Quick Hits

• The Trump administration announced Monday it is scaling back how fuel-efficient American automakers must make their vehicles, rolling back CAFE standards, MPR News (citing NPR) reports.
• President Donald Trump announced a $15 billion steel plant for eastern Iowa that would be among the largest in the United States and would use iron ore from Minnesota's Mesabi Metallics mine, according to MPR News.
• Russia struck Kyiv, hitting the historic Academy of Sciences building and killing two people, with additional strikes pounding the capital afterward, Al Jazeera reports.
• Israeli forces killed Izz al-Din al-Beik, head of Hamas's armed wing in northern Gaza, in a strike on an apartment building in Gaza City, Al Jazeera reports.
• Australia's central bank raised its benchmark interest rate to 4.6 percent — a 15-year high — amid what Al Jazeera describes as stubborn inflation.

Top Stories

• Fuel-economy rollback: MPR News, drawing on NPR reporting, says the administration's Monday announcement scales back fuel-efficiency requirements for American carmakers, one of the most significant regulatory changes to date in the auto sector under President Trump.
• Iowa steel plant: Per MPR News, Trump said the eastern Iowa facility would rank among the largest U.S. steel plants and would be supplied with ore mined by Mesabi Metallics in Minnesota — a notable economic link for the Iron Range.
• Kyiv under attack: Al Jazeera reports footage of the Academy of Sciences strike showed people leaning out of windows as flames engulfed part of the historic building; further Russian strikes followed on the capital.
• Gaza: Beyond the killing of al-Beik, Al Jazeera published satellite imagery it says shows the scale of destruction in Gaza three years into the war, reporting that more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed.
• Trump–Xi and the UN: Tangle's Monday edition examined the UN General Assembly and an upcoming Trump–Xi summit as the week's lead political stories.
• Australia rates: The Reserve Bank of Australia lifted its benchmark rate to 4.6 percent, per Al Jazeera, its highest level in 15 years.

Left Perspective

All items in this section are from MPR News, the lean-left outlet in today's feed.

• MPR News covers the fuel-standards rollback and the Iowa steel announcement with a Minnesota-economy lens, emphasizing the Mesabi ore connection for the state's mining industry.
• State politics: MPR News identifies 20 competitive Minnesota legislative races, noting control of the nearly evenly split Legislature is at stake in November and both parties plan heavy spending to shift the balance.
• New Richland begins flood-damage assessment this week with state agency teams, a required step before the city can seek aid from the Trump administration following severe flooding that damaged homes and displaced residents, MPR News reports.
• Crime and courts: Federal aviation officials are investigating a Sunday small-plane crash in Buffalo, Minn., that killed one man and critically injured another; the victim was identified Monday. Separately, Pao Yang, 41, of Isanti, was charged on six counts including first-degree criminal sexual conduct in the Roseville kidnapping case.
• Sports: The WNBA named Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve its 2026 Coach of the Year (40 of 74 votes) and Lynx guard Olivia Miles Rookie of the Year; the New York Giants acquired quarterback J.J. McCarthy from the Vikings for a 2027 fifth-round pick, pending a physical.

Right Perspective

No right-leaning outlets were included in today's supplied article set; this section is omitted.

International View

All items in this section are from Al Jazeera.

• Ethiopia: The Ethiopian military and allied militias claim to have taken Alamata, a town in the Tigray region.
• US–Saudi diplomacy: Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Saudi Arabia's foreign minister held talks on Yemen and security in the Strait of Hormuz, including hostilities with Yemen's Houthis.
• Philippines: Thousands of Manila transport drivers began a three-day strike over soaring fuel prices; Al Jazeera reports workers blame a US–Israel war on Iran for the increases, while the government has offered free commuter rides.
• West Bank: Al Jazeera reports Israeli settlers attacked and torched two homes belonging to the Tubasi family in Jalud village, and separately documents how Israeli road closures are delaying medical care and turning routine Palestinian journeys into long ordeals.
• Gaza health system: Doctors face difficult triage decisions as patients wait long periods for diagnoses amid shortages of testing equipment.
• Italy: Muslims are questioning Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's burqa ban — calling it "a false problem" — as she moves to stave off a far-right challenger; Al Jazeera reports a small minority is being targeted.
• Pakistan: A feature examines whether Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, 37, the PTI's top elected leader, can win freedom for imprisoned former PM Imran Khan.

Underreported

• Rail shipping costs hit farmers: Railroads are charging more to ship grain and U.S. farmers may have to absorb the added costs, MPR News reports in partnership with Harvest Public Media.
• Nigeria mass abductions: More than 80 people, including farmers and women, were reported abducted in northern Niger and Zamfara states as police found human remains at suspected gang camps, Al Jazeera reports.
• Pope Leo on AI: Pope Leo said concerns about AI risks are not "fake news" and that safety issues should be taken seriously and acted on, according to Al Jazeera.
• Asian Games logistics: Buses taking teams to wrong venues have become a recurring problem at the Games in Japan, with South Korea's volleyball squad the latest affected, Al Jazeera reports.
• FIFA finances: FIFA President Gianni Infantino said he is open to providing the "greatest level of additional funding" to member associations as he seeks re-election amid opposition, Al Jazeera reports.
• Cornell case reopened: New York prosecutors are reinvestigating an alleged 2024 rape case involving the Chi Phi fraternity at Cornell, MPR News reports via NPR.

Sources

• MPR News (mprnews.org): fuel-efficiency rollback (via NPR); Iowa steel plant/Mesabi ore; Minnesota legislative races; New Richland flood assessment; Buffalo plane crash; Roseville kidnapping charges; Lynx awards; McCarthy trade; grain-shipping costs (via Harvest Public Media); Cornell case (via NPR).
• Tangle (readtangle.com): UN assembly and Trump–Xi summit.
• Al Jazeera (aljazeera.com): Kyiv strikes; Gaza satellite images; al-Beik killing; Gaza doctors; West Bank settler attack and road closures; Ethiopia/Tigray; Rubio–Saudi talks; Philippines strikes; Italy burqa ban; Pakistan feature; Nigeria abductions; Pope Leo on AI; Asian Games; FIFA.