Real-time News

According to Axios: The Trump administration criticized Israeli Defense Minister Katz's remarks about continuing the occupation of southern Lebanon, saying that such statements violated commitments made by the Israeli government in agreements signed with the United States and Lebanon.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 21.69 points, or 0.04%, at 53,770.16 on Wednesday, August 12; the S&P 500 rose 20.31 points, or 0.26%, to 7,748.51 on Wednesday, August 12; and the Nasdaq Composite rose 143.04 points, or 0.54%, to 26,588.49 on Wednesday, August 12.

According to Israel's i24News: At the request of Colombian earthquake disaster management authorities, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has dispatched an aid team to Colombia.

On August 13, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on August 12 that the recent adjustments to the United States' childhood vaccination program deviated from scientific evidence. He warned that delaying or splitting vaccinations could expose children to the risk of infectious diseases for longer periods. This followed US President Trump's executive order to reduce the number of childhood vaccinations. The WHO expressed concern over this move.

On August 13th, the Iranian Persian Gulf Straits Authority stated on the 12th that repeated claims by US officials that the Strait of Hormuz has reopened do not change the fact that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed and will not reopen unless the US accepts the conditions proposed by Iran.

According to Iranian media Fars News, the Houthi rebels in Yemen launched a drone attack on Saudi mercenary positions in the port of Mocha.

U.S. Defense Secretary Hergsays: Colombia will join the U.S. anti-drug cartel alliance and authorize joint military operations with the United States.

In a speech in Panama, U.S. Defense Secretary Hergsays called on Latin American allies to withdraw from the International Criminal Court.

August 13 - Colombian media, citing data released on August 12 by the Colombian National Disaster Risk Management Agency, reported that the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck western Colombia on August 10 has killed 241 people and injured 3,771.

On August 13th, SpaceX (SPCX.O) shares surged nearly 12% intraday. This rise was driven by a Morgan Stanley research report, which argued that the public market significantly undervalued SpaceX's artificial intelligence enterprise platform. Investors are increasingly viewing SpaceX not just as an aerospace and satellite hardware company, but as a vertically integrated technology giant with its own data, global network infrastructure, and cutting-edge AI models. Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas stated that SpaceX's recent AI offerings demonstrate a broader software ecosystem, with GrokBot being early evidence of this platform. This platform combines unique real-time data, vertically integrated computing power, connectivity, and intelligence—values not yet fully priced into the market. The report points out that SpaceX possesses two structural advantages: a real-time data pipeline from telemetry data from the X and Starlink satellite networks; and a "real-world" moat combining low-cost computing power with a global communication network. Musk previously stated that Grok 4.7 will surpass all current models, citing SpaceX's unique and powerful training data as giving it an advantage in real-world engineering capabilities.

Market news: Minouch Shafiq, former deputy governor of the Bank of England and director of the International Monetary Fund, has stepped down as chief economic advisor to the British Prime Minister.

U.S. Central Command: As of August 12 local time, the U.S. military has forced 59 merchant ships to change course, rendered 3 ships inoperable, and boarded and inspected 2 ships.

According to CBC News: Canada and the United States are not yet ready to reach a tariff agreement, and Canada is dissatisfied with the latest U.S. proposal.

Iran's Persian Gulf Straits Authority: US officials have claimed and repeatedly announced that the Strait of Hormuz is no longer blocked, but these claims do not change the reality: the Strait of Hormuz remains closed and will not reopen unless Iran's conditions are accepted.

August 13th - As of 2:30 PM closing, the main Shanghai gold futures contract rose 0.36% to 959 yuan/gram, the main Shanghai silver futures contract rose 0.63% to 16,024 yuan/kilogram, and the main SC crude oil futures contract rose 0.63% to 556 yuan/barrel.

August 13th - According to the Globe and Mail, the Canadian government is considering a proposed auto tariff package, hoping to accept some U.S. auto tariffs in exchange for lower U.S. tariffs on vehicles compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The package includes maintaining the exemption policy, meaning the value of U.S.-made parts in Canadian-exported cars will not be included in the tariff calculation. Sources indicate that U.S. and Canadian negotiators have discussed the proposal. Preliminary details suggest that the auto tariffs imposed by Trump under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 could be further reduced from the current 25% tariff on all USMCA-compliant Canadian auto exports. Furthermore, the value of U.S. parts in Canadian-made cars will remain excluded from the tariff calculation. Approximately 50% of the parts in a Canadian-made car come from the U.S., and businesses believe that a 10% to 15% tariff level would be acceptable if U.S. components were excluded. The goal is to reach an agreement by August 19th. Canadian officials believe that a deferral of the next round of tariffs is more likely by August 19th than a comprehensive resolution to the Section 232 tariff issue.

On August 13th, the U.S. Treasury Department reported on Wednesday that the U.S. budget deficit has surged to its highest monthly level in more than five years, driven by soaring Medicare costs and continued pressure from federal debt interest payments. In addition to the significant single-month increase, the cumulative deficit for the first 10 months of fiscal year 2026 has approached $1.8 trillion, exceeding the figure for the same period in fiscal year 2025. The total deficit in July reached $432.3 billion, an increase of approximately 48% compared to the same period last year, marking the largest single-month deficit since March 2021 and setting a new July record. Medicare spending reached $174 billion that month, up from $103 billion in June, bringing the total for the year to $955 billion. This was the largest single expenditure in July, far exceeding Social Security spending of $141 billion and net interest payments on national debt of $104 billion. Furthermore, tariff rebates also impacted the budget by $33 billion. Additionally, U.S. fiscal revenue was negatively affected by a calendar factor of $99 billion, as the first day of the month was a non-working day. For years, Trump has urged the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates to ease debt costs. Since his nominee, Warsh, took over as chairman in May, he has ceased criticizing the Fed.

On August 13th, Reuters, citing sources, reported that Alphabet, the parent company of Google (GOOG.O), is undergoing a major leadership reshuffle at Google DeepMind, with some teams moving from DeepMind to the Google corporate system, further weakening DeepMind's autonomy. Sources said that Google co-founder Sergey Brin has been urging core AI employees in recent months to "fully commit" to the Gemini model and push for AI research in areas such as "recursive self-improvement." Following this reshuffle, DeepMind head Demis Hassabis will become chairman, with his deputy Kolai Kavukuoğlu taking over leadership responsibilities. Google stated that Kavukuoğlu will have final say on major decisions at DeepMind. Sources said that Google has postponed the release of the new flagship Gemini model by two months because internal testing showed it still lags behind competitors in areas such as programming. Analysts believe that Alphabet's restructuring aims to accelerate AI commercialization and regain a competitive edge in model development, but some employees worry that DeepMind's long-term research autonomy may further decline.

On August 13, according to a statement from the Iraqi Prime Minister's Media Office, Iraqi Prime Minister Mullah Zaidi met with visiting U.S. Central Command Commander General Robert Cooper on August 12. During the meeting, Zaidi reiterated Iraq's commitment to the established timetable, namely, September 30th is the final date for the international coalition forces to end their military mission in Iraq and complete their withdrawal. Zaidi stated that October 1st will be a new day in Iraqi history, when Iraq will completely rid itself of all foreign military presence, realize its territorial sovereignty, continuously enhance its national security and military capabilities, and safeguard its own security and stability.