Marines Under Attack, Cornell Case Reopened & MLB Playoffs - Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Erica Mandy (0:00)

Today is Tuesday, September 29th. We'll tell you about a previously undisclosed Iranian attack that injured eight US. Marines. Also, why prosecutors are reopening a sexual assault investigation at Cornell University nearly two years later.

Plus, a top FBI official is leaving. A new tool is supposed to keep AI agents in check. And the MLB playoffs begin tonight. Those stories and even more news to know coming up.

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.

American troops are apparently being sent into one of the most dangerous shipping lanes in the world, not on warships, but aboard non-military vessels. There's little information so far about why those commercial vessels were used, but it's now been reported at least one of them was attacked by Iran. Officials say eight US Marines were hurt in this attack. The injuries reportedly included possible traumatic brain injuries and concussion-like symptoms, as well as smoke inhalation. All eight later returned to duty. The previously undisclosed attack came out after news outlets asked about the injuries that they had noticed in a Pentagon public casualty database. The database doesn't explain how or when dozens of recently added injuries happened. The new reports now come as the administration is already facing questions about how much information it's providing about US casualties in the Iran War.

And as we're learning more about the human cost of this war, there's also a new diplomatic push to try to end it. This week, the US and Iran are holding separate talks with mediators in the latest effort to stop the fighting. To be continued.

A man who spent 41 years behind bars, including decades on death row, is now a free man. Douglas Stuart Carter was convicted of killing a woman in Utah in 1985, and was sentenced to death. But newly analyzed DNA from the crime scene was not a match. Prosecutors say that doesn't exonerate Carter, but they've dropped their plans to seek the death penalty and are reassessing the case. Carter says he's innocent. Two witnesses who testified that Carter had confessed to them later recanted and a judge found police had paid and threatened witnesses.

Now at 71 years old, Carter is out of jail with a GPS monitor while he awaits a new trial expected next year. The family of the woman he was convicted of killing says new developments have raised difficult questions, but they're not taking a position on Carter's guilt or innocence while prosecutors decide what to do next.

The case of a former Cornell University student who says she was drugged and gang-raped is drawing widespread outrage. And now, nearly two years after the alleged incident, prosecutors are reopening the criminal investigation. The woman was 20 at the time and last week she filed a civil lawsuit against the school as well as the seven men she accuses of assaulting her. They were members of the Chi-Fi fraternity at the time. The woman explains that it all started when she visited a friend at the frat house late one night after drinking, and that she was then pressured into taking drugs. Then her lawsuit says one of the men sent a crude message to a fraternity Snapchat group, suggesting she was available for sex. She says other men then entered the room to assault her for about four hours while she was incoherent. About three weeks later, the woman told her story to campus police, but her lawyer says investigators never followed up with her. The university conducted an internal review that resulted in two of the men being expelled and the other five receiving suspensions and other sanctions. None of the seven were arrested or criminally charged. Now the woman is seeking damages. Well, Cornell responded to allegations that it failed to protect her by saying it did conduct a thorough investigation at the time, and it stands by the punishments given.

On top of the individual sanctions given to the accused students, the fraternity was shut down. The local district attorney's office also is defending itself, saying the woman's original statement to police was different from what she alleges in the new civil lawsuit, and that it never got to see the evidence from the school's investigation. Though the DA acknowledges it relied only on Cornell Police's report.

Now the DA's office says it's taking another look at the case in response to public outcry, and it plans to present the evidence to a grand jury this fall.

The Trump administration is formally rolling back a Biden-era Title IX policy, changing how schools handle sexual misconduct and harassment cases. Basically, the Education Department is restoring the Title IX regulations from Trump's first term. They gave more due process rights to students who were accused of sexual harassment and assault, like they required live hearings where the accused students or their representatives could question accusers in a courtroom-like setting. The Trump administration is also reversing the Biden policy that expanded Title IX sex discrimination protections to include gender identity and sexual orientation. Education Secretary Linda McMahon says the changes will give schools, students and families more clarity. But critics say the Trump era process could make it harder for students who report sexual misconduct to get their cases resolved. The new regulations are expected to be published today.