Morning Edition · Saturday, August 8, 2026
Macro
US Employers Cut 23,000 Jobs in July and Traders Priced Out a September Fed Rate Increase
The Standard and Poor's 500 index closed at 7,757.64, the dollar index fell 0.5 percent to 99.43, and gold traded near $4,350 an ounce as wage growth slowed to 3.2 percent over the past year.
Macro
Trump Restarts the Removal of Fed Governor Lisa Cook, Giving Her Until August 26 to Respond
The renewed effort follows a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling in June that blocked the dismissal but allowed a second attempt, provided Cook receives notice and a chance to contest it.
Crypto
Bitcoin Developers Warn That Selling Coins From This Weekend's Contested Fork Could Cost Holders Real Bitcoin
Mandatory signaling for the BIP-110 (Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 110) soft fork begins near block 961,632 around August 9, with actual miner support collapsing to roughly 2.5 percent, far below the 7-to-15 percent range projected earlier, and without replay protection, selling coins from a minority chain risks also moving the same coins on the main chain.
Geopolitics
US Senate Passes Russia Sanctions Bill Authorizing Tariffs of Up to 100 Percent on Buyers of Russian Oil
The 86-11 vote sends legislation aimed at China, India and other large purchasers to a House of Representatives that does not return from recess until September.
Geopolitics
Russian Strikes Hit Kyiv and Ships Near Odesa as NATO Scrambled Jets Over a Missile That Landed in Poland
Ukrainian authorities reported at least nine civilians killed and more than 50 injured, while Russia's Defense Ministry said it struck a plant making components for Flamingo cruise missiles and a fuel depot.
World
Russian Regions Report Overnight Drone Attacks From Lipetsk to the Approaches to Moscow
Two men were injured in Zadonsk, air defenses destroyed 13 drones over Voronezh Region, and six more were reported shot down on routes toward the capital.
Geopolitics
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Sign a Mutual Defense Pact in Mecca
The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement treats an armed attack on any one signatory as an attack on all three, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it is open to other states.
Geopolitics
Pakistan Says It Is Working to Return the United States and Iran to Talks as Riyadh Repairs Ties With Baghdad
Brent crude settled near $82.15 a barrel, down 0.41 percent, even as a Chatham House assessment cited by Iranian state media concluded that five months of war have not produced Washington's stated objectives.
Tech
China's AI Builders Confront a Shortage of Chinese-Language Training Data
The constraint is shifting from computing hardware to inputs, while Thailand launches a national semiconductor plan to claim a place in the regional supply chain.
Geopolitics
Washington Pledges $1 Billion in Security Aid to Colombia's New President as Brazil Blocks Its US Ambassador
Abelardo De La Espriella took office promising a crackdown on armed groups and joined a United States-led military grouping, while Brasilia withheld approval of Donald Trump's envoy.
World
Typhoon Dolphin Closes Okinawa's Main Airport and Heads for China's East Coast
Five people were injured and 14,000 buildings lost power in Okinawa, while the death toll from the Kumamoto earthquake rose to 39 with 205 people counted as casualties in the prefecture.
World
Cuba Opens Fuel Retailing and Medicine Sales to Private and Foreign Firms
Prime Minister Manuel Marrero said the first foreign investment project for importing and distributing fuel has been approved, and nearly 200 Cuban businesses now hold wholesale fuel permits.