The U.S. strikes three Iranian tankers after Iran launches missiles toward two Navy ships, CENTCOM says
The weekend brings a U.S. strike on Iranian oil carriers, two live election-law fights, and an August jobs gain above the recent monthly pace.
The U.S. strikes three Iranian tankers after Iran launches missiles toward two Navy ships, CENTCOM says1
U.S. Central Command said its forces struck three Iranian crude oil carriers on September 5 after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles toward two U.S. Navy warships. The command said an aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer evaded multiple attacks and that no American personnel were harmed.12
CENTCOM said two tankers were permanently disabled off Kharg Island and near Jask, while a third was destroyed in the Gulf of Oman after its crew was directed to abandon ship. CENTCOM's release reports the strikes and damage but no wider military assessment.12
The D.C. Circuit keeps the voter-citizenship database blocked as it speeds the appeal3
The D.C. Circuit denied the government's request to pause a lower-court ruling that set aside modified SAVE, the Department of Homeland Security's expanded Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system. The September 4 order expedited the consolidated appeals; Reuters described the decision as 2–1, with Judge Katsas saying he would have granted the stay.34
The system joins DHS and Social Security Administration records, accepts full or partial Social Security numbers, and can run bulk queries. The court described naturalized citizens whose SSA records still list them as noncitizens; a failed match could prompt a request for citizenship proof; Reuters reported that inaccurate records could also cancel a registration. The lower court's remedy remains in place while the circuit considers the merits.34
The Supreme Court restores discounted broadcast ad rates for party committees5
The Supreme Court restored eligible party committees' access to the Federal Communications Commission's lowest-unit-charge rates for television and radio ads. Its September 4 order recalled and stayed the Fourth Circuit's mandate pending the filing and disposition of a timely petition for Supreme Court review, so the rates return while the case remains unresolved.56
The 60-day general-election window opened September 4. The Fourth Circuit had set the FCC's notice aside after four Democratic candidates challenged it; the Supreme Court said that court likely lacked statutory jurisdiction because the FCC review was still pending. Justice Jackson dissented.56
August payrolls rose 162,000 as unemployment held at 4.1%7
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 162,000 new nonfarm payroll jobs in August, compared with an average monthly gain of 31,000 over the prior twelve months. Unemployment held at 4.1%, and Reuters reported that the increase came in above economists' expectations.78
The composition was uneven: food services and drinking places added 59,000 jobs, local-government education added 42,000, and the information industry lost 23,000. Labor-force participation edged up to 61.6% but remains 0.5 percentage point below January; 1.9 million people were long-term unemployed, and private hourly earnings were up 3.1% over the year.7
Sources
- U.S. Central Command · CENTCOM Destroys 3 IRGC Oil Tankers After Iran Targets 2 U.S. Navy Warships
- Reuters · US military strikes three Iranian crude oil carriers, Central Command says
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit · No. 26-5243, order filed September 4, 2026
- Reuters · Federal appeals court upholds ban on Trump's bid to use citizenship data for voter checks
- Supreme Court of the United States · National Republican Congressional Committee v. Sherrod Brown, No. 26A274, September 4, 2026
- Reuters · US Supreme Court preserves parties' access to cheap ads, siding with Republicans
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · The Employment Situation — August 2026
- Reuters · US nonfarm payrolls blow past expectations in August; unemployment rate steady at 4.1%