🚨 HAPPENING RIGHT NOW 🚨
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still absorbing return fire this morning after his fiery UN General Assembly address, in which he turned directly on New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and declared "you can't silence me, you can't silence the truth," accusing him of embracing Hamas sympathizers. Netanyahu used the speech to claim Israel had defeated its enemies on "seven fronts," including Iran, and branded diplomats who walked out mid-speech "moral cowards" — but by early this morning, Iran's deputy foreign minister was firing back, dismissing the entire address as a "publicity stunt" and noting that 77 delegations left the hall before he finished. Qatar separately rejected Netanyahu's accusations as a distraction from alleged Palestinian-territory violations, even as Saudi Arabia said it intercepted six Houthi ballistic missiles overnight and the UAE joined other nations suspending Iranian airline flights.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25th, 2026
Before we get to today's news, here's what happened on this date in history. San Diego's North Park neighborhood was transformed into a debris field on this date in 1978, when a Pacific Southwest Airlines Boeing 727 collided in midair with a small Cessna practicing landings, killing 144 people, including seven on the ground, after the wreckage plunged into 22 homes below. Investigators later found that the Cessna had drifted off its assigned altitude without alerting air traffic control, while the airliner's crew briefly spotted the smaller plane, lost sight of it, and never radioed a warning before the two aircraft came together.
A different kind of history was made three years later, in 1981, when the U.S. Supreme Court got its first female member as she took the constitutional oath in a private ceremony at the Court, ending nearly 192 years of an all-male bench and went on to serve as a pivotal swing vote for a quarter-century. She had been nominated by President Reagan fulfilling a campaign pledge and was confirmed by a unanimous Senate vote just ten days earlier.
🚨 Senate Blocks 14th Bid to End Iran War as Vulnerable Republicans Stick With Trump
The GOP-controlled Senate on Thursday narrowly voted down the latest bipartisan war powers resolution aimed at forcing an end to the five-month-old conflict with Iran, marking the 14th such attempt since fighting began in February and the first since gas and diesel prices became a flashpoint in the midterm campaign. Most Republicans facing competitive re-election races stuck with President Trump despite public unease over the war's toll, while Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who has flip-flopped on past votes, again sided against the resolution after receiving a briefing from the administration.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) accused Trump of launching the war "impulsively, without a clear set of achievable objectives"
A CSIS estimate cited in the debate found the U.S. Patriot missile stockpile has fallen from 2,330 to 759 interceptors since the war began, with THAAD interceptors down from 452 to 234
Cassidy said any deployment of ground troops would legally require a separate congressional declaration of war
⚖️ Judge Orders White House to Restore CNN, MS NOW and Politico Access — Outlets Head Back to the Briefing Room
A federal judge handed the Trump administration a legal setback Wednesday, ordering it to restore White House press credentials to CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters after the outlets sued over a ban the president announced last week for what he called reporting "FICTION and LIES." U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly's temporary restraining order, which runs 14 days while the case continues, found the outlets were likely to succeed on their constitutional claims even as the Justice Department argued White House access is a privilege, not a right.
The three outlets had their credentials deactivated or physically confiscated after the ban took effect
Fox, ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC had all suspended their coordinated pool coverage of the president in solidarity before the ruling
The White House reportedly kept blocking the outlets for a stretch even after the judge's order, before relenting
🎏 'Free Hong Kong' Chants Drown Out Marine Band as Protesters Crash Trump-Xi State Dinner
President Trump's state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping Wednesday night played out to the sound of protest, as demonstrators gathered across the street in Lafayette Park chanted "Free Hong Kong" and "Xi Jinping, you're not welcome" loudly enough to overpower the Marine Corps band inside. Tibetan, Uyghur, Hong Kong democracy, Chinese pro-democracy and Falun Gong groups organized the demonstration, with some dressed as Winnie the Pooh in a nod to the meme comparing the character to Xi, while organizers demanded the release of political prisoners including Uyghur physician Dr. Gulshan Abbas.
The 134-guest dinner included tech titans Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook and Jeff Bezos
Talks between Trump and Xi reportedly touched on artificial intelligence, intellectual-property theft, trade practices and rare-earth minerals
Fox News said it asked the White House whether any prisoner releases were being negotiated as part of the visit
🗳️ NJ Gov. Sherrill Demands Lt. Gov. Caldwell Resign After Sexual Harassment Findings
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill called Thursday for Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell to step down after an independent investigation substantiated a sexual harassment complaint against him along with two ethics violations, including bringing unpaid guests to ticketed events and pushing for a promotion for someone he was romantically involved with without disclosing the relationship. Investigators found Caldwell not credible after he denied telling a female staffer that "you young women are looking for young sperm" regarding her friend's romantic disinterest, and Sherrill called his conduct "extremely troubling" and demanded his resignation by Friday.
Sherrill said the findings showed "a pattern of behavior" that persisted despite prior training and warnings
She said Caldwell's departure was "necessary and in the best interest of New Jersey residents"
Caldwell has denied all the allegations, calling them "false and misleading" and insisting the facts will vindicate him
— Fox News
🔪 Pittsburgh-Area Pediatric Doctor Stabbed to Death in His Bed, Wife Critically Wounded
A UPMC Children's Hospital pediatric critical care physician was stabbed to death and his wife critically wounded early Thursday when a man police say broke into their Edgewood, Pennsylvania home and attacked the sleeping couple with a kitchen knife. Dr. Idris Evans's wife told police the intruder, wearing only underwear, was making statements "about being God" as he assaulted them around 12:31 a.m. — she directed the couple's two children, ages 8 and 12, to flee to a neighbor's house before a K-9 unit tracked the suspect to a spot behind a nearby home with cuts on his hand.
Suspect Elijah Hemingway, 32, faces criminal homicide, aggravated assault, burglary and criminal trespass charges
Evans's wife remains in critical but stable condition
Investigators are exploring a possible prior connection between the victim and suspect after the victim reportedly called the attacker by name
— Fox News