House subcommittee votes unanimously to subpoena Lisa Bondi of Justice Department Legal Department and Jeffrey Epstein’s estate for their meeting with disgraced financier Bernard Madoff. Trump and Speaker Johnson strongly oppose such action by vote of subpoenaing them both.
Courts continue to block President Trump from using California National Guard forces to enforce his immigration crackdown, while an extreme heat wave wreaks havoc across America.
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US-EU Trade Talks
European and US officials are in a rush to complete a trade deal before President Donald Trump’s self-imposed Aug. 1 deadline, as trade war costs would be significant for consumers and companies on both sides. But US officials have signaled the talks could hit an impasse.
Brussels sources report they’re working nonstop to reach an initial agreement with the White House and reduce tariffs as much as possible. EU sources indicate they’re prepared to purchase more natural gas, arms and soybeans from America but won’t cave to demands to lower value-added tax or relax digital services taxes and food safety rules.
Peisch cautioned that any deal would depend on whether or not the US was ready to give up some of its core grievances, including antitrust proceedings against Google and Apple.
Carmaker Hits Profits With Tariffs
As President Trump’s tariffs take effect, companies are reporting quarterly earnings that reveal how their new costs will impact consumers. Although these costs will take time to spread through, evidence is mounting: Americans are paying for these companies’ sky-high tariff costs.
General Motors was hit hard in its second quarter by new levies on cars made in Canada, Mexico and South Korea. Although earnings estimates were met, GM still stuck to its earlier forecast that trade headwinds could damage its bottom line by $4 to $5 billion this year. To lessen this impact they have already taken steps such as increasing production in South Korea to counterbalance any blowback they experience there.
Israeli Troops Kill Palestinians
New reports reveal how Israeli troops routinely shoot Palestinian civilians who approach their forces, according to testimony provided by officers who served along the Nitzarim axis in central Gaza – an area with no official military order where Israel may shoot any individuals who come too close.
This incident comes amid an increasingly severe crisis in the region, where over 50 percent of its population are threatened with starvation and many depend on international food aid for survival.
Shootings took place near two newly launched food distribution hubs by the U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which have come under attack by Hamas over their supposed siphoning off of supplies by GHF; according to Hamas, however, they provide food access for people who otherwise lack it.
Thai-Cambodian Border Violence
At least seven civilians were killed during recent clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, prompting hundreds of villagers to seek safety from a disputed border area where Thailand and Cambodia share land.
Thai and Cambodian authorities both blame each other for instigating a recent upsurge of violence, according to reports. Meanwhile, longtime treaty ally America has called for an immediate ceasefire.
Conflict between Vietnam and Cambodia has only escalated nationalist feelings between both nations, fuelling nationalist sentiment in both. Negotiations cannot begin until fighting ceases; caretaker Prime Minister Thich Nhat Hanh warns the situation could escalate into war without steps being taken to diffuse it. Clashes first broke out near Ta Muen Thom temple Thursday before spreading across disputed territory in Vietnam.
Hindu Pilgrims Party Hard
Millions of Hindu devotees, mystics and holy men and women have come together at the confluence of Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers for Maha Kumbh festival which lasts six weeks. Here they are taking dips into rivers as an attempt to purify themselves before beginning a journey that could ultimately bring release from reincarnation cycle.
Yet Moorhouse found reverence difficult to muster during her pilgrimage. According to her account, one saffron-clad guru looked like “a coffee-colored and pudgy elf with an engaging smile”.
Organisers of this pilgrimage have attempted to mitigate chaos by restricting VIP access and mandating that restaurants along the route display their identities through QR codes, but some feel this is insufficient – an ex-police officer who’s helped organize similar events suggests police should be more firm with crowds.