President Donald Trump said Friday that he could declare the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States, escalating his rhetoric around the strategic waterway at the center of the Iran conflict. The remark comes as the administration continues military and diplomatic pressure tied to shipping access and regional oil flows.

A renewed social media claim says newly released Fauci texts prove COVID-19 vaccination caused miscarriages in 82% of pregnancies. The texts and the underlying studies show something narrower: an early theoretical concern, incomplete 2021 data, and later research that did not find an increased miscarriage risk.

Zohran Mamdani’s June 29, 2025, remark that New York should not have billionaires quickly became part of a broader fight over taxes, real estate and migration. In Florida, brokers and business recruiters said the comments helped drive a fresh wave of interest from affluent New Yorkers, even as hard statewide relocation data remained incomplete.

Airlines canceled dozens of Hawaii flights as Tropical Storm Lala approached the Big Island with hurricane-force conditions possible. Officials opened shelters and warned of flooding, strong winds and travel disruptions across the state.

A Kentucky woman was arrested after authorities said she vandalized the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Prosecutors said two felony charges were filed, and the case could carry years of prison exposure if she is convicted.

The U.S. Navy has begun moving the USS George Washington toward the Middle East as the USS Abraham Lincoln faces mounting scrutiny over a deployment that has stretched beyond 260 days. The shift comes amid confirmed reports of mental health and supply concerns aboard the Lincoln.

A fast-moving series of earthquakes has shaken the Salton Sea region near the southern San Andreas Fault, one of California's most closely watched seismic zones. Scientists say the sequence does not predict a larger quake, but it has renewed attention on a fault system that has not produced a major rupture in centuries.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani did not directly answer when asked whether the NYPD would continue sending personnel to Israel for training. The exchange revived scrutiny of his past criticism of the department’s ties to Israeli security institutions.

A recent televised Trump appearance is drawing renewed scrutiny over age, stamina and public performance, with critics comparing the reaction to the intense focus that followed President Joe Biden’s 2024 debate struggles. What is confirmed is the video itself and the political response around it; what remains unconfirmed is any medical explanation.

Global oil supply is projected to fall sharply this year as war-related disruptions hit Middle East production, while China’s estimated 1.4 billion barrels in reserves give it unusual flexibility in the market. Those two developments are reshaping oil trade flows, pricing pressure and the pace of inventory drawdowns worldwide.

A federal judge is weighing whether Trump administration Justice Department lawyers defied orders in a lawsuit over redactions in the Epstein files. Judge Emmet Sullivan said at an August 13 hearing that he has held lawyers in contempt before and could do so again if the court finds noncompliance.

A federal judge in Washington ruled that adding President Donald Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center violated federal law and said only Congress can change the institution’s name. The dispute has become a new legal and political fight over the future of the national performing arts center.