🇺🇸America Tonight🇺🇸
9/11 plea deal rejected • Sanctions backlash • Women’s health order 👇
📅 October 19th, 2026AD
THE FIVE NATIONAL STORIES AMERICANS SHOULD KNOW TODAY
📋 TONIGHT’S FIVE
1. ⚖️ 9/11 plea deal rejected
2. 🇷🇺 Sanctions backlash
3. 🩺 Women’s health order
4. 🥃 Home distilling case
5. 🏈 Hurts likely out
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⚖️ SUPREME COURT REJECTS 9/11 SUSPECTS’ BID TO REVIVE PLEA DEAL
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other alleged 9/11 plotters seeking to hold the government to a plea deal it later withdrew, NBC News reported.
Monday's decision removes one barrier to Mohammed standing trial before a military commission in 2028, where he could face the death penalty.
Mohammed is accused of being the ringleader of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He has been held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since 2006.
The three men agreed to a plea deal in 2024 that would have given them life sentences. Days later, then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin rejected it.
In August, a federal appeals court in Washington ruled in favor of the government.
📍 Washington
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🇷🇺 REPUBLICANS JOIN DEMOCRATS IN BLASTING TRUMP’S RUSSIA SANCTIONS WAIVER
President Trump faces bipartisan blowback over his decision to waive new sanctions on Russia two days before they were to take effect, CBS News reported.
Congress passed the law, championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, and Trump signed it Sept. 18. The law lets him waive parts of it by certifying that doing so is in the national interest.
GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said, "Lindsey would be appalled." GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina called the move "beyond irresponsible."
Trump said on Truth Social he did not want to "drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table" during peace talks.
On Monday, he said of Ukraine, "they've given us nothing."
He faces pressure to lower fuel prices ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
📍 Washington
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🩺 TRUMP SIGNS ORDER CREATING A WOMEN’S HEALTH DIVISION AT NIH
President Trump signed an executive order Monday, alongside first lady Melania Trump, creating a White House task force and a National Institutes of Health division focused on women's health, NBC News reported.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will lead the task force, a White House official said.
The new NIH division will not replace the agency's Office of Research on Women's Health but will have a broader mandate beyond research.
At the event, Melania Trump spoke about using artificial intelligence to speed women's health discoveries, as well as access to care and its cost.
The administration has also pushed for health care cuts, including at NIH.
📍 Washington
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🥃 SUPREME COURT TO DECIDE FATE OF FEDERAL BAN ON HOME DISTILLING
The Supreme Court said Monday it will consider whether to strike down a long-standing federal ban on distilling spirits at home, NBC News reported.
Enacted in 1868 to counter tax evasion, the ban bars distilling in "any dwelling house." Violators can face a fine of up to $10,000 and up to five years in prison.
Challengers, including the Hobby Distillers Association, sued in Texas, and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with them. In a separate Ohio case, the 6th Circuit upheld the ban.
Even if the challengers win, they would still have to register their stills and pay excise tax on the spirits they make.
People can already make wine and beer at home for personal use without penalties.
📍 Washington
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🏈 EAGLES QB JALEN HURTS LIKELY OUT FOR SEASON WITH BLOOD CLOTS
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has blood clots in his lungs and a leg, the team said Monday, most likely sidelining him for the rest of 2026, NBC News reported.
Hurts is being treated with blood thinners and will not be allowed to take part in any contact activities, including football, the Eagles said.
The team said he is "clinically stable" and added, "We anticipate that he will have no long-term effect."
Hurts last played Oct. 11 in a 19-17 loss to Jacksonville in London. He sat out Sunday's 25-14 loss to Carolina.
The Eagles now turn to career backup Tanner McKee, a sixth-round 2023 draft pick.
📍 Philadelphia
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WASHINGTON WATCH
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20th, 2026AD
⛳ Oct. 26: A court order bars more tree cutting at the East Potomac Golf Course in Washington through this date.
🗳️ Nov. 3: Election Day for the midterm elections.
That’s America Tonight.
The headlines change every day.
The consequences last for years.
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Hood County Express — Est’d 1/26 🚂
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