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The consumer price index rose 0.6% in September and 3.7% year over year, up from 3.4% in August and above forecasts. Gasoline prices jumped 9.1% in the month, accounting for more than half the increase, with analysts tying the surge to the war with Iran. Core inflation rose 2.6% annually, and White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett insisted the energy-driven spike is temporary.
A new Fox News poll puts the president's overall approval at a record-low 36%, with his inflation rating at just 22%. Six in ten voters say the cost of living is their top economic worry, 19 days out from the November 3 midterms. Trump campaigned in Arizona and Montana on Wednesday while Democrats rolled out a first-100-days agenda.
Federal investigators have subpoenaed members of Rep. Ilhan Omar's family as part of a criminal immigration fraud investigation, days after agents raided her Washington home and seized her cellphone. Investigators are examining whether her family misstated her age on 1995 immigration paperwork and whether her late father's filings were truthful. Omar denies wrongdoing and accuses the administration of weaponizing law enforcement.
The administration is defending its decision not to invite international observers to monitor the November midterms, breaking a bipartisan practice in place since 2002. Spokeswoman Lauren Bis said American elections "will be administered, participated in, and observed by American citizens." The move lands as several election offices report envelopes containing white powder, later found to be harmless.
The Singapore-flagged container ship GFS Pride sank after a projectile strike near the Strait of Hormuz, deepening fears for commercial shipping and global oil supply. Saudi Arabia intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh after earlier strikes inflicted severe damage on Saudi Aramco's headquarters. Trump has teased further action against Iran while holding off until after the midterms; Netanyahu rejected a pre-election strike.
Russia fired 39 ballistic missiles and 120 attack drones at Ukrainian energy infrastructure overnight, damaging 26 power facilities and four oil and gas sites across Kyiv and Kharkiv. It was the third straight night of strikes on the grid Trump declared off-limits in his October 11 "energy ceasefire." Zelenskyy said Ukraine was never informed of the arrangement and has resumed hitting Russian refineries.
The Vatican confirmed the 71-year-old pontiff has lung adenocarcinoma after surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung at Rome's Gemelli Hospital. Doctors said the nodule was caught at a very early stage, the operation went without complications, and he is walking and eating again. Trump publicly wished him a speedy recovery.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission proposed eliminating the decades-old ALARA standard, which requires plants to minimize radiation exposure even when levels are already below federal limits. NRC Chair Ho Nieh said the agency is "raising the standard for regulatory clarity, not lowering the standard for safety," framing it as removing a barrier to a nuclear buildout. Critics including the Union of Concerned Scientists say there is no technical basis for the change.
In a UC San Diego preclinical trial, teleoperated humanoid robots built from modified $20,000 Unitree G1 units performed two gallbladder removals on pigs using standard surgical tools in an ordinary operating room. The machines mirrored human surgeons' movements rather than making any medical decisions, and no human patients were involved. Researchers pitch it as a path to extending surgical care where surgeons are scarce.
At Majestic Valley Arena in Kalispell, Trump told the crowd the Department of War will build a new "super range" in Montana to test hypersonic, autonomous, space and electronic warfare systems. He credited relentless lobbying by Sen. Tim Sheehy but offered no location, cost, or timeline. It is one of the largest new defense testing commitments in years, announced between applause lines at a campaign stop.
