- Wednesday August 19th, 2026
- "It Is Not A Question of Who Is Right Or Wrong But What Is Right Or Wrong That Counts."
- --Geoff Metcalf
- Providing an on line Triage of the news since 1998
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World & Nation
Trump Shifts Iran Strategy, Turns Up Pressure
President Donald Trump seems to have adopted a new, more deliberate approach in the war with Iran, CNN reported Wednesday.
Trump told his top envoys to halt conversations with Tehran, while
White House officials told political allies the administration is
shifting from seeking to "hammer Iran ASAP" to seeking to "strangle
them" over time by economically squeezing the regime, according to CNN.
The change follows weeks of frustration over stalled diplomacy and
Iran's refusal to meet Trump's demands, particularly over the
strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
Iran loses key economic lifeline in Middle East that Trump's sanctions couldn't reach as deadlock persists
The UAE's move severs one of Tehran's most important commercial links, cutting off Iran's imports valued at roughly $21B
The United Arab Emirates suspended all trade, commercial exchanges and
financial transactions with Iran after accusing Tehran of firing
ballistic missiles toward maritime traffic.
The action severs one of the Islamic Republic’s most important
commercial and financial links and threatens to close off an economic
route President Donald Trump's sanctions have struggled to reach. It
also further deepens Iran’s isolation amid its standoff with the U.S.
The UAE supplied 31% of Iran’s imports, valued at roughly $21 billion,
in 2024, and was the destination for 13% of its exports, according to
World Trade Organization trade data.
Iran Eyes Military Targets in Europe if Trump Escalates War
Iran's defiant leaders have considered attacking U.S. military targets in Europe, the Financial Times reported.
Iranian forces have assessed possible strikes on American assets in
southeastern Europe, including Bulgaria, if President Donald Trump
escalates the war, two regime insiders told the Financial Times.
Cyprus also has been considered as a potential target for retaliation in the event of another U.S. offensive.
Key takeaways from action-packed primary election night in Florida
Rep. Byron Donalds secured the Republican nomination for governor
Tuesday night in one of several major races that were on the ballot in
Florida’s primary elections.
Results came in fast and furious in the Sunshine State, where one House
incumbent was unseated, several others fended off insurgent primary
challengers and a Democratic Senate hopeful was dealt a stunning defeat
by a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Jared Moskowitz and Randy Fine
(R-Fla.) made it through to the general election despite facing
opposition from the extremist flanks of their respective parties.
Trump
has a problem: Iran is ready to go ‘fully offensive’ and expand the war
well beyond Hormuz, one senior official told Reuters
The war with Iran was complicated again on Monday, August 17, when two
drones launched from Iranian territory targeted the office of Iraqi
Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and the residence of one of
the region’s most senior security officials.
The attacks caused material damage but no casualties, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
The region’s Counter-Terrorism Service said the drones came from the
direction of Iran, though Tehran has not publicly claimed
responsibility, and there has been no independent confirmation that the
Iranian government ordered the strikes.
According to Reuters, one drone hit Barzani’s private office in Pirmam,
northeast of Erbil, and another targeted the residence of the head of
the KRG’s security agency.
Ship attacked while exiting Strait of Hormuz
A vessel attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz was attacked Tuesday,
according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre
(UKMTO).
The UKMTO noted it received a report of a ship being hit with “an
unknown projectile” as it was leaving the strait, a critical oil
shipping channel. The vessel's engine room was damaged, and a crew
member was killed, the organization said.
The waterway has been a major flash point in the ongoing Iran war,
which is nearing the six-month mark. Tehran's restrictions on the choke
point have stressed the global economy, strained U.S. relations with
allies in the region and caused a surge in energy prices.
Massive brawl erupts at Wisconsin State Fair as seven arrested during chaotic closing hours
One officer struck during fighting but no serious injuries to fairgoers were reported
Massive fights erupted at the Wisconsin State Fair during its chaotic
closing hours Sunday, with viral video showing people in crowds
throwing punches and brawling as police moved in to break up the mayhem.
Seven people were arrested in connection with the disturbance,
according to Wisconsin State Fair Park. One police officer was "struck"
but did not suffer serious injuries, and there were no reported serious
injuries to fairgoers.
Fair officials said Wisconsin State Fair Park Police, assisted by
officers from Milwaukee and West Allis, responded to disturbances "on
and around" the fairgrounds near the close of the annual event on Aug.
16.
Penn State frat cocaine ring busted thanks to absolutely obvious mistake
A Penn State frat bro charged in a cocaine trafficking ring was busted
after authorities were tipped off that he was allegedly accepting Venmo
payments for drugs under his own name.
Authorities were told by a confidential informant that “a male, using
the nickname ‘T-Rob’ is selling large amounts of cocaine from the Delta
Upsilon Fraternity House,” according to court documents seen by NBC
News.
Alleged drug kingpin “T-Rob” was accepting payment through a Venmo
account with the username “Tom-Robinson,” the informant told
authorities, according to the court documents from 2024.
Trump admin axes refundable tax credits for illegal migrants, saving taxpayers $3B
The Trump administration is cutting illegal immigrants off from getting
kickbacks from four major refundable tax credit programs – in a move
that could save taxpayers an estimated $3 billion.
The Treasury Department and IRS unveiled new rules on Wednesday to
tighten the requirements for the adoption, child, American opportunity,
and earned income tax credits so that only US citizens, US nationals,
and qualified aliens can get them.
“Under President Trump, the days of illegal aliens collecting
taxpayer-funded benefits are over. The federal law is clear, and
Treasury is enforcing it,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a
statement.
Close-up of an IRS refund check and a Form 1040A tax document.
Deadbeat AOC’s student-loan mooching should be a red flag to her 2028 supporters
Betting markets show Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as the frontrunner to snag the Democrats’ 2028 presidential nomination.
But despite earning $173,000 a year as a member of Congress, AOC
refuses to pay back her student loans — a red flag that she has no
respect for taxpayers.
Her supporters claim her college loans make her relatable.
Households in the top fifth for earnings are three times more likely to
have college debt than households in the bottom fifth of the economy.
That means when doctors, lawyers and members of Congress don’t pay
their college loans, working stiffs who never got to go to college —
bus drivers, waiters and sanitation workers — end up on the hook.
Totally unfair.
She’s a poster child for the economic illiteracy of Gen Z and Millennial Democratic Socialists.
Trump Eyes New Summit With North Korea's Kim
President Donald Trump is pressing aides to pursue another face-to-face
meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as soon as this fall,
potentially reviving the high-stakes nuclear diplomacy that defined
part of Trump's first term, according to reports.
Trump has privately discussed meeting Kim during his next trip to Asia, U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal.
One possibility is November, when world leaders are expected to gather
for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China.
Ukraine Corruption Probe Reaches Zelenskyy's Inner Circle
Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies announced Wednesday that they are
investigating senior officials in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's
office, a day after the country's recently fired defense minister
called for national elections despite the ongoing fight against
Russia's invasion.
The revelation brought another test of Zelenskyy's political resilience
as Ukraine's war with its bigger neighbor stretches into its fifth year.
Inspectors identified a group of people who laundered 150 million
hryvnias ($3.4 million) to pay bail for a defendant in a major
corruption case last year, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau said.
That case, involving the state-owned nuclear power company, brought the
resignations of Ukraine's justice and energy ministers.
Jill Biden hails Hunter having his 'time to shine' as media tour raises questions about political ambitions
The former first lady praised her son's honesty about addiction and added, 'It's amazing how things have turned around'
Former first lady Jill Biden said during an interview on Jamie Jern
Lima's show that it was Hunter Biden's time to shine, when asked about
his "explosion" in recent interviews and on social media.
Former first lady Jill Biden praised her son, Hunter Biden, and his
media "explosion" and momentum during an interview on Monday, telling
podcast host Jamie Kern Lima that it was Hunter's "time to shine."
Kern Lima said during the interview on her podcast that Hunter could be
the "next star" in the Biden family, pointing to his social media
presence and several recent podcast interviews, in which he has opened
up about his struggle with addiction and more.
Jeanie Buss says family sale to new Lakers owners is 'void'
It was reported on Monday that the Buss family had agreed to sell their
remaining minority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers (17.8%) to new
owners Bob Iger and Josh Kushner as a part of Mark Walter’s recent
majority sale.
But it appears that is not yet set in stone as Jeanie Buss’ attorney
released a letter stating she is the controlling owner and cannot be
outvoted by her siblings Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse:
After news of the sale leaked, it was reported that Jeanie was the only
one of the six Buss children that voted against the sale. While the
rest of them may have thought that meant it could be finalized, Jeanie
has it in writing that she has the final say and has no plans of
selling.
This is the latest quibble in the Buss family saga that dates back a
decade to when she pursued that court order in 2017 and fired her older
brother Jim from his role of president of basketball operations.
Silicon Valley is losing the data center fight, risking a repeat of a classic failure
Local opposition has blocked or delayed $64B in projects, with 71% of Americans opposing builds in their communities
By Chris Johnson , Aiden Buzzetti
Silicon Valley has spent decades winning consumer loyalty. In
unprecedented numbers, people have Apple iPhones in their pockets and
Amazon Alexas on their counters while they browse on Google and write
in Microsoft Word. Americans have shown themselves eager to try every
new technology, from health tracking rings to doorbell cameras to robot
vacuums.
Yet Silicon Valley has seemingly been caught flat-footed facing
something it has never faced before: the near-united opposition of the
American people. When it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) and data
centers, the tech industry has never been more unpopular. The industry
that has created the tools of modern life is losing the fight for
public opinion because, ironically, it is using the wrong tools, at
least in the arena of political advocacy.
The tech industry certainly funds a formidable political machine. But
it’s a machine focused on fighting over what happens on screens —
content moderation, privacy, antitrust, intellectual property. Its
political teams are not built for what AI actually requires: power
plants, transmission lines, water rights, land use permits and the
approval of hundreds of local communities across America.
Iran war forces America to confront the strategic cost of deterring China
Move to relieve USS Abraham Lincoln exposes a strategic tradeoff between Iran war and defending Asia
By Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis, (ret.)
The most strategically revealing military move in the Iran war this
week isn’t another strike on Tehran. It is an American aircraft carrier
leaving the Pacific. USS George Washington is heading toward the Middle
East to relieve USS Abraham Lincoln, whose overall deployment has
exceeded 260 days, including more than 240 uninterrupted days at sea.
The move could leave the Pacific without a U.S. carrier for an unknown
period.
That does not mean China is preparing to attack Taiwan. It means the
United States is making a real strategic tradeoff: a carrier
reinforcing the Middle East cannot simultaneously deter in the Western
Pacific. America has global reach, but its forces are not infinite, and
geography still imposes choices.
The same point was visible in Adm. Brad Cooper’s just-completed 10-day
trip through six Middle Eastern countries. CENTCOM says more than
50,000 American service members are now operating across the region.
Iran is consuming ships, aircraft, munitions, logistics and command
attention at the same time Washington says the Indo-Pacific must remain
a priority.
