The briefing for Saturday, July 18.

The US military carried out its seventh consecutive night of strikes on Iran Friday, targeting what Central Command described as Iranian military capabilities. Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed two oil tankers exploded in the Strait of Hormuz due to mines, but Centcom dismissed this as false. Iranian media reported explosions in Yazd, Qeshm island, and Bandar Abbas near the strait.

The escalation has expanded beyond direct US-Iran exchanges. Iranian drone strikes Friday damaged a Kuwaiti power plant and desalination facility, injuring several soldiers. The attack exposed critical vulnerabilities in Gulf nations' water infrastructure, with Kuwait deriving roughly 90% of its drinking water from desalination. CBS News reported that several American service members were also injured in Iranian attacks on Jordanian bases over the past week.

The fighting follows the collapse of peace talks one week ago over disputes about control of the Strait of Hormuz. In response to the ongoing conflict, US oil companies signed approximately $60 billion in agreements with Iraq Friday to develop alternative shipping routes, including pipelines through Syria to Turkey. However, Goldman Sachs estimates such infrastructure could take until late 2028 to carry significant volumes, leaving global oil markets vulnerable in the near term.

A federal judge in Boston ruled Friday that the Trump administration cannot use an obscure agency priorities clause to justify billions of dollars in funding cuts across federal programs. US District Judge Indira Talwani granted summary judgment to 23 states that sued the administration, finding its interpretation of the termination clause legally unsupported.

The disputed clause, first introduced in 2020 and revised in 2024, states federal agencies can terminate grants if an award 'no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities.' The Biden administration initially created the language, but the Trump administration was the first to use it extensively to terminate grants affecting crime prevention, food security, and scientific research programs.

Judge Talwani wrote that the administration's interpretation 'is not clearly supported by the text of the provision, runs counter to the regulatory scheme, receives no support in the rulemaking history, and would violate the Spending Clause's requirement that conditions be imposed unambiguously.' The ruling prevents the administration from relying on the clause for future cuts, though the government could appeal.

The 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that New Jersey's bans on assault firearms and magazines holding more than 10 rounds are unconstitutional. This marks the first time a federal appeals court has struck down a state ban on such weapons, creating a circuit split as a different appeals court upheld Illinois' similar ban just last week.

The ruling goes further than a 2024 federal district court decision that found only New Jersey's AR-15 ban unconstitutional while upholding magazine restrictions. The appeals court found both the state's entire assault weapons definition and its large-capacity magazine restrictions violated the Second Amendment.

New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport called the decision 'unfortunate' and 'legally incorrect,' noting every other federal circuit to consider the issue reached the opposite conclusion. The ruling comes as the US Supreme Court prepares to consider whether bans on semiautomatic rifles violate the Second Amendment, potentially setting a nationwide standard. The National Rifle Association called the decision a 'historic victory' for gun rights.

The Interior Department Friday canceled a rule providing automatic protections for plants and animals listed as threatened with extinction. Instead of receiving blanket safeguards, threatened species will now require individualized protection plans—a potentially lengthy process where industries can seek exemptions for development activities.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the Endangered Species Act had been used 'to stop almost any new project in America, driving up costs for families.' The changes also require officials to analyze economic impacts when designating critical habitat, which critics say allows corporate interests to influence conservation decisions. Similar changes were made during Trump's first term but reversed under Biden.

The policy could affect about 30 species currently proposed for threatened status, including monarch butterflies, California spotted owls, and alligator snapping turtles. Environmental groups warn the changes will make it harder to prevent extinctions. Noah Greenwald of the Center for Biological Diversity said exempting industries that cause habitat destruction would eliminate protections against 'the main threat to those species.'

The European Commission unveiled proposals Friday to significantly slow cuts to greenhouse gas emissions limits for businesses under the bloc's emissions trading system. The reforms would allow some industries to obtain free emission allowances until 2038 instead of 2034, provided they commit to decarbonization investments.

Under the changes, the annual reduction rate for the emissions cap would slow to approximately 3.7% from 2031 and then to 1.7% from 2036, down from the current 4.3%. EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra described the approach as 'more business-friendly and savvy,' saying it aligns with the EU's goal to reduce emissions 90% by 2040 compared to 1990 levels.

The proposals require approval from EU member states and lawmakers, a process expected to take about a year. Polish officials welcomed the changes and indicated they would push for further weakening. However, Green politicians criticized the plans sharply, with German MEP Michael Bloss warning they would result in 'gigantic climate pollution.' The emissions trading system, introduced in 2005, has faced criticism from Italy and other states as effectively a tax keeping energy prices high.