Top U.S. general visits Venezuela's interim government.
Today's events
Venezuela visit.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made his first visit to Caracas, meeting interim-government leaders and pledging the Joint Force to implement the President's three-phase plan for Venezuela's stability.1Jul 3 · Joint StaffCarolinas grid.
The Energy Department issued an emergency order letting Duke Energy run plants at maximum output — overriding environmental permit limits — to avert blackouts as a heat wave drove up demand across the Carolinas.2Jul 2 · DOETwo financial orders.
President Trump signed two executive orders reshaping U.S. financial regulation: Executive Order 14406, “Restoring Integrity to America's Financial System,” and Executive Order 14405, folding financial-technology innovation into federal regulatory frameworks.3Jul 2 · WHICC rejected.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told the International Criminal Court that the U.S. rejects any jurisdiction over Americans “anywhere in the world” and will not cooperate with or extradite anyone to the court.4Jul 2 · DOJChina call.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone with China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, pressing for “a constructive relationship of strategic stability based on fairness and reciprocity, as outlined by President Trump.”5Jul 2 · StateTrade deal held.
The administration declined to rubber-stamp renewal of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, opting for rolling bilateral talks to address the trade deficit and unmet commitments; the pact stays in force during negotiations.6Jul 2 · USTRSatellite flaw.
CISA warned that ST Engineering iDirect satellite terminals — deployed worldwide across defense, energy, and government networks — expose unauthenticated interfaces that leak device keys, enabling terminal impersonation; a patch is available.7Jul 2 · CISAJune payrolls.
The economy added 57,000 jobs in June — a fourth straight month of gains, with manufacturing still growing; Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling credited the administration's tax cuts and reshoring push.8Jul 2 · DOLAmerica's 250th.
On Independence Day, the President issued a proclamation commemorating the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, honoring the nation's founding and the semiquincentennial milestone.9Jul 4 · WH
This week
North American trade pact.
At the agreement’s first joint review, the U.S. declined to renew the U.S.–Mexico–Canada trade deal, opting for rolling bilateral talks over trade deficits and unmet commitments. The pact stays in force during negotiations, with a third round with Mexico set for the week of July 20. It was the week’s largest structural move on trade, leaving North America’s core commercial framework unrenewed but intact.3Jul 1 · USTRIsrael–Lebanon framework.
The U.S., Israel, and Lebanon signed a trilateral framework to formally end their war, with Lebanon’s army to restore authority over its territory as Israeli forces redeploy and Hizballah disarms in phased steps. Washington pledged $100 million in humanitarian aid and more than $30 million to rebuild the Lebanese army. Signed June 26–27, it was the week’s clearest resolution of an active conflict.4Jun 27 · StateBolton espionage plea.
Former National Security Advisor John Bolton pleaded guilty to willfully retaining national-defense information, having copied top-secret war plans into diary notes he sent to relatives; an Iran-linked actor later hacked the account. It is a rare Espionage Act conviction of a former senior U.S. official, and it ties a document-handling breach to foreign intelligence exploitation.5Jun 26 · DOJAI supply chains.
The State Department’s second Pax Silica summit added ten signatories, reaching 24 nations, and produced an AI-supply-chain statement backed by roughly three dozen economies, plus a Panama pilot to vet semiconductor and critical-mineral shipments. It extends a U.S.-led coalition around the chip and mineral supply chains that underpin advanced AI.6Jun 26 · State
Allied Governments
Hormuz navigation.
Prime Minister Starmer and President Macron said Oman agreed to work with Britain and France to keep its waters safe for shipping; both stand ready to deploy a multinational mission in the Strait of Hormuz.aJul 3 · UK No.10Fighter contract.
Britain, Italy, and Japan awarded a £4.6 billion contract to advance their sixth-generation combat aircraft under the Global Combat Air Programme, targeting service entry in 2035; the UK is committing £8.6 billion over four years.bJul 3 · UK MoDWHO reform.
Speaking for the Group of Seven, Australia, and South Korea, Australia's delegation backed strengthening and reforming the World Health Organization and sharpening its focus on pandemic preparedness and response at the WHO Executive Board.cJul 2 · DFAT
Voices
“The United States will not subordinate the liberty and security of our people to a foreign tribunal in The Hague.”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, DOJ · Jul 24
“The previous administration's energy subtraction policies weakened the grid, leaving Americans more vulnerable during events like this.”
Energy Secretary Chris Wright · Jul 22
“The United States is committed to a stable, prosperous, and democratic Venezuela aligned with the United States.”
Joint Staff readout, Caracas · Jul 31
“[The administration] has correctly determined that simply rubber stamping the status quo is not in the best interest of the United States.”
House Ways & Means Chairman Jason Smith · Jul 36
“This administration has created more than 900,000 jobs while keeping government employment at its lowest levels since 1966.”
Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling · Jul 28
“An unauthenticated attacker with network access can retrieve sensitive device information including the serial number, Device ID, Terminal Private Key identifier, MAC address, and exact firmware version.”
CISA ICS Advisory, ST Engineering iDirect · Jul 27
Sources
- Joint Chiefs of Staff, “Readout of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine's Visit to Caracas,” July 3, 2026. jcs.mil/…/caine-visit-to-caracas
- U.S. Dept. of Energy, “Energy Secretary Secures Carolinas' Grid Amid Period of Hot Weather,” July 2, 2026. energy.gov/articles/…/secures-carolinas-grid
- GovInfo · White House, “Executive Order 14406—Restoring Integrity to America's Financial System” (with E.O. 14405, Integrating Financial Technology Innovation Into Regulatory Frameworks), July 2, 2026. govinfo.gov/…/DCPD-202600351
- U.S. Dept. of Justice, “Justice Department Rejects International Criminal Court Jurisdiction Over U.S. Persons,” July 2, 2026. justice.gov/opa/pr/…/rejects-icc-jurisdiction
- U.S. Dept. of State, “Secretary Rubio's Call with China's Director of the Office of the CCP Central Foreign Affairs Commission and Foreign Minister Wang,” July 2, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/rubio-call-with-wang
- USTR, “American Farmers, Ranchers, Manufacturers, and Businesses Applaud President Trump for Not Rubber Stamping the USMCA,” July 3, 2026. ustr.gov/…/not-rubber-stamping-usmca
- CISA, “ST Engineering iDirect iQ-Series Terminals” (ICS Advisory ICSA-26-183-01), July 2, 2026. cisa.gov/…/icsa-26-183-01
- U.S. Dept. of Labor, “Acting Secretary Sonderling Statement on June Jobs Report,” July 2, 2026. dol.gov/newsroom/…/osec20260702
- White House, “250th Anniversary of the Adoption of the Declaration of Independence” (Proclamation), July 4, 2026. whitehouse.gov/…/250th-anniversary-declaration
- UK Prime Minister's Office (No.10), “Joint statement on the Strait of Hormuz: 3 July 2026,” July 3, 2026. gov.uk/…/joint-statement-strait-of-hormuz
- UK Ministry of Defence, “Over £4 billion invested in next-generation fighter jet with new international contract,” July 3, 2026. gov.uk/…/next-generation-fighter-jet
- Australia DFAT, “G7 Joint Statement — WHO Executive Board,” July 2026. dfat.gov.au/…/g7-joint-statement-who