The Daily Brief
Today
Good morning. [JD Sports slashed profit forecasts as cost-of-living pressures, fuelled by the US war on Iran, deter shoppers, especially in the US, weighing on sales of trainers](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/aug/20/trainers-sales-dive-cost-of-living-inflation-jd-sports), while [former Navy leaders warn the Iran war is wearing down aircraft carriers — including the USS Abraham Lincoln — putting a strain on long-term war-fighting capabilities of the fleet](https://www.ms.now/news/maintenance-problems-navy-ships-iran-war).
The immigration enforcement machine turns on its own assets. [The Trump administration is trying to deport a self-described CIA spy who won permission to live in the U.S. by helping convict terrorists](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ice-detainee-spy-terrorism-blerim-skoro). Simultaneously, [the system to report problems in ICE detention has failed immigrants so completely that critics say it is the reason why more detainees are risking their lives to protest inhumane conditions and legal rights violations, in the form of widespread hunger strikes](https://www.npr.org/2026/08/20/nx-s1-5850361/grievance-ice-detention-immigrants).
[At least a half-dozen federal agencies have taken action against California, the state that has long led the nation in environmental protections](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/20/climate/trump-california-climate.html).
[In Brazil, Lula is a reelection favorite a year after his popularity sank to career lows, thanks to help from two right-wing nemeses: Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-08-20/brazil-election-lula-seen-as-frontrunner-over-flavio-bolsonaro).