“President Donald Trump on Monday responded to Iran’s demand that the U.S. pay for war damages by calling on Tehran to compensate Americans and others harmed or killed by the country over the last 50 years. ‘I see that Representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran are asking for compensation for the damage done to them during the last five month Military Conflict … even though it was never mentioned in any of our negotiations or meetings!’ Trump wrote on social media. Trump said he is now ‘likewise demanding compensation from Iran’ for Americans killed or wounded in conflicts involving Iran and Iranian-backed groups. He said the demand should be included in any future negotiations with Tehran.” [editor’s note: Apparently he still hasn’t received the “loser doesn’t set the terms” memo from his staff yet – TLK](08/10/26)
“A Staten Island judge issued a temporary restraining order Monday pausing Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s rollout of New York City’s new tax on second homes worth over $5 million. The ruling from Judge Wayne Ozzi came in response to a lawsuit filed Friday by New York City homeowners challenging City Hall’s administration of the surcharge. The plaintiffs, represented by former First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro, took specific issue with the publication of more than 900,000 properties that could fall under the pied-à-terre tax, and letters to some 17,000 property owners the city suspects are actually subject to it. Under Ozzi’s order, the city must take down the public, 900,000-home list, and is prevented for the time being from taking further action based on that list or on the notices mailed to the smaller group of property owners.” (08/10/26)
“President Trump issued an executive order Monday calling for fewer childhood vaccinations, splitting the childhood MMR vaccine into three shots and delivering vaccines at separate medical visits. The executive order states that ‘the combined MMR vaccine should be administered in three separate single-disease shots once such products are domestically available and that, to the maximum extent feasible, all childhood immunizations should be administered at separate medical visits.’ … There currently are not separate vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella. Companies would have to do clinical trials to bring each through the approval process.” (08/10/26)
“Jury selection began on Monday in the murder trial of an ex-street gang leader accused of masterminding the drive-by shooting death of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur three decades ago in Las Vegas, a long-unsolved crime that became a seminal moment in rap music history. Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis, 63, is charged in Clark County, Nevada, with a single count of murder by use of a deadly weapon. He has pleaded not guilty. Davis is accused of leading a group of men to kill Shakur, 25, one of rap’s most commercially successful and influential artists, in a 1996 drive-by shooting near the Las Vegas Strip. He faces a potential life sentence without parole if convicted.” (08/10/26)
“Australian police called in to investigate a body found in a suitcase have concluded that the ‘victim’ was in fact a lifelike doll. The suitcase was discovered by two men on the side of a road near the small village of Oallen, about 230km (143 miles) south-west of Sydney. On Monday, police announced a murder investigation, sparking intense interest in the case but backtracked hours later, saying forensic testing had proved the contents were not human. The contents in the suitcase were ‘mistaken for a human originally, so they are very realistic in terms of looking like human remains,’ said Supt Linda Bradbury from the Hume Police District. ‘But we’ve confirmed by other means that they are not.’ The doll was wearing clothing, had hair and a nose piercing, police said, adding that ‘the item also had markings that resembled bruises and grazes’.” (08/10/26)
“Leaking crude oil from a tanker grounded off a nature reserve in Oman has created a slick covering almost 400 square kilometres, the country’s government said on Monday. The Caroline Bezengi is loaded with close to one million barrels of Russian oil bound for Asia and first reported difficulties on June 8 off Yemen, with two maritime security sources saying initial assessments indicated a blast had occurred onboard. No party has taken responsibility for attacking the vessel. Oman, in its first public disclosure on the environmental impact, said on Monday it was seeking to tackle the oil leak near the Hallaniyat Islands.” (08/10/26)
“For the first time, President Donald Trump admitted there was a construction error on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which is seeing another round of costly renovations. The initial construction cost more than $16 million, but the iconic Washington DC attraction had to be drained again after the Fourth of July due to peeling of the American-flag-blue liner that Trump ordered. He blamed ‘vandals’ on the issues the pool has seen, but after numerous people were accused of damaging the pool, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia dropped all of their charges. … ‘As with many jobs, there was also some contractor error done by rushing the job for a July 4th opening, but it was a very small area of this massive Pool, and was relatively inconsequential,’ he wrote. Despite no video evidence pointing toward vandalism, Trump stopped short of placing all of the blame on contractors.” (08/10/26)
“The Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force will mark its first anniversary Tuesday after making more than 16,000 arrests since its launch, Fox News Digital has learned exclusively, as the Trump administration points to the results of its sweeping crackdown on violent crime in the nation’s capital. ‘Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners have delivered extraordinary results in our nation’s capital. More than 16,000 arrests, thousands of illegal drugs and firearms taken off the streets, and dangerous violent offenders brought to justice mean safer neighborhoods and lives protected,’ said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. ‘We will not relent until every community in Washington, D.C., is safe.’ The task force launched Aug. 11, 2025, bringing federal, state and local law enforcement together after Trump declared a crime emergency in Washington, D.C. Trump also deployed National Guard troops, drawing criticism from Democratic officials.” (08/10/26)
“A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake has struck western Colombia and neighbouring countries, prompting widespread evacuations. The earthquake struck on Monday near the municipality of San Jose del Palmar in Colombia’s Choco region, about 400km (250 miles) west of the capital, Bogota, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and Colombia’s geological service. Colombia had initially put its magnitude at 6.6 on the Richter scale. … The mayor of Pereira, Colombia, said that 18 people had died there, according to Reuters. Two people are dead in Manizales, the Associated Press reported.” (08/10/26)
“London police said Monday they had [stolen] a record $10 million worth of supercars between Friday and Sunday in an operation aimed at curbing antisocial driving. Officers from London’s Metropolitan Police [stole] a total of 90 vehicles across popular affluent London neighborhoods such as Hyde Park, Kensington and Chelsea, marking the highest value and number of cars [stolen] since they launched an operation to crack down on antisocial driving five years ago. Authorities in England consider antisocial driving to include causing unnecessary noise pollution, street racing and cruising in a convoy, among other types of public nuisance. … This year, police have been given the power to [steal] vehicles involved in antisocial behavior rather than giving motorists a warning, the Met Police said in a statement.” (08/10/26)
