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MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• The U.N. human rights office says an Israeli plan to build thousands of new homes between an Israeli settlement in the West Bank and near East Jerusalem would put nearby Palestinians at risk of forced eviction and be in violation of international law. [more]
• Naim Qassem, the leader of Hezbollah, said today that the Iranian-backed militia is prepared to fight against American-backed, Lebanese government-approved efforts to disarm it. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,268 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• U.S. President Donald Trump suggested yesterday that there was a 25% chance that today's summit in Alaska with Russian president Vladimir Putin would fail to result in an agreement on the war in Ukraine. [more]

U.S. ELECTIONS | Texas Democratic lawmakers say they are close to ending a nearly two-week walkout amidst state Republican plans to redraw congressional district maps to help the GOP retain control of the U.S. House of Representatives following the 2026 elections. The move comes as California Gov. Gavin Newsom says his state will move forward with a similar plan to benefit Democratic candidates to counter the Texas action. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | Labor Department data released yesterday shows that wholesale inflation in the U.S., as measured by the producer price index, rose significantly in July – up 0.9% from June and up 3.3% from the year-ago period. [more]

MORE U.S. ECONOMY | The Commerce Department reports today that U.S. retail sales rose 0.5% in July after an upwardly revised 0.9% gain in June. Data indicates that sales promotions by Amazon and Walmart and a rush to buy battery-powered electric vehicles ahead of the September 30 expiration of federal government tax credits contributed to the monthly sales increases. [more]

U.S. MORTGAGES | The average rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage in the U.S. fell to 6.58% this week – down from 6.63% last week and the lowest level in nearly 10 months – according to mortgage firm Freddie Mac. [more]

U.S. EDUCATION | Maryland-based U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher yesterday struck down two Trump administration actions aimed at eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in schools and universities, finding that the Education Department violated the law when it threatened to cut federal funding from educational institutions that continued with DEI initiatives. [more]

WASHINGTON, DC | As part of Trump administration moves to increase federal control of Washington D.C., U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi yesterday appointed Drug Enforcement Agency head Terry Cole to be the city's emergency police commissioner. D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb responded by saying that Bondi's directive was "unlawful" and filed a lawsuit today seeking to block Cole's appointment. [more]

NEW YORK | Health officials said yesterday that four people have died, and 17 remain hospitalized, in an ongoing outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in New York City. Reports say the bacteria that causes the disease has been discovered in 12 cooling towers on 10 buildings, including a city-run hospital and sexual health clinic. [more]

FLORIDA | Gov. Ron DeSantis announced yesterday that a second immigration detention facility will be opened in Florida. The "Deportation Depot" detention center will be co-located with the Baker Correctional Institution in northern Florida. [more]

MISSISSIPPI | The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday refused to block a Mississippi state law that requires social media companies to verify the ages of users, ruling that the law can be enforced while related court challenges proceed. In a brief concurring statement, Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that there is a good chance the law would be found unconstitutional, but that challengers had not shown it must be blocked while lawsuits unfold. [more]

TROPICAL STORM ERIN | Flood watch alerts and tropical storm warnings have been issued for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands ahead of the arrival of Tropical Storm Erin this weekend. The storm is not expected to reach the mainland U.S., according to meteorologists. [more]

GLOBAL CONFLICTS | A United Nations report released yesterday says that sexual violence in conflicts worldwide increased by 25% in 2024. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says more than 4,600 people survived conflict-related sexual violence in 2024 and notes that 63 government and non-government parties in a dozen countries are suspected of committing or being responsible for rape and other forms of sexual violence in conflict. [full U.N. report] [more]

GLOBAL PLASTICS POLLUTION | A U.N.-backed summit on global plastics pollution ended today in Geneva, Switzerland, with delegates from 184 countries failing to reach agreement on what was hoped to be the first legally binding treaty on plastic pollution worldwide. [more]

EUROPEAN WILDFIRES | Much of southern Europe remains under high wildfire risk today amidst ongoing hot and dry conditions. The European Union’s civil protection agency says it has responded to wildfire-related requests for assistance this week from Greece, Spain, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Albania. [more]

MEXICO | Data released this week by Mexico's National Institute of Statistics and Geography indicates that some 8.3 million Mexicans were lifted out of poverty between 2022 and 2024 – a nearly 18% drop in the number of people living in poverty in the country. [more]

PAKISTAN | Emergency officials say more than 150 people have died in flash floods in northern and northwestern Pakistan over the past 24 hours. Search, rescue, and relief efforts are ongoing in the affected regions today. [more]

KASHMIR | Disaster management officials in India-controlled Kashmir say at least 60 people died, and dozens remain missing, following flash floods caused by torrential rains yesterday around the remote Himalayan village of Chositi. Search and rescue efforts resumed today after being suspended overnight. [more]

INDIA | As part of remarks today celebrating his country's 78th anniversary of independence from British colonial rule and in the wake of recent clashes between India and Pakistan, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India will punish Pakistan for any future attacks. [more]

TURKEY | In what analysts suggest is an ongoing crackdown on the country's opposition, Turkish authorities arrested Inan Guney, the mayor of a key Istanbul district, and some 40 other officials today as part of an investigation into alleged corruption. [more]

MALI | Reports say the military government of Mali has arrested a group of military personnel and civilians, including two Malian generals, on suspicion of attempting to destabilize and carry out a coup in the West African nation. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1914, the Panama Canal officially opened as the SS Ancon crossed the just-completed waterway connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. [more history]