Four Republicans crossed the aisle Thursday as the House passed a war powers resolution 214-208, directing the president to halt U.S. military operations in Iran. The Senate then blocked a companion measure 47-49, keeping it from advancing — but the bipartisan rebuke marks the sharpest congressional pushback yet on a conflict that has now claimed 18 American lives since hostilities resumed July 7. The resolution is non-binding and will not reach Trump's desk.
Brent crude crossed $100 per barrel Thursday morning for the first time since May, surging 7.2% as Houthi forces attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea and Trump threatened strikes on Iranian infrastructure. The Dow shed more than 506 points, the S&P 500 dropped 1.2%, and the Nasdaq fell over 2% — compounded by steep post-earnings drops in Alphabet and Tesla. Analysts warn sustained triple-digit oil prices could reshape the economic backdrop heading into midterm season.
One day after the U.S. and Saudi Arabia signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement, President Trump announced Thursday the deal is "totally subject" to Riyadh joining the Abraham Accords and normalizing relations with Israel — a condition not in the signed text. The White House confirmed: no Abraham Accords, no nuclear deal. Saudi Arabia has publicly stated it will not normalize with Israel without a credible, time-bound path to Palestinian statehood, throwing the just-inked agreement into immediate uncertainty.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's path to permanent confirmation hit a wall Thursday as Republican Sen. Thom Tillis announced he will not vote yes unless Blanche personally meets with women harmed by Jeffrey Epstein before the Senate adjourns. Blanche's two-day hearing was contentious on multiple fronts, with senators pressing him on independence from Trump and his handling of the Epstein investigation. With recess approaching and the math extremely tight, a single Republican defection could stall or sink the nomination.
President Trump said Thursday he is considering an unprecedented "massive attack" on Iran — potentially including strikes on bridges and power plants near or inside Tehran — as the U.S.-Iran conflict enters its twelfth consecutive night. Iranian proxies launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes at Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait overnight. Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi warned that nations actively supporting U.S. operations are now potential targets, deepening fears the conflict could engulf the broader region.
A brutal summer heat wave is driving catastrophic wildfires across France, Italy, and Spain, killing three firefighters and forcing mass evacuations. In France, more than 10,000 residents fled the Bordeaux area overnight as fires consumed over 2,000 hectares in the Gironde department. A firefighter died in Sicily while battling blazes there, and Spain's Guadalajara province has already seen 32,000 hectares burn north of Madrid. European fire officials report more than 254,000 hectares have burned across the EU so far in 2026.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met Thursday on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in Pasay, Manila — the highest-level U.S.-Russia diplomatic contact in months — with Ukraine ceasefire prospects on the agenda. No breakthrough was announced. Russia simultaneously escalated attacks on Ukraine's Black Sea ports while the talks were underway, undercutting any optimism the meeting might have generated.
Scientists have developed a protein-based gel capable of rebuilding damaged tooth enamel — the one tissue your body permanently cannot regenerate on its own. The fluoride-free formula uses engineered proteins that mimic those responsible for enamel formation during infancy; applied to a tooth, it fills microscopic cracks and scaffolds new mineral growth from the inside out. Researchers say the breakthrough could fundamentally change how cavities are prevented and treated.
Astronomers announced Thursday that a giant planet had been hiding inside the Beta Pictoris system — one of the most intensively observed planetary systems in history — concealed for years behind a bright disk of cosmic dust. The James Webb Space Telescope revealed the world, designated Beta Pictoris d, through faint atmospheric traces invisible to prior instruments. The find challenges assumptions about what scientists thought they already knew about their own backyard of the galaxy.
One resourceful New Yorker turned celebrity sidewalk litter into a tidy payday after collecting 50 pieces of debris outside Madison Square Garden following Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's July 3 wedding. Items included cigarette butts, candy wrappers, a single AirPod, and an ovulation test kit. He sealed each one in a labeled airtight acrylic cube branded "JUST&T MARRIED" and sold all 50 cubes at $25 apiece — $1,250 total. For garbage.
