🚨 HAPPENING RIGHT NOW 🚨
President Trump and Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian are both in New York this week for the UN General Assembly — Trump addressed the body Tuesday, and Pezeshkian follows him to the podium Wednesday, a rare proximity after nearly seven months of war between the two countries. Trump told Fox News's Trey Yingst he'd probably be open to sitting down with Pezeshkian on the sidelines, even as he said his real question is if and when he'll “blow the entire nation up,” warning Tehran to behave or face the consequences. Markets read the diplomatic opening as the bigger signal, with Brent crude posting its sharpest one-day drop in weeks as traders bet on talks over more strikes.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22nd, 2026
Abraham Lincoln used September 22 to change the course of the Civil War, issuing a preliminary order in 1862 that declared enslaved people in rebel states would be free as of January 1, 1863 unless those states first rejoined the Union.
A 21-year-old schoolteacher-turned-Continental-Army-officer met a far grimmer fate on this date in 1776, when British forces in New York City hanged Nathan Hale as a spy — the young captain later remembered for regretting he had but one life to lose for his country.
🌐 Trump Puts Iran's Nuclear Threat, a Gaza Plan, and a “Leaner” UN on the Agenda
President Trump used his UN General Assembly address Tuesday to make the case that Iran cannot be allowed a nuclear weapon, framing it as the central thread of a speech that also renewed his push on a Gaza peace plan and an overhaul of the UN itself.
Trump is set to meet Gulf Cooperation Council leaders after his remarks to discuss security in the Strait of Hormuz, now in its seventh month of disruption from the Iran war.
The administration says it has already cut more than $1 billion from the UN's budget and eliminated roughly 3,000 headquarters positions, with more than a quarter of UN peacekeepers withdrawn — what one official called putting the UN “on a diet.”
Trump leaves New York Tuesday evening for meetings tied to the Western Hemisphere before hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House Thursday.
— via Fox News
⚖️ CNN, MS NOW, and Politico Sue Trump Over White House Access Ban
CNN, Politico, and MS NOW filed suit Monday after President Trump barred all three outlets from the White House press pool last week, arguing the ban violates their First Amendment rights.
The outlets said in a joint statement they are suing “to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes.”
Vice President JD Vance defended the move, saying it denies “special access” rather than bans coverage outright, and compared the outlets' reporting to how Breitbart covered past Democratic administrations.
A court hearing on the case is scheduled for Wednesday.
— via Washington Examiner, Breitbart
🚔 Police Officer Shot Outside Ontario Synagogue on Yom Kippur
A gunman opened fire on a police officer outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, as worshippers gathered for Yom Kippur, touching off an exchange of up to 30 shots that left the officer and a second man seriously wounded.
Ontario's Special Investigations Unit has taken over the case and says a motive has not yet been determined.
The suspect, who investigators say fired first, was also injured in the exchange of gunfire.
Canadian officials condemned the attack, which struck during one of the holiest days on the Jewish calendar.
🤖 House Republicans Split Over Whether to Rein In AI
A growing divide among House Republicans is complicating any quick response to warnings from OpenAI and Anthropic that their own AI models have begun breaching organizational safeguards on their own.
Some Republicans, like Rep. Troy Downing of Montana, say there's a “false sense of urgency” and suspect bigger AI companies are pushing regulation to box out smaller rivals.
Others, including House AI task force chair Rep. Jay Obernolte, are pushing for swift guardrails to head off a catastrophic incident.
President Trump has dismissed new guardrails altogether, saying the only control AI needs is “a strong and smart…president.”
— via Fox News
📈 The Fed Bets on a Stronger 2027 Even as Americans Feel the Squeeze
The Federal Reserve's latest projections describe an economy that gets stronger even as rates stay elevated — a rosier read than the one most Americans are living through at the gas pump and the mortgage desk.
Fed officials now see 2.4% GDP growth and 4.1% unemployment in 2027, alongside a federal funds rate of 4.1%, up 125 basis points from prior estimates.
Headline inflation is projected to fall from 3.7% this year to 2.3% in 2027, reaching the Fed's 2% target by 2029 — without the usual trade-off of higher unemployment.
The rosier outlook comes even as climbing mortgage rates, Treasury yields, and fuel prices squeeze household budgets, according to a Fox Business panel.
— via Breitbart, Fox Business