Lead Story
Italian NATO jet shoots down drone in first-ever airspace incursion incident over Lithuania
An Italian Eurofighter, one of two scrambled from Šiauliai Air Base, shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus shortly after midnight on Tuesday, September 15-16, 2026, the Lithuanian National Crisis Management Centre said. The drone was destroyed near the southern village of Pratkunai, close to Kaunas, in what officials called the first time a drone has been shot down in Lithuanian airspace since the country joined NATO. Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said the threat 'most probably came from Russia,' while Lithuanian officials said examination of the recovered wreckage, which air force commander Antanas Matutis said likely carried explosives, should confirm its origin and whether the incursion was a deliberate provocation.
Read more →Lead Story
Italian NATO jet shoots down drone in first-ever airspace incursion incident over Lithuania
An Italian Eurofighter, one of two scrambled from Šiauliai Air Base, shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus shortly after midnight on Tuesday, September 15-16, 2026, the Lithuanian National Crisis Management Centre said. The drone was destroyed near the southern village of Pratkunai, close to Kaunas, in what officials called the first time a drone has been shot down in Lithuanian airspace since the country joined NATO. Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said the threat 'most probably came from Russia,' while Lithuanian officials said examination of the recovered wreckage, which air force commander Antanas Matutis said likely carried explosives, should confirm its origin and whether the incursion was a deliberate provocation.
Pennsylvania records fourth measles death as statewide outbreak nears 700 cases
Pennsylvania health officials confirmed a fourth measles-associated death on Monday, September 14-15, 2026, after an 18-year-old Mifflin County resident died of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, a rare neurological complication of the disease. The outbreak, the state's first measles fatalities in 35 years, has now reached roughly 693 cases across 38 counties, including two infant deaths in Lancaster County and a 40-year-old woman in Jefferson County, with 133 people hospitalized statewide this year. Some of those infected had been vaccinated, officials said, as the case count continues climbing toward 700 despite the state's public vaccination push.
Read more →Pennsylvania records fourth measles death as statewide outbreak nears 700 cases
Pennsylvania health officials confirmed a fourth measles-associated death on Monday, September 14-15, 2026, after an 18-year-old Mifflin County resident died of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, a rare neurological complication of the disease. The outbreak, the state's first measles fatalities in 35 years, has now reached roughly 693 cases across 38 counties, including two infant deaths in Lancaster County and a 40-year-old woman in Jefferson County, with 133 people hospitalized statewide this year. Some of those infected had been vaccinated, officials said, as the case count continues climbing toward 700 despite the state's public vaccination push.
US House set to vote on Russia-Iran-North Korea sanctions bill giving Trump 100% tariff power over India, China
The House Rules Committee voted 7-3 late on September 14, 2026, to advance a rule setting up final floor consideration of the bipartisan 'Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026' on September 16. The bill, which the Senate passed 86-11 in August, would let President Trump impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries that are major buyers of Russian oil and gas — chiefly India and China — while extending sanctions on Iran's energy and weapons sectors for five more years and adding new North Korea sanctions. Its passage remains uncertain: some Democrats warn the measure hands Trump sweeping tariff authority he could also turn against US allies.
Read more →US House set to vote on Russia-Iran-North Korea sanctions bill giving Trump 100% tariff power over India, China
The House Rules Committee voted 7-3 late on September 14, 2026, to advance a rule setting up final floor consideration of the bipartisan 'Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026' on September 16. The bill, which the Senate passed 86-11 in August, would let President Trump impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries that are major buyers of Russian oil and gas — chiefly India and China — while extending sanctions on Iran's energy and weapons sectors for five more years and adding new North Korea sanctions. Its passage remains uncertain: some Democrats warn the measure hands Trump sweeping tariff authority he could also turn against US allies.
Supreme Court blocks Trump administration's mail-in ballot rules for the 2026 midterms
The Supreme Court on Monday, September 14-15, 2026, rejected the Trump administration's bid to enforce a new US Postal Service rule requiring states to redesign mail ballot envelopes with high-speed scanning barcodes and to submit voter details to a federal portal before ballots could ship. The Court left in place a District Court injunction, finding the administration 'unlikely to succeed on the merits' of its challenge; concurring conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh said the rule might eventually be lawful but that applying it to the 2026 elections was 'arbitrary and capricious' because officials lack time to implement it before voting begins. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, while the ruling clears the way for mail-in voting to proceed under existing rules in this year's midterms.
Read more →Supreme Court blocks Trump administration's mail-in ballot rules for the 2026 midterms
The Supreme Court on Monday, September 14-15, 2026, rejected the Trump administration's bid to enforce a new US Postal Service rule requiring states to redesign mail ballot envelopes with high-speed scanning barcodes and to submit voter details to a federal portal before ballots could ship. The Court left in place a District Court injunction, finding the administration 'unlikely to succeed on the merits' of its challenge; concurring conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh said the rule might eventually be lawful but that applying it to the 2026 elections was 'arbitrary and capricious' because officials lack time to implement it before voting begins. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, while the ruling clears the way for mail-in voting to proceed under existing rules in this year's midterms.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it downed two more US drones over the Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its Aerospace Force's air defenses destroyed a second US-operated MQ-1 drone near the Strait of Hormuz shortly before dawn on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, just hours after downing a first one in the same area, escalating tensions in the Gulf. Iranian state media also reported that an oil tanker caught fire after striking mines nearby, with two dozen sailors evacuated and two still missing. The claims come amid a broader flare-up in the region, with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince separately meeting the US CENTCOM chief as Houthi forces consolidate control over parts of Yemen's Red Sea coast.
Read more →Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it downed two more US drones over the Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its Aerospace Force's air defenses destroyed a second US-operated MQ-1 drone near the Strait of Hormuz shortly before dawn on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, just hours after downing a first one in the same area, escalating tensions in the Gulf. Iranian state media also reported that an oil tanker caught fire after striking mines nearby, with two dozen sailors evacuated and two still missing. The claims come amid a broader flare-up in the region, with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince separately meeting the US CENTCOM chief as Houthi forces consolidate control over parts of Yemen's Red Sea coast.