President Trump said Tuesday the U.S. is doing "extremely well" against Iran, claiming Tehran's military is "shot" and that American forces have knocked out Iran's navy, air force, and much of the IRGC leadership structure. He suggested a decision on how to wind down the seven-month conflict is coming soon, and argued consumer prices will fall once it ends. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called talks with Washington "meaningless" the same day, citing continued sanctions and strikes.
Roughly 20 million Medicare Part B enrollees are receiving a one-time $90 payment this month, drawn from the Medicare Improvement Fund — the first time a president has tapped it to directly lower senior costs. Republicans are calling it politically savvy with the midterms a month out, while privately conceding it may not fix a tough environment. Trump's approval on health care remains soft, including in areas that backed him in 2024.
The justices kicked off the term with Suncor Energy v. Boulder County, testing whether a Colorado county can use state law to force ExxonMobil and Suncor to pay for climate change damages. With Justice Alito recused, Justice Barrett pressed the companies' core argument while Justice Kavanaugh pointed to decades of precedent treating interstate pollution as a federal matter. Also on this term's docket: AR-15 bans, religious schools in preschool voucher programs, and proof-of-citizenship voter registration.
Stocks climbed Tuesday, pushing the S&P 500 to an all-time high, with the Dow up 133 points and the Nasdaq gaining 0.4%. Wholesale prices came in 4.7% higher than a year ago — ugly in absolute terms, but better than June's 5.5% and slightly ahead of economist expectations. Analysts are framing the run-up as a pre-midterm rally that may have started early.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed ballistic missile and drone attacks Wednesday on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, an Aramco refinery at Rabigh, Abha International Airport, and the Khamis Mushait military base. The strikes follow days of escalating exchanges, with earlier attacks on Aramco sites wounding 73 people. Saudi Arabia and allied Yemeni forces have launched a major ground and air offensive to retake Red Sea coastal territory the Houthis seized a month ago.
A 28-year-old employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute died overnight between October 1 and 2 of pneumonia from an unidentified cause, triggering quarantines and hospital closures. The U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a health alert Tuesday urging Americans in the region to avoid affected facilities and monitor for fever or respiratory symptoms for 14 days. Russia denies the death was plague; Trump says he'll speak with Putin "very soon," and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have imposed enhanced sanitary measures.
Police fired tear gas in Paris and other major cities Tuesday as protesters set fires and hurled projectiles, with the Interior Ministry reporting 6,100 arrests — the overwhelming majority of them minors. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu told lawmakers at least 215 teenagers and 85 school staff have been injured, along with more than 700 police officers. Lecornu's office says French intelligence believes the riots were a maneuver organized by the far-left La France Insoumise and allied proxies.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced Wednesday that Kagan and Soai will share the 12 million Swedish kronor prize for their discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis. Their work explains how molecules that are non-identical mirror images of each other can be selectively built — foundational chemistry behind modern pharmaceuticals. It follows Tuesday's physics prize to Francis Halzen for the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica.
Dutch internet-intelligence firm Modat, working with the Netherlands' national cyber security centre, identified 7,942 exposed solar park systems and 605 wind farm systems across 35 European countries — admin pages, login interfaces, and live control panels reachable by anyone. Spain led with 2,766 exposed solar systems, followed by Greece with 1,860; Germany topped the wind list with 212. Researchers estimate roughly 181 sites could be remotely controlled, including the ability to stop turbines, and urged operators to pull those interfaces offline immediately.
David J. Rush, a former CIA official who allegedly lied about being a pilot and inflated his military and academic record to climb the agency's ranks, pleaded guilty to wire fraud after inventing fictitious government entities and a phony "Special Access Program" to redirect federal money to himself. An FBI raid on his home turned up 298 gold bars worth about $46 million, $2.1 million in cash, and roughly 30 luxury watches. He's forfeiting the gold, the cash, the Rolexes, real estate, and two 2026 BMW Alpinas, and faces up to 20 years at sentencing on January 28, 2027.
