The briefing for Friday, October 2.

Nearly all schoolchildren in at least 30 states will be eligible to apply for a new federal scholarship starting Jan. 1, under regulations proposed Thursday by the Trump administration. The Federal Scholarship Tax Credit marks the first national school choice program, letting families use taxpayer-funded scholarships for private school, homeschooling and other educational expenses. About 96% of children in participating states are expected to qualify, according to the Treasury Department, and even students remaining in public school could use the funds for tutoring or special education services.

The program works by offering taxpayers a federal tax credit of up to $1,700 (or double for joint filers) when they donate to scholarship organizations in participating states. Unlike most existing state-level school choice programs, the federal version does not require students to leave public school to qualify. Thirty states have joined so far, including Texas, Florida, Georgia and Ohio, while Arizona, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Oregon have declined, with some governors arguing the program diverts resources from public education. More than two dozen states have not yet decided.

Experience with state-level scholarship programs offers a preview of possible outcomes. An Associated Press analysis found that in states like Florida and Arizona, where scholarships are available regardless of income, most recipients were already enrolled in private or home school or came from wealthier areas. Federal officials say they've tried to ease access for lower-income families by allowing proof of government assistance in place of income documentation, with foster children exempt from income verification entirely. Still, outreach remains an open question: officials have not detailed how they'll inform eligible families that the scholarships exist.

A new analysis from the nonpartisan think tank Energy Innovation projects that households in the contiguous United States will pay an average of $6,500 more for energy through 2040 because of federal policy changes under the Trump administration. Five states—Oregon, Mississippi, South Dakota, Virginia and Wyoming—are projected to see even steeper increases, averaging roughly $9,000 per household. The report attributes rising costs to canceled clean energy projects increasing demand for natural gas, along with the rollback of fuel-efficiency incentives driving up gasoline demand.

The findings directly contradict the administration's own claims. White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said lowering electricity prices remains a top priority, crediting the administration's push toward coal and natural gas for reversing what she called damage done to the power grid under the Biden administration. Rogers also criticized Energy Innovation's nonpartisan characterization, noting some employees have donated to Democrats. The think tank's senior director, Robbie Orvis, said the data shows worsening conditions "across pretty much every state," with job losses projected in 47 of 48 states examined and GDP losses in 46.

Beyond cost increases, the report projects significant public health impacts tied to environmental rollbacks, including 37,000 additional premature deaths from air pollution and $72 billion in added healthcare costs, alongside more than 9 billion tons of additional carbon emissions. The analysis arrives as electricity bills are already climbing faster than inflation in many regions, a trend partly linked to rising data center demand and oil price spikes tied to the ongoing Iran conflict. The dispute over the report's framing underscores a broader partisan divide over how to interpret the economic effects of recent energy and environmental policy changes.

The Supreme Court has agreed to review the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy for immigrants, according to the Associated Press. The case centers on whether certain categories of immigrants can be held without the possibility of bond hearings while their cases proceed through the system.

The policy has been a flashpoint in ongoing legal battles over the administration's immigration enforcement approach, with critics arguing it denies due process to individuals who have not been convicted of crimes warranting indefinite detention. Supporters contend the policy is necessary to ensure compliance with immigration proceedings and prevent flight risk.

A ruling from the high court could set a significant precedent affecting detention practices nationwide, potentially reshaping how immigration courts and federal agencies handle custody determinations for thousands of individuals currently in the system.

A Department of Energy electrical engineer was arrested Thursday on charges of providing material support to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, the Justice Department announced. Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington, allegedly purchased materials for homemade explosives and drones and traveled to Yemen last September with the goal of helping the Houthis improve their communications capabilities.

According to an FBI affidavit, Ellaboudy told Customs and Border Protection officials upon his return that he had been on a government mission to inspect missile defense systems—a claim his supervisor said was false, with no record of any such program or authorized travel. Investigators say Ellaboudy was recorded telling FBI informants, including one posing as a Houthi colonel, that he had been smuggled into and out of Yemen and had hoped to make government-level connections in the capital, Sanaa, though he was ultimately unable to reach the city.

The FBI says its investigation began after discovering Ellaboudy had purchased precursor chemicals commonly used in homemade explosives, along with drone parts. He is charged under a law criminalizing material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations, a list that includes the Houthis. John Eisenberg, the assistant attorney general overseeing the Justice Department's National Security Division, called the allegations "deeply disturbing." The case adds to broader national security concerns tied to the Houthi conflict and Iran's regional influence.

A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after the copilot allegedly stabbed the captain in the cockpit. Passengers intervened before the aircraft, carrying 182 people including eight crew members, landed safely. Saudi, Emirati and Israeli authorities are investigating the incident, with assistance from the United States and Oman to determine a motive.

The incident has exposed a gap in aviation security protocols that have traditionally focused on screening passengers rather than crew members. "Until this event, the possibility of a threat originating from a pilot or crew member was not considered a likely scenario," said Eyal Hulata, Israel's former national security adviser, predicting tighter crew screening going forward. Israeli authorities identified the copilot as Omani; Israel and Oman lack formal diplomatic relations, raising questions about how he came to be flying a Tel Aviv-bound route. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged "there was a loophole here" and said it is being addressed.

Aviation security experts are divided on whether this reflects a systemic flaw or a specific compliance failure. Menachem Bachrach, an aviation security expert, suggested the incident may point to a lapse in following existing protocols rather than a fundamental gap in the system. The International Civil Aviation Organization sets baseline crew vetting standards, but national regulators and individual airlines can impose additional requirements, and enforcement practices vary significantly across the globe. The case is expected to prompt airlines and regulators to reassess how thoroughly flight crews are screened before and during their careers.

Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike, 50, is in critical condition at a hospital after surviving two lethal injection attempts Wednesday, prompting Governor Bill Lee to halt all executions in the state for the remainder of the year. Pike's attorney, Randy Spivey, said the execution team spent an hour attempting to establish an IV line, using at least seven needles in her left arm alone, one of which was bent when removed. After the second dose, Pike was reportedly still breathing minutes later behind a closed curtain, with observers unaware of what was happening.

The execution had been the subject of a last-minute legal battle that ultimately allowed it to proceed after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene. Pike's lawyers are now asking the state to commute her sentence, a request Lee has previously denied. The Tennessee Department of Correction defended its handling of the execution, saying it "followed every step of the State's lawful, established execution protocol." Lee has ordered an independent review, though he has not yet said who will conduct it.

The case has reignited national scrutiny of lethal injection protocols, which have faced recurring controversy over botched procedures in multiple states. Pike was sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a crime she committed with her then-boyfriend when she was 18. Victim's mother May Martinez, who traveled to witness the execution, told NBC News the scene "was a mess." The pause overlaps with another execution scheduled for Dec. 3, raising questions about whether that case will proceed while the review is underway.