“A Russian soldier in Crimea opened fire on his colleagues, killing one and wounding another, before turning his weapon on civilians and killing three, an official said on Tuesday. Three other people were wounded, said Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russian-installed governor of the Sevastopol region. He said the attacker had been arrested. There was no information on the motive for the attacks.” (08/04/26)
“Oil prices fell to a three-week low on Tuesday as senior US officials raised hopes of a deal with Iran to reopen the key Strait of Hormuz waterway. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent both announced talks had progressed to allow shipments to potentially resume as soon as this week. The cost of a barrel of brent crude, the global benchmark for oil prices, fell by almost 5% to under $80 on the news of supply disruptions potentially being eased. But the failure of previous negotiations in recent months to de-escalate the conflict between the US and Iran has led to a volatile oil market, with drivers ultimately being hit by higher fuel prices at the pumps. On Tuesday, along with the drop in Brent crude, US West Texas Intermediate prices were down more than 5%, to $76 a barrel.” (08/04/26)
“More than eight years after Boeing organised the maiden flight of the 737 MAX 7, US authorities announced Monday that they certified the aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced certification of the smallest version of the single-aisle MAX plane, a process that had been significantly prolonged by new requirements under federal legislation following two fatal MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019. The action, which Boeing and regulators had telegraphed in recent weeks, sent Boeing shares sharply higher. The MAX 7 is Boeing’s first new aircraft to be cleared since the crashes and other problems sent the company into a multi-year slump.” (08/04/26)
“A man who went to prison for killing his father in 2010 has been charged with intentionally setting the largest of the wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of buildings in and around Washington state’s second-largest city and forced tens of thousands of people from their homes. Aaron F. Farinacci, of Spokane, was arrested Monday and booked on suspicion of first-degree arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire, the biggest of the three blazes in and around the eastern Washington city, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said. His bond was set at $1 million and he’s due in court later Tuesday. The fires, which hadn’t been contained at all as of Tuesday morning, have destroyed at least 700 buildings and forced about 67,000 people to evacuate. Authorities haven’t said what might have caused the other two blazes.” (08/04/26)
“A Rochester homeowner shot and killed a man who allegedly broke into his house early Monday morning. … the homeowner told police he was awakened when someone entered through the rear of the residence. The homeowner then used a legally-owned and legally-registered handgun to shoot the intruder.
The intruder was located in the kitchen and was pronounced dead at the scene …” (08/03/26)
“Conflicting signals from the United States and Iran over the status of talks to end their five-month-old war boosted uncertainty on Tuesday, with the latest attack on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz highlighting risks to global energy flows. U.S. President Donald Trump said the talks were under way on Monday, warning of a ‘last chance’ for Tehran to sign a good deal, but Iran denied that negotiations were being held or planned. … One cargo vessel broadcast it had been hit by an unknown projectile near the strait off Oman’s coast, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said.” [editor’s note: I don’t think the status is “uncertain.” On this issue, at this time, the Iranian regime is clearly more credible/believable than the US regime – TLK] (08/04/26)
“At least 16 people have been killed in Russia and 11 in Ukraine, according to local officials from each side, as both countries continue to exchange attacks. Early on Tuesday, Russian state news agency TASS said that five people had been killed in a drone attack …. Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, said seven people, including three children, were killed and nearly 40 wounded when drone debris fell on the resort village of Arkhipo-Osipovka …. Sergey Aksyonov, the Moscow-installed head of Russian-occupied Crimea, who reported that the death toll on the peninsula had risen to four people …. In Ukraine, three people, including an emergency response worker and his eight-year-old son, were killed in a Russian attack on a petrol station in the Kryvyi Rih district of the Dnipropetrovsk region …. Additionally, eight people were killed, including two children, in an overnight attack in Zaporizhzhia.” (08/03/26)
“Bitcoin neared $64,000 in Asian morning hours Tuesday, up 2% over 24 hours and 1% on the week, recovering the $63,000 level it lost during Monday’s session. The low came near $62,250 before a steady bid carried it to just above $64,100 overnight. Ether lagged near $1,865, up marginally on the day but still down 1% over seven days, the only major in the red on the weekly view. XRP rose almost 1% to $1.08 and is up 2% on the week. BNB added 1.5% to nearly $591 and leads the majors over seven days at almost 5%.” (08/04/26)
“Myanmar’s detained democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi met the nation’s Red Cross representative on Monday, the president’s office said, the first publicised meeting between her and a foreign official since she was ousted in a 2021 coup. The military deposed Suu Kyi in February 2021, jailing the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and triggering an ongoing civil war that has killed more than 100,000 people on all sides. … She was detained on a host of charges which rights groups say were concocted to sideline her and her popular National League for Democracy party. The president’s office said in a statement that Arnaud de Baecque, the resident representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to Myanmar, met Suu Kyi on Monday morning.” (08/03/26)
“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)
