Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at the United Nations to defend Israel’s military actions in the Middle East, especially in Gaza and Iran. He rejected claims that Israel is committing genocide and criticized countries and leaders who oppose Israel, while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned that Israeli policies threaten Palestinian existence and peace efforts.
Key Facts
Netanyahu defended Israel’s military campaigns in Gaza, Iran, and other Middle Eastern areas at the UN General Assembly.
Many UN delegates walked out during Netanyahu’s speech in protest.
Netanyahu called critics of Israel “moral cowards” and rejected accusations of genocide in Gaza.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke via video, accusing Israel of unlawful settlement expansion and harmful actions in Gaza.
Abbas warned that these actions threaten the two-state peace solution between Israel and Palestine.
Netanyahu criticized Turkish President Erdogan and New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, for their positions toward Israel.
Netanyahu thanked US President Donald Trump for supporting Israel, mentioning joint air strikes against Iran.
The Israeli military began a ground offensive in Gaza after a Hamas attack in October 2023; thousands have died in Gaza since then.
The International Association of Genocide Scholars said Israel’s actions meet the UN’s definition of genocide, but Israel denies this.
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A new bill called the Blue Collar Social Security Fairness Act was introduced to lower the Social Security retirement age to 60 for workers in physically demanding jobs, such as construction and nursing. This bill aims to help these workers retire earlier with full benefits, instead of waiting until age 67 as under current law.
Key Facts
The bill was introduced by Rep. Haley Stevens, a Democrat from Michigan.
It targets workers in physically demanding jobs, allowing them to retire at 60 with full Social Security benefits.
Currently, full retirement benefits start at age 67 for most Americans born after 1960.
People can claim benefits as early as 62 but with reduced payments.
The bill uses a points system based on years worked in tough jobs to qualify for early retirement.
The Social Security Administration would maintain a list of qualifying jobs, updated every three years.
Social Security’s trust fund faces possible insolvency by 2032, which could cause benefit cuts over 20%.
Other Social Security funding ideas include raising or removing the income cap for Social Security taxes.
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Ezra Jin, a Christian leader, was released from prison in China in July after President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to help. Jin was arrested in Beijing during raids on churches, along with many other religious leaders. Jin and his daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, spoke about his experience on CBS News.
Key Facts
Ezra Jin is a Christian leader who was imprisoned in China.
He was arrested during raids on churches in Beijing.
Many other religious leaders were also detained during these raids.
President Donald Trump personally asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to help secure Jin’s release.
Ezra Jin was freed from prison in July.
Jin and his daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, shared their story with CBS News.
The case highlights issues of religious persecution in China.
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Actors Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder were arrested during a protest outside the United Nations in New York City. The protest, with about 100 arrests, happened before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech at the UN.
Key Facts
Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder were arrested at a protest in New York City.
Around 100 people were arrested during the demonstration.
The protest took place outside the United Nations building.
It occurred before a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The protest was organized by Jewish Voice for Peace.
The group accused the UN of hosting a "war criminal," referring to Netanyahu.
The event was a part of opposition to Netanyahu’s policies and actions.
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Mortgage rates in the U.S. have gone above 7 percent again, making it harder for many people to afford homes. This has created a situation where buyers who can get a mortgage have more power to negotiate, but the overall number of buyers is smaller because many cannot afford the higher costs.
Key Facts
Mortgage rates rose above 7 percent, increasing the cost of borrowing money to buy homes.
Higher rates have reduced how much most households can borrow comfortably.
There are fewer buyers competing for homes, which gives those buyers more power to negotiate prices and terms.
Despite fewer buyers, home prices have not dropped much because many sellers have low-rate mortgages and can wait to sell.
In August, there were about 58 percent more sellers than buyers, a record gap since 2013.
Buyers may get sellers to pay some costs or accept lower offers, but high mortgage rates still make monthly payments expensive.
The housing market shows a paradox: it is easier to negotiate as a buyer, but harder for many people to afford becoming buyers.
If mortgage rates stay high, demand may weaken further, possibly leading to bigger price cuts later on.
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A government report found that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) wasted tens of millions of dollars on poorly planned detention expansion efforts since President Donald Trump took office in 2025. The report highlighted unused tents at Guantanamo Bay, empty warehouses bought but unused, and expensive contracts with failed detention centers. ICE lacks a clear strategic plan for managing its $45 billion funding to increase detention capacity.
Key Facts
ICE was given $45 billion by Congress in 2025 to expand detention space.
The detainee population increased from 39,000 in January 2025 to 67,000 by July 2027.
Nearly $3 million was spent on tents at Guantanamo Bay that were never used because they did not meet standards.
ICE bought 11 warehouses for $1.07 billion to hold detainees but plans to sell seven without housing anyone due to poor planning and public opposition.
ICE spent $20 million on costs related to warehouses they will sell and $426 million on renovations halted by lawsuits.
A Florida detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz" was costly and later closed.
The Department of Homeland Security promised to create a plan for detention spending by August 2027, but this delay risks more wasted money.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO), a congressional watchdog, issued these findings after investigating at the request of Democratic lawmakers.
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Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) even though the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for him. However, Jetten stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin attending the G20 summit while wanted by the ICC would send a very wrong message.
Key Facts
Dutch PM Rob Jetten gave an interview to Al Jazeera.
The ICC has issued arrest warrants for both Netanyahu and Putin.
Jetten supports Netanyahu’s attendance at the UN General Assembly.
Jetten opposes Putin attending the G20 summit under the ICC warrant.
The UNGA is a large international meeting of world leaders.
The G20 summit is a meeting of major world economies.
Jetten believes Putin’s presence at the G20 despite the ICC warrant would be problematic.
Jetten’s comments show different approaches to leaders wanted by the ICC.
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NHS bodies in England are making people wait at least two years to get assessed for ADHD and autism because they cannot handle the large number of requests. Patient groups warn these long waits may harm children and adults by delaying needed support, and many people are turning to private clinics for faster assessments.
Key Facts
Four NHS integrated care boards (ICBs) in England now require at least two years’ wait for ADHD and autism assessments.
Fifteen ICBs covering 19 million people have introduced limits or priority rules on who can get assessments.
There are currently about 960,000 people waiting for ADHD assessments and 295,000 waiting for autism assessments in England.
Private clinics perform half of NHS-funded ADHD assessments and a third of autism assessments because of NHS delays.
The rate of autism diagnoses among boys aged 7 to 18 rose from 0.2% in 2000 to 4.7% in 2025.
The rate of ADHD diagnoses in boys 7 to 18 increased from 0.4% in 2000 to 5.1% in 2025.
A government-ordered review highlighted the huge rise in mental health, ADHD, and autism diagnoses and raised concerns about the quality and financial aspects of assessments.
West Yorkshire’s NHS board saw its assessment costs rise from £7 million in 2023-24 and introduced a two-year wait for independent provider assessments.
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Daniel Thomas, an anti-migrant activist, was charged after a video showed him slashing a dinghy with a knife in the English Channel. He faces charges of criminal damage and not giving police the PIN for his phone.
Key Facts
Daniel Thomas is 37 years old and known as Danny Tommo by his supporters.
He was filmed cutting a dinghy in the English Channel.
Police charged him with criminal damage and failing to disclose his phone PIN.
Thomas is held in custody and will appear in Basingstoke Magistrates' Court on Friday.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the police center in Basingstoke supporting Thomas.
The crowd chanted "free DT" and wore mostly black clothing.
The protest ended after the crowd learned about the charges against Thomas.
The incident and legal case are ongoing and updates will be provided.
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Representative Don Beyer, a Democrat from Virginia, said President Trump is preparing to build a large arch near Washington, D.C. Beyer visited the site after people told him construction vehicles were there.
Key Facts
President Donald Trump plans to build an arch near Washington, D.C.
The arch is considered controversial by some people.
Rep. Don Beyer represents the area where the arch would be built.
Beyer visited the site after receiving reports that construction vehicles arrived.
The announcement came on a Thursday.
The arch is a project connected to President Trump.
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The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow a policy that sends some migrants to third countries instead of their home countries. A lower court blocked this policy because it said migrants must be told and allowed to challenge their deportation before being sent to these third countries.
Key Facts
The Trump administration wants the Supreme Court to pause a court order that stops deportations to third countries without giving migrants notice or a chance to challenge it.
The lower court said migrants need due process before being deported to a country they have no ties with.
The policy lets immigration officials send migrants to third countries if those countries promise not to harm them.
The Justice Department said this policy helped deport thousands of migrants, including some with serious criminal records.
Some third countries accepting deportees include African nations with poor human rights records, such as Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, and South Sudan.
Some migrants have been deported without notice or chance to appeal and feel stateless, especially those sent to countries far from their homes like Liberia.
The policy mainly targets migrants protected from deportation to their home countries or whose home countries refuse or limit their return.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is handling the emergency appeal and has set a deadline for responses from migrants’ lawyers.
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The U.S. Justice Department announced it plans to end more than 50 old court agreements designed to prevent racial segregation in schools. These agreements date back to the civil rights era and will be reviewed case by case to see if the schools have removed segregation.
Key Facts
The Justice Department wants to end long-term federal cases focused on stopping racial segregation in schools.
These cases involve court orders called consent decrees, many from the 1960s and 1970s.
Federal judges must approve the ending of these consent decrees.
The cases addressed segregation resulting from "Jim Crow" laws and the "separate but equal" policy overturned in 1954 by Brown v. Board of Education.
The department says many school districts have reached "unitary status," meaning they no longer practice segregation.
Some cases have already been dismissed in places like Tennessee, Florida, and Mississippi.
Critics worry that ending these agreements could increase racial segregation and discrimination in schools.
The Justice Department is reviewing each case individually to make decisions about dismissal.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the United Nations that violence by settlers in the occupied West Bank is caused by young troublemakers. He also said Israel fought strongly against Hezbollah and weakened it.
Key Facts
Netanyahu spoke at the UN General Assembly.
He described settler violence in the West Bank as the work of "juvenile delinquents."
The West Bank is an area occupied by Israel but claimed by Palestinians.
Netanyahu said Israel had heavily attacked Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group.
He claimed that Israel broke Hezbollah’s spirit during these attacks.
The speech covered both internal Israeli issues and regional conflicts.
Netanyahu aimed to present Israel’s actions as strong and justified.
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Many young Australians, especially Gen Z and millennials, are cutting back on spending to buy homes, making more financial sacrifices than peers in Canada, the US, and the UK. Meanwhile, Australian opposition figures question the timing of Prime Minister Albanese’s announcement about an AI-related Medicare hack involving OpenAI.
Key Facts
Over 75% of Australians are reducing their spending to afford property, higher than similar figures in Canada, the US, and the UK.
Young adults have cut back on expenses like eating out, owning cars, and moving out of family homes.
Millennials, the largest group of home buyers globally, are also sacrificing small luxuries to buy bigger homes.
Some buyers are selling second cars or delaying holidays to save money for housing.
Many Australians would wait to buy homes until mortgage interest rates average 4.9%, while current rates are around 6.3%.
Opposition spokesperson James Paterson suggested the Prime Minister’s announcement about the AI hack of Medicare was timed to coincide with the UN summit.
The breached data was publicly available health system information and did not include private personal details.
Paterson said the breach was not very serious but Australians deserve clear explanations and confidence in deals with big tech companies.
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A teacher in Philadelphia, Hannah Gann, admitted she lied about being Black and Palestinian and has apologized publicly for her actions. Local racial justice groups have cut ties with her, and the Philadelphia school district is aware of the situation and has offered support to the school community.
Key Facts
Hannah Gann, a teacher at the Workshop School in Philadelphia, falsely claimed she had Black and Palestinian heritage.
She publicly apologized twice, saying she regrets her actions and is "heartbroken" by the backlash.
Gann was involved with local racial justice and pro-Palestinian advocacy groups, which ended their relationship with her after learning the truth.
She explained she is a white woman of Jewish heritage and that her claims about Palestinian family members were false.
The Philadelphia school district is aware of the issue and is providing support to staff and students.
Gann denied misusing donations that were raised for Palestinian relatives.
Some people remain curious about why and how she invented the false identity.
No information was given about whether Gann is still employed at the school.
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The U.S. Senate did not pass a resolution aimed at ending the war in Iran, with a narrow vote of 49 against and 50 in favor. Some Republican senators, while critical of the war and its effects on gas prices, mostly voted against the resolution, showing caution about opposing President Donald Trump’s policies directly.
Key Facts
The Senate voted 49-50 against a House-passed war powers resolution related to the conflict in Iran.
Four Republican senators (Murkowski, Collins, Paul, Tillis) voted with almost all Democrats except one to support the resolution.
Senator John Fetterman was the only Democrat who voted against the resolution; Senator Angela Alsobrooks did not vote.
Democrats needed full attendance and five Republican votes to pass the resolution but fell short.
Some Republicans in close election races opposed the resolution despite saying the war should end to help lower gas prices.
Senator Thom Tillis supported the resolution for the first time, citing a need for clearer strategy and more communication with Congress.
President Donald Trump initially predicted the Iran war would last 4-6 weeks, but it has lasted nearly eight months with 50,000 U.S. troops deployed.
Since the first Senate passage of a similar resolution in June, the administration has not changed its Iran policy and called the resolution "poorly timed and meaningless."
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The Trump administration ran a 30-second ad on Fox News that included a message paid for by the U.S. government. Democrats say this ad may break federal rules that stop government money from being used for political campaigns, but the White House calls it a non-political public service announcement.
Key Facts
The ad aired on Fox News and included the label "Paid for by the U.S. Government."
It was seen at least three times during one night.
Democrats, including Rep. Jamie Raskin, say the ad could violate the Hatch Act, which limits political activities by government employees.
The White House says the ad is an educational public service announcement and not political.
The ad promotes patriotic messages and features President Trump speaking against communism in America.
It shows slogans like "Largest Tax Cuts in History" and clips from a speech by UFC CEO Dana White praising Trump.
The ad is similar to one posted on the White House’s official YouTube channel earlier in September.
No single U.S. agency is responsible for overseeing government advertising budgets, according to the Congressional Research Service.
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The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage has risen to 7.03 percent this week, up from 6.95 percent last week. This increase shows a continuing rise in the cost of home loans for buyers.
Key Facts
The benchmark mortgage rate is now 7.03 percent for a 30-year fixed loan.
Last week, the rate was 6.95 percent.
The data comes from Freddie Mac, a company that tracks mortgage rates.
The increase means homebuyers will pay more in interest over the life of their loan.
Mortgage rates rising often affect the housing market and sales.
A 7 percent rate is higher than rates seen in recent years.
Higher mortgage costs can make it harder for people to afford new homes.
This change reflects broader trends in the economy and interest rates.
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Measles cases in the United States have reached their highest level in 30 years, partly because vaccination rates have dropped below the 95% needed to stop the disease from spreading. So far this year, over 3,400 cases have been confirmed in 45 states and Washington, D.C., with at least three deaths due to measles complications.
Key Facts
Measles is a highly contagious virus that was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000.
Vaccination rates nationwide are about 93%, below the 95% needed for herd immunity.
Measles symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, and a rash.
Severe complications from measles can include pneumonia and brain inflammation (encephalitis).
At least three people have died from measles complications in the U.S. in 2024.
The CDC has confirmed more than 3,400 measles cases this year.
Measles spreads very easily among unvaccinated people, with a 90% chance of infection if exposed.
Some U.S. communities have lower vaccination rates due to misinformation and distrust about vaccines.
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday that Iran wants to make a deal with the United States before the U.S. midterm elections in November. He disagreed with President Trump’s statement that Iran plans to wait until after the elections to resolve their conflict.
Key Facts
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke to reporters on Thursday about U.S.-Iran relations.
Pezeshkian said Iran wants to reach an agreement with the U.S. before the midterm elections in November.
He responded directly to President Trump’s claim that Iran intends to wait until after the elections to make a deal.
The midterm elections refer to the U.S. congressional elections held every two years.
This statement shows ongoing efforts to resolve tensions between Iran and the U.S.
The timing of any deal is important because it could affect politics in both countries.
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