasson. FOX 9 Investigators found she listed at least 23 people she did not employ and inflated hours for real employees to boost reimbursements between November 2024 and May 2025.

Minneapolis chief communications officer Adam Fetcher left his post on Monday, July 1, 2026, and the Hennepin County Attorney's Office says it has received a case that could lead to criminal charges.

The county attorney's office confirmed receipt of the case and said criminal charges are possible. FOX 9 Minneapolis police submitted the matter to the county attorney around July 7, according to the filings.

CVS agreed to pay Minnesota more than $850,000 as part of a national $36.5 million settlement over alleged Medicaid insulin billing fraud.

Minnesota's share includes more than $400,000 in direct restitution to its Medical Assistance program. FOX 9 Investigators say CVS sought reimbursement for ineligible refills, dispensed more insulin pens than insurance limits allowed, and under-reported days of supply instead of seeking proper overrides.

Plymouth police surrounded car reviewer Feder's Range Rover outside a Kohl's in Plymouth on June 28, 2026 after automated license-plate alerts falsely flagged the vehicle as stolen.

Police say the automated system misread Feder's plate "3410 DTM" and matched it to a California stolen-plate entry that had been logged on June 24 with incomplete numbers as "34 DTM." FOX 9 The misread generated alerts on June 26 and again on June 28 that prompted four Plymouth squads to converge with lights and sirens. FOX 9 Officers kept their hands near their holsters, had Feder step out and confirm he was unarmed, and then released him after paperwork showed the vehicle was not stolen.

Montgomery County Circuit Judge Brooke Reid dismissed a lawsuit challenging Sen. Tommy Tuberville's eligibility to run for Alabama governor on Thursday, July 9, 2026. PBS News Reid said Alabama courts lack authority to adjudicate a party nominee's eligibility before the general election and found no controlling precedent.

The plaintiffs said they plan to appeal the dismissal to a higher court. PBS News The challenge centers on whether Tuberville satisfies Alabama's constitutional seven-year residency requirement for governor.

At least 39 people have died after a reservoir partially collapsed in Hengzhou, Guangxi, amid flooding caused by Tropical Storm Maysak, officials said by Thursday, July 9, 2026.

Officials said 26 of the deaths occurred in Hengzhou, nine people remain missing, and about 130,000 people have been evacuated across the region. CBS News More than 10,000 students and teachers were rescued from a cluster of flooded schools in Guigang, and military and rescue crews deployed some 5,700 boats and drones in response.

Gardaí said on Thursday, July 9, 2026, that a man they want to speak to in connection with the suspected murder of Jamey Carney has fled Ireland.

Investigators believe the man took a bus from Killarney between about 11 p.m. Monday, July 6, and 5 a.m. Tuesday, July 7, then flew from Dublin Airport to the Middle East, where he is originally from. RTE Police have contacted international law enforcement agencies including Interpol and Europol and are working with the Garda National Immigration Bureau to build a profile of the man and his movements into and within Ireland. RTE Investigators are reviewing CCTV and dashcam footage from 11 p.m. July 6 to 5 a.m. July 7 and have contacted airline and transport authorities as part of tracing the suspect's route.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on Thursday, July 9, 2026, that Germany struck a deal to buy U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles and to base them in Germany.

Merz said the agreement was reached this week on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara and is underpinned by a letter of intent signed Tuesday, July 7. PBS News He said Washington has committed to approve in August Germany's purchase of an undisclosed number of Tomahawks and corresponding ground-based Typhoon launchers. PBS News The Tomahawk missiles have a range of about 1,600 kilometers and are designed to strike targets deep inside enemy territory at low altitude. PBS News Merz said deployment of U.S. personnel to operate the systems is not part of the letter of intent.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency fined Xcel Energy $13,687 and McGough Construction $12,168 for stormwater violations at Xcel's St. Paul Service Center, the agency announced Thursday.

A whitish-gray discharge was reported Nov. 6, 2025, and about 4,000 gallons of polluted water entered a storm sewer draining to a nearby wetland on Nov. 20, 2025. FOX 9 Inspectors also found another release on Oct. 28, 2026.

Minnesota jumped to No. 5 in CNBC's 2026 Top States for Business ranking, a five-spot rise that state leaders say strengthens the case for jobs and investment.

The state rose from No. 10 in 2025 to No. 5 under CNBC's new methodology, which made Infrastructure the heaviest-weighted category at nearly 19% of a state's score. Business Journal Minnesota ranked No. 4 for quality of life, No. 7 for infrastructure, No. 8 for economy and No. 31 for cost of doing business.

The IRS says millions of taxpayers have until July 10, 2026 to file claims that could recover COVID-era penalties, interest and missed refunds.

National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins has advised taxpayers to file protective claims to preserve their rights while litigation continues. CBS News She said filers should use Form 843 for penalty or interest refunds labeled "Protective Refund Claim Pursuant to Kwong Case" or file amended returns on Form 1040-X for changes to income, deductions, credits, or filing status.

Sen. Adam Schiff on July 8, 2026 launched an inquiry into the Justice Department's decision to close a long-running criminal probe of Abbott's Sturgis, Michigan, infant formula plant.

Schiff's July 8 letter asks Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for documents and a timeline about why senior DOJ leaders overruled line prosecutors who favored felony charges. CBS News Career prosecutors and Criminal Division official Tysen Duva supported pursuing felony charges, but senior DOJ leadership ordered the case closed and pursued a civil False Claims Act settlement with a significant monetary penalty.

UEFA and the Belgian football federation formally challenged FIFA's decision to defer Folarin Balogun's automatic one-match ban so he could play in the United States-Belgium round-of-16 in Seattle on Monday, July 6, 2026.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the case is before FIFA's independent judicial bodies and would be decided "in due course" by the competent bodies. PBS News Belgium said it planned to appeal immediately and warned a later ruling that a U.S. player was ineligible could lead to a 3-0 forfeit against the United States.

Seven Senate Democrats led by Jon Ossoff sent Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth a letter on Monday, July 6, 2026, opening an inquiry into his handling of Pentagon promotions.

The letter demands data on the race and gender of officers who were denied promotion, the criteria used to deny senior officers, and any analysis of the long-term impact on the military's fighting force. MS NOW Democrats said they are probing reports that Hegseth blocked the promotions of eight Navy captains for political reasons. MS NOW They linked that probe to a broader pattern of senior departures, including Brig. Gen. Eric Widmar's early retirement announced this week.

On Thursday, July 9, 2026, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed rolling back parts of Biden-era emissions rules for heavy-duty trucks.

The draft would relax warranty and useful-life requirements and eliminate mandatory engine power reductions when emissions controls fail, changes the agency says will ease costs for manufacturers.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement cut how often it inspects detention facilities, leaving at least 15 large sites unreviewed for more than a year, CBS News reported.

CBS reported that as of late June 2026, 15 ICE detention facilities holding 500 or more detainees had not been inspected in over 12 months. CBS News The outlet said the lapse followed an ICE policy change that reduced inspection frequency across many sites and affected oversight at large, dedicated facilities.

An amended class action filed July 7, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California added two Jane Doe plaintiffs and named SpaceXAI and Stability AI as defendants over alleged deepfake child sex abuse.

The complaint says perpetrators used the companies' AI models to alter underage photos into explicit child sexual-abuse images and videos. NPR It says a stepfather used Grok to generate about 7,000 explicit images and videos from a single childhood photograph and traded them online. NPR Plaintiffs also accuse SpaceXAI of failing to include full information in legally required reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Fahima Egeh Mahamud, the former CEO of Future Leaders Early Learning Center in Minneapolis, pleaded guilty in federal court to wire fraud and conspiracy for stealing more than $5.4 million.

Prosecutors say she stole more than $4.6 million from Minnesota's Child Care Assistance Program and about $850,000 from the federal Feeding Our Future child nutrition program. FOX 9 Mahamud admitted submitting false paperwork for child care assistance and falsely claiming her center served thousands of meals through Feeding Our Future. FOX 9 She is free on a conditional bond while a pre-sentence report is prepared, and a sentencing date has not been set.

On Thursday, July 9, 2026, the Budapest Metropolitan Court convicted Irish citizen L.T.M. and sentenced him to 14 years in prison without parole for murdering American tourist Mackenzie "Kenzie" Michalski.

Court files and police-linked findings say nightclub security footage showed Michalski with the suspect in several central Budapest clubs on the night she disappeared, and authorities say he was detained on November 7, 2024 and confessed. CBS News Prosecutors say he beat and strangled Michalski during an "intimate encounter" at his rented apartment, then cleaned the scene, hid her body in a wardrobe, bought a suitcase and transported her remains to a wooded area near Szigliget by Lake Balaton. CBS News Court records say he did not try to resuscitate her or call for help and that he searched online about disposing of a body and missing-person police procedures before his arrest.

An Israeli missile struck a car in Gaza City on the evening of Tuesday, July 7, killing aid worker Mohamed Al-Wahidi and three others, Palestinian health officials said.

Mohamed Al-Wahidi was the public relations director for the Egyptian Relief Committee. CBS News He had organized public World Cup screenings across Gaza, including a planned Egypt-Argentina viewing that went ahead after the strike. CBS News Also killed were brothers Hamza, 10, and Fari al-Deri, 8, and the driver Ahmed Daghmush, 33, hospital officials said. CBS News The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas military-wing member in the vehicle and is reviewing the strike after reports of civilian casualties.

Fairfax fugitive officers arrested 46-year-old Salvadoran national Juan Arevalo Mendez on June 30, 2026 in Prince William County on rape and abduction warrants tied to an alleged September 2025 sexual assault in Fairfax County. Fox News The Department of Homeland Security says ICE lodged an immigration detainer the same day and asked Fairfax County not to release him but to transfer him to ICE custody.

Fairfax police say officers first responded on September 19, 2025 after a woman reported she had been sexually assaulted about two weeks earlier in the 3800 block of South George Mason Drive in Bailey's Crossroads. Fox News Detectives later obtained rape and abduction warrants tied to that report. Fox News Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis called Arevalo Mendez a "criminal illegal alien" and publicly urged Governor Abigail Spanberger and Fairfax "sanctuary politicians" to ensure he is transferred to ICE custody.

On July 9, Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis in Brooklyn federal court ordered Gautam Adani to answer whether he knew of any quid pro quo tied to the DOJ's dismissal.

Garaufis gave Adani until July 15 to respond, pressing whether any promise of U.S. investment influenced the Justice Department's decision.

Temperatures in Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley are forecast to reach 117°F on Thursday, July 9, 2026, as a western heat wave intensifies danger for residents and visitors.

Phoenix recorded 113°F on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and is forecast to reach 115°F on Thursday, with highs likely staying above 110°F into next week. CBS News The Phoenix Fire Department says it has handled about 400 heat-related calls and recorded 18 heat-related deaths since May 1, compared with five at this point last year. CBS News The National Weather Service has issued excessive-heat warnings and advisories for millions across the Southwest and Southeast and extreme heat watches for parts of Colorado, Montana and the Dakotas. CBS News Heat indices in parts of the Carolinas and Georgia are forecast to reach 113-116°F, and dry thunderstorms are boosting wildfire danger in the West.

Juan Carlos Felix was sentenced to 200 months in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl out of Minneapolis.

Alphanews described him as a Sinaloa Cartel affiliate and said the network distributed meth and fentanyl across multiple states.

Former Bucknell strength and conditioning coach Mark Kulbis was charged Monday, July 6, 2026, with felony aggravated hazing and misdemeanor counts including involuntary manslaughter in the 2024 death of freshman lineman Calvin "C.J." Dickey Jr.

Prosecutors say Kulbis ordered freshmen to perform about 100 "up-downs" plus full-body plank drills during a July 10, 2024, first-day workout and that he was the only coach present. NPR They allege Kulbis knew Dickey had a sickle-cell trait, had received NCAA and school anti-hazing training, and did not call for help until after Dickey collapsed despite visible struggle. CBS News An autopsy concluded Dickey's death was caused by extreme exercise combined with his sickle-cell trait, body weight and exertional rhabdomyolysis, prosecutors said. NPR Bail for Kulbis was set at $10,000. NPR His attorney says he is not responsible for Dickey's death.

Sen. Mark Warner sent a letter on Thursday, July 9, 2026, to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel challenging the FBI's deployment of roughly 260 analysts to the Fulton County 2020 election investigation. MS NOW Warner called the deployment a "misuse of taxpayer dollars," requested a staff briefing and demanded detailed answers about the probe's scope and whether the FBI believes a criminal offense has been committed.

The analyst surge follows an unclassified FBI memo dated July 1 that labels the Fulton County matter an "FBI Atlanta priority investigation" and orders field offices to provide surge support. MS NOW The memo seeks a total of 260 investigative analysts nationwide, asking large offices for eight analysts and smaller offices for three to five. CBS News It requires each analyst to complete about 708 records checks by July 17 and authorizes overtime. CBS News The work is narrowly focused on finding "derogatory information" about people connected to the 2020 Fulton County election, including social media, associations, business activity and travel histories. New York Times The FBI has declined to comment publicly on Warner's letter or the surge.

An Argentine court in Santa Cruz convicted former submarine commander Claudio Villamide over the 2017 ARA San Juan implosion on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

He was sentenced to a three-year suspended term and barred from holding public office for six years.

Kia is recalling about 463,000 Telluride SUVs in the U.S. over a defect that can overheat front seat motors and cause fires, and it urged owners to park affected vehicles outdoors.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the front power seat motor can overheat when a slide adjustment knob sticks or after an improper repair, posing a fire risk while driving or parked. CBS News Dealers will install a free electronic fuse assembly to fix the problem, and Kia plans to mail owner notification letters on August 13, 2026.

On Wednesday, July 8, 2026, former President Donald Trump said the United States does not want to do any trade business with Spain and threatened to "cut off all trade." Axios

Spain's main stock index fell 2.7% that day and its bond spread over Germany hit the month's high, reflecting higher perceived risk. Axios Analysts warned that even a partial disruption of U.S.-Spain trade could raise U.S. prices for goods such as pharmaceuticals and olive oil.

On Monday, July 6, 2026, Canada named ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems its preferred supplier for up to 12 new submarines, calling the decision the country's largest military procurement.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said four of the diesel-electric boats are expected to be in service by 2034. PBS Ottawa also said it will raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2035, with about 4 percent budgeted by 2030 after meeting NATO's 2 percent target this year.

A man lost a hand in a suspected explosive blast Sunday, July 5, 2026, at the Point St. George beach parking lot in Crescent City, Del Norte County, California.

His family said he picked up debris on the sand when the device detonated. CBS News He also suffered vision and hearing injuries and was moved from Sutter Coast Hospital to UC Davis Medical Center for further care. CBS News The Del Norte County Sheriff's Office is investigating, has searched the area for additional devices and warned people not to handle suspicious items.

Eagan Capital sued the city over its one-year moratorium on new data centers, arguing Eagan cannot regulate electricity use; a hearing is set for Aug. 12.

The city adopted the one-year moratorium in February to study potential local impacts. FOX 9 Eagan Capital, which owns a data center in the city, says the suit seeks $50,000 in damages.

A Minneapolis firefighter was hospitalized after a fire around 7:30 p.m. at a vacant, boarded-up multiunit home in the 2600 block of 4th Street North in north Minneapolis, officials said.

A second firefighter was treated on scene for a minor burn, and no civilians were found inside. FOX 9 One firefighter was taken to a hospital for heat exhaustion, and officials said the blaze was contained in about 45 minutes. FOX 9 Crews forced entry, requested additional assistance and conducted primary and secondary searches after finding evidence people had been living in the boarded-up building.

A protest was held Thursday in south Minneapolis near the memorial for Alex Pretti, with organizers demanding Minnesota adopt sanctuary policies and calling for ICE to leave the state.

Organizers PACAT and MIRAC listed demands including bans on immigration enforcement near schools, hospitals and places of worship, visible ID for officers and limits on using state property for immigration operations. FOX 9 Protesters renewed calls for charges in the federal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renée Good and were urged to patronize immigrant-owned restaurants on Nicollet Avenue's Eat Street.

A man was critically wounded in a shooting inside a north Minneapolis home just before 2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, on the 1200 block of 36th Avenue North.

Officers found the man in the living room with at least one potentially life-threatening gunshot wound, and he was transported to a hospital. FOX 9 Police are investigating the circumstances, including whether the shooting was accidental, and no arrests or suspect details have been released.

Randy Lane McAllister, 62, of Columbus, was charged Tuesday in Warren County, Ohio, in the 1985 killing of John Christopher Warren, authorities said.

Assistant prosecutor Brian Goodyear told a Warren County judge that Warren was beaten to death and strangled with a ligature. Fox News Goodyear also said McAllister had been "on the run for 40 years." Fox News Prosecutors say renewed forensic testing of evidence from Ohio, Georgia and Florida produced leads to McAllister and a now-deceased suspect. New York Times Officials have not publicly said whether DNA or forensic genetic genealogy was used to make the connection.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman flew four privately owned Northrop F-5 Tiger II jets over the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, July 4, as part of the America 250 air show.

The Federal Aviation Administration formally denied Isaacman's petition on June 30, calling the Cold War-era F-5 "very high-risk" for densely populated areas. CBS News After that denial, NASA transferred the four jets to public-use status and assumed operational responsibility, which shifted oversight from the FAA to the agency. CBS News Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche rode in the cockpit with Isaacman during the flyover, which the White House later praised as part of the America 250 celebration. CBS News A senior adviser filed the FAA petition for his firm, JDI Holdings, and said the request was "sponsored by the White House and NASA." CBS News A source said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was unaware of the initial request and did not participate in the FAA review.

NASA reclassified four private Northrop F-5 jets as government aircraft so they could join the July 4 flyover over Washington, D.C.; NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman piloted one with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche aboard.

On June 30, the Federal Aviation Administration denied a petition to include the privately owned F-5s, calling them "very high-risk" for flights over dense areas. CBS News NASA avoided that denial by reclassifying the jets as public-use government aircraft, which shifted safety responsibility from the FAA to NASA. CBS News The FAA said its standard safety review applied only while the aircraft were private; once transferred to NASA, operational responsibility lay with the agency, not the FAA.

A 16-year-old boy was shot in the head and killed at Hartkopf Park in Brooklyn Park about 10:45 p.m. Central on Sunday, July 5, police said.

Detectives quickly identified a suspect and arrested a 17-year-old boy on probable-cause second-degree murder, police said. FOX 9 Police say they recovered the weapon believed to have been used in the shooting. FOX 9 The 17-year-old was booked into the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center, and officials have not released the names of either teen.

Hennepin Technical College in Brooklyn Park began offering Workforce Pell Grant-eligible short-term programs on July 1, 2026, making it one of only two Minnesota colleges to do so.

Hennepin Tech's initial offerings include nursing assistant and emergency medical technician courses, while Lake Superior College is offering EMT and phlebotomy programs. Federal rules limit eligible programs to 8-15 weeks and 150-599 instructional hours and require 70% completion and 70% job-placement rates. They also require documented earnings gains at least equal to tuition and fees. Students who qualify could start receiving Workforce Pell funds later in 2026, and federal spending is projected at $1.5 to $2 billion over 10 years.

On Wednesday, July 8, 2026, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman fined former Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan $5,000 in Milwaukee federal court and ordered no prison time for felony obstruction.

Adelman explicitly departed from federal sentencing guidelines that recommended 15 to 21 months and called Dugan's actions "a few minutes of conduct" and "a marked deviation from an otherwise law-abiding life." CBS News Prosecutors told the court she violated her oath and put law enforcement and the public at risk. CBS News Defense lawyers said Dugan has been "punished enough" by losing her job, facing threats and withdrawing from public life, and they plan to appeal her conviction. CBS News Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Frohling told the court, "judges can't choose to disregard the law." CBS News

The Justice Department sent letters to top election officials in all 50 states threatening criminal prosecution if noncitizens cast ballots that are counted, the department said.

The letters, signed by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, were delivered Tuesday, July 7, 2026. MS NOW They give states five days to explain how they will ensure only citizens vote at state and local levels and how the Justice Department can assist. MS NOW PBS reported the letter explicitly threatens to arrest more than a dozen state election officials if a single noncitizen vote is cast and counted in their states. PBS News A Justice Department spokesperson said the department seeks "voluntary compliance in a timely manner" with federal obligations to ensure only citizens vote in federal elections. MS NOW Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes rejected the Justice Department's claims, saying Arizona will follow state law, not "political rhetoric or intimidation." MS NOW Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson confirmed receipt and called the letters "truly bizarre behavior" by a federal agency that should protect civil rights.

New York City health officials say 23 people had been confirmed with Legionnaires' disease as of July 6 in an Upper East Side cluster and are investigating contaminated cooling towers as the likely source.

Officials reported 17 hospitalizations and no deaths in the cluster, and the Health Department is testing all cooling towers in ZIP codes 10028, 10128 and 10075. PBS Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin urged people 50 and older, smokers and those with chronic lung disease who visited the area since late June to monitor for symptoms. Fox News He urged them to seek prompt medical care if they develop flu-like symptoms.

About 75,000 Minnesotans have been approved for payments from the statewide paid family and medical leave program during its first six months of operation.

The program has disbursed nearly $600 million in benefits, showing it is actively paying residents rather than only taking applications. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal State paid-leave officials told the Minnesota Reformer the early volume of claims reflects pent-up demand and that they expect application levels to taper off. Minnesota Reformer Officials outlined plans to adjust staffing, processing and financial projections in response to the early surge and the anticipated slowdown.

An Inver Grove Heights police officer accidentally fired a single shot during a vehicle pursuit around 3:40 a.m. Wednesday near South Street and 6th Avenue South, striking the tire of the suspect's car.

Police said the officer "accidently fired" the shot and that no one was inside or nearby when the bullet struck the tire.

On Wednesday, July 8, 2026, a three-judge D.C. Circuit panel denied the Kennedy Center board's request to restore Donald Trump's name to the building while the board appeals a lower-court ruling.

The panel said the board "failed to show how they will be irreparably injured" if Trump's name remains off the center during the appellate process. PBS Judges also rejected the board's claim that removing the name "threatens to impede" fundraising, saying the argument lacked specific facts or evidence. PBS Rep. Joyce Beatty, who brought the underlying lawsuit, hailed the decision and said, "His name no longer desecrates this sacred memorial, which belongs to the American people," urging the administration to "take the tarps down." PBS Tarps continue to cover the section of the Kennedy Center facade where the name was removed under the district court's order.

Workers at the Starbucks at 50th Street and France Avenue in Edina voted 9-6 to unionize with Starbucks Workers United.

The tally makes the store the 17th Starbucks in Minnesota to join the labor group and part of more than 700 U.S. locations with over 12,000 unionized baristas. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Starbucks Workers United alleges more than 400 labor-law violations by the company, including retaliatory firings and unlawful policy enforcement. Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal Starbucks disputed those claims, saying average pay and benefits at the company exceed $30 per hour and announcing plans for performance-based bonuses up to $1,200, weekly pay, and expanded tipping options for non-union stores.

The Minneapolis Public Health, Safety & Equity Committee held a hearing Wednesday on a proposed "drones as first responders" pilot that would let police-launchable drones fly to 911 calls to send live aerial video before officers arrive.

Committee members weighed a proposed contract with Skydio, Inc. and discussion of a short-term trial that city staff say would focus on Northside 911 responses. FOX 9 Supporters said the drones could quickly assess calls and allow crews to cancel unfounded responses, reducing in-person patrols when not needed.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, sent a formal letter asking Sen. Mitch McConnell to publicly update Kentuckians on his health and his ability to serve while the senator remains hospitalized.

Beshear wrote that constituents "deserve clarity" and urged transparency as McConnell, 84, has been hospitalized since an emergency response to his Washington, D.C., home on June 14.

A state audit found Minnesota counties missed deadlines and made errors while processing voter registration applications, though most registrations were processed within legal time frames, the report shows.

It found 96% of 2024 voter registration applications were processed within required legal time frames, excluding applications received within 20 days of an election. Identity verification was correct in 99.9% of cases; voter status assignments were accurate in 98% of manually reviewed cases, and 99% of residency checks used the correct process. More than one-third of manually reviewed residency cases had documentation gaps, and only 84% of voters who had their rights restored received required notices within 10 days.

Three children were found dead inside a sunken boat after a 25-foot pleasure craft capsized during a sudden storm on Friday, July 3, 2026, on Geneva Lake in Wisconsin.

Seven people were rescued from the water, while the three children — ages 10, 7 and 6 — were later located inside the vessel about 32 feet below the surface. CBS News Investigators said the children were wearing life jackets, preliminary exams showed no external injuries, and drowning is the preliminary cause of death as the probe continues.

Mustafa Jama, 48, is set to be sentenced Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the federal courthouse in Minneapolis for his role in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme.

Jama pleaded guilty in February 2025 to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. FOX 9 Federal prosecutors are seeking a 16-month prison term, while his lawyers ask for a noncustodial sentence and note he has forfeited nearly $240,000 and real estate in Lakeville and Ohio. FOX 9 Prosecutors say Brava Restaurant in Rochester received about $4.3 million through the child nutrition program using fraudulent meal claims. FOX 9 They also allege Jama helped route funds through shell companies and used the money to buy homes in Lakeville and Columbus, Ohio, and property on Turkey's Mediterranean coast.

The International Olympic Committee temporarily lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and removed restrictions on Russian nationals competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, IOC President Kirsty Coventry said on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.

Coventry said the decision is meant to let athletes compete and "not be held responsible for their governments' actions," while stressing the IOC does not condone violence or war. MS NOW The IOC said it has not yet decided whether Russia will be allowed to compete under its flag, and it said events will not be hosted in Russia nor will Russian state officials be invited. MS NOW The committee described the move as "provisional" and did not spell out specific penalties for possible future noncompliance.

On Monday, July 6, 2026, Toyota said it will spend $3.6 billion to expand its San Antonio plant and shift most Tacoma pickup production from Tijuana, Mexico, to Texas.

The expansion will add a second assembly line, more than 2,000 jobs and roughly 150,000 units of annual capacity at the San Antonio site. CBS News Toyota plans to move most Tacoma production to San Antonio over roughly four years while leaving some Tacoma output in Guanajuato, Mexico.

Wreckage from K2 Airways Flight 1732, a Boeing 737-400 freighter that vanished Tuesday night, was found Wednesday about 53 miles south of Ormara, and five crew members remain missing.

Pakistan's navy and air force have deployed ships and aircraft to the Arabian Sea, including the frigate PNS Zulfiqar and an ATR patrol plane, to search for the missing crew.

The Food and Drug Administration said it is expanding its investigation into Nara Organics infant formula after a fourth infant was hospitalized with botulism.

Federal investigators have framed the illnesses as a multistate outbreak linked to the recalled powdered formula, rather than isolated incidents. CBS News CBS's latest coverage says Dr. Céline Gounder provided clinical and public-health guidance to parents as the agency widens its probe.

New York City officials said the Midtown high-rise at 235 East 42nd Street was stabilized after buckled columns forced evacuations on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.

More than 100 FDNY fire and EMS personnel responded shortly before 8 a.m. after bricks were reported falling from the 37-story building under construction. CBS News Inspectors found two buckled columns on the 21st floor and sagging floors between the 21st and 26th floors, prompting a collapse zone and the evacuation of several neighboring buildings and a school. CBS News Officials said all workers at the site were accounted for and no injuries were reported. CBS News By Tuesday evening monitoring showed no additional movement in the damaged columns, and contractors began shoring up the compromised area once the Department of Buildings cleared reentry.

Utah regulators revoked the license of Provo Canyon School's Springville campus on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, effectively shutting down the boarding facility where Paris Hilton says she was abused as a teen.

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services ordered the Springville site to end services and stop new enrollments by August 6, 2026, after finding repeated rule violations. CBS framed the regulatory action through Hilton's long-standing public allegations and highlighted her advocacy in a video segment.

Nigel Farage resigned as MP for Clacton on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, and said he would immediately restand in the resulting by-election, prompting major parties to boycott the contest.

Farage said Reform UK would offer to pay the cost of the Clacton by-election because it was triggered by his voluntary resignation. FT Within hours the Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and the far-right Restore Britain said they would not field candidates and described the vote as a "media circus" or "vanity project." Guardian

An 18-month-old boy who was pronounced dead after a drowning in Gilbert, Arizona, on Feb. 8 was later found breathing about five hours in Mercy Gilbert Medical Center's cold room and flown to a hospital.

A medical examiner's team discovered the child alive in the hospital morgue and he was airlifted to another facility, ultimately survived and has since been released, hospital officials said.

On Tuesday, July 7, 2026, a Paris appeals court cleared Marine Le Pen to run in France's 2027 presidential election by reducing her ban on holding public office.

The court cut her ban to 45 months, backdated to March 2025, reduced her prison term to three years with two suspended and ordered one year of house arrest with an ankle electronic monitor.

China's National Vulnerability Database issued a public warning on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, saying Anthropic's Claude Code contains a "security backdoor" that can transmit sensitive data to Anthropic servers without user consent.

The NVDB urged users and institutions to immediately inspect systems using Claude Code and to uninstall or upgrade to a version where the alleged backdoor has been removed. CBS News Alibaba has instructed employees that use of Claude Code will be banned starting July 10, 2026, citing security concerns tied to the tool. CBS News Anthropic engineer Thariq Shihipar had earlier acknowledged a March experiment that tracked certain signals to combat unauthorized resellers and said it would be fully rolled back in an upcoming release.

Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, leader of Beijing's Zion Church, was released from Chinese custody and arrived in the United States to reunite with his family on Monday, July 6, 2026.

He had spent 266 days in Chinese prison following his October 2025 arrest. CBS News President Trump raised Jin's case directly with Xi Jinping during a May 2026 state visit to Beijing. New York Times The New York Times described that exchange as part of a broader, transactional discussion between the two leaders. New York Times Jin's family publicly thanked Trump and credited Xi's intervention for the pastor's swift release.

As of Wednesday, July 8, 2026, California is withholding the multimillion-dollar diaper contract with Baby2Baby that Gov. Gavin Newsom announced in May.

CBS California Investigates requested the Baby2Baby contract on May 12, and the Newsom administration took 24 days to decide it would release the records. CBS News The administration then said it would need another 42 days to produce the documents. CBS News State law currently gives agencies 10 calendar days, plus an optional 14-day extension, to decide if records are disclosable and to estimate a production date.

Minneapolis closed multiple city beaches on July 7, 2026, after tests detected elevated E. coli levels, city officials said.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board posted no-swimming advisories at its swimming beaches. FOX 9 The board said each site will reopen only after follow-up testing shows E. coli levels meet state health standards.

A Twin Cities mother has been formally charged with murder in the deaths of her infant twins after she allegedly told others they died from vaccinations, prosecutors said.

The case was filed in a metro-area district court, and authorities say the charges were brought within the past two weeks. FOX 9 A first court appearance is expected soon.

A man in his 20s died after a firework exploded in his hand at the abandoned Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant site in Shoreview, Minnesota, around the July 4 holiday period.

Ramsey County authorities are investigating the circumstances of the blast. FOX 9 Officials have not released additional details about the victim.

A man drowned while kayaking at Lake Ann Park in Chanhassen Saturday night; he was not wearing a life jacket.

Authorities recovered the man's body after he went under, and emergency crews responded to the popular Carver County park. FOX 9 The City of Chanhassen expressed deep sadness and thanked the Carver County Dive Team, the sheriff's office and the fire department for their response.

Nurses at Allina Health staged a one-day strike at Twin Cities hospitals and clinics, pressing stalled contract talks and prompting the system to activate contingency staffing plans.

The walkout targeted bargaining over wages, staffing ratios and safety and working-conditions, union leaders said. FOX 9 Allina said its contract offer is competitive, while the union said the proposal fails to address burnout and retention.

An adult man was fatally shot on Wilson Street in Minneapolis and was pronounced dead after officers responded, police said.

Minneapolis police say a homicide investigation is underway and no arrests or the victim's identity have been released.

A teen was pulled from the water at Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis and taken to a hospital in critical condition. FOX 9 Social posts and local outlets said the swimmer was a 16-year-old boy and that the incident happened on July 4.

Emergency crews pulled the teen from the water and performed life-saving measures before transporting him to the hospital. FOX 9 Witnesses posted that crews carried out a swift-water rescue and CPR near the base of the falls as holiday visitors looked on.