September 27-October 3, 2026
NEWS DIGEST
As they say, if your vote wasn’t valuable, they wouldn’t be trying so hard to stop you from voting. Have you made a plan yet? If you’re all set with your choices, share them with friends and family and encourage (shame!!) them to vote! Return your completed ballot as soon as possible and use a ballot box drop-off if that is available in your area. Happy voting!
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
US economy grew a solid 2.2% in the second quarter, government says, upgrading previous estimate: The second-quarter growth was an improvement on the department’s previous estimate of 1.5% — a surprise to economists who had expected little or no change in the GDP number. AP
US job growth undershoots expectations in September, but labor market remains stable: US job growth slowed more than expected in September and the nonfarm payrolls count for the prior two months was revised sharply lower, almost taking another interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve this month off the table. REUTERS
Americans’ view of the economy sinks to the lowest level since 2014: Americans’ confidence in the economy sank to the lowest level in more than a decade this month as prices remain elevated and wages stagnate amid the ongoing Iran war. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index tumbled 6.7 points to 81.9 in September, down from 88.6 in August. That’s the lowest reading in the board’s survey since April 2014 and below the lowest level reached during the pandemic. AP
Third aircraft carrier and thousands of troops head to Mideast as Trump weighs new Iran strikes: The U.S. military is dispatching roughly 9,000 troops aboard a group of ships to the Middle East, a U.S. official said Thursday. The bolstering of the American military presence comes as President Donald Trump warned anew that new strikes against Iran could be on the horizon. AP
“A Massive Power Grab”: White House Proposal Threatens Funding That Helps Disabled Americans Vote: A new rule from the Office of Management and Budget would prohibit anyone from using federal grant money for voter registration drives. It’s part of the Trump administration’s broader efforts to restrict voting access. PRO PUBLICA
USPS pushes back measures that ensure mail ballots arrive on time: Each election year, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) takes extra steps to ensure ballots sent through the mail arrive at election offices on time. This year, it’s delaying those efforts. The USPS has pushed back the start date for its “extraordinary measures” by five days, in comparison to past elections, according to a memo sent out to all USPS employees Wednesday. DEMOCRACY DOCKET
Overreliance On Palantir AI Technology Played Role In Iran School Bombing: U.S. war planners' overconfidence in artificial intelligence tools and misplaced belief that the tools possessed capabilities beyond their intended scope were among the factors in the deadly strike on an Iranian school, Bloomberg reported, citing Pentagon officials involved in an internal investigation of the incident. YAHOO NEWS
CORRUPTION ALERT
Trump's CFTC Is Suing States for Kalshi and Polymarket, Backed by Trump Jr.: The Trump administration is going to bat for the prediction market industry, now tangled in lawsuits in at least 20 states, after giants Kalshi and Polymarket hired revolving-door lobbyists this year from both the Democratic and Republican sides of the aisle—and as Donald Trump Jr. holds investments in both companies. SLUDGE
Lawmakers call for action on ‘plainly illegal’ taxpayer-funded ads to promote Trump: The Trump administration is facing growing questions over whether it illegally used taxpayer money to air television ads promoting Donald Trump five weeks before the US midterm elections. Two congressional Democrats, Jamie Raskin of Maryland and George Whitesides of California, have asked federal watchdogs to investigate the ads. THE GUARDIAN
DESI NEWS
South Asians Face Surging Racism in America: Anti-South Asian hate speech and discriminatory rhetoric have surged significantly across the United States, driven by immigration debates, economic anxiety, and political polarization. Lately, some South Asians have found themselves wondering whether their success is now a double-edged sword, especially when economic anxieties are high. The concerns have intensified as the Trump administration has sought to restrict legal and illegal immigration, and federal and some Republican state officials have repeatedly accused immigrants of taking jobs from Americans.NYT
Hero Indian Captain on flydubai prevented a Second 9/11 terror attack, saved 174: The Indian pilot who fought off a savage attack by his copilot and helped prevent an apparent hijack of a Flydubai plane heading to Israel with more than 170 people on board is being hailed as a hero. Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed while trying to fend off the attacker, leaving him badly wounded. During the struggle the cockpit door was opened, allowing other passengers to rush in, subdue his assailant, and take control of the plane that was enroute to Tel Aviv. CNN
Modi speaks with Trump as India seeks interim deal with US: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump agreed to maintain close engagement to advance the countries' strategic partnership, New Delhi said on Wednesday, as India's trade minister holds talks in the United States aimed at securing an interim trade deal. In a telephone conversation, Modi and Trump reviewed bilateral cooperation in trade, defence, energy and critical technologies. REUTERS
SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND SAFETY
Florida’s dengue outbreak is now the largest in the continental US in decades: Florida’s current dengue outbreak appears to be the largest in several decades in the continental United States. State health officials reported this week that more than 250 locally acquired cases of the mosquito-borne disease have been tallied so far this year. The vast majority of them were in Hillsborough County, home to Tampa. AP
As public fears of AI grow, Trump digs in on voluntary safeguards: Trump is eager to show that could hamper the technology's development, AI safety advocates said. The safety agreement with six companies — Nvidia, SpaceX, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta and Alphabet’s Google — includes no stated consequences if a company chooses not to comply. Trump he is addressing growing voter concerns about AI's dangers without imposing restrictions described it as “morally binding.” REUTERS
National Science Foundation Diverted $1.4 Billion in Science Funds Mandated by Congress: The National Science Foundation, one of the biggest sources of federal research funding, withheld $1.4 billion that Congress had intended for research over the course of the past year, according to internal data reviewed by The New York Times. The extraordinary move — holding back about one-fifth of the N.S.F.’s primary research budget — is the latest sign of how the Trump administration is finding creative ways to work around Congress. Lawmakers from both parties have consistently opposed White House-led proposals to cut funding to major science agencies, including the N.S.F. and the National Institutes of Health.
Trump Guts the Biden-Era Rule That Forced Cars to Be More Fuel Efficient: President Donald Trump has moved to significantly reduce how far vehicles must be able travel on a single gallon gas, loosening standards as part of his larger push to eliminate federal support for electric vehicles. Fuel standards generally require vehicle manufacturers to make their entire fleet, on average, more efficient each year. Under President Joe Biden, the standards were tightened in order to get Americans’ cars to a fuel economy of 50.4 miles per gallon by 2031. The Trump administration’s change reduces that target to 34.9 miles per gallon by 2031. WASHINGTON SUN
Newsletter courtesy of They See Blue (theyseeblue.org)
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