An ICE agent shoots a man in New York City with a five-year-old in the back seat, prompting outrage from the mayor.
Plus, Michigan’s Senate candidates clash over President Donald Trump’s tariffs in a tight race that could help decide control of the Senate.
And the USS Abraham Lincoln returns after more than 10 months at sea, with dozens of sailors meeting their babies for the first time.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Oct. 9, 2026.
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Protests erupt after NYC ICE shooting; Mamdani calls to abolish agency
An ICE agent shot a man in New York City while a five-year-old child sat in the back seat of his car. Protests have erupted, and the city’s mayor has called for ICE to be abolished.
Demonstrators clashed with police overnight after the shooting in New York’s Marble Hill neighborhood. The incident occurred around 4 p.m. Thursday in a mostly residential area as children came home from school.
Bystander video shows an ICE agent wearing a construction vest and holding a gun as agents took a man into custody. The Department of Homeland Security said agents were conducting a targeted enforcement operation when one fired his weapon.
Police said one of the agents shot a 28-year-old man in the neck. The man was taken to the hospital in stable condition. A five-year-old boy was in the car at the time but was not injured.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has condemned the shooting and renewed his call to abolish ICE.
“Let me say this plainly. What happened today was an outrage,” Mamdani said.
“We know, and I have said this directly, whether to the president or to the public, ICE undermines public safety. It makes us less safe. New York City will not stand by while ICE agents shoot New Yorkers, and we will not back down from the demand that so many, including myself, have put forward time and again. This is an agency that must be abolished.”
Zohran Mamdani, New York City mayor
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has also condemned the shooting, saying it could have easily ended in tragedy.
She said she spoke with Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and has demanded the release of any body-camera footage to determine what happened.
New Yorkers are outraged tonight. Immigrant communities are terrified. And we are demanding answers. There is still much we don’t know about what happened in Marble Hill. But initial reports indicate ICE agents fired into a vehicle with a five-year-old child inside. Any trained law enforcement officer knows how easily that could have ended in tragedy. By the grace of God, that child appears to have escaped without physical injury. No child should ever have to experience the terror of gunfire, let alone wonder if they’ll make it home alive. As a mother and grandmother, I cannot imagine how frightening those moments must have been. New Yorkers have witnessed far too many acts of violence by a rogue federal agency and untrained agents that operate with impunity. Federal authorities need to provide answers, and they must do so immediately.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) October 9, 2026
Evacuations ordered as Hurricane Isaias nears Gulf Coast
Hurricane Isaias has intensified to a Category 2 storm and is bearing down on the Gulf Coast. With the Florida Panhandle in its path, residents brace for dangerous winds, flooding and storm surge.
Residents have filled sandbags and prepared for flooding, while forecasters warn of storm surge up to five to seven feet. States of emergency are in effect in Florida, Alabama, Georgia and several Mississippi counties. Mandatory evacuations are underway in parts of Florida, and thousands of National Guard troops have been deployed.
Isaias could briefly intensify to a major Category 3 hurricane Friday before weakening to a Category 1 as it approaches landfall near the Florida-Alabama state line. However, the exact track remains uncertain.
4 AM CDT Fri Oct 9 (Advisory 11) Key Messages for Hurricane #Isaias. Latest info: https://t.co/GrztW6mQJV 4 AM CDT viernes 9 de octubre (Aviso 11) Mensajes clave sobre el huracán #Isaias. Más información: https://t.co/GrztW6mQJV https://t.co/3d2UKzGIlE
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 9, 2026
The threat extends well beyond the coast, with heavy rain and flooding possible as far north as Tennessee and North Carolina through the weekend.
Rogers, El-Sayed clash over tariffs and gas prices in Senate debate
Two candidates in one of the midterms’ most closely watched Senate races faced off Thursday night.
Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed clashed over high gas prices, Medicare for All and Trump’s tariffs, particularly those on Canada. That’s a big issue in Michigan, where the auto industry relies heavily on cross-border trade.
Rogers previously supported Trump’s plans to raise tariffs on Canada. But in a new campaign ad this week, he called for an end to the back-and-forth trade dispute.
“I would like to see the deal made. I have actually called the White House this week and talked to the Secretary of Commerce about getting the deal done. Canada still has some high tariffs for us goods, and they did it before this started. Those should be eliminated.”
Mike Rogers, R, Michigan Senate candidate
El-Sayed said tariffs can still play a role, but argues they should follow the approach backed by the United Auto Workers union.
“Look, you’re hearing somebody who has cheered on again a Canadian tariff policy that we are paying $5,600 a year for. If we were serious about using tariffs, we would do it the way that the UAW (United Auto Workers) has advocated. The UAW has advocated for smart tariffs, where we actually hook it to an industrial policy that makes sense.”
Abdul El-Sayed, D, Michigan Senate candidate
The race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters remains extremely close. According to NBC News, most polls show Rogers and El-Sayed neck and neck. The outcome could help determine whether Republicans retain control of the Senate.
Trump rules out strikes before midterms as Iran talks continue
Trump said the United States will not launch new attacks on Iran before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, but the U.S. blockade of Iranian oil exports will continue, and the Pentagon is preparing to send thousands more troops to the Middle East.
In a Truth Social post Thursday, Trump said the U.S. was having “productive discussions” with Iran and ruled out further strikes before Election Day. He also made clear that the American blockade of Iranian oil will stay in place.
Trump has spent weeks threatening to expand the seven-month-old war. He has repeatedly accused Iranian leaders of trying to drag out the conflict to hurt Republicans in the midterms.
Trump said the blockade would remain in “full force and effect,” claiming 22 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday night, with none coming from or going to Iran. He also repeated his demand that Iran never obtain a nuclear weapon.
The U.S. and Iran have continued indirect negotiations through Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, after a ceasefire agreement reached in June collapsed within weeks. That agreement, signed by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, was intended to establish a 60-day ceasefire while the two countries worked toward a permanent deal.
Control of the Strait of Hormuz remains a major sticking point in the negotiations.
Trump rejected an Iranian proposal last month to reopen the waterway within seven days if Washington agreed to certain conditions. Iran later received a U.S. counterproposal, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday that Tehran expects to respond within days.
At a campaign rally Wednesday, Trump said Iran was willing to make major concessions to stop the fighting, although he questioned whether he wanted to reach a deal.
USS Lincoln returns home after lengthy Iran deployment
As the USS Theodore Roosevelt heads to the Middle East, another aircraft carrier is finally back home.
The USS Abraham Lincoln has returned to San Diego after more than ten months away, including a record stretch without a port call. Thousands of sailors reunited with their families Thursday, including dozens of new dads meeting their babies for the very first time.
The USS Lincoln departed San Diego last November and arrived in the Middle East in January, just before the U.S. struck Iran. The carrier spent a record 265 consecutive days at sea without a port call.
That extended deployment took a toll, with reports of supply shortages and mental health challenges among the crew. The USS George Washington relieved the Lincoln in August, enabling the Lincoln’s return home.
This week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth presented the crew with the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest honor bestowed on a military unit.
Mamdani stands by genocide claim; Goldman calls remarks reprehensible
Mamdani stood by his comments on Israel and Gaza on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. His remarks have drawn criticism from Jewish leaders and fellow Democrats, and he also faces protests from pro-Palestinian activists.
Mamdani attended a vigil in Manhattan on Wednesday night to remember those killed in the attacks three years ago. But pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted the gathering, booing the mayor and chanting at him.
Earlier that day, Mamdani condemned the Hamas attack as a horrific war crime.
“The suffering did not begin nor end that day. It instead continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza, in which it has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians.”
Zohran Mamdani, New York City mayor
But he also accused Israel of committing what he called an ongoing genocide in Gaza, citing more than 74,000 Palestinian deaths. Israel rejects the genocide accusation.
This day is profoundly painful for so many New Yorkers. It marks three years since the horrific war crimes of October 7. On that day, Hamas killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 others. We grieve alongside our many friends and neighbors who still carry that unthinkable loss. The suffering did not begin nor end that day. It instead continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza, in which it has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians—including more than 21,000 children. Even since the so-called ceasefire, more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed. That suffering has intensified with every Israeli bomb dropped on ambulances waiting outside hospitals, every drone strike targeting a residential building or journalist, and every shipment of food aid turned away at a border crossing. Many New Yorkers are reckoning with this unbearable grief, and we mourn alongside them – all while knowing that our tax dollars fund these war crimes. Three years later, we must refuse to accept a world in which occupation and apartheid continue, where war crimes are met with impunity, and our federal government continues its complicity with every arms shipment. To honor the dead, we must fight for a world in which every person can live with freedom, safety, and dignity.
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) October 7, 2026
New York Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman called Mamdani’s statement reprehensible.
“Mayor Mamdani asserts, as fact, hotly disputed allegations that he knows will offend and further upset the same people he pretends to grieve with,” Goldman said.
He accused the mayor of using the anniversary to make disputed claims that would further upset people mourning the victims.
This is a reprehensible statement on the anniversary of the horrific terrorist attack by a Palestinian terrorist organization against innocent Israelis. In the guise of “grieving” with those mourning that day, Mayor Mamdani asserts as fact hotly disputed allegations that he knows full well will offend and further upset those same people he pretends to grieve with. On this day of all days, the Mayor of the city with the largest Jewish population outside of Israel embraces extreme activism instead of balanced leadership.
— Daniel Goldman (@danielsgoldman) October 7, 2026
Reporters pressed Mamdani on Thursday about whether he regretted his words. He defended his statement.
“You know, I was proud to attend last night’s vigil, as I did last year, to listen to testimonies from family members of those who were killed on October 7th and those who’ve been killed in the three years since, and all of whom united in a vision for peace and an end to the genocide in Gaza. And when we’re speaking of that genocide, we’re speaking of one that has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians in the last three years. As for those protesting me, I am the mayor of New York City, and this is what I signed up for.”
Zohran Mamdani, New York City mayor
Mamdani also said he wouldn’t change his statement despite the backlash.
Obama hits campaign trail for Democrats as red-state opportunities emerge
Democrats have made unexpected gains in Republican-leaning states this midterm cycle. Even former President Barack Obama said he didn’t expect some of these races to be this competitive.
According to The Washington Post, Obama told donors earlier this week that several states are now in play and that he never expected them to be competitive. He cited races in Kansas, Nebraska, Georgia, and Texas.
Obama has gotten more involved as Election Day approaches. He’s reportedly recorded at least two dozen campaign ads for Democratic Senate and gubernatorial candidates. He’s also scheduled to campaign with Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Detroit later this month.
Trump has made his own pitch to Republican voters, urging them to vote as if his name were on the ballot.
Earlier this week, Straight Arrow anchor Christian Bryant asked Senior Politics Reporter Azi Paybarah about the role presidents can play in these final weeks before the midterms.
“If you have someone like Obama to come in who can really rally, you know, progressive, left-leaning, infrequent voters, well, you just shrunk the amount of time your candidate has to run from like 24 months, maybe to, you know, 23 and a half or so. Once Obama ads start coming out, once Trump ads really start coming out, you’re hitting a different wavelength of voters’ consciousness. You know, people who are checked in, checked out. So, whatever team can get their candidates in the best position, as close as possible to that final sprint, that’s when you get, you know, the big guns coming in and just dropping these big ads.”
Azi Paybarah, Straight Arrow senior politics reporter
Catch our full conversation with Azi on the free version of Off Script, available on YouTube or Spotify. Or become a premium subscriber to watch the full episode on san.com or in the app.
Read Obama is back. Can he help Democrats win? Let’s go Off Script now >
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