July 12-18, 2026
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NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes: Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref says the US initiated its attacks on Iran “before the ink on the Islamabad MoU had even dried”, Al Jazeera reports. Aref says the US attacks occurred despite the MoU assigning Iran responsibility for managing traffic in the Strait of Hormuz during the first 60 days. DAWN
Two US service members killed in Jordan during a week of renewed fighting with Iran: Two US service members were killed, and one is missing in action after Iranian strikes in Jordan, US Central Command announced Saturday, marking the first American military fatalities from Iranian fire since March. Tehran says it is suspending its commitments to the initial agreement reached with Washington last month, and Iran’s supreme leader derided US President Donald Trump’s signature as “worthless” in a new statement. After a week of renewed bombing, the Trump administration has offered little clarity on the path forward for its military campaign. CNN
In primetime speech, Trump doesn't provide evidence for illegal voting: President Trump, who for years has sown doubt about the security of American elections, raised claims on Thursday that the country's voting systems are vulnerable to being "rigged and stolen," without providing new evidence of a single fraudulent vote cast in any election. NPR
WORST ADMINISTRATION EVER
ICE shared Medicaid data it wasn't supposed to have with Palantir: After Medicaid officials improperly shared data about millions of people in January with immigration officials, ICE then shared that data with the data analytics firm Palantir, according to new court filings. Palantir operates an app called ELITE that ICE agents use to display the addresses of noncitizens who may be subject to deportation. NPR
Trump dramatically cuts size of two national monuments held sacred by tribes: Donald Trump has approved a sharp reduction in the size of two national monuments in Utah held sacred by many Native Americans, in the latest move to open US public land to corporate developers and the oil and gas industry. THE GUARDIAN
Trump DOJ’s Top ‘Antifa’ Prosecutor Marched With Crowd on Jan. 6: It was not known publicly that a federal prosecutor marched to the Capitol on Jan. 6. He was appointed this year to run a national task force targeting alleged left-wing political violence. TPM
DESI NEWS
Who are the Khoslas? Meet the family set to buy the Seattle Seahawks: Vinod Khosla and his wife, Neeru, are leading a group that has agreed to purchase the Seattle Seahawks for $9.6 billion, pending NFL owners' approval. Neeru Khosla will serve as the controlling owner, and their son, Neal, "is expected to have a significant leadership role in the ownership group.” ESPN
"Are You Muslim?" Indian Man Stabbed 15 Times In US Mall: 48-year-old Peter Michael Larsen told investigators he deliberately targeted the victim in a mall in Utah because he was Muslim and that he "intends to kill Muslims". NDTV
U.S. to limit stays of students: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Thursday scrapped a long-standing policy that allowed international students to remain in the U.S. until they completed their program of study. The new rule will limit their stay in the country to just four years unless they receive an extension, and will also restrict students’ ability to change majors and institutions once they’ve arrived. INSIDE HIGHER ED
SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND SAFETY
The CDC Has a Cyclospora Lab. DOGE Downsized It Last Year: Last year the CDC downgraded FoodNet, the active surveillance network it has run with the FDA, the USDA and 10 state health departments since 1995, making tracking of Cyclospora optional at its sites, along with listeria, campylobacter, shigella, vibrio and yersinia. Of the eight pathogens it was built to watch, six were downgraded to optional. The change arrived with budget cuts and no public announcement. THE GUARDIAN
Where the wildfire smoke from Canada is blowing, and how dangerous it is: Hundreds of wildfires burning in Canada have created a thick wave of smoke that’s shrouding swaths of the U.S. from Milwaukee to Washington, D.C., in unhealthy air. NBC
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