Lead Story
Trump says Hormuz deal with Iran could land within days as Bessent voices new optimism
President Trump said Wednesday that an agreement to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping could be reached "as early as Wednesday or Thursday," pushing Iran to finalize terms with Oman as an intermediary or face what he called devastating strikes. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC on Tuesday that a deal with Iran may come together this week, even as US Central Command said only the strait's southern route through Omani waters was currently "free and open." The emerging arrangement reportedly has ships entering the Gulf via an Iranian-controlled channel and exiting through an Omani-controlled one, but Tehran has continued to publicly deny that direct US-Iran negotiations are underway, describing its contacts with Oman as separate shipping-safety talks rather than a bilateral deal. The on-again, off-again brinkmanship has kept oil markets on edge for a second week as traders wait to see whether Trump's latest deadline produces a signed agreement or another postponement.
Read more →Lead Story
Trump says Hormuz deal with Iran could land within days as Bessent voices new optimism
President Trump said Wednesday that an agreement to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping could be reached "as early as Wednesday or Thursday," pushing Iran to finalize terms with Oman as an intermediary or face what he called devastating strikes. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC on Tuesday that a deal with Iran may come together this week, even as US Central Command said only the strait's southern route through Omani waters was currently "free and open." The emerging arrangement reportedly has ships entering the Gulf via an Iranian-controlled channel and exiting through an Omani-controlled one, but Tehran has continued to publicly deny that direct US-Iran negotiations are underway, describing its contacts with Oman as separate shipping-safety talks rather than a bilateral deal. The on-again, off-again brinkmanship has kept oil markets on edge for a second week as traders wait to see whether Trump's latest deadline produces a signed agreement or another postponement.
Netanyahu rejects Gaza disarmament roadmap as Bennett accuses him of handing Hamas the keys to Gaza
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video posted Tuesday that Israel has not agreed to the Board of Peace's disarmament plan that Hamas and allied factions accepted last week, insisting Israeli forces will not withdraw "from our current lines" in Gaza until Hamas is "completely disarmed." The statement deepens a rift over sequencing that has stalled implementation of the US-brokered roadmap for days, with former prime minister Naftali Bennett charging that Netanyahu has effectively "given up on defeating Hamas" and "gave the Qataris the keys to Gaza." Gaza's health ministry says Israeli strikes have continued despite the Board of Peace's push for a halt, with more than two dozen Palestinians killed over the preceding weekend alone, and Gaza authorities say they have now logged over 4,000 ceasefire violations by Israel and roughly 1,200 deaths since the truce took effect in October 2025. International mediators are pressing both sides to resolve the disarmament-versus-withdrawal standoff before the fragile agreement collapses entirely.
Read more →Netanyahu rejects Gaza disarmament roadmap as Bennett accuses him of handing Hamas the keys to Gaza
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video posted Tuesday that Israel has not agreed to the Board of Peace's disarmament plan that Hamas and allied factions accepted last week, insisting Israeli forces will not withdraw "from our current lines" in Gaza until Hamas is "completely disarmed." The statement deepens a rift over sequencing that has stalled implementation of the US-brokered roadmap for days, with former prime minister Naftali Bennett charging that Netanyahu has effectively "given up on defeating Hamas" and "gave the Qataris the keys to Gaza." Gaza's health ministry says Israeli strikes have continued despite the Board of Peace's push for a halt, with more than two dozen Palestinians killed over the preceding weekend alone, and Gaza authorities say they have now logged over 4,000 ceasefire violations by Israel and roughly 1,200 deaths since the truce took effect in October 2025. International mediators are pressing both sides to resolve the disarmament-versus-withdrawal standoff before the fragile agreement collapses entirely.
Ukrainian drone and missile exchanges intensify as Russian strike kills three near Kryvyi Rih
A Russian strike on a gas station near Kryvyi Rih killed three people, including a child, on August 3, while separate Russian strikes hit infrastructure in Ukraine's Odesa region and left several more injured, Ukrainian officials said. Kyiv answered with a wave of long-range strikes deep into Russian-held territory, hitting drone bases, warehouses and communications hubs in Crimea and southern Russia; Ukraine's military intelligence said its new Magura naval drone platform struck Russian ground and radar targets in occupied Crimea for the first time. The exchanges are the latest escalation in a war that has increasingly moved beyond the front line, with both sides now routinely targeting logistics, energy and communications infrastructure far from contested territory, and Kyiv saying Russian personnel losses in July were the highest of any month this year.
Read more →Ukrainian drone and missile exchanges intensify as Russian strike kills three near Kryvyi Rih
A Russian strike on a gas station near Kryvyi Rih killed three people, including a child, on August 3, while separate Russian strikes hit infrastructure in Ukraine's Odesa region and left several more injured, Ukrainian officials said. Kyiv answered with a wave of long-range strikes deep into Russian-held territory, hitting drone bases, warehouses and communications hubs in Crimea and southern Russia; Ukraine's military intelligence said its new Magura naval drone platform struck Russian ground and radar targets in occupied Crimea for the first time. The exchanges are the latest escalation in a war that has increasingly moved beyond the front line, with both sides now routinely targeting logistics, energy and communications infrastructure far from contested territory, and Kyiv saying Russian personnel losses in July were the highest of any month this year.
Spokane's Old Trails Fire still 0% contained as it becomes one of the nation's top wildfire priorities
The Old Trails Fire northwest of Spokane remains at zero percent containment as of the latest National Interagency Fire Center report, having burned roughly 3,600 acres and destroyed more than 640 structures since a suspect was arrested on suspicion of intentionally setting it last weekend. The blaze, the largest of the Spokane Complex fires alongside the Autumn Lane and Fairview fires, has drawn some 381 personnel and been described by officials as among the top wildfire priorities in the country given the scale of structure loss and the roughly 65,000 residents still displaced from evacuation zones. Washington's National Guard remains deployed to support exhausted local crews, and officials are hoping forecast cooler temperatures and calmer winds later this week will finally allow meaningful containment lines to be built.
Read more →Spokane's Old Trails Fire still 0% contained as it becomes one of the nation's top wildfire priorities
The Old Trails Fire northwest of Spokane remains at zero percent containment as of the latest National Interagency Fire Center report, having burned roughly 3,600 acres and destroyed more than 640 structures since a suspect was arrested on suspicion of intentionally setting it last weekend. The blaze, the largest of the Spokane Complex fires alongside the Autumn Lane and Fairview fires, has drawn some 381 personnel and been described by officials as among the top wildfire priorities in the country given the scale of structure loss and the roughly 65,000 residents still displaced from evacuation zones. Washington's National Guard remains deployed to support exhausted local crews, and officials are hoping forecast cooler temperatures and calmer winds later this week will finally allow meaningful containment lines to be built.
Typhoon Dolphin strengthens to Category 4 as it bears down on Okinawa
Typhoon Dolphin reintensified to Category 4-equivalent strength northeast of Japan's Ogasawara Islands on August 4 after completing a fourth eyewall replacement cycle, with sustained winds of about 215 km/h (130 mph) and gusts near 260 km/h (160 mph). Forecasters project the storm will track westward across the Ryukyu Islands and make landfall on Okinawa by August 7, prompting Japanese authorities to begin evacuation planning and shipping advisories across the region. The typhoon comes as Japan is still recovering from last week's Kumamoto earthquake, whose death toll has risen to 38 with more than 8,200 people still in evacuation shelters, stretching the country's disaster-response resources across two simultaneous emergencies.
Read more →Typhoon Dolphin strengthens to Category 4 as it bears down on Okinawa
Typhoon Dolphin reintensified to Category 4-equivalent strength northeast of Japan's Ogasawara Islands on August 4 after completing a fourth eyewall replacement cycle, with sustained winds of about 215 km/h (130 mph) and gusts near 260 km/h (160 mph). Forecasters project the storm will track westward across the Ryukyu Islands and make landfall on Okinawa by August 7, prompting Japanese authorities to begin evacuation planning and shipping advisories across the region. The typhoon comes as Japan is still recovering from last week's Kumamoto earthquake, whose death toll has risen to 38 with more than 8,200 people still in evacuation shelters, stretching the country's disaster-response resources across two simultaneous emergencies.