Trump Speech, Brain Beginnings, & French Fry Origin

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Adam Rogers
September 23, 2026

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President Donald Trump used his address to the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday to defend the nearly seven-month war with Iran and warn that he could “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if the two countries fail to reach an agreement. He predicted a deal could come after November's midterm elections.
Trump also defended recent U.S. actions in Venezuela and said the United States would use its military to protect American interests in the Western Hemisphere. On Ukraine, he said the U.S. was working with both sides to end the war and suggested an agreement could come sooner than expected.
The president used the broader speech to argue for fewer international constraints on U.S. power and technology. He urged countries to withdraw from the International Criminal Court and rejected international efforts to regulate artificial intelligence while calling for a smaller and less bureaucratic United Nations.

Scientists at Stanford Medicine found evidence that the human brain develops from two distinct populations of progenitor cells rather than a single shared source, as researchers had long believed.
One cell population develops into the forebrain and midbrain, which support functions including language and abstract thought. A separate population produces the hindbrain, which controls essential actions including breathing and heartbeat. The two follow separate developmental paths from the earliest stages of embryonic development rather than splitting from a common brain progenitor later.
Recognizing that separate origin allowed researchers to grow functional human hindbrain neurons from stem cells in the lab for the first time. The advance could provide a new way to study brain stem disorders including ALS and spinal muscular atrophy since these neurons are difficult to obtain from living patients.

Fall began in the Northern Hemisphere Tuesday evening as the autumnal equinox arrived at 8:05 p.m. ET.
An equinox occurs when the sun is directly above the equator and day and night are roughly equal in length around the world. However, they aren't exactly 12 hours each because Earth's atmosphere bends sunlight. Days will continue getting shorter across the Northern Hemisphere until the winter solstice in December.
Cooler weather may take its time arriving. Forecasters expect much of the U.S. to remain warmer than normal this fall as a strong El Niño develops after the country's hottest January-through-August period on record. El Niño is expected to peak in late fall or early winter.

Federal officials removed more than 760,000 people from ACA plans after a fraud investigation found unauthorized enrollments. They say the cancellations will save taxpayers $2.2 billion. (More)

A grand jury found no evidence of criminal conduct in the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, whose body was discovered after a July 4 boating trip in Mississippi. (More)

MIT has overtaken Princeton for the top spot in U.S. News & World Report’s college rankings, ending Princeton’s 15-year run at No. 1. (More)

Australia is investigating how F-35 fighter jet parts bound for the U.S. were mistakenly diverted to Hong Kong, where the shipment remains unaccounted for months later. (More)

A metal detectorist uncovered 934 Roman silver coins in western Germany in the largest known German coin hoard dating to the era of Emperor Hadrian. (More)

Hurricane Polo reached Category 5 strength off Mexico’s Pacific coast Tuesday with 165 mph winds as forecasters warned of life-threatening flooding and mudslides. (More)

U.S. stock markets closed mixed on Tuesday (S&P -0.02%, Nasdaq +0.45%, Dow -0.36%). The Nasdaq reached a new all-time high in trading hours. (More)

Meta added $192 billion in market value as shares jumped 11.3% following rapid adoption of its new Muse AI agent and growing enthusiasm about its enterprise potential. (More)

DoorDash agreed to a $131.5 million settlement after more than 260,000 New York City delivery workers were underpaid or paid late. (More)

Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart could miss the rest of the season after further testing showed his knee injury from Monday’s loss to the Rams was worse than initially believed. (More)

Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” has become the longest-running No. 1 song in Billboard Hot 100 history after spending 23 weeks atop the chart. (More)

Actress Hayden Panettiere’s death has been ruled an accidental overdose involving fentanyl and four other drugs, according to the Greenville County Coroner’s Office. (More)

Brain scans found evidence of damage to dopamine-releasing neurons in people with long COVID, potentially helping explain symptoms including fatigue, loss of motivation, and memory problems. (More)

Scientists surveying radioactive waste dumped in the Atlantic decades ago found corroded barrels leaking material while unexpectedly serving as habitats for an array of marine life. (More)

The Northern Hemisphere welcomed fall Tuesday at 8:05 p.m. ET during the equinox when Earth’s hemispheres receive roughly equal amounts of sunlight. (More)

The average wedding cost in every state.

6-year-old Chinese girl broke the women’s 3x3 Rubik’s Cube world record, registering 4.37 seconds.

An artist explains how to paint like Picasso.

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