Democrats have seized on the killing of three US troops in Iranian strikes to urge Donald Trump to reverse his resumption of the war with Iran. Amid widespread anxiety over rising numbers of casualties, Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator for Connecticut, accused the president of having “frighteningly lost control of this war”.
US military strikes continue as casualties mount
Even as US forces launched a 10th consecutive wave of attacks against Iranian targets, concern over the deaths of American service personnel threatened to complicate moves to escalate the conflict, which has reignited after Trump last week walked away from a memorandum of understanding agreed with Iran in June.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday they had targeted US military sites, including air defence systems and a radar installation in Bahrain and Kuwait, while the crew of a tanker in the strait of Hormuz reported being struck by an unknown projectile. Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan said they had activated defences to repel the attacks.
Casualty figures rise
The latest casualties brought the number of US service members killed since the start of the war on 28 February to at least 17. More than 1,700 Iranian civilians are estimated to have been killed. Nearly 100 US service members have been injured over the last two weeks of escalating strikes.
Maine Senate race sees new frontrunner
Troy Jackson – a logger, longtime legislator and former president of the Maine senate – is poised to become the Democratic nominee in Maine’s US Senate race. His rise comes after the party’s previous nominee, Graham Platner, abruptly ended his campaign this month following allegations of sexual assault from a former partner.
Several contenders filed paperwork to be considered at a 25 July special convention tasked with selecting a new nominee. But over the weekend, Jackson’s serious challengers dropped out one after another, clearing a swift and unobstructed path for him.
Lindsey Graham’s sister announces Senate run
Darline Graham, the South Carolina interim senator and sister of the late Lindsey Graham, said she plans to run for a full Senate term after Trump endorsed her last week. In an interview with Sean Hannity, Graham – who was appointed by Governor Henry McMaster to finish the remainder of her brother’s term – said she had “made a decision. I’m in”.
AI chatbots raise election concerns
A European study, published by the civil liberties group Liberties and based on research during this year’s Hungarian parliamentary elections, has concluded that AI chatbots provide inaccurate, inconsistent and unreliable guidance to voters asking which party they should back.
United Airlines investigates ICE threat in viral video
United Airlines is “looking into” a viral video showing a United Airlines employee threatening to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on a Mexican American man at San Francisco international airport last week.
After three hours of waiting and a sour exchange with a United Airlines staffer while trying to correct an error made when entering his daughter’s name, the naturalized citizen Julio Varela pulled out his phone and demanded the woman identify herself so he could report her. The United staffer responded by pulling out her own phone and recording him. “Maybe we should call ICE on you,” the woman replied. “You don’t act like a citizen.”
1993 Alaska murder suspect arrested after anonymous tip
A Michigan man suspected of having murdered a co-worker in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1993 was arrested recently after he called in what he intended to be an anonymous tip revealing where he had hidden the victim’s body, according to investigators. Christopher Popps, 54, faces charges of second-degree murder in the death of Patrick Dearth, Alaska state police said in a statement.
Other notable news
‘Manosphere’ social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate will fight extradition to the UK, their lawyer told a US magistrate in Miami, after the brothers were arrested to face rape and sex-trafficking charges. Nicaragua’s long-serving president, Daniel Ortega, has said the country will hold no further elections, to prevent the opposition from coming to power. A judge has ordered a pause on the Paramount-Warner merger after challenges from 12 states. A Russian warship conducted a rare live-fire exercise in the Channel off the coast of England the same day Andy Burnham was appointed as the new British prime minister. A small dog missing for weeks has been rescued while swimming in San Francisco Bay.
Trump imposes 50% tariffs on Canadian goods
Donald Trump is imposing 50% tariffs on most Canadian goods in response to the country retaliating against previous US tariffs, the White House announced, declaring Canada has unfairly discriminated against US cars, alcohol and dairy products. The supreme court ruled in February that Trump had illegally used emergency executive powers to impose his global tariffs, and the US has been forced to pay back $81bn in tariffs so far this fiscal year.
Culture: Hannah Waddingham on stardom at 51
A fantastic interview with the British actor Hannah Waddingham, whose roles in Games of Thrones, Sex Education and Ted Lasso gave her stardom after a long, unflashy career, and is now in her Hollywood era.
Climate: Arctic ice melt slowdown ends
A previously recorded slowdown in Arctic sea ice decline has ended, according to a study, with the largest year-to-year wintertime reduction ever recorded. Sea ice area in September, when it reaches its annual minimum, has halved since 1979, when satellite measurements began.
Last Thing: Big Bear bald eagle found alive
A beloved female bald eagle missing for several days in California’s Big Bear Lake is believed to have been found alive but injured after a fight with other birds, according to the advocacy group that operates a live nestcam where Jackie had become a popular feature.
