August 2-8, 2026
NEWS DIGEST
We are full steam ahead with our BIG POSTCARDING CAMPAIGN. We provide beautiful, memorable postcards, scripts, and addresses of irregular Desi voters in key House and Senate districts; you provide the stamps and elbow grease. (We can provide stamps as well in hardship cases) If interested, please let us know at tsbmarcomm@gmail.com. Please also consider donating to fund our outreach efforts.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
The U.S. Is Burning Through Weapons in Iran. Russia and China Are Taking Note: President Trump’s war against Iran has depleted U.S. weapons stockpiles, according to senior officials. This not only leaves the U.S. military less equipped, but could also leave Russia and China feeling emboldened should they contemplate a potential conflict with the U.S., experts said. NYT
Greenland issues ‘strong warning’ as Trump-linked oil firm prepares to drill: An American oil company connected to Donald Trump is preparing to sink wells in remote Greenland despite not having received permission from the local authorities. As the US president renews his threats to claim the vast Arctic territory, materials to prepare for drilling were brought ashore in recent days on Greenland’s eastern coast. THE GUARDIAN
U.S. economy unexpectedly lost 23,000 jobs in July: Nonfarm payrolls unexpectedly declined in July, falling by 23,000 amid a drop of 53,000 government jobs and softness in retail, leisure and hospitality, and slower-than-usual growth in healthcare. The unemployment rate edged lower to 4.1%, but was due largely to a further decline in those holding jobs or looking for work. CNBC
Facebook is paying controversial creators to produce rage-bait content: An ABC NEWS Verify investigation has found Facebook's parent company, Meta, is directly paying several controversial content creators, including a white nationalist with Neo-Nazi links and a prominent anti-vaxxer. Content produced by these creators appears to be, at times, in direct violation of Facebook's own policies around content monetization. ABC
Iran War Updates: Iran says strait won't open until the U.S. "corrects" behavior: The Supreme National Security Council of Iran issued a list of highly unlikely demands from the U.S. in order to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying the U.S. must never threaten Iran again, end the blockade, withdraw all military assets from the region, lift sanctions, unfreeze assets and compensate Iran for war damages. CBS
Todd Blanche confirmed as attorney general: The Republican-led Senate voted 50-49 to make Blanche the second confirmed attorney general since Trump returned to the White House last year with a stated desire to use the law enforcement agency to investigate his political enemies. While Blanche has already been leading the department in an acting capacity, his confirmation could free him to pursue the Trump administration's agenda even more aggressively. PBS
DESI NEWS
Trump Again Tries To Restrict Birthright Citizenship After Supreme Court Ruling: He signed two executive actions on immigration. One action aims to limit the number of people eligible for U.S. citizenship by birthright. The second order seeks to curb "birth tourism" by increasing restrictions on visitors obtaining visas if they want to give birth in the U.S. Trump says he believes his latest actions will be constitutional. INDIA CURRENTS
WORST ADMINISTRATION EVER
Trump Administration to Pay German Firm $1.2 Billion to Cancel Wind Leases: German energy company RWE has said it will abandon its offshore wind projects in the US after reaching a $1.2bn (£892m) payout deal with President Donald Trump's Department of the Interior (DOI). RWE said that it will now reinvest the sum into conventional gas projects, including $900m (£669m) in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal project in Louisiana. BBC
Government Ownership Stakes in Companies Becoming Routine Under Trump: The Commerce Department announced this week that six more companies are set to join the federal government’s rapidly expanding corporate portfolio, bringing the total to 30 by our count. Perhaps most striking about the announcement is how unremarkable government ownership is becoming (Who’s the real socialist here?). CATO
Hacks on U.S. Water Supply Follow Years of Warnings and Neglect: Federal and state officials are racing to address an assault on the nation’s water supply that they believe is the work of Iranian hackers. In 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency under the Biden administration proposed creating stronger cybersecurity guidelines to better safeguard the nation’s water supply from hackers. The E.P.A. rescinded the order, however, after Republican-led states and industry groups sued to block its enforcement. NYT
At Trump's DOJ, watchdogs gutted as misconduct complaints soar: In one courtroom after another, federal judges have accused U.S. President Donald Trump’s Justice Department of an extraordinary spate of misconduct, including making false statements, failing to comply with court orders and improperly using the legal system to harass political opponents. REUTERS
Trump vowed to 'bring free speech back.' Judges in 75 cases ruled that he has stifled it: U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly campaigned for his second term as a champion of free expression, vowing in his January 2025 inaugural address to stop what he described as years of "government censorship." Since then, a wave of court rulings has concluded that his administration has done the opposite. Reuters identified 75 federal-judge rulings finding Trump’s government infringed on First-Amendment rights, including freedoms of speech, religion, and the press. REUTERS
CORRUPTION ALERT
Capital One says it closed Trump Organization's accounts after anti-money laundering probe: Capital One Financial (COF.N), opens new tab hit back on Friday against a lawsuit over its decision to close the Trump Organization's bank accounts years ago, stating that it did so after a review by anti-money laundering experts. The disclosure marks the first time a bank has formally tied money laundering concerns to U.S. President Donald Trump's family business. (WHY ISN’T THIS BIGGER NEWS???) REUTERS
Trump Bolstered Saudi Business Connections Amid Nuclear Discussions: As the Trump administration held nuclear-energy talks with Saudi Arabia, the president’s private licensing business was moving into a crown-prince-backed development in the country—announcing a hotel, golf and residential project bearing Donald Trump’s name. FORBES
SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND SAFETY
EPA says power for data centers can sidestep pollution laws: Power sources providing electricity only to data centers and not the public grid may not be subject to federal pollution laws, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Monday. The EPA said if the power plants are not supplying electricity to the grid, then they would not be subject to the federal Clean Air Act's Acid Rain Program, which has been key to the dramatic reduction of smog and soot pollution from industrial facilities. REUTERS
Trump Announces Rollback of Endangered Species Protections: President Donald Trump used Truth Social on Tuesday to announce his administration’s rollback of endangered species protections, framing the move as a victory for resource extraction and development. MEIDAS
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