Friday, October 9, 2026

The Department of Labor suspended Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL Technologies and Capgemini from the Permanent Labor Certification program, which lets employers sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency. Vice President JD Vance announced the move Thursday, accusing the companies of visa abuse and saying firms must hire American workers. The administration also launched investigations into nine universities over use of J-1 visas.

A federal judge on Thursday denied Cilia Flores's request for home detention, after she cited lost teeth, 25 pounds of weight loss and a worsening heart condition. Prosecutors said releasing her posed an "extreme risk of flight and danger to the public." The ruling came the same day a superseding indictment charged Flores and her husband, former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, with conspiracy to commit torture against American detainees, adding to narcoterrorism and drug charges they already face since their January capture.

President Trump said Thursday the US will not strike Iran before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, citing "productive discussions" with Tehran. He said Iran remains in "very bad condition" economically and militarily, and the naval blockade will continue while oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz. The military has drafted options for three days of strikes, though Trump has repeatedly vetoed resuming the war. Oil prices, which rose on reports strikes were being weighed, fell Friday.

A man pulled out a gun inside the Fred D. Thompson U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building in Nashville on Thursday, police said. The gun failed to fire, so he then wielded a knife, according to police. Security shot and killed him inside the building. No other injuries were reported.

Judge Timothy Kelly extended a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration's ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters from the White House, saying he would rule by Tuesday on whether to extend it further. An attorney for the outlets argued the ban amounts to "viewpoint discrimination" punishing them for what they say, violating their First Amendment rights.

The US Treasury Department imposed new sanctions on what it described as Iran's remaining shadow fleet, a network of vessels used to evade US restrictions and sell Iranian crude abroad despite existing sanctions. Separately, Britain issued 38 new sanctions targeting Russian oil companies, its shadow fleet of tankers, and parties accused of supplying goods to the Kremlin.

An ICE agent shot and wounded a man during what DHS called a "targeted enforcement operation" to arrest a "criminal illegal alien" in the Marble Hill neighborhood. A 5-year-old child was in the back seat of the car, officials said; the child was unharmed. Mayor Zohran Mamdani criticized the shooting, and protesters gathered outside Allen Hospital, with some arrested trying to block ICE agents from leaving with the man.

A U.S. Army report found systemic safety breakdowns contributed to the January 2025 midair collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C., which killed 67 people. The 50-page report recommends changes to prevent future incidents. It was made public after months of pressure from victims' families.

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to 7.4% this week, up 12 basis points from 7.28%, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. It is the seventh consecutive weekly increase and the highest level since November 2023, adding pressure on prospective homebuyers already facing affordability challenges in the housing market.

The Arlington County Board in Virginia filed a lawsuit Thursday opposing construction of President Trump's planned 250-foot Triumphal Arch, becoming the first governmental body to take legal action against the monument. The lawsuit follows the project's April approval by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and cites concerns about impacts on tourism, safety for local residents, and proximity to Arlington National Cemetery.

A London high court judge ruled that search warrants used to raid properties linked to former Prince Andrew were unlawful, after Thames Valley Police acknowledged they had applied for them under the wrong statutory provision. The judge called it a "significant error" but said the ongoing misconduct investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor could continue. Police said they accepted the court's decision.

A Russian glide bomb struck two crowded public buses in a frontline eastern Ukrainian city Thursday, killing at least 30 people; officials cited by BBC and CNN put the toll at 33. The attack came amid a broader bombardment that worsened power outages in Kyiv. Ukraine accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians. President Zelensky said Russian strikes have killed more than 70 people over two days and accused the United States of inaction.

Saudi authorities said three Saudi nationals were killed and others injured in two attacks on Riyadh's main airport on Thursday, claimed by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The attacks mark an escalation in fighting between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen's government. Earlier reports of explosions heard in the capital and the airport's closure preceded confirmation of the deaths by Saudi authorities.

A Russian glide-bomb strike on a bus stop killed at least 30 people, the Wall Street Journal reported, while CNN put the toll at least 33, calling it the deadliest single attack this year in Ukraine. Officials said separate strikes across Ukraine killed two and wounded five more on Friday. Zelenskiy said Russian strikes killed over 70 people in two days and accused the US of inaction, Reuters reported.

South Africa withdrew an asylum directive following violence that erupted over the policy, with cars torched and shops looted in protests described as anti-migrant. South Africa has experienced recurrent outbreaks of violence targeting migrants from neighbouring countries. The protests had raged over the asylum ruling before the directive was withdrawn.

UK counterterrorism police arrested two Latvian nationals, ages 32 and 36, under the National Security Act 2023 after they were found inside the perimeter of RAF Molesworth early Thursday. The base, used by the US and NATO, houses an intelligence hub and is undergoing a $556.5 million expansion. Ministry of Defense Police began investigating after finding an abandoned vehicle near the fence the previous evening. No motive has been stated.

South Korea recalled its ambassador to Ukraine on Thursday after President Lee Jae Myung had threatened unspecified punitive steps unless Kyiv apologized over its disclosure that two North Korean prisoners of war had defected to South Korea. Seoul says President Volodymyr Zelensky broke a confidentiality agreement by revealing the transfer last month. The move escalates the diplomatic dispute between the two countries.

Russia's public health watchdog said it has completed checks after a researcher at the Irkutsk plague institute died, repeating that she died of pneumonia unrelated to her lab work and denying reports of another infection. A local official had initially linked the death to plague. The researcher's mother has rejected the official account, saying she knows the truth.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration's push for NATO members to increase defense spending is "not hostile," describing it as a long-standing US request. He separately said the war in Ukraine has reached a dangerous stalemate. His comments were made in the context of ongoing discussions about alliance burden-sharing and the conflict.