Jump within the current audio brief. Story thumbnails mirror the cards below when available.
Same-day briefs for Thu Aug 13, sorted by release time. The selected date stays fixed.
Changing the date preserves the current brief type: Current Events AM.
/current-events/2026-08-13.html.Story cards stay below the sticky dock while audio, chapters, date, and brief navigation remain accessible.
State House Speaker Lisa Demuth won the Minnesota Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday night, taking 45% of the vote to MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell's 31%, with Trump's endorsement failing to carry the day for Lindell. Demuth now faces Democratic nominee Sen. Amy Klobuchar in what's expected to be a fiercely contested November race. Lindell is refusing to concede, insisting he won't until "the votes are counted."
Darline Graham Nordone — the late Sen. Lindsey Graham's sister and Trump-endorsed candidate — and Rep. Ralph Norman advanced to an August 25 runoff after neither cleared 50% in Tuesday's special Republican primary. Sen. Tim Scott immediately endorsed Graham Nordone for the runoff. The winner faces Democratic pediatrician Annie Andrews in November's general election.
The July Consumer Price Index showed inflation continuing its downward trend, with prescription drug prices dropping 0.8%, gasoline falling 2.9%, and core inflation easing to 2.5% year-over-year — the second consecutive monthly decline in goods prices. Economists note an earlier price spike was partly tied to energy disruptions from the Iran conflict, but the trend line is clearly moving in the right direction.
President Trump doubled down on his assertion that the United States holds "total control" of the Strait of Hormuz, warning Tehran it can buckle under mounting economic pressure or risk getting "blown away" if it challenges American forces. The White House says Iran is feeling a severe economic squeeze, with Trump noting the country "has no money." VP Vance confirmed talks are ongoing, saying the US is in "the middle of the game."
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says negotiations with Oman over reopening the Strait of Hormuz are "in the final stages," with both sides very close on a framework covering demining the waterway and a commitment from Iran not to attack commercial vessels. A broader nuclear deal remains elusive, with fundamental disagreements still unresolved, but movement on Hormuz alone could have major implications for global energy markets.
Landmark peace negotiations between Israel and the Lebanese government have stalled in Rome even as Israel's security operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon continues. The talks had represented a rare diplomatic opening between the two governments, but are now reportedly deadlocked. The ongoing military pressure adds urgency and complication to a deal that was never easy to begin with.
US NATO Ambassador Matthew Whitaker raised alarm over reports that China is transferring up to 400 shoulder-launched missile systems to Iran, posing a direct threat to American pilots enforcing the Hormuz blockade. If confirmed, the move would represent a significant escalation of Chinese military support for Tehran amid the US-Iran standoff. Analysts say Beijing appears to be testing how far it can push before triggering a direct confrontation with Washington.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman confirmed the agency has captured imagery of aerial objects it cannot identify or explain, saying the Trump administration is "very forward-leaning" on disclosure. The declassified material includes infrared footage of a diamond-shaped object shot down by a US F-16 over Lake Huron. Isaacman noted there is no evidence of recovered alien bodies or spacecraft, but emphasized that some sightings genuinely defy explanation with available data.
President Trump signed executive orders directing a national effort to deliver a working quantum computer to the Department of Energy while simultaneously hardening US systems against the quantum threat to existing encryption standards. Experts warn of "Q-Day" — the moment quantum computers can crack today's passwords, bank accounts, and classified data — and China is aggressively racing toward that capability. The US just formally answered the bell.
Tom Rahill, founder of SwampApes — an organization that takes military veterans suffering from PTSD on python hunts in the Florida Everglades — captured 96 Burmese pythons in just 10 days to claim the 2026 Florida Python Challenge grand prize of 10,000 dollars. The event drew 907 competitors from 30 states, Canada, and Vietnam, collectively removing 280 invasive pythons from South Florida waterways. It is conservation, veteran support, and competitive snake wrangling all in one — which is to say it is very Florida, and genuinely wonderful.
