博客

A Democrat hasn’t won a South Carolina Senate seat since 1998. A pediatrician thinks she can change that.

1:39 PM EDT, Wed September 30, 2026 / CNN

By Dana Bash, CNN

A Democrat hasn’t won a South Carolina Senate seat since 1998. A pediatrician thinks she can change that.

Inside Politics

A Democrat hasn’t come within nine points of winning a Senate race in South Carolina this century, but pediatrician Dr. Annie Andrews thinks she can beat GOP Sen. Darlene Graham and turn the seat blue. Graham has called Andrews radical over some of her policy positions, like supporting non-surgical gender affirming care for children. But Andrews says she is laser focused on affordability, saying “what’s so radical about believing if you are a hard working South Carolinian you should be able to afford your grocery bill.”

3:56 • Source: CNN

Moscow threatens nuclear response over tiny fortress wedged between US allies as clash fears grow

September 30, 2026 1:41pm EDT / Fox News

Experts say the Baltic Sea exclave is already being used as a hybrid warfare hub targeting European infrastructure

By Efrat Lachter

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

Russia’s warning that it could resort to nuclear weapons if NATO attempts to isolate Kaliningrad is raising new concerns that the heavily militarized Russian exclave could become a flashpoint between Moscow and the alliance, as experts warn the territory is already being used to pressure Europe through hybrid warfare.

Moscow warned NATO in a diplomatic document that it was prepared to use “the entire arsenal of forces and capabilities at its disposal, including nuclear weapons” if alliance members attempted to isolate Kaliningrad from the rest of Russia, Reuters reported Wednesday.

Kaliningrad, a Russian territory geographically separated from the Russian mainland, sits on the Baltic Sea between NATO members Poland and Lithuania and hosts significant Russian military assets, including elements of Moscow’s Baltic Fleet.

RUSSIA THREATENS STRIKES ON UK MILITARY TARGETS, ‘CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES’ OVER UKRAINE

Russian President Vladimir Putin looks on a map showing the Kaliningrad exclave and the rest of Russia, Sept. 10, 2006.(Konstantin Zavrazhin/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

The Russian document also raised the possibility of strikes against “decision-making centers” in NATO member states from the outset of a conflict.

NATO rejected Moscow’s allegations in a response reviewed by Fox News Digital, saying the alliance is defensive and that none of its exercises or activities threaten Russian territory. The alliance also urged Russia to stop its “irresponsible nuclear rhetoric.”

Carrie Filipetti, executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition, a nonpartisan network of foreign policy leaders, told Fox News Digital that Moscow has repeatedly used nuclear threats as a means of trying to deter Western support for Ukraine.

“Russia has threatened to use nuclear weapons in the past, including veiled references to tactical nuclear attacks at the beginning of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, lowering their formal threshold for launching a nuclear attack in 2024, placing Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert, and restarting nuclear testing,” Filipetti said. “It is very common for Putin to use these threats, because he sees it as a way to deter Europe and the United States from continuing to support Ukraine.”

SHE GREW UP UNDER SOVIET RULE. NOW EU’S TOP DIPLOMAT WARNS EUROPE AGAINST GIVING RUSSIA WHAT IT WANTS

The Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney participates in exercise Baltic Operations 2025 as ships sail in formation through the Baltic Sea, June 5, 2025.(U.S. Navy Courtesy Photo)

“The threat about a nuclear attack if Kaliningrad is threatened or isolated comes on the heels of a few developments,” she added, pointing to NATO jets being scrambled over Russian aircraft, U.S. and NATO air drills near Kaliningrad last month, and heightened tensions over the war in Ukraine.

Filipetti, who also served as a deputy assistant secretary at the State Department and as a senior policy advisor for the United States Mission to the United Nations (USUN), argued that the timing also reflects mounting pressure on Moscow as the war continues.

“Putin seems to understand that the tide is turning against him, and he’s resorting to aggressive rhetoric to try to stop European support for Ukraine as he has tried to do in the past,” she said.

Dr. Azeem Ibrahim, a research professor at the Strategic Studies Institute at the U.S. Army War College and chief strategy officer at the New Lines Institute, told Fox News Digital that NATO should take the warning seriously, particularly because of the broader role Kaliningrad is already playing in Moscow’s confrontation with Europe.

BATTLE-TESTED ZELENSKYY SOUNDS CHILLING ALARM ON WHERE PUTIN’S WAR COULD HEAD NEXT

NATO’s largest annual maritime drill, Exercise Dynamic Mariner/Flotex 25, continues in the Gulf of Cadiz off southern Spain on March 28, 2025.(Burak Akbulut/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Ibrahim argued that while NATO has traditionally prepared for conventional military conflict involving “tanks and troops and divisions,” Russia is increasingly using methods designed to disrupt the infrastructure and systems on which civilian societies depend.

“Russia is actually adopting a very different approach,” he said, describing a strategy of hybrid warfare targeting “infrastructure” and “societies in general — what keeps societies functioning.”

Ibrahim described Kaliningrad as the “front line” of that effort.

“It’s essentially become a Russian fortress,” he said. “This is essentially a front-line operation of the Russians in terms of signals intelligence, signals interference and essentially mechanisms by which to carry out this hybrid warfare.”

Such interference, Ibrahim said, could play a role in the broader confrontation by disrupting civilian communications and infrastructure before or alongside a conventional military attack.

“All of that would be preceded by interference operations like this to ensure that societies are not functioning, are not able to respond to emergency services, the news information services, etc.,” Ibrahim said. “So governments lose control over what actually makes societies function.”

RUSSIA’S SHADOW WAR IS PUTTING EUROPE ON EDGE AS GERMANY CONFRONTS A GROWING THREAT

Soldiers from Poland’s 18th Division demonstrate battlefield medical training near the Belarus border after a serviceman from the division was killed in an attack by an illegal migrant. May 16, 2026.(Efrat Lachter/Fox News Digital)

The challenge for NATO, he said, is that such operations can be more difficult to attribute than a conventional assault.

“Many times, you cannot trace exactly where a lot of this interference is actually coming from — attacks on power stations or internet and telecommunications, et cetera,” Ibrahim said. “There’s always some sort of plausible deniability if it’s done by an actor who’s very capable.”

The ambiguity, Ibrahim argued, presents a challenge for an alliance built around collective defense against armed attack.

“NATO really does have to kind of reconfigure its posture to understand that these kinds of attacks are equivalent to essentially any sort of kinetic attack,” he said.

Asked what NATO and neighboring Poland and Lithuania should do following Russia’s warning, Ibrahim called for the alliance to establish clearer consequences for hybrid attacks.

“We now need to start going on the offensive in terms of hybrid warfare and understanding the threat and pushing back and sending a very clear signal to Moscow that such threats will not stand,” he said, arguing that a sufficiently serious hybrid attack should be considered capable of triggering NATO’s Article 5 collective-defense clause.

Lithuania, which directly borders Kaliningrad, rejected Moscow’s warning and accused Russia of trying to undermine NATO unity and Western support for Ukraine.

“Russia’s insinuations and threats have no basis. NATO is a defensive alliance and poses no threat to Russia or any other country,” Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry told Fox News Digital. “Russia’s threatening is intended to fracture transatlantic unity and impede our support to Ukraine. Russia will not achieve its goals.”

The ministry added: “We strongly condemn any threats to use force and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric. Russia must stop its aggression against Ukraine… Lithuania is strengthening its national defense system and capabilities, including air defense,” the ministry said. “We train with our allies and work alongside NATO forces deployed in Lithuania. We are prepared to defend every inch of NATO territory and respond to any threats.”

The ministry said Lithuania would also continue providing “comprehensive support to Ukraine and its fight against the aggressor Russia.”

Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Richard Newton told Fox News Digital, “In the weeks leading up to February 2022, many officials and commentators (myself included) weren’t sure Putin would actually invade Ukraine, even though there were a number of warnings and indicators he would do so. And then on that Feb. 24, Putin launched the largest land invasion against Ukraine since World War II.”

US ALLIES NEED TO SHOOT DOWN RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT TESTING NATO BOUNDARIES, CZECH PRESIDENT WARNS

A razor-wire boundary fence along the Polish-Lithuanian border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, near the Suwalki Gap on Sept. 26, 2026. The gap is a 104-kilometre stretch of the Polish-Lithuanian border that forms the only land corridor connecting the Baltic states with the rest of NATO, while separating Belarus from Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.(Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images)

“NATO should take Russia’s warning seriously that it could resort to employing nuclear weapons against the alliance should Kaliningrad be cut off from Russia. We are in the midst of Russia employing ‘gray zone’ coercive actions against NATO nations, so this pronouncement should not surprise the West,” he added.

Filipetti cautioned that regardless of whether Moscow intends to follow through, nuclear threats themselves carry risks.

“NATO is a defensive organization that is in no way threatening Russia’s position on Kaliningrad,” she said. “That said, any time there is a public threat of nuclear attack it must be taken seriously, especially with someone like Putin.”

“Nuclear bombs are a potentially world-altering technology,” Filipetti added. “It is not only their use, but the threat of their use, that could cause significant miscalculations and escalations.”

Russia has denied Western accusations that it is conducting hybrid warfare against European states and has said it has no intention of attacking NATO countries. Moscow says NATO military activity around Kaliningrad is instead contributing to an increasingly dangerous confrontation.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov characterized recent Russian warnings as diplomatic reminders to “hotheads in Europe,” Reuters reported Wednesday.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

An office building burns following a Russian drone attack in central Odesa, Ukraine, on Sept. 18, 2026.(Michael Shtekel/AP)

Fox News Digital reached out to the Polish and Russian embassies for comment but did not receive responses in time for publication.

Reuters contributed to this story.

Efrat (Effie) Lachter is a reporter for Fox News Digital with more than 15 years of experience covering conflict, global affairs, human rights and political accountability.She has directed and produced more than 200 documentary segments across more than 40 countries, documenting conflicts, humanitarian crises, corruption, human trafficking, gender-based violence and the human stories behind major world events.

Lachter’s reporting has taken her into conflict zones and crisis areas across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa. Her work has included uncovering human trafficking networks, revealing an ISIS underground torture prison in Syria, documenting the war in Ukraineand interviewing senior political figures and world leaders. She was also among the Western journalists who entered Russia after the war began to bring testimonies from Putin’s opposition. Lachter is the recipient of the 2022 Peres Center for Peace Award and was a 2023–2024 Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellow at the University of Michigan. She also won two Rockower Awards for Excellence in Reporting. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication and a master’s degree in political science.

The Fed’s building renovations and Trump’s push to oust Powell

2026-09-30T17:11:18.258Z / https://www.reuters.com/world/us/feds-building-renovations-trumps-push-oust-powell-2026-09-30/

View of the facade as construction continues on the Federal Reserve Board building, in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 17, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Sept 30 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump began publicly attacking Jerome Powell — and privately musing about firing him — just months after Trump elevated Powell in 2018 to the top job at the US central bank. Trump was unhappy that Powell did not deliver the interest-rate cuts the president felt were called for.

But it wasn’t until 2025, soon after ​Trump began his second term in the White House, that the president and key members of his administration zeroed in on cost overruns ‌for renovations of the Fed’s Washington headquarters as a focal point for efforts to oust Powell, or at least to pressure him into easier monetary policy.

The Misinformation Monitor newsletter rounds up international misinformation narratives, with a “Real or Fake?” quiz in every edition. Sign up here.

Report Ad

Those efforts were unsuccessful. Indeed, Powell broke with decades of tradition by remaining on the Board as governor even after his term as Fed chair ended in May precisely because he felt that the administration’s attacks on him threatened the Fed’s independence ​and its ability to fight inflation effectively.

Here is a brief timeline of the renovations, the allegations, the investigations, and the political fallout as it unfolded:

2017-2022

Fed ​Board approves the initial budget for renovations on the Eccles Building, constructed between 1935 and 1937 as the Fed’s headquarters, and the ⁠1951 Constitution Avenue Building, built in 1932 and on the National Register of Historic Places. Both buildings are on the National Mall. The Fed’s Inspector General conducts audits ​in

2021
and

2022
, and the Fed indicates it has complied with the watchdog’s recommendations on project management.

APRIL 2025

News reports
surface about the spiraling cost of “ornate” renovations to the Fed’s headquarters. ​The Fed Board’s

most recent budget
, dated December 17, 2024, shows an estimated cost of $2.46 billion, up from $1.88 billion in the previous budget. Elon Musk, then head of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, calls for an investigation.

JUNE 2025

Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott questions Powell about the “lavish” renovations at a hearing on monetary policy. Powell says the buildings were old and had safety issues, ​and refutes media reports of luxury upgrades.

JULY 2025

Trump is “extremely troubled” by the cost overruns, Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought tells Powell in a ​letter. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren calls the complaints a “clear pretext to fire Fed Chair Powell.” In extensive public

FAQs
on the renovations and in letters to

Scott
and

Vought’s
criticisms, Powell attributes most of the ‌rising costs ⁠for material and labor to the post-pandemic surge in inflation. Also contributing, the Fed says, were design changes mandated by the national planning commission and unanticipated costs including handling of asbestos. Trump visits the construction site and says he would fire any project manager with cost overruns of a similar scale. Powell asks the Fed Board’s Inspector General, Michael Horowitz, to take a fresh look at the project’s cost.

AUGUST 2025

Trump considers filing a lawsuit against Powell over the renovations, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt says.

JANUARY 2026

In a highly ​unusual Sunday evening video statement, Powell says ​the Fed received grand jury subpoenas from the ⁠Department of Justice that threaten criminal indictment related to the renovations. Powell calls the probe unprecedented intimidation. Republican Senator Thom Tillis says Fed independence is at stake and vows to block Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh as Powell’s successor until it is resolved.

MARCH ​2026

Chief US District Judge James Boasberg blocks the subpoenas, agreeing with Powell that they were issued for the improper purpose of ​pressuring Powell to rapidly ⁠lower interest rates or resign.

APRIL 2026

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro says the DOJ is closing its investigation into the Fed’s cost overruns. Tillis allows the Warsh Fed chair nomination to proceed. Powell announces his plans to stay on at the Fed after his term as chair ends in May “until this investigation is well and truly over, with transparency and finality.” The DOJ ⁠assures Powell ​it will not reopen the probe unless there is a criminal referral from the Fed’s Inspector General.

MAY ​2026

Warsh becomes Fed chairman. Powell remains on the Fed Board, taking part in private deliberations on monetary policy and voting on interest rates but keeping a low profile and out of the public eye.

SEPTEMBER 2026

Fed’s Inspector ​General issues a report finding “deficiencies” in the Fed Board’s oversight of the project, but no misconduct or grounds for a criminal referral.

Reporting by Ann Saphir; Editing by Andrea Ricci

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Senate Democrats block House-passed data center bill aimed at addressing energy costs

2026-09-30T13:46:00-0400 / CBS News

By

Updated on: September 30, 2026 / 1:51 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Senate Democrats on Wednesday blocked a GOP-led effort to advance a bill aimed at shielding Americans from energy costs attributed to data centers, despite the bill securing widespread bipartisan support in the House earlier this month.

In a 57 to 43 vote, all but four Democrats — Sens. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock of Georgia — opposed the measure, arguing that the bill would make the protections for Americans “optional.”

“While Americans are demanding real guardrails on AI and data centers, Republicans are offering a toothless messaging bill,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said. “We need real action on data centers, and what do Republicans decide all of a sudden to push forward? A bill that is totally optional.”

The outcome denies Republicans a legislative victory just weeks before the midterm elections. Voters across the U.S. have become increasingly opposed to the construction of data centers, which provide the computing power needed to fuel the AI boom. But Republicans argued that the vote would put Democrats on the record on the issue that has gained traction in recent months.

The bill, titled the Ratepayer Protection Act, seeks to put the costs of new energy infrastructure used for data centers on companies, rather than passing costs on to consumers. But it would only require state utility regulators to consider standards to hold companies responsible for the costs, which Senate Democrats argue doesn’t go far enough.

The measure passed the House earlier this month in a 417 to 3 vote.

Asked about House Democrats’ support for the measure, and why Senate Democrats aren’t on the same page, Schumer said “we don’t vote for frauds.”

Schumer stressed that the measure sets up a voluntary system, saying, “Not a single company has to comply with it.” He argued that if Republicans wanted a real solution, including GOP Sen. Jon Husted, who has led the push in the Senate, they should take up legislation put forward by one of his Democratic colleagues “that is real and has teeth.”

“They want it optional, which means zero,” Schumer said. “We want it mandatory.”

Husted is locked in a competitive Senate race in Ohio against former Sen. Sherrod Brown, and has faced scrutiny for his previous support for data centers. The Senate GOP campaign arm warned in a memo last month that more than anything else, the data center issue is the “anchor hanging around Husted’s neck.”

Earlier this month, Husted sought to approve the same bill under unanimous consent, which gives any single lawmaker the power to block its passage. But Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, the top Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, proposed that the Senate instead pass his own bill that he said is “what is needed to start to bring down energy prices.” Ohio’s other senator objected to Heinrich’s bill.

Wednesday’s vote came as senators are preparing to leave town this week and hit the campaign trail. Senate Republicans teed up the vote alongside an effort to pass legislation to limit congressional stock trading, which Democrats also blocked.

Speaking on the floor ahead of the vote on the data center legislation, Heinrich said “this is nothing more than a messaging bill on the eve of an election.”

“Congress needs to pass a law with real teeth,” he added.

Trump administration escalates feud with federal judges

2026-09-30T16:09:44.904Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/30/politics/doj-minnesota-immigration-federal-judges-blanche

The Justice Department filed a judicial misconduct complaint against nearly all the federal judges in Minnesota, Attorney General Todd Blanche announced on Wednesday, escalating tensions between the Trump administration and the judicial branch.

The administration’s demand that the judges be disqualified from immigration-related cases was prompted by a recent New York Times article in which six federal judges described the Justice Department’s failure to comply with court orders during an immigration-enforcement surge as a grave threat to the rule of law.

In their comments, judges focused on how DOJ staffing shortages appeared to inhibit the administration in its ability to comply with their orders – similar to comments they have previously made in legal settings. But Blanche on Wednesday said the comments were “overtly political” in violation of judicial rules and that they reflected an “an obvious bias” against the Department of Homeland Security.

While the ethics complaint is pending at the federal appeals court that the oversees Minnesota’s federal bench, Blanche is calling on the district court judges to recuse from DHS-related cases.

The demand, however, may not have much impact, as previous efforts and public complaints have gone nowhere—and the bar for disqualification of judges is high.

The Trump administration has tried various tactics to strike back at judges they see as hostile to President Donald Trump’s agenda. That has included an unsuccessful DOJ lawsuit – filed against the entire federal bench in Maryland – challenging an order covering that court that limited the ability of the administration to quickly remove migrants who are challenging their deportations.

It has also included a willingness by top Trump officials to use exceptionally sharp language to publicly call out judges by name for rulings they disagree with.

As courts across the country have faced aggressive public pushback from the president and his allies for rulings that that blocked Trump policy initiatives, judges have sounded alarms about how the heated rhetoric has raised the specter of threats and intimidation.

“These judges talked to the media, or at least to the New York Times, about cases, some of which are ongoing, in a matter that the department views as a clear violation of their ethical duties,” Blanche said.

Attorney General accuses Minnesota judges of bias
0:46 • Source: CNN

Attorney General accuses Minnesota judges of bias
0:46

The latest Justice Department campaign against Minnesota’s federal court taps into a debate in the legal world over whether it’s appropriate for judges to criticize the administration’s actions in commentary outside the confines of a legal proceeding.

The extraordinary legal disputes that arose from unprecedented actions taken by Trump and his deputies at the beginning of his second term led to notable examples of judges speaking out — both in on-the-record contexts, and in anonymous interviews with press outlets — about their concerns of an assault on democratic norms. Their comments at times took aim not just at the Trump administration, but also at the Supreme Court for how it has frequently reversed lower court rulings against the administration with little explanation why.

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the Republican chairs of the Senate and House Judiciary Committee called on Chief Judge John Roberts to put a kibosh on judges talking to the press — particularly when done in an anonymous fashion — in a letter highlighting criticism from lower court judges of how the Supreme Court reversed their rulings against Trump with little explanation.

The committee on conduct for the Judicial Conference — a policy-making entity for federal judges that Roberts oversees —ultimately offered more nuanced guidance.

An ethics advisory issued for judges in February said there was room in “some circumstances” for them to offer “measured defense of judicial colleagues from illegitimate forms of criticism and attacks that risk undermining judicial independence or the rule of law.”

The advisory said that violence, intimidation, disinformation and threats to defy court orders were all examples of “illegitimate” activity judges could speak out about. But it also instructed judges to consider the “tone, context, and form” of what they’re saying — including in situations where a judge is speaking anonymously to the press.

The handful of judges quoted in the New York Times report were speaking on the record, not anonymously, though the report said the outlet spoke to seven judges in total. One of them, an appointee of Trump’s during his first term, seemed to refer to the recent ethics guidance.

“We are allowed to speak out about judicial independence,” Judge Nancy E. Brasel told the New York Times. “And so we should, in order to keep it.”

Blanche on Wednesday, however, argued that the comments were political in nature and that they touched on cases that were still pending in violation of judicial rules. The Justice Department’s complaint targeted the six active judges who participated in the story — a seventh active judge on the court did not talk to the Times.

This story has been updated with additional information.

Judge blocks New York rent-setting software ban

2026-09-30T15:37:36.59Z / Reuters

By Jonathan Stempel

September 30, 2026 3:37 PM UTC Updated 32 mins ago

Air conditioning units fill the windows of an apartment building in the Harlem neighborhood in New York City, U.S., August 6, 2025. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper/File Photo

NEW YORK, Sept 30 (Reuters) – A federal judge in Manhattan blocked New York state from enforcing a first-of-its-kind law prohibiting landlords and real estate industry professionals ​from using algorithmic pricing tools to set, and potentially inflate, residential ‌rents.

US District Judge Valerie Caproni issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday in favor of RealPage, a software provider owned by private equity firm Thoma Bravo, which said the law ​violated its First Amendment free speech rights by restricting use of its ​software’s pricing recommendations.

Jumpstart your morning with the latest legal news delivered straight to your inbox from The Daily Docket newsletter. Sign up here.

• The antitrust law was signed in October by ⁠Governor Kathy Hochul and sponsored by Brad Hoylman-Sigal, then a state senator and ​now Manhattan borough president.
• Hoylman-Sigal said the law would help New York crack down ​on practices that artificially inflated rents and made living in the state unaffordable for many. The state put the law on hold while Caproni considered the case.
• In her 27-page decision, ​Caproni said that while it was a “close call,” RealPage was “marginally” likely to ​show that the law was unconstitutional.
• “Under the rubric of preventing price fixing, the statute prohibits ‌normal commercial ⁠conduct just because it is facilitated by software,” she wrote. “Whether one is considering a residential landlord or a manufacturer of widgets, there is nothing untoward about considering prices charged by competitors when deciding how to price one’s own ​product.”
• The office of New ​York Attorney General ⁠Letitia James defended the law, saying the state could regulate anticompetitive conduct by technology companies that “wreaked havoc” on the housing ​rental market. It also said the law regulated conduct rather ​than protected ⁠speech.
• James’ office declined to comment on Wednesday. Hoylman-Sigal’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A RealPage spokesperson had no immediate comment.
• Richardson, Texas-based RealPage sued ⁠two ​days after reaching a settlement with the US ​Department of Justice and agreeing to restrict its algorithmic software from using non-public data from competitors to ​generate price recommendations.

Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Mark Porter

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

US inflation rises below expectations in August; consumer spending robust

2026-09-30T12:49:16.042Z / Reuters

• Summary

• PCE Price Index increases 0.3% in August; up 3.4% year-on-year
• Core PCE inflation gains 0.2%; advances 3.0% year-on-year
• Government changed methodology for some components
• Consumer spending surges 0.9%; saving rate revised higher
• Gross domestic product increases at upwardly revised 2.2% rate in second quarter

WASHINGTON, Sept 30 (Reuters) – US inflation increased less than expected in August and price pressures were more moderate in the prior ​month than previously reported, likely reducing the urgency for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates again in October.

Another rate hike this year, however, remains ​on the table as the report from the Commerce Department on Wednesday showed consumer spending surging last month. The economy so far appears to be holding up despite headwinds from the US-Israeli war with Iran, which has raised energy prices, with diesel prices at record highs. Financial markets knocked down bets for a rate increase next month.

Get a look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets with the Morning Bid U.S. newsletter. Sign up here.

“The less-than-feared price data for August may buy the Fed time to await more data and pass ​on October 28, but still-elevated inflation and a resilient consumer and economy point to another rate hike by year-end,” said Sal Guatieri, a senior economist at BMO Capital ​Markets.

The Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index rose 0.3% last month after a downwardly revised 0.1% gain in July, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of ​Economic Analysis said. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the PCE price index rising 0.4% after a previously reported 0.2% gain in July.

In the 12 months through August, PCE inflation advanced ​3.4% after increasing by a downwardly revised 3.4% in July. PCE inflation was previously reported to have increased 3.7% in July on a year-on-year basis. The BEA changed its methodology for ​calculating prices for software and accessories, portfolio management fees and legal services in the PCE price index.

It also revised the inflation data going back to 2021.

Excluding the volatile food and energy components, the PCE price index climbed 0.2% over the month after a downwardly revised 0.1% rise in July. The so-called core PCE inflation was previously estimated to have gained 0.2% in July.

OCTOBER RATE HIKE ODDS DIMINISH

Core PCE inflation increased 3.0% year-on-year ​in August after a downwardly revised 3.0% advance in July. Underlying inflation was initially estimated to have risen 3.3% in the 12 months through July. The US central bank tracks the ​PCE price measures for its 2% inflation target.

The Fed this month raised its benchmark overnight interest rate to the 3.75%-4.00% range, the first rate hike in three years, and flagged further increases in borrowing ​costs in the ​months ahead. The odds of an October rate hike were diminished by New York Fed President John Williams’ comments on Tuesday that he saw “no urgency” for further action.

Financial markets priced in a roughly 34.9% chance of an increase in borrowing costs at the October 27-28 meeting, CME’s FedWatch Tool showed. That was down from 51.5% before the inflation data and 70% on Monday. US stocks rose. The dollar slipped against a basket of currencies. US Treasury yields fell.

Higher inflation and borrowing costs could crimp consumer spending. A survey from the Conference Board on Tuesday showed consumer ​confidence plummeting to a near 12-1/2-year low in ​September. There are, however, no signs ​yet of consumers significantly dialing back.

Consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of economic activity, surged 0.9% last month after a downwardly revised 0.1% gain in July, the BEA said. Spending was previously estimated to have gained 0.2% in July. When adjusted for inflation, consumer spending ​rose 0.6%.

Spending is on track to post another robust quarter of growth after rising at a 3.8% annualized rate in the April-June quarter, ​and helping to drive ​the economy to a 2.2% growth pace during that period. Gross domestic product was also supported by business investment related to the buildout of AI infrastructure, with business spending on equipment posting another quarter of double-digit growth.

Consumer spending is also being underpinned by AI-driven stock market gains as well as households tapping into their savings and setting aside less money for a rainy day. Personal income rose ​0.2% in ​August. Income at the disposal of households after accounting for taxes increased 0.3%. Disposable income was, however, flat after ​adjusting for inflation.

The saving rate dropped to 4.1% last month from 4.6% in July. Annual revisions, however, showed households had more savings than previously estimated.

“The middle- and lower-income households, for whom income is so critical to spending power ​given the lack of financial assets, have been under less financial pressure than feared,” said James Knightley, chief international economist at ING.

Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Andrea Ricci

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

GOP fortress is under threat in one key red state, and these voters could decide whether it falls

2026-09-30T11:18:59-04:00 / Fox News

No state has more Black eligible voters than Texas, where the roughly 2.7 million bloc could reshape the US Senate

By Amanda Macias Fox News

Published September 30, 2026 11:18am EDT

The Texas voters who could help Talarico pull off a historic upset

Voters at the State Fair discuss whether Talarico can defeat Ken Paxton, turn Texas blue and end Democrats’ decadeslong statewide losing streak.

DALLAS — A competitive Senate race is testing whether Texas is still safely red, with Black and Hispanic voters at the center of Democrat James Talarico’s path to victory.

Talarico is seeking to become the first Democrat in more than 30 years to win a statewide race in the Lone Star State.

“I definitely do think, if there’s any time for Texas to get a Democrat elected, this is the time to strike,” Mike, a military veteran from Dallas, told Fox News Digital. “I think it depends on whether the Black and brown voters come out for Talarico.”

POLL: TALARICO TIES PAXTON IN TEXAS SENATE RACE, THREATENING GOP STRONGHOLD

Texas voters Mike and Kiara discuss the importance of Black voter turnout and the possibility of Democrat James Talarico flipping the state in the Nov. 3 Senate election at the State Fair in Dallas, Texas, on Sept. 29.(Amanda Macias/Fox News Digital)

“Everyone says, ‘Hey, we are Texas and we want change here, we want change there,’” Mike added. “Well, this is an opportunity for you guys to get change. Are you going to come out and show up at the polls? He’s got all the momentum in the world. He’s got everything going for him.”

Mike’s comments reflect the challenge facing Talarico as he works to build support among Black and Hispanic voters and motivate them to turn out in November.

Texas has more Black eligible voters than any other state, with roughly 2.7 million. That puts voters in Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth and East Texas in a potentially decisive position in any Democrat’s bid to win statewide.

Former President Barack Obama’s appearance with Talarico at a May campaign stop in Austin underscored the stakes for Democrats to leverage a massive voting bloc in Texas. The party’s effort to win over Black voters could help determine whether Texas remains reliably red or becomes more competitive for Democrats in future elections.

TEXAS VOTERS HAVE PLENTY TO SAY ABOUT WHETHER LONE STAR STATE COULD TURN BLUE

Former President Barack Obama joined Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico at a campaign stop in Austin in May, as Talarico works to build support among Black voters in Texas.(Joel Angel Juarez/Pool/Getty Images)

But Talarico faces an uphill battle in uniting Democrats behind his campaign after a divisive primary against Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas. Talarico defeated Crockett in the Democrat primary earlier this year, and the outgoing congresswoman has not endorsed his Senate campaign.

Crockett has said she supports the Democratic ticket in Texas, but her political action committee has not endorsed Talarico or campaigned for him.

Rashaun, of Forney, Texas, said the primary loss may have left some Black voters frustrated.

“Everyone was behind Jasmine,” Rashaun said. “So that’s what’s blocking, I’m going to say for my people, that was blocking their minds.”

Still, Rashaun said she plans to vote for Talarico and hopes Texas will turn blue in November.

“Yes, we are voting in November and it’s going to be Talarico,” she said. “We need Texas to flip. We can wish and hope and pray. But we need to get out and vote.”

TEXAS VOTERS HAVE PLENTY TO SAY ABOUT WHETHER LONE STAR STATE COULD TURN BLUE

Black voters are a crucial part of any Democrat’s path to statewide victory in Texas, which has the nation’s largest Black electorate.(Mark Felix/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Mike said the election may ultimately come down to whether voters are willing to act.

“Right now it is on the Texas voters to get out and support James Talarico or sit at home if you don’t want to see that change,” he said.

Bryant, of Coppell, Texas, likewise pointed to frustration with Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, both Republicans, as a potential motivator for people to support Talarico’s candidacy.

“This is a critical election,” Bryant said. “I think we all can feel it in Texas, the need to get Greg Abbott out.”

REPUBLICANS JUST GOT A POWERFUL NEW PLAYBOOK FOR THE BATTLE FOR CONGRESS. HERE’S WHAT’S INSIDE

Bryant, a Coppell resident, shared his perspective on the closely watched U.S. Senate race and the state’s political future at the Texas State Fair in Dallas on Sept. 29, 2026.(Amanda Macias/Fox News Digital)

“It’s time for a change,” he added. “Plus, on the other side, you see how bad Ken Paxton is and his track record and just some of the things that he’s done. It’s no longer working and we need to do something different.”

Ava, a college student from Denton, said Talarico’s outreach to younger voters has helped him connect with a generation that often feels overlooked.

“I do think he’s going to pull through,” she said. “He engages with the younger community, which is important because we feel like we’re not represented.”

She added that his social media presence has also helped younger voters connect with his campaign. She first learned about Talarico after meeting him at the Texas State Fair last year and later followed him online.

“I think he’s going to flip the state.”

Ava, a college student from Denton, said Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico has resonated with younger Texas voters and could help flip the state blue.(Amanda Macias/Fox News Digital)

While Ava focused on Talarico’s appeal among younger voters, Kiara, of Dallas, said supporters must turn that enthusiasm into votes.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“I live in Texas and I’ve been here for a really long time and it’s time for a change, a positive change,” she said. “And I think Talarico is definitely going to bring that.”

“We just have to vote,” Kiara added. “We can’t complain about the problems if you don’t want to vote to fix them.”

Amanda Macias covers the intersection of business, economics and politics, with a focus on how policy decisions shape markets, businesses and American workers.

Trump to unveil $200 billion investment in US projects by South Korea, White House says

2026-09-30T13:08:28.798Z / Reuters

Candidates in the upcoming U.S. Senate election, Republican U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan and Democratic former U.S. Rep Mary Peltola, react during a forum at the Alaska Oil & Gas Association (AOGA) annual conference in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S., August 27, 2026. REUTERS/Kerry Tasker/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary

• Trump to unveil $200 billion South Korean U.S. investment plan
• $54 billion would support Alaska LNG project
• Package also includes nuclear plants and Texas power project

WASHINGTON, Sept 30 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump will announce on Wednesday plans for South ​Korea to invest $200 billion in US projects, including $54 billion to build the long-planned Alaska liquefied natural gas project, a White House ‌official said.

The announcement will detail the first major projects under a broader $350 billion strategic investment package South Korea made as part of a trade agreement with Washington last year. The $350 billion package includes $150 billion for shipbuilding and $200 billion for strategic investments.

Jumpstart your morning with the latest legal news delivered straight to your inbox from The Daily Docket newsletter. Sign up here.

The White House official said the investments would include the Alaska LNG pipeline project, eight large-scale nuclear power plants and a ​6-gigawatt power generation facility in Texas.

The announcement would be part of a series of economic and investment deals Trump is highlighting ahead of ​November’s midterm elections, as he seeks to reinforce his economic record amid voter concerns over the Iran war and high gasoline ⁠prices. The Alaska LNG project also comes as Republicans seek to retain incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan who faces Democrat Mary Peltola.

“Today, President Trump will announce major energy infrastructure investments ​that deliver on his day one promises to unleash American energy, unlock Alaska’s extraordinary resource potential, and accelerate America’s nuclear energy renaissance,” White House spokeswoman Taylor ​Rogers said.

The Alaska LNG project would include an 807-mile pipeline carrying natural gas from the North Slope to a liquefaction facility on Alaska’s southern coast, allowing the fuel to be shipped to Asian markets. The project is designed to transport about 3.9 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day and produce up to 20 million metric tons of LNG ​annually, according to the White House.

Trump has repeatedly promoted the project as a way to expand U.S. energy exports and strengthen ties with allies including ​South Korea and Japan.

The project has faced years of uncertainty over its cost, financing and commercial viability. South Korea’s investment could provide a potential source of financing, although Seoul ‌has previously ⁠said projects under its US investment package must meet commercial viability standards.

South Korean opposition lawmakers have raised concerns about the commercial viability and fiscal risks of investments in US projects.

“Before considering political needs or diplomatic demands, however, it was necessary to thoroughly verify the commercial rationale and viability of any investment that put a tremendous burden on the public,” Kim Sung-won, a South Korean lawmaker who chairs parliament’s trade committee, told Reuters on Wednesday.

South Korea’s industry ministry said last ​week that a more than 6-gigawatt ​gas-fired power plant in Encinal, Texas, ⁠was the first project selected under the $200 billion strategic investment program. The ministry was also considering the construction of eight large nuclear reactors and the Alaska LNG project.

COMMITMENTS NEED TO BE BINDING

Japan’s two biggest LNG importers, JERA and Tokyo Gas, ​have signed preliminary agreements to buy a combined 2 million metric tons a year from Alaska LNG if ​it is built.

Glenfarne, the ⁠project’s developer, said in March it had lined up commitments for 13 million tons a year, but needed another 3 million tons to secure financing and make all commitments binding. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Wednesday’s plan.

The eight nuclear plants would form part of Trump’s effort to expand U.S. nuclear ⁠generation as ​electricity demand rises, including from data centers and manufacturing. South Korea has been discussing a ​potential investment in U.S. nuclear projects as part of the broader package.

The Texas gas-fired power project is expected to supply electricity to energy-intensive facilities, including semiconductor plants and data centers. South Korean officials ​have said the project was selected after reviews of its commercial viability.

Recasts lead, changes attribution to White House official and adds additional details

Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw, additional reporting by Heejin Kim; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Timothy Gardner

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

US Justice Department files complaint against Minnesota judges who gave interviews about immigration surge

2026-09-30 15:47:28 UTC / Reuters

By Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff

September 30, 2026 3:47 PM UTC Updated 1 min ago

United States Department of Justice logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

WASHINGTON, Sept 30 (Reuters) – The ‌US Justice Department filed a judicial ​misconduct complaint on ​Wednesday against judges in Minnesota ⁠who gave interviews to ​the New York Times ​about the immigration surge there, alleging it ​was unethical and ​partisan.

In September, judges in ‌Minnesota ⁠told the Times that the Trump administration had a “disregard ​for ​court ⁠orders” and its actions ​threatened the rule ​of ⁠law.

The Misinformation Monitor newsletter rounds up international misinformation narratives, with a “Real or Fake?” quiz in every edition. Sign up here.

The judicial misconduct complaint called ⁠the ​judge’s conduct “particularly ​egregious.”

Adds background, detail paragraphs 2-3

Reporting by Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff; Editing ​by Doina Chiacu

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.