From court decisions on elections to the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, here are stories that made headlines this past week. Or skip to the end to test your news savvy with a quiz.
Immigrants could be dropped from census
The Trump administration on Wednesday proposed changing the national census to include only U.S. citizens and permanent residents, a move that could significantly change how much political representation and federal funding each state receives.
The Census Bureau submitted the proposal just over a year after President Donald Trump ordered its parent agency to craft a new census that would block immigrants in the U.S. illegally from being counted.
Demography experts and civil rights advocates warn the changes could warp data used for drawing congressional and state legislative districts, enforcing anti-discrimination law and allocating federal funds for public services.
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Middle East conflict widens, intensifies
CAIRO, Egypt — Iran said Wednesday it attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. sank five Iranian oil tankers, in the biggest wave of attacks on shipping by both sides since the U.S. and Israel started the war on Feb. 28.
The attacks sent the price of oil surging, with benchmark Brent crude futures breaching $100 a barrel for the first time since July. At least one seafarer aboard a tanker was reported killed and another listed as missing.
Meanwhile, fighting escalated between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in Yemen, a second theater of war that threatens global energy supplies from the Middle East.
Denise Dillon, marketing and event coordinator for the city of Sanibel, Fla., straightens American flags honoring the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, on Tuesday at Sanibel Community Park.
Nation marks 25th anniversary of 9/11 attacks
The United States marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks Friday. That day still resonates in the lives of the families, friends and colleagues of the 2,977 victims killed and for survivors and first responders dealing with related health issues.
In other news
REDISTRICTING: The Supreme Court for a second time blocked Missouri on Thursday from using a redrawn congressional map that favors Republicans in November’s midterm elections, dealing a setback to President Donald Trump and the party’s odds of maintaining its majority in the House of Representatives.
MAIL BALLOTS: A U.S. appeals court on Thursday declined to allow President Donald Trump’s administration to implement a new U.S. Postal Service rule that would tighten mail-in voting requirements before November’s elections, as the Supreme Court weighs a similar request.
TRADE WAR: Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods took effect after midnight Tuesday, intensifying an 18-month-old trade war and spurring Prime Minister Mark Carney to urge a further shift away from the country’s biggest trading partner. The Trump administration said it will ban import of certain Canadian products starting Sept. 29.
UKRAINE WAR: U.S. peace negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner presented several “decent ideas” during talks on how to end the war with Russia, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday. The envoys also held weekend talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
WEST BANK: The U.K., France and Canada on Tuesday proposed blocking imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. In a separate statement, the foreign ministers of nine other countries reaffirmed support for a negotiated two-state settlement.
CRASH: Five people were killed last Sunday when an Amazon Prime Air cargo flight crashed while landing at Miami International Airport in Florida, officials said. The plane overran the airport’s runway and hit several vehicles on the ground.
The water cooler — trending news
SMITHSONIAN: The secretary of the Smithsonian Institution announced Tuesday that he will retire after months of accusations from the Trump administration that the national museums he led portrayed a skewed and divisive version of the United States. Historian, curator and author Lonnie Bunch has led the Smithsonian as its first Black secretary since 2019. He is expected to step down by the end of the year.
NEW MEXICO: President Donald Trump spent the early part of the Labor Day holiday Monday posting memes on social media in support of changing the name of the state of New Mexico to “New America” as tense trade negotiations with Mexico ramp up. The U.S. federal government, however, has no authority to change the name of a state.
APPLE: On Wednesday, Apple redefined its flagship smartphone with the launch of the Duo, a passport-size folding $1,999 iPhone, betting its design and promises of data privacy will let it leap ahead of rivals who have sold folding phones for years. The Duo could shake up a category long dominated by Samsung and Chinese companies like Huawei.
COOKIES: The upcoming Girl Scout cookie season will have treats for pooches. Girl Scouts of the USA announced Tuesday that it will add a cookie made for dogs to the 2027 lineup. The Patch Pals, described as “soft, chewy blueberry muffin-inspired treats,” are the organization’s first cookies for dogs. The Girl Scouts also will offer an allergy-friendly cookie for the first time.
Big number
$45K: The amount in cash gifts President Donald Trump gave close aides last year, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
Quote of the week
President Donald Trump speaks Thursday at the Republican National Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas.
“If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them … because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000,” President Donald Trump said in a primetime speech Wednesday at a Republican convention in Dallas; the $1 trillion proposal could require the approval of Congress.
