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• The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request to implement congressional maps in Missouri that were backed by Donald Trump. • This decision follows a legal battle over the state's district boundaries that has lasted for more than a year. • The ruling prevents Republicans from using their preferred map to determine how voters are distributed across the state's congressional seats.

• The US Supreme Court has rejected a push to use Missouri congressional maps backed by President Donald Trump, dealing a loss to Republicans trying to maintain control. • The rejection involves maps that would have favored Republican candidates, with the court's decision marking a second time it has turned down the proposed maps. • The loss affects Republican efforts to maintain control of Congress, as the rejected maps would have potentially given them an advantage in Missouri's congressional districts.

• The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request to implement congressional maps in Missouri that were backed by Donald Trump. • The proposed maps were specifically drawn to help Republicans gain an additional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. • This decision limits the ability of Republicans to increase their control of the House ahead of the November midterm elections.

As public air monitors disappear, federal rollbacks and state laws are making it harder than ever to know what’s in the airAs the US’s network for monitoring air pollution deteriorates, a Floodlight investigation has found that the chemical industry is going state-to-state to restrict one of the few options citizens have left for holding polluters accountable: low-cost air sensors.Over the past two years, the non-profit investigative newsroom determined, lawmakers in Louisiana, Kentucky and Ohio have passed strikingly similar laws barring regulators from acting on air-quality data that communities collect themselves – unless it comes from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved equipment that typically costs tens of thousands of dollars. Similar legislation has repeatedly been introduced in West Virginia. Continue reading...

• South Korean artificial intelligence startup Upstage is considering a pre-listing funding round as one of several capital-market options. • The company's co-founder confirmed the possibility of this pre-IPO round to Bloomberg. • This move would provide a capital injection for the AMD-backed firm to scale its AI operations before going public.

Opponents requested an emergency filing as state’s elections plunged into uncertainty over redrawn districtsOpponents of congressional redistricting in Missouri appealed to the US supreme court on Wednesday after a federal panel let stand a ruling allowing the state to use a new map backed by Donald Trump in November’s midterms.The map’s challengers, including a group ‌opposed to the Republican-drawn map called ​People Not Politicians, made the request in an emergency ⁠filing, moving swiftly ​after Stephen Clark, a St ​Louis-based chief ​US district ​judge, ‌ ​issued his ​decision on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Frontrunner Sununu beats Scott Brown to earn Republican nod in closely watched race in NovemberFormer senator John E Sununu triumphed on Tuesday in the New Hampshire Republican Senate primary Scott Brown, earning the GOP nod in what will likely be a must-win race if Democrats hope to seize the upper chamber.Sununu, 61, was the clear frontrunner in the GOP primary. He served one term in the Senate from 2003 to 2009. Continue reading...

Decision marks setback for president and Republicans, who set in motion national redistricting battle last yearThe US supreme court refused an emergency appeal by Missouri officials to use a newly drawn congressional map backed by Donald Trump in the November midterm election, letting stand a ruling by the state’s highest state court that blocked the new lines from taking effect.Last week the Missouri supreme court ruled that the map must go before voters to approve or reject the new districts, meaning it cannot be used in the November election. Trump and Republicans fumed over the decision, with the president calling it “horrible, ridiculous, and unConstitutional”. Continue reading...

• The U.S. and Iran exchanged strikes and threats in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday while Iran-backed Houthi forces launched ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabian targets. • These military actions occurred as the U.S. and Iran continued to trade blows in a critical maritime corridor. • The escalation increases the risk of direct conflict between major powers and threatens the stability of global oil shipping lanes.

• Hyperspectral imaging startup Pixxel raised $100 million in a Series C funding round led by Temasek and Seraphim Space. • This investment marks the largest single funding round for any Indian space technology company, bringing Pixxel's total capital raised to $195 million. • The funding supports the company's mission to observe Earth using light spectrums that are invisible to the human eye.

The decision marks a setback for Republicans in a national redistricting battleSign up for US Breaking News emailsHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.The Missouri supreme court blocked a Republican-drawn new congressional map ⁠from being used in November’s midterm ⁠elections, a blow to the party’s ​odds for maintaining its narrow US House majority.The Trump administration filed an emergency request asking the US supreme court to lift order blocking USPS from implementing mail-in voting restrictions. Chuck Schumer said the president was “[attempting] to destroy the integrity of our elections” with the move.Excavation work on Donald Trump’s “Great Triumphal Arch” project in Washington is set to begin in the coming weeks, interior secretary Doug Burgum said. Congressman Don Beyer, whose district includes Arlington National Cemetery, described the arch project as “illegal, gridlock-increasing [and] narcissistic”.Maryland’s supreme court has decided that a Democrat-backed congressional redistricting amendment can go before voters in the state in November in a win for Democrats.Donald Trump announced an interim replacement for army secretary, Dan Driscoll, who suddenly resigned earlier this week amid reports of tension between him and defense secretary Pete Hegseth.Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass has been asked to testify before a congressional subcommittee as part of an investigation into the “potential misallocation” of federal funds by the region’s Homeless Services Authority. Congressman Robert Garcia described the move as “another attempt by Donald Trump and House Republicans to launch a witch-hunt against Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles.” Continue reading...

Setback for Republicans in redistricting battle as court orders forbids maps from being used in November electionsThe Missouri supreme court has unanimously blocked new congressional districts backed by Donald Trump from being used in the November election and ordered a statewide vote on whether to uphold or reject the new map.The decision Thursday marks a rare setback for Republicans in a national redistricting battle. Republicans had hoped Missouri’s new congressional boundaries could help them win an additional seat and hold onto their slim House majority in the midterms. The ruling still could be appealed to the US supreme court. Continue reading...

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged member states at the SCO summit to combat state-backed terrorism and eliminate "double standards" in global security. • The summit resulted in the approval of regulations for the SCO Universal Centre for Countering Security and a 2026-2030 action plan for developing regional ports and logistics centers. • Member states also agreed to establish regional data centers and computing capacities to further develop the artificial intelligence industry.

• German drone manufacturer Quantum Systems secured an early entry into the U.S. market with strategic support from In-Q-Tel (IQT), an investment firm linked to the CIA. • Co-CEO Sven Kruck revealed that IQT's capital and networks were instrumental in opening doors in Washington and helping the company win critical contracts. • This partnership underscores the significant influence U.S. investment and political networks have in shaping the growth of emerging European defense firms.

The Republican Senate candidate announced the plan with a graphic X flagged as ‘Made with AI’US politics live – latest updatesKen Paxton, a Republican candidate for the US Senate in Texas, has unveiled plans to tackle the “negative impact” of datacenters amid a growing backlash across the political spectrum.Paxton, endorsed by Donald Trump but facing a close contest against Democrat James Talarico, posted a “Texas first” datacenter plan on X with a graphic that the social media network flagged as “Made with AI”. Continue reading...

Watchdog data shared with Guardian shows contributions to Republican Attorneys General Association and othersOver a dozen US companies that signed a 2021 letter urging Congress to strengthen the Voting Rights Act continue to contribute to state political groups that are actively working to undermine the legislation, according to a campaign finance watchdog.Researchers at the Center for Political Accountability (CPA), a nonpartisan organization that tracks financial disclosures, found that companies – including Airbnb, DoorDash, Target and Zillow – that signed the letter are contributing to groups known as 527 organizations that prop up key state races, according to data provided exclusively to the Guardian. Continue reading...

Congressman had pledged to implement president’s agenda if he gained governor’s seatPrimary voters in Florida backed a Republican endorsed by Donald Trump to stand as the party’s candidate in the race to succeed Ron DeSantis as the state’s governor.Byron Donalds, a congressman representing south-west Florida since 2021, won the nomination by trouncing three reasonably prominent Republican rivals, including Jay Collins, DeSantis’s handpicked lieutenant governor. Continue reading...

• Singapore stocks reached an all-time high on Tuesday following an increase in the city-state's annual growth forecast, driven by an AI-powered economic boost. • Conversely, Southeast Asian currencies declined as oil prices hit one-week highs, fueled by fading hopes for a U.S.-Iran agreement and rising energy costs for net importers. • The Philippine peso dropped up to 0.9% to 61.243 per dollar, while the Indonesian rupiah fell 0.6% to 17,850, offsetting gains from the nomination of Destry Damayanti as central bank chief.

Israeli PM is insisting on a full Hamas disarmament before the deal can be implemented. Plus, what it feels like to get locked in to an opera performance that lasts nearly 24 hoursGood morning.Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a US-backed 15-point peace plan for Gaza in a rare public break with Donald Trump. In a statement, Israel’s prime minister said he was confronting a “wave of rumours about Israeli weakness and Israeli withdrawals on all fronts” and rebuked US pressure to end wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran without Israel’s buy-in.What other developments have happened in the region? Iran has issued tough new demands for reopening the strait of Hormuz, while the United Arab Emirates said one of its ships was targeted by an Iranian missile over the weekend. Tehran said the strait of Hormuz would not open until the US “corrects its behaviour”. Yemen’s Tehran-aligned Houthis have claimed responsibility for an attack on a refinery in Saudi Arabia on Sunday morning.What impact is the conflict having on seafarers in Hormuz? The US-Iran war has stranded up to 20,000 seafarers, mostly Indian and Filipino crews, with none knowing when the nightmare will end. Seventeen seafarers have died since hostilities began, the majority following Iranian strikes.What sort of exercises did they take part in? Justin Vail, who leads the DC office of the non-partisan advocacy group Protect Democracy, said: “These tabletop exercises are a standard planning tool for experts and stakeholders to prepare for potential scenarios. We’re not predicting exactly what would happen. But we do want to create a realistic context that can help us identify gaps, test our assumptions, and strengthen coordination, and then ultimately develop some recommendations to increase our preparedness.”How has Trump been working to undermine confidence in US elections? Voting rights advocates pointed toward Trump’s July primetime address as indicative of the president’s intentions – rhetorical attacks on the integrity of voting machines and elections offices, potentially escalating into more direct interference. Trump threatened the broadcast licenses of networks that refused to carry that address live, and in his speech, he again implored Congress to pass the Save America Act, which would ban mail-in ballots nationwide and impose new identification requirements on voters when they register and report to polls. Continue reading...

• Yemen's Houthi rebels have launched a new wave of deadly attacks targeting Saudi-backed government troops, according to Yemeni state media. • Amidst the escalation, political figures including Cruz have argued that the Trump administration should pursue a strategy aimed at "regime collapse." • Separately, the U.S. Army announced on Friday that it is opening test ranges to private companies developing drones and missiles.

• Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of Myanmar's military-backed government, has arrived in Thailand for an official visit. • The visit follows Hlaing's swearing-in as president in April, after phased elections held in December and January. • The trip is seen as an attempt to gain political legitimacy and rehabilitation, despite critics dismissing the recent elections as a sham to maintain military control.

• Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of Myanmar's military-backed government, has arrived in Thailand for an official visit to seek political legitimacy. • The visit follows Hlaing's appointment as president in April, following a series of phased elections held in December and January. • Critics and observers have dismissed these elections as a sham intended to consolidate military power under the guise of restoring civilian rule.

Thomas Smith, whose name remained on ballot, beats Republican rivals in primary contest for eighth districtThomas Smith withdrew from the Republican primary contest for Michigan’s eighth district last month. On Tuesday, he won the nomination.Unofficial results show Smith with more than 50% of the vote, according to the Associated Press, defeating the man he endorsed, anti-abortion activist Al Lemmo, and the man Donald Trump endorsed, former federal law enforcement officer Amir Hassan. Continue reading...

Missouri’s top election official has rejected a petition for a referendum on new congressional districts Missouri’s top election official has rejected a citizens’ petition seeking a statewide referendum on the states redistricting plan backed by Donald Trump.Supporters of the referendum had submitted hundreds of thousands of petition signatures in a bid to force a November election on a new US House map approved by the Republican-led state legislature. But the Republican secretary of state, Denny Hoskins, asserted Tuesday that the petition is void because congressional redistricting plans cannot be subject to voter referendums. Continue reading...

• Employees from leading AI firms, including Meta, Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google, have launched an initiative called "Pacing the Frontier" to manage the risks of advanced AI. • The effort is supported by nonprofits Guidelight AI Standards and Encode AI, with key signatories including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Meta VP Dawn Song, and OpenAI Chief Scientist Jakub Pachocki. • This collective action signals a growing demand for a US-backed global framework to ensure safety and oversight as AI capabilities rapidly evolve.

• The United States and Saudi Arabia have partnered to launch military strikes against Tehran-backed militias operating within Iraq. • The escalation follows reported Iranian attacks on three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global maritime chokepoint. • These developments have triggered a spike in global oil prices due to heightened instability and fears of disrupted energy supplies.

• The Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen has escalated attacks to exploit a period of vulnerability within Saudi Arabia. • The group aims to leverage this conflict to secure significant political concessions regarding the ongoing war in Yemen. • This escalation follows years of conflict and a Saudi strategic pullback driven by international pressure over the severe humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

• AegisAI has secured $36 million in Series A funding led by Battery Ventures to develop AI agents capable of detecting and blocking sophisticated spear-phishing attacks. • The investment addresses the growing threat of cybercriminals utilizing Large Language Models (LLMs) to automate and scale malicious activities. • This funding round highlights a broader 2026 trend of "AI mega-rounds" and a shifting focus on how venture capitalists assess revenue for AI-driven startups.