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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is allowing the White House to continue construction on President Donald Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom project while his administration appeals a judge’s order halting the work. The justices intervened Monday after lower courts found work must stop because the project doesn’t have congressional approval. The decision replaces a temporary order signed by Chief Justice John Roberts hours before a court-ordered halt was set to go into effect. It allows the construction to continue as the lawsuit plays out, a potentially lengthy process. It's a win for Trump as he flexes unprecedented executive power and remakes the capital in his image.

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BUENOS AIRES, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Lionel Messi, who captained Argentina to World Cup victory in 2022 and the final in 2026, is retiring from international football, he said on Monday. The record eight-times Ballon d'Or winner is his country's record appearance-maker and scorer with 125 goals in 207 games, having transformed a complicated relationship with the national team into a story of redemption and triumph. "It was a decision that hurt — and still hurts deep down — but I understand that the time has come. I swear to you that I always gave it my all — not just in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too; I always fought and left everything on the field for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football," the 39-year-old Messi wrote on Instagram. "Time is running short, chapters come to a close, and this is one that hurts me deeply. I love, have loved, and will always love being part of the national team. I’ve given everything I had; I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are some great young players coming up who deserve to be here. "I leave with the peace of mind and pride of having given you — alongside my teammates — moments we once only dreamed of," Messi added. NO FAIRYTALE FAREWELL Defeat in this year's World Cup final by Spain denied Messi a fairytale farewell, but his place among the game's greats had long since been secured. After years of disappointment with Argentina, including defeat in the 2014 World Cup final and successive Copa America finals, Messi won his first major international trophy at the 2021 Copa America before leading his country to glory at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The former Barcelona and Paris St Germain forward, who now plays for Inter Miami, added another Copa America title in 2024 and arrived at his sixth World Cup hoping to complete an extraordinary final chapter. A 1-0 loss to Spain after extra time ensured that did not happen, but Messi, who made his Argentina debut in 2005, walks away having emerged from the shadow of 1986 World Cup-winning captain Diego Maradona to forge a legacy of his own as another defining figure in his country's football history. The Argentine Football Association posted on Instagram: "Thank you for giving us the most beautiful journey of our lives. Your legacy and professionalism will remain forever etched in our hearts. Thank you, Captain. We love you."

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PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy trial have ended a third day of deliberating without a verdict. They're deciding whether the Massachusetts woman is criminally responsible for killing her three children in 2023. The jury spent Monday deliberating and will return Tuesday. Clancy, a former nurse, doesn’t deny strangling her children but claims postpartum psychosis led to her actions. Prosecutors argue she knew what she was doing. The jury could find her guilty of murder or manslaughter, or acquit her if they believe psychiatric problems were to blame. Her sentence could range from life in prison to confinement in a mental health facility.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — House lawmakers return to Washington on Monday with a short to-do list after five weeks back in their home districts. The first order of business is likely a vote on a stopgap funding bill designed to keep the federal government fully funded through early December, removing the possibility of a shutdown before the midterm elections. With election season getting underway, votes are also expected on measures designed to amplify the GOP’s messaging strategy going into November, most notably a resolution condemning socialism. Lawmakers will also have their first chance to act on a recommendation from the House Ethics Committee that Repblican Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina be censured for engaging in inappropriate conduct toward two young female aides.

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WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new round of drug-pricing agreements with international pharmaceutical companies and some smaller biotechs on Monday, part of a push to make healthcare more affordable for Americans. Deals were signed with nine companies including Astellas, BeOne Medicines, CSL, BridgeBIO, Sun Pharmaceutical, Teva and UCB SA. These companies have offered drugs to state Medicaid programs at most-favored-nation prices, Trump said in an Oval Office event with executives of the companies, describing this as "a tremendous discount, which should bring down the cost of your medical care by tremendous amounts." U.S. patients currently pay by far the most for prescription medicines, often nearly three times more than in other developed nations, and Trump has been pressuring drugmakers to lower their prices to what patients pay elsewhere. The deals will build on agreements the administration struck with 17 of the world's largest drugmakers, including Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Amgen, starting last year. The drugmakers agreed to offer lower prices comparable to what is paid in other developed countries, referred to as "most-favored-nation" pricing. Those companies agreed to cut some prices for federal health programs and sell some medicines directly to patients through a Trump-branded website, in return for tariff relief. SMALL DRUGMAKERS HAVE DELAYED DEALS Smaller and mid-sized drugmakers had been slow to sign onto drug-pricing deals, Reuters has reported. A Reuters report in June found that only Japan's Astellas had confirmed applying for the Medicaid pricing program by that point, with executives at companies such as Ionis Pharmaceuticals saying they saw little financial benefit in joining. It is not yet clear how much the deals will save the government or patients. Medicaid already gets steep discounts from drugmakers under existing law, and most people covered by the program pay little out of pocket for prescriptions. The White House has held several high-profile events with pharmaceutical executives this year to promote its efforts on healthcare costs, part of a broader push to highlight affordability before this year's midterm elections that will decide control of Congress. The administration has said its broader drug pricing push, including the earlier deals with large pharmaceutical companies, could save $64.3 billion in federal and state spending over the next decade, but that number is speculative.

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MIAMI (AP) — The National Hurricane Center posted a tropical storm warning on Monday for the Gulf of Mexico coast near the Texas-Louisiana state line. Forecasters expect a potential tropical cyclone will strengthen into a named storm by Monday night as it swirls toward Texas and make landfall sometime Tuesday. In the Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Lowell was expected to rapidly intensify into a hurricane by Monday night and reach the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands later this week. Elsewhere in the Pacific, Hurricane Karina became a powerful Category 4 hurricane on Monday. It isn't threatening land but could send high surf to parts of California and Mexico.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds of people showed up near New York City's Washington Square Park to judge a Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest. Nine contestants sought a $100 cash prize in Sunday's contest sponsored by a social media app, Sonder. Mamdani, a democratic socialist who took office in January, has amassed a large following on social media and young fanbase. The winner was Amadeo Fusca, who wore a jersey for the NBA champion New York Knicks jersey underneath a suit. Other contestants wore suits, dress shoes, rings — and had haircuts and facial hair similar to Mamdani's.

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BIG SUR, Calif. (AP) — Fire crews with water-dropping aircraft attacked a small wildfire that prompted new evacuations Thursday along California's remote Big Sur coast, where a much larger blaze has been burning for nearly three weeks. The Plaskett Fire erupted the previous day in steep terrain in Monterey County near Highway 1. Officials briefly closed a portion of the scenic coastal route Thursday afternoon as firefighters scrambled to keep the flames from running through canyons. A handful of isolated properties were under evacuation orders and warnings. The fire had no containment so far, and its cause was under investigation. About 40 miles (60 kilometers) to the north, officials closed another section of the highway where the Timber Fire has been active since Aug. 8. Crews performed back-burning operations, deliberately setting fire to brush to keep the bigger blaze from advancing toward populated areas of Big Sur. The larger fire was nearly 31 square miles (80 square kilometers), with more than 20% containment. Fire danger is high in much of California due to an increased risk of lightning and gusty winds from the remnants of a tropical storm in the Pacific.

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In this episode of Hugh Hewitt: Abdul El-Sayed discusses the pitfalls of cancel culture and emphasizes the importance of focusing on the ideas and policies rather than individual personas. El-Sayed shares his views on how cancel culture can distract from meaningful discourse and political progress. He explains that while he disagrees with certain viewpoints, the essence of his campaign lies in collaborative efforts for healthcare reform, financial justice, and ending futile wars. El-Sayed also clarifies that his campaign is not aligned with every opinion of every influencer, but rather with the core principles of positive change and community-driven politics.

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GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — More storms and flooding are possible at the Grand Canyon where a major flash flood left at least two people dead and about 15 more missing. Scores of visitors were evacuated after heavy rain caused water to rush through Bright Angel Creek on Saturday. Emergency water restrictions began Monday after the only water pipeline for tourists and residents in the canyon was destroyed. Tourists are barred from staying overnight at lodges and hotels inside the park and year-round residents must conserve water. The National Weather Service warned of an elevated risk of flash flooding through Monday. More than 60 people have been airlifted to safety.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says his administration has entered a sweeping agreement with Venezuela that, if realized, could give the U.S. access to vast amounts of the South American country’s untapped oil reserves, at cost. Trump said in a social media post Friday that the agreement was negotiated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez. The president calls it "THE BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY!” Rodríguez’s government says the deal involves the development of 17 fields with a proven potential of 65 billion barrels. It says it could draw $100 billion in investment into Venezuela’s oil industry,

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DUBAI/ASHEVILLE, North Carolina, Aug 31 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump was quoted on Monday as promising to "hit them hard" after Iran launched missiles overnight at two U.S. air bases in Jordan in response to a U.S. attack on Iran's Larak island. "We're going to hit them hard," a Fox News reporter quoted Trump as telling the channel. "There will be a response." A senior Iranian source, speaking to Reuters, described the overnight hostilities between the United States and Iran, the first since late July, as a "limited and contained confrontation" but added that Tehran would deliver a harsh response if attacked again. Trump also said U.S. air defences had shot down all Iranian missiles that could have caused any damage and said that tough new U.S. economic sanctions on Iran were having a big impact, Fox News reported. PILING ON ECONOMIC PRESSURE Washington has recently stepped up efforts to punish Tehran and its business partners with costly secondary sanctions, with diplomacy in stalemate six months into a war that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, echoing Trump, said on Monday the resumed exchanges of fire showed that Iran was "lashing out" now because the new sanctions were taking a heavy toll on its already battered economy. "They're taking it very seriously...they're in shock at the state of their economy," Bessent told reporters at a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in North Carolina. "I would think that they are lashing out kinetically because they are losing economically." Bessent told Reuters on Sunday new secondary sanctions were likely to be unveiled weekly in the effort to pressure Iran, with an initial focus on banks. US HIT IRANIAN ISLAND IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ U.S. forces on Sunday struck two Iranian launchers on Iran's Larak Island, a U.S. official said, after "Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz". Three people were killed in the U.S. attack, Tasnim news agency reported. The state-affiliated Nournews said two of them had been identified as members of the Revolutionary Guards Navy. Larak is a small island in the strait near the strategic Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. The Strait of Hormuz, which normally handles a fifth of global crude oil shipments, has been effectively blocked since the start of the war. In a statement, the U.S. Central Command said it took "limited, precise" action against minelaying forces of Iran's Revolutionary Guards that posed an "imminent threat" in the strait. It gave no details. In response, as well as attacking the U.S. bases in Jordan, Iran's army said it had struck the Al Minhad air base in the United Arab Emirates early on Monday. However, the UAE's defence ministry dismissed that report as false. The UAE defence ministry later said its air force engaged a drone that had come from Iran over its territorial waters. It provided no further details. Iranian state TV quoted the Revolutionary Guards as saying a supertanker had caught fire and was brought to a complete halt after being struck by two naval mines in the southern Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military later dismissed the claim as false. PRESIDENT SAYS IRAN STILL WANTS NEGOTIATED END TO CONFLICT The senior Iranian source, who has direct knowledge of Iranian decision-making and spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said conditions in the Strait of Hormuz would "become worse for vessels that violate" rules set by Tehran for passage through the waterway. The source added that no target was beyond Iran's reach. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian struck a milder tone on Monday, telling India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of a regional security meeting in Kyrgyzstan, that his country still sought a negotiated resolution of the conflict. "... we are still trying to achieve an agreement and understanding, and we believe that continuing the war is in no one's interest, neither ours, nor the region's, nor humanity's," Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted him as saying. 'BLOWN TO SMITHEREENS!!!' Trump had annoyed Iran overnight by posting on his Truth Social platform an AI-generated video clip that he said showed Iran's oil hub Kharg Island being "blown to smithereens!!!" There was no evidence of any such attack and a U.S. official said on Monday the military had not targeted Kharg Island in overnight strikes. An Iranian official dismissed Trump's post as "laughable". Reuters confirmed that the video clip showing dramatic explosions was most likely synthetically generated, using software that detects AI-manipulated imagery. The White House and the U.S. Defense Department did not respond to Reuters requests for comment outside regular business hours. Kharg handled 90% of Iran's oil exports before the war launched by U.S. and Israeli attacks on February 28, and attacking it ?would severely disrupt energy trade and put huge pressure on the economy. Trump has yet to achieve the objectives he set out at the start of the war: dismantling Iran's nuclear program, curbing its ability to attack regional rivals and creating conditions for Iranians to overthrow their clerical rulers.

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PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy trial have resumed deliberating whether to hold the Massachusetts woman criminally responsible for killing her three children in 2023. The 12 jurors and six alternates returned to Plymouth County Superior Court on Monday morning for a third day of deliberations that began Thursday. Clancy, a former nurse, doesn’t deny strangling her children but claims postpartum psychosis led to her actions. Prosecutors argue she knew what she was doing. The jury could find her guilty of murder or manslaughter, or acquit her if they believe psychiatric problems were to blame. Her sentence could range from life in prison to confinement in a mental health facility.

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A top party power broker just called for 13 justices. The real fight is who wins Congress this fall — and whether nine is still the limit. If the Court can be expanded once, what stops it next time?

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The president says a terror sponsor’s navy, air force, and defenses are already gone, sanctions are biting, and a nuke is off the table because the alternative is catastrophe. He also shrugs off assassination threats as the odd badge of a consequential presidency — the kind that “saved the country.”

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Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is proposing significant changes to the state's health code, aiming to expand his administration's control over public health decisions. This move has sparked debate, particularly concerning the implications for parental rights and potential authoritarian overreach. Investigative reporter Meg Brock discusses how these changes, if enacted, would allow the Department of Health to implement drastic measures such as school-wide mandates without warrants and interfere with parental decisions regarding their children’s health. Brock highlights the historical context, noting that Pennsylvania's stringent COVID-19 measures in 2020 led to widespread discontent. The state’s attempt to rewrite the health code comes amid fears of repeating past mistakes. Shapiro's proposed changes include redefining terms like "mother" to "postpartum individual," a move criticized for its insensitivity and potential to dehumanize personal tragedies. Brock argues that these changes, driven by political motives, could erode public trust in health institutions and further polarize communities. Pennsylvanians are vocal in their opposition, seeing the proposal as an erosion of democratic principles and a slippery slope towards increased governmental control.

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Join Ned Ryun, executive producer of the new documentary "The Thread of Liberty," as he explores the rich tapestry of Western political thought that has shaped the American founding. This documentary aims to reframe the history of America, emphasizing the millennia of ideas that culminated in the creation of the Constitution. Through insightful interviews and historical context, "The Thread of Liberty" challenges the narrative of American exceptionalism and highlights the fragile nature of self-governance. Ned Ryun discusses the urgency of understanding our nation's roots and the importance of instilling patriotic values in younger generations, who he believes have been subjected to a skewed version of history in schools and universities. The documentary also touches on contemporary issues such as the impact of data centers and the ethical considerations of artificial intelligence. It calls for a national conversation to guide future decisions that will affect the lives of coming generations. Available at threadofliberty.com.

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The Trump administration plans to sanction another bank this week as it intensifies its campaign to financially isolate Iran and crack down on institutions facilitating transactions with Tehran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the administration is beginning its latest pressure campaign with banks and could announce additional measures on a weekly basis. Bessent did not identify the institution expected to be targeted next. The move follows Treasury action Friday targeting the United Arab Emirates branches of Egypt’s Banque Misr. The Treasury Department says the branches processed billions of dollars in transactions connected to the Iranian government. Bessent is in Asheville, North Carolina, for meetings with G20 finance ministers and central bank governors. He plans to urge other countries to cut financial ties with Iran or potentially face secondary U.S. sanctions. The administration has dubbed its broader economic campaign “Operation Economic Outcast,” aimed at restricting Iran’s access to the international financial system and reducing revenue available to the regime. The renewed economic pressure comes as hostilities between the United States and Iran flared again Sunday following a month-long lull in direct military action.

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Vice President JD Vance is set to address the Republican Jewish Coalition Monday as some conservative Jewish activists raise questions about his approach to Israel and the direction of the Republican Party on foreign policy. Vance has repeatedly expressed support for Israel as a key U.S. ally but has also criticized some Israeli officials and policies, including during the ongoing conflict involving Iran. His position has drawn increased attention as Republicans debate the extent of future U.S. involvement in the region. The vice president’s appearance comes as the GOP confronts broader internal disagreements over Israel, U.S. foreign policy and concerns about antisemitism within parts of the conservative movement. Vance has argued that supporting Israel does not mean the United States must agree with every decision made by its government. His allies say that position reflects the Trump administration’s “America First” approach to foreign policy rather than a weakening of U.S. support for Israel. The Republican Jewish Coalition remains an influential organization among Republican donors and pro-Israel conservatives, making Vance’s remarks closely watched as the party looks ahead to the midterm elections and the 2028 presidential race.

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Age and generational change have emerged as major issues ahead of Tuesday’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary in Massachusetts, where 80-year-old Sen. Ed Markey is facing a challenge from 47-year-old Rep. Seth Moulton. Moulton has repeatedly argued that Markey is too old to serve another six-year term and has made the need for a new generation of Democratic leadership a centerpiece of his campaign. Markey would be 86 by the end of another term. The issue drew additional attention following a recent debate when Markey struggled to explain which artificial intelligence platforms he uses. Moulton seized on the exchange, arguing lawmakers need a better understanding of rapidly changing technology if they are going to regulate it. Young Democratic voters, however, are divided. Some Moulton supporters say issues such as artificial intelligence, housing costs and student debt require younger leadership. Markey’s younger supporters argue his age matters less than his decades-long record on climate policy, technology regulation and other progressive priorities. Despite the focus on his age, Markey enters Tuesday’s primary with a sizable polling advantage. A recent 7NEWS/University of New Hampshire poll showed Markey leading Moulton 63% to 28% among Massachusetts Democrats surveyed. Massachusetts voters head to the polls Tuesday to decide the Democratic nominee.

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