U.S. announces

new sanctions

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has announced new sanctions against Russia’s two biggest oil companies and blasted Moscow’s refusal to end its “senseless war.”

The sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil, as well as dozens of subsidiaries, come after months of bipartisan pressure on Trump to hit Russia with harder sanctions on its oil industry. Bessent said the Treasury Department was prepared to take further action if necessary to support President Donald Trump’s effort to end the war.

University strikes

a deal on rights

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department has announced an agreement with the University of Virginia to pause civil rights investigations.

The Charlottesville campus became a target of President Donald Trump’s administration in April when the Justice Department began reviewing the university’s admissions and financial aid processes. Officials accused its president of failing to end diversity, equity and inclusion practices Trump has called unlawful.

Under the agreement, the university will abide by department guidance for not engaging in “unlawful racial discrimination” and will provide relevant information and data to the department on a quarterly basis through 2028, the department said. Unlike some deals with the Trump administration, the Virginia deal does not involve a fine.

Judge extends

block on Guard

CHICAGO (AP) — President Donald Trump’s attempts to deploy the military in Democratic-led cities over objections of mayors and governors have brought a head-spinning array of court challenges and overlapping rulings. As the U.S. Supreme Court weighs whether to clear the way for the National Guard in Chicago, a federal judge on Wednesday indefinitely extended a two-week block on Guard deployment in the Chicago area. Meanwhile, a federal appeals court is considering arguments in California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s challenge to troop deployment in Los Angeles. Guard troops could also soon be on the ground in Portland, Oregon — pending legal developments there.