“Two people are dead after a home invasion in Virginia on Sunday night, according to the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded to a call Sunday at 11:58 p.m. for a home invasion involving an armed intruder on the 13000 block of North Valley Pike. When deputies arrived, they found the homeowner, 65-year-old Michael Hatcher, outside the home. Hatcher is the person who called 911, officials say. Officials said Hatcher had visible injuries from an altercation with the armed intruder. Investigators found that the invader, 41-year-old Kevin Moses Walker, had entered the home and stabbed Hatcher’s wife, 62-year-old Holly Hatcher, to death. Investigators said that Walker then tried to stab Michael Hatcher, who in turn, shot and killed Walker while trying to escape the attack.” (08/05/25)
“House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer subpoenaed multiple former government officials, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, and former FBI director James Comey — and is demanding the Justice Department release all documents related to its Jeffrey Epstein probe. Despite President Trump’s efforts to shut down questions surrounding Epstein, Democratic lawmakers have time and again forced their Republican colleagues to confront the issue. The subpoena demands the DOJ turn over all Epstein-related materials by August 19. The panel is also seeking to compel testimony from former Attorneys General Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, Merrick Garland, William Barr, Jeff Sessions, and Alberto Gonzales — as well as from former FBI director Robert Mueller.” (08/05/25)
“Russian strikes killed two people and wounded 10 others, including four children, in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, Governor Ivan Fedorov said on Wednesday. Russian forces carried out 567 attacks over the 24 hours into Wednesday morning across 16 settlements in the region, Fedorov said. Zaporizhzhia has been on the front lines of the war that Russia launched against its smaller neighbour in February 2022. At least nine buildings were damaged in the early morning strikes on the Zaporizhzhia city district alone, Fedorov said on the Telegram messaging app.” (08/06/25)
“President Trump on Tuesday threatened to impose tariffs of up to 250 percent on pharmaceutical imports, the highest rate he’s discussed to date. ‘We’ll be putting a, initially small tariff on pharmaceuticals,’ Trump told CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box.’ ‘But in one year, one in a half years maximum, it’s going to go to 150 percent, and then it’s going to go to 250 percent, because we want pharmaceuticals made in our country,’ Trump said. … Drug companies have said the industry is bracing for chaos in case Trump follows through on his threats. Tariffs would disrupt international supply chains, forcing companies to decide whether to pass on increased costs to patients and exacerbate existing drug shortages.” (08/05/25)
“A court in Moldova has sentenced a Kremlin-friendly regional politician to seven years in prison for funneling money from Russia to finance a political party. Evgenia Gutul, the leader of Gagauzia, a historically pro-Russian ethnic region in southern Moldova, was detained in March on suspicion of electoral fraud and sentenced on Tuesday. Prosecutors said that from 2019 to 2022, Gutul channeled undeclared funds into the country to finance a political party founded by Ilan Shor, Reuters reported. Shor is a pro-Russian businessman who has been convicted of fraud in Moldova and now lives in exile. Gutul’s conviction comes just weeks before Moldovans vote in a crucial parliamentary election, in which Maia Sandu, the pro-Western president of the former Soviet country, is hoping to retain her governing majority.” (08/05/25)
“weden, Norway and Denmark will contribute around $500 million to a NATO-led initiative to supply Ukraine with U.S. weapons, including Patriot missiles, to ensure it can continue to defend itself against Russia, the three countries said on Tuesday. U.S. President Donald Trump said last month the United States would supply weapons to Ukraine, paid for by European allies, but did not indicate how this would be done.” (08/05/25)
“Officials have shut down early the remote krill fishery near Antarctica after trawling for the tiny crustacean — a vital food source for whales that also helps fight climate change — exceeded the seasonal catch limit for the first time. The unprecedented early closure of the fishery follows a report by The Associated Press last week detailing a record surge in the krill catch after a longstanding conservation framework was allowed to lapse with no plan in place to handle growing pressures in the world’s southernmost fishery. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, or CCAMLR, the international organization that manages the fishery, declined to comment but confirmed the closure earlier this month of the 2024-25 season, which should have extended until December, after fishing hit the 620,000 metric ton limit.” (08/05/25)
“A huge wildfire tearing through California’s Los Padres national forest is threatening hundreds of homes and structures, after injuring at least three people in the days before. The Gifford fire has already scorched more than 72,000 acres (29,000 hectares) in coastal Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, north of Los Angeles, and was still burning out of control on Tuesday morning, according to the California department of forestry and fire protection, known as Cal Fire. It is 7% contained. … The blaze is threatening more than 800 structures and has forced the closure of the highway in both directions east of Santa Maria, a city of about 110,000 people in Santa Barbara county.” (08/06/25)
“Lawmakers in Sri Lanka voted Tuesday to fire the country’s police chief for misconduct and gross abuse of power, making him the island nation’s first inspector-general to be impeached. In the 225-member parliament, 117 lawmakers voted to fire Deshabandu Tennakoon. No one opposed, while one member abstained. The removal came after a parliament-appointed committee inquired into the allegations against him and last month released a report that found him guilty. Tennakoon, who oversaw 85,000 police officers, faced charges of sending a team of armed officers for an illegal raid in 2023 that triggered a gun battle with a separate police unit in southern Sri Lanka. One officer was killed.” (08/05/25)
“Sudan has accused the United Arab Emirates of sending Colombian mercenaries to fight alongside the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces against the military in the country’s civil war. The foreign ministry said in a statement Monday that the Sudanese government has ‘irrefutable evidence’ confirming mercenaries from Colombia and some neighboring African countries were sponsored and financed by Emirati authorities. The statement didn’t share the evidence or name the neighboring countries.” (08/05/25)
