🚨 HAPPENING RIGHT NOW 🚨
A Bank of America vice president, Erin Piacenti, was fatally stabbed in Times Square Monday during her first week back from five months of maternity leave; a second victim was wounded before police shot and killed the suspect, who reportedly had a history of mental illness. Rather than mourn her, some on the left are celebrating: filmmaker Lexi Alexander reposted news of Piacenti’s death alongside an image swapping the Batman signal for Luigi Mangione’s face, dismissing backlash by calling critics “hasbara bots” and suggesting Bank of America’s ties to Israel made the killing more palatable. It’s the latest instance of the online left glorifying politically-tinged violence, echoing the celebration that followed Mangione’s alleged killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024. — Fox News
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3rd, 2026
Before we get to today’s news, here’s what happened on this date in history. On this day in 1783, the United States and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, formally ending the Revolutionary War and securing American independence.
Also on this day in 1976, NASA’s Viking 2 spacecraft touched down on Mars, sending back the first close-up color photographs of the red planet’s surface.
💥 Iran Fires Missiles, Drones at Kuwait in Retaliation for U.S. Strikes
Iran launched a barrage of missiles and drones at Kuwait early Thursday, the latest retaliation for fresh U.S. strikes on Iranian military targets along the Strait of Hormuz. Kuwaiti air defenses intercepted the incoming fire; officials called the attack “blatant Iranian aggression” and a direct threat to the country’s security.
The strike followed similar Iranian attacks on U.S. assets and allies in Bahrain and Jordan on Wednesday, both of which said they intercepted multiple incoming weapons.
President Trump said the U.S. remains prepared to strike Iran “anytime we want,” dismissing Tehran’s retaliation as a “love tap” and saying American forces destroyed “all of the new equipment” Iran tried to build along the strait.
Oil prices climbed on the news, with Brent crude up 1.7% to $97.25 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate up 1.9% to $92.71; the strait carried roughly a fifth of the world’s oil before the war shut it down.
🚓 Gunman Kills Two, Wounds Officers in Downtown Minneapolis Shooting
A shooting at a downtown Minneapolis apartment building Wednesday left at least two people dead and several others wounded, including two police officers, authorities said. The suspected shooter was also killed.
Officers responding to the scene came under fire; roughly six people in total were shot in the incident, according to early reports.
The wounded officers’ conditions were not immediately released by police.
Investigators have not yet disclosed a motive; the shooting adds to a string of violent incidents in the city this year.
🏛️ Trump Signs Stopgap Bill Funding Government Through Midterms
President Trump signed a stopgap funding bill Tuesday night, ending a brief shutdown standoff and keeping the government funded through the November midterms. The deal passed with bipartisan support after last-minute negotiations over spending levels.
The stopgap measure funds federal agencies at current levels into January, averting a shutdown that would have hit just weeks before the midterm elections.
The 45-day bill drew support from a handful of Senate Democrats after GOP leaders agreed to a vote on extending expiring health insurance subsidies.
Fiscal hawks in the House Freedom Caucus criticized the bill for not including deeper spending cuts, but leadership argued it was necessary to avoid a shutdown heading into the midterms.
🧊 ICE Sets New Monthly Record With Nearly 51,000 August Arrests
ICE arrested nearly 51,000 illegal immigrants in August, DHS said, setting a new monthly record and extending the agency’s aggressive enforcement pace under the Trump administration.
The August total matched July’s pace, with DHS crediting expanded worksite operations and interior enforcement for the sustained record numbers.
Critics, including immigrant-rights groups, said the pace has strained detention capacity and led to a rise in due-process complaints, though DHS disputes those claims.
The record pace comes amid a broader immigration crackdown that has included expanded workplace raids and increased cooperation with local law enforcement nationwide.
⚖️ Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Latest Bid to Restrict Birthright Citizenship
A federal judge on Wednesday blocked Trump’s newest attempt to restrict birthright citizenship, citing the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling on the matter. It marks at least the third time a court has halted the administration’s push to reinterpret the 14th Amendment.
The ruling applies nationwide and blocks enforcement of Trump’s executive order seeking to deny citizenship to children born to parents who are in the U.S. illegally or on temporary visas.
The Justice Department is expected to appeal, setting up another potential showdown that could return the underlying question to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court sidestepped the core constitutional question in its June ruling, leaving lower courts to keep blocking the policy nationwide for now.