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President Trump reversed a Department of Homeland Security pause on ICE traffic stops just one day after DHS had suspended them, calling the stops one of the agency's most important crime-fighting tools. The suspension had been triggered by an incident on July 7 in Houston, where an ICE officer fatally shot a Mexican national during a vehicle interdiction stop. The White House confirmed the reinstatement is effective immediately.
House Republicans unveiled a budget resolution Wednesday that would unlock a third reconciliation bill bypassing the Senate filibuster, allocating $73 billion for defense and intelligence tied to the Iran conflict, $10 billion for election integrity including voter ID measures, and $12 billion in farm aid. The House Budget Committee is scheduled to mark up the resolution Thursday. If passed, the package would advance without the 60-vote Senate threshold.
Former SEC Chairman Jay Clayton testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee today in his bid to become Director of National Intelligence, pledging a mission-focused approach and vowing to restore trust in the intelligence community. Senators pressed Clayton on press freedom after SDNY subpoenaed New York Times journalists covering Air Force One safety concerns. Chairman Tom Cotton announced plans to hold a committee vote early next week and send the nomination to the full Senate.
Darline Graham Nordone, sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, was sworn in to fill her brother's Senate seat, becoming the first woman ever to represent South Carolina in the United States Senate. She will serve through January 3, 2027, with the November election determining the next six-year occupant. The appointment drew immediate fire from "The View" co-host Sunny Hostin, who labeled it a DEI hire — a characterization that drew sharp conservative pushback and reignited the debate over what qualifies as merit.
CENTCOM launched a new wave of precision strikes Wednesday morning specifically targeting Iran's capacity to attack vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, hitting coastal defense systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb Island. The operation marks five consecutive days of U.S. strikes on Iran, which has attacked seven commercial ships over the past week, killing or injuring nearly a dozen civilian crew members. President Trump has signaled the strikes could intensify if Tehran refuses to return to negotiations.
Two days of talks between the United States, Israel, and Lebanon concluded positively Wednesday, with parties agreeing on the structure and guidelines for an Israeli Defense Forces withdrawal from pilot zones in southern Lebanon. Officials said the framework is to be finalized and implemented in the coming days. The diplomatic breakthrough offers a potential off-ramp amid the broader regional tensions driven by the Iran conflict.
French police made 98 arrests — including 21 minors — after violence erupted across Paris overnight following France's World Cup semifinal loss to Spain. The Paris Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed the figures, with rioters clashing with officers in multiple neighborhoods through the early morning hours of Wednesday. Cleanup crews were still working as residents woke to damaged storefronts and debris-strewn streets.
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order Wednesday implementing a statewide moratorium on construction of data centers consuming 50 megawatts or more — making New York the first state in the nation to impose such a ban. The pause lasts up to one year while regulators develop standards for energy demand, water use, and environmental impact from hyperscale facilities. Critics argue the move will push investment to other states and hand a long-term infrastructure advantage to China.
Researchers at UC San Diego successfully guided $20,000 humanoid robots through two live gallbladder removal procedures on pigs — the first time general-purpose humanoid machines have performed surgery in an operating room setting. The robots mirrored the movements of surgeons operating remotely, with no autonomous medical decision-making involved, and no human patients were used. Scientists say the technology could eventually enable surgery during space missions where no physician is physically present.
Park officials have decided the Yellowstone bison that launched a grandfather approximately eight feet into the air in a viral incident will face no management action — no relocation, no euthanasia, nothing. The National Park Service confirmed the ruling Wednesday, citing regulations that already require visitors to stay at least 75 feet from bison at all times. The bison, by all accounts, is doing fine.
