Trump announces new tariffs on generic drugs to take effect in 2028 – as it happened

This brings our live coverage of the second Trump administration to an end for the day, with just 913 more to come. Here are the latest developments:

“,”elementId”:”3c3486e9-6d48-486c-9ea5-6143dfb715f5″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

n
• n

  As he wages war on Iran to prevent that country from enriching uranium, Donald Trump has reportedly approved a deal with ⁠Saudi Arabia to have US firms build a civilian nuclear energy program in the kingdom, which could include a uranium enrichment facility, US officials told the Wall Street Journal. The deal, which the administration plans to submit ⁠to Congress ⁠in the ​coming days, does not include safeguards to stop ‌materials being used in nuclear weapons programs, Reuters reports.

n

• n

  The US-Israeli war on Iran has cost the Pentagon $37.5bn so far, defense secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday.

n

• n

  “Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people,” New York mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a video statement in which he called the International Criminal Court warrant for the Israeli prime minister’s arrest justified but admitted that he lacks the legal authority to enforce it.

n

• n

  Donald Trump announced a new package of tariffs on Tuesday, this time on generic drugs made overseas, to begin in 2028.

n

• n

  The Senate intelligence committee on Tuesday advanced the nomination of Jay Clayton to serve as the US intelligence director, despite criticism from Democrats.

n

• n

  The Trump administration paused more than $1bn in Medicaid funding to California and Minnesota, two states run by elected Democrats, citing “suspected fraud and noncompliance”.

n

“,”elementId”:”6af8bc08-d7c9-400c-b6b4-f2238e44ff77″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1784685183000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”21.53 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784685455000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”21.57 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784685455000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”21.57 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”21.57″,”title”:”Closing summary”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”},{“id”:”6a601c228f0890a39cdc3f1a”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

As he wages war on Iran to prevent that country from enriching uranium, Donald Trump has reportedly approved a deal with ⁠Saudi Arabia to have US firms build a civilian nuclear energy program in the kingdom, which could include a uranium enrichment facility, US officials told the Wall Street Journal.

“,”elementId”:”7037c91e-bb7f-4106-8923-2b823cd60f93″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The deal, which the administration plans to submit ⁠to Congress ⁠in the ​coming days, does not include safeguards to prevent the uranium from being used to make nuclear weapons, Reuters reports.

“,”elementId”:”fa1756c6-cdf2-49ae-b410-5531b6f9e9e7″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The 30-year deal is estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars, the Journal reports.

“,”elementId”:”2bbcac0d-e926-4059-82c7-e0be65e9ab33″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The agreement could be signed as soon as Wednesday by the US energy secretary , Chris Wright, and the ​Saudi ​energy minister, Abdulaziz bin Salman.

“,”elementId”:”1df38363-9954-472d-adb4-9f9f104d3ab4″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The ​two ‌men signed a ​preliminary ​agreement in Riyadh last year.

“,”elementId”:”e991d91d-6e55-459a-8318-fbef71e4eacf”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Trump has previously scoffed at the idea that Iran might need or want to enrich uranium for peaceful civilian purposes, including energy.

“,”elementId”:”c9d66f8a-46ea-4839-8b88-aa806fd57436″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1784683554000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”21.25 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784684477000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”21.41 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784684372000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”21.39 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”21.39″,”title”:”Trump agrees to provide Saudi Arabia with nuclear enrichment infrastructure – reports”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”},{“id”:”6a600b048f08990d2f69c035″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people,” New York mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Tuesday in a video statement in which he called the International Criminal Court warrant for the Israeli prime minister’s arrest justified but admitted that he lacks the legal authority to enforce it.

“,”elementId”:”b29fe470-0aa9-49ea-af92-2013c083179d”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here,” Mamdani said. “It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant.”

“,”elementId”:”8113150f-d639-4f2c-b845-cd2928ad18f2″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“The federal government, however, does— and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant,” the mayor added, one day after Donald Trump rejected the idea, writing on social media: “Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America.”

“,”elementId”:”fd2feea7-e224-4a1b-a7de-50568b293a04″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large,” Mamdani said.

“,”elementId”:”9ff0a3a9-314f-45a9-9348-f71f17550630″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.VideoYoutubeBlockElement”,”source”:”YouTube”,”originalUrl”:”https://youtu.be/8ZuV5L0QL04?si=6IuT0056AqoAHAxB”,”caption”:”A video statement from New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, released on Tuesday.”,”elementId”:”f4576e61-8baa-4470-b00b-c86ece1ffa0a”,”width”:854,”embedUrl”:”https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/8ZuV5L0QL04?wmode=opaque&feature=oembed”,”role”:”inline”,”url”:”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZuV5L0QL04″,”height”:480,”sourceDomain”:”youtube-nocookie.com”,”title”:”Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal.”,”isThirdPartyTracking”:false},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Netanyahu is expected to travel to New York in September to address the United Nations general assembly.

“,”elementId”:”326a0e20-5357-4650-8b6a-eca355e49850″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

For many years, the Israeli prime minister has made the supposed threat posed by Iran’s nuclear enrichment program the focus of his annual speech to the UN. Last year, scores of delegates walked out of the hall before he could begin.

“,”elementId”:”b9f5b636-cb3e-4ffc-819d-b1b38478dd9f”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Unlike 125 other countries, the United States is not a state party to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, and so is not obligated to arrest indicted war crimes suspects.

“,”elementId”:”c72f7e8d-a5b9-4865-b570-b7e72bfa074e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Last week, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, announced “a sweeping campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court to U.S. sovereignty” and promised to “systematically disable the ICC’s ability to operate”.

“,”elementId”:”4c47b619-8713-41ae-96a9-444c13f1aa6b”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The arrest of accused war crimes suspects has tested notions of sovereignty in international law in the past.

“,”elementId”:”876f8bd8-a8b4-44aa-abbc-9fa3db7569de”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

In 1998, the former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was arrested while visiting London on the orders of the Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón who sought Pinochet’s extradi­tion to Spain to face charges of genocide, terrorism and torture. Pinochet was was detained for 16 months before the UK’s home secretary decide that he was too ill to stand trial and allowed him to return home on compassionate grounds.

“,”elementId”:”57ef268a-8ace-40bc-b328-90eb5824320a”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

In 1960, Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi official who organized the deportation of millions of European Jews to death camps, was secretly arrested by Israeli commandos in Argentina, where he had been living under an assumed name. Rather than request his extradition from an Argentine government that had given refuge to prominent Nazis, the Israeli snatch team held Eichmann for 10 days and smuggled him out of the country disguised as an El Al flight attendant to stand trial in Jerusalem.

“,”elementId”:”e7e2cbfe-bbe3-4236-989b-d63ab2dfa509″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1784679172000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”20.12 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784683480000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”21.24 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784679748000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”20.22 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”20.22″,”title”:”Mamdani says New York City does not have the legal authority to arrest Netanyahu for war crimes, but calls on federal government to do so”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”},{“id”:”6a5ffdea8f0890a39cdc3e6d”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

As Donald Trump announces new tariffs daily, leading one sober trade expert to observe, “Tariff Crazytown is officially BACK”, Democratic lawmakers are lining up to promise to repeal the Trump tariffs as soon as they regain control of Congress.

“,”elementId”:”57e16f1e-7585-478e-9f3d-fb3a444ea2cd”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“Democrats will flip the House. And on Day 1 of next term, Democrats will introduce legislation to repeal trump’s disastrous tariffs. And we will pass it,” congressman Ted Lieu, a California Democrat, wrote after Trump imposed 50% tariffs on a range of goods from Canada on Monday, citing Section 338 of the disastrous Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 as his legal authority.

“,”elementId”:”c3a8157e-1f45-4b0f-a234-741b2574bee7″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“Donald Trump has abused every trade authority at his disposal, and he is now excavating a law from the Great Depression to once again impose vast, unilateral tariffs on products from one of our closest allies and trading partners,” senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, said in a statement. “This is yet another shakedown that will raise the cost-of-living for Americans, their families, and small businesses across the country. Trump cannot be trusted with tariff authority, and I will be introducing a bill very soon to rein him in and put Congress back in the driver’s seat.”

“,”elementId”:”f3020826-4cc9-44fc-96d5-80dda5df0193″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

In a Substack column republished by the Toronto Star on Tuesday, the Nobel-winning economist Paul Krugman wrote:

“,”elementId”:”64b8da31-135b-43aa-a10b-0a3c1fc6f430″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”

n

The Trade Act of 1930, generally known as the Smoot-Hawley tariff, lost its standing as the worst trade policy action in US history when Donald Trump imposed his “Liberation Day” tariffs in April 2025. But Smoot-Hawley was widely recognized as a terrible mistake soon after its passage, as it provoked widespread retaliation and contributed to the downward spiral of world trade that accompanied and reinforced the Great Depression. …

n

Yesterday the Trump administration invoked an obscure and never-before-used provision of Smoot-Hawley — Section 338 — to impose 50 percent tariffs on a wide range of Canadian goods. …

n

Whatever the real motivation for these new tariffs, they are almost surely illegal. They are definitely a violation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, a revision of NAFTA negotiated and signed by Trump himself during his first term …

n

So these latest actions confirm what most people around the world, from the European Commission to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard, have already figured out: a deal with Donald Trump lasts only until he feels like breaking it.

n

“,”elementId”:”6ab23f34-6873-4fb0-b510-807de7452a5d”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1784675818000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”19.16 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784677493000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”19.44 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784677494000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”19.44 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”19.44″,”title”:”Democrats say they will repeal Trump’s tariffs”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”},{“id”:”6a5ff9e78f088134984c9a2f”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Donald Trump announced a new package of tariffs on Tuesday, this time on generic drugs made overseas, to begin in 2028.

“,”elementId”:”f7bc5aa1-3ead-486a-94fd-919a8787d403″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The announcement, in a social media post, came just three months after the president issued a proclamation saying that generic pharmaceuticals “are not subject to tariffs at this time” but that decision “will be reassessed in one year.”

“,”elementId”:”39283cb2-8ab8-4e4f-8325-d4d85038e1fd”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Trump’s latest head-spinning reversal on tariff policy means, he said, that generic drugs will continue to be imported tariff-free until 1 August 2028, when a 100% tariff would be imposed “for a one year period of time, and 200% thereafter.” The goal of the policy, Trump said, was to coerce drug makers into building plants in the United States.

“,”elementId”:”4edde6a9-52c5-48f2-b921-98707351e206″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Trump did not state what legal authority he was claiming to impose future tariffs on generic drugs, particularly the projected 200% tariff which would come into effect in August 2029, six months after the end of his final term.

“,”elementId”:”3dd51391-f7a4-4869-a236-99b8bca87f57″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:true,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1784674791000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”18.59 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784675650000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”19.14 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784675650000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”19.14 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”19.14″,”title”:”Trump announces still more tariffs, this time on generic drugs”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”},{“id”:”6a5feeb08f088134984c99e0″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The US-Israeli war on Iran has cost the Pentagon $37.5bn so far, defense secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday.

“,”elementId”:”06db431b-4d1d-4d8d-8a34-884aab0bdeea”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

At the Senate hearing, which has now concluded, senator Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, asked Hegseth to explain why the Pentagon was asking Congress for an additional $67bn to pay for the war Trump started on 28 February when “the Department of Defense still has $75bn in unobligated funding from last year’s reconciliation package”.

“,”elementId”:”23d225a5-6b62-42db-8da8-175b3f7291ab”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.VideoYoutubeBlockElement”,”source”:”YouTube”,”originalUrl”:”https://youtu.be/y6XPvbDeSXs?si=pwEd8OGoDfdSmmNZ”,”caption”:”US defense secretary Pete Hegseth said that the US war on Iran had cost the Pentagon $37.5″,”elementId”:”d41d4797-a6bf-4b54-ae2c-31ccee21ee00″,”width”:854,”embedUrl”:”https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/y6XPvbDeSXs?wmode=opaque&feature=oembed”,”role”:”inline”,”url”:”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6XPvbDeSXs”,”height”:480,”sourceDomain”:”youtube-nocookie.com”,”title”:”Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirms new estimate cost for the Iran war”,”isThirdPartyTracking”:false},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“That 75,” Hegseth replied, “there’s plans and designs on that part of the rebuild of our military which had to be undertaken.”

“,”elementId”:”789cee9d-483e-4146-ae7e-f2ee9939af9c”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Hegseth then launched into a deeply partisan attack on his predecessor, Lloyd Austin, the retired army general, for supposedly pursuing “woke priorities” instead of military readiness.

“,”elementId”:”7bc862ec-b4cd-48b2-a4e4-354f17f684c3″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“I don’t know what Lloyd Austin did for four years, I really don’t,” he went on. “The amount of neglect, the amount of stale thinking and bureaucracy proceed staggering when we took over.”

“,”elementId”:”fc7edcd2-c7d8-40ec-8581-296128eb5abd”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“Let me interrupt your speech for a minute, Mr Secretary,” Durbin cut in.

“,”elementId”:”0e1c096b-9319-4550-a8d0-2c5238f1f485″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“You estimated at one point that the cost of the war in Iran was $29bn, but then added a caveat that there was a replacement of munitions, for example. Do you have a new estimate about what the war has cost us so far in this the fifth month of the first year of this war in Iran?” the senator asked.

“,”elementId”:”939ecb72-92c8-4249-918f-fac40d2ae489″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“Senator, the estimate we have, as of today, is $37.5bn,” Hegseth answered.

“,”elementId”:”51a7e613-64c7-4db8-a532-8bee7d220286″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Pressed further by Durbin, Hegseth said that was the estimated cost of the war on Iran through the end of the US government’s financial year on 30 September.

“,”elementId”:”1205e60c-c23b-40af-8e5c-4441c0c134b1″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1784671920000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”18.12 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784673333000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”18.35 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784673028000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”18.30 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”18.30″,”title”:”Iran war has cost $37.5bn so far, Hegseth tells Senate”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”},{“id”:”6a5fe6718f088134984c99b9″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The White House called on Tuesday for the House and Senate to pass the Republican SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote, and photo ID to cast a ballot, after New Jersey’s governor, Mikie Sherrill, revealed that a computer software error in the state’s automatic voter registration system for licensed drivers mistakenly registered about 6,600 people who identified themselves as non-US citizens in 2023 and 2024.

“,”elementId”:”0e745d17-6272-475c-be7d-d5f149501706″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

According to Sherrill, who was not in office at the time, “fewer than 400 individuals who were newly registered for the first time because of the error voted. They were registered as Democrats, Republicans and Unaffiliated voters and were scattered across the state.”

“,”elementId”:”7c984921-6cfc-4c28-9980-10bbaf415a45″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

David Becker, a voting rights expert who leads the nonprofit Center for Election Innovation & Research, put the size of the glitch into context in a statement sent to reporters.

“,”elementId”:”4ed2e37b-c5a5-4294-9336-9c22a023766f”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“While administrative errors such as New Jersey’s do infrequently occur, they are very rare and affect a very small fraction of voters. The states entrusted to run our elections are best positioned to detect and correct these errors, as they have access to substantially better data than the federal government,” Becker said.

“,”elementId”:”e72b485d-9341-4236-9e34-ff3efcba424c”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“As CEIR’s own research affirms, noncitizen registration remains extremely rare, and noncitizen voting is infinitesimally rare. In this case, the number of wrongful registrations represents a miniscule fraction, roughly 0.1%, of New Jersey’s total active voter registration records in 2024,” he continued.

“,”elementId”:”0e20426f-13cd-4a30-9244-b4e124a527de”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“The number of potential ballots cast from those incorrect registrations would represent roughly 0.009% of all ballots cast in New Jersey’s 2024 general election, when Kamala Harris defeated President Trump by more than 250,000 votes,” Becker added. “Joe Biden actually defeated Trump by a margin three times as large before this error took place.”

“,”elementId”:”f8076f47-f480-4ab1-a3a1-813a066db3e4″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1784669809000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”17.36 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784672616000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”18.23 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784671199000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”17.59 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”17.59″,”title”:”Voting rights expert calls New Jersey voter registration glitch ‘miniscule'”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”},{“id”:”6a5fd4fd8f088134984c9938″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

At the ongoing Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, pressed US defense secretary Pete Hegseth to say whether the US military could bomb a fortified underground site linked to Iran’s nuclear program known as Pickaxe mountain, which the US has not yet targeted.

“,”elementId”:”8a7493d4-cd27-43ae-a612-6cecef54dae8″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“We need straight answers,” Kennedy said with some exasperation. “Do we have the ability to destroy whatever is underneath Pickaxe mountain?”

“,”elementId”:”5b0b2a97-2f75-4855-adca-a82ba1937249″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“Senator, a lot of our capabilities are classified, but if anybody in the world can reach anything on God’s given, God’s green Earth, it’s the United States military,” Hegseth replied.

“,”elementId”:”2304ba46-b123-4672-ae91-76f615aaa16e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Kennedy’s question was perhaps triggered by reports that experts suggest the site is beyond ​the reach of the most powerful bunker ⁠buster bombs in ​the US arsenal.

“,”elementId”:”54384056-99c2-45bf-b695-6fd6948d9a67″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Donald Trump was asked by a reporter earlier on Tuesday if he believes an Israeli intelligence assessment that Iran has moved nuclear centrifuges into tunnels deep inside the mountain, called Kolang Gaz La in Persian, which is about a mile from Iran’s badly damaged ⁠Natanz uranium enrichment ​facility.

“,”elementId”:”07fedb5b-5cee-4e30-829d-47a3ad86f161″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“I think that they may have; we don’t have it on record,” Trump replied, before veering into a digression to cast the speculation about the mountain as possibly flawed reporting from news outlets. “All we do is read the fake news, you know, we see… the news is so wrong so many times, so you know, maybe this one they have right.”

“,”elementId”:”5c789dd1-5c8b-4ae5-8833-c5d8d55e5a53″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“It doesn’t mean anything unless they have the material. You’re talking about the centrifuges,” Trump added. “We follow the material, that’s where the action is, and we’ll be hitting that area very, probably pretty soon and very heavily.”

“,”elementId”:”493deb18-7aac-48e9-855e-d07dd41c7b17″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

According to the nonpartisan Institute for Science and International Security think tank in Washington, this site was “not visibly attacked” by US bombers in 2025, when US bombers dropped two two GBU-57 bunker buster bombs on the nearby nuclear facility at Natanz.

“,”elementId”:”3ebd4df0-4af1-4eaf-a1a6-1db209543195″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“Iran announced in 2020 that the purpose of the Pickaxe tunnel complex is to hold an advanced centrifuge assembly facility that can produce several thousand centrifuges a year,” the institute reported last year. “In addition, based on the estimated size of the underground halls, the Institute several years ago assessed that site could also hold a centrifuge enrichment facility.”

“,”elementId”:”9552e920-0a03-4ef0-b8de-2737b9499222″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1784665341000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”16.22 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784668161000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”17.09 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784668162000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”17.09 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”17.09″,”title”:”Hegseth refuses to say that US military has ability to destroy Iranian facility buried beneath Pickaxe mountain”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”},{“id”:”6a5fd0f98f0890a39cdc3d42″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

At the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Dan Caine, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, was asked by senator Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat and veteran who previously taught economics and international relations at West Point, whether Iran can be deterred and defeated by “air strikes alone”.

“,”elementId”:”53836f30-e64c-4987-908f-917d1b8db019″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“I think, academically, as you look across the totality of history, air power’s got limits, and we always have to be mindful of those,” Caine responded.

“,”elementId”:”a4603aa6-debc-4db3-be0d-f43fd2924b78″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

He went on to say that the US is combing military power with “the totality of the diplomatic, informational and economic” measures. “There’s a loot of that work going on, sir,” Trump’s hand-picked joint chiefs chair added.

“,”elementId”:”95ca284d-684b-4067-9e3e-74412ab57d0c”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Reed then asked if Caine anticipates the next step in escalation: ground troops.

“,”elementId”:”ec7fec26-7d6f-432a-912a-2e1af54e7bac”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“Sir, I think it would be unhelpful for me to opine on hypotheticals,” Caine replied. He added that the Pentagon’s job was to develop military options, and understand the risks associated with them. “My main job is to always ensure that leaders understand those options and the risks,” Caine added.

“,”elementId”:”54a7374b-b41a-4a0d-a095-0171af15a76c”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1784664313000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”16.05 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784665857000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”16.30 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784665244000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”16.20 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”16.20″,”title”:”‘Air power’s got limits’ top US military commander says when pressed on whether strikes on Iran can end war”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”},{“id”:”6a5fcd2c8f08990d2f69bece”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The defense secretary’s remarks come despite the fact that both chambers have passed a war powers resolution that urges the president to seek congressional authorization to continue military operations in Iran.

“,”elementId”:”f21589c0-4719-4e5b-a5b1-e207936727f9″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

While answering questions by Republican senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Hegseth said that his department thinks “standalone Article II authorities exist for us to conduct this operation on behalf of the defense of the American people”. The defense secretary evaded the lawmaker’s question about whether he would use the approval of any supplemental funding as a “substitute for explicit congressional authorization”.

“,”elementId”:”831308c9-4b8e-42f0-9a8f-830462588037″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1784663340000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”15.49 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784664454000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”16.07 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784663772000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”15.56 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”15.56″,”title”:”Hegseth says Pentagon believes Trump administration has ‘all the authorities necessary’ to continue war in Iran”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”},{“id”:”6a5fc8dc8f0890a39cdc3d21″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

n
• n

  Defense secretary Pete Hegseth and joint chiefs of staff chairman Dan Caine are now testifying in front of lawmakers on the Senate appropriations committee about Trump’s $88bn supplemental funding request, which would help pay for the war in Iran. Hegseth, said that without the funds he is requesting from Congress today, the Pentagon will face “critical shortfalls” that threaten our ability to “pay our service members, rapidly replenish equipment and munitions, and sustain vital operations without disruption”.

n

• n

  In the Oval Office today, Donald Trump defended the new 50% tariffs on most Canadian goods. “Canada has been very, very tough on us over the years,” Trump said. “In all fairness to them, they need us to survive. Without us, there’s no way they can survive.” Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister, said that he spoke with Trump earlier on Tuesday. “We agreed to intensify negotiations in the coming weeks, and the team and myself look forward to doing that,” Carney told reporters.

n

• n

  During the same appearance, while meeting with Lebanon’s president Joseph Auon, Trump continued to give mixed-messages about the status of the Iran conflict. He noted that the US has decimated Tehran’s military capabilities, but the conflict will not end soon.“We have done damage that will take them 25 years to recover from. So, if we left tomorrow, we had a big success. But we’re not leaving tomorrow,” Trump said.

n

• n

  The Trump administration has paused more than $1bn in Medicaid funding to California and Minnesota, citing “suspected fraud and noncompliance”. “If those states want that money, they need to provide documentation that these payments are legitimate,” said Robert F Kennedy Jr, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said at a press conference on Tuesday. The pause includes more than $867m for California and about $200m for Minnesota.

n

“,”elementId”:”ddc9a6d1-2a46-453b-8bdb-6b1965cb1b64″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:false,”summary”:true},”blockCreatedOn”:1784662236000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”15.30 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784662699000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”15.38 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784662699000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”15.38 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”15.38″,”title”:”Here’s a recap of the day so far”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”},{“id”:”6a5fc06a8f088134984c989b”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Patty Murray, the top Democratic senator on the appropriations committee, has slammed the latest White House funding request for the Iran war.

“,”elementId”:”e3c4a927-75a3-450f-9b3d-28c2c25c7c55″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“Our country is no safer or better off than before the war. In fact, we are considerably less safe,” Murray said. “Our stockpiles have been depleted, and it will take years of production to fully replenish them … and we are now much further away from a long-term solution to halt Iran’s nuclear program than we were before Trump ripped up the deal that President Obama negotiated, which secured actual, measurable commitments and progress without ever starting a costly war.”

“,”elementId”:”ecea9680-a8a9-4310-9f50-fcaaf97d0e3c”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Murray noted that in the five months since the war began, the strait of Hormuz– which was open prior to the conflict – is still closed.

“,”elementId”:”957d0f1a-affd-4eb3-b98c-e09978c65a74″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“This war is now spiraling out of control again. The president is threatening escalation and war crimes, and suggesting this could be another forever war,” she said. “[Trump] has told us over 40 times now that a deal is ‘near’ and the war will ‘be over soon’. But now he is asking for 70 billion dollars more, and for us to just trust him.”

“,”elementId”:”45bbbc06-dcca-48b3-96fb-f1d1271fc639″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1784660074000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”14.54 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784661060000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”15.11 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784661060000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”15.11 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”15.11″,”title”:”‘Our country is no safer or better off than before the war’: Top Democrat slams Iran war funding request”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”},{“id”:”6a5fa94e8f0890a39cdc3c1f”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The Trump administration has paused more than $1bn in Medicaid funding to California and Minnesota, citing “suspected fraud and noncompliance” – withholding of funding that follows a $243m pause in Medicaid payments to Minnesota earlier this year.

“,”elementId”:”52eda340-ccf1-4152-b0ca-df2075799430″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“If those states want that money, they need to provide documentation that these payments are legitimate,” said Robert F Kennedy Jr, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said at a press conference on Tuesday.

“,”elementId”:”9adea166-d686-40f1-9949-763c6c685a78″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Officials relied on AI to identify potential fraud, Kennedy said. “We used AI, advanced analytics, and other cutting-edge tools to identify suspicious activity and potential fraud.”

“,”elementId”:”076a791f-8cc4-401f-8105-62536b4a788d”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The pause includes more than $867m for California and about $200m for Minnesota.

“,”elementId”:”f30d0c1d-a632-4e8d-afbf-7ddc72556d0e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

In California, most of the suspected fraud was in in-home services, he said. Kennedy has several times singled out in-home care provision, which can be a lifeline for disabled individuals – rhetoric that has worried families and angered lawmakers.

“,”elementId”:”b3efd2ad-8fb9-4231-925e-4f03222d5509″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Vice-President JD Vance threatened in March to withhold funding to states if they did not cooperate with a new fraud taskforce, headed by Vance and established by a White House executive order.

“,”elementId”:”a1ccc62f-edd0-4ec3-b584-ef5582819937″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement”,”prefix”:”Related: “,”text”:”RFK Jr pauses $1bn Medicaid funding to California and Minnesota”,”elementId”:”f5966b0b-fe7d-45cc-a9cc-cd923385e4d8″,”role”:”thumbnail”,”url”:”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/21/medicaid-funding-california-minnesota-paused”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1784654158000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”13.15 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784654396000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”13.19 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784654397000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”13.19 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”13.19″,”title”:”Trump administration halts more than $1bn in Medicaid funding to California and Minnesota”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Melody Schreiber”}],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”},{“id”:”6a5f94088f088134984c96bd”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

In the Oval Office today, Donald Trump defended the new 50% tariffs on most Canadian goods.

“,”elementId”:”248eecbe-10bb-4fb3-b1cf-10bf188f14ec”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“Canada has been very, very tough on us over the years, for many years, and no other president’s done anything about it,” Trump said. “In all fairness to them, they need us to survive. Without us, there’s no way they can survive.”

“,”elementId”:”4299d38b-2fc7-4948-8fe1-faa234395cef”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

This week, the White House said that the new levies were because Canada has unfairly discriminated against American cars, alcohol and dairy products. The tariffs will go into effect in 30 days, leaving time for possible discussions between the two countries.

“,”elementId”:”b48995c2-c920-4865-adea-babf03cd3d88″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister, said that he spoke with Trump earlier on Tuesday. “We agreed to intensify negotiations in the coming weeks, and the team and myself look forward to doing that,” Carney told reporters.

“,”elementId”:”67b0db7e-7001-4b3a-bd73-d9b256a119d1″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The tariffs will hit a wide range of products, the White House said, including wine, hockey sticks and cement. They also include goods previously protected from import taxes under the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) agreement.

“,”elementId”:”b1bdc517-6b78-4bf7-ae4a-68b02d650244″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Trump told members of the press that the latest round of tariffs was not in response to the Canadian wildfire smoke that spread across North America last week, and the president railed against.

“,”elementId”:”2c4088b1-f46a-4a87-a5c8-f2e58fb4540d”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

On Friday, Trump blasted Canada for its response to the persistent wildfires and the smoke that affected about 109 million people across the midwest, mid-Atlantic and north-east. “The cost is incalculable!” Trump raged on social media. “This is Willful Negligence, and becoming a yearly occurrence, costing the United States Billions of Dollars, which cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying.”

“,”elementId”:”1bd0fe02-13f9-463c-9258-2d4c496e9975″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

However, the president told reporters on Tuesday that his administration is looking at those tariffs “separately”.

“,”elementId”:”29b25b76-2aca-40f3-8b92-65ff7e840ad4″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1784648712000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”11.45 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784649539000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”11.58 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784649539000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”11.58 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”11.58″,”title”:”‘Without us, there’s no way they can survive’: Trump defends new tariffs on Canada”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”},{“id”:”6a5f90cd8f08990d2f69bc30″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Trump repeated his claim that Tehran want to meet “desperately”, as strikes continue between the US and Iran.

“,”elementId”:”c49e858c-325a-49ff-ab61-16710ba80cfa”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

As the fragile ceasefire collapsed this month, the president said that until Iran is “ready to meet in a meaningful way, we have no interest in even meeting”.

“,”elementId”:”32f473d7-159a-43d5-9bf0-5699c4585b3b”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1784647885000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”11.31 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784648021000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”11.33 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784647990000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”11.33 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”11.33″,”title”:”Trump claims Iranian leadership wants to meet ‘desperately'”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”},{“id”:”6a5f81218f088134984c95a5″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

As we reported yesterday, House speaker Mike Johnson has an ambitious legislative to-do list before the lower chamber breaks for August recess at the end of this week.

“,”elementId”:”c3c3a766-5716-4a4f-a995-8826dfefda1a”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

As my colleague Chris Stein notes, there are four bills in particular that the top Republican hopes to pass. This includes a measure that would extend government funding until 4 December; legislation which would curb lawmakers’ ability to trade stocks while in office; a $1.5tn Pentagon funding bill for the next fiscal year; and a third reconciliation package that would guarantee more defense funding and money for the Save America act, among other things.

“,”elementId”:”423bcfab-ea55-4d49-a609-73777ef73914″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Before any of this can happen, the Republican majority in the House would have to allow a procedural vote so that these key pieces of legislation can make their way to the floor for debate and, eventually, votes. It’s proving to be an uphill battle for Johnson, who is facing serious pushback from certain members of his own GOP conference.

“,”elementId”:”e7b00e5c-baab-49f1-988f-c42381550c8f”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1784643873000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”10.24 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784657730000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”14.15 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784645469000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”10.51 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”10.51″,”title”:”Johnson faces scramble to pass key bills ahead of August recess”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”},{“id”:”6a5f6ba68f0890a39cdc38db”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Defense secretary Pete Hegseth, joint chiefs of staff chairman Dan Caine and agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins are also scheduled to speak today. They’ll testify in front of lawmakers on the Senate appropriations committee about Trump’s $88bn supplemental funding request, which would help pay for the war in Iran.

“,”elementId”:”ecf9141b-1030-44be-9b57-2498ed44b60d”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

This is the first time we’ve heard from Hegseth and Caine extensively since consecutive days of strikes restarted against Iran this month.

“,”elementId”:”bbdeb7fb-2b11-4c63-80d8-393add8ae170″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1784638374000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”08.52 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784639651000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”09.14 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784639651000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”09.14 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”09.14″,”title”:”Defense secretary to face Senate lawmakers over billion-dollar funding request for war in Iran”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”},{“id”:”6a5f65d38f088134984c945d”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Lindsey Graham’s funeral will take place in Washington on 28 July, and will include a short ceremony at the US Capitol in the Rotunda, before a full service at Washington National Cathedral for invited guests. Donald Trump is set to speak at the funeral, alongside others that are yet to be announced.

“,”elementId”:”ebcacc6a-5ed3-46b2-843e-9cd1ff94d148″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Graham’s remains will the be transported to South Carolina for a service at the state house on 29 July, followed by a procession in the capital, Columbia. There will be a ceremony open to the public, before a private family burial in Pickens County, where Graham was born and raised.

“,”elementId”:”af086150-aa27-40b0-8f2f-fccfcaa8ca44″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1784636883000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”08.28 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784638340000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”08.52 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784638341000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”08.52 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”08.52″,”title”:”Lindsey Graham’s Washington funeral scheduled for later this month”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”},{“id”:”6a5f58658f0890a39cdc37d8″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

President Donald ⁠Trump is poised to unleash fresh ⁠tariffs on ⁠dozens ​of countries as soon as ⁠this week, the Financial Times reported on ⁠Tuesday, with his temporary ​10% global ‌tariff ‌scheduled to expire on ‌Friday.

“,”elementId”:”e1f06aed-9043-4843-aa7d-02aed4ff39c8″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The FT said the most immediate new duties are expected to be on a ‌par with the 10% tariffs currently ​in place, but the administration was also working on other ⁠investigations that could grant ​it the ​legal authority ​to propose ​higher ‌duties.

“,”elementId”:”435a7541-683d-4a72-9c96-0dca6d0fbb62″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Reuters could ​not ​immediately verify the report.

“,”elementId”:”ebf5d52e-89a6-43ac-937b-cea074663473″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1784633445000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”07.30 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784633461000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”07.31 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784633461000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”07.31 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”07.31″,”title”:”Trump prepares fresh tariffs on dozens of countries, FT reports”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”},{“id”:”6a5f4de08f0890a39cdc3773″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Lebanese president Joseph Aoun was to meet with his US counterpart Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday, as Beirut’s military moved into an area of the south under a deal with Israel to disarm Hezbollah.

“,”elementId”:”44ff286a-aad8-422f-9d8d-d54cc050bfa5″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Lebanon is under pressure to prove that it can and will disarm the Iran-backed militant group, which Israel has set as a precondition for ending its occupation in southern Lebanon.

“,”elementId”:”1574cc6a-7625-4770-89ac-b463b3ea935f”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The so-called “pilot zones” where the Lebanese army is deploying under the deal with Israel are primarily located just outside territory Israeli forces invaded after Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the Middle East war in March.

“,”elementId”:”16db9ad0-de62-402a-9219-46c0d86926fa”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1784630752000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”06.45 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784632055000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”07.07 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784632055000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”07.07 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”07.07″,”title”:”Lebanon’s Aoun to meet Trump as pressure builds to disarm Hezbollah”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”},{“id”:”6a5f3d718f088134984c92bc”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.

“,”elementId”:”a5d94036-4462-456c-85b4-4bdd865069c0″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Canadian prime minister Mark Carney has said that Ottawa is ready to deepen trade talks with the United States, after US president Donald Trump ordered fresh tariffs targeting Canada.

“,”elementId”:”63fea36b-4810-480b-9681-d9a02ee066ec”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“This is the latest in a series of unilateral US trade actions that began with the US imposing a series of tariffs in direct violation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement,” Carney said of Trump’s plan for 50% duties on many Canadian products.

“,”elementId”:”f2dc087e-80bd-42ea-bdc0-0068beefaab7″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

He added that Canada has made proposals to resolve disputes as Washington transformed its trade ties, and is “ready to intensify those discussions.”

“,”elementId”:”fca46460-91c9-4e2b-af63-cb95ccef54f9″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Trump’s tariffs will hit a wide range of products, the White House said, including wine, hockey sticks and cement. They also include goods previously protected from import taxes under the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) agreement.

“,”elementId”:”aa0cbe56-3075-4c23-9e9f-a7a8b0afd63c”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The new tariffs will exclude energy products, fish, critical minerals and potash. They also exclude products already subject to tariffs aimed at protecting national security, such as steel and aluminum.

“,”elementId”:”94850876-7bbe-401c-aa8f-518700a27af1″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The White House said the tariffs will go into effect in 30 days, leaving time for possible negotiations between the two countries. Trump signed three proclamations to launch the tariffs under Section 338 of the 1930 Trade Act. Several Democratic lawmakers last year proposed repealing the section because they said Trump could use it to destabilize the economy.

“,”elementId”:”bf7a1a3b-e861-4977-abeb-dec8ddd6ce45″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

A White House fact sheet claims Trump is “taking action to hold Canada accountable for its continued discrimination against and unreasonable and unequal treatment of U.S. commerce that has burdened and disadvantaged hardworking Americans”.

“,”elementId”:”66c7af0c-4e7b-47ac-9a4a-19fba7057936″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Trump claims in the proclamations that Canada discriminates against American automobiles, alcohol and cheese relative to other nations, but his argument rests in large part on retaliatory actions taken by Canada after the US president imposed tariffs on Canada under the pretext that it should do more to stop fentanyl smuggling into the US.

“,”elementId”:”92ed3709-f622-4c22-b53a-b54d51392021″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Read the full story here:

“,”elementId”:”d22fe506-9797-40f9-a6b3-af47d0bc3751″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement”,”prefix”:”Related: “,”text”:”Donald Trump to impose 50% tariff on most Canadian goods, White House says”,”elementId”:”3aedb4fb-26a8-4ec9-9bfd-2a4403445f63″,”role”:”thumbnail”,”url”:”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/20/trump-canada-tariffs”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

In other developments:

“,”elementId”:”54c0a9ea-a4ce-4d79-8d2a-c87f8f55946b”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

n
• n

  Canadians across the political spectrum united in anger at Trump. “If these tariffs proceed, Canada should respond tariff for tariff, dollar for dollar,” Ontario premier Doug Ford said. Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, called the tariffs a “direct violation” of the US-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement Trump negotiated. Canada’s Conservatives called the tariffs “another unacceptable and unjustified attack on Canadian workers and our businesses,” adding: “Canadians are not a punching bag.” The leader of Canada’s New Democrats called them “the latest economic grenade thrown over the border by an out of control President who has lost touch with reality.”

n

• n

  Ilya Somin, a professor of law at George Mason University who helped file the successful challenge to Donald Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs, points out, the president’s new 50% tariffs on Canadian imports “are based on Section 338 of the notorious 1930 Smoot-Hawley tariff legislation, which severely exacerbated the Great Depression.”

n

• n

  Nancy Mace, a Republican congresswoman from South Carolina, announced on Monday that she is not entering the race to replace the late senator Lindsey Graham in the snap Republican primary next month.

n

“,”elementId”:”4773b514-deb3-4dca-8158-b0feb38ff438″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1784630261000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”06.37 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1784627990000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”05.59 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1784630261000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”06.37 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”06.37″,”title”:”Canada ready to ‘intensify’ US trade talks as Trump orders new tariffs”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 21 Jul 2026 21.57 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 21 Jul 2026 06.37 EDT”}],”id”:”key-events-carousel-mobile”,”renderingTarget”:”Web”,”serverTime”:1784697038247}”>

Key events