The Trump administration targeted one of Russia’s largest banks on Monday over its alleged support for Iran, marking the latest step in its pressure campaign against Tehran.

United StatesRussiaIranSanctions

The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Russia’s VTB Bank, accusing it of opening offices in Iran, processing transactions with sanctioned Iranian banks, and helping move billions in frozen Iranian assets. Former Treasury official Miad Maleki said the measure also aims to pressure Chinese banks to cut ties with VTB over fears of secondary sanctions.

U.S. sanctionsVTB BankIranChinese banks

The United States imposed Iran-related sanctions on Russia’s VTB Bank on Monday, accusing it of helping evade sanctions on Iran. The Treasury Department said the move comes as Washington seeks to increase economic pressure on Tehran.

U.S. sanctionsIranRussiaVTB Bank

The US Treasury Department has added Russia’s VTB Bank, already subject to Washington’s sanctions, to its Iran-related restrictions list. The United States first imposed sectoral sanctions on VTB in 2014.

US sanctionsVTB BankIran-related restrictions

Sen. Mitch McConnell, who has been away from the Senate since a fall led to his hospitalization in June, says he is set to return Monday night.

Mitch McConnellU.S. Senatepolitics

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., returned to the Senate on Monday after being absent for more than three months.

Mitch McConnellU.S. SenateKentucky

Sen. Mitch McConnell has gone back to Capitol Hill for the first time in three months, following an absence attributed to health issues. He was seen leaving his home in a wheelchair while heading to the Capitol.

Mitch McConnellUS Senatehealth issues

Macklemore says he was removed from Ed Sheeran’s US tour because of his pro-Palestinian position. He alleges billionaire Robert Kraft pressured Sheeran over his involvement, after Pink had also condemned the rapper’s “Free Palestine” remarks.

MacklemoreEd SheeranPalestinemusic tour

Macklemore says he was removed from Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour after making pro-Palestinian comments onstage earlier this month at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

MacklemoreEd SheeranPalestinemusic tour

Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft said Macklemore was barred from performances there on September 25 and 26 because of his recent performances and what Kraft called a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery. Macklemore said his support for Palestine led to his removal from Ed Sheeran’s tour, and the promoter confirmed he would not perform on the remaining support dates. Al Jazeera has not independently verified his account, and Sheeran has not commented.

MacklemoreEd SheeranPalestinemusic tour

Macklemore says U.S. stadium owners pressured Ed Sheeran to remove him from the rest of the tour. Rolling Stone reported that several American venues said they would not host the concerts if the rapper, an outspoken Palestinian advocate, remained on the lineup.

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Macklemore says he was removed from Ed Sheeran’s tour after New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft organized a boycott among stadium owners over the rapper’s comments supporting Palestinians.

MacklemoreEd SheeranRobert KraftPalestinians

The US Environmental Protection Agency has announced plans to scrap most Biden-era rules limiting pollution from coal and gas power plants and to deter future administrations from regulating emissions. The EPA says the move will save $310bn and lower energy prices, while environmental groups warn of major health and climate costs. Legal challenges are expected.

United StatesEPApower plant emissionsclimate policy

The Trump administration says repealing the rules could save power plants more than $300bn and unleash American energy. The EPA is removing emissions limits on coal- and gas-fired plants, reversing decades of protections aimed at curbing gases scientists say drive global warming. Environmental groups are expected to challenge the move in court, warning of risks to public health and the environment.

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The Trump administration has finalized the repeal of regulations limiting planet-heating pollution from coal- and gas-fired power plants, the latest move in a sweeping effort to dismantle climate and clean-air protections.

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The Trump administration plans to scrap Biden-era climate protections limiting pollution from power plants. The move continues the dismantling of environmental safeguards during Trump’s second term as he promotes the fossil-fuel industry.

Donald Trumpclimate policypower plantsfossil fuels

The Trump administration has repealed greenhouse gas requirements for power plants introduced during the Biden era. The move is part of President Donald Trump’s systematic dismantling of regulations enacted by the Obama and Biden administrations to fight climate change.

Trump administrationpower plantsgreenhouse gasesclimate policy

The Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to eliminate remaining US limits on greenhouse gas pollution from power plants and finalize the repeal of Biden-era requirements. The proposal is a major escalation of Donald Trump’s fossil-fuel agenda and would ease construction of energy-hungry data centers. Environmental and consumer advocates warn of higher costs for the environment, public health, and households.

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The US Space Force has acknowledged for the first time that the United States has weapons deployed in orbit. The disclosure comes as Washington, China and Russia expand their military capabilities in space, intensifying attention on controlling the domain and safeguarding satellites used for military communications, surveillance and navigation.

US Space Forcespace weaponsmilitary space

The US Space Force says the United States has deployed weapons in orbit. Once a venue for Cold War competition over propaganda victories, space has become a crucial strategic arena as countries compete for military and technological advantages.

US Space Forcespace weaponsmilitary technology

The United States has confirmed that it deployed space-control weapons in orbit for the first time.

United Statesspace weaponsorbital deployment

More than 25 million viewers watched the Seattle Seahawks defeat the New England Patriots in last week’s NFL season opener. The league got a strong prime-time start, with the game drawing more viewers than President Donald Trump’s speech at a Republican convention.

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Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for slower frontier AI development, proposing independent evaluators, coordination among companies, and government cooperation. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and other industry leaders backed the direction, while President Trump opposed a slowdown and said the US must keep leading China in AI.

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President Donald Trump attacked Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei after Amodei urged a slowdown in artificial intelligence development, intensifying Trump’s opposition to adding guardrails for the technology.

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Artificial intelligence has moved from science fiction into everyday phone apps, while tech leaders and some insiders have long warned it could escape human control and harm society. Those concerns have become harder to dismiss amid technological advances, cybersecurity breaches involving AI agents and new warnings from rank-and-file AI workers.

artificial intelligenceAI safetycybersecurity

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called on Saturday for a slower pace of advanced AI development. He received rare support from SpaceXAI’s Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, fueling debate over AI “doomerism.”

AI risksadvanced AIAI regulation

After years of treating frontier AI as a winner-take-all race, leading labs are calling for coordinated efforts to slow development they fear could become too dangerous and difficult to control. Anthropic’s Dario Amodei led the shift, with OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis, and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella voicing support or similar proposals.

AIfrontier AItechnology regulation

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei urged AI companies to slow the pace of technology development, adding to a series of warnings that point to growing safety concerns across the tech industry. The discussion helped weigh on technology stocks.

AItechnology stocksAnthropicAI safety

Stars are arriving on the red carpet for television’s biggest night, the Emmy Awards. CNN and Variety’s Red Carpet Live is streaming now for All Access subscribers.

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Texas landowners are suing the Trump administration over border construction in Big Bend. The “Conserve Big Bend” coalition says the administration is using its authority to build a wall across some of the most remote and ecologically significant land, where very few people cross the border.

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US costume designer Bob Mackie, famed for dazzling outfits worn by stars including Cher, Tina Turner, Dolly Parton and Elton John, has died aged 87. Known as the “Sultan of Sequins”, he won a Tony Award, nine Emmys and received three Oscar nominations.

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ABC News’ Rocsi Diaz reviews the latest pop-culture buzz, including Celine Dion’s first full concert in six years and Hollywood mourning Bob Mackie, the designer who taught it how to sparkle.

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Hollywood designer Bob Mackie, celebrated for creating sparkling looks for stars including Cher and Elton John, died on Monday at age 87, according to a statement posted on his official Instagram account.

Bob Mackiefashion designHollywood

Fashion and costume designer Bob Mackie, known for glittering creations worn by stars including Cher, Dolly Parton, Tina Turner and Miley Cyrus, has died at 87, according to posts on his social accounts.

Bob Mackiefashion designcelebritiesobituary

Iconic designer Bob Mackie, known for dressing stars including Cher, Tina Turner and Madonna and for defining 1970s Hollywood glamour, has died at 87.

Bob Mackiefashion designHollywoodobituary

Fashion designer Bob Mackie has died at 87, according to a statement posted on his social media accounts saying he died Monday. His work helped define 1970s glamour, with iconic outfits created for stars including Carol Burnett and Cher.

Bob Mackiefashion designcelebrity deaths

Pro-Palestinian activist and former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil is suing the university and a dean, alleging institutionalised racism against Palestinian students.

Mahmoud KhalilColumbia Universitydiscrimination lawsuit

Mahmoud Khalil has filed a federal lawsuit against Columbia University, alleging that it showed “deliberate indifference” to harassment faced by pro-Palestinian students including him.

Mahmoud KhalilColumbia Universitylawsuit

A new B’Tselem report says Palestinian life is being systematically eroded. Israel’s government is threatening to revoke the citizenship of NAZA film directors, settlers are attacking Palestinian farms, and Gaza’s humanitarian crisis continues.

PalestiniansIsraelGazahumanitarian crisis

Israeli rights group B’Tselem says settlement expansion, displacement and restrictions in the occupied West Bank are not isolated abuses but a decades-old, coordinated mechanism aimed at making Palestinian life unsustainable and replacing it with permanent Israeli control. Its report identifies five connected fronts: violence and intimidation, movement restrictions, economic strangulation, social and political destruction, and ethnic cleansing and territorial takeover.

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Austria said it denied Mohammed Eslami entry after the UN Security Council rejected a request to exempt him from an existing travel ban. Iran accused Austria of reversing its approval of an Iranian delegation to the IAEA under external pressure.

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Iran protested after the United States opposed a sanctions exemption that would have allowed nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami to attend the IAEA General Conference in Vienna. Austria said the exemption request was rejected and it had to deny him entry, while Washington said his participation could turn the proceedings into a propaganda platform.

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Former Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid said the world currently lacks enough air defense equipment to meet Ukraine’s needs. She said the situation for Ukrainians has clearly worsened and that they have no effective weapons against new types of drones, while Kyiv is also facing a shortage of interceptor missiles.

Ukraineair defensemilitary aid

US President Donald Trump urged Ukraine to stop attacking Russian diesel refineries, blaming the strikes for a global diesel shortage. The report says Russia-Ukraine fighting and Ukraine’s attacks on Russian energy facilities are affecting fuel supplies, while the US-Israel war with Iran has also driven energy prices sharply higher.

Donald TrumpRussia-Ukraine wardiesel shortageenergy markets

President Trump is urging Ukraine to stop targeting Russian refineries, saying the attacks are causing diesel shortages and driving up prices.

Donald TrumpUkrainediesel prices

The Houthis’ advance along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including the seizure of Mocha and movement toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, is drawing new attention to their extensive financing system. Researchers say it spans ports, tariffs, Iranian oil, hawala networks, cryptocurrency exchanges and foreign facilitators, complicating US efforts to cut the group’s funding without disrupting civilian lifelines.

HouthisYemenBab el-Mandebsanctions evasion