Trump Ties $5,000 Payments to GOP Victory

Democrat Fetterman Appears by Video at GOP Convention

Apple’s New CEO Unveils $1,999 Folding iPhone

Ukraine Says Drones Hit Siberian Gas Plants 1,900 Miles Away

Iran Claims Attacks on 10 Ships as Oil Tops $100

Trump Ties $5,000 Payments to GOP Victory

President Donald Trump promised $5,000 payments to every American adult if Republicans retain the House and Senate in the Nov. 3 elections, speaking Sept. 9 at the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas. He called the proposed payments “Trump Dividends,” suggested tariff revenue would help fund them and said recipients would have to spend the money in the United States. He provided no distribution plan or timetable and did not say whether he would seek congressional authorization. Payments to roughly 245 million adults would cost more than $1 trillion, raising questions about how the proposal would be financed. Figures attributed to the Bipartisan Policy Center put combined tariff and excise tax collections since the start of 2025 at just under $500 billion, with more than $100 billion refunded after the Supreme Court struck down many administration tariffs. Trump’s earlier $2,000 tariff dividend proposal was never enacted, and the new payments remain a campaign promise requiring congressional funding approval.

CBS News / PBS / CNN / CBS Texas

Democrat Fetterman Appears by Video at GOP Convention

Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, appeared in a one-minute prerecorded video introducing Republican Sen. Dave McCormick at the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas on Sept. 9. Fetterman called himself a “common-sense Democrat” and said he and his Pennsylvania colleague would work with President Donald Trump to defend the state’s steel industry. McCormick took the stage afterward and praised Fetterman’s friendship and courage. Fetterman said later that night he would continue caucusing with Senate Democrats, calling himself a lifelong Democrat and describing the two senators as “Team PA.” He has repeatedly broken with his caucus since 2024, including voting against an Iran war powers resolution the Senate approved 50-48 earlier this year. His caucus affiliation bears on Senate control because party alignments help determine committee chairmanships and control of the floor agenda.

CBS News / CNN / The Hill / ABC News

Apple’s New CEO Unveils $1,999 Folding iPhone

Apple CEO John Ternus unveiled the company’s first folding iPhone on Sept. 9 during his first product keynote since succeeding Tim Cook, introducing a new design for Apple’s central business. Speaking at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, Ternus introduced the iPhone Duo, which folds like a passport and opens to a 7.6-inch screen. Apple says the display is 80% larger than the new iPhone 18 Pro’s screen and calls the Duo its thinnest iPhone. Prices start at $1,999 and reach $3,199 for the top configuration, making it the company’s most expensive iPhone. The event also featured iPhone 18 updates, including a variable-aperture camera, new AirPods and additional artificial intelligence features. The launch puts Ternus’s product direction before consumers after 15 years of Cook’s leadership.

NPR / CNBC / CNN / ABC13

Ukraine Says Drones Hit Siberian Gas Plants 1,900 Miles Away

Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces said Sept. 9 that long-range drones flew more than 3,000 kilometers, about 1,900 miles, to strike the Novy Urengoy and Purovsky gas condensate plants in Russia’s Yamalo-Nenets region. If confirmed, the operation would mark Ukraine’s deepest strike inside Russia since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. The plants process liquid hydrocarbons extracted from natural gas, with Novy Urengoy designed to handle 19.5 million metric tons annually and Purovsky reported to have processed 13.4 million metric tons in 2025. Kyiv released no damage assessment, Russian authorities had not confirmed hits on the two plants, and the claims had not been independently verified. Ukrainian forces separately struck a naval base and oil terminal at Novorossiysk overnight into Sept. 9. The reported Siberian strikes would extend Ukraine’s reach against energy infrastructure that helps finance Russia’s war as American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner seek to revive stalled peace talks.

Kyiv Independent / Ukrainska Pravda / The War Zone / NV

Iran Claims Attacks on 10 Ships as Oil Tops $100

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Sept. 9 that it targeted two American warships and eight oil tankers in and around the Strait of Hormuz, describing its largest wave of shipping attacks since the war with the United States began in February. Iran called the strikes retaliation for the destruction of five Iranian oil tankers the previous night, an operation confirmed by U.S. Central Command. Jordan reported intercepting 18 of 20 Iranian missiles without casualties from the two that landed, while regional accounts said separate attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis wounded more than 70 people in Saudi Arabia. Brent crude settled at roughly $101 a barrel, its first close above $100 since May, as the attacks threatened a major route for global oil supplies. American drivers were paying about $4.14 a gallon for regular gasoline and a record $5.85 for diesel, according to AAA. Trump predicted the war would end immediately after the Nov. 3 election and accused Iran of prolonging it to damage him politically, but his forecast did not represent a negotiated agreement.

Foreign Policy / Al Jazeera / CBS News / WBUR / Time / NBC News / The Hill

SEPTEMBER 10, 1897: FIRST DRUNK DRIVING ARREST

On this day in London, 25-year-old taxi driver George Smith became the first person ever arrested for drunk driving after crashing his electric cab into a building. His case set an early legal precedent by applying existing laws about being drunk in charge of a carriage to the new world of motor vehicles.

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Sources

1. CBS News / PBS / CNN / CBS Texas
2. CBS News / CNN / The Hill / ABC News
3. NPR / CNBC / CNN / ABC13
4. Kyiv Independent / Ukrainska Pravda / The War Zone / NV
5. Foreign Policy / Al Jazeera / CBS News / WBUR / Time / NBC News / Al Jazeera / The Hill