The Latest: EPA says it’s eliminating rule that limits greenhouse gas emissions from power plants

The Environmental Protection Agency is repealing rules that limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas, an action the agency said would remove more than $300 billion in costs for the industry and help “unleash” American energy.

The EPA also announced it is taking a separate but related step to prevent future administrations from regulating climate pollution from power plants. The changes represent a fundamental shift from efforts by Democratic Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama to address climate change and clean up industrial pollution, often in low-income and majority Black or Hispanic communities.

Also Monday, President Donald Trump said he is a sufficient guardrail against rogue artificial intelligence, claiming that any efforts to limit the technology were part of a “SICK conspiracy.” The president specifically said that the administration has already stopped the AI company Anthropic “from doing bad, or potentially bad” things.

Here’s the Latest:

Trump nominates wife of ‘God Bless the USA’ singer Lee Greenwood to serve as US ambassador

Trump on Monday nominated the wife of “God Bless the USA” singer Lee Greenwood to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

Kimberly Greenwood was among a list of nominees the Trump administration sent to the U.S. Senate for confirmation.

Later Monday, Kimberly Greenwood posted on Instagram a picture with her husband and Trump as she thanked the president for the nomination.

“Mr. President, thank you for believing in me and entrusting me with this extraordinary opportunity to serve,” she wrote.

Her husband, Lee Greenwood, is one of Trump’s favorite singers, whose signature patriotic anthem has been his chosen walk-on song at political events for years. Trump even went into business with Lee Greenwood, selling a $59.99 “God Bless the USA Bible,” with him.

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McConnell say he’ll vote in Senate for the first time since his hospitalization in June

McConnell says he’ll be voting in the Senate on Monday for the first time since June 14, when he was hospitalized for a fall in his home.

McConnell’s three-month absence from the Senate generated a flood of criticism and online speculation, as the Kentucky senator initially remained quiet for weeks about his condition. The 84-year-old senator eventually disclosed that he had been “briefly unconscious” due to a fall and had also been treated for mild pneumonia in the hospital.

“My recovery has been a long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio haven’t made it any easier,” McConnell said in a statement. “I’m still not quite back to 100%, but I’ve assured Leader Thune that, as I continue with physical therapy on the advice of my doctors, I will do my best to be present for tough votes when our Conference needs me.”

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JUST IN: Republican Mitch McConnell says he’ll vote in the Senate on Monday for first time since his hospitalization in June

Trump taps outgoing congressman to serve as Saudi Arabia ambassador

The president has nominated outgoing Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, to serve as his top envoy to Saudi Arabia.

Hunt is near the end of his second term representing his Houston-area district. He finished third in the March 2026 Texas Republican primary for the U.S. Senate behind Ken Paxton and John Cornyn.

If confirmed, Hunt will head to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, amid tensions in the Middle East as the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran continues and as fighting between the Saudis and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen intensifies.

Before politics, Hunt was a U.S. Army officer who served as a diplomatic liaison in Saudi Arabia.

Hunt in a posting on X said he understood “the strategic importance of the partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia and the profound responsibility of this position.”

Georgia governor makes belated endorsement in Senate race that he could have joined

Gov. Brian Kemp endorsed Republican Senate nominee Mike Collins on Monday after urging GOP primary voters not to nominate him.

In a statement, Kemp called the congressman a “common-sense leader” who can defeat Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.

Kemp’s decision comes after weeks of bruising headlines about Collins’ fundraising, associations with white nationalists and a House ethics investigation. Collins has denied wrongdoing.

Republican Senate leaders initially wanted Kemp, who is term-limited as governor, to challenge Ossoff. The 63-year-old governor demurred. Instead he recruited former football coach Derek Dooley. Kemp campaigned with Dooley through his June runoff loss, arguing Collins was too conservative to win the battleground state.

“There’s only one candidate in the race, in my opinion, that can beat Jon Ossoff,” Kemp told The Associated Press during the primary campaign. “It’s a lot different running statewide than in a ruby red congressional district.”

It’s not clear how much Kemp will campaign with Collins.

Whistleblower report alleges federal voter probe is breaking the law

A whistleblower’s account released Monday contends a new Trump administration voter probe is ordering federal officials to unlawfully misrepresent themselves to access state voter data and create federal records that could wrongly implicate U.S. citizens.

The Department of Homeland Security’s new “Unlawful Voter Initiative” investigates voters based on unreliable data sources that may not accurately identify someone’s citizenship, according to the report released by Democratic Sens. Alex Padilla and Chuck Schumer.

The whistleblower said a group of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services staff has been mandated to review at least 40 voters a day to surface potential noncitizen voters. The effort builds on Trump’s fixation on finding noncitizens who are illegally on the rolls, even though research shows they are exceptionally rare.

In a news conference, Schumer called the initiative an “illegal scheme” and said Trump was willing to go to extreme lengths to “cheat, lie and steal in this election.”

DHS didn’t immediately comment.

Senate Majority Leader Thune says AI policy should ‘strike a balance’

Sen. John Thune says any legislation in Congress to regulate artificial intelligence should “strike a balance” and have a “light touch.”

“You don’t want to stifle innovation, but I think you also want to make sure that the more advanced threats can be mitigated and there’s a capability and place to do that,” Thune said as the Senate returned to Washington after a five-week recess.

He said he thinks Congress could find a way to put guardrails around “those types of more consequential threats” without harming innovation and U.S. advancement.

Thune, who was chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee before he was leader, has been working on bipartisan legislation to regulate AI companies. But he has not yet introduced the bill.

House Democratic leader says the risks of AI ‘not a hoax’

“It’s very real, despite what Donald Trump has to say,” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.

Jeffries said congressional action is needed “immediately.”

He said Republicans need to quit burying their heads in the stand, as a rubber stamp to Trump.

“We can’t wait until the next Congress,” he said. “We need to act now.”

Johnson says he expects White House to bring in AI officials for meeting

House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that he expects Trump to summon AI platform providers to the White House in the coming days.

Johnson said the meeting hasn’t been scheduled yet, but it’s in process.

“There will be a deliberate discussion about the responsibility of the companies to maintain safety, and what role, if any, the government has to play in that,” Johnson said.

Johnson said he’s wary of taking steps that could slow down innovation, saying the U.S. must maintain an edge over China in AI development.

“Whoever achieves automated general intelligence first probably has an edge over everybody else around the world,” Johnson said.

Independent Senate candidate in Montana gets literal about taking aim at Flock cameras

In a video posted Monday on social media, Seth Bodnar takes aim and fires at a small camera.

“Are you tired of security cameras watching your every move? Yeah, me too,” Bodnar, a military veteran, said.

Flock cameras have emerged as a theme in the midterm elections. Across the political spectrum, candidates have been increasingly critical of Flock Safety, which sells the cameras to police around the country.

The cameras take photos of license plates, and that data can be shared across law enforcement agencies. Critics have raised privacy concerns. Supporters say the cameras have strengthened policing.

The company didn’t respond to a request for comment. But in response to previous questions about campaigns’ rhetoric, a spokesperson emphasized the role the technology has played in solving crimes.

Trump says AI risks to humanity are a ‘hoax’

Trump lashed out at AI critics on social media, saying that the AI companies calling for government regulation of their sector could end up bankrupt.

“Concerning AI, when, in the History of Business, did anyone see the Leaders of an Industry call for Regulation that, if strongly implemented, will drive them into oblivion and bankruptcy?” Trump said.

The president then said that claims that AI posed a threat to humanity was “hoax” along the lines of his two impeachments during his first term.

“AI taking over the World, destroying Humanity, and all other things bad, is a HOAX,” Trump said.

Donald Trump Jr.’s wife confirms May wedding celebration was partially funded by a Russian oligarch

In a post on her Instagram page Monday morning signed by the couple, Bettina Trump wrote that the man, Umar Kremlev, was a “dear friend,” who “very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding.”

ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative website, reported earlier Monday that the wedding between Trump Jr. and socialite Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas was heavily funded by Kremlev, a Russian oligarch who heads the International Boxing Association. He also has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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New York and other Democratic-led cities, states challenge new immigration rule

Democratic-led states and cities filed lawsuits Monday challenging a federal rule set to take Friday that they say gives the Trump administration broad discretion to deny green cards to immigrants who use food stamps and other public benefits.

The lawsuits challenge Trump’s plan to revive a “public charge” rule that he originally imposed during his first term but that was reversed under President Joe Biden.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is leading a coalition of 21 other states in one of the suits, said the rule would force needy immigrant families to choose between seeking assistance and seeking legal status in the country.

Trump’s EPA to eliminate rule that limits emissions from power plants

The Environmental Protection Agency is repealing rules that limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas, an action the agency said would remove more than $300 billion in costs for the industry and help “unleash” American energy.

The rule change, first proposed last year, represents a fundamental shift from efforts by Democratic Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama address climate change and clean up industrial pollution.

EPA officials said the change would allow utilities to make the best decisions for their ratepayers rather than be forced to closed aging or inefficient plants.

Manchin will back Susan Collins in her reelection bid

Former Sen. Joe Manchin said Monday that he will campaign on behalf of Republican Sen. Susan Collins as she fights a tough reelection campaign in Maine.

Manchin was a longtime Democrat and centrist who became an independent while nearing the end of his time in office in 2024. He said during an appearance on CNBC that he considers Collins a dedicated public servant.

“You lose the Susan Collins of the Senate, you’re losing the soul of the Senate. Basically, a person you can talk to, wants to do the right thing all the time,” Manchin said.

Collins, the only Republican senator in New England, faces Democratic former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson in November. The race is critical to Democratic aspirations to take control of the Senate.

Landowners sue to stop Trump administration’s plan for Texas border wall project

Laura Allen, whose family owns a Texas ranch, was among the people who turned out Monday for the announcement of the lawsuit. The Trump administration plans to build a wall and other border infrastructure through the remote Big Bend area.

“Where this project goes will be right through the middle of the property, over 2 miles from water,” Allen, a former county judge and two-time Trump voter, said in Marfa, Texas. “All of our working facilities will now be behind the walls, with no guarantee of what will happen to us.”

She pointed out that illegal border crossings have plunged since Trump returned to office.

“Thank you, President Trump. You’ve secured the border. But now let it go. It’s time,” she said.

Kennedy Center board to propose new options for honoring Trump

The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees plans to propose adding Trump’s name to the facility’s exterior in recognition of his saving the building from its “precarious fiscal position,” according to a new court filing in a suit aimed at blocking the addition of his name to the building.

The filing made by Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, an ex-officio member of the board who’s led an effort to block Trump putting his name on the building, said she was alerting the court to the proposal because it could implicate a pending decision before the court.

“The Board understands that without such appropriate recognition it is unlikely that President Trump will provide the fundamental oversight of the renovation of the main building and lead the fiscal rescue of the Center,” the board wrote in the proposed resolution.

The document proposes 10 options for adding the president’s name to the building’s exterior.

Democrat says Trump is asleep at the wheel on AI

The president has long resisted efforts for greater government oversight of AI, embracing his philosophy of “I alone can fix it.” He revoked a Biden executive order on AI oversight and didn’t provide a fuller order of his own until more than 16 months later this past June.

Now AI has emerged as a political liability ahead of November’s elections, with many voters opposing the construction of data centers and expressing worries that AI could lead to job losses and undermine the education of children.

Rahm Emanuel, the former Chicago mayor, Democratic congressman and White House chief of staff, said Saturday that the Anthropic CEO’s essay was “an admission that we’re driving down a dark, winding road on wet pavement with the headlights off. And where’s President Trump? Looks like he nodded off again. It’s time to turn the lights on, put both hands on the wheel, and regain control before it’s too late.”

US bond market reaches a new pressure-raising milestone

The yield on the 10-year Treasury hit 5% on Monday for the first time since 2023.

The upward pressure on inflation has much of Wall Street expecting the Federal Reserve to hike its main interest rate on Wednesday, despite Trump’s lobbying.

Such a move then filters out through the rest of the bond market, makes it more expensive for U.S. households and businesses to borrow money, slows the overall economy and undercuts prices for investments. That hopefully would remove some of inflation’s fuel, though Trump has been lobbying for lower interest rates instead of higher.

Besides high inflation, worries about rising debt for the U.S. and other governments have helped send longer-term Treasury yields to their highest levels in years. The jump has already led to the highest average long-term mortgage rate in more than 14 months.

US average price of diesel sets a new record, AAA says

So far, the jump in oil prices has helped send the average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline across the country to nearly $4.32 from $4.08 a month ago and $3.18 a year ago, according to AAA.

Monday’s average price of diesel across the U.S. jumped to a record $6.23, the organization reported.

Oil prices jump again as hopes for ending Iran war dim

Oil industry stocks are up, including a 1.3% gain for ExxonMobil, following another jump in oil prices. Brent crude was up 4.2% Monday to $109.05 as fighting in the Middle East keeps squeezing the global flow of oil.

An important Saudi oil pipeline will mostly be out of service for weeks following an attack last week, two regional officials told The Associated Press. The pipeline offered a way for Saudi Arabia to shift exports to the Red Sea and avoid the Persian Gulf’s Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian attacks have stifled the movement of oil tankers.

While the prospect of a de-escalation of war in Iran may have dimmed, ING commodities strategists Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey wrote Monday that the situation remains fluid and “sizable” volumes of oil have been exiting the strait.

AI stocks are sliding worldwide as leaders join calls for a safety slowdown

Artificial-intelligence stocks have been pressured by worries their prices shot too high in the frenzy around the technology. Those concerns jumped to another level over the weekend after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned that a deliberate and global slowdown in AI development is needed for safety.

Amodei said there’s a risk that AI could lead a swarm of agents capable of taking over the entire internet within six to 12 months.

Nvidia, whose profits have soared because its chips are helping to train AI models, sank 3.5% and was the heaviest weight on the market because of its massive size.

SpaceX, which gets a chunk of its business from AI, fell 1.7% after Elon Musk said he agrees with Amodei. Softbank Group, the Japanese giant that is a major investor in OpenAI, lost 10.7% in Tokyo after OpenAI’s Sam Altman likewise supported the concept of a slowdown and would likely delay its planned IPO.

Trump says he alone is enough to contain rogue AI

“The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!” Trump posted on social media.

The president specifically said his administration has already stopped the AI company Anthropic “from doing bad, or potentially bad” things.

Trump pushed back against calls by tech leaders at Anthropic, OpenAI, Microsoft and others to have greater regulation of AI to ensure it is developed in ways that promote safety, address legal liability and preserve national security. He’s opposed such efforts and claims doing so could cause China to eclipse America on AI development.

“There is a SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China,” Trump said.