Policy & Unrest
For the first time, a Catholic archbishop sues Trump over access to immigrant detainees
(RNS) — The lawsuit accused the Department of Homeland Security and ICE of instituting policies that violate 'core constitutional values.'
Indicators
checked Oct 7, 4:23 PM CDT
About
Each number comes straight from its publisher, and each value links to its source. Hover a box (or a row) for a plain-language note. "Unavailable" means the source didn't answer, and we never fill in a guess. "Stale" means the latest reading is older than usual.
- Financial health
- Gold$4,137 (source: Yahoo Finance (COMEX))↓$50.40 Down −$50.40 vs Oct 6Oct 7
- 30-yr mortgage7.28% (source: Freddie Mac)↑0.25 Up +0.25 pt vs Sep 24Oct 1
- Jobless claims197K (source: DOL via FRED)↓1K Down −1,000 vs Sep 19Sep 26
- Energy
- Crude oil (WTI)$96.24 (source: EIA)↑$0.11 Up +$0.11 vs Oct 5Oct 6
- Gasoline$4.354 (source: EIA)↓11.1¢ Down −$0.111 vs Sep 28Oct 5
- Diesel$6.199 (source: EIA)↓18.3¢ Down −$0.183 vs Sep 28Oct 5
- Policy uncertainty985 (source: Baker, Bloom & Davis — policyuncertainty.com)index↑576.5 Up +576.5 vs Oct 5Oct 67-day avg 371 srcNews coverage of US policy uncertainty rose this week compared with last week. Daily readings swing a lot, so the weekly average is the better guide.
- Geopolitical risk141 (source: Caldara & Iacoviello (Federal Reserve Board))index↓4.1 Down −4.1 vs Oct 4Oct 57-day avg 178 · acts 166 · threats 166 srcNews coverage of war, threats and terrorism is lighter than a week earlier (weekly average).
- Weather alerts (US)383 (source: National Weather Service)alerts↑25 Up +25 vs previous reading Oct 7, 3:50 PM CDT4:23 PM CDTland 179 · marine 204 src383 weather alerts are active across the country, from routine advisories to local storms. Check weather.gov for your own county.
Still developing
Stories with the most headlines over the past few days · All stories
Economy
Cost of living, energy and fuel prices, and markets when they reach households
Social Security ends flexible work schedules, teeing up clash with union
The agency’s top HR official says these changes are necessary to “deliver the service the public expects.” A union argues SSA violated its labor contract making this decision on its own.
- Bank of America: Older Americans have taken on a bigger economic role
- Jackson, Collins tangle on Canada tariffs: 'We can't eat road salt'
- Trump Says He Wanted to Privatize Social Security 'So Badly' During First Term
- Options traders are betting on a dramatic drop in interest rates
- HUD opens probe into Wells Fargo’s race-based mortgage programs
- Levi Strauss hikes profit guidance after tariff refunds, but its sales outlook is less optimistic
- Global Diesel Crunch Fuels New Wave of Energy Nationalism Diesel prices
- Red dye diesel break is being greeted with a big yawn Diesel prices
- Strange market anomaly is creating a buying opportunity in the Nasdaq 100
- Americans grow more pessimistic about their finances, New York Fed finds — expert warns of ‘tough choices’ ahead
- Hawkish FOMC Minutes Show All 19 Fed Officials Supported Rate Hike, "Most" Assess Another Hike "By Year End Is Appropriate"
- Trump makes a fashion statement with more affordable Jos. A. Bank suit
- Fed’s minutes show no appetite for a series of interest-rate hikes
- LAUSD in shocking financial crisis, reveals plan to cut thousands of jobs
- NatGas Rises As Forecasts Signal Looming "Arctic Blast"
- Washington and Wall Street chose to delay paying their bills — and to put them on your tab
- Did Bessent Call In Favor? Stellar 10Y Auction Prices At Highest Yield Since 2000 On Near Record Foreign Demand Treasury yields
War & Conflict
Conflict involving the US, and wars abroad when they reach home
John Mearsheimer on Yemen and Horizontal Escalation
Reprinted from John’s Substack: On 6 October 2026, I was on “Judging Freedom” talking with the Judge about the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to end the Iran war on terms favorable to the US — which are doomed to failure — as well as the president’s increasing tendency to make outrageous…
- Pete Hegseth does two pushups, gives hero’s welcome to USS Abraham Lincoln crew: ‘Changed the arc of history’
- Supreme Court grapples with environmental challenge to Air Force’s Guam munition detonations
- More Ukrainian-Style One-Way Attack Drones Seized In Mexico
- Hegseth visits the long-deployed USS Lincoln to bestow award before ship returns home
- How The Groundwork For F-47 Flight Testing Is Being Laid
- Three years after Oct. 7, Jews are still a people who sing
- U.S. Carrier Expected to Make Port Call in Yokosuka, First in 4 Years
- Gaza Genocide 'Not Over,' Says UN Expert as Israel's Onslaught Enters Fourth Year
- FBI foils alleged terrorist attack at Minneapolis's Mall of America
- Hegseth unveils Presidential Unit Citation to USS Abraham Lincoln crew after lengthy deployment
- Syria considering sending troops to Yemen to fight Houthis
- EXCLUSIVE: CAIR, Students for Justice in Palestine Under Investigation for Supporting Hamas After Oct. 7
- Americans issued serious warning to avoid popular tourist spot around October 7 anniversary
- Trump’s closing pitch for Nobel Peace Prize: ‘I did things that nobody else has ever done’
Accountability
Agency failures, inspector general and GAO findings, disaster response gaps and infrastructure breakdowns
Trump signs Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act, targeting costly federal projects
President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed legislation sponsored by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) requiring the federal government to publicly disclose major projects that are significantly over budget or behind schedule. The law, dubbed the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act, requires federal agencies to…
- Using holiday lights to inform hurricane recovery? Award honors ‘seemingly odd’ federally funded research that brings about groundbreaking discoveries
- Forget The Plague, CDC Reports Recent Surge In Deadly Brain Fungus Cases
- Pro-Bruce Blakeman Super PAC accuses Kathy Hochul of pay-to-play ‘corruption’ scheme in multi-million dollar ad
- No raise? No problem: House members expense DC hotels, meals on taxpayers’ dime
- Boosting public safety starts with fully funding federal prisons
- FEMA Provides Additional $3.3 Million for Disaster Case Management Services for Los Angeles Wildfires Survivors
- CDC ‘closely monitoring’ suspected Russian plague — as WHO urgently seeks info on second reported death
- Blanche Says DOJ Is Using Fraud Laws To Combat Birth Tourism
- Precision Navigation Systems: Challenges Remain with Fielding New Capabilities
- IT Dashboard: Selected Agencies’ Investment Ratings Fail to Fully Consider Risks
- Economic Development Administration: Better Coordination with Regional Commissions and Performance Management Needed
- The FBI Was Hacked. Who’s Next?
Policy & Unrest
ICE and detention, court rulings on policy and civil liberties, protests, and policy changes that divide us
DNC files lawsuit alleging Trump's taxpayer-funded ads are illegal propaganda
The Democratic National Committee on Wednesday sued President Donald Trump's administration for recent television advertisements that promoted his political message while costing taxpayers millions of dollars.
- Government uncovers cartel plot to kidnap Border Patrol and customs officers in Texas
- Major ICE operation underway across California: ‘Go after anybody’
- DNC lawsuit says Trump misused federal funds for ‘propaganda’ ads
- Documents show DHS probed nonprofits, obtained millions of records in hunt for noncitizen voters
- Trump's taxpayer-funded ad blitz lands in court
- USCIS hits ‘most critical’ phase of financial systems modernization
- Shock gloves purchased by ICE cause pain, compliance and fear, Army study found
- Trump to propose relaxing methane rules for oil and gas industry
- WATCH LIVE: Trump speaks at rally for Senate candidate Ken Paxton in San Antonio
- Justice Alito on Sports Gambling, ‘Nutty’ Law Reviews, and a Judge’s Fighting Spirit
- Rep. Van Duyne Introduces Bill to Crack Down on H-1B Visa Fraud
- Appeals court reverses convictions in kidnapping and terrorism case involving 3-year-old boy's death
- FCC Has 'Our Head on the Guillotine,' Disney Tells Federal Judge
- Federal partners seize 90 fuel shipments valued at over $2.8 million bound for sanctioned Cuban entity