Quick Insights: This Week in the US

This week brought a sharp escalation in the tanker war with Iran, the first Trump-envoy visit to Moscow and Kyiv in months, a fast-moving legal fight over mail-in voting, a grim milestone in ICE custody deaths, and the resignation of the Army’s top civilian leader.

The Tanker War With Iran Escalates

US Central Command disabled three Iran-linked oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on September 5, retaliating after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps fired missiles at two US Navy warships. Neither side reported casualties, but the strikes marked the first time the US has targeted Iranian vessels directly rather than shore-based positions, under a new “tanker-for-tanker” policy that promises a disabled Iranian ship for every attack on shipping in the strait. The economic fallout has landed squarely on American drivers: the national average diesel price hit a record $5.85 a gallon on Friday, surpassing the previous high set after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Vice President JD Vance downplayed the severity of the moment at a White House briefing, saying he “wouldn’t call it a war” and that there’s “no active shooting” right now, even as fighting flared again days earlier.

Trump’s Envoys Hold Rare Talks in Moscow and Kyiv

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner made their first trip to Moscow since January, meeting Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin for roughly three hours on September 5, followed by dinner. Russia and Ukraine agreed to a temporary pause in strikes on each other’s capitals to let the delegation travel safely between the two countries. The Kremlin described the talks as “useful,” while Witkoff and Kushner headed to Kyiv on Sunday to brief Volodymyr Zelensky on Russia’s position and present a fresh proposal aimed at reviving negotiations that had been frozen for nearly eight months.

A Fast-Moving Legal Fight Over Mail-In Voting

The battle over President Trump’s executive order restricting USPS mail-ballot handling ahead of the midterms is now bouncing between federal courts and the Supreme Court on an almost weekly basis. The justices lifted one of two lower-court injunctions on August 24, siding with the administration on a narrow procedural question. But federal Judge Indira Talwani issued a new preliminary injunction on September 4 — just as the first states began mailing ballots — again blocking key parts of the rule and warning that the rushed timeline made mass disenfranchisement “practically inevitable.” The administration is expected to appeal once more, setting up another potential Supreme Court showdown before November.

ICE Records Its 57th Detainee Death as Body Cameras Finally Arrive

ICE confirmed its 57th detainee death since the start of Trump’s second term: Lianyong Wei, a Chinese national, was found unresponsive less than a day after being booked into a detention facility in Saipan on August 23. He is at least the fifth Chinese national to die in ICE or Border Patrol custody since March 2025. In a separate development the same week, ICE announced it finally has enough body cameras to equip all of its officers and agents nationwide, following pressure from lawmakers after more than two dozen shootings involving immigration officers this year — including two fatal incidents last month in Texas and Maine, neither captured on camera. Critics note the agency still controls when footage is publicly released, with Sen. Angus King calling the announcement a “hollow promise” absent a change in disclosure policy.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll Resigns

Dan Driscoll, the Army’s youngest-ever secretary and a close friend of Vice President Vance, resigned after 18 months on the job following months of friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The clash centered on Hegseth’s removal of several top generals — the Army has gone from ten four-star generals to five under his tenure — including Gen. Randy George, a close Driscoll ally whose firing Driscoll publicly objected to before Congress. A person familiar with Driscoll’s resignation said he raised concerns that Hegseth’s moves were undermining the Army’s modernization efforts. Hegseth is reportedly considering Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell as a replacement.

This article references deaths in immigration custody, including cases classified as suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text at 988.