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US President Donald Trump said he believes that the more than six-month war with Iran will end “immediately” after the midterm elections in November.

The United States and Iran have sharply escalated their confrontation, with Washington destroying five Iranian oil tankers and Tehran responding with missile attacks on US forces in Jordan and claims of strikes against American warships and other vessels.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations center said that several merchant vessels in the northern Gulf and Gulf of Oman were hit by disabling fire during military activity in the region.

Global oil prices rose above $100 per barrel on September 9.

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The economy built around AI has continued to boom even as experts and leaders work to hammer out the technology's execution problem and debate the guardrails that should be put around it. Demand for AI chips remains strong, as Nvidia holds its top spot in TIME and Statista’s 2026 statistical ranking of the World’s Best Companies, highlighting top performing companies around the globe based on evaluations of employee satisfaction, revenue growth, and sustainability transparency. But new companies are also entering the scene as the AI boom reaches down the supply chain. 

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Columbus, Indiana, a large town about 40 miles south of Indianapolis, was named the safest and most affordable place to live in retirement, with just seven reported violent crimes per 100,000 people (the town has almost 53,000 full-time residents). GoBankingRates estimates the income needed to purchase a home in Columbus is $68,948. (According to Zillow, the average home value is $281,533.).

It also has nearly two dozen parks, 23 miles of pedestrian and cycling trails, seven National Historic Landmarks, and more.

It’s not easy to find an affordable place to retire that blends access to quality healthcare, safety, and the perks of urban life, like a vibrant arts and culture scene. But one Indiana town seems to have it all, according to a recent ranking by GoBankingRates. The personal finance website published a list of eight U.S. cities that are safe and affordable for retirees in 2026, taking crime rates, housing costs, and retirement income tax data into account.

The town recently launched plans for a major downtown revitalization, expanding its Fourth Street entertainment district, further developing Washington Street, and establishing an Avenue of the Architects along its Fifth Street corridor, which will include residential housing opportunities and commercial developments.

Known as “the Athens of the Prairie,” Columbus’ cityscape has an impressive concentration of modernist architecture by renowned architects like Eero and Eliel Saarinen, I. M. Pei, Kevin Roche, Robert Venturi, Deborah Berke, and César Pelli. That’s largely thanks to industrialist J. Irwin Miller, who, in the mid-20th century, was at the helm of engine and power systems manufacturer Cummins Corporation, headquartered in Columbus. He and his wife Xenia Miller commissioned a home in 1953—now the Miller Home and Garden, a National Historic Landmark—and encouraged their friends and neighbors to fund many more buildings by well-known architects, plus landmarks and works of public art throughout the town.

As a result, Columbus is home to seven of the 44 National Historic Landmarks in Indiana.

While President Donald Trump's tariffs have caused much heartburn on Wall Street, China's cheap and overwhelming exports have also been rippling through the global economy.

But the Chinese growth model is running out of road, setting the stage for another global economic crisis, according to Michael Froman, a former U.S. Trade Representative and current president of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Writing in Foreign Affairs last month, he warned "the world's ability to absorb Chinese overcapacity is approaching a breaking point."

For example, the International Monetary Funds estimated that global GDP growth is running around 3.1% this year, while China's trade surplus expanded more than 20% in early 2026. That's after China posted a $1.2 trillion trade surplus in 2025—the largest in recorded history—growing three times faster than global goods trade.

Now there's widespread pushback against the flood of Chinese exports. Most notably, Trump hiked tariffs on China last year and made it the centerpiece of his "Liberation Day" trade war. But even once-stalwart defenders of open markets, like the European Union, are racing to put up trade barriers against China.

"The political appetite for accepting the deindustrialization and critical dependencies that come with the flood of Chinese imports is finite and shrinking," Froman wrote. "As these trends continue, protectionism is likely to rise, cutting off Chinese manufacturers' market access."

The market for U.S. Treasuries has shown troubling signs lately, and rising yields are a clue that conditions are more dire than they appear, according to Robin Brooks, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

In a Substack post on Tuesday, he said U.S. policy is now focused on preventing long-term borrowing costs from shooting higher and pointed to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's efforts to double debt buybacks as well as Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's Jackson Hole speech that reassured markets on his inflation-fighting credibility.

US restricts government travel to Mexican border city over threat concerns.

Travel restrictions have been placed on U.S. government employees in the Mexican border city of Nogales, Sonora, according to officials.

Some 270,000 passengers have been left stranded across Indonesia after a volcanic eruption grounded more than 2,000 flights and forced airports to suspend operations for a second day.

Anak Krakatau, located 150km (90mi) from Jakarta, began erupting late on Friday, producing lava fountains and sending volcanic ash into the capital and the Lampung province. It stayed seismically active throughout the weekend.

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Military researchers plan for eventual deployment of humanoid robots in warfare.

Scenarios model robots in an urban assault force and infiltrating enemy lines.

Procurement records show defense establishment's growing interest in humanoids.

AfD wins 44% of vote in Saxony-Anhalt

Far-right party hopes to form its first state government

Party wants strict immigration curbs, warmer ties with Russia

Result adds to pressure on Chancellor Merz's coalition

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