The Supreme Court refused to let the Trump administration immediately enforce a Bureau of Prisons policy that would limit gender-affirming care for transgender federal inmates on Wednesday, leaving a lower-court injunction in place.

The application was first presented to the chief justice, referred to the full Court and denied; Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito said they would have granted the stay. NPR The lawsuit, Kingdom v. Trump, covers about 1,000 Bureau of Prisons inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria; the ACLU says more than 2,000 people in BOP custody identify as transgender and about 800 class members were prescribed hormones.

St. Paul leaders unveiled a three-part winter homelessness plan that orders a 60-day outreach window, a six-month temporary shelter and a permanent indoor village in converted warehouse space.

The proposal comes after the clearing of the Pig's Eye Park encampment, where officials say they engaged roughly 200 residents but only about seven accepted services and many moved to other camps. FOX 9 City leaders say they must fund the effort while managing a $26 million budget deficit, a gap that will force choices about how much to invest in outreach, shelter and permanent low-barrier housing.

Minneapolis police officer Chanica Hall was fired in April 2026 after she recognized her brother on an internal Minneapolis Police Department shooting bulletin, photographed it and sent the image to him.

She failed to disclose her brother on required family-disclosure forms and did not report him as a suspect. AlphaNews Then-chief Brian O'Hara authorized her termination.

3M's Fairmont plant will lay off 62 workers beginning Dec. 18 and will close on Dec. 31, the company said in a WARN notice filed with Minnesota DEED.

The State Rapid Response Team's WARN filing lists Dec. 31 as the scheduled closure date and says layoffs will run through that day. FOX 9 Adhesives and fastener production from Fairmont will move to 3M plants in Knoxville, Iowa, and Aberdeen, South Dakota, consistent with 3M's April restructuring plan. FOX 9 The WARN/DEED filing does not disclose 3M's post-closure plans for the Fairmont property.

A chemical tank exploded at an MC Tank Transport terminal in Toledo around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, forcing more than 900 people to evacuate a one-mile radius amid warnings of additional blasts.

Officials said the tank held up to 5,500 gallons of glycidyl methacrylate, a liquid that can vaporize when released and may remain explosive for up to 12 hours. PBS News Authorities ordered more than 900 residents within a one-mile radius to evacuate and told people within three miles to shelter in place; officials said by Wednesday morning everyone in the evacuation zone had left.

The St. Paul school board unanimously voted Tuesday night to postpone a decision on midyear cuts to English Learner teaching positions, leaving potential layoffs unresolved as the district seeks alternatives.

District leaders said enrollment is 542 students below projections, creating an estimated $4.9 million budget shortfall for this year. FOX 9 The board directed staff to develop at least one alternative to reduce or avoid midyear cuts and set a deadline to vote no later than Oct. 30.

A Stanford NBER working paper warns California's proposed Proposition 40 billionaire wealth tax could shrink, rather than raise, public revenue and undermine funding for health care, the study found.

Proposition 40 would impose a one-time 5% state tax on billionaire wealth to fund the health care system. CBS News The paper estimates seven publicly known billionaire moves removed about $540 billion, roughly 30% of California's billionaire wealth, from the potential tax base. CBS News Authors project the levy could raise about $30 billion, not the $100 billion proponents claim. CBS News They warn permanent income tax losses from billionaire departures could outweigh the levy by about $39 billion in present value.

Russia freed American Stephen Hubbard on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026; state media said he was at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg as U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff began talks.

Witkoff confirmed the release and thanked President Vladimir Putin during the meeting, calling him "a humanitarian" in remarks that were later widely criticized. CBS News President Trump said on Truth Social he had asked Putin to free Hubbard and asserted the release required no U.S. prisoner swap. PBS News Hubbard is 74 and is a retired Michigan schoolteacher who served in the National Guard and Air Force. CBS News He was captured in eastern Ukraine in 2022 and is expected to be flown to a Texas military hospital because of poor health.

U.S. naval forces are enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports while Iran has stepped up attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Fox News Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov traveled to Tehran this week for talks aimed at preventing a return to large-scale war. CBS News Brig. Gen. Yadollah Javani warned Iran could retaliate against "investments and assets," explicitly citing undersea internet cables in the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. and its allies strike Iranian infrastructure.

CENTCOM says the USS Rafael Peralta is enforcing a "steel wall" military blockade that allows no exports or imports to Iran except humanitarian shipments permitted by the United States. Fox News CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said roughly 97% of ships that sought to transit the Strait of Hormuz have done so successfully without being hit by an Iranian projectile. Fox News Still, the Singapore-flagged, Cyprus-owned container ship GFS Pride was struck by an Iranian projectile on October 14 and later sank while being towed ashore because of a fire onboard. Fox News U.S. Adm. Brad Cooper said more than 20 civilian mariners have been killed by Iranian attacks on commercial shipping since February. Fox News Cooper added that about 400 merchant ships sailed through the Strait in the previous seven days while U.S. forces helped Gulf partners move over 100 million barrels of crude oil during that period.

Ukraine confirmed in Oslo on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, that U.S. early-warning missile alerts to Kyiv have been restored.

The announcement came as U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with Russian officials and Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said President Vladimir Putin agreed "in principle" to resume trilateral U.S.-Russia-Ukraine negotiations sometime after November 10, 2026.

Israeli forces detained about 80 American and Israeli activists, including U.S. congressional nominee Brad Lander, during an olive-harvest solidarity effort near Nahalin on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.

The group included rabbis from the U.S. nonprofit T'ruah and Israel's Rabbis for Human Rights. NPR They were loaded onto buses after roughly two hours in the grove and taken to a police station for questioning. NPR Israeli troops had declared the area a closed military zone and used drones before arriving, and authorities had not immediately said whether they would press charges. NPR The detentions came after Israeli police arrested 10 suspected settlers in a pre-dawn sweep earlier this week in connection with violent assaults on Palestinians, a U.S. photojournalist and visiting European diplomats.

New York Attorney General Letitia James will lead a criminal investigation into an alleged 2024 gang rape at Cornell after Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed her special prosecutor.

The governor's executive order directed James to gather evidence, interview witnesses and, if warranted, present charges to a grand jury. Fox News Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten says he never saw a full November 2024 campus police interview transcript before declining charges and that its release "changes the landscape." CBS News A defense lawyer has asked James to recuse herself, citing pre-appointment social-media posts that expressed sympathy for the complainant.

On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, DOJ Inspector General Don Berthiaume declined to investigate alleged prosecutorial misconduct in the David Hearn Reflecting Pool case.

Berthiaume instead referred the matter to the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility, the unit appointed by the attorney general to review allegations against prosecutors.

Anna Marlene Somoza, a woman described as linked to Mexican cartels, was arrested Sunday, October 18, 2026, in Xochitepec, Mexico, after U.S. Marshals tracked her to the Cuernavaca area.

U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine said federal prosecutors are seeking Somoza's extradition to Arizona so she can face first-degree murder charges in the 1997 death of 3-year-old Crystal Reyes. CBS News Authorities described Somoza as having ties to organized crime and said she had been a fugitive for more than a decade.

Australian MP Helen Haines lost both legs after being deliberately struck by a car near her office in Wangaratta, Victoria, on Monday in what police called a targeted attack.

Surgeons subsequently amputated both legs, and Haines' husband said she is alive and in stable condition at a Melbourne hospital. CBS News Police charged 43-year-old Brendan Nugent with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury, harming a public official, and cannabis offenses. CBS News Nugent appeared in a Wangaratta court, did not seek bail, and is due back in court on February 4, 2027.

The CDC has confirmed more than 4,000 measles cases nationwide in 2026, with Pennsylvania now the epicenter after reporting over 1,100 cases and at least five measles-related deaths.

Nearly a fifth of confirmed cases involve children under age 5, and more than 90 percent of cases have occurred in unvaccinated people. PBS A Hershey, Pennsylvania pediatric infectious disease doctor says children are being hospitalized with encephalitis, severe pneumonia and, in some cases, the need for ventilators.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in the Rose Garden on Monday, October 19, 2026, creating an NIH Division of Women's Health and a White House task force on women's health research.

First lady Melania Trump framed the initiative as this generation's fight to find cures, saying, "Beginning today we will change the reality of women's health." PBS White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, recently treated for breast cancer, will co-lead the task force with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. PBS The executive order lists maternal health, mental health, endometriosis, Alzheimer's disease, osteoporosis, heart disease and stroke as top priorities. PBS It directs agencies to boost research and diagnostic technology for women's health but sets no specific funding goals.

Armed Homeland Security Investigations agents have been knocking on doors in multiple states since September 2026 to ask residents about immigration status and whether they registered or voted.

An internal Department of Homeland Security directive describes a "Criminal Voter Fraud" initiative with field reviews in at least six states and reassigns hundreds of agents from other cases. CBS News Protect Democracy has filed suit saying the door-knocking unlawfully inserts federal agents into state voter-roll checks and intimidates lawful voters, and a former HSI agent calls the practice unprecedented in his 23-year career.

U.S. Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick ruled on Oct. 13, 2026 that Elon Musk and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem led a false smear campaign against former FEMA CFO Mary Comans.

Fitzpatrick concluded that Department of Homeland Security officials and other senior figures falsely accused Comans of bypassing leadership to send "egregious" migrant hotel payments to New York City. CBS News He named Noem, Elon Musk and Corey Lewandowski among the defendants he found responsible for spreading the false claims. CBS News Court records show the disputed payments to state and local governments, including New York City, were approved by senior DHS and FEMA officials and by staff at Dogecoin-related companies overseen by Musk.

On Tuesday, October 20, 2026, France renewed targeted night curfews in parts of Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other cities and said restrictions would remain where the situation requires it. PBS Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu also promised a "massive" police deployment for demonstrations planned on October 24 and instructed prefects to impose limited, localized curfews in hotspots.

Authorities have arrested roughly 2,500 people nationwide in connection with the weekend unrest, and justice officials said expedited trials are proceeding for hundreds of defendants. New York Times Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez offered his resignation after saying police were underprepared and had "lost control" in some cities, but President Emmanuel Macron refused it to preserve continuity in law-enforcement leadership. PBS Nuñez said Sentinelle soldiers will guard sensitive sites so police and gendarmes can focus on crowd control.

The Federal Aviation Administration approved the Boeing 737 Max 10 for passenger service in the United States on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, ending years of regulatory delays and clearing the way for airline deliveries.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, speaking at Boeing's Everett, Washington factory, said the certification followed "extensive safety reviews," including thousands of hours of test flights, and called it a major win for American manufacturing. NPR Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stephanie Pope said the certification "clears the path to deliver an airplane" and described it as a major milestone in Boeing's recovery and future growth. NPR Boeing expects to begin 737 Max 10 deliveries in 2027. NPR The Max 10 will typically seat 185-210 passengers, compared with 175-195 on the Max 9 and 160-180 on the Max 8.

An annual U.N. emissions report released in October 2026 found that U.S. greenhouse gas emissions rose dramatically last year while global emissions were flat, marking the United States as a major outlier.

The report says the U.S. was the only major economy with a dramatic rise and is now tied with Russia for the highest per-capita emissions among G20 countries. NPR It attributes the increase to higher electricity demand and to Trump administration measures that extend coal-plant operations, roll back vehicle fuel-economy standards, and phase out tax credits for solar and wind.

Florida executed William Reaves by lethal injection immediately after 6:00 p.m. Central on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. CBS News He took several big breaths about 30 seconds after the injection, then stopped moving, was checked by a medic and was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. Central.

Reaves was convicted of killing Vero Beach Deputy Richard Raczkoski after a September 1986 struggle over a gun at a convenience store. CBS News A 911 call placed by Reaves led to the encounter, a gun fell from his shorts, the two fought and Reaves shot Raczkoski four times as the deputy ran away. CBS News He was 77 at his execution and was the eighth Florida prisoner over age 70 put to death in 2026. CBS News More than 100 military veterans sent Gov. Ron DeSantis a clemency letter citing Reaves' reported 100% VA-rated Vietnam War PTSD, and his attorneys said jurors were never told of that rating. CBS News Florida's Supreme Court rejected his last state appeals last week, and petitions remained pending before the U.S. Supreme Court when he was put to death.

On October 20, 2026, the Memphis City Council voted down a proposed one-year moratorium on new data centers and instead approved a 135-day construction ban to pause projects while officials study their local impacts.

Council members and proponents said the shorter ordinance was intended to complement Mayor Paul Young's separate 90-day executive order to study data center development and its effects on the city.

A shooting in Burnsville about 7 p.m. Tuesday wounded one person and prompted police to issue a shelter-in-place order near the 1700 block of McAndrews Road West.

Police said the victim was struck by gunfire and suffered injuries that are not life-threatening. FOX 9 Officers called in mutual-aid partners and remained on scene as they worked an active investigation.

California election officials say a Justice Department list of about 20,000 "likely" noncitizens who were mailed ballots is unreliable after a county sample found many entries appear U.S.-born or inactive.

The Justice Department sued California on October 15, asking a federal court to block counting of mail ballots tied to names on that list until citizenship can be confirmed. PBS DOJ had given state officials a thumb drive it said contained roughly 20,000 "likely" noncitizens and demanded a 48-hour review, officials and filings show. PBS Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter warned county and state officials that processing ballots from suspected noncitizens could trigger criminal investigations. PBS Separately, federal authorities arrested 28 lawful permanent residents in a statewide sweep on October 19 and charged them with voting-related crimes, DOJ announced.

Minnesota and federal authorities announced a coordinated crackdown Monday that brings 46 federal, state and local agencies together under the state's Crime Gun Intelligence Center to target recent Somali gang violence across the Twin Cities.

The effort will expand existing task forces, rely on NIBIN shell-casing matches and be framed as a "data-driven" policing strategy, officials said. FOX 9 FBI Special Agent in Charge Chris Dotson said federal tools, including possible RICO prosecutions, are "on the table" as part of the operation. FOX 9 Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher estimated about 300 Somali gang members in roughly 13 groups and urged arrests of about 50, with RICO charges sought against roughly 25.

Minnesota officials announced that 46 law enforcement agencies have agreed to share gun evidence and intelligence through the Minnesota Crime Gun Intelligence Center as part of a New Jersey-modeled, data-driven Twin Cities anti-gang effort.

State leaders said the coordination will run through the Crime Gun Intelligence Center and focus on intelligence sharing across jurisdictions. FOX 9 Officials said the framework intentionally builds on existing task forces rather than creating a brand-new statewide gang task force. FOX 9 BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said the aim is to identify "trigger pullers" because gangs are more mobile and cross city lines more often. FOX 9 ATF Special Agent in Charge Joe Persails said combining local intelligence with federal resources and heavier use of ballistic databases such as NIBIN will help identify shooters more effectively. FOX 9 FBI Special Agent in Charge Chris Dotson said RICO is one possible federal charging avenue among several investigative tools, and local leaders urged that focusing on Somali and East African gangs not be seen as blanket blame of the Somali community.

Nigeria's Health Ministry confirmed an Ebola case in Abuja on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, in a woman who had been in eastern Congo and transited through Uganda, raising alarm amid a fast-spreading regional outbreak.

The woman developed symptoms on October 7 and was admitted to a private Abuja hospital on October 11 before testing positive for Ebola. PBS News Health Minister Muhammad Pate said authorities have identified and begun tracing 44 contacts of the patient.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey commuted Toforest Johnson's death sentence to life in prison without parole on October 20, 2026, in the case over the 1995 killing of a Jefferson County deputy.

Ivey said there was not enough direct evidence to justify execution but she stopped short of declaring Johnson innocent. CBS News Johnson was convicted in the 1995 killing of Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff William Hardy, who prosecutors say was shot twice in the head while working off-duty at a hotel. CBS News Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr and several former Alabama judges and prosecutors have questioned the conviction and urged a new trial. CBS News A key prosecution witness testified she overheard Johnson confess on a phone call and was later paid $5,000 for her testimony, a payment the defense says was not disclosed at trial.

President Donald Trump said in an Oval Office exchange on Oct. 20 that Rep. Ilhan Omar "could" be deported and "could also go to jail," escalating the spotlight on a federal citizenship probe.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Oct. 16 called investigators' case "strong" as the inquiry into Omar's immigration records widened.

Trump administration lawyers argued before the D.C. Circuit on Friday that presidential papers belong to Donald Trump personally rather than to the American people under the Presidential Records Act.

The appeal comes as the administration asks the court to overturn a post-Watergate rule that treats presidential records as public property. NPR The case is before the D.C. Circuit on arguments tied to whether the Presidential Records Act can be applied to documents held after a president leaves office.

Hennepin County Judge Rachel Hughey on Tuesday ordered 17-year-old Nyzeir A'shoun Reay of Inver Grove Heights certified to stand trial as an adult on two counts of second-degree murder in a Brooklyn Park park shooting.

Reay faces two counts of second-degree murder for the July 5 shooting at Hartkopf Park that left a 16-year-old boy critically wounded and later dead. FOX 9 U.S. Marshals arrested Reay on July 29 in Peoria, Illinois, on a Hennepin County warrant before he was extradited back to Minnesota.

On Tuesday, October 20, 2026, British counterterrorism police rearrested a 24-year-old British national and a 25-year-old dual UK-Iranian national on suspicion of assisting Iran's intelligence service under the National Security Act.

Police said one man was first arrested on September 27, 2026, when a suspected plot at RAF Fairford occurred. PBS News The other was first arrested on October 1 and both were released on bail before the rearrests.

Jamal Jevonte Nash, 29, was charged with two counts of second-degree murder after police say he struck his 69-year-old father twice with a hammer at a North St. Paul home on Oct. 18.

Court records show Nash is being held on $1 million bail in Ramsey County. FOX 9 Police say Nash told officers, after being read his rights, that he hit his father because he believed his father was holding him hostage and someone was attacking his family.

President Donald Trump announced a Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program in the Oval Office on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, and said he will personally decide who gets paid.

He said whistleblowers could receive 1% of reported fraud amounts with no cap and that awards would not require criminal charges, remarks that conflict with guidance on the government site. CBS News The America.gov/fraud page states awards are capped at $30,000 and conditioned on criminal charges, creating an apparent contradiction with the president's remarks.

A missile struck Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport complex on Saturday, October 10, killing about a dozen people and injuring more than 300, Saudi authorities said.

Saudi civil aviation suspended operations at the airport, blocked entrances, dimmed lights and diverted hundreds of flights while authorities assessed damage. CBS News Saudi officials said the dead included citizens of several countries and that a U.S. national was among the fatalities. CBS News President Donald Trump said he was weighing whether the United States should join Saudi strikes against the Houthis, saying, "We may. We're going to look at it." NPR U.S. officials say Washington has provided intelligence sharing and logistical backing but is not prepared to deploy ground troops.

A judge rejected an insanity defense and convicted Jack Joseph Ball, 25, of first-degree premeditated murder in the killings of his sister and her unborn child on Tuesday.

The judge found Ball spent months planning the attack and arranged to be alone with his sister. FOX 9 Court records show he hid weapons and kept journals describing fantasies of killing and dismemberment. FOX 9 The judge said the writings, which included necrophilia and cannibalism fantasies, showed he understood his actions were criminal and wrong.

A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, published Monday, found midwater marine life in the Gulf of Mexico's "twilight zone" declined roughly 60% after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill.

From 2011 to 2015 researchers recorded a 63.5% fall in midwater fish, a 62% drop in crustaceans, a 59.7% decline in squid and octopus, and a 72% fall in krill. PBS News Follow-up sampling through 2023 found populations remained far below 2011 levels, with only slight and statistically weak upticks in 2022-2023.

Alberta voters decisively rejected a proposal to begin a legal process toward independence in a province-wide referendum held Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, with roughly 75% choosing to remain in Canada.

Unofficial tallies published Tuesday showed more than 1.8 million votes counted from about 81% of voting areas. PBS More than 1.35 million Albertans, roughly 43% of eligible voters, had cast advance or special ballots before the vote, and more than 100 polling stations extended hours on voting day. NPR Prime Minister Mark Carney called the result an affirmation of Canadian unity, and Premier Danielle Smith said, "Albertans have voted for a stronger Alberta in a united Canada." PBS

On Tuesday, October 20, 2026, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar were "very, very close" to a bilateral trade agreement after talks in Mumbai.

Rubio told reporters that only a "small number of items" remain to be wrapped up and he expects the deal to be completed shortly. PBS News Jaishankar said the talks in Mumbai covered ways to strengthen ties in trade, energy, technology and defense and included discussion of regional developments. PBS News They also took part in a trilateral meeting with United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. PBS News Rubio is scheduled to visit Reliance Industries' Jamnagar refinery in Gujarat on Wednesday, October 21 and to meet business leaders as part of the trip's commercial focus.

Ukraine's 92nd Assault Brigade says it used a heavy-lift aerial drone to evacuate a wounded soldier from a front-line position on Monday, October 19, 2026, in a life-saving medevac operation.

The soldier, Konstantyn Vlasenko, had been trapped for almost 500 days. CBS He had carried out partial self-amputations of both legs while isolated in an area that was too heavily mined and exposed to Russian drones for ground or robotic rescue.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts could miss the rest of the 2026 season after tests showed deep vein thrombosis in his left leg and blood clots in both lungs, the team said by Oct. 19-20.

Hurts was first hospitalized in London on Saturday, October 10, 2026, where doctors detected a superficial blood clot in his left calf and told him to stay awake overnight. CBS News Despite that diagnosis, Hurts was cleared to play on Sunday, October 11, 2026, and threw for 222 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles' 19-17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. CBS News Head coach Nick Sirianni said he is not a medical expert and that he fully relies on the team's medical staff, declining to explain why Hurts flew and played after the initial clot was detected.

Fifteen defendants tied to Minneapolis anti-ICE protests are scheduled to appear in federal court Tuesday at 2 p.m. for a hearing on motions over what evidence will be admissible at trial.

An eight-count indictment charges them with conspiracy to impede a federal officer and interstate stalking and threats. FOX 9 It also charges solicitation to commit a crime of violence, multiple assaults on federal officers, and destruction of government property.

President Donald Trump announced at a Kansas rally on Monday, October 19, 2026, that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will launch an $8 billion Harvest Fuel Relief program to offset farmers' diesel costs during the harvest.

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said the program will cover part of farmers' estimated 2026 crop-year losses with payments tied to Farm Service Agency acreage reports and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates yields and prices. CBS News USDA said it will announce payment rates for major commodity crops in November, that farmers can apply via Login.gov, and that crop insurance will not be required to qualify.

Israel Defense Forces military police detained at least 40 ultra-Orthodox Jewish men at Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, on suspicion of evading mandatory military service.

The IDF said the men had passed through the airport border crossing and are subject to mandatory service. CBS News The military police said the suspects will be tried in accordance with Israeli law.

Elon Musk donated $158 million in September to the Senate Leadership Fund, which quickly routed the money to a Texas political committee supporting Attorney General Ken Paxton in a close Senate race.

Federal Election Commission filings show Musk gave $75 million on Sept. 9 and $83 million two weeks later, for a combined $158 million. CBS News The Senate Leadership Fund disbursed equal amounts the day after each contribution to a Texas PAC that has reported more than $100 million in pro-Paxton and anti-Talarico spending.

On Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, Sens. Ron Wyden, Elizabeth Warren and Raphael Warnock released a report urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to tighten oversight of contractors that run state Medicaid eligibility systems.

The inquiry singled out Deloitte, General Dynamics Information Technology, Gainwell Technologies and Conduent as the firms that build and operate most states' Medicaid eligibility IT systems. CBS News The senators asked CMS to require specific contract standards, to publish contracts and amendments, and to disclose vendor performance data and change orders as a condition of federal funding.

President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection on Sunday, tying possible U.S. military action against Iran to Israel's choice of leader.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth quietly visited Israel on Monday and met with Netanyahu, a trip reported to U.S. and Israeli outlets. CBS News He posted on X that he was in U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility and praised U.S. personnel as "on a historic mission." CBS News The post did not say he was in Israel, and the Pentagon declined public comment.

Blaine residents are seeing steep jumps in their quarterly water bills, with many receiving statements of about $450 to more than $900 and some saying bills have roughly doubled.

Residents described "sticker shock" and are questioning how rates were set and billed. FOX 9 City officials say the increases are part of an aggressive strategy to cut reliance on long-term debt and to fund capital needs with cash.

A former Robbinsdale school principal has been charged in a criminal complaint accusing her of sexually abusing a student, with incidents dated to January 2021 and January 2023.

The complaint includes one count covering conduct when the victim was 13-15 and a second covering conduct when he was 16-17. FOX 9 The victim told reporters he says the abuse actually continued until about age 20. FOX 9 He also reported that the former principal allegedly bribed him not to report the abuse. FOX 9 In a follow-up interview he described intercourse happening about five times a week and oral sex more often. FOX 9 He said the frequency declined after she moved to Wisconsin, though she allegedly returned to Minnesota for further sex acts.

A 16-year-old opened fire inside Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, killing three children and a teacher and critically wounding two others on Thursday, October 15, 2026.

Police identified the shooter as a 16-year-old Bend resident named John Griffin. CBS News A 36-year-old parent, Kaylub Giamanco, followed the attacker into the school and fatally shot him, ending the rampage, officials said. CBS News Authorities confirmed two victims by name — 5-year-old Rhoam Summer and 25-year-old teacher Megan Lambert — and said the families of the other child victims asked for privacy.

U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes sharply rebuked Trump administration lawyers on Monday in Washington over plans to renovate East Potomac Golf Links and questioned whether the government had misled the court.

Reyes repeatedly contrasted President Trump's public posts touting a "final plan" with government statements that the renovation remained conceptual, asking, "Do I believe the president of the United States or do I believe you?" NPR Ahead of the hearing, Trump called Reyes a "crazed lunatic" on Truth Social and asserted renovation work did not need court approval, declaring, "Work is scheduled to begin IMMEDIATELY!" NPR Reyes said she had ordered in May that the government give notice of any substantial construction, including removal of more than 10 trees. NPR Officials told the court late on Friday, October 9 that they planned to remove as many as 529 trees and began felling the next day, prompting Reyes to order a stop and impose a 24-hour halt after saying she was "beyond disappointed." NPR

The University of North Carolina and the federal government announced a settlement on Monday, October 19, 2026, that closes 19 federal inquiries and preserves UNC's access to federal research funding.

Under the agreement, UNC will align its policies on admissions, diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and responses to perceived antisemitic conduct with standards set by the Trump administration. New York Times The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights will end 18 investigations and the Justice Department will drop a separate compliance review as part of the deal.

On October 19, 2026, Mississippi's attorney general said a Senatobia police officer was justified in the shooting that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley.

The shooting occurred in mid-June as officers responding to a Walmart shoplifting call fired at a car they said was driving toward police. PBS News Neither Kohen's mother, Vellesiya Wiley, nor the driver have been charged with shoplifting, and the mother denies any theft occurred.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Dulce Foster ordered Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud held without release pending trial on Monday, October 19, 2026, in a case alleging a plotted terror attack at the Mall of America.

Prosecutors told the court Mohamud was arrested October 6 in a Richfield park after allegedly buying an AK-47, 200 rounds and four 30-round magazines from an undercover FBI employee for $600. PBS News Prosecutors say he intended to attack the Mall of America on October 24 during a Hmong arts celebration and aimed to kill as many people as possible on behalf of ISIS.

Mahmoud Khalil asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, October 19, 2026, to allow federal judges to quickly review and reverse immigration-related detentions.

Khalil, a lawful permanent resident, was detained for more than three months after participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University in 2024 before a New Jersey federal judge ordered his release as unconstitutional. PBS The petition challenges a 3rd U.S. Circuit ruling earlier this year that said federal courts lack jurisdiction to hear such detention claims until immigration courts fully adjudicate each case. PBS That 3rd Circuit ruling was stayed to allow Khalil to appeal.

Japan launched the Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) mission to Phobos on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, from Tanegashima Space Center, carrying NASA instruments and a sample rover.

The H3 rocket used four solid strap-on boosters and two hydrogen-fueled first-stage engines, followed by two upper-stage burns, releasing the 9,900-pound MMX probe one hour 11 minutes after liftoff. CBS News The mission cost is about $350 million, and NASA has two instruments aboard MMX. CBS News NASA scientist Thomas Statler said returned samples could help determine whether Phobos and Deimos formed from a giant impact or are captured asteroids.

On Friday night, October 16, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order pausing implementation of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act by invoking the law's national-interest waiver.

The waiver explicitly halted the law's planned 100% tariffs on top importers of Russian crude and natural gas and suspended 500% tariffs on certain Russian goods until further notice. CBS News The move followed the administration's separate deal to buy hundreds of thousands of tons of Russian diesel and has drawn sharp bipartisan criticism as aiding Moscow's war effort. CBS News President Trump defended his approach, saying, "Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine," and that "we've given a lot to Ukraine, they've given us nothing." CBS News

Federal prosecutors asked a judge on Sunday, October 18, 2026, to detain ex-OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan as a flight risk, saying he was "mere days" from flying to Saudi Arabia.

The prosecutors' memo says Alfozan's wife and young son left the U.S. on a new one-way itinerary the day after his October 9 arrest, with tickets purchased by a Saudi military official. PBS News The memo adds that Alfozan has at least two bank accounts in Saudi Arabia and "what appears to be considerable support from a foreign government," and it notes Saudi Arabia has no extradition treaty with the U.S.

On Monday, October 19, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security said Ukrainians and Sudanese with temporary protected status (TPS) will remain shielded from deportation past the October 19 end date.

The reprieve covers about 101,000 Ukrainians and 1,800 Sudanese while DHS decides whether to extend, redesignate, or terminate TPS. PBS DHS did not say how long the interim protections will last or when a final decision will be announced. PBS Advocates called the action a "last-minute" bandage and urged Congress or the administration to create a permanent residency path for people who cannot safely return.

Minnesota voters will decide races in the 2026 general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, with absentee voting open since Sept. 18 and early in-person voting running Oct. 16-Nov. 2.

Early in-person voting now works like Election Day, with voters filling out ballots and feeding them directly into tabulators at at least one site per county. FOX 9 Hennepin and Ramsey counties are offering multiple early voting sites. FOX 9 Absentee ballots can be requested online or by paper, and completed ballots must be received by Election Day or delivered in person by 5 p.m. on Nov. 3 to count. FOX 9 Use of 24-hour drop boxes and third-party ballot return is limited, so check local rules.

A visitor, Brother Rogerio Renato Mateucci, 55, was killed when roof debris fell on him at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West amid strong winds on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Scottsdale.

The victim was the rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná and a Marist brother. New York Times The collapse happened around 2 p.m. local time when high winds ripped part of the compound's roof and sent debris into a visitor area. New York Times Taliesin West, a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark, has been closed to the public until further notice.

Gangs in Croix-des-Bouquets on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, attacked an armored vehicle carrying four Salvadoran aviation technicians with explosives and gunfire, and the soldiers are missing.

The Salvadoran military said the vehicle was set on fire and the soldiers escaped on foot, while repeated ground and helicopter attempts to reach them were repelled by heavy fighting. PBS News U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz told the Security Council on Monday that the four are believed to be alive but remain missing and warned gangs they will not intimidate the coalition.

Shawn Oliver, 42, suspended his campaign for Massachusetts lieutenant governor after his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence following a crash in New Bedford late Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.

Police arrested Oliver at a hospital on suspicion of operating under the influence, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, a marked lanes violation and speeding. PBS News Oliver announced on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, via X that he was ending his campaign, saying the election was too important to be overshadowed by personal matters.

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear Department of Justice v. McNutt, a challenge to a 160-year-old federal ban on distilling liquor at home that carries criminal penalties.

The statute at issue traces to an 1868 law that makes private home distilling for personal use a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison and forfeiture of property. Axios The case will focus on whether Congress can justify the ban under its taxing power after lower courts struck much of the law, and the Department of Justice asked the high court to review those rulings. Axios CBS News

Around 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, F-16s intercepted a general aviation plane that entered restricted airspace over Cincinnati during a President Trump rally.

North American Aerospace Defense Command said the fighters safely escorted the aircraft out of the area and warned that temporary flight restriction violators may face federal enforcement upon landing. CBS News Air Force officials on Sunday reminded pilots to review Notices to Air Missions, known as NOTAMs, for current airspace restrictions before flying.

On Monday, October 19, 2026, the Supreme Court declined to revive a previously negotiated Guantanamo plea deal for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, clearing the way for the Pentagon to withdraw it.

Axios said the court's move was framed as a refusal to "revive" the plea agreement and that the decision leaves the Pentagon free to withdraw the deal. Axios CBS News separately reported that the high court turned away an appeal from the accused 9/11 mastermind.

On Monday, October 19, 2026, Kim Yo Jong warned North Korea may deploy more "tactical strike means" along the Demilitarized Zone and resume loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts aimed at South Korea.

She framed the warning as a response to what Pyongyang calls hostile acts by the South, but she did not spell out what weapons would be sent or when broadcasts would resume.

Alexandros Paporakis, a teen from Palatine, Illinois, was arrested after authorities say he drove to an Aurora Hindu temple on Oct. 11 while armed and allegedly targeting Indian worshippers.

Police say Paporakis remained in the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple parking lot for several minutes and left only after his rifle jammed. PBS He was arrested on Wednesday, October 14, near his Palatine home after a Taco Bell coworker alerted authorities that he planned to "kill Indian people." PBS Authorities recovered weapons and ammunition, a gas canister labeled with a slur against South Asians, multiple items bearing Nazi symbols, and a manifesto in which he fantasized about mass murder and killing nonwhite people. PBS U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who said he and his parents were inside the temple during the incident, is urging the FBI to prosecute it as a hate crime and to redirect resources toward combating domestic violent extremism.

A National Guardsman and a suspect were shot near the U.S. Capitol shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday, October 18, 2026, and both were taken to area hospitals with non-life-threatening leg injuries.

Interim D.C. police chief Jeffrey Carroll said Guardsmen in a van on Capitol Hill saw a fight and a person draw a gun. CBS News Carroll said Guardsmen ordered the person to drop the gun and fired after the person allegedly pointed it at them.

Mexico announced Sunday, October 18, 2026, that authorities arrested five suspects tied to a Sinaloa cartel faction in the killings of 10 workers employed by a Canadian mining company in Sinaloa.

The defense ministry said the suspects work for a Sinaloa faction controlled by Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán's sons and named one suspect as Jesus Abraham, alias Taliban. CBS News Officials said the 10 Mexican workers were kidnapped at gunpoint on January 23, 2026, from a Vizsla Silver project in Concordia, Sinaloa. CBS News Their bodies, including two engineers and a geologist, were later found buried in clandestine graves.

President Trump is tying a five-year, $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program to state rollbacks of certificate of need hospital laws, rewarding states that weaken or repeal CON rules with higher application scores.

CMS guidance calls certificate of need requirements an "additional expense and burden on rural facilities" and explicitly links fewer CON rules to better scoring under the program. CBS News Tennessee passed a bipartisan bill in April 2026 to dismantle most of its remaining CON rules over four years, and Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa and Mississippi said they will consider changes.

Miami-Dade County has issued a no-bond arrest warrant charging former Cuban leader Raúl Castro with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in Florida.

The charge stems from the Feb. 24, 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue civilian planes that killed four American pilots. Fox News Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier's Office of Statewide Prosecution will handle the multi-circuit conspiracy case and plans a press conference with Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026.

At a CBS News town hall in Michigan, the widower of Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor confronted Vice President JD Vance over leadership failures tied to the Kuwait drone strike that killed Amor.

Joey Amor told Vance that "fundamental failures" and leadership mistakes led to the attack, citing what his wife and other soldiers had described and what CBS had reported. FOX 9 Vance said he had not heard those specific allegations before, but he acknowledged there likely were failures and said he wanted to fix them.

St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry filed an amended complaint on Oct. 18, 2026 adding a reprisal claim against Mayor Kaohly Her in her personal capacity under the Minnesota Human Rights Act.

The amended filing says Her publicly accused Henry of lying, suggested motives for his complaint, and excluded him from personnel decision-making in retaliation. FOX 9 The suit also cites a YouTube interview Her gave in Hmong with former council member Dai Thao, which was translated by the Pioneer Press and appears in the complaint.

A 34-year-old woman who drove a pickup onto a soccer field in Wichita on Saturday, October 17, 2026, was released without charges as officials continue to probe toxicology results and the truck's mechanics.

Police publicly identified the two people killed as 6-year-old Cole Adrian and 35-year-old Nicholas Schafer, both from McPherson, Kansas, and said they were not related. Fox News Authorities said five children and five adults were treated for noncritical injuries and taken to Ascension Via Christi and Wesley Medical Center. Fox News A 61-year-old woman was hospitalized for a non-traumatic medical complication, bringing the total people transported to hospitals to 11.

Four service members were killed and dozens more seriously injured when an incident sparked a major fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright on Saturday, October 17, 2026.

Prime Minister Mark Carney ordered flags flown at half-staff on federal buildings to honor those killed and injured. Fox News Injured personnel were being treated in Wainwright, Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary as several hospitals activated Code Orange mass-casualty alerts. Fox News Defense Minister David McGuinty called the situation "very active and delicate" and said investigators were still probing the cause. New York Times He later said there were no indications the incident was the result of terrorism while the investigation continues.

Pope Leo XIV told the faithful he will "gradually resume" his duties after lung cancer surgery during the Angelus at St. Peter's Square on Sunday, October 18, 2026.

He said the "delicate phase" of treatment is behind him and thanked staff at Rome's Gemelli Hospital. NPR His surgeon said there are no clinical reasons to cancel the pope's planned November trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.

An Air Force member died after falling while rappelling from the Alamodome ceiling during a pregame ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026.

The service member was from Nellis Air Force Base's 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, and died at a local hospital after the fall. CBS News The incident happened before the UTSA Roadrunners' game against the Navy Midshipmen, and the game was played as scheduled. CBS News UTSA issued a statement of condolence and said it is activating wellbeing services for the campus community. CBS News The U.S. Air Force has opened an investigation into the circumstances of the fall.

FEMA announced federal disaster assistance and began mobilizing support after Super Typhoon Champi battered Guam, following a presidential emergency declaration on Saturday, October 17, 2026.

FEMA said federal disaster assistance is available and warned that additional resources could take three to five days to arrive. As of Sunday, October 18, 2026, Champi was about 200 miles west of Guam with sustained winds of 150 mph, equivalent to a Category 4 storm.

Hurricane Trudy threatened Mexico's Pacific coast on Sunday, October 18, 2026, as a Category 2 storm bringing life-threatening rain that could trigger flooding and mudslides.

Trudy was about 135 miles west-southwest of Manzanillo with sustained winds of 105 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. CBS News The NHC kept a hurricane warning from Manzanillo in Colima to Cabo Corrientes in Jalisco, while a tropical storm warning remained for Las Islas Marias. CBS News Forecasters warned of 4 to 8 inches of rain, with isolated totals up to 12 inches along the Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco coasts, raising the risk of life-threatening flooding and mudslides. CBS News The Mexican Navy urged extreme caution because the storm could produce high waves, heavy rain, rising rivers and landslides, especially since prior storms had saturated the region.

Father and son LaMar Javis Burgess, 44, and LaMar Dazjar Burgess, 24, pleaded guilty in federal court in Minnesota to a tax-refund fraud conspiracy and face federal prison time.

Prosecutors say the scheme ran from June 2022 to October 2024 and used at least 300 false federal returns to claim at least $9.2 million in refunds, including COVID-related sick and family-leave credits. FOX 9 Clients were reportedly charged a $10,000 fee that was taken from the fraudulent refunds. FOX 9 A search of the father's Golden Valley home turned up a stolen Glock 19, multiple high-capacity magazines and loose ammunition, and prosecutors say he is a prohibited felon.

The House Ways and Means Committee told three nonprofits tied to Neville Roy Singham to comply with subpoenas by Tuesday, October 20, 2026, or face Congress and possible deposition testimony under oath.

The letters target The People's Forum Inc. and BreakThrough News in New York City, and Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research in Massachusetts. Fox News Chairman Jason Smith warned the groups that if they do not turn over records, their leaders will be required to answer the committee's questions under oath. Fox News Fox Digital reports 21 individuals, including Neville Roy Singham, have been identified as potential deposition targets, though no deposition subpoenas have been publicly announced.

Joey Amor confronted Vice President JD Vance at a CBS News town hall Saturday about leadership failures tied to a March 1 Iranian drone strike in Kuwait that killed his wife, and Vance pledged a review.

Amor accused senior officials of "fundamental failures" and asked why leadership mistakes left troops exposed, pressing Vance directly. CBS News Vance said he had not been previously briefed on the specific case, acknowledged probable failures in basing decisions, and pledged to investigate the attack and review protections against drones.

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights found probable cause that Wings Financial Credit Union in Coon Rapids and The Office Pub and Grill in Minneapolis illegally refused to accept Tribal IDs from Native customers.

MDHR says the credit union repeatedly denied a Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate member access to her account when she used a valid Tribal ID. FOX 9 The agency says the bar refused service three times to a Red Lake Nation member who presented his Tribal ID to prove his age.

A Massachusetts jury ordered Kristin Knouse to pay David M. Sabatini $6 million in damages in a defamation lawsuit over sexual-harassment accusations.

The suit centered on Knouse's allegations that Sabatini sexually harassed employees. New York Times Sabatini was a biology professor at MIT and ran a lab at the Whitehead Institute. Wall Street Journal He left the Whitehead lab in 2021 after an investigation prompted by Knouse's complaint found he had sexually harassed employees.

A Mexican judge in Baja California on Friday, October 16, 2026, sentenced three men to nearly 159 years each for the April 2024 murders of surfers Callum and Jake Robinson and Jack Carter Rhoad.

The defendants were identified as Jesús Gerardo, Irineo and Ángel Jesús, with Mexican procedure withholding their last names. New York Times They were found guilty of homicide and aggravated robbery about a week before the sentence. New York Times The court ordered the men to pay about $85,000 in compensation to the victims' families and to cover funeral expenses. New York Times Mexican authorities said the bodies were found with gunshot wounds to the head in a roughly 50-foot-deep well. New York Times Officials characterized the killings as a robbery gone wrong.

Riots in Tirana entered a fifth consecutive day on Saturday as thousands clashed with police over a luxury coastal development linked to an investment firm founded by Jared Kushner.

Police said 167 people have been arrested and 132 officers wounded in the unrest; seven officers were suspended as investigators probe alleged excessive force. Christian Science Monitor Prime Minister Edi Rama has refused to resign and accused conservative opponents of stoking the clashes.

Summit Brewing Co. said Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, it has finalized a new financing agreement that removes BMO Bank's foreclosure threat and keeps its St. Paul brewery operating.

An unnamed lender has acquired Summit's outstanding loans and is working with management on a recapitalization and long-term growth plan, Summit said. FOX 9 Company executives say the executed financing replaces the prior BMO package and is sufficient, at least for now, to head off BMO's bid to foreclose and install a court-appointed receiver.

On Wednesday, October 14, 2026, the White House told a federal court that President Donald Trump is asserting presidential communications privilege in the Kennedy Center lawsuit, a move that could restrict discovery.

The privilege claim covers information, documents and communications between Trump, his advisers and Kennedy Center employees about his official duties and the center's management, finances, renaming, closure and possible demolition. CBS News Justice Department lawyers separately called Rep. Joyce Beatty's discovery requests a "fishing expedition" that raises separation-of-powers concerns.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez transferred $1 million on Friday, October 16, 2026, to the Abdul for Michigan Victory Fund to boost Abdul El-Sayed's Senate bid in Michigan that could decide control of the chamber.

The Abdul for Michigan Victory Fund is a joint fundraising vehicle that sends money to El-Sayed's campaign, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee. New York Times Ocasio-Cortez reported raising $4.7 million in the third quarter of 2026 and entered October with nearly $17.4 million cash on hand, an unusually large war chest for a House member. New York Times She campaigned with El-Sayed on a bus tour across Michigan's Upper Peninsula on Thursday, October 15, 2026, and planned three Detroit-area events on Friday, October 16.

Former U.S. ambassador Morse Tan appeared in Seoul Central District Court Friday to face criminal defamation charges over a 2025 speech in Washington, D.C., and is barred from leaving South Korea.

Prosecutors charged Tan under South Korea's Communications Network Act and the Criminal Act. Fox News The charges stem from Tan's comments at a National Press Club event accusing President Lee Jae Myung of participating in a gang rape and murder as a teenager and of being sent to juvenile detention. Fox News South Korean prosecutors say records show no evidence Lee was incarcerated in juvenile detention or was blocked from attending middle or high school. Fox News Tan pleaded not guilty in court, told Fox News Digital he believes Lee is guilty and that his speech was protected, and has been barred from leaving South Korea since May 2026.

Gen. Randy George warned in late December 2025 that U.S. THAAD and Patriot missile interceptors were at critically low levels and likely would remain so through 2030.

The warning appears in the Pentagon's fiscal 2027 Global Force Management Allocation Plan. CBS George was removed as Army chief of staff by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in April 2026, after the Iran war began.

U.S. District Judge Ramón E. Reyes Jr. dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit challenging New York City's sanctuary laws on October 15, 2026, denying the Justice Department's bid to overturn the city rules.

Reyes held the federal government lacked standing because New York state laws would still restrict local cooperation with federal immigration authorities even if the city's ordinances were struck down. Fox News He rejected the Justice Department's express, conflict and field preemption arguments and applied the Tenth Amendment anti-commandeering doctrine.

The Norte Fire burned at least six coastal homes and forced roughly 16,000 residents to evacuate Friday in San Juan Capistrano and nearby communities in Southern California.

Shelters opened in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, and two firefighters were hospitalized with heat-related injuries while battling the blaze. NPR By Friday evening the fire was under one square mile and was driven by Santa Ana winds after starting in San Clemente.

Minnesota launched a new in-person early voting option Friday, opening sites across the state where voters fill out a short certificate and feed ballots directly into tabulators.

St. Louis Park saw about 400 in-person early voters on the first day, far above the roughly 100 per day under the former in-person absentee system. FOX 9 The Minnesota Secretary of State's Office reported more than 200,000 ballots had already been cast statewide as of Friday morning.

The Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security have again paused cooperation with Minnesota's investigation into three Operation Metro Surge shootings, state officials say.

Federal authorities still have not provided the gun used to kill Alex Pretti, the involved agents' cellphones, or the agents' recorded statements, leaving investigators without key physical and digital evidence. FOX 9 Court affidavits from Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and BCA Superintendent Drew Evans say state investigators did receive Renee Good's vehicle, the gun that killed her, and body-worn camera video from all three shootings. FOX 9 Moriarty says U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen told her the current halt in information-sharing resulted from unspecified "challenges with D.C.".

State District Judge Joseph Montano dismissed the grand jury indictment against actor Timothy Busfield on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, citing prosecutorial misconduct.

Montano found the prosecuting attorney failed to act in a fair and impartial manner and improperly instructed grand jurors, which prevented them from hearing witnesses who were present and willing to testify. CBS News Bernalillo County District Attorney Greer Staley said prosecutors have not yet decided whether to pursue a new indictment.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday, October 16, 2026, banned most drones within one nautical mile of the U.S.-Mexico border up to 400 feet, with the closure starting Monday evening for at least a year.

The FAA issued three temporary flight restriction notices that designate the airspace as national defense airspace and bar drone flights without Department of Homeland Security authorization. New York Times The notices, announced jointly by the Department of Transportation, the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon, warn unauthorized drones could be shot down and pilots could face civil or criminal penalties.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention flagged a sharp rise in infections from the brain-infecting fungus Cladophialophora bantiana in a report cited Friday, October 16, 2026.

The agency said laboratory detections in U.S. tissue samples have climbed and warned clinicians to consider fungal causes when evaluating brain abscesses. Fox News Between January 2009 and July 2026, labs identified 48 confirmed and one probable C. bantiana case across 21 states and the District of Columbia. Lab detections rose from 8.4 cases per 1,000 brain specimens during 2017-2023 to 26 cases per 1,000 specimens in 2025.

China's Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Science and Technology on October 16, 2026, issued a draft updating export controls that would restrict or ban exports of advanced AI, chip design and solar technologies on national security grounds.

The draft would add 40 technologies to China's export-control catalog. PBS News It would ban core technologies for AI large models trained on sensitive national data and for AI agents intended for national defense or critical infrastructure uses. PBS News Models with 2 trillion or more parameters, or models judged to have world-leading capabilities, would face export restrictions rather than outright bans. PBS News The list also targets several chip design technologies, 12 solar technologies including polysilicon production, and five biomedicine technologies linked to cell and gene therapies.

A federal jury on Friday convicted 68-year-old Jeffrey Allen Petersen of Minnetonka of making online threats to kill U.S. judges and elected officials.

Jurors found Petersen guilty on 10 counts of threatening to murder judges and elected officials and 10 counts of interstate transmission of threats to injure. FOX 9 The Department of Justice said the threats targeted eight judges — including an Associate Supreme Court Justice — and at least four elected officials, and a sentencing date has not been set.

Bones were found Thursday, October 15, 2026, in the backyard of 417 West Chew Ave. in Philadelphia's Olney neighborhood.

The Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office collected the remains, and officials said tests are needed to determine whether the bones are human and whether they are connected to the investigation.

On Friday, October 16, 2026, the Democratic minority of the Joint Economic Committee released a report saying President Trump sharply increased investments in drugmakers that got an expanded Medicare exemption.

The report says Trump's pharma holdings rose from a reported $1.7 million in 2024 to as much as $56.2 million by the end of 2025, including up to $39.1 million in firms that benefited. PBS News It says the portfolio bought as much as $2.55 million in shares on three dates before Trump signed the bill in July 2025, including up to $950,000 on July 1, 2025. PBS News The report also says Trump's portfolio bought as much as $1 million of AbbVie stock in August 2025 after the law took effect. PBS News Democrats estimate Medicare beneficiaries using cancer drugs Keytruda and Opdivo could pay roughly $5,000 more per year without negotiated prices.

Tech stocks tumbled on Friday, October 16, 2026, pushing the Nasdaq Composite down more than 650 points as investors fretted over AI-related debt and rising rate risks.

The S&P 500 slipped 1.2% and the Dow fell 0.6% as the tech-heavy Nasdaq led declines. CBS News CoreWeave plunged 12% on the day and nearly 26% for the week amid concern about AI-related debt financing, while major chipmakers tumbled roughly 3.6% to 5.1%.

California will end FEMA-backed case management for survivors of the January 2025 Los Angeles fires at the end of October, cutting services for about 1,400 households and risking more than 100 jobs.

State officials said the program is closing after FEMA missed scheduled reimbursements and left the state to front payments. PBS News About 700 households remain on a waitlist, and more than 100 case managers could lose their jobs when the program ends.

Brooklyn Center on Friday revoked the business licenses of two hotels and suspended a third, effectively shutting the properties amid a human trafficking, drugs and firearms probe.

City officials said the licensing action shifts the response from investigation toward enforcement rather than leaving the hotels merely boarded up. Bizjournals Police executed 31 search warrants during early-morning raids: 17 at the Travelodge, 12 at the Super 8, and one each at the Baymont and Suburban Studios. FOX 9 More than 250 personnel and seven SWAT teams took part in the operation. FOX 9 Investigators recovered eight firearms, a significant quantity of suspected controlled substances, about $43,494 in cash and seized many cell phones whose digital evidence is still being analyzed. FOX 9 The raids led to 28 arrests and investigators have identified 18 trafficking victims, who are being connected with social services and addiction specialists.

Brooklyn Center officials revoked licenses for two hotels and suspended a third's license, closing three properties they tied to sustained crime and safety problems within city limits.

Officials said the move followed concerns about ongoing criminal activity at the sites and that the properties were the focus of a human-trafficking and narcotics sweep on Sept. 9, 2026. Bizjournals City leaders said the enforcement will reduce lodging capacity and affect employees and nearby residents along the chronically troubled commercial corridor.

Eleven roller coasters were taken out of service after Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, fell to his death from the Goliath coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday, October 12, 2026.

The shutdowns include eight other Six Flags rides, Sea World Orlando's Mako and La Ronde's Goliath in Montreal, bringing the total to 11 coasters out of service. PBS News Park officials said Six Flags Over Georgia will reopen Friday, October 16, 2026, but the Goliath coaster will remain closed during police and state regulatory investigations.

On October 16, 2026 the NBA and numerous sportsbooks agreed to ban several prop bet types for the upcoming season to curb alleged wagering abuses and protect competitive integrity.

The guidance forbids same-player parlays that combine multiple statistical unders, wagers on who wins the opening tip, and bets that a player will miss a specified shot. OutKick It also bars unders on players projected to play fewer than 12 minutes. OutKick DraftKings and FanDuel said many of the market limits were already reflected in their practices and publicly endorsed the NBA's new restrictions. OutKick The league is expanding its AI-based betting monitoring and has hired former NFL star and retired FBI agent Charles Tillman to educate players on gambling rules.

U.S. producer prices jumped 6.3 percent, driven largely by a surge in diesel costs and pushing wholesale inflation to levels not seen since 2022.

Energy costs, and diesel in particular, accounted for much of the gain as petroleum prices climbed and lifted goods prices across supply chains. PBS News The spike is increasing pressure on the Federal Reserve to tighten policy, a move that would raise borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards over time.

Amber Guyger was released from a Gatesville, Texas, prison on Friday, October 16, 2026, after serving seven years of a 10-year sentence for the murder of her neighbor Botham Jean.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles granted Guyger parole on October 1, 2026. CBS News She will remain under supervision until 2029 and must not live in Dallas County or contact Jean's family or Dallas police officers. CBS News She also cannot travel out of state without prior approval.

On Thursday, October 15, 2026, a drone hit the San Marino-flagged chemical tanker Wine Trader about 13 nautical miles southeast of Sulina in Romanian territorial waters, igniting a fire and leaving five crew rescued and seven missing.

Romanian President Nicusor Dan said in Brussels that the Wine Trader and another vessel had been hit by drones and vowed "there will be a reaction from the Romanian state," while not assigning responsibility. PBS Romania's Ministry of National Defense reported air targets were monitored overnight near Ukraine's Snake Island and that a drone briefly entered Romanian airspace at 1:34 a.m. Central on October 15 before disappearing from radar. PBS Officials said a fire also broke out on the Comoros-flagged chemical and oil tanker Yara J on October 14 while it was en route to Sulina; the crew remained safe and military radars did not track a drone toward that vessel.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension identified Minneapolis Officer Tedros Semere as the officer who fired one shot at a 16-year-old carjacking suspect on Oct. 8 near West 31st Street and Pillsbury Avenue.

Semere, a five-year MPD veteran, has been placed on critical incident leave. FOX 9 BCA says he fired a single shot after the stolen vehicle reversed into an MPD squad car and another parked vehicle, and that the shot struck no one.

A young man was found fatally shot around 11:30 p.m. Thursday in an alley on the 2600 block of Third Avenue South in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis.

Officers attempted lifesaving measures, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

A frost advisory is in effect for the Twin Cities metro Friday night into Saturday morning, with lows expected in the mid-30s.

Parts of central and southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin are under freeze warnings where temperatures could fall into the upper 20s to low 30s. FOX 9 Friday will be chilly and blustery, with highs near 50°F and northerly winds of 15-25 mph before skies clear this afternoon.

Clark County on Thursday, October 15, 2026, identified the remains found in a rusted barrel on the shore of Lake Mead as Edward Lelburian Jackson, an Arkansas man.

Jackson was shot in the head and is believed to have been killed in the early 1980s, Clark County said. CBS News His remains were discovered in May 2022 after Lake Mead's water levels dropped and exposed a rusting metal barrel on the shore. CBS News He was in his mid-to-late 50s and had ties to Hot Springs, Arkansas, and Salt Lake City, Utah, but his family never reported him missing.

Last week, the FBI charged Irvine realtor Wanying "Heather" Zhang, 34, with operating as an unregistered foreign agent for China after allegedly surveilling the Taiwanese president's son in Seattle in 2025.

CBS News linked Zhang via social media to a Bugatti owned by Chen Sokly. CBS News The Justice Department describes Chen as the "enforcer" for Prince Group, which U.S. officials say ran at least $15 billion in online scams that used forced labor in Cambodia. CBS News Prosecutors also allege Zhang ran an unlicensed currency exchange that generated about $190,000 in profits sent to a Chinese bank account, though no public filing ties her to the cartel case.

The Minneapolis City Council on Thursday failed to override Mayor Jacob Frey's veto of a driverless-vehicle ordinance.

At the same meeting the council asked the city attorney to determine whether it can subpoena Frey and his staff and it approved an audit of Minneapolis Police Department overtime spending.

Erie police said Matthew Stone Sr. killed nine people, including two young children, at a Perry Street home on Oct. 9, 2026, and died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police identified the victims as Michelle Stone, 44; her pregnant daughter Angelina Stone, 24; and sons Jonathan, 19, and Matthew, 21. CBS News Two young children, ages 1 and 5, and visitors Lora Roberts, 37, and Twila Tanner, 51, were also killed. CBS News Police say Angelina called her aunt at about 4:39 p.m., and the aunt arrived with Tanner within 10 minutes. CBS News Gunfire was detected three minutes after their arrival, and SWAT breached a partially barricaded door after 7 p.m.

An email to victims' families says Nidal Malik Hasan is scheduled to be executed by firing squad at Fort Hood on December 3, 2026.

The notice said family members of the 13 people killed and survivors were notified of the date before it was made public and were asked whether they wish to attend. CBS News Army Regulation 190-55 procedures cited in the notice require presidential approval for a military execution and call for the commandant to inform the prisoner in person with a chaplain and, if available, defense counsel present. CBS News The plan would be the first U.S. military execution since 1961.

On Wednesday, October 14, 2026, the FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said they are jointly investigating a series of suspicious mailings with unknown substances sent to addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State and related election offices.

The Senate Sergeant at Arms issued a notice to congressional staff warning that some letters may still reach their destinations and included an image of an envelope with a New York City return address labeled "DSA." NPR Sen. Chris Murphy's office confirmed it was among the congressional targets. CBS News Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry said an Elections Division employee opened a package with white powder on Tuesday, October 13. CBS News The employee was taken to an emergency room as a precaution and testing found no evidence of harmful substances. CBS News The Oklahoma State Election Board said it received an envelope with suspicious white powder on Tuesday and evacuated its office. CBS News Secretary Paul Ziriax said no one was hurt and law enforcement is investigating. CBS News Deputy Chief Inspector Brendan Donahue of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said inspectors have intercepted some letters and stopped delivery of at least one, while declining to specify the total.

On Thursday, October 15, 2026, FBI agents visited Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun at his New York City home and warned him of an imminent threat to his life.

Agents told Pannun the threat is connected to potential travel to Edmonton for an October 18 Sikhs for Justice non-binding referendum on Punjab independence. CBS News Pannun said the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police also warned him of separate threats in August and September 2026.

A 15-year-old Maryland teen filed a federal defamation suit seeking $20 million against CBS News on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, over an on-air misidentification tied to coverage of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and identifies the plaintiff only as "JV." Fox News It says CBS used video of JV's unrelated e-bike detention while reporting that five people had been arrested for vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Fox News The lawsuit says JV was released without charges and was never arrested or accused of vandalism by law enforcement. Fox News It also alleges CBS's online and social-media versions showed JV's unobscured face, prompting recognition by friends and acquaintances.

Lydia Cleto Akotkuel, 26, of Bloomington is charged with criminal vehicular homicide after a Sept. 6 crash that killed a 60-year-old motorcyclist in Bloomington.

An event data recorder showed Akotkuel was driving 90.1 mph in a 35 mph zone, and a witness estimated her speed at up to 100 mph before the rear-end collision. FOX 9 Akotkuel told investigators she had a seizure and lost control, but surveillance video shows her swerving through traffic and taking evasive action to avoid a median. FOX 9 A warrant is outstanding and Akotkuel is not in custody, though she was initially arrested after the crash.

On Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, the Wisconsin Elections Commission approved guidance for clerks on handling federal and local law enforcement at polling places to address voter-intimidation concerns.

The memo covers potential appearances by the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, ICE and local police and requires clerks to notify the state commission if officers show up at a polling site. PBS News Officers who are present only to observe must register as observers and follow Wisconsin election law's normal observer rules. PBS News The guidance also advises clerks to encourage any observing officers to wear plain clothes rather than uniforms to avoid voter-intimidation concerns.

U.S. retail sales rose 0.8% in September, the Commerce Department reported, with a surge in gasoline spending accounting for much of the gain.

Retail sales excluding gas stations increased just 0.2% in September, while receipts at gas stations jumped 6.4%. PBS Higher pump prices pushed the average price for regular gasoline to $4.33 per gallon on Thursday, October 15, up from under $3 before the Iran war.

Minneapolis Public Schools paused planned school closures after Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams withdrew her closure proposals, and Board Chair Collin Beachy outlined a new enrollment and pre-K strategy.

Beachy said the district will continue a "transformation process" but will not implement immediate closures, and will focus on boosting enrollment by recruiting kindergarten families and expanding pre-kindergarten into underused buildings. FOX 9 He also said the district may sell surplus properties while preferring to keep any buildings "in public hands," and he emphasized reassigning educators rather than mass layoffs.

A State Department official confirmed Thursday, October 15, 2026, that Kristi Noem is no longer serving as the U.S. special envoy to the Shield of the Americas and has been reassigned into an advisory post.

Her formal envoy designation expired in September and was not renewed just before the United Nations General Assembly. CBS News She now serves as a senior adviser to Deputy Secretary Landau while continuing to work on the Shield of the Americas portfolio.

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia said on Thursday, October 15, 2026, that she never passed any U.S. bar exam, including a failed California attempt in 2011.

Zacharia has described herself as a lawyer in media appearances and on Instagram, and President Trump has publicly referred to her as an attorney. CBS News The White House says she is a Pepperdine law graduate who worked on international transaction law in Beijing despite not being a licensed attorney.

On Thursday, October 15, 2026, nine former FBI employees sued the FBI, Director Kash Patel, Attorney General Todd Blanche and the Justice Department in federal court in Washington, D.C., saying they were unlawfully fired for working on the Trump classified-documents probe.

The 70-page complaint says the nine — agents, intelligence analysts and staff operations specialists — were dismissed over two days in February 2026 solely for working on Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation, code-named "Plasmic Echo." CBS News The filing says the terminations occurred without any internal investigation, disciplinary process, notice, hearing or appeal and that Patel justified them by invoking presidential authority under Article II. CBS News The suit seeks reinstatement, back pay and a declaration that the firings were unlawful and is brought by attorneys Margaret Donovan, Abbe Lowell and Rebecca Tinio.

Eric Deters filed a defamation lawsuit in Kentucky state court on Thursday, October 15, 2026, against Kimberly Guilfoyle and two of her attorneys, alleging false statements that damaged his reputation.

Deters alleges Guilfoyle asked him to wire her $100,000 to pay an American Express bill in exchange for help with the Trump administration ahead of her Senate confirmation hearing. CBS News The complaint also cites a statement from Guilfoyle's legal team to the Wall Street Journal that said Deters owed her money for traveling and supporting "these patriotic events," a claim he denies.

NOAA on Thursday, October 15, 2026, released its winter outlook projecting a wetter-than-average December-February for the U.S. South and drier conditions in the North.

NOAA projects the southern band, including the Southwest, Southeast and parts of the East Coast, will see above-average precipitation this winter. CBS News Portions of the Great Lakes, the northern Mountain West, Hawaii and much of Alaska are forecast to be drier than average. CBS News Warmer-than-average temperatures are expected across northern California, the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, the Mississippi Valley and much of the eastern U.S.

Arizona State University said it parted ways by mutual agreement with hockey coach Greg Powers on October 15, 2026, and hired Dave Hakstol as its new head coach.

Powers had been on paid administrative leave since late September after Mayich's parents and teammates demanded staff changes while an investigation proceeded. CBS News ASU also appointed former Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Scott Bales to oversee an independent investigation into the circumstances of Matthew Mayich's collapse.

Medicare open enrollment opened Thursday, October 15, 2026, and will run through December 7 for coverage that takes effect January 1, 2027.

The enrollment period starts as major 2027 changes could raise costs for some beneficiaries, including higher Part D limits and the end of a temporary premium subsidy. PBS New Medicare-negotiated prices for 15 drugs will also take effect January 1, 2027, changing coverage and copays for many prescriptions.

A Hennepin County judge is set to impose a mandatory life-without-parole sentence on 27-year-old Jose Luis Lopez Xique after his conviction for first-degree premeditated murder in the killing of Kayli Arseth in Richfield.

Arseth was found shot in the head inside her locked apartment on Penn Avenue South near I-494 in June 2025. FOX 9 Police reported the apartment had secured windows and no sign of forced entry, but officers found bloodstains inside and a blood smear on the outer door.

Harvard reported its endowment rose to about $68 billion on Thursday, October 15, 2026, even as federal research cuts have forced layoffs and other budget tightening at the university.

The endowment was up roughly $11 billion from the prior year. New York Times Harvard said its financial managers earned a 27 percent return on investments in the latest fiscal year. New York Times The university said it moved from an approximately $113 million operating loss last year to a modest surplus after a hiring freeze, attrition and job cuts. New York Times But university officials said unrestricted funds for general operations remain in deficit despite the overall surplus and endowment gains.

On October 9, 2026, the California High-Speed Rail Authority board voted 7-2 to curb CEO Ian Choudri's independent contracting authority, requiring legal signoff on many contract awards.

Under the new limits, contract awards within Choudri's $25 million delegated authority must receive advance approval from the authority's attorneys. CBS News The change narrows the CEO's ability to fast-track procurements amid growing public scrutiny.

On October 15, 2026, the first U.S. sunscreens containing bemotrizinol, an FDA-approved sunscreen ingredient, appeared on store shelves, including new products from Neutrogena.

The FDA cleared bemotrizinol for use in U.S. sunscreens in June 2026, and manufacturers say the ingredient provides broad-spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB as a single chemical active. PBS Dermatologists and the Environmental Working Group point to decades of safety data and minimal skin penetration for bemotrizinol compared with some older chemical sunscreens.

Abdisalan Muhumed Ali, 19, of Blaine, was charged Thursday in a Sept. 30 drive-by shooting on Highway 100 in St. Louis Park that wounded a motorist.

He faces charges of drive-by shooting toward an occupied vehicle and assault with a dangerous weapon, the complaint says. FOX 9 The victim, driving a white Honda, was shot in the ankle and the car was struck by six bullets, with spent casings in two calibers recovered near the Excelsior Boulevard exit.

Orlando police arrested 55-year-old Dale Smith Jr. on a charge of second-degree murder on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, in the disappearance of Florida mother Michelle Parker.

Police say Parker's body has not been located, but investigators say all evidence indicates Smith is responsible. Fox News Authorities said renewed investigative efforts and advances in digital forensics led to the arrest.