U.S.
Pennsylvania Reports a Fourth Measles Death as CDC Count Reaches 3,471 Cases for 2026 Through September 17
Pennsylvania's coroners and health department have confirmed four measles-associated deaths this year; the CDC's national dashboard still lists zero, and the two sides disagree over how such deaths should be counted.
Federal Judge Voids Education Department Directive Behind About $600 Million in Teacher-Training Grant Cuts
Judge Angel Kelley ruled the February 2025 directive was arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act, but said claims to recover the lost money belong in a different court.
ICE Reports 50,925 Arrests in August, a Third Straight Monthly Record; Share Without Convictions Rose in July Data
The Department of Homeland Security says ICE averaged 1,642 arrests a day in August, while separately released case-level data for July show 73.5% of people arrested had no criminal conviction.
Federal Judge Orders 30 Days' Notice Before Any Demolition or Major Physical Change at the Kennedy Center
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper issued the order on Sept. 17, two days after the Kennedy Center's board voted to close the building and hours after President Trump was photographed with a placard reading "Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED."
Trump Signs H.R. 5334, the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, After House Vote of 262-159
The law lets the president sanction Russian banks, energy firms and tanker operators, and authorizes tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest buyers of Russian oil and gas.
Trump Says All 50 States, D.C. and Puerto Rico Have Joined Medicaid 'Most Favored Nation' Drug Pricing Model
The White House says the GENEROUS model will cut Medicaid prices on selected brand-name drugs to levels paid abroad; the separate ACA cost-sharing proposal Trump referenced dates to his January 2026 plan and still needs Congress.
Postmaster General Says USPS Stopped Building Mail-Ballot Barcode System After Supreme Court Left Injunction in Place
David Steiner told the Associated Press on Sept. 17 that work halted on the voter-data portal and barcode system from President Trump's March executive order, three days after the Supreme Court declined to lift a lower-court block.
FDA Approves Ultragenyx's Fayuvi, the First Treatment for Sanfilippo Syndrome Type A; Company Sets $3.95 Million Price
The agency granted standard approval on September 17, 2026, for a one-time gene therapy in children with MPS IIIA, based on a single-arm trial compared against untreated patients.
Appeals Court Pauses Order That Blocked HUD's $1.3 Billion Shift in Homelessness Grants
A three-judge First Circuit panel stayed a Rhode Island judge's ruling on September 16, letting HUD run its $4.04 billion Continuum of Care competition while the appeal goes forward.
State Department Clears Possible $24.3 Billion Sale of 48 F-35 Jets to Saudi Arabia and Notifies Congress
The proposed Foreign Military Sale, announced September 17, 2026, starts a 30-day congressional review period; no contract has been signed.
House Cancels Thursday Votes and Starts Pre-Election Recess, Leaving Massie's Hegseth Impeachment Resolution Pending
Speaker Mike Johnson scrapped the September 17 session and sent members home until after the November midterms; Rep. Thomas Massie says the move was meant to avoid a forced vote on his eight articles of impeachment, which Johnson denies.
CDC and FDA Link Nearly 1,950 Cyclospora Cases in Nine States to Taco Bell Lettuce From Taylor Farms de Mexico
Federal investigators traced the cluster to shredded iceberg lettuce grown in central Mexico, and the supplier pulled the product — but no lab test has yet confirmed the parasite in the lettuce itself.