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Aug 4, 2026 - World

A former Republican strategist warned on Tuesday that President Donald Trump's Iran conflict is the beginning of a "larger war."Steve Schmidt, co-founder of the anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project, outlined how Trump's ongoing military "quagmire," the "corrupt charade" of his attacks on American citizen David Hearn — which failed in court — and Trump's rage "at the Westchester wino" Jeanine Pirro have all revealed what could come next."She'll be gone soon, just like the Secretary of War, so-called, who's lost the war to Iran," Schmidt said, suggesting both Pirro and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could be replaced.Schmidt also discussed how Trump would continue to blame others for his own failures."He made the world so much more dangerous and sentenced some score of tens of thousands of American soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines to death in a larger war that's coming to clean up this disaster, whether it be five years, or 10 years, or 15 years from now. Donald Trump has lit the fuse," Schmidt said. "The economy is unraveling. The debt bubble surrounding these AI companies is expanding to its explosive terminal point. And all of it is Donald Trump's fault."He asked his audience to consider why Trump's attacks on Hearn were something Americans should think deeply about."And all of it is coming at a time when an innocent man, an American Olympian, was finally freed from the clutches of a government that tried to lock him up for touching a Reflecting Pool that Donald Trump poisoned," he added.

Aug 4, 2026 - World

A fast-moving wildfire destroyed about 230 homes in an Indigenous community in western Canada, officials said Tuesday, making it one of the country's most destructive fires in recent years.

Aug 4, 2026 - World

Masoud Pezeshkian dismisses talk of internal rift as hardline Assembly of Experts call US negotiations ‘futile’Middle East crisis live – latest updatesMasoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s president, has been forced to deny claims that he has repeatedly threatened to resign as he battles hardline factions opposed to reaching a settlement with the US over the strait of Hormuz.The US and Europe hope a deal is imminent to reopen the strait and they are putting pressure on Oman to accept a temporary agreement that officials in Muscat fear will leave Iran retaining near permanent dominance of the vital oil shipping channel. Ships would enter the strait in a route close to Iran, but leave on a route that passes through Iranian and Omani waters. Continue reading...

Aug 4, 2026 - World

Russia and Ukraine traded accusations on Tuesday that each side's attacks caused civilian deaths, with officials in the Moscow region saying five people were killed there while authorities in Ukraine said a similar number, including two children, died at various sites across the country.

Aug 4, 2026 - World

Stalled ships near the Strait of Hormuz amid President Donald Trump's Iran war threaten more than just oil markets as scientists warn idling vessels could trigger an invasive species "super-spreader event," according to reports on Tuesday.More than 1,500 ships have sat idle in the trade channel since the conflict began on Feb. 28 and experts revealed that organisms growing on hulls and hitchhiking on the vessels could devastate global ecosystems once trade resumes, USA Today reported."If you had to sort of design a worst-case scenario, it would look a lot like this," Mario Tamburri, a professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and the study’s lead author, told USA Today. "It’s a perfect storm."When ships don't move for days or weeks, microbes, algae and other marine organisms can colonize the submerged parts of the vessel. Experts warned that after 10 days these organisms can hit the "rapid growth phase.""These organisms, when introduced to other ecosystems, can cause a wide array of consequences, from outcompeting native species to damaging infrastructure to introducing pathogens harmful to marine life and, sometimes, humans," according to USA Today.Tamburri called the situation unprecedented, adding that the high number of ships, estimated at about 1,500 vessels sitting along the trade route, could harbor "organisms that thrive in the Middle East waters, such as the Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf."The organisms can adapt to areas that see extreme seasonal changes. Areas most at-risk for spreading these colonizers are near the strait and with similar high salinity and high temperature conditions, including ports in Southeast Asia and India. These are at higher risk compared to other locations, Tamburri said. He cautioned Singapore, an international hub for commercial shipping, could be a high risk."Those organisms can withstand extremes," Tamburri said. "They’re tolerant organisms, which makes them good candidates for invasions when they go to a new location."