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Tribune News Service on Oct 15, 2026

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‘Suspicious substances’ target senators on anniversary of attack

WASHINGTON — On the 25th anniversary of anthrax attacks that shook Capitol Hill in 2001, authorities are investigating “multiple letters containing suspicious substances that were mailed to various addresses nationwide, including multiple Congressional offices,” according to a notice from the Senate sergeant-at-arms.

“Law enforcement are working to intercept any additional letters before they are delivered, however, it is possible that some letters may reach their destinations,” says the notice sent to some Hill staff and obtained by CQ Roll Call.

A state office of Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Conn., was the target of one of the letters, according to a statement from spokesman Josh Sorbe. Sorbe said the office was informed of the letter by federal law enforcement and is working with investigators.

“Due to those efforts and various safety protocols, the Senator and staff were not in immediate danger. Our office is grateful for the investigators involved in this incident, and we intend to continue close coordination as the investigation continues,” he said.

—CQ-Roll Call

Ex-Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz doxes women who accused him of sex trafficking

Two women have filed a federal civil lawsuit accusing former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz and two others of participating in an alleged sex trafficking scheme involving young women, drugs and traveling across state lines.

The allegations are the latest chapter in Gaetz’s high-profile sex scandal that ultimately derailed his nomination by President Donald Trump as U.S. attorney general and also led him to resign from Congress in 2024.

His departure came as a bipartisan House Ethics Committee was in the final stages of an investigation into his alleged misconduct.

“I look forward to taking the plaintiffs’ depositions because much of the conduct alleged against me is false,” Gaetz said in a statement. “The lawsuit relies almost exclusively on a Congressional Committee report that didn’t allow me to confront my accusers. Now I will finally have that chance.”

—Miami Herald

Microplastics trigger inflammation linked to disease and death. Now scientists appear to have discovered why

Plain old water could be responsible for making plastics harmful to people, according to a new study that portends significant consequences for human health.

The study, published Thursday in the prominent scientific journal Nature, found chemical reactions between water and six types of fossil fuel-based plastic created particles that damaged red blood cells and proteins in laboratory tests.

As plastic in the body breaks down into smaller and smaller bits — known as microplastics and nanoplastics — the potential danger increases, said Wei Min, a Columbia University chemist who co-authored the study.

“Is this phenomenon 5% responsible or 90% responsible for the health effects we are seeing, I can’t answer,” Min said during an interview. “But I would be surprised if it doesn’t play any role.” Min’s study comes amid increasing concerns about plastic pollution in the Great Lakes, the source of drinking water for 40 million people in the United States and Canada, including nearly 7 million in the Chicago area.

—Chicago Tribune

Trump didn’t order limits on Kyiv’s SpaceX access, US says

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump didn’t order any limitations on Ukraine’s access to SpaceX’s Starshield satellite technology, according to a senior U.S. official.

Asked whether the U.S. president had ordered restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Starshield, the official said Thursday no such request was ever made by the president.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week accused Trump and SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk of restraining the access, saying it led to civilian deaths because Ukrainian interceptors using the technology could no longer knock down Russian drones as effectively.

The U.S. official’s comment didn’t preclude the possibility that another U.S. official or agency directed Kyiv’s access be curbed, but it does rebut Zelenskyy’s claim that Trump was responsible.

—Bloomberg News