Edition 37 · Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Here's what happened.
Camp Mystic is facing a criminal investigation into the deaths of 27 girls during devastating Texas flooding last year. Court documents say Texas Rangers sought the camp owners’ electronic communications as potential evidence of manslaughter, negligent homicide, child abandonment or other crimes; no charges have been filed.
Phil Knight, the Nike co-founder, has made a $1 billion donation to the University of Oregon. The gift is described as the largest known donation to a flagship university and will fund a new engineering college.
California insurers are beginning to write new homeowner policies again after years of retreat as wildfire risk increased. The state Insurance Department says new regulations from outgoing Commissioner Ricardo Lara are helping improve availability, though the scale of the change remains unclear.
A state audit found that Sacramento’s Highlands charter school allegedly misspent $180 million. The school is seeking to reopen under a new name, raising questions about oversight and accountability in California’s charter-school system.
California lawmakers and national leaders are praising Governor Newsom’s signing of what they describe as the nation’s most comprehensive data center laws. The candidate provides no further details about the laws’ requirements or expected effects.
Governor Newsom announced $886 million in utility bill relief, with millions of California households receiving an average of $75 this summer. The payment program is intended to reduce household energy costs.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met President Trump at the United Nations and proposed that Ukraine and Russia stop attacking each other’s energy systems. The proposal comes as efforts to restart talks with Russia have gone nowhere.
Six or more Ethiopian rebel groups announced a coalition against the government, accusing the prime minister of being dictatorial. The alliance forms in a country already scarred by war.
Meta says it has fixed a Muse zero-day vulnerability that could have let attackers do “whatever” they wanted on a victim’s Mac. The flaw highlights security risks inherent in AI helpers.
Critics warn that an “AI freeze” among the largest companies could consolidate the power of frontier labs. They say the shift could hurt smaller firms that are trying to catch up.
A startup is developing a way to use supercritical carbon dioxide with existing gas turbines to improve data-center efficiency. The technology would not eliminate the turbines’ emissions.
Discord is moving into an age-verification era despite backlash from its community. The company says 90% of users will not have to verify their age.
NASA-supported scientists have discovered a complex organism living at temperatures previously thought impossible for such life. Extreme heat can damage essential cell components, including the nucleus that protects genetic material.
Hurricane Polo has intensified into a Category 5 storm and is among the most powerful Pacific cyclones in decades. It was expected to skirt Mexico’s southwestern coast.
Researchers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory found unusual objects in the Pinwheel Galaxy and other galaxies. The objects emit unusually low-energy X-rays alongside intense ultraviolet radiation and may help resolve two astronomical questions.
UK doctors have developed a non-invasive test using urine and vaginal fluid samples to help rule out womb cancer in women with bleeding after menopause. The approach could spare thousands of lower-risk women invasive ultrasounds and hysteroscopies.
The CDC’s latest Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey examines students’ diets, sleep and mental health. The findings include some positive developments and align with priorities emphasized by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The OECD, IMF and Institute of International Finance have warned about risks from rising debt and borrowing costs across major economies. The warnings focus on $365tn in global borrowing and challenges facing countries including the US, France, UK and Japan.
Renters are increasingly struggling as local housing benefits fall short of actual rents. The gap between housing benefit and the rent on a two-bedroom property is reported at £158 a month in Wirral and as much as £324 in London, forcing some households to choose between rent, food and heating.
Concerns are growing that President Trump could deploy the National Guard to polling places during upcoming elections. Such a move would face strict state and federal legal restrictions.
Shasta County is preparing for another potentially contentious election after voters ousted Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis in June. Curtis, described as a longtime conspiracy theorist and election denier, still has the remainder of his term to oversee elections, while the FBI has arrived after he said his own election might have been stolen.
California and New York are suing the Trump administration over plans to buy back offshore wind leases. The states say the move would hinder wind-energy expansion as the administration favors fossil fuels.
The machinists union is negotiating for workers to have a say in how artificial intelligence is used in their workplaces. The coverage presents the talks as an example of unions confronting AI-related workplace threats.
DoorDash acknowledged underpaying New York workers and will pay a $131.5 million settlement following a city investigation into wage violations. The case highlights compliance and pay risks in gig work.
Afghan cyclist Fariba Hashimi won silver in the women's road race at the Asian Games. She had fled oppression in Afghanistan to pursue her sporting ambitions, after previously dressing as a man to avoid the Taliban.
Thirteen-year-old Yu Zidi won the 400m individual medley at the Asian Games, completing a hat-trick of gold medals. The result highlights her dominant meet at just 13 years old.
Political campaigns are increasingly using armies of paid creators to produce large volumes of online content. The New York Times says the low-cost videos can shift public conversation and create political echo chambers ahead of the midterms.
The United States has criticized proposed Australian laws that would require tech firms to let users switch off algorithmic recommendations, calling the approach censorship. The draft rules would expose companies to fines if they do not provide the opt-out.
Microsoft confirmed 268 more layoffs and sweeping Xbox restructuring. Some studios will be combined, others face closure, while Obsidian is shifting under Bethesda and Activision is taking control of Halo development.
Undead Labs has become independent from Xbox, but the transition includes layoffs affecting a significant number of staff. The studio is developing State of Decay 3 and shared the news after Xbox’s second round of job cuts this year.
At least six hospitals have reached agreements with the Trump administration to pay fines and stop providing gender-transition treatments to minors. The settlements have led those hospitals to shut their youth gender clinics.
An investigation by the ACLU and Amnesty International USA says colleges disproportionately violated the rights of pro-Palestinian students. The report describes what it calls the systemic suppression of campus protesters, drawing on records, media reports and surveys.
The Booker Prize 2026 shortlist comprises six novels. The New York Times notes that a win for James’s “The Disappearers” or Stuart’s “John of John” would give its author a rare second Booker Prize.
Oasis has added shows in Knebworth, Rome and Munich. The band said the new dates were prompted by “phenomenal demand.”
The United States and Denmark have signed a defence deal to build two military bases in Greenland. The agreement also reaffirms Denmark’s sovereignty over the semi-autonomous Arctic territory.
Nepal’s devastating flood has prompted renewed scrutiny of dam and hydropower construction in the Himalayas. Experts are questioning whether the region’s drive to expand electricity generation is creating risks that could worsen future disasters.