Trump Reimposes Sanctions on Iran

The U.S. is reimposing a raft of sanctions on Iran after midnight Monday, as the Trump administration seeks to ratchet up pressure on Tehran. The U.S. had agreed to relax sanctions on Iran under the 2015 nuclear agreement, but President Donald Trump abandoned the deal back in May. The administration is now pursuing a two-pronged sanctions strategy, with the first round of sanctions snapping back at a minute after midnight. Sanctions on Iran’s oil exports and energy industry will go back into effect after November 4, according to a senior administration official. Among the first tranche of sanctions are bans on the sale or transfer to or from Iran of graphite and metals such as aluminum; bans on the export of Iranian carpets and food such as pistachios to the U.S.; and a prohibition on trading of Iranian gold. The U.S. accuses Iran of sponsoring terrorism and destabilizing the Middle East.

Star Witness Gates Testifies He Committed Crimes with Manafort 

Rick Gates, a former campaign aide to President Donald Trump, testified on Monday at his former business partner Paul Manafort’s tax and bank fraud trial that he assisted Manafort in filing false tax returns. Gates, who is cooperating with prosecutors in the trial of Trump’s former campaign chairman, testified that Manafort directed him to report overseas income as loans in order to lower his taxable income.

California's Mendocino Complex Wildfire Becomes Largest in State History

Officials said late Monday that two fires spreading in Northern California have merged to become the state's largest wildfire in history. The fires that had been burning only a few miles apart known as the Mendocino Complex Fire that ignited July 27 encompasses an area the size of Los Angeles. Officials say flames about 100 miles north of San Francisco have grown to nearly 284,000 acres (443.4 square miles). Reinforcements have been called in to fight 16 large wildfires in California, with the Army sending 200 soldiers to battle the blazes from the air. The fires are being fed by strong winds and high temperatures, and parts of the Mendocino Complex Fire are proving to be unstoppable. 

Rosie O'Donnell and Hamilton Stars Sing Show Tunes Outside White House to Protest Donald Trump

With Pennsylvania Avenue as their stage and lit-up “TREASON” signs as props, Rosie O’Donnell and more than 55 Broadway stars from Hamilton, Wicked and Les Miserables led anti-Trump protestors in song in front of the White House on Monday night — firing up the crowd as the demonstrations reached their 22nd day. The renowned musicians and singers arrived in Washington, D.C., from New York at around 7:30 p.m., wearing matching shirts that read: “Now showing TRUTH.” O’Donnell kicked off the evening with a fiery speech. “Let your voice be heard. Let the president know in no uncertain terms that we are alive, awake and we are woke. We are not going away,” she told protestors.

Charlie Kirk, Candace Owens Harassed by Leftist Mob

Conservative activists Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens were harassed by protesters at a Philadelphia coffee shop Monday morning. Kirk and Owens are best known for organizing thousands of conservative student activists with the group Turning Point USA, which Kirk founded. Footage shared by Owens Monday morning shows a man pouring a drink on Kirk. Kirk said he was given the opportunity to press charges for the incident but tells the Daily Caller that he has declined.

Antonio Sabato Jr. Supports Trump’s Border Wall 

Actor, immigrant, and California congressional candidate Antonio Sabato Jr. says he fully supports President Donald Trump’s promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. President Trump is threatening to shut down the government if lawmakers don’t fully fund his proposed border wall and enact his immigration priorities. “We need to put America and Americans First,” said Sabato. “It’s time to build a nice wall to prevent human trafficking, drug trafficking and so much more coming into the country,” he said. Sabato says he’s been viciously attacked in Hollywood and attributes the loss of work in his industry over his conservative views and his support for President Trump. Sabato, a Republican, is running against incumbent Democrat Julia Brownley to represent California’s 26th Congressional District. He says he’s running because he wants to give back to the country that gave him his freedom and opportunities.

Senator Rand Paul Invites Russian Lawmakers to Washington

U.S. Senator Rand Paul on Monday invited Russian lawmakers to visit Washington after holding talks in Moscow with parliamentarians and pledging to obstruct new sanctions against Russia. “I am pleased to announce that we will be continuing this conversation,” Paul said after meeting Konstantin Kosachyov, chairman of the upper house of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, and former Russian ambassador to the United States Sergei Kislyak. “We have agreed and we have invited members of the foreign relations committee of Russia to come to the United States to meet with us in Washington. I think this is incredibly important. And those who believe in either country that we should not have diplomacy are greatly mistaken.”

Trump's Star on the Walk of Fame Will Be Permanently Removed

West Hollywood councilors have voted “unanimously” to remove Donald Trump’s star from the city’s Walk of Fame. The marker, which was unveiled in 2007, has been vandalized several times since the US president took office and was almost completely destroyed in July in a pickaxe attack. At a meeting on Monday evening, West Hollywood City Council opted to recommend to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce that the star should be removed. However, the chamber has previously said it would never remove a star from the famous walk, arguing they represent the history of the entertainment industry in America.

Protesters Target Second Nail Salon After Racially Charged Brawl

Protesters in Brooklyn chanting “where is ICE” besieged a second nail salon Monday that they believe is connected to the shop where customers brawled on video with employees last week — forcing cops to escort the workers out for their own safety. About 150 predominantly African-American demonstrators marched from New Red Apple Nails at 1426 Nostrand Avenue to the scene of the melee caught on tape Friday to the Beautiful Red Apple Nails at 1224 Nostrand Ave. and trapped employees inside. Demonstrators angrily chanted, “shut them down,” “f–k the police,” “no nails, no toes, these racist shops have got to go” and “where is ICE,” implying that the salon’s Asian employees might be undocumented immigrants. Cops formed a line to hurry the employees, three women and one man, into a police van.

Tweets You Might Have Missed!

@JohnDuran, August 6: “West Hollywood City council unanimously passes resolution asking the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to remove the Donald Trump star on Hollywood Walk of Fame. #horcruxdestroyed #bellicose #belligerent #unAmericanvalues #MakeAmericaintoAmericaAgain”

@RealDonaldTrump, August 7: “The Iran sanctions have officially been cast. These are the most biting sanctions ever imposed, and in November they ratchet up to yet another level. Anyone doing business with Iran will NOT be doing business with the United States. I am asking for WORLD PEACE, nothing less!”

@RealDonaldTrump, August 6: “California wildfires are being magnified & made so much worse by the bad environmental laws which aren’t allowing massive amounts of readily available water to be properly utilized. It is being diverted into the Pacific Ocean. Must also tree clear to stop fire from spreading!”

@Rosie, August 6: “on our way 2 the white house ... @KremlinAnnex #broadway #PROTESTtrump”