Early Edition: August 21, 2026

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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:

IRAN WAR 

Vice President JD Vance said yesterday that the war with Iran has entered a “new phase” of economic pressure. “We’re going to keep that going because we think that’s the best way to ultimately accomplish the final objective here,” Vance added. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC, “This is going to be the greatest coordinated economic isolation in the history of the world,” adding that details would follow on Monday. Asked whether the United States would pressure China, Bessent said “many conversations are best to have in private,” but called on Beijing to “get with the program.” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters today that U.S. “sanctions and pressure will not help resolve the issue.” Iran said that its response to any new U.S. threats would be “devastating.” Frank Andrews reports for CBS News; Kevin Breuninger reports; Jana Choukeir and Susan Heavey report for Reuters.  

IRAN WAR – LEBANON 

The U.S. Treasury Department yesterday issued fresh sanctions targeting Hezbollah, including re-designating it over actions on behalf of the Iranian government, according to a statement seen by Reuters. A U.S. official said the redesignation was intended to show that Hezbollah is acting on behalf of the Iranian government, specifically Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force. The official added that Thursday’s move was not part of new economic actions the United States has vowed it will take against Iran. Daphne Psaledakis and Michael Martina report.

IRAN WAR – YEMEN 

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said yesterday that the Houthis carried out two drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting what they described as a sensitive target at Najran airport and an Aramco facility. Reuters reports.  

IRAN WAR – OTHER DEVELOPMENTS 

The USS Abraham Lincoln began its journey back to San Diego yesterday after nine months of deployment in the Middle East. U.S. Central Command confirmed that the USS George Washington arrived in the Middle East on Wednesday to replace the Lincoln and had begun operating under Central Command’s control. John Ismay reports for the New York Times.  

The number of offers for Iranian oil cargoes to China for delivery in September and October has declined from July and August cargoes, and prices have jumped this week as the U.S. naval blockade has cut Tehran’s shipments, according to four trade sources. Siyi Liu and Chen Aizhu report for Reuters.  

Somali pirates yesterday hijacked a suspected Iranian shadow fleet tanker off the coast of Yemen. This was the second ship hijacked in a span of four days, according to officials in Somalia. “The most frequent successful spate of piracy attacks in almost a decade and a half are going virtually unnoticed on account of just how bad the maritime security picture is in the wider region,” Ian Ralby, president of the maritime governance nonprofit group Auxilium Worldwide, said. Pranav Baskar and Hussein Mohamed report for the New York Times.  

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR 

Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar yesterday condemned recent Israeli strikes in Gaza, urging Israel to meet its ceasefire obligation and avoid steps that could escalate tensions. Their joint statement followed Israeli strikes that have killed at least 16 Palestinians in Gaza since Tuesday. Reuters reports.

The Trump administration plans to prevent Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas from speaking before the U.N. General Assembly in New York next month, a U.S. official told the Times of Israel. The United States refused to grant Abbas a visa to enter last year, claiming he had been taking steps to undermine peace prospects. A Palestinian official told the Times of Israel that Abbas asked the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to speak to Trump about the visa ban. Jacob Magid reports.

WEST BANK VIOLENCE 

Thirty Israeli “pioneer families” arrived yesterday at the settlement of Kadim in the occupied West Bank, according to the regional settler’s council. The settlement was closed two decades ago by a previous Israeli government under a ban on Jewish settlements around Jenin. “21 years after the crime of expulsion from northern Samaria, we have completed the correction […] and have returned to the settlement of Kadim,” Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said at the opening ceremony. Lucy Williamson reports for BBC News. 

The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, and Norway called Israel’s decision to open up tenders for the construction of around 1,200 settlement homes in the E1 area east of Jerusalem, “unacceptable” and urged Israel to “retract the plans immediately, according to a joint statement released yesterday. In a separate statement, the U.N. Secretary General António Guterres also said the E1 plan posed an “existential threat” to a contiguous Palestinian state. The EU is reportedly preparing a package of sanctions against Israel if it goes through with its plan, according to two Western diplomats. Ruth Comerford and Tom McArthur report for BBC News; Toi Staff and Nava Freiberg report for the Times of Israel.    

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee yesterday warned Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank not to steal property owned by Palestinian Americans. Huckabee told Reuters that settlers found to have taken part in a siege of homes in the West Bank village of Qusra could be punished with U.S. sanctions. Alexander Cornwell reports.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR 

Russian authorities arrested eight people for planning an attack on a strategic defense enterprise in the Moscow area and separately detained one foreign national for scouting out government buildings, Russian news agencies reported today. Russian state agencies said all the people were working for Ukrainian special services. Ukraine has not commented on the detentions. Reuters.  

Romania yesterday deployed two F-16 jet fighters to destroy an explosive marine drone near its Neptun Deep gas platform, Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruta said, adding that the Ukrainians had informed Romania the drone did not belong to them and accusing Russia of launching it. Laurence Norman reports for the Wall Street Journal.   

Ousted Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov’s call for wartime elections appears to have backfired, with protests over his dismissal fading after parliament approved his successor on Wednesday. Opinion polls show most Ukrainians prefer elections only after the war. Dan Peleschuk reports for Reuters.  

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS  

Two former organizers of Hong Kong’s annual vigils in remembrance of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown were convicted today for inciting others to overthrow China’s communist leadership. Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung were charged in 2021 under a China-imposed national security law used against Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. Kanis Leung reports for AP News. 

Taiwan’s coast guard said today that it warned off and shadowed a Chinese research ship sailing in waters to the west of the island. This is the third time the vessel has appeared since May. Reuters.  

Myanmar’s military has deployed hundreds of troops to forcibly clear areas marked for the Russia-backed Dawei Special Economic Zone, burning villages, killing civilians, and sealing off surrounding tracts of land, according to a local activist and resistance fighters. Reuters reports.  

The Taliban released two U.N. staff members who were detained more than a week ago in Herat, Afghanistan, the U.N. said yesterday. The reason for their detention still remains unclear. Elena Becatoros reports for AP News.  

Jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan would not confront the military or army chief Asim Munir if freed, his aide told Reuters this week. The comments came after Pakistan’s top court ordered Khan to be moved to a hospital for treatment. Ariba Shahid reports for Reuters. 

Serbia will hold snap parliamentary elections on Oct. 18 or 25, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said yesterday. Reuters reports.  

TECH DEVELOPMENTS 

A University of Texas computer science student last month uncovered an autonomous AI agent, developed as part of testing by the UK’s AI Security Institute, attempting to insert malicious code into an open-source project and using fake GitHub personas to deceive developers. Leo Marchandon, Raphael Satter, and Callghan O’Hare report for Reuters. 

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

The Treasury and State Departments announced yesterday that they are levelling new sanctions against nine state-owned companies along with the leadership of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, to increase pressure on Cuba. The sanctions target mining, metal, and construction companies. Matthew Lee reports for AP News.

The Treasury yesterday sanctioned fifteen people for their involvement in a cocaine trafficking network between Ecuador and the United States. The individuals targeted are allegedly members of Los Choneros and Los Lobos, two Ecuadorian gangs previously designated by the United States as foreign terrorist organizations. AP News reports.  

The State Department yesterday designated Min Zin as “wrongfully detained” by Chinese authorities. Laura Kelly reports for The Hill.

U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS  

The first deportation flight to Haiti since the Trump administration ended humanitarian protections landed yesterday, marking the beginning of the deportation of those who previously held Temporary Protected Status. Arelis R. Hernandez reports for the Washington Post.

The first deportation flight under the Trump administration’s new agreement with Liberia landed yesterday in Monrovia, carrying twenty people. Individuals subject to the deal will include African, North and South American, and Caribbean nationals. Mark Mengonfia reports for AP News.

The Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo announced in a televised interview on Wednesday that the nation has received around 2,300 Mexican deportees from the United States this year. Arevalo said the deported Mexicans were transferred to Mexico within twenty-four hours, with transportation costs covered by Mexico or the United States. Sofia Menchu and Sarah Morland report for Reuters.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 

A Charter plane yesterday carrying eight people crashed at a remote radar site, killing all on board, the U.S. military said. The crash occurred at Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site Airport. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirmed in a statement that two of its employees were among those killed, and referred to the plane involved as “civilian-contracted aircraft.” CBS News reports. 

Trump yesterday suggested that Michael Cohen, his former personal attorney, was “forced” to testify against him in the 2024 New York hush money trial. The clip was released ahead of an upcoming conversation to be aired on Sunday. In January, Michael Cohen wrote a Substack in which he claimed he was pressured by New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to testify against Trump. Sarah Davis reports for The Hill.

Federal agents searched the home of former congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and seized a cellphone and laptop from him over the weekend. The search is in connection with a civil rights investigation concerning sexual assault allegations, according to a source and court papers. Alan Feuer reports for the New York Times.

The Justice Department has requested to interview FBI officials who were involved in the 2022 search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, according to four sources. The requests came from investigators working with Joe diGenova, a Trump ally who began overseeing the investigations earlier this year. Andrew Goudsward reports for Reuters.

A judge yesterday rejected a request by Disney for an urgent hearing on its lawsuit seeking to block the Federal Communications Commission’s early review of licenses for the company’s eight ABC stations. The FCC also agreed to provide at least forty-eight hours’ notice before issuing an order to refer Disney’s ABC licenses for a hearing. FCC Chair Brendan Carr said he has not made a decision on whether to refer the Disney licenses for a hearing. David Shepardson reports for Reuters.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

Trump yesterday signed a memo to help increase the number of U.S. commercial space launches. The memo included directing government agencies to look at federal land for new launch and re-entry sites. David Shepardson reports for Reuters.

The Department of Energy is awarding $500 million in grants to seven companies building domestic lithium, cobalt, and other mineral and battery projects, according to a document seen by Reuters. The funding comes after Trump outlined a goal to make the United States the “minerals superpower of the world.” Ernest Scheyder and Jarrett Renshaw report.

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