August 28, 2026
U.S. ELECTIONS | U.S. MILITARY AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL DE-REGULATION | LAKE ONTARIO | U.S. MILITARY | U.S. ELECTRICAL GRID | PUERTO RICO | U.S., SOUTH KOREA, AND JAPAN | NEPAL | INDONESIA | CONGO | RUSSIA | NORWAY | TODAY IN HISTORY
U.S. ELECTIONS | U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani yesterday blocked, again, implementation of an executive order issued by President Donald Trump that looks to place new restrictions on mail-in voting. The new judicial block follows refiling of updated lawsuits seeking to block the Trump order. [more]
U.S. MILITARY AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | A federal judge yesterday ruled that the Department of Defense acted illegally by designating AI company Anthropic a supply chain and national security risk and restricting use of the company's products after Anthropic expressed concerns its products could be used by the Pentagon for mass surveillance or autonomous armed drones. The government is expected to appeal the judge's ruling. [more]
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL DE-REGULATION | In an analysis published in the journal Science yesterday, economic researchers say the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency relied on flawed economic logic and changed how it valued fuel savings and vehicle costs to justify rolling back federal vehicle emissions standards earlier this year. The researchers say the EPA overestimated the long-term cost benefit of cutting vehicle emissions standards by about $1.5 trillion, meaning the changes would actually end up costing the country $670 billion. [full analysis [more]
LAKE ONTARIO | Amidst ongoing trade conflicts with Canada, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order yesterday renaming Lake Ontario, which is located on the U.S.-Canada border, as "Lake America." Reports note that the order directs the name change be implemented in the federal government's geographic naming service, but has limited power to effect name change or usage elsewhere. [full executive order] [more]
U.S. MILITARY | The Associated Press cites an unnamed U.S. defense official in Europe and a NATO official as saying the U.S. military is experiencing a “beyond critical” shortage of advanced missile interceptor systems in Europe largely due to the conflict with Iran. [more]
U.S. ELECTRICAL GRID | Saying foreign supply of electric equipment “constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat” to national security, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on Wednesday that aims to restrict the purchase and installation of foreign-made components for the U.S. electric grid if doing so poses a risk to grid security or electricity supplies. [full order] [White House fact sheet] [more]
PUERTO RICO | U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, on a visit to Puerto Rico, said yesterday that the Justice Department has charged 81 people with various crimes in connection with the takedown of the Caribbean territory's “Los Baja Deo” criminal gang. Blanche said the gang has, for years, trafficked illegal drugs and is responsible for numerous shootings, killings, kidnappings, and assaults. [more]
U.S., SOUTH KOREA, AND JAPAN | South Korean officials say the U.S., South Korea, and Japan will proceed with their joint Freedom Edge military exercises in the waters off South Korea’s southern Jeju Island next month as planned despite North Korea's condemnation of the trilateral drills as a "reckless show of strength" that challenges regional security. [more]
NEPAL | Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction And Management Authority says the death toll from this week's glacial collapse and related flooding and mudslides has risen to at least 538 and that at least 977 people remain missing. Reports cite officials as saying more than 14,000 security personnel have been deployed to assist in search and rescue efforts, and the International Red Cross estimates that at least 93,000 people "have been affected and are in great need.” [more]
INDONESIA | Police in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta say 322 people have been arrested in connection with street protests that started in the city yesterday and turned into late-night rioting. Reports note that the protests were held to mark the anniversary of deadly anti-government protests last year. [more]
CONGO | Congolese health officials say the African country's ongoing Ebola outbreak – already the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history – has spread to two new health zones in eastern Congo, bringing to 60 the total of such zones now affected. At least 5,794 confirmed cases and 2,786 deaths have been recorded in the outbreak. [more]
RUSSIA | Local authorities say at least 15 people were killed earlier this week when a fire broke out at a chemical production facility under construction in Russia's far-eastern Amur region. The Amur Gas Chemical Complex, reports note, is a joint venture between China’s state oil and gas firm Sinopec and Russian petrochemical company Sibur. [more]
NORWAY | King Harald V of Norway, Europe's oldest monarch, died this morning at the age of 89. Upon Harald's death, his son automatically became King Haakon VIII. [more]
TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1963, some 250,000 people took part in the March on Washington – an event that became a high point of the U.S. civil rights movement, especially remembered for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. [listen to King’s speech] [more history]