Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended a new FEMA policy that withholds 20% of counterterrorism grant funding unless states adopt five election security measures, including use of the SAVE database to verify voter citizenship, manual audits of at least 5% of votes, and verification of poll workers' citizenship. Critics, including Democratic senators and blue-state governors, argue the SAVE database is inaccurate and the policy is a backdoor attempt to impose voter restrictions. Blue states like California and Colorado have condemned the policy, stating it jeopardizes public safety and election integrity. The policy follows previous Trump administration efforts to leverage security funds for political objectives.

Background: House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed Senate Republicans to ease friction over border funding, FISA extension, and the SAVE Act, amid internal GOP disputes. Today: Senate Majority Leader John Thune is now navigating a series of disputes with President Trump, including disagreements over extending FISA surveillance authorities, funding the Iran conflict, abolishing the filibuster, and passing the SAVE America Act. Trump has linked FISA extension to the SAVE Act and demanded a third budget reconciliation package for $350 billion in defense spending. The death of Senator Lindsey Graham complicates committee leadership and budget work. Thune aims to unify the conference and confirm nominees, but tensions remain high.

Background: The Trump administration had approved the sale of F110 engines for Turkey's KAAN fighter jet and dropped a sanctions case against Halkbank, signaling a defense rapprochement. At the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump announced the lifting of sanctions on Turkey and signaled openness to selling F-35 stealth fighter jets, reversing penalties imposed after Turkey acquired the Russian S-400 system. Israel and Greece oppose the sale, citing regional security concerns. Turkey may sell its S-400s to the UAE, but US law requires Turkey to relinquish the S-400 before any F-35 transfer, and congressional approval remains uncertain. Trump later softened his stance, saying he hadn't fully decided. Analysts note that even if approved, the F-35 delivery would take years, and Turkey is developing its own Kaan stealth jet.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a diplomatic campaign to dismantle the International Criminal Court (ICC), using tools such as travel bans, visa revocations, sanctions, and pressure on other nations to withdraw. This escalates the Trump administration's conflict with the ICC, which has 125 member states and is currently investigating U.S. and Israeli actions.

The recent US-Iran war has created a mutually unsatisfying stalemate, with both sides unable to achieve decisive victory. This has led officials in both capitals to consider coexistence. Senior officials from both countries have met directly for the first time in nearly a decade, discussing compromises and potentially establishing a military deconfliction hotline. These direct talks could lay groundwork for a more stable relationship, though spoilers on both sides remain powerful. The article draws parallels to US normalization with China and Vietnam, suggesting that the costs of continued confrontation may push both towards reluctant accommodation.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer criticized President Trump's budget proposal as 'lopsided' and called on Senate Republicans to negotiate bipartisan spending bills to avert a government shutdown. He argued the Republican plan prioritizes defense spending over nondefense programs and accused them of shutting out Democratic input. Schumer urged Republicans to conduct oversight and end the military conflict with Iran.

An opinion piece by Harlan Ullman, senior adviser at the Atlantic Council, compares Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine to Nikita Khrushchev's actions during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Ullman argues that Putin, like Khrushchev, miscalculated Western resolve and now faces a deteriorating situation in Ukraine, with heavy casualties and economic strain. The author suggests Putin may face a similar political fate if Crimea comes under threat.

A bipartisan coalition of 11 US state attorneys general, led by California AG Rob Bonta, filed a lawsuit in the Northern District of California to block the $110 billion merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery, arguing it would harm competition and raise consumer prices. The deal has already received US Department of Justice approval but faces scrutiny in the UK and Europe.

SpaceX went public on June 12 with shares priced at $135, surging to a peak of $225 and briefly surpassing Amazon and Microsoft in market value. One month later, shares have fallen to around $145, a 35% decline from the peak, as investor focus shifts from AI excitement to the company's core rocket and Starlink satellite business. Analysts attribute the drop to a meme-stock dynamic and price cuts by Starlink. Morgan Stanley maintains a $300 target price, while anticipation builds for SpaceX's first public earnings report in early August.

A new study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reports measurable progress in the US defense industrial base, including 10,000 new firms entering the market, a 330% increase in munitions contract obligations since FY 2010, and a surge in rare earth production from 95 tons in 2022 to 8,900 tons in 2025. However, the report warns that manufacturing lead times, critical stockpiles, and supply chain resilience remain inadequate for sustained wartime production. The Pentagon is shifting toward low-cost munitions and multiyear agreements, while the Trump administration's 'America First Arms Transfer Strategy' aims to use foreign sales to boost domestic capacity.

Leonard Glenn Francis, the mastermind of the largest US Navy bribery scandal, plans to ask President Trump for a pardon or commutation of his 15-year prison sentence, citing stage IV kidney cancer and alleged misconduct by Biden-era DOJ prosecutors. The case involves high-profile corruption, a prior escape to Cuba, and a prisoner exchange with Venezuela.

Zhang Zhidong, a Chinese graduate of Peking University, is accused by US authorities of being a major broker connecting Chinese chemical suppliers with Mexico's Sinaloa cartel to produce fentanyl. Arrested in Mexico in 2024, he escaped house arrest before being recaptured and extradited to the US in 2025. His alleged network spanned the Americas, Europe, China, and Japan, and his removal has disrupted precursor chemical supply chains, though cartel members indicate the business continues with new brokers.

Jared Kushner joined an EU-backed donor conference for Gaza by video link as Brussels launched a nearly €900 million 'Team Gaza Initiative' for early recovery. The funding aims to restore water, health, energy, and other essential services. Kushner, representing the U.S.-appointed Gaza Executive Board, participated in the meeting, which also saw the EU call on Israel to release withheld Palestinian Authority revenues. The European Commission announced that 15 partners, including 12 European countries, Japan, the World Bank, and the European Investment Bank, have joined the initiative. The meeting included Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa and Gaza Transitional Administration head Ali Shaath. EU support is tied to reforms of the Palestinian Authority. The humanitarian situation remains catastrophic, with 70% of Gaza under Israeli occupation and 1.9 million people displaced.

A person was killed in a shooting involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday morning around 7:20 a.m. local time. The victim has been identified by immigrant advocacy groups as a 26-year-old man from Colombia who was authorized to work in the U.S. and held a Social Security number. Witnesses reported hearing at least four gunshots and seeing officers in green ICE vests around a white sedan; a white SUV appeared to have crashed into the victim's car. The incident is under investigation by the FBI and Maine State Police. Maine Governor Janet Mills confirmed state police are cooperating with federal authorities. Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau and U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree have questioned ICE's operations in Maine, including the agency's use of body cameras and the justification for its presence, particularly amid an ongoing enforcement operation dubbed "Operation Catch of the Day." Community groups, including Maine Resists and Project Relief, are organizing emergency rallies and supporting the victim's family. The shooting follows a similar fatal ICE incident in Houston, Texas, last week where Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was killed during a traffic stop.

An EU-backed donor conference in Brussels pledged approximately €900 million for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, with initial funds directed toward water, sanitation, health, and food systems. The EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated that continued support depends on reforms in the Palestinian Authority. The conference included Palestinian representatives and the US-established Board of Peace. A UN report estimates recovery costs at $71.4 billion, noting that 371,888 homes have been affected and 1.9 million people displaced. The war, which began with Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, has resulted in over 71,000 Palestinian deaths, according to the UN.

The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, a cryptocurrency regulation bill, advanced out of the Senate Banking Committee with a 15-9 bipartisan vote on Thursday, but faces four major hurdles ahead of a floor vote. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, ranking Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, escalated criticism by sending a letter to Senate leaders demanding ethics restrictions on elected officials' crypto involvement, citing President Trump's $1.2 billion in crypto-related income as a conflict of interest. Warren argued the bill must prevent the president, vice president, senior officials, members of Congress, and their families from profiting from the crypto industry. She also noted public concern over the affordability crisis and flagged additional flaws in the bill related to national security, financial stability, consumer protection, and ethics.