Nearly 30 pine trees intentionally poisoned in Lake Tahoe’s Nevada side 10. August 2026 (23:08) Incidents of damaged trees at Burnt Cedar beach have been reported since 2022 and seem to be linked, officials sayPine trees near Lake Tahoe are being poisoned in what authorities believe are a series of interconnected incidents in the popular tourist community on border of Nevada and California.The incidents have damaged nearly 30 trees, some reportedly more than a century old, and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump signs order attempting to override CDC vaccine schedule and break up MMR shots 10. August 2026 (22:51) President and RFK Jr, the health secretary, repeatedly referred to autism during signing, though studies show no link between it and vaccinesDonald Trump has signed an executive order with plans for sweeping changes to the childhood vaccination schedule that attempts to override the authority of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).It is an attempt to undergird the changes made earlier this year to CDC vaccination recommendations, which were halted by a federal judge. The CDC is the federal agency tasked with recommending vaccines, not the White House. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump demands Iran pay compensation for decades of US soldier deaths 10. August 2026 (22:45) US president’s statement is latest sign that negotations to end war and reopen strait of Hormuz have stalledDonald Trump has said he will demand that Iran pay compensation for the deaths of thousands of US soldiers and Iran’s own civilians killed in recent decades in the latest sign his negotiations to end the war and reopen the strait of Hormuz have reached an impasse.The US president is trying to end conflicts in Iran, Gaza and Lebanon, and his additional demands of Iran are likely to provoke anger in Tehran at the same time as Israel has rejected Trump’s terms for a 15-point roadmap to end the war in Gaza. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘National priority’ to equip UK firefighters amid growing wildfire threat 10. August 2026 (21:16) Exclusive: FBU calls for more funding as ‘unprecedented summer’ puts rising demands on already stretched crewsFirefighters in the UK are under increased pressure as a result of an “unprecedented summer of dangerous and volatile wildfires”, the Fire Brigades Union has said, as many parts of the country brace for a fifth heatwave of the year.As authorities declared almost three-quarters of England was now in drought, Steve Wright, the FBU general secretary, said the unpredictable environmental challenges the UK was now confronted with meant it was a “national priority” to have enough properly equipped firefighters to “face these threats”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Todd Blanche, Trump’s former personal lawyer, sworn in as US attorney general 10. August 2026 (20:51) Loyalist sworn in after Senate voted narrowly in favor of his confirmation Saturday morningTodd Blanche has been sworn as US attorney general, cementing Donald Trump’s installation of his former personal attorney in charge of the Department of Justice.Blanche, who has been serving as acting attorney general since April, was confirmed in his new position during a ceremony at the White House on Monday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
July was hottest month ever recorded in US as heatwaves scorched country 10. August 2026 (20:49) Scientists have made clear that the elevated heat in the US was being amplified by the human-caused climate crisisJuly was the hottest month ever recorded in the US, with repeated, scorching heatwaves across much of the country helping shatter all previous monthly temperature records stretching back over the full 132 years of reliable measurements.Last month’s average temperature was 3.3F (1.8C) higher than the 20th century average for the contiguous United States, which excludes Alaska and Hawaii, according to new data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa). Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ann Widdecombe police investigate whether accused had role in Farage incident 10. August 2026 (20:46) Police looking into whether Joshua Kerry linked to alleged attempted burglary last year at Reform leader’s then homePolice are investigating whether Joshua Kerry, the man charged with the murder of the former Reform UK and Conservative politician Ann Widdecombe, had any role in an attempted burglary last year at the then London home of Nigel Farage.Kerry, 28, from Rotherham, was charged with the murder of Widdecombe, 78, who was killed at her Devon home in July, after an investigation by counter-terrorism police. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labour peer urges Tories to sack former neo-Nazi who abused her 10. August 2026 (19:52) Badenoch adviser Joshua Bonehill-Paine was found guilty in 2016 of racially aggravated harassment of then MP Luciana BergerThe Labour peer Luciana Berger has urged Kemi Badenoch to “listen to victims” and reverse her decision to give a national advisory role to a former neo-Nazi.Joshua Bonehill-Paine was jailed in 2015 for more than three years after posting antisemitic material online before a planned neo-Nazi rally. In 2016, he was found guilty of racially aggravated harassment for abuse directed at Berger, an MP at the time. He was also the founder and leader of the National British Resistance, a far-right group. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bernie Sanders calls on Silicon Valley to ‘pause AI development’ in interest of humanity 10. August 2026 (19:44) Progressive US senator urges Meta, OpenAI and Anthropic to ‘stop building machines that humans cannot control’Senator Bernie Sanders has called on Meta, OpenAI and Anthropic executives to halt their development of artificial intelligence, warning that the US Senate will implement regulation if the companies continue deploying AI at their current pace.In a new letter addressed to the CEOs of three of the country’s leading AI companies, Sanders said the capabilities of these AI models have reached a critical risk threshold and that the companies are losing control over the technology. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of US deal for Gaza is risky move 10. August 2026 (19:27) Israeli prime minister’s unexpected comments blindsided IDF commanders and could alienate Trump, his main allyBenjamin Netanyahu’s public rejection of a US-backed deal for Gaza drew scepticism in Israel, amid reports he was personally hammering out details of a pilot military withdrawal days earlier.The Israeli prime minister is struggling to balance incompatible demands on Gaza policy from his key domestic and international allies. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
