Early Edition: July 20, 2026

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A curated guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:

IRAN WAR

The Pentagon said yesterday that a third member of the U.S. military had died over the weekend during the disposal of a downed Iranian attack drone in northern Iraq on Saturday. On Friday, two soldiers were killed in an Iranian missile attack in Jordan, which left another soldier missing. U.S. Central Command said yesterday that the U.S. military had found the remains of the missing service member. The latest deaths bring the total number of U.S. service members killed since the war began in February to 18. Aaron Boxerman, Yan Zhuang, Hari Raj, and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times; Josh Boak reports for AP News; Barak Ravid and Rebbeca Falconer report for Axios.   

Iran carried out three other strikes against U.S. forces in Jordan last week, which injured dozens of U.S. service members and damaged several helicopters, according to several U.S. officials. The Pentagon did not publicly disclose the attacks, casualties, or damage, citing operational security concerns, while Central Command said it is not required to release information about troops who are quickly able to return to duty. Eric Schmitt reports for the New York Times. 

The U.S. military said yesterday evening Eastern Time that it had begun conducting a new wave of strikes against Iran for the ninth consecutive night. A U.S. official said that the United States was sending more military jets to the Middle East. Others added that Air Force F-16 fighter jets from Germany and F-35 jets from Britain were being sent to the Middle East. An Israeli official said yesterday that Israel is preparing to receive more U.S. refuelling aircraft, adding that the United States has “decided to adjust its force posture in the region.” Jon Gambrell reports for AP News; Eric Schmitt reports for the New York Times; Steven Scheer reports for Reuters.

 “The U.S. is planning for a wider war,” a U.S. official told the Washington Post, pointing to the increase in U.S. military aircraft in the region. But the official cautioned that the expansion of U.S. operations will be limited by dwindling stockpiles of air defense and long-range munitions and constraints on the ability to surge more troops and aircraft into the area because of battle damage. “We do not have enough to safely sustain operations, and I don’t think the White House is aware of that,” the official said. Karen DeYoung, Tara Copp, and Dan Lamothe report.

Iran responded today by launching attacks across the region. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that Iran had targeted U.S. aircraft at Jordan’s Aqaba airport with ballistic missiles, as well as U.S. military assets and equipment at Kuwait’s Al-Adiri camp and Ali Al Salem Air Base, and in Syria. Kuwait’s government said a desalination plant was attacked for the second day in a row. Nayera Abdallah, Eman Abouhassira, and Enas Alashray report for Reuters. 

The IRGC said today that two oil tankers had “exploded and were forced to cease movement” as they attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz via a route that Tehran has warned ships not to use. The IRGC did not claim responsibility for strikes on the ships. Hari Raj reports for the New York Times.  

IRAN WAR – POLITICAL RESPONSE 

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a statement on Saturday accusing President Trump of violating the U.S.-Iran agreement and pledging a strong response by Iran and its proxies. Khamenei called the United States “the great Satan” in the statement, a term he has not used since assuming office. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.  

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said yesterday that the United States remained open to diplomacy with Iran. “We’ve tried multiple times with Iran, and we’ll continue to try. If that door opens, we’ll be happy to see it open,” Rubio told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. Yan Zhuan reports for the New York Times. 

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said yesterday that despite renewed fighting with Iran, tankers continue to make it through the Strait of Hormuz. Wright said, “We’re at a little under 14 million barrels a day from the Arabian Gulf region. That’s two-thirds of pre-conflict traffic.” Wright added that public reports indicating that most shipping traffic has stopped in recent days are not true. David Cohen reports for POLITICO.  

IRAN WAR – OTHER DEVELOPMENTS 

The war in Iran has worsened poverty and food insecurity in northern Nigeria by driving up fuel prices, causing job losses and making it harder for families to afford nutritious food, according to local health and aid workers. Combined with Nigeria’s existing economic challenges, the crisis has led to rising child malnutrition, with UNICEF warning that millions more children in Africa and Asia could fall into poverty if the conflict continues. Ope Adetayo reports for AP News.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR 

Ukrainian drone strikes on warehouses belonging to Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries, killed at least eight people and injured dozens on Saturday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wildberries warehouses deliver sanctioned components used in drones and navigational equipment to Russia’s military. He also framed the attacks as retaliation for Russian attacks on Ukraine’s postal and civilian infrastructure. Matthew Luxmoore reports for the Wall Street Journal. 

Hours later, on Sunday morning, Russia fired 41 ballistic missiles at Kyiv, one of the largest such barrages in the entire war, killing at least one person and injuring sixteen others. Later on Sunday, a Russian attack on a postal facility near Kharkiv killed four people and wounded at least 19. Matthew Luxmoore reports for the Wall Street Journal; Dan Peleschuk and Sergiy Karazy report for Reuters.  

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR 

An Israeli airstrike on Friday killed at least seven people and injured several others in central Gaza, according to hospital officials. The Israeli military said the strike targeted members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The military added that it was aware of claims that several “uninvolved individuals” had been harmed in the attack and that the matter was under review. Adam Rasgon and Abu Bakr Bashir report for the New York Times.

Israeli airstrikes on Saturday killed at least nine Palestinians in Gaza City, hospital officials said. A strike on an apartment in the Nasr neighborhood killed at least five people, including children between the ages of 8 and 18, the director of Shifa Hospital said. Israel’s military said it targeted Hamas infrastructure and had located Hamas militants in the area, without elaborating. Another Israeli strike hit a group of people in the Zeitoun neighborhood, killing four and wounding another critically, health officials said. Palestinians have reported an increase in the scale of Israeli strikes across Gaza over the past few days. Wafaa Shurafa reports for AP News.  

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS 

Taiwan detected a sharp increase in Chinese coastguard and research vessel activity around the island in June, prompting Taipei to plan drills simulating Chinese escalations off its Pacific coast, according to Taiwan Coast Guard data and officials. Taiwan reported 55 Chinese government vessel sightings in June, up from 30 in May, the data showed. Yimou Lee reports for Reuters.  

Andy Burnham will replace Keir Starmer as the United Kingdom’s prime minister today. Jill Lawless reports for AP News.  

TECH DEVELOPMENTS 

The Trump administration is considering plans for an independent regulator to vet the safety of AI models with industry input, sources said. The proposal aims to appease both Wall Street Firms and Silicon Valley companies frustrated by what they see as an inconsistent approach from the administration, sources said. Trump has not yet reviewed the plan, one source said, however, officials have accelerated work to give the AI industry more clarity following the release of a new Chinese AI model last week. Maggie Eastland and Nancy Cook report for Bloomberg.  

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

The Trump administration is preparing to unveil a series of grants in Europe and elsewhere to support MAGA-aligned initiatives. The proposed grants include $2 million to “counter censorship” stemming from EU regulations, including the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, according to a copy of the State Department notice sent to lawmakers. The notice also details plans to provide $5mn to “develop a civilizational alliance” in Europe. Amy Mackinnon and Lucy Fisher report for the Financial Times. 

The State Department said on Saturday that it did not renew an emergency declaration over Hong Kong, leading to the lifting of partial sanctions, but it said an executive order that revoked Hong Kong’s special trading status remained in place. As the order states, Hong Kong is no longer sufficiently autonomous to justify differential treatment in relation to mainland China under certain laws and provisions, the State Department said. Kanis Leung reports for AP News.  

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan were arrested yesterday in Miami after British authorities issued 38 new charges, bringing the total against them to 59. The U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Service said Andrew was being charged with further counts of rape, as well as charges relating to sex trafficking and indecent images of a child. The U.K. authorities are preparing extradition proceedings. Kathryn Armstrong and Claire Keenan report for BBC News. 

U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS 

Federal agents were told last week that the FBI would no longer investigate confrontations with ICE agents, according to sources. Under the change, responsibility for investigating cases involving federal immigration officers would likely fall to Homeland Security Investigations, an arm of ICE, effectively leaving the agency to investigate itself, according to guidance circulated among FBI and ICE agents. A joint statement by the Justice Department and DHS denied the changes. Devlin Barrett and Hamed Aleaziz report for the New York Times. 

DHS has declined to release the names of immigration agents involved in fatal shootings, most recently this month in Maine and Texas. The department said on Friday that identifying officers would expose them and their families to serious danger from violent agitators. This is despite years of federal guidance encouraging police departments to release officers’ names to improve transparency. Shaila Dewan reports for the New York Times. 

A New York Times review of policies, statutes, and practices in the 18 states targeted by the Trump administration for failing to cooperate with federal immigration agencies shows extensive cooperation and coordination when it comes to people convicted of serious crimes. In 12 of them, the number of custodial arrests by ICE more than doubled since the beginning of Trump’s second term, according to a Times analysis of ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project. Jazmine Ulloa, Miriam Jordan, and Albert Sun report.

The New York Times found that 213 out of more than 400 resolved federal cases accusing protesters and immigrants of assaulting or impeding ICE and Border Patrol agents have been dismissed, withdrawn, or ended in acquittals. “There seems to be a pattern of charges being filed without any merit,” Jimmy L. Arce, a former federal prosecutor in Chicago, said. 

The Justice Department submitted the first-ever application to the Alien Terrorist Removal Court – which has lain dormant since it was established by law in 1996 – with little notice last week. The details of the July 15 application are sealed, and an accompanying cover sheet indicates that the substance is classified. The chief judge of the court issued an order on Thursday asking the government to make a more “thoughtful” application. Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report for POLITICO. 

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 

The Justice Department has moved away from charging companies over the wrongdoing of employees, recently closing several criminal investigations with lenient solutions or no charges at all. Corporate investigations and prosecutions that were happening a few years ago “have pretty much been dialed way back,” said Evan T. Barr, a former federal prosecutor. “So if you’re in the world of financial services or a large public company, you can breathe a lot easier.” David Michaels and Sadie Gurman report for the Wall Street Journal.  

A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that New Jersey’s ban on assault weapons is unconstitutional, upholding a lower court’s ruling and broadening it to strike down larger pieces of the state’s strict gun regulations that have been in place for decades. Joey Fox and Daniel Han report for POLITICO.  

A Reuters data analysis shows that Trump’s claims of widespread noncitizen voting are not supported by federal case data, with only 129 prosecutions under the relevant law since 1996 and many cases appearing to involve confusion, administrative errors, or misunderstandings rather than coordinated fraud. Tom Hals, Peter Eisler, Ned Parker, and Luc Cohen report.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS 

Trump said yesterday that the new Air Force One jet, donated by Qatar and recently flown overseas to the NATO summit in Ankara, would soon be “maxed out.” A reporter asked Trump, “Mr. President, this plane does not have anti-missile defense systems on it. Why are you flying it?” Trump replied, “Well, it has — it has a lot, and you know it has a lot of capability, but as I understand it, in about a month or so, they’re going to send it to have it be maxed out.” Maggie Haberman reports for the New York Times.  

The Trump administration halted a two-year Labor Department civil rights investigation into BAE Systems that alleged workplace discrimination and sexual harassment, preventing a potential settlement and worker compensation, the New York Times reports. The move was part of a broader effort to dismantle the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, reducing its role in investigating discrimination among government contractors. Records show that the agency was scheduled to launch about 2,000 inquiries in 2025, all of which were derailed by Trump’s executive order. Coral Davenport reports. 

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

A federal judge on Friday ruled the Trump administration cannot use the “Termination Clause” in federal grant rules to make billions of dollars in funding cuts, blocking efforts to cancel grants in areas such as crime prevention, food security, and scientific research. The decision followed a lawsuit by 23 states, which argued that the administration’s use of the clause was an unlawful attempt to carry out widespread funding reductions. Michael Casey reports for AP News. 

Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.

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