Politics & World Affairs — August 22, 2026

Pentagon fires Stars and Stripes leaders. The Pentagon dismissed the newspaper's publisher, editor-in-chief and at least one reporter, citing insubordination. Stars and Stripes has historically operated independently within the military.

According to The Hill, the dismissals removed the top leadership of the newspaper, which serves the U.S. military community and has long maintained editorial autonomy from Defense Department control despite operating within it. The stated grounds were insubordination, though the report did not detail the specific conduct at issue. The move raises questions about the paper's future independence, given that those ousted included its senior editorial and business leaders.

The Hill · Read more →

North Korea fires 10 missiles. Pyongyang launched about 10 short-range ballistic missiles. The launches came one day after the U.S. scaled back joint military exercises with South Korea -- an apparent overture to Kim Jong Un.

The Guardian noted the timing of the launches, which came a day after Washington curtailed drills that Pyongyang has long condemned. The reduction in exercises was described as an apparent gesture toward Kim Jong Un, making the missile tests a pointed response so soon after the concession. The weapons involved were short-range ballistic missiles, the type North Korea has tested repeatedly in recent years.

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Roberts allows ballroom construction. Chief Justice John Roberts issued a stay Friday letting construction continue on Trump's $400 million White House ballroom, pausing an appeals-court order that would have halted the project.

The stay from the chief justice, acting for the Supreme Court, does not resolve the underlying legal dispute over the project; it pauses the appellate ruling while the case proceeds. The practical effect is that crews can keep working on the ballroom for now, according to AP. The order came Friday, and a halt could still be reinstated depending on how the courts ultimately rule on the challenge.

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Klobuchar fraud record questioned. Sen. Amy Klobuchar issued more than 1,000 press releases since 2022 without mentioning Minnesota's $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scandal. Her Republican opponent is now pointing that out.

According to Fox News, the criticism stems from a review of Klobuchar's public communications, with her Republican challenger arguing the omission undercuts her claims of fighting fraud. Feeding Our Future, a $250 million scheme in her home state of Minnesota, has become a campaign flashpoint, and the opponent's question -- 'Where were you?' -- signals the fraud record will remain a line of attack in the Senate race.

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