Another Frat Party Assault Case, New Voting Rules & Winnie-the-Pooh Turns 100 - Thursday, October 15, 2026

Erica Mandy (0:00)

Today is Thursday, October 15th. We'll tell you about new questions over US support for Ukraine and why some critics think a string of recent problems may not be a coincidence. Also, what we know about the latest sexual assault allegations at a college fraternity, this time near the University of Chicago.

Plus, what's in the latest inflation report before the midterm elections? Why a prison fight broke out landing Sean Diddy Combs in the hospital? And how the world is celebrating 100 years of one very famous teddy bear. And those stories and a lot more news to know coming up next.

Welcome to The NewsWorthy, all the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this.

As the sexual assault case involving a Cornell fraternity continues to draw attention, a new set of allegations is emerging from a frat house near the University of Chicago. A 21-year-old woman says she was sexually assaulted at an off-campus fraternity party last weekend. She doesn't go to the school, but she did go to the University of Chicago Hospital for treatment and told Chicago police what happened. The police report says she lost consciousness in the bathroom and woke up to find she had been sexually assaulted. Her friends back up her story, telling police and the New York Times they found several men outside the bathroom cheering and trying to get inside, saying things like, when's it my turn? Then one of the friends says she jimmied the lock and forced her way inside to find the woman's clothes pulled off and a man's hands on her wrists. The fraternity is now condemning the sexual assault. It says none of its members were involved and that when they did find out, they offered to help. The University of Chicago says it has identified a person of interest who is not affiliated with the school and has been banned from campus. So far, no charges have been filed, but police are investigating. Of course, the case comes as Cornell University continues to face backlash over an alleged assault involving seven fraternity members two years ago. The fallout has even reached the top of the school's leadership. This week, Cornell's Faculty Senate started debating a no-confidence resolution against President Michael Kotlikoff, and the outcome could shape how Cornell handles sexual assault cases moving forward. Faculty members grilled Kotlikoff yesterday, who acknowledged he knew a student had reported being gang-raped at a fraternity house back in 2024 and that he never followed up to find out what happened to her or whether the students accused were disciplined. He says he's personally sorry for what the woman experienced. Kotlikoff also said the number of sexual assaults on campus has long been an unacceptable level and realizes that trust in his leadership has been shaken. But at this point, he says replacing him as president is not the right solution. Instead, Cornell has announced new safety measures. The university has also appointed former Acting US. Attorney General Sally Yates to lead an independent review of how it handled the case. The faculty senate's debate and vote will continue later this month.

Ukraine is raising alarms about two critical points of its war effort, four and a half years into Russia's invasion. One involves sudden restrictions on Elon Musk's satellite internet system. The other involves questions about US military intelligence. When it comes to the internet, Ukrainian forces rely on Musk's starlink to communicate on the battlefield and control drones, including the ones that intercept incoming Russian attacks. But Ukrainian officials say new speed limits have disrupted some of those operations, even leaving some missions grounded. Since reports of the slowdown first came out yesterday, the service improved, but Ukraine says the restrictions are still a problem. Musk says he believes the US government may be behind this, since the US military and President Trump ultimately decide any limits on its use. But the Trump administration has not publicly explained the restrictions. And that's not Ukraine's only concern. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says his country did not receive its usual early warning about Russian ballistic missiles targeting Kiev earlier this week, though Ukraine did receive warnings about three later waves of missiles. And President Trump says the US has not stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine. But the timing of these problems has raised questions about American support for Ukraine, especially as the Trump administration had been pressuring Kiev to stop attacking Russian oil refineries. Some critics suspect Trump wants to ease energy prices ahead of the midterms. But again, it's not clear whether the Starlink restrictions and the missed warning are actually connected. To be continued.

In another escalation that could keep oil prices high, two cargo ships have sunk near the Strait of Hormuz. British maritime officials actually reported at least five attacks or incidents involving commercial ships in the area over two days. And two actually went down, which is extremely rare. Iran is actually stepping up attacks to levels not seen since the war started. Of course, the Strait of Hormuz is a key route for global oil and natural gas. But other goods go through it too. Maritime security data also shows attacks spreading beyond the Strait, including near Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Now, Iranian officials tell Reuters they're deliberately trying to influence the outcome of next month's US midterm elections by keeping oil prices high and making it harder for President Trump to bring them down. Trump, for his part, says gas prices will drop even lower than before the war once it ends.