Wednesday, August 12, 2026

World

US Fires on Ship Violating Iran Blockade in Hormuz

The US military has fired on a Panama-flagged cargo vessel it says ignored repeated warnings while violating its blockade of Iran, as American forces claim total control of the Strait of Hormuz. Separately, Qatar says negotiations between Oman and Iran over the strait's future are making major progress, while Pakistan's interior minister held talks with Iran's foreign minister in Tehran. The standoff is simultaneously hammering global shipping: Panama Canal fees have hit a record high as the Iran war compounds El Niño-driven water shortages.

MarketStrait of Hormuz traffic returns to normal by August 31?4%

Politics

Judge Blocks Trump Mail-In Voting Order Nationwide

A federal judge in Boston has expanded her earlier ruling to block the US Postal Service from implementing any part of Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting, now covering all 50 states ahead of November's midterms. The order had aimed to tighten eligibility rules that critics say would disproportionately suppress Democratic turnout in a Congress-defining election. Judge Indira Talwani's ruling is the broadest judicial check yet on the administration's voting restrictions.

Market2026 Balance of Power: D Senate, D House50%

World

Colombia Earthquake Kills Over 250 in Cali

A deadly earthquake has struck Colombia, killing at least 254 people as rescue workers sift through collapsed buildings in Cali, the country's worst-hit city. Al Jazeera's Latin America editor is reporting from the rubble of a destroyed apartment building as the search for survivors continues. The death toll is expected to rise as crews reach more of the affected areas.

Health

Trump Pushes MMR Split; Pharma Rejects It Within Hours

The Trump administration has called on pharmaceutical companies to break apart the combined measles-mumps-rubella vaccine into three separate shots, a move dismissed as scientifically baseless by the industry's leading trade group within hours of the recommendation. The proposal echoes long-debunked anti-vaccine claims and risks disrupting one of the most widely administered childhood immunisation schedules in the world. PhRMA, the main industry lobby, publicly rejected the idea the same day it was floated.

MarketWill there be at least 4000 measles cases in the U.S. in 2026?62%

Politics

ICE Plans $20M Purchase of Electric Shock Gloves

The Department of Homeland Security has published a notice revealing ICE intends to spend up to $20 million on thousands of electric shock gloves, with delivery targeted for March. The devices, called GLOVEs — Generated Low Output Voltage Emitters — are made by Compliant Technologies LLC in Lexington, Kentucky, and the manufacturer claims a shock brings individuals into compliance in under three seconds. The procurement has drawn immediate civil liberties scrutiny over the use of pain-compliance tools in immigration enforcement.