top of page
Search

TDFP News Roundup 9/18/26

Writer: Yossi S
Yossi S
2 hours ago
6 min read





Proudly Sponsored by: Help Our Friends





Trump says ‘big decision’ on Iran war — annihilate the regime or not — ahead of Gulf UN talks:

President Donald Trump told Axios he faces a “big decision” on whether to “go in and annihilate” the Iranian regime, warning “anything could happen,” with his next moves hinging on Tuesday’s meeting with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman at the U.N. General Assembly. The comments land as Hormuz traffic stays crushed and midterm pressure over gas prices mounts.


U.S. clears $24.3B potential sale of 48 F-35s to Saudi Arabia amid Houthi threat:

The State Department approved a potential Foreign Military Sale of 48 F-35 Lightning II jets and related gear to Saudi Arabia valued at about $24.3 billion, with Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney as primary contractors. The package comes as Riyadh faces escalating Iran-backed Houthi cross-border attacks and Red Sea/Bab el-Mandeb pressure.


Hormuz traffic still ~90% below prewar levels as U.S. gas hits $4.47:

UK maritime monitors said Friday Strait of Hormuz commercial traffic remains about 90% below pre-conflict levels under Operation Epic Fury, with CENTCOM stepping up Iranian-linked vessel disablements. AAA reported the U.S. national average gallon climbed about three cents to $4.47.


UK warns ‘substantial’ shipping risk off Yemen as 112,000 displaced in two weeks:

The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre raised a “substantial” threat assessment for Bab el-Mandeb and the Gulf of Aden after Houthi advances, including capture of Mokha, while Hormuz risk remains “severe.” The U.N. said Friday clashes have displaced more than 112,000 people in Yemen in just two weeks, with thousands fleeing by boat to Djibouti.


Iran stages massive Tehran Basij rally as volunteers vow ‘full-fledged defense’:

Iranian authorities organized a large Friday Tehran march of Basij and military volunteers billed as “Janfaday-e Iran,” with state media claiming about 300,000 participants and chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” New Basij chief Hossein Taeb said trainees will be ready for “full-fledged defense” as President Masoud Pezeshkian and commanders looked on.


Some states preparing to counter ICE agents at midterm polling places:

Democratic secretaries of state in New Mexico, Michigan, Maine, and Oregon told Axios they are training local officials for possible ICE presence at polls after Trump pledged to do “anything necessary” for election integrity and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said agents could appear while serving immigration warrants. Michigan’s deputy secretary of state called such a presence “voter intimidation.”


USPS stops work on computer system for Trump mail-ballot security order:

Postmaster General David Steiner said Thursday the Postal Service is “not doing anything” to develop a computer system tied to Trump’s executive order limiting mail-in voting after the Supreme Court left the measure blocked. Steiner stayed neutral on the order itself, stressing USPS operational independence.


Federal judge blocks Education Department plan to cut ~$600M in DEI grants:

U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley blocked a Trump-era Department of Education directive that terminated roughly $600 million in grants tied to DEI training, calling the rule change “arbitrary and capricious.” Kelley wrote the department cut programs “expressly undertaken to oppose discrimination,” not traditional discrimination itself.


Minnesota judges’ behind-the-scenes coordination on Trump ICE cases draws DOJ heat:

A New York Times report detailed Minnesota federal judges using email threads, meetings, clerk spreadsheets, and order templates while handling a surge of habeas petitions from Operation Metro Surge — from 12 detainee petitions in all of 2024 to 1,427 through August 2026. DHS counsel accused former Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz of “essentially conspiring” with colleagues; Chief Judge Eric Tostrud insisted each judge decided merits independently.


Trump-endorsed GOP Rep. Salazar: immigration crackdown has ‘gone too far’:

Florida Rep. María Elvira Salazar, who holds Trump’s “Complete and Total Endorsement,” released a campaign ad telling the president some enforcement “has gone too far” and that Hispanic 2024 supporters “feel betrayed.” DHS replied that ICE is delivering “the most historic mass deportation campaign in American history—exactly as President Trump promised.”


NYC emergency response times worsen under Mamdani as NYPD overtime plunges:

Mayor’s Management Report data show FDNY ambulance/fire response to life-threatening medical emergencies jumped from 10:21 to 11:55, with ambulance-only times rising nearly two minutes to 13:09. NYPD critical crime-in-progress response edged up to 9:38 while police overtime spending fell 12% to $966 million.


Polish PM warns Putin plotting ‘hybrid’ strikes on Ukraine’s NATO neighbors:

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told parliament Russia is preparing drone or projectile incidents on the eastern flank staged as “accidents” to freeze NATO’s Article 5 response, and said Moscow wants Ukraine’s “total capitulation.” Trump separately posted that “major progress” is being made toward a U.S. Army base in Poland.


Feds bust 12 in alleged $10M San Diego ‘ghost daycare’ childcare fraud:

Federal prosecutors charged 12 naturalized citizens or LPRs from Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Iraq with wire fraud in a coordinated San Diego operation involving 250+ officers, alleging fake home daycares billed for children who weren’t there. Individual defendants allegedly collected between roughly $538,000 and $1.2 million; U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon called them the first charges of this type from the National Fraud Enforcement Division.


Young Michigan swing voters cozy up to DSA — including abolishing the Senate:

Fox News Digital interviewed Gen Z and young Millennial Democrats at Abdul El-Sayed’s Michigan State rally and in Detroit who said rising costs and establishment complacency make Democratic Socialists of America more appealing, with some backing DSA’s push to abolish the U.S. Senate. The comments land amid DSA-backed primary wins in Michigan and New York.


Clancy mistrial holdout juror: ‘I didn’t have any doubts’ she planned the killings:

Lone holdout Michael Desronvil told NewsNation he believed physical evidence showed Lindsay Clancy “knew exactly what she was doing and planned” when she killed her three children, disputing fellow jurors’ claims he doubted first-degree murder. His attorney Edward Andrew Paltzik — who has represented Trump — said Desronvil relocated for safety after intense public backlash; DA Timothy Cruz has not said whether he will retry.


Archbishop of Canterbury forced to revoke interfaith award to bin Laden praiser:

First female Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally withdrew a Lambeth Palace “Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation” award to Pakistani cleric Tahir Ashrafi after past comments praising Osama bin Laden, defending blasphemy-death laws, and celebrating Hamas’s Oct. 7 “response” surfaced. Mullally said the award was reconsidered after those comments “came to light,” drawing fierce criticism from UK terror survivors.


Warren Buffett, 96, steps down as Berkshire Hathaway chairman; son Howard takes over:

Berkshire Hathaway named Warren Buffett chairman emeritus effective immediately Friday and installed son Howard G. Buffett as chairman, eight months after Buffett left the CEO role. “Father Time always wins,” Buffett wrote shareholders, saying he is “more confident than ever about what lies ahead.”


Report: hundreds of colleges see 40%+ federal student-loan nonpayment — some 70–80%:

An NPR analysis of Education Department data found at least 500 schools where 40% or more of federal borrowers fail to repay, with some barber and vocational schools at 70–80% while relying on federal loans for most revenue. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill adds pressure to cut aid to schools whose grads don’t out-earn non-degree peers.


Second death confirmed in South Bronx Legionnaires’ cluster:

NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin said a second person has died in the South Bronx Legionnaires’ outbreak that has sickened at least 14, with Legionella previously detected in 10 cooling towers including near Yankee Stadium and Lincoln Hospital. Officials say positive towers have been disinfected and urge anyone with flu-like symptoms who visited ZIP codes 10451 or 10456 to seek care.


South Korea’s Lee: no military deployment that would ‘involve or enter’ Iran war:

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Friday Seoul will not deploy military assets “that would involve or enter war” with Iran, while still doing the “minimum” to protect commercial shipping and citizens. The stance follows Trump’s earlier personal ask for support and Seoul’s review of Hormuz freedom-of-navigation options.

 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page