Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during a tense Senate committee hearing on COVID-19 origins, surprising Senator Rand Paul. Republicans, including Senator Ted Cruz, criticized Fauci's actions and threatened a contempt vote, while Florida's Attorney General announced an investigation into his COVID-19 claims.
Hadi Matar, the man who stabbed author Salman Rushdie in 2022, has been convicted of federal terrorism charges, with prosecutors stating he was motivated by an Iranian fatwa. Matar, already serving a 25-year prison sentence, now faces additional charges that could lead to life in prison.
Southern Europe is experiencing a brutal wildfire season, with three firefighters dying in Greece as blazes force thousands of evacuations in Crete and France battles a massive fire four times the size of Paris. Germany's heat-related death toll nears 10,000, and record-low Danube River levels are impacting tourism and nuclear output in Hungary and Romania.
The Trump administration reiterated its accusation that China collected millions of American voter registration files, calling it an "election security nightmare." President Trump, however, later suggested both nations spy on each other, ahead of Xi Jinping's September visit, and expressed disappointment if China armed Iran.
UEFA, European soccer's governing body, is reportedly set to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA-organized competitions in protest of a $20 billion Wall Street-backed plan to sell a stake in the World Cup. The AFC president also called the proposal "unacceptable," undermining the sport's continental structure.
Howard University's interim president, Dr. Wayne Frederick, announced that over 200 students have been readmitted after a mass unenrollment incident where more than 500 incoming freshmen learned they were no longer enrolled. The university is addressing the scandal and its impact on students.
The U.S. economy grew at a weaker-than-expected annualized rate of 1.5% in the second quarter, with June core inflation at 3.3%. This slowdown is attributed to factors like the Iran war weighing on growth and a widening trade deficit, despite robust consumer spending and business investment.
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that a Russian ballistic missile likely crashed within Polish territory, breaching NATO airspace, during a massive Russian attack on Ukraine that killed at least eight people. Polish authorities scrambled fighter jets and are investigating the incident, which occurred near the Ukrainian border.
The U.S. military launched a new wave of strikes against Iran, hitting dozens of military targets including command centers and drone facilities, in response to a surprise attack on American forces in Jordan. This escalation follows a period of relative calm, with oil prices surging and concerns growing about the conflict spreading across the Middle East.
The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed the vote on Todd Blanche's nomination for Attorney General after key Republicans, including Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, demanded further assurances regarding the settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS. Concerns also arose about an "anti-weaponization fund" and changes to no-audits language.