July 17, 2026
Address, Elections, and David McCullough
Good morning, everyone!
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Today, we will look at a series of U.S. political developments, the war in the Middle East, and this day in history.
Let’s get to it.
United States
-President Donald Trump delivered remarks from the White House last night, where he accused China of interfering in the 2020 presidential election.
ABC, NBC, and CNN did not air the address live.
Earlier in the day, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a prospective 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, said that news networks had an “ethical obligation” to not air the remarks.
-At a meeting of more than 60 foreign ministers in Washington yesterday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was a transnational underground network of leftist terrorist organizations.
Speaking from the State Department, Rubio said, “These are not distinct and isolated cells, they are interconnected networks. They do not recognize our borders. They do not believe in the nation-state itself.”
-The average U.S. gas price stood at $3.94 yesterday, up nearly 10 cents over the day before, amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to AAA.
-Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch met with victims of Jeffrey Epstein yesterday after North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis said he would not vote to advance his nomination to serve in his post in a permanent capacity until he did so.
-Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said this week that the Pentagon would mandate annual testosterone deficiency screenings.
-Trump’s nominee to lead the Labor Department, Keith Sonderling, appeared before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee yesterday for a confirmation hearing.
View it here:
-Democratic Senate candidates have vastly outraised their Republican opponents so far in 2026.
-Maine’s Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate faced off in a debate last night.
View it here:
-South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn endorsed Haley Stevens’ bid for U.S. Senate in Michigan yesterday.
A recent poll shows Stevens, now serving her fourth term in the House of Representatives, taking a lead over her progressive opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, ahead of next month’s Democratic primary.
The poll also shows Stevens holding a wide lead over El-Sayed with Black voters.
The race is viewed by political watchers as the latest test for candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), with El-Sayed receiving the backing of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez.
The winner of the race will take on Republican Mike Rogers in the general election.
-In a post yesterday, Colorado’s Democratic governor, Jared Polis, said he “don’t want the socialists to destroy” his state.
-Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie announced this week that he had introduced the “Epstein Files Transparency Act II.”
-A profile in The Wall Street Journal details House Speaker Mike Johnson’s relationship with Trump.
-New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited Rikers Island jail to watch the FIFA World Cup semifinal with inmates.
-On this day in 2009, Walter Cronkite died at the age of 92.
In 2020, civil rights leader and Georgia Congressman John Lewis died at the age of 80.
Other Links:
White House Teleprompter Operator Bet on Trump Speeches, Kalshi Says - The New York Times
Trump media firm plans to sell high speed access to Truth Social posts, possibly Trump’s own - AP
Trump to attend World Cup final on Sunday, White House says - Reuters
Sen. Ed Markey and other incumbents get outraised by challengers ahead of tough primaries - NBC
Gallego dismisses new staffer relationship report as ‘gossip’ - The Washington Times
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse on initially dismissing claims by Platner accuser - CNN
Lawler talks about his 2012 drunk driving arrest - Politico
‘I’m Joe Lombardo’: Nevada governor not ticketed after being pulled over in a traffic stop - ABC
Paul Pelosi’s Errant Driving Record Preceded His Latest Napa Valley Crash - The New York Times
Retail sales up just 0.2% in June, but excluding business at the gas pump, shoppers are resilient - AP
Mortgage rates rise to highest level in nearly a year, causing homebuyers to pause - CNBC
Epstein was a ‘masterful liar,’ former Obama counsel said during House Oversight Committee questioning - NBC
Maps Show Where Wildfire Smoke Will Darken Skies on Thursday - The New York Times
Africa
-Uganda’s health ministry said yesterday that the country’s last Ebola patient had been discharged and had begun a 42-day countdown to declare the East African country free of the deadly virus.
The latest outbreak of the strain, which originated in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, has killed two people, with 20 confirmed cases.
Meanwhile, in Congo, health authorities have confirmed 2,011 cases of the disease, including 754 deaths.
-Morocco signed an agreement to participate in a United Nations-backed international force in the besieged Gaza Strip.
-On this day in 2018, former President Barack Obama delivered the 16th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa.
In his remarks, Obama said, “You have to believe in facts. Without facts, there is no basis for cooperation. If I say this is a podium, and you say this is an elephant, it is going to be hard for us to cooperate.”
Other Links:
In Congo, Ebola Responders Fear WhatsApp Voice Notes Are Spreading Fake News - The Wall Street Journal
Ebola outbreak much larger than official figures, WHO says - DW
New monkey species with orange lips found ‘hiding’ in DRC forest - BBC
ICC confirms charges against Libyan war crimes suspect - Reuters
Mozambique President Eyes China Debt Deal Modeled on Brazil Pact - Bloomberg
No radiation leak after ‘contamination’ events at Africa’s only nuclear plant, regulator says - AP
Americas and the Caribbean
-The Trump administration levied a sweeping 25% tariff on a slew of Brazilian products yesterday, relaunching a trade war against the South American country that had eased after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down levies imposed under a different authority earlier this year.
President Trump has continually criticized the imprisonment of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a key regional ally to Trump during his first term, who is currently serving a 27-year prison term for his effort to remain in office following his 2022 election defeat to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro’s son, Flavio Bolsonaro, is challenging Lula in this year’s presidential election, with a recent poll showing Lula taking the lead in the race.
The junior Bolsonaro had sought to lobby Trump from imposing the tariffs in fear that they would boost Lula’s candidacy. Trump hosted him in the Oval Office in May.
-Major wildfires raged across Ontario, Canada, yesterday, with air quality alerts extending to the United States.
-The United States designated two more Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations yesterday.
-On this day in 2006, President George W. Bush met with Lula on the sidelines of the Group of 8 (G8) in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Other Links:
Senior defense officials looking at Cuba military options - CBS
Tens of thousands of Argentine soccer fans celebrate their team’s World Cup semifinal victory - AP
China’s Beef Curbs Start Rippling Across Brazil Meat Industry - Bloomberg
Nicaragua breaks diplomatic ties with Italy over extradition row in killing of former PM Moro - Reuters
Death toll from Venezuela quakes rises to 4,829, government says - Reuters
Asia/Indo-Pacific
More countries now view China more favorably than the United States, according to new data published by the Pew Research Center.
-Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to lay out Beijing’s vision for AI governance today in a speech in Beijing.
The address comes as the United States and China are locked in a high-stakes race for dominance over the emerging technology.
-China purged a member of its influential Politburo amid Xi’s anti-corruption campaign.
The official, Ma Xingrui, is the third member of the body to be purged since 2022.
-Papua New Guinea announced yesterday that it would shutter Taiwan’s representative office in the country, drawing praise from China.
-China’s economy in the second quarter expanded at its slowest pace since 2022.
-On this day in 1973, the Republic of Afghanistan was established after General Mohammad Daoud Khan staged a coup to oust the ruling monarchy.
Other Links:
Twenty-nine countries sign agreement to establish global AI cooperation body - Reuters
Deadly Bangkok bar fire exposes Thailand’s safety loopholes for nightlife venues - AP
More than 500 feared dead as officials investigate reports of boats capsizing with Rohingya refugees - AP
Philippines condemns Chinese state media’s ‘racist’ video depicting Filipinos as monkeys - Reuters
Hong Kong Police Raid Independent Bookstores - The New York Times
Europe
-More than 1,000 protesters took to the streets of Kyiv yesterday to denounce Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov as part of a broader government reshuffling.
-Supporters of far-right parties in Europe are less likely to support Zelenskyy, according to new data published by Pew.
-On this day in 1945, President Harry Truman, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin met at the Potsdam Conference in what would be the last gathering of Allied leaders during World War II.
At the gathering, Truman casually informed Stalin of Washington’s successful testing of an atomic bomb, telling him of a new weapon of “unusual destructive force.”
Just days after the conference concluded, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
Other Links:
Ukraine hammers Russian shipping, opening new front in campaign to pressure Putin - NBC
Putin’s false claim of the capture of one Ukrainian town exposes the slow pace of Russia’s bloody advance - CNN
Ukraine buries its unknown soldiers as families wait for identification - AP
Poland charges man allegedly paid by Russia to inflame Polish-Ukrainian tensions - AP
EU accuses China of seeking to reshape global order in stark new strategy paper - South China Morning Post
Middle East
-The Iranian government is urging Houthi militants in Yemen to close the strategic Red Sea oil route if the United States strikes Iranian energy infrastructure, according to a Reuters report.
Such a move could cause global oil prices to rise higher. Prices are already elevated due to the ongoing conflict between Washington and Tehran in the Strait of Hormuz, which, before the war, served as a conduit for approximately 20% of the world’s daily oil consumption.
The Houthis, which are backed and armed by Iran, control roughly 33% of Yemen’s landmass and are a key pillar of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” network of terrorist organizations in the Middle East.
This week, the group attacked targets in Saudi Arabia, causing fears that the war could expand.
-Lebanon and Syria are set to begin revamping their trade agreements in the coming months, according to Lebanon’s economy minister.
-On this day in 1968, the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party led a bloodless military coup in Iraq.
The Ba’ath Party would remain in power until it was ousted after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
Other Links:
Iran warns U.S. of Hormuz ‘red line,’ says it will retaliate if Trump carries out threats - CNBC
US airstrikes hit northern Iran as it disables ship trying to run the blockade - AP
Trump Leans Toward Expanding U.S. Military Operations in Iran - The Wall Street Journal
JD Vance accuses Israel of ‘manipulating’ US public opinion to prolong Iran war - BBC
Israeli Government Pushes Through Divisive Laws Before Election - The New York Times
That’s all for today. See you next week.
Testosterone for active duty men? Reminds me of the "pep pills' used by Germany to early advantage in the Second World War; the allies followed suit later. https://www.history.com/articles/inside-the-drug-use-that-fueled-nazi-germany
While I respect Representative Ocasio-Córtez for freshing and refreshing thinking, if often disagreeing with policy preferences, I can not see how the major networks had an ethical obligation not to telecast the speech. Of course, the news source, in this case, is the 'N.Y. Post'. So, ¿quien sabe? https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-networks-face-dilemma-over-whether-air-trumps-election-security-speech-2026-07-16/