🚨 HAPPENING RIGHT NOW 🚨
The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 unsigned emergency ruling, allowed President Trump to continue building the $400 million White House ballroom, ruling that the National Trust for Historic Preservation likely lacks legal standing to sue — without addressing whether demolishing the East Wing was lawful. Construction, now roughly 65% complete, includes an extensive underground component the administration says is needed for security.
MONDAY, AUGUST 31st, 2026
Before we get to today’s news, here’s what happened on this date in history. On this day in 1997, Princess Diana died in a car crash in a Paris underpass, along with Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul, after their car crashed while being pursued by paparazzi. She was 36, and her death triggered an outpouring of public grief across Britain and the world that reshaped how the royal family engages with the press.
Also on this day in 1957, Malaysia (then the Federation of Malaya) gained independence from British colonial rule. The date is still celebrated each year as Merdeka Day, marking the country’s transition to self-governance after more than a century under British control.
🌍 US Strikes Iran’s Larak Island, Ending a Month-Long Pause
The strike on Larak Island is the first US attack on Iranian territory since late July, and it comes as the naval standoff in the Strait of Hormuz enters its seventh month.
Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on two US air bases in Jordan; Jordan says it intercepted eight missiles before they hit.
Iran also struck targets in the UAE, widening the conflict beyond direct US-Iran exchanges for the first time.
✈️ ICE Expands Third-Country Deportation Flights to Africa
Over a 10-day period, ICE sent more than 100 deportees from Afghanistan, Cuba, Nicaragua, Iran, Nepal, Turkey, Venezuela and elsewhere to eight African countries under its expanding “third country” removal program.
Three flights dropped deportees in Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Liberia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone — none of them from the countries where they were sent.
🇳🇵Nepal-Tibet Flood Death Toll Surpasses 900
The death toll from flash flooding on the Nepal-Tibet border has climbed past 900, with more than 4,400 people still missing after a glacier collapse and landslide triggered the disaster last Wednesday.
On the Tibetan side, China’s Xinhua reports at least 16 confirmed dead and 546 still missing.
At least 939 bodies have been recovered in Nepal alone, making this the country’s deadliest natural disaster since the 2015 earthquake that killed roughly 9,000 people.
🛢️ US Takes Control of 65 Billion Barrels of Venezuelan Oil
President Trump announced the US has entered a deal with Venezuela giving American interests majority control over more than 65 billion barrels of proven oil reserves — more than doubling US oil reserves, he claims.
Rubio and Hegseth negotiated the 100-year concession with Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez, giving the US 55% effective output across 17 strategic oil fields.
The deal follows a US military operation earlier this year that replaced Venezuela’s leadership, and comes as gas prices spike amid the Iran war.
🧑⚖️ Judge Rules Trump Admin Violated Rights of Pro-Palestinian Students
A federal judge in San Jose ruled that Secretary of State Marco Rubio violated the First and Fifth Amendments when he canceled the visas of noncitizen college students over pro-Palestinian advocacy.
U.S. District Judge Noël Wise chastised the State Department and DHS for using immigration law to target students for the views they expressed.
The case traces back to the March 2025 arrest of Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil, which prompted a lawsuit from Stanford’s student newspaper.
— Al Jazeera, NOTUS
💵 Mixed Signals on the Economy
Consumer sentiment fell for the first time in three months in August, even as manufacturing quietly had its best month in four years.
Sentiment: University of Michigan’s index dropped to 51, from 55.2 in July.
Manufacturing: the ISM Index hit 55, a four-year high, with factory employment also climbing.
📦 White House Says China Is Dodging Tariffs Through Back Channels
The White House says China has been dodging Trump’s 2018-era tariffs by routing goods through other countries.
The scale: more than 40 countries are accused of helping with the evasion, per a report released this week.
— The Hill