Dan Bongino continues to deliver on his promise of giving us regular updates of everything the FBI is accomplishing. It still does not involve Epstein or the stolen 2020 election or some of the bigger things we are all waiting for, but hopefully those will come. In the meantime, this should not be minimized. Take a look: I wanted to share the latest updates regarding the great work happening every day behind the scenes at the FBI on Operation Summer Heat. -The FBI’s violent crime crackdown is hitting hard—targeting gangs, transnational criminal organizations, illegal guns, and repeat offenders… — Dan Bongino (@FBIDDBongino) August 8, 2025 I wanted to share the latest updates regarding the great work happening every day behind the scenes at the FBI on Operation Summer Heat. -The FBI’s violent crime crackdown is hitting hard—targeting gangs, transnational criminal organizations, illegal guns, and repeat offenders in cities nationwide. We’re not letting up. -This week alone, YOUR FBI teams, alongside our state, local, and international partners, arrested 134 subjects. The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit and our Violent Crimes Against Children International Task Force arrested a 36-year-old Irish national who was charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and coercion and enticement of a child. There were dozens of victims that are now relieved to know this suspect will face justice. -Since the kickoff of Summer Heat in late June, the FBI and our law enforcement partners continue to get dangerous drugs and criminals off the streets. -123 kg of fentanyl was seized BEFORE hitting our communities -3,329 total subjects have been arrested -770 subjects have been indicted -We’re also in close contact with our partners and providing assistance on several investigations around the country. @FBINashville helped our partners with the arrest of Austin Drummond, who is accused of killing 4 people and abandoning a baby in Tennessee. Our team in @FBIAtlanta rushed to aid our military and local law enforcement partners after the shooting at Fort Stewart in Georgia. Victims nationwide deserve justice and communities deserve peace – whether it’s on the ground support, intelligence analysis, or specialized teams, the FBI stands by ready to help. We are not backing down. God bless America, and all who defend her. On his personal account, shortly after this post above he posted this: — Dan Bongino (@dbongino) August 8, 2025 Which is leading many to wonder what else may be coming next!

President Trump is literally doing the impossible… Today he secured and signed a peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia — something that until recent days was thought to be impossible. Take a look at the incredible, historic moment: At one point, this was considered IMPOSSIBLE. This is massive. Congrats to President Trump and the parties involved. pic.twitter.com/U1JvSRai1N — Patrick Bet-David (@patrickbetdavid) August 8, 2025 Here’s a summary of the deal: On August 8, 2025, a landmark peace agreement was signed at the White House to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakhconflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The agreement was brokered by President Trump, who hosted Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for the signing ceremony. A new strategic transit corridor in the South Caucasus will be established—named the TRIPP, short for “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity.” The United States has been granted exclusive development rights to the corridor, which will operate under Armenian law and be managed by a U.S. consortium. The treaty includes normalization of diplomatic relations, mutual respect for territorial integrity, cessation of hostilities, and expanded cooperation in defense, energy, trade, and technology. Both Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders expressed cautious optimism, with some even suggesting Trump might merit a Nobel Peace Prize. Experts say the agreement represents a significant U.S. diplomatic achievement and a potential shift in the regional balance of influence. Analysts note that long-term peace will likely require continued U.S. involvement, and there are lingering concerns about human rights issues in the region. The deal also aligns with broader U.S. goals of boosting regional stability, enhancing connectivity, and countering Russian influence in the South Caucasus. Watch the incredible full meeting here: Reuters confirmed these details: Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a U.S.-brokered peace agreement on Friday during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump that would boost bilateral economic ties after decades of conflict and move them toward a full normalization of their relations. The deal between the South Caucasus rivals – assuming it holds – would be a significant accomplishment for the Trump administration that is sure to rattle Moscow, which sees the region as within its sphere of influence. “It’s a long time – 35 years – they fought and now they’re friends, and they’re going to be friends for a long time,” Trump said at a signing ceremony at the White House, where he was flanked by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at odds since the late 1980s when Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous Azerbaijani region mostly populated by ethnic Armenians, broke away from Azerbaijan with support from Armenia. Azerbaijan took back full control of the region in 2023, prompting almost all of the territory’s 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee to Armenia. Trump said the two countries had committed to stop fighting, open up diplomatic relations and respect each other’s territorial integrity. The agreement includes exclusive U.S. development rights to a strategic transit corridor through the South Caucasus that the White House said would facilitate greater exports of energy and other resources. Trump said the United States signed separate deals with each country to expand cooperation on energy, trade and technology, including artificial intelligence. Details were not released. He said restrictions had also been lifted on defense cooperation between Azerbaijan and the United States, a development that could also worry Moscow. Both leaders praised Trump for helping to end the conflict and said they would nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize.

CANYON FIRE UPDATE: The blaze has scorched nearly 5,000 acres in LA and Ventura counties

Episode Description: In this week’s episode of The Optimist Daily’s Weekly Round-up, Arielle and Karissa explore two powerful stories that spotlight how cities are becoming safer, smarter, and more inclusive for both people and animals. Arielle shares how Amsterdam is installing tiny wooden staircases along its iconic canals to help cats and wildlife escape safely; a small fix with a big heart. Karissa highlights a growing movement in German cities where subsidized night taxi vouchers are helping women get home safely after dark. Tune in for feel-good solutions that prove cities can evolve with compassion. The Optimist Daily is a project of the World Business Academy. Donate link: https://www.optimistdaily.com/donate-to-support-the-optimist-daily/?gift=Y%20http:// Transcript: Theme music Arielle Hello and welcome to The Optimist Daily’s Weekly Round-up. I’m Arielle. Karissa And I’m Karissa, and we’re working hard to put solutions in view and optimism in movement. Arielle Hello, hello. We are back with another episode of our pod to share the solutions from The Optimist Daily this week. As usual, we’re just letting everyone know that you can sign up for our free daily newsletter that comes with all of the solutions that we don’t get to talk about. Karissa Yeah, exactly. And you can also follow us on social channels. We are on basically everything @optimistdaily, except on X, where we are @OdeToOptimism. So you can also get your solutions over there. Arielle We would like to send out a really big thank you to all of our Emissaries, who are people who sign up on the website optimistdaily.com to financially support us—either a one-time donation or it can be monthly or annual, whatever you like. So yeah, a great big thank you to you guys. We really appreciate your support. To our non-financial supporters, you’re also extremely important because you guys share the podcast, you send stories to friends and family members, you get our message out there, and you share our social media posts. So that’s also a huge help. Gives us a lot of visibility. Karissa Yeah, absolutely. Loving all the optimism that we’re sharing—and you guys are a part of that as well. Arielle Karissa, how are you doing? Karissa This week I am doing well. I’ve just been trying to enjoy the slower days of summer and just trying to keep optimistic and a little bit grounded in the midst of everything going on. What about you, Arielle? Arielle I’m also doing really well. I don’t have an “I’m an optimist, but…” really this week. We celebrated Pride this past weekend and I’ve just been trying to keep that positivity and optimism. The only thing that I can think of that’s kind of getting me down a bit was what I learned in my Dutch class this week—which is that vet prices are getting higher and higher. Veterinarians in the Netherlands aren’t really controlled the same way as human doctors. So there are actually a lot of de-registered or unregistered vets out there that are just practicing, and that kind of saturates the market and also makes the prices go higher. As soon as our class finished, I checked whether my vet for Tinker Bell the dog is actually in the registry—and she is, which is good. But yeah, that’s the only little thing that’s been getting under my skin this week. Karissa Yeah, that is kind of concerning. I mean, I hope maybe there’s a solution for that sometime in the future because our pet friends—as we were even talking about last week, I believe—are so important. Arielle Yeah, I guess animals have been top of mind because I have yet another animal story that I’m sharing this week. Karissa Yeah, I mean, let’s hear about it. Arielle So this one actually ties in two things that I love, which are pets and the city that I live in—Amsterdam. So you know, Karissa, how Amsterdam is famous for its canals? These gorgeous waterways that wind through the city like liquid streets. Karissa Of course. I mean, they’re so beautiful from the pictures I’ve seen—and definitely on my bucket list to come visit your wonderful city, Arielle, and see all the amazing canals. Arielle Mm-hmm. Yeah, they don’t disappoint in person either. But as pretty as they are, they’re also kind of intimidating—if you’re, say, a cat. Karissa I mean, I bet. As a cat person, I know they do not love their water. Arielle Yeah, exactly. So this week I’m talking about a solution that’s happening in the city I call home, and it’s titled Amsterdam adds tiny canal staircases to save wildlife and pets. So Amsterdam’s actually had a bit of a problem lately with animals—especially cats—falling into the canals and not being able to get out. In fact, 19 cats have already drowned just this year. Karissa No! Not the cats! That’s so heartbreaking. And that’s something I didn’t even consider could be a problem. I mean, I guess with cats… don’t they swim? Arielle Yeah, they do, but according to feline experts, even good swimmers can run into trouble. Their fur gets waterlogged fast and they tire out trying to claw their way up those steep canal walls. So it’s basically a losing battle. Karissa I guess that makes sense. OK, so what is Amsterdam doing about it then? Arielle It’s a very Dutch solution—and as the title states—they’re just tiny wooden staircases. Amsterdam just approved a plan to install hundreds of small escape steps along its canals so that animals, and potentially even some very unlucky humans, can climb out more easily. Karissa Well, I’m loving the image of tiny little staircases, because that’s really adorable—and sounds like a brilliant plan. Arielle Right. It’s based on a project from another Dutch city—Amersfoort. Back in June, they installed 300 small ladders along their canals specifically designed for animals. Totally unobtrusive, but super effective. Karissa Cool. So I’m guessing Amsterdam saw it working and decided to jump on board. Arielle Yeah, more or less. The Party for the Animals—which is a real political party in the Netherlands, by the way—proposed bringing the idea to Amsterdam. And here’s the thing: the city already had €100,000 in its budget earmarked for wildlife exit points. The money just hadn’t been used yet. Karissa That’s the best kind of budget line item. It’s just waiting for the perfect tiny staircase moment, it seems! Arielle Yeah. And now that the funds are freed up, Amsterdam’s moving forward. They’re teaming up with an animal rescue group called Dierenambulance to figure out the riskiest canal spots—places where animals most often fall in and struggle to escape. Karissa Yeah. And I mean, I’m guessing it’s not just about cats, right? Because there’s definitely more animals—and kind of like what you said earlier—humans too. Arielle Yeah. It’s not just about the cats, even though they are the most commonly affected. But the staircases will benefit other small animals too, and even though they’re primarily for wildlife, there’s also a human safety angle here. On average, 14 people drown in Amsterdam’s canals every year. Between 2014 and 2024, 142 lives were lost. Many of them were tourists who fell in while intoxicated. Karissa Oh yeah, that’s a shocking number. But I mean, I guess while these staircases aren’t necessarily built for people, making the canals more accessible and escape-friendly certainly doesn’t hurt. Arielle Yeah, exactly. Some of the recently renovated canal zones already include ledges or other safety features, but these tiny staircases are such a low-tech, high-compassion way to help vulnerable creatures who, frankly, can’t even call for help. Karissa Yeah, exactly. A charming little life-saving intervention over here. Arielle It’s a small gesture that reflects a bigger mindset—living with nature, not just around it. And in a city as iconic as Amsterdam, if I may say so, even a few wooden steps can mean the difference between tragedy and a soggy but safe return home. Karissa We really love these solutions that create smarter, kinder cities—not just for the humans, but for everyone, including our small little wildlife or kitten friends. You know how much I love cats, so I’m glad to hear that the cats in Amsterdam will be a little bit safer with this little addition. Arielle Well, as you said, we do love safer, kinder cities—and I think your solution fits right into that category. Karissa Yeah, it does. Arielle Yeah. Go for it. Karissa The title of my solution is Need a lift? How German cities are rethinking women’s safety with night taxi vouchers. And I guess before we start, Arielle, have you ever been out on the town at night and it’s dark out and you’re trying to get home, but you feel a little uneasy about your surroundings? Or maybe there’s not a safe way to get home? Arielle Yeah, definitely. I’ve lived in many countries, and there have definitely been some times where I felt unsafe trying to get home on my own. Karissa Yeah, I’ve had similar experiences too. And even back when I was younger and a broke college student, it was expensive sometimes to get home. If I was short on cash, I’d be more inclined to walk—and that wasn’t always the safest option. There are just so many unfortunate potential issues that can come up when you’re a woman out at night. Arielle Mm-hmm. Karissa So I was really pleased to see this solution from Germany. In response to growing concerns about women’s safety after dark, several German cities are offering a pragmatic and much-needed solution: subsidized night taxi vouchers. Think of it as a modern answer to the age-old dilemma of how to get home safely without breaking the bank—or risking a walk through a poorly lit underpass. These vouchers, usually worth ten euros (about eleven dollars and eighty-four cents), are proving wildly popular. Cologne’s fifteen hundred vouchers disappeared within days, and the city of Munich more than tripled its supply this year to over 105,000, raising the value from five to ten euros per ride. So for many women, the message is clear: we see the problem and we’re trying to help. Arielle This sounds like great news—and something that could really protect women. Karissa Yeah, absolutely. And the urgency is real. In 2023, Germany recorded a six percent rise in sexual offenses, reaching more than fifty-two thousand reported cases. Arielle That is such an unfortunate number to hear. It’s so disappointing. Karissa Yeah, I know. And surveys show women are changing how they move through cities. Only twenty-eight percent of residents now say they feel safe at night, which is down from forty-two percent in 2018. Women are twice as likely as men to avoid certain public spaces. Arielle As disappointing as this is, it’s not really surprising. Catcalling, staring, verbal harassment—these are very real threats when you’re out and about as a woman. Karissa Exactly. In Mannheim, women cited those very reasons for avoiding public art. But it’s not just discomfort—it’s a shift in lifestyle. Many women opt out of public transit altogether or pay out of pocket for what feels safer. Arielle Yet another societal tax of being a woman! Sounds like these vouchers are very much needed. Karissa Yeah. Arielle So how exactly can someone get ahold of these vouchers? Karissa Each city handles it a bit differently. In Munich, users pick up physical vouchers from local offices. In Mannheim, it’s digital and offers registered users up to twenty online vouchers a year. Arielle Okay, I see. Who’s eligible? Karissa Eligibility varies by city. Some restrict access to local residents, while others open it up to all women over fourteen or sixteen—including trans women. Arielle Glad to hear that trans women are included. You mentioned most vouchers are worth ten euros, but what if the ride costs more? Can you still use it? Karissa Yes, if your ride exceeds ten euros, you just pay the difference. If it’s less, there’s no change or refund. So it’s not perfect, especially for folks who live farther from the town center, but at least you’re getting home safe. Arielle Mm-hmm. Karissa Another limitation is that the vouchers only work with participating taxi companies, which has sparked some complaints. In Freiburg, long wait times prompted officials to expand the number of eligible cab firms. Arielle Got it. So how’s the program doing overall? It sounds great, but I imagine long wait times are just one of many hurdles. Karissa It’s been a hit with many users. But awareness remains patchy. One Mannheim resident, who goes by Anne H., said she avoids public transit at night but hadn’t even heard of the program until a reporter told her. That lack of visibility is part of the problem—as is the lack of data. Few cities have formally assessed the program’s effectiveness, which makes it hard to justify sustained funding. Munich, for example, ran out of money by spring 2025. Arielle Okay. So these cities—and hopefully others around the world—will need to keep experimenting to make this a sustainable solution. Karissa Yeah. Even supporters admit the vouchers are more of a Band-Aid than a cure. Arielle I agree. As great as this is, it doesn’t change how some men are showing up in the world. Karissa Exactly. As Zahra Deilami, Mannheim’s equal opportunity officer, said: “The women’s night taxi is a very important measure, but ultimately it is only fighting the side effects of patriarchal conditions.” Because while taxis offer temporary relief, the larger picture remains bleak. Forty percent of German women over fifteen have experienced physical or sexual violence. Arielle And I can sadly imagine that percentage is similar or higher in other countries too. And probably underreported, since not everyone feels safe reporting that kind of violence. Karissa That’s a really good point. And more broadly, microaggressions—like unsolicited comments, invasive stares, or just feeling outnumbered in public spaces—add up. In the meantime, while we work to untangle the stickiness of the patriarchy, we need solutions like these to help women feel safer. Arielle Mm-hmm. Karissa Luckily, other cities are getting more creative too. In Stuttgart, women can request night buses to make unscheduled stops closer to home. And in Mexico City, they’ve introduced women-only subway cars. Vienna has also long applied gender-sensitive urban planning—redesigning parks and lighting to make them more inclusive. Arielle Yeah, that’s all great. That reminds me. I saw in the headlines that Uber is introducing a feature that will allow women to be paired with female drivers. So even businesses are taking notice and trying to do something about safer transportation for women. Karissa Yeah, I saw that too. And I think that’s also a great addition. But on the public level, sociologist Kirsten Sailer of University College London believes cities need to go further. And she says that cities must normalize the presence of women in public spaces. And that means better design, more people out at night, and a rethinking of who public spaces really are for because they’re for everyone. Arielle Yeah, it seems like these taxi vouchers then are just a start, but you have to start somewhere. Karissa There’s definitely more to do, but I do believe this is a step in the right direction and something to help. This is just one of the many solutions that made me optimistic this week and yours of course, did too, Arielle. Arielle Mm-hmm. Karissa But we had some more on the website that you can go check out. Arielle Yes, they include: 3 minutes a day: how everyday movement could cut your heart disease risk in half, Why the beach makes you so tired and what to do about it, UN court clears path for climate lawsuits: what it means for vulnerable nations, and Could dolphins be speaking a language? New research hints at word-like communication. Karissa Yeah. And we also have LA homelessness declines for a second consecutive year, A microscopic upgrade with massive potential: scientists block malaria with a single gene edit, 5 simple morning habits minimalists swear by to keep their homes clutter-free, and How to beat the Sunday scaries and reclaim your weekend peace. Arielle All right. Well, thanks, Karissa, for joining me and talking about the solutions that made us both optimistic this week. Karissa Yeah, it was good to be here with you, Arielle. And of course, always a pleasure to share this great news from the Optimist Daily. Looking forward to some more solutions for next week, for all of our listeners and readers out there. And we’ll be back with more. Arielle Until next week, bye!The post Podcast Transcript August 8, 2025— Safer streets, smarter cities: protecting women, wildlife, and well-being first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

'who, if not President Trump?'

'you can never predict that'

Friday's Final Word

The Left was furious that Fox late-night host Greg Gutfeld was going to appear on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. But the interview was non-political as they laughed about an old bar-hopping memory. After the Colbert cancellation, does it signal that Fallon wants a broader audience? The website The Mary Sue complained Fallon was guilty of "treating Donald Trump like a human on his show instead of holding him accountable. Now, he’s planning on doing the same with Greg Gutfeld." Are you less than human if you're "held accountable"? The segment was harmless. There was no sales job for Trump or Fox News or anything politically incorrect (save the tales of drunkenness). They did promote Gutfeld's Fox Nation reality/game show What Did I Miss? which puts four contestants, fresh from 90 days of isolation, to the test. Can they spot real news from fake?  Earlier in the week, Fallon also interviewed liberal Jordan Klepper of The Daily Show, so it's not like it's weird he's interviewing fellow late-night comedy specialists. The left are just ideological police. No promotion of the right-wingers!  Plus Associate Editor Nick Fondacaro reviews some of the strange segments he's found this week:  -- Former CNN "journalist" Don Lemon and Perry Bacon Jr. discussing how Fox News is "dangerous" out there, and MSNBC is a "fact-based network," nothing like Fox. It's especially weird that Bacon claimed Fox can't be trusted because they were sued for defamation, and settled. Nick is our defamation specialist, and he can tell you about MSNBC being sued for defamation, and settling.  -- Disgraced former CNN “journalist” Jim Acosta made headlines Monday night after he announced he had interviewed the A.I. facsimile of Joaquin Oliver, a student killed in the Parkland School Shooting, on his eponymous podcast. If that wasn’t disturbing enough, a follow up interview with Manuel Oliver, Joaquin’s dad, revealed that his wife would “spend hours” talking with the A.I. cadaver of her son because loved to hear it say “I love you Mommy.” -- In a Wednesday TikTok post that resembled the scribblings of a madman, “comedian” Rosie O’Donnell sought to warn her followers that her old haunt, ABC’s The View, was about to be canceled because of their “liberal bias.” She proclaimed that it was another example of the “fascism” of “the orange messiah” (President Trump) trying to “silence” women with opinions, and invoked phrases used for warning about Nazism and the Holocaust. We wrap up today's podcast by interviewing our summer interns on their last day. Lucas Escala, Shannon Sauders, Matthew Seck, and Ashley Taylor have learned by doing since late May. Enjoy the podcast below, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

The news came 11 days after she had shared a rambling and confusing post that was initially misconstrued since she stated that her husband "had died in my arms" from cardiac arrest while repeatedly writing that he was dead. The post Dave Edmunds’ Wife Offers Positive Health Update appeared first on Best Classic Bands.