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September 2026

33 entries from September 2026.

Sep 8

Capital & Main investigation revealed ICE and CoreCivic denied an asylum seeker medical care for a kidney infection at Otay Mesa

A September 8, 2026 Capital & Main investigation revealed that a Colombian asylum seeker held at the CoreCivic-run Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego went undertreated for a worsening kidney infection over roughly ten months, from a November 2025 report of heavy bleeding through an August 2026 flare-up. Her medical records document repeated denials and delays: a recommended ultrasound went unperformed for months, a May 2026 emergency-room visit found an abnormal urinalysis but recorded "no acute disease," and she was later hospitalized and diagnosed with pyelonephritis. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to requests for comment, and CoreCivic said only that it takes "any allegation" about medical care "seriously."

Missouri Secretary of State Hoskins directed officials to use congressional map barred by state Supreme Court injunction

On September 8, 2026, Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins emailed local election officials instructing them to use the 2025 Republican-drawn congressional map, attaching a same-day federal district court order he said "takes precedence" over the Missouri Supreme Court's standing injunction barring him from using that map. The Missouri Supreme Court responded by opening a contempt inquiry, ordering Hoskins to appear in person and explain why he should not be held in contempt at a hearing set for September 10.

Sep 7

U.S. Southern Command destroyed Ecuadorian vessel over unproven Los Choneros ties, fifth such strike in under two weeks

On September 7, 2026, U.S. Southern Command's Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere intercepted and sank an Ecuadorian vessel in international waters of the eastern Pacific, alleging without independently disclosed evidence that it was a "floating refueling station" supporting Los Choneros, a group the U.S. has designated a foreign terrorist organization. Unlike most strikes in SOUTHCOM's broader anti-cartel campaign, the vessel's occupants were removed before it was sunk and transferred to Ecuadorian authorities rather than killed. It was the fifth such vessel SOUTHCOM has destroyed under this pattern since August 28, 2026, in under two weeks.

Washington Post revealed Defense Department stripped slavery context from Arlington's Confederate memorial marker

The Washington Post reported on September 7, 2026, that the Trump administration had removed language critical of Confederate history from a marker and Defense Department website describing the Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery; the exact date the text changed is not established in the reporting. The removed passages described the 32-foot bronze statue as presenting a "nostalgic, mythologized vision of the Confederacy, including highly sanitized depictions of slavery," and the replacement marker states only that the statue will return to the site in 2027 after conservation. The Defense Department referred questions to Arlington National Cemetery, which did not respond to the newspaper.

Sep 5

U.S. Central Command struck three Iranian oil tankers after Iran fired missiles at Navy warships, continuing war-powers-defiant Iran campaign

On September 5, 2026, U.S. Central Command struck three Iranian oil tankers — near Kharg Island, near Jask, and in the Gulf of Oman — after Iran fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. aircraft carrier and destroyer patrolling the region; both U.S. ships evaded the missiles and no personnel were hurt. CENTCOM permanently disabled two of the tankers and destroyed the third, with CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper saying on the record the U.S. would "destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet" if necessary. The strikes continued a military campaign against Iran that has proceeded without new congressional authorization since Congress's June 2026 War Powers Resolution directed the president to end hostilities.

U.S. Southern Command destroyed multi-vessel Ecuadorian refueling station over unproven Los Choneros ties, fourth such strike in eight days

On September 5, 2026, U.S. Southern Command's Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere interdicted and destroyed a multi-vessel floating refueling station -- a main vessel and its attached support boats -- in international waters of the eastern Pacific, again alleging without independently disclosed evidence that it supported Los Choneros, a group the U.S. has designated a foreign terrorist organization. U.S. forces removed the main vessel's occupants and transferred them to Ecuadorian authorities before sinking it and the support vessels. It was the fourth of five such interdictions SOUTHCOM carried out under this capture-and-transfer pattern between August 28 and September 7, 2026, and the only one to destroy more than one vessel in a single operation.

Sep 4

Education Department stripped nonbinary-student data from civil rights collection, dropped decade-old summary report

On September 4, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights released its 2023-24 Civil Rights Data Collection with nonbinary-student data stripped from all 37 published files, citing President Trump's January 2025 executive order recognizing only two sexes. The department also eliminated the nonbinary-student category from the next collection cycle and discontinued the "First Look Report," the simplified public-summary format it had published for over a decade, leaving only raw data files for release.

ICE agents drove vehicles onto sidewalks and struck observers with batons during a Frederick, Maryland raid

On the evening of September 4, 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents drove vehicles onto sidewalks and struck observers with batons in Frederick, Maryland's Taskers Chance neighborhood, where agents had staked out a residence for roughly 40 hours pursuing a man ICE described as a "criminal illegal alien" who fled a vehicle stop. City Council President César Díaz and Vice President Katie Nash, both on scene, said observers formed a human barrier in front of the targeted home but were not violent; no arrests were made and it was not clear anyone inside the home was detained.

Trump threatened to halt trade with U.S. deficit countries unless the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates

President Trump posted on Truth Social on September 4, 2026, that he would halt trade with countries running a deficit with the United States -- including Canada, Mexico, European Union nations, and China -- unless the Federal Reserve cut interest rates, citing a Supreme Court tariff ruling as giving him "an absolute right" to condition trade this way. The threat extended a monthslong pressure campaign against the Fed's independence that has already included the removal of a Fed governor and a criminal probe of the former Fed chair. Trump said he speaks regularly with Kevin Warsh, the Fed chair he selected to succeed Jerome Powell.

DHS retained unqualified contractor GardaWorld for court-ordered environmental review of Surprise, AZ ICE facility

On September 4, 2026, DHS attorneys disclosed in a federal court filing that ICE had retained GardaWorld -- the same contractor already paid $313.4 million to build and operate the planned Surprise, Arizona ICE detention facility -- to conduct the environmental review DHS agreed to complete before housing anyone there. The disclosure came in a status update required under a July 2026 agreement with Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes that paused her lawsuit alleging DHS fast-tracked the facility in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act. Federal procurement records show GardaWorld's roughly 70 prior federal contracts are almost entirely for security, food service and transportation work, and neither DHS nor GardaWorld would answer questions about the company's environmental-review qualifications.

DOJ opened investigation into Nevada Secretary of State Aguilar over refusal to share unredacted voter data

On September 4, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, in a letter from acting voting-section chief Eric Neff, told Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar (D) that his office was under federal investigation for refusing to hand over the state's complete, unredacted voter registration list, and separately ordered Nevada to preserve all 2024 election records beyond the retention period federal law requires. The letter arrived about three weeks after a federal judge dismissed a DOJ lawsuit seeking the same voter data, a ruling DOJ is appealing. Aguilar, whose office is in Carson City, called the letter "a pretty direct threat" meant to intimidate him into complying.

DOJ pressured Mount Sinai Health System into ending gender-affirming care for minors in fourth hospital settlement

On September 4, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice announced an agreement with Mount Sinai Health System requiring the New York City hospital system to stop providing gender-affirming care to transgender minors. Mount Sinai agreed to pay a monetary penalty and dedicate $2 million to free medical care for patients DOJ said were harmed by the care, while denying all of DOJ's allegations. DOJ said the agreement is the fourth it has reached with a hospital system over pediatric gender-affirming care, following Texas Children's Hospital, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and Connecticut Children's Hospital.

North Carolina elections board voted along party lines to expand mail-ballot rejection grounds hours before ballots were mailed

The North Carolina State Board of Elections voted 3-2 along party lines on September 4, 2026, to approve new guidance expanding the grounds on which county officials may reject mail-in ballots, hours before the state began mailing 2026 general-election ballots. The guidance directs county officials to "spoil" ballots with an improperly sealed inner envelope, more than one ballot in an envelope, or a mismatched signature, and restricts who may deliver a ballot in person on a voter's behalf to immediate relatives or legal guardians.

Texas State Board of Education adopted high school standards linking Islam to 9/11, jihad, and conquest of Christian lands

On September 4, 2026, the Texas State Board of Education gave final approval to new high school social studies standards, to be phased in beginning the 2030-31 school year, that require students be taught that "radical Islam" motivated the September 11 attacks and that frame early Islamic history around the Prophet Muhammad's "brutal military campaigns against Jewish and Christian tribes" and "the taking of female captives as harem slaves." The board's own appointed content advisors warned the language was inconsistent with "the neutral, descriptive standard applied to other religious and cultural traditions," and the board separately declined to revive a previously deleted standard on Muslim contributions to algebra and astronomy.

Sep 3

Treasury and IRS proposed stripping tax-exempt status from 18,000 private schools over race-conscious policies

On September 3, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service issued proposed regulations (IR-2026-103) that would end Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status for private schools, colleges, and universities that adopt, maintain, or enforce race-conscious policies in admissions, scholarships, athletics, or other programs, including policies framed as diversity, equity, or inclusion. Treasury estimated the rule could affect as many as 18,000 institutions and cited Bob Jones University v. United States and Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard as legal basis; the rule would take effect for taxable years beginning May 31, 2027 or later.

Interior Secretary Burgum announced arch groundbreaking without final D.C. planning approval or congressional authorization

On September 3, 2026, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced that the National Park Service would begin excavation work within two weeks at Memorial Circle, near Arlington National Cemetery, for President Trump's proposed 250-foot "triumphal arch," even though the project has only preliminary approval from the National Capital Planning Commission, an incomplete FAA review, and no congressional authorization, which opponents say federal law requires for a commemorative work. Three Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian, represented by Public Citizen, sued to block the project and sought an emergency restraining order. Government lawyers then told the court the imminent work was limited archaeological survey testing rather than construction, and a federal judge ordered the administration to give 48 hours' notice before any further work at the site.

DOJ issued seven FBI subpoenas for Nevada voter data amid its separate court fight for the same records

On September 3, 2026, the Nevada Secretary of State's office confirmed it had received seven U.S. Department of Justice subpoenas, issued through the FBI, seeking voter-related information over the preceding three months. The disclosure came about three weeks after a federal judge dismissed a separate DOJ lawsuit that had sought Nevada's complete, unredacted voter registration list -- the department's 22nd consecutive district-court loss in a nationwide campaign for state voter rolls -- which DOJ has since appealed to the Ninth Circuit. Nevada's office did not disclose what specific information the subpoenas sought.

Politico revealed Kennedy and Hegseth had installed vaccine-skeptic Army doctor at HHS to probe vaccine deaths, a theory Pentagon data contradicted

Politico reported on September 3, 2026 that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had installed Army physician Col. Theresa Long inside HHS in Washington, D.C. as Kennedy's previously undisclosed "senior medical military adviser," tasked with investigating whether COVID-19 vaccines caused the deaths of 2,544 service members. Long, a long-standing vaccine skeptic, testified in an August 14, 2026 deposition that she is pursuing the claim even though a 2026 Pentagon report found no vaccine-linked deaths and only a short-term, non-sustained rise in heart-inflammation cases after vaccination. Kennedy has repeatedly called the vaccines "the most deadly vaccines in history," a characterization public health experts say is false.

U.S. Department of Justice fired career prosecutor who sought a stronger civil-rights charge against ICE officer in Minneapolis shooting

The U.S. Department of Justice fired career Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Evans on September 3, 2026, a day after ProPublica published an email in which he objected "in the strongest possible terms" to DOJ leadership's decision to charge ICE officer Christian Castro only with false statements, rather than a civil-rights offense, over the January 14, 2026 shooting of Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis. Evans had told Sosa-Celis's attorneys the lesser charge was being "directed by the Main Justice and the US Attorney" despite his objections. The Justice Department disputed Evans's characterization of the investigation as concluded and said the civil-rights probe into Castro remains ongoing, while multiple news organizations separately reported that Evans is under investigation over the email's disclosure.

New York Times investigation revealed DHS interrogated and sidelined an ICE whistleblower who exposed hiring-vetting failures, he alleges

Reporting by The New York Times, published September 3, 2026, revealed that a 17-year ICE unit chief in the agency's Office of Professional Responsibility filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general in August 2025 warning that ICE's hiring surge was making job offers before fingerprint, identity, and credit checks were complete. According to the whistleblower and his attorney, roughly ten days after he filed it, a DHS lawyer questioned him for four hours, confiscated his laptop, and placed him on leave for ten months over unspecified misconduct allegations; he was reinstated with no finding of wrongdoing and retired immediately after, in July 2026. ICE said the whistleblower was no longer with the agency and that it "diligently applies the proper personnel vetting regulations."

New Bedford, Mass. Sgt. James Marinelli used Flock cameras to track a woman he was dating, department finds

New Bedford, Massachusetts police announced on September 3, 2026 that an internal-affairs investigation, opened August 5, 2026, found Sgt. James Marinelli misused the department's Flock automated license-plate-reader system to track a woman he was dating and her ex-partner, entering pretextual justifications such as trespass, hit-and-run, disorderly conduct, and welfare-check codes to run the searches. Police Chief Jason Thody recommended Marinelli's termination; Marinelli invoked his Fifth Amendment right and declined to give a statement during the investigation. The finding was disclosed alongside a separate, unrelated internal-affairs finding against another New Bedford officer, Emily Pacheco, recorded as its own entry.

Sep 2

DOJ legal opinion expanded welfare-reporting mandate to all state agencies, tying future TANF/SSI funding to reporting immigrants to DHS

On September 2, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel issued a legal opinion, authored by Deputy Assistant Attorney General Joshua Craddock, concluding that all state agencies -- not only those administering welfare benefits -- must report individuals a state believes are unlawfully present to the Department of Homeland Security as a condition of continued Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) funding. The opinion reverses a narrower 1998 OLC interpretation that limited the reporting duty to the specific agencies administering those programs; DOJ said states will not lose funding already disbursed but risk losing future TANF and SSI dollars if they do not comply.

U.S. Southern Command destroyed Ecuadorian vessel over unproven Los Choneros ties, second such strike in five days

On September 2, 2026, U.S. Southern Command's Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere intercepted and sank a second Ecuadorian vessel in international waters of the eastern Pacific, five days after a first, again alleging without independently disclosed evidence that it was a "floating refueling station" supporting Los Choneros, a group the U.S. has designated a foreign terrorist organization. U.S. forces removed the vessel's occupants and transferred them to Ecuadorian authorities before sinking it. It was the second of five such vessels SOUTHCOM destroyed under this capture-and-transfer pattern between August 28 and September 7, 2026.

DHS Secretary Mullin asked DOJ to investigate voter-data nonprofits ERIC and CEIR over disputed privacy-law claims

On September 2, 2026, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin sent Attorney General Todd Blanche a letter asking the Justice Department to investigate the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) and the Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR) for allegedly violating the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act by sharing state motor-vehicle and voter data. The letter, released publicly by the White House on September 4, also asked DOJ to review whether certain ballot-marking devices comply with federal law. CEIR's executive director denied the allegations, and a federal judge had already dismissed a similar civil suit against the group as frivolous in June 2026.

Revere, Mass. police officer misused Flock cameras and state database to track ex-girlfriend, suspended without pay

On September 2, 2026, Revere, Massachusetts police confirmed that Officer Michael Tiso had used the department's Flock license-plate-reader cameras and a state database on multiple occasions to track the location of his ex-girlfriend, Marissa Todisco, and her family, following a complaint the department received in December 2025. An internal affairs investigation substantiated the misuse, and Tiso served a three-day unpaid suspension from August 24 to August 26, 2026 before returning to duty; the findings were reported to the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission.

Sep 1

U.S. Central Command struck roughly 100 Iranian targets under new 'tanker for tanker' policy, continuing war-powers-defiant Iran campaign

On September 1, 2026, U.S. Central Command struck roughly 100 Iranian military targets — including two Iranian government tankers, IRGC air-defense sites, radar systems, and anti-ship missile launchers — under a newly approved "tanker for tanker" policy aimed at deterring Iranian attacks on Gulf shipping. The strikes continued a military campaign against Iran that has proceeded without new congressional authorization since lawmakers passed a bicameral War Powers Resolution in June 2026 directing the president to end hostilities. Iran retaliated with roughly 25 ballistic missiles and drone attacks on U.S. bases in Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait, most of which were intercepted.

DHS launched criminal voter-fraud investigation surge across nine states ahead of midterms

On September 1, 2026, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, through Secretary Markwayne Mullin, directed Homeland Security Investigations -- an ICE component that ordinarily handles trafficking, smuggling, and child-exploitation cases -- to begin a coordinated criminal voter-fraud investigation surge in nine states: Washington, Wisconsin, Missouri, Georgia, California, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New York, and Connecticut. Internal DHS guidance reviewed by CNN directs field interviews and investigative leads through mid-October, timed to the run-up to the 2026 midterm elections, even as the department's own internal records show it substantiated only 185 of the roughly 16,000 noncitizen voter registrations it had publicly claimed to find in Nevada.

Guardian investigation revealed Pentagon AI chief Emil Michael's millions in disclosed Perplexity and Brex stock sales

On September 1, 2026, the Guardian reported that Emil Michael, the Pentagon's Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and the official who oversees the department's dealings with AI firms, sold his shares in AI search company Perplexity in June 2026 for between $5 million and $25 million, having kept the equity and a $250,000-$500,000 personal loan from the company after resigning its advisory board on entering government. The same disclosures showed Michael sold Brex LLC holdings for at least $5 million in April 2026, a gain of at least 473%, around the time Brex was acquired by Capital One. Former White House ethics lawyer Richard Painter said Michael "should have sold all interest in the company before he started working"; a Pentagon spokesperson said Michael is in full compliance with ethics laws.

U.S. Department of Justice sued Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools over transgender-student privacy policy, first such suit filed nationally

On September 1, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, joined by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas, filed a federal lawsuit against Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools (USD 500), seeking an injunction against the district's internal guidance directing staff to help students socially transition at school without notifying or obtaining parental consent. DOJ called it the first such lawsuit it has filed nationally, following a July 2026 threat to sue and freeze the district's federal funding over the same policy. KCKPS said it is in full compliance with federal law and declined further comment given the pending litigation.

San Francisco Chronicle investigation revealed CBP held dozens of SFO detainees, including green-card holders, beyond 72-hour legal limit

A San Francisco Chronicle investigation published September 1, 2026 found that U.S. Customs and Border Protection has held at least 25 people beyond its own 72-hour detention limit at San Francisco International Airport through July 2026, 19 of them lawful permanent residents; one detainee spent eight days without a bed or shower, and another went without diabetes medication for eight days until paramedics were called. Rep. Kevin Mullin, whose district includes SFO, conducted an unannounced oversight visit the same day and said CBP officers acknowledged the extended holds reflect "a definitive policy shift from the Trump administration."

Georgia Department of Corrections special agent misused Flock license-plate cameras for non-law-enforcement purposes; arrested and charged

A Georgia Department of Corrections special agent in charge, Robert "Bobby" Michael Keim, 45, was arrested and charged September 1, 2026 with misuse of a license plate reader system after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation found he had used the agency's Flock Safety license-plate-reader network for non-law-enforcement purposes. GDC had asked the GBI to investigate Keim's access to the system on August 18, 2026; investigators did not disclose what searches he allegedly ran. Keim, of Eatonton, was booked into the Putnam County Jail, and the case remains under investigation ahead of referral to the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office.

Tarrant County commissioners voted 3-2 to cut 92 polling locations ahead of 2026 midterms

On September 1, 2026, Tarrant County's Republican commissioners -- County Judge Tim O'Hare and Commissioners Matt Krause and Manny Ramirez -- voted 3-2 along party lines to cut 92 Election Day polling locations in Fort Worth, Texas, reducing the county's sites from 316 in 2022 to 224. Democratic Commissioners Alisa Simmons and Roderick Miles Jr. voted against the plan after civil-rights groups said the cuts would fall hardest on Black and Hispanic precincts in Fort Worth and Arlington.

Entergy Arkansas sued reporters and a records requester seeking a gag order over public-records reporting on its Google deal

Entergy Arkansas LLC filed an emergency federal lawsuit on September 1, 2026 against the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Arkansas Times, a reporter, an editor, and private citizen Jessica Kivell, seeking a temporary restraining order to block further disclosure of documents detailing Entergy's power agreement with Google for a West Memphis data center. Kivell had obtained the documents through a Freedom of Information Act request to the Arkansas Public Service Commission, which released them in error, and shared them with the Democrat-Gazette; Entergy's filing also asked the court to order the newspaper to retract its already-published story, on trade-secret grounds.