U.S.
FDA Approves Updated 2026-27 COVID Vaccines Targeting XFG Variant, Limited to Ages 65+ and High-Risk Younger People
The agency cleared XFG-adapted shots from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Novavax-Sanofi on August 27, keeping the narrowed eligibility rules it first set in May 2025.
Trump Signs Order Directing Interior to Rename Lake Ontario "Lake America" Within 30 Days
The August 27, 2026 order applies to U.S. federal records only; Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada will keep calling the lake Lake Ontario.
NORTHCOM Says an Army Laser Downed Three Drones It Called Cartel-Linked in Texas' Rio Grande Valley on Aug. 25-26
The command said Joint Task Force-Southern Border used the Army's AMP-HEL directed-energy system, and did not say whether the drones were over U.S. or Mexican territory.
Trump Says U.S. Has Reached Deal for Majority Share of a New Venezuelan Oil Venture Covering 17 Fields
The August 28 announcement describes a private joint venture with 100-year concessions and an effective 55% U.S. share of output; House Democrats and legal scholars question the legal basis, and no signed text has been released publicly.
Wyoming Governor Asks State Attorney General to Review DOJ Monitors' Conduct at Aug. 18 Primary
Gov. Mark Gordon and Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee say two Justice Department attorneys sought to interview voters and inspect vote-counting machines without advance notice; the department points to its primary-day statement that monitors were there to check compliance with federal voting laws.
Alex Pretti's Family Gives First TV Interview Seven Months After He Was Killed by Federal Agents in Minneapolis
Relatives of the ICU nurse and U.S. citizen shot on Jan. 24 said they want accountability; no criminal charges have been publicly announced against the two agents who fired, and state and federal investigations remain open.
National Guard Deployment in Washington Reaches One Year, With 3,807 Troops in the City as of August 2026
Troops have been ordered to stay through January 20, 2029, and commanders say patrols now reach all eight wards rather than only downtown and the National Mall.
Justice Department Files Notice of Appeal in Epstein Files Unredaction Case
The department filed what it called a "protective notice of appeal" on August 24 against Judge Emmet Sullivan's June 25 injunction ordering it to remove redactions from certain Epstein records.
11th Circuit Vacates 2023 Ruling Against Georgia's 2021 Voting Maps, Orders District Court to Reapply New Supreme Court Test
A unanimous three-judge panel wiped out the injunction and sent the case back for a fresh look under Louisiana v. Callais; Georgia's district lines will not change before the November 2026 elections.
New York City Says a 41-Year-Old Detainee Died at Rikers Island on Aug. 25, the Seventh Death in Department of Correction Custody in 2026
The city Department of Correction said Clarence Woodward was found unresponsive at the Robert N. Davoren Center five days after another detainee died at a Bellevue jail unit, and the cause of death has not been released.
Trump Headlines Houston RNC Fundraiser for Ken Paxton's Senate Bid, With Tickets From $10,000 to Nearly $500,000
The Thursday evening event was organized by the Republican National Committee to help Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who reported $1.76 million in campaign cash on June 30 against Democrat James Talarico's $21.55 million.
Justice Department Files 25 Civil Denaturalization Complaints, Bringing Total Since Jan. 20, 2025, to 123
The complaints, filed in federal district courts between July 20 and Aug. 3, 2026, target naturalized citizens from 17 countries whom the department accuses of hiding crimes or fraud on their citizenship applications.