CENC reported a magnitude-3.4 earthquake at 12:21 local time on Aug. 8 in Gong County, Yibin, Sichuan; focal depth 9 km.

On the 8th, an IRGC spokesman said reopening the Strait of Hormuz is unrelated to talks with Oman and instead depends on whether the US fully accepts Iran’s conditions and stops interfering in regional negotiations. "Once the US accepts Iran's conditions, the strait will reopen," he said.

ABC News reported sources say President Trump is pushing to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. The White House this week sent Cook a letter saying Trump is "considering" removing her and asked her to respond within three weeks. The move follows a June Supreme Court ruling that upheld limits on presidential removal of Fed members. After the ruling Trump said he would "immediately take appropriate action" to remove Cook; this week he formally opened removal proceedings, citing mortgage‑fraud allegations not yet tried in court and alleging "serious dereliction." The letter was signed by White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, who said even if the allegations do not amount to crimes her conduct constitutes dereliction. Cook's lawyer Lowell said the allegations are baseless and they will challenge this latest pretext.