August 9-15, 2026
NEWS DIGEST
We are full steam ahead with our BIG POSTCARDING CAMPAIGN. We provide beautiful, memorable postcards, scripts, and addresses of irregular Democratic 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
US says it can keep naval blockade on Iran 'indefinitely,' vows more economic pressure: The United States on Thursday said that it could maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely and would ratchet up economic pressure on Tehran as ceasefire talks have floundered, global oil supply is dropping, and regional tensions are rising. REUTERS
Judge blocks US Postal Service from restricting mail-in voting: A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the U.S. Postal Service from implementing part of President Donald Trump's executive order, which aims to tighten rules for mail-in voting ahead of November elections that will decide control of Congress. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston issued the ruling, marking the latest setback for Trump's push to expand the federal government's role in overseeing elections. REUTERS
USS Abraham Lincoln sailors tried to jump overboard amid extended deployment: Military families and Congress members are sounding the alarm about an intensifying mental health crisis onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, as its 5,000 sailors and Marines endure a record-breaking deployment at sea tied to the war with Iran. Two leading specialist military papers are reporting that there have been multiple attempts by sailors to jump overboard as poor conditions and mental stresses on the Lincoln reach the breaking point. The crew is in its ninth month at sea, and has spent 250 days consecutively without making land – a record for an aircraft carrier in modern times. When asked about whether the deployment had gone on too long, President Trump replied, “not nearly long enough.” THE GUARDIAN
Trump administration set to spend at least $900 million on White House construction: The Trump administration is set to spend at least $900 million on construction projects on the White House grounds, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing records. Instead of securing money directly from Congress, the administration has gathered funds from other agencies and private donors and directed them to an account that holds a few million dollars for routine White House maintenance, the report said. REUTERS
Disgraced Anti-Sex-Trafficking NGO Gets $244 Million to Rep Migrant Kids: An anti-sex-trafficking nonprofit in Utah whose founder resigned after multiple women accused him of trafficking and sexual abuse has won a federal contract to provide legal services to unaccompanied immigrant children in government custody. AMERICAN PROSPECT
Trump’s Terrible July Jobs Numbers Only Hurt Women: Women accounted for 100 percent of the decline in the labor force in July, according to a National Women’s Law Center analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s latest dismal jobs report. Overall, the economy lost 23,000 jobs in July: Women lost 32,000 jobs, while men gained 9,000. Many of the jobs lost were in local government and leisure and hospitality—real jobs that real women, who are already dealing with slowed wages and rising inflation, work. TNR
DESI NEWS
Jazz Guitarist Pritesh Walia Detained By ICE In California: Rising star Pritesh Walia, an Indian jazz guitarist, was arrested at Los Angeles Airport Aug. 2 and is being held in custody at the Adelanto Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Southern California. Born in New Delhi, Walia has lived in the US since 2019 on an O1B visa, a temporary U.S. work visa for individuals with extraordinary ability in the arts, including music, films, or television. It is initially granted for three years, and can be extended a year at a time for a maximum of 3 years. An ICE spokesperson at the Los Angeles field office told American Community Media via email that Walia had overstayed his temporary visa. “ICE officers from Los Angeles arrested Mr. Pritesh Walia for failing to meet the requirements of his nonimmigrant status,” said the spokesperson. AMERICAN COMMUNITY MEDIA UPDATE: Pritesh has been released on bond.
IMMIGRATION
ICE plans to spend up to $20 million on electrical shock gloves for agents: Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and officers may soon be equipped with gloves that deliver electrical shocks, which the manufacturer says are intended to de-escalate encounters with individuals. CNN
CORRUPTION ALERT
Trump Family’s World Liberty Financial Gets Preliminary Approval to Launch a Bank: 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. Upon final approval, World Liberty Trust will operate as a federally chartered national trust bank. The charter will allow World Liberty to issue, redeem and safeguard USD1, the dollar-backed stablecoin that World Liberty launched last year. WSJ
‘Smoking gun’ email shows White House summoned agencies to Colorado-focused meeting amid Tina Peters furor: The Denver Post reports that newly revealed White House emails provide unusually direct evidence that the Trump administration considered targeting Colorado with federal actions amid President Trump’s anger over the imprisonment of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters. In December 2025, a White House aide asked officials from several federal agencies to “brainstorm” immediate actions against Colorado and to prioritize the state when deciding on federal grants and support. Within days, agencies announced major funding cuts affecting Colorado.
A Green Light for Crooks: Ever since Donald Trump returned to the White House, his administration has taken a sledgehammer to anti-corruption efforts, destroying policy after policy dedicated to preventing bribery and money laundering in the country. But this week brought the biggest blow yet: The Treasury has obliterated a recent rule to deter devious shell companies, handily reopening the American economy to anyone looking to hide their illicit wealth. ATLANTIC
SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND SAFETY
NIH limits funding for research on the health effects of public policy: The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has begun turning away research grant applications. According to internal documents seen by Nature, the “primary function” of those applications is to inform policymakers and legislators. This means that the agency is likely to fund fewer projects assessing how public policies affect human health. NATURE
Nearly 30,000 pounds of raw beef sold in the US hit with high-risk recall after bypassing import inspections: Nearly 30,000 pounds of raw beef products are being recalled after being imported without being reinspected in the United States. Corte Argentino USA LLC, which is located in Florida, recalled the beef. It was produced between May 15 and May 20 and has use-by or freeze-by dates between Sept. 15 and Sept. 20. NBC
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