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What does the closure of Saudi-Arabia’s East-West pipeline mean for gas prices?

September 14, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Global oil prices on Monday climbed to their highest level since May after Saudi Arabia shut down a key pipeline, choking worldwide crude supply and threatening to put upward pressure on U.S. gasoline prices.

Brent crude, a major benchmark of worldwide oil prices, topped $109 on Monday before retreating to about $107. That’s a 50% increase since the start of the war.

Oil prices account for a large share of the price of gasoline. The average price of a gallon of gas in the U.S. currently registers at $4.31, according to AAA, marking a jump of about $1.30 above its pre-war level.

A large-scale U.S.-Israeli attack in the winter prompted Iran’s near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which facilitates one-fifth of global crude supply. Alternative trade routes in the region, such as Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline, helped ease the fallout from a historic oil supply shock.

The closure of the East-West pipeline will exacerbate an already dire shortfall of oil worldwide, some analysts told ABC News.

The price of gasoline may move higher over the coming days as the latest spike in oil costs filters its way through to the pump, Ramanan Krishnamoorti, a professor of petroleum engineering at the University of Houston, told ABC News.

The U.S. — the world’s largest oil producer — imports a small amount of crude from the Middle East. Since oil and gas are sold on a global market, however, the shortage has sent prices rising for everyone, including U.S. drivers.

“Workarounds like the East-West pipeline have been crucial for keeping prices in check,” Krishnamoorti said. “We’ll see prices rise after this.”

After the war began, Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco came to depend on a pipeline that runs along the width of the country from the Persian Gulf to a port on the Red Sea. The pipeline carries as much as 7 million barrels of oil each day, about 5 million of which are exported, Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said in May.

Oil exports transported through the pipeline amounted to roughly 5% of global supply.

Last week, an attack prompted Saudia Arabia to close the pipeline as a precautionary measure, the Ministry of Energy said in a statement posted on X. Saudi Arabia faulted an Iran-aligned militia in Iraq of the attack.

The pipeline will be mostly out of service over a weeks-long period, The Associated Press reported on Monday, citing two officials in the region.

The average price of a gallon of gas could rise between 25 cents and 50 cents over the coming weeks as a result of the pipeline closure, Krishnamoorti said. If the pipeline remains closed for a matter of months, he added, U.S. gasoline prices could rise above $5 a gallon.

The rise in price may be far more muted than some analysts fear, Tom Seng, a professor of energy finance at Texas Christian University, told ABC News.

The disruption of the pipeline has already been factored into gasoline prices, Seng said, meaning an additional supply shock would be necessary to substantially increase prices at the pump.

Even more, gas prices typically enjoy some relief over the course of the fall as fuel use eases as people stay indoors. That downward pressure on prices may negate the impact of a supply shortage, Seng added.

“The high-demand season is behind us,” Seng said.

Even so, Seng cautioned, the Iran war may escalate after a military offensive carried out by Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen over recent weeks. The Houthis have improved their ability to attack tankers in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which feeds into the Red Sea, Seng said.

That would be the exact sea corridor used for the export of crude in the event of a fully repaired East-West pipeline.

“If oil starts flowing well, the question is whether Houthis will start firing on tankers,” Seng said.

Tankers could avail themselves of a northern route from the Red Sea through the Mediterranean Sea, but it would bring added delay and cost, Seng added, underscoring the threat Houthis pose for global oil supply.

“This represents a new phase in the conflict,” Seng said.

Amazon stops operations with 21 Air after deadly Miami cargo plane crash

September 14, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Amazon announced Sunday it’s pausing operations with cargo carrier 21 Air following last week’s cargo plane crash in Miami, which killed five people and injured five others.

“After the tragic incident last weekend, we’ve spent time supporting the investigation and reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances, and we’ve decided to pause our operations with 21 Air, the operator of Flight 7598,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement. “We’ll continue working to support the investigation and everyone affected.”

According to Amazon’s website, all of its cargo flights are operated by direct air carrier partners including Air Transport International, ABX, 21 Air, Sun Country, Hawaiian Airlines, Cargojet, ASL and Quickjet.

The Amazon cargo plane, operated by 21 Air, overran the runway by about 1,300 feet while landing at Miami International Airport on Sept. 6, according to authorities. Federal investigators also said the plane first struck a van with seven people and then another vehicle before it came to a stop in a field.

In response to Amazon’s decision to pause operations with 21 Air, the carrier said its focus remains on supporting the families and loved ones impacted by the accident “as well as working closely with the NTSB and all our partners, like Amazon, as the investigation continues. We are confident in our safety policies, procedures and training.”

The five people killed in the crash were identified by the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office as: Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Narajo, 53; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47. Authorities said the two pilots on board the plane had been treated for injuries and released from the hospital and three remained hospitalized, with two in critical condition and one in stable condition.

Earlier this week, the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the ongoing investigation into the crash, released a readout of the final minutes before the crash taken from the cockpit voice recorder, which contained more than two hours of audio.

About 1 minute and 42 seconds before the plane crashed, one of the pilots warned they were going too fast and continued to make comments about the plane’s “excessive speed throughout the remainder of the recording,” according to the NTSB summary.

About 30 seconds before the crash, the NTSB said sounds similar to the aircraft touching down can be heard, but about 15 seconds later, one of the pilots called for the “go-around” to abort the landing. Just five seconds later, the plane had already veered off the runway.

Military funding, AI and more: Congress returns for short stint before bolting again

September 14, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Lawmakers from both chambers return to Washington this week for the final legislative push before the November midterm elections, the first time since July 23 that both chambers will be in Washington.

The House is in session for its final week of legislative business before the election after Speaker Mike Johnson scrapped two previously scheduled weeks of votes. The Senate has three weeks of business ahead of it — as no changes to the Senate schedule have been announced — though it’s possible Majority Leader John Thune could decide to dispatch his members to the campaign trail earlier than planned as well.

The September session is often plagued by a looming government funding deadline. But lawmakers have already passed a stopgap funding bill that President Donald Trump has signed to keep the lights on until Dec. 11, alleviating any immediate deadline pressure this month. Senate Republicans are also increasingly unlikely to take up a massive budget bill before the midterms.

The move to kick the can on government funding and delay a potential budget reconciliation bill means both items could be at the top of a large pile of priorities facing lawmakers in the lame duck session.

But freedom from a fiscal showdown doesn’t mean lawmakers won’t feel the pressure — both now and in the lame duck — to produce.

Here’s what the House and Senate have ahead of them:

Funding the military: Over the summer recess, new concerns were stoked about leadership at the top of the military following Dan Driscoll’s resignation as Army secretary. Larger concerns about strained military resources and funding for the war in Iran also became more pressing, as the conflict stretches into its seventh month.

Legislators on both sides of the aisle will likely need to chart a path forward on military funding, especially as the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act continues to stall and the Senate has effectively thrown in the towel on Reconciliation 3.0 — the $95 billion GOP package that aimed at replenishing the military as the Iran war drags on, as well as billions in relief for American farmers and some aspects of the SAVE America Act.

The NDAA doesn’t need to be approved until the end of the year, but if lawmakers don’t find a bipartisan path for it soon, they’ll add to a potential lame duck pileup.

Russia sanctions: Next week, House Republicans will attempt to pass the Russia sanctions bill — despite objections from many Democrats — as GOP leaders will bring the bipartisan legislation to the floor under a rule, requiring only a simple majority for passage while also signaling that there isn’t sufficient bipartisan support in the House to suspend the rules and pass it via a two-thirds majority.

Though the House passed a budget resolution, it’s not clear whether Republicans in the Senate will attempt to take that up before they leave. Doing so would expose members to potentially challenging votes in a vote-a-rama, and it’s also not clear whether Thune even has the votes in his unruly majority to pass it.

Anti-fraud measures: The House will also aim to close out its pre-election legislative blitz by debating several fraud-related measures on the floor this week, including the Preventing Ripoffs and Obtaining Oversight of Funds Act, another bill to protect taxpayers from healthcare fraudsters, and a bill to establish a National Fraud Enforcement Division within the Department of Justice under the authority of the attorney general.

Regulating AI: A renewed focus on regulating artificial intelligence is also likely to come following reports this week that raise significant concerns about AI security. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have demanded information from OpenAI and launched investigations.

Crypto and NIL could come up: Other major bills could also finally get their time in the sun during this stretch of session. The Senate is expected to take up a Name, Image and Likeness [NIL] bill as soon as this week. A controversial bill aimed at regulating cryptocurrency could also find its way to the Senate floor, though that bipartisan legislation is currently plagued by concerns from Democrats that the bill includes ethics carve-outs that may be favorable to Trump.

McConnell’s still absent: It’s also not yet clear whether Sen. Mitch McConnell, who has not been on Capitol Hill since a June 14 fall put him in the hospital, will be present this week. A spokesperson for McConnell did not provide an update when reached by ABC News on Friday.

Trump officials on the Hill: Several high-level Trump officials are also slated to appear on the Hill this week. Senators on the Judiciary Committee will hear from FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is slated to appear before the House Financial Services Committee on the same day.

OpenAI CEO calls for AI pacing as Trump insists he’s not downplaying risk

September 14, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, joined others in the artificial intelligence industry in saying that his company would welcome a slower development pace for AI to ensure that the technology’s capabilities don’t “get ahead of alignment and monitoring,” as President Donald Trump said there would be “more good than bad” from the technology.

The president, who spoke with reporters on Sunday as he traveled back to Washington from Ireland, said he wouldn’t downplay concerns about AI advancements. He also sought to position the AI race as a competition between the United States and other countries — including China.

“I’ve said it from the beginning,” Trump said. “Whoever wins AI — and we’re leading by a lot. Whoever wins AI wins.”

In a social media post on Monday, Trump reiterated the message, saying “The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!”

He added that there is a “SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China,” and that the U.S. is “leading China” as well as other countries in the technology.

Vice President JD Vance said Monday that the the administration is “concerned” about the technology, but any regulations that may occur need to be done “smartly” — with the current situation feeling like a “Trojan horse.”

“It’s something that we’re concerned by, but we want to make sure that we actually regulate smartly, and we’re thoughtful about the risk here. So, there are obviously risks to AI. There are some benefits to AI. I have to say, just personally, I feel a little bit weird about the fact that you have so many Frontier AI tech companies kind of coming to the government and begging the government to regulate them — it feels a little bit to me like a bit of a Trojan horse,” Vance said.

The comments from Altman, Trump and Vance followed a warning issued last week by Jacob Coxon, a former safety researcher for Anthropic and OpenAI, two prominent tech companies, who said that he was resigning from Anthropic.

Coxon said in a social media post that neither Anthropic nor OpenAI “is acting responsibly. They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives.” He also highlighted the fear within the industry about the potential for an AI takeover.

“The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade,” Coxon wrote.

Altman said late on Sunday that his company would welcome a federal framework “that sets consistent safety requirements for frontier AI.”

“But we do not believe we need to wait for an anti-trust exemption or legislation to begin the work of providing this confidence,” Altman said on social media. “Consistent rules to manage frontier risk so that we can maximize the benefits are a good idea (and we are excited by ideas like independent auditors).”

That statement came after House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Sunday that lawmakers need to take urgent action on the growing threat of AI.

“We certainly need to begin to act urgently to address the challenges that exist,” Jeffries said on ABC News’ “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.”

“We should take decisive action now so that we can slow down, as the CEOs have recently acknowledged, slow down the pace of development in order to protect the American people and ensure that AI is proceeding safely,” Jeffries added.

Lawmakers from both chambers return to Washington this week for the final legislative push before the November midterm elections, a renewed focus on regulating artificial intelligence is also likely to come following reports this week that raise significant concerns about AI security. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have demanded information from OpenAI and launched investigations.

Altman on Sunday detailed “two ways AI progress could go very badly and that we must avoid.”

The first, he said, would be an “unacceptable” loss of control over AI. The second, Altman said, would be to “end up in a world with too much concentration of power.”

“If an extraordinarily powerful AI is used by one person or company to impress their worldview onto everyone else, the results could be extremely dystopian,” he said. “Avoiding these two threats requires walking a narrow middle path; for example, one country could gain too much power. Another example is one lab ending up with too much power.”

Anthropic’s CEO, Dario Amodei, published a blog post last week, in which he said that “we must pace the frontier,” as in slow the pace of AI development.

“We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models,” he wrote. “Progress will still seem fast, and we must make wise use of the time we gain.”

Altman on Sunday said, “When we talk about ‘pacing,’ we do not mean ‘stopping.'”

“Progress has been rapid and will continue to be. But it should be slower than it otherwise could be; interventions like safety cases and monitoring have significant costs,” he wrote. “Pacing will be well worth this cost; no amount of American competitive pressure should justify recklessness, or let capabilities get ahead of alignment and monitoring.”

“Where we will need the help of our government is for international coordination,” he added. “But first we should do what we can ourselves.”

The president on Sunday also confirmed that he personally uses AI, but did not say which systems or for what purposes he uses it for.

ABC News’ Zunaira Zaki and Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.

Another measles-related death reported in Pennsylvania as outbreak grows

September 14, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A coroner’s office in Pennsylvania reported a measles-related death of a 40-year-old unvaccinated woman on Sunday, which comes amid a growing outbreak in the state.

“A 40-year-old female resident of Jefferson County died on Saturday, September 12, 2026, from complications associated with measles. Out of respect for the privacy of the deceased and her family, no additional identifying information will be released,” the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office said in a post on Facebook.

“This is a heartbreaking loss for the family and an unfortunate reminder that measles can be a serious and potentially life-threatening disease,” Coroner Greg Furlong said.

The person was unvaccinated against measles, Furlong confirmed to ABC News.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health said they are investigating this death reported by the Jefferson County coroner in a statement provided to ABC News.

As of Friday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health has reported 676 measles cases in the state, with over 100 new cases reported over the last week. Of the cases, 124 have been hospitalized, and nearly all cases are among those unvaccinated against the virus, according to data from the health department.

The number of measles-associated deaths reported by Pennsylvania officials has been disputed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in recent weeks.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not reported any measles deaths in 2026 on its website, last updated on Friday, while the PA Department of Health has previously reported two measles-associated deaths linked to this outbreak.

CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz said in a statement that the agency has not yet been notified of this most recent death reported in Jefferson County.

“CDC was not notified by Pennsylvania officials of this death,” Schwartz said. “Despite repeated offers of assistance, Pennsylvania has not requested a CDC Epi-Aid, which would deploy epidemiologists and provide on-the-ground measles outbreak support.”

In late August, Pennsylvania’s top health official, Dr Debra Bogen, had said her staff was having “regular meetings with professional staff at the CDC” in a post on X responding to health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. saying her department had “refused to share information” with the CDC after the first two measles-associated deaths in the state were announced.

Millions dropped from SNAP food assistance as funding faces September uncertainty

September 14, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding could face a major shake-up at the end of September unless Congress passes a resolution to delay major changes included in H.R. 1, commonly known as the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill.

Starting Oct. 1, states will have to pick up 75% of the administrative costs of running the program, with the funding burden of providing benefits to participants set to shift from the federal to state level over the next few years.

State and national food assistance groups are calling on Congress to pass a resolution delaying the implementation of this cost shift, to give states more time to prepare for the bigger bill.

The federal food assistance program faced a funding lapse last fall, and experts are now warning of an uncertain future.

Nationwide, roughly 5 million Americans have lost access to SNAP since the Republican-backed budget bill became law, including more than 1.5 million children, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Much of the decline can be attributed to changes in work requirements and administrative hurdles in applying, coupled with a major cost shift that states will have to bear if they want SNAP to remain fully funded, Dottie Rosenbaum, director of federal SNAP policy at the CBPP, told ABC News.

Under the law, the upper age limit for able-bodied adults without dependents who must meet work requirements was raised from 54 to 64.

Additionally, exemptions were changed for parents and other family members responsible for a dependent, lowering the qualifying age from 18 to 14.

“The declines we’re seeing in SNAP participation so far are far deeper and far faster than the Congressional Budget Office predicted at the time the law was enacted, and it’s especially alarming that more than one and a half million children have been cut,” Rosenbaum said.

“We’re hearing increasing reports … of people struggling to put food on the table, of people facing untenable choices between, you know, paying their rent and buying groceries and other essentials, putting gas in their cars,” Rosenbaum added.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the impact of the new work requirements. The administration has publicly supported the idea in the past.

“The American dream is not being on [a] food stamp program. … The American dream is not being on all these programs. That should be a hand up, not a handout,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in an interview on Fox Business in January.

Alongside the new work requirements, the budget outlined a major shift in costs from the federal government to the states.

Beyond each state’s responsibility to pay 75% of SNAP’s administrative costs starting in October, states are set to pay a percentage of the benefit costs tied to its error rate in the coming years.

The error rate measures underpayments and overpayments, resulting in mandatory additional payments ranging from 5% to 15% for most states.

Impacts already seen

In Arizona, the state “took immediate action on error reduction efforts after H.R. 1 became law,” the Arizona Dept. of Economic Security said. This included expanding documentation requirements, establishing a preauthorization review process and continuous income monitoring. More than 400,000 SNAP recipients lost access to the program thereafter, according to the CBPP.

“Which meant that the number of people visiting food banks increased by about the same amount,” Terri Shoemaker, executive vice president of the Arizona Food Bank Network, said, crediting the state’s changes in SNAP for the substantial drop in participation.

“We know that [the Arizona Department of Economic Security] is trying to get its arms around accuracy and reporting, but at the same time, we also know that there are people who were impacted by those changes who shouldn’t have been,” Shoemaker said.

When the changes began in Arizona, Shoemaker said, communities rallied to donate food to people who had lost access to SNAP. Still, she added, the response is not sustainable.

“For every one meal that Arizona food banks provide for families, SNAP usually provides about five,” Shoemaker said. “Nationally, that statistic is more like one [meal from food banks] for every nine [meals from SNAP]. But if you think about that and food banks trying to fill that gap, it’s just a scale and scope that is so vast that food banks are going to have a hard time keeping up.”

In neighboring New Mexico, the impact can also be seen.

“Find out where your food bank distributes food and check out the length of a line,” said Jill Dixon, the executive director of the Food Depot — a collection of food banks covering northern New Mexico. “We have one in front of our building on the first and third Thursday of every month. That line usually extends over a mile and a half by the time it opens at 7 a.m.”

The Food Depot distributed more than 8 million meals across much of New Mexico in 2025.

“These are people. They’re not lines. It’s not boxes of food. It’s not anonymous. It’s deeply personal, and it’s right at the center of our community,” Dixon said.

“We’re going to see some hard times ahead,” she added. “Long term, we really have a reckoning of how we’re going to go about making sure that people are fed in a moment when it is incredibly hard to make ends meet.”

Predominantly Republican states hit

In predominantly Republican states, the impact is similar. Louisiana has seen the second largest per-capita decline, with 21% of the state’s SNAP recipients no longer having access to SNAP according to the CBPP.

Food Bank of North Central Arkansas CEO Jeff Quick said his state is facing a burden too large to bear without major changes. “We will never be able to food bank our way out of food insecurity,” Quick said.

“At best, I think we may be unprepared or unable to cover the cost to continue SNAP in Arkansas, and again, if that worst-case scenario were to happen, it could have an estimated $1.2 billion negative economic impact on our state,” he added.

Quick also said work requirements have hit harder in Arkansas, adding that a worker earning the state’s $11-an-hour minimum wage may still be ineligible for SNAP benefits.

“We don’t want to see anyone go hungry, and regardless of who you are or how you vote or how you legislate, we’re all on the same path,” Quick said. “We got to put great minds together around common causes to find solutions to hunger.”

The White House did not comment on whether the administration supports delaying the cost shift.

What’s next?

Food bank organizations at the state and national levels are asking Congress to pass a resolution delaying the cost shift and allowing states more time to lower their error rates before taking on the additional costs.

“States need more time,” Rosenbaum said. “They need more time to work to lower their error rate and improve their payment accuracy in a way that doesn’t limit access to benefits.”

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman released a version of the farm bill that would delay the cost shift of SNAP, though it has not advanced through the opposite chamber.

Lawmakers return to Washington from August recess on Sept. 14.

US health officials say cyclospora outbreak has ended as number of reported cases declines

September 11, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that the cyclospora outbreak that plagued thousands of people across the country during the summer months has ended.

The outbreak, which was eventually tied to iceberg lettuce distributed by Taylor Farms, sickened almost 13,000 people in 21 states. Two people died and at least 570 people were hospitalized due to cyclospora illness.

The FDA announced in July that it was investigating cyclospora illnesses linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia after several cases of cyclospora had been reported in late June.

The CDC said Friday more than 1,000 cases were reported in a single day at the height of the outbreak, before the contaminated lettuce was recalled by Taylor Farms on July 17. The illness notably made headlines for causing “explosive diarrhea.”

Citing a decline in infections linked to the outbreak — fewer than two per day in August — and all contaminated Taylor Farms products being taken out of circulation, the CDC said it considers this specific outbreak over. It notes the best-by dates for all products linked to the outbreak have passed and are no longer available in stores or restaurants.

The FDA will continue to investigate the cause of the contamination, which has not yet been identified.

Prince Harry to make 1st public appearance after move back to UK

September 11, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Prince Harry is set to make his first public appearances in the United Kingdom since moving back with his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and their two children.

Harry, the younger son of King Charles III, is scheduled to attend two events late next week for the Invictus Games, a Paralympic-style competition for wounded service members that Harry founded more than a decade ago.

Then, on Sept. 21, Harry is confirmed to attend and speak at the WellChild Awards, an event in London for seriously ill children that both he and Meghan have attended on multiple occasions in the past.

From there, Harry will participate in the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting, set to be held Sept. 22-23 in New York.

Harry was among the “featured participants” named in a lineup released Thursday by the organization, founded by former President Bill Clinton.

Neither Harry nor Meghan have made any public appearances since moving to the U.K. from California with their kids, Archie and Lilibet, in late August.

Earlier this week, Tower Bridge Studios, a podcast and film studio in London, shared a photo of Harry at its studio, captioning the photo on Instagram, “Thank you Prince Harry for choosing Tower Bridge Studios! It was an absolute pleasure to have you in our studios and signing our wall[.] we look forward to welcoming you back again.”

The studio later removed the photo of Harry from its Instagram page.

It is not known publicly where the Sussexes are living in the U.K. nor where Archie and Lilibet are enrolled in school. The family plans to stay for an “extended period of time” in the U.K., where Archie and Lilibet will attend school, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The upcoming public engagements on Harry’s calendar appear to be consistent with the type of work he has done since he and Meghan stepped away from their senior royal roles six years ago.

At that time, it was agreed that they would no longer use their Royal Highness titles, would no longer represent the monarch and would no longer receive public funds for royal duties, freeing them to earn money on their own.

According to a letter released on Sept. 8 by the head of the Royal Household, Harry and Meghan will remain “private citizens” and not be working royals while living in the U.K. The letter was sent under the direction of Harry’s father, the king.

Harry and Meghan were “surprised” by the letter, their spokesperson told ABC News on Sept. 9. The couple has not commented further.

Buckingham Palace has also not commented on the couple’s move beyond that letter.

Teen rescued from atop overturned boat in deadly capsize off Alaska coast

September 11, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A 15-year-old boy survived atop a fishing vessel after it capsized in frigid waters off the coast of Alaska, while his two crew members died, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard pilot who spotted the lone survivor sitting atop the overturned boat in the Bering Sea called the rescue an “emotional roller coaster” in an interview with ABC News on Thursday.

“We are beyond excited and beyond grateful that we found him, and at the same time, we are overwhelmingly remorseful that we didn’t find the other two in time,” Lt. Cmdr. Jonathon Resch told ABC News correspondent Trevor Ault.

The 18-foot fishing vessel had departed Savoonga on St. Lawrence Island on Friday and was due back early Sunday, according to the Coast Guard. It was reported overdue Sunday night, prompting the search and rescue effort.

Due to weather conditions, the Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircrew wasn’t able to begin the search until Monday, according to the Coast Guard.

Resch spotted the teen sitting on top of the skiff Monday morning approximately 4 miles from St. Lawrence Island, calling it “nothing short of miraculous.”

“People don’t survive those scenarios,” he said. “People don’t flip boats and survive nights. They don’t do it in warm water, let alone in water that’s, you know, 40 degrees.”

The Coast Guard coordinated the rescue with a nearby good Samaritan vessel, Northwest Explorer.

The aircrew dropped flares and life rafts in the water to increase the visibility of the teen’s overturned boat while waiting for the Northwest Explorer to arrive, Resch said.

“That’s another miracle in itself,” Resch said of the boat rescue.

Video of the rescue showed the teen kneeling on the overturned skiff as he’s reeled in with a heaving line and then brought aboard the Northwest Explorer fishing vessel.

The 15-year-old survivor had symptoms of hypothermia, the Coast Guard said. The two deceased boaters were recovered from the water and transported along with the survivor to Nome.

The Coast Guard has not released the names of the deceased boaters or the survivor.

“Our hearts go out to the families, friends, and communities affected by the tragic loss of these two mariners,” Rear Adm. Bob Little, the commander of the Arctic District, said in a statement. “We are grateful for the incredible efforts of the motor vessel Northwest Explorer, Federal, State, Village first responders and mission partners who assisted in the effort that resulted in a life saved.”

1 death, 5 cases as New York City health officials report another Legionnaires’ disease cluster

September 11, 2026 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — New York City is experiencing another cluster of Legionnaires’ disease just weeks after a cluster exposure in Manhattan was declared over.

So far, five cases and one death have been recorded, the New York City Health Department said on Thursday. Health officials said they are waiting for results for other potential cases.

Cases have been detected in the 10451 and 10456 ZIP codes, which includes parts of Melrose and Morrisania in the South Bronx.

The health department said it is actively investigating the cluster and that testing is underway for samples collected among cooling towers in the area.

Health officials are advising clinicians to be on the lookout for possible cases and to conduct testing if the disease is suspected.

An outbreak earlier this summer on the Upper East Side saw more than 90 cases and 11 deaths, which health officials found was linked to bacteria in some buildings’ cooling towers.

“I understand that New Yorkers may have heightened concerns following the recent Upper East Side cluster,” Dr. Alister F. Martin, NYC health commissioner, said in a press release. “We are taking immediate action. Water ecologists have sampled cooling towers in the affected area. Any cooling tower that tests positive will be directed to undergo full cleaning and disinfection immediately.”

Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by inhaling the Legionella bacteria in small droplets of water mixed in the air or contaminated water accidentally going into the lungs.

The bacteria are found naturally in freshwater but amounts generally don’t lead to disease. The bacteria typically grow best in warm water and in warm to hot temperatures, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The disease does not generally spread from person to person, but infections can occur if the bacteria get into a building’s water supply, including in shower heads, sink faucets, hot water tanks, heaters, cooling towers and other plumbing systems.

Legionnaires’ disease has increased in prevalence over the last decade, reaching a peak of 2.71 cases per 100,000 in 2018, the CDC said. Cases dropped during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and then rebounded in 2021.

Although most people recover from Legionnaires’ disease with antibiotics, certain patients — including those who are immunocompromised or who suffer from chronic lung diseases — can develop complications that can be fatal.

About one in 10 people who develop Legionnaires’ disease will die from complications, according to the CDC. Among those who develop Legionnaires’ disease during a stay in a healthcare facility, about 1 out of every 4 people will die, the federal health agency added.

Health officials said any New Yorkers who live or work in the affected area, or visited since late August, should contact a healthcare provider immediately if they develop symptoms, such as fever, cough, shortness of breath or muscle aches.

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