In 2011, Myanmar suspended a giant China-backed dam after public outrage; it now plans to restart a proje – The Times of India
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A Federal lawsuit against social media giant Meta has been settled. Meta has agreed to pay $16.7 billion in an agreement with multiple states Attorney Generals. California is one of the states, but Texas and other large states are not. The lawsuit charged Meta with facilitating childhood social media addiction.
California State AG Rob Bonta said of the settlement, “Today, we have secured a settlement with Meta that will make social media less dangerous for our kids and make a world of a difference for children and their families,” Bonta said in a statement. “Meta has agreed to make massive transformations that will reduce the risk of harm from its platforms — and will do it within months.”
Meta settles social media addiction case for $16.7 billion– www.cnbc.com
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Meta and a coalition of state attorneys general have settled a major federal case centering on allegations that the social media giant misrepresented the extent of child-related mental health harms caused by apps like Facebook and Instagram.
The settlement was revealed in a court filing released Wednesday that details several requirements Meta must make to its apps as part of a proposed “consent judgement.”
Those changes include daily usage limits and “nighttime blocks” for teenagers that use the company’s apps like Facebook and Instagram, “enhanced age assurance measures” that would prevent children from using the apps, and the creation of additional tools for parents and guardians.
U.S. District Judge Jeanette Vargas struck down the Trump administration’s pause on issuing visas to 75 countries. The judge claimed Secretary of State Marco Rubio exceeded his legal authority. She asserts consular authority trumps Secretary of State authority. The judge is another Biden-appointed District Judge. The ruling has been appealed.
Federal judge rules against Trump’s 75-country visa ban– thehill.com
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A federal judge ruled against the Trump administration’s pause on issuing visas to immigrants from 75 countries on Friday. In a 61-page decision, U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas found that this policy was “contrary to law” and was “in excess” of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s legal authority. The visa pause order was announced by…
New York’s progressive Governor, Kathy Hochul, signed a new state law prohibiting police from aiding ICE agents in any way, shape, or form. During the signing she incited violence against ICE agents, characterizing their actions as “atrocities on our streets.”
This is a dog whistle for “ICE agents are Nazis.” The comments appear to be an effort to encourage more violence against ICE agents by progressive citizens of the progressive state of New York.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul Announces New Law That Bars Police From Working With ICE– www.louderwithcrowder.com
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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has once again proved just how much the left hates you — the American people.
Hochul announced that a new state law that bars police from cooperating with ICE agents has gone into effect. She did this because, according to the left, no human is illegal. Well, unless, of course, you are a law enforcement officer working with federal agents to uphold national security. That, in fact, would be illegal, according to Hochul.
Per CBS:
It bans local government agencies from maintaining agreements with ICE for civil enforcement. It also prohibits ICE agents from using local detention centers for civil enforcement, including mass raids.
“Local police will assist ICE only if a real crime has been committed,” Hochul said. “But on civil immigration matters, ICE is on their own.”
The problem with this claim is that breaking federal immigration laws is a crime. Can someone please clear that up for the Governor?
She said the law will help protect immigrants from aggressive enforcement while they pursue asylum claims.
What a bunch of nonsense. This is nothing more than an effort to vilify federal agents, while turning a blind eye to criminal aliens who have disregarded this country’s laws from the very start.
Back in July, state officials sent letters to 12 local law enforcement agencies that have agreements with ICE. The letters stated that they must unwind the agreements by Aug. 25.
A study from the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) shows a dramatic increase in the number of unmarried young men, while married young men have decreased. Unmarried men in the 20-29 age group outnumber married men in that age group almost 2 to 1, 30.4 million to 15.4 million. The number of unmarried young men increased by 47% in 25 years.
Number of unmarried young men surges 47% in US since 2000– www.lifesitenews.com
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(LifeSiteNews) — According to a recent report by the Institute for Family Studies (IFS), the number of unmarried young males has grown precipitously since the turn of the century.
“Over the past 25 years, the gap between the number of unmarried and married men ages 20-39 has widened from 2.6 million to a whopping 15 million,” University of Virginia sociology professor Brad Wilcox noted on X.
Since 2000, the number of unmarried men in that age group rose from 47% from 20.7 million to 30.4 million in 2025 while the number of married men decreased from 18.1 million to 15.4 million.
New: Number of unmarried young men surging in🇺🇸. Unmarried young men (20-39) now outnumber married men by nearly 2 to 1. Since 2000:
✔️Unmarried up 47% : 20.7M (2000) → 30.4M (2025)
✔️Married down 15%: 18.1M (2000) → 15.4M (2025) pic.twitter.com/xl9wHVFLIg— Brad Wilcox (@BradWilcoxIFS) August 18, 2026
A Transgender cult called Zizian saw its felony firearms charges suspended without comment by a Maryland court. The group has been linked to eight violent deaths. The hope was the arrests in 2022 would lead to serial murder charges, but now the investigation appears to be suspended. There are three members in the cult, all three saw their cases made inactive on August 14.
ANDY NGO REPORTS: Maryland felony cases against Zizian trans death cult members abruptly suspended | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com
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After 18 months of prosecution, Maryland abruptly put its cases against three Zizian trans cult members on indefinite hold. Officials have not publicly explained why.
CUMBERLAND, Md. — Maryland state felony prosecutions against three members of the Zizian trans death cult have been indefinitely suspended for unknown reasons.
The cases against cult leader Jack “Ziz” LaSota and subordinates Michelle “Jamie” “Alex” Zajko and Daniel “Hastur” Blank were made inactive on Aug. 14; All scheduled future trial dates were canceled.
LaSota, Zajko and Blank were arrested together following a national manhunt on Feb. 16, 2025 in rural western Maryland. They were found with a cache of weapons in their two box trucks. They had spent years moving around the country as members of the Zizians, a radical transgender cult who has been linked to at least eight violent deaths.
The three initially faced only misdemeanor trespassing, firearms and obstruction charges after an elderly Frostburg-area property owner reported that they had arrived in box trucks and asked to camp on his property.
Authorities later added charges involving the alleged illegal possession and carrying of concealed and loaded firearms.
The Myanmar Junta’s military chief, General Ye Win Oo, met with Thailand officials to warn them about their porous borders. The Junta is accusing Thailand of allowing arms to reach the resistance to its military rule. The junta held an election January of this year, but that election was not recognized as being legitimate, for only Junta-approved candidates were allowed to run in the election.
One of the resistance leaders, Min Thway Thit, responded to the action, declaring “The junta is making every effort to cut off the flow of weapons across the border under the pretext of holding talks with neighboring countries. Our resistance forces must stay alert, plan alternative routes, and call for stronger international pressure on the regime.”
Myanmar Military Chief Urges Thailand to Sever Border Arms Flow to Resistance – Burma News International
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Myanmar’s new military chief, Gen. Ye Win Oo, met with senior Thai defense officials in Bangkok this week to push for a crackdown on cross-border arms smuggling to anti-regime resistance groups.
During his visit for the ninth Thai-Myanmar High-Level Officials Meeting on August 19, Ye Win Oo held separate talks with Thailand’s defense minister and commander-in-chief. He recently assumed leadership of the armed forces after his predecessor, Min Aung Hlaing, transitioned to the presidency following an election widely condemned by the international community.
The Junta pushed for stronger border stability to crack down on illicit arms smuggling, mirroring a request made earlier this month by regime leader Min Aung Hlaing to Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
Thailand’s Prime Minister held an emergency meeting after a coordinated series of attacks by Islamist terrorists in the nation’s southern-most province. The attacks come at a time when Thailand is still dealing with a major flood crisis in the north. There were 51 reported attacks that included bombings, arson, and property damage. No security or police forces were targeted. The attacks appear to be aimed at damaging infrastructure and causing disruption.
Thai PM meets security chiefs after coordinated attacks in three southern provinces– www.euronews.com
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Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, already facing a flood crisis in the country’s north, held an urgent meeting on Sunday with high-level security officials in response to coordinated violence overnight in three southern provinces where a small-scale Muslim insurgency is active.
The meeting, held shortly before Anutin flew north to inspect the badly flooded province of Nan, followed 51 incidents on Saturday night in the southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala.
The attackers did not engage with military or police forces. Only three civilians were known to have been wounded and they were reported to be recovering on Sunday.
The violence primarily involved small bombs, arson and other forms of property damage. The highest-profile target was a 7-Eleven convenience store in Pattani.
A video circulating on social media appeared to show armed men stalking outside the store while customers and workers fled before it was set on fire.
A bomb that damaged rail tracks in Narathiwat forced the suspension of local and long-haul services. It was not clear when they would be restored due to the uncertain security situation.
A Supreme Court ruling will allow the Trump administration’s Mail-in Voting Executive Order to take effect in the 2026 midterm election. The order requires states to have “unique ballot envelope identifiers, such as bar codes, [to] enable confirmation that only citizens receive and cast ballots, reducing the risk of fraud and protecting the integrity of Federal elections.”
The final ruling was 6-3, with the three progressive judges dissenting. The ruling did not determine if the executive order was legal, it only determined the states had no standing because they offered no proof of “concrete” harm by the order, claiming their arguments were only “conjecture.”
Trump Triumphs at SCOTUS – Dems Counting on Mail-in Voting Should Prepare to Panic– www.westernjournal.com
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The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed President Donald Trump’s executive order regarding mail-in ballots to go forward.
In late March, Trump issued an executive order requiring states to send a list of names of those receiving mail-in ballots so they could be verified as U.S. citizens, with the Department of Homeland Security working in conjunction with the Social Security Administration.
“The Federal Government has an unavoidable duty under Article II of the Constitution of the United States to enforce Federal law, which includes preventing violations of Federal criminal law and maintaining public confidence in election outcomes,” the directive read.
The U.S. Postal Service was instructed not to deliver ballots to those unverified as citizens.
Further, states are required to have “unique ballot envelope identifiers, such as bar codes, [to] enable confirmation that only citizens receive and cast ballots, reducing the risk of fraud and protecting the integrity of Federal elections.”
A $50 million judgment against Alex Jones has been reduced to $1.5 million by a Texas appeals court. The judgment came after Alex Jones was sued by the parents of the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting. Jones claimed the shooting was a false flag operation. The appeals court ruled the trial court “abused its discretion” by applying a judgment greater than the statutory limit.
Texas judge wipes $50 million judgement against Alex Jones– www.washingtonexaminer.com
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A Texas appeals court has reduced a $50 million judgment against Alex Jones for falsely claiming the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a staged hoax to $1.5 million.
The ruling stems from a 2022 trial in which Jones, a Texas-based right-wing political commentator and conspiracy theorist, was found liable by default for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress after repeatedly claiming the massacre was fabricated. A trial court ordered Jones to pay $50 million in damages to the parents of Jesse Lewis, a 6-year-old boy killed in the shooting.
The 3rd Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that Lewis’s parents, Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, failed to provide sufficient evidence that harassment stemming from Jones’s claims reached a level allowing them to exceed Texas’s $750,000 statutory cap on damages.
Investigative journalist James O’Keefe saw a $130,000 judgment against him thrown out by a three-panel D.C. appeals court. The judgment came after a Democrat group sued O’Keefe’s Project Veritas. The group claimed Project Veritas’ video called “Rigging the Election” was fraudulent and in violation of wiretapping rules. A D.C. jury ruled in their favor. After the judgment, O’Keefe filed an appeal, claiming the judgment was a violation of the Freedom of Press. The panel ruled 2-1 he was right.
Circuit Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson wrote in the ruling, “The principal question in this appeal is whether the jury’s damages award violated the First Amendment by punishing the defendants for publishing a news story. We conclude that it did. The separate issue is whether, under D.C. law, one of the media defendants became the fiduciary of her own news target by tricking him into hiring her as an unpaid intern. We conclude that she did not.”
Court sides with conservative activist James O’Keefe in First Amendment case– www.washingtonexaminer.com
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O’Keefe, the founder and former CEO of Project Veritas, had appealed a lower court’s 2022 jury decision to award the Democratic consultant targeted by his media company’s undercover video $130,000 in damages based on claims of fraudulent misrepresentation and wiretapping. O’Keefe’s appeal proved successful on Friday, when the three-judge panel agreed, with one judge dissenting in part, to discard the $130,000 damages judgment.
Federal judge removes major legal obstacle to Trump mail voting order, with more challenges likely – 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS
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