July 21, 2026
Senate Races, Middle East, and Joe Biden's Withdrawal
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Today, we will look at several U.S. Senate races, the ongoing war in the Middle East, and the anniversary of President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race.
Let’s get to it.
United States
-The average U.S. gas price surpassed $4.00 yesterday, amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to AAA.
-Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren endorsed Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate yesterday, calling the progressive candidate a “fighter Michigan needs in the Senate.”
Last week, El-Sayed was joined by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at several campaign rallies ahead of next month’s election.
El-Sayed, a physician, is facing off against three-term Congresswoman Haley Stevens in what has become the latest proxy battle over the future of the Democratic Party.
One of the fissures between the two candidates is the issue of support for Israel. Stevens, who is backed by much of the Democratic establishment, including outgoing Senator Gary Peters, has remained a strong backer of U.S. aid for the Jewish state, while El-Sayed has called for ending it altogether.
The vote will be held on August 4, with the victor to face off against Republican Mike Rogers in the general election.
Rogers, who previously served seven terms in the House of Representatives, narrowly lost to Democratic Senator Elissa Slitkin in the 2024 general election.
Meanwhile, Sanders was in Minnesota yesterday to back Lieutenant Governor Flanagan’s bid for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
Flanagan, aligned with Sanders’ progressive movement, is facing off against moderate Democratic Congresswoman Angie Craig ahead of next month’s election.
-In an interview with Fox News yesterday, South Carolina Senator Darline Graham said she would seek a full term for her late brother’s Senate seat, just days after Trump said that he would back her in the Republican primary.
Last week, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster appointed Darline to the seat after the abrupt death of her older brother, Lindsey Graham, who had served in the seat since 2003.
Meanwhile, Congressman Russell Fry jumped into the race, joining Congressman Ralph Norman, who announced his candidacy last week.
Congresswoman Nancy Mace said that she would not seek the nomination and endorsed Norman. Both candidates unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor last month.
The primary will be held on August 11, with a runoff election to be held two weeks later if needed.
The victor will face off against Democrat Annie Andrews in the general election.
-Maryland Governor Wes Moore and several members of Congress toured the Francis Scott Key Bridge construction zone in Baltimore yesterday as his office reported progress on its rebuilding efforts.
The bridge collapsed in March 2024 after one of its support pillars was struck by a container ship, killing six people.
-Arizona will hold a statewide primary election today.
-On this day in 2024, President Joe Biden announced he would end his reelection bid.
In a letter, Biden wrote, “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
Within an hour of making the announcement, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him, saying in a social media post: “My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made.”
Other Links:
Maine Democratic Senate frontrunner faces scrutiny over alleged anger outbursts - CNN
G.O.P. Boxed In on Iran War as Trump Sidelines Congress - The New York Times
Trump says new Air Force One from Qatar will get ‘maxed out’ upgrades - Reuters
FDA still focused on lettuce supplier as source of parasite, despite faulty test result - AP
The Tate brothers fight extradition to the UK where they face rape and sex trafficking charges - AP
Israel’s $50 Million Experiment to Change U.S. Public Opinion - The Wall Street Journal
Tim Murphy, who represented Western Pa. in Congress for 15 years, dies at 73 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Africa
-Leaders from a West African regional bloc approved the construction of a gas pipeline that seeks to link Nigeria to Morocco during a summit meeting in Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital.
The bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), was founded in 1975 and seeks to foster economic and political cooperation among its member states.
In recent years, the grouping has been challenged by successive military coups in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, which have all since announced their departure from the bloc to establish their own formation.
-São Tomé and Príncipe President Carlos Vila Nova secured a second five-year term following Sunday’s general election, according to preliminary results published by the country’s election commission.
The island nation is the second-smallest country in Africa, with a population of nearly 240,000.
Democracy tracker Freedom House rates the country highly, saying it “holds regular, competitive national elections and has undergone multiple transfers of power between rival parties.”
Read the full country report here.
-Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said yesterday that he would back former President Macky Sall’s bid to become the next United Nations secretary-general.
-On this day in 2007, former President Bill Clinton visited Zambia where he spoke about the importance of HIV/AIDS testing.
Other Links:
Ebola death toll in DRC surges to at least 930 as outbreak continues spread - Al Jazeera
US ramps up its global battle against abortion as women in Africa face health risks - Africa News
South Africa opposition proposes law to curb political influence at PIC - Reuters
Novo Nordisk launches cheaper Ozempic in South Africa - Semafor
Eight worshippers die in crush at Burundi preacher’s gathering - BBC
Americas and the Caribbean
-Nicaragua’s long-time president Daniel Ortega said yesterday that his country would no longer hold elections. The pronouncement comes ahead of the expiration of his term next year.
Ortega has ruled the Central American nation for a total of 28 years from two different stints in power. The strongman leader first came to power following the Sandinista revolution that toppled the Somoza dictatorship in 1979.
He would go on to lose in a landslide election to Violeta Barrios de Chamorro in 1990, marking the country’s first free election.
Ortega returned to the presidency in 2007 and has maintained a grip on power since then, rooting out nearly all opponents to his rule.
Last year, Ortega’s wife, Rosario Murillo, was formally named the country’s co-president.
-In a new report, the U.S. State Department accused Cuba of playing an “indispensable role in nearly every notable far-left insurgency, revolution and militant movement” across Latin America for “nearly seven decades.”
The report comes as the Trump administration continues its pressure campaign on the Communist-run island nation, which has caused regular power outages and electric grid failures.
-U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said yesterday that Washington would crack down on criminal gangs in Haiti that use social media to recruit children in the besieged nation.
-President Trump said yesterday that the United States would impose 50% tariffs on most Canadian goods, saying that Ottawa has unfairly discriminated against U.S. products.
In response, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that Ottawa “has merely matched those measures” that he says were first imposed by Washington.
Meanwhile, annual inflation in Canada slowed to 2.8% in June, according to government data published yesterday.
Other Links:
Argentines flood onto streets to salute team despite World Cup final defeat - Buenos Aires Times
Haitian children jailed for years without facing judge, UN official says - Reuters
Mexican drug kingpin Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada sentenced in US to life in prison - Reuters
At least six dead and 21 injured after 2 earthquakes in Peru - Reuters
In Venezuela’s Rubble, a Search for the Family Pets - The New York Times
Asia/Indo-Pacific
-China and the Philippines traded accusations yesterday following an encounter between vessels in the disputed South China Sea.
Beijing claims much of the resource-rich waters as its own territory under a sweeping “9-dash-line” map, a drawing that was rejected by an international court in 2016.
Currently, five countries, along with Taiwan, have overlapping territorial claims in the waters.
Since the Obama administration in 2014, successive U.S. presidents have pledged to come to Manila’s defense in the Pacific if attacked by external armed forces, in line with the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.
-Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in Moscow on Sunday.
-On this day in 1960, Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the world’s first woman prime minister, taking office in what is now Sri Lanka.
She would go on to serve until 1965, and return to office for two more stints from 1970 to 1977, and from 1994 to 2000.
Other Links:
China’s new AI model halts new subscriptions as demand swamps capacity - AP
Why Silicon Valley Can’t Stop Looking Over Its Shoulder at China - The New York Times
India police use tear gas to stop march on Parliament by Cockroach movement supporters - AP
Japanese mayor makes history with maternity leave that caused a stir - Reuters
Extreme heat grips Japan as rainy season officially ends in Tokyo - The Japan Times
Europe
-Andy Burnham took office as British prime minister yesterday, making him the country’s seventh leader in 10 years.
Standing outside 10 Downing Street, the Labour leader vowed to end years of political instability and said that his first order would be to end “rough sleeping” in the country.
Just before Burnham assumed office, his predecessor, Keir Starmer, addressed the nation, saying, “My work is done.”
-Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok signed a constitutional measure into law ending his tenure in office.
The move is part of Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s push to undo the legacy of his predecessor, Viktor Orbán.
-On this day in 1995, former President George H. W. Bush visited Poland, where he received the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland for his support for the country’s democracy movement during the Cold War.
Other Links:
Ukraine fires 400 drones toward Moscow as Zelenskyy grapples with protests - PBS
Ukraine’s army chief expected to lose job after week of protests - The Guardian
‘Everyone’s afraid to die’: Struggle to recruit soldiers in Ukraine turns violent - BBC
Russian attack on corn ship off Ukraine’s Odesa kills 10 - Reuters
Russian anti-war politician ends run for parliament, citing legal setbacks - Reuters
Middle East
-The U.S. military carried out strikes on Iran for a 10th consecutive night yesterday.
-Houthi militants in Yemen announced yesterday that they would impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, a major escalation that could further expand the war between the United States and Iran in the region.
The news came as there were signals that diplomacy remained ongoing between Washington and Tehran despite intensifying attacks against each other.
Such a move by the militants 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.
-In a social media post yesterday, President Trump said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form” if he travels to the United States to attend the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
The post came days after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in an interview that his office was examining whether he had the authority to order the Israeli leader’s arrest in compliance with an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The ICC, which neither the United States nor Israel is party to, issued the warrant in November 2024, alleging Netanyahu and Israel’s former defense minister had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip following Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel the previous year.
The international court also issued warrants for Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, accusing him of “crimes against humanity of murder; extermination; torture; and rape and other forms of sexual violence.” The warrant was withdrawn following his death in an Israeli attack.
-Hamas announced Khalil Al-Hayya as its new leader yesterday.
The terrorist group’s previous leader, Yahya Sinwar, was killed by an Israeli attack in October 2024.
-The Pentagon has withheld dozens of U.S. troop injuries from being reported during Washington’s months-long conflict with Iran, according to a report in The New York Times.
-Trump will host Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House today, marking the first meeting between the two leaders since the outbreak of war in the Middle East in February.
Other Links:
Israel’s Ambassador to U.N. Lashes Out at Mamdani Over Netanyahu Arrest Threats - The New York Times
US attacks deepen hardship, not dissent, in Iran’s restive south - Reuters
Iran to restore 100 million cubic metres of lost gas output in coming months, official says - Reuters
Israel says pilot safe zones begin in southern Lebanon - Reuters
US soldiers killed by Iran were from Texas and Hawaii, military says - AP
That’s all for today. See you tomorrow.
Amazing what you cables hete.