Tuesday Afternoon News Updates: Trump’s War Backfires as U.S. Weighs Major Retreat – 8/18/26
It’s Tuesday afternoon. Let’s get into today’s updates.
Also, a quick reminder that the MeidasTouch Podcast with me and my brothers is up now wherever you find audio podcasts. Remember to give it a listen, and check to make sure you’re still subscribed — we’ve received lots of emails from folks saying their apps, like Apple Podcasts, have unsubscribed them recently. It’s free and takes 2 seconds to check.
Ok, today’s top stories:
Iran says again that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until sanctions are lifted, frozen assets are released, the blockade ends, and military operations stop
Trump claims the Strait is “open and operating” while posting fictional AI-generated images declaring it “NEW U.S. Territory”
The UAE reportedly detected two ballistic missiles from Iran
The AP shines new light on Trump’s recent threat to bomb Oman
The Pentagon is considering a smaller U.S. military presence in the Gulf after the war (whenever that is), after Iran destroyed U.S. military bases, per WaPo
ABC is suing the Trump regime due to the FCC’s retaliation against the network
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit South Korea this week for his first official visit there in 5 years, per Reuters
Former Florida Republican State Rep. Mike Caruso, a DeSantis ally, has been arrested on child sexual abuse charges
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich publicly attacks the Palestinian authority and pushes back on Trump’s Gaza plans
Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke is blaming foreign adversaries for people’s criticis over AI data centers
Before we dive deeper, remember to preorder our new book WTF America if you haven’t yet! Our publisher tells us preorders are super important, and we’d love to keep the momentum going and get a sense of which cities we should visit soon.
Also, if you haven’t yet, consider becoming a paid subscriber now. You’ll not only get access to everything we do here on the Meidas+ Substack, but you’ll also be supporting independent media at a time when it’s needed most.
Let’s get to the news.
