The Daily Brief
Today
Good morning. Devastating flash floods in Nepal killed at least 670 people and left around 3,000 missing — including 90 Americans — and former USAID disaster-response chief Jeremy Konyndyk suggested Saturday the death toll might have been lower if not for the Trump administration's actions. In the occupied West Bank, Israeli settlers unleashed a ferocious assault on Palestinians Saturday, its savagery forcing even Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials to condemn it. Meanwhile, the Trump administration handed U.S. companies access to Venezuela's vast oil reserves — no agreement text released, no answers on drilling timelines or who pays.
In Los Angeles, newly released body-camera footage shows a cadre of LAPD officers beating and restraining Jose Carlos Hoyoz-Munoz while he was handcuffed in July, minutes before he was found dead in a jail cell; police arrested him after a family altercation and restrained him for what they called 'combative' behavior. In Wyoming, the governor denounced what he called 'aggressive' and 'irregular' behavior by Department of Justice employees sent to monitor the August 18 primary, a preview of Trump's midterm interference. [Far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos, an enthusiastic supporter of Trump's immigration crackdown, was deported for being in the US illegally, with ICE labeling him an 'illegal alien.'](https://www.npr.org/2026/08/29/nx-s1-5948731/milo-yiannopoulos-arrested-overstaying-us-visa)
In California, Big Oil funneled over $17 million into crushing climate and worker-safety legislation in the first half of 2026, while Gavin Newsom caved to utility pressure in a late-night deal, dropping legislation that would have shifted wildfire costs to property insurers — a move that could have sharply raised premiums statewide. GOP incumbents face competitive races in traditionally safe red seats as Trump's economic agenda alienates voters, handing Democrats pickup opportunities.
Elsewhere, a Missouri college football player died after a medical emergency during his season opener, and four baby goats at a North Carolina mobile petting zoo tested positive for rabies and were euthanized, prompting health officials to urge anyone exposed to seek treatment. Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed faces scrutiny over his response to a March synagogue attack, a controversy raising concerns among party insiders.