US targets Egyptian bank’s UAE branches

The Trump administration is taking steps to limit an Egyptian bank’s operations in the United Arab Emirates, accusing the financial institution of serving as an economic lifeline to Tehran’s leadership as the U.S. war against Iran reaches the six-month mark.

Under a new rule proposed Friday by the Treasury Department, the Emirati branches of Banque Misr, Egypt’s second-largest bank, would be severed from access to the U.S. financial system.

It follows Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s announcement this week of a new campaign to push countries that still do business with the already heavily sanctioned Islamic Republic to sever their financial ties or face retaliation from the United States.

Pentagon’s measures against Anthropic called ‘illegal’

A federal judge has ruled in favor of artificial intelligence company Anthropic in its legal battle against the Pentagon. The government labeled the company a supply chain risk earlier this year. U.S. District Judge Rita Lin issued a written order Thursday night stating the Pentagon acted illegally by punishing Anthropic for criticizing the Department of Defense’s views on AI use.

The dispute began in February when President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accused Anthropic of endangering national security. The government is expected to fight the ruling. Anthropic says it welcomes the decision and remains focused on working with the government.