#1Trump says the Iran war ends "very soon" — probably after the midterms
President Trump told reporters he believes the conflict with Iran will wrap up "probably, right after the midterms," accusing Tehran of dragging things out to complicate the November election. CENTCOM says its naval blockade of Iranian ports has turned back or rerouted 100 commercial vessels over 60 days with none slipping through unauthorized, and the Iranian rial has collapsed to roughly 2.3 million per dollar amid fuel shortages and transport strikes. Source: Fox News — https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/us-iran-war-strikes-houthis-saudi-arabia-oil-prices-09-12-26.
#2Consumer sentiment craters as oil-driven inflation bites
The University of Michigan's preliminary September sentiment index fell nearly 8 percent to 47.8, down from 51.7 in August, with inflation expectations doing the damage. Headline CPI rose 0.4 percent in August on a 3.9 percent gasoline jump, and traders now put an 86.5 percent probability on a quarter-point Fed rate hike — up from 59.4 percent a week ago. Source: The Epoch Times — https://www.theepochtimes.com/business/us-consumer-sentiment-falls-sharply-in-september-on-inflation-woes-6086306.
#3Declassified CIA files show repeated bin Laden hijack warnings to Clinton and Bush
Newly released documents reveal both the Clinton and Bush White Houses received multiple intelligence warnings that Usama bin Laden's network was planning to hijack aircraft and strike American cities. The release, timed to the 25th anniversary, is part of a broader Trump administration push to declassify what the intelligence community knew before 9/11. Source: Fox News — https://www.foxnews.com/politics/clinton-bush-received-multiple-warnings-bin-laden-hijack-plots-before-9-11-declassified-files-show.
#4AOC and Mamdani caught on camera at the 9/11 memorial
Video of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani appearing to laugh and chat during the reading of victims' names at Ground Zero has set off a firestorm online. Critics called the moment disrespectful to families; the footage spread fast enough to dominate the post-anniversary news cycle. Source: Fox News — https://www.foxnews.com/politics/aoc-mamdani-interaction-caught-cam-9-11-memorial-sparks-online-fury.
Top World Stories
#5Putin warns European troops in Ukraine would mean war — as strikes kill five
Speaking at the BRICS summit in India, Vladimir Putin said deploying European military contingents to Ukraine would amount to "a war with Russia," while simultaneously insisting Moscow poses no threat to Europe. Hours later, Russian strikes killed five civilians and wounded dozens across Ukraine. Source: The Washington Times — https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/sep/12/5-killed-russian-strikes-ukraine-putin-warns-europe-sending-troops/.
#6Lebanon's president makes surprise visit south, vows Israeli withdrawal
President Joseph Aoun turned up unannounced in Nabatieh, pledging to secure an Israeli withdrawal and rebuild the war-battered south. The visit came a day after a senior US official confirmed the next round of American-brokered Israel-Lebanon talks slipped from next week to October. Source: The Times of Israel — https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-september-12-2026/.
#7Yemen displacement quadruples as Houthis grab the Bab al-Mandab
The UN's migration agency says more than 76,000 Yemenis have fled their homes since July, with the figure nearly quadrupling in just the past week. Houthi forces seized the port of Mokha and Perim Island on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, tightening their grip on the shipping lane that links Europe and Asia. Source: UPI — https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/09/12/yemen-thousands-flee-houthis/4311789244590.
Science & Technology
#8iPhone 18 Pro preorders opened this morning
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max went up for preorder at 5 a.m. Pacific, with a 48-megapixel Fusion main camera featuring a variable aperture, the new A20 Pro chip, and a next-generation vapor chamber for sustained performance. Units land in stores worldwide on Friday, September 18, alongside Apple Watch Series 12, Watch Ultra 4, and AirPods 5. Source: MacRumors — https://www.macrumors.com/2026/09/09/iphone-18-pro-pre-orders-sat-sept-12/.
#9World-first study: the human heart can regrow muscle after a heart attack
Researchers at the University of Sydney, the Baird Institute, and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital have demonstrated for the first time in humans that heart muscle cells divide and regenerate following a heart attack — a phenomenon previously only seen in mice. The repair effect is too small to undo the damage on its own, but scientists now hope to amplify it into a genuine therapy for heart failure. Source: ScienceDaily — https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260909231754.htm.
Wildcard
#10Over a billion dollars in retirement checks nobody can find
Financial officers from 19 states are pressing the White House to overhaul how the federal government handles lost retirement benefits, with more than $1 billion in checks currently owed to Americans and sitting unclaimed. The treasurers want state unclaimed-property programs given a bigger role in reuniting people with money they already earned. Source: The Daily Caller — https://dailycaller.com/2026/09/12/states-urge-trump-to-help-return-over-1-billion-in-lost-retirement-money/.
