Thursday, October 15, 2026

A bipartisan coalition of eight state attorneys general filed lawsuits against OpenAI on Wednesday, alleging the company misled users about ChatGPT's safety. The states claim OpenAI pushed forward with developing its AI products despite knowing they required safety guardrails, and allege the chatbot endangers children, deceives parents and violates state consumer protection laws.

Federal law enforcement, including the FBI and U.S. Capitol Police, is investigating letters containing suspicious substances mailed to state election officials and congressional offices nationwide. Election offices in Ohio, Louisiana and Oklahoma confirmed receiving packages containing white powder. The letters were sent to secretaries of state and members of Congress in recent days, prompting the federal investigation.

Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said she was assured Rep. Ilhan Omar would be held accountable if found to have committed immigration fraud, after federal agents searched Omar's Washington home Monday and seized her phone. Investigators have subpoenaed Omar's relatives over questions about her birth date and immigration paperwork; the Daily Caller reported nearly a dozen subpoenas. The nature of the broader investigation remains unspecified.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a lawsuit on Wednesday challenging the legality of Jared Kushner's role as a volunteer envoy in the Trump administration. The group argues Kushner's position violates the Constitution's Appointments Clause and seeks to bar him from exercising government authority without formal Senate-confirmed appointment.

Ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty Thursday to new US charges alleging conspiracy to torture people, including detained American citizens, to help Maduro hold onto power. In a New York court, Maduro called the allegations "false" and told the judge, "I reject this document entirely."

The Justice Department sued California on Wednesday, seeking to block the counting of mail ballots from voters it alleges are likely noncitizens ahead of the November 3 election. The suit follows a DOJ demand that officials review a federal list of suspected noncitizen voters within 48 hours. California Secretary of State Shirley Weber's office said the DOJ never provided the list and called the demand unsupported by evidence or legal authority.

Nine former FBI employees who worked on the classified documents investigation into President Trump sued FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Todd Blanche on Thursday, alleging their terminations were unlawful. The lawsuit seeks to have them reinstated. According to the suit, a motivating factor for the dismissals was scrutiny of Patel following his trip to the Milan Olympics.

Alexandros Paporakis, 19, of Palatine, Illinois, was arrested Sunday and charged with making a terrorist threat and unlawfully possessing weapons after allegedly plotting a mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Aurora. Police said he had a white supremacy manifesto. He has appeared in court near Chicago; a Taco Bell worker reportedly reported suspicious activity that led to the plot being foiled.

The White House and Pentagon have prepared plans to use a GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, nicknamed the

The Producer Price Index rose 6.3% over the year to September, the largest annual increase since 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Rising energy costs, including higher gasoline prices, drove the increase in wholesale prices paid by businesses. Separately, retail sales rose 0.8% in September, according to Newsmax, as consumer spending remained resilient despite the pickup in producer-level inflation.

Houthi missiles struck the Maashiq Presidential Palace in Aden, killing two people, Yemen's information minister said. The prime minister and other ministers were unhurt, officials said. Saudi Arabia has said Iran is fueling Yemen's conflict; the Houthis are backed by Iran.

The roof of a private school in Peshawar, Pakistan, collapsed through three classrooms on Thursday, killing a teacher and students. Reported death tolls range from at least 20 to 33 children, with injury counts ranging from 19 to more than 50, according to various officials and outlets. Authorities ordered checks of all schools following the collapse. The cause has not been stated.

Anti-government protests entered a third day in Albania, fueled partly by opposition to a luxury resort project linked to Jared Kushner, alongside discontent over corruption and the cost of living. Prime Minister Edi Rama offered to meet protesters to ease tensions but said he would not resign. Earlier unrest had centered on student demonstrations over university conditions and job prospects.

Elon Musk said Starlink restrictions that disrupted Ukrainian military communications were caused by the U.S. Defense Department and ultimately by President Trump. Starlink serves as a key high-speed internet link for Ukrainian forces on the battlefield. No U.S. official has confirmed Musk's claim, and SpaceX has not explained the restrictions.

China and North Korea opened the New Yalu River Bridge on Thursday, more than a decade after construction finished on the Chinese side. Called the biggest bridge linking the two countries, it is intended to boost trade between them, which continues despite international sanctions imposed on North Korea.

Brazil's Senate approved a constitutional amendment reducing the standard workweek to five days, 11 days before the presidential runoff election. Supporters of President Lula hope the measure will boost his popularity ahead of the vote.

Novelist Sally Rooney said her publisher stopped selling her books in the United Kingdom after she pledged royalties to Palestine Action, a group the British government banned as a terrorist organization last year. Funding a proscribed group is a crime under UK law. Rooney's publisher withdrew titles including "Normal People" and "Intermezzo" from British stores, prompting criticism from some, including Amnesty International UK, that the move amounts to censorship over her political views.