Good morning. The supreme court has rejected Donald Trump’s mail ballot restrictions, capping a flurry of last-minute legal action with voting in the midterm elections already under way. The decision allows states to continue sending out mail ballots under the same processes they have used for years. Civil rights groups lauded the decision.

“The supreme court has done the right thing,” said Robert Garcia, a Democratic representative from Long Beach, California, adding: “Donald Trump tried to illegally interfere with our elections and undermine vote-by-mail for millions of Americans and failed. We will keep fighting to protect the right to vote of every single citizen in this country.”

• What has a DHS whistleblower said about “voter fraud” investigations?
  An anonymous whistleblower said Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lawyers told officers investigating “voter fraud” they would not be held responsible for violating state laws around accessing voter registration information. The whistleblower also expressed concern about the reliability of the data DHS was giving officers to review, as well as the lack of transparency into where the data came from.

Microsoft proposes limits on its AI with code of conduct amid safety debate

Microsoft has published a provisional “code of conduct” to apply to the training of new artificial intelligence models, taking a step towards limiting the capabilities of the company’s AI as anxiety rises over the prospect that technology companies could lose control of AI products.

Under the code of conduct, Microsoft’s AI models must not consider requests related to weapons development, produce violent or sexually explicit content or help with the procurement of dangerous substances. AI models also should not be built to imitate consciousness and shouldn’t be entitled to rights.

• Why is Trump facing a bipartisan AI backlash?
  Democrats and some Republicans have been pushing in US Congress for guardrails on the world’s most powerful AI companies. Trump dismissed the anxieties, describing them as a “HOAX” and “conspiracy”, but looked increasingly isolated as members of both major parties acknowledged the risks and expressed a desire to act before it was too late.

• Why is Texas governor Greg Abbott pushing back against datacenters? Drought-prone Texas has fast become the heart of the US’s datacenter boom, and the Republican governor has directed state regulators to penalize datacenters that fail to comply with state laws requiring them to disclose their water use.

• What international responses have there been?
  China has dismissed what it said were “fearmongering” calls to block Beijing’s AI industry, however the top Chinese spy chief warned the evolving technology could threaten Communist party rule. The president of the European Central Bank, meanwhile, has warned Europe must develop its own AI technology and build more datacenters in order to nullify the threat of being cut off by the US or China.

Russian oligarch close to Putin paid for part of Donald Trump Jr’s lavish wedding

Donald Trump Jr and his wife, Bettina, confirmed that a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin partially paid for the couple’s wedding celebrations in May, following a ProPublica report revealing Umar Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the events.

Citing records and interviews with three anonymous sources familiar with the event, ProPublica reported that Kremlev, a member of the Russian president’s circle, footed the bill to rent one of the islands where a reception was held and where guests slept, along with other large expenses, including a huge firework show.

• Who is Umar Kremlev? Transitioning from a convicted criminal into a powerful boxing promoter, his unwavering loyalty to Vladimir Putin enabled him to amass immense wealth through control of state-backed gambling companies and the acquisition of Russia’s largest car dealership network following its seizure from a regime critic.

‘Alligator Alcatraz’ held detainees in cages the size of phone booths

Detainees at Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” federal immigration jail were frequently locked in outside metal cages no bigger than a phone booth, according to a damning government watchdog report that said the practice “does not align with standards for humane treatment”.

The findings from the office of the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security were published on its website and offer rare criticism of the Trump administration by one of its own agencies.

In other news …

• Macklemore has been dropped from the remainder of the US leg of Ed Sheeran’s tour, after the rapper drew headlines for saying “free Palestine” on stage.

• Nato fighter jets shot down a drone over Lithuania after an alert was issued in the ‌capital, Vilnius.

• California governor Gavin Newsom will not run for president if Kamala Harris does, he has said in an interview.

• The Trump administration has changed the way it counts measles deaths amid a Pennsylvania outbreak, which a former CDC chief medical officer described as “puzzling”.

• Firefighters have made progress against northern California’s Lucas fire, with 30% contained in what was described as a “big turning point”.

• Mitch McConnell has returned to the Senate after his months-long absence.

Stat of the day: Democracy indicators in US at lowest levels for 50 years, data shows

The Trump administration has been “undermining the rule of law domestically and internationally”, while key indicators of democracy in the US have fallen to their lowest levels in 50 years, according to data from a leading thinktank.

Culture Pick: Emmys 2026 – Widow’s Bay dominates as Matthew Rhys and Jean Smart land historic wins

We have comprehensive coverage of last night’s Emmy awards, in which Matthew Rhys became the first actor to win multiple lead actor awards for performances in different shows in the same year. We have a write-up of the evening, the full list of who won, the biggest shocks, and perhaps most importantly, a gallery of the best of the red carpet looks.

Don’t miss this: The pirates arrived with AK-47s. They took us hostage – then the torture began

Chirag Bahri tells his incredible story of being held captive on the Marida Marguerite oil tanker for almost eight months.

… or this: ‘I believed the hype’ – the white South Africans denied refugee status in the US

Rachel Savage reports from Johannesburg where the Trump administration drive to “save” thousands of Afrikaners from false claims of “white genocide” appears to show signs of slowing.

Climate check: US ‘super-emitters’ of planet heating methane identified by satellite analysis

A new UCLA study using satellite data and public records has ranked oil and gas facilities across the US for their output of methane – a potent greenhouse gas – shedding light on previously unmonitored sources to try to improve regulatory oversight.

Last Thing: They’re the sopranos of the forest, so what’s silencing the gibbons’ morning chorus?

As human development and roads increasingly fragment gibbon habitats, a study suggests traffic noise could be altering the animals’ notoriously loud wake-up call.

Sign up

Get in touch

If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email [email protected]