Social

THE MONSTER OF BROOKLYN'S POWER GRAB: Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, announced a plan to dramatically expand who would vote in an upcoming internal party election to choose its chair. nysfocus.com/2026/08/20/b...

El Niño set to be strongest in living memory. The powerful natural climate phenomenon pushes up global temps & can increase the risks of extreme weather. Add to the effects of human-induced climate change, it is very likely to mean 2027 is the hottest year on record.. www.bbc.co.uk/weather/arti...

Ossoff: White House made promises but delivered war, high inflation, doubled health insurance premiums for >1M Georgians. 300K lost coverage completely. Collins voted twice to let health subsidies expire and premiums in his own district are spiking 345%. Some Senatorial material! #Blues

The US sanctioned nine Cuban state entities in metals, mining and construction. Cuba says the measures will hinder imports of food, medicines and medical devices, including purchases by private firms. The action follows a May order that broadened US sanctions.

China is not an Arctic military power, but its growing expertise, presence and dual-use capabilities are making it increasingly relevant to Arctic security, writes Liselotte Odgaard.

Digested week: So Harry and Meghan are moving back to the UK. Who cares?

The German state of Hesse has banned pro-Palestine group Palästina e.V. over accusations of antisemitism and support for terrorism. Authorities raided five properties linked to the group, which a court had previously ruled was carrying out activities that contradict Germany's constitutional order.

www.nj.gov/governor/new... #S2260 is now law in the great state of New Jersey!! “With this legislation, we are making clear that New Jersey will protect patients, providers, and the fundamental freedom to make personal healthcare decisions.” “…expressly including gender-affirming care”

Investors and analysts have warned Chancellor John Healey not to give up on the government’s efforts to reduce the UK’s fiscal deficit in his first Budget, following a spike in government bond yields in recent weeks.

🏥🌧️ We often talk about how flooding affects homes and roads, but what about hospitals? A Carbon Brief investigation found that flooding has forced at least 67 NHS hospital wards, departments and sites to close since 2021, disrupting services we all rely on. 🔗 www.carbonbrief.org/revealed-flo...

"Trump ‘fails the laugh test’ with bid to undermine elections by weaponizing the Census, critics say. Trump touts shoddy analysis and bogus data to claim ‘I WON THE ELECTION’ as he pushes for sweeping restrictions on ballot access" www.the-independent.com/news/world/a...

New AI tools mean that small teams can produce viral political content at scale and in a way that allows them to avoid personal accountability. "Because they’re anonymous, they can effectively say anything with impunity”. www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...

Hungary scraps crypto trading penalties of up to eight years in prison Hungary has repealed its mandatory crypto conversion validation system and removed two related criminal offenses that exposed users and service providers to prison terms of up to eight years. … www.byteseu.com/2294685/

Ban on goods from occupied West Bank would help protect two-state solution, says Emily Thornberry – UK politics live

Ministry of Defence of Ukraine💙💛 President of Ukraine introduces Evgeniy Khmara as Minister of Defence of Ukraine Evgeniy Khmara also noted that Ukraine needs more air defense capabilities and needs its cooperation with partners to deliver more results. mod.gov.ua/en/news/pres...

India Becomes APAC’s Top Data-Center Market Outside China, Hits 1.7 GW: Study. Global hyperscalers Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are the next-largest investor group, with $84 billion announced. About 95% of all announced investment is targeting large hyperscale AI campuses.

⚡️Ukrainian soldiers use training in Germany to desert. The soldiers had been sent to Germany for training before returning to Ukraine to fight Russia, according to Die Zeit.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was showing signs of utter confusion 10 days before he was hospitalized ... voting incorrectly and even getting the Senate Clerk to signal yea or nay for him. www.tmz.com/2026/08/20/m...

Two Hong Kong activists who organised annual vigils marking China’s deadly Tiananmen crackdown in 1989 have been found guilty of “incitement to subversion” in one of the most high-profile cases in Hong Kong since Beijing imposed its national security law in 2020.

"Ukraine Planned to Swarm Moscow Airports With AI-Guided Drones The stalled operation, code-named “M&Ms,” sought to isolate Russian elites and force Vladimir Putin to negotiate a truce." No paywall: archive.ph/EdgsJ

Oh no www.sixthtone.com/news/1018913 "The allegations, which emerged last weekend on domestic social media, come just two weeks after she went viral for an interview with British-American director Christopher Nolan about his recent blockbuster “The Odyssey.”

Reuters On Iran: “Trump to impose unprecedented economic warfare and isolation on Iran could have implications for countries that trade with it. Here are some of Iran's main trading partners in recent years: China, Iraq, Russia, Pakistan, Oman, India, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.” tinyurl.com/yzdjs85r

UK reports unexpected deficit of £1.8bn as John Healey prepares for first budget

🔒 Cyber — Beacon CRM Breach Hits UK Charities A compromised AWS key exposed donor names, phones and addresses at ~1,000 UK charities via Beacon CRM. #CyberSecurity #UKCyber #UKPrepperHub ukprepperhub.co.uk/814y?...

After 9 Years, China Is Reopening Its Borders To Recycled Plastic thediplomat.com/2026/08/afte... #NationalSword #NationalSword2