“The picture shows a group of leading MAGA rebels who have clashed with President Donald Trump seated around a wooden table, smiling as they pose for the camera in exile. Included in the gathering: Media personality Tucker Carlson, former Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie and former Trump administration counterterrorism official Joe Kent. … Carlson said in a recent interview that ‘I’m going to help build a third party.’ Democrats and Republicans are in ‘lockstep’ on war in the Middle East and other issues, Carlson said, adding the government should focus on ‘the welfare of its own people.’ Greene previously said she is ‘in talks’ to launch a new party.” (08/03/26)
“A Swiss geologist and a local miner were killed on Thursday in the Central African Republic, north of the capital, Bangui, according to a statement from the local public prosecutor’s office on Monday. Luca Maggini and the miner were kidnapped by unidentified men in the evening and later killed, according to Frédéric Pounou, a geologist who was working alongside Maggini when he was kidnapped. … The attack occurred near the village of Gbango-Carriere, 55 kilometers (34 miles) north of Bangui, and also resulted in the kidnapping of a staff sergeant in the Central African Army, according to the public prosecutor’s statement.” (08/03/26)
“The Michigan Supreme Court has ordered state regulators to reconsider a key permit that allowed a planned tunnel to carry an oil pipeline under part of the Great Lakes to move forward. The 6-1 decision further clouds the future of the 73-year-old pipeline owned by Canadian energy transportation company Enbridge that carries petroleum from Superior, Wis., to Sarnia, Ont. The part of the pipeline in question, called Line 5, runs for six kilometres along the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac where Lakes Huron and Michigan meet. Enbridge wants to bury the pipeline in a tunnel under the straits. Environmentalists and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer want to move the pipeline away from the waterway altogether, saying a spill would be catastrophic to the Great Lakes and surrounding area.” (08/03/26)
“Ousted Venezuelan [ed-]President Nicolás Maduro voiced support from jail for a new round of negotiations between the government and the opposition, saying he welcomed ‘every path of dialogue that helps consolidate peace, coexistence and reconciliation among Venezuelans.’ The message was published Sunday on Maduro’s official Telegram account. The 63-year-old former leader issued the statement from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he has been held since U.S. authorities [abducted] him and his wife, Cilia Flores, in January 2026 on drug trafficking and weapons trafficking charges.” (08/03/26)
“A federal judge is allowing the Department of Homeland Security to go ahead for now with plans to build a border wall through a levee system protecting a small Texas town on the border with Mexico, rejecting arguments by the town that the wall could lead to flooding. The decision late Sunday marks a victory for the Trump administration as it races ahead with efforts to build a $46 billion wall along the U.S.-Mexico border from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. The town of Presidio, with a population of about 3,200 people, argued the wall could cause flooding and that the administration isn’t following the law as it rushes forward with its plans. The town’s development district sued earlier this year to stop the department from going forward with construction.” (08/03/26)
“The California Democratic Party on Sunday endorsed a state ballot measure that would impose a one-time, 5% wealth tax on billionaire residents, a popular initiative that has drawn opposition from Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and ultra-rich corporate executives who are spending big to defeat it. California Democrats’ executive board voted 145-90 on Sunday to endorse the billionaire wealth tax, which will appear on the November ballot as Proposition 40. The Sacramento Bee reported that ‘delegates and observers erupted into cheers’ following the vote, which barely cleared the 60% threshold needed for a formal endorsement. Dave Regan, president of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, the union leading the campaign for the ballot initiative, said the California Democratic Party’s endorsement of the proposal ‘puts to rest the idea that California Democrats are not united by the billionaire tax; they are’.” (08/03/26)
“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)
