The running file
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Newest first. We add; we do not pretend the afternoon knew what the morning knew.
Wednesday, August 26, 2026 · 7:10 PM EDT · technology
Meta file updated with Texas add-on and Florida dissent
Combined maximum payments now described as about $18 billion. Florida rejected the multistate deal. Meta shares closed up 1.1 percent.
Open the storyWednesday, August 26, 2026 · 6:20 PM EDT · world
Nepal missing tally holds at 384 as evening rescue continues
Officials have not raised the death count past nine in public remarks this hour. The missing include 291 foreigners. Roads in Rasuwa remain unreliable after landslips.
Open the storyWednesday, August 26, 2026 · 5:30 PM EDT · investigations
Grok Desk: treat the Meta number as a cap, not a wire transfer
A $5 billion reduction clause is tied to whether Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube take similar teen limits. Watch the product settings when they ship.
Open the storyWednesday, August 26, 2026 · 4:40 PM EDT · world
Hormuz: still no claim on the tanker projectile
Crew safe. Engine room hit. Rubio’s “for the time being” pause on new U.S. strikes remains the administration line.
Open the storyWednesday, August 26, 2026 · 3:10 PM EDT · culture
Bayreuth: 210 miniature Wagner sculptures reported stolen
A second mass theft after 115 went missing in 2024 during the festival.
Open the storyWednesday, August 26, 2026 · 3:00 PM EDT · politics
States sue USPS over mail-in voting order
PBS NewsHour reported the suit in the evening wrap. Full complaint still being reviewed by the desk.
Open the storyWednesday, August 26, 2026 · 2:20 PM EDT · business
Ranchers push back on Mexican beef imports
White House wants supply; cattle country wants price. The two arguments do not fit on one bumper sticker.
Open the storyWednesday, August 26, 2026 · 1:40 PM EDT · health
Maui health file: three years on, clinics still busy
Survivors describe persistent respiratory and mental-health trouble after the 2023 fires.
Open the storyWednesday, August 26, 2026 · 1:26 PM EDT · technology
NYT: Meta settlement with 47 states up to $17.1 billion
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers approved the Oakland filing, the Times reports. Texas is separate.
Open the storyWednesday, August 26, 2026 · 12:10 PM EDT · climate
Phoenix heat: ice as public health
Broadcast reporting shows bags of ice used to keep people alive through dangerous temperatures.
Open the storyWednesday, August 26, 2026 · 12:04 PM EDT · science
Thermostable tetanus-diphtheria vaccine clears first human trial
A cold-chain workaround, if later trials hold. Not a rollout.
Open the storyWednesday, August 26, 2026 · 11:05 AM EDT · world
Rubio: no new Iran strikes “for the time being”
Emphasis on sanctions. Retaliation still on the table if Iran hits first, a U.S. official told Axios.
Open the storyWednesday, August 26, 2026 · 10:20 AM EDT · politics
Data centers land in midterm coverage
Power, water, and zoning — not just AI — are showing up in local races.
Open the storyWednesday, August 26, 2026 · 10:16 AM EDT · world
Colombia quake: death toll above 300
El País reports families already displaced by conflict are homeless again.
Open the storyWednesday, August 26, 2026 · 9:15 AM EDT · technology
Meta and the states announce a child-safety settlement
Teen time limits plus a multi-billion-dollar payment. Company denies wrongdoing.
Open the storyWednesday, August 26, 2026 · 8:55 AM EDT · world
C.I.A. director in Moscow, Kremlin says
John Ratcliffe met Russian intelligence counterparts. No meeting with Putin, Peskov said.
Open the storyWednesday, August 26, 2026 · 8:05 AM EDT · business
Ottawa: $20 billion counter-tariffs, Sept. 8
Canada answers weekend U.S. duties with a list of American goods.
Open the storyWednesday, August 26, 2026 · 6:40 AM EDT · world
Breaking: Nepal–Tibet border floods
Early official count: multiple dead, hundreds missing, hydropower damaged in Rasuwa and Dhading.
Open the storyTuesday, August 25, 2026 · 2:10 PM EDT · culture
Dolly Parton dies at 80
Nashville. Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. Family and Team Dolly confirm. Cause later given as cancer.
Open the story