US strikes Iran for a tenth straight night
The reported ten-day truce traces to a single unnamed Iranian official; on the record, Tehran confirms only that mediators floated "new ideas."
US strikes Iran for a tenth straight night1
US Central Command said its forces completed another round of strikes against Iran at 9 p.m. ET on 20 July, hitting Iranian military command centers, missile and drone launch sites, air defense systems and maritime capabilities.1 The release no longer numbers the night; Al Jazeera and ABC News count it the tenth consecutive one and name the places struck, among them Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island and Isfahan.23 Mediators have passed Tehran a proposal for a ten-day ceasefire meant to revive an interim deal reached last month, the Jerusalem Post reported, citing a senior Iranian official speaking to Reuters; on the record, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed only that mediators had "proposed new ideas," not that either side had agreed.4 President Trump said those who killed US troops "will pay,"3 and the White House position is that the strikes continue until he decides otherwise.2 Neither capital has accepted the proposal, which leaves a tenth night of strikes CENTCOM confirms against a truce that exists so far only as a reported idea.
A federal judge freezes the $110bn Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger for fourteen days5
A federal court granted a fourteen-day temporary restraining order on 20 July halting the $110 billion merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery, the largest deal in Hollywood history, after a twelve-state coalition led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued to block it.56 Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín signed the order in Oakland after hearing both sides on 17 July, barring the parties from closing the transaction or integrating operations, and set a preliminary-injunction hearing for 3 August.67 The states allege the combination violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act across three markets, wide-release theatrical distribution among them, and the judge found they "present compelling evidence that the combined firm ... will possess substantial market share" there.57 Paramount called the antitrust arguments "without merit" and the merger "lawful, pro-competitive"; Warner Bros. declined to comment.6 The order decides nothing on the merits. It buys the states two weeks and an August hearing before a deal they say would reshape film distribution can close.
US measles cases reach 2,260, matching all of last year by mid-July8
The CDC counted 2,260 confirmed US measles cases in 2026 as of its 16 July update, 2,245 of them reported across 44 jurisdictions, with 93 percent (2,108 cases) tied to one of 34 outbreaks recorded this year.8 That partial-year total already matches all of 2025, which ended with 2,258 cases and was itself a 34-year high.910 Medical Daily and NBC News, both reporting the agency's figures, frame summer travel as the accelerant.1110 The count is a surveillance tally rather than a real-time census: the agency's page carries data "as of 12:00 p.m." on 16 July.8 The Pan American Health Organization has pushed its decision on whether the US keeps its measles elimination status to November.9 Reaching a full prior year's caseload by mid-July is what puts a 34-year record within a single summer's reach.
A judge bars the White House budget office from cutting grants over priorities set after the award12
A federal judge barred the Trump administration from using an obscure regulatory clause to cancel grants over priorities it adopted after making an award, blocking a mechanism the plaintiff states said had let it strip billions in already-committed funding.12 U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued the declaratory judgment in Boston on Friday, 17 July, holding that the administration's reading of the termination clause "is not clearly supported by the text of the provision" and "runs counter to the regulatory scheme."13 The coalition that sued — 20 states, three governors and the District of Columbia, so 23 states and D.C. — announced the win on Monday, 20 July.1412 Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, who led it, said "Congress appropriates funding, not the President,"12 while the states cast the budget office's effort as holding "critical programs hostage to ... personal whims and political ideologies."15 The judgment fixes what the clause cannot do rather than restoring any single grant, setting a limit the administration must clear before ending an award on grounds that postdate it.
Sources
- U.S. Central Command · U.S. Finishes Latest Strikes Against Iran
- Al Jazeera · US launches tenth consecutive night of attacks on Iran
- ABC News · Iran live updates: US strikes continue as Trump warns Tehran
- The Jerusalem Post · Mediators pass Iran a proposal for a 10-day ceasefire
- California Attorney General · Quiet on the Set! Attorney General Bonta Secures Critical Early Win in Lawsuit to Block Warner–Paramount Merger
- CNBC · Judge grants restraining order pausing Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger
- NPR · Court temporarily blocks Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · Measles Data and Research
- CIDRAP · U.S. measles total climbs, with elimination-status decision pushed to November
- NBC News · Measles cases in 2026: Tracking the outbreak across the U.S.
- Medical Daily · U.S. Measles Cases Reach 2,260 in 44 Jurisdictions as Summer Travel Threatens to Set a New Record
- Massachusetts Attorney General · AG Campbell Wins Ruling Protecting Billions in Critical Federal Funding
- Higher Ed Dive · Trump officials can't revoke grants due to new agency goals, judge rules
- Washington Examiner · Judge blocks OMB from using clause to cut federal grants
- Boston.com (Associated Press) · Boston federal judge bars Trump administration from using obscure clause to make huge funding cuts