Syrian Court Sentences Bashar al-Assad to Death in Absentia

This is the morning edition of the One News Page Global Briefing, for Wednesday, the twelfth of August, twenty twenty-six. Here is what matters now.

A Syrian court has sentenced former president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the country's fourteen-year civil war, in which about half a million people died. The verdict, the first since Assad fled to Russia in twenty twenty-four after being ousted by rebel forces, also imposed death sentences on his brother Maher and their cousin Atef Najib. Atef Najib attended the trial inside a cage and was found guilty of leading the twenty eleven crackdown in Daraa that helped spark the civil war. The Assad brothers, who fled to Moscow following the rebel offensive that ended their family's decades-long rule, were tried in absentia. The sentencing marks a symbolic milestone for Syrian authorities seeking accountability for atrocities during the conflict.

Meanwhile, in the United States, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley won the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor, narrowly defeating democratic socialist Francesca Hong in a race that tightened after Crowley re-entered with an endorsement from outgoing Governor Tony Evers. Crowley, a center-left candidate, could become Wisconsin's first Black governor if he prevails in November's general election. In Connecticut, former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin ousted fourteen-term Democratic Representative John Larson in a primary upset driven by calls for generational change. Larson had represented central Connecticut since the late 1990s.

Also in Washington, President Trump said the Secret Service and military moved him off Air Force One onto another aircraft after a NATO summit in Turkey, citing a threat. “They wanted me on a different flight,” he told reporters. “I guess there was a threat. I didn’t ask too much about it.” The ruse reportedly moved him to a military flight while the public thought he was on Air Force One, with some reports saying he was hidden in an airport catering container. The switch followed a credible Iranian missile threat, officials said. Former Secret Service agents said the swap, while unusual, was not unprecedented and likely improvised quickly.

On the Iran front, a U S helicopter fired missiles into the engine room of a Panama-flagged cargo ship that attempted to break the American blockade of Iran's ports, the U S military said. U S Central Command said the strike in the Gulf of Oman disabled the vessel on Tuesday. Separately, a newly appointed secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed as long as the United States does not change its behavior and accept Iran's conditions to end the war. President Trump responded by saying he had instructed his representatives to demand compensation from Iran.

Elsewhere in the U.S., the White House has asked the Department of Justice to consider new charges against former Olympian David Hearn, who was accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, according to a person familiar with the matter. The request comes after federal prosecutors moved earlier this month to dismiss the original case, citing new information that damage to the pool was caused by a botched contractor installation rather than vandalism. Hearn has maintained his innocence and described the experience as "Orwellian" and "Kafkaesque." His lawyers are fighting to close the case permanently.

In Britain, driver Andy Green, the only person to break the sound barrier in a car, set a new speed record for a hydrogen-powered vehicle, reaching four hundred and six point three two zero miles per hour. The car was powered by two hydrogen internal combustion engines producing a combined one thousand six hundred horsepower.

In brief, Ahmed al‑Ahmed, who disarmed a gunman in the Bondi beach terror attack, had assault charges dropped. He was accused of putting his father in a headlock in March and says he is innocent. In Arkansas, a high‑school football player found a two‑foot venomous snake in his helmet after wearing it for almost an hour during practice. Officials flushed it out with water and the student was not bitten. Jets cornerback Qwan’t ez Stiggers was hospitalized after briefly losing consciousness during a joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Coach Aaron Glenn said he was conscious and talking before being taken away, and the team said he is recovering well.

That was the morning edition of the One News Page Global Briefing. Read the complete briefing and explore its supporting coverage at one news page dot com.