“The Israeli government has rejected a 15-point plan backed by the Trump administration aimed at disarming the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. President Trump announced the agreement between his Board of Peace and Hamas late last month, calling it a major breakthrough. Mr. Netanyahu’s office had expressed reservations, saying that the framework did ‘not reflect Israel’s positions,’ but stopped short of outright rejecting it. The U.S.-backed proposal envisions a phased process in which Hamas would hand over its weapons to a new Palestinian administration in Gaza in stages. In exchange, Israel would gradually withdraw from the more than half of Gaza that it still controls. On Sunday, Mr. Netanyahu openly dismissed the plan, saying that Israeli forces ‘would not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed.'” (08/09/26)
“A potentially deadly ‘flesh-eating’ bacteria has killed five people in Louisiana this year, a sharp rise from the state’s typical death toll. Health officials are warning beachgoers to take extra precautions before heading into the water. Vibrio vulnificus is part of a wider group of Vibrio bacteria. Found primarily in warm, coastal waters, it can cause serious, potentially life-threatening infections when contaminated seawater enters an open wound, according to the CDC. Infections can also occur when someone eats raw or undercooked shellfish, especially oysters. The Louisiana Department of Health has reported nine cases and five deaths so far this year. All nine cases were linked to people entering seawater with open wounds, and all of the infected patients had existing medical conditions, officials said.” (08/07/26)
“The Senate passed a stopgap spending bill early Saturday that would keep the government funded through Dec. 11, moving Washington closer to avoiding another shutdown before the November midterms. The bipartisan 90-6 vote would push the next government funding deadline past Election Day while offering some checks on the Trump administration. The measure, which now goes to the House, generally maintains funding levels after the fiscal year ends Sept. 30, with a few negotiated exceptions.” (08/08/26)
“Reported cases of the parasitic disease cyclosporiasis are on the rise in California, with a total of 215 cases in 2026 so far — more than double the yearly average of 106. The increase in cases comes amid a massive nationwide outbreak of cyclosporiasis, which causes watery and explosive diarrhea along with nausea and weight loss. Currently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported 6,358 confirmed cases of the parasitic disease across 15 states, believed to be linked to iceberg lettuce sold by Taylor Farms. In addition to those cases, multiple smaller cyclospora outbreaks without a known source have been reported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In total, there are 10,468 laboratory-verified cyclospora cases in the U.S., along with another 12,255 cases under investigation.” (08/07/26)
“Russia has designated the New York-based Human Rights Foundation, chaired by Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of late Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, as an ‘undesirable organisation’. The ‘undesirable’ tag is used by Russian authorities to ban the activities of organisations it deems to pose a threat to the state, and means that any Russians who cooperate with them or share their content can face prosecution. In its announcement, the Russian prosecutor’s office noted that HRF had designated Russia as a ‘fully authoritarian regime’ in its ‘Tyranny Tracker’ project. It said HRF was engaged in discrediting the Russian armed forces — which was made a criminal offence after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — as well as promoting anti-Russian sanctions and supporting other undesirable organisations.” (08/07/26)
“U.S. President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Thursday that the White House said expands the definition of people who are ineligible for birthright citizenship and bans ‘birth tourism.’ Limiting birthright citizenship has been one of the top priorities in the Republican president’s crackdown on immigration. An earlier effort by Trump was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in June, prompting him to call upon Congress to act.” (08/06/26)
“Iranian state media on Thursday reported that Tehran could attempt to block U.S. and Israeli shipments from transiting the Strait of Hormuz under its joint venture with Oman to reopen the critical waterway to commercial traffic. Members of Iran’s parliament are reviewing a proposed bill to block “hostile” vessels from moving through the choke point responsible for carrying a fifth of the world’s oil transports per day under normal conditions. Ships caught violating the policy could face a 20 percent fine if caught by Iranian authorities, per state media. Each ship approved to transit the strait will face fees for insurance, refueling and or environmental costs, according to Iranian state media. … The Trump administration has maintained that there will be no tolls on the strait.” (08/06/26)
“Yemen’s Houthi group has killed at least 30 [Saudi puppet regime] soldiers and injured 15 others in missile attacks on Yemeni military camps in the governorates of Hadramout and Marib, government sources told Al Jazeera. Thursday’s strikes on military sites, including some run by Yemen’s Emergency Forces, are the deadliest in years in the country’s civil [sic] war. They follow an increase in violence in Yemen seen in recent weeks. … the attack struck at 2pm local time (11:00 GMT) on Thursday, hitting camps belonging to several [Saudi puppet regime] military formations, the Homeland Shield Forces, the Emergency Forces and the First Military Region in Hadramout. The Homeland Shield Forces, formed in 2022 with Saudi backing and numbering tens of thousands, guard the Marib-Hadramout frontier and the Saudi border.” (08/06/26)
“A New Mexico court has ordered Instagram and Facebook parent company Meta to pay $567 million to address harms [sic] to young people from its platforms in the second phase of a landmark trial. Judge Bryan Biedscheid said in a ruling late Thursday that the bulk of the money — $420 million — will be used for treatment services for young people. The rest will go toward awareness and prevention, screening services and other costs over the next five years. The new penalty is in addition to the $375 million in civil penalties that jurors ordered against Meta in March after [hallucinating that] the company knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms.” (08/06/26)
“Another update from Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office. On Thursday, they sent out another statement from him, saying he’s headed home. … ‘Earlier today, I was discharged from the rehabilitation center to continue my recovery at home. … On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I’ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business.’ … The 84-year-old senator was hospitalized June 14 after reportedly suffering a fall. On July 12, it was announced he was moved to a rehab facility where he has been until now. This is only the third statement said to be directly from McConnell since then. He has not been publicly seen, but his staff has provided two photos.” (08/06/26)
