“Two Republican senators who threatened to block acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation to lead the Justice Department said Monday that they will support his nomination, ending an impasse over plans to create a fund to compensate allies of President Donald Trump. The endorsement from GOP Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis paves the way for the Senate Judiciary Committee to advance Blanche’s nomination on Tuesday after the Justice Department and lawmakers reached a deal to formally rescind the $1.8 billion ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ proposed to settle Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. Cornyn and Tillis had refused to back Blanche’s bid for the permanent post without official confirmation killing the fund meant to compensate people who believe they were unfairly prosecuted by the Justice Department.” (08/03/26)
“A cyberattack tapped the data of some 31,000 people in Liechtenstein’s register of people behind companies and foundations in the wealthy principality, the government said. The ‘register of economic beneficiaries’ was accessed at night from Wednesday into Thursday last week, the government said. It said that the breach was noticed on Thursday, that measures were taken to secure data and the system taken offline. The government said there were no indications that any data was altered or deleted.
The list of people behind companies, foundations and trusteeships is part of efforts to combat money laundering and terror financing.” (08/03/26)
“Police are still working to determine why a 24-year-old gunman opened fire at a crowded In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls, Idaho, killing three people and wounding seven others before taking his own life after taking fire from a bystander and an off-duty Idaho state trooper. Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks said Sunday that investigators were confident Chad Williams acted alone in Saturday’s attack, but detectives had not yet established a motive or fully traced his movements before the shooting. … Police have not publicly identified the trooper or the bystander, but the Idaho Statesman detailed the heroics of Jordan Salinas, 35, of Kimberly, Idaho, strapped by the shoulder with a FN Five-seveN semi-automatic pistol fitted with a suppressor.” (08/03/26)
“The governing body of European football, UEFA, has threatened legal action against FIFA President Gianni Infantino, venture capitalist Joshua Kushner — brother of U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner — and other individuals involved in the controversial plan to privatize a share of the World Cup’s commercial operations. UEFA is ‘actively considering legal action, arbitration, and/or regulatory complaints’ against Infantino, reads a letter sent to Infantino, seen by the Telegraph. The move follows Infantino’s proposal to transfer FIFA’s commercial rights and tournament operations to a private entity firm — in partnership with Thrive Capital, Kushner’s venture capital company — allowing private investors to acquire a 20 percent stake. UEFA opposed the plan and unanimously voted to boycott the World Cup if the project was adopted, arguing it had been developed without proper consultation with member associations and would effectively privatize part of the tournament’s commercial business. The proposal was ultimately shelved.” (08/03/26)
“Light winds and lower temperatures were in the forecast Monday to help firefighters battle wildfires in eastern Washington state that destroyed at least 600 structures and forced the evacuation of 60,000 people in the Spokane area. The fires in and around Spokane, the state’s second-largest city, burned about 12.5 square miles (about 32 square kilometers) by Monday morning and filled the sky with smoke and haze. They were 0% contained, Courtney James, a spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, said. The weather forecast for Monday called cooler temperatures and light winds, but no rain. The wildfires were among dozens across the Western U.S. that stretched the ability of federal, state and local agencies to fight them. At least 390 square miles (1,000 square kilometers) has burned across Washington. An incident commander told local television Monday that no deaths had been reported.” (08/03/26)
“Iran executed two of its citizens on Monday on charges of espionage and cooperation with Israel, Iranian state media reported, amid an increase in executions for offences relating to national security. Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat were accused of sending Israel the coordinates of military and security sites as well as images and information during a brief war last summer and during the latest conflict, judiciary news outlet Mizan reported.” (08/03/26)
“Get the fork outta here! New Jersey takeout customers must now request single-use plastic items — like utensils, straws and even condiment packets — under a new law that social media users are sounding off against. The ‘Skip the Stuff’ law puts an end to the longstanding practice of eateries automatically loading up to-go bags with extras that many New Jerseyans have come to take for granted. Interior of an American diner with a long counter lined with stools, display cases of baked goods, and a ‘Cappuccino Cafe Bar Espresso’ neon sign. The law — signed by then-Gov. Phil Murphy in January — took effect Aug. 1 as the Garden State looks to further reduce plastic waste and reduce the environmental footprint of food purveyors.” (08/03/26)
“Japan’s finance ministry said Monday it had conducted a coordinated yen-buying operation with the U.S. Treasury on Friday, marking a rare joint move by the two allies to stem sharp swings in the Japanese currency. … The ministry also announced plans to utilize the Federal Reserve’s foreign and international monetary authorities repo facility in the future. FIMA repo facility allows approved foreign central banks and monetary authorities to obtain short-term dollars by temporarily exchanging U.S. Treasury securities. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also confirmed the coordinated action in a statement, saying, ‘Friday’s coordinated foreign exchange actions countered disorderly yen movements.'” (08/02/26)
“Cubans on Monday were recovering from the sixth islandwide blackout this year, as the nation remains in free-fall after the Trump administration effectively cut it off from oil in January. The energy grid collapses leave people with fewer options to get by as the U.S. keeps up a pressure campaign against the communist-led government. Cuba’s government was working to restore power after the state-run electric company reported another ‘total’ blackout Sunday night, without specifying the cause. That followed sweeping outages across western Cuba, including the cities of Pinar del Río, Matanzas and Havana. By Monday, some electricity had been restored in Havana, but much of the Caribbean nation was still disconnected. Cuba already had been reeling from years of economic and energy crisis, compounded by crumbling infrastructure and migration from the island. Then the U.S. threatened to impose a tariff on any goods from countries that sell or provide it with oil.” (08/03/26)
“What is very likely to be the last reelection bid of Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was confirmed on Sunday by his Workers’ Party as the 80-year-old leader faces increasing pressure from foreign leaders ahead of October’s elections. It will be his seventh race for the top job. Lula’s rival, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, has enjoyed open support from members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Brazil’s president said in his party convention speech he wants to boost his country’s defense industry, protect its rare minerals, and claimed ‘no Chinese, no American, no French will touch’ these resources without respecting the South American nation’s sovereignty.” (08/02/26)
