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MIDDLE EAST WAR | Day 228.

• In a social media post yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not believe China and Russia are helping Iran in the ongoing conflict "at all," adding that both countries have "too much to lose" by assisting Tehran's war efforts. [more]
• Speaking in Parliament yesterday, U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said a suspected plot last month against RAF Fairford, an English air base from which U.S. bombers had struck Iran, was "almost certainly" directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,690 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Following U.S. President Donald Trump's weekend announcement of an "energy ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said yesterday that Russia has since struck at least six Ukrainian energy targets. Reports note that Russia has not confirmed that it agreed to suspend strikes on energy infrastructure. [more]
• Drones struck two commercial ships in the Black Sea off Bulgaria's coast today, sinking one, a week after similar attacks on two other vessels in Bulgarian waters. The origin of the drones has not been firmly established, but Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev suggested the attacks served Russia's interests. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | Ahead of next month's midterm elections, Homeland Security agents yesterday searched the Washington, D.C., home of Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar as part of what the Justice Department described as an ongoing criminal investigation. Omar called the search the "latest escalation" in a "campaign of political intimidation" by President Donald Trump. [more]

U.S. ELECTIONS | According to figures confirmed by a spokesperson for his political action committee, Elon Musk has given more than $276 million since July to help Republicans keep control of Congress, making him the largest known donor in this year's midterm elections. [more]

U.S. GROCERY INDUSTRY | Reports cite an internal memo as saying grocery chain Kroger plans to eliminate about 3,000 corporate jobs, more than a third of its corporate workforce, over the next three years as part of efforts to compete more effectively. [more]

WASHINGTON, D.C. | A federal judge yesterday ordered the Trump administration to stop cutting down trees at the historic East Potomac Golf Course for 24 hours, after more than 400 trees were removed over the weekend with less than a day's notice to the court. Reports note that the judge had earlier declined requests to halt work at the course under an understanding with Justice Department lawyers that no major work would proceed without giving the court time to address it. [more]

GLOBAL ECONOMY | Citing artificial intelligence investment that is offsetting the effects of higher energy prices, the International Monetary Fund today slightly raised its global growth forecast for 2026 to 3.1% from 3% in July, while warning of growing risks from debt and the AI boom. The IMF projects global inflation will rise to 4.7% this year before easing to 4.1% in 2027, and says energy-importing economies outside the technology supply chain face the most difficult outlook. [full report] [more]

YEMEN AND SAUDI ARABIA | The Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted more missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels late yesterday at Riyadh and Khamis Mushait, days after attacks on Riyadh's main airport killed more than a dozen people and shut it down until Saturday. Egypt's foreign minister says his country will provide whatever support Saudi Arabia requests. [more on the attacks] [more on Egypt]

GERMANY | Former Ukrainian army officer Serhii Kuznietsov, who is accused of organizing the 2022 explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany, goes on trial tomorrow in Hamburg on charges that include being an "accomplice to war crimes." [more]

FRANCE | The Paris prosecutor's office says hackers remotely raised the temperature of refrigerators and freezers at several major supermarket chains across France overnight Sunday in a "large-scale" attack that spoiled food and caused fires. Reports cite French officials as saying the country's cybersecurity agency has identified a vulnerability in refrigeration software from Danish company Danfoss. [more]

TURKEY | A coalition of 21 human rights organizations yesterday urged social media platforms to resist recent Turkish court orders to block the accounts of journalists, activists, and independent media outlets. The groups say Turkish authorities have sharply escalated internet censorship over the past month, with many of the accounts blocked as part of a crackdown on groups defending LGBTQ+ rights and others on unspecified "national security and public order" grounds. [full statement] [more]

PAKISTAN | Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said yesterday that Pakistan's federal government has "solid evidence" that the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has colluded with Pakistani Taliban militants. Federal officials say the alleged collusion justifies Sunday's suspension of the provincial government and the imposition of a state of emergency in the province. [more]

COLOMBIA | Addressing the U.N. Security Council yesterday, Colombia's government said more than 132,000 people have been killed in the South American country since its 2016 peace agreement with the FARC rebel group, and that membership in armed groups has grown from about 6,000 to almost 30,000 in that period. [more]

MEXICO | Authorities say at least five people have been killed in Mexico by Hurricane Simon and the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel, as Simon continued to affect the country's western Pacific coast yesterday with strong winds, heavy rain, and flooding. [more]

SOUTHEAST ASIA | Smoke from Indonesia's most intense forest fires in 11 years continues to blanket the region, with Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ranked today by air quality monitor IQAir as the world's two most polluted cities. [more]

CONGO | Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila yesterday launched a political and military coalition, including the M23 rebels who control much of eastern Congo, that vows to end what it calls the "tyranny" of President Felix Tshisekedi's government by any means, including force. [more]

SOUTH SUDAN | Government officials say about 70 people, including four soldiers, were killed Friday in clashes between armed youths from rival communities in South Sudan's central Lakes state, as the country prepares for its first national elections since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011. [more]

AI INDUSTRY | In a report released yesterday, artificial intelligence developer Anthropic said small AI models "may be months away" from being able to copy themselves onto internet-connected household devices such as smart ovens and TV boxes, where they would be difficult to shut down. [full report] [more]

R.I.P. | Actor RJ Mitte, best known for playing Walter White Jr. in the hit television series "Breaking Bad," died yesterday at the age of 34. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1792, the cornerstone was laid for the White House, the official residence of every U.S. president since John Adams first lived there in 1800. [more history]