- Tuesday July 7th, 2026
- "It Is Not A Question of Who Is Right Or Wrong But What Is Right Or Wrong That Counts."
- --Geoff Metcalf
- Providing an on line Triage of the news since 1998
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World & Nation
Trump Meets NATO as Allies Push Defense Boost
President Donald Trump meets fellow NATO leaders at a summit on Tuesday
as the alliance tries to persuade him that their countries are actively
increasing their military capabilities even as the American focus
shifts away from its defense of Europe toward Asia.
Trump has been critical of NATO's abilities to function without
American leadership and power, moved to withdraw U.S. troops from
Europe, and cast doubt on whether the U.S. would come to the aid of a
NATO ally under attack. He also remains disappointed at some NATO
allies' refusal to join the Iran war, which he had launched alongside
Israel without consulting them.
The two-day summit in Ankara, Turkey, will showcase a series of
military projects worth billions of dollars in an attempt to persuade
Trump they are making a stronger Europe for a stronger NATO.
US Says Iran Attacked 2 Ships in Hormuz Strait
Iran launched at least two missiles at commercial vessels transiting
the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night, according to two U.S. officials
cited by Axios, raising new concerns about maritime security and
increasing the likelihood of a U.S. military response.
The reported attacks targeted two commercial ships traveling through
one of the world's busiest shipping lanes after a temporary pause in
hostilities had expired.
According to Axios, Iran's actions threaten to undermine a memorandum
of understanding reached less than three weeks ago under which Tehran
agreed to stop attacks in the strategic waterway.
Iran fires at least two missiles at commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz: report
Iran fired at least two missiles at commercial vessels traversing the
Strait of Hormuz Monday night, according to a report citing two US
officials.
Two commercial ships were badly damaged in the attacks but no casualties were reported, Axios reported.
Britain’s maritime security agency said one of its tankers caught fire
after being struck by an unknown projectile east of the coastal city of
Limah, Oman, early Tuesday.
Manhattan high-rise evacuated as officials warn of potential collapse
A building that once had Pfizer offices was evacuated after authorities received reports of falling bricks
A Midtown Manhattan high-rise building near Grand Central Terminal was
evacuated Tuesday morning after authorities said it was at risk of
collapsing.
Officials with the New York Fire Department said they received a call
at 7:57am about falling bricks at 235 East 42nd Street between 2nd
Avenue and 3rd Avenue.
The building was once the corporate headquarters for the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, according to The New York Times.
Trump: Toyota Move Shows Tariffs Are Working
President Donald Trump credited his tariffs with encouraging Toyota to
move some manufacturing operations from Mexico to the United States.
In a Truth Social post Tuesday while in Turkey, Trump hailed Toyota's
decision to expand production in Texas as another sign that his trade
policies are driving jobs and investment back to the United States.
"Toyota is moving from Mexico to the United States (Texas!). A really big deal. Tariffs at work!" Trump wrote.
Extremist streamer sparks outrage after declaring NYC an ‘Islamic Republic’
Musk backed Alex Jones' demand to deport the streamer after his Egypt World Cup celebration rant went viral
A streamer who broadcasts to more than 1 million followers on a popular
online platform set off a viral firestorm after invoking Mayor Zohran
Mamdani's name as he declared Islam would take over New York City.
"Allahu Akbar!" the extremist internet personality Sneako yelled amidst
a group of Egypt soccer fans while drums were banged and horns were
blown. Egyptian flags waved among the crowd as they chanted along.
Sneako, whose real name is Nicolas Kenn De Balinthazy, has been
described as a provocateur and palled around with the online
antisemitic far-right during his rise to social media stardom. Before
that, he was all-in on his support for the political far-left and
supported the presidential campaign of socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders,
I-Vt., in 2016. He reportedly converted to Islam in 2023.
"This is the Islamic Republic of New York-istan," he continued. "Islam
will be in every household. Inshallah the whole world will be Muslim."
Fetterman demands Bernie Sanders apologize for backing alleged 'predator' Graham Platner in Maine Senate race
Platner accused of rape, prompting Democrats including Warren and Khanna to push for him to drop out
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is demanding an apology from Sen. Bernie
Sanders, I-Vt., as explosive new sexual assault allegations have rocked
Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner's campaign.
"I would really call Bernie Sanders to apologize for pushing this kind
of predator more than anyone," Fetterman said Monday on "The Ingraham
Angle."
"He helped him [become the Democratic nominee], and now [he should]
apologize to the victims, especially the woman that she claimed that he
raped her. I don't know why you want to keep pushing these kinds of
people."
Platner's Senate hopes are on life support after Jenny Racicot alleged
that he sexually assaulted her in interviews with Politico and CNN.
Racicot claims the Senate hopeful entered her home uninvited while
intoxicated nearly five years ago and forced himself on her despite
repeated attempts to get him to stop.
New York Times under scrutiny over Graham Platner coverage as accusers speaks out against paper
Lyndsey Fifield says paper failed to corroborate her account of altercations with Democratic Senate hopeful
The New York Times is facing scrutiny over the growing scandal plaguing
Democratic Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner, as some have questioned
what its reporters knew, and one of his past accusers insists the paper
didn’t work to corroborate her story.
Politico published a bombshell report Monday on one of Platner's exes
alleging he sexually assaulted her during their relationship. Jenny
Racicot claimed that in 2021, a drunk Platner entered her home
uninvited and had sex with her despite her repeatedly telling him to
stop. Platner has firmly denied the allegations, which Racicot has said
constituted rape.
Racicot was one of the women interviewed in the Times' report last
month about Platner's "unsettling" behavior. According to the Times,
Racicot described "positive memories" she had with Platner but said he
"does not respect women" based on comments he made that had surfaced.
The report also appeared to allude to Racicot's sexual assault
allegation.
Trump could hand prized stealth jets to NATO ally once seen as alliance headache
Speaking alongside Erdoğan in Ankara, Trump said Turkey deserves the stealth fighter after years of loyalty to the alliance
President Donald Trump said Tuesday he plans to lift U.S. sanctions on
Turkey and signaled he is prepared to move forward with the
long-stalled sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets, marking a dramatic
reversal in U.S. policy toward the NATO ally years after Ankara was
expelled from the program for its purchase of a Russian missile defense
system.
Speaking alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during a
bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, Trump
said his administration would remove sanctions imposed on Turkey's
defense sector.
"I can tell you we're going to be taking the sanctions off, OK?" Trump
said. "I don't want him to waste his time answering that question. It's
time. We don't sanction friends."
Mamdani aide goes berserk on ABC execs after ‘The View’ host calls socialist candidate antisemitic
A top aide to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani reportedly blasted ABC
executives over “The View” co-host Sara Haines’ on-air criticism of a
socialist congressional candidate as an antisemite.
One of Mamdani’s aides privately expressed fury to network honchos
after Haines said she would “full-blown call” Democratic congressional
candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier “an antisemite” during a recent
episode of the program, according to Semafor.
The Mamdani aide, whose identity wasn’t revealed in the report,
reportedly warned that Haines’ remarks could affect whether Mamdani and
other democratic socialist candidates would agree to appear on the show
in the future.
The Supreme Court officially closes the books on another term
Most people are satisfied that the Court is in fact applying the law and not making it up
By Hugh Hewitt
Teaching Constitutional Law is a joy, not a job — except for the 11th
Amendment and the "Dormant Commerce Clause" cases and materials. The
law school classroom is also a great vantage point from which to
recognize that American constitutional law moves at a very gradual pace
— and that this pace is a very good thing for the enduring "rule of
law" that Americans enjoy.
Every semester since 1996, my students hear that Con Law ought to be
their most interesting class of their three years of law school. Every
law student is different, of course, and the "Uniform Commercial Code
might float some boats and ‘Trusts and Estates’ can be pretty shocking
— people do in fact "throw grandma from the train" — but Con Law
impacts every citizen’s life and thus law students ought to care about
it as citizens if not as lawyers. In fact, only a relatively small
percentage of lawyers will run into issues that relate to the
Constitution in the course of their careers. Fewer still will
"practice" in the field and only a handful will argue a case involving
the country’s highest law before even its lowest courts, much less
before the United States Supreme Court.
Still, there are many reasons why, come every June or at latest early
July, most of the nation’s news media focuses on the decisions flowing
out of One First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. As a republic of laws,
the nation’s highest court makes decisions impacting every American as
we are equal before the law. The most difficult cases it accepts and
decides matter to our 330 million. The news media — legacy and "new"
alike — love the storylines.
The government is pulling student loan money from worthless college degree programs — and it’s about time
By Rikki Schlott
Students will no longer be able to take out federal loans to pay for
degree programs that fail to provide them a return on investment,
thanks to a new federal policy that went into effect on July 1.
And it’s about time.
It’s a response to a shocking fact: Graduates of more than 800 college
programs across the country — including at institutions like the
University of Southern California and New York City’s New School — make
less than the average high-school grad four years after getting a
degree, despite all that time, effort and tuition money.
Now the American government will have no part in propping up degree
programs that may not even lead to a livable wage. A provision of the
Big Beautiful Bill cuts them off from federal aid access if they can’t
break the non-grad salary baseline.
