Nonproliferation Experts Warn U.S. Deal Could Lead to Nuclear-Armed Saudi Arabia

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is defending President Trump’s agreement to provide Saudi Arabia with a civilian nuclear program using U.S. technology. Rubio spoke on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines. Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “I’ll let the agreement speak for itself. Suffice it to say that any agreement that we’re going to make with any country in the world on civil nuclear energy is going to be one that will have safeguards in place to ensure that it can’t be turned into a weapons program. And one of the best safeguards is to make sure that American technology and American companies are the ones that are involved in doing it.” The deal is likely worth tens of billions of dollars to U.S. nuclear energy companies like Westinghouse, whose reactors produce plutonium as a byproduct. Nonproliferation experts warn that waste could be reprocessed for use in nuclear warheads. James Acton of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace wrote, “If true, this is tantamount to the United States’ giving up on nonproliferation.” www.democracynow.org

U.S. Strikes Southern Iran, Iraq Border Crossing on 12th Straight Night of Attacks

Iranian officials report a U.S. missile attack on a passenger terminal at a border crossing into Iraq killed two people and wounded 11 others. Separately, the U.S. struck sites across southern Iran, including Bushehr, Ahvaz, Jask, Andimeshk and Sirik. Iran responded with fresh missile and drone attacks on Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, where U.S. forces are based. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it had stopped three oil tankers from passing through the Strait of Hormuz. It said in a statement one of the ships exploded and caught fire, before the other two reversed course. Meanwhile, in Yemen, ⁠Iran-allied Houthi fighters announced they attacked two ​Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. A Saudi news agency later confirmed one ship was on fire. Oil prices climbed on the news, to nearly $100 a barrel. www.democracnynow.org

House GOP Approves $73B in New Pentagon Funding, $10B for Voting Restrictions

The Republican-led House of Representatives has approved a $95 billion budget framework to fund the U.S. war on Iran, while pressuring states to adopt new restrictions on voting. The framework outlines $73 billion in additional funding for war and intelligence gathering, $12 billion in farm aid and $10 billion for a fund aimed at incentivizing states to adopt core components of the SAVE America Act, including a voter ID requirement for in-person voting. Millions of citizens who lack easy access to the bill’s required forms of documentation could be at risk of disenfranchisement. The House approved the framework by a vote of 216 to 214, with all Democrats present casting votes in opposition; three Democrats were absent or did not record a vote. This is Washington Congressmember Pramila Jayapal. Rep. Pramila Jayapal: “Months after Hegseth claimed victory, Iran continued to strike American assets in the Middle East, kill American service members and close the Straits of Hormuz. The administration has clearly gotten us into a war that they have no clue how to get us out of. Americans deserve a clear strategy, not shifting explanations that change by the day. They deserve thoughtful diplomacy, not tweets like the one that the president just released today.” Congresswoman Jayapal was referring to Trump’s Truth Social post reading, “From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran.” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded on social media, “Our defense doctrine is clear: eye for an eye. Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response.” The war of words came as the U.S. bombed Iran for a 12th consecutive night. www.democracynow.org

As Mamdani Calls on Trump to Arrest Netanyahu, Genocide Scholar Decries Israel’s Ongoing Impunity

https://www.democracynow.org/2026/7/23/omer_bartov_on_gaza

Meet Milwaukee Muslim Leader Salah Sarsour. ICE Detained Him for 80 Days

https://www.democracynow.org/2026/7/23/salah_sarsour

Trump Admin Pauses More Than $1 Billion in Medicaid Funding to California and Minnesota

Back in the U.S., the Trump administration has paused more than $1 billion in Medicaid funding to California and Minnesota. That includes more than $867 million for California and about $200 million for Minnesota. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claims it’s part of the administration’s strategy to “stop the fraud before it happens.” But in their news conference Tuesday, neither RFK Jr. nor Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator, offered new evidence of fraud. California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote on X, “California isn’t being targeted because Trump has evidence of fraud. We are being targeted for political reasons — and because Dr. Oz doesn’t understand that we are SAVING taxpayers money by keeping seniors and people with disabilities out of far more expensive nursing homes! We hate fraud. That’s not what this is.” www.democracynow.org

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Ends Requirement for Employers to Collect Demographic Data

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency responsible for enforcing civil rights and anti-discrimination laws, has ended a decades-old requirement for private sector employers to collect demographic data in the workplace, slashing a policy that had been in place for more than 60 years. The EEOC’s Republican majority voted 2-1 Tuesday to rescind the data collection requirement. EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas is a Trump ally and outspoken critic of diversity, equity and inclusion policies. The EEOC was created under the 1964 Civil Rights Act establishing protections that prohibited discrimination based on race, gender, sex, national origin and religion. Kalpana Kotagal, who is the sole Democrat left on the EEOC since Trump overhauled the agency, said, “Today, the commission discusses whether to turn back time to a period before the civil rights movement, kneecapping its ability to protect workers.” www.democracynow.org