The Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as U.S. Attorney General early Saturday morning in a 50-49 mostly party-line vote, capping weeks of contentious debate. Blanche, formerly Trump's personal criminal defense attorney, faced bipartisan concern about his independence from the White House. Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski voted no, while Senator Bill Cassidy provided the decisive yes — arguing Blanche's history defending Trump may actually make him better positioned to push back when needed.
The White House formally notified Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook that President Trump is again considering removing her, citing mortgage fraud allegations she flatly denies. A letter from White House aide Dan Scavino gave Cook until August 26 to respond. The effort follows a June Supreme Court ruling allowing her to remain on the job — with Chief Justice Roberts noting in a footnote that nothing stops Trump from "trying again."
Friday's jobs report delivered a shock: the US economy lost 23,000 jobs last month, a massive miss against the 80,000 gain economists expected, with prior months revised down by a combined 103,000. The unemployment rate dipped slightly to 4.1 percent, but only because labor force participation fell. Odds of a September Federal Reserve rate cut dropped sharply following the report, leaving markets uncertain about the central bank's next move.
Twin Falls, Idaho police released bodycam and surveillance video from the August 1 shooting at an In-N-Out restaurant that killed three people and wounded seven more. The footage shows gunman Chad Williams, 24, opening fire at the drive-thru payment window before ultimately dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The release of the graphic video has renewed calls for answers about what led to the attack.
More than three days after President Trump announced a deal to begin disarming Hamas as the next phase of his Gaza peace plan, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly said whether he accepts it. A senior UN envoy met with Netanyahu pushing for a halt to Israeli strikes, but Israel reiterated it will not withdraw from its current positions in Gaza. Hamas says it will only follow through on disarmament if Israel pulls back — leaving the deal in limbo.
Iran and Oman announced they have agreed on geographic coordinates for new shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz, bringing a potential deal to reopen one of the world's most critical oil chokepoints one step closer. A joint statement is said to be in final drafting stages. Complicating matters: Iran is reportedly pushing to bar US and Israeli ships from the passage and seeking compensation from what it calls hostile nations before granting access.
Yemen's armed forces launched a large-scale operation against Houthi positions across multiple fronts after Houthi forces attacked army camps in the Marib and Hadhramaut provinces, killing 17 soldiers and officers. The Yemeni military warned it would respond without hesitation to any further escalation. A UN envoy said Yemen now faces a greater risk of large-scale renewed conflict than at any point since the 2022 ceasefire.
The FDA approved mFlusiva, Moderna's first mRNA-based influenza vaccine, granting standard approval for adults 50 to 64 and accelerated approval for those 65 and older pending additional trial data. In late-stage clinical trials, mFlusiva proved about 27 percent more effective than a standard flu shot, with no new serious safety concerns identified. Moderna expects the vaccine to be available for the upcoming 2026-2027 flu season.
Physicists at Louisiana State University have created a quantum material that can sort different quantum states of light and route them along separate pathways — and it works at room temperature, no cryogenic cooling required. Built from a gold film etched with hundreds of microscopic slits, the metacrystal filters photons by their quantum properties while preserving the information they carry. Potential applications include quantum computing, secure communications, and significantly more efficient solar cells.
Elizabeth "Betty" Bromage of the UK climbed atop a biplane last week and broke her own Guinness World Record for oldest female wing walker, a title she first set at age 93 in 2022. What makes this flight remarkable: Bromage suffered a stroke in August 2025, just one year ago, and completed the stunt specifically to raise money for the stroke unit at Cheltenham General Hospital that cared for her. She has now gone wing-walking six times since the age of 87.
