Monday Sept. 7
Happy Labor Day!
Tuesday, Sept. 8
US escalates trade war with Canada
The U.S. banned some Canadian dairy products, motorcycles and alcohol on Tuesday after retaliatory Canadian tariffs on American goods took effect early Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
The U.S.’ escalation moves past tariffs into banning certain items and shutting Canada out of U.S. contracts. Those bans will take effect on Sept. 29, according to the AP.
Canada's new tariffs will affect $20 billion in American goods, roughly 6% of the $333.6 billion the U.S. exported to Canada last year. Eight of the 10 Canadian provinces have already restricted or banned the sale of U.S. alcohol, according to the AP.
Wednesday, Sept. 9
US claims to have hit 5 Iranian oil tankers
The U.S. military announced it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers Tuesday in response to recent attacks on U.S. warships, according to the AP.
Iran responded by launching missiles towards U.S. targets in Jordan. No casualties were reported.
The attacks between the U.S. and Iran come as the two countries attempt to control the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil transportation hub, according to the AP.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Iranian attacks will not go unanswered, according to the AP.
Thursday, Sept. 10
Trump pledges $5,000 to every US adult if GOP wins midterms
Trump pledged to send every American adult $5,000 if the GOP retains control of the Senate and the House following midterms when he spoke at the GOP’s midterm convention Wednesday. That promise would cost over $1 trillion, which would worsen the federal budget deficit and require congressional approval, according to the AP.
Following Trump’s announcement, Vice President JD Vance appeared to walk back the statement. Vance said the payments would not go to the wealthy and could be paid by revenue generated from U.S. tariffs. The revenue from tariffs, however, would not cover the cost of the proposed payments, according to the AP.
Trump says oil prices are unlikely to drop until after midterms
Trump said Wednesday that oil prices, which have surged because of the Iran War, will likely not drop until after the midterm elections, according to the AP.
International Brent crude oil went over the $100 threshold for the first time since July on Wednesday as oil prices jumped more than 3%, according to the AP.
Trump claims the conflict will end shortly after the elections and that Iran will not be able to hold out any longer after the midterms, according to the AP.
Friday, Sept.11
US progresses in reopening Strait of Hormuz, Iran war continues
The U.S. has succeeded in loosening the grip Iran has on the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. blocked almost all of Iran’s oil exports and contributed to Iran’s crumbling economy, according to the AP.
Mona Yacoubian, a Middle East expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C., said the U.S. is not winning the war with Iran despite its recent success in the Strait, according to the AP.
Iran initially closed the Strait of Hormuz to leverage its economic position, but recently, a U.S. blockade has virtually halted all of Iran’s exports, according to the AP.
Sunday, Sept. 13
Users in Yemen attempted to develop advanced weapons with AI, Anthropic says
Anthropic said that Claude users in northern Yemen, controlled by Iran-backed Houthis, tried to use artificial intelligence to develop advanced missiles, according to the AP.
Anthropic said it blocked the users after identifying them and that an operational weapon was not developed, but there was a failed test of a guided rocket, according to the AP.
The Anthropic report, which was released on Thursday, suggests that the Houthis are pursuing more advanced weapons. The Houthis currently wield an array of drones, missiles and other munitions, according to the AP.
