These are the top stories for this week.
Headlines
Bernie Sanders Movement Notches Another Primary Win
Michigan's marquee Democratic Senate primary turned into an overnight nail-biter, with progressive Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeating U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens. See Details
Senate Committee Votes to Hold Fauci in Contempt of Congress
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted along party lines Thursday to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during a hearing on the government's COVID-19 response. Source
President Trump defended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after reports surfaced that the Pentagon has nearly exhausted its supply of precision-guided munitions amid the ongoing war with Iran, insisting in a Truth Social post that the U.S. has "massive amounts" of weaponry and dismissing the reports as "false and completely unfounded rumors." Read More
President Trump said talks with Iran produced "very good discussions" Tuesday and predicted the Strait of Hormuz would reopen "very soon," even as U.S. officials warned the military has burned through nearly 80% of its interceptor stockpile for a key missile-defense system. Source
The first US deaths from the cyclosporiasis outbreak were recorded in Michigan. Both individuals also suffered from underlying medical conditions. Read More
A Salmonella outbreak tied to jalapeños has sickened 345 people across 27 states, with 36 hospitalizations reported, the CDC said. Chipotle and Qdoba have pulled jalapeños from all locations as the FDA traces the tainted peppers to a Mexican supplier. Source
A California man was arrested at Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes after allegedly monitoring security preparations ahead of the president's visit; investigators later found an illegally modified rifle, body armor and high-capacity magazines in his vehicle, and he has since pleaded not guilty to four charges. Source
Spain has begun installing a 500-meter floating barrier off Ceuta after a mass migrant crossing from Morocco that killed at least 67 people, with crossings reported to have stopped overnight following the surge that saw roughly 50,000 people enter the Spanish enclave. Source
Politics
The Trump administration is pushing to reopen shuttered U.S. oil refineries, including one in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as gasoline prices climb amid the ongoing Iran war. Read More
Thomas Smith, who ended his campaign two months ago, defeated Trump-endorsed Amnir Hassan in the Republican primary for Michigan's Eighth Congressional District. Find out More
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said he will oppose Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination to permanently lead the Justice Department, adding to a narrowing path for confirmation after Sen. Susan Collins also said she'll vote no. Senate Republicans are racing to confirm Blanche before the chamber's August recess. Source
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with President Trump by phone Saturday and cautioned him against a fresh round of strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure. Read More
Financial issues continue to plague Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin. Source
House Speaker Mike Johnson says the 'process should play out' as an increasing number of Republicans call on Ohio Congressman Max Miller to end his campaign amid abuse allegations by his ex-wife. See Details
Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., lost his Republican primary Thursday despite an endorsement from President Trump, with the Associated Press projecting former state Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher as the GOP nominee for the seat. Source
U.S. News
President Trump signed a new executive order Thursday narrowing access to birthright citizenship, renewing an effort that was struck down by the Supreme Court earlier this year. See Details
A TikTok livestream showing celebrity blogger Perez Hilton appearing to harm himself at his Miami-area home prompted a heavy police response Tuesday night, with deputies later saying he was "safely recovered" and taken to a hospital for treatment. Source
A fast-moving wildfire driven by strong winds swept across northwest Spokane on Saturday, jumping the Spokane River and forcing thousands to evacuate, with firefighters reporting zero containment as of evening. See Details
The State Department's August visa bulletin advanced several family-sponsored green card categories, with F2A visas for spouses and children of green card holders seeing the largest jump. Source
The U.S. Treasury said it expects to borrow $739 billion in the third quarter, $68 billion more than projected in May, citing lower projected cash flows only partly offset by a larger starting cash balance. Find out More
Sen. Ron Wyden says a CBS "60 Minutes" interview on Jeffrey Epstein's banking practices was shelved before it aired, alleging in a new Senate Finance Committee report that it was "suppressed." The report also accuses Deutsche Bank of failing to promptly disclose more than $250 million in suspicious Epstein-related transactions. Source
Business
Palantir surged 27%, and Caterpillar gained 6.6% Tuesday after both companies posted blowout earnings tied to AI demand, while the Dow closed at a fresh all-time high of 54,085.88. SpaceX also jumped 9% in its first earnings report since its June IPO, with revenue nearly doubling year over year. Read More
Record-setting S&P 500 earnings growth this quarter is being flattered by one-time accounting gains at Amazon and Alphabet tied to their stakes in AI companies; strip those out and blended earnings growth falls from 47.4% to a still-strong 28.8%. Source
Oil analysts say Iran's insistence on charging tolls for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz remains the central sticking point in ending the broader conflict, even as a tentative de-escalation holds. Source
Chinese AI firm MiniMax released a new video-generation model Friday capable of producing 2K-resolution clips with native stereo sound, intensifying competition with rivals ByteDance and Kuaishou. Read More
Disney executives told investors Wednesday morning the company is weighing free ad-supported streaming (FAST) channels as a "funnel" to draw new subscribers into Disney+ and Hulu, even as the earnings call drew renewed scrutiny over engagement trends. The comments came the same day CNN projected Abdul El-Sayed's win in Michigan's Senate primary. Source
Amazon's market value topped $3 trillion for the first time Monday, becoming only the fifth company to reach the milestone, powered by strong earnings and surging AI-driven cloud demand. Find out More
British regulators cleared Paramount Skydance's roughly $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery Thursday after the company offered assurances on media diversity. Read More
World News
Israel warned residents of Al-Mansouri village in southern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of strikes on Hezbollah targets, with an IDF spokeswoman saying the military was "forced to act forcefully" over an alleged ceasefire violation. The strikes came as separate U.S.-brokered Israel-Lebanon talks in Rome concluded early amid the renewed fighting. See Details
Japan's government is framing its accelerating military buildup, detailed in a new defense white paper, as both a security necessity against China, Russia and North Korea and an economic opportunity through expanded arms production. Source
The U.S. military says it has burned through nearly 80% of its interceptor stockpile for a key missile-defense system even as President Trump says the Strait of Hormuz could reopen soon, with Qatar's Foreign Ministry describing talks as being "in very progressive stages." Find out More
Taiwan's president took shelter in an armored vehicle Friday as part of a simulated "decapitation strike" drill during the island's annual Han Kuang military exercise, which is testing Taiwan's ability to repel a potential Chinese attack. Read More
Spain deployed its army and additional forces, including diving teams and maritime vessels, to Ceuta after the record migrant surge from Morocco, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez calling the incident "an attack" on Spain's territorial integrity. Read More
Famed climber Nirmal "Nimsdai" Purja and nine others were killed after an avalanche swept their expedition on Pakistan's Broad Peak, his company confirmed, as rescue teams continue searching for the bodies. Read More
Entertainment
Sony and Marvel's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," starring Tom Holland, crossed $1 billion worldwide in just six days, the second-fastest film ever to hit the milestone behind only "Avengers: Endgame." See Details
"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" shattered box office records this weekend, pulling in $168 million domestically on its opening Friday alone — the biggest single-day gross in movie history. Source
Zendaya and Tom Holland quietly married earlier this year and celebrated with a private reception this week at a luxury countryside hotel in Surrey, England, not far from Holland's hometown, according to a report first surfaced by Deuxmoi. Read More
Nicolas Cage will play NFL legend John Madden in a new biopic from director David O. Russell, co-starring Christian Bale, that Amazon MGM Studios says will begin streaming worldwide on Prime Video in November. ( Find out More
Paramount+ unveiled first-look photos and a premiere date for "The Varnell Hill Show," a "Martin" spinoff starring Tommy Davidson reprising his late-night-host character nearly three decades after the original sitcom introduced him. The half-hour workplace comedy marks Davidson's return to the role. Read More
Breakout "Michael" star Jaafar Jackson has joined Will Smith in the action thriller "Supermax," his next role following his acclaimed turn as Michael Jackson in this year's box-office biopic hit. Source
"The Devil Wears Prada 2" racked up 15 million views after it debuted on Disney+ and Hulu, making it Disney's biggest streaming premiere since "Deadpool & Wolverine." Find out More
Sports
Fox Sports unveiled its 2026 NFL broadcast lineup, with Tom Brady and Kevin Burkhardt's crew opening the season calling the Eagles-Commanders Week 1 matchup in Philadelphia, backed by a roster boasting nearly 30 combined Super Bowl rings. Source
The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers in a rental deal ahead of the deadline. Find out More
CM Punk defended his title against Cody Rhodes, and Oba Femi defeated Brock Lesnar in the main event Hell-in-a-Cell match to cap night one of WWE's SummerSlam Premium Live Event. Find out More
UFC flyweight Allan Nascimento died Monday at age 34 after suffering an apparent heart attack in his sleep, the promotion announced, with fighters including Charles Oliveira paying tribute to the Brazilian contender. See Details
NASCAR will implement a new stage-break procedure for Cup Series races beginning this weekend at Iowa Speedway, a change aimed at limiting laps run under caution and producing more green-flag racing for the rest of the season. Read More
Off the Wall
A moviegoer's fart disrupted an entire screening of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" with its stench, forcing the theater to empty out. Source
A 44-year-old man is facing multiple criminal charges after he survived jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge while naked and attempted to use his underwear as a parachute. See Details
