The administration is moving into a new phase of the six-month Iran conflict, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent set to unveil Monday what he's billing as the "toughest sanctions in history" — measures he says will "collapse this regime." Iran answered with warnings of a devastating military response, while Trump, speaking in South Carolina, declared the Strait of Hormuz "American territory" and told reporters military options remain fully on the table. China, Iran's biggest oil customer, has already cut purchases to roughly 534,000 barrels per day in August, down from about 823,000 in July.
The national average for gasoline climbed to $4.11 a gallon, and Walmart posted its slowest US sales growth in more than six years, with executives pointing squarely at Iran-war-driven fuel costs pushing customers into belt-tightening mode. The macro picture is stranger than that, though: S&P Global reported US business activity accelerating to its fastest pace in over four years, with selling-price inflation at its lowest since last November. Trump also announced a 90-day halt on out-of-quota tariffs for up to 300,000 metric tons of imported ground beef in a bid to knock down grocery prices.
Chief Justice John Roberts issued an order Friday temporarily staying a lower-court injunction that had halted above-ground work on the $400 million White House ballroom project. A divided federal appeals panel had ruled August 7 that Congress never authorized the 90,000-square-foot addition; administration lawyers counter that the president holds broad authority over federal property. Trump publicly thanked the Court, though the reprieve settles nothing about the underlying dispute.
Thousands packed a Myrtle Beach rally Friday as Trump stumped for Sen. Darline Graham Nordone, the political newcomer appointed to the seat after Sen. Lindsey Graham died July 11 following a cardiac episode. She faces Rep. Ralph Norman — a former Trump ally now running to her right — in the August 25 GOP runoff. Norman has picked up a former South Carolina governor's endorsement, making this a genuine test of whether Trump's blessing still closes the deal in a deep-red state.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called for ending the conflict now, arguing Iran should negotiate while it still holds a position of "power and dignity." His appeal lands after a 60-day ceasefire expired Monday without producing a permanent deal, and as Washington prepares its sanctions barrage. Beijing has pushed back hard on further economic pressure, warning it will only escalate regional tensions.
A Hong Kong court convicted Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, on Friday under the Beijing-imposed national security law for organizing the annual June 4 candlelight vigils. Both face up to ten years in prison. The US called for their release and the EU cited a "continuing deterioration" of freedoms; in 2019, the last year the vigil was held, roughly 180,000 people filled Victoria Park.
Taipei rolled out its largest-ever military budget, part of President Lai's pledge to reach 3 percent of GDP this year and 5 percent by 2030. The buildup comes as Beijing bans dual-use exports to Japan over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's declaration that Japan would intervene if China invaded Taiwan. Japan's 2026 defense white paper names China its greatest strategic challenge and warns Beijing could impose a gray-zone blockade using coast guard vessels without ever firing a shot.
Apple has expanded its threat-notification program, pushing lock-screen alerts to targeted users across 110 countries warning of mercenary spyware — the expensive, state-grade stuff aimed at journalists, dissidents, and officials. The company is telling flagged users to update immediately and switch on Lockdown Mode, which strips down attachments, links, and connection types to shrink the attack surface. Apple says it still knows of no successful mercenary spyware compromise of a device running Lockdown Mode.
The administration's new space framework aims to push American launch cadence to roughly three launches or reentries every single day by 2030 — turning spaceflight from spectacle into routine infrastructure. The buildout is meant to accelerate deployment of satellites underpinning GPS, weather forecasting, broadband, and military communications, with China's program as the explicit pacing threat. NASA under Administrator Jared Isaacman has already begun a major infrastructure overhaul to support the tempo.
The wreck of HMS Tiger, a Royal Navy destroyer lost in 1908 after colliding with the 10,000-ton cruiser HMS Berwick, has finally been located off England's Isle of Wight. More than half of Tiger's 57 crew died in the sinking, and the wreck eluded searchers for well over a century. The ProjectXplore dive team spent five years combing archives and stitching together fragments of data to pinpoint the site.
