⚡ Today in History

On August 11, 1999, a total solar eclipse swept across Europe, Asia, and Africa in one of the most-viewed eclipses in recorded history. Tomorrow, Iceland gets its own turn, when a total eclipse crosses its west coast for the first time in 72 years.

Top News

Trump cuts childhood vaccines from 17 shots to 11 17→11

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday trimming the recommended childhood vaccine schedule from 17 shots to 11, citing an unproven link to autism. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stood beside him in the Oval Office as the order also called for splitting the combined measles, mumps and rubella shot into three doses. Major medical groups say decades of research show no autism link, and the order is expected to face a court challenge like one that blocked a similar move earlier this year.

Oil jumps 5% as Hormuz talks stall +5%

Brent crude rose about 5% Monday to settle near $88 a barrel after Iran said its blockade demands still stand for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The strait carries about a fifth of the world's oil, and Tehran says the United States must lift its naval blockade before shipping can resume. Iran and Oman are holding separate talks on a narrower shipping corridor, which Iranian officials say are close to a deal.

Drone strike kills 13 in Russian oil city

Ukraine launched a drone attack Monday on Nizhnekamsk, a Russian oil-refining hub about 800 kilometers east of Moscow in the Tatarstan region. The strike hit the Taneco refinery and killed at least 13 people, including a child, while wounding dozens more, regional officials said. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attacks on Russian refineries will continue until Moscow returns to peace talks.

Wildfires force new evacuations in Spain and Greece

A punishing heatwave has left southern Europe tinder-dry for weeks, fueling wildfires across Spain, Greece, and Italy. Firefighters evacuated about 800 people in southern Spain on Monday as shifting winds pushed flames through difficult terrain, while a blaze west of Athens that destroyed dozens of homes was brought under control. Nineteen Italian cities remain on red alert as the heat persists.

Typhoon Dolphin floods eastern China, grounds flights

Typhoon Dolphin made landfall in Zhejiang province Sunday with winds of 151 kilometers per hour, the strongest storm to hit China this year. The storm has since weakened but continued dumping rain Monday, flooding streets in Shanghai and forcing more than a million people to evacuate across three provinces. Shanghai's two airports canceled more than 900 flights, and authorities warned of landslide risk as the remnants push toward Beijing this week.

World

WHO warehouse destroyed in Ukraine strikes $500K

A World Health Organization warehouse in Dnipro, Ukraine, holding emergency medical supplies, was hit three times between last Monday and Friday, the agency said, as Russia and Ukraine traded missile strikes over the weekend. The facility held supplies worth an estimated $500,000 bound for frontline health centers, and WHO said everything was destroyed after staff had already moved out most of the stock. No casualties were reported at the site.

Iran names new security chief as Hormuz talks continue

Iran's supreme leader named former Revolutionary Guards commander Mohsen Rezaee to head the country's top security body Monday, a shift that comes as Tehran and Oman work on a deal to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran says a US naval blockade must end before the strait can fully reopen. The talks follow a June memorandum between Washington and Tehran that collapsed within weeks over disputed shipping routes.

Houthi rebels claim attack on Saudi refinery

Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen said they struck Saudi Arabia's Jazan refinery over the weekend, adding a new front to the disruptions already rattling Red Sea shipping lanes. A tanker operated by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. also came under attack in the Strait of Hormuz. Analysts say the overlapping threats are complicating efforts to fully restore oil traffic through the region even if a Hormuz deal is reached.

Ukraine cuts grain export forecast by up to 12%

Ukraine's Agriculture Ministry lowered its 2026-27 grain export forecast to 38 million to 40 million tonnes, down as much as 12% from its earlier estimate, Minister Taras Vysotskyi said. Russian attacks on the southern Odesa port hub have slowed shipments since late last month, cutting into a route that feeds global grain markets. Ukraine is one of the world's largest wheat and corn exporters.

Solar eclipse to darken Iceland's sky Wednesday

A total solar eclipse crosses Iceland's west coast on August 12, the country's first total eclipse in 72 years and Reykjavik's first in nearly six centuries. Totality begins around 5:43 p.m. local time and lasts longest, just over two minutes, at Latrabjarg Cliff in the Westfjords. The same eclipse will later cross northern Spain before sunset.

Politics

Vaccine order splits shots into risk tiers 3 TIERS

Beyond cutting the overall vaccine count, Trump's order divides childhood immunizations into tiers, recommending shots like the RSV vaccine, which guards against a common respiratory virus, and hepatitis B only for children considered high-risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tried a similar shift in January, but a federal judge blocked it. Monday's order directs the health department to draft a plan reviving that approach through a different legal route.

Sen. Cassidy, a physician, breaks with the order

Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican and practicing physician, publicly rejected the vaccine order's premise within hours of the signing. In a social media post Monday, Cassidy said decades of research show no connection between vaccines and autism, and warned that splitting combined shots into separate doses means children need more appointments, not fewer.

DOJ told to investigate vaccine industry

Trump's order also directs the Department of Justice to look into how vaccine manufacturers have handled safety data, a provision that follows months of pressure from the administration on Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to find grounds for the autism claim. No timeline for the investigation was given in the order's text.

Poll finds growing support for proportional voting

A new survey found rising support among Americans for moving toward proportional representation, an electoral system that would let multiple candidates win seats in a single district based on a party's vote share. Backers argue it would better reflect how people actually vote, while critics say it could fracture Congress into smaller, harder-to-govern factions.

Measles cases already ahead of last year's total

US measles cases in 2026 are on pace to surpass last year's total, according to public health researchers, even as the administration moves to loosen vaccine recommendations. Health officials attribute the rise to falling vaccination rates in some communities. The trend has fueled criticism that Monday's order arrives at the wrong moment.

Markets

S&P 500 slips off record high as oil rallies 7,750

The S&P 500 fell 0.1% Monday to 7,750.26, a day after closing at a record high, as rising oil prices stoked fresh inflation worries. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also slipped 0.1%, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.3%. Traders are bracing for inflation data and Treasury auctions later this week.

Intel shares fall 4% after $15 billion stock sale

Intel shares dropped about 4% Monday after the chipmaker announced a $15 billion public offering of common stock. The company also plans to grant underwriters an option to buy an additional $2.25 billion in shares. Intel has leaned on outside capital this year to fund its turnaround push.

Monday.com drops 10% despite earnings beat

Monday.com shares fell about 10% Monday even after posting second-quarter earnings that topped Wall Street forecasts. The software company's third-quarter revenue guidance of $368 million to $370 million came in below what some analysts had modeled. Investors focused on the softer outlook rather than the beat.

eBay slips as GameStop weighs pulling takeover bid

eBay shares fell about 4% Monday after a report that GameStop chief executive Ryan Cohen is considering withdrawing his company's $56 billion bid for the online marketplace. Cohen has not made a final decision, according to people familiar with the talks. GameStop's bid, if completed, would have been one of the largest e-commerce deals in years.

GM to sell stake in EV battery venture

General Motors is planning to sell its half of a $3.5 billion electric-vehicle battery joint venture, according to a person familiar with the matter. The move would let GM offload capital-intensive battery production as EV sales growth has slowed industrywide. The company hasn't named a buyer yet.

Entertainment

Spider-Man sets record with $360M opening $360M

Spider-Man: Brand New Day opened to $360 million worldwide over the weekend, the biggest debut in box-office history. The film, starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jon Bernthal, has already crossed $1 billion globally in record time. Domestically, the movie remained the top earner for a second weekend, pulling in $145 million despite a 60% drop from its opening.

The Odyssey becomes Nolan's highest-grossing film

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has passed The Dark Knight Rises to become the highest-grossing film of his career, with more than $1.1 billion earned worldwide so far. The film is on track to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever, with distributor Universal eyeing a $1.4 billion final total. The Odyssey added another $31.5 million domestically over the weekend.

Brad Pitt says he's drinking again after 7 sober years

Brad Pitt told Esquire in an interview published Monday that he has resumed drinking alcohol after seven years of sobriety. The 61-year-old actor said he now approaches drinking with more restraint than before he quit. Pitt didn't specify what prompted the return.

Antonio Banderas marks 66th birthday with surprise serenade

Antonio Banderas celebrated his 66th birthday Saturday at the Starlite Gala in Marbella, Spain, where opera singer Placido Domingo surprised him with a serenade. The actor also shared a wish about becoming a grandfather that he's keeping from his daughter, Stella, for now.

Summer box office nears $4 billion milestone

The North American summer box office stood at $3.99 billion through August 9, just short of the $4 billion mark, according to Rentrak data. A run led by Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey has pushed summer ticket sales toward levels not reached in several years.