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US national debt exceeds US$40 trillion for first time WASHINGTON: The US gross national debt has surged past US$40 trillion for the first time, government data showed on Wednesday (Aug 19), outstripping earlier forecasts at a pace fuelled in part by President Donald Trump's invalidated tariffs. The uptick in borrowing comes as longer-term US obligations linked to social security and health care have been growing, while interest payments have climbed as well. Total public debt outstanding stood at US$40.05 trillion at the close of business on Tuesday, according to data released on Wednesday by the Treasury Department. This stands in contrast to an earlier forecast by the Congressional Budget Office that overall borrowing would hit US$39.4 trillion by the end of fiscal year 2026.

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It is both more aggressive toward external enemies and more vigilant toward internal dissent. There are two parallel priorities, says Hamidreza Azizi at the Clingendael Institute, a think tank in the Netherlands: preparing the state for a more confrontational external environment and further securitizing the domestic sphere. “The emphasis on offensive operations, unified command, and faster decision-making suggests that the leadership wants to move from Ali Khamenei’s traditionally more cautious approach to deterrence toward what could be described as offensive deterrence,” Azizi told CNN. Most of the appointees have a background in intelligence, according to Saeid Golkar, associate professor of political science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. “The picture we are seeing is the Islamic Republic moving toward a security-dominated bureaucratic regime,” he told CNN.

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Weather Updates: Tropical Depression Julian is slowly moving in the Philippine Sea and is expected to impact Northern Luzon. Although it is not expected to make landfall, it will still bring rains to parts of Luzon

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Iran’s supreme leader elevates military veterans willing to confront the US US President Donald Trump has boasted that his war in Iran has led to a “very rational,” “very different,” and “much more reasonable” leadership in Tehran. But the elevation of six hardliners to top security positions this week suggests the Islamic Republic’s new command may be neither moderate nor inclined to compromise. The men now rising through the security establishment have spent their careers confronting enemies abroad and suppressing dissent at home. The announcement of the senior appointments, purportedly made by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Monday, followed the naming of a new national security chief, Mohsen Rezaie, a day earlier. Experts say the changes mark a shift in approach compared to the more cautious tone under Mojtaba’s father, Ali Khamenei, who was supreme leader until assassinated by Israel at the start of the war.

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