Friday morning news: August 21, 2026

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Iran verbally shrugs off Trump “Economic D Day” » Iran is verbally shrugging off President Trump’s pledge to hit the country with crushing new economic measures.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi says Trump’s recently announced launch of a pressure campaign, which the president has called Economic D-Day, will stir hostility among Iranians and “bring more failures.”

But House Majority Leader Steve Scalise says part of the new campaign’s bite is that it won’t only tighten the screws on Iran.

SCALISE: Now we’re going to look at all those people that are doing business and feeding billions of dollars into Iran’s economy and say, ‘You’ve got to stop doing it or it’s going to affect your economy, too.’

Scalise talking to Fox and Friends.

As part of this new crackdown, Trump says any country providing economic help to Iran will now face major consequences.

The president’s ratcheting up the pressure in hopes it’ll help draw the war with Iran to a close. Negotiations between the two countries are off for the moment. Trump says the primary aim of the war is to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.

At least 17 killed in Russian attack on Kyiv » In Ukraine:

SOUND: [Construction equipment]

The sound of earthmovers digging out portions of a bombed-out building in the capital city, Kyiv.

At least 17 people died in a massive Russian attack Thursday. Local leaders say the strikes took out a hospital, a school, a preschool, and several other buildings, including peoples’ homes. 

Ukraine is more vulnerable to these sorts of strikes right now because its supply of Patriot interceptor missiles from the U.S. and other allies is running critically low.

NY Capitol bombing plot arrest » The FBI has arrested a 35-year-old woman for allegedly plotting to bomb the New York State Capitol building.

Jessica Bowie is accused of buying what she believed was an explosive device to carry out an ISIS-inspired attack. FBI Special Agent Craig Tremaroli:

TREMAROLI: She said, quote: ‘I want to destroy as much of the building as possible and kill the senators while they are meeting.’

Investigators say Bowie converted to Islam five years ago, was radicalized online, swore her allegiance to ISIS in several audio recordings, and was planning to flee to Syria after she carried out the attack.

Karmelo Anthony seeks retrial as new details emerge » The 19-year-old convicted of fatally stabbing another student at a track meet is seeking a retrial as new information in the case comes to light.

A judge this week is considering whether to order a retrial for Karmelo Anthony. Earlier this year, a jury convicted Anthony of stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf to death during a confrontation last year in suburban Dallas, resulting in a 35-year prison sentence.

The case became a national firestorm as it was amplified in racial terms on social media. Anthony is black and Metcalf was white, though attorneys on both sides said race was not a factor in the killing.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott says a retrial isn’t necessary.

ABBOTT: The jurors who convicted him, they have far more information than I have about it, and I think they got it right. You know, there are videos showing exactly what happened. There are eyewitnesses who saw exactly what happened.

But Anthony’s lawyer says there were several missteps in the trial back in June. Among them, he claims, was an off-the-record agreement between prosecutors and Anthony’s former defense team to stay away from character evidence.

Some of that evidence came out in Thursday’s hearing, including prosecutors claiming Anthony had an obsession with guns and knives and was angry the morning of the stabbing, and the defense claiming Metcalf had used racial slurs in the past and bullied black classmates.

Cohen claims forgiveness between him and Trump » Donald Trump rarely talks about the concept of forgiveness publicly. But his former fixer-turned-adversary says that’s exactly what’s taken place between the two men.

Trump and Michael Cohen had been at odds for years. Cohen said covering up Trump’s actions landed him, Cohen, in prison for over a year. Cohen’s testimony then later played a key role in Trump’s criminal conviction in New York.

But this week, Cohen hosted Trump for a friendly interview on his radio program.

COHEN: I want to live for the future. I refuse to be pulled back into yesterday's news and yesterday's headlines… I truly believe that there is forgiveness between Donald Trump and myself, and that to me is what is important right now.

Cohen played a portion of the interview on his WABC radio show Thursday night. The full conversation is slated to air Sunday.

$2 million more invested in Fostering the Future initiative » This weekend’s Indycar race in the nation’s capital is bringing more than just high-speed left turns and roaring engines.

Two collaborators on the event, Fox Corporation and Indycar, have donated $2 million dollars to expand First Lady Melania Trump’s foster scholarship program to two more colleges.

MELANIA TRUMP: The greatest achievement investment America can make is not in technology, infrastructure, or capital markets. It’s our children.

This new donation will clear the way for Indiana and Purdue universities to offer scholarships helping young people transition out of the foster care system and into a pursuit of higher education.

There are now 26 colleges and universities participating in the First Lady’s initiative, which is called “Fostering the Future.”

I’m Mark Mellinger.

Coming up, Collin Garbarino reviews a new series based on decades-old children’s stories. Plus, George Grant and theologian Michael Milton talk books on this month’s Quest.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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