July 19-25, 2026
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NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
Trump imposes new global tariffs, drawing protests from trading partners: The United States on Friday imposed new tariffs of 10% and 12.5% on goods from 60 trading partners, including the EU and China, alleging those countries failed to curb imports made by forced labor, just as a temporary 10% global tariff expired. REUTERS
As National Debt Shatters WWII Record, Treasury Market Hits Milestone Last Seen Before 2008 Crash: The 30-year Treasury yield closed at 5.15% on July 22, 2026, extending a streak that has now lasted 12 straight days and covered 27 days total this year. That is the longest stretch of the long bond above 5% since 2007, the year before the global financial crisis. It arrives in the same quarter that federal debt held by the public crossed a threshold the United States has not seen since Harry Truman was in the White House. YAHOO FINANCE
Hormuz tanker crossings slip to lowest in more than two months, data shows | Reuters: Daily vessel transits of the Strait of Hormuz were steady at three for each of the past three days, according to preliminary ship-tracking data, amid continuing shipping risks in the Middle East and as oil prices surged back to $100 a barrel. Three vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz each day from July 22 to July 24, data from analytics firm Kpler showed. REUTERS
What is the US-Saudi Arabia nuclear deal and why is it causing concern? The US will help Saudi Arabia establish a civilian nuclear program, but critics have said it could lead to domestic enrichment and set off a regional arms race. THE GUARDIAN
War in Iran has cost the US $37.5 billion so far, Pentagon says: The cost of the United States' war in Iran has risen to $37.5 billion so far, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday, as he faced skeptical lawmakers for the first time since heavy bombings resumed to seek urgent funding for the unpopular conflict. REUTERS
US gas prices back up to an average of $4 a gallon again as the US and Iran launch attacks: U.S. gas prices jumped back to $4 a gallon on average Monday, as Washington’s latest fighting with Iran renews strain on the flow of fuel worldwide. According to motor club AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now just above the $4 mark. That’s about 13 cents more expensive than it was a week ago, and far higher than where prices at the pump stood at this time last year, when American drivers could fill up for about $3.14 a gallon on average. AP
WORST ADMINISTRATION EVER
Trump Team Admits He’s Been Defunding States That Didn’t Vote for Him: In court documents filed last week, and first reported on by The New York Times, Trump administration officials confirmed they terminated $7.5 billion in clean energy grants in October “based solely” on political criteria, focusing on states with Democratic leadership that voted for Kamala Harris in 2024. The admission came in a lawsuit filed by California researchers challenging the cancellation of Biden-era funding in multiple federal agencies. TNR
China Has Come Through Trump’s Trade War in a Good Position: China has so far emerged from the trade war with the United States in a better position. One year ago President Trump threatened tariffs on Chinese goods as high as 145 percent. The levies that Mr. Trump imposed on Chinese goods on Friday were just 12.5 percent. NYT
Trump Officials Want to Use Human Rights Aid to Advocate for White South Africans and Right-Wing Causes in Europe: For decades, the U.S. Department of State gave money to groups protecting free speech, human rights and persecuted minorities in poor and authoritarian countries. This year, Trump administration officials presented State Department workers with their own list of organizations that should be funded. To the shock of many staffers and lawmakers, they proposed at least a dozen grants that would bypass the normal open bidding process. They also sought to give taxpayer dollars to groups aligned with conservative and anti-immigration movements in Europe as well as advocates for white South Africans, according to interviews and documents reviewed by ProPublica.
‘Explosive Diarrhea’: Company Tied to Outbreak Donated to Trump as He Delayed Food Safety Rule: Taylor Farms contributed $2 million to Trump and Republicans as they postponed a rule to help the government limit the spread of foodborne illnesses. ZETEO
Pentagon Withheld Dozens of U.S. Military Injuries in Iran War: A new report says the Pentagon concealed dozens of injuries to U.S. service members after strikes from Iran killed two individuals in Jordan. Several U.S. officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to The New York Times concerning the unreported harm to service members and helicopters caused by a wave of Iranian strikes on American assets in Jordan.
Hundreds Of Thousands of Immigrant Children Are Facing Immigration Court By Themselves: Kids deserve to be protected at all times, no matter their legal immigration status. Two recent analyses of federal data reveal that hundreds of thousands of children – including many kids who arrived in the U.S. without their parents or legal guardians – are currently facing immigration court alone. CNN
CORRUPTION ALERT
Kennedy's Son Launches Fund Planning MAHA 'Convergence': William "Finn" Kennedy, son of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is launching Victura Ventures, a $100 million investment fund. The fund capitalizes on the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement by targeting early-stage growth companies in healthcare AI, consumer health, and health technologies. NEWSER
Donald Trump Jr.’s Investment Firm Posts Staggering Returns of 200%: Donald Trump Jr.’s venture capital firm, 1789 Capital, saw its assets soar past $3 billion with a main fund return of roughly 200% by June 30, 2026. Co-founded with Omeed Malik, the firm capitalized on early private stakes and policy shifts under the second Trump administration. NYT
DESI NEWS
Trump Imposes Fresh 10% US Tariff On India In New Trade Move: India has been placed in the lower 10 per cent tariff category. Officials told ANI that while New Delhi was initially slated for a 12.5 per cent tariff but it secured the lower rate following productive discussions on labour practices. NDTV
SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND SAFETY
How China won the car wars with cheap EVs loaded with technology: Wondering why it took so long to identify the source of the recent Cyclospora outbreak? 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
Largest known U.S. cyclospora outbreak has now spread to nine states: The newly linked states — Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania — join Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. WP
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