Early Edition: July 28, 2026

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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:

IRAN WAR

President Trump said yesterday that there was “a good chance” that the new round of diplomacy with Iran could yield a breakthrough, but warned that he would quickly resume airstrikes if that did not happen. Former U.S officials said that Iran probably sees Trump’s leverage waning as the November midterm elections approach. Some top Republican officials are already urging Trump to end the conflict. Michael Crowley reports for the New York Times. 

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei yesterday denied Trump’s claim that recent U.S. attacks had led Iran to request new talks and gave no sign that Iran was prepared to make new concessions or even speak directly with U.S. officials. Bo Erickson, Nayera Abdallah, and Elwely Elwelly report for Reuters.  

Saudi Arabia said yesterday that it had intercepted several drones launched by Iranian-backed Iraqi militias despite the U.S. bombing pause. Israel, Jordan, and Iraq also reported drone attacks. Bo Erickson, Nayera Abdallah, and Elwely Elwelly report for Reuters; Michael Crowley reports for the New York Times.  

Iran and Oman spent the weekend in talks negotiating an arrangement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Omani officials proposed a regional consortium to oversee maritime security, while Iran insisted on retaining control over the strait and collecting transit fees, officials said. A U.S. official and mediators said Iran and Oman were still far apart on some issues, though both sides said progress had been made. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said today that it held further talks on the strait with Saudi and Omani counterparts. Summer Said and Lara Seligman report for the Wall Street Journal; Mike Sheen reports for CNBC.  

U.S. intelligence and open-source media reports point to a deepening economic crisis inside Iran. Senior U.S. officials believe that Trump’s sanctions and economic pressure on Iran may ultimately do more damage than his bombing campaign. “Intelligence is picking up that Iranians are complaining they can’t pay their fighters,” a U.S. official said. “Why, because of financial pressures….They’re more scared of Treasury than the War Department.” Marc Caputo reports for Axios. 

IRAN WAR – YEMEN

28 vessels passed through the Bab el-Mandeb yesterday, a four-day high, while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low, according to Kpler shipping data. Mohi Narayan reports for Reuters.  

The Houthis are hoping to replicate Iran’s Strait of Hormuz strategy in the Red Sea by disrupting shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb and have been emboldened by an insufficient international response, Yemeni Foreign Minister-designate Afrah Al-Zouba told reporters in Riyadh yesterday. Zouba added that Yemen’s government was prepared for an escalation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia and that firing was taking place along the country’s northwest border from the Red Sea up to the Saudi border. Timour Azhari reports for Reuters.  

IRAN WAR – OTHER DEVELOPMENTS 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet Trump in Washington today for their first face-to-face talks since the start of their conflict with Iran. In a video statement before his flight yesterday, Netanyahu said that Iran was top of the agenda for the meeting, but confirmed they will discuss a range of issues. When asked by reporters yesterday if he and Netanyahu were on the same page with respect to Iran, Trump said “we have a little difference. But pretty close, yeah.” Reuters reports; Erin Cunningham and Michelle L. Price report for AP News.  

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR 

In recent weeks, Trump has expressed fresh optimism about Ukraine and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to sources, shifting away from his previous private position that Ukraine was losing the war. The sources said that Trump has been impressed by Zelenskyy’s resilience as he takes the fight deeper into Russian territory. Meredith McGraw, Annie Linskey, and Robbie Garner report for the Wall Street Journal.  

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

Israel’s security cabinet said on Sunday that, in principle, it would allow an international force to support a pilot zone of temporary housing for Palestinians, dubbed “New Rafah,” in Israeli-controlled Gaza, with Palestinians individually screened for Hamas ties and foreign troop deployments requiring top-level Israeli approval. Critics question whether Palestinians would see the arrangement as safe or attractive, as it would place them under Israeli control. According to a senior Board of Peace official, Palestinians who agreed to move would be free to come and go into Hamas-controlled Gaza at any time. Karen de Young reports for the Washington Post.  

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS 

Haiti’s CEP electoral council yesterday scheduled the first presidential elections in a decade for December, with a runoff in February, after plans to hold the vote in August were postponed due to security concerns. The council highlighted that the calendar depended on “the establishment of an acceptable security climate and the necessary funds to pursue electoral operations.” Harold Isaac reports for Reuters.  

The world risks a resurgence of the HIV epidemic after global funding fell by nearly a fifth last year, UNAIDS said yesterday. “The ⁠international community has entered a period of profound political and financial upheaval that threatens decades ​of hard-won gains against HIV,” UNAIDS said in its report released at the start of ​an International AIDS conference in Brazil. Emma Farge reports for Reuters.  

Cross-border fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan has killed 499 civilians in Afghanistan and wounded over 1000 others between October and the end of June, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said today. Elena Becatoros reports for AP News.  

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

The Trump administration notified Congress last week that it intends to spend $175.8 million to replace outdated and aging undersea telecommunications cables in the Caribbean and Central America as part of an effort to limit China’s influence in the region, according to a copy of the notification obtained by AP News yesterday. According to an internal State Department cable, the administration is also considering spending nearly half a billion dollars more on programs aimed at countering China’s influence throughout the Western Hemisphere, Africa, and Asia. Matthew Lee reports.

The U.S. delegation walked out of a U.N. Security Council meeting yesterday in protest at comments made by France that compared Washington’s voting on human rights to that of authoritarian states. The diplomatic row was initially sparked last week, when the United States joined North Korea and Russia in voting against extending Volker Turk’s term as U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights. Olivia Ireland reports for BBC News.  

The United States Consulate in Toronto was hit by gunfire yesterday when a speeding car fired a shot that caused minor damage before fleeing. The police said it was too early to say if the episode was linked to a shooting in March that also targeted the consulate building. Ian Austen reports for the New York Times.  

CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS 

The Trump administration’s military strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats have not reduced the amount of cocaine entering the United States, but are prompting criminal organizations to develop new strategies, according to an assessment by the DEA, a closed-door congressional briefing, and interviews with U.S. and foreign officials. Alex Horton, Terrence McCoy, Samantha Schmidt, and Dylan Moriarty report for the Washington Post. 

TECH DEVELOPMENTS 

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei yesterday called for a crackdown on China’s access to U.S. AI technology, days after Anthropic declined to join other U.S. tech companies in opposing a ban on Chinese open-weight AI models. While not endorsing a ban, Amodei repeated his past pleas for the United States to bar China’s access to advanced semiconductors, combat Chinese thefts of intellectual property and require mandatory safety testing for all “sufficiently capable” models. Katherine Long reports for POLITICO.  

China has begun mass producing domestically developed immersion deep-ultraviolet (DUV) lithography machines, a technology crucial to advance chipmaking, a source said. The machines, developed by state-backed company Shanghai Aishengna, are expected to be delivered to major Chinese chipmakers this year, providing a potential alternative if Western export restrictions tighten further. Fanny Potkin reports for Reuters.  

U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS

Federal prosecutors moved yesterday to dismiss their case against David La Huerta, a Los Angeles labor leader who was arrested during an immigration raid last year. His arrest contributed to a wave of demonstrations in Los Angeles against Trump’s immigration crackdown. Jill Cowan reports for the New York Times.  

ICE plans to extend the no-bid contract of the firm that runs Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, through Sept. 30, 2027, according to a notice published last week. The move comes as Democratic members of Congress and several advocacy organizations have called for the detention facility to be closed, citing reports that detainees have been routinely mistreated since its opening in August 2025. Ryan J. Foley reports for AP News.  

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 

Former FBI Director James B. Comey yesterday asked a judge to dismiss the charges accusing him of threatening Trump with a photograph of a seashell arranged to read “86 47,” calling it a misuse of criminal law to punish free speech. Devlin Barrett reports for the New York Times.   

Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) sent a letter to Governor Mikie Sherrill last week with 12 questions on how 6,600 noncitizens ended up on New Jersey’s voter rolls and what steps the state intends to take moving forward, calling for a written response by Aug. 21. Van Drew told POLITICO yesterday that he plans to hold hearings in the fall on the issue and is “absolutely exploring” the possibility of using Congress’s subpoena powers. Joey Fox reports.

Trump yesterday urged Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to keep the Senate in session until it passes his SAVE America Act, making the demand in a social media post. Theodoric Meyer reports for the Washington Post.  

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION 

The Trump administration yesterday asked the Supreme Court to clear the way for Trump’s executive order that restricts voting by mail. Abbie VanSickle reports for the New York Times.  

Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.

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