President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday proposed revoking a scientific finding that has long been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change.
Senate Democrats are imploring Trump ‘s administration to intervene as Palestinians suffer and starve in Israeli-controlled Gaza, with more than 40 senators signing onto a letter Tuesday urging the resumption of ceasefire talks and sharply criticizing an Israeli-backed American organization created to distribute food aid. Trump has been playing more golf Tuesday in Scotland on the White House has called a working trip including meetings with world leaders.
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Live updates: Trump’s EPA moves to repeal finding that underpins US climate regulation
Follow the latest news on President Donald Trump and his administration ‘ July 29, 2025
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it wants to back away from at least 30 major rules that seek to protect air and water and reduce emissions that cause climate change. But an analysis by The Associated Press found that gutting the rules would come with high costs in both money and lives. (AP Video: Joshua A. Bickel and David R. Martin)
Edited By BRIDGET BROWN, RICARDO BENASSI, ALIX KROEGER and MICHAEL WARREN
Updated 1:50 PM EDT, July 29, 2025
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President Donald Trump ’s administration on Tuesday proposed revoking a scientific finding that has long been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change.
The proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule would rescind a 2009 declaration that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare. This “endangerment finding” is the legal underpinning of many climate regulations under the Clean Air Act for motor vehicles, power plants and other pollution sources that are heating the planet.
Here’s the latest:
No details yet after Trump said the US would set up new food centers in Gaza
By STEPHEN GROVES
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said details would be forthcoming and that Trump “wants to alleviate suffering for the people of Gaza because he has a humanitarian heart.”
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce defended Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s work and said Trump would announce new plans once he returns from his trip to Scotland.
“The issue here is getting more food, more access, more everything. That has always been at the top of our list,” Bruce said, declining to discuss specifics at a briefing.
Democrats want a “large-scale expansion” of food and water into Gaza, channeled through established aid organizations. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia said he’s “very skeptical” that Trump’s plans will do enough to address starvation among Palestinians.
“Could the U.S. set up food centers? Yes, but what about the World Food Program, Mercy Corps and all the groups have been doing it for decades? Why don’t we allow them to do it?” Kaine told The Associated Press.
China and US discussed possibly extending a deadline for new tariffs
By DIDI TANG, JAMEY KEATEN
China’s top trade official said Tuesday that China and the U.S. agreed to work on extending a deadline for new tariffs beyond the latest deadline of Aug. 12 for a comprehensive trade deal. The U.S. side said extension plans were discussed, but not decided.
Li Chenggang didn’t say how the extension would work. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer acknowledged that such an extension was discussed, but said the U.S. team would head back to Washington and “talk to the president about whether that’s something that he wants to do.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. side expressed concerns that China is producing goods at a rate beyond what is sustained by global demand, and that China was purchasing Iranian oil and supplying Russia with dual-use tech that could be used on the battlefield.
▶ Read more about the US China trade talks
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene calls situation in Gaza ‘genocide’
By JILL COLVIN
“It’s the most truthful and easiest thing to say that Oct 7th in Israel was horrific and all hostages must be returned, but so is the genocide, humanitarian crisis, and starvation happening in Gaza,” the Georgia Republican posted on X Monday night. The staunch Trump ally previously called for an end to the war and pushed to cut U.S. defense aide to Israel.
Her statement was aimed at Florida Rep. Randy Fine, who last week dismissed reports that children in Gaza were dying of starvation as “all a lie” and “Muslim terror propaganda.”
“Release the hostages,” Fine wrote. “Until then, starve away.”
Greene said it’s “disgraceful” for “a Jewish U.S. Representative” to be “calling for the continued starvation of innocent people and children.”
Trump administration wants Harvard to pay far more than Columbia as part of settlement
The Trump administration is pressing for a deal with Harvard University that would require the Ivy League school to pay far more than the $200 million fine agreed to by Columbia University to resolve multiple federal investigations, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Harvard would be expected to pay hundreds of millions of dollars as part of any settlement to end investigations into antisemitism at its campus, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Harvard leaders have been negotiating with the White House even as they battle in court to regain access to billions in federal research funding terminated by the Trump administration.
The White House’s desire to get Harvard to pay far more than Columbia was first reported by The New York Times, which said the school has signaled a willingness to pay as much as $500 million. Harvard did not immediately comment.
▶ Read more about Trump and Harvard
Trump says he’ll likely meet with Chinese leader before the end of the year
The U.S. president has long been angling for a meeting with Xi Jinping, the leader of China, and expects to have one shortly.
“I would say before the end of the year,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday. The president said he spoke by phone with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about the trade meeting in Sweden with Chinese officials.
That meeting resulted in the extension of the 30% tax the U.S. is charging on goods from China and the 10% tariffs that China is levying in retaliation, down significantly from tariff rates that reached triple digits earlier this year.
“He felt very good about the meeting there, better than he felt yesterday,” Trump said of his call with the treasury secretary.
Trump says he’s gotten no reaction from Russia to his new deadline for peace
By CHRIS MEGERIAN
The president says new tariffs intended to isolate the Russian economy will take effect in 10 days, but the president said he hasn’t heard from the Kremlin about it.
“I haven’t had any response. It’s a shame,” he said.
Trump says he could fly on airplane gifted by Qatar as soon as February
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE
Trump said he’s been told he could take his first flight on the new plane as early as February.
Qatar gifted the president a plane earlier this year and the Air Force is converting it to be used as Air Force One. Next generation Air Force One aircraft under development are way behind schedule.
Trump has brushed off ethical concerns about his decision to accept such an expensive gift free of charge from a foreign government.
Trump clarifies his new deadline for Russia
By MICHELLE L. PRICE
The president told reporters that his new deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach a deal to stop the fighting with Ukraine will be in 10 days. That gives Putin until Aug. 8 to reach a deal or face steep tariffs or sanctions from the U.S.
Trump had originally given Putin 50 days, but said earlier this week that he was shortening the deadline because he didn’t see any progress being made.
U.S. says no final word yet on tariff extension with China
By DIDI TANG
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said following two days of talks with China that the U.S. team would head back to Washington and “talk to the president about whether that’s something that he wants to do,” meaning pause changes in tariffs beyond the Aug. 12 deadline.
China’s trade officials earlier said that the two sides agreed to “pushing” for the tariff pause beyond the existing deadline.
Epstein’s former girlfriend may cooperate with Congress under certain conditions
By ERIC TUCKER
Lawyers for Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend, say they are open to having their client cooperate with Congress but want her to be guaranteed immunity by lawmakers first.
Maxwell’s attorneys also say that any interview with members of the House Oversight Committee should be scheduled only after her petition for the Supreme Court to take up her case has been resolved. Maxwell is serving a long prison sentence in Florida after having been convicted in 2021 of conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse underage girls. She was questioned at a courthouse last week by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Rep. James Comer, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, issued a subpoena for her deposition. In a letter to Comer on Tuesday, Maxwell’s attorneys say that though their “initial reaction” was that Maxwell would invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, they are now looking for ways to cooperate.
Was Trump’s trip for promoting his golf courses?
By CHRIS MEGERIAN
“I haven’t heard that,” Trump said when asked by a reporter on Air Force One.
Then he shifted the topic.
“Did you get to see my drive on the first hole?” he said. “Pretty long.”
Trump takes aim at the National Environmental Policy Act
By MELINA WALLING, MATTHEW DALY
A key goal of Trump’s plan to boost artificial intelligence and data centers is wiping away barriers to rapid growth. And that means taking aim at NEPA, a 55-year-old bedrock law that requires agencies to consider a project’s possible environmental impacts and allows public input before approval.
Data centers demand vast amounts of energy and water, arousing strong opposition. The AI Action Plan Trump announced last week would seek to sweep aside NEPA, giving “categorical exclusions” to data centers for “maximum efficiency” in permitting.
“It’s par for the course for this administration. The attitude is to clear the way for projects that harm communities and the environment,” said Erin Doran, senior staff attorney at environmental nonprofit Food & Water Watch.
▶ Read more on AI and federal permitting
Environmental groups say Zeldin’s action denies reality
By MATTHEW DALY
“As Americans reel from deadly floods and heat waves, the Trump administration is trying to argue that the emissions turbocharging these disasters are not a threat,’′ said Christy Goldfuss, executive director of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “It boggles the mind and endangers the nation’s safety and welfare.”
Under Zeldin and Trump, “the EPA wants to shirk its responsibility to protect us from climate pollution, but science and the law say otherwise,’′ she added. “If EPA finalizes this illegal and cynical approach, we will see them in court.”
Zeldin: Climate change rules ‘cost Americans a lot of money’
By MATTHEW DALY
“There are people who, in the name of climate change, are willing to bankrupt the country,” Zeldin said. “They created this endangerment finding and then they are able to put all these regulations on vehicles, on airplanes, on stationary sources, to basically regulate out of existence, in many cases, a lot of segments of our economy.”
The EPA proposal must go through a lengthy review process, including public comment, before it is finalized, likely next year. Environmental groups are likely to challenge the rule change in court.
China’s top trade official says China and U.S. agree to extend pause on tariffs
By DIDI TANG
Coming out of two days of trade talks with the U.S. in Stockholm, Li Chenggang, China’s top trade official, told the press on Tuesday that the two sides agreed to continue the tariff pause after past the Aug. 12 deadline. That means the U.S. will continue to tax Chinese goods at 30%, and the Chinese side will keep taxing U.S. products at 10%.
Li said the two sides had “comprehensive and in-depth” discussions on microeconomic issues and that they agreed to keep close contact and “communicate with each other in a timely manner on trade and economic issues.”
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to speak with the press soon.
▶Read more on U.S.-China tariffs talks
Missouri Republicans consider following Texas’ lead on redistricting
By DAVID A. LIEB
Missouri’s Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe is considering whether to call a special legislative session to redraw the state’s congressional districts. A similar effort is underway in Texas. The goal would be to try to increase Missouri Republicans’ current 6-2 advantage in congressional seats. Staff for Trump and Kehoe have had conversations about redistricting, a Kehoe spokesperson said Tuesday. And Kehoe has expressed being open to it.
To create another GOP congressional seat, Missouri state lawmakers likely would need to split up a Kansas City area district held by longtime Democratic Rep. Emanual Cleaver. Republicans considered that plan in 2022 but opted against it, fearing it could backfire with losses by spreading GOP voters too thin and subject the state to lawsuits alleging violations of constitutional voting rights.
UK’s Prime Minister calls Cabinet meeting to discuss Gaza
By The Associated Press
Keir Starmer told his ministers on Tuesday that Britain will recognize a state of Palestine before the United Nations General Assembly, “unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, reaches a ceasefire, makes clear there will be no annexation in the West Bank, and commits to a long-term peace process that delivers a two state solution.”
Britain has long supported the idea of an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel, but has said recognition should come as part of a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict. Gaza also was on the agenda as Trump spoke with Starmer during his trip to Scotland, and said he’d insist to Israel that “I want them to make sure they get the food.”
Pressure to formally recognize Palestinian statehood has mounted since French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country will become the first major Western power to recognize a Palestinian state in September.
Zeldin calls it ‘the largest deregulatory action in the history of America’
By MATTHEW DALY
The EPA administrator described the proposed rule change on the “Ruthless” podcast ahead of an official announcement set for Tuesday in Indiana.
Zeldin had called for a rewrite of the endangerment finding in March as part of a series of environmental rollbacks.’ A total of 31 key environmental rules on topics from clean air to clean water and climate change would be rolled back or repealed under Zeldin’s plan.
The EPA also called for rescinding limits on tailpipe emissions that were designed to encourage automakers to build and sell more electric vehicles. The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.
Trump begins trip back to Washington after Scotland visit
Trump has finished a round of golf at the new Trump-branded course he ceremonially opened earlier Tuesday in the village of Balmedie.
He’s boarded the Marine One presidential helicopter that will take him to the airport and Air Force One for the return flight to Washington.
Shooting for the moon — to control its clean-energy sources
Rooke said that space is being increasingly militarized as nations compete for access to valuable minerals, satellite dominance and control over new energy sources that could be developed on the moon, including helium 3, a material that could be used to generate huge amounts of clean energy. Control over the moon in the next few decades could determine which country emerges as the globe’s next great superpower, cyber analyst Joseph Rooke said.
That’s leading to increased competition between the U.S. and its partners and Russia, China and its allies. China and Russia have announced plans to build a nuclear plant on the moon in coming years, while the U.S. is planning missions to the moon and Mars. Artificial intelligence is likely to speed up the competition, as is the demand for minerals and energy that AI requires.
Space race ‘back on’ as nations compete for energy, minerals
Hackers are increasingly targeting satellites as the space-based communication platforms take on greater economic and national security roles, a leading cyber analyst says.
Satellites now drive global positioning systems and digital networks vital for the global economy, communications, and military operations. Disrupting those satellites or the industrial supply chains that support their development would cause significant damage to an opponent’s economy and defense, said Joseph Rooke, director of risk insights at the firm Recorded Future, who led an online discussion Tuesday about the militarization of space.
“The race is back on,” Rooke said. “If you dominate Earth’s energy needs, that’s game over.”
House Republicans’ campaign arm urges members to ‘sell our wins’ during August break
The monthlong August break “is a critical opportunity to continue to define how this legislation will help every voter and push back on Democrat fearmongering,” the National Republican Campaign Committee’s memo says.
Republicans could face constituents after the first months of their complete control of the federal government, which they used to pass, among other things, a massive tax and spending bill. Most U.S. adults think the GOP tax bill will help the wealthy and harm the poor, according to an AP-NORC poll.
“The best defense is a good offense,” the NRCC memo says. “Think of creative events” to connect with voters, such as round tables, visiting a local hospital or “work the counter at a local store and chat about your work to lower costs.”
A ‘kill shot’ to invalidate all climate regulations
David Doniger, a climate expert at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said it’s virtually “impossible to think that the EPA could develop a contradictory finding (to the 2009 standard) that would stand up in court.”
Doniger and other critics say that if it somehow does stand up however, this “kill shot” would erase current limits on greenhouse gas pollution from cars, factories, power plants and other sources and could prevent future administrations from proposing rules to tackle climate change.
“The Endangerment Finding is the legal foundation that underpins vital protections for millions of people from the severe threats of climate change, and the Clean Car and Truck Standards are among the most important and effective protections to address the largest U.S. source of climate-causing pollution,’′ said Peter Zalzal, associate vice president of the Environmental Defense Fund.
Zeldin’s EPA proposal follows an executive order
Trump’s executive order directed the agency to submit a report “on the legality and continuing applicability” of the endangerment finding.
Conservatives and some congressional Republicans have hailed the EPA proposal as a way to undo rules they say are economically damaging.
Three former EPA leaders have criticized Zeldin’s proposal, saying it would endanger the lives of millions of Americans and abandon the agency’s dual mission to protect the environment and human health.
“If there’s an endangerment finding to be found anywhere, it should be found on this administration because what they’re doing is so contrary to what the Environmental Protection Agency is about,” said Christine Todd Whitman, who led EPA under Republican President George W. Bush.
Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency moves to repeal finding that allows climate regulation
Trump’s EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin proposed on Tuesday the revocation of a scientific finding key to U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change.
The proposed EPA rule rescinds a 2009 declaration that determined that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare.
This “endangerment finding” is the legal underpinning of a many climate regulations under the Clean Air Act for motor vehicles, power plants and other pollution sources that are heating the planet. Zeldin said he’s thrilled to end what he called “the Holy Grail of the climate change religion” as the EPA “does its part to usher in the Golden Age of American success.”
Higher US tariffs a price Europe was willing to pay for its security
France’s prime minister described it as a “dark day” for the European Union. Commentators said EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen’s handshake with Trump amounted to capitulation. But Europe depends mightily on the United States, and not just for trade: Its security is at stake.
Mirroring Trump, Von der Leyen gushed that the arrangement she endorsed to set U.S. tariffs on most European exports at 15%, which is 10% higher than currently, is “huge.”
A month after NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte ingratiated himself with Trump by referring to him as “daddy,” the Europeans again conceded that swallowing the costs and praising an unpredictable president is more palatable than losing America. U.S. allies are convinced that should he win his war against Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to take aim at one of them next.
▶ Read more on Europe’s realpolitik reaction to the EU-Trump trade deal
Fed unlikely to change rates, deepening gulf between Powell and Trump
The Federal Reserve is expected to leave its short-term interest rate unchanged on Wednesday for the fifth straight meeting, likely deepening the divide between how Chair Jerome Powell and his chief critic, Trump, see the economy.
The Fed itself, to be sure, is increasingly divided: Many economists expect two Fed board members appointed by Trump to dissent in favor of cutting rates, the first such vote against the chair since 1993.
Trump says that because the U.S. economy is doing well, the Fed should cut rates, as if the U.S. is a blue-chip company that should pay less to borrow than a risky start-up. But Fed officials — and nearly all economists — see it the other way: A solid economy means rates should be relatively high, to prevent overheating and a burst of inflation.
▶ Read more about Trump and the Federal Reserve
Americans’ confidence in U.S. economy improves, but concern lingers about tariffs
The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose two points to 97.2 in July, up from 95.2 the previous month. That’s in line with analysts’ forecasts.
In April, American consumers’ confidence in the economy sank to its lowest reading since May 2020 amid anxiety over the impact of Trump’s tariffs.
A measure of short-term expectations for income, business conditions and the job market rose 4.5 points to 74.4, however that’s still well below 80, the marker that can signal a recession ahead. And consumers’ assessments of their current economic situation inched down by 1.5 points to 131.5.
US job market keeps losing momentum
Employers posted 7.4 million job vacancies last month as the American job market continues to cool. The Labor Department reported Tuesday that job openings in June were down from 7.7 million in May.
Layoffs were little changed. But the number of people quitting their jobs — a sign of confidence in their prospects elsewhere — dropped again.
Why? It’s partly because of the lingering effects of 11 interest rate hikes by the inflation fighters at the Federal Reserve in 2022 and 2023, and partly because uncertainty about Trump’s trade wars is paralyzing hiring managers.
The economy has been generating 130,000 jobs a month this year, down from 168,000 last year and 400,000 a month on average during the recovery from COVID-19 lockdowns.
▶ Read more about the U.S. jobs picture
Union Pacific and Norfolk seek 1st transcontinental railroad through a massive merger
Union Pacific would buy Norfolk Southern in a $85 billion deal that could trigger a final wave of rail mergers across the U.S.
The nation was first linked by rail in 1869, when a golden railroad spike was driven in Utah to symbolize the connection of East and West Coasts. Yet no single entity has controlled that coast-to-coast passage that so many businesses rely on.
The railroads said the proposed merger announced Tuesday would streamline shipments by eliminating days of delays during handoffs between competing railroads. The AP first reported the merger talks earlier this month.
Antitrust regulators set a very high bar for railroad deals after previous consolidation led to massive backups and snarled traffic. The Surface Transportation Board is evenly split between two Republicans and two Democrats, but Trump will appoint a fifth member before this deal will be considered.
▶ Read more on the proposed railroad deal
Trump’s tariffs could squeeze US factories and boost costs by up to 4.5%, a new analysis finds
As Trump prepares to announce new tariff increases, a new analysis suggests factory costs could increase by roughly 2% to 4.5% among U.S. firms that depend on global supply chains.
“There’s going to be a cash squeeze for a lot of these firms,” said Chris Bangert-Drowns, the researcher at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth who conducted the analysis. At factories with slim profit margins, that “could lead to stagnation of wages, if not layoffs and closures of plants.”
The analysis released Tuesday points to the challenges Trump might face in trying to sell his tariffs to the public as a broader political and economic win and not just as evidence his negotiating style gets other nations to back down. The success of Trump’s policies ultimately depends on whether everyday Americans become wealthier and factory towns experience revivals, a goal outside economists say his Republican administration is unlikely to meet with tariffs.
▶ Read more about the impact of Trump tariffs on US manufacturing
Day two of tough trade talks between China and US
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng are at it again Tuesday after spending nearly five hours behind closed doors at the Swedish prime minister’s office the day before.
The United States has struck deals over tariffs with some of its key trading partners — including Britain, Japan and the European Union — since Trump announced “Liberation Day” tariffs against dozens of countries in April. China remains perhaps the biggest unresolved case.
“Whether there will be a deal or not, I can’t say,” Greer said on social media late Monday. “The conversations are constructive and they’re going in the right direction.”
Many analysts expect the Stockholm talks at a minimum will result in an extension of current tariff levels that are far lower than the triple-digit rates that sent world markets into a temporary tailspin in April.
▶ Read more about the U.S.-China talks
Justice Department files misconduct complaint against judge handling deportation case
The Justice Department has filed a misconduct complaint against the federal judge who has clashed with President Donald Trump ’s administration over deportations to a notorious prison in El Salvador.
Escalating the administration’s conflict with U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg, Attorney General Pam Bondi on social media accused Boasberg of “making improper public comments about President Trump and his administration.”
The complaint stems from remarks Boasberg allegedly made in March to Chief Justice John Roberts and other federal judges saying the administration would trigger a constitutional crisis by disregarding federal court rulings, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by The Associated Press. The comments were supposedly made during a meeting of the Judicial Conference, the federal judiciary’s governing body, whose meetings are not public.
▶ Read more about Bondi’s complaint against Boasberg
Trump says his heart is with the families of the four people killed in NYC mass shooting
In a post on his social media site, Trump said he trusts law enforcement will “get to the bottom of why this crazed lunatic committed such a senseless act of violence.”
Trump, who is currently in Scotland, said “my heart” is with the families of those who were killed at a Manhattan office building, including a New York City police officer.
Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday that the gunman was trying to target the headquarters of the National Football League but took the wrong elevator.
Israel rejects claims of ‘starvation policies’
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar on Tuesday said claims that his government is deliberately subjecting Palestinians in Gaza to starvation is a “distorted campaign of international pressure.”
“This pressure is directly sabotaging the chances for a ceasefire and hostage deal, it is only pushing towards military escalation by hardening Hamas’s stance,” he said.
The U.S. and Israel have both recalled their negotiating teams over the past week as negotiations seem to have stalled.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the attack that sparked the war, and abducted another 251. They are still holding 50 captives, around 20 believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals.
Over 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel-Hamas war, Gaza’s Health Ministry says
The ministry of the Hamas-run government also said Tuesday that another 145,870 people have been wounded since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
It did not say how many were civilians or militants, but has said women and children make up around half the dead. The ministry is staffed by medical professionals. The United Nations and other independent experts view its figures as the most reliable count of casualties.
Israel’s offensive has destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displaced around 90% of the population and caused to a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of a “worst-case scenario of famine.” Israel’s continued air strikes killed at least 77 Palestinians in the past day, according to local hospitals.
▶ Read more on death and famine in Gaza
Most Americans now disapprove of Israel’s military action in Gaza, Gallup poll shows
Support for Israel’s military action in Gaza has declined substantially among U.S. adults. Only a third now approve, according to a new Gallup poll — down sharply from the beginning of the war with Hamas when about half of Americans approved.
Republicans remain largely supportive, but the poll shows about half of U.S. adults now have an unfavorable view of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, his most negative rating since he was first included in Gallup polling in 1997. The poll was conducted from July 7-21, while reports of starvation in Gaza led to international criticism of Israel’s decision to restrict food aid but before President Donald Trump expressed concern over the worsening humanitarian situation.
▶ Read more about the Gallup poll on US views on Gaza
Democrats press Trump officials for ‘large-scale’ effort on Gaza starvation
Senate Democrats are imploring the Trump administration to address the suffering and starvation in Gaza. More than three dozen senators signed a letter Tuesday urging the resumption of ceasefire talks and sharply criticizing an Israeli-backed American organization created to distribute food.
Their letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff says the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation created with backing from the Trump administration has “failed to address the deepening humanitarian crisis and contributed to an unacceptable and mounting civilian death toll around the organization’s sites.”
Trump on Monday expressed concern about the worsening humanitarian situation and broke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that people are not starving in the Gaza Strip. But it is unclear how Trump will proceed.
▶ Read more on Democratic pressure on Trump to address Gaza hunger crisis
EU-US tariff deal unsettles champagne producer
A French champagne maker warned Tuesday that a newly announced 15% U.S.-EU tariff on wine and spirits could disrupt exports and unsettle importers.
“This implementation of the 15% tariff is obviously problematic for me,” said Antoine Chevalier. “It affects the final price of Champagne. It impacts my importers, who will obviously have to pay more, and that creates uncertainty about future sales. For now, we find this rate extremely high.”
Chevalier said the U.S. accounts for 25% of his business and that many orders have been paused. He called the measure “a burden” and added: “Yes, I would have liked for there to be better, or at least fairer, negotiations.”
Champagne is protected under French AOC rules, meaning it must be produced in the Champagne region. That makes producers more vulnerable to tariffs than other sectors.
Chevalier said he doesn’t believe Americans or Trump “really want to deprive themselves of our French gastronomy products.” If needed, he said, he would pivot to markets in Europe, Japan or South Korea.
Trump disagrees with Israeli leader’s claim that there’s ‘no starvation in Gaza’
The president, when asked Monday if he agreed with Netanyahu’s remarks about hunger in Gaza, said, “I don’t know. I mean, based on television, I would say not particularly because those children look very hungry.”
Netanyahu on Sunday said, “There is no policy of starvation in Gaza and there is no starvation in Gaza.”
Starmer, standing next to Trump, said, “We’ve got to get that ceasefire,” in Gaza and called it “a desperate situation.”
Trump will play 18 holes before leaving Scotland
Trump is playing with Eric Trump and former champion golfers Rich Beam and Paul McGinley.
Trump was asked by a member of the media about the next steps for Netanyahu, a question that elicited groans from some in the crowd.
Trump said, “We’re going to try and get things straightened out for the world.” He said he has “fires” to put out all over, including wars still raging, and noted his trade deal with the European Union.
Eric Trump, who designed the course according to a fact sheet provided to the media, says the goal of his father’s passion project was to “build the greatest 18 holes anywhere in the world.”
And he said his father went on to do “larger things, and that’s saved the free world.”
US-EU trade deal wards off further escalation but will raise costs for companies and consumers
Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have announced a sweeping trade deal that imposes 15% tariffs on most European goods, warding off Trump’s threat of a 30% rate if no deal had been reached by Aug. 1.
The tariffs, or import taxes, paid when Americans buy European products could raise prices for U.S. consumers and dent profits for European companies and their partners who bring goods into the country.
▶ Read more about the trade deal between the United States and the European Union.
Trump is seeking quick Murdoch deposition in Wall Street Journal lawsuit over Epstein story
Trump is asking a federal court in Florida to force Rupert Murdoch to give a deposition for the president’s lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal within 15 days, citing the media mogul’s age and physical condition.
Trump sued the Journal, owned by Murdoch, in U.S. District Court in southern Florida on July 18 for its story reporting on the Republican president’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and alleged child sex trafficker who died in a New York jail in 2019 before trial.
The president’s motion to the court on Monday noted Murdoch is 94 years old, is believed to have suffered several health scares in recent years and is presumed to live in New York.
▶ Read more about the Wall Street Journal lawsuit
Trump says he ended friendship with Epstein because he ‘stole people that worked for me’
Trump said Monday that he ended his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and threw the now-disgraced financier out of his private club in Florida after Epstein betrayed him more than once by hiring people who had worked for him.
“He hired help and I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again,’” Trump said at his golf property in Turnberry, Scotland. “He stole people that worked for me. I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again.’ He did it again, and I threw him out of the place, persona non grata.”
Trump did not say what his employees did or where they worked, and the White House declined further comment.
But the White House had previously offered a different explanation for the falling-out.
Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, said in a statement last week: “The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep.”
▶ Read more about Trump’s comments on his connection to Epstein
Trump says he’s only going to give Russia 10 to 12 more days to reach peace
Two weeks ago, the president said he would give Russia and Ukraine just 50 days to make a deal to end the war. Now Trump said he’s going to reduce that time to a “lesser number.”
“I think I already know the answer, what’s going to happen,” he said, expressing skepticism that Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to reach an agreement.
Trump repeated his criticism of Putin for talking about ending the war, only to continue bombarding Ukraine.
“And I say, that’s not the way to do it,” Trump said. He added that “I’m disappointed in President Putin.”
