House Break, New Wild Cat, & Chicken Nugget Purse

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Adam Rogers
September 18, 2026

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The House advanced a final slate of legislation before leaving Washington until after the midterm elections, including major bills targeting Russia, upgrading U.S. water infrastructure, and addressing electricity costs from the rapid expansion of data centers.
Lawmakers voted 262-159 for a sanctions package targeting Russian officials, banks, and energy exports. The bill would allow tariffs of up to 100% on the largest buyers of Russian oil and natural gas and now heads to President Donald Trump after previously passing the Senate. The House also overwhelmingly approved a water infrastructure package covering ports, waterways, flood protection and other Army Corps projects nationwide.
Another measure passed 417-3, would require state utility regulators to consider whether data centers and other large electricity users should bear the infrastructure costs created by their growing power demand rather than shifting those costs to households. Most of the House's other measures still require Senate approval.

Scientists identified a previously unknown species of wild cat in Bolivia, the first completely new wild cat described by researchers in roughly a century.
The Tilcayo tiger cat is smaller than a typical house cat and lives in the Bolivian Yungas, where the Andes meet the Amazon basin. Researchers first encountered one after a local man mistook the animal for a domestic kitten and brought it to a wildlife sanctuary. Genetic testing of that cat and another specimen showed they belonged to the same distinct species, which diverged from other tiger cats.
Scientists don't yet know how many Tilcayo tiger cats remain in the wild. Researchers are installing camera traps to estimate the population and range as agriculture and development increasingly threaten South America's tiger cat habitats. Local communities have known the animal for generations and gave it its traditional name, Tilcayo.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney backed a proposal Thursday that could make Canada the European Union's first associate member, potentially creating a new relationship allowing far deeper economic and security integration without Canada formally joining the bloc.
The proposed status does not currently exist, and its terms still need to be negotiated. Carney said he wants greater cooperation on trade, defense, energy, critical minerals, artificial intelligence and financial services as Canada works to reduce its dependence on the U.S., which currently receives roughly 70% of Canadian exports.
Canada has already become the first non-European country to join the EU's $173 billion joint defense procurement program. Carney will host EU leaders in Montreal next month to begin defining the broader partnership, which he said would ultimately require approval from Canada's Parliament.

California will require advertisements featuring prominent AI-generated performers to disclose that no human performer is depicted beginning in 2027. (More)

The White House withdrew Richard Schroyer’s nomination to lead ICE after his confirmation stalled amid a dispute between Senate Republicans and the Department of Homeland Security. (More)

The U.S. denied visas to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian officials attending the U.N. General Assembly for the second straight year. (More)

Fiji declared a national HIV emergency after new infections rose twelvefold since 2010 and an estimated one in every 60 adults now lives with the virus. (More)

Venezuela’s repressive system remains largely intact despite fewer detentions and the release of hundreds of political prisoners since Nicolás Maduro’s capture, according to U.N. investigators. (More)

Sweden’s center-left opposition won a three-seat parliamentary majority, and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson resigned. Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson will now seek to form a government. (More)

U.S. stock markets closed higher on Thursday (S&P +1.14%, Nasdaq +1.69%, Dow +0.61%) supported by a drop in Treasury yields and oil prices and gains in key technology stocks. (More)

U.S. jobless claims fell to 196,000 last week, the lowest level since mid-July, as layoffs remained historically low. (More)

The SEC opened a regulatory pathway for tokenized U.S. stocks that could eventually allow shares to trade around the clock on blockchain-based platforms. (More)

The Dodgers clinched their fifth straight NL West title and 13th in 14 seasons with an 8-2 win over the Reds. (More)

Peter Max died at 88 after his colorful psychedelic art helped define 1960s counterculture and later appeared on everything from postage stamps and airplanes to the Super Bowl and Grammys. (More)

Steve Belichick resigned as North Carolina’s defensive coordinator as the school concluded an investigation into conduct within the football program that it said violated university standards. (More)

A 728-foot-wide crater discovered on the moon is the largest known impact crater formed in modern times and was created by an undetected strike in 2024. (More)

Snap unveiled its $2,195 Specs augmented reality glasses and a new AI platform that can surface digital information directly in a wearer’s field of view. (More)

T. rex ran surprisingly close to human body temperature at about 97 degrees Fahrenheit, according to chemical evidence preserved in its fossilized teeth. (More)

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