Muslim pilgrims perform their morning prayers in the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Photograph: Saudi Press Agency/ReutersView image in fullscreenMuslim pilgrims perform their morning prayers in the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Photograph: Saudi Press Agency/ReutersFirst Thing: Houthis appear to target Mecca as House votes to end Trump’s war on IranVote comes amid Republican call to impeach defense secretary Pete Hegseth. Plus a catnapped bodega cat in Brooklyn is returned home
Good morning. Saudi Arabia’s air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca yesterday before it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city. A spokesperson for the kingdom, which is fighting the Iran-aligned group in Yemen, said the security of Islam’s two holiest sites and of pilgrims was a “red line”. Mecca, home to shrines sacred to Muslims worldwide, is Islam’s holiest city and the focal point of the annual hajj pilgrimage.
Meanwhile, in Washington, the US House of Representatives has voted for a third time to end the war in Iran, approving a war powers resolution a few hours after a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report showed the conflict had cost at least $38bn and left the US stockpile of defensive missiles so depleted it could take five years to rebuild.
Why is Pete Hegseth being targeted by lawmakers? Republican congressman Thomas Massie has proposed impeaching Pete Hegseth, saying the defense secretary had repeatedly violated the constitution through his handling of war with Iran and the deaths of civilians in conflicts worldwide.
How is the Trump administration reversing decisions over arming Israel? Congress has been informally notified about a pending deal, with the US planning to deliver powerful 2,000lb bombs to Israel. The weapons prompted such concerns about the possibility of mass casualties in Gaza that the Biden administration paused their delivery two years ago.
View image in fullscreenEd Sheeran responded to the withdrawals in a lengthy Instagram post. Photograph: Kylie Cooper/ReutersAll four supporting acts for upcoming dates of Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour of the US and Latin America have withdrawn in solidarity with fellow opening act Macklemore, as backlash grows against his removal from the tour over onstage comments in support of Palestine.
Grammy-winning Macklemore had said on stage he wanted the people of Gaza and “the occupied West Bank” to know “we have not forgotten about them”, along with the words “free Palestine”. The remark prompted a petition calling for Macklemore’s removal from the tour from the Israeli-American Council and the opposition of some venue owners – including Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots and a prominent donor to Israel.
How has Ed Sheeran responded? In a lengthy Instagram post, the British singer said: “I have always used my platform and music to bring people from all backgrounds and cultures together … I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean that I don’t care. Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine.”
View image in fullscreenEmergency personnel work at the scene of the helicopter crash. Photograph: Chris Torres/EPAA news helicopter crash in a Los Angeles neighborhood has killed at least three people, after it hit the ground and burst into flames near the site of a bus crash that occurred hours earlier.
The helicopter crashed near a one-storey commercial building in the neighborhood of Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley, as news crews were covering the bus crash that left at least two people dead and six others injured, according the Los Angeles Fire Department.
View image in fullscreenEqual numbers of US men and women have experienced physical violence. Photograph: Alexey_M/AlamyIn their lifetime, more than half of US adults have experienced physical violence – and nearly half have experienced sexual violence, according to a new national study. The study, led by researchers from Tulane University’s Newcomb Institute and the University of California, San Diego, examined experiences of physical, sexual and intimate partner violence.
The study found that 52% of US adults have experienced physical violence during their lifetime, including cases involving a gun or knife. The rate was the same among women and men: 52% for each.
View image in fullscreenNick Reiner at his arraignment on murder charges. Photograph: Chris Torres/Pool EPA/AP Nick Reiner will not face the death penalty if convicted of the killings of his parents, Rob and Michele Singer Reiner, the Los Angeles county district attorney’s office announced.
The US has confirmed for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space, in an announcement analysts warn will accelerate an arms race with Russia and China.
Human remains have been discovered near Crystal Rapids in Arizona, over two weeks after a flash flood tore through the Grand Canyon.
Russia’s intelligence services are plotting to carry out targeted killings in the US and in European nations supporting Ukraine, the FBI has claimed.
The European Commission president has told Canada she wants to open the door for the country to become the EU’s first associate member.
Donald Trump’s nominee for US surgeon general, Dr Nicole Saphier, reported more than $200,000 in business income from a company she owns that sells dietary supplements, which some critics allege are akin to “snake oil”.
View image in fullscreenExperts aren’t sure what causes it, but a yeast called Malassezia is a leading suspect. Photograph: Alex RM/AlamyExperts don’t know exactly what causes dandruff, but if you’re seeing light flakes on your scalp, over-the-counter products can help. Keren Landman explains how.
View image in fullscreenICE says it has no updated information on the number of miscarriages after 3 October 2025. Illustration: Guardian DesignICE is arresting a record number of pregnant women and teenagers – placing them in detention centers where they say it can be exceedingly difficult to access medical care. At the same time, the agency appears to have lost count of how many suffered a miscarriage.
View image in fullscreenAn AI Dolly Parton joins the pantheon of reincarnations including Robin Williams, Elvis Presley and Martin Luther King. Illustration: Guardian DesignThe rise of AI-generated tributes and bots for “talking” to the dead has experts concerned more people will grieve in isolation.
View image in fullscreenWildfire in California. Photograph: Ethan Swope/APFirefighters battling enormous wildfires in the US say the federal government is failing them at a time when supercharged blazes have made their jobs exponentially more dangerous.
View image in fullscreenImad ‘Jimmy’ Innab and his bodega cat Jabal are reunited. Photograph: Dan JanzenThe owner of a New York City bodega was reunited with the store’s cat after a couple passing by the establishment five days earlier appeared to abduct the feline in plain view of a surveillance camera and ignited an intense grassroots search effort.
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