“[American buyers of goods from] Canada got a three-day reprieve on damaging new American tariffs against billions of goods, with President Trump claiming that a deal was close but Prime Minister Mark Carney saying only that substantial progress had been made. Mr. Trump announced the delay on imposing 50 percent tariffs in a social media post on Tuesday night, roughly 90 minutes before the midnight deadline. The White House issued a proclamation saying Canada had agreed to make certain trade concessions, and the extra days were needed to finalize those provisions.” (08/18/26)
“US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that no talks with Iran are underway and none are scheduled, as he posted a map showing the Strait of Hormuz as a new American territory in a fresh jibe at Tehran. Trump has been pressing his threat to claim sovereignty over the crucial energy waterway as the nearly six-month-old Iran war grinds on with little sign of resolution. Trump’s envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner had said on Monday that the United States and Iran were having ‘very positive and active conversations,’ but the president denied that was the case. … Iran says it will not reopen the strait until Washington meets a sweeping list of demands including ending the US blockade of Iran’s ports, lifting oil sanctions, unfreezing Iranian assets and paying war damages.” (08/18/26)
“Hakainde Hichilema has been re-elected as Zambia’s president after defeating opposition challenger Brian Mundubile by more than one million votes, but his victory comes amid opposition concerns over the conduct of the election and questions about the country’s political direction. The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) declared Hichilema the winner on Tuesday after he secured 2,965,326 votes against Mundubile’s 1,856,217, giving him another five-year mandate after first taking office in 2021. … The European Union Election Observation Mission said candidates were able to campaign through rallies and public meetings but raised concerns over campaign-related violence, political intimidation and the media environment.” (08/18/26)
“A Trump administration task force created to combat antisemitism pushed for settlements with Ivy League universities despite government investigations that were rushed and incomplete or that failed to establish legal violations by the schools, a former Justice Department lawyer alleged in a whistleblower disclosure obtained by The Associated Press. The complaint alleges that the investigations into some of the nation’s most prestigious academic institutions were designed to strong-arm the schools into cutting deals for political purposes. Outcomes of the investigations were ‘predetermined, without regard to the evidence’ in a ‘politically mandated effort’ to extract money from schools through settlement demands and funding freezes under the pretext of rooting out antisemitism, the complaint alleges.” (08/18/26)
“The leader of Quebec’s separatist party said Tuesday he would delay any referendum on independence from Canada until Donald Trump is no longer U.S. president. Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, whose party is out of power but could win Quebec’s next election that must be held by Oct. 5, said a PQ government would still hold a referendum during its first term — but not before Jan. 20, 2029, when Trump’s term ends. He said a question as consequential as Quebec’s future requires a clear and calm debate. ‘It must not be hijacked by the upheavals of American politics, nor by the outbursts of an unpredictable president, nor by fear campaigns,’ St-Pierre Plamondon said.” (08/18/260
“The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court on Monday to reinstate the criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man wrongfully deported by the Trump administration last year, by reversing a lower court order that found them to be vindictive in nature. In May, a federal judge in Tennessee dismissed a criminal indictment against Abrego Garcia, who had been accused by federal prosecutors of smuggling immigrants in the U.S. illegally. The judge found that the Justice Department prosecuted Abrego Garcia in retaliation for his efforts to challenge his wrongful deportation to El Salvador last year. In a filing Monday before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, the Justice Department denied that the prosecution was vindictive, arguing it had ‘multiple legitimate bases to prosecute’ Abrego Garcia.” (08/18/26)
“Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered on Tuesday that jailed former prime minister Imran Khan be moved to hospital for medical checks, after a petition by his lawyers over claims of poor health. Justice Shahid Waheed said 73-year-old Khan, who has been in jail since 2023 on corruption charges, will be shifted in the next two days to Shifa International hospital in the capital Islamabad. Khan and his wife and spiritual guide Bushra Bibi were both sentenced late last year to 17 years behind bars. … Khan was prime minister from 2018 to 2022 before being removed in a no-confidence vote during a political crisis over tensions between his government and the South Asian country’s powerful military establishment.” (08/18/26)
“OpenAI, the maker of artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, is rolling out an experience for teens that includes safety [sic] and learning features. The global introduction of ‘ChatGPT for Teens’ comes as OpenAI and other tech companies face lawsuits that allege AI chatbots are harming young people by providing information used to plan mass shootings and suicides. As students turn to chatbots for schoolwork, teachers and parents also worry that teens will use the tools to cheat or avoid practicing critical thinking skills. OpenAI said ChatGPT users who state their age is between 13 and 17 will automatically be placed into the teen experience. The San Francisco AI company also estimates if a user is under 18 and those minors will also be added to ChatGPT for Teens.” (08/18/26)
“The Walt Disney Company, ABC and a number of its stations on Tuesday sued the Federal Communications Commission, seeking to stop an early license renewal process that they say is an attack by the Trump administration. In April, the FCC ordered Disney’s eight owned-and-operated television stations to file their broadcast license renewals ahead of schedule. That order came amid a probe into ABC’s ‘The View’ program, as well as a long-running investigation into diversity, equity and inclusion practices at Disney. All eight of the ABC stations whose licenses were put in jeopardy by the FCC are part of Tuesday’s lawsuit. The move from the FCC also came after the White House and President Donald Trump himself assailed ABC late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel for a joke about the first lady Melania Trump.” (08/18/26)
“An immigrant in Minnesota who once received an ‘outstanding refugee’ award from the state government has been charged with Medicaid fraud, prompting strong backlash on social media. Salman Ahmed Elmi is facing three counts of aiding and abetting by swindle and five counts of aiding and abetting by false representation as part of an alleged scam to bill Medicaid for over $1 million in fraudulent services, Fox 9 Minneapolis reported. The charges also allege that two members involved in the fraud scheme were tied to a sex-trafficking ring involving brothels. In 2021, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, an agency deeply involved in the massive fraud scheme that has unfolded across the state in recent years, honored Elmi with the title ‘outstanding refugee’ along with an Entrepreneurship Award. News of the charges quickly spread on social media via conservative influencer accounts like LibsofTikTok and End Wokeness.” (08/18/26)
