Five Iranian tankers gone after two missile attacks
United States Central Command says it destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers on Tuesday. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had fired ballistic missiles at an American warship twice in two days, and the warship evaded both. Iran's floating stockpile outside the naval blockade, the oil still generating revenue, is down to roughly 29 million barrels from about 90 million in mid July. The Wall Street Journal, citing ship tracker Kpler, reports it could run out next month, though Iran keeps loading oil onto tankers trapped inside the Gulf.
Hot Air, citing Central Command and the Wall Street Journal →
Trump orders records to follow veterans out the door
An executive order signed Tuesday directs the War Department to hand a service member's personnel file, health records and treatment records to Veterans Affairs the moment that member is discharged, starting within 30 days. The two departments get 180 days to build permanent record sharing, to field artificial intelligence tools for benefit applications, and to rework the Transition Assistance Program so job connections are made before separation. A veteran waiting on a claim cannot enforce any of those dates, and the order runs only as far as appropriations allow.
Duke medical school discriminated on race, federal office says
The Department of Health and Human Services says Duke School of Medicine intentionally discriminated against white and Asian applicants, using race and race-revealing proxies in admissions. Its Office for Civil Rights notified the school Tuesday that the practice breaks Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. That is an agency finding rather than a court ruling, and no penalty or corrective agreement has been announced. The release carries no response from Duke, and the same office opened compliance reviews of five medical schools on August 28.
Kansas Republicans push back on the Bombardier threat
President Trump threatened Monday to bar Canadian jet maker Bombardier from the American market, retaliation for Gulfstream being blocked from doing business in Canada. Both of Kansas's Republican senators pushed back, and not in the same way. Jerry Moran said he contacted the administration to make sure the President knew what the company contributes to the state, citing more than 1,000 employees. Roger Marshall, facing a tougher reelection than expected, said he would fight the ban and argued the planes should be built in Wichita.
- Chris Pappas won New Hampshire's Democratic Senate primary by roughly 32 points and meets former Senator John E. Sununu in November for Jeanne Shaheen's open seat, which Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball both rate lean Democrat. The Hill →
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration exempted school bus child harnesses from the side impact standard, answering petitions from IMMI and BESI, and moved the compliance date to December 5, 2026, a deadline it had already paused enforcing in July 2025. Federal Register →