📊 Guatemala, Midterm Targets, and SpaceX

Volcano evacuation, post-primaries, and first quarterly results.

Aug 05, 2026

Greetings! Happy National Oyster Day to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

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🌎 GLOBAL NEWS

🇬🇹 Fuego forces 1,700 Guatemalans into shelters. Guatemala remains on high alert as Fuego sends fresh ash, mud, lava, and gas down its slopes. The volcano is among Central America’s most active and sits within the Pacific Ring of Fire. About 1,700 residents remain in shelters until conditions improve. Guatemala’s National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED) raised red alerts across Sacatepéquez, Escuintla, and Chimaltenango. Ashfall is affecting roughly 29K people across the three departments. Schools remain closed in nearby communities. National Route 14, a major highway passing near the volcano, is also shut. Mudflows extending up to 7 kilometers, or 4.3 miles, are descending from Fuego. Forecast rain could loosen more volcanic debris and intensify those flows. Authorities called the next 72 hours critical. The mud has not reached villages, and officials report no damaged or threatened structures. Around 250 evacuees came from El Porvenir and the hamlet of Las Lajitas. CONRED executive secretary Claudinne Ogaldes urged residents to cover water supplies and wear masks against ash. Officials also warned that ash could spread into additional towns. Fuego’s June 2018 eruption killed hundreds and destroyed an entire village. That history gives every fresh plume the weight of remembered catastrophe.

🇮🇷 Hormuz agreement approaches while attacks continue. President Trump says a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could arrive within days. Iran and Oman are moving toward an arrangement for the critical waterway. The strait once carried one-fifth of globally traded oil and natural gas. Iranian threats and attacks have reduced commercial traffic to a trickle. Fuel and basic-goods prices have consequently risen far beyond the region. Brent crude traded near $80 per barrel as diplomatic hopes strengthened. A June agreement collapsed when attacks resumed. The emerging proposal would create separate inbound and outbound shipping routes. Iran would control entry into the Persian Gulf. Oman would oversee departing vessels. Ships could pay fees for security and environmental protection. Washington has rejected Iranian control and President Trump opposes tolls. Tehran says the talks concern sovereign rights and national security. Any final agreement may depend on lifting the American blockade of Iranian ports. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says progress is real but unfinished. Meanwhile, Houthi rebels claimed an attack on the Saudi tanker Wafa without providing evidence. Another vessel sank off Yemen after an explosive boat strike, although its crew was rescued. Diplomacy is advancing through waters where violence has not stopped.

🇺🇸 LOCAL NEWS

🎯 Democrats widen the House map into Trump country. House Democrats added 12 Republican-held districts to their November target list. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) now identifies 58 possible pickups. Many newly targeted seats backed President Trump by wide margins in 2024. Party strategists cite economic frustration, the Iran war, and Trump’s declining standing. DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene says historically safe Republicans have failed working families. The expansion reaches Nevada, Indiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Florida, North Carolina, and New York. It also targets Representative Richard Hudson, who leads the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). Democrats need only a handful of gains to erase the Republican majority. They gained a net 40 House seats during Trump’s first midterm election. North Carolina’s 9th District backed Trump by 15 percentage points. Democratic Governor Josh Stein nevertheless carried it during the same cycle. Its Black electorate has grown by about 15K voters since 2020. Arkansas Democrat Chris Jones is challenging six-term Representative French Hill in a district Trump won by 16 points. Florida’s 12th District became more Democratic after a Republican redraw. New York’s 21st District is open after Representative Elise Stefanik declined another House campaign. The strategy turns formerly prohibitive terrain into an expanded test of national dissatisfaction.

🗳️ Michigan’s Senate primary remains too close to call. Representative Haley Stevens and former Wayne County health director Abdul El-Sayed are separated by only a narrow margin. Counting continues in the Democratic nomination contest. El-Sayed led early before Stevens gained ground as Wayne County reported more ballots. That county often releases results later than the rest of Michigan. Both candidates told supporters the outcome could take hours longer. The race is among the country’s most expensive primary campaigns. It also functions as a proxy fight between establishment and progressive Democrats. El-Sayed campaigns for Medicare for All, campaign-finance reform, and ending military aid to Israel. Stevens emphasizes manufacturing, the economy, and her record winning competitive districts. Senator Bernie Sanders endorsed El-Sayed. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Governor Gretchen Whitmer backed Stevens. Groups supporting Stevens spent tens of millions of dollars, including a record investment from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). El-Sayed casts himself as an opponent of corporate influence. Stevens argues that her experience makes her stronger in a general election. The nominee will face former Representative Mike Rogers, the Republican candidate. Michigan’s open seat could help determine Senate control during the final two years of President Trump’s term. The unresolved count leaves both the nomination and the party’s preferred direction unsettled.

🗂️ MISC

🚀 SpaceX narrows its loss while spending explodes. Elon Musk’s rocket, satellite, and AI company reported its first quarter as a public business. It lost $541M, or $0.09 per share, during the three months through June. Analysts had expected more than twice that loss. Revenue climbed above 90% from one year earlier to $7.8B. The connectivity business remained the company’s central cash engine. Starlink revenue rose 66% as subscribers doubled to 12M. Musk said the service could eventually provide most of the world’s internet. Shares gained 9% during regular trading before surrendering most of that rise after hours. The stock remains roughly 50% below its June peak. Investors question Musk’s forecasts for space travel and the Grok chatbot. Infrastructure and research spending jumped to $18B from less than $3B. Chief Financial Officer Bret Johnsen expects similar capital expenditures for two more quarters. Musk says that spending could bring annual revenue to $1T by 2030. Starship successfully deployed satellites during a recent test. Company President Gwynne Shotwell targets an astronaut moon landing in 2028. More than 900M insider shares are becoming eligible for trading. That lockup expiration may amplify volatility around a company pairing extraordinary growth with extraordinary expenditure.

📈 AI shares lift world markets as oil resumes climbing. European and Asian equities advanced after Wall Street reached fresh records. Strong earnings and hopes for a Middle East agreement supported risk appetite. Brent crude reversed earlier losses and rose 1.4% to $80.45 per barrel. American benchmark crude gained 0.7% to $76.29. Oil had fallen 5.3% as optimism grew around reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Prices still ranged from $72 to $102 during July. Germany’s benchmark added 0.3%. Britain’s rose 0.2%, while France’s was nearly flat. Japan’s Nikkei 225 surged 3.7% to 66,300.44. Tokyo semiconductor shares led the advance with gains as high as 8.8%. South Korea’s Kospi climbed 3.8% to 6,598.26. Seoul memory-chip shares rose as much as 5.8%. Taiwan’s Taiex gained 2.9% as its largest chipmaker advanced 3.7%. Australia’s benchmark increased 0.9%. India’s Sensex slipped 0.2% after the Reserve Bank of India held its key rate at 5.25%. The Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) had risen 1.8% to a record in the previous American session. The rally links diplomatic hope, AI demand, and corporate profit into one broad appetite for relief.