US Marines Injured in Iran Attack and Taylor Swift Sets VMAs Record: Morning Rundown

US Marines were injured in an Iranian attack that the Pentagon has not disclosed. Right-wing conservatives are pushing to drop the pipe bomb case in Washington. And the star quarterback who is losing his luster.

Here’s what you need to know today.

US Marines injured in recent Iranian attack, undisclosed by Pentagon

Eight U.S. Marines were injured two weeks ago when an Iranian cruise missile attacked the ship they were operating on in the Strait of Hormuz, according to three U.S. officials.

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None were seriously injured, but they suffered smoke inhalation and likely suffered head trauma because they had concussion symptoms, such as headaches, officials said.

The Marines returned to duty shortly after the Sept. 14 incident, officials said. The Defense Ministry did not disclose any attacks that occurred that day.

Since the start of the war in Iran, there has been confusion over the number of soldiers wounded and killed, unlike many other conflicts abroad where data is regularly reported. Recently, the Pentagon abruptly reduced the death toll over the summer after reclassifying how some soldiers were killed.

Read more of our exclusive reporting here.

Right-wing conservatives want to end last active lawsuits from January 6

The Justice Department is continuing its case against Brian Cole Jr., the man accused of planting pipe bombs at the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican parties in 2021.

This is the last active federal prosecution still related to the Jan. 6 attack, and some MAGA supporters want to end it.

Prominent right-wing conservatives have attempted to undermine the case by spreading discredited theories about who was responsible, including citing “deep state” actors and accusing the Trump administration of framing Cole.

Rep. Thomas Massie recently released a photo of officials — including Jeanine Pirro and Kash Patel — at the press conference announcing Cole’s arrest and said they were “complicit” in a conspiracy.

Here’s what others have said.

MTV VMAs Recap

Last night at the MTV Video Music Awards, host Snoop Dogg promised viewers “the biggest party the VMAs have ever seen.” Here are some of the best moments of the evening:

🪩 Madonna returned for the first time in 23 years to open the show, with help from Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX.

🥇Taylor Swift has overtaken Beyoncé to become the most awarded artist in VMA history when she brought her Moon Person statue total to 32.

❤️ Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves paid tribute to Dolly Parton with a rendition of “I Will Always Love You.”

🎸 Surviving Nirvana members Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear gathered to accept the Video Vanguard Award.

Find out more about the evening.

Drake Maye no longer looks like an AFC champion

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye didn’t throw his sixth interception of the 2025 season until Week 12. In 2026, it only took 12 quarters.

The defending AFC champions were crushed in a 35-6 blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. And Maye, who at one point seemed poised to give New England another decade of good play, continued a troubling trend: He kept giving the ball away.

Maye committed three turnovers in the game, a far cry from his performance last season, when he only committed 11 turnovers in total. “I can’t get through this,” he said after the loss.

Here’s what that means for the team moving forward.

More NFL Sunday:

• The first NFL game in Rio de Janeiro, between the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens, ended with two epic baskets.

• Seattle Seahawks lost its franchise record winning streak in a 33-31 loss to the Washington Commanders.

• Bo Nix and Talanoa Hufanga led the Denver Broncos ahead of the Los Angeles Rams 30-26.

Staff choice: South Africa faces the crisis of gender-based violence

South African women have suffered a crisis of gender-based violence for decades, but this was highlighted this summer after nine women were murdered in the same Johannesburg neighborhood in the space of just a few months.

For this story, I particularly wanted to speak with local women about how these murders impacted their daily livesand what it’s like to live in fear of carrying out daily activities that should always be safe. Some of the victims disappeared during their routine jogging, others just went about their business.

I’ve been covering southern and eastern Africa for a few years now as a freelancer, and the journalists I met in Johannesburg were extremely generous, helping to connect me with victims’ family members, local residents and experts, including women who run shelters caring for victims. These voices helped elevate the story beyond the devastating statistics that underscore the crisis in South Africa. The female mortality rate is 12.3 per 100,000 people, almost six times the global rate, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

— Freddie Clayton, independent journalist

Read all about it

• Hawaiians I’m tired from the storma local mayor said, as the third hurricane to approach the islands in recent weeks continues to head offshore.

• A 27-year-old BASE jumper died after his combination failed when it launched from a 700-foot perch in Utah, authorities said.

• British police arrested several men yesterday on suspicion of terrorism and explosives-related offenses, and evacuated his homes near a US air base.

• Benjamin Satterley, the hard-hitting, high-flying professional wrestler known to fans around the world simply as Pac, died at age 40.

NBC Selected: online shopping made easy

Fall is officially here and with the cooler air (in most states) comes a new round of seasonal tasks. The outdoor furniture is covered, the sweaters come out storageand your window air conditioner you have to go out through the window. If this last task isn’t on your list, it should be. Here’s how to do it rightaccording to experts.

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