US news today

The US economy added only 29,000 jobs in September, far below economists' forecast of 84,000, as employers pulled back on hiring amid economic headwinds. The unemployment rate rose to 4.2% from 4.1% the previous month. The weak figures come as the Federal Reserve considers whether to raise interest rates further, though investors largely expect the central bank to hold rates steady at its next meeting.

Four teenagers have been charged with murder after a four-year-old boy was killed in a shooting in Charlotte, North Carolina. Seven armed individuals jumped from two stolen vehicles and fired 84 rounds into occupied homes on a residential street, killing the child and injuring an adult woman.

Cornell University has agreed to an independent review of its response to allegations that seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity gang-raped a female student in 2024. The woman, identified as Jane Doe, told campus police she was raped and described feeling like 'bait' during the incident. Her attorney says she clearly stated to police that she was sexually assaulted, countering claims by a local prosecutor. Documents from Cornell's Title IX investigation show the university's healthcare system failed to adequately follow up after she reported contracting an infection 'in a traumatic way'. The case has prompted public outcry, with students expressing anger at the university's response and raising wider concerns about sexual violence and safety on campus.

Two vape store clerks in Mississippi are facing federal drug charges. Bank records and a DEA affidavit linked the clerks to purchases made by two University of Mississippi students before the students' deaths, according to court documents.

Livvy Dunne celebrated her 24th birthday in the Bahamas with Pittsburgh Pirates baseball player Paul Skenes. The celebration took place after the Pirates' early season exit from competition.

The United States is deploying a third aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East, with the USS Theodore Roosevelt expected to arrive by the end of November. The deployment includes approximately 10,000 troops and a Marine expeditionary unit of over 2,000 personnel. Multiple outlets report that President Trump has suggested increased military strikes against Iran are possible after the US midterm elections. By November, three aircraft carriers will be positioned in the region alongside amphibious forces, marking the largest US military presence there since April.

Chad Lowe's 13-year-old daughter Fiona has died by suicide, following completion of a Medical Examiner's report. The sitcom actor's family said they were 'deeply heartbroken' by the death, which occurred on Tuesday. Fiona was described as 'a loving young girl who was smart, creative, and loved to dance'. Lowe had spoken of his pride at being a 'girl dad' two years before her death. His brother Rob Lowe dropped everything to be at his side during this time, and actor David Boreanaz shared his 'deepest condolences' to Lowe and his wife.

Jonathan McKinsey, a New York Times executive, was killed. His parents have been charged with his murder. Hours after the charges were filed, his estranged wife Candice Jang was seen taking their three children on a walk outside their former home.

Anaheim mayor Ashleigh Aitken is facing a workplace complaint from her chief of staff, Berenice Ballinas, alleging racist language, harassment and drunken behaviour. Three council members are pushing for a quick investigation and for the documents outlining the claims to be made public.

Authorities in St. Lucie County, Florida, have discovered 11 unpermitted Flock surveillance cameras with no identified owner. The discovery came when officials found the cameras, which are licence plate readers, while conducting an audit of surveillance equipment in the area. St. Lucie County officials initially believed only 52 Flock cameras were operating in their jurisdiction. Florida officials gave the unknown owner until mid-October to remove the cameras, planning to cover them with plastic bags in the meantime. The discovery has alarmed residents, with some reporting feeling 'very unsafe' about the unaccountable surveillance equipment in their community.

Democrats are expanding their midterm election targets as polling suggests they are favoured to regain control of the House of Representatives. The 3 November elections will determine whether Republicans keep their majority in Congress or Democrats return to power. Winning either chamber would let Democrats block President Trump's legislative agenda.

Kyrsten Sinema's former bodyguard, who had become her romantic partner, was arrested for allegedly threatening to 'take down' the ex-senator. This came a month after he was accused of causing approximately $200,000 worth of damage to her Arizona home.

Donald Trump says the conflict with Iran will end 'one way or the other' very soon, hinting the US could strike or reach a deal. CBS News reports that 9,000 additional US forces are being deployed to the Middle East, with Trump stating the war will end 'right after the election', if not sooner.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed State Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to investigate an alleged gang rape at Cornell University in 2024. Hochul said she had lost faith in the local Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten's investigation of the case. James said the alleged victim 'deserves to know that every fact will be examined and justice pursued'. The appointment comes after dozens of students gathered at a campus forum to demand accountability and criticise the university's response to the sexual assault allegations involving fraternity members.

Singer Ray J was rushed to hospital during a livestream this week after suffering a medical emergency. He had previously announced earlier this year that he had only months to live due to heart problems.

Olivier Martinez has accused actress Halle Berry of choking their 12-year-old son during an incident on 26 September 2026. A court has granted Martinez primary custody and a temporary restraining order, with Berry limited to daytime visits and required to stay 100 yards away. Berry's attorney has dismissed the allegations as 'entirely meritless'.

A Department of Energy electrical engineer has been arrested on charges of providing support to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. According to the Justice Department, the employee allegedly bought materials for homemade explosives and drones and travelled to Yemen.

A dog led police to its owner who had fallen at a home in Leawood, Kansas. Bodycam footage shows a police officer following the leashed dog down the street to a garage, where the resident had been on the floor for more than three hours.

Andrew Garfield has recalled working with Robert Redford on his 2007 film debut Lions for Lambs, a war drama also starring Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep. Garfield said Redford was frequently late to set, arriving four hours late at times. Speaking on Amy Poehler's podcast Good Hang, Garfield described Redford as a 'beautiful, beautiful man' despite his tardiness.

Ken Urker, partner of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, was found unresponsive at his home in Raceland, Louisiana, on his birthday. Blanchard told People magazine that Urker died of an overdose, though she expressed uncertainty about whether it was intentional.

An Amazon cargo plane overran a runway at Miami airport on 6 September, striking two vehicles and killing five people on the ground. The first officer warned several times during approach that the plane was coming in too fast, and the pilots received automatic warnings of excessive speed. The plane did not touch down until past the halfway point of the runway and the pilots did not attempt to abort the landing in time. The New York Post reports that four minutes before the plane was cleared to land, an air traffic controller had issued a wind advisory to another flight noting gusts of up to 25 mph from the south.

A medical helicopter crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Catalina Island near Los Angeles on Wednesday night with five people aboard. Three people have died, two others were hospitalised with injuries, and one person initially missing was later found dead. The helicopter's operator, REACH Air Medical Services, confirmed that two of the deceased were its staff members: the pilot and an onboard nurse. The third fatality was a patient being airlifted. Police divers found the missing person's body on Thursday after searching more than 156 square miles over 23 hours. Transport safety officials said an investigation into the crash remained ongoing.

Leaked audio captures Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate candidate in Texas, telling donors that 'everybody's numbers dropped' after a recent GOP midterm convention. Paxton is in a tight race against Democrat James Talarico for the Texas Senate seat. Despite Paxton's apparent concerns about the convention's impact, President Trump campaigned for him in Texas on Thursday as part of a broader tour supporting Republican candidates ahead of the November election.

Ken Urker, the ex-fiancé of convicted murderer Gypsy-Rose Blanchard and father of her child, has been found dead at his home in the United States. He was aged 33 or 34 according to different reports. Blanchard has paid tribute to him, calling him her 'forever soulmate', and Perth Now reports that she believes he died following an overdose.

California has banned child marriage, becoming the 18th US state to do so. The law was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, who called it a 'long overdue measure to protect young Californians'. Under previous state law, minors of any age could obtain court-ordered marriage with parental consent. An advocacy group pushing for the legislation said 9,000 children are married in California every year. Child marriage remains legal in 32 US states.

Joe Little, aged 28, became trapped under a large boulder while fishing alone near Hammond, Oregon. As the tide rose around him, he used Apple's Siri voice assistant to call 911. Emergency responders were able to reach and rescue him. His father described the outcome as 'a miracle'.

President Trump has launched a 32-day campaign blitz to support Republicans ahead of the midterm elections, with early stops planned in Texas and Oklahoma. Al Jazeera reports he is seeking to boost Republican chances amid what it describes as record low approval ratings.

Hahn Nguyen, 75, was arrested by the Santa Ana Police Department after a video emerged showing her luring a nine-month-old pit bull puppy under her minivan and running it over. She was taken into custody and booked at Santa Ana Jail on charges of animal cruelty and animal abandonment.

Death row inmate Christa Pike survived a botched lethal injection execution in Tennessee on Wednesday evening, receiving two full doses of pentobarbital before the procedure was called off. She is in critical condition and receiving life-saving medical care. Pike would have been the first woman executed in Tennessee in over 200 years. She was convicted in the 1990s of killing Colleen Slemmer, a 19-year-old, in a crime when Pike was 18. Her lawyers are now calling for Governor Bill Lee to commute her sentence, citing the ordeal as 'chemical torture'. The governor has suspended all executions in the state until at least the end of the year and ordered an independent inquiry into what happened.

The family of Renee Good, a US citizen killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis in January, has filed two federal lawsuits against the Trump administration. Good's partner Becca Good and her brother Brent Ganger filed the suits, which allege wrongful death, negligence and violations of federal law. Lawyers for the family say officials created 'an unprecedented environment for state sponsored violence' in Minneapolis. Border Czar Tom Homan, asked about the lawsuits by CBS News, said 'I wish Renee Good was alive today' and called what happened 'tragic', whilst defending ICE arrests. The shooting sparked widespread protests across the United States.

John Anthony Proia III, 41, of Waltham, Massachusetts, has been federally indicted for cyberstalking Katie Miller, wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. According to the Justice Department, he allegedly contacted her by phone and text over 40 times across approximately two months, leaving disturbing messages about her and her husband.

Lindsay Clancy's lawyer has failed in a bid to have murder charges dismissed after the first trial ended with a deadlocked jury. Her attorney Kevin Reddington argued that prosecutors had not proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Clancy killed her three children, with the defence claiming the case was based on speculation. Judge William Sullivan rejected the motion on Thursday, ruling that the evidence was sufficient to satisfy a rational jury of guilt. Prosecutors have not yet decided whether to pursue a retrial. Reddington has faced criticism for shifting strategy from a postpartum psychosis defence at trial to claiming a lack of evidence in the motion.

The US Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to resume deporting migrants to third countries—nations other than their own—without requiring advance notice or hearings on persecution risks. The six-justice conservative majority temporarily lifted a lower court decision that had required immigrants receive notice of their destination and opportunity to argue they face torture or persecution. The court will hear full arguments on the policy's legality in December. Liberal justices dissented from the ruling. Democratic lawmakers called for Congress to intervene, describing the decision as indefensible.

The Trump administration is sending $500 refund cheques to nearly one million Americans across 30 states, weeks before the midterm elections. The refunds follow millions of people losing premium subsidies for their health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. According to CBS News, some families with more than one affected person could receive multiple payments via cheque or direct deposit. The White House is including a personal letter from Trump with each cheque. The timing of the payments, coming just before the midterm elections, coincides with affordability being a key concern for most Americans.