August 18th, 2026

• ​Trump cheers defense pact between Saudis, Turkey and Pakistan: 'The Mideast is coming together' - US president says the agreement is 'BIG, BOLD, IMPORTANT FIRST STEP' toward having countries 'finally being able to defend themselves in a more meaningful way'
• Report: Trump Threatens to Bomb Oman If It 'Gets In the Way' of Iran War
• Trump Doubles Down on Declaring Strait of Hormuz U.S. Territory as Iran Threatens to Break U.S. Blockade
• Iran signals readiness for 'US ground operations' as strategy shifts gear - Iran's more offensive posture comes after Trump commented that the US would soon make the Strait of Hormuz its territor
• Report: Iran has spent 60-day MOU window getting ready to 'widen the war' - WSJ says Tehran has ramped up production of missiles and drones; IRGC reportedly sent advisers to proxies in Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon to lay plans for expanded regional conflcit
• As 60-day MOU expires, the US and Iran are even further apart than before - With both sides refusing to compromise on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the US naval blockade, there is no clear path out of the war that began on February 28
• Trump confirms IRGC backchannel, but calls for Iran's 'white flag of surrender' - Trump holding strategic patience with Iran: 'Midterms have nothing to do with my thinking'
• Iran Denies Report of 'Backchannel' Negotiations with U.S.
• Brent oil rises above $90 as Iran rules out interim deal extension, threatens to escalate conflict
• Report: Iranian regime operates 'secret plan' to escalate war despite MOU with US - Gulf states alarmed at US failure to contain Iran, reach binding agreement
• Erdogan Urges Trump to Pursue Talks With Iran, Offers Support
• How Turkey Is Making A Bid To Bring Back A Modern Ottoman Empire - From Syria to Jerusalem, Ankara is building the alliances and footholds needed to become the Middle East's dominant power
• Russia is shipping explosives to Iran to bolster its missile and drone arsenal in U.S. war - The Russian shipments, which haven't been previously reported, underscore the deepening strategic alliance between Moscow and Tehran
• Trump: Israel will join US if Iran war reignites
• Trump says he should stay out of Israeli election, but 'may endorse' someone - US president's remarks follow a report claiming he is reluctant to endorse Netanyahu in part due to his poor showing in opinion polls and partially due to wartime disagreements
• False Iranian nuke quote spread from Indian Twitter account to Netanyahu speech in 8 hours - Fabricated statement by IRGC chief seeming to confirm Iran's nuclear ambitions first appeared on Indian account on X, was rapidly cited by Israeli and US leaders, media
• In Cambodia, Iran war forcing families to choose between school for kids or survival - Developing countries reliant on imported energy are most exposed to disruptions from the war, with girls more likely to be impacted in places that prioritize sons
• Report: Iranians Facing 400 Percent Food Price Increases as U.S. Blockade Crushes Economy
• US probe links Gaza online funding campaign to alleged Hamas financing
• Amid Israeli pushback, source reveals Board of Peace weighing new disarmament framework
• Meeting with Kushner, PM doubles down on IDF remaining in Gaza until Hamas disarmed - Kushner predicts progress in Hamas weapon handover within 30 days, reportedly cautions PM against interpreting 'imminent threat' too broadly when approving Gaza strikes
• 'We will not allow Gaza to be rebuilt' until Hamas disarms, Kushner says
• Kushner gives Hamas stark ultimatum: Disarm or Israel gets US backing to 'finish the job'
• US general to oversee transfer of Hamas weapons to Gaza gov't, ISF under Israel-US deal
• US officials want to visit 'besieged' Palestinian town; IDF general warns 'rioters' are harming anti-terror work - IDF chief: 'Need to focus on Iran, Lebanon, Gaza – escalation in Judea & Samaria will divert all IDF forces'
• IDF uses marker to tag interrogated Palestinian on forehead, months after admitting policy inappropriate
• Temple Mount status quo continues to erode as Jews are seen using prayer books for first time
• Commentary: Why hating Israel backfires on Diaspora Jews
• Anti-Israel nonprofit under federal investigation over financial dealings - Federal authorities reportedly probing UK-based organization with roughly $100M war chest used to support anti-Israel causes
• Former Mossad chief says UK not safe for Jews, reveals Mossad saved many British lives
• She thought the Holocaust erased her family. Then a DNA test found 50 relatives - Adriana Turk believed she was the last surviving member of her bloodline. Now, at 74, she is meeting cousins around the world, including in Israel
• Xi Jinping Celebrates Tiananmen Square Massacre at Event Honoring Butcher Jiang Zemin
• WW3 Watch: Moscow Warns the UK Will Pay 'A Higher Price' for Supplying Ukraine With Drones Used in Strikes Deep Inside Russian Territory
• Russia Hypes 'Nuclear War' Threat After British Drones Launched By Ukraine For First Time
• Putin gathers warships with hypersonic missiles in Baltic Sea amidst warning 'Vlad is set to attack Nato in weeks'
• Russia Deploys Hypersonic Missile Warship Near German Island
• Russia builds secret drone bases in striking distance of Nato - Newly built hubs put much of Europe within range of Kremlin's latest weaponry
• Pentagon orders 'research security audits' at 30 universities, academic institutions - "The Department of War has zero tolerance for academic partnerships that compromise our national security."
• Jeffries: Democratic Socialists of America Will Be Part of Our 'Broad Caucus'
• Poll: 58 Percent of Democrats Hold Positive View of Socialism over Capitalism
• John Fetterman Responds to Poll That Democrats Hold Positive View of Socialism: 'This Is Lunacy'
• Questions about Schumer's future grow as Democratic candidates call for change
• KY Gov. Andy Beshear: 'Absolutely Nothing Back' from Mitch McConnell After Demands for Health Update
• Election Officials Are Preparing for Prediction Markets to Sow Chaos in the Midterms - From threats to the safety of poll workers to voters who can't distinguish between odds and results, prediction markets are already scrambling the political process
• British PM Burnham Exchanged Messages With Impersonator Pretending To Be Trump's Chief of Staff Susie Wiles
• Trump crypto firm backs venture offering AI from restricted Chinese companies
• AI boss terminates human worker at San Francisco boutique in first-ever instance of AI-human firing
• Axios teams with OpenAI to fund local news powered by AI to train AI models - "Could we use AI to basically automate everything you need in a local market other than the journalist and the journalism itself?"
• Jeff Bezos founded Amazon to sell books - now the company is feeding them to AI and destroying them: report
• AI Has Plunged the Book Publishing Industry Into Utter Chaos - The spectacular implosions of big deals over suspected AI use are forcing a reckoning over creativity, trust and the future of the industry
• Axios: Behind the massive blowback against Flock cameras
• Internet-Connected Pet Feeders Go Down, Leaving Kitties Hungry - "I am on vacation and cannot tell if my cats are being fed or not."
• 5.8 magnitude earthquake hits near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia
• 5.4 magnitude earthquake hits near Ruteng, Indonesia
• 5.3 magnitude earthquake hits near Colonia, Micronesia
• 5.2 magnitude earthquake hits near Ruteng, Indonesia
• 5.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Kandrian, Papua New Guinea
• 5.1 magnitude earthquake hits the Kuril Islands
• 5.0 magnitude earthquake hits near Ruteng, Indonesia
• Magnitude 4.1 earthquake rattles Hawaiian island slammed by former Hurricane Lala
• Klyuchevskoy volcano on Japan erupts to 22,000ft
• Popocateptl volcano in Mexico erupts to 20,000ft
• Purace volcano in Colombia erupts to 17,000ft
• Fuego volcano in Guatemala erupts to 16,000ft
• Mt Etna volcano in Italy erupts to 16,000ft
• Semeru volcano in Indonesia erupts to 15,000ft
• Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala erupts to 14,000ft
• Reventador volcano in Ecuador erupts to 14,000ft
• Ambae volcano on Vanuatu erupts to 12,000ft
• Sakurajima volcano on Japan erupts to 10,000ft
• American Tourist Dies After Being Struck by Lightning While Trekking Up Erupting Mount Etna
• Two largest US reservoirs hit record lows amid western drought
• Lake Powell sinks to record low as Colorado River crisis deepens - Lake Powell is now only about 30 feet above the minimum elevation needed for Glen Canyon Dam to generate hydroelectricity normally
• Israeli arrested in Greece for negligent arson after BBQ sparks wildfire
• Reform UK Unveils Plans to Cut Welfare by 50 Billion Euros a Year, Including Ending Benefits to Foreigners
• Florida Man Charged with Murdering, Dismembering His Stepfather, Ditching the Body Parts in Suitcases
• Penn State cocaine bust nets 14 arrests over alleged pledge coke-cutting 'indoctrination' rituals
• U.S.-Mexico Team Up to Seize Seven Tons of Cocaine in Pacific Operations
• Italy-Spain border feud exposes Europe's deepening immigration divide - Border incursion from Morocco exposes growing rift over illegal immigration
• The DNC Just Made Abolishing ICE Official Party Policy
• Democrats Swamp State Legislatures with 250 Pro-Migrant Bills to Obstruct Trump's Deportation Mandate
• Ghanaian Migrant Arrested 4 Times in 2 Weeks on Sex-Crime Charges
• California man sentenced to 17.5 years for forcing women into prostitution in multi-state sex trafficking scheme
• Declassified Files Reveal Eric Swalwell Admitted to Sex with Chinese Spy Fang Fang
• Eric Swalwell confessed to drug-fueled sex romp with suspected Chinese spy 'Fang Fang,' bombshell files reveal
• Charlamagne blasts 'dumb' Democrats for getting drawn into WNBA transgender debate ahead of midterms - Radio host says biological men should not play in the WNBA, suggests issue is political trap
• Caitlyn Jenner Blasts WNBA's 'Hypocrisy' Over Trans Athletes
• Mother and Daughter Forced to Cover "XX/XY" Shirts at State Farm Arena After Paying $1,000 Tickets to Support Sophie Cunningham - While Pro-Trans Message Appeared on Jumbotron
• Portland parent banned from school events after opposing gender identity assignment files lawsuit - Liberty Justice Center files lawsuit against Oregon school district, alleging First Amendment violations
• Several Massachusetts Democrats Break with Party over 'Barbaric' New Law Legalizing Abortions Up Until Birth
• Fauci's Phone Reveals Official at NIAID's Vaccine Research Center Warned 'Avoid Vaccination in First Trimester' in 2021
• Anthony Fauci Email: 'Cannot Ignore' Former FDA Official Reporting Coronavirus Vaccine Reactions
• NYT: Welcome to Needle Nation - Weight-loss drugs, peptides, I.V.F. As sharps migrate out of doctors' offices, even needle-phobics are willing to embrace shots.
• 'Ebola Is Winning': Outbreak Becomes Deadliest in DR Congo's History