The US Supreme Court has rejected President Donald Trump’s request for reconsideration in the civil case brought by writer and former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll over sexual abuse and defamation. The decision appeared on the court’s August order list released Monday. It was the second rejection after the court declined in June to hear Trump’s appeal of the 2023 verdict.

In the 2023 case, a jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in 1996 and later defaming her. It ordered him to pay roughly $5 million in damages. Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said they were pleased that the Supreme Court again declined to hear the case, adding that the jury’s unanimous decision was now final and could not be challenged in any court.

The Supreme Court gave no explanation for denying Trump’s request, one of 33 reconsideration requests rejected that day. After the June denial, Carroll received about $5.8 million in damages and interest. Trump is also appealing to the Supreme Court a separate 2024 jury award of $83.3 million to Carroll in a defamation case.

Meta is set to face a jury trial over allegations brought by 30 US states that it harmed children’s mental health and violated their privacy. Proceedings are due to begin in a California federal court before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. The lawsuit alleges that the technology company violated federal and state child-protection laws through its Facebook and Instagram operations.

The plaintiffs are seeking more than $1 trillion in damages and major changes to how Facebook and Instagram operate. The states allege that Meta’s algorithms and platform design keep children and teenagers on its apps for long periods and foster addiction. Their proposed changes include ending like counts, disabling infinite scrolling and automatic video playback, and removing filters that create unrealistic images.

Other demands include preventing minors from opening multiple accounts, eliminating features that disappear after a set time such as Instagram Stories, and requiring parental verification for children’s accounts. Meta has denied the allegations, saying it has long worked on safety and support for younger users and will present its position in court. A New Mexico court has already fined Meta $942 million in a child-safety case.

The Pentagon has signed a $22.9 billion contract with Raytheon to increase production of Tomahawk cruise missiles amid the ongoing war with Iran, according to a report published on August 17, 2026. The seven-year agreement plans to raise Tomahawk output to more than 1,000 missiles annually as reports emerge of declining US missile stocks. The contract follows extensive US use of long-range weapons during the conflict.

On Monday, acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao said the agreement would accelerate deliveries at an “unprecedented pace” to meet current operational needs. A Center for Strategic and International Studies analysis estimated that US stocks of Patriot and THAAD interceptor missiles had fallen by about half or more since the conflict began. President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had previously denied reports that US missile inventories were running low.

The report said a Tomahawk strike near Shajareh Tayebah Primary School in Minab, southern Iran, on February 28, 2026, killed more than 170 people, including students, most of them children. It said preliminary investigations and video analysis confirmed the strike resulted from a US military targeting error. Tomahawks are launched mainly from warships and submarines and can strike targets more than 1,600 kilometers away.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced 2,000 free Broadway tickets for high school students in a video message delivered in clear Bengali. The report, published on August 17, 2026, said the video has become a major topic of discussion on social media. The initiative will offer students a chance to attend renowned Broadway productions without charge.

The tickets will be distributed through a lottery in partnership with the Theatre Development Fund. Students selected through the lottery will be able to watch seven Broadway shows for free. The report said the programme aims to introduce students to New York’s own culture, as Broadway ticket prices can be difficult for ordinary people to afford.

Special discounts will also be available for tickets to other shows. The report linked Mamdani’s Bengali-language message to New York’s sizeable Bangladeshi and Bengali-speaking immigrant population, particularly in Parkchester and Westchester Square in the Bronx. It added that he had received substantial votes from those areas in the mayoral election and has previously spoken in Bengali, Hindi and Urdu.

US President Donald Trump has decided to scale back planned military exercises with South Korea, a move Robert Kelly, an international relations professor at Pusan National University, linked to Trump’s failure in the war against Iran. In comments to Al Jazeera cited in a report published on August 17, 2026, Kelly said Trump had expected the conflict to end quickly.

Kelly said Trump appeared to have anticipated a sudden campaign similar to the rapid operation he conducted in Venezuela in January. Instead, the situation grew beyond control into a major conflict and evolved into an unusual cycle of reciprocal attacks. He said the conflict was beginning to resemble what Americans call an “endless war.”

According to Kelly, Trump now sees himself as trapped and is looking for someone to blame. He said US allies have become convenient targets, noting that Trump had previously criticized NATO for the same reason. Kelly added that South Korea has not directly participated in the war and was not consulted, while Trump is trying to conceal or shield himself from responsibility for the crisis in the Gulf region.

US Senator Chris Van Hollen sharply criticized President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the Iran war, calling for the conflict to end. In an X post cited in a report published on August 17, 2026, the Democratic senator said their indifference toward US military personnel was shameful.

Van Hollen said the war was not making the United States safer. He also criticized Trump’s role in addressing concerns about the mental health of service members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. The senator said male and female members of the armed forces, along with their families, deserved better.

He said the best way to protect them was to end the war. The report also said the USS George Washington was set to assume the USS Abraham Lincoln’s responsibilities, and that it had already departed Da Nang port in Vietnam.

Severe flooding struck Indiana after days of heavy rain and storms, inundating areas of Noblesville and Indianapolis as the White River rose far above its danger level. The river reached its peak in the Noblesville area on Saturday night local time before rising sharply in northern Indianapolis. Residents in riverside areas were ordered to move to safer locations, while officials described the event as among the state’s worst floods in decades.

At least five people were reported dead in flooding and storm-related incidents across Indiana. Some deaths occurred after trees fell, while others involved people being swept away by floodwaters. Emergency rescue workers continued evacuating people at risk and moving them to safe places. Authorities said some areas received more than 11 inches of rain in only two days, rapidly raising water levels in rivers and canals.

Indianapolis is facing its largest flooding situation in at least 30 years. National Weather Service officials said the flooding was nearing the scale of an event that could occur once in a century. Homes, roads and businesses were submerged in several areas. Indiana’s governor declared an emergency, and the US president approved an emergency disaster declaration following a request for federal assistance. Authorities warned that additional rain could worsen conditions.

Iran’s embassy in South Africa claimed that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt resigned because of disagreements with US President Donald Trump. The claim was made in a social media post addressing reports about Leavitt’s resignation and included a photograph of her, according to a report published on August 16, 2026.

The embassy suggested that Trump had secured his own safety amid security threats while placing other officials at risk, causing Leavitt to lose confidence in him. The post was believed to refer to reports that Trump was secretly moved to a small military aircraft while returning from Turkey. The White House rejected the embassy’s allegation as directly false and baseless.

US officials said Leavitt was not with Trump during the Turkey trip and denied reports linking her to the alleged transfer of Trump to another aircraft. Trump confirmed Leavitt’s resignation, but the source said there was no independent evidence supporting the Iranian embassy’s assertion that personal or political conflict with Trump caused her departure.

Stephen Zunes, a professor of international relations at the University of San Francisco, said the US war with Iran is further weakening Washington’s already declining influence in the Middle East and worldwide. In an interview with Al Jazeera published on August 16, 2026, he said US global dominance was contracting and that the level of influence the country had exercised since World War II was coming to an end.

Zunes said the United States had gained notoriety for launching illegal wars whose “terrible humanitarian consequences” destabilize the Middle East. He argued that even Washington’s closest regional allies are questioning how far they can rely on it to protect their interests. According to Zunes, dependence on the United States can sometimes backfire severely, prompting those allies to seek alternative alliances and partnerships.

He also pointed to growing domestic opposition to the war against Iran and to other so-called endless wars in the Middle East and Asia in the recent past. Zunes said these conflicts divert large sums from essential domestic needs, including healthcare, housing, education and public transportation. He said more than half of the United States’ discretionary government budget is spent on the military each year, calling that allocation unreasonable.

At least five people have died in severe storms and flooding in the U.S. Midwestern state of Indiana, according to a report published on August 16. People are being rescued by boat from flooded homes as several rivers, including the White River through Indianapolis, have risen above danger levels and inundated surrounding areas.

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett described the event as the area’s worst flooding in more than 30 years. The U.S. National Weather Service said some locations received more than 280 millimeters of rain in only two days. In Delaware County, authorities recovered the body of a 58-year-old woman on Friday; she is believed to have died while attempting to drive through floodwaters.

A four-year-old child died after a tree fell onto a home in Jennings County. Law enforcement also recovered the body of a teenager who had been missing since jumping into a river on Wednesday. Governor Mike Braun requested a presidential emergency declaration on Friday to secure additional federal help. On Saturday, Braun said President Donald Trump had agreed to approve the request and that the federal government would assist those affected.

Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith has opposed public broadcasting of the Islamic call to prayer, saying it is not part of American culture or history. The remarks were reported on August 16 after Beckwith answered a viewer’s question in his “Ask Micah Anything” video series about why adhan should be silenced if church bells are allowed. He did not identify a specific mosque, local dispute, or proposed ban.

Beckwith suggested that people who want to hear the adhan should go to countries where the practice is part of local tradition and history. He also said mosques could send text messages to members when it is time for prayer instead of broadcasting the call publicly. The report describes the comments as part of his broader criticism of Islam, which intensified from May.

Maliha Jafar, executive director of the Indiana Muslim Advocacy Network, said she knew of no Indiana mosque that broadcasts the adhan outdoors through loudspeakers. She said Muslim communities are concerned about safety amid hostile public rhetoric and reported increased mosque security and active-shooter training. The report also cited museum and Library of Congress information indicating Muslims have been present in North America since the 1500s.

The USS Abraham Lincoln has been operating in Middle Eastern waters for nearly nine consecutive months, prompting concern among families about the mental health and safety of about 5,000 sailors and service members aboard. US warships are normally deployed for roughly six months, but the carrier has remained at sea far longer than that period. The report was published on August 15, 2026.

According to US officials, more than 10,000 combat aircraft sorties have been launched from the Abraham Lincoln over the past eight months. Personnel have also worked under the threat of Iranian missile and drone attacks. Jefferson Kelly, father of a sailor, said older warships require crews to work long hours to keep them operational. Senator Richard Blumenthal wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seeking accountability over complaints involving clean water, bathrooms and mental strain.

US Central Command rejected the allegations, saying there had been no deaths aboard and that reports about suicide risk were inaccurate. The Navy said water, air conditioning, sufficient food, doctors and counselors were available despite some wartime delivery delays. Families met Navy officials last week. The USS George Washington is heading toward the Middle East to assume duties, though the Abraham Lincoln may need several more weeks to return to the United States.

Speculation is growing in the United States over whether New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could seek the presidency in 2028. The 36-year-old progressive has not stated whether she will run. But at a recent speech at the University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, she said her ambition was not to hold an office or seat but to “change the country,” renewing discussion of a possible candidacy.

A July University of New Hampshire poll placed Ocasio-Cortez ahead among potential Democratic candidates, the report said. She has nearly 10 million Instagram followers and support ranging from the Democratic Socialists of America to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. DSA co-chair Ashik Siddiqi said her candidacy would generate strong enthusiasm among the group’s members and give working people a powerful voice in the Democratic primary.

Potential Democratic rivals could include Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Gavin Newsom, Jon Ossoff and Representative Ro Khanna. The report also cites criticism from some left-wing activists over her Gaza-related positions and comments. Analysts said she would need to address Black voters’ concerns and communicate on healthcare, living costs and economic security. Republican and right-wing media attacks could also present a major obstacle.

Former US ambassador and White House adviser Mark Ginsberg said Iran is “playing” President Donald Trump by exploiting mounting electoral pressure in the United States. In an Al Jazeera interview published on August 15, 2026, Ginsberg said Trump’s decisions are being influenced more by the upcoming midterm elections and growing domestic political pressure than by a long-term strategy.

Ginsberg said Tehran is well aware of Washington’s internal political conditions and is prepared to pursue a long-term strategy. He said Iranian leaders are closely watching US opinion polls and remain determined to retain power despite any punishment or pressure imposed on the public. He also said Americans are becoming increasingly frustrated with the country’s current situation.

According to Ginsberg, Trump faces a problem because he is not in a position to acknowledge defeat. He said Tehran is betting on a familiar outcome: that Washington will eventually retreat from its demands. In his view, Iran expects such a shift to result in relief from sanctions.

US President Donald Trump said he would never apologize for attacks on Iran, speaking at an event in New York on Friday local time. The remarks were reported on August 15, 2026, as he addressed the financial costs faced by Americans because of the Iran war.

Trump described those economic losses as insignificant and urged US citizens to accept higher oil prices. He said the increased cost was necessary to prevent Iran from continuing its nuclear program and, in his words, to ensure that an “extremely evil country” does not obtain nuclear weapons.

He said Americans were paying slightly more for petrol, but argued that the cost should be understood in that context. Trump also said the United States was acting not only for itself but for the world, calling its actions a noble and very good undertaking. He reiterated that he would never apologize for the attacks on Iran.