Nepal halts rescues over new flood threat; US eyes massive Venezuela oil deal

Rescue operations along the Nepal-China border are temporarily on hold because of a new flood threat, complicating an already desperate search as 90 Americans remain unaccounted for.

Plus, the Trump administration is reportedly discussing taking a U.S. ownership stake in Venezuelan oil fields, a potentially massive deal emerging as America’s strategic petroleum reserves sit at a four-decade low.

And President Donald Trump has followed through on his threat to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America,” signing an order that makes the change official for the federal government — even as Canada and New York reject it.

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Search and rescue efforts halted in Nepal and Tibet amid growing flood risk

A new flood threat is endangering the search and rescue efforts along the Nepal-China border. A lake formed by Wednesday’s massive glacial collapse is starting to overflow.

The death toll from that devastating flood, meanwhile, continues to go up, with hundreds still missing on both sides of the Himalayan border.

Reporting from the remote disaster zone is inconsistent, but authorities now say more than 450 people are dead and more than 1,400 are unaccounted for.

The State Department says about 90 Americans may have been affected in Nepal and China.

Three have been rescued, and so far, there are no known American deaths.

Trump called the disaster a “terrible thing” Thursday, adding the U.S. has offered to provide whatever help is needed.

“We are sending aid. And we’ve spoken to the leadership, and we let them know anything they want, we’ll have. And there were 50, maybe 60 Americans over there. We haven’t gotten the full list yet, but hopefully they’re okay. But that looked pretty- that looks like something that people will not be; somebody will be lost, unfortunately.”

President Donald Trump

And we’re now getting a clearer picture of what triggered the disaster.

Scientists studying satellite images say bedrock beneath a glacier on Langtang Lirung Peak collapsed, sending huge amounts of ice, rock and debris crashing into the valley below.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates more than 100-million cubic meters of material was displaced. That’s the equivalent of 40,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. 

Judge blocks new mail voting rules, citing proximity to midterm elections

A federal judge has temporarily blocked new postal service rules that would tighten requirements for voting by mail ahead of November’s midterms.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani halted key parts of the new rule for at least 14 days, siding for now with 24 states and Washington, DC, that sued to block it.

The judge issued the rule in response to Trump’s executive order on mail voting, and it would require states to meet new ballot-envelope requirements and provide the postal service with lists of mail-ballot recipients. 

But the judge said most of the states have already ordered their ballots, and the law requires some to start sending them as early as next week.

She said forcing states to comply now would cause “irreparable harm,” because they don’t have enough time or money to redesign ballots, update election systems and train workers before the midterms.

The judge also said Congress has not given the postal service the authority to regulate election mail. 

The Justice Department is expected to appeal, meaning the fight could once again end up before the Supreme Court.

Trump makes ‘Lake America’ official, changing the name for US government use

Trump has made it official. Lake Ontario, at least as far as the U.S. government is concerned, is now “Lake America.”

Trump signed the order in the Oval Office Thursday, saying the change takes place immediately.

“We filed all the necessary papers, documents, everything else,” Trump said. “We’ve notified all of the various people that we have to notify. So we’ve done everything that you have to do. And this is official, effective immediately.”

The order directs the Interior Department to change the name in the federal government’s geographic database. But just like Trump’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico, other countries don’t have to recognize it, and neither do states or private companies.

Trump said he’s doing it because of how Canada’s treating the U.S. on trade.

“The Canadian officials have treated us very badly. They’re nasty people,” Trump said. “They charge our farmers 400% tariffs. They’ve been doing it for a long time.” 

This follows the collapse of trade talks between the two countries, with the U.S. now imposing 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion in Canadian goods.

Canada has announced its own retaliatory tariffs beginning Sept. 8.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew took a dig at Trump.

“You know when, like, a rock band is really over the hill, and you see them like in a casino playing some song from like fifty years ago? I think that’s the part of Donald Trump’s presidency we’re at now,” Kinew said.”Like he thought he had a real hit, a real golden oldie with the Gulf of Mexico, and he’s trying to bring back that. He’s trying to play the hits for his base, but I think everybody here thinks it’s a little sad and it’s not his best work.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pointed out the name Ontario is more than 400 years old — older than both governments it borders.

He wrote, “Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario — then, now and always.”

And New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s response was much shorter, saying “New York won’t be calling it that.”

Trump had already been trolling Canada with a map, crossing out Lake Ontario and writing “Lake America” in its place. And now, for federal government purposes, the edit stays.

US eyes stake in Venezuelan oil as talks focus on fields holding 90B barrels: Report

The Trump administration is reportedly considering a new way to boost America’s oil supply by taking an ownership stake in Venezuela’s oil fields.

Axios reported the administration is in talks with Venezuela’s interim government about a potential deal. The outlet cites two U.S. officials familiar with the discussions.

Details are still being worked out, but Axios said the talks involve more than a dozen oil-producing fields with about 90 billion barrels of proven reserves. In return, private companies, including American firms, would help develop the fields, bringing more oil revenue back to Venezuela.

One U.S. official described the potential deal to Axios as “massive.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, have been leading the talks.

This comes as the U.S. looks for more oil. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is at its lowest level in more than four decades, falling below 300 million barrels this month as the war with Iran disrupts global supplies.

Axios reported Trump was discussing the idea even before he authorized the January capture of Nicolás Maduro.

There’s no timeline for a final agreement, but Energy Secretary Chris Wright could travel to Venezuela as early as next week.

Norway’s King Harald V dies at 89, ending historic reign

Norway has a new king following the death of Europe’s oldest reigning monarch, King Harald V. He died Friday morning at Oslo University Hospital shortly after 6:30 a.m. local time. The 89-year-old monarch had reigned in Norway for 35 years.

Harald was hospitalized last week for hemolytic anemia, a disorder that destroys red blood cells faster than the body can replace them. The palace announced Thursday that his health had deteriorated and that he was in an “extremely serious” condition.

Tributes continue to pour in across Norway for a king known for modernizing the monarchy and breaking with tradition by marrying Sonja, a commoner.

Harald is now succeeded by his son, Haakon, who becomes King Haakon VIII. He takes the throne at a difficult time for Norway’s royal family.

Haakon’s wife, Mette-Marit, has faced intense scrutiny over her past association with Jeffrey Epstein. In June, her son from a previous relationship was sentenced to four years in prison for two rapes and dozens of other charges, including violence against a former partner. He has appealed.

Like Britain, Norway is a constitutional monarchy, with the king serving as head of state while elected leaders hold political power.

Moon glows deep red as a 96% eclipse becomes visible across three continents

The moon came very close to a total eclipse overnight, with about 96% passing through the darkest part of Earth’s shadow. Skywatchers across the Americas, Africa, and parts of Europe caught a glimpse of the deep partial eclipse.

As it neared its peak, almost the entire moon turned a deep red. That color comes from sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere before reaching the moon. The atmosphere filters out more blue light while letting red light through, much like during a sunrise or sunset.

The eclipse peaked just after midnight Eastern Time and just after 9 p.m. Thursday on the West Coast.
If you missed this one, you’ll have to wait a while for something even better. Space.com says the next lunar eclipse to top this one will be a total eclipse on New Year’s Eve 2028.

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The bookseller using AI to battle back against Big Tech’s digitize-and-destroy campaign

HOUSTON — Becker’s Books smells exactly the way it’s supposed to — like dust so deeply absorbed into millions of paper pages that it has lost its nose-tickling edge, warmed by a touch of vanilla. There is a technical term for this scent: bibliosmia. But second-generation bookstore owner Charlie Becker describes it simply: “old book smell.” 

It’s the scent of his childhood. Becker “literally grew up here,” he says on a Thursday afternoon in early August as he wanders through the labyrinthine passages between sky-high shelves. 

He loves this smell. And he’s hell-bent on saving it for future generations. 

In 2026, that quest is becoming particularly challenging. 

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