The Rocket News

U.S. Edition · Morning Edition · Wednesday, September 16, 2026

President Trump, fists raised, in black and white; red necktie in color; the Supreme Court marble and blue sky in color. Portada plate, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026.

Midterms

Trump on his Court: a shell of their original selves. Mail ballots still go out.

He named Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Barrett. Blanche took the Rose Garden. The USPS screen is still dead.

The Rocket News · Washington · September 16, 2026

Desks

Politics More

A mail ballot envelope in gloved hands, full color. Wire photograph.

The Poll

Times/Siena: Democrats +9. The economy is his, and it is killing him.

1,503 likely voters. Health care by 24. Republicans lead only on A.I. Forty-nine days.

Video · The New York Times

Midterms

The Court said no. Mail ballots go out as usual. Trump’s USPS screen is dead.

Video · CNN

President Trump at a White House podium: the figure in black and white; gold curtains and flags in color. Wire photograph. Portada plate, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026.

Ireland

Trump, home from Ireland: Zelensky must stop hitting Russian diesel.

Video · DRM News

President Trump facing Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office: the figures in black and white; gold chairs, red flags and the fireplace in color. Wire photograph. Portada plate, Monday, Sept. 14, 2026.

Ireland

Trump doubles down. “I love my comments.” A united Ireland is “one of the naturals.”

Video · Associated Press

President Trump on a Doonbeg balcony in a USA cap, pointing, with two men at the rail: the three figures in black and white; glass and sky in vivid teal-blue. Wire photograph, Irish Open, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026.

States More

Florida

DeSantis: slash the property tax. Counties: libraries, parks, the firehouse.

A Florida ballot measure. He says there is fat to cut. Local officials say the roof comes off.

Video · Fox Business

California

Weber: the cloud is lifted. California mails the ballot. Trump’s screen is dead.

Video · NBC News

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber at a microphone, full color. Wire photograph.

Wisconsin

Tiffany swam. Twelve stitches. “God was watching.” The campaign goes on.

Video · CBS 58

Rep. Tom Tiffany at a podium, full color, blue backdrop. Wire photograph.

Texas

$51 million for Paxton. Talarico had the air. The caucus came in.

Video · MS NOW

Ken Paxton at a podium, full color: navy suit, red tie, blue backdrop. Wire photograph.

World More

An oil tanker in a narrow dusk strait between arid mountains, a distant column of smoke on the horizon. No figures in the frame.

Hormuz

The East-West is shut. Four percent of the world’s oil. Yanbu is dark.

Houthis hit the pipeline that bypassed Hormuz. Loadings cancelled. Wright: days. Goldman: eight weeks.

Video · Times Now

Diplomacy

Trump posted a truce. Kyiv said if. Moscow said maybe. Nobody signed.

Video · CNN-News18

Hormuz

Salalah postponed. Saudi asked. The maps stay in the drawer.

Video · LiveNOW from FOX

Diplomacy

Bahrain will not sit. Iran will show maps. The strait is not open.

Video · Times Now World

World War More

A damaged street at dawn, smoke and brick in color. No figures in the frame.

Ukraine

80 drones overnight. A bus in Nikopol. Five dead on the way to work.

63 downed. Nine killed across Ukraine, 36 hurt. The energy truce is still a post.

Video · WION

Ukraine

200 drones overnight. 187 downed. Kyiv gas stations hit. Four hurt.

Video · Kyiv Independent

Ukraine

108 drones overnight. One dead in Zaporizhzhia. An infant hurt in Izyum.

Video · Times of India

Ukraine

453 drones overnight. A Kyiv–Warsaw train hit two kilometers from Poland.

Video · Times of India

A burned Ukraine–Moldova border checkpoint at dawn. No figures in the frame.

Economy More

A U.S. gas station price board in color. No figures in the frame.

The Tape

Diesel is $6.31. Another record on a Wednesday. The gallon is $4.37.

AAA this morning. Up from $6.27. The Saudi pipe is dark. Forty-nine days to the vote.

Video · Al Jazeera English

The Tape

Diesel is $6.27. Another record on a Tuesday. The gallon is $4.33.

Video · Al Jazeera English

The Tape

Diesel is $6.23. A new record on a Monday. The gallon is $4.32.

Video · Al Jazeera English

The Tape

Diesel is $6.20. A record on a Sunday. The gallon is $4.31.

Video · Al Jazeera English

Science More

A glass office tower at dusk, a few floors lit, the rest dark. No figures in the frame.

Proof

Claude wrote Fermat in Lean. Eleven days. Thirteen million lines.

Mathematicians had budgeted five years. 29,500 intermediate theorems, checked.

Video · AI news

The Moon

NASA and IBM put a Moon model on Hugging Face.

Video · IBM Research

The Moon from orbit: cratered highlands, a shadowed polar crater with ice glints at the rim, black sky. No figures. Scientific photograph.

Machines

Anthropic built a model of what A.I. does to the American paycheck. You can push the sliders.

Video · KPIX / CBS News Bay Area

Humanoid robots in Delta Robots livery holding Democratism flags outside a Warsaw ministry. No people in the frame. Photograph, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026.

Machines

Thirty robots marched on Warsaw. They asked Poland to regulate A.I.

Video · KPIX / CBS News Bay Area

Technology More

Elon Musk, hands together, on stage, full color. Photograph supplied by the editor. Portada plate, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026.

Technology

Elon Musk warns: AI is like summoning the demon.

At MIT he compared the engineers to the man with the pentagram. Holy water. Until it all goes wrong.

Video · Bloomberg Originals

Technology

“Whoever wins AI, wins.” Trump calls the halt “things that won’t happen.”

Video · Associated Press

Sam Altman, President Trump and Elon Musk at a World Economic Forum wall, full color. Editor’s plate for the Doonbeg AI note, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026.

Mexico More

President Claudia Sheinbaum, hand on her chest, full color, embroidered jacket. Wire photograph.

Mexico

Sheinbaum: Mexico will not kneel. Three hundred thousand heard the Grito. Then the parade.

“México no se doblega, no se arrodilla y México nunca se vende.” 16,000 troops. Sovereignty is the line.

Video · Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo

Mexico

No mañanera. Tonight Sheinbaum shouts Viva México from the balcony.

Video · Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo

Mexico

Sheinbaum’s Monday: 673,000 mortgages. Gasoline under 24 pesos. The cadets got swords.

Video · GBS

Mexico

Sheinbaum at the Niños Héroes. Then Hidalgo. Trump’s compliment stays a mood.

Video · GBS

Sports More

A packed stadium at night, lights and turf in color. News photograph.

NFL

Chiefs 31, Broncos 10. Walker 173 yards. Mahomes’ legs, first night back.

Arrowhead. First win in 295 days. Nix sat on the turf. Week 1 is over.

Video · NFL

College

Texas 24, Ohio State 23. Down 20 in the fourth. Manning. Smothers at 0:25.

Video · SEC Network

Arch Manning in a Texas jersey after the game, full color, stadium crowd behind him. Wire photograph.

NFL

49ers 27, Rams 7. First NFL game in Australia. 100,021 at the MCG.

Video · NFL on NBC

NFL

Lock in, Darnold out. Seattle 13, New England 10.

Video · NFL Highlights

A packed NFL stadium at night, lights and turf in color. News photograph.