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Darline Graham wins South Carolina GOP nomination to replace her late brother in US Senate COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Darline Graham won the Republican nomination to replace her late brother on South Carolina’s general election ballot, notching another win for President Donald Trump after he threw his support behind the political novice. https://apnews.com/article/south-carolina-election-lindsey-graham-03899983c3702842039e99d62e16ddad?

Liberia's ex-vice president will await trial on drug trafficking and other charges in prison Liberia's former vice president was sent to prison on Tuesday to await trial on drug trafficking and other charges, after a court in the West African country denied her request to be released on humanitarian grounds for medical treatment. Read More.

Michigan AG releases Flint water crisis report, says final accountability step her office can take Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said a report released Tuesday on the lead-water crisis in the city is the final step her office can take toward accountability, years after a state Supreme Court ruling shut down criminal cases against a former governor and eight other people. Read More.

Florida, hard-hit by Obamacare drop-off, feels the squeeze of rising healthcare costs Florida chef Elijah Button was chopping onions in June when his knife slipped and sliced his middle finger to the bone. Read More.

A lush knee-high jungle grows in the Arctic, but warming is changing Earth's mini-greenhouse With no tall trees reaching to the sky, Alaska's North Slope tundra can look desolate — especially to outsiders from the Lower 48 who are used to in-your-face greenery. Read More.

A Montana man killed 8 relatives, including 4 kids, at Sunday dinner, family says BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A man killed eight of his relatives, including four children, as they gathered for Sunday dinner at a home outside Billings, Montana, weeks after his parents asked him to move out, a family member told The Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/billings-montana-family-killed-house-burned-e977fa5e9cd635eea4e111ad8b2c79ff?

🚆 1 for the road: 15 mins. to O'Hare Rendering of an O'Hare Flyer express train. Photo: O'Hare Flyer The trip from downtown Chicago to O'Hare could take just 15 minutes if a new plan takes off, Axios Chicago's Monica Eng reports. Fast transportation from the city to O'Hare, including Elon Musk's Boring Company plan, has fascinated leaders for years — but has never materialized. ✈️ The O'Hare Flyer promises to take riders from downtown to "O'Hare Airport's Terminal 2 on a dedicated track with a reliable schedule of whisper-quiet train departures every 15 minutes," organizers said in a statement. Existing trains take about 40–45 minutes. Yes, but: There's no word yet on launch date or costs. Go deeper ... Subscribe to Axios Local.

🚀 SpaceX is building a new spaceport on 125,000 acres in southwest Louisiana, the company and Gov. Jeff Landry announced.

Two people have died of measles in Lancaster County, Pa. — the state's first such deaths in 35 years. Both were unvaccinated. Get the latest. ps:Pathetic, absolutely pathetic!!!!!

ICE arrests jumped to nearly 50,000 in July, the highest monthly total of Trump’s second term WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested nearly 50,000 people in July, the highest single monthly arrest total during the second Trump administration, according to new figures. https://apnews.com/article/border-immigration-customs-enforcement-data-statistics-f07f56a34bda225e5afa356781ac1740? 🇨🇦 President Trump threatened to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America" amid Washington's ongoing fallout with Canada, similar to the administration's efforts to rebrand the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America." The lake's name comes from an Indigenous word for "great lake." Go deeper. ps:Mr pathetic at it again!!!!!

Canada strikes back at US with retaliatory tariffs as trade war escalates TORONTO (AP) — Canada struck back at the United States on Tuesday with retaliatory tariffs on about $20 billion worth of American goods, including steel, dairy products, appliances and farm equipment, as the trade war between the once-friendly neighbors escalated sharply. https://apnews.com/article/canada-trump-lake-810649a0a4143d9042094626c4a36dad?

Federal judge rejects Ghislaine Maxwell’s ‘miscarriage of justice’ claims and bid for prison release NEW YORK (AP) — Ghislaine Maxwell’s bid to overturn her sex trafficking conviction and be freed from prison was rejected by a federal judge Tuesday who said the claims by Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend and longtime associate that new evidence had emerged were “demonstrably meritless.” https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-epstein-sex-trafficking-5dbf8548c211188a03c6e23c8a5b9311? Sentencing set for polygamous leader convicted of abuse in Arizona after girls discovered in trailer A polygamous sect leader already serving a 50-year federal prison sentence for orchestrating sex involving children is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday on separate state convictions for hauling girls through a community in northern Arizona in an unventilated trailer. Read More.

👋 Good morning! Today's GeoSports is live, with questions written by yours truly. Tap in and see how you score. In today's edition: The Brewers' recipe for success, Angel Reese's historic night, mixed doubles takes center stage, Yahoo Fantasy introduces a new position, a bearish bet on baseball, Robot Olympics, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...   🚨 ICYMI HEADLINES 🏀 Angel's historic night: Angel Reese grabbed 26 rebounds in Atlanta's win over the Sparks, breaking Chamique Holdsclaw's record of 24 for the most in a single WNBA game. With the performance, Reese also broke A'ja Wilson’s record for most rebounds in a season (458 and counting). 🏈 Watson named QB1: Deshaun Watson has won the starting job in Cleveland over Shedeur Sanders, the team announced Monday. After multiple Achilles injuries, he's now in line to start his first game since 2024. ⚾️ 3 HR for Big Dumper: Cal Raleigh had by far the best game of his disappointing season on Monday, posting the first three-homer game of his career in the Mariners' win over the Phillies. He now has 17 HR and a .618 OPS on the year after posting 60 HR and a .948 OPS last year. 🚲 Vuelta halted for hail: Stage 3 of the Vuelta a España was abandoned due to a dangerous hailstorm with just a few kilometers left on Monday. The season's final grand tour resumes today with Tadej Pogačar (who else?) leading the way. ⛳️ Bryson's cryptic message: Is Bryson DeChambeau's run with LIV Golf over? That seems like a distinct possibility after the breakaway tour's biggest name shared a series of photos from LIV Golf events on Instagram with the caption, "It was a good run."   ⚾️ SMALL BALL, BABY THE BEST TEAM IN BASEBALL DOESN'T HIT HOME RUNS (John Fisher/Getty Images) Last season, the Brewers won a franchise-record 97 games. This season, they're on pace to eclipse 100 wins as they hurtle toward their fourth straight division crown. How does a small-market club keep doing this? What's their recipe for success? Small ball, baby: Milwaukee (81-50) has the best record in baseball despite ranking dead last in home runs (120). Instead of slugging long balls, they manufacture runs in a way that would make Billy Beane proud: they get on base. The Brewers have the second-best OBP in the majors (.337), powered by the second-best walk rate (10.7%) and third-best batting average (.254). And once they get on base the fun really begins, as they also rank third in stolen bases (129) and sacrifice bunts (30). The combination of smart baseball and just enough slugging (they're top five in doubles) has yielded a team with MLB's best run differential (+161). Pitching helps, too: NL Cy Young frontrunner Jacob Misiorowski (13-5, 1.68 ERA) gets the headlines, and deservedly so, but the rotation would fall apart behind him if not for the excellence of Logan Henderson (8-2, 2.60 ERA) and Kyle Harrison (10-3, 2.84 ERA). And in the latter half of games, the Brewers hand the reins over to MLB's third-best bullpen (3.33 ERA). What they're saying: "I don't think we've played great," manager Pat Murphy said last week despite mountains of evidence to the contrary. "We haven't really jelled. We haven't really come together." And yet here they are with MLB's best record even as some of their clubhouse leaders have had down years. "Maybe that's the secret," he added. "Maybe this team still plays well enough to be close when they're not at their best." Will it translate in October? Small ball-reliant teams can thrive over the course of 162 games, but they tend to struggle in the playoffs, just as the Brewers have in the past three years (two wild card exits, one NLCS sweep). Could this be the year Milwaukee bucks that trend? Or will power hitters rule the postseason* once again? *Teams that out-homer their opponents have gone 53-13 (.803) across the last two postseasons, and each of the last six World Series champions ranked in the top four in home runs during the regular season.   🎾 US OPEN MIXED DOUBLES TAKES CENTER STAGE Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka. (Ben Whitley/PA Images via Getty Images) A reimagined mixed doubles event has transformed the week before the US Open main draw from an overlooked sideshow into a must-see event. Shlomo Sprung, Yahoo Sports: Across the tennis world, mixed doubles had been considered an afterthought. For years, the US Open had placed it in the third week of the tournament, overshadowed by men's and women's singles while the sport's best players are either still participating in singles or moving on to the next tournament. In 2025, the United States Tennis Association made a scheduling change that singlehandedly revived the competition. In an effort for the US Open to legitimize what it calls Fan Week, the qualifying week before the main singles and doubles draws begin with free admission for spectators, the USTA moved mixed doubles to the last full week in August, when top players were more available, and gave the winning team $1 million. The plan was a spectacular success. The tournament drove 78,000 fans to the Open grounds and sold out the nearly 24,000-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium on both nights, which meant millions in added revenue from concession and merchandise sales. More than 2 million fans visited the Open's mobile app and website, and its YouTube channel set a single-day record with 12.8 million views, the USTA said. "We wanted to give [mixed doubles] the spotlight it deserved," Brendan McIntyre, the US Open's head of communications and content, told Yahoo Sports. "The players also embraced it, and the star power in the field was evidence of that. There was never a doubt that we would be bringing it back for this year." Star-studded bracket: This year's tournament, which began with Monday's qualifiers, features seven of the top 10 ranked women in the world and six of the top 10 men. Notable pairings include: Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz: The GOAT continues her comeback tour alongside the young Spaniard, who's back from an injury. Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic: The two-time defending singles champ teams up with the legendary 24-time grand slam champion. Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz: This all-American pair is poised to be fan favorites. And both are in good form. Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils: Husband and wife will compete together as Monfils plays in his final grand slam before his retirement after this season.   🏈 NEW FEATURE OFFENSE COMES TO YAHOO FANTASY Our 29 Days of Fantasy is still going strong, and we just dropped one of the biggest new features yet: an entirely new roster position. Introducing Team Offense: Defenses have been a standard part of fantasy leagues for decades; now, offenses are joining the fray. The position was introduced as a default roster spot when we launched College Fantasy Football last month, and now it's an option in our NFL game, too. How it works: For leagues that choose to include this roster spot, full team offenses will be a draftable position, earning (or losing) points in seven different ways: TD scored: +3 First 300 yards of offense: +1.5 Every 50 additional yards: +0.25 FG made: +1 Turnover: -2 Win: +1 Loss: -1 Pro tip: Based on last season's stats, offenses score appreciably more fantasy points than defense/special teams (the top D/ST would not have cracked the top 10 OFF), so you should target the position accordingly in your draft, writes Yahoo Sports' Hayden Winks. Not sure who to take? Here are Hayden's top 10 fantasy offenses entering the season: (Yahoo Sports) The NFL regular season kicks off two weeks from tomorrow. Create or join a Yahoo Fantasy Football league today!   📉 JOCK STOCKS A BEARISH BET ON BASEBALL Sports team valuations are rising at a breakneck pace, but at least some investors are betting they'll head in the other direction. A Brave trade: Investors are shorting Atlanta Braves stock in record numbers. The company's short interest, the percentage of shares available for trading that have been sold short, is sitting just off the highest levels seen in its trading history, as highlighted last week by Bloomberg. As of July 31, short interest was 6.59% of the float. For context, the median short interest of S&P 500 stocks was 3.0% this spring. Shorting activity has increased sharply in the spring and summer against the backdrop of an ongoing MLB labor dispute and a challenging local media environment. Heavy lies the crown: As one of the few publicly traded major American sports teams — and the only MLB team — the Braves could serve as a proxy for pessimistic views on the league or the broader sports ecosystem. The former is more likely given current circumstances, with the prospect of a lockout looming large. An outcome favorable to ownership, however, could send shares higher. No rally caps needed: Though short interest may be on the rise, it has done little to slow the momentum of Braves shares, which have risen steadily in recent months in reaction to surging investment interest in the sports world. The stock is up over 33% in 2026. This story first appeared in Yahoo Sports Biz, our new sports business newsletter authored by Dylan Dittrich. Join 300,000+ subscribers and get it in your inbox.   🤖 MEANWHILE, IN CHINA IN PHOTOS: ROBOT OLYMPICS (Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images) The second annual World Humanoid Robot Games are underway in Beijing, where over 600 teams — and 2,000 robots — from 16 countries are competing in the five-day event at the National Speed Skating Oval, built for the 2022 Winter Olympics. (Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images) Rise of the machines: The robots, which in some cases are fully autonomous (i.e. required no remote control), are competing in 51 different events ranging from sports like soccer, kickboxing, running and table tennis to non-athletic endeavors such as household chores and hotel services. (Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images) Run, robot, run: The biggest headline so far is that a robot ran the 100m dash in 9.39 seconds, faster than Usain Bolt's world record from 2009 (9.58). But perhaps the bigger headline should be that the fastest 100m time last year was 21.5 seconds, illustrating how rapidly these machines are improving. (Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images) Made in China: The government-backed Games remain part of a larger initiative in China, where the country is investing heavily in robotics and artificial intelligence. To wit, the World Robot Conference is also currently underway in Beijing.   📺 VIEWING GUIDE WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, AUG. 25 (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) ⚾️ Dodgers at Braves Atlanta hosts tonight's battle of first-place teams (7:15pm ET, TBS), as Tyler Glasnow (3-0, 2.72 ERA) takes the mound for the Dodgers and Bryce Elder (8-7, 3.92 ERA) gets the start for the Braves. Hot and cold: The Dodgers (80-51) have put their post-deadline swoon behind them, winning six straight to increase their division lead over the Padres to 9.5 games. The Braves (76-55), on the other hand, have lost seven of 10, and their lead over the surging Phillies is down to just 3.5 games. 🎾 US Open, Mixed Doubles The star-studded event kicks off in earnest today (10am, ESPN2) in Flushing Meadows, where some of the top names in the sport will compete for a $1 million grand prize. Legends in primetime: Later on this evening, Roger Federer returns to the court for an exhibition match (8pm, ESPN2) alongside fellow US Open champions Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi and John McEnroe. More to watch: 🏀 WNBA: Fire at Wings (8pm, NBA) … Dallas (22-16) clinches the final playoff spot with a win. ⚽️ Leagues Cup: Chicago Fire vs. Monterrey (8:30pm, Apple); Real Salt Lake vs. León (10:30pm, Apple) … Quarterfinals. 🚴 Vuelta a España: Stage 4 (8:45am, Peacock) … Riders travel 65 miles through the mountains of Andorra.   🌍 LET'S PLAY GEOSPORTS GeoSports is back in Yahoo Sports AM, and I'll be writing the questions every Tuesday. How to play: You'll be asked five trivia questions that combine sports with geography (like the question pictured above). Tap where it happened! The closer you are, the more points you get.

Trump’s Cabinet Is the Worst in U.S. History—Every Single One of Them Even after less than two years in office, all the president’s men (and yes, they are nearly all men at this point) are making powerful cases that they are the very bottom of their respective barrels. The hottest competition in Washington, D.C. these days is not any political race nor is it the ridiculous “grand prix” that bumped its way across the city’s potholed streets this week as the latest entertainment to soothe Mr. Harp, our president. No, it’s the ongoing contest among Trump’s Cabinet members to demonstrate who is the worst among them. When Trump spoke of “the worst of the worst” during his campaign, not everyone was clear on the fact that he was referring to his future stable of advisors. Those in hot pursuit of the “distinction” of being the most corrupt, most incompetent, and most dangerous can be comforted by one fact: No matter where they finish among a group that seems dedicated to finishing off this country, each will very likely end up being the worst ever to hold their particular post. That is no small distinction. We have had some bad Cabinet secretaries in our history. Remember Don Rumsfeld? Remember Nixon’s Attorney General John Mitchell? What about former Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall, who was at the center of the Teapot Dome Scandal? He was the first Cabinet secretary ever to be convicted of a crime and sent to prison. How about A. Mitchell Palmer, Woodrow Wilson’s atrocious attorney general who drummed up Steven Miller-like hatred for foreigners and oversaw mass arrests and deportations during one of America’s first Red Scare eras? Let’s go back further? Grant’s Secretary of War William Belknap resigned just before he was impeached for receiving kickbacks. Bad as all these guys were, their scandals and failures were merely a prelude to Team Trump’s disastrous tenure. When they stole, they stole less. When they hate-mongered, they did it at a smaller scale. When they sought to obstruct justice, they were just setting the stage for the real wholesale debasement of our justice system that we are seeing today. Before we go on, I want to make it clear: I’m not drawing these conclusions lightly. I’m not making a big bold statement for dramatic effect. I’ve written many books and articles about presidents and their cabinets. I’ve studied them for years. I’m sure that other historians, over time, will validate my conclusion. Just as they already recognize Trump as the worst president in our history, they will see his Cabinet as the worst ever. This is not a mere matter of my not liking their politics, although candidly, championing fascist white nationalist authoritarian corruptionalism (and make no mistake, even if it is not a word, the biggest “ism” that defines their “movement” is “corruptionalism”) is not so great. Further, it is not a condemnation merely of their oligarchic distance from and contempt for the American people—even though with something like 15 billionaires and nearly 60 centimillionaires it is quite clear they are, collectively, the most out-of-touch leadership of the executive branch in our history. No, these guys are earning their bad reputations the old-fashioned way. Let’s start with the most senior Cabinet post, Secretary of State. Here we have Marco Rubio, who has overseen the most disastrous collapse in American standing ever. He has gutted the State Department and overseen the shutdown of USAID that has eviscerated U.S. soft power and will result in the deaths of millions upon millions of people worldwide in the next several years. Perhaps 750,000 have already died, most of them children. Diplomacy on his watch? A catastrophe from Ukraine to Iran. Alliances are crumbling. Our enemies are beaming. That record also reflects terribly on the rest of Trump’s national security officials, including notably his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. But even without sharing the blame on those counts, Hegseth is surely the worst ever at the Pentagon (or the War Department) given his record of gross mismanagement, losing a war to a much lesser power, depleting our most important military assets, lying about casualties, shutting down departmental transparency, firing top generals and admirals for racist and sexist reasons, violating international law, overseeing war crimes, and wasting hundreds of billions on ill-considered projects that will actually make us weaker. But wait, you say, what about Scott Bessent? Under his “leadership” we have just seen the national debt pass $40 trillion—by the end of this term, Trump’s contribution to that debt will undeniably be the greatest of any U.S. president. The dollar is weakening and its time as the world’s reserve currency may be coming to an end. Bond markets are howling, and his interventions are not helping. And his mismanagement of the IRS has included efforts to cut a corrupt sweetheart deal with Trump. Can Attorney General Todd Blanche be worse than Mitchell or Palmer? At a trot, ladies and gentlemen. He has already made it clear that the Department of Justice serves only one American, the president. He has overseen the cover-up of the Epstein scandal (and cut a deal with Ghislaine Maxwell), the negotiation of Trump’s tax amnesty, efforts to offer payouts to insurrectionists, vindictive prosecutions against Trump’s enemies… and he’s just getting started. Just wait until you see what he does to tamper with election outcomes. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum has overseen widespread attacks on our national parks and, through his championing of fossil fuels, on our environment and that of the planet as a whole. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins is presiding over the most sweeping food safety crisis in our history at the same time as food prices are skyrocketing and the president is turning to foreign beef suppliers to make up for a shortage caused in part by a screwworm outbreak that the USDA should and could have prevented. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has the distinction of having just been called out by Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney for being particularly unhelpful in the failed U.S.-Canada negotiations that have led to the current trade war with our former friends to the north. Lutnick has also championed Trump’s disastrous tariffs (along with the worst USTR of all time, Jamieson Greer, whose terrible trade policies will be studied for years to come) while he and his sons are seen as tightly wrapped up in the efforts by top administration officials to cash in on their high offices. Over at the Department of Labor, we have only an Acting Secretary in Keith Sonderling, but the department has, unsurprisingly, been battered by the anti-labor policies of the administration and new questions that have arisen concerning the output of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, once a bastion of credible economic data reporting. RFK Jr.? Need we say more? He is the anti-HHS Secretary, waging an active war against science and health while promoting crazy crackpot quackery. Vaccine science is being set back by two centuries in some parts of America, and the results are mounting as diseases like measles and tuberculosis spread and available cures or measures to prevent flu or COVID or other diseases are being kicked to the curb. At Scott Turner’s Housing and Urban Development department, they are doing less and less for fewer and fewer Americans. They have systematically weakened civil rights enforcement, cut fair housing programs and budgets, and undercut reasonable programs to help the homeless. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is a laughing stock, overseeing decaying air traffic systems, cutting back on infrastructure investments, fighting common sense fixes for mass transit, fear-mongering about urban transit systems, and all the while spewing idiocies and filming reality TV projects. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, despite catering to the needs of the fossil fuel industry, has been one of the masterminds behind our current national energy crisis—spiking prices, failed measures to offset the consequences of the Iran War, depletion of the national petroleum reserves to historically low levels and attacks on the clean energy sources of tomorrow that the world is embracing, thus ensuring foreign companies own wind and solar and battery markets for decades to come. All this to support Trump’s crazy anti-windmill fetish. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, a woman who is on the record confusing AI with A1 steak sauce, is working to shutter her entire department. But along the way she is offering up choice ideas like, just the weekend, suggesting that more kids in elementary school need to be put on the track to trade schools. Meanwhile, Veterans Secretary Doug Collins has presided over massive cutbacks at VA hospitals and has made it harder and harder for veterans to get the care they need and deserve. (No surprise, given how badly Hegseth treats the troops or how often Trump derogates them.) And last, but not least, we have Markwayne Mullin—and before him Kristi Noem—at the Department of Homeland Security. They have overseen the creation of a national Gestapo, serial violations of due process and the law in the mistreatment of both American citizens and immigrants. They have overseen the murder of Americans and the deaths of many in their concentration camp-like detention centers. They have cut deals to deport people, innocent and otherwise, to foreign countries they have nothing to do with. The Cabinet, of course, cannot do it all alone. Prime Minister Stephen Miller is widely viewed as a candidate for the Hague. Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought is often cited alongside Miller as one of the principal architects of the administration’s destruction of U.S. institutions. Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton has none of the requisite experience for his job. The list goes on and on: Witkoff, Kushner, Natalie Harp… remember DOGE and Elon? Everywhere you look, you see previously unimaginable incompetence, bad governance, malfeasance, misfeasance and nonfeasance. Of course, none of this would be possible without President Trump and Vice President Vance. You don’t get a Cabinet like this by accident. You don’t do this much damage by accident. You must wage a careful campaign to destroy what is best about America, to pillage the ruins of the government you’re destroying for cash to line the pockets of high officials, and to put in place the kind of scumbags and goons that will oversee, as this Cabinet has, rendering the MAGA agenda into one of the darkest chapters in American history. No, it’s no accident. But it’s a disaster. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-cabinet-is-the-worst-in-historyevery-single-one-of-them/?

Secret Oval Office Warning That Trump Ignored Is Leaked The president’s error could define his entire second term. Donald Trump ignored several intelligence warnings about the potentially disastrous consequences of launching a war against Iran, according to a report. Details of an Oval Office meeting in February, leaked to the Wall Street Journal, reveal that the president sought advice on whether an all-out attack to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program and force regime change could work. During the meeting, then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told Trump that a Middle East conflict would see Iran close the crucial Strait of Hormuz shipping route, cause oil and energy chaos across the world, and that killing Iran’s supreme leader would result in a replacement who would push harder for Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons. Trump had also received similar warnings from top military leaders that a war on Iran would result in multiple deaths and a severe dwindling of U.S. munition stockpiles. Despite this, Trump joined Israel in launching an attack on Iran on Feb. 28, with each of the predictions surrounding the conflict coming true. Trump started the deeply unpopular war believing that it could be resolved in a matter of weeks. Instead, the conflict has dragged on for nearly six months with no real end in sight. “This was all predictable and predicted,” Eric Brewer, a deputy vice president at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, told the Journal. “You can draw a straight line from the fact that the war was launched without any clear political objective to the mishandled diplomacy in trying to end it.” Trump was reportedly buoyed at the very start of the conflict after one of its main objectives was achieved. During a Feb. 28 fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff informed the president that Israel had killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Trump wanted Ratcliffe and Witkoff to share the news with those at the fundraiser, prompting a round of applause. The 80-year-old president is then said to have “crossed his arms and puffed out his chest” while soaking in the praise, sources told the Journal. However, the praise was short-lived. As the war dragged on, with the Strait of Hormuz closed, leaders from Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar contacted the White House urging an end to the war. Several Republicans also warned Trump that the Middle East conflict, which has sent gas prices soaring and resulted in the deaths of 18 U.S. servicemembers, could severely damage the GOP’s chances in the midterms. Officials revealed that Trump was privately furious at the backlash and asked his aides why Iran wasn’t folding as the bombardment of the country continued. Even a friend of Trump urged the president to end the war. Trump then asked if he should “bomb the s--t out of Iran” in order to bring an end to the conflict, the Journal reported. The friend advised that this would not be a good idea and would only pull the U.S. further into another forever war in the Middle East. The White House defended the war in Iran as a success, stating that Trump has severely damaged Iran’s military and nuclear facilities and is preparing to target Tehran’s economy with a naval blockade and sanctions. “He will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said in a statement. “It would be wise for Iran to reach a deal. Otherwise, they know what could happen.” The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for further comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/secret-oval-office-iran-war-warning-that-trump-ignored-is-leaked/?

Canada will announce retaliatory tariffs on US today Canada will announce retaliatory tariffs against the United States on Tuesday after relations deteriorated sharply Monday, with President Donald Trump telling Canadian leaders to “fall in line” or face consequences “far WORSE” than existing tariffs. Read more. Why this matters: Canada and the United States share one of the world’s largest trading relationships, making a prolonged trade fight potentially costly for businesses and workers on both sides of the border. Trump also threatened new 50% tariffs on Canadian vehicles, auto parts and steel, while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said U.S. trade demands showed Washington wanted to “destroy our major industries,” including autos, steel and aluminum.

US set for largest mass visa revocation in history Unless challenged or revised, the Trump administration is preparing to announce the revocations of up to 200,000 business and tourism visas for foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum status in the United States, according to State Department documents obtained by The Associated Press and two U.S. officials. Read more. Why this matters: “We are coordinating with DHS to identify and revoke the nonimmigrant visas of foreigners who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently,” said State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott. The revocations would not necessarily result in their immediate deportation, the officials said. Most of those with asylum cases currently pending would be recategorized but would lose their status as business or tourism travelers, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the revocations are not final yet. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Deportees who refused to exit a US flight in Liberia are sent to Equatorial Guinea Wife of active-duty Army sergeant is deported to Honduras under Trump’s immigration crackdown Trump’s trade war with Canada could rattle economies in states with key Senate races What to know about Trump’s tariffs The long list of goods affected Trump moves toward levying new tariff on China, AP sources say Economists don’t expect reopening the US to Mexican cattle imports to reduce high beef prices Trump’s ‘economic D-Day’ threats become warnings for countries to sever financial ties with Iran Photos of daily life in Tehran as Iran braces for new US sanctions

Supreme Court sides with Trump administration on mail voting restrictions ahead of midterms The Supreme Court’s conservative majority didn’t decide the legality over President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting mail-in voting. The ruling says that states who sued did not have the legal right to challenge the order. Read more. Why this matters: It remains unclear how much can be implemented before the fast-approaching midterm elections. The decision leaves room for additional court challenges that could further slow Trump’s order, and other similar cases have already been filed. The U.S. Postal Service laid out how it would implement the order last week, but time is running short to impose major changes. While the emergency order is not final, it does have the potential to create chaos around voting across the country. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ What the court’s order actually means US Postal Service issues new rule for mail ballots, but its impact on the midterms is uncertain California Supreme Court hears arguments over sheriff’s seizure of ballots Darline Graham, Ralph Norman go head-to-head in South Carolina’s GOP Senate runoff Trump-backed businessman Mike Mazzei looks to secure GOP nomination for Oklahoma governor El-Sayed distances himself from popular streamer’s comments on Israel and Jewish Americans

A bright spot for young Americans While millions across the US are hurting from high prices and low hiring, new research suggests the finances of younger generations are displaying surprising resilience at a high level. Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 have higher credit scores today than they did just before Covid-19, according to FICO research shared first with CNN. Their average score has jumped 17 points since 2019 — the biggest gain of any age group measured — while Millennials saw the second-largest increase. Experts say younger Americans may be benefiting from better financial education, including an earlier understanding that a good credit score can make big purchases cheaper down the road. + Read more: Young Americans have higher credit scores today than before Covid

Two elections to watch Georgia voters will cast their ballots today in a special election that will further narrow Republicans’ already slim majority in the House. Democrats Marcye Scott and Everton Blair are vying to serve out the term of Scott’s father, the late Rep. David Scott, who died in April. Separately, Republican voters in South Carolina will decide a closely watched Senate runoff between Sen. Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman. Graham was appointed to fill the seat of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died in July, and she has President Trump’s endorsement. The winner will face Democrat Annie Andrews in November. + Read more: Darline Graham’s race in South Carolina is a test of Trump’s chutzpah + Video: Trump to GOP: ‘Pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot’

Trump’s theory of global power faces a reckoning President Trump has reshaped US foreign policy around the idea that American strength can compel both adversaries and allies to fall in line. That approach is facing major tests with Iran and Canada as tensions with the two countries deepen. The US has been at war with Iran for six months, with no end to the conflict yet in sight. Trump on Monday also said that the US “will always be far bigger, richer, and stronger than Canada” after threatening steep tariffs. His rhetoric comes as a growing number of experts have warned that a prolonged effort against Canada, Iran and third-party countries targeted by sanctions could invite retaliation, potentially raising US energy and food prices and rattling financial markets. + Analysis: Trump’s foreign policy faces its most critical test in Iran and Canada + Plus: Trump is threatening 50% tariffs on Canadian cars. Here’s what else he’s targeting + USAFacts: Who does the US trade with? See top trading partners when combining total imports and exports Editor’s note: CNN has partnered with the not-for-profit USAFacts to share government data and insights that we believe are relevant to our audience. ps:What policies? He makes things up as he goes along!!!!!

The fight to reshape mail voting An election worker processes mail-in ballots. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) The Supreme Court on Monday allowed President Donald Trump to move forward with a controversial executive order targeting mail ballots, though it still faces legal hurdles before it can be implemented. At the center of the dispute is the order Trump signed in March, which gives the US Postal Service an unprecedented role in deciding who can vote by mail. It calls for the Department of Homeland Security to compile lists of people it considers eligible to vote. States that send ballots by mail would also have to provide the Postal Service with lists of eligible voters and include information on the envelopes so the ballots can be tracked. The fight itself is nothing new. President Trump has spent years trying to overhaul mail-in voting while making baseless claims of widespread fraud. Now, the White House is touting the decision as a major victory for election security — and it may be creating more uncertainty than clarity ahead of the November midterms. For voters, though, the takeaway is simple: If you’re planning to vote by mail, nothing changes yet. The legal wrangling is just getting started, with plenty more court fights ahead. + Read more: What Trump’s Supreme Court win means for mail ballots + CNN Explains: How secure US elections really are ps:How much more pathetic can this administration be??

THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 25 1944 Paris is liberated after four years of Nazi occupation The French 2nd Armored Division and the U.S. 4th Infantry Division face light German resistance while successfully liberating Paris. German General Dietrich von Choltitz defied an order by Adolf Hitler to blow up Paris’ landmarks and burn the city to the ground before its liberation. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1835 “The Great Moon Hoax” is published in the “New York Sun” 1896 Outlaw Bill Doolin is killed 1980s 1985 Samantha Smith dies in plane crash 21st Century 2009 Ted Kennedy, “liberal lion of the Senate,” dies at 77 Arts & Entertainment 1939 “The Wizard of Oz” opens in U.S. theaters 1962 Little Eva earns a No. 1 hit with “Loco-Motion” 1984 Truman Capote, author of “In Cold Blood,” dies 2001 Aaliyah dies in plane crash Exploration 1875 Englishman swims the Channel Food 1958 Momofuku Ando creates the first mass-market instant ramen Middle Eastern History 1982 U.S. Marines deployed to Lebanon Natural Disasters & Environment 1931 Yangtze River peaks in Gaoyou, China, killing more than 10,000 1979 Hurricane David forms U.S. Presidents 1950 Truman orders army to seize control of railroads World War I 1914 Germans burn Belgian town of Louvain World War II 1945 John Birch, inspiration to conservatives, killed by Chinese communists

Charted: America's ER waits Data: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Map: Jim Sergent/Axios Americans now spend an average of more than 2.5 hours in hospital emergency departments, Axios' Maya Goldman reports from new federal data. ⏲️ The average time spent in the emergency department was 162 minutes. D.C. had the highest average visit length — 303 minutes. North Dakota had the lowest, with 110 minutes. ‼️ An average of 2% of patients nationwide left the ER before being seen.