The Morning Briefing: October 14, 2026

Good morning. This is US News America’s morning briefing for Wednesday, October 14, 2026.

Houthi missile hits Saudi Aramco headquarters in Dhahran

A ballistic missile struck Saudi Aramco’s headquarters complex in Dhahran on Tuesday night, damaging the top three floors of an office tower and starting a fire, according to a company source cited by Reuters. Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry confirmed the attack on an administrative building and said no one was injured or killed; the fire was later extinguished.

The strike is the latest in a weeklong Houthi campaign against Saudi targets, which has included four strikes on Riyadh’s international airport. One of those attacks, on Saturday, killed 13 people. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the Houthis were “behaving very badly” and that he might ask Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to help defend Saudi Arabia. Brent crude held steady near $105.50 a barrel in early trading. Traders appeared to weigh the attacks against the fact that oil production and exports have not yet been disrupted.

Read the full story: Ballistic Missile Strikes Saudi Aramco Headquarters in Dhahran

CPI day: markets position ahead of September inflation data

September’s consumer-price data arrives Wednesday, and economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal expect annual inflation to have risen to 3.6% from 3.4% in August. Markets price a 78% chance the Federal Reserve holds rates steady at its October meeting, with an 88% chance of a hike in December, according to LSEG.

U.S. stock futures nudged higher ahead of the release, while Treasury yields slipped. In Asia, shares inched higher as a chip selloff eased: South Korea’s Kospi closed down 0.4% and Japan’s Nikkei 225 edged 0.05% lower. ASML raised its guidance on surging AI demand, and AI-linked stocks in Europe traded firmer in response.

Read the full story: Bond Yields Fall as Wall Street Awaits Wednesday’s Inflation Data

Ethiopian troops reach Eritrean border town as war fears grow

Ethiopian government troops advanced to Zalambessa, a town of about 15,000 people on the Eritrean border, on Tuesday, according to six sources cited by Reuters. Diplomats are working to head off a new war between the two neighbors. Witnesses and a conflict monitor said Eritrean troops had crossed into Zalambessa last week in support of Tigrayan rebels, though it was unclear on Tuesday whether those troops or the rebels were still there.

Eritrea has denied any incursion and asked the United Nations to take deterrent measures against Ethiopia, calling Addis Ababa’s accusations of an invasion a “declaration of war.” Fighting broke out last month when a rebel alliance led by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front went on the offensive, reigniting a war that killed hundreds of thousands between 2020 and 2022.

Kimberly Guilfoyle resigns as U.S. ambassador to Greece

Kimberly Guilfoyle resigned as U.S. ambassador to Greece on Tuesday, hours after the White House publicly asked her to step down over allegations of improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens. “I didn’t like what I read,” President Donald Trump told reporters, adding that he had not spoken with her.

In a statement posted on X, Guilfoyle denied the allegations and said she intends to “vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity.” The Wall Street Journal reported that she had pressed a Trump campaign donor to pay off her $100,000 American Express bill before her Senate confirmation hearing, and CNN reported that she sought money in exchange for access to administration figures. Her lawyers have denied those claims.

Read the full story: White House Asks Kimberly Guilfoyle to Resign as Greece Ambassador

ALCS tied 1-1 as Rays beat Guardians; Brewers up 2-0

Tampa Bay evened the American League Championship Series at one game apiece with a 3-1 win over Cleveland in Game 2 on Tuesday. All three Rays runs came home in the sixth inning after a Jose Ramirez error opened the door. In the National League, Milwaukee leads the Dodgers 2-0, and the series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 tonight.

In the NHL, Alexis Lafreniere scored twice in the first period as the New York Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1. The Rangers are unbeaten at home at 5-0-0, their best start on home ice since the 1990-91 season.

Meta launches Muse Wonder, its first frontier AI models

Meta launched Muse Wonder, its first frontier AI models, as the race to build more capable systems heats up. The launch follows President Trump’s executive order pushing a “super intelligence” rebrand across the federal government, and it lands in the same week that Character.AI filed for bankruptcy and agreed to sell its assets to Disney for $20 million.

Read the full story: Meta Launches Muse Wonder to Rival OpenAI and Anthropic