Nepal workers pulled alive from tunnel after 9 days; ICE officer charged with lying to FBI

Two workers have been pulled alive from a hydropower tunnel nine days after Nepal’s catastrophic floods, and rescuers say they can hear more voices as they dig by hand to reach them.

Plus, Lindsay Clancy’s jury returns for a seventh day of deliberations after a dispute erupts over one juror and the possibility of a mistrial grows.

And Vice President JD Vance says he wouldn’t call the U.S. conflict with Iran a “war,” even with no clear timeline for when hostilities will end.

These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Sept. 4, 2026.

Two workers pulled alive in Nepal after rescuers hear voices inside a tunnel

Rescuers pulled two workers alive from a hydropower tunnel nine days after catastrophic flooding in Nepal trapped them underground. Nepal’s army said the two men, a mechanical foreman and a supervisor, were rescued from the Trishuli 3A hydropower plant.

Both were in stable condition but were flown to a hospital in Kathmandu for treatment.

Rescuers first heard voices from inside the tunnel Friday morning, confirming the presence of survivors and helping locate the men. They said they can still hear additional voices inside.

At the Trishuli plant alone, hundreds of workers remain missing; 100 are believed to be trapped in the main tunnel. Across Nepal’s hydropower projects, about 900 workers remain unaccounted for.

Officials said they hope to rescue more people.

Nationwide, more than 1,200 people have died in the floods, with thousands still missing. Across the border in Tibet, Chinese officials said 21 people died in the floods, and more than 500 remain missing.

Clancy jury returns for seventh day after defense argues one juror refuses to follow law

Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy trial will return behind closed doors Friday for a seventh day of deliberations.

After more than 30 hours without a verdict, Thursday brought a new problem to the jury room. The judge received a note from the jury foreperson and then called each of the 12 jurors to the bench, one by one.

After speaking with them, Judge William Sullivan reminded the jury that they must follow his instructions on the law. He then reread the definition of reasonable doubt and sent them back to deliberate.

Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, objected. He said the foreperson’s note indicated one juror was refusing to follow the judge’s instructions and asked Sullivan to remove that juror.

“The court has an instruction from the foreperson of that juror that’s been working for a week now saying that there’s one juror who refuses to listen to the law that you’ve given him or her on reasonable doubt,” Reddington said. 

Sullivan refused, saying he couldn’t side with one juror or the other 11 without knowing what was happening inside the deliberation room.

Reddington warned that could send the case to a mistrial.

“If we come back here in a half hour with a mistrial because of a juror who has just spurned the instructions of this court, it’s a shame,” Reddington said. “It’s a real shame, and that’s why I object to the court’s ruling. I request that we have further inquiry. I request my motion is to remove this juror that refuses to listen to your instruction on reasonable doubt.”

The jury deliberated for about another half hour before being sent home. They’ve already told the judge twice that they’re deadlocked.

Clancy doesn’t deny killing her three young children in 2023. Her attorneys say she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and was not criminally responsible. Meanwhile, prosecutors say she planned the killings and knew right from wrong.

The jury returns at 9 a.m. Eastern time.

Feds charge ICE officer with lying in case stemming from January Minneapolis shooting

For the first time, a federal immigration officer faces charges from the Trump administration over his actions during the massive immigration crackdown in Minnesota.

ICE officer Christian Castro has been accused of lying to federal investigators regarding a January shooting in Minneapolis, according to The Associated Press.

Castro shot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg during an immigration operation.

Federal authorities initially said Sosa-Celis and another man attacked an officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel. However, prosecutors later dropped the charges against both men after video evidence raised questions about the officers’ account.

The video shows an immigration agent chasing a man toward a home, followed by a brief struggle on the ground.

Two people then run inside.

Minnesota prosecutors say Castro later fired through the front door, hitting Sosa-Celis in the thigh.

Castro is now accused of making false statements to the FBI about what happened.

The federal case is separate from the assault and false-reporting charges Castro already faces in Minnesota. A federal investigation into whether he should face a more serious civil rights charge is still open.

Castro was released from jail in Texas last week after Minnesota’s attempt to have him extradited was blocked. He was suspended without pay by ICE in February.

An attorney for Sosa-Celis said the false-statement charge doesn’t go far enough and is calling for Castro to face civil rights charges as well.

Vance rejects ‘war’ label for Iran conflict, won’t predict end date

Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that he does not consider the U.S. involvement in Iran to be a war and declined to specify when the fighting could end. He made the remarks during his first White House press briefing.

Asked how long the conflict could last, Vance rejected the term “war” and said he doesn’t know when it will end.

“I wouldn’t call it a war. Right now, there is no active shooting. I recognize there have been places where this has flared up. Major combat operations, again, major combat operations, lasted for about six weeks. And since then, we destroyed, of course, their nuclear facilities with Midnight Hammer. With Epic Fury, we destroyed their defense industrial base for producing weapons, and also a lot of their conventional military. And then we made it harder for them to rebuild that nuclear program. But when you ask, when will this end? You’re asking me a question like, when will the Iranians stop shooting at ships? I think the reality is, I don’t know the answer to that question. You would have to ask the Iranians.”

Vice President JD Vance

Vance was also asked about Iran’s claim that a U.S. strike this week hit a wedding party, killing four civilians and wounding dozens more. He said he’s “extremely skeptical” of that account. The U.S. military said it’s investigating the incident and does not target civilians.

Meanwhile, the economic impact of the fighting continues to grow.

The national average for diesel reached an all-time high Friday morning at $5.85 a gallon. That’s up 17 cents in just two days, as the war in Iran disrupts global energy markets and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump takes mail-in ballot fight to court as states warn of voting disruptions

The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow new U.S. Postal Service rules for mail-in ballots to take effect before the midterms. A federal judge temporarily blocked the rules last week.

At issue are new requirements for ballots mailed to voters. States and local election offices would need to use new envelope designs and unique barcodes and submit voters’ names and addresses via an online USPS portal.

The Justice Department said USPS is regulating the mail, not taking over state elections, and described the requirements as modest. However, Democratic-led states and voting rights groups say the rules intrude on state-run elections and could disenfranchise voters.

The judge temporarily sided with them, noting that ballots had already been printed in some places and that there was too little time for states to make the required changes.

North Carolina begins mailing ballots Friday. The states have until Tuesday morning to respond to the administration’s Supreme Court appeal.

Trump administration moves ahead with triumphal arch as excavation nears

Trump is moving forward with plans for his massive triumphal arch even as a lawsuit seeks to halt it.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Thursday that excavation at the planned site between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial will begin within the next two weeks. The 250-foot arch proposed by Trump has received final approval from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose members he appointed.

But the project still requires final approval from another federal planning commission, and a lawsuit challenging the arch is pending in federal court. The group behind that lawsuit argues the administration needs congressional approval to build it.

The National Park Service said the work could take two to three years, with crews working 20 hours a day year-round. That timeline could have the arch finished near the end of Trump’s second term.

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