ADEN, Yemen (AP) — The Iran-backed Houthi rebel group on Thursday took over Yemen’s port city of Mokha, an area vital to controlling shipping through the Red Sea, Houthi and Yemeni officials say.
Mokha, is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic waterway between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden through which about 12 percent of the world’s oil and other goods are shipped.
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Yemen's Houthi rebels march during a mobilization campaign in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo)
A Yemen's Houthi rebel chews Qat as he marches during a mobilization campaign in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo)
A fighter with Yemen’s Houthi rebels carries a rocket-propelled grenade launcher as they march during a mobilization campaign in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo)
Yemen's Houthi rebels gather during a mobilization campaign in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo)
The Bab el-Mandeb has become even more important for global energy supplies since shipping through the nearby Strait of Hormuz was disrupted by Iran after it was attacked by the United States and Israel in February.
The Houthis’ takeover of Mokha was confirmed to The Associated Press by Ahmed Baash, a commander with the National Resistance Forces allied with Yemen’s government, and Hazam al-Assad, a member of the Houthis’ political bureau.
Mokha represents the Houthis biggest territorial gain since a truce signed in 2022 to end a civil war that lasted more than a decade. A return to full-scale civil war would be devastating for the Yemeni people and potentially world energy supplies.
Residents of Mokha have told AP that Houthi Forces can be seen all around the city and that markets have shuttered. Mokha was long held by forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
ADEN, Yemen (AP) —
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have entered Yemen's strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha, several residents said Thursday, which could bring them closer to controlling a key waterway to the Red Sea that is also a critical shipping route.
If confirmed, the development is significant as the Bab el-Mandeb links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Mokha is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the strait.
The Bab el-Mandeb has served as an important shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran's six-month war with the United States and Israel has choked off most commercial ship traffic. Continued fighting in the strait this week sent oil prices above $100 per barrel.
Mokha long had been held by forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
Two residents and three local doctors told The Associated Press that Houthi forces had entered the port city.
Resident Amin al-Mohammdi said the Houthis had fanned out across intersections in Mokha. All roads from the west coast leading to Mokha have been closed, and shops were shut, he said. Another resident, Mohamed Salem, reported seeing vehicles belonging to Houthi forces in the streets.
Three doctors told the AP they fled a Mokha hospital after it was seized by the Houthis. The doctors spoke on condition of anonymity, citing fears for their safety. They said other residents were fleeing south, toward the city of Aden, which is controlled by the Saudi-backed forces.
The AP could not independently verify the claims.
The Houthis have fought a civil war with the country's internationally recognized government that started in 2014. The fighting now threatens a fragile truce that took effect in 2022.
The Houthis recently made advances in the western province of Taiz, where Mokha is located, according to Ahmed al-Mawazi, a trooper with the Yemeni armed forces, and Abdel Kader al-Sharabi, a member of the Saudi-backed forces supporting the Yemeni government.
Both said the rebels had seized control of the al-Shaqira area, an important supply route connecting the city of Taiz, the provincial capital, and other inland areas to Yemen’s western coast.
Meanwhile, Yemeni government forces launched airstrikes targeting Houthi reinforcements west of Taiz, they added. Clashes also continued along Yemen’s western coast, particularly in the direction of the southern part of the key port city of Hodeida. The fighting has taken place near crucial supply routes.
Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah TV claimed that Saudi-backed forces launched 40 airstrikes in recent hours in Taiz, Jawf, Hodeida and Marib provinces. The AP couldn’t independently verify the claim. There was no immediate comment from the government forces.
Yemen's Houthi rebels march during a mobilization campaign in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo)
A Yemen's Houthi rebel chews Qat as he marches during a mobilization campaign in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo)
A fighter with Yemen’s Houthi rebels carries a rocket-propelled grenade launcher as they march during a mobilization campaign in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo)
Yemen's Houthi rebels gather during a mobilization campaign in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo)
The U.S. Supreme Court again rejected a push to use Missouri congressional maps backed by President Donald Trump on Thursday, a loss for Republicans trying to maintain control of the House in the fast-approaching midterm elections.
Also, Trump has pledged to send every American adult $5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections. The dubious promise would likely cost more than $1 trillion and require congressional approval, and would further exacerbate the country’s nearly $1.8 trillion annual budget deficit and concerns about inflation.
Trump also said Wednesday that oil prices that have surged because of the Iran war likely won’t come down until after U.S. midterm elections. The comments were a striking acknowledgment from Trump about the conflict as his Republican administration faces mounting pressure to address high gas prices as the war in Iran grinds on with no conclusion in sight.
Here's the latest:
There were no noted dissents in the brief order.
It comes after a pitched court battle shortly before ballots begin going out for the November elections. The new map was drawn to help Republicans gain an additional seat.
The Supreme Court order came hours after a federal judge allowed Missouri’s top court to proceed with a contempt hearing against Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins. Missouri’s battle over its congressional districts has spanned more than a year and spawned confusion over which districts will be in place for voters.
The U.S. Supreme Court again rejected a push to use Missouri congressional maps backed by President Trump on Thursday, a loss for Republicans trying to maintain control of the House in the fast-approaching midterm elections.
The decision appears to clear the way for use of the old maps.
It comes after a pitched court battle shortly before ballots begin going out for the pivotal November elections. The maps were drawn to help Republicans gain an additional U.S. House seat.
It’s the second time the high court has refused to intervene to keep the Trump-backed maps in place.
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Trump’s “dividend” payments wouldn’t be true dividends. But he’s not the first politician to use labels that stretch the realities of certain policies.
Franklin Roosevelt called Social Security an “old-age insurance system.” But insurance involves premium payments from policy holders financing claims to those same customers. In Social Security, existing workers’ taxes are immediately paid out to older beneficiaries.
Barack Obama pitched his 2009 economic “stimulus bill.” Most of it was tax cuts and direct aid to state governments after the 2008 financial crash. It was more a stabilizing effort than a stimulus.
Republicans call the estate tax, adopted under Democrat Woodrow Wilson, the “death tax” and often suggest it applies broadly. The current exemption is $15 million ($30 million per couple), meaning only inheritances above that are assessed. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that fewer than 1 out of 1,000 deaths yield any federal estate tax.
That would fully reopen the strait and allow oil tankers to freely exit the Persian Gulf. President Trump said Wednesday that oil prices likely won’t come down until after the U.S. midterm elections in November.
The jump has pushed the price of a gallon of regular gasoline to an average of nearly $4.28 across the United States, according to AAA. That’s up nearly 34% from a year earlier and is not only costing people more at the pump but also through higher prices for all kinds of products that move by truck to store shelves.
Investopedia, a leading online source of information about the financial markets, defines “dividends” as “periodic payments made to shareholders from corporate profits.”
That doesn’t apply to direct payments or indirect payments (such as tax credits) from the U.S. Treasury Department to taxpayers. The government is not a for-profit enterprise. Furthermore, the treasury has run an annual deficit every year since 2002 — the first fiscal year following President George W. Bush’s first tax cuts. Since there’s no surplus to divide, that means any payouts would have to be backed by debt instruments that would add to the federal operating deficit and total debt.
The current year’s deficit stands at about $1.8 trillion. The total debt surpassed $40 trillion earlier this year.
Investopedia, meanwhile, also says this about dividend payments: “They can make a stock more attractive to investors but may also signal that a company isn’t doing enough to generate better returns.”
Working to keep the majority in Congress, Republicans at the midterm convention in Dallas are showcasing their chief legislative accomplishment — the sweeping package of tax breaks, social service cuts and immigration enforcement President Trump signed into law.
A year on, what’s known as the One Big Beautiful Bill — or, the “Big Ugly Bill,” as Democrats call it — has produced mixed results. Millions of people have received enhanced tax breaks, while millions are also losing access to federal food aid and health care. More immigrants are being arrested, many deported, some dying during the process.
House Speaker Mike Johnson calls it the kind of “common sense” governing that Republicans plan to do more of, if voters return them to power.
“Shamefully, not one Democrat voted for it,” Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., said Wednesday during the convention’s opening night.
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Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, who’s attending the GOP midterm convention as he seeks his second term, is among the Republicans embracing Trump’s proposed payout to American adults.
“Comment how you will spend your $5,000 Trump Dividend when Republicans win in November,” he posted on X, eliciting mostly positive responses from his online followers.
Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since the 1932 wave election in the Great Depression. But Marshall faces a surprisingly energetic challenge for reelection from Democratic nominee Adam Hamilton, pastor of the nation’s largest United Methodist congregation.
Marshall did not expound on the cost of Trump’s idea or how it should be carried out legally. The president doesn’t have appropriations power under the Constitution. That power rests with Congress.
The price of U.S. crude oil rose above $100 for the first time Thursday since May with no end in sight in the U.S.-Iran war.
The price for Brent crude, the international standard, rose above $105 a barrel. U.S. stock futures fell, with the S&P 500 down 0.5% and the Nasdaq off by 1.1%.
A report showed that inflation in the U.S. remains stubbornly high on the wholesale level.
Meanwhile, the European Central Bank raised its key interest rate by one-quarter point to try to tame inflation in the European Union. Stock indexes in Europe fell, with Germany’s DAX down 0.7%.
Market in Asia closed lower with the exception of Japan.
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The theoretical $5,000 payments Trump pitched would mean money going directly in Americans’ wallets. But Americans’ also are on the hook for an indirect outlay that’s almost as much: interest payments on the U.S. debt.
The national debt recently crossed the $40 trillion mark. Each year, the federal government pays interest to the investors who’ve financed that debt.
According to Treasury Department data, that interest expense for fiscal year 2026 will come to about $1.27 trillion. Using the Census Bureau’s 2026 population estimate of 340.3 million people, that comes to a per capita share of $3,732 or almost three-quarters of the payout Trump pitched.
Marc Goldwein, the senior policy director at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a think tank in Washington, said Trump has no authority to send money to Americans without approval from Congress.
Goldwein added that dividends are something companies pay when there’s a surplus, but the U.S. is running $2 trillion annual deficits and has $40 trillion in debt.
“The idea that we’ve had fiscal success is backwards and bordering on laughable,” he said. “We don’t have surpluses to give away.”
A federal judge has allowed Missouri’s top court to proceed with a contempt hearing Thursday for Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins in a tense and twisting legal battle over whether new congressional districts supported by President Trump can be used in the November election.
Missouri’s top court previously ordered Hoskins not to use a Trump-backed map in the general election. But U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark on Tuesday barred Hoskins from using anything other than the new map Trump supports.
The state Supreme Court then ordered Hoskins to appear for a contempt hearing Thursday for not following its orders.
State attorneys representing Hoskins had asked Clark to halt the contempt hearing. But Clark declined to do so.
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Joe Londsdale, a prominent Republican donor and activist, is among the Trump allies panning the president’s latest promise to send money directly to Americans.
“I am hugely in favor of winning the midterms, and love much about this (administration),” he wrote on X, “but am strongly against bread and circus bribes.”
It’s not just Republicans descending on Dallas for the midterm convention — Democrats are there too as they try to convince voters that the reality of Donald Trump’s second presidency doesn’t match the spectacle of his made-for-TV event.
“This bizarre Republican midterm convention here can’t paper over the fact that Republicans have done nothing to earn your vote,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a potential 2028 presidential contender, said Wednesday morning.
Besides Pritzker, several leading House Democrats were traveling to Dallas for events, as well. And Texas Democrats hope the spotlight on the state ends up benefiting their candidates.
James Talarico, a Texas state lawmaker who's running against state Attorney General Ken Paxton in a closely watched Senate race, held a food drive Wednesday at Friendship West Baptist Church in Dallas. He compared volunteers’ work with Republicans’ festivities.
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Trump said Wednesday that oil prices that have surged because of the Iran war likely won’t come down until after U.S. midterm elections.
Oil prices on Wednesday jumped more than 3%, pushing international Brent crude past the $100 threshold for the first time since July as salvos between the U.S. and Iran escalated.
“Right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to take a little bit longer than the midterm.”
The comments were a striking acknowledgment from Trump about the conflict as his Republican administration faces mounting pressure to address high gas prices as the war in Iran grinds on with no conclusion in sight.
Trump, in an exchange with reporters before traveling to Dallas for the midterm Republican convention, added that he believes Iran will finally relent after the pivotal elections are held in the U.S.
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President Donald Trump pledged Wednesday to send every American adult $5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections, an extraordinary gambit to reverse his party’s sagging fortunes in November.
The dubious promise would likely cost more than $1 trillion and require congressional approval, and would further exacerbate the country’s nearly $1.8 trillion annual budget deficit and concerns about inflation.
“If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000,” Trump said during the GOP’s midterm convention in Dallas. “It will be called the Trump Dividend.”
He likened the payments to a corporation’s distributions to shareholders, citing “our tremendous strength and success economically.”
Within an hour, Vice President JD Vance appeared to try to walk back Trump’s proposal — at least in part — by suggesting the dividend payments would not go to the wealthy. Vance suggested it could be paid for by U.S. tariff revenues, though the suggested payment dwarfs what the U.S. has taken in through the protectionist measures.
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President Donald Trump leaves the RNC Midterm Convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
President Donald Trump attends the RNC Midterm Convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. (Eric Lee/Pool photo via AP)
President Donald Trump speaks at the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
