Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Judge Ana C. Reyes indicated Monday she is likely to extend an order blocking further tree clearing at East Potomac Golf Links, saying she did not find credible the administration's claim that cutting down hundreds of trees was unrelated to Trump's plan to renovate the course into championship links. The government cited a 2019 landscape report to justify the removals. Trump posted photos online for the judge to

The Supreme Court on Monday denied petitions from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Mustafa al-Hawsawi and Walid bin Attash, accused plotters of the September 11 attacks, seeking to restore 2024 plea agreements that would have spared them the death penalty. The deals were revoked by the Pentagon. The court gave no explanation; Justice Brett Kavanaugh recused himself. The men face a military trial, keeping the death penalty possible.

The Justice Department charged 28 people in California with election-related offenses, including allegations that some illegally registered and voted as noncitizens. Federal agents arrested 11 noncitizens Monday morning in an operation called "Protect the Vote." The action follows a DOJ lawsuit against California and an emergency court request to stop the state from processing ballots from voters flagged as likely noncitizens. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the number shows "there is no widespread voter fraud."

The Department of Homeland Security again kept Temporary Protected Status in place for more than 100,000 Ukrainian nationals and nearly 1,800 Sudanese nationals after it was set to expire Monday. This follows a similar last-minute extension last month. DHS said it has not made a final decision on the programs' long-term status and will announce one

Elon Musk said on X early Monday that he will give one of his SpaceX shares to every child in America next year, calling it "the first of many." He did not specify whether that meant all minors under 18 or some other group. At Friday's closing price of $146.03, giving a share to each of the roughly 72 million Americans under 18 would be worth about $10.5 billion. The pledge followed Anthropic's announcement that it would dedicate 5% of its shares to a public benefit fund.

A National Guard member was shot in the leg late Sunday around 11:10 p.m. in the 400 block of a Southeast Washington street while trying to break up a fight, police said. The suspect was shot in return fire and hospitalized along with the guard member; both injuries were described as not life-threatening. President Trump called the shooting "very sad."

Vice President JD Vance said Monday he would not endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reelection bid, telling 2WAY Tonight, "I'm not anti-endorsing him. I'm not pro-endorsing him." He said he was "not getting involved" and that he endorses American candidates. His comments followed President Trump's Sunday Truth Social post backing Netanyahu ahead of Israel's October 27 election.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unannounced visit to Israel on Monday and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ovda Air Base, where U.S. refueling planes and fighter jets are stationed, officials said. The visit comes about eight days before Israel's election and amid U.S.-Israeli discussions about potentially resuming major combat operations against Iran. The Pentagon and Israeli Embassy declined to comment.

Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student, asked the Supreme Court on Monday to take up his case and let federal courts quickly review the legality of immigration detentions. He seeks to block the Trump administration from rearresting him and to sue over alleged First Amendment violations, saying his earlier months-long detention was retaliation for pro-Palestinian speech.

The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear Association for Education Fairness v. Montgomery County Board of Education, a challenge to magnet middle school admissions in Montgomery County, Maryland. The group, represented by the Pacific Legal Foundation, claims the admissions policy, changed in 2020, is unlawfully discriminatory. The justices limited review to whether challengers must show an aggregate disparate impact on the targeted racial group's share of applicants. The case follows the court's 2023 ruling against affirmative action in higher education.

Albertans voted in the province's first-ever referendum on separation, rejecting a move toward independence and backing remaining in Canada, early results showed Tuesday. The vote did not itself decide independence but would have begun a process toward a future separation vote. Prime Minister Mark Carney called it "a clear choice" for national unity. The campaign exposed divisions in the oil-rich province.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has asked the Royal Air Force to fly defensive missions to protect Saudi Arabia from Houthi attacks, according to British officials. The move follows Saudi Arabia's postponement of its Future Investment Initiative conference, known as 'Davos in the Desert,' originally set for Oct. 26-29 in Riyadh, to 2027 after a series of Houthi attacks on Saudi airports.

Canada has sent 50 investigators to examine a fire at a Canadian military base that killed four soldiers and injured 39 others, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday. Questions are mounting over why training continued despite officials knowing a fire was burning nearby. The cause remains under investigation.

A Kenyan court convicted Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, leader of a Christian doomsday cult, of 191 murders, including 190 children, many killed by starvation. Mackenzie had told followers in a remote forest to fast in order to meet Jesus. He faced trial after hundreds of bodies were exhumed; more than 400 followers of the cult died in total.

Independent lawmaker Helen Haines was critically injured Monday when a vehicle deliberately struck her, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. She lost one leg, and doctors are working to save the other, according to family of the suspect, who was arrested. Reuters reported anti-terror police are investigating. She remained in critical but stable condition Tuesday.

Gangs in Haiti attacked foreign troops in what was described as the biggest assault since a new multinational security force began operations in the country. The force was deployed to help combat gang violence that has overwhelmed Haitian police.

A landslide struck a small-scale gold mine in southwestern Colombia on Monday, killing at least 14 people and injuring seven, according to Reuters and the Associated Press; UPI initially reported at least nine dead with an unknown number trapped. The mine is among numerous unlicensed small operations in Colombia driven by rising gold prices, the New York Times reported.

President Trump said Monday he would be willing to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, possibly alongside the APEC meeting in Shenzhen next month, to discuss denuclearization, not necessarily Ukraine. He said no agreement has been reached. The Kremlin has floated such a meeting since July, with Putin raising it in phone calls with Trump, including one last week. China has not expressed willingness to participate.

French authorities extended overnight curfews in parts of Paris after a night described as calm, the prime minister said, as the state seeks to reassert control following the country's largest riots in years. Curfews were first imposed in two areas of the capital over the weekend to prevent further disorder after rioting. Those arrested during the unrest are facing expedited trials.