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Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new sanctions Tuesday against the president of the International Criminal Court and one of its senior trial lawyers, intensifying the Trump administration’s confrontation with the Hague-based tribunal over its efforts to prosecute officials from countries that do not recognize its jurisdiction.

The latest sanctions target ICC President Tomoko Akane and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye. Rubio described the move as part of “our unwavering mission to protect Americans from this sham of a court.”

The United States is not a member of the Rome Statute, the international treaty that established the ICC and defines its authority. Rubio has also urged other nations to cut their ties with the court.

“These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction,” Rubio said in a statement.

Under the sanctions, Americans are generally prohibited from conducting transactions with Akane and Seye and could face penalties for doing so. The measures also effectively cut the two ICC officials off from the American financial system.

The ICC responded by criticizing the administration’s action, telling The Hill that “measures targeting judges, prosecutors and staff who work towards the fulfilment of the mandate that was conferred to the ICC by States undermine the rule of law.”

“When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk,” the statement continued.

The court vowed that it remains “undeterred and stands firmly behind its personnel and behind victims of unimaginable atrocities.”

“The Court will continue to fully discharge its mandate with independence and impartiality, in full accordance with the Rome Statute and in the interest of victims of international crimes,” the court added.

The ICC is expected to issue a more extensive official response to the sanctions early Wednesday.

Rubio had signaled last month that the administration intended to dramatically increase pressure on the court, promising to use American diplomatic and governmental power to dismantle the institution “brick by brick.” Among the measures he outlined were additional sanctions, travel restrictions, visa cancellations, penalties targeting organizations affiliated with the ICC and diplomatic efforts encouraging other countries to leave the court.

The Trump administration has already sanctioned several ICC judges and prosecutors following the tribunal’s issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, who previously served as Israel’s defense minister, in connection with the Gaza war.

Washington’s dispute with the ICC predates the Gaza case. The United States has also strongly objected to the court’s previous investigation into the conduct of American military personnel in Afghanistan.

The administration’s sanctions campaign has triggered a series of legal challenges in American courts. Three ICC judges filed a lawsuit in New York in June arguing that sanctions imposed against them by the Trump administration violate U.S. law.

Two human rights organizations filed a separate lawsuit in July seeking to block sanctions against ICC officials. The groups argued that the administration’s actions had produced a “chilling effect” on their efforts to document alleged Israeli crimes against Palestinians.

Four additional human rights organizations filed another lawsuit against the Trump administration last week, contending that the sanctions imposed on ICC personnel are unlawfully obstructing their work involving international criminal justice.

COVID-19 infections are climbing across virtually the entire United States, according to new federal estimates, although serious illness and COVID-related emergency room visits remain at very low levels.

Modeling from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that “COVID-19 infections are growing or likely growing in 50 states.” As of mid-August, the agency was not estimating declining infections in any state, while no estimate was provided for Iowa.

The widespread increase does not appear, at least so far, to be producing a corresponding surge in severe disease. The CDC continues to classify COVID-related visits to hospital emergency departments as “very low.”

Wastewater surveillance is providing another window into the summer increase. Because people infected with COVID can shed the virus regardless of whether they have symptoms or seek medical care, sewage monitoring can detect community spread that might otherwise go unnoticed. Wastewater surveillance “can pick up signs of infection even from people who feel perfectly healthy,” according to the CDC.

Hawaii and Mississippi currently stand out as the two states with “moderate” levels of COVID activity detected in wastewater, although the available wastewater information for Mississippi is limited.

The West and South are showing somewhat greater viral activity than much of the rest of the country. Alabama, Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Oregon, Texas and Washington are currently classified as having “low” wastewater levels, while the remaining states are listed as “very low.”

The increase comes as the XFG lineage remains a major focus of federal health officials. The CDC continues to use genomic surveillance to track the proportions of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants around the country.

Despite COVID’s current upward trajectory, two other major respiratory illnesses are less prevalent. CDC wastewater monitoring shows influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, appearing at lower levels than COVID.

Meanwhile, a newly formulated COVID vaccine designed for the 2026-2027 season is expected to become available beginning this fall. The Food and Drug Administration has advised vaccine manufacturers that the updated shots should use the JN.1-lineage XFG variant in a monovalent vaccine to more closely match viruses now circulating.

The decision followed a May 28 meeting of the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, which reviewed variant circulation, vaccine effectiveness, immune-response data and other evidence before recommending XFG for the new formula.

Manufacturers had indicated to the FDA that they were prepared to produce XFG-targeted vaccines for the upcoming season, and Moderna said in materials submitted to the agency that it was prepared to supply its updated formulation by mid-August.

The latest numbers suggest that the United States is experiencing another period of increased COVID transmission heading toward the end of summer. For now, however, federal data indicate a significant distinction from earlier waves: infections may be increasing broadly, but severe cases remain comparatively uncommon.

Google is preparing to launch a new Gmail program that will allow qualifying political campaigns and organizations to bypass the platform’s standard spam filters, potentially sending more campaign and fundraising emails directly into users’ inboxes ahead of the November midterm elections.

The Gmail Verified Sender Program is scheduled to begin Sept. 8, according to eligibility requirements published by Google in its Help Center. Political senders that qualify will be able to avoid Gmail’s usual spam filtering as long as they comply with the program’s rules, including keeping their spam-complaint rate below 0.3% over a rolling 14-day period.

Mike Hahn, president of digital at Republican fundraising firm Frontline Strategies, welcomed Google’s decision, telling Campaigns & Elections that the change should have come sooner.

“Republicans have faced censorship from Big Tech for the better part of a decade and we finally have an opportunity to put our money where our mouth is,” Hahn said. “I hope all good actors take advantage of this program.”

Google, meanwhile, said the initiative is intended to provide greater predictability for political senders while preserving Gmail users’ ability to determine what appears in their inboxes.

“Following our previous pilot, this program is designed to connect people with the emails they want to receive while keeping them fully in control of their inboxes,” the spokesperson said. “To participate, bulk senders must meet strict security and compliance requirements, ensuring that messages people receive are relevant, useful, and verified.”

The new policy comes after years of complaints from Republicans who have accused Gmail’s spam-filtering system of disproportionately diverting conservative fundraising messages away from recipients’ primary inboxes. The dispute ultimately contributed to a lawsuit filed against Google by the Republican National Committee in 2022, though the case was later dismissed.

Eric Wilson, executive director of the Republican-aligned Center for Campaign Innovation, also applauded Google’s decision in a post on X.

“Glad to see Google’s action on this front,” Wilson wrote. “Democrats’ email marketing infrastructure gave them a leg up in the fundraising battle that had nothing to do with their message or candidates.”

The announcement, however, has also drawn criticism from those who argue that political organizations should remain subject to the same restrictions governing other large-scale email senders.

Josh Nelson, CEO of the progressive digital advertising platform Civic Shout, pointed to Google’s longstanding recommendations regarding bulk email practices.

“Google’s own long-standing advice to bulk email senders has been simple: Don’t send email to people who didn’t sign up to receive it,” Nelson said. “Political campaigns should have to play by those same rules.”

Nelson acknowledged that both major political parties are “guilty of sending unwanted email” but maintained that Republicans have “historically been far worse offenders.”

Political campaigns seeking admission to the program will be required to authenticate their sending domains through Campaign Verify, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization. They must also register with Google’s Postmaster Tools and satisfy the other eligibility and compliance standards established by Google.

For Gmail users, the practical effect could become increasingly noticeable as the midterm elections approach. Political messages that Gmail’s existing system might otherwise have directed into spam folders could instead appear directly in recipients’ inboxes once the new program takes effect.

{Matzav.com}

[COMMUNICATED]

Nineteen years ago, tragedy struck the Eckstein family when R’ Shlomo Tzvi Eckstein זצ״ל passed away, leaving behind eleven young children. Among them were his twin sons, Asher Anshel and Aharon Yosef, who were just six months old.

Their mother was left to raise eleven children on her own. Baruch Hashem, nine of the children have since married—and now, after nearly two decades, it is the twins’ turn to begin their own families.

Asher Anshel’s wedding will take place NEXT WEEK on August 24, 2026.

Aharon Yosef’s wedding will take place on October 26, 2026.

Two weddings. Just weeks apart.

As these two chashuve yesomim prepare to build their homes, the family and community are coming together to help make these simchos possible and allow both young men to begin married life with dignity and simcha.

We invite you to take part.

Every contribution, large or small, can make a real difference and help bring these two weddings to fruition.

Please donate today and help give these two yesomim the opportunity to enter their new lives with joy and dignity.

Donations can be made through the campaign. Donors’ Fund Tax ID: 11-3235771. Please make sure to designate the donation to the Eckstein account and write “Twin Weddings” in the memo.

May every person who helps bring simcha to these two yesomim be blessed with the fulfillment of the words:

אם אתה משמח את שלי אני משמח את שלך

Thank you for your generosity and support.

Tizku L’Mitzvos.

Please Donate today.

For the first time, a panel of experts has released clinical guidelines outlining how e-cigarettes can be used as a tool to help adult cigarette smokers quit.

The recommendations from a Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco panel say e-cigarettes should be considered alongside established smoking-cessation options, including nicotine replacement products and medications such as varenicline and bupropion. The guidance was recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

While emphasizing that e-cigarettes carry health risks of their own, the authors concluded that vaping is less harmful than cigarette smoking and may be more effective at helping smokers quit than conventional nicotine replacement treatments.

“This work is about correcting misperceptions that act as barriers to evidence-based care for smokers and expanding the tools clinicians can use to support smoking cessation among their patients,” lead researcher Eleanor Leavens said in a news release. She is an assistant professor of population health at the University of Kansas.

“There is no single approach that will help all smokers quit, but by providing patients with a menu of options and engaging in a risk-benefit conversation, they have a better chance of quitting for good and improving their overall health,” Leavens said.

In their review of the available evidence, the researchers said smokers who switch to vaping can substantially reduce their exposure to dangerous chemicals and cancer-causing substances, with reductions reaching as high as 90% in some cases.

Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved e-cigarettes as a smoking-cessation treatment, the researchers said there is high-certainty evidence linking their use with higher quit rates than nicotine replacement options such as patches, gum and nasal sprays.

“Unlike NRT (nicotine replacement therapy), e-cigarettes typically deliver nicotine rapidly and similarly to cigarettes,” the panel wrote in its paper. “Although such delivery poses a risk of greater dependence and long-term use relative to NRT, it may also contribute to e-cigarettes’ being more satisfying and a more effective substitute for cigarettes relative to NRT and contribute to a reduced risk of relapse.”

The panel said physicians counseling smokers should work with their patients to weigh the benefits and risks of the available approaches and determine which cessation method is most appropriate for each individual.

For patients who choose e-cigarettes as their method for quitting, the guidelines advise doctors to steer them toward FDA-authorized vaping products whose benefits have been determined to outweigh their risks. Patients should be encouraged to vape whenever they ordinarily would have smoked, transition completely away from cigarettes as rapidly as possible, and combine the effort with behavioral counseling to increase the likelihood of success.

“Behavioral support should focus on complete cessation of cigarettes and should include setting a quit date for cigarette use,” researchers wrote.

Once a smoker has completely stopped using cigarettes, the guidelines say physicians can consider advising the patient to gradually reduce nicotine exposure from vaping.

“The most important goal to keep in mind is maintaining complete abstinence from cigarettes,” the team wrote.

The recommendations were developed by the Harm Reduction Workgroup of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, an international nonprofit organization that does not accept tobacco-industry funding.

“Cigarette smoking causes about 30% of all cancer deaths in the United States and most people want to quit but struggle to do so,” Leavens said. “Adding clear guidance on e-cigarettes gives clinicians a practical tool that can help people move away from combustible tobacco and toward better health.”

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, seeking to force the Republican governor to extradite an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent accused of shooting a man in Minneapolis and then falsely describing what led to the incident.

Christian Castro, an ICE agent who has been jailed in Cameron County, Texas, since May 29, is charged in Minnesota with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime. The charges stem from a Jan. 14 shooting during Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration’s since-concluded immigration enforcement operation in the Twin Cities.

Minnesota prosecutors allege that Castro fired through the front door of a Minneapolis residence, striking Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg. The bullet ultimately became lodged in the wall of a child’s bedroom.

According to the criminal complaint, Castro subsequently told another officer that he had been attacked with a broomstick and snow shovel. Prosecutors contend that his account is contradicted by video footage, physical evidence and the testimony of four other witnesses.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sent a formal extradition request to Abbott on June 2, seeking Castro’s return to Minnesota to face the charges.

Ellison’s lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Texas, argues that Abbott does not have the authority to simply refuse the request. The complaint points to the Supreme Court’s 1987 decision in Puerto Rico v. Branstad, which held that the Constitution’s Extradition Clause creates a mandatory duty for the governor of a state where a fugitive is located.

“This is not a legally discretionary task,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said.

In addition to seeking an order compelling Abbott to approve Castro’s extradition, Ellison is asking the court to temporarily prohibit Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino from releasing the ICE agent.

Under Texas law, Castro can remain jailed for as long as 90 days while awaiting extradition. Once that period expires, he could be released, with Aug. 26 looming as a possible release date.

Ellison said during a news conference that authorities consider Castro a flight risk, particularly because he is being held close to the Mexican border. The lawsuit alleges that Castro has spoken from jail with a woman in Mexico about marrying her and purchasing a home there following his release.

The standoff marks a sharp break from the way Texas and Minnesota have handled extradition requests between the two states in the recent past.

According to Ellison’s office, Abbott approved Minnesota’s previous 11 extradition requests in an average of approximately 30 days, while Walz approved 21 requests from Texas in fewer than five days. Moriarty also said Abbott has signed three unrelated Minnesota extradition requests since Castro was taken into custody.

Abbott’s office told CBS Minnesota that it would not comment on pending extradition matters.

Texas Democratic Reps. Sylvia Garcia and Vicente Gonzalez have also called on Abbott to approve Castro’s transfer to Minnesota.

The lawsuit names Trevino alongside Abbott as a defendant and asks the federal court to compel the governor to sign the extradition warrant. Minnesota is also seeking attorneys’ fees and other costs associated with the case. Ellison warned Abbott in an Aug. 13 letter that legal action would follow unless the warrant was signed by 5 p.m. Monday. Abbott did not sign it.

Mexico is objecting to the Trump administration’s reported practice of deporting some Mexican citizens to Guatemala and Honduras rather than returning them directly to Mexico, saying Tuesday that it has never entered into an agreement permitting such removals.

CBS News reported that the Trump administration has quietly been transporting Mexican deportees to the two Central American countries. The report cited two Department of Homeland Security officials who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

According to the officials, one purpose of the policy is to discourage illegal immigration from Mexico by placing some deported Mexican nationals significantly farther from the U.S.-Mexico border.

One DHS official said the practice has been underway for several months and that hundreds of Mexican citizens have been deported to Guatemala and Honduras. The exact number of people affected remains unclear.

“The Government of Mexico accepts the return of all its nationals. It therefore rejects the deportation of Mexican nationals to third countries and has no such agreement in place,” Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement to CBS News. “Mexico consistently takes the steps necessary to ensure the safe and dignified return of all its nationals to national territory.”

The Trump administration has substantially increased its use of third-country deportations, in which migrants are removed to nations other than their countries of citizenship. According to CBS News, the approach has generally been used when a migrant’s home country, including Cuba, refuses or restricts deportation flights, or when an individual has legal protections preventing removal to his or her country of origin.

Mexico presents a different situation because it has traditionally accepted its citizens who are deported from the United States. The country has also received migrants from other Latin American nations who were removed by U.S. authorities.

“This is almost entirely punitive,” Adam Isacson, a researcher at the Washington Office on Latin America who studies regional migration patterns, told CBS News.

Isacson said sending Mexican migrants to Guatemala or Honduras creates an additional obstacle for anyone considering another attempt to enter the United States illegally, while simultaneously serving as a warning to other migrants.

“It’s the same as the purpose of sending them to Ecuador or Africa or anywhere else: to broadcast the hardship, to make sure people know that this is a possible consequence of remaining undocumented in the United States, and to encourage people to self-deport,” he explained.

Asked by Newsmax about the reported practice, both DHS and the White House defended President Trump’s overall deportation campaign but did not specifically answer questions concerning Mexican citizens being transported to third countries.

“The Trump Administration is utilizing all lawful options to carry out the largest deportation operation in history, just as President [Donald] Trump promised,” a DHS spokesperson told Newsmax.

A White House official offered a similar defense, telling Newsmax, “The Trump Administration is using all the tools in our toolbox to carry out the largest, lawful deportation operation of criminal illegal aliens in history.”

Neither the White House nor DHS explained why Mexican nationals would be deported to Guatemala or Honduras instead of Mexico, responded directly to the Mexican government’s objections, or clarified what legal or diplomatic arrangements allow the third-country removals.