The Houthis have been causing a major regional headache in recent days, after a blitz offensive resulted in their taking of large pieces of territory on Yemen's western coast, as well as several strategic islands, tightening the group's control over the Bab Al Mandeb strait.
The Yemeni rebels have also carried out strikes on their old adversary Saudi Arabia, which has responded in kind. The group has attacked energy infrastructure and Saudi military installations, and Riyadh has accused the Houthis of striking Makkah. The Houthis have denied attacking the holy city but vowed to continue strikes.
You'd think this situation would spur the US to action, given that the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed and Houthi control over Bab Al Mandeb would hand Iran dominance over yet another crucial regional waterway. But US President Donald Trump appears to be a bit resistant.
Tim Lenderking, US envoy to Yemen under Joe Biden, said this week that Washington needs to "up its game" in Yemen. “This administration also came in asking the question: 'What can Yemen do for us?' Well, Yemen can spoil our day,” he said during an online discussion hosted by the Middle East Institute think tank.
Vice President JD Vance on Monday said US officials had been engaged in "direct conversation" with the Houthis. And Mr Trump said he had spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with reports saying the Saudi leader had asked for help against the Houthis. But the US President is probably reluctant to open yet another front in a war that has become radioactive at home, as the midterm elections approach.
Speaking of issues that could stymie the Republicans' chances at the polls this November, the artificial intelligence boom is probably going to be a hot-button issue for voters.
Polls show Americans are unhappy with noisy data centres in residential areas that drive up electricity prices, in addition to leaving potentially massive environmental footprints.
Concerns are also rising over documented cases of AI models jumping the fence and interfering with exterior systems without being told to do so. And there have been a string of resignations from top companies, including Anthropic, by employees who say the technology is close to sprialling out of human control.
Our technology policy editor Cody Combs attended the Pro-Human Assembly in Washington this week, where politicians, celebrities and other public figures urged the government to pump the brakes on AI.
"President Trump's ignorance on this issue is embarrassing," Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said during the event, referring to Mr Trump calling anti-AI opinion a "sick conspiracy" and a "hoax". If Mr Trump wants his Republicans to keep control of Congress, he might need to change his tune.
Eye on the White House
Trump's tough talk accelerates Greenland investment push
Mr Trump's threats to take control of Greenland are driving a new wave of investment in the island, which stands to profit from the strained relationship between the US and its European allies.
Mr Trump’s Greenland ambitions are twofold. Its untapped mineral wealth could accelerate his energy-dominance play. But more importantly, its proximity to the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans make it a strategic location for monitoring Russian and Chinese military activity in the region.
Pouyan Kimiayjan, director of the applied geopolitics and strategy programme at the Institute for Peace and Diplomacy, said Mr Trump's attempts to gain greater control over the autonomous Danish territory had led to “unintended consequences”.
“It put Greenland in a very interesting position where it can leverage the competition between Washington and Brussels," he said.
Read more from Kyle Fitzgerald
What's Washington talking about?
Fed rate rise The US Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time in three years on Wednesday, as stubbornly high inflation and rising oil prices caused by supply disruptions in the Middle East ripple across the global economy. Wednesday's decision completes a striking turnaround for the Fed, which investors earlier this year anticipated would cut rates. Traders currently anticipate the Fed will remain on hold next month before raising rates again in December, according to CME Group data.
Hegseth impeachment? Republican Congressman Thomas Massie has introduced articles of impeachment against Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth over the conduct of the Iran war. Mr Massie, who will leave Congress at the end of the year, has had a public falling-out with Mr Trump and his fellow Republicans over the Epstein files and the Iran war, among other issues. Mr Massie admitted to keeping his plans secret from Republican leadership out of fears that he would be blocked. Instead of risking a vote on the issue, Republican Speaker Mike Johnson put the House on recess.
Mitch is back Senator Mitch McConnell returned to the Senate this week after a three-month absence. The long-time Kentucky politician blamed his absence on a "bad fall" that occurred in June. Mr McConnell entered the Capitol in a wheelchair, looking decidedly wan and declining to speak with reporters before casting his vote on a judicial nomination. Speculation had swirled in the months his seat sat vacant, with detractors saying Republicans were trying to cover up the fact that he had actually died.
Spotlight: Pakistan pressing US and Iran to return to negotiations, UN envoy says
Pakistan is pressing Iran and the US to return to negotiations under an agreement brokered by Islamabad, despite renewed strikes and the failure to implement their previous Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN told The National.
The comments come as tension between Iran and the US has again intensified, with renewed attacks following a period of relative calm and continued hostility over the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistan has increasingly positioned itself as an intermediary in the conflict, working alongside countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, China and Qatar.
“There is this lingering lack of trust on both sides,” Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said when asked why the agreement had not been implemented. “There is also a slight lack of willingness to go ahead with implementation of this MoU, but we are persisting.”
Mr Ahmad said that despite setbacks, Pakistan remains engaged with Washington and Tehran at senior levels.
Only in America
US arrests alleged Saddam-era officer in Michigan
The US Department of Homeland Security has announced the detention of a Michigan man it claims was an intelligence officer in Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's regime.
Raad Alanbagi was arrested after an investigation that uncovered his ties to the former Iraqi dictator's government, Homeland Security Investigations said in a post on X on Sunday.
The department said in a statement to The National that Mr Alanbagi "entered the United States lawfully in New York in 2014 but violated the terms of that lawful admission", declining to comment further on a continuing investigation.
"HSI continues to safeguard our communities and national security," the post said, describing Mr Alanbagi as a "high-ranking" former officer.
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