Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The aftermath of Hurricane Lala: “Emergency workers in Hawaii combed through wreckage on Sunday in an effort to assess the damage wrought by Lala, which weakened to a tropical storm and continued westward away from the islands. Lala, which was downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane early Sunday morning, did not make landfall as it passed south of Hawaii. But the storm’s path was close enough to flood roads, wreck homes and topple trees.”
* Remember when the United States had actual diplomats? “Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and close adviser, met with Hamas leaders in Egypt on Sunday, two Hamas officials and another official briefed on the meetings said. The talks were part of a diplomatic push to advance Mr. Trump’s plan for the future of Gaza. A U.S. official confirmed that Mr. Kushner was in Egypt for talks on Gaza, without providing further details.”
* Deadlines only matter when the relevant players care about them: “A deadline set by the United States and Iran to reach a deal to end the war and curtail Iran’s nuclear program expired on Monday, as tensions between Washington and Tehran have escalated since they signed a memorandum of understanding toward a peace deal in June.”
* Out of options: “The Supreme Court on Monday rejected President Donald Trump’s long-shot request to reconsider taking up his appeal in one of the two civil cases he lost to E. Jean Carroll. The denial was expected because the court rarely grants such rehearing requests, and none of the justices had indicated interest in taking his case when they denied his initial petition in June.”
* Fresh evidence of Moscow testing NATO? “An F-18 fighter on a NATO air policing mission shot down a drone that illegally breached Romanian national airspace, the fourth unmanned aircraft shot down over the country this year, Romania’s defense ministry said on Sunday.”
* We’re overdue for a broader conversation about bond yields: “The US government sold 30-year bonds at the highest interest rate in a quarter century, a testament to investors’ demand for greater compensation to finance the nation’s growing deficit.”
* The obvious call: “Dr. Anthony Fauci on Friday declined a request to appear voluntarily before a second Senate panel after majority Republicans on the Homeland Security Committee voted along partisan lines last week to hold the longtime infectious disease expert in contempt.”
* Keep an eye on this one: “World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s flagship crypto venture, said on Friday that its trust company has received preliminary conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to become a bank.”
See you tomorrow.
The post Monday’s Mini-Report, 8.17.26 appeared first on MS NOW.
