Headlines for August 27, 2026

More than 350 people are dead and over 1,300 are missing after a catastrophic mudslide struck a Himalayan river valley on the Nepal-Tibet border early Wednesday morning. The disaster, described as the region's worst since a devastating earthquake over a decade ago, was triggered by a 2,000-foot chunk of ice that broke from a glacier high in the Himalayas. The mudslide roared through the Lhende Khola river valley just after 8:30 a.m., sweeping away homes and burying entire villages under water, mud, and debris. At one point, water levels along the river rose by 27 feet in just half an hour.

Rescue efforts are ongoing, but are complicated by the destruction of at least 19 bridges. Among the missing are hundreds of foreign tourists. Climate scientists warn that the region, warming faster than the global average, has seen rapid glacier retreat. Nepal has lost nearly a third of its total ice volume over the last 30 years.

Subina Tamang, whose husband is among the missing, last spoke to him at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. "He said he was sending two kilos of walnuts and two kilos of chocolates for the children. He also sent some instant noodles for them," she said. "He said he would be coming soon, but he didn’t. All I want is for my husband to come back to me safely in one piece."

In the Caribbean, the Pentagon confirmed it carried out another strike against alleged drug boats on Tuesday, killing four people. This brings the total number of deaths, according to Pentagon figures, to 227 across 68 strikes conducted over nearly a year. The Pentagon provided no evidence that the targeted boats were carrying drugs. Amnesty International condemned the strikes as extrajudicial killings, arguing they constitute crimes under international law.

Meanwhile, Iran's nuclear chief, Mohammad Eslami, announced that inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will not be permitted to visit nuclear sites in Iran that were bombed by the U.S. and Israel. Eslami criticized the IAEA for failing to condemn the strikes, accusing it of being used by Iran's enemies for intelligence gathering. "The IAEA is pressing to visit the damaged sites under pressure from the United States and Israel," he said. "The reason for that pressure is that they want to see what their military operation has done to those sites."

Ukraine resumed drone attacks on Russia on Wednesday, just hours after CIA Director John Ratcliffe departed Moscow following an unannounced meeting with Russian intelligence officials. The Ukrainian strikes killed 12 people inside Russia and in the Russian-occupied Donbas region. Russia retaliated with overnight attacks on nine Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, where residential blocks, a school, and a medical facility were damaged. A 78-year-old woman was killed in Zaporizhzhia. Russia's Foreign Ministry warned it could target British military assets in response to Ukraine's use of British-supplied long-range missiles.

Meta has agreed to a $17 billion settlement with 47 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories over allegations that it intentionally designed its platforms to addict children. The agreement includes provisions to limit overnight access to Meta's sites, set a two-hour time limit for users under 18, and silence most notifications during school hours. The settlement follows previous legal actions where Meta was found liable in trials and fined heavily.

In immigration news, Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy called on the Trump administration to halt immigration raids in Danbury, following reports that ICE agents arrested parents at school bus stops. Murphy, speaking at a rally with immigrant rights groups, said, "Congress should not authorize a single additional dollar for ICE while this illegality continues." Local advocacy group Danbury Unites for Immigrants reported 25 detentions on Wednesday, with incidents involving the use of force against legal observers.

Five-year-old Liam Tadeo and his father, Victor Martinez Nieto, were deported to Mexico on Tuesday after being detained by ICE in Austin, Texas earlier this month. The family's lawyer stated that Martinez Nieto had begged officers to release his son to their mother as they were arrested on their way to soccer practice.

In Minnesota, a judge blocked the state's bid to extradite Christian Castro, an ICE agent accused of wounding a Venezuelan man in the leg. Castro remains in custody in Texas, where he could be released today as Texas Governor Greg Abbott has stated he will not comply with Minnesota's extradition request.

The family of Alex Pretti, fatally shot by Customs and Border Protection agents in Minneapolis seven months ago, continues to demand accountability. Pretti's parents, speaking to ABC's "Good Morning America," expressed shock that no one has been held accountable. "My shock is that he was murdered, and no one has given us the complete truth or anyone has been held accountable," said his mother, Susan Pretti.

A federal appeals court declined to dismiss charges against Democratic Congressmember LaMonica McIver, who was indicted for interfering with an arrest outside the ICE facility Delaney Hall in May 2025. She is the only congressmember indicted by the Trump administration's Justice Department.