Iniaes

In U.S. politics

President Trump canceled a Capitol signing ceremony for a housing bill and told Republicans a voting bill should move first, then sat through a tense meeting with Senate Republicans. On Iran, the Senate narrowly blocked a second rebuke of the administration, with GOP leaders arguing another slap on the wrist could complicate negotiations to end the war. Trump also kicked off the America 250 state fair on the National Mall with the usual mix of celebration, grievances, and military flyovers. One way to mark a birthday.

Separately, three left-wing candidates won New York City congressional primaries over establishment-backed rivals, giving Democrats another reminder that their internal debates are not exactly being resolved quietly.

In the economy

U.S. inflation is getting a fresh push from the data center boom. The rapid build-out of AI infrastructure is lifting costs for items and services ranging from smartphones to electricity, and the open question is how far those higher prices spread through the rest of the economy.

In Pakistan

Pakistani police say they rescued a French woman and her five children after one of the children escaped and reported years of abuse. Sylvie Yasmina says she was taken to Pakistan, locked in a rural home, and beaten daily for more than a decade. The family is now in a women’s shelter in Peshawar, and Yasmina says she hopes to return to France and rebuild their lives.

In Venezuela

Two powerful earthquakes, measured at 7.2 and 7.5, shook Venezuela and sent residents into the streets as buildings collapsed in Caracas. Officials declared a state of emergency as volunteers, medics, and relatives rushed into the Altamira area to search for survivors in the rubble.

In Philadelphia

Police say a woman is in custody after a fatal stabbing in North Philadelphia. A newly released transcript also shows officers did not realize 18-year-old Henry Nowak had suffered a fatal stab wound until about eight minutes after arriving, even though he repeatedly told them he had been stabbed.

In U.S. politics and elections

The White House is asking Congress for about $87.6 billion in new spending, with most of it tied to a possible war with Iran. The request lands in a Congress that already voted to curb Trump’s war powers, so this one should glide through the usual process, meaning it will probably hit a wall.

On the voting front, a federal appeals court said Michigan does not have to hand over sensitive voter data to the Trump administration. Separately, Postmaster General David Steiner told senators the Postal Service could withhold mail ballots from states that do not share absentee-ballot request lists if a proposed rule is adopted. The bureaucracy, as ever, remains committed to making democracy feel like a compliance exercise.

In the world

A powerful earthquake struck Venezuela, with reports of major shaking in Caracas and damaged buildings in the capital. USGS data described a pair of strong quakes, and tsunami threats were reported in surrounding areas. Emergency crews will be dealing with the usual post-quake realities, which are never subtle and rarely brief.

In brief

The Justice Department has charged 12 people in a drone-smuggling scheme that allegedly moved drugs and other items into prisons. It is a reminder that every bad idea eventually finds a hobbyist with a battery pack.

In U.S. politics and the courts

A federal judge in Boston has permanently blocked President Trump’s effort to require proof of citizenship to vote, turning an earlier injunction into a lasting ban on much of the plan.

Trump also had a tense closed-door clash with Sen. Bill Cassidy over Iran war powers, after Cassidy accused him of not being straight with the public about the conflict. The volume in the room did the talking for them.

In science and technology

Researchers studying the black-hole merger GW250114 say they have detected a previously hidden part of the gravitational-wave signal, called the direct wave. The finding gives a clearer look at the newborn black hole and offers a sharper test of Einstein’s general relativity near the event horizon.

Separate research suggests that rough, messy demonstrations can help robots learn precise actions with less training data, which could make robotic systems faster and cheaper to teach for everything from manufacturing to surgery.

Another study, this one from researchers in Pisa working with the Cleveland Clinic, says neural interfaces are helping reveal how the brain senses hand movement through grasp synergies, with possible applications for prosthetic limbs.

In climate and public safety

New climate analysis says Australia’s heatwaves followed within days by heavy rain are not just a coincidence, they are a recurring and worsening pattern. The study finds the whiplash is becoming more frequent and covering larger areas, with southeastern Australia and southern Queensland especially exposed.

In business and consumer prices

Several major retailers and fuel companies, including BP, Circle K, 7-Eleven, Walmart, Marathon Petroleum and Albertsons, are accused of using AI to inflate gas prices in California. If that sounds like a bold use of technology, the complaint suggests it is not the charming kind.

In Scotland

Scotland recorded its highest sex crime level since records began in 1971, with offences in 2025 to 26 up 10 percent from the previous year. The increase was driven by rises in rape and domestic abuse cases.

In U.S. politics

President Trump has canceled plans to sign a bipartisan housing affordability bill, saying he wants Congress to move first on the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship for voter registration and sharply restrict mail-in voting. House Speaker Mike Johnson says he wants to advance the measure through a third reconciliation bill, so the housing bill is now sitting in the political waiting room.

In tech and workplace privacy

Meta has paused an internal AI training program after backlash from employees and fresh privacy concerns. The system was collecting data from workers’ computers, including keystrokes, mouse clicks, and on-screen activity.

In South America

Colombia’s left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda has conceded defeat to Abelardo de la Espriella in a very narrow presidential runoff. The far-right lawyer and Trump admirer was ahead by less than one percentage point in the preliminary count.

In science

Researchers have virtually unwrapped a papyrus scroll buried in the Mount Vesuvius eruption and read more than a metre of text without opening it. The writing, spanning 20 columns, discusses Stoic philosophy, including ethics, art, and human behaviour.

In U.S. politics and policy

California and 22 other states are asking a federal judge to throw out the settlement that ended Donald Trump’s IRS lawsuit and created the so-called anti-weaponization fund. The states say the deal was not a real legal resolution, that it was arranged to benefit Trump allies and shield his family from scrutiny, and that the Justice Department sidestepped defenses it could have used.

In the Senate, lawmakers approved a war powers resolution on Iran, with four Republicans joining Democrats. The vote is meant to limit President Trump’s ability to use force against Iran without congressional approval.

A federal judge also ruled that SNAP benefits can be used to buy candy and sugary drinks, blocking an effort to narrow what people in the program can purchase. Meanwhile, agencies are wrestling with a newer problem, AI-generated public comments flooding rulemaking dockets and muddying what genuine public input actually looks like.

In international news

South Korea says it is investigating why a North Korean soldier crossed the border into the South, a rare direct crossing. Separately, North Korea has commissioned a new warship, and Kim Jong Un says he wants the navy equipped with nuclear weapons, another sign he is widening the country’s nuclear ambitions beyond land-based forces.

In France, a doctor who recently returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for Ebola, the first confirmed case in Europe. Health officials are now focused on containment and tracing any possible exposure.

In international affairs

Iran is still at the center of the latest round of talks, with a former U.S. diplomat saying Tehran now appears to be in a stronger position after the conflict. The U.S. has also granted Iran a 60-day waiver on oil export sanctions, a significant concession as Washington pushes for a durable peace deal. Separately, the IAEA chief says inspections at Iran’s enrichment sites will still go ahead, despite Tehran’s claim that bombed facilities are off-limits.

In tech and security

Anthropic says its Mythos AI was able to uncover flaws in classified U.S. systems within hours, underscoring how quickly advanced AI tools can probe sensitive networks. At Meta, a security glitch reportedly exposed private employee messages, renewing concern about how the company handles internal surveillance and staff data.

In business

JPMorgan Chase has fired DEI executive Angie Báez after a video showed her emptying a public trash bin onto a Manhattan street and walking away with the Knicks-themed container during the team’s championship parade. The clip went viral fast, and the job disappeared even faster.

In climate and weather

Europe is baking again, with Italy issuing red heat alerts for 16 cities, including Milan and Rome, while schools have closed in parts of the UK. In Greenland, multiple wildfires have broken out weeks ahead of the usual fire season, adding to scientists’ concerns about climate-driven changes across the Arctic. At Kew Gardens, a dead oak that was killed in the 2022 heatwave has been painted red and placed beside a living “Tree of Hope” to highlight the damage extreme heat can do.

In public safety and transport

Northern Ireland has approved new graduated driving rules for young and newly licensed drivers, set to begin on October 1. The changes include overnight passenger limits for new drivers under 24, six months of supervised driving before a test, structured training, and automatic licence loss for anyone who reaches six penalty points during the probationary period. Officials say the goal is to cut serious crashes.

In Britain

A House of Lords committee has said plans to make some migrants wait longer for permanent settlement would be manifestly unfair if applied retrospectively. Labour is also sticking with its Chagos Islands deal with Mauritius, despite Donald Trump’s opposition, while the Treasury is considering a new First-Time Buyer ISA that could be open to adults over 40 as well as younger savers.

Separate research suggests many UK businesses are slowing or scaling back net zero plans because the costs keep rising. Energy, wage and operating pressures are pushing sustainability down the queue.

In U.S. politics

Zohran Mamdani-backed candidates won a string of closely watched New York primary races, including Brad Lander’s win over Representative Dan Goldman and victories by Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier. In Washington, top Pentagon general Gen. Chris Donahue has filed retirement paperwork after just over a year in the post, amid a wider wave of senior military departures.

In Europe

Germany’s Deutsche Bahn says train services are coming back step by step after a communications system failure shut down the national rail network for almost three hours. The company says the problem has been fixed, at least for now.

In science and space

NASA says its 2028 moon crews will wear redesigned spacesuits with better mobility and more safety features, with Prada involved in the design work.

In Britain

The Home Office says settled-status costs for care workers could top £9 billion, with 117,000 foreign care workers and 79,000 adult dependents expected to gain permanent status by 2030. The department’s own estimates have sharpened the row over Boris Johnson’s visa reforms, and ministers are also facing resistance to plans that would stretch the route to settlement from five years to 10.

Climate watchdogs say heat pump sales growth has slowed sharply after a key government grant was cut. Separate warnings say UK summers are getting hotter, with 40C days expected to become much more common within a couple of decades, which is a lovely little planning problem for a country built on hoping for the best.

Liam Payne died without a will, so his estimated $29 million estate will be handled under intestacy rules and passed to his 9-year-old son.

In the U.S.

Several staff members have reportedly been fired at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, less than a week after Donald Trump appointed Bill Pulte as acting director following Tulsi Gabbard’s departure. Multiple outlets say political appointees tied to Gabbard were among those removed, and cuts at the National Terrorism Center could be significant.

The House has passed a sweeping bipartisan housing package by 358 to 32 and sent it to the president’s desk, a rare bit of legislative movement.

Police in Chico, California, have identified victims in the attempted mass shooting at a library, including a 74-year-old. That case remains a serious public safety investigation.

Civil liberties advocates are also warning about a case tied to a protest outside the Prairieland Detention Center, where protesters received decades-long prison sentences over alleged antifa links.

In Europe and the Middle East

Germany’s rail network was halted nationwide for more than two and a half hours after an IT failure disrupted Deutsche Bahn services. The outage stopped trains across the country before service resumed.

The UN’s maritime agency has launched an evacuation operation for more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, as the shipping risk in the area continues to spill into other parts of the world.

In U.S. news

A federal judge has blocked Trump administration and state bans that would have kept SNAP recipients from buying soda, candy, and other foods labeled unhealthy. The ruling stops a push that had been championed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who were trying to steer benefit rules toward their idea of better eating. The law, inconveniently, still has to do the deciding.

Also in Washington, Justice Clarence Thomas used a concurrence in United States v. Hemani to argue that the Commerce Clause does not justify federal bans on gun possession simply because a firearm once crossed state lines. He said the Court’s earlier decisions in Lopez and Morrison support real limits on Congress’s power, and that the same logic should apply to broader federal gun bans.

In politics and the courts

A New York man accused of threatening to kill President Trump is seeking dismissal of the charges. Prosecutors say Joshua Alexander repeatedly posted threats against Trump and his family on X and in messages to the White House, and that he later admitted he wanted to murder the president. His public defender argues the case does not meet the legal standard for a terroristic threat.

ABC, meanwhile, has started running ads urging viewers to contact the FCC as the agency moves against the network on two fronts, including an equal-time dispute involving The View and an early renewal review of several affiliate licenses. The broadcaster is telling the public the regulator is not exactly being subtle.

In science and technology

Researchers at Caltech say they have developed 3D-printed cobalt-free electrodes that could make lithium-ion batteries safer, more powerful, and less environmentally damaging. The goal is to improve performance without relying on cobalt, which has long been a problem for cost, supply, and ethics.

A separate report says Anthropic’s flagship Mythos AI model reportedly breached nearly all of the NSA’s classified systems during an authorized red-team test, though the details are still based on a cybersecurity publication’s account. If that sounds alarming, that is because it is.

In the world

Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako received a ceremonial welcome at the Royal Palace in Brussels as they began a state visit to Belgium.

In sports

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal beat Uzbekistan, and with those goals he became the first player to score in six World Cups. At this point he is not so much breaking records as filing paperwork for new ones.

In U.S. courts and civil rights

A federal judge has blocked restrictions that would have kept SNAP benefits from being used to buy candy, soda, and other sugary drinks in 23 states. Judge Amy Berman Jackson said policymakers cannot push healthier choices by ignoring the law and their own regulations.

Separately, the Supreme Court ruled that a Rastafarian prisoner cannot sue guards who cut off his dreadlocks, narrowing his path to relief after he said prison officials violated his religious rights.

And federal judges, including 11 appointed by Trump, have been openly rebuking the White House over what they describe as repeated failures to follow the law. That is not usually the tone judges use when they are feeling serene.

In immigration policy

New figures show the Trump administration has driven U.S. humanitarian admissions to a 50-year low, while admitting mostly white South Africans. The cut has drawn sharp criticism in Washington over who gets access to a system that has been reduced to a trickle.

In Brussels, EU officials held quiet technical talks with Taliban representatives about returning Afghan nationals who no longer have the right to stay in Europe. The focus was on speeding up repatriations, which is a polite phrase for a very difficult issue.

In public safety and local news

In California, deputies used a drone and a magnet during a standoff with a known felon and parolee-at-large who was armed with a gun. They eventually helped disarm the suspect after surrounding the home.

In Scotland, former River City actor Iain Robertson has been found guilty of rape and of assaulting two other women.

In Washington

President Trump is standing by his claims of vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, even as reports say the new base covering is peeling and the water has turned green from an algae bloom. The renovation has not exactly aged like a national monument should.

In tech and entertainment

Netflix says its anime audience has surged from 1 billion views in 2023 to 1.5 billion in 2025, and says anime is now watched in 150 million households across more than 190 countries. The company also unveiled Fool Night and new details on The One Piece.

In China, robotics firm Agibot is livestreaming humanoid robots working on an active factory line, where the machines are inspecting and sorting tablets in a real production test. The humans, for now, still get to share the floor.