The Phantom Ranch area of Grand Canyon National Park. Officials said more than 20 people are missing following flash flooding in areas of the park. Photo courtesy Parth Desai/National Park Service.
Aug. 30 (UPI) — More than 20 people are missing after “significant” flash flooding struck areas around the Grand Canyon, officials said Sunday.
The National Park Service asked for those who know of hikers or backpackers who were in the Grand Canyon National Park areas of Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch when the flooding hit to contact park officials.
“Grand Canyon National Park staff, in coordination with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, are continuing evacuation and response efforts and working to account for individuals who may have been in the affected area,” NPS said in a statement.
The NPS said it is also searching for anyone who may have been on the North Kaibab Trail from the North Kaibab Trailhead to Phantom Ranch, staying at Bright Angel Campground, or traveling or staying in the area known as “the Box” north of Phantom Ranch.
Officials said at least 62 people had been evacuated after significant damage was caused by the flooding.
Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Campground, Phantom Ranch Canteen, the North Kaibab Trail, the Black and Silver bridges and traffic to the Colorado River in the area are closed “until further notice,” officials said.
A reopening date has not been announced.
Officials warned thunderstorms and heavy rainfall were possible Sunday and Monday that could “result in additional flash flooding, debris flows, rockfall and rapidly changing trail and river conditions.”
People were encouraged to stay away from the closed areas.
Grand Canyon National Park is the country’s fourth-most visited national park, with 4.4 million visits last year.
British far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported to the United Kingdom after his arrest by American immigration authorities.
The Department of Homeland Security said Saturday that Yiannopoulos was returned to his home country Friday after being accused of overstaying after entering the U.S. legally in May 2019. An immigration judge issued a final order of removal July 22 after he failed to show up for an immigration hearing, a Homeland Security spokesperson said.
Yiannopoulos was arrested Thursday at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Louisiana and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws,” a Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement.
Yiannopoulos and his representatives did not respond to requests for comment, and he has not posted on the social platform X since Thursday.
Yiannopoulos is a well-known champion of conservative causes and has frequently taken provocative public positions criticizing feminism, Islam and immigrants. He has been especially supportive of President Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement policy, aimed at people in the country illegally.
“Zero immigration for the next 20 years. No ifs, no buts,” Yiannopoulos said on X last year.
Yiannopoulos’ arrest and deportation come amid a nationwide uptick in detentions as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown.
In social media posts, the Department of Homeland Security touted Yiannopoulos’ arrest and posted a booking photo of him. It added that it encourages people in the country illegally to leave voluntarily, saying the U.S. offers “$3,000 and a free flight to self-deport.”
“We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return,” the department said.
Aug. 30 (UPI) — NASA used SpaceX‘s Falcon Heavy rocket to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope into space Sunday for a 1 million-mile journey to study some of the universe’s deepest secrets.
The rocket launched at 7:26 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Falcon Heavy rocket separated 31 minutes into the flight and returned back to the launch site for later reuse.
There had been a 60% chance of favorable weather for the launch.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called the launch of the telescope “exactly the kind of success story we want to see across NASA.”
“Delivered ahead of schedule and on budget, this mission reflects more than a decade of dedication from the NASA workforce and our industry partners. Now, Roman will give us a new atlas of the universe, push the boundaries of discovery, and demonstrate what is possible when America’s space program pairs bold ambition with disciplined execution.”
NASA said the telescope deployed its solar panels and lower instrument sun shade 1 hour and 23 minutes after launch. In the coming days, it will also deploy its high-gain antenna and a visor-like deployable aperture cover, perform two course corrections, and power on the Coronagraph Instrument.
In a few weeks, the telescope’s Wide Field Instrument — an infrared camera considered to be its primary instrument — will activate.
The Roman Space Telescope will travel 1 million miles in three months to reach its final orbit, a location called the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point. There, it’s expected to rapidly scan the sky and survey the universe about 1,000 times faster than the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA said it expects to release its first images from the Roman Space Telescope in early 2027.
In 1780, Gen. Benedict Arnold betrayed the United States when he promised secretly to surrender the fort at West Point to the British army. He fled to England where he died in poverty, and his name became synonymous with treason.
In 1918, Fanta Kaplan, a member of the Socialist Revolutionary Party, attempted to assassinate Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Lenin, shooting him twice. He survived wounds to each shoulder, one of which pierced his lung.
In 1945, Gen. Douglas MacArthur landed in Japan to oversee the country’s formal surrender at the end of World War II. MacArthur told United Press Japan’s “punishment for her sins, which is just beginning, will be long and bitter.”
In 1954, Hurricane Carol prompted evacuations along the North Carolina coast. The storm later battered states along the northern eastern seaboard and killed 72 people.
In 1963, a hotline was established between Washington, D.C., and Moscow, allowing President John F. Kennedy direct phone access to the Kremlin for the first time.
In 1983, Guion Bluford became the first Black American astronaut in space aboard the Challenger as part of the STS-8 mission. Bluford participated in four Space Shuttle missions, his final in 1992.
In 1994, the Lockheed and Martin Marietta corporations agreed to a merger that would create the largest U.S. defense contractor.
In 2003, more than 120 people, including prominent Shiite cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim, were killed in a bomb attack on Iraq’s Imam Ali Mosque.
In 2003, a Russian K-159 nuclear-powered submarine was lost in the Barents Sea, claiming the lives of nine of its 10-member crew. Russian authorities blamed negligence by navy officials.
In 2011, two senior U.S. Justice Department officials charged with overseeing the failed government gun-smuggling “sting” operation dubbed “Fast and Furious” were replaced amid bitter congressional criticism of the mission. The plan was to pass thousands of weapons to suspected Mexican gun smugglers and trace them to drug leaders, but hundreds of firearms were lost, some showing up at crime scenes, including the 2010 slaying of a U.S. Border Patrol agent.
In 2021, the United States completed its evacuation mission at the international airport in Afghanistan, officially bringing an end to the longest war in U.S. history.
In 2024, Ewan, Jamie and Lachland Maclean of Edinburgh, Scotland, set a record by completing a 9,000-mile row from Peru to Australia that lasted nearly 140 days. The brothers bested the 162-day record set by solo Russian rower Fyodor Konyukhov in 2014.
The Department of Homeland Security said Milo Yiannopoulos, a British citizen, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at the New Orleans International Airport on Friday. He was deported to the United Kingdom that same day. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 29 (UPI) — Far-right political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos was deported to the United Kingdom, immigration officials said Saturday.
The Department of Homeland Security said Yiannopoulos, a British citizen, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at the New Orleans International Airport on Friday.
He was deported “back to his home country” that same night, a DHS spokesperson said in a statement to the BBC.
Yiannopoulos entered the United States legally in May 2019 but “chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws,” DHS said in a statement on X.
“Yiannopoulos was issued a final order of removal by an Immigration Judge on July 22, after failing to show up for his immigration hearing,” the statement added.
Yiannopoulos was an editor for Breitbart News and interned for former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
In 2024, he worked on the presidential bid of rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.
Yiannopoulos is a vocal supporter of immigration enforcement.
“California needs ICE checkpoints at supermarket entrances, gas stations, strip malls, intersections and government buildings, with on the spot deportation for anyone who can’t prove they are in the US legally,” he wrote on X last year.
In 2025, he said “We have got to deport millions and millions of people.”
“Without that, nothing else matters,” he added in a social media post.
Aug. 29 (UPI) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Friday said he wants to rename Nashville International Airport in honor of Dolly Parton.
Lee said he wants to create a lasting tribute to the “indelible legacy” of the country music legend, who died on Tuesday at the age of 80.
“Dolly Parton’s extraordinary life is forever woven into the fabric of our state,” Lee said in a statement. “From her rural mountain home in East Tennessee to global stages, Dolly carried the Volunteer Spirit with her.
“At a place where Tennessee welcomes the world, it is fitting that Nashville International Airport would bear the name of our state’s favorite daughter and greet travelers with the enduring legacy of Dolly’s music, generosity, faith, and kindness.”
Lee said Parton’s team was “touched by the idea.” The 11-time Grammy winner had lived in Nashville since the 60s.
The proposal will be discussed by the Metro Nashville Airport Authority at its next meeting on Sept. 17.
Parton died after “bravely facing a brief battle with cancer,” her publicist said. Her career spanned more than six decades.
Alongside her Grammy Awards, she earned three Emmy Awards, an honorary Academy Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Her many hits included “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You,” which was famously covered by Whitney Houston.
Aug. 29 (UPI) — Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Saturday erected a massive sign saying “Lake Ontario — Now and Always” in a rebuke to President Donald Trump‘s move to rename the body of water Lake America.
The sign in Hamilton sits on the shores of Lake Ontario and measures 18 feet tall, nearly two stories. It also says in French, “Lac Ontario — Aujourd’hui et pour toujours.”
“I’m here on the shores of beautiful Lake Ontario, a crown jewel of our province and our country,” Ford said in a video statement posted on X. “You may have heard that President Trump is trying to rename this lake, all because he doesn’t like Ontario and Canada standing up for ourselves.”
“But let’s be serious,” he added. “Long before President Trump, this lake was called Lake Ontario, and long after President Trump is gone, it will still be called Lake Ontario.”
He called Canada “entitled” and repeated claims that the country has ripped off the United States for years.
Canadian Prime Minister said it would be called Lake Ontario “now and always.”
J. Conrad Sence, president of Seneca Nation, said, “The president cannot assert ownership over our culture or erase it through irresponsible political action.”
“His order should be rescinded and the name Lake Ontario should be left as it is, reflective of the Seneca people, other Haudenosaunee nations and all Indigenous people surrounding the lake,” Seneca said in a statement shared with WIVB.
“To us, Lake Ontario is not a political pawn,” he added. “It does not separate the countries of the United States and Canada. It is all Indigenous land, which has been occupied by Indigenous people since time immemorial.”
Aug. 29 (UPI) — A federal judge in California on Friday ruled that the Trump administration violated the Constitution’s First and Fifth Amendments when it sought to deport international students critical of Israel.
Judge Noël Wise, of the Northern District of California, sided with student journalists at the Stanford Daily, which sued because some of its noncitizen writers had been afraid of deportation for expressing opinions critical of the administration’s policies.
“Foundational to America’s enduring democracy are our freedoms of speech and the press embodied in the First Amendment,” Wise wrote in a 90-page ruling. “In the United States, free speech, including the freedom to criticize the government and its leaders, is not a sign of our democracy’s fragility. It is evidence of its strength.”
Wise ruled that it was unconstitutional for State Secretary Marco Rubio to use immigration law to deport students for their opinions.
Last year, Rubio sought the deportations of several student activists in the pro-Palestininan movement, including Columbia University’s Mahmoud Khalil and Tufts University’s Rümeysa Öztürk.
Fearing similar repression, the Stanford Daily sued to stop the government from revoking the visas of other students with views critical of Israel’s war in Gaza.
Wise said the strength of the Constitution “is diminished when members of our society — citizens and noncitizens alike — must self-censor and ‘behave’ or suffer the government’s retaliation.”
“In March 2025, that retaliation was directed at those engaged in pro-Palestine and anti-Israel speech,” the judge continued. “In September 2025, caught in the government’s net were people critical of Charlie Kirk.
“In May 2026, it potentially included ‘weighing in on a peace deal that’s being negotiated’ in Iran regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Tomorrow, or perhaps even today, targets may include anyone in the United States who exercises their freedom of speech to simply express opinions the government does not like.”
Attorney Conor Fitzpatrick, whose Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression sued the government on behalf of the students, said, “Today’s ruling proves that free speech isn’t a privilege, but the inalienable right of every man, woman, and child.”
“In America, free speech doesn’t just belong to the people who say things the government agrees with,” the attorney added in a statement.
Gabriel Perez was ordered to return $107,529 in unlawful trading, earned on the platform Kalshi, and pay a monetary penalty of $65,000. He was fined for using his knowledge of President Donald Trump’s speeches to place bets. Photo by Al Drago/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 29 (UPI) — A former White House teleprompter operator on Friday was fined $172,000 for placing bets on prediction markets using his knowledge of President Donald Trump‘s statements.
Gabriel Perez was ordered to return $107,529 in unlawful trading, earned on the platform Kalshi, and pay a monetary penalty of $65,000, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said.
He is also not allowed to participate in trading for three years.
“The order finds that between December 2025 and February 2026, while working as a teleprompter operator for the White House, Perez traded presidential mention market contracts, which are event contracts reflecting words or phrases the President may use during his speeches,” federal regulars said in a statement.
“In his position, Perez had access to presidential speeches prior to those speeches being delivered and Perez misappropriated that information — in breach of his duty of trust and confidence — to trade presidential mention market contracts, generating over $107,500 in profits.”
Perez had been Trump’s teleprompter operator since 2016. He was earning a $175,000 salary in 2026.
He reportedly made bets on more than a dozen of Trump’s speeches over three months, including the State of the Union and a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Earlier this year, the White House warned staff against participating in prediction markets.
“The White House has strict ethics guidelines that we expect all staffers and officials to follow,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told ABC News.
Lightning flashes over the Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on Aug. 4. On Friday, President Donald Trump announced the U.S. Space Academy to train future space staff. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 28 (UPI) — President Donald Trump Friday signed an executive order to create the U.S. Space Academy to train and educate potential aerospace workers and service members.
“That’s a big deal. So, you think of West Point, and you think of Annapolis, and you think of the Air Force Academy, and you think of the Coast Guard Academy — great — they’re all great, but we’re going to have now a space force,” Trump said at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “We’re going to have an academy for what the people in this room love the most.”
The action said the mandate for the academy is to “strengthen the Nation’s space workforce by expanding opportunities to educate and develop the next generation of leaders across the space domain.”
Trump also awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the crew of the Artemis II.
He also signed a directive to begin the process of creating the new academy by creating a commission chaired by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. The commission will report to the president within 120 days on key details to establish the school.
The White House said the academy will be a “NASA-led federal academy dedicated to combining rigorous technical education with leadership development, discipline and a durable commitment to public service. The Space Academy will develop a professional corps of civically grounded leaders prepared to advance American interests within the space domain.”
The location hasn’t yet been named, but Trump said in his remarks that Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has been pushing for it to be in Texas.
NASA’s Orion spacecraft, with the four-member Artemis II crew aboard, is seen under parachutes as it lands in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on Friday after its nearly 10-day journey around the Moon and back. NASA Photo by Bill Ingalls/UPI | License Photo
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
The U.S. military is planning to revamp Moron Air Base in Spain, including creating new parking spaces for as many as nine additional B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers. This effort comes even after Spain denied permission to use the base, and its naval station in the country, for direct strike operations on Iran during Operation Epic Fury. Long-range strikes by bombers flying from Europe played a major role in that operation. It also comes as the Pentagon is reviewing its posture in Europe, which could include major basing changes that fit the Trump administration’s vision for NATO and who it prefers to work with the closest, as well as tactical and strategic concerns.
The makeover is part of a nearly half-billion dollar construction program for U.S. facilities primarily in the Rota, Spain, area, which provide a great deal of support for American forces in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. It was announced on Thursday in a pre-solicitation notice posted on the government’s contracting portal that a contract is expected to be awarded next month.
Moron, located in southern Spain, is a Spanish Air Force Base, used by the U.S. Air Force to provide expeditionary combat support and the bed-down of transient aircraft. It also plays a major role in the “staging of aircraft and personnel in support of U.S. and NATO plans, exercises and contingency operations; and to provide Base Operating Support to tenant units,” according to the Air Force Fiscal Year 2027 Military Construction plan.
A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing deploys a drag chute to slow down after landing at Morón Air Base, Spain, during a Bomber Task Force Europe deployment, May 20, 2025. (U.S. Air Force photo by Cristina Oliveira) Cristina Oliveira
The first order of business is “a Combat Aircraft Parking Apron in Moron, Spain,” the recent pre-solicitation notice states. The plan calls for the “expansion of the Aircraft Parking Apron to provide nine (9) new aircraft parking spots in an unloaded condition, or three (3) new B-52 aircraft parking spots in a live ordnance [sic] loaded condition.”
The issue of being able to store live ordnance is critical, since extra space is needed for safety purposes in case of an unintended explosion.
“The current apron is not capable of supporting any loaded strategic bombers due to limiting factors associated with unrelated facilities violating inhabited building safety arcs,” the Air Force budget document explains.
U.S. Air Force 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron aircrew prepare a B-52 Stratofortress aircraft for flight during a Bomber Task Force mission at Moron Air Base, Spain, May 27, 2025. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Guthrie) Staff Sgt. Bryan Guthrie
Beyond the new parking spaces, the planned expansion at Moron also calls for 10 new fuel pits and associated piping, the relocation of aCivil Engineer Storage Complex – including a new covered storage building and an open storage yard – and the extension of apron shoulders and access roads, among other items.
The Air Force sees these improvements as an imperative.
“This project is required to enhance readiness capabilities at Moron Air Base, Spain,” the Air Force Fiscal Year 2027 military construction budget documents note. “A key enabler for training and combat operations is substantial infrastructure, promoting a quick response and positioning of forces within prescribed response times. The expanded Strategic Bomber Aircraft parking apron will increase Moron Air Base’s ability to meet future mission requirements.”
If these improvements are not made, “[a]dequate airfield infrastructure will not be available to the DoW [Department of War] or its allied partners, and personnel, aircraft, and resources will lack key facilities and infrastructure to support expanded airfield operations for training and contingency environments,” the budget document warns. “This limitation will impede sortie generation and flying schedules, directly limiting airfield presence and impairing airfield capability and readiness. Therefore, responsiveness for bilateral and multilateral exercises and training missions would be compromised, directly limiting theater presence and impairing mission capability, readiness, and contingency support.”
The project has a price tag of between $25,000,000 and $100,000,000 and is “expected to be completed 1,038 calendar days after notice to proceed,” according to the pre-solicitation notice.
Moron Air Base, Spain. (Google Earth)
In addition, the Multiple Award Construction Contract (MACC) calls for new construction, renovations, alterations, demolition, repair work, and any necessary design to a wide range of U.S. assets in the region. This includes “airfield, industrial, infrastructure, administrative, training, retail, food service, munition storage, community support facilities and both vertical and horizontal construction in the Rota, Spain region or other areas managed by NAVFAC EURAFCENT, [Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command/Navy Region Europe, Africa, Central],” the pre-solicitation notice explains. “This tool may also be used throughout the NAVFAC area of responsibility (AOR), worldwide.”
However, as the Air Force budget documents stress, the Moron project is a priority.
The installation has long played an important role for American airpower. It has served as a host for B-1B Lancer and B-52 Bomber Task Force missions and as a way station for a wide array of other aircraft from fighters to aerial refueling tankers.
A B-1B Lancer assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, departs Morón Air Base, Spain, in support of Bomber Task Force Europe, April 12, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Emma Anderson)
“Morón Air Base is a vital link in any operation moving east from the United States due to its strategic location close to the Mediterranean and the Middle East, its massive flight line, long runway, aircraft refueling systems and excellent weather,” according to the 496th Air Base Squadron, the facility’s host unit.
In March, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, one of Europe’s most vocal critics of Epic Fury, refused to allow the U.S. to use its bases in his country for direct attacks on Iran. In addition, Sánchez denied permission for the U.S. to use Spanish airspace for Epic Fury, creating a logistics headache for American aircraft movements to the Middle East.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Arturo Herrera, 496th Air Base Squadron Operational Support Team tower watch supervisor, observes two B-1B Lancers taxiing at Morón Air Base, Spain, April 17, 2024. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Eve Daugherty) 2nd Lt. Eve Daugherty
Sanchez’s decision affected Naval Station Rota, another major U.S. installation in that country. Rota supports the movement of personnel, equipment, fuel, and supplies through its three operational piers. It also has a 670-acre airfield capable of supporting U.S. Navy and Air Force aviation operations, and some of the largest weapons and fuel storage facilities in Europe.
Rota is also the home of Destroyer Squadron 60 (DESRON 60), one of three U.S. Navy destroyer squadrons permanently based outside the continental United States and the only one of these to call Europe home.
The Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyers USS Porter (DDG 78), front, USS Donald Cook (DDG 75), USS Carney (DDG 64) and USS Ross (DDG 71), moored at Naval Station Rota, Spain. (Specialist 3rd Class Robert S. Price/Released)
Sanchez’s moves set off U.S. President Donald Trump, who was already angered by Spain’s refusal to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP, previously agreed to at last year’s NATO summit. In March, the American leader called Spain “a terrible partner” and threatened to cut off trade.
The situation reached a critical juncture at the NATO Summit in Turkey in July, with Trump again threatening Madrid.
“We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore… I’d like you to cut it off,” Trump fumed in Ankara to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during a press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. “Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don’t participate; they don’t pay. I don’t want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, please, including visits. Watch them, watch them come running back; oh, they’ll come running back.”
However, the rift eased after Sánchez agreed to bump up his country’s defense budget, Trump claimed.
On his way back to the United States after the summit, he told reporters aboard Air Force One: “I did have issues, and I still do. But Spain, they came back all the way today. Spain was very generous today.”
Asked what Spain had done, he said: “They honored a request for lots of payments, and if they didn’t, we wouldn’t have even talked to them.”
The two leaders displayed new-found cordiality for the cameras while sharing a box at the World Cup Final between Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
President of the United States Donald J. Trump greets Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final match between Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19, 2026, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Europa Press Sports/Europa Press via Getty Images) Europa Press Sports
Though the Moron construction planning predated any of the political drama, as we noted earlier, the Pentagon is reviewing how many troops it will maintain in Europe and where it will base them. Undersecretary of War Elbridge Colby made a rare visit to NATO headquarters on Thursday to meet with officials to discuss the way forward. There, he pointed out that the Pentagon’s review is “designed to ensure that NATO is moving fast and irreversibly toward Europe leading, stepping up to take primary responsibility for the defense of Europe, stepping up to ensure our forces are postured for America’s global needs, and making sure that our access, basing, and overflight are clearly delineated and assured.”
Despite the geopolitical tiffs between the two nations, the investment in Moron and the larger construction package for Spain is a clear signal of how much the military and Congress value having access to bases in that country.
Aug. 28 (UPI) — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Friday that the United States is working to cut off bank branches in the United Arab Emirates from the U.S. financial system, part of his campaign to target financial systems that enable Iran.
The Department of the Treasury said it is proposing a rule that will ban U.S. banks from facilitating transactions involving the UAE-based branches of Banque Misr, one of Egypt’s largest banks.
“Iran’s enablers cannot continue to enjoy access to the U.S. dollar and the global financial system,” Bessent said in a statement. “Banque Misr UAE decided to find out the hard way, and today, we are taking the first step in holding it accountable for its continued, egregious support of the Iranian regime.”
Bessent on Monday announced a new pressure campaign called Operation Economic Outcast to force countries to sever ties with Iran.
The department accused Manque Misr’s operations in the UAE of being “a significant conduit for Iranian shadow banking.” It said the bank allows Iranian entities access to U.S. dollars, circumventing U.S. sanctions.
Treasury said it had found 103 potential front companies that moved $1.8 billion through Banque Misr UAE accounts from January 2024 to June 2026.
Bessent is invoking powers under the Patriot Act that allow the treasury secretary to take action against foreign banks that are a “primary money-laundering concern” to the U.S.
It also said the Treasury will sanction the general manager of the Dubai branch of Bank Melli and a Hong Kong-based company it alleges is laundering money for Iran.
Earlier this month the UAE said it was suspending all trade with Iran.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday. Photo by Al Drago/UPI | License Photo
Other Apple bundle plans are seeing price increases as well. Apple One’s individual plan, which includes access to Apple Music, Apple Arcade, cloud storage and other features, is going up $2 to $21.95 per month.
The Cupertino-based tech giant does not offer an ad-tier, unlike some of its competitors that use ad-supported subscriptions as a lower-cost option for consumers.
Apple TV is the latest streamer to increase prices. The industry has sought to bolster bottom lines against the rising cost of programming.
Earlier this month, Peacock bumped its pricing, ahead of the new NBA and NFL season. The NBCUniversal-owned streaming service’s ad-tier will now cost $12.99 monthly, up from $10.99, while its most expansive plan will be $19.99 per month, up $3.
ESPN is also raising its streaming prices in September. The Disney-owned sports giant’s unlimited plan will rise from $29.99 to $31.99 a month. The annual cost is also rising — from $299.99 to $319.99.
Apple TV+ launched in 2019 at $4.99 a month and was a low-cost perk for Apple users. The tech company still offers a free three-month trial to customers who purchase a new Apple device.
Over the last several years, Apple TV has sought to distinguish itself from competitors by offering premium, original series. It’s home to over 300 original movies and TV shows, including “Ted Lasso,” which returned for its fourth season earlier this month. Many of its shows have also attracted award show attention. Last year, Seth Rogen’s “The Studio” took home 13 Emmys. This year, the streamer’s shows “Widow’s Bay” and “Pluribus” are up for 19 and 18 awards, respectively.
Apple TV also recently secured the rights to Formula One races in the U.S, and offers Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer games.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer walks back to his vehicle after checking the documentation of a construction worker during a random stop in Minneapolis, Minn., on January 9. File Photo by Craig Lassig/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 28 (UPI) — A federal appeals court on Friday ruled against a policy by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that greatly expanded detention for migrants living in the country for years.
Under the Trump administration, ICE has changed its policies to treat people with extensive ties to the United States as still “seeking admission.”
That policy shift allows the agency to subject people who have lived in the country for years to mandatory detention without bond.
On Friday, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the policy, marking the eighth time ICE has been rejected over this same issue in federal appeals court.
In more than 13,000 cases challenging the policy, judges have ruled against ICE more than 90% of the time, Politico reported.
The federal panel said ICE’s policy is incongruent with the law, which is to be applied differently depending on how recently a specific person entered the country.
“Contrary to the Government’s view, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (‘IIRIRA’) retained two tracks for detention even though it overhauled the procedures for removing noncitizens from the United States,” the court wrote in its decision.
“Before IIRIRA, noncitizens arriving in the United States were subject to ‘exclusion’ and those already in the country were subject to ‘deportation’ — the former were held in mandatory detention while the latter were afforded bond.”
The appeals court also ruled that ICE’s policy violates the Constitution’s Due Process Clause.
“The Supreme Court has recognized the Fifth Amendment’s ‘Due Process Clause applies to all ‘persons’ within the United States, including aliens, whether their presence here is lawful, unlawful, temporary, or permanent.'”
The court added: “Because Petitioners here have lived in the United States for decades, they have ‘established connections’ in the country and are entitled to due process rights beyond those provided to noncitizens at the border.”
President Donald Trump signs an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday. Photo by Al Drago/UPI | License Photo
Airbus (EADSF) is gauging interest from prospective buyers for its U.S. space business amid plans to create a new pan-European entity to better compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX (SPCX) and Chinese rivals, The Financial Times reported on Saturday, citing
Belgium’s foreign minister on Friday summoned U.S Ambassador Bill White over an Instagram story the American diplomat posted targeting the country’s health minister. File Photo by Olivier Hoslet/EPA
Aug. 28 (UPI) — Belgium’s foreign minister on Friday summoned U.S Ambassador Bill White over an Instagram story the U.S. diplomat posted targeting the country’s health minister.
White posted an AI-generated image of Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke on a cigar box, apparently mocking the minister’s efforts to change how alcohol companies display health warnings on products.
The box read, “Damages every form of joy in life,” while White captioned the image, “Who’s the biggest loser in Belgium?”
“It is unacceptable that an ambassador uses such insulting language against a member of government,” Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said in a statement to Politico.
This is the second time White has been summoned over comments made toward the health minister.
In February, he accused Belgium of antisemitism over an investigation of three mohels for performing ritual circumcisions without a doctor present.
White called the move “ridiculous” and demanded Brussels drop its investigation.
He said Vanenbroucke was “very rude” and asked for his intervention in the case, adding, “You must make a legal provision to allow Jewish religious MOHELS to perform their duties here in Belgium.”
On Friday, White’s comments about the health minister also drew criticism from Conner Rousseau, who leads the political party Vooruit.
“Bill can be a funny guy,” said Rousseau, whose party includes Vanenbroucke, in a statement on Instagram. “But he knows nothing about healthcare.
“He only repeats what daddy Trump says. They only care about money, not our health.”
Aug. 28 (UPI) — The Trump administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to allow the Pentagon to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military.
A federal appeals court ruled in June that the military’s attempts to remove transgender Americans was “both arbitrary and based upon animus.”
On Friday, Solicitor General John D. Sauer appealed to the country’s top court to reverse the ruling.
“The court asserted that the policy likely denies equal protection because it reflects invidious discrimination against trans-identifying people,” Sauer wrote in his petition. “That gravely erroneous holding warrants this Court’s review.”
“The authority of the U.S. military to determine who may serve in the Nation’s armed forces is a matter of exceptional importance,” he added. “Whether the Constitution prohibits the military from exercising that authority by adopting a policy like the one here is a recurring issue, which has arisen before and will likely arise again absent this Court’s review.”
He signed an executive order saying transgender troops’ health needs are “inconsistent” with service in the military.
The National Center for LGBTQ Rights and GLAD Law sued in February, and the federal appeals court in the District of Columbia agreed with the plaintiffs.
Judge Robert Wilkins said the ban on transgender service members “appears driven by the bare desire to harm a politically unpopular group.”
“We are confident the Supreme Court will affirm that the Trump administration cannot base policies on hostility toward a group of people,” said Jennifer Levi, GLAD Law senior director of transgender and queer rights, in a statement.
“As the Trump administration’s own attorneys admitted, these are qualified individuals who are meeting all military standards,” Levi added. “There is no reason to waste millions of taxpayer dollars to kick out thousands of highly trained, skilled, and decorated troops based on nothing but hostility and this administration’s political whims.”
The Supreme Court is on summer recess and will return on Oct. 5.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday. Photo by Al Drago/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 28 (UPI) — Far-right political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos was detained Friday in Louisiana for overstaying his visa, immigration officials said.
The Department of Homeland Security said Yiannopoulos, a British citizen, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at the New Orleans International Airport.
Yiannopoulos entered the United States legally in May 2019 but “chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws,” DHS said in a statement on X.
“Yiannopoulos was issued a final order of removal by an Immigration Judge on July 22, after failing to show up for his immigration hearing,” the statement added. “He will remain in ICE custody pending removal.”
In 2024, he worked on the presidential bid of rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.
Yiannopoulos is a vocal supporter of immigration enforcement.
“California needs ICE checkpoints at supermarket entrances, gas stations, strip malls, intersections and government buildings, with on the spot deportation for anyone who can’t prove they are in the US legally,” he wrote on X last year.
On Friday night, online records showed Yiannopoulos was “in ICE custody” but did not indicate where he was being held.
Aug. 28 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Friday said his administration had reached a deal with Venezuela to secure a stake in more than 65 billion barrels of the country’s oil reserves.
In an evening social media post, Trump called the move “the biggest oil deal in world history,” and said it would come at no cost to American taxpayers.
“This Historic Transaction MORE THAN DOUBLES American Oil Reserves, greatly increases our Oil Supply, and will substantially lower Gas Prices for all Americans, long into the future, while helping to continue to set Venezuela on a course toward Tremendous Success and Great Prosperity,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
The president said his administration and Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, reached the deal in a partnership with private businesses.
Inventory of the United States’ strategic oil reserve hit a four-decade low this month, following supply disruption caused by the war with Iran, CNBC reported.
Venezuela has the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves.
The United States could take over as many as 17 oil fields in the South American country, though many lack any infrastructure and could cost billions to develop, the Washington Post reported.
“I think oil companies in the end will be pretty hesitant,” Francisco Monaldi, director of the Latin American Energy Program at Rice University, told the newspaper.
State Secretary Marco Rubio, who was involved in the negotiations, said the deal would bring $100 billion in private investment to Venezuela.
“This deal is a huge win for both the American and Venezuelan people,” Rubio said in a statement on X. “It demonstrates how President Trump’s bold foreign policy is driving America First wins: securing stable reserves and low-cost oil in our Hemisphere and lowering gas prices here at home.”
U.S. immigration officials arrested controversial British far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos on Thursday in New Orleans, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Immigration officials announced on Friday that Yiannopoulos was arrested at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and accused him of overstaying after entering the United States legally in May 2019 through New York City. An immigration judge issued a final order of removal on July 22 after Yiannopoulos failed to show up for his immigration hearing, a DHS spokesperson wrote in an email.
“He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws,” a spokesperson for DHS wrote in an emailed statement.
ICE’s online detainee locator doesn’t say where Yiannopoulos is being held but directs family and legal representatives to the agency’s office in Alexandria, Louisiana, a deportation hub for international flights.
Representatives of Yiannopoulos did not respond to a request for comment. It is unclear whether he has legal representation.
The British national has most recently worked for the rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, who is scheduled to perform in New Orleans on Friday evening.
Yiannopoulos is a well-known champion of conservative causes and has frequently taken provocative public positions criticizing feminism, Islam and immigrants. He has been especially supportive of President Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“Zero immigration for the next 20 years. No ifs, no buts,” Yiannopoulos wrote on the social platform X last year.
Yiannopoulos rose to fame in the early 2010s as an incendiary writer for the conservative website Breitbart News. He resigned from the company in 2017 after a video of him endorsing pedophilia resurfaced online. He later apologized for the remarks and said he himself was a victim of sexual assault as a minor.
Yiannopoulos’ arrest Friday comes amid a nationwide uptick in detentions as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Far-right conservative activist Laura Loomer swiftly took to social media to applaud Yiannopoulos’ arrest after years of public feuding between the two personalities.
“I was the first person to report on the fact that Milo was in the US illegally where he incited violence against President Trump and worked for Marjorie Traitor Greene,” Loomer wrote on X.
Controversy around Yiannopoulos ballooned in 2017 when he carried out what he called his “Troll Academy Tour” across college campuses nationwide. Fights broke out when some students protested Yiannopoulos’ appearances and accused him of hate speech, while others celebrated him as a champion of free speech. Around that time, Buzzfeed reported on Yiannopoulos’ cozy relationships with self-proclaimed white nationalists.
In recent years, Yiannopoulos continued to work in the orbit of conservative activism. In 2022, he was an intern for former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, according to the Washington Post. He subsequently ran the short-lived 2024 presidential campaign for Ye. Most recently, Yiannopolous has worked as a spokesperson for Ye, who has been beset by controversy of his own following antisemitic comments that the rapper has since apologized for.
Aug. 28 (UPI) — The leader of the Seneca Nation on Friday called on President Donald Trump to reverse his decision to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America.
Trump on Thursday signed an executive order renaming the body of water amid a trade dispute with Canada.
J. Conrad Sence, president of Seneca Nation, said, “The president cannot assert ownership over our culture or erase it through irresponsible political action.”
“His order should be rescinded and the name Lake Ontario should be left as it is, reflective of the Seneca people, other Haudenosaunee nations and all Indigenous people surrounding the lake,” Seneca said in a statement shared with WIVB.
“To us, Lake Ontario is not a political pawn,” he added. “It does not separate the countries of the United States and Canada. It is all Indigenous land, which has been occupied by Indigenous people since time immemorial.”
Jérôme Marty, executive director at the International Association for Great Lakes Research, said the lake was named by indigenous people.
“They gave the name of Lake Ontario, and then this name was then used to give the name of the province of Ontario, so it’s certainly not the province of Ontario that gave the name of the Lake Ontario, but it’s the opposite,” Marty told WIVB. “It’s prior to Canada, the creation of the United States, it’s been there for a really, really long time.”
Conrad told WGRZ the people of the region will continue to call it Lake Ontario, and urged others to do the same.
In a statement, a White House spokesperson pushed back against the criticism.
“As the president said yesterday, the majority of the great lake’s volume sits in United States territory,” the spokesperson told WIVB. “Thanks to President Trump’s bold action, its name will now reflect its place in America and her heritage.”
Lake Ontario is called sga:nyodai:yoh in the Seneca language, meaning “beautiful lake,” WGRZ reported.
Trump has also changed the name of Alaska’s Mount Denali, an indigenous name, to Mount McKinley after the 25th president of the United States.
He also renamed the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America.
WASHINGTON — President Trump on Friday said the U.S. has entered an agreement with Venezuela to take control of 65 billion barrels of the South American country’s oil reserves.
Trump in a social media post announced the agreement he said was negotiated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez.
“The United States of America has just entered into an Agreement with the Country of Venezuela on, THE BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY!” Trump wrote.
The Venezuelan government’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The announcement of the deal comes nearly nine months after the U.S. military at Trump’s direction carried out an operation to capture Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro and spirit him to the United States to face federal narcoterrorism and drug trafficking charges.
Trump faces mounting pressure to address high gas prices as the war in Iran on Friday reached a six-month milestone with no conclusion in sight. The U.S. has tapped its strategic petroleum reserves, which in early August fell below 300 million barrels, down by more than 100 million barrels since the start of 2026.
The U.S.-Israel war against Iran has led to a dramatic slowdown of Gulf oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz, which about 20% of the world petroleum passed through prior to the conflict.
The average price of gas in the U.S. stood at about $4.09 a gallon on Friday, according to AAA. The average price was $3.21 at the same time last year.
Trump in his social media post Friday evening alluded to the Venezuela deal being part of a private partnership. The White House did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the private sector partners involved in the deal, and details on how the arrangement would work were not provided.
Persuading big American oil companies to return the region could face headwinds given and decades of badly damaged infrastructure.
Days after the ouster of Maduro, Trump gathered oil executives at the White House and called on them to rush back into Venezuela. Executives expressed interest in the opportunity but there was also a measure of caution given their past experience in the country.
Darren Woods, CEO of ExxonMobil, the largest U.S. oil company, said at that moment he saw the country as “un-investable.”
But Trump has insisted that his administration has brought a measure of stability to Venezuela.
He has argued that Venezuela stole U.S. oil when former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez’s moved decades ago to nationalize hundreds of foreign-owned assets, including those owned by American oil companies.
Rodríguez, in one of her early moves after taking power, signed a law that opens the nation’s oil sector to privatization and reversed a bedrock tenet of the self-proclaimed socialist movement that had ruled the country for more than two decades.
Rubio said on X that the agreement would usher in $100 billion in private investment into Venezuela and lead to lower gas prices in the United States.
“This deal is a huge win for both the American and Venezuelan people,” Rubio posted.
Venezuela has one of the largest oil reserves in the world, with an estimated 303 billion barrels of crude oil in the ground. That’s about 17% of the world’s supply, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Madhani and Binkley write for the Associated Press. Regina Garcia Cano in Caracas contributed to this report.
