U.S.
House Republicans Introduce Stopgap Bill to Fund Government Through December 4
The continuing resolution, unveiled July 17, would extend current spending past the September 30 deadline and past November's midterm elections while full-year appropriations remain unfinished.
ICE on Pace for Record Monthly Arrests in July, Averaging More Than 1,400 a Day
Federal data and news reports show immigration arrests running at their highest level of the Trump administration, sharpening disputes over who is being detained and how.
Interior Department Finalizes Rule Ending Automatic Endangered Species Act Protections for Newly Listed Threatened Species
The July 17, 2026 rule replaces a default "blanket" shield with species-by-species plans and lets regulators weigh economic costs in habitat decisions; conservation groups have sued the administration over a related Endangered Species Act rule change and say they plan to challenge this rule in court as well.
Canadian Wildfire Smoke Pushes Air-Quality Alerts Across Midwest and Northeast; Trump and GOP Lawmakers Blame Canada, Ottawa Cites Climate Change
Smoke from hundreds of active Canadian wildfires triggered health alerts for well over 100 million Americans in July 2026, reviving a dispute over whether forest management or a warming climate is the primary cause.
US Measles Cases in 2026 Approach 2025's Multi-Decade High as Formal Elimination-Status Review Nears
Federal data show 2026 case counts nearing last year's total, and an intergovernmental commission will decide this fall whether the US still qualifies as having eliminated measles.
State Attorneys General Allege ICE Shared Medicaid Data With Palantir in Possible Violation of Court Order
A motion from more than 20 Democratic attorneys general says immigration officials passed a federal Medicaid dataset to contractor Palantir; the administration says its data use is lawful and a judge will weigh the dispute in August.
Wind-Driven Wildfires in Eastern Oregon Destroy Homes, Force Evacuations; State Invokes Conflagration Act a Third Time in 2026
The Lower Dry Creek Fire in Umatilla County and the Hoag Fire in Gilliam County burned multiple homes and displaced hundreds of residents as Oregon mobilized additional state firefighting resources.
CDC and FDA Link Cyclospora Outbreak to Shredded Lettuce Served at Taco Bell; Supplier Taylor Farms Begins Recall
Federal and state investigators traced a five-state cyclosporiasis cluster to Mexican-grown iceberg lettuce, as 2026 becomes the worst U.S. year on record for the parasite and a debate opens over whether federal budget cuts slowed the response.
Epstein Survivors and AG Nominee Todd Blanche Give Opposing Accounts of Meeting Held to Secure a Republican Senator's Vote
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein at the demand of Sen. Thom Tillis; survivors called the session unproductive while Blanche's Justice Department called it productive, days before a committee vote on his confirmation.
Trump Declassifies China Intelligence in Primetime Speech, Renewing 2020 Election Claims and Pushing Voter-ID Bill
In a July 16, 2026 East Room address, President Trump released documents he says show Chinese interference in U.S. elections and urged Congress to pass the SAVE America Act; Democrats and the intelligence record dispute his conclusions.