July 22, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• The U.K. Japan, Canada, and 25 other countries, along with the E.U. Commission for Crisis Management, issued a joint statement yesterday calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and characterizing the Israeli government's "denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population" in Gaza as "unacceptable." [full statement] [more]
• Israeli forces mounted a ground offensive in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah yesterday – a region that has not seen major ground operations over the course of the 21-month war. Reports note that the lack of previous operations in the city has led to speculation that Hamas could be holding a large number of Israeli hostages in the area. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,244 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian officials say at least one person was killed, and 24 others were wounded, in overnight Russian drone and missile attacks that struck Ukraine's Sumy, Odesa, and Kramatorsk regions. [more]
• Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said today that his country will need at least $120 billion for military spending next year amidst the ongoing Russian invasion. [more]

U.S. FEDERAL SPENDING | In its latest analysis, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says the final version of the Trump-backed tax and spending bill signed into law recently will add $3.4 trillion to the federal deficit through 2034 and result in more than 10 million additional people being without health insurance over the same period. [full CBO analysis] [more]

U.S. MEDICAID | Amidst federal efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, a federal judge yesterday blocked a provision in President Donald Trump's signature tax legislation that would end Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood member organizations that either don’t provide abortion care or didn’t meet a threshold of at least $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements in a given year. [more]

CALIFORNIA | The 700 U.S. Marines deployed in early June to Los Angeles amidst immigration enforcement-related protests are in the process of withdrawing from the city, according to a Pentagon statement. An estimated 2,000 federalized National Guard troops are still deployed to the city. [more]

TEXAS | A special 30-day session of the Texas legislature was opened yesterday in which state Republicans are expected to pursue redrawing the state's congressional districts to more heavily favor Republican candidates ahead of the 2026 mid-term elections – a move requested by President Donald Trump. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | NPR cites correspondence between the Department of Homeland Security and the Defense Department earlier this month as indicating that DHS is preparing to use military bases in New Jersey and Indiana to detain immigrants who have entered the U.S. illegally. [more]

MISSISSIPPI | A federal judge yesterday temporarily paused a Mississippi state law that bans diversity, equity, and inclusion programs from public schools and universities. The temporary restraining order is to remain in place pending future court rulings. [more]

U.S. AND UNESCO | Reports cite unnamed European diplomats as saying that U.S. President Donald Trump plans to withdraw the U.S. from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO. Trump withdrew the U.S. from the organization during his first term, but that move was reversed during the Biden administration. [more]

U.S. AND PHILIPPINES | Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea, Indo-Pacific regional security, and trade tariffs are expected to be among the main topics of discussion when U.S. President Donald Trump and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meet today in Washington, DC. [more]

VENEZUELA AND EL SALVADOR | The Venezuelan attorney general’s office has reportedly opened an investigation into El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele following allegations of mistreatment and human rights violations against Venezuelan migrants deported by the United States and held for months at El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center mega-prison. [more]

IRAN | Officials confirmed yesterday that the first talks on Iran's nuclear program since last month's U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, on Friday. Representatives from Iran, the U.K., France, Germany, and the European Union are expected to take part in the talks. [more]

MORE IRAN | State-run news agency IRNA reports that Iran carried out a test launch yesterday of a rocket designed to carry satellites into orbit. Analysts note that development of the Ghased solid-fuel rocket is seen by some Western countries as a means to improve Iran's ballistic missiles. [more]

VIETNAM | Reports say most businesses and government offices are closed in Vietnam's capital Hanoi today as Tropical Storm Wipha moves through the country's northern and central regions. [more]

BANGLADESH | Authorities say the death toll from yesterday's military plane crash in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka has risen to 31. At least 25 of the deaths were among students at the school into which the plane crashed. [more]

RUSSIA | The State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, approved legislation today that would impose fines on people reading and searching online for content that authorities have deemed "extremist", including information on Kremlin critics, the "international LGBT movement," and U.S. tech giant and Facebook parent company Meta Platforms. [more]

AUTO INDUSTRY | General Motors, the largest U.S. automaker by sales, announced a 32% decline in second-quarter core profit compared to the year-ago period yesterday. The company says it continues to be affected by challenging tariff policies that cost it some $1.1 billion over the quarter. [more]

R.I.P. | Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner – best known for his role as Theo Huxtable in the 1980s hit TV comedy series "The Cosby Show" – died Sunday at the age of 54 in an accidental drowning incident in Costa Rica, according to local officials. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1933, American aviator Wiley Post completed the first solo flight around the world, having covered 15,596 miles in 7 days, 18 hours, and 49 minutes. [more history]