Public notice: VA lowers interest rate on Native American Direct Loans
Oct. 6, 2026 — As of Oct. 1, the Department of Veterans Affairs lowered the interest rate on its Native American Direct Loans, for homes on tribal lands, from 2.50% to 2.47%.
News: October 7, 2026
The edition for Wednesday, October 7, 2026. 17 items. All editions.
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National
Utah governor orders a 'pro-human' framework for AI in state agencies
Oct. 6, 2026 — Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox signed an executive order setting a framework for artificial intelligence use across state government, requiring AI literacy training for state workers and directing agencies to keep safeguards for human agency, data privacy and trust, his office said. The order advances the state's Pro-Human AI Initiative, begun in December 2025.
Texas Energy Fund lends to 452-megawatt gas plant in Reeves County
Oct. 7, 2026 — Texas made its ninth Texas Energy Fund loan, for a natural gas power plant of more than 450 megawatts in Reeves County developed by Pecos Power Plant LLC, Gov. Greg Abbott said. The plant is set to begin supplying the ERCOT grid in 2027, enough for about 110,000 homes, his office said.
SEC seeks final judgment against former Western Asset co-CIO in cherry-picking case
Oct. 6, 2026 — The SEC moved for a final judgment by consent against Stephen Kenneth Leech II, a former co-chief investment officer of Western Asset Management, whom it charged in November 2024 with a multi-year cherry-picking scheme in which, it alleged, he delayed allocating trades until he could see how prices moved. If the court approves, $103 million would be returned to harmed investors, the SEC said.
World
Israeli demolition in East Jerusalem displaces 69 Palestinians, UN says
Oct. 6, 2026 — Sixty-nine Palestinians, more than half of them children, were displaced when Israeli authorities demolished their residential building in the At Tur area of East Jerusalem, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported. OCHA said it was the most people displaced in a single demolition in East Jerusalem since UN records began in 2009.
WHO issues its first global guidelines on child obesity
Oct. 7, 2026 — The World Health Organization released its first global guidelines on treating obesity in children and adolescents, which it says has quadrupled since 1990 among 5- to 19-year-olds, from 2% to about 8%. About 170 million children and adolescents lived with obesity in 2024, WHO said, according to UN News.
WHO watching suspected plague death of Siberian lab worker
Oct. 6, 2026 — Russian authorities are investigating whether pneumonic plague caused the death of a woman who worked at a laboratory in Siberia's Irkutsk region that studies dangerous pathogens, including plague, WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said. Plague occurs naturally in wild animals in that part of Siberia, he said, and WHO is following the situation closely.
Update: Ebola orphaning children in Congo, UNICEF says; Kenya confirms first case
Oct. 6, 2026 — This updates our Oct. 1 report on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. More than 1,900 children have been affected, losing parents or caregivers or falling ill themselves, UNICEF said. Neighboring Kenya confirmed its first case and death from the disease, believed to have come from Congo, according to UN News.
'Super' El Niño already rivals 1997 and 2015, UN reports
Oct. 6, 2026 — Pacific Ocean temperatures in the current El Niño have already surpassed those of the historic 1997 and 2015 events, part of what some climate watchers call a "Super El Niño," UN News reported. More than 347 million children in nearly 100 countries and territories are expected to face unusually wet or dry conditions from October to December, raising flood and drought risks, according to UNICEF data.
Djibouti faces 'overlapping emergencies' as Yemenis arrive and migrants head the other way
Oct. 6, 2026 — More than 3,700 refugees fleeing Yemen's war have reached Djibouti in the past three weeks after a dangerous Red Sea crossing, while more than 20,000 journeys by migrants from Ethiopia toward Yemen have been recorded since Sept. 10, the International Organization for Migration said, describing "overlapping emergencies" in the Horn of Africa nation.
Update: IOM counts more than 184,000 displaced in Yemen since August
Oct. 5, 2026 — This updates our Oct. 6 report on Yemen's war. Fighting has displaced more than 184,000 people since the start of August, most of them since early September, the International Organization for Migration said. It recorded nearly 21,800 newly displaced in the week to Oct. 3, up 26% from the week before, and 6,474 more on Oct. 4.
Hormuz in numbers: seven months of the largest oil shock on record
Brent averaged $114 in September and hit $131 after attacks on a Saudi bypass pipeline, the EIA says.
Guterres, in Pakistan, urges an end to the US-Iran war
Oct. 6, 2026 — UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an end to the United States-Iran war and its toll on global trade as he began an official visit to Pakistan. "End the conflict. Return to diplomacy. Fully restore navigational rights and freedoms in accordance with international law," he said in Islamabad. The war began in late February with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, after which Iran struck targets in Gulf countries and Jordan and blocked transit through the Strait of Hormuz, according to UN News.
California
Public notice: California ballots arriving this week
Oct. 6, 2026 — Gov. Gavin Newsom, Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Attorney General Rob Bonta reminded eligible voters to watch for their mail ballots this week, four weeks before the Nov. 3 election.
San Diego
Public notice: San Diego County volunteer hours can count toward CalFresh work requirements
Oct. 6, 2026 — Volunteer hours can count toward the new federal work requirement of 80 hours a month for CalFresh recipients ages 18 to 64 without a child under 14 at home, San Diego County said; more than 46,000 local recipients have been notified since June 1. The County lists opportunities through 211 San Diego's WorkReady Hub.
San Diego County to track e-bike injuries in real time
Oct. 6, 2026 — The San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a regional e-bike injury warning system to pinpoint where injuries occur, who is hurt and which devices are involved, the County said. Rady Children's Hospital reported pediatric e-bike trauma cases rose from three in 2021 to 262 in 2025, and local officials wait up to 14 months for statewide injury data. The County said the system will use existing staff, at no added General Fund cost.
County outlines El Niño storm preparations, including its first 24-hour operations plan
Oct. 6, 2026 — San Diego County leaders briefed the Board of Supervisors on preparations for a potentially historic El Niño, including the County's first 24-hour operational plan, drainage improvements at flood-prone locations and lessons from the January 2024 storms, the County said. The update follows the County's recent emergency proclamation and the launch of its El Niño 2026 Information Hub, with sandbag locations and alerts.