(1)Trump reposts message saying Iran was given ‘every possible chance’

Summary

President Donald Trump reposted a message by US lawyer David Schoen on Truth Social saying Trump had given Iran “every possible chance” to change its behavior.

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned on Thursday that military strength alone could not ensure the Islamic Republic’s survival if people faced hunger and the economy failed to grow.

Ship crossings through the Strait of Hormuz fell to seven on Thursday, down from 14 the previous day, Reuters reported, citing initial Kpler data.

Vice President JD Vance said Iran could survive US economic pressure for “a couple of weeks or a couple of months or possibly longer.”

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with CNBC that the United States would impose the “toughest sanctions in history” on Iran and said Washington was “going to collapse this regime.”

(2)Trump says Iran wants deal but is not ready for ‘right deal’

President Donald Trump said Friday Iran wants an agreement with the United States but is not yet prepared to accept terms he considers necessary.

“They would love to make a deal, but they are not ready to make the right deal, in my opinion,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews.

“We’re seeing what happens. They have no money. They have no navy. They have no air force. They’re not paying their soldiers. They’re not paying their police. They have 350% inflation,” Trump said.

(3)Smell of burned flesh lingers at Khamenei compound after strike, cleric says

“Someone told me that when you go near the Supreme Leader’s compound, you can still smell burned flesh. I went there myself and found it was true — you can still smell burned flesh," a Shiite cleric told a nighttime gathering of Islamic Republic supporters in Tehran’s Tajrish… pic.twitter.com/zLxoTUo2lw— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) August 21, 2026

(4)Iran says Spanish investor approved for mining project in South Khorasan

Iran has issued its first foreign investment permit in South Khorasan province to a Spanish investor for a mining and mineral-processing project, state news agency IRNA reported.

Morteza Zakerian, the provincial director general of economic affairs and finance, said investors from the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Oman had also entered South Khorasan for the first time in the recent period.

He said foreign investors from 12 countries are now active in the province, including China, Afghanistan, South Africa and Germany.

(5)Trump reposts message saying Iran was given ‘every possible chance’

President Donald Trump reposted a message by US lawyer David Schoen on Truth Social saying Trump had given Iran “every possible chance” to change its behavior.

Schoen wrote that Trump had given Tehran opportunities to end what he described as its support for global terrorism and join “productive nations.”

He added that Trump had also made clear the consequences Iran would face if it continued on its current path.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/liveblog/202608153827

ESPN

@SCNext

2030 QB Marshall Manning, son of Peyton Manning, just made his debut with Baylor School (TN)😧🔥

9:29 PM · Aug 20, 2026

16.8M

https://x.com/SCNext/status/2090612141225115771

ActBlue co-founder pleads Fifth Amendment in closed-door House GOP grilling

Elizabeth Elkind, Kelly Phares

Thu, August 20, 2026 at 12:48 PM EDT

FIRST ON FOX: ActBlue co-founder Matt DeBergalis pleaded the Fifth Amendment during his closed-door deposition before three key House committees, sources familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital.

The Committee on House Administration, House Oversight Committee, and House Judiciary Committee are conducting a joint investigation into ActBlue, a massive fundraising platform for Democrats, over allegations that lax fraud prevention standards may have allowed foreign donations to seep into U.S. campaigns.

DeBergalis' deposition, which was scheduled for Thursday morning, lasted less than half an hour. Fox News saw DeBergalis entering and exiting the committee room within roughly 25 minutes.

Fox News Digital reached out to ActBlue for comment. Fox News Digital also reached out to the majority and minority of each of the three committees.

ActBlue is prolific across Democratic campaigns, being used by the likes of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed, among others.

Pleading the Fifth Amendment is not evidence of wrongdoing. ActBlue has repeatedly denied running afoul of the law during the course of Republicans' probe.

The Committee on House Administration, which has jurisdiction over U.S. election laws, first opened a probe into ActBlue in 2023. Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., accused the group of potentially accepting foreign or fraudulent donations for not requiring a credit card CVV number for contributions.

ActBlue has since updated its donation requirements with a CVV mandate.

A report released by the committees in April 2025 claimed that "ActBlue executives and staff are aware that both foreign and domestic fraudulent actors are exploiting the platform but do not take the threat seriously."

The platform's current CEO invoked the Fifth Amendment during a public congressional hearing earlier this year.

Steil told Fox News in an interview ahead of the deposition on Wednesday that it was unclear if ActBlue has updated its standards.

"It's unclear how serious ActBlue is now taking fraud. We know that they weakened their fraud standards previously. Did they make the changes that are needed to root out foreign funds from coming into U.S. Elections?" Steil asked.

He also pointed to other ActBlue executives' silence in the face of Republican questioning.

"What is so frustrating for me, and I think countless others — they have a right to not answer our questions, but I think the American people also have a rights to know exactly what's taking place on this platform that has raised roughly $20 billion for Democratic candidates and liberal causes since its creation," Steil said.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/actblue-co-founder-pleads-fifth-164804521.html

actPost

@factpostnews

Sean Duffy tells his daughter she cannot go to Harvard because they have "professionalized figuring out how they can take good young girls and corrupt their minds"

https://x.com/factpostnews/status/2090125498210816285

America's capital crunch: Soaring debt collides with AI spending spree. 1/2

America is caught in a historic capital squeeze:

On one side: Trillions Washington must borrow to pay for the past.

On the other: Trillions the economy needs to build the future.

Why it matters: The next president will inherit a fiscal reckoning decades in the making. The price it exacts — on taxes, benefits, borrowing and investment — could shape America's prosperity and power for generations.

Zoom in:

President Trump said in 2016 that he could eliminate what was then roughly $19 trillion in national debt within eight years. On Tuesday, the debt crossed $40 trillion, after growing by $3 trillion in the past year alone.

About $32 trillion is owed to investors and other outside holders. The rest is debt the government owes to its own accounts, including Social Security and other federal trust funds.

Treasury mustrefinance $9.7 trillionin debt coming due this fiscal year while covering a deficit the Congressional Budget Office now projects atroughly $2.1 trillion.

That creates a punishing cycle:Old debt comes due, Washington replaces it with more expensive debt, and the resulting interest bill feeds future deficits.

CBO projects annual deficitswill average $2.4 trillion through 2036, pushing debt held by the public to 120% of GDP — above the record set after World War II.

The U.S.has already spent $963 billion on interest in the first 10 months of this fiscal year, $200 billion more than it spent on the military over the same period.

Zoom out:For years, Silicon Valley's AI buildout was financed almost entirely with cash. Now Big Tech is becoming one of the biggest new forces in global debt markets.

Bond sales by the "hyperscalers" building AI infrastructure are on pace to roughly double in 2026. Goldman Sachs projects debt will fund more than a third of their AI spending by 2027.

Nvidia is working with BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, KKR and other Wall Street giants on plans to marshal more than $500 billion for AI infrastructure.

Stunning stat: Nine major tech companies have already spent roughly $600 billion on capital projects over the past year.

https://www.axios.com/2026/08/21/national-debt-deficit-ai-spending

>>24960934

2/2

A Wall Street Journal analysis found they have another $3 trillion in future commitments, mostly tied to AI,that aren't yet reflected on their balance sheets.

The big picture: America's debt burden is approaching the point where it starts reshaping household finances, presidential politics and the country's economic choices.

Long-term Treasury yield shave climbed to their highest levels since 2007, raising borrowing costs across the economy — from mortgages to business loans — and making Washington's own debt more expensive to refinance.

Social Security's retirement trust fund is projected to run dry in late 2032, during the final months of the next president's first term.

Medicare's hospital trust fundfollows in the second quarter of 2033.

Between the lines: Trump and Elon Musk promised to break Washington's addiction to debt without forcing Americans to swallow painful sacrifices.

Musk launched DOGE with ambitions of cutting as much as $2 trillion from federal spending. Its final public tally claimed just $215 billion in savings — barely a tenth of that goal.

A federal audit released this month found billions in unsupportedor inaccurate savings claims, including $27.4 billion tied to contracts that were still active.

What to watch: America's fiscal options are narrowing as its political ambitions expand.

On the left, democratic socialism and economic populism are surging, pairing promises of cheaper housing, health care and child care with calls for higher taxes on the wealthy.

On the right, the Trump-era GOP has protected Social Security and Medicare politically while pursuing tax cuts and higher defense spending, including Trump's push for a $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget.

The bottom line: Few problems loom larger over America's future than its colossal debt burden. Yet few are treated with less urgency by the politicians who will have to confront it.

https://www.axios.com/2026/08/21/national-debt-deficit-ai-spending

Fox News on X: "NOW: Vice President JD Vance serves customers at a Cincinnati bar after delivering a campaign speech in battleground Ohio."

@FoxNews

NOW: Vice President JD Vance serves customers at a Cincinnati bar after delivering a campaign speech in battleground Ohio.

3:09 PM · Aug 21, 2026

279.5K

https://x.com/FoxNews/status/2090879032250212728

California Just Made It Harder To Buy Cheap Tires, and Drivers Have Questions

Guessing Headlights

Gavin Baio

Fri, August 21, 2026 at 11:14 AM

California regulators have approved a first-of-its-kind rule that will limit which tires you can buy for your car, and it's already got people arguing. The new standard targets rolling resistance, the drag a tire creates as it rolls across the road, in an effort to squeeze more range out of every gallon of gas or charge of electricity.

According to KCRA, the California Energy Commission voted unanimously on Monday to phase out the sale of replacement tires that don't meet new energy-efficiency standards. Commission chairman David Hochschild framed the move as consumer protection, saying it's meant to shelter drivers from higher costs down the road.

Tire manufacturers and the commission don't agree on much else, though both sides acknowledge the rule will eliminate a large share of tires currently sold in the state. Commissioner Nancy Skinner said the goal is simple: save Californians money using tools already within the commission's authority.

Not everyone's convinced that math checks out, and the online reaction has been a mix of confusion, jokes, and genuine concern about what "energy-efficient" tires mean for real-world driving conditions.

The Rule Rolls Out in Two Phases

The first phase begins in 2029 and caps rolling resistance at 9.1, tightening to 7.2 in 2033 for phase two. The commission arrived at those numbers after testing 537 tire types.

According to commission staff, the goal is to make sure replacement tires sold in California are, on average, as efficient as the tires that came with the vehicle when it was new. The CEC estimates drivers could save $79 in gas or electricity costs within four months under phase one and $153 within seven months once phase two kicks in.

Goodyear Says the Real Cost Will Be Higher

Bret Gladfelty, representing Goodyear, told the commission the rule will drive up costs for consumers and argued that technical and legal issues with the regulation still haven't been resolved. He disputed the commission's own cost estimate, which puts the average price increase at $6.50 per tire under phase two, warning that real-world costs could run into the hundreds of dollars instead.

Gladfelty also told KCRA the rule will wipe out an estimated 70% of tires currently sold in California by 2033, a number the commission has since acknowledged without disputing. Other manufacturers, including Bridgestone and Michelin, raised separate concerns about how the CEC plans to enforce the standard and whether it could create an uneven playing field favoring larger manufacturers.

Not Every Tire Is Affected

The new rule doesn't apply across the board. Exemptions include snow tires, motorcycle tires, ATV and off-road tires, spare tires, competition tires built for motorsports, and several other niche categories.

The rule traces back to a 2003 state law, AB 844, that directed the commission to study tire-efficiency regulation, though it took over two decades for the rule to be adopted. Skinner, a longtime environmentalist, said she couldn't say for certain whether cost pressures were the reason it took this long, only that "there may not have been those cost pressures" back when the law first passed.

The Comments Aren't Fully Sold

Reactions to the new rule have ranged from genuine questions to straight-up jokes. One commenter asked how a tire designed to reduce friction would perform during a sudden stop or on wet roads, and wondered whether fuel efficiency was being prioritized over safety.…

https://autos.yahoo.com/policy-and-environment/articles/california-just-made-harder-buy-151438345.html

Trump gives tour of construction work at White House

Watch live from Washington as US President Donald Trump gives press a tour of the White House helipad.

23:30

https://www.youtu.be/0MBARPOJiOA

Türkiye asks Interpol to help arrest Netanyahu

Ankara wants the Israeli prime minister internationally sought on genocide and crimes against humanity charges

Published 22 Aug, 2026

Türkiye said it is seeking an Interpol Red Notice for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on genocide charges. The move comes amid broader tensions between the two US allies, as Ankara has condemned Israel’s recent airstrikes on an airbase in Syria.

An Interpol Red Notice is a request to police worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a wanted person pending extradition.

Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said on X on Friday that Netanyahu was among 35 defendants wanted over “an attack” on the activist-operated Global Sumud Flotilla, which sought to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. The charges include genocide, crimes against humanity, torture, deprivation of liberty, hijacking a transport vehicle, and property damage.

“We categorically reject the notion that the Netanyahu government, which is pursuing a policy of genocide in Gaza, is untouchable and cannot be held accountable,” Gurlek said.

The Israeli Navy has boarded several convoys in international waters sailing for Gaza, most recently in May, when more than 400 activists were detained aboard around 50 boats. The activists were deported to Greece and alleged mistreatment while in Israeli custody. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said at the time that all participants in “the provocative flotilla” were unharmed.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly compared Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler over the war in Gazaand accused him of committing genocide against Palestinians. Netanyahu, in turn, has labeled Erdogan an “anti-Semitic dictator” and accused him of committing genocide against Kurds.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has warned Erdogan against dragging his country “into dangerous adventures in Syria”after Ankara strongly condemned the strikes on the Abu al-Duhur airbase on August 18. The attack caused no casualties but damaged recently built runways.

Both Syria and Türkiye denied Israel’s claim that Turkish troops were set to be deployed in the area. US presidential envoy to Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack also condemned the Israeli strikes as an unnecessary escalation.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is currently considering South Africa’s genocide case against Israel. Separately,the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel, which is a party to the ICJ Statute but not a member of the ICC, has denied the allegations.

https://www.rt.com/news/644505-turkiye-red-notice-israel/

Ukrainian conscripts fleeing from training camps in Germany – Die Zeit

The weekly has profiled a man who says he was forcibly mobilized and later deserted after being physically abused by a superior

Published 21 Aug, 2026 20:30 | Updat

Dozens of Ukrainian soldiers have deserted while undergoing military training in Germany, Die Zeit has reported,citing interviews with ten men who fled their units.

Kiev has increasingly relied on forced mobilization as it struggles to replenish battlefield losses. Videos regularly circulate online showing recruitment officers detaining men in public places and forcing them into vehicles, sometimes after violent confrontations. The practice has become widely known in Ukraine as “busification.”

Die Zeit reported on Wednesdaythat during the early years of the conflict, Ukrainian troops sent to Germany for training were generally experienced and highly motivated. More recently, however, many of those arriving have been newly mobilized recruits.

In Saxony-Anhalt alone, the regionalInterior Ministry has recorded around 80 cases of Ukrainian soldiers deserting, while the nationwide total is believed to run into the hundreds, according to the weekly.

Among those interviewed was Vladimir Shulgin, a 39-year-old former pianist from Dnepr. He told Die Zeit that after Ukraine intensified its mobilization campaign, he largely avoided leaving home while his wife supported the family.

Shulgin said he was detained by recruitment officers after venturing outside in late January and was subsequently sent to Germany’s Altengrabow military training facility.

According to his account, he initially had no intention of deserting. He changed his mind after allegedly being physically abused by Ukrainian superiors and threatened with death upon his return to Ukraine.

After a German military doctor referred him to a hospital in Berlin, Shulgin did not return to the training facility. He has since applied for asylumand is living in a refugee shelter.

Another deserter interviewed by Die Zeitsaid he had fled because he did not want to kill or be killed.

“I simply don’t want to die, and I don’t want to kill. Not at the front, and nowhere else. Is that enough?” he said.

Their prospects of obtaining asylum are “likely slim,” however, according to the newspaper.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said last month that while Ukrainian men of military age could still apply for asylum, avoiding military service did not in itself constitute grounds for protection.

Similar desertions have occurred during Ukrainian training programs elsewhere in Europe. In late 2024, Ukrainian media reported that around 50 soldiersfrom the 155th Mechanized Brigade had deserted during training in France.

The Ukrainian authorities have acknowledged tens of thousands of desertion and unauthorized-absence cases since the conflict with Russia escalated in 2022.

Russia has accused the leadership in Kiev and its Western backers of being willing to fight “to the last Ukrainian.”

https://www.rt.com/news/644500-ukrainian-conscripts-fleeing-training-camps-germany-zeit/

Zelensky chief of staff drawn into widening corruption scandal

Kirill Budanov has been linked to efforts to raise bail for an ex-minister implicated in a major graft case

Published 21 Aug, 2026 16:12 | Updated

Kirill Budanov, the head of Vladimir Zelensky’s office,has been drawn into a widening corruption investigationinvolving senior Ukrainian officials, Ukrainskaya Pravda reported on Thursday.

According to the outlet, Budanov’s name appears in case materials concerning his former deputy Irina Mudraya, who was fired by Zelensky this week after anti-corruption investigators searched her home.

The case centerson efforts to raise and legalize about $3.3 million in bail money for former Energy Minister German Galushchenko– a key figure in a $100 million corruption case involving state nuclear operator Energoatom and linked to Zelensky’s longtime business associate Timur Mindich.

The outlet reported that Zelensky tasked Budanov with organizing the bail effort, with businessmen and former lawmakers brought in to help find the money.The funds were eventually paid through little-known companies with opaque ownership.

Recordings released by investigators show Mudraya repeatedly referring to instructions from “the leadership,” which the outlet said could mean either Budanov or Zelensky himself.In one conversation, she quoted a senior official as saying that corruption should be “systematized and controlled”rather than fought.

Ukrainskaya Pravda cited sources as saying Budanov has become unusually cautious since the latest recordings were published and has avoided meetings with outsiders. The outlet also reported that he is helping Mudraya as she faces prosecution.

The case is but the latest of several major graft investigations to reach Zelensky’s inner circle. His former chief of staff Andrey Yermak has also been accused of laundering more than $10.4 million through a luxury property scheme outside Kiev.

Other recent investigations have targeted former ministers, diplomats, and senior officials. Foreign Ministry figures have been accused of stealing about $1.3 million in Western aid, while separate cases have involved alleged embezzlement in the energy and defense sectors.

The heads of the Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) recently warned that graft remains entrenched at the highest levels of government. SAPO chief Aleksandr Klimenko said the state has repeatedly demonstrated that it has “no political will to fight corruption properly.”

Last year, Zelensky sought to bring NABU and SAPO under tighter government control. He was quickly forced to reverse the move after it sparked nationwide protests and criticism from Kiev’s Western backers.

Corruption has also complicated Ukraine’s EU ambitions. A senior European diplomat recently told the Financial Times that admitting a country ranked 104th globally for perceived corruption would make a “mockery of the entire project.”

Moscow has long argued that the scandals reflect systemic corruption in Ukraine. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier this year that corruption “permeates the entire Ukrainian power structure, including Zelensky’s inner circle and Zelensky himself.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/644497-ukraine-budanov-corruption-scandal/