Iniaes

In U.S. energy policy

The Trump administration will pay RWE U.S. Offshore $1.22 billion to surrender rights for offshore wind development along the U.S. coast, according to the company. The payment concerns projects held by the U.S. arm of German energy firm RWE and marks a costly retreat from planned offshore wind expansion.

Meanwhile, Centrus Energy has agreed to supply uranium fuel, including higher-enriched HALEU, for X-energy's proposed small modular reactors. X-energy will make advance payments to help expand Centrus's Ohio enrichment plant, part of a wider push to build U.S. nuclear-fuel capacity.

In media and technology

The FCC has eliminated the national rule capping a single company's ownership of U.S. television stations at 39 percent of the market. The decision could accelerate broadcast consolidation and leave more local news outlets under fewer corporate owners.

Separately, AI's volatile electricity use is creating physical problems inside data centers, not just added strain on power grids. Rapid swings in demand can damage turbines and burn out backup batteries, raising another infrastructure challenge as companies build out AI computing capacity.

In Congress

Ohio Representative Max Miller faces mounting calls to resign after his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, accused him of domestic abuse, including allegations that he held a gun to her head and broke their two-year-old daughter's collarbone. Miller denies the allegations.

Maryland Senator Angela Alsobrooks plans legislation to exempt school supplies, including backpacks, from tariffs imposed by President Trump. The proposal is aimed at limiting back-to-school costs for families.

In the Middle East

Israeli strikes in the Tyre area of southern Lebanon wounded eight people as a third day of U.S.-brokered talks concluded in Rome. The attacks came during the seventh round of negotiations.

In Britain

A power failure disrupted rail services for thousands of passengers, leaving some stranded on trains before they were evacuated. The outage spread across the network, with travelers reporting lengthy and difficult journeys.

In U.S. media

The Federal Communications Commission voted 2 to 1 to eliminate the national cap on how many television stations a single company can own. Chairman Brendan Carr and Republican Commissioner Olivia Trusty supported the move, which benefits large broadcast groups and is likely to face court challenges.

U.S. pressure on Mexican cartels

The United States is offering up to $25 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of the alleged new leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Separately, U.S. authorities suspended operations in Michoacán, including avocado-export inspections, after a security threat to U.S. interests. The state supplies much of the U.S. avocado market, so a prolonged halt could disrupt exports.

Threats targeting the justice system

Federal prosecutors have charged three people with threatening witnesses, a judge, court staff, and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office during the investigation into the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells in Mississippi. The allegations include bomb threats and messages targeting a judge’s family. Wells disappeared after a July 4 boat trip and was found dead two days later. The underlying investigation continues.

Federal Judge John McConnell Jr. says he and his family also received threats after he blocked President Trump’s attempt to freeze federal funding.

In public health

The World Health Organization says new Ebola cases are being reported faster than international partners can expand their response, according to Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

In the United States, the FDA has approved the first mRNA-based flu vaccine for adults 50 and older, extending the technology beyond COVID-19 vaccines.

In Ukraine

Ukraine’s Security Service says drone strikes damaged two Russian coast guard patrol ships in occupied Crimea, setting one on fire. It also says strikes hit one of Russia’s largest oil refineries more than 700 kilometers from Ukraine’s border.

In Britain

The UK government is urgently reviewing whether people convicted in historic grooming-gang cases could still qualify for early release. The review followed concern that men convicted of child sexual assaults in Bradford might be released despite a government pledge that they would remain in prison.

In the western United States

Wildfires in Washington state and California have forced thousands to evacuate and damaged more than 1,000 structures. The scale of destruction is still being assessed as crews work to contain the blazes.

In Washington

Senators Bernie Moreno and Elizabeth Warren have proposed eliminating the Social Security payroll tax cap, which currently applies the 12.4 percent levy only to earnings up to roughly $185,000. Their plan would extend the tax to all wages and self-employment income, a rare cross-party pairing with major consequences for higher earners and the program’s finances.

OpenAI has agreed to pay $3.2 million to settle Justice Department claims that parts of its hiring process favored temporary visa holders over U.S. job seekers.

In the games business

Electronic Arts employees are worried about layoffs after the company’s reported $55 billion buyout by a Saudi-led consortium. Reports say EA is planning hundreds of millions of dollars in cost cuts as it goes private, while management has offered reassurance. Employees have heard that script before, usually shortly before someone calls it a restructuring.

In India

A court has sentenced former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal to 10 years in prison for raping a junior colleague at a Goa hotel event in 2013. The conviction overturns his 2021 acquittal in a case that drew national attention.

In Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan has released an Amur tiger named Umit into the Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve, part of an effort to restore a wild tiger population in Central Asia for the first time in more than 70 years.

In Ukraine

Russian strikes killed six people in Ukraine, with officials reporting three deaths in the Kharkiv region and three in Sumy. Moscow said it intercepted 605 drones as cross-border attacks continued.

In U.S. defense

President Trump denied reports of U.S. munitions shortages after The Washington Post reported he sought answers from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth at a Camp David Cabinet meeting. Trump said the United States has “massive amounts” of munitions.

In Asian security

Taiwan and U.S. defense company Shield AI are expanding work on autonomous drone operations after a test in which three Taiwanese-built drones coordinated a search of contested airspace using AI. Separately, China has reportedly developed an AI-assisted system to help commanders plan large air missions, while leaving final operational approval to human commanders.

In Mexico

Authorities are investigating the killing of TikTok creator César Gastélum, who was shot during a livestream outside a fast-food restaurant in Culiacán. The 25-year-old had nearly 600,000 followers and was taking part in a food-delivery challenge. Investigators are examining whether his social-media posts and possible cartel links were connected to the attack.

In Washington state

Wildfire smoke is rising over central and eastern Washington as helicopters drop water and ground crews reinforce containment lines around active fires.

In U.S. economic policy

The Trump administration has refunded $100 billion in tariff collections after the Supreme Court struck down many of the president’s broad levies in February.

Separately, The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump has repeatedly spoken with Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh, seeking advice on the economic effects of the Iran war and the rapid growth of artificial intelligence.

A new poll finds cost of living has become Americans’ leading concern, with only 28 percent rating the economy as good.

In food safety

The CDC says a Salmonella outbreak tied to jalapeño peppers has sickened 345 people in 27 states and hospitalized 36. Traceback work identified peppers from Sinaloa, Mexico, distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors.

The FDA has also expanded its investigation of a Cyclospora outbreak linked to recalled iceberg lettuce. First identified among people who ate shredded lettuce at Taco Bell restaurants, the outbreak has spread to 15 states, and authorities have confirmed two associated deaths.

In media and gaming

Electronic Arts has completed its $55 billion sale to an investor group led by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, alongside Silver Lake Partners and Affinity Partners. Affinity is run by Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law.

In Nigeria

Nigeria says it has rescued 308 people who were kidnapped, as armed groups and bandits continue carrying out ransom abductions across the country. Authorities provided few details on the operation, but the scale underscores the depth of Nigeria’s security crisis.

In Washington

The State Department has revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador to Washington, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s office condemned the decision, adding to already strained relations between the two governments.

Meanwhile, a Republican dispute over intoxicating hemp products is delaying Senate action on a government funding bill. A fight over what counts as hemp is helping hold up the more familiar task of keeping the government open.

In Philadelphia, an Argentine asylum seeker, Iliana Lick, was detained by ICE at the airport while awaiting an asylum interview, according to her lawyer and family. Her attorney says she had maintained lawful status and had an immigration court hearing pending after transfers through detention centers in several states.

In health research

Scientists report they have kept vaccines stable at room temperature for a year, potentially reducing waste caused by strict refrigeration requirements. If the approach holds up at scale, fridge-free vaccines could make immunization campaigns cheaper and more practical in areas without reliable cold storage.

In tech and security

Cisco has issued a broad set of security updates for critical flaws in its Catalyst SD-WAN and IOS XE network software. The most severe issues carry scores of up to 9.9 out of 10, and Cisco says there are no workarounds. The company says it has not seen active exploitation, but affected organizations should prioritize the updates, particularly for internet-facing network infrastructure.

The advisory batch also fixes high-severity bugs that could allow attackers to crash IOS XE devices, expose credentials in logs, or gain root-level access through Cisco's Integrated Management Controller. Several attacks require authentication, but the unauthenticated device-crash flaw does not. This is a patch-now release, not one to leave aging in a queue.

In U.S. elections

House Democrats have added 12 Republican-leaning districts to their midterm target list, widening the map of seats they hope to flip in November. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed narrowly won the Democratic Senate primary over a centrist congresswoman backed by party establishment figures and pro-Israel groups, a result welcomed by many Arab and Muslim American voters in eastern Michigan.

In Pakistan

Lahore authorities suspended all 78 officers and staff assigned to Ghaziabad police station after a 20-year-old woman with intellectual disabilities alleged that an assistant sub-inspector took her to the station and raped her. A police official said every employee at the station bore responsibility for preventing and reporting wrongdoing.

In Ethiopia

Military activity in and around Alamata, a disputed city, is raising fears that the peace following the 2020 to 2022 Tigray War could break down. The area remains a sensitive fault line, and renewed fighting would threaten a region still recovering from the earlier conflict.

At the Strait of Hormuz

Iran says it and Oman have agreed on proposed coordinates for a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, with a joint announcement still being finalized. Tehran says the arrangement depends on no third-party interference and would not by itself guarantee security in the strategically vital waterway.

U.S. immigration policy

A federal judge in Massachusetts sharply criticized the Department of Homeland Security over its effort to end Temporary Protected Status for Somali immigrants. Judge Allison Burroughs called the refusal to allow a wind-down period “shameful cruelty,” moved up the legal briefing deadline to Aug. 6, and said she expects to rule soon.

Separately, the State Department has made permanent a visa-bond program for travelers from 50 countries, mostly in Africa. Tourist and business visa applicants can be required to post bonds of $10,000 to $20,000. The department says overstays have dropped to nearly zero in participating countries, while critics point to an 83% decline in visa issuance.

In tech and security

The Open Secure AI Alliance has proposed a security framework for AI agents called SAFE. It would require participating companies to report security incidents, share threat intelligence, and preserve evidence after breaches. The proposal follows incidents involving OpenAI and Anthropic models, as companies give AI systems more access to business tools and data.

In aviation safety

New reporting indicates that an experimental U.S. military GPS-jamming exercise may have contributed to a fatal May crash of a civilian medical-evacuation aircraft in New Mexico. The report does not establish a final cause, but it raises questions about how military electronic-warfare testing is coordinated around civilian flights.

In the Middle East

Israeli forces detained Palestinians during a raid in the occupied West Bank, where a journalist covering the operation was reportedly severely beaten by Israeli soldiers. Local residents were also reportedly attacked.

Meanwhile, resumed talks in Rome have not resolved divisions between Lebanon and Israel over Hezbollah’s disarmament and the terms of an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

In the United Kingdom and Pakistan

Former Pakistani state minister Rukhsar Ahmed was arrested in the UK last July on suspicion of rape and trafficking children in care, in connection with a Manchester grooming-gang investigation dating to the 1990s. Ahmed is on police bail and was re-elected to Pakistan’s parliament last week after five years out of office.

In the UK

The Community Security Trust says antisemitic incidents rose 20% in the first half of 2026, producing the second-highest total recorded for that period. The figures add to pressure for stronger protection of Jewish communities and more effective action against hate crime.

In Ukraine

A Russian mass strike on the Kyiv region killed at least 17 people, according to local authorities. President Volodymyr Zelensky said more interceptor missiles could have saved lives.

In Kherson, a vegetable vendor survived after a Russian FPV drone reportedly pursued him around his van before exploding. Video released by Zelensky showed the attack, which left the man with shrapnel injuries and concussion. UN investigators have previously documented repeated Russian drone attacks on civilians in the region.

In Turkey

X is challenging a Turkish court order restricting access to an account linked to jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s presidential campaign. Imamoglu is a leading opposition figure, and the restriction further limits his ability to communicate while in custody.

In India

India is considering changes to its foreign-funding law that would allow a designated authority to take control of foreign contributions when an organisation loses its registration. The proposal could affect NGOs, schools and religious bodies, and has drawn objections from opposition lawmakers and criticism from a US congressman.

In currency markets

The United States and Japan have reportedly carried out a rare coordinated intervention to support the weakening yen, seeking to prevent wider market instability. Currency cooperation at that level is unusual.

At the Moon

A discarded SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage is believed to have struck the Moon at roughly 5,400 miles an hour after being left in deep space following a lunar-lander launch. It posed no danger to Earth, but may have created a crater about 60 feet wide. Lunar spacecraft may be able to study the debris plume.