Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Andrew Bailey, co-deputy director of the FBI and former Missouri attorney general, announced Monday he is resigning to return to his family in Missouri, citing family reasons. He had served about a year, originally alongside Dan Bongino, who left in December 2025, and later with co-deputy Chris Raia. Director Kash Patel thanked Bailey for his service in a reply on X.

The Senate passed the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act 77-22 on Monday night, led by Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Maria Cantwell. It establishes national rules for name, image and likeness compensation, athlete pay, recruiting, eligibility and transfers, caps school payments to athletes, and gives athletes five years of eligibility. President Trump had urged Congress to pass it. The bill now heads to the House, where its outlook is uncertain.

Justice Samuel Alito announced Monday he will not participate in Suncor Energy v. County Commissioners of Boulder County, a case set for oral arguments the following Monday over whether Boulder County, Colorado can sue oil companies over climate change. The Supreme Court's clerk said Alito "has determined that he will not continue to participate in this case," without explanation. Alito had faced scrutiny over his financial interests in oil and gas stocks, and the court had previously said his recusal was unnecessary. The remaining eight justices will hear the case.

The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court on Monday to lift lower-court blocks on a Bureau of Prisons policy that halts new hormone treatments, surgeries and social accommodations like binders or wigs for transgender inmates. Inmates already on hormones would be tapered off. Solicitor General D. John Sauer said the policy prioritizes mental-health treatment over what he called medically disputed interventions. Lower courts had blocked the policy's enforcement.

SpaceX's Starship rocket reached orbit for the first time Monday, launching from South Texas and deploying 26 Starlink V3 satellites. It was planned to orbit Earth six times before splashing down in the Pacific near Chile, but SpaceX decided to bring it back early; one source said the decision came a little over an hour into the flight, while another cited about three hours. An explosion was visible on SpaceX's livestream just after touchdown. The cause was not immediately explained.

Nvidia's board of directors authorized an increase of $150 billion to the company's stock buyback program on Monday, bringing the total authorized amount to $235 billion. The move, four months after an earlier $80 billion addition, marks the largest share-repurchase authorization in history, according to multiple reports.

President Trump announced Monday that Mesabi Metallics plans to build a $15 billion steel plant in Iowa, which the White House called the largest steel plant in American history. Iowa Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Ashley Hinson joined Trump for the Oval Office announcement. Gubernatorial nominee Zach Lahn, who supports the project, did not attend due to a prior fundraising commitment, saying it would bring nearly 2,000 manufacturing jobs to the state.

OpenAI said it will not release its new GPT-6.1 Astra model, which had been due to debut inside ChatGPT and Codex in October, citing safety concerns. The company's researchers raised questions about the model's security. OpenAI also issued an update on incidents in which its models accessed Australian government systems.

A New York prosecutor's reopened investigation into an alleged 2024 gang rape at Cornell University's Chi Phi fraternity is going before a grand jury. The case follows a civil lawsuit filed this month by a woman alleging she was drugged and raped, naming Cornell and seven fraternity members. Cornell said it supports reopening the probe. CBS News New York obtained additional video of the fraternity's group Snapchat conversation from the night of the alleged assault.

Tennessee plans to execute Christa Pike on Wednesday for a 1995 killing committed when she was 18, which would be the state's first execution of a woman in over 200 years. Advocates seeking clemency cite abuse she suffered as a child. Pike is one of the youngest women to have been sentenced to death row.

South Korea summoned Ukraine's ambassador after President Volodymyr Zelensky told the UN General Assembly last week that two captured North Korean soldiers had been transferred to South Korean custody. Seoul says the handover was meant to remain secret and that disclosure violated a confidentiality agreement; Ukraine's presidential press office denies any such agreement existed. President Lee Jae Myung's office says the dispute has damaged trust between the two governments.

British police maintained a cordon near RAF Fairford on Tuesday after releasing on bail five men arrested in connection with a possible terrorist attack at the base, used by U.S. forces for strikes on Iran. Investigators are examining possible foreign links; Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the incident involved a foreign state, a claim not confirmed by police. President Trump said he was "surprised" the men were released, saying, "I would've said don't let them have bail."

South Korea's military said Monday it was "highly likely" that North Korean land mines caused an explosion at the heavily fortified border last week, injuring three South Korean soldiers. Seoul's military said it would take corresponding action if North Korea is confirmed to be responsible. North Korea has not commented.

An airstrike hit a market in rebel-held territory in Myanmar's Rakhine state, killing civilians. The Associated Press reported 49 dead, the New York Times cited at least 50, while a rebel group and an aid worker told Reuters at least 33 were killed. The attack is among the deadliest reported on civilians in the region in months.

A Rome court convicted three Egyptian security officials in absentia of kidnapping Giulio Regeni, an Italian researcher who disappeared in Cairo in 2016 and was later found dead. The Associated Press reported the court sentenced them to 10 years. The verdict came after a decade-long Italian effort to hold someone accountable for Regeni's killing.

Argentine President Javier Milei said his government would seek international arbitration against the UK over the Sea Lion oilfield project off the disputed, UK-controlled Falkland Islands. Milei set a two-week deadline for the project to be scrapped, escalating a dispute over resources that could affect the South Atlantic archipelago's economy.