Latest Headlines for Thursday, October 15th.

Here are today’s top stories.

Federal agents seized the phone of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., during a search connected to an immigration fraud investigation. The move has drawn a sharp warning from Vice President JD Vance, while Democrats are questioning the timing of a raid coming just weeks before the midterm elections. Source

Iran is shifting its tactics for attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz in an effort to keep oil prices high heading into the U.S. midterm elections, according to senior Iranian officials. Separately, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy said a cargo ship sank Wednesday after striking a naval mine in the strait. Source

A federal appeals court in Washington heard arguments Wednesday over whether the National Guard troops patrolling the nation’s capital for more than 14 months should be sent home. The court had earlier allowed the deployment to continue while the case is pending, and the Defense Department has extended the mission through January 2029. See Details

The Justice Department gave California officials 48 hours to investigate potentially ineligible voters and set aside ballots from anyone whose citizenship cannot be verified, or face emergency court action. With early voting already underway, the demand sets up a legal fight three weeks before Election Day. Source

Vice President JD Vance rallied supporters in Georgia as early voting in the state surged to a record high. Georgia’s Senate race is among the most closely watched contests in the fight for control of the chamber. See Details

Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson clashed again in their third Maine Senate debate, with Jackson repeatedly tying the incumbent to President Trump and the Iran war. Collins countered that she voted nine times to end the conflict under the War Powers Act and blamed the state Legislature for Maine’s high energy costs; the two meet again Thursday. Source

Police searched a home as they hunt for a motive in a double homicide at a Great Wolf Lodge resort in Pennsylvania’s Poconos. A woman is accused of stabbing her husband and 3-year-old son to death inside a hotel room there. See Details

The Energy Department issued an emergency order to head off potential blackouts across 13 states during an unusual October heat wave. The order is aimed at keeping power flowing as demand runs higher than normal for this time of year. See Details

Social Security benefits will rise 3.6% in 2027, the Social Security Administration announced. The cost-of-living increase comes as September inflation climbed to 3.7%, driven largely by surging gas prices. Find out More

Nine of the nation’s largest banks cut off customers over their political or religious views, a federal banking regulator said. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency findings add fuel to the long-running “debanking” fight. See Details

Stock futures were mixed early Thursday, with S&P 500 futures down about a quarter of a percent and Nasdaq-100 futures off roughly 1%, while Dow futures gained close to 200 points. Overseas, South Korea’s Kospi plunged 7%, and AI cloud firm CoreWeave slid further after a 15% drop Wednesday. Find out More

Netflix is cutting about 6% of its workforce, roughly 1,000 jobs, in its biggest layoffs since 2022. Most of the cuts fall on product, technology, legal and human resources teams, and the company reports third-quarter results next Tuesday. Source

Nine of the nation’s largest banks cut off customers over their political or religious views, a federal banking regulator said. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency findings add fuel to the long-running “debanking” fight. Source

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis launched a new attack on the Saudi capital and pledged more to come. President Trump is weighing U.S. action on what has become a new front in the wider Middle East war. Find out More

A school roof collapse in Pakistan killed at least 28 people, with children among the dead. The toll climbed sharply from early reports as the scope of the disaster became clear. Source

Philippine lawmakers are moving to restrict children’s social media use after a string of school violence incidents. Lawmakers are tying the push directly to the violence that has shaken the country’s schools. Source

Paramount’s video game adaptation “Street Fighter” is projected to open to $25 million to $35 million from about 3,500 theaters, leading several newcomers this weekend. October has been uneven so far, with “Verity” and “Other Mommy” posting modest wins while Tom Cruise’s “Digger” and “The Social Reckoning” flopped. Source

Folk music legend Joni Mitchell has become a U.S. citizen at age 82. The Canadian-born singer-songwriter’s naturalization caps a journey that stretched 62 years. Read More

A newly released 911 call shows “Nashville” star Hayden Panettiere was given CPR on the day she died. The caller, the brother of her on-again, off-again boyfriend, tried to revive the actress before she was declared dead. See Details

Jake Bauers won an 11-pitch battle with Blake Snell for a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 to take a 3-0 lead in the NLCS. Jackson Chourio opened the game with a homer on Snell’s first pitch, and Milwaukee is now one win from its first World Series trip since 1982. Find out More

Thursday’s ALCS Game 3 between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians was moved up five hours to a 1 p.m. ET start because of rain in the Cleveland forecast. The series is tied 1-1, with Gavin Williams pitching for Cleveland and Griffin Jax for Tampa Bay. Source

Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson’s suspension for punching Bills pass rusher Bradley Chubb was cut from two games to one on appeal. Jackson will sit out Sunday against Arizona and is eligible to return Oct. 25 against the Raiders. Source

American researchers say they may be just days away from finding the remains of Amelia Earhart’s long-lost plane off a remote island in the South Pacific. The expedition could finally solve one of aviation’s most enduring mysteries. See Details