Thursday, October 15, 2026

The Consumer Price Index rose 3.7% over the year to September, after holding steady the prior month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Monthly prices increased 0.6%, driven largely by a 9.1% jump in gas prices. U.S. stocks fell following the report amid a broader AI-related sell-off and expectations of another Federal Reserve rate increase. The data arrived ahead of the midterm elections and keeps pressure on President Trump and the Fed over price pressures.

Investigators are examining whether Rep. Ilhan Omar's citizenship application falsely listed her age as 17 instead of 18, which could have affected her eligibility, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing officials. The goal is to revoke her citizenship and seek deportation, the Journal said. NewsNation reported more than 15 subpoenas have been issued, while the Daily Caller reported nearly a dozen. The DOJ seized Omar's phone and subpoenaed family members, NBC News reported, after ICE investigators searched her Washington home Monday. Homeland Security had reviewed a similar tip under the Biden administration but found insufficient evidence of fraud.

A federal appeals court heard arguments Wednesday over President Trump's deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., which has continued for more than a year. A three-judge panel questioned whether the deployment could continue indefinitely and whether there are limits on a president's authority to call up the Guard in the capital. An administration attorney argued Trump has broad authority to do so. The District of Columbia is challenging the deployment.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted the federal government a preliminary injunction on Wednesday against California's No Vigilantes Act provision requiring immigration officers to visibly identify themselves while on duty. The three-judge panel ruled the state cannot regulate federal agents' performance of governmental functions without congressional authorization, citing the Supremacy Clause. The ruling reverses a lower court decision that had refused to block the law.

Netflix told employees Wednesday it is cutting about 1,000 jobs, roughly 6% of its workforce, mainly in product, tech, legal and human-resources teams. Co-CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos said in a memo the company was making "focused choices across the business" and remained on track to meet its full-year forecast. The move follows slowing revenue growth and a stock decline of more than 40% over the past year.

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.

In a court filing ahead of a Wednesday case management conference, OpenAI alleged a former employee, who worked at Apple before and after a six-month stint at OpenAI, sent over 100 confidential files about an unreleased OpenAI device to his personal accounts, some on his last day, June 2. OpenAI also alleged he briefed senior Apple executives on its product plans. Apple denied the accusation. The claim arose within Apple's lawsuit accusing OpenAI of stealing its trade secrets by poaching two former Apple employees who breached their IP agreements.

Ukrainian officials said Starlink access has improved after SpaceX imposed unexplained restrictions Tuesday night, but speed limits are still disrupting battlefield "missions." Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said in a social media post that SpaceX was reinstating speeds and thanked Elon Musk. Musk said the US government may be behind the slowdown. A senior US official denied the Trump administration was involved; Ukrainian officials remain suspicious amid tensions over Trump's Russia oil policy.

The Social Security Administration announced a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment for 2027, the largest since 2023, affecting 76 million retirement and disability recipients. The change, calculated from third-quarter Consumer Price Index data, will raise the average retiree's benefits by about $900 a year, or $75 a month. The taxable earnings cap will also rise, from $184,500 to $192,300.

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.

Ukrainian drones struck a refinery in Russia's Ryazan region early Thursday after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a brief truce, which Russia had spurned, was over. Zelenskyy had paused the strikes to comply with a US demand, but accused Washington of a "dangerous" withdrawal of intelligence support critical to Ukraine's defense, saying "we're done."

Two cargo ships sank near the Strait of Hormuz this week as attacks on vessels in the waterway increased, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Singapore-flagged GFS Pride was hit by a projectile on Tuesday and sank, with all 21 sailors evacuated safely, Singapore maritime authorities said. Iran said a separate ship sank after striking a mine. The Wall Street Journal said the U.S. military has been escorting oil tankers through the strait.

The roof of a private school collapsed in Peshawar, in northwestern Pakistan, on Thursday, killing a teacher and students. Death tolls varied across reports, from at least 20 to 32 children, with dozens more injured — estimates ranging from 19 to more than 50. Pakistan's prime minister urged rescuers to speed up the search for survivors. The cause of the collapse was not stated.

Violent anti-government protests spread across Albania this week, with thousands of students joining demonstrations over university conditions and job prospects. Protesters set government buildings alight and clashed with authorities on October 14. Prime Minister Edi Rama offered to meet with demonstrators to ease tensions on October 15 but said he would not resign.

Mauritius police said calm was restored Thursday after days of unrest described as the country's worst riots in decades. The violence began over water shortages and escalated after police shot a woman. Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam had imposed a curfew to contain the protests before order was reported restored.

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.

The trial of Serhii K, a former Ukrainian army officer accused of involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines that carried Russian gas to Germany, opened in Hamburg. German prosecutors charge him with a war crime over the alleged plot. His lawyers sought dismissal of the case as proceedings began, four years after the pipeline attacks.

Russia detained a Japanese journalist, alleging he gathered information about Russia's defense capabilities for Tokyo. Japan protested the arrest. Tensions between Tokyo and Moscow have been rising since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Yemen-based Houthi movement is developing its own ballistic missile using components sourced from China, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing an unpublished Conflict Armament Research report. The missile would be modeled on Iran's Kheibar Shekan and could have a range of 1,200 miles, compared to the Iranian version's roughly 900 miles, extending potential reach to Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE and Israel.