“El Salvador’s national bitcoin reserve grew again this week, with the government confirming its holdings now stand at 7,762 BTC. The purchase continues a policy of buying one bitcoin per day regardless of its price (ever since the country became the first nation to make bitcoin legal tender in 2021). … the accumulation has continued despite a $1.4 billion IMF financing agreement that explicitly asked El Salvador to confine its public-sector bitcoin purchases and make merchant acceptance voluntary. Bitcoin’s formal legal-tender status was rescinded through a legislative amendment tied to that same IMF deal, but the reserve-buying policy was never part of the rollback.” (09/02/26)
“Congo’s Ebola outbreak has killed more than 3,000 people out of more than 6,100 confirmed cases, according to the latest government data from Wednesday, as the disease is spreading at an unprecedented speed, faster than efforts to track and slow it. Data from Congo’s Ministry of Health showed the outbreak has recorded 6,186 confirmed cases, including 3,007 deaths since it was declared a global health emergency in mid-May. It remains the fastest-growing outbreak of Ebola ever. Jean-Claude Angwanzia, a resident of Bunia, said that he left Mambassa in the epicenter of Ituri province, because he didn’t feel safe. He said that he hardly saw health workers and infected bodies were being mishandled, prompting safety concerns. ‘I had to flee the area because of the danger looming over us,’ he said. The pace of the outbreak is putting a strain on people’s lives.” (09/02/26)
“The House voted Tuesday to censure Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., following a House Ethics Committee investigation that concluded he engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers in his office. A censure registers the House’s deep disapproval of a lawmaker’s conduct that does not meet the threshold for expulsion from office. … [House Ethics Committee chair Michael] Guest said that behavior included providing the aides with lavish gifts, making comments about their appearance and dress, sending notes regarding his affection and inviting them to intimate dinners and vacations. He also said Edwards was aware that the women were uncomfortable with his behavior.” (09/01/26)
“After a record 250 days at sea without a port stop, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has docked in Thailand, giving its nearly 5,000 crew members a much-needed break. The ship is docking close to the beach resort of Pattaya, known for its raucous nightlife and for sex tourism. For the US it also carries strong historical echoes. When the weary sailors walk into the city’s bars and restaurants, they will be treading in the footsteps of the hundreds of thousands of US troops who came here for R&R – rest and relaxation – during the Vietnam War. They transformed it from a sleepy fishing village to one of the world’s most famous and frenetic party towns. Today the neon-lit alleys running down to the beach are much quieter than usual. The bars in the city’s famous Walking Street still screen videos on their walls of pole-dancing women, trying to lure customers inside.” (09/02/26)
“For the first time in recent history, Danish conscripts have been deployed to Greenland, as Denmark moves to bolster its presence in the Arctic after U.S. demands to acquire the territory. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish island, citing national security concerns and accusing Copenhagen of neglecting Arctic defence. Denmark and Greenland have firmly rejected the idea. The conscripts are part of the first cohort under Denmark’s new extended conscription programme, aimed at producing soldiers able to operate in one of the kingdom’s most strategically important and challenging regions. … The conscripts are taking part in Arctic Endurance, a Danish military exercise that trains soldiers for combat and survival in extreme cold-weather conditions.” (09/02/26)
“If Kansas megachurch pastor and Democratic nominee Adam Hamilton manages to pull off an upset victory in his race for a U.S. Senate seat, he’d join a very small group. In the past 100 years, only incumbent Raphael Warnock of Georgia has accomplished what Hamilton aspires to do: serve in the Senate while continuing to lead his congregation. Warnock has continued to preach regularly as senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta since his election as Georgia’s first Black senator in 2021. Hamilton has made clear that if he wins, he would like to continue as senior pastor — preaching 12 to 18 times a year — at the Church of the Resurrection. With roughly 25,000 members in the Kansas City area, it’s the nation’s largest United Methodist church. Warnock, in a video on U.S. Senate Democrats’ Facebook page, discusses how he melds his political and pastoral careers. ‘They are both about working for people even as you walk alongside them,’ he said.” (09/02/26)
“A federal judge has delivered a First Amendment victory to a student news outlet at Stanford University. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Noël Wise ruled that immigration provisions that allowed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to revoke student visas had a chilling effect on noncitizen student journalists at the Stanford Daily. Wise wrote that portions of two federal immigration provisions are unconstitutional when used against noncitizens for speech protected by the First Amendment. The Stanford Daily Publishing Corporation brought the lawsuit alongside two anonymous students unaffiliated with Stanford, though one student was later dismissed from the case. The plaintiffs were represented pro bono by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE. ‘The reporters in our newsroom shouldn’t have to fear that writing a story will result in their deportation,’ Daily editor-in-chief George Porteous wrote following the ruling. ‘Today’s victory means they won’t have to.'” (08/31/26)
“U.S. Sen. Ed Markey secured the Democratic nomination in Massachusetts’[s] Senate primary Tuesday, once again fending off a push for generational change as he seeks a third term. Markey, 80, defeated U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, 47, who had attempted to argue that it was time to do away with the ‘status quo’ in his pursuit to oust the octogenarian. Yet Markey successfully pointed to Moulton’s more moderate positions to argue that it was Moulton — not the older incumbent — who was out of touch with the state’s voters.” (09/02/26)
“The U.S. and Iran were back on a war footing on Wednesday after the most significant exchange of fire in weeks, with Washington threatening more devastating strikes, while Iran condemned an attack that it said killed five and wounded dozens of civilians at a wedding. The U.S. military’s Central Command said it struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps air defenses, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites on Tuesday, with Iranian media reporting hits on multiple targets near the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway where Tehran has threatened tankers attempting to pass without authorization. Iran said it struck U.S. assets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq, according to official statements. The IRGC said it killed a large number of U.S. forces in Jordan, but two U.S. officials told Reuters there had not been any casualties, according to initial assessments.” (09/02/26)
“The House on Tuesday voted to send a short-term extension of government funding to President Trump’s desk, avoiding a politically risky shutdown before the midterm elections. The continuing resolution (CR), which funds the government through Dec. 11, passed the House on a 370-48 vote, with 19 Republicans and 29 Democrats voting in opposition. The Senate advanced the measure by a landslide last month. The CR now pushes the spending battle to before the holidays, when the outcome of the midterms will help determine how much leverage each party holds to set the spending agenda.” (09/01/26)
