#1Fed Opens September Meeting With a Rate Hike All But Priced In
The Federal Reserve gaveled in its two-day policy meeting this morning with markets pricing roughly a 90 percent chance of a quarter-point increase, and about 85 percent of surveyed economists agreeing. Headline inflation is running 3.4 percent with core at 2.4 percent, but surging energy costs tied to the Iran conflict are pushing prices higher across most regional districts. Inflation has now run above the Fed's target for 66 straight months. Source: The Epoch Times — https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/federal-reserve-opens-highly-anticipated-september-meeting-6087239
#2McConnell Back on the Senate Floor After Three Months Away
Mitch McConnell, 84, returned to the Capitol and cast his first vote since a June 14 fall that hospitalized him and put him in months of physical therapy. He chairs both the Senate Rules Committee and Defense Appropriations, so his presence changes the math on the coming funding package and any reconciliation push. Reporters noted his speech was noticeably slower; McConnell says he isn't back to 100 percent but will show up for tough votes. Source: Fox News — https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mcconnell-returns-months-long-absence-crucial-vote
#3Texas Senate Race Turns Ugly as Paxton and Talarico Trade Fire
Ken Paxton and James Talarico spent the day sparring over a racially charged social media post about Texas college students, with Sen. John Cornyn calling on Republicans to condemn it. The race is effectively tied at 47 percent and rated a toss-up, with Talarico out-raising Paxton roughly $72 million to $16.8 million. MAGA Inc. has dropped $10 million into TV and digital to shore up Paxton. Source: Washington Examiner — https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4725405/paxton-talarico-spar-racial-post-texas/
#4DHS Marks 15 Straight Months of Zero Border Releases
The Department of Homeland Security says daily border apprehensions are down 94 percent from Biden-era levels and sit at a 30-year low, with no catch-and-release for 15 consecutive months. ICE arrested nearly 51,000 illegal aliens nationwide last month. Separately, the administration finalized rules letting DHS collect facial biometrics from all noncitizens entering and exiting the country. Source: Fox News — https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-admin-marks-15-straight-months-zero-border-releases-apprehensions-plunge
Top World Stories
#5NATO Jets Shoot Down Drone Over Lithuania
Italian pilots flying NATO air policing missions downed a drone that crossed into Lithuanian airspace from Belarus, with President Gitanas Nauseda confirming the intercept. Secretary General Mark Rutte called Russia "increasingly reckless." Poland separately recovered a suspected Russian military drone off its Baltic coast, days after a Russian strike on a train near the Polish-Ukrainian border. Source: Fox News — https://www.foxnews.com/world/nato-jets-shoot-down-drone-lithuanian-airspace-russia-grows-increasingly-reckless-rutte-says
#6Hormuz Chokehold Tightens as Iran Expands No-Go Zone
Iran has expanded its restricted zone outside the Strait of Hormuz and says it will publish maps of a "new international corridor," while CENTCOM has refuted Tehran's claim that a supertanker struck mines in the strait. Oil traffic through Hormuz has collapsed to about 4.9 million barrels a day, down from 21.6 million before the conflict. Saudi forces launched dozens of strikes on Houthi targets as the Yemen front reignites. Source: Newsmax — https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/Iran-Strikes-Ships-Expands-No-Go-Zone-Outside-Hormuz-Strait/2026/09/09/id/1268905/
#7Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Sign Breakaway Pact
For the first time ever, all three devolved nations are led by pro-independence first ministers, and their leaders met in Cardiff to sign a joint declaration demanding the right to self-determination and independence referendums. The memorandum covers the economy, energy, Europe and a shared ambition to rejoin the EU. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has told Scottish First Minister John Swinney a referendum is off limits for now. Source: The Jerusalem Post — https://www.jpost.com/international/article-908447
Science & Technology
#8NASA's Roman Telescope Just Doubled Its Own Lifespan
A near-perfect first mid-course correction burn, combined with a precise SpaceX launch and other fuel savings, has left the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope with enough propellant for at least 22 years of science operations. The original primary mission was five years. Roman is still en route to the L2 Lagrange point and is in spacecraft commissioning. Source: NASA Science — https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/roman/2026/09/14/fuel-savings-double-potential-lifetime-for-nasas-roman-mission/
#9Hubble and Webb Turn Up 27 New Objects Beyond Neptune
Astronomers using the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes have characterized 27 newly found small bodies orbiting far past Neptune, and the findings are surprising researchers about what the outer solar system is actually made of. Separately, Solar Orbiter captured the clearest-ever look at the heliospheric current sheet from roughly a third of the way to the Sun. Source: Universe Today — https://www.universetoday.com/
Wildcard
#10America Eradicated the Flesh-Eating Screwworm. It's Back.
The New World screwworm, wiped out in the US decades ago, has been confirmed in Texas and New Mexico and is pushing north, threatening livestock, wildlife, pets and in rare cases people. USDA is scaling sterile-fly production toward roughly 500 million flies a week, the same tool that beat it the first time. Officials say current risk to the public is very low, with no locally acquired human cases reported. Source: ScienceDaily — https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260914102439.htm
