Pakistan and Qatar are continuing diplomatic efforts to end the war between the United States and Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But President Donald Trump told Al Jazeera he's got “no time schedule” to resolve the conflict reaching the six-month mark on Friday. Trump said he thinks the U.S. is “winning very big.”
U.S. voters will soon get their say. The Iran war has undermined Trump’s campaign pledge to steer clear of foreign conflicts and challenges Republicans clinging to narrow majorities in Congress. About two-thirds of U.S. adults say the war with Iran has not been worth fighting, according to a July poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Here’s the Latest:
Democratic senator who questioned Kennedy on Samoa reacts to AP’s reporting
AP’s latest findings about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ’s trip to Samoa show his platform “is built on lies and grifts that leave a trail of dead children in their wake,” said Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees Kennedy’s health department.
The AP reported earlier Thursday that new documents refute Kennedy’s account that his 2019 visit, before a deadly measles outbreak, had “nothing to do with vaccines.”
Responding to the reporting, Wyden said he plans to press Republicans to refer Kennedy to the Justice Department for criminal investigation for lying to Congress.
If Democrats take the Senate majority in this fall’s elections, he added, his committee will prioritize holding Kennedy accountable.
“There are consequences for lying to Congress,” he said.
Group of Democratic senators calls on ICE to cancel plan for shock gloves
A group of U.S. senators led by Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada is urging Immigration and Customs Enforcement to cancel its plan to outfit officers with gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks.
In a letter to ICE’s acting director, Cortez Masto and 15 of her colleagues in the Democratic caucus questioned ICE’s need to spend up to $20 million on the devices and the agency’s ability to use them appropriately.
“The blatant and tragic misuse of force in Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, Houston, Maine, and other locations around the country raises significant skepticism about the agency’s professional capability to safely deploy a new tool that could be used to harm Americans without cause,” the letter said.
Zelenskyy’s direct plea helped unlock Russia sanctions in the Senate. What’s next is uncertain
A Russian sanctions package in Congress represents the most ambitious effort to support Ukraine since Trump returned to the White House. The Senate approved it after a personal plea from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who told lawmakers after Lindsey Graham’s funeral last month that his country needs the sanctions as a morale booster.
The bill Graham promoted would deprive President Vladimir Putin of oil and gas revenue fueling the war machine. But House approval is uncertain. House Speaker Mike Johnson faces resistance from some Republicans. And many Democrats supportive of Ukraine warn it would hand Trump too much tariff authority.
The shortage illustrates cascading fallout from Trump’s unexpected war against Iran
U.S. missile stocks in Europe have been moved to the Middle East, where U.S. and Gulf allies have fired off significant numbers of interceptors, including Patriots, to thwart Iran’s drones and missiles. Some of those attacks have killed and wounded American troops.
Though a Russian ballistic missile attack against NATO countries is not imminently expected, CIA Director John Ratcliffe went to Moscow this week to warn Russia not to attack, The Wall Street Journal reported. Trump played down the significance of the rare and secretive trip, saying it was “sort of semi-routine.”
European and NATO officials say Russia could be in a position to attack countries in the alliance by 2030. Patriot stockpiles are projected to rebound by then. In the meantime, Russia’s war in Ukraine could hinder its ability to carry out any missile attack on Europe as it would be a challenge for Moscow to fight an air war on two fronts.
US faces critical shortage of Patriot missiles in Europe, officials tell AP
The shortage of advanced missile interceptors is largely driven by Trump’s war with Iran, a U.S. defense official in Europe and a NATO official told The Associated Press, raising concerns about vulnerabilities in NATO countries to a potential Russian attack.
The U.S. defense official said the most concerning shortfall involves Patriot missile interceptors, which can shoot down Russia’s high-speed ballistic missiles. The NATO official confirmed the low inventories of Patriots among American and NATO forces in Europe. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.
In the event of a Russian ballistic missile assault on, for example, a military headquarters or power plant, NATO could be in a similar position to Patriot-starved Ukraine and be forced “to take punch after punch in the mouth,” the U.S. defense official said.
In Europe, the American military “definitely” does not have enough Patriots to stop any possible sustained ballistic missile attack and would have “very limited” capability to defend against a single ballistic missile strike or a stray Russian missile that goes off course, the U.S. official said.
Michigan Democrats want to fight Trump. First they have to stop fighting each other
When Democrats gathered this week in a West Michigan congressional district they’re trying to flip blue, they wanted to talk about the cost of living under President Donald Trump. But it didn’t take long for the conversation to turn to a controversy dividing their party.
One attendee chided U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten for failing to support Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed.
“Your inflammatory rhetoric has nothing to do with creating a better economic future for the people of West Michigan, and everything to do with protecting the pipeline of our tax dollars to Israel,” the woman said.
The exchange captured a problem confronting Democrats as they head toward November. Party leaders believe concerns about the economy have given them an opening to win control of Congress, but internal divisions are making it harder to keep the focus there.
New sanctions and a trade embargo leave Iran with few places to turn
Iran’s economy, already strained by high inflation, years of Western sanctions and a war that has sharply reduced oil revenue, is poised for more instability as the Trump administration tries to coerce other countries into ending all financial dealings with the Islamic Republic.
A decision by the United Arab Emirates to suspend trade relations with Iran last week kick-started the White House’s latest attempt to isolate Tehran into submission. Iran entered the war with its foreign commerce concentrated among a relatively small group of countries, leaving it with fewer places to turn now.
The success of the U.S. strategy will largely hinge on China, the main buyer of Iranian oil and its top trading partner. Russia, a fellow target of sweeping U.S.-led sanctions, has a military conflict and economic crisis of its own and probably can’t offer longtime ally Iran much hard financial support.
Canada is bolstering its defense industry as US relations fray
The Canadian government is investing an additional $60 billion over the next five years to reduce its dependence on American suppliers, a shift due to Trump’s pressure to contribute more to NATO as well as strained trade relations with Washington.
Canada aims to boost domestic defense capabilities and create jobs while developing innovative technologies for military and civilian use, like drones and robotics. Clothing maker Wuxly, known for luxury parkas, is joining in, making high-tech military gear.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s vow to strengthen Canadian economic self-sufficiency is a boon for Canadian startups and established companies, as well as firms in Europe.
UEFA has also gone to court in Florida against FIFA
UEFA also filed a request in a southern Florida district for authorization of discovery “in a foreign proceeding” against FIFA itself, which has offices in the Miami suburb of Coral Gables.
Thrive and Kushner were to be the anchor investors intending to pay FIFA $4.2 billion for a 20% stake in a subsidiary that would run the soccer body’s commercial events, including the World Cup.
A 56-page UEFA document seen by The Associated Press suggests the $4.2 billion could have been a “fraudulently off-market price promoted by Infantino for his own benefit.”
Infantino dropped the sell-off plan on Aug. 1 after a furious backlash by global soccer leaders, including UEFA.
Europe’s soccer body seeks evidence from Kushner fund for criminal complaint against FIFA’s Infantino
UEFA is preparing a criminal complaint against FIFA President Gianni Infantino in Swiss courts for possible financial mismanagement over his failed plan to sell future World Cup profits to private investors.
UEFA said Thursday it filed documents in a Manhattan court requesting discovery of potential evidence from the New York investment fund, Thrive Capital Management, founded by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Iran thanks China as it dismisses Trump’s D-Day sanctions threat
Iran’s top negotiator and parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf is thanking China for rejecting the U.S. “economic D-Day” policies against Iran.
“We welcome China’s principled statement rejecting illegal sanctions against Iran,” Qalibaf posted on social media Wednesday.
Earlier this week, Tehran had warned that it would respond harshly to expanded U.S. sanctions, including measures against countries it sees as cooperating with Washington. Iran has repeatedly targeted Bahrain and other Gulf countries with missiles and drones since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28.
Another tanker is reported struck in the Strait of Hormuz
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization said Thursday that it had received a report of an oil tanker hit in the Strait of Hormuz.
The monitoring agency, run by the British military, said that local authorities reported that the vessel was hit by an unknown projectile on Tuesday in the waters between Oman and Iran, causing it to catch fire.
The crew was reported to be safe and there have been no reports of environmental damage, the UKMTO said.
Canadian official says US has dropped objections to Canada’s cultural programs
The message from Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc suggests that by dropping objections to Canada ’s efforts to promote French language and Canadian culture, the U.S. side has created some room for compromise in the trade standoff.
LeBlanc wrote on X Thursday that the measures “will not be subject to future U.S. trade actions,” and that he looks forward to “constructive U.S. clarifications’’ that could “create the possibility of a mutually beneficial trade agreement.’’
Speaking to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Wednesday, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the U.S. has had some “questions’’ about whether the cultural programs put U.S. companies at a disadvantage, but said the U.S. “recognizes the importance and sensitivity of the French language’’ to Canada. “There is no way we would let a good deal go by for something like this,” Greer added.
Qatari leader went to Tehran seeking an off-ramp from the war
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was in Tehran on Thursday trying diplomacy to resolve the Iran war.
Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a post on X that Al Thani and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed “the efforts being made to reduce escalation,” as well as a proposed plan between Iran and Oman to allow ships safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and clear the vital commercial waterway of dangerous mines.
Al Thani’s office said the prime minister emphasized the “necessity of respecting the sovereignty of neighboring countries and the freedom of navigation” on the strait.
Al Thani also met Thursday with Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf to review efforts to reduce escalation and resume dialogue, the Qatari government said.
New documents refuting RFK Jr testimony were obtained through an open records lawsuit
The letters featured in the AP’s Thursday story about Kennedy’s 2019 trip to Samoa had been included in emails in State Department records.
The department released them to the AP and The Guardian as the result of an open records lawsuit brought with the aid of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. The letters, shared recently, were among hundreds of pages of documents released over a period of months.
Based on other emails released as part of the lawsuit, the AP and the Guardian reported in February that officials with the State Department and UNICEF privately discussed that the trip was about vaccines.
HHS responds to AP report on Kennedy’s letter about measles vaccine
The Department of Health and Human Services said in response to questions from the AP that the Samoa visit “was unrelated to vaccines.”
“Any claim or insinuation based on these letters that Secretary Kennedy lied under oath or to Congress is not only false but outright defamatory,” the department said in a written statement.
Kennedy was not under oath during his confirmation hearing. Knowingly giving material false testimony to Congress is a crime that carries a possible prison sentence regardless of whether a person is under oath, though it is rarely prosecuted.
HHS did not make Kennedy available for an interview. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. The Samoan prime minister’s office and the former prime minister who corresponded with Kennedy did not respond to requests for comment. Neither did Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine nonprofit Kennedy led.
AP exclusive: RFK Jr. said a Samoa trip had nothing to do with vaccines. New documents refute that
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. repeatedly told lawmakers who held the key to his confirmation last year that his 2019 visit to Samoa before a deadly measles outbreak had “ nothing to do with vaccines.” New documents obtained by The Associated Press and The Guardian refute that testimony.
Kennedy, then a prominent anti-vaccine activist, preceded the visit with a letter to the Samoan prime minister requesting to study the Pacific island nation’s measles, mumps and rubella vaccines after the deaths of two children who had received them. In the letter, he used the words vaccine or vaccination eight times.
The letter raises questions about how truthful Kennedy was in testimony before Congress. During an arduous confirmation process where he needed the support of some skeptical Republican lawmakers to advance, Kennedy also pledged to maintain vaccine policies that, once in office, he moved to change.
▶ Read more, including the letters from Kennedy and Samoa’s prime minister
Outgoing White House press secretary talks Texas and her replacement
Karoline Leavitt says there’s “no shortage of applications” to replace her.
“I’ve given my advice to the president on what he should look for, and I’ll continue to do that until he makes a decision,” she told “Fox and Friends” on Thursday that the pick needs to be someone Trump “trusts fully.”
In what Fox hosts billed as her last official interview as press secretary, Leavitt teased a trip Trump is taking to Houston Thursday evening to attend a Republican National Committee fundraiser in support of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Senate campaign. Trump will visit NASA’s Johnson Space Center on Friday.
White House says some Americans have been rescued from flooding in Nepal
The U.S. has rescued a handful of Americans in the wake of devastating flooding in Nepal, outgoing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an interview on “Fox and Friends” on Thursday morning.
Leavitt said the U.S. has offered its help to local authorities and will prioritize Americans in its response. “We’re focused on rescuing every American that we possibly can,” she said.
Rescue teams searched Thursday for hundreds of missing people along the Nepal-China border, where the collapse of a glacier sent a catastrophic and deadly torrent of water and mud several stories high sweeping through communities.
Videos of the disaster showed people running before the floodwaters swallowed them up. At least 353 people were killed, police said, and more than 1,300 are missing. Melting glaciers have become more common because of human-caused climate change.
The number of Americans applying for jobless aid slips to 203,000 as layoffs remain low
The Labor Department numbers released Thursday show layoffs are rare and most Americans enjoy job security, but that doesn’t point to a great job market for workers.
Scarred by the worker shortages that followed the COVID-19 pandemic, companies are reluctant to let go of staff. But they aren’t hiring much either. So times are tough for Americans seeking to break into the job market as well as people who lost their jobs and are looking for new work. Economists describe a “no hire, no fire″ job market.
So far this year, employers — companies, nonprofits and government agencies — have added an average 61,000 jobs a month. It’s better than the 9,700 they averaged last year as high interest rates and Trump’s erratic trade policies discouraged companies from hiring. But it’s well below historic hiring patterns.
ICE officer charged in Minneapolis shooting is released from Texas jail
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer charged with shooting a man and lying about it during the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis was released from a Texas jail Thursday, after a judge refused to order his return to Minnesota.
Christian Castro was released from a detention center in Brownsville, Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino said in an email.
A day earlier, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. wrote in an order that said he couldn’t prevent a county sheriff from releasing Castro or order Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to sign his extradition warrant.
Castro is charged in Minnesota with assault and falsely reporting a crime in the Jan. 14 shooting of 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis.
Minnesota officials believe Castro could flee to Mexico.
New Fed chair Kevin Warsh under pressure to clarify views on inflation, interest rates
New Federal Reserve chair Kevin Warsh has brought sharp change in how the central bank communicates by saying much less than his predecessors about the economy and inflation.
But so far, many economists and Wall Street investors haven’t been thrilled with that approach.
On Friday, Warsh has a high-stakes opportunity to address those concerns and underscore his inflation-fighting bona fides when he gives his speech in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, during the Fed’s annual economic symposium.
What many economists and Wall Street analysts are hoping for is a clear signal on how he thinks the Fed should handle the stubbornly elevated inflation that has caused pervasive gloom among many consumers. At his last press conference, he sowed confusion by ducking repeated questions on whether the Fed would hike its benchmark interest rate if inflation stays high.
