U.S.
Lee Jae-myung Heads to Washington for Aug. 25 Summit With Trump After Allied Drills Were Cut to Five Days and the Last Pacific Carrier Left
The meeting follows North Korea's Aug. 20 launch of about 10 short-range ballistic missiles, a Trump order that halved the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, and the USS George Washington's transit out of Asia toward the Middle East.
Charter Plane Crashes on Second Landing Attempt at Cape Newenham, Alaska, Killing All 8 Aboard
A Security Aviation Cessna 441 chartered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers went down about a quarter-mile from the runway at a remote Air Force radar site on August 20, 2026; the NTSB has opened an investigation.
Texas Appeals Court Cuts Alex Jones Sandy Hook Award to About $5.6 Million, Citing State Cap on Punitive Damages
The Third Court of Appeals in Austin left a jury's $4.1 million compensatory award intact but reduced $45.2 million in punitive damages to $1.5 million; the separate Connecticut judgment against Jones was not part of the case.
CIA Warns Retiring Officers of Waits Up to Nine Months for First Full Pension Check as Departures Rise
The agency says it is processing an "unprecedented" number of retirement cases after more than 1,000 staff left during Trump's second term, while OPM says its retirement backlog has fallen 48% since February.
Interior Department Finalizes Colorado River Cuts of 1.25 Million Acre-Feet a Year for Arizona, California and Nevada in 2027 and 2028
Secretary Doug Burgum signed the record of decision on August 21, 2026, setting Arizona's share at 760,000 acre-feet, California's at 440,000 and Nevada's at 50,000, as Lake Mead and Lake Powell sit at record lows.
First Deportation Flight to Haiti Since TPS Ended Lands in Cap-Haïtien With 161 People; ICE Reports About 300 Haitian Arrests Across Ohio
A U.S. deportation flight arrived in northern Haiti on August 20, weeks after Temporary Protected Status for Haitians ended, as ICE enforcement expanded in Ohio, including Springfield.
Louisiana National Guard Ends New Orleans Deployment; Last Troops to Leave City by Aug. 31
About 120 soldiers stopped French Quarter patrols on Aug. 24 after eight months, ending a federally funded mission that state and city leaders describe in very different terms.
DOJ Unseals Nine-Count Indictment Charging Four Bronx Men in $12 Million Medicaid Ride-Billing Case
Prosecutors in Manhattan federal court allege a Bronx crew called the "War Room" logged rides to methadone clinics that were never given; three men were arrested and one remains at large.
10th Circuit Panel Votes 2-1 to Stay Injunction That Gave Class-of-2022 College Athletes a Fifth Season
The August 21 order pauses U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney's July 31 nationwide injunction in Wisne v. NCAA while the NCAA's appeal proceeds.
Sinlahekin, Little Giant and Ptarmigan Fires Have Burned About 318,500 Acres in Washington as of Aug. 21
Three lightning-caused fires in Okanogan and Chelan counties are partly contained, while a separate cluster of fires near Spokane destroyed an estimated 921 structures on Aug. 1.
Eighth Circuit Orders Preliminary Injunction Shielding Minnesota Voters Alliance From State Election-Falsehood Law
A three-judge federal appeals panel ruled on August 20, 2026 that Minnesota likely cannot enforce its 60-day ban on knowingly false voting-eligibility statements against the conservative group, while leaving the law in force for everyone else.