August 5, 2026
MIDDLE EAST WAR | UKRAINE | U.S. CLIMATE FUNDING | U.S. MILITARIZATION | CALIFORNIA | TEXAS | U.S. EMPLOYMENT | U.S. ELECTIONS | U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT | U.S. AND CHINA | GUATEMALA | TAIWAN | ISRAEL AND GAZA | CANADA | AFGHANISTAN | CONGO | TURKEY | U.K. AND FRANCE | AMAZON RAINFOREST | MORE
MIDDLE EAST WAR | Day 159.
- U.S. President Donald Trump said late yesterday that an agreement to re-open the Strait of Hormuz could happen as early as today. Reports note that Iran and Oman have been negotiating the agreement directly and cite regional officials as saying any deal on the Strait would be linked to lifting the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and shipping. [more]
UKRAINE | Today is day 1,621 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:
- Reuters cites unnamed Ukrainian military sources as saying intelligence indicates that a North Korean missile unit has begun deploying to western Russia and could be equipped with 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers for strikes against Ukraine. [more]
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says at least 17 people were killed, and 44 others were injured, in overnight Russian missile and drone strikes on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. Zelenskyy stressed his country's increased need for missile interceptors from supporters, saying they "could have saved the lives of those killed today." [more]
U.S. CLIMATE FUNDING | Overturning an earlier decision by a three-judge panel of the same court, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled yesterday that the Trump administration's Environmental Protection Agency improperly terminated billions of dollars in funding to boost clean-energy projects. Reports note that the new ruling will be placed on hold for several days to give the EPA time to appeal the decision. [more]
U.S. MILITARIZATION | According to a new Defense Department estimate provided to Congress, the planned extension of the National Guard deployment to Washington, DC, which began last summer on the order of President Donald Trump, will cost about $1.4 billion through January 2029. [more]
CALIFORNIA | In a report released yesterday, Los Angeles County fire officials said sparks from an idle power transmission tower owned by Southern California Edison caused the 2025 Eaton fire in the Los Angeles area that killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,400 homes and businesses. [more]
TEXAS | Four Texas A&M professors and the American Association of University Professors filed a lawsuit this week seeking to block the Texas A&M University System’s restrictions on teaching about race, gender, and sexuality and to reinstate courses canceled under the policies. Plaintiffs argue that the System's restrictions violate professors’ First Amendment rights and are so vague that faculty cannot determine what can be taught without risking discipline. [more]
U.S. EMPLOYMENT | According to Labor Department data released yesterday, U.S. employers posted 7.36 million job vacancies in June, down from 7.54 million in May, and reported 1.8 million layoffs and 5.4 million hires. [full report] [more]
U.S. ELECTIONS | In continuing action following the Supreme Court’s landmark Louisiana v. Callais decision that weakened minority voting protections, both Maryland and Mississippi announced steps this week to examine the redrawing of their respective Congressional districts. [more on Maryland] [more on Mississippi]
U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT | The Senate Judiciary Committee voted, 12-10, along party lines, yesterday to advance the nomination of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for confirmation in his role. A full Senate vote on Blanche's nomination could happen this week. [more]
U.S. AND CHINA | In a continuation of back-and-forth economic measures, China responded to recent U.S. moves today by announcing new export controls on the sale of drones to the United States and banning trade with six U.S. companies and entities. [more]
GUATEMALA | Eruption of Guatemala's Fuego volcano intensified overnight, prompting the evacuation of about 1,700 people and raising alert levels for 29,000 regional residents. [more]
TAIWAN | The Taiwanese military kicked off its annual 10-day Han Kuang exercises today with the goals of simulating a response to a potential Chinese invasion of the self-governed island, testing the military's ability to sustain 24-hour defense operations, and analyzing the population’s response to a disruption in internet service. [more]
ISRAEL AND GAZA | In a move seemingly at odds with a deal announced recently by U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday this his country's forces would not withdraw from Gaza until the Hamas militant group in the Palestinian enclave disarms completely. [more]
CANADA | Authorities in Canada's British Columbia province said yesterday that the fast-moving Bradley Creek wildfire has destroyed about 230 homes in an Indigenous community near the city of Vernon. [more]
AFGHANISTAN | Officials at the U.N.'s World Food Program said yesterday that child malnutrition has reached critical levels in a third of Afghanistan’s provinces and is expected to worsen amidst cuts in food distribution and other support caused by funding shortfalls. [more]
CONGO | World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is in the Democratic Republic of Congo today to support responses to the country's ongoing Ebola outbreak, which has seen 3,874 cases and 1,751 deaths as of early this week. [more]
TURKEY | Lawmakers introduced a draft law in the Turkish parliament this week that seeks to implement a lasting peace with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group by protecting many former militants from prosecution and suspending prison sentences for others. [more]
U.K. AND FRANCE | British and French teams are reported to have rescued 157 migrants yesterday after the engine of the boat on which the migrants were attempting to cross from France to the U.K. caught fire. [more]
AMAZON RAINFOREST | Authorities from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru said yesterday that 839 people were arrested in a coordinated two-week operation last month by the countries to crack down on environmental crimes in the Amazon rainforest. Operation Green Shield 2026, which ran from July 15-31, involved more than 3,500 police officers targeting illegal mining, logging, wildlife trafficking, fuel smuggling, and land occupation. [more]
FOOTBALL | Bijan Robinson has reportedly agreed to a new three-year, $66.75 million contract extension with the Atlanta Falcons, making him the NFL's highest-paid running back. [more]
ENDANGERED SPECIES | Leonardo DiCaprio's Re:wild and Jeff Bezos' Earth Fund foundations yesterday announced the founding and $200 million funding of the Phoenix Species Project – an initiative to revive 100 of the Earth's most endangered species. [more]
TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1964, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson put the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution before Congress. The resolution served as the principal constitutional authorization for the subsequent escalation of the U.S. military's involvement in the Vietnam War. [more history]