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The Liberty should be well represented at next month’s FIBA World Cup tournament in Berlin. 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It doesn’t take long for Wan’Dale Robinson to point out the biggest difference between playing in New York and playing in Tennessee.  “There’s not as much traffic,” Robinson said this week.  It’s hard to argue with that. That is just one of the benefits for Robinson, who signed with the Titans in...

Declassified Documents Show FBI Probed Whether Trump Fired Comey At Russia's Direction

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times,

Newly declassified documents show the FBI probed President Donald Trump's termination of the agency's director as part of an effort to substantiate allegations that Trump colluded with Russia.

Former FBI Director James Comey in Berlin, Germany, on June 19, 2018. Carsten Koall/Getty Images

The documents, declassified by a White House task force on Aug. 5, refer to Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey on May 9, 2017.

In one of the documents, dated May 16, 2017, the FBI said it was opening an investigation "based on an articulable factual basis that reasonably indicates that President Donald J. Trump may be or has been, wittingly or unwittingly, involved in activities for or on behalf of the Government of the Russian Federation which may constitute violations of federal criminal law or threats to the national security of the United States."

The goal of the investigation "is to determine if President Trump is or was directed by, controlled by, and/or coordinated activities with, the Russian Federation in a manner constituting a threat to the national security of the United States and/or a violation of federal criminal statutes," the document states.

The investigation, codenamed Oxferd Comma, would also look into whether Trump and "others yet to be named" obstructed or conspired to obstruct any related FBI investigations, according to the document.

That included whether Trump's firing of Comey was linked to the FBI probing Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election, the document said.

Comey was fired after officials determined he mishandled a probe into then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of a personal server to send classified emails, including announcing without clearance from the attorney general that the case should be closed without prosecution, according to a memorandum from then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to the attorney general that was later made public.

Trump said shortly after Comey's termination that he fired Comey due to his mishandling the probe of Clinton, who ran against Trump in the 2016 election.

The document opening the probe said that Trump's rationale for firing Comey "has changed over time."

While Trump initially in public attributed the decision to conclusions from Rosenstein and then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and the White House said in a statement that the firing had "nothing to do with Russia," Trump said in a television interview several days later that he was going to fire Comey regardless of the recommendation from Department of Justice officials because "this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story."

James Baker, the FBI's general counsel at the time, and William Priestap, the FBI's assistant director for counterintelligence at the time, signed off on the probe, and other top FBI officials, such as acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, were aware of the investigation, according to the document and other papers.

The White House Government Transparency Task Force declassified and released the documents.

Trump created the task force in May to advise him on documents "that should be declassified and/or released to the public to further his administration's priorities of transparency and accountability," according to a July 13 statement from the task force.

John Solomon, chairman of the task force, said in a statement released by the White House that evidence when the investigation was opened already undercut suspicions that Trump was acting as a Russian asset, including testimony from FBI special agent William Barnett.

The White House declined to comment.

The FBI did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.

The probe into Trump's termination of Comey was closed on April 9, 2019, after special counsel Robert Mueller concluded that there was no evidence to support claims that Trump and his campaign colluded or coordinated with Russia.

"The Special Counsel provided the Attorney General with a confidential report explaining his prosecution and declination decisions," the document outlining the closing of the investigation reads.

Tyler Durden Wed, 08/05/2026 - 20:55

Jaxson Dart went from reeling to dealing. 

A reformed shoplifter returned a rare book stolen 40 years ago to a California bookstore.

If there’s one thing that New York City FC forward Bénie Traoré has gotten used to during his soccer career, it’s moving. 

This spin-off of Star Wars: Visions features Kimiko Glenn, Simu Liu, Young Mazino, and more in the story of a small group of Jedi's quest to defeat a Sith warlord and restore peace in the galaxy.

The duo stepped out to the celebrity hotspot Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica on Tuesday.

The duo stepped out to the celebrity hotspot Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica on Tuesday.

Fresh Panic As Pentagon Has Used 'Virtually All' Its Long-Range Precision Missiles On Iran

US forces "used up virtually all" of their precision, long-range missiles during the course of the Iran war, and during the earlier heavy US-Israeli campaign of Operation Epic Fury, Reuters reported Tuesday.

This has raised serious "concerns about the military's ​readiness for future conflicts," informed sources told the outlet. In particular it is the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) which are said to be running critically low.

US Army file image

"Washington has used virtually all of these weapons," two sources told Reuters, after several media reports and think tank studies had already sounded the alarm over dwindling missiles amid both the Iran war and in the years-long process of supplying Ukraine. Low Patriot defense missile supplies have also been a persisting issue in the headlines.

They are costly and time-consuming in terms of manufacturing replacements. For example a single ATACMS munition costs about $1 million.

One immediate consequence could be that if heavy bombardment of Iran starts up again, the US would have to conduct riskier piloted aerial bombings - instead relying on longer range precision strikes afforded by the land-based systems at safer distances.

And another, somewhat obvious consequence, is highlighted in the following: "But as ​the war drags on, the three people familiar with the matter expressed worry that the falling missile supplies could limit the U.S. ability to deter adversaries, including Russia and China."

The report added: "A fourth person ⁠familiar with the matter said that while Central Command — which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East — has nearly used up the land-based missiles it had before the war began, it has been able to reload from U.S. military supplies elsewhere in the ​world."

President Trump has of late responded to these now widespread reports of badly depleted advanced munitions, explaining that "Our defense companies are, at this moment, making more munitions than they have ever made before, ​in addition to expanding their plants and equipment at record levels."

Additionally,  Secretary of War Pete Hegseth took to social media to refute the report, calling it false news.

“That banner is NOT TRUE, CNN. Shame on you,” the Pentagon chief said in a post on X. “We don’t hate the Fake News media enough.”

Hegseth was specifically referring to a CNN on-screen banner that read: “Sources: U.S. has used nearly 80% of key missile interceptors in Iran war, top commanders warn stockpiles dangerously low.”

However, the Reuters report has set off speculation that Trump's weekend backtracking on planned 'harder' Iran strikes could have been in part because the Pentagon has warned of waning supplies and capabilities regarding conventional way of doing long-range missile strikes.

We’re out of crucial defensive weapons systems, and now we’re out of crucial offensive weapons. Other than that, Sir, how’s the war going? https://t.co/qXNiSLHQho

— Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) August 4, 2026

Critics of the decision to go to war in the first place have warned over this very scenario of exhausting Pentagon stockpiles. Those against this war of choice say that it's the opposite of America First - and that ultimately the war is about protecting Israel and not necessarily American security and interests.

The reality also is that in the opening days of Operation Epic Fury, the US seemed underprepared for the ferocity of the Iranian response. At least 13 American bases in the region were hit and damaged in just the opening weeks of the war, to the point that US forces across the region had to be moved back from front line Gulf areas, and energy sites across the region were pummeled and suffered billions of dollars in damage.

Tyler Durden Wed, 08/05/2026 - 20:30

Call me old fashioned, but didn’t publicly exclaiming “I love Hitler” used to automatically disqualify people from receiving prestigious honors in Manhattan?

The TMI moment was captured on the live feeds and "Big Brother" fans are divided over the confession.

The TMI moment was captured on the live feeds and "Big Brother" fans are divided over the confession.

You wouldn't blame Jeremy Ruckert if he wanted to purge the past two Aprils from his memory. 

There’s a different, louder buzz energizing the practice fields at The Greenbrier resort when Beckham makes a play than when most others do.

AI prodigy Leopold Aschenbrenner’s wedding weekend brought together a who’s who of Silicon Valley money and influence for a multi-day celebration. But there was a big elephant in room: just days before, the 24-year-old’s $45 billion hedge fund, Situational Awareness, had imploded, suffering losses of more than $30 billion, and mounting. Many of the 80...

Mike McDaniel, known for delivering dry one-liners with the same expression he uses to explain pre-snap motion, channeled Ron Burgundy while commenting on San Diego.

China's Power Demand Hits Records As Heatwave Grips Key Regions

By Irina Slav of OilPrice.com

Electricity demand in much of China hit a record this week due to scorching summer temperatures, driving grid loads to all-time highs, the State Grid Corporation of China said today, as cited by Reuters.

On Monday and Tuesday, the company said, electricity loads reached a record in the country’s northern, northeastern, and eastern regions. No blackouts have been reported, however, as the grid operator moves in time to direct more baseload electricity where it is needed for air-conditioning.

According to forecasts from the Chinese state meteorological agency, temperatures across much of China will remain high, in some cases potentially reaching or even exceeding historical peaks, the Reuters report also noted.

In January this year, State Grid Corporation of China, the world’s largest utility enterprise covering 88% of China’s land area and serving over 1.1 billion people, said it planned to spend $574 billion (4 trillion Chinese yuan) on fixed-asset investments for the five years to 2030, as part of its 2026-2030 investment plan.

The sum is 40% higher than what the State Grid Corporation of China spent in the previous five-year investment period to 2025. The company will use the money to upgrade and expand the power transmission and distribution systems amid a surge in renewable energy capacity installations and a continued rise in electricity demand.

China is the world’s biggest builder of wind and solar, but it has also expanded its coal-powered generation capacity to ensure stable supply that can respond to demand changes in a timely fashion. Yet the country is also building out its battery storage capacity to be able to utilize more of its wind and solar electricity output. China plans to have its battery storage capacity more than double to 180 gigawatts by 2027 in a new plan aimed at attracting $35.1 billion (250 billion yuan).

Tyler Durden Wed, 08/05/2026 - 20:05

CHICAGO — Two weeks ago, Dave Roberts was declarative. Shohei Ohtani, he said then, “is going to be the MVP of the National League.” By Wednesday morning, however, the Dodgers manager sounded less sure. While Ohtani remains one of the best hitters in baseball, his inability to pitch lately has opened the door to a...

The Happiest Place on Earth has bad news for your wallet after Disneyland quietly raised prices on over 800 food and drink items – and the average cocktail now costs $21.