Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina died Saturday after what his office called a "brief and sudden illness," ending 23 years in the Senate. Emergency responders were dispatched to his Capitol Hill home for what sources describe as a cardiac event; Graham had just returned from his tenth wartime trip to Ukraine. Under South Carolina law, Governor Henry McMaster will appoint a temporary replacement while an expedited Republican primary determines who appears on the November ballot.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) says his congressional delegation was surrounded and held near the Palestinian village of Khirbet Zanuta by Israeli settlers carrying American-made M4 rifles on July 9. IDF soldiers who arrived initially sided with the settlers; Israeli police eventually dispersed the group. Khanna is demanding Israel prosecute the settlers and soldiers involved, calling it an unlawful detention of American citizens.
The Navy's FY2027 budget asks for $3 billion to replace the more than 850 Tomahawk missiles expended during the Iran war — a 1,200% production jump over last year's 58 missiles funded. Pentagon officials acknowledge full stockpile recovery will take years. Germany separately confirmed its own Tomahawk purchase from the U.S. following the NATO Ankara summit.
Following the Supreme Court's 6-3 June 30 ruling upholding birthright citizenship and striking down his executive order, President Trump announced he will immediately seek a rehearing. The court has not granted a rehearing in an argued case since 1965, and legal experts say success is unlikely. Trump called the ruling "absolutely insane," warning it "will destroy America."
Iranian officials privately told Trump administration advisers they "made a mistake" attacking commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz and want to continue negotiations — but Iran has refused to acknowledge this publicly. Vice President Vance, Secretary Rubio, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner met with Omani mediators in Muscat Saturday, though significant disagreements remain. Israel meanwhile signaled readiness to strike Iran again if diplomacy collapses.
Julian Alvarez's 112th-minute goal sent Argentina past Switzerland in extra time, extending the nation's record to 12 straight World Cup wins. Jude Bellingham scored twice to put England through against Norway. The semifinals are locked: Spain vs. France on Tuesday in Arlington; Argentina vs. England on Wednesday in Atlanta.
Russia has banned diesel exports through July 31 after Ukrainian drone strikes slashed refinery processing capacity by more than a third. The campaign has reached Siberia — hitting the Omsk refinery — along with tankers in the Sea of Azov and multiple oil depots in a single night. Long fuel lines and regional shortages are now appearing across Russia.
Omar Yaghi, who won the 2025 Nobel Prize in chemistry, has formally accepted a full-time position leading an AI research center at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Yaghi — a Palestinian refugee who built his career at Berkeley — says China's investment in science "offers opportunities the United States no longer does." He will use AI to accelerate materials development for water scarcity and carbon neutrality challenges, raising renewed alarm about US brain drain to China.
Elon Musk confirmed SpaceX's Starship will launch toward Mars before the end of 2026, carrying Tesla Optimus humanoid robots to begin constructing habitat infrastructure ahead of any human crew. Musk says humans could follow as early as 2029. He is also outlining plans for Tesla robots to build a moon city tied to NASA's push for a permanent lunar base.
Twenty-one-year-old Linda Noskova claimed the Wimbledon women's title Saturday, defeating compatriot Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 in an all-Czech final — then broke down on Centre Court dedicating the trophy to her late mother. It was one of the most emotional moments in Wimbledon's recent memory. The men's final between Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev is scheduled for today.
