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Why this matters:

• The Supreme Court majority wrote that the administration’s push to implement the restrictions this year is likely to lose in court, though the brief emergency order didn’t detail its reasoning. Two justices, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, publicly dissented.
  
  

• Justice Brett Kavanaugh, meanwhile, agreed that the restrictions should not go into effect for the midterms but indicated he might rule in favor of the Trump administration if the issue comes back before the court at a later time.
  
  

• The White House and Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but have in the past framed the restrictions as commonsense changes aimed at keeping elections secure.  

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

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• Democrats and activist groups plan to push back if Trump tries to interfere in midterm elections 
• EPA eliminates rule that limits planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from power plants
• DHS voter probe may break state laws and wrongly implicate US citizens, whistleblower alleges 
• Federal Reserve is expected to raise its benchmark rate, defying Trump’s demands 
• Ex-CIA Director John Brennan issued subpoena in Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ investigation, lawyer says 
• ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detainees were held in small metal cages, federal report says 
• Texas landowners ask a court to stop Trump’s Big Bend wall plans 
• Kennedy Center board to propose new options for honoring Trump as center confronts solvency worries 
• Trump nominates wife of ‘God Bless the USA’ singer Lee Greenwood to serve as US ambassador 
• Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding celebration was partially funded by Russian oligarch, the couple confirms 
• McConnell returns to the Senate for the first time since his June hospitalization

WORLD NEWS

What the closure of Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline could mean for oil flows

A crucial Saudi oil pipeline that was struck in an attack will be mostly out of service for weeks as the damage is repaired, two regional officials said Monday. Analysts warn that the latest disruptions could bring even more pain for consumers. Read more.

Why this matters:

• The pipeline was built in the 1980s amid fears that Tehran would disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran-Iraq war. And for the first six months of the current war, it was crucial to getting some crude out of the Middle East by shipping it to the Red Sea rather than through Hormuz, where traffic remained at a standstill. Rystad Energy said Monday that an average 2.6 million to 4 million barrels of oil a day moved through the pipeline since late August — a volume it said is now at risk of “disappearing from the market.” Four million barrels per day is about 4% of the global oil supply, according to the International Energy Agency.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• As the last US troops pack up in Iraq, militias signal their weapons will stay 
• US watchdog tallies Iran war’s hit to weapons stockpiles, military bases and more 
• Fuel shortage in Yemen hampers migrants fleeing conflict and seeking safety in Djibouti

WORLD NEWS

Russians are still fleeing abroad, citing fears of a new mobilization and a loss of freedom

A number of people have either left or are contemplating a move amid recent Ukrainian drone attacks inside Russia and persistent rumors of a coming mobilization of troops for the 4 1/2-year-old war. Read more.

Why this matters:

• The attacks this summer caused an unprecedented fuel crisis and dealt crippling blows to the booming e-commerce sector. Since last year, the government has cited the attacks to justify harsh restrictions on connecting to the internet. The exodus is nowhere near as large as in 2022, when hundreds of thousands fled in the first year of the full-scale invasion. Still, a group that helps citizens who flee abroad said it received nearly eight times more queries last month than it had in May.