US politics looks increasingly chaotic, with an ailing senator wheeled back to work, a Russian oligarch bankrolling a presidential son's wedding, and oil executives warning of a fuel crunch.

• Mitch McConnell, 84, returned to the Senate to vote for the first time since a fall in June, after 92 days away and with an election already set to replace him.
• A Russian oligarch with ties to a state-backed biker gang paid for Donald Trump Jr.'s lavish Bahamas wedding parties; the family does not deny it and calls the scrutiny unfair.
• Oil executives, including Chevron's chief, say a fuel crisis has arrived as Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz disruptions bite, while Trump officials call it temporary.
• Middle East tensions keep escalating: Iran says no talks until its demands are met, Saudi jets are flying heavy raids, and a US carrier is publicly displaying its stockpile of bombs.
• The Supreme Court blocked Trump's new mail ballot rules for the midterms, and Trump dismissed AI safety fears as a hoax in a call patched onto stage with Nvidia's Jensen Huang.

Outlook: Expect more pressure on gas prices and more questions about the Trump family's foreign money ties as the midterms approach.