These are today’s top stories.
Headlines
Actress Hayden Panettiere Passes Away
Actress Hayden Panettiere, best known for her roles in “Heroes” and “Nashville,” was found dead at her home in Greenville, South Carolina, at age 36. Police said the investigation has so far found no signs of foul play. Find out More
President Trump threatened to bomb Oman if the country “gets in the way” of U.S. efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as the 60-day window for a U.S.-Iran peace deal expired without a resolution. Oman has not publicly responded to the threat, and oil prices climbed on the news. Source
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran has decided to shift its posture from defensive to “fully offensive” given the deadlock in talks to end the war with the United States. The comments came as progress toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz ground to a halt. Find out More
Politics
Florida voters cast ballots Tuesday in a primary that will set the November matchups, with the race to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis drawing the most attention. Florida is a closed-primary state, meaning voters generally must be registered with a party to participate. See Details
Congressional Democrats are preparing a new push to limit President Trump’s war powers after his threat to bomb Oman, with Sen. Tim Kaine planning to introduce a resolution when the Senate returns next month. One House Democrat quipped that lawmakers may soon need to file similar resolutions for “192 other countries.” See Details
Progressive lawmakers and Democratic candidates are traveling to Uruguay to challenge the administration’s foreign policy approach toward Latin America at the PanAmerican Congress, pushing back on what critics have dubbed a “Donroe Doctrine.” Read More
U.S. News
The Supreme Court declined for a second time to hear President Trump’s appeal in the E. Jean Carroll case, leaving intact a jury’s finding that he sexually assaulted and defamed her and exhausting his avenues to overturn the $5 million judgment. Read More
Hawaii officials closed state offices, schools and courts as the islands continued recovering from Hurricane Lala, even as two new tropical disturbances formed in the Pacific during what has become an unusually active hurricane season. Source
A 30-year-old American tourist died after being struck by lightning while hiking on Italy’s Mount Etna during a thunderstorm. The area where he was hiking, near the volcano’s summit, is officially off-limits due to ongoing eruptive activity. See Details
Business
U.S. stock futures fell early Tuesday as tensions between the U.S. and Iran persisted and inflation concerns pushed Treasury yields higher, a day after major averages closed lower to start the week. Find out More
Oil prices jumped Monday after Iran and the U.S. both ruled out extending their memorandum of understanding, with Brent crude settling at $90.87 per barrel and U.S. crude closing at $84.50 per barrel. Source
China’s economy lost momentum in July, with retail sales growth slowing and fixed-asset investment falling nearly 7% for the year, even as the country’s AI ambitions continue to drive competing demands on policymakers. Source
Market Report
| Symbol | Last Close | % Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow Jones | DJIA | $44,296.51 | 0.97% |
| S&P 500 | SPX | $4,501.40 | 0.40% |
| Nasdaq Composite | IXIC | $19,003.65 | 0.16% |
| Alphabet Inc. | GOOG | $341.45 | -0.61% |
| Tesla, Inc. | TSLA | $339.30 | -0.87% |
| Apple Inc. | AAPL | $305.59 | -0.11% |
| Microsoft Corporation | MSFT | $480.35 | -3.04% |
World News
President Trump ordered the Pentagon to substantially scale back upcoming joint military exercises with South Korea, citing Seoul’s refusal to join the war against Iran and his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The decision drew criticism given South Korea’s decades-long alliance with Washington. Source
At least 10 people were killed and seven injured overnight as Ukraine and Russia traded fresh attacks, including a Ukrainian missile strike on a small community in Russia’s Belgorod province that killed six people, among them a child. Read More
The death toll from the earthquake that struck Indonesia’s Flores Island has climbed toward 70, with thousands still awaiting aid days later. More than 1,300 homes were damaged, nearly 250 destroyed, and roughly 5,000 people remain in temporary shelters as the region marked its Independence Day. Source
Entertainment
New York Knicks star Karl Anthony Towns and model Jordan Woods got married in Malibu over the weekend. See Details
Hollywood figures including Viola Davis and Rosie O’Donnell paid tribute to Hayden Panettiere following her death, with Davis calling her co-star “an old, wise soul with such a deep heart” in a remembrance shared on social media. Source
Authorities said human remains found in Tucson, Arizona, were not linked to the Nancy Guthries disappearance. Read More
Sports
Rookie quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson drew early praise in Week 1 of NFL preseason action, while Pittsburgh’s Drew Allar quarterbacked the Steelers to a win over Green Bay in his own debut. Source
Former MLB pitcher Tommy John, a four-time All-Star who won 288 career games and became the namesake of the pioneering elbow surgery that extended his career by 14 seasons, has died at his Florida home at age 83. Source
The Philadelphia Phillies held off the Miami Marlins for a 6-5 win, keeping pace in a tight National League wild-card picture as the stretch run approaches. See Details
Off the Wall
Britain’s roads and rail regulator granted Richard Branson’s Virgin Trains approval to run passenger service through the Channel Tunnel, ending Eurostar’s decades-long monopoly on the London-to-Paris route. Source
