🇺🇸 Prior to his resignation Monday, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll brought his concerns about the future of the Army under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directly to President Trump, during a closed-door meeting last week at the White House, four people familiar with the conversation told The Atlantic.

According to one of the sources, Trump was surprised when Driscoll told him how many generals and other top officers had been fired, pushed out, or passed over for promotion under Hegseth. Driscoll told the president that the Army could not transform itself the way it needs to, because of the departure of so many leaders, before informing him of his intention to resign from the Pentagon.

Driscoll’s spokesperson declined to comment, but a person familiar with his resignation stated that Driscoll had “brought up concerns with the administration surrounding Army transformation and readiness and Hegseth’s blocking those efforts specifically by firing the Generals who were responsible.”

🔗 https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/08/driscoll-hegseth-military-resignation/688479/?gift=URojiRC-naOWGBfsE7oNmpZKQOzdCYlydorG7uazW6s

📎 OSINT Defender

🇺🇸❌🇬🇧 Trump says US could review its position on Falkland Islands sovereignty

US President Donald Trump said on August 31 that Washington could reconsider its position on sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (also known as Islas Malvinas), responding to a question about Argentina’s longstanding territorial claim against Britain, while the Argentine government has adopted what it describes as a cautious approach to the remarks.

Asked by reporters in the Oval Office whether he was considering a change in the US position on the disputed islands, Trump said: “I always review all positions. That is just one of many.”

It was the first time Trump had publicly commented on the sovereignty dispute between Argentina and Britain, according to the report.

The United States has historically maintained a neutral position on the sovereignty question, although Washington has at times shown support for Britain in the dispute. A change in that stance could have broader implications for the strategic balance surrounding the South Atlantic.

The comments came after British newspaper The Telegraph reported that Washington was reviewing its commitments to NATO allies in connection with new defence-spending targets. The report said US officials were concerned that the UK had not yet presented a sufficiently detailed path towards the 5% of gross domestic product defence-spending target promoted by the Trump administration.

A US official said discussions with London remained open and that “no option is off the table” in efforts to achieve greater burden-sharing among allies, The Telegraph reported.

The issue has gained additional relevance for Argentina because of the close political relationship between Trump and President Javier Milei. Buenos Aires continues to claim sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, while Britain insists that they are a British Overseas Territory.

🔗 https://www.intellinews.com/trump-says-us-could-review-its-position-on-falkland-islands-sovereignty-464724/

🇩🇪⚡️ — NEW: Several “homemade rockets” struck Jänschwalde coal-fired power plant in Brandenburg, near the Polish border, according to Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung.

The facility was struck multiple times, but security forces secured and defused the remaining devices.

Dpa reports that explosive devices were also found at the substation in Turnow-Preilack in Brandenburg, not far from the Jänschwalde power plant.

The suspected aim was to cause a large-scale power outage, although the network operator said there was only a “short-term line interruption.” No one was injured, and electricity supplies remained stable.

🇩🇪⚡️ — The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports that a police spokesperson has rejected earlier claims that the Jänschwalde coal-fired power plant in Brandenburg was targeted by rocket attacks.

An attack reportedly took place, just not with rockets apparently.

German media is currently reporting several different stories. We are waiting for more clarification.

🇾🇪⚔️🏴 The Saudi-backed Yemeni government has announced that it killed Abu Hudhayfah al-Ansari, the official spokesman for the ISIS terrorist group, during a security raid in the northern city of Seiyun.

🔹 Early today, as security forces moved in on Seiyun, two explosions rocked Al-Zawiyah square. Locals report that the raid—conducted by the newly formed Force 22 special operations unit, backed by Saudi coalition airstrikes—was directed at an old house in the square believed to be sheltering a high-ranking ISIS operative.

🔹 According to the resigned government's Central Security Organization, the mission was meant to capture Mithaq Thabit Haitham al-Radfani—better known as Abu Hudhayfah al-Ansari, the ISIS spokesperson. He was reportedly wounded in the ensuing firefight and later died en route to the hospital. A second occupant of the house was also killed during the operation.

👉 So far, no independent verification of the resigned government's claim has emerged, and ISIS-affiliated media have yet to confirm or deny the report.

✍️ ISIS continues to operate in some occupied parts of Yemen, though its footprint remains clandestine and largely limited to lone-actor activities. The group is significantly weaker than its primary rival, Al-Qaeda, in the region. In areas once under Sana'a government control—particularly Rada'a and parts of Al-Bayda province—ISIS cells were largely eliminated through security crackdowns conducted by Sana'a forces in recent years.

🔗 IWN

🇺🇸⛽️ August gas prices set a new record: the national average in August was $4.056/gal, beating 2022's august record ot $3.940/gal, costing Americans $1.35 billion more than August 2022, or $10.51 billion more than August 2025

🔗 Patrick de Haan

💸 A global bond selloff is getting WORSE:

A Bloomberg gauge of global sovereign bond yields rose to 3.72% on Monday, the highest level since 2008 during the Great Financial Crisis, marking its 4th straight session of gains.

UK 10-year gilt yields jumped to 5.21% on Tuesday, the highest since 2008, while Japan’s 10-year JGB yield reached 3.00%, the highest since 1996.

At the same time, the US 10-year Treasury yield rose to 4.78%, its highest since January 2025, while 30-year yields touched 5.27%, near their highest since 2007.

Traders are now pricing a ~70% chance of a Fed rate hike this month, while a BOJ hike is seen as nearly certain and an ECB hike is fully priced in for next week.

The Bloomberg global bond gauge is now down -0.9% year-to-date, reversing a +6.8% gain in 2025, with September and October historically the worst 2 months for the index over the past decade, averaging losses of more than -1% each.

Rising yields are now threatening to unwind the AI-fueled rally in equities too, as higher yields raise financing costs and make lofty equity valuations harder to justify.

🔗 Global Markets Investor

🚢 Hormuz crossings fall by half

Strait of Hormuz traffic declined sharply on 31 August, with five confirmed crossings, down 50% from 10 a day earlier. Four vessels entered the Middle East Gulf and one exited, using a mix of Iranian, Omani and negotiated routes. Two crossings involved shadow vessels and one involved a sanctioned vessel.

Bab el Mandeb activity was comparatively stable, with 35 confirmed crossings, up 2.9% day on day. Of these, 19 entered the Red Sea and 16 exited. No dark transits were recorded, while the International Maritime Organization verified no additional attacks.

🔗 Kpler (@Kpler)

💥🇮🇷 Explosions in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province

@CIG_telegram