August 13, 2026

03 World

Donald Trump earns more in last two years ‘than previous 60 combined’ | World | News– www.express.co.uk

pgnewser August 4, 2026 0

Donald Trump earns more in last two years ‘than previous 60 combined’ | World | News– www.express.co.uk
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EXCERPT:

Donald Trump’s personal wealth has ballooned, reportedly earning more in the last two years than the previous 60 combined. The US president has seen his net worth go from £1.73 billion in 2024 to £4.81 billion in 2026.

Roughly 26% of Trump’s wealth comes from “pre-existing real estate and golf” ventures. But the overwhelming majority comes from cryptocurrency, with the total going up by a staggering 183% in two years.

Trump launched his “Official Trump” ($TRUMP) meme coin in January 2025, days before his inauguration. It went onto the market with a valuation of £11.26 billion, it is now worth £339 million, a 97% drop.

But this didn’t hurt Trump, who never directly invested in the coin. Instead, he was paid a 1% to 5% transfer fee every time a $TRUMP meme coin was bought or sold.

Steven Ratner, a former Obama staffer and journalist, called the increase “unprecedented in scale and source”. He said: “Obama’s wealth grew from royalties on books written before office — and Bush’s mostly from a sports‑team stake from over a decade prior. Most of Trump’s new billions are from deals made in office.”

Flawed Appellate Decision Upholding an Online Parental-Consent Mandate Merits Reversal | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org

pgnewser August 4, 2026 0

Flawed Appellate Decision Upholding an Online Parental-Consent Mandate Merits Reversal | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org
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EXCERPT:

A federal appellate court recently rejected First Amendment and vagueness challenges to an Ohio parental-consent statute that limits minors’ access to social media platforms “reasonably anticipated to be accessed by children.” The Sixth Circuit’s divided decision in NetChoice v. Yost is an unusual setback for NetChoice, an internet trade association that won a similar battle in June. The appellate court’s ruling vacates a 2025 lower court opinion blocking enforcement of the statute, which forbids Ohioans under age 16 from creating accounts on regulated platforms unless they obtain verifiable parental or guardian consent.

Yost, in which the two judges who sided with Ohio didn’t always agree with each other, is troubling for several reasons. One is its exceedingly deferential interpretation—in Ohio’s favor—of the evidence about harms platforms supposedly cause minors. As Techdirt’s Mike Masnick explained, “The first few pages of the decision are nothing but cherry-picked, out-of-context horror stories about what social media does to kids—with no mention of the substantial corresponding evidence that the picture is far more complicated than that.”

Another problem is how Judge Eric Clay determined Ohio’s statute survived the typically fatal strict scrutiny standard of judicial review. He did so by arguably misinterpreting and dubiously distinguishing the US Supreme Court’s formidable Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association decision. I’ve previously explained that the Court in Brown applied strict scrutiny to invalidate a California parental-consent statute restricting minors’ access to violent video games.

Canadians returning from ISIS ‘highly likely’ to pose threat, intelligence report says– globalnews.ca

pgnewser August 4, 2026 0

Canadians returning from ISIS ‘highly likely’ to pose threat, intelligence report says– globalnews.ca
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EXCERPT:

A group of Canadians detained overseas for allegedly being part of ISIS will “highly likely” pose a threat when they return home, warns an intelligence document obtained by Global News.

The Integrated Threat Assessment Centre report was written in June, after Iraq said it had taken custody of an unspecified number of ISIS members from Canada.

The suspects are liable to contribute to extremism once they returned to Canada, “either directly through an act of violence or indirectly by radicalizing others,” the intelligence report said.

“A potential return of Canadian extremist travellers currently in Iraqi custody would highly likely pose a violent extremist threat to Canada,” it said.

The danger posed by returning ISIS supporters was underscored on Saturday when a 21-year-old attacked Berlin’s Pride festival with a vehicle and knife.

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Live updates: Zelensky meets Trump at White House with Netanyahu due there later – BBC– news.google.com

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Live updates: Zelensky meets Trump at White House with Netanyahu due there later – BBC– news.google.com
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EXCERPT:

  1. Live updates: Zelensky meets Trump at White House with Netanyahu due there later  BBC
  2. Why this time around, Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump might not go to script  CNN
  3. Trump expresses frustration with Netanyahu before White House meeting  Al Jazeera
  4. Live Updates: Trump to Meet With Zelensky and Netanyahu to Discuss Ukraine and Iran  The New York Times
  5. ‘A disaster for America First’: Trump allies fear Netanyahu meeting will pull US deeper into war with Iran  Politico

 

Iran Admits to Major Infrastructure Damage from U.S. Strikes– www.breitbart.com

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Iran Admits to Major Infrastructure Damage from U.S. Strikes– www.breitbart.com
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EXCERPT:

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian toured transportation and logistics sites damaged by U.S. airstrikes over the weekend, as state media reports implicitly conceded the impact of those strikes was much greater than the regime had previously admitted.

Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) published a dour account of Pezeshkian’s infrastructure tour on Sunday:

Officials briefed the president on the condition of border terminals, ports, road, rail, maritime and air transport networks, as well as the supply and distribution of essential goods.

Roads and Urban Development Minister Farzaneh Sadegh also presented a detailed report on damage inflicted on ports, border terminals, bridges, roads, railways, logistics facilities and other strategic infrastructure following US attacks.

Pezeshkian ordered faster reconstruction of damaged infrastructure, activation of alternative routes, and measures to strengthen the resilience of the transport network and ensure uninterrupted services.

Iran releases sick video on ‘where and how’ to kill Melania Trump | World | News– www.express.co.uk

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Iran releases sick video on ‘where and how’ to kill Melania Trump | World | News– www.express.co.uk
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EXCERPT:

A horrifying video released in Iran has sparked outrage after the clip detailed “how and where” to kill First Lady Melania Trump. In the footage, a narrator speaking Farsi discusses “plots” while images show Mr and Mrs Trump on a map, detailing their code names and the precautions the Secret Service takes to secure the streets along their motorcades.

The narrator claims that “the documents used in this video are the result of extracting information from several anonymous security networks and satellite images”. They also propose a potential poisoning plot that could be executed by “freedom fighters” with access to locations the First Lady frequently attends.

The footage implies that Mrs Trump’s “love of fashion” reflects her vulnerability, even suggesting potential bribery schemes tied to her shopping patterns.

Billboards have also appeared on bridges and structures throughout Tehran, Iran, calling for the deaths of Mr Trump and his family members. One featured images of his children, Ivanka and Barron, alongside his wife.

All three were shown with their eyes closed, with the word “KILLED” in red across the top. It added: “Hey, Terrorist! Get ready to die.”

U.S. ban on foreign-made humanoid robots targets China over security risks– www.cbc.ca

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U.S. ban on foreign-made humanoid robots targets China over security risks– www.cbc.ca
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EXCERPT:

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is banning imports of new foreign-made humanoid robots and power inverters, citing national security risks, in a move that targets China.

Beijing quickly accused the U.S. of protectionism.

The measures are likely to test relations with Beijing ahead of a planned U.S. visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in September. China dominates the global market for humanoid robots with an estimated market share of roughly 85 per cent.

The FCC’s ban also includes new imports of quadruped robots, often referred to as four-legged robot dogs. The agency said imports of advanced robots pose cybersecurity and other national security risks. Offshore production of such equipment also leaves U.S. supply chains vulnerable to disruptions.

The ban on power inverters, which are used to convert direct current (DC) electricity into alternating current (AC) electricity and are used in renewable energy systems, data centres and household appliances, could have sweeping ramifications.

Netanyahu heads to US for first Trump meeting since Iran war– www.channelnewsasia.com

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Netanyahu heads to US for first Trump meeting since Iran war– www.channelnewsasia.com
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EXCERPT:

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday (Jul 28) for the first time since the start of the Iran war, over which they have publicly disagreed.

Relations between Netanyahu and Trump have occasionally appeared strained in recent months, but both have sought to tone things down.

Tuesday’s meeting is expected to be dominated by the war, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, as Washington says it wants to give negotiations a chance.

Israel has not taken part in the latest round of hostilities between the United States and Iran, which flared earlier this month after an April ceasefire collapsed.

Tuesday’s meeting will be the eighth between the leaders since Trump’s return to office last year, as well as their first in-person talks since the war began.

“This is a great privilege, but it is also a great responsibility,” Netanyahu said before departing Israel on Monday.

Khanna: Call to Arrest Netanyahu ‘Not Talking About Americans Who Are Subject to Our Own Law’– www.breitbart.com

pgnewser August 4, 2026 0

Khanna: Call to Arrest Netanyahu ‘Not Talking About Americans Who Are Subject to Our Own Law’– www.breitbart.com
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EXCERPT:

On Tuesday’s broadcast of CBS’s “The Takeout,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) said that “We should not allow people in our jurisdiction who have an arrest warrant by the ICC.” But this isn’t a danger for Americans because “They don’t have any American arrest warrants. This is not talking about Americans who are subject to our own law. But that seems to be a consistent principle of international law, and I’d apply it to Putin like I’d apply it to Netanyahu.”

Khanna said, “Now, my view on Netanyahu is the same as my view on Putin, if you have a warrant for your arrest by the ICC, and you’re coming here — not to the U.N., because the U.N. has its own rules — but you’re coming to the United States, then you should be arrested. We should not allow people in our jurisdiction who have an arrest warrant by the ICC.”

He added, “People say, what about Americans? They don’t have any American arrest warrants. This is not talking about Americans who are subject to our own law. But that seems to be a consistent principle of international law, and I’d apply it to Putin like I’d apply it to Netanyahu.”

Trump’s Top General Issues Chilling Warning To US Troops Overseas– trendingpoliticsnews.com

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Trump’s Top General Issues Chilling Warning To US Troops Overseas– trendingpoliticsnews.com
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EXCERPT:

The top U.S. commander in the Middle East is warning American troops that their own cellphone videos could help Iran kill U.S. service members.

Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, issued the stark warning in a July 28 letter as the military moves to crack down on troops posting footage from bases targeted by Iranian missiles and drones.

Cooper said Iran is watching videos, photos and news reports in near real time to figure out whether its strikes are hitting American positions.

Personnel deployed across the Middle East could soon be ordered to surrender their phones, according to Reuters, even as thousands of troops rely on mobile devices to communicate with spouses, children and other family members back home.

‘The direct, unavoidable cost of this open-source intelligence could be measured in the lives of ​American service members and civilian residents in targeted Gulf countries,’ Cooper wrote to the troops in letter dated July 28.

The warning comes as U.S. forces remain under pressure across the region following the collapse of President Donald Trump’s ceasefire with Iran.

Democrats’ Fundraisers Are Also Running AI’s Congressional Access Operation– readsludge.com

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Democrats’ Fundraisers Are Also Running AI’s Congressional Access Operation– readsludge.com
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EXCERPT:

Democratic fundraising consultants working for Senate campaigns, including those of Sen. Jacky Rosen and Rep. Haley Stevens, also run a nonprofit backed in part by Google and Amazon that has become one of the AI industry’s primary channels for cultivating relationships with the congressional staff overseeing federal AI legislation.

The Innovative Future Collective (IFC), founded by Democratic fundraising consultants Ashley Kennedy and Tonya Fulkerson, has spent the past year flying congressional aides on industry-guided tours of Google, Meta, Amazon, Palantir, Anduril, and other companies at the center of the AI industry’s campaign to shape federal AI policy, including its push to preempt state AI regulation. The nonprofit describes the trips, built around briefings from company policy executives for committee counsels and chiefs of staff overseeing AI legislation, as “educational,” and told Sludge in March that it “does not engage in advocacy.”

Though IFC does not disclose its donors, two companies whose executives regularly participate in its congressional programs, Google and Amazon, have identified IFC among the political and policy organizations they fund in their own public political-engagement disclosures.

Kennedy and Fulkerson own Fulkerson Kennedy & Company (FK&Co.), a political fundraising firm that has been paid nearly $3 million this election cycle for fundraising consulting services by Democratic campaigns and committees, according to Federal Election Commission records. Its clients include Sens. Chris Coons, Jacky Rosen, and Martin Heinrich; Reps. Chris Pappas and Haley Stevens, who are running for open Senate seats; and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. IFC’s first federal tax filing, covering 2025, shows the nonprofit paid $179,079 back to FK&Co. for “management, staffing, and fundraising services.”

China Hits U.S., Europe With New Rare Earths Export Controls– legalinsurrection.com

pgnewser August 4, 2026 0

China Hits U.S., Europe With New Rare Earths Export Controls– legalinsurrection.com
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EXCERPT:

Early this year, the Trump administration unveiled a new minerals stockpile initiative called “Project Vault,” which prioritizes the development of mines and processing operations for more than 50 minerals deemed critical.

This move comes on top of Trump’s pursuit of new alliances to challenge China’s control over these essential resources. Additionally, the administration has been expediting mine openings, supporting new smelting operations, and exploring deep-sea options for these resources.

These developments are likely not making Chinese officials happy. Subsequently, it should not come as a surprise that China has now imposed new export controls on rare earths bound for this country.

China added MP Materials (MP.N) and USA Rare Earth (USAR.O) as well as eight other ​U.S. entities it said are linked to the U.S. military to its export ‌control list in retaliation for Washington placing several Chinese companies under restrictions this month.

Aveox, a motor manufacturer for mission-critical applications, was also among those placed on the list, which halts Chinese dual-use exports to the companies.

Pentagon-backed ​MP Materials, which operates the only active rare earth mine in the U.S., and ​USA Rare Earth are both involved in the mine-to-magnet supply chain.

USA Rare ⁠Earth said it did not have any comment on the matter. MP Materials and Aveox were ​not available for comment outside of business hours.

Army tests ‘Hammer of the Gods’ system overseas for first time– www.foxnews.com

pgnewser August 4, 2026 0

Army tests ‘Hammer of the Gods’ system overseas for first time– www.foxnews.com
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EXCERPT:

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The U.S. Army on Sunday revealed it has tested a new warfare system overseas designed to covertly scramble the navigation signals used by enemy precision weapons, making it harder for adversaries to accurately strike targets from long distances while avoiding detection.

The electronic system, dubbed “Hammer of the Gods,” was tested at sea off the U.S. West Coast for the first time in mid-July as part of the Project Convergence Capstone 6 (PC-C6) experiment.

While land-based versions have been demonstrated over the past two years, the exercise marked the official debut of the maritime variant, the Army said.

The portable signal disruptor can reportedly blind enemy to several precision-guided weapons such as long-range artillery, guided missiles and cruise missiles.

The Hammer of the Gods was tested overseas for the first time in mid-July. (U.S. Army)

The radio signals specifically jam positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) signals, including GPS data, that precision weapons rely on to navigate accurately.

Without reliable PNT data, weapon accuracy drops sharply, increasing the likelihood of delayed missions and missed targets.

The system also creates a resilient communications network that allows friendly forces to stay connected despite heavy electronic jamming.

U.S. walks out on UN meeting following France’s human rights criticism – National– globalnews.ca

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U.S. walks out on UN meeting following France’s human rights criticism – National– globalnews.ca
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EXCERPT:

U.S. diplomats walked out as their French counterparts were speaking at the United Nations on Monday after America’s close European ally criticized the Trump administration’s human rights record.

The surprise move during a U.N. Security Council meeting on Ukraine followed U.S. opposition to giving U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk another four-year term. The reappointment on Friday got overwhelming support, including from France.

The U.S. walkout reflects not only the more strained relations between President Donald Trump and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, but also wider tensions between the U.S. and Europe. These include questions over Trump’s commitment to NATO, possible changes to U.S. troop deployments in Europe, and Trump’s desire to control Greenland, which belongs to NATO member Denmark.

Trump has complained that Europeans, who weren’t consulted, did not help the U.S. during the Iran war. Amid the tensions, Macron has taken a lead in trying to build up Europe’s military and ensure a nuclear umbrella as one of the continent’s two nuclear powers, along with Britain.

Netanyahu Will Attend UN General Assembly in New York City– legalinsurrection.com

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Netanyahu Will Attend UN General Assembly in New York City– legalinsurrection.com
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EXCERPT:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed he will attend the UN General Assembly in New York City in September.

I figured Netanyahu would, even though communist Mayor Zohran Mamdani threatened to arrest him and encouraged people to “protest” him.

Netanyahu told Sean Hannity:

But I’m definitely going there. I’m going to speak the truth in front of this, you know. There’s just hate spewing elected official who’s pitting one group of New Yorkers against the others. He’s turning them against New York Jews. I mean, what, are we in the 1930s? What is this? You know, so much hate, so many lies.

U.S. Props Yen with Euros

pgnewser August 4, 2026 0

The Department of Treasury is using its Exchange Stabilization Fund to buy Japanese Yen in the hopes of propping up the dangerously weak currency. This hasn’t happened in 30 years. The U.S. is not using U.S. dollars; it is using Euros.

This action follows a recent previous Treasury intervention to help a weakening Argentinian currency. That deal resulted in the loan being paid back in full (at profit). These interventions signal a shift in Treasury policy from two plus decades of international currency passivity to aggressive interventionism.

U.S. Treasury sells euros, not dollars, to help lift yen. Economists warn it could backfire– fortune.com
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EXCERPT:

The U.S. is stepping in to help boost Japan’s yen for the first time in nearly three decades after the currency hit a 40-year low, but the intervention has an unusual feature: instead of selling dollars to buy yen, the New York Fed reportedly sold euros to fund the purchase.

The coordinated move on Friday lifted the yen to 157 to the dollar and marked the first time the U.S. and Japan jointly bought the currency since 1998 during the Asian financial crisis. In 2011, the U.S., alongside the G7,  weakened the yen after the Fukushima disaster caused the yen to be too strong, threatening Japan’s export-reliant economy.

Japan is estimated to have spent $52.8 billion. The exact amount from the U.S. is unknown, though a photo of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s notepad suggests a range between $5 billion to $10 billion.

New York Times reveals Trump administration subpoena over North Korea story | Freedom of the Press News– www.aljazeera.com

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New York Times reveals Trump administration subpoena over North Korea story | Freedom of the Press News– www.aljazeera.com
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EXCERPT:

The US Justice Department faces criticism for its increasing use of subpoenas in attempts to compel journalists to reveal their sources.

The New York Times has revealed that another journalist is facing a subpoena from the administration of United States President Donald Trump, this time about reporting conducted into a secret military operation in North Korea.

On Saturday, the newspaper — one of the most prominent in the country — identified freelance reporter Matthew Cole as the target of the subpoena.

Houthis push back on report of planned Red Sea shipping fees– thehill.com

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Houthis push back on report of planned Red Sea shipping fees– thehill.com
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EXCERPT:

Yemen’s Houthi-run maritime authority pushed back on Saturday against reports that the group is considering charging toll fees to commercial vessels passing through the Bab el-Mandeb strait, saying ships can continue to pass through the waterway without paying. The Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center said in a statement that its safe-passage service is voluntary and does…