ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

August 15, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) -- As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

• Multiple Men Have Impersonated ICE Agents To Kidnap And Assault Women  (Huffington Post)
• Supreme Court formally asked to overturn landmark same-sex marriage ruling (ABC)
• US judge blocks Trump religious exemption to birth control coverage (Reuters)
• State Department slashes reports on human rights violations   (NPR)
• Key sections of the US Constitution deleted from government’s website (Tech Crunch)
• Elon Musk, Crypto Help Boost Trump Super PAC to New Heights (NOTUS)
• Private Prisons Cash In on ‘Unprecedented’ ICE Demands (NOTUS)
• Las Vegas sees drop in tourism, hinting at broader economic woes facing the U.S. (NPR)
• U.S. Air Force to deny early retirement benefits to some transgender service members (AP)
• Federal judge rules cuts to humanities grants were 'unlawful' (NPR)
• Video shows Department of Justice official urging Jan. 6 rioters to 'kill' cops (NPR)
• Trump Goes One Step Further Toward Naming JD Vance His Heir Apparent (NOTUS)

WORLD 

• Trump may offer Putin minerals access(in Alaska)  in exchange for peace, Telegraph reports (MSN)
• Israeli Security Cabinet Approves Full Military Takeover of Gaza (NY Times)
• Netanyahu divides Israelis and allies with plan for new military push in Gaza (BBC)
• 4 European countries agree to buy a combined $1 billion in U.S. weapons for Ukraine (NPR)
• Seven volcanoes wake up in Russia’s Kamchatka after powerful quake (AP)
• Flash floods kill at least 10 people and leave 33 missing in northwestern China (AP)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

U.S.

Multiple Men Have Impersonated ICE Agents To Kidnap And Assault Women  (Huffington Post)

House Democrats are urging the Department of Homeland Security to mandate that immigration officials clearly identify themselves when conducting arrests. The demand comes in the wake of multiple reports of men impersonating Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to kidnap and assault women. The Democratic Women’s Caucus demanded action in a Monday letter sent to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and other Trump administration officials.

Supreme Court formally asked to overturn landmark same-sex marriage ruling (ABC)

Ten years after the Supreme Court extended marriage rights to same-sex couples nationwide, the justices this fall will consider for the first time whether to take up a case that explicitly asks them to overturn that decision.Kim Davis, the former Kentucky county clerk who was jailed for six days in 2015 after refusing to issue marriage licenses to a gay couple on religious grounds, is appealing a $100,000 jury verdict for emotional damages plus $260,000 for attorneys fees.

US judge blocks Trump religious exemption to birth control coverage (Reuters)

 A U.S. judge on Wednesday struck down rules adopted during President Donald Trump's first term that exempt employers with religious or moral objections from having to provide workers with insurance coverage for birth control.

State Department slashes reports on human rights violations   (NPR)

The State Department released its long-awaited reports on international human rights Tuesday, and they drastically reduce the types of government repression and abuse that the United States under President Trump deems worthy of criticism.

Key sections of the US Constitution deleted from government’s website (Tech Crunch)

Several sections of Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution appear to have been removed from the official U.S. government website, as pointed out by sleuths on the internet and as seen by TechCrunch. The changes were made in the last month... Large parts of Section 8 have been removed, and Sections 9 and 10 have been deleted altogether...These sections largely relate to the powers that Congress has and does not have, as well as limitations on the powers of individual states. The removal includes sections relating to habeas corpus, the powers that protect citizens from unlawful detention. 

Elon Musk, Crypto Help Boost Trump Super PAC to New Heights (NOTUS)

President Donald Trump’s flagship super PAC is sitting on an unprecedented war chest as the 2026 midterm elections take shape. / The super PAC, MAGA Inc., boasts a cash balance of nearly $200 million, according to a report it filed late Thursday with the Federal Election Commission…. / Most notable among MAGA Inc. donors: Elon Musk, who made a $5 million donation to the president’s super PAC on June 27, weeks after his chaotic and public falling out with the president.

Private Prisons Cash In on ‘Unprecedented’ ICE Demands (NOTUS)

CoreCivic, one of the biggest private prison companies in the United States, posted a 103.4% increase in net income in Q2.

Las Vegas sees drop in tourism, hinting at broader economic woes facing the U.S. (NPR)

For the sixth consecutive month this year, Las Vegas experienced a decline in the number of visitors year-over-year …. Among the biggest blows has been the loss of visitors from Canada, who make up the biggest share of Las Vegas' international market, according to Woods….  In the U.S. more broadly, there was a drop in international travelers from nearly every region in the world in June compared to last year… / The World Travel & Tourism Council in May said that the U.S. is on track to lose $12.5 billion in international spending this year.

U.S. Air Force to deny early retirement benefits to some transgender service members (AP)

The U.S. Air Force said Thursday it would deny all transgender service members who have served between 15 and 18 years the option to retire early and would instead separate them without retirement benefits. One Air Force sergeant said he was "betrayed and devastated" by the move. 

Federal judge rules cuts to humanities grants were 'unlawful' (NPR)

 A federal judge has ruled that the government's abrupt elimination of humanities grants previously approved by Congress was "unlawful" and that a lawsuit brought by humanities groups can move forward…. In his decision, U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon wrote that the councils were "likely to succeed on their claim that the withholding of the funds at issue in this case is unconstitutional." He added, "The United States Constitution exclusively grants the power of the purse to Congress, not the President."

Video shows Department of Justice official urging Jan. 6 rioters to 'kill' cops (NPR)

 Less than five years after urging rioters to "kill" police at the Capitol, a former Jan. 6 defendant is working as a senior adviser for the Department of Justice… Police bodycam footage introduced at the trial of Jared Wise showed him berating police officers on Jan. 6, 2021, and yelling "kill 'em" as rioters attacked law enforcement….

Trump Goes One Step Further Toward Naming JD Vance His Heir Apparent (NOTUS)

The president named his second-in-command and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as his two favorites to run for president — potentially on the same ticket — in 2028.

WORLD 

Trump may offer Putin minerals access(in Alaska)  in exchange for peace, Telegraph reports (MSN)

... The proposal package reportedly involves granting Russia access to Alaska's natural resources and lifting certain U.S. sanctions on Russia's aviation sector, which has struggled under the weight of international sanctions.

Israeli Security Cabinet Approves Full Military Takeover of Gaza (NY Times)

Israeli leaders early on Friday approved a plan for the gradual military takeover of all of Gaza, a pivotal and risky decision that went against the recommendations of the Israeli military and promised to take the nearly two-year war into uncharted terrain..

Netanyahu divides Israelis and allies with plan for new military push in Gaza (BBC)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's controversial plans for a new military push in the Gaza Strip have raised warnings from the army leadership, opposition from hostage families and concerns that more Palestinians will be killed. They also risk isolating his country even further.

4 European countries agree to buy a combined $1 billion in U.S. weapons for Ukraine (NPR)

"We already have commitments from the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark – over one billion dollars for American weapons that Ukraine will receive. Thank you! This cooperation with NATO countries will continue," Zelenskyy wrote on X.

Seven volcanoes wake up in Russia’s Kamchatka after powerful quake (AP)

 Klyuchevskoi, Krasheninnikov, Avachinsky and others have all woken up following the 8.8 magnitude quake, the strongest in the region since 1952. The scientists of the Volcanology and Seismology Institute of Russia’s Academy of Science said it was the first time the mass awakening had happened for the first time in 300 years.

Flash floods kill at least 10 people and leave 33 missing in northwestern China (AP)

At least 10 people died and 33 were missing after flash foods in Yuzhong County in China’s northwestern Gansu province, Chinese state media reported Friday.