The US military has spent at least $47.1 billion on the war with Iran through 16 Oct, according to a Pentagon estimate shared with Congress and reported by Reuters. Replacing expended munitions is projected to cost more than $29 billion, and replacing lost equipment such as aircraft and drones would require over $6 billion. The figure is more than 25 percent above Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's July estimate of $37.5 billion. The disclosure comes ahead of the 3 November election that will determine control of Congress. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
NASA's Perseverance rover has measured fine and ultrafine dust particles on samples of spacesuit material after 1,645 Martian days on the planet. Researchers say some particles are small enough to reach the lungs and enter the bloodstream. Scott VanBommel, a planetary scientist at Washington University in St. Louis and lead author, says smaller particles can penetrate deeper into the body. The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The data could inform spacesuit and habitat design, dust-removal procedures and crew health standards for future NASA missions to Mars.
The US Federal Reserve kept its benchmark interest rate in a 3.75 to 4.00 per cent range on 28 October 2026, according to the Federal Open Market Committee. The decision was a 10 to 2 vote. Two members, Governor Lisa Cook and Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack, wanted another quarter-point increase. The Fed had raised rates in September for the first time since 2023. Consumer prices rose 3.7 per cent from a year earlier in September, while core inflation rose 2.6 per cent. The decision came six days before the US midterm elections, where inflation is a key issue.
A U.S. federal judge, Ana Reyes, has temporarily barred the Trump administration from cutting, pruning or damaging trees at the East Potomac Golf Links in Washington, D.C., after more than 500 trees had already been felled. Reyes ordered the government to give ten business days' written notice before any irreversible change to the park. She described the removed trees as healthy and non-hazardous. The ruling followed a lawsuit by the DC Preservation League and two golfers. President Donald Trump has said he will appeal and that renovation will still begin in November, with the course closing on 15 Nov.
Anthropic, the AI developer, has filed an S-1 registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission ahead of a planned initial public offering. The filing's risk factors section runs to 93 pages and over 70,000 words, and it warns that near-future AI models could pose catastrophic or existential risks to humanity. The company also cites political opposition to data centers in 16 states as a major risk. Fortune reports the company posted $16.29 billion in first-half 2026 revenue and a net loss of $80.7 billion for the six months to June 2026.