U.S.
Lala's Center Passes About 46 Miles South of Hawaii's Big Island; One Dead, 100-Plus Homes Damaged, Peak Outages Near 219,000
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center says Lala's eye stayed offshore, though its northern eyewall brushed South Point; officials report more than 30 inches of rain, homes swept off foundations and outages that may last weeks in rural areas.
11 Charged in New York Indictment Alleging More Than 1,000 Sham Marriages for Green Cards
A two-count federal indictment unsealed August 12 in Manhattan accuses 11 people of arranging fake marriages, mostly for Chinese citizens; all 11 have pleaded not guilty or have yet to enter pleas, and the charges are allegations.
FBI Reports Violent Crime Fell 9.3% and Murder Fell 18.1% in 2025; White House and Criminologists Differ Over the Cause
The FBI's annual report, released August 14, 2026, records the largest one-year drops in both categories since its national estimates began in 1936; the administration credits its policies, while many researchers point to a decline that started in 2022.
Ex-SPLC Intelligence Director Heidi Beirich Charged With Three Conspiracy Counts in Expanded Federal Fraud Case
A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Alabama added Beirich as a defendant in the Justice Department's case alleging the Southern Poverty Law Center secretly routed more than $4 million in donor money to informants inside extremist groups; Beirich and the SPLC deny wrongdoing and call the prosecution political.
CNN Reports Trump Cleared First Round of MAGA Inc. Midterm Spending; Advisers Floated About $30 Million
CNN reported on August 15 that Trump signed off on an initial tranche of super PAC money for House and Senate Republicans, with the final figure still undecided and no such spending yet in Federal Election Commission filings.
Mangione Pleads Guilty to Two Federal Stalking Counts in Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO; Sentencing Set for Dec. 18
He entered the plea without a deal with prosecutors, who say they will ask for life, while his lawyers moved to dismiss the separate state murder case on double jeopardy grounds.
Indiana Governor Declares Disaster Emergency and Requests a Presidential Emergency Declaration After Derecho and Record Flooding
Gov. Mike Braun signed a disaster emergency order on Aug. 13 and asked FEMA for federal emergency aid on Aug. 14, after an Aug. 11 derecho, tornadoes and record rain hit Indiana and neighboring states.
Trump Memo Orders Plan Within 60 Days to Replace EMALS With Steam Catapults on Carrier CVN-81
An August 13, 2026 presidential memorandum gives the Pentagon 60 days to plan swapping the electromagnetic launch system and advanced weapons elevators on the future USS Doris Miller for steam catapults and hydraulic elevators.
Trump Signs Aug. 12 Memorandum Creating a DOJ- and DHS-Run Program for Vetted Private Firms to Conduct Offensive Cyber Operations Abroad
The memorandum sets up a contracting program in which approved companies may hack foreign criminal networks, with each operation requiring written government approval and a $1 million bond.
CDC Links 9,481 Cyclospora Illnesses in 17 States to Recalled Taylor Farms de Mexico Lettuce; Company Disputes the Link
Federal investigators say traceback and patient interviews point to iceberg lettuce grown in central Mexico, while Taylor Farms and Mexican regulators say no test has found the parasite in the product.
Justice Department Finds Reasonable Cause That Two California Women's Prisons Violate the Constitution Over Staff Sexual Abuse
The DOJ Civil Rights Division issued findings against the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino, and gave the state 49 days before the Attorney General may sue.
Kennedy Center Board Votes 20-3 to Add Trump Inscription and Partially Close Building for Renovations
The Trump-appointed board approved a two-year partial closure and an inscription reading "Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump," three months after a federal judge ordered Trump's name off the building.