SpaceX Crew-13 Heads to International Space Station
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 launched from Florida’s Space Coast to the International Space Station (ISS) on Oct. 1, carrying American, Canadian, and Russian astronauts.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral at 11. a.m. with NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney aboard, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov.
Their initial Sept. 12 launch was delayed due to critical leaks in the Dragon’s propulsion system.
The mission is expected to last 6 months.
Related Stories
Tennessee Death Row Prisoner Survives Lethal Injection
A failed execution in Tennessee sparked controversy this week, raising questions about the state’s execution practices.
Christa Pike was given two supposedly fatal doses of pentobarbital on Sept. 30. She survived both and is now in the hospital in critical condition, according to her lawyers.
This is the second failed execution attempt in Tennessee this year.
Pentobarbital is an anesthetic that can be fatal at high doses.
Witnesses said Pike was still breathing and snoring after being administered, and her lawyers said she still had a heartbeat.
A third-party review has been ordered by Gov. Bill Lee, who has suspended executions in the state for the rest of the year.
Pike was convicted of the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, and later the attempted murder of fellow inmate Patricia Jones in 2001.
Media witnesses recount the moments before the execution of Christa Pike was halted in Nashville on Sept. 30, 2026. George Walker IV/AP Photo
Judge Strikes Down Trump’s $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
A second judge in four months has blocked President Donald Trump’s $100,000 fee for H-1B visas for foreign workers.
Federal District Judge Haywood Gilliam in Oakland, California, ruled on Sept. 30, in the case Global Nurse Force et al. v. Trump et al., that the State Department had failed to follow proper procedure when implementing the rule.
In June, District Judge Leo Sorokin in Boston temporarily struck down the rule in a case filed by 20 states in December 2025.
Trump released a proclamation on Sept. 19, 2025, titled “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers,” citing widespread abuse of the H-1B visa program at a cost to the American labor market and imposing a $100,000 fee on any company hiring a foreign worker under the plan.
H-1B visa for foreign workers. Shutterstock
War Department Announces Office of Religious Affairs
War Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced the establishment of the Office of Religious Affairs to strengthen the military’s connection with the nation’s Founding Fathers.
Hegseth made the announcement at his annual State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico on Sept. 30.
This new initiative will offer “first-class religious support” to military members.
“Our national motto is, after all, ‘in God we Trust.’ Today we reaffirm that trust. We are placing spiritual health at the same level as physical health,” Hegseth said.
At the event, Hegseth also announced that the military has cut 10 percent of generals and admirals across the force, in addition to a directive to reduce the number of general officer slots by 10 percent.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth gives a State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on Sept. 30, 2026. Alex Wong/Pool Photo via AP
Cornell Rape Investigation
New York’s top prosecutor has opened an investigation into the alleged gang rape of a woman at Cornell University.
N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James opened the investigation on Oct. 2, after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order in response to concerns about previous investigations by the Cornell Police Department and Tompkins County District Attorney that ended with no prosecution.
A former Cornell University student with the pseudonym Jane Doe filed a complaint on Sept. 16 alleging she was force-fed alcohol, marijuana, and ketamine at a fraternity house in October 2024, and then sexually assaulted while incapacitated.
New York Attorney General Letitia James (L) with Gov. Kathy Hochul in New York City on Oct. 2, 2026. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Ex-Olympian Freed From Reflecting Pool Vandalism Case
Former U.S. Olympian canoeist David Hearn, who was accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in 2026, has been cleared of all charges.
Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman of the District of Columbia ruled on Oct. 1 that the case be thrown out with prejudice, meaning it cannot be brought again.
In August, prosecutors asked Edelman to dismiss the case, but he wanted to hear arguments before ruling.
Hearn, 67, was accused of vandalizing the pool in June 2026 by pulling and tearing on the protective liner that had recently been installed.
The Interior Department later found that the damage resulted from improper installation by contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings.
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington on June 25, 2026. Win McNamee/Getty Images
US Military Pulls Out of Iraq After 20 Years
The United States has officially withdrawn from Iraq two decades after the Iraq War began, the military announced on Sept. 30.
Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq was the headquarters from which U.S.-supported allied forces fought ISIS terrorists in the region since 2014, an action dubbed Operation Inherent Resolve, and hosted 1,500 American and coalition forces.
The U.S. military invaded Iraq in 2003 under Operation Iraqi Freedom, meant to topple Saddam Hussein’s regime and support counterterrorism in the area.
Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve has now moved to Jordan as U.S. forces continue to tackle ISIS in Syria.
U.S. soldiers participate in a training exercise at Al Asad Airbase in Iraq on Oct. 31, 2018. 1st Lt. Leland White/U.S. Army National Guard
