Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche faces the Senate Judiciary Committee today in a two-day confirmation hearing, the first major nomination fight since Sen. Lindsey Graham's sudden death left Republicans with almost no margin for defection. Over 1,200 former DOJ officials signed a letter urging senators to reject Blanche while 77 others signed in support; Trump publicly called on every Republican to vote yes. Democrats are expected to press Blanche on his prior role as Trump's personal attorney, DOJ handling of the Epstein files, and the disbanded weaponization fund.
The House passed the Sunshine Protection Act Tuesday in a lopsided bipartisan vote, advancing Trump's long-held preference to end the twice-yearly clock change. States may opt out and remain on year-round standard time if they act before the law takes effect. The bill now moves to the Senate, where opposition from farm-state members of both parties makes passage uncertain.
The Trump Justice Department filed suit against Maryland this week over its Community Trust Act, which bars state facilities from honoring federal immigration detainers — the latest escalation in a coordinated crackdown on sanctuary jurisdictions. Earlier court wins in Virginia and Pennsylvania struck down state laws restricting how federal agents operate, and federal grants to non-compliant cities have been paused. The Federalist reports Acting AG Blanche has been accelerating enforcement actions even as he simultaneously prepares for today's confirmation fight.
Iran's IRGC launched missile and drone attacks Tuesday on US military installations at air bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan — a significant escalation beyond the maritime assaults that have defined the Hormuz conflict so far. The IRGC claimed strikes on fuel depots, a Patriot air defense system, and drone command facilities; all four targeted nations say they intercepted every incoming weapon without major damage to the bases. US Central Command hit back Wednesday morning in the fifth consecutive day of American strikes on Iranian military targets.
The Trump administration joined the Philippines and 12 other nations Sunday in a joint statement demanding China respect the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling that rejected Beijing's sweeping South China Sea territorial claims. The EU separately reaffirmed Monday that the decision is final and legally binding under international law. China has never accepted the ruling and continues to expand its maritime presence in the region, but the coordinated statement signals a hardening international front as Hormuz tensions raise fears of a second global chokepoint crisis.
Residents of Guangxi province tell The Epoch Times that last week's catastrophic flooding — triggered by the collapse of the Liulan Reservoir on July 6 — killed far more people than Beijing's official count of 39, with locals saying entire villages were destroyed and the real figure could reach into the thousands. Authorities have locked down information from the disaster zone and locals say they fear official retaliation for speaking publicly. The Chinese government has not responded to questions about the discrepancy.
Iran-backed Houthi forces launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia's Abha International Airport in retaliation for Saudi strikes on Sanaa's airport earlier this week. The UN Security Council called an emergency session, with a senior UN official warning that "Yemen and the wider region cannot afford another cycle of escalation." The exchange risks pulling Saudi Arabia into direct confrontation as the broader Middle East conflict continues to widen on multiple fronts simultaneously.
China's Ministry of Commerce on July 10 abruptly banned helium exports in a two-sentence announcement with no stated rationale, no expiration date, and no exemptions — not for hospitals, semiconductor fabrication plants, or scientific research. Because China re-exports large volumes of Russian helium and serves as a key global intermediary, the sudden move is rattling supply chains for MRI machines, chip manufacturers, and aerospace programs worldwide. The US imports only about 5 percent of its helium from China, but European supply chains are far more exposed, and the timing amid already-disrupted Hormuz commodity flows compounds the risk.
Venture capitalist Joe Lonsdale warned The Epoch Times that China systematically mines published US patent applications to extract technical knowledge from AI and life-science startups before those companies can ever reach market. A US patent offers zero protection against manufacturing conducted entirely inside China, meaning the filing itself can hand Beijing a detailed roadmap to replicate the invention. Lonsdale called the US Patent and Trademark Office "completely broken" and suggested some founders may be better off keeping their best innovations as trade secrets rather than filing at all.
New Hampshire state Rep. Ellen Read, a Democrat, is arguing that a provision in the state's 1784 constitution shielded her from being lawfully stopped by police after authorities allege she was clocked driving over 100 mph on Interstate 93. The 242-year-old text states that lawmakers cannot be "arrested, or held to bail" while traveling to or from the legislature — a protection originally meant to ensure members could reach session during colonial-era travel. Read has a second pending speeding case for allegedly hitting 92 mph in a 65-mph zone in June 2025, and insists she is not claiming immunity from prosecution itself — just from the traffic stop.
