1.) AXIOS: U.S. military says Iran fired multiple ballistic missiles at American forces in Jordan and all were intercepted
The attack followed a brief pause in direct fighting after President Trump halted U.S. strikes last week. The targeted base, number of missiles, and any casualties or damage were not identified in the account.
[RELATED 1] Mediators reported ceasefire progress during the pause
The ceasefire negotiations and reported pause in U.S.-Iran attacks provide context for Iran's strike.
[SEMI-RELATED 2] Two-thirds of Americans oppose U.S. attacks on Iran
Polling on American support for U.S. attacks on Iran provides context on the domestic political stakes.
2.) THE HILL: Senate confirms Jay Clayton as intelligence chief in 51-47 party-line vote
Clayton takes office as Congress weighs whether to restore government surveillance powers that expired last month.
Clayton bio
Clayton is a corporate lawyer turned regulator and prosecutor, not a career intelligence official. He chaired the SEC during Trump’s first term and has served since April 2025 as U.S. attorney in Manhattan, overseeing terrorism, espionage and money-laundering cases. At his confirmation hearing, he repeatedly declined to say plainly that Biden won the 2020 election, although he acknowledged that Biden received the most electoral votes and was certified.
Red take
The DNI coordinates intelligence rather than running field operations, so Clayton’s record leading the SEC, managing complex organizations and using intelligence in terrorism, counterespionage and money-laundering cases is relevant preparation. He promised objective intelligence, acknowledged that Biden received the most electoral votes and was declared president, and denied being an election denier; supporters can reasonably see the demand for one exact formulation as a political litmus test.
Blue take
The DNI’s defining obligation is to deliver facts the president may not want to hear, so refusing to say plainly that Biden won the 2020 election was a job-relevant test of independence. Clayton’s office also issued reporter subpoenas that were withdrawn after a judge criticized the government’s work, and his direct intelligence experience is limited. Mark Warner previously supported him for the SEC and initially welcomed this nomination, but opposed him after the hearing — suggesting more than automatic partisanship.
3.) ABC NEWS: Senate advances sweeping Russia-Iran sanctions bill 86-12
A final Senate vote comes next; the House is out until Aug. 31, delaying any trip to President Trump’s desk.
The 12 senators who voted no
Democrats (10, alphabetical by last name)
- Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.)
- Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.)
- Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii)
- Andy Kim (D-N.J.)
- Ed Markey (D-Mass.)
- Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.)
- Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
- Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)
- Peter Welch (D-Vt.)
- Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)
Other no votes
- Rand Paul (R-Ky.)
- Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
Why Ossoff voted no
Ossoff’s office said he supports Ukraine’s defense but opposed giving President Trump broad new tariff authority, arguing Trump has used tariffs “recklessly and destructively.”
_QUICK BITES_
NYT: Acting DNI Bill Pulte said five rounds of cuts reduced ODNI staffing by roughly 30% in a matter of weeks.
STATELINE: Federal asylum officers can now skip interviews and send applicants directly to immigration court for deportation proceedings.
CBS NEWS: A federal judge ordered ICE to release a key witness to an officer’s fatal shooting of Mexican homebuilder Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston.
STATELINE: Obamacare enrollment fell by 2.6 million people this year, from 21.8 million to 19.2 million, and declined in 49 states.
NASA: Oregon wildfires burned more than 1 million acres by July 27 as over 10,000 firefighters battled the blazes.
CBS NEWS: One year after Trump’s homelessness order, federal policy is pushing states toward involuntary treatment and penalties for public camping.
BOEING: Boeing booked another $280 million Air Force One loss, pushing program overruns past $3.1 billion and the first delivery from 2024 to 2028.
MAINE LEGISLATURE: Three Maine laws taking effect Wednesday restrict state and local participation in civil immigration enforcement.
OPENAI: OpenAI says test models exploited a zero-day and entered Hugging Face production systems to obtain hidden benchmark answers.
IDAHO STATESMAN: Democratic nominee David Roth ended his campaign, leaving independent Todd Achilles as the main alternative to Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho).
CARBON BRIEF: Wind and solar supplied 44% of Germany’s electricity in 2025, narrowly passing fossil fuels at 43% for the first time.
TEXAS TRIBUNE: One poll has Democrat James Talarico leading Republican Ken Paxton 45% to 40%, with 14% undecided and a ±3.4-point margin of error.
NOTUS: Rep. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska) says he will block an $88 billion Iran-war supplemental unless the Pentagon orders U.S. troops back to Poland and the Baltics.
HARVARD CRIMSON: Harvard laid off 36 College staffers and offered at least 28 others a changed role or a layoff in its latest restructuring round.
NOT NEWS NEWS
4.) TAX FOUNDATION: Tax Foundation projects Trump’s tariffs will cost the average US household $900 in 2026
The tariff package modeled by the Tax Foundation is projected to shrink long-run GDP by 0.4% and reduce hours worked by the equivalent of 367,000 full-time jobs before foreign retaliation. The provided figures do not specify which tariff measures the model includes.
5.) KFF: Medicare Part D got cheaper and more generous — but the subsidy is ending
Standalone drug-plan premiums averaged $36 in 2026 while covered-drug spending was capped at $2,100; the temporary premium-stabilization program expires before 2027.
Premiums fell as the benefit expanded
6.) U.S. EIA: The SPR is at a 43-year low — but the viral chart starts after the fill-up
Stocks fell about 25% from March to July during the Iran-war release; the reserve last held this little oil while it was still being built in 1983.
The chart that circulated
The complete EIA history
U.S. EIA monthly data through April 2026 and weekly data through July 17, 2026.
TRUMP’S COMMENTS
What Trump said today, from policy conditions to off-the-cuff remarks.
THE HILL: Journal defends Senate filibuster
The Wall Street Journal editorial board called President Donald Trump’s push to eliminate the Senate filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act “a terrible trade,” arguing that Republicans should preserve the rule.