October 9, 2026 - Jane DOE Texts Cast Doubt on Rape

The death penalty is everywhere this week. In Tennessee, Christa Pike, sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of her classmate Colleen Slemmer, survived two doses of pentobarbital on September 30. She woke six days later, shackled to a hospital bed in Nashville. The state won’t say whether it will try again, and Gov. Bill Lee has paused executions. On Wednesday night, Texas executed Jamaal Howard with the same drug, the nation’s 30th execution this year. Florida has carried out 16, and Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed warrants that would set a state record of 20. President Trump approved the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan by firing squad, which would be the military’s first execution since 1961. And in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom is weighing whether to commute the sentences of all 563 people on the nation’s largest death row before he leaves office.

For decades, Gallup has asked Americans the same question: “Are you in favor of the death penalty for a person convicted of murder?” Last October, 52 percent said yes, the lowest level since 1972.

That number has swung widely. In 1966, with crime low and executions nearly halted, Gallup found more opponents than supporters, the only time that has happened. Support rebounded after the Supreme Court struck down death penalty laws in 1972 and kept climbing through the crack-era crime wave, peaking at 80 percent in 1994. Then crime fell, DNA testing exposed wrongful convictions, and Illinois halted executions. By 2000, support had dropped to 66 percent. Over the past decade it has slid further, driven by younger Americans. Gallup found that only 42 percent of Gen Z favor the death penalty.

Gallup is in the field again this month, its first reading since Tennessee. So I’m asking you the same question: Are you in favor of the death penalty for a person convicted of murder?

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TMZ obtained text messages allegedly exchanged two days after the reported Cornell sexual assault, in which the accuser expressed affection toward two accused men, described everyone as heavily intoxicated, and defended the encounter, raising new questions about the allegations.

TMZ

Internal Cornell records reportedly show that Jonathan Newell, one of seven fraternity members accused in a civil sexual assault lawsuit, was designated a sober safety monitor despite admitting he arrived intoxicated, raising questions about enforcement of university party safety policies.

Daily Mail

The USS Abraham Lincoln returned to San Diego Bay after 322 days at sea in one of the longest maritime deployments in U.S. military history, a mission marked by Operation Epic Fury strikes on Iran as well as reports of supply shortages and at least eight suicide attempts aboard.

NBC News

The Pentagon reportedly plans to livestream the December 3 firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009, marking the military’s first execution since 1961 and potentially its first firing squad execution since 1945.

Army Times

A Siberian laboratory worker’s unexplained death has raised concerns about possible pneumonic plague, prompting the WHO to seek more information from Russia as limited official disclosures revive comparisons to Soviet-era secrecy surrounding smallpox, anthrax, Chernobyl and COVID-19.

Associated Press

President Trump said the United States will not attack Iran before the November 3 midterm elections, despite reports he had considered resuming major military operations targeting Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear facilities, though his previous statements have not always predicted his actions.

Axios

U.S. officials allege that a senior aide to Ambassador Mike Huckabee repeatedly suppressed or altered diplomatic reports critical of Israel, including accounts of West Bank settlement expansion, settler violence and Palestinian American deaths, potentially distorting Washington’s understanding of Israeli government actions.

The New York Times

New CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey data show identifying as lesbian, gay, or bisexual dropped sharply among U.S. 9th graders between 2023 and 2025 — from 17% to 11% overall and from 30% in 2021 to 17% in 2025 among 9th grade girls — while rates held steady for 12th graders and young adults.

Generation Tech

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani doubled down on his statement marking the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, drawing backlash from critics who accused him of downplaying the massacre.

Fox News

Hurricane Isaias has strengthened into a Category 2 storm with 105 mph winds, threatening the northern Gulf Coast with dangerous storm surge, flooding, tornadoes and possible further intensification before landfall Friday night or Saturday, prompting evacuations and emergency declarations.

CBS News