Energy Department orders backup power in 17 states.
Today's events
Reserve generators ordered online through August 3.
The Energy Department ordered the Southwest Power Pool, the grid operator for 17 states, to dispatch reserve generating units through August 3 to head off heat-driven blackouts.1Jul 26 · DOEAmerica's last announced strike on Iran was July 23.
Central Command's most recent release records a thirteenth consecutive night of strikes on Iranian command centers, drone stores and coastal surveillance sites; it says the Strait of Hormuz stayed open to commercial traffic.2Jul 23 · CENTCOMNuclear regulator proposes looser rules for medical licenses.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission would count foreign-trained physicians licensed in any U.S. state and replace a seven-year training-recency requirement — one of three notices it filed Monday under Trump's order to rewrite its rulebook.3Jul 27 · Fed. Reg.United States sends a delegation to Peru's inauguration.
Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau will lead it to Keiko Fujimori's July 28 swearing-in in Lima, with Commerce and Treasury officials joining talks on security, investment and disaster preparedness.4Jul 26 · StateVenezuela withdraws from the international criminal court.
The State Department welcomed interim President Delcy Rodríguez's exit from the Rome Statute, called the court neither credible nor legitimate, and urged every remaining member to leave.5Jul 25 · StateSanctions rule drops a legal-fee reporting requirement.
Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a final rule replacing the reporting requirement in its general licenses for offshore-funded legal-services payments with a recordkeeping requirement.6Jul 27 · TreasuryNavy signs a strategy for an AI-first fleet.
Acting Secretary Hung Cao approved the Department of the Navy's Strategy to Weaponize Data and Artificial Intelligence, effective immediately, built around a five-step “Bits2Effects” adaptation cycle.7Jul · NavyAstronaut returns from the space station after 241 days.
NASA's Chris Williams landed near Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev aboard Soyuz MS-28, ending an eight-month mission.8Jul 26 · NASAUnited States marks sixty years with the Maldives.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio's independence-day statement named maritime security and a stable Indian Ocean as the next priorities for the partnership.9Jul 25 · State
This week
Tariffs on 60 economies.
The Trade Representative imposed duties of 10 or 12.5 percent on the 60 largest U.S. trading partners on July 23, covering 99.4 percent of American imports, for failing to ban goods made with forced labor. Ten partners, including India, agreed to adopt bans instead. It was the second broad tariff action in four days, following the 50 percent duties on Canada (July 24 brief).1Jul 23 · USTRFifty percent duties on Canada.
Three proclamations placed 50 percent tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian cars, alcohol and dairy under a 1930 trade law, published in the Federal Register on July 23 (July 21 brief). They apply regardless of the North American trade pact, take effect thirty days after signing, and exempt energy, potash and critical minerals. Round three of that pact's review met in Mexico City the next day.2Jul 22 · Fed. Reg.Russian hackers inside allied email.
The NSA, FBI and CISA, joined by cyber agencies from 20 allied nations, warned on July 23 that a Russian state group has exploited a flaw in Zimbra webmail since 2025 (July 24 brief). Viewing a booby-trapped message is enough to take a target's last 90 days of email. CISA separately added six other actively exploited flaws to its federal patching catalog on July 21 and 22.6Jul 23 · CISAMinerals, metals and isotopes.
Executive Order 14415, published July 23, directs the government to secure defense critical-materials supply chains and buy the minerals the military depends on domestically. A proclamation the same day tightened aluminum tariffs and added incentives for new U.S. smelters, after Commerce found domestic supply insufficient. Auditors reported that the Energy Department, the sole U.S. source of many medical isotopes, still relies on adversarial nations (July 23 brief).7Jul 22 · Fed. Reg.
Voices
“The Trump Administration is tapping into an abundant supply of unused backup generation to maintain affordable, reliable, and secure power for hardworking American families and businesses.”
Energy Sec. Chris Wright · July 261
“The international waterway remains open for transit despite recent attacks from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”
U.S. Central Command release · July 232
“This is blatant overreach, political bias and selective enforcement. The ICC is neither credible, independent, nor legitimate.”
State Dept. media note on Venezuela · July 255
“This strategy positions the Department of the Navy to out-learn and out-fight any adversary by rapidly deploying data and artificial intelligence.”
Acting Navy Sec. Hung Cao · July7
“The proposed changes would facilitate the licensing of innovative technologies while maintaining the NRC's commitment to public health and safety.”
Nuclear Regulatory Commission proposed rule · July 273
“[W]e look forward to growing our partnership on key issues related to maritime security and preserving a stable Indian Ocean region.”
Sec. of State Marco Rubio · July 259
Sources
- U.S. Dept. of Energy, “Energy Secretary Secures Grid Across 17 States Amid Period of Hot Weather,” July 26, 2026. energy.gov/articles/…/secures-grid-17-states
- U.S. Central Command, “U.S. Concludes 13th Night of Strikes on Iranian Military Targets,” July 23, 2026. centcom.mil/…/13th-night-of-strikes
- Federal Register, “Reducing Barriers to Medical Use Licensing” (Nuclear Regulatory Commission, proposed rule), July 27, 2026. federalregister.gov/…/medical-use-licensing
- U.S. Dept. of State, “Deputy Secretary Landau's Travel to Peru,” July 26, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/landau-travel-to-peru
- U.S. Dept. of State, “Venezuela Withdraws from the ICC,” July 25, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/venezuela-withdraws-from-the-icc
- Federal Register, “Updating Website and Contact Information, and Authorizations for Payments for Legal Services” (Office of Foreign Assets Control, final rule), July 27, 2026. federalregister.gov/…/ofac-legal-services-payments
- U.S. Navy, “Acting Secretary of the Navy Signs Strategy to Weaponize Data and Artificial Intelligence,” July 2026. navy.mil/…/data-and-ai-strategy
- NASA, “NASA Astronaut Chris Williams, Crewmates Return from Space Station,” July 26, 2026. nasa.gov/news-release/…/williams-crewmates-return
- U.S. Dept. of State, “Maldives Independence Day,” July 25, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/maldives-independence-day