The music world descended on Los Angeles on Sunday evening as the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards got underway at the Peacock Theater.

As always, the VMAs red carpet delivered plenty of unforgettable fashion, with music’s biggest names arriving in bold, glamorous and attention-grabbing looks.

JoJo, 35, made an early statement in a revealing two-piece ensemble that showcased her toned midriff, pairing a tiny bra top with a dramatic floor-length skirt.

The singer completed the look with chunky silver accessories and wore her long hair in loose, softly styled waves.

Chloe Bailey, Beyoncé’s protégée, also commanded attention as she arrived in a sparkling silver gown covered in dazzling embellishments.

Teyana Taylor, 35, brought high-fashion glamour to the event in a plunging black lace creation from Zuhair Murad Couture, looking striking as she posed for photographers.

One of the evening’s biggest anticipated moments will come when Taylor Swift accepts the inaugural Artist Director Honors.

The honor is expected to move the 36-year-old superstar ahead of Beyoncé, 44, in the record books. Both entered Sunday’s ceremony tied as the most decorated artists in VMA history, with 30 awards each.

Normani added to the red carpet glamour in a breathtaking dark metallic gown, finished with an intricate floral detail that served as the centerpiece of the look.

Charli XCX highlighted her sculpted abs in a tiny black top styled with a coordinating floor-length skirt.

Among the first arrivals was model Haley Kalil, who showcased her toned arms in a shimmering silver Marc Bouwer gown.

British singer-songwriter Raye, 28, glittered in a plunging couture gown by Georges Hobeika.

Bebe Rexha opted for an edgy look, wearing a daring black lace mini dress with lace-up high-heeled boots.

Love Island USA star Olandria drew plenty of attention in a brown leather gown featuring lace-up detailing.

Keltie Knight embraced a wild print moment in a cheetah-patterned mini dress, which she paired with studded boots reaching above the knee.

Reality television personality Chanel West Coast mixed Western flair with animal print, teaming a cheetah lace dress with a cowboy hat.

Nirvana members Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear reunited on the red carpet, creating a memorable rock moment. Grohl’s wife, Jordyn Blum, also made a rare public appearance at the ceremony. Their marriage faced turmoil after Grohl revealed in September 2024 that he had fathered a child with another woman.

Meanwhile, Alyssa Smith opted for a pop of color in a bright green gown and matching heels. 

Juliet Schroder showed off her legs in a silver mini dress while Eva Gutowski stunned in a gothic corset ensemble.

Inasmuch as Beyonce has no nominations this year, Swift will become the sole reigning record-holder.

The MTV VMA Artist Director Honors celebrates a sustained and influential body of work from artists who have pushed creative boundaries and developed a clear directorial voice.

Swift has utilized music videos as an extension of her songwriting as she has directed the visuals for her tracks:  The Fate of Ophelia, Opalite, The Man, cardigan, willow, All Too Well: The Short Film, Anti-Hero, Bejeweled, Fortnight (feat. Post Malone), I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault), Karma (feat. Ice Spice) and Lavender Haze.

No doubt diehard Swifties will be watching the event with plenty of scrutiny as she released deluxe album The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore along with new single Patient Zero on Friday.

Meanwhile, nominees were unveiled last month and it was Madonna who emerged as the artist with the most nods.

Madonna, 68, is in competition for a staggering 11 prizes, narrowly beating out Swift, who has nods in nine categories.

They will be vying against each other for the evening’s top honor, video of the year, with Swift up for The Fate of Ophelia and Madonna for Confessions II (The Film).

Rounding out the category are the music videos for Hate That I Made You Love Me by Ariana Grande, Tears by Sabrina Carpenter, I Just Might by Bruno Mars and Storm by GENER8ION (starring Yung Lean).

Madonna famously performed at the first-ever VMAs in 1984, bursting from a gigantic wedding cake while dressed in a bridal gown for a rendition of Like a Virgin.

She has emerged as a reliable engine of memorable moments at the extravaganza, where she ignited a fan frenzy in 2003 by kissing Britney Spears on the lips.

Over the course of her more than four-decade career, Madonna has earned a total of 19 VMAs, meaning that in order to equal Swift and Beyonce’s current record she will have to triumph in every category in which she is nominated this year.

Confessions II (The Film) is in the running to win best direction, best cinematography, best visual effects, best editing, best choreography, best art direction and dance video of the year.

Trailing Madonna and Swift, Grande and Carpenter are tied for third place with seven nominations apiece, while Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson each have five.

The artist of the year category is a face-off between Madonna, Swift, Grande, Carpenter, Mars and country music heartthrob Morgan Wallen.

Madonna and Carpenter have landed a joint song of the year nomination for their duo Bring Your Love, the lead single of the former’s new album Confessions II.

Their rivals are Ella Langley for Choosin’ Texas, BTS for Swim, Raye for Where Is My Husband, Olivia Dean for Man I Need and HUNTR/X for their Oscar-winning number Golden from the streaming sensation KPop Demon Hunters. 

Madonna’s Confessions II (The Film) is up for dance video of the year, against such competition as  Aperture by Harry Styles, Runway by Lady Gaga and Doechii and New Religion by Bebe Rexha and Faithless.

The other nominees in that category are Dance… by Slayyyter, Stateside by PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson and Nobody’s Girl by Tate McRae.

Madonna and Carpenter could also win best collaboration, for which they would have to beat out Clipse, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T and Malice for Chains & Whips as well as Shakira and Burna Boy for Dai Dai.

Also in that category are Teyana Taylor and Lucky Daye’s Hard Part, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson’s Stateside and French Montana and Max B’s Ever Since U Left Me.

Best pop video has emerged as a contest between Hate That I Made You Love Me, The Fate of Ophelia and Nobody’s Girl, as well as Dream by the Blackpink breakout Lisa, SS26 by Charli XCX, Drop Dead by Olivia Rodrigo and House Tour by Carpenter.

Madonna’s VMAs coup comes after she earned a burst of critical acclaim and fan adoration for her latest album Confessions II, which was released July 3 and serves as a sequel to her 2005 smash hit Confessions on a Dance Floor.

During the promotions for Confessions II, Madonna went viral for describing John F Kennedy Jr as one of the best lovers she ever had. 

Madonna was asked to reveal her ‘best f***,’ and after insisting she would ‘only name dead people,’ whispered: ‘John Kennedy Jr.’

The Queen of Pop indulged in a dalliance with ‘America’s Prince’ in the 1980s, to the purported dismay of his mother Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Madonna paid her compliments to JFK Jr’s bedroom skills while appearing in a video for the gay hookup app Grindr, with which she had launched a Pride month partnership as an advertisement for Confessions II.

Meanwhile, the fever-pitch publicity around Swift reached a zenith this summer with her Madison Square Garden wedding to NFL star Travis Kelce on July 3.

WASHINGTON — Iran’s struggling economy could soon have “nothing to trade,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, predicting that the country will complete its remaining oil deliveries within roughly two weeks.

Bessent said Iran is increasingly desperate to reach an agreement as its economic crisis deepens. He attributed the worsening pressure to the administration’s Operation Economic Outcast and warned that Tehran’s situation could deteriorate sharply in the coming weeks.

“I am confident, given that there’s only 15 million more barrels of Iranian oil on the water, that Iran will have nothing left to trade for anything,” Bessent told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”

“Probably within the next two weeks, they are going to make their final deliveries of oil to China, and then they will have nothing,” Bessent said. “It is an empty set. And I believe that they are feeling the pressure here, and that’s why they want a deal.”

The comments come after the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran fell apart in July. Since then, the United States has imposed a broad blockade around the regime, restricting vessels from entering or leaving the war-torn country.

Bessent unveiled Operation Economic Outcast last month as the administration intensified its campaign against Iran. The effort targets foreign governments and companies that continue doing business with the Islamic Republic.

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Last week, senior Iranian officials promoted a seven-day ceasefire proposal. Under the plan, Tehran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz in return for the United States unfreezing about $12 billion in assets, ending the blockade and easing economic sanctions.

President Trump rejected the proposal, telling reporters that the terms were unacceptable.

“The straits are open,” Bessent said. “We’re averaging now 15 to 22 million barrels a day… It was at about 20 [million] pre-conflict.”

The Strait of Hormuz has experienced repeated disruptions since early March, when Iran launched sporadic attacks on vessels. Before the conflict, the waterway carried nearly one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil supplies each year.

The Trump administration, however, has said that US military forces are escorting commercial ships along a route near Oman’s coastline.

“They are isolated from the world,” Bessent said. “They are a pariah state. And my job is to make sure that, when they come with a deal, that they want to stick to it. They did not stick to the MOU.”

“Next time, if there is a deal, and that’s at President Trump’s discretion, they will stick to it, because they are on their knees,” he added.

My latest Daily Mail column sparked an immediate backlash.

Last week, I reported that the midterm prospects for Republicans appeared to be worsening with fewer than 40 days remaining before the election. That assessment was based on conversations with Republican officeholders, candidates and strategists, including several committed MAGA supporters.

The story quickly went viral, helped by a series of posts on X that drew more than 6 million views.

On Friday, I wrote on X: ‘As of now, I’ve heard from 17 additional Republican strategists and all of them confirm what I’ve been told is accurate… and none have contacted me to complain or dispute my reporting.’

Several hours later, Chris LaCivita, who served as co-manager of Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, answered.

‘I have received 18 calls all saying the same thing,’ he wrote. ‘@MarkHalperin is full of s**t.’

Apparently, my offense was saying aloud what many Republicans already recognize. I have yet to be persuaded that I was wrong. I am neither an oracle nor a fortune teller—only a journalist and analyst. My assessment of the GOP’s electoral position is not drawn from public polling, which many voters understandably distrust. Nor am I presenting a hunch or claiming to know exactly what will happen.

I am reporting what I have heard from scores of Republican strategists and candidates working on midterm races nationwide. They have access to sophisticated private polling, along with extensive qualitative and quantitative data—and much of that information has left them deeply pessimistic.

Perhaps Senator Susan Collins will prevail in Maine. Perhaps Republicans will retain their seats in Iowa, Michigan, Alaska, Ohio—and even Texas.

It is also possible that Donald Trump will spend the final stretch doing what few politicians have done better in modern times: dominating the news cycle, energizing his supporters and transforming the election into a referendum on the Democratic Party’s unpopular positions.

Republican advertising, opposition research and turnout operations could still descend on Democratic candidates with overwhelming force.

Maybe.

I know serious Republicans who consider every one of those outcomes plausible. And I say that as someone who has argued for more than a decade that Trump is, behind Bill Clinton, the most talented political athlete of the past 40 years. Anyone who underestimates his endurance, instincts or willingness to attempt virtually anything does so at considerable risk.

Still, after watching the latest sequence of events, I detect a different pattern.

The machinery of the White House appears to be coming loose as Republicans confront the possibility of a sweeping Democratic wave.

That shift is not the result of a sudden burst of brilliance from Democratic leaders. Rather, it reflects a punishing combination for any governing party heading into a midterm: unpopular wars and persistently high prices.

Voters do not need a policy briefing to know that groceries, gasoline and electricity have become too expensive. In midterm elections, they generally hold the president and his party responsible.

Trump’s job-approval ratings are deeply troubling, with particularly sharp declines among young men, women, Hispanics and independents. These are not marginal constituencies; they include many of the voters who helped deliver Trump victory in 2024.

The electoral map adds another layer of danger. Republicans are not simply defending vulnerable seats in familiar battlegrounds. They are now being forced to protect territory where a GOP candidate should normally be able to campaign with little concern—including Florida and Kansas.

Every dollar spent and presidential visit expended plugging a leak in a red state is a resource lost.

Trump is now even reportedly considering holding a rally in Alabama.

Alabama!

This is the political equivalent of sending Barack Obama to Vermont in the homestretch.

The White House’s recent attempt to ban CNN, Politico and MS NOW from its grounds was another spectacular own goal. A Trump-appointed judge ordered the administration to restore access, finding the ban likely unconstitutional. The episode accomplished nothing except generating days of negative coverage, uniting major news organizations (including Fox News) against the White House and making the president look distracted and vindictive.

Now, Republican candidates are beginning to distance themselves from Trump, which produces damaging headlines and raises the obvious question of whether the president will tolerate their disloyalty, even when it is necessary for the party’s survival.

On Saturday evening, we got our answer.

The President reposted more than a dozen Truth Social posts criticizing Florida Republican Maria Elvira Salazar, a Cuban-American three-term incumbent, who finds herself in a tight race against her Democratic opponent in a district that Trump carried by 15 percentage points in 2024.

She dramatically broke with the administration last week, accusing the President’s deportation policy of ‘going too far’ and alienating hispanic voters.

No doubt, Salazar, a 20-year fixture in her South Florida community, identified immigration policy as a political vulnerability and moved to address it.

One of the messages amplified by Trump on Saturday read: ‘We need a NEW Republican to replace Salazar.’

The President’s behavior suggests that he’d rather hurt Salazar’s electoral chances and potentially sacrifice another Republican seat in Congress than accept her criticism.

It’s just another move from this White House that is maddening to the Republicans I speak to, including some from districts similar to Salazar’s, which, only weeks ago, were presumed to be safely in GOP hands.

Meanwhile, Republicans are grumbling that Trump’s political operation may be sitting on too much of its enormous cash reserves, instead of spending whatever it takes to save endangered candidates.

The party does have a substantial financial advantage and that could matter enormously. But money in a bank account does not persuade a single voter.

Abroad, the White House appears to be searching for the kind of breakthrough that could change the subject. Though, a last-minute agreement with Iran looks more like a mirage than a plan.

The Washington summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping may have produced grand ceremony, flattering photographs and sweeping presidential adjectives. But what is far less clear is how it lowers gas prices and makes voters feel better.

There are larger economic dangers as well. Interest rates, the bond market, the exploding debt and deficit and the vast sums of money pouring into artificial intelligence should worry anyone aware of how quickly economic confidence can vanish.

Trump’s full-speed embrace of AI and giant data centers may prove visionary. It may also become a symbol of an administration that is more interested in billionaires and machines than families staring at another ugly utility bill.

None of this means Republicans are doomed. Trump has escaped more tight situations than MacGruber. Democrats remain fully capable of overreaching, choking in debates and frightening away persuadable voters.

But the burden of proof has shifted. Republicans now need nearly everything to go right, while Democrats need economic conditions to stay the same or deteriorate.

At the moment, the prospects for improvement in the next few weeks are dim.

And the President, in the view of many of his long-time supporters in Republican politics, does not appear to be doing much of anything to help the cause.

An Airbnb guest shot an 18-year-old suspect who allegedly entered a Fort Lauderdale home during an attempted armed robbery, according to police and local reports.

The incident unfolded around 6 p.m. Thursday when two armed men allegedly forced their way into the rental property and became involved in a confrontation with the guest, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department told CBS Miami.

During the confrontation, the unidentified renter—who was also armed—shot suspect Dareon Pubien in the chest, authorities said.

Pubien allegedly ran from the home, but officers located him nearby after following a trail of blood around the corner, according to the report.

The injured teen was transported to a local hospital and underwent surgery. He was later listed in critical but stable condition.

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Arthur Butler Jr., who lives across the street, said he heard a rapid burst of gunfire Thursday and called 911.

“Maybe at least 10, and then everybody was running,” Butler Jr. told the outlet.

Police also arrested Pubien’s alleged accomplice, 25-year-old Sean Thompson, in connection with the robbery. Both men face charges of attempted felony murder and home invasion with a firearm.

Thompson was ordered held without bond. Pubien is expected to appear for arraignment after he is released from the hospital.

The Fort Lauderdale Police Department did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.