July 7, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• The status of a new Gaza cease-fire proposal remains unclear this morning ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, DC. Reports say the proposal, which Israel has accepted, includes plans for a 60-day cease-fire, the exchange of Hamas-held hostages for jailed Palestinians, increased flow of aid into Gaza, and a withdrawal of Israeli forces to a buffer zone along Gaza's borders. [more]
• Israeli forces and Yemen-based Houthi rebels exchanged airstrikes early today following an attack on a Liberian-flagged ship in the Red Sea yesterday that is thought to have been carried out by the rebel group. [more]
• In a video address yesterday, Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem said the militant group would not disarm until Israel withdraws from all of southern Lebanon and halts airstrikes on Hezbollah targets. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1229 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Hundreds of flights were disrupted at major Russian airports over the weekend, including those in Moscow and St. Petersburg, amidst Ukrainian drone strikes targeting multiple Russian regions. [more]

TEXAS | Amidst threats of further heavy rainfall, authorities in Texas say at least 82 people have died in flooding that struck central Texas along the Guadalupe River early Friday morning. Reports say the affected area received 12-14 inches of rain in the space of just hours late Thursday and early Friday, causing the river to rise 26 feet in just 45 minutes. Dozens of people, including at least 10 girls from an area summer camp, remain missing as search and rescue efforts continue. [more]

U.S. PROTESTS | A federal trial begins today in a case filed by several university associations that are challenging what they say is a Trump administration policy of arresting and deporting foreign university faculty and students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations and other political activities. Plaintiffs say the government policy violates the First Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act, a law that governs the process by which federal agencies develop and issue regulations. [more]

U.S. SPENDING AND TAX BILL | The House of Representatives on Thursday passed, and President Donald Trump signed into law Friday, the Trump-backed, so-called "one big, beautiful bill" of spending and tax measures that includes, among other things, tax breaks, spending cuts, a rollback of solar energy tax credits, and new money for national defense and immigration enforcement. In its latest analysis, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says the measure will add nearly $3.3 trillion to the federal deficit and result in about 11.8 million more Americans becoming uninsured over the next 10 years. [more]

U.S. POLITICS | Amidst ongoing tensions with President Donald Trump over the passage of his sweeping tax and spending bill, former Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk has announced the formation of a new "America Party" political movement. [more]

BRICS | At the conclusion of a two-day summit, member nations of the BRICS coalition – Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates – condemned global tariff increases and the recent attacks on Iran. While the BRICS statement did not specifically mention him, U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media late last night that any country that aligns itself with what he termed “the Anti-American policies of BRICS” would face an added 10% tariff. [more]

PAKISTAN | National emergency officials say at least 72 people have died, and more than 130 have been injured, in 10 days of heavy monsoon rains and flash floods across Pakistan. [more]

GREECE | Mandatory work breaks from midday to 5pm have been imposed today for outdoor workers in parts of Greece where temperatures are expected to reach as high as 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius). [more]

E.U. AND CHINA | China imposed new trade restrictions on European brandy and on the government purchase of European medical devices over the weekend. The moves follow European Union measures imposed in June that excluded Chinese companies from any E.U. government purchases of more than 5 million euros. [more]

NIGERIA | Authorities in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state said yesterday that at least nine people were killed, and four others were injured, in a recent attack on the Malam Fatori community by Boko Haram militants. [more]

POLAND | As part of efforts aimed at discouraging asylum-seekers, Poland reinstated heightened controls along its borders with Germany and Lithuania today. According to officials, the restrictions will be in place for an initial period of 30 days. [more]

KENYA | Amidst demonstrations across Kenya to mark the 35th anniversary of pro-democracy rallies, reports say Kenyan police opened fire today on a crowd of advancing protesters in the capital Nairobi. [more]

FRANCE | For the first time since 1923, public swimming in the River Seine became legal in Paris on Saturday, with three swimming sites – one close to Notre Dame Cathedral, another near the Eiffel Tower, and a third in eastern Paris – opened on Paris riverbanks. The move follows a 1.4-billion-euro cleanup project that made the river's water suitable for Olympic competitions last year. [more]

SOCCER | Mexico beat the United States, 2-1, last night to win its record 10th CONCACAF Gold Cup title. [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "Jurassic World Rebirth" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $91.5 million in receipts, followed by "F1 The Movie" and "How to Train Your Dragon." [more]

ROCK MUSIC | Heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, 76, was joined onstage by his Black Sabbath bandmates for the first time in 20 years Saturday in Birmingham, England, for what Osbourne said was his last-ever live performance. An estimated 40,000 people attended the concert. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 2005, bombings in three Underground stations and a double-decker bus killed 52 victims and four Islamic terrorist bombers in the worst attack on London since World War II. [more history]