US President Donald Trump signed a directive recommending fewer childhood vaccines and separate administration of measles, mumps and rubella vaccines. Published on August 11, 2026, the report says the guidance would reduce the recommended number of vaccines from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ current 18 to 11. It is not mandatory, because states, rather than the federal government, determine vaccines required for school attendance.

The proposed core vaccines cover measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b, pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus and varicella. Trump suggested that combined MMR vaccination could be deadly, but when asked for evidence said he had heard some people say so. The CDC says most MMR recipients have no serious problems and that vaccination is much safer than contracting the three diseases.

The CDC says there is no published scientific evidence that splitting combined MMR shots provides benefits. AAP President Dr Andrew Racine called the order dangerous amid the highest US measles transmission in 35 years. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy called it wrong and urged parents to consult pediatricians. Multiple studies, including a 2019 Danish study of 657,461 children, found no link between MMR vaccination and autism.

Meta is set to face a major federal lawsuit brought by four US states over allegations that Instagram and Facebook were made addictive for children. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Wednesday in a federal court in Oakland, near San Francisco, as part of ongoing litigation against social media companies in the United States. The report was published on August 10, 2026.

Attorneys general from California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey allege that Meta intentionally made its platforms addictive for minors. They are seeking broad restrictions on how Instagram and Facebook are operated for underage users, along with fines of up to $1.4 trillion. The requested amount is close to Meta's entire market value, which exceeded $1.5 trillion on Friday.

Hearings for both sides are expected to begin on August 18. The trial is expected to last about six weeks, with a verdict possibly coming in early October. Meta founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg is considered a potentially important witness for the prosecution. He testified in a separate case in Los Angeles six months ago.

Democratic U.S. Senator Chris Murphy said President Donald Trump has lost the ongoing war with Iran, arguing that the conflict is weakening Washington while strengthening Tehran. In an NBC News interview cited in a report published on August 10, 2026, Murphy said he would support even a “bad deal” if it ended the war and reopened the Strait of Hormuz.

Murphy said the cost of reopening the strategic waterway is increasing as talks remain stalled. He argued that the longer the war continues, the weaker the United States will become, the stronger Iran will become, and the greater the hardship for ordinary Americans as prices continue to rise.

The senator said he would oppose additional funding to continue the war. However, he said he would support funding to replenish U.S. military stocks of weapons and ammunition after the conflict ends. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said direct talks with the United States are taking place, but stated that the Strait of Hormuz would not be reopened until Washington meets Tehran’s demands.

Former US President Joe Biden’s cancer has spread to more parts of his body, his son Hunter Biden said in an interview aired Friday night on the BBC’s Newsnight programme. According to an AFP report, Hunter Biden said the cancer had spread to his father’s bones and other areas despite ongoing treatment.

Biden was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in May 2025, four months after leaving the presidency. The cancer had also spread to his bones. He then began treatment including radiation therapy and hormone therapy. Last month, while announcing his forthcoming memoir, Biden said his treatment was going very well.

Hunter Biden said the illness was very painful and was weakening his father in many ways. He said Joe Biden was still going out and continuing his work, while retaining deep love and faith in the country. Hunter became emotional while discussing his father’s health, saying it was very difficult and painful to see him in that condition.

A firefighting helicopter crashed while working to contain a severe wildfire in Utah, killing the pilot and one crew member. The crash occurred at about 10 a.m. local time on Friday near the Three Creeks Reservoir area, southwest of Richfield.

The National Interagency Fire Center confirmed the deaths of the two crew members on Saturday. Rescue personnel could not reach the crash site for more than 24 hours because of the remote mountainous terrain and intense fire conditions. Their bodies were later recovered.

Authorities ordered local residents to move to safety because of the wildfire and imposed travel restrictions on several roads. Firefighting operations were temporarily suspended after the crash but later resumed. More than 111,000 acres have already burned in the wildfire.

The Pentagon has directed the US defense industry to rapidly increase weapons production and deliveries after shortages emerged in US stockpiles during the ongoing war with Iran. The information was reported by The Washington Post, citing a memorandum from the US Department of Defense.

In a letter sent last Wednesday to senior officials at defense companies, US Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg called for significantly faster and more aggressive delivery schedules for critical military capabilities. Companies were given 21 days to submit plans for expanding production.

Feinberg said development processes that take years are no longer acceptable and that program timelines must be dramatically shortened while production capacity is increased. Reports had already raised concerns about declining ammunition stocks, particularly supplies of Patriot interceptors used in missile defense systems. President Donald Trump had previously said the military has vast quantities of ammunition and that large amounts are being produced and sent to the United States as needed.

The US Senate passed a Russia sanctions bill by an 86-11 vote that, if enacted, would allow President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on the five largest buyers of Russian oil or natural gas. Published on August 8, 2026, the report identifies India, China, Azerbaijan, Hungary and Slovakia as the current top five importers.

The bill is named in honor of the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, described as a strong supporter of Ukraine who had pressed for further sanctions on Russia over the nearly four-year war. His sister, Darlene Graham, who succeeded him in the Senate, said the measure would strike Russian President Vladimir Putin “in the right place.”

The legislation proposes tougher sanctions on Putin, senior Russian political and military officials, financial institutions and energy projects. It would also cover oil tankers, under old and new flags, that Moscow uses to evade existing US restrictions on Russian oil and energy revenues. Countries importing less than 15 percent of their needed natural gas from Russia and actively reducing those imports could receive relief. The House is scheduled to consider the bill on August 31.

In Washington, United States, Todd Montgomery is releasing specially bred male Asian tiger mosquitoes in residential yards instead of using medicine or sprays to control mosquitoes. The males do not bite and carry a natural bacterium called Wolbachia. When they mate with female mosquitoes that lack the bacterium, the females' eggs do not hatch, aiming to stop the birth of new mosquitoes.

The report describes this as the first such initiative for residents of a US residential area. About 600,000 Asian tiger mosquitoes are planned for release across the area by the end of summer. So far, 25 families have taken the service, with 1,500 mosquitoes released at each home every week for up to 16 weeks.

Montgomery's company introduced the service primarily to reduce pesticide use. Many residents are interested because of environmental and family health considerations. Similar mosquito-control methods are used in countries including Singapore, and one study found such an initiative reduced dengue risk by more than 70 percent. Experts said results depend on local environmental conditions, and mosquitoes may arrive from other areas with the wind, meaning some homes could take longer to see the desired outcome.

Controversial US Congressman Andy Ogles lost the Republican primary in Tennessee on Thursday despite receiving public support from President Donald Trump. Ogles, criticized for anti-Muslim statements, was defeated by former Tennessee agriculture commissioner Charlie Hatcher. With about 90 percent of votes counted, Hatcher led by 6.6 percentage points.

Ogles, first elected to Congress in 2022, competed in a newly redrawn congressional district after Tennessee revised electoral boundaries to preserve the Republican majority. In March, he wrote on X that Muslims had no place in American society and that pluralism was a lie. In 2024, his remarks about Palestinian children killed in US-funded attacks drew nationwide condemnation.

Hatcher had publicly rejected Ogles’s anti-Muslim remarks, saying many Muslims are law-abiding US citizens and that Muslim members of the military are skilled and brave soldiers. He also received support from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee late in the contest. Hatcher will face Democratic candidate and Columbia mayor Chaz Molder in November, as Democrats seek to contest the Republican-leaning district amid economic discontent and the Iran war issue.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, is considering spending tens of millions of dollars to support Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers in Michigan, according to a report published on August 7, 2026. The move follows its unsuccessful effort to defeat pro-Palestinian Democratic candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed in the Democratic primary. El-Sayed secured the Democratic nomination and will face Rogers next November.

AIPAC’s main super PAC, the United Democracy Project, spent about $32 million attacking El-Sayed and backing its preferred candidate, but did not prevent his nomination victory. The report described the result as AIPAC’s most expensive defeat in a direct federal election. Citing The New York Times, it said the United Democracy Project held more than $80 million in reserves at the end of June, giving it capacity for another major campaign.

Pre-election polling cited in the report found that 49 percent of Michigan Democratic voters viewed AIPAC negatively, while 12 percent viewed it positively. It also said 64 percent of voters were less likely to support candidates accepting AIPAC donations. Pew Research Center figures cited in the article showed 60 percent of Americans held unfavorable views of Israel, including 80 percent of Democrats.

US Vice President JD Vance has drawn renewed attention for using personal attacks, sarcasm and ridicule on social media when responding to critics. A report published on August 7, 2026 said Vance commented on conservative columnist Marc Thiessen’s physical appearance after Thiessen criticized his position on Iran. Responding to Thiessen’s post about burritos on university menus, Vance suggested that Thiessen may have taken burritos from a cafeteria more than once.

The report says Vance has long used direct and aggressive language against left-wing critics, journalists and conservatives in his own party, calling opponents “stupid,” “incompetent” or “shameful.” Kevin Kellems, communications director to former Vice President Dick Cheney, said such behavior was not fitting for the office. Jamal Simmons, former communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris, suggested Vance may be positioning himself for support in the 2028 presidential election.

Vance’s aides and supporters defend the approach as candid politics, saying he speaks directly like ordinary people and challenges elite conventions. Vance has said social media lets him hear unfiltered public views. He previously removed the X app from his phone for a period as part of religious practice, saying time away made him more focused and productive. The recent Thiessen exchange indicates he remains active in confrontational online engagement.

A New Mexico court has fined Meta $567 million over allegations that it failed to protect children on its social media platforms. Judge Bryan Biedscheid issued the order on Thursday, according to the report. It described the penalty as the largest financial sanction yet imposed on Meta in a child-safety case and said the amount is roughly 70,000 crore taka.

The New Mexico case began in 2023, when state lawyers alleged Meta’s platforms exposed children to risks including sexual content and contact with sexual offenders. In an earlier phase, the court found that Meta repeatedly violated New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act. The court said Meta’s recommendation algorithms pushed younger users toward harmful content and risky communications.

Meta had previously been fined $375 million in the same case, bringing its total penalty to $942 million. The court ordered Meta to establish a fund to reduce social media-related harm to children, with about $420 million for clinical and behavioral health services. Meta said it disagreed with the ruling and would appeal. The court also ordered measures affecting recommendations, adult messaging, nude images, notifications and usage limits for users under 18.

US President Donald Trump has signed two new executive orders aimed at limiting birthright citizenship in the United States, according to a report published on August 7, 2026. The move came weeks after the US Supreme Court ruled that the constitutional right to birthright citizenship remains in place.

One order seeks to broaden existing exceptions to birthright citizenship. It proposes excluding children of foreign diplomats, children of invaders, people considered to be attempting to buy citizenship, and children born in certain specified US territories from the benefit. A second order directs relevant authorities to take action against “birth tourism,” in which foreign women travel to the United States to give birth solely to obtain US citizenship for their children.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said the Supreme Court had turned birthright citizenship into a “farce” and that his administration was taking fresh action. In January 2025, he issued an order limiting citizenship for children born in the United States to temporary visa holders and undocumented immigrants, but the Supreme Court declared that initiative unconstitutional in June, citing the Fourteenth Amendment. Legal experts said the new orders are also unlikely to survive in court.

A latest opinion poll in the United States found that most Americans oppose President Donald Trump’s decision to wage war against Iran. The report, published on August 6, 2026 and citing Al Jazeera, said the findings further clarify a continuing trend that has emerged in recent times.

Nearly 60 percent of voters identifying as Republicans also opposed Trump’s decision, according to the report. Poll participants were additionally asked which political party they considered more capable of dealing with war and terrorism. In the latest survey, 38 percent placed Democrats ahead on that issue, while 37 percent considered Republicans more capable.

Support for Republicans on the same question had been about 10 percentage points higher in 2024. Analysts said the shift in voter views on national security, war and counterterrorism signals a significant turn in the US political landscape. With midterm elections scheduled for November, the poll result is being viewed as an important political message for Trump and the Republican Party.

The Trump administration has returned nearly $100 billion to importers in the United States after courts struck down a major portion of tariffs imposed on goods from various countries using emergency powers. Al Jazeera reported the figure, citing US customs authorities. The report was published on August 6, 2026.

In February this year, the US Supreme Court voted 6-3 to invalidate a major part of the administration's tariff policy. The court said imposing tariffs at such high rates through emergency economic powers was not lawful. Before the ruling, the administration had collected about $166 billion in tariffs from importers. Lower-court judges subsequently directed US Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, to begin the refund process.

In a court filing submitted Tuesday, CBP said it had accepted refund claims exceeding $128.68 billion for processing, with more than three-quarters already returned. Trade lawyer Ted Murphy and analyst Walker Livingston expressed surprise at the speed of the refunds. US lawmakers, however, alleged that the money is largely going back to large companies rather than consumers and small businesses that ultimately bore the higher tariff costs.