The Putin ally who paid for Trump Jr.'s wedding party

Olivia-Anne Cleary | September 15, 2026

Hello, readers. If, like me, you’re someone who asks visitors to remove their shoes upon stepping into your home, then you’ll be pleased to know you’re doing exactly the right thing. Below, our Health desk delves into why your living space is no place for outside shoes.

Elsewhere in today’s Brief, we’re looking at how Canada is pursuing new ties with the European Union as it drifts further from the U.S. amid an all-out trade war. Plus, our TV critic gives us a rundown on last night’s Emmys and how the ceremony fell flat.

IN TODAY’S BRIEF

Trump Jr. wedding revelations
McConnell returns
Canada inches closer to Europe
Wearing shoes in the house? Absolutely not
Reflections on the Emmy Awards
I would walk 2,564 miles
Remembering an icon

READ THIS FIRST

Russian businessman with ties to Putin partly funded Trump Jr.’s wedding celebrations

Getty Images

A Russian businessman with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin footed the bill for celebrations following the wedding of President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., and his wife, Bettina, the couple have confirmed.

Oligarch Umar Kremlev’s contributions to the wedding festivities were first reported by ProPublica, which wrote that he spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to rent out a private island in the Bahamas and a fireworks show.

Trump Jr. and Bettina Trump shared a statement on social media in response to criticism over Kremlev’s financial involvement, denying any political motive behind his gift.

“Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding,” they wrote in a post on Bettina Trump’s Instagram. “It’s unfortunate that something so personal and happy can be recast as something political or sinister simply because of who someone is or where they come from.” —Connor Greene

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VIEW FROM D.C.

McConnell returns to Senate to cast vote after three-month absence

Finn Gomez—Getty Images

Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky returned to the Senate on Monday for the first time in more than three months. The 84-year-old has been in recovery following a "bad fall" in June.

“I’m still not quite back to 100%, but I’ve assured [Senate Majority Leader John Thune] that, as I continue with physical therapy on the advice of my doctors, I will do my best to be present for tough votes when our Conference needs me,” McConnell said of his return.

McConnell plans to retire in January, when his term comes to an end. This is not the first time that he has had a health scare; he has had multiple falling incidents in recent years. —Chantelle Lee

HAPPENING NOW

Canada seeks 'unique alliance' with E.U. Here's what it could look like

Thibault Camus—Getty Images

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country is seeking a “unique alliance” with the European Union as he aims to strengthen international ties amid a deepening trade war with the U.S.

Canada’s European pivot has been months in the making, following growing tensions between Carney’s government and the Trump Administration. Canada’s retaliatory tariffs came into effect last week, matching the economic pressure imposed by the U.S. after negotiations collapsed last month. Since returning to office, Trump has also repeatedly threatened to annex Canada.

As Carney seeks to curtail Canada's economic reliance on the American market, he is set to deliver a high-stakes speech to the European Parliament on Thursday.

“I would expect that he will use that address to call on the E.U. to work with Canada to push this idea of co-operation beyond the North Atlantic and include partners and allies in the Indo-Pacific,” Patrick Leblond, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa, tells TIME. —Tiago Ventura

HEALTH CHECK

Why you should never wear shoes in your house

Massimo Ravera—Getty Images

Every time you welcome a guest into your home, you may be letting in thousands of other ones as well—if you allow your visitors to wear their shoes when they enter. The world outside your door is a messy place—full of bacteria, viruses, and environmental toxins—and the soles of your shoes can pick up a lot.

According to one 2023 CBS News/YouGov poll, 63% of Americans regularly remove their shoes when they get home, and 24% ask their guests to do the same. This year, the Indiana Department of Health launched a “Shoes Free Protects You and Me” ad campaign about the benefits of a no-shoes policy at home, targeting tracked-in lead in particular.

In one 2008 study, Charles Gerba, professor of virology at the University of Arizona, studied 26 pairs of shoes that had been worn for three months in the outside world and came up with some alarming results. The shoes carried between 3,600 and 8 million colony-forming units of bacteria. —Jeffrey Kluger

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IN FOCUS

The Emmys squandered beloved first-time host Mariska Hargitay

Kevin Winter—Getty Images

A day before Monday’s 78th Primetime Emmys, giddy headlines proclaimed that reigning king of basketball Jalen Brunson would be joining host Mariska Hargitay, famed for NBC’s Law & Order: SVU, for a pre-taped intro bit. Well, it happened. We got a few seconds of the real-life pals steaming work outfits together, of all things.

Then, suddenly, Hargitay was leading an “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” production number that had her singing about Guy Fieri on an airplane and cuddling up with Jean Smart in a hotel bed, in what felt uncomfortably like an ad for Marriott and United Airlines, whose logos were prominently placed. And then she was onstage at L.A.’s Peacock Theater, delivering a notably brief monologue. Spanning just eight minutes, the opening segment proved to be an accurate preview of a mediocre NBC and Peacock telecast that was by turns hasty, random, heavily reliant on big-name cameos, and not much of a showcase for Hargitay at all.

It was a shame, not least because Hargitay was touted as the Emmys’ first female host since Jane Lynch in 2011. For many years after the Glee standout’s stint, the awards relied on a rotating cast of SNL and talk-show guys. Recently, however, with late night in decline, they’ve cast a wider net.

All told, it was neither an excruciating Emmys nor a great one. There were certainly some lovely moments. The Catherine O’Hara tribute from her on-screen children stood out as moving in its genuine warmth and specificity. More often, opportunities to honor a beloved person or show were squandered; was Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz presenting an award together really the exciting 30th anniversary Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion fans were anticipating? Similarly, Hargitay didn’t embarrass herself.

Many of the flaws in her performance should be blamed on lackluster writing, from a non sequitur segue after her self-deprecating Ghoulies flashback to that unforgivable “Hannah Mammogramma” pun. She may have failed to match the Levys’ energy or belatedly prove herself as a great comic talent, but at least she avoided a Bargatze- or Seacrest-level disaster and came out with her likability intact. Regardless of whether she gets invited back, here’s to the Emmys giving women more chances to be wonderful, awful, and even just-OK Emmys hosts. —Judy Berman

ONE NUMBER

2,564

A pack of African wild dogs in Zambia traveled a record 2,564 miles in search of mates and new territory, according to a study in Ecology. It is the longest African mammal movement on record, the study’s authors say.

SOURCE: ECOLOGY

A VIRAL MOMENT

In loving memory

Catherine O’Hara was honored by her on-screen children during a moving tribute at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards. Macaulay Culkin of Home Alone joined Dan Levy and Annie Murphy of Schitt’s Creek to reflect on their time with the late actor and the legacy she leaves behind.

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