Houthis appear to target Mecca as House votes to end Trump’s war on Iran | First Thing

Muslim pilgrims perform their morning prayers in the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Photograph: Saudi Press Agency/Reuters View image in fullscreen Muslim pilgrims perform their morning prayers in the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Photograph: Saudi Press Agency/Reuters First Thing: Houthis appear to target Mecca as House votes to end Trump’s war on Iran Vote comes amid Republican call to impeach defense secretary Pete Hegseth. Plus a catnapped bodega cat in Brooklyn is returned home Good morning. Saudi Arabia’s air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ⁠Houthi drone south of Mecca yesterday before it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city. A spokesperson for the kingdom, which is fighting the Iran-aligned group in Yemen, said the security of Islam’s two holiest sites and of pilgrims was a “red line”. Mecca, home to shrines sacred to Muslims worldwide, is Islam’s holiest ​city and the focal point ‌of the annual ‌hajj pilgrimage. Meanwhile, in Washington, the US House of Representatives has voted for a third time to end the war in Iran, approving a war powers resolution a few hours after a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report showed the conflict had cost at least $38bn and left the US stockpile of defensive missiles so depleted it could take five years to rebuild. Why is Pete Hegseth being targeted by lawmakers? Republican congressman Thomas Massie has proposed impeaching Pete Hegseth, saying the defense secretary had repeatedly violated the constitution through his handling of war with Iran and the deaths of civilians in conflicts worldwide. How is the Trump administration reversing decisions over arming Israel? Congress has been informally notified about a pending deal, with the US planning to deliver powerful 2,000lb bombs to Israel. The weapons prompted such concerns about the possibility of mass casualties in Gaza that the Biden administration paused their delivery two years ago. All supporting acts withdraw from Ed Sheeran’s tour in solidarity with Macklemore View image in fullscreen Ed Sheeran responded to the withdrawals in a lengthy Instagram post. Photograph: Kylie Cooper/Reuters All four supporting acts for upcoming dates of Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour of the US and Latin America have withdrawn in solidarity with fellow opening act Macklemore, as backlash grows against his removal from the tour over onstage comments in support of Palestine. Grammy-winning Macklemore had said on stage he wanted the people of Gaza and “the occupied West Bank” to know “we have not forgotten about them”, along with the words “free Palestine”. The remark prompted a petition calling for Macklemore’s removal from the tour from the Israeli-American Council and the opposition of some venue owners – including Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots and a prominent donor to Israel. How has Ed Sheeran responded? In a lengthy Instagram post, the British singer said: “I have always used my platform and music to bring people from all backgrounds and cultures together … I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean that I don’t care. Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine.” NBC helicopter crash in LA kills at least three people, with others injured View image in fullscreen Emergency personnel work at the scene of the helicopter crash. Photograph: Chris Torres/EPA A news helicopter crash in a Los Angeles neighborhood has killed at least three people, after it hit the ground and burst into flames near the site of a bus crash that occurred hours earlier. The helicopter crashed near a one-storey commercial building in the neighborhood of Chatsworth in the San Fernando valley, as news crews were covering the bus crash that left at least two people dead and six others injured, according the Los Angeles fire department. New report reveals prevalence of physical and sexual violence in US View image in fullscreen Equal numbers of US men and women have experienced physical violence. Photograph: Alexey_M/Alamy In their lifetime, more than half of US adults have experienced physical violence – and nearly half have experienced sexual violence, according to a new national study. The study, led by researchers from Tulane University’s Newcomb Institute and the University of California, San Diego, examined experiences of physical, sexual and intimate partner violence. The study found that 52% of US adults have experienced physical violence during their lifetime, including cases involving a gun or knife. The rate was the same among women and men: 52% for each. In other news … View image in fullscreen Nick Reiner at his arraignment on murder charges. Photograph: Chris Torres/Pool EPA/AP Nick Reiner will not face the death penalty if convicted of the killings of his parents, Rob and Michele Singer Reiner, the Los Angeles county district attorney’s office announced. The US has confirmed for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space, in an announcement analysts warn will accelerate an arms race with Russia and China. Human remains have been discovered near Crystal Rapids in Arizona, over two weeks after a flash flood tore through the Grand Canyon. Russia’s intelligence services are plotting to carry out targeted killings in the US and in European nations supporting Ukraine, the FBI has claimed. The European Commission president has told Canada she wants to open the door for the country to become the EU’s first associate member. Stat of the day: US surgeon general nominee made $270,000 from supplement company Donald Trump’s nominee for US surgeon general, Dr Nicole Saphier, reported more than $200,000 in business income from a company she owns that sells dietary supplements, which some critics allege are akin to “snake oil”. Well Actually: Not glamorous, but common – how to manage dandruff View image in fullscreen Experts aren’t sure what causes it, but a yeast called Malassezia is a leading suspect. Photograph: Alex RM/Alamy Experts don’t know exactly what causes dandruff, but if you’re seeing light flakes on your scalp, over-the-counter products can help. Keren Landman explains how. Don’t miss this: ICE lost count of miscarriages, while detaining a record number of pregnant women View image in fullscreen ICE says it has no updated information on the number of miscarriages after 3 October 2025. Illustration: Guardian Design ICE is arresting a record number of pregnant women and teenagers – placing them in detention centers where they say it can be exceedingly difficult to access medical care. At the same time, the agency appears to have lost count of how many suffered a miscarriage. … or this: AI ghosts and deathslop are changing the way we mourn View image in fullscreen An AI Dolly Parton joins the pantheon of reincarnations including Robin Williams, Elvis Presley and Martin Luther King. Illustration: Guardian Design The rise of AI-generated tributes and bots for “talking” to the dead has experts concerned more people will grieve in isolation. Climate check: Firefighters say US government is failing them amid intense wildfire season View image in fullscreen Wildfire in California. Photograph: Ethan Swope/AP Firefighters battling enormous wildfires in the US say the federal government is failing them at a time when supercharged blazes have made their jobs exponentially more dangerous. Last Thing: Catnapped bodega cat in Brooklyn reunited with owner View image in fullscreen Imad ‘Jimmy’ Innab and his bodega cat, Jabal, are reunited. Photograph: Dan Janzen The owner of a New York City bodega was reunited with the store’s cat after a couple passing by the establishment five days earlier appeared to abduct the feline in plain view of a surveillance camera and ignited an intense grassroots search effort. If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@theguardian.com Explore more on these topics US news First Thing newsletter news Share Reuse this content