Houthis vow more Saudi strikes, White House press ban stays blocked, Bank of America penalties
Yemen's Houthis vow more attacks on Saudi airports and oil sites after a missile hit an Aramco office building, a judge extends his block on the White House ban of CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters, Bank of America faces about $1.2 billion in penalties, Congo's Ebola cases pass 9,000, and the Rays even the ALCS.
A missile hit an administrative building at Saudi Aramco's complex in Dhahran on Tuesday, causing what the Saudi Press Agency called a "limited fire"; no injuries were reported. Yemen's Houthis said they targeted Aramco facilities in Dhahran, Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport and an Aramco refinery in Riyadh, and that they will keep up such attacks. The Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted further Houthi missiles aimed at Riyadh. Qatar Airways has temporarily suspended flights to Riyadh and Dammam.
Saudi Arabia saysSaudi Arabia's cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said the Houthis will face "consequences" for attacks across the kingdom; the coalition says the Houthis use Yemeni fuel facilities to store missiles and drones.
The Houthis saySpokesman Yahya Saree called Saudi oil facilities "a legitimate target," warned people near them to leave, and the group says it will keep targeting Saudi airports and oil facilities.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday blocking the administration from enforcing its ban on reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico at the White House while the case continues. He found the outlets are likely to succeed on their free speech and due process claims. Trump announced the bans Sept. 18; the Boston Globe reports they affected 78 reporters.
The administration saysGovernment lawyers argued White House access is a privilege, not a right, and that the bans protect national security and stop misinformation; its letters said the flagged reporting "threatened national security and/or spread falsehoods."
The outlets sayTheir lawyer, Theodore Boutrous, said the president "blatantly and explicitly violated due process and the First Amendment"; they argue the ban punishes reporters for coverage he dislikes.
Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network assessed a $1.2 billion penalty against Bank of America, which includes credit for a $750 million penalty from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the largest in that agency's history. Treasury's OFAC separately settled 475 apparent sanctions violations for $11.6 million. Regulators say the bank failed to promptly report more than $5 billion in suspicious transactions. The bank says it will take a $1.2 billion charge in third-quarter results, about 17 cents a share.
Regulators sayFinCEN says the bank admitted willfully violating the Bank Secrecy Act; the OCC found it had not fixed problems it agreed to address in a December 2024 order.
Bank of America says"Financial crime compliance is serious, and we are responsible for getting it right," a spokesperson said, adding the bank is "far along with and committed to completing the work."
Congo's Health Ministry reported 9,066 confirmed Ebola cases and 4,381 deaths on Tuesday, across 65 health zones in seven provinces. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, which has no approved vaccine or treatment. Kenya has reported a case imported from Congo.
Freddy Peralta threw six scoreless innings and Liam Hicks hit a two-run single as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 3-1 on Tuesday night, tying the American League Championship Series 1-1. Game 3 is Thursday night in Cleveland.
