“The Federal Communications Commission, the government agency that regulates the broadcast airwaves, voted Thursday to eliminate a cap on the share of U.S. television households a single company can reach, a major move that could pave the way for more corporate consolidation in the media industry. In a 2-1 vote, the FCC repealed a 22-year-old rule holding that a company cannot own stations that reach more than a combined 39% of the U.S. television audience. The ownership limit will be replaced by a case-by-case approach.” [editor’s note: It should be replaced by a “none of the government’s business” approach – TLK] (08/06/26)
“President Trump was adamant Thursday that the US has ‘massive amounts’ of munitions in its arsenal and vowed to hunt down leakers who are anonymously sounding the alarms about America’s stash of firepower. The president’s condemnation followed a Washington Post report that he lashed out at War Secretary Pete Hegseth during a Camp David cabinet meeting last week, claiming he had been misled about the state of America’s arms stockpile. According to the outlet, Trump complained that the shortages are one of the main reasons he hasn’t ordered massive new strikes against Iran. The president has publicly attributed operational delays to progress in peace talks with Tehran.” (08/06/26)
“The Senate committee chaired by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Thursday voted to refer former chief White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci to be held in contempt. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in a party-line, 8-5 vote, with two additional ‘no’ votes by proxy, approved a resolution to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress following his hearing last week, during which the doctor invoked his Fifth Amendment rights 111 times and refused to answer a single question posed to him by the panel centered on the COVID-19 pandemic. … Criminal referrals that come from committees usually go to the full Senate for a vote, but Paul can also send it to the Department of Justice (DOJ). The Kentucky Republican indicated last week that he planned to move it directly to DOJ to not ‘waste time.’” [editor’s note: Why on earth would Paul suddenly stop wasting time now? It seems to be his favorite pastime – TLK] (08/06/26)
“At least 308 people abducted in different attacks in the northern part of Nigeria were rescued, the country’s president said Wednesday. Those rescued include 163 people abducted from Woro community in Kaiama area of Kwara state in February, and 145 people kidnapped mostly from Niger state, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu said in a statement. Details of the operation that freed the more than 300 people who spent months in captivity were not disclosed, with the statement only saying they were rescued from a forest and are now receiving medical attention. … Armed groups, known as bandits in Nigeria, regularly carry out raids and kidnappings for ransom in the northwest and north-central parts of the country.” (08/06/26)
“Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was asked if he would endorse Democratic Socialist of America (DSA) member Francesca Hong’s Wisconsin gubernatorial bid, and his response sparked immediate mockery on social media. ‘I don’t think so,’ the Vermont socialist told ‘Pod Save America’ host Jon Favreau when asked if he is going to endorse Hong’s campaign for governor. ‘I met Francesca a couple of years ago. I was in Wisconsin, and she seems very, very nice, but again this is a race I’m just not that familiar with.’ Sanders added that ‘we have not gotten involved in many governors’ races’ …. Political commentators quickly chimed in on social media suggesting that Sanders not endorsing Hong shows the senator doesn’t think she can win, with many pointing to Sanders’ strident support of Platner despite all of his political baggage.” (08/06/26)
“The United States has asked the Philippine government to extradite a Filipino church leader, who was once an influential adviser to former President Rodrigo Duterte, to face trial on charges including child sex trafficking and fraud that landed him on the FBI’s most wanted list, two Philippine officials said Thursday. The U.S. request for Apollo Carreon Quiboloy’s extradition was sent to the Department of Justice in Manila through the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department in July. The request needs the approval of two Philippine courts, which have been trying the detained former televangelist for human trafficking and child abuse charges, according to two high-ranking officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to publicly discuss the issues.” (08/06/26)
“After initially refusing to even review it, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Moderna’s mRNA seasonal flu vaccine, the pharmaceutical company announced in a press release. Known as mFlusiva (or mRNA-1010), the immunization is effective against the four most common strains of influenza and has been in human testing trials since 2021. Those variants cause up to five million severe flu cases every year and result in as many as 650,000 respiratory deaths annually, the World Health Organization (WHO) wrote in 2017. The vaccine is approved for adults aged 50 and over.” (08/06/26)
“Four young women have told the BBC they were sexually assaulted and harassed at an Army training college for teenagers – with one saying she was raped by several fellow junior soldiers in an attack that lasted hours. The women all attended the Army Foundation College (AFC) at Harrogate, North Yorkshire, over the past five years and say the incidents happened when they were aged 17. The college has a dangerous culture of misogyny and sexual violence, say the women, who are all speaking out for the first time. These reports are ‘extremely distressing and serious’, said an Army spokesperson in a statement. The BBC can also reveal that North Yorkshire Police received 16 reports of sexual offences linked to the college in the year to June, according to a Freedom of Information request.” (08/06/26)
“Sweden’s top court said on Thursday it has upheld a ruling that a cargo vessel seized in the Baltic Sea this year can be handed over to Ukraine, where it is suspected of illegally transporting grain from Russian-occupied territory. The supreme court dismissed an appeal from the owners of the Caffa vessel, which was seized in March off southern Sweden on suspicion of sailing under a false flag and of violating maritime and ship safety laws due to a lack of seaworthiness. Ukraine has sought the ship as part of a probe into suspected war crimes involving the appropriation and removal of property from Russian-occupied territory.” (08/06/26)
“Congolese health authorities monitored Thursday passengers traveling on a boat stationed near Kinshasa after a traveler died with symptoms matching the Ebola virus. Congo has been battling an Ebola outbreak since May, declared the fastest in history in terms of transmission, with confirmed cases reaching 4,000, including over 1,800 deaths, according to Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa CDC. The passenger had disembarked after getting sick in Pimu, in the province of Mongala, more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) from Kinshasa, Kaseya said Thursday, adding that the capital has no confirmed Ebola case. The boat had been traveling for nearly three weeks along the Congo River with nearly 200 passengers on board. They have been tested for Ebola and are in quarantine while awaiting their results. ‘We decided to do that even if some of them didn’t have symptoms because we want to make sure that we don’t miss anything,’ Kaseya added.” (08/06/26)
