Israel’s leader claims no one in Gaza is starving. Data and witnesses disagree
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Trump calls for more Gaza aid during meeting with UK’s prime minister
President Trump says he ended his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein because he ‘stole people that worked for me’ A federal judge rules that nonprofits helping victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and homelessness should be able to get federal grants without conditions set by the Trump administration. America250 kicks off “Our American Story” Monday with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and one of its most storied athletes, NFL Hall of Fame member Darrell Green. Wall Street coasted to a quiet finish to begin a week of potentially moving events, including a decision on interest rates by the Federal Reserve and a deal on a trade deal with the European Union. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.1 percent, the Nasdaq composite added 0.3 percent to its own record and the S&P 500 edged up by less than 0.2 percent to set an all-time high for a straight day of 0.7 percent. The Nasdaq closed at a record high on Monday, and the Dow Jones dropped 0.4 percent.
Trump suggested a major recalibration of US policy toward the territory. He said Israel “has a lot of responsibility” for what’s happening but is hampered by what its actions might mean for the prospects of Israeli hostages Hamas has been holding since it attacked Israel in 2023.
President Trump on Monday used his luxury golf course on Scotland’s southwestern coast to host British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, mixing critical discussions on the deepening food crisis in Gaza , Russia’s war in Ukraine and tariff rates with boasts about the property’s opulence.
Judge rules Trump administration cannot set conditions on federal grants — 8:28 p.m. Link copied
Associated Press
A federal judge in Rhode Island has ruled that nonprofits helping victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and homelessness should be able to get federal grants without conditions set by the Trump administration.
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The groups had filed a lawsuit accusing the administration of requiring grantees to meet criteria advancing what they call “wholly unrelated ideological goals — including to end ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility,’ deny transgender people’s identities and cut off access to abortion resources and referrals.”
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U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose issued a temporary restraining order, writing the groups “will suffer immediate and irreparable harm without relief.”
America250 kicks off our American story in nation’s capital — 6:08 p.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
America250 kicked off “Our American Story” Monday with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and one of its most storied athletes, NFL Hall of Fame member Darrell Green.
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Speaking on the Mall with the Capitol Building in the background, America250 Chair Rosie Rios said the organization would be collecting the stories of Americans “from Guam to Alaska, Fairbanks to Philadelphia, and everywhere in between.”
America250’s mission is to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
She said people could nominate unsung heroes on the organization’s webpage. The goal is to interview thousands of people.
“At the end of the tour, the storytelling collections will be shared with the public from a variety of media partners and platforms,” Rios said.
The archives and videos will be preserved at the Library of Congress, said Rios, Treasury Secretary during the Barrack Obama administration.
Trump says he ended friendship with Epstein because he ‘stole people that worked for me’ — 6:05 p.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
Trump said that he ended his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and threw the now-disgraced financier out of his private club in Florida after Epstein betrayed him more than once by hiring people who had worked for him.
“He hired help and I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again,’” Trump said at his golf property in Turnberry, Scotland. “He stole people that worked for me. I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again.’ He did it again, and I threw him out of the place, persona non grata.”
Trump did not say what his employees did or where they worked, and the White House declined further comment.
But the White House had previously offered a different explanation for the falling-out.
Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, said in a statement last week: “The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep.”
Wall Street kicks off a week of potential flashpoints with a whisper — 5:50 p.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
US stocks coasted to a quiet finish to begin a week full of potentially market-moving events.
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The S&P 500 edged up by less than 0.1 percent on Monday to set an all-time high for a sixth straight day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.1 percent, and the Nasdaq composite added 0.3 percent to its own record.
Stocks held steady after the US-European Union agreed on a trade deal framework.
Still to come are Big Tech profit reports, a Wednesday decision on interest rates by the Federal Reserve and other highly anticipated updates.
Trump has demanded the Fed cut interest rates.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell says he wants more data about how Trump’s tariffs are affecting the economy and inflation before the Fed makes its next move.
Israel’s leader claims no one in Gaza is starving, but data and witnesses disagree — 5:34 p.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says no one in Gaza is starving:
“We enable humanitarian aid throughout the duration of the war to enter Gaza – otherwise, there would be no Gazans.”
But Trump said Monday he disagrees, noting images of emaciated people: “Those children look very hungry.”
Under international pressure, Israel over the weekend announced airdrops and other measures to allow more aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
But people there say little or nothing has changed, and Israel has not said how long its measures would last.
Trump administration goes after Duke over alleged racial preferences — 4:41 p.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
The Trump administration has ordered Duke University to form a “merit and civil rights committee” to find and remove any racial preferences in its hiring and admissions policies.
The Education Department and the Department of Health and Human Services issued the demand in a letter accusing the private university of “vile racism” in the form of affirmative action. It alludes to allegations of racial preferences at Duke, its medical school and its health system that, if substantiated, make Duke “unfit for any further financial relationship with the federal government.”
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Duke did not immediately provide comment.
The Education Department separately opened an investigation into the Duke Law Journal over allegations that it gave an advantage to prospective editors from underrepresented groups. The department is investigating it as a potential violation of anti-discrimination laws.
Schumer calls for surge in food and humanitarian aid to Gaza — 4:27 p.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
The Senate’s Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, is calling for the Trump administration and the Israeli government to address starvation in the Gaza Strip, saying reports from the region “underscore the dire human cost of this ongoing conflict that cannot be ignored.”
Schumer, who is the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the US, has been openly critical of how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has conducted the war. Yet he urged all parties Monday to work toward a ceasefire and said recent actions by the Israeli government to lift some aid restrictions are “a step forward.”
The New York senator also said that a cease-fire deal could lead to the release of the 58 hostages held by Hamas, about 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
“Since the start of this war, I have long said that Israel has a right to defend itself and end Hamas’ brutal rule in Gaza, yet how it does so matters,” he said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speak to reporters alongside other House and Senate Appropriation Democratic committee members in the Ohio Clock Corridor of the Capitol Building on July 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty
Senate majority leader accuses Democrats of ‘historic level of obstruction’ — 3:49 p.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
The push for speedy Senate confirmation of President Trump’s nominees is coming to a head this week, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune started it off with a fiery floor speech aimed at his Democratic colleagues.
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The South Dakota Republican threatened to keep senators in Washington for confirmation votes beyond the end of the week, when they are scheduled to start a monthlong recess.
He said Democrats “can continue with this historic and unprecedented levels of obstructionism or they can work with us to get some of these things, some of them done.”
Thune is caught between demands from Trump that the Senate quickly confirm nominees, particularly many ambassadors who are personal friends of the president, and Senate Democrats who have sought to show their resistance to the Trump administration by objecting to quick confirmations, even for nominees who are relatively uncontroversial.
NASA expects to lose a fifth of its workforce to voluntary separation programs — 3:29 p.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
Nearly 4,000 employees are set to leave the space agency by the start of next year, NASA spokesperson Cheryl Warner said in a statement.
She said the agency is streamlining as it works toward goals like exploring the moon and Mars, keeping safety a top priority.
About 3,000 employees opted into a new round of deferred resignation, early retirement and voluntary separation programs offered this summer. About 870 accepted deferred resignations offered earlier this year.
While the numbers are subject to change, the agency projects its workforce will be downsized to about 14,000 employees.
Last week, more than 300 current and former NASA employees signed a letter objecting to changes at the agency, including cuts to research and staffing.
Ghislaine Maxwell urges the Supreme Court to take up her criminal case — 3:06 p.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
Lawyers for Ghislaine Maxwell filed a final written brief urging the Supreme Court to take up her criminal case, though the justices aren’t scheduled to review the appeal before late September.
Maxwell is the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, the wealthy and well-connected financier who killed himself in 2019 as he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. She was convicted in 2021 on charges that she helped Epstein sexually abuse underage girls and is serving a long prison sentence.
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Maxwell is appealing her conviction, based on the government’s pledge years ago that any potential Epstein co-conspirators would not be charged. Epstein struck a deal with federal prosecutors in 2008 that shifted his case to Florida state court, where he pleaded guilty to soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution.
In a statement, her lawyer David Oscar Markus said Maxwell was appealing not only to the Supreme Court but to Trump to “recognize how profoundly unjust it is to scapegoat Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein’s crimes, especially when the government promised she would not be prosecuted.”
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2005. Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan/Photographer: Joe Schildhorn/Pat
Attorneys: ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detainees held without charges, barred from legal access — 2:31 p.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
Civil rights lawyers seeking a temporary restraining order against an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades say that “Alligator Alcatraz” detainees have been barred from meeting attorneys, are being held without any charges and that a federal immigration court has canceled bond hearings.
The immigration attorneys argued Monday during a virtual hearing that the detainees’ constitutional rights were being violated and that 100 detainees already had been deported from “Alligator Alcatraz.”
Lawyers who have shown up for bond hearings for “Alligator Alcatraz” detainees have been told that the immigration court doesn’t have jurisdiction over their clients, and the civil rights attorneys demanded that federal and state officials identify an immigration court that has jurisdiction over the detainees so it can start accepting petitions for bond.
Trump seeks quick Murdoch deposition in Wall Street Journal lawsuit over Epstein story — 2:04 p.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
Trump is asking a federal court in Florida to force Rupert Murdoch to give a deposition for the president’s lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal within 15 days, citing the media mogul’s age and physical condition.
Trump sued the Journal, owned by Murdoch, in U.S. District Court in southern Florida on July 18 for its story reporting on the Republican president’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and alleged child sex trafficker who died in a New York jail in 2019 before trial.
The president’s motion to the court on Monday noted Murdoch is 94 years old, is believed to have suffered several health scares in recent years and is presumed to live in New York.
Rupert Murdoch arrives at the 11th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony on Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Los Angeles. Jordan Strauss/Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
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‘Relieved’: Educators wait for Trump administration to release $6 billion in frozen funding — 1:37 p.m. Link copied
By Marcela Rodrigues, Globe Staff
New England education groups breathed out a sigh of relief after the Trump administration announced it would release billions in school funding that was slated to go toward teacher training, summer programs, and after-school activities.
The Education Department announced Friday it will dispense $6 billion in funding it had frozen after the White House had placed such programs under review, saying it wanted to determine if the programs were pushing a “radical left-wing agenda.”
A child in the summer school program looks up at his teacher Lisa Foster as she hangs up a drawing insider her classroom at Boland Elementary School, where the Massachusetts Migration Education Program summer programming would be taking place if funding wasn’t currently frozen by the Trump administration in Springfield, MA on July 15, 2025. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
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MIT antisemitism allegations could put school back in Trump fight against elite colleges — 1:05 p.m. Link copied
By Brooke Hauser, Globe Staff
Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth was the last college president standing after the infamous 2023 congressional hearing that cost her peers at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania their jobs for dodging questions about antisemitism on campus.
Since then, MIT has largely been out of the line of fire in the Trump administration’s pressure campaign on elite universities, able to point to firm measures it took when student protests over the Gaza war breached school policies.
But tensions on campus over the war are simmering again this summer. There were incidents targeting Israeli and Jewish people, as well as new allegations of antisemitism, while calls for cutting research ties with Israel are growing louder.
All the elements are here for another high-profile confrontation — and it couldn’t be happening at a more inopportune time.
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Senate Democrats call for release of Ghislaine Maxwell interviews — 12:08 p.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, is calling on the Department of Justice to release transcripts and recordings of the interviews it conducted last week with Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein.
Although Democrats on the committee have no power to force the release of the interviews, they are trying to keep the pressure on President Donald Trump’s administration to disclose more information.
The issue has become a wedge in Trump’s political base, sparking some of his supporters to criticize how the administration has reneged on promises for complete disclosure of the investigation into Epstein for sex trafficking.
In the letter, which was also signed by Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, the senators call last week’s interviews “another tactic to distract from DOJ’s failure to fulfill Attorney General Bondi’s commitment that the American people would see ‘the full Epstein files.’”
They are noting that it was unusual and concerning to have Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche conduct the interviews, rather than prosecutors versed in the case. They also asked the Justice Department to pledge it would not offer Maxwell a pardon for her participation in the interviews.
Vance says Trump wants ‘full transparency’ in Epstein case — 11:33 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
Asked about Epstein during an appearance in his home state of Ohio, Vice President JD Vance said the government isn’t hiding the files.
Vance said Trump asked the attorney general to release all “credible information,” but the process “takes time.”
The Justice Department recently said it wouldn’t release any more information in the case but, at Trump’s direction, has for grand jury transcripts to be made public. One judge has denied that request while a second judge has yet to rule.
Vance said Trump, who was an acquaintance of Epstein before they had a falling out, wants “full transparency” in the case. Vance alleged that prior administrations went “easy on this guy.”
Judge blocks Trump administration’s efforts to defund Planned Parenthood — 11:19 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
A federal judge on Monday said Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide must continue to be reimbursed for Medicaid funding as the nation’s largest abortion provider fights Trump’s administration over efforts to defund the organization in his signature tax legislation.
The new order replaces a previous edict handed down by US District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston last week.
Talwani initially granted a preliminary injunction specifically blocking the government from cutting Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood members that didn’t provide abortion care or didn’t meet a threshold of at least $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements in a given year.
Trump praises environmentalist King Charles III — 10:46 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
Trump said he’s a “big fan” of the king, who will be his host at Windsor Castle during a state visit to the U.K. in September.
On a visit to golf courses the Trump family owns in Scotland, Trump praised the beauty of the country where his mother was born. But he said there was one blot on the landscape: the turbines of Britain’s burgeoning wind power industry, which Trump called “ugly monsters.”
The king is a champion of renewable energy — and, as monarch, owns some of the seabed around Britain on which offshore turbines stand.
Trump said the king “is an environmentalist … He wants clean air, clean water,” adding that, “I’m all for it.”
Trump says he doesn’t draw, except for charity — 10:27 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
Questions from reporters prompted an extended digression into the Jeffrey Epstein case as Starmer sat quietly at Trump’s side.
Asked about a Wall Street Journal report that said he allegedly drew a picture in a birthday letter for Jeffrey Epstein years ago, Trump said, “I don’t do drawings, I’m not a drawing person.”
He said he would make exceptions for charity — sketching buildings — but insisted, “I don’t do drawings of women.”
The Journal report says the letter signed by Trump included a provocative drawing of a woman.
Trump dismisses the idea of meeting with Putin — 9:47 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
When asked by a reporter about a proposed in-person meeting with Putin, Trump said, “I’m not so interested in talking anymore.”
“He talks with such nice conversation, such respectful and nice conversations,” Trump said. “And then, people die the following night with a missile going into a town and hitting.”
Trump dials back criticism of Fed — 9:46 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
Although he’s left no doubt that he wants lower interest rates, Trump’s criticism of Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell lacked some of his recent vitriol.
“I’m not going to say anything bad,” he said. “We’re doing so well, even without the rate cut.”
Trump met Powell at the Fed headquarters last week, where he criticized the cost of renovations. The president has used the issue as a political cudgel as he pushes for lower rates.
“A smart person would cut,” Trump said, adding that Powell “leaves very soon.” Powell’s term ends next May.
Trump looking forward to September state visit to UK — 9:40 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
The president reflected on how his unprecedented second state visit, scheduled for later this year, has never been done and reminisced about his last state visit in 2019 during his first term.
“It was one of the most beautiful evenings I’ve ever seen,” Trump said of his first visit.
As he spoke about the pomp and ceremony of the evening, he said to Starmer, “Nobody does it like you people.”
Starmer, too, pointed out how the nation had never invited a US president for a second state visit.
“You can imagine just how special that’s going to be,” Starmer said.
US-China trade talks have begun in Stockholm, China’s state media says — 9:26 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is leading the US team in the negotiations, while Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng is leading the Chinese delegation.
The two sides earlier agreed to a truce in the trade war, and this time are expected to work towards a more lasting deal that may address the trade imbalance and possibly prepare for a summit between their presidents.
Trump suggests Israel has responsibility for improving humanitarian aid in Gaza — 9:24 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
He said that Israel “has a lot of responsibility” for what is happening, but said the country is hampered by considerations of the remaining hostages it wants to see kept alive and freed.
“I think Israel can do a lot,” Trump said, without offering more information.
Trump says he’s only going to give Russia 10 to 12 more days to reach peace — 9:18 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
The president was asked to clarify after he said earlier Monday that he would shorten his 50-day window for Russia to reach peace with Ukraine.
Trump said there was “no reason in waiting.”
“We just don’t see any progress being made,” he added.
Trump says US will boost aid to Gaza — 9:25 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
There was little in the way of specifics, but Trump said during a meeting with Starmer that “we’re going to set up food centers.”
He said, “We want to help,” and “we have to get the kids fed.”
Earlier in the day, Trump expressed annoyance that the U hadn’t received more credit for previous rounds of humanitarian aid.
Trump says he will shorten deadline for Russia to reach peace in Ukraine — 8:21 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
Two weeks ago, the president said he would give Russia and Ukraine just 50 days to make a deal to end the war. Now Trump said he’s going to reduce that time to a “lesser number.”
“I think I already know the answer, what’s going to happen,” he said, expressing skepticism that Vladimir Putin is willing to reach an agreement.
Trump repeated his criticism of Putin for talking about ending the war, only to continue bombarding Ukraine.
“And I say, that’s not the way to do it,” Trump said. He added that “I’m disappointed in President Putin.”
Trump disagrees with Israeli leader’s claim that there’s ‘no starvation in Gaza’ — 8:20 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
The president, when asked if he agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks about hunger in Gaza, Trump said, “I don’t know. I mean, based on television, I would say not particularly because those children look very hungry.”
Netanyahu on Sunday said, “There is no policy of starvation in Gaza and there is no starvation in Gaza.”
Starmer, standing next to Trump, said, “We’ve got to get that ceasefire,” in Gaza and called it “a desperate situation.”
Trump said the two will be talking about the humanitarian situation in Gaza when they meet inside.
Starmer will raise peace plan for Gaza in talks with Trump — 8:18 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
Starmer plans to discuss a UK-led peace plan for Gaza with Trump when the two men meet Monday in Scotland.
Starmer’s spokesman, Dave Pares, says Britain supports Trump’s efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, and the plan aims “to turn a ceasefire into lasting peace.”
Trump says “somebody should say thank you” for US help in Gaza — 8:17 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
The president said “you have a lot of starving people” there and emphasized that his administration has provided some humanitarian assistance.
“Nobody said even thank you,” he said. “Somebody should say thank you.”
Spanish leader calls for European strategic autonomy on trade — 8:16 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday said he supported the trade agreement reached between the EU and the US, but added that he did so “without any enthusiasm.”
“One of the main lessons we must draw from everything we’re seeing internationally, and especially when we talk about the US administration, is that Europe needs to get moving — in all areas of strategic autonomy and trade relations with other countries,” he said.
The leader of the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy stressed that the EU needed to diversify its trade relations with other countries and regions, pointing to the deals being pursued by the bloc with India and Indonesia.
Trump expresses no concern about Gaza — 8:15 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
Asked by a reporter about the growing humanitarian crisis, the president defended his efforts.
“We’ve given a lot of money to Gaza,” he said. “A lot of that money is stolen by Hamas.”
Trump added that “we’ll be talking about Gaza” with Starmer.
Trump greets Starmer and wife at Turnberry — 8:11 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
The president shook the British prime minister’s hand as they greeted each other at Trump’s golf course in southwestern Scotland.
President Trump gestures as he meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and his wife Victoria Starmer at Trump Turnberry golf club in Scotland. Christopher Furlong/Getty
Starmer was accompanied by his wife, Victoria Starmer.
The three spent a few minutes chatting and looking over the landscape as bagpipes played.
Before meeting with Starmer, Trump gives interview to Breitbart — 8:09 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted an image on Instagram of President Donald Trump sitting down for an interview with right-wing Breitbart News in Scotland before his meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
It wasn’t immediately clear when the interview would be published.
Italy says EU-US deal avoids trade war but more detail is needed — 7:25 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
ROME — Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, who has positioned herself as a “bridge” between the Trump administration and Europe, welcomed news of the tariff agreement as a “positive” outcome that avoided an “unpredictable and potentially devastating” trade war.
But in comments to reporters on the sidelines of a U.N. food security conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia she said details still needed to be both studied and worked out and that she still is unclear on exemptions for particular industries, such as pharmaceuticals and autos.
But she said a tariff base of 15% that includes previous duties, rather than a possible 10% agreement that was added onto previous duties, was a “sustainable basis” to negotiate further.
“I obviously judge positively that an agreement was reached. I always thought, I continue to think that a trade escalation between Europe and the United States would have unpredictable, potentially devastating consequences,” she said.
Meloni said she needed to understand what the exemptions might be, including on agricultural products which are of particular concern to Italy, given its wine exports in particular. She noted that the deal in its current form is juridically non-binding in principle, “so there is still, let’s say, room to fight.”
Earlier, in an official statement, Meloni and her top deputies said the government welcomed the deal as guaranteeing stability for US-EU economic relations.
“We consider the basis of the agreement on duties at 15% to be sustainable, especially if this percentage includes and does not add previous duties, as was originally planned,” the statement said.
Any division in the West “would make us all weaker and more exposed to global challenges,” it said.
French officials say the EU failed to stand up for itself in US trade deal — 7:23 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
PARIS — Senior French officials on Monday criticized the newly signed EU-US trade accord, with Foreign Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin urging a European response in the services sector, and Strategy Commissioner Clément Beaune warning the deal failed to reflect the bloc’s economic strength.
“The good news is that there is an agreement—our companies now have visibility and stability in the transatlantic trade relationship,” said Saint-Martin on France Inter radio. “But this agreement is not balanced, and we will need to keep working.”
Saint-Martin urged the European Commission “to work on support measures” for sectors affected by the accord, which was signed Sunday by US President Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. It includes 15% tariffs on EU exports to the United States.
He pointed to digital services as a key area in the trade imbalance. “Donald Trump spent months saying he wanted to rebalance a trade relationship that disadvantages the United States, but he was only talking about goods. If we look at services, it’s the opposite. So it’s up to us now to carry out the work of force and rebalancing,” he said.
“The United States decided to use force to impose a new law of the jungle that no longer respects the rules of international trade that we had for decades,” Saint-Martin added.
Beaune, France’s High Commissioner for Strategy and Planning, also took aim at the deal in a separate interview on Franceinfo radio: “This is an unequal and unbalanced agreement.” He warned: “Europe did not wield its strength. We are the world’s leading trading power.”
“When you look at it, the glass is a quarter full and three-quarters empty,” Beaune said.
Prime Minister François Bayrou was even more scathing, posting on X: “It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, united to uphold their values and defend their interests, resigns itself to submission.”
Trump’s Hungarian ally criticizes EU-US trade deal — 7:06 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, an ally of President Trump who has gained a following within the MAGA movement, blasted the US-EU trade agreement on Monday as a failure on the part of Europe’s leadership.
“Even at first glance, it is obvious to me that this is not an agreement,” Orbán said in a video discussion with his party’s spokesman. “Donald Trump ate (European Commission President) Ursula von der Leyen for breakfast, that’s what happened.”
Orbán, a frequent critic of the European Union, has been careful not to criticize Trump’s administration for its trade policy, instead faulting the EU for being unable to conclude a comprehensive tariff agreement with Washington.
On Monday, he complained that a trade deal negotiated between the US and United Kingdom, which imposed a blanket 10% tariff on UK exports, was more favorable than that concluded with the EU.
“The American president is a heavyweight negotiator, and (von der Leyen) is a featherweight,” Orbán said. “The European agreement is worse than the British one, so portraying it as a success will be difficult.”
As Trump shows off his golf courses for Britain’s leader, crisis in Gaza looms — 7:00 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
President Trump once suggested his golf course in Scotland “furthers” the US-UK relationship. Now he’s getting the chance to prove it.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is meeting Monday with Trump at a golf property owned by the president’s family near Turnberry in southwestern Scotland — then later traveling to Aberdeen, on the country’s northeast coast, where there’s another Trump golf course and a third is opening soon.
During his first term in 2019, Trump posted of his Turnberry property, “Very proud of perhaps the greatest golf course anywhere in the world. Also, furthers UK relationship!” Starmer is not a golfer, but toggling between Trump’s Scottish courses shows the outsized influence the president puts on properties bearing his name — and on golf’s ability to shape geopolitics.
However, even as Trump may want to focus on showing off his golf properties, Starmer will try to center the conversation on more urgent global matters. He plans to urge Trump to press Israel to allow more aid into Gaza and attempt to end what Downing St. called “the unspeakable suffering and starvation” in the territory, while pushing for a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas.
US-EU trade deal wards off further escalation but will raise costs for companies and consumers — 6:50 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
President Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have announced a sweeping trade deal that imposes 15% tariffs on most European goods, warding off Trump’s threat of a 30% rate if no deal had been reached by Aug. 1.
The tariffs, or import taxes, paid when Americans buy European products could raise prices for U.S. consumers and dent profits for European companies and their partners who bring goods into the country.
Vice President JD Vance is on the road again to sell the Republicans’ big new tax law — 4:58 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
Vice President JD Vance is hitting his home state on Monday to continue promoting the GOP’s sweeping tax-and-border bill.
He will be in Canton, Ohio, to talk about the bill’s “benefits for hardworking American families and businesses,” according to his office. Aides offered little detail in advance about the visit, but NBC News reported that his remarks will take place at a steel plant in Canton, located about 60 miles south of Cleveland.
The visit marks Vance’s second trip this month to sell the package, filled with a hodgepodge of conservative priorities that Republicans have dubbed the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” as the vice president becomes its chief promoter on the road.
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Can his golf course ‘further’ US-UK relations? Trump will use meeting with prime minister to try. — 12:16 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
President Trump once suggested his golf course in Scotland “furthers” the US-UK relationship.
Now he’s getting the chance to prove it.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is meeting Monday with Trump at a golf property owned by the president’s family near Turnberry in southwestern Scotland — then later traveling to Abderdeen, on the country’s northeast coast, where there’s another Trump golf course and a third is opening soon.
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Israel’s leader claims no one in Gaza is starving. Data and witnesses disagree
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says no one in Gaza is starving. Israel over the weekend announced humanitarian pauses, airdrops and other measures meant to allow more aid to Palestinians in Gaza. But people there say little or nothing has changed on the ground. The U.N. has described it as a one-week scale-up of aid, and Israel has not said how long these latest measures would last. The World Health Organization said Sunday there have been 63 malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza this month, including 24 children under the age of 5. Some adults who died suffered from such illnesses as diabetes or had heart or kidney ailments made worse by starvation, Gaza medical officials say. The WHO also says acute malnutrition in northern Gaza tripled this month,. reaching nearly one in five children under 5 years old, and has doubled in. central and southern Gaza. The UN says Gaza’s only four specialized treatment centers for malnutrition are “overwhelmed.” Palestinians say they want a full return to the U.S.-led aid distribution system that began in May.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says no one in Gaza is starving: “There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza. We enable humanitarian aid throughout the duration of the war to enter Gaza – otherwise, there would be no Gazans.”
President Donald Trump on Monday said he disagrees with Netanyahu’s claim of no starvation in Gaza, noting the images emerging of emaciated people: “Those children look very hungry.”
After international pressure, Israel over the weekend announced humanitarian pauses, airdrops and other measures meant to allow more aid to Palestinians in Gaza. But people there say little or nothing has changed on the ground. The U.N. has described it as a one-week scale-up of aid, and Israel has not said how long these latest measures would last.
“This aid, delivered in this way, is an insult to the Palestinian people,” said Hasan Al-Zalaan, who was at the site of an airdrop as some fought over the supplies and crushed cans of chickpeas littered the ground.
Israel asserts that Hamas is the reason aid isn’t reaching Palestinians in Gaza and accuses its militants of siphoning off aid to support its rule in the territory. The U.N. denies that looting of aid is systematic and that it lessens or ends entirely when enough aid is allowed to enter Gaza.
Here’s what we know:
Deaths are increasing
The World Health Organization said Sunday there have been 63 malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza this month, including 24 children under the age of 5 — up from 11 deaths total the previous six months of the year.
Gaza’s Health Ministry puts the number even higher, reporting 82 deaths this month of malnutrition-related causes: 24 children and 58 adults. It said Monday that 14 deaths were reported in the past 24 hours. The ministry, which operates under the Hamas government, is headed by medical professionals and is seen by the U.N. as the most reliable source of data on casualties. U.N. agencies also often confirm numbers through other partners on the ground.
The Patient’s Friends Hospital, the main emergency center for malnourished kids in northern Gaza, says this month it saw for the first time malnutrition deaths in children who had no preexisting conditions. Some adults who died suffered from such illnesses as diabetes or had heart or kidney ailments made worse by starvation, according to Gaza medical officials.
The WHO also says acute malnutrition in northern Gaza tripled this month, reaching nearly one in five children under 5 years old, and has doubled in central and southern Gaza. The U.N. says Gaza’s only four specialized treatment centers for malnutrition are “overwhelmed.”
The leading international authority on food crises, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, has warned of famine for months in Gaza but has not formally declared one, citing the lack of data as Israel restricts access to the territory.
Aid trucks are swarmed by hungry people
The measures announced by Israel late Saturday include 10-hour daily humanitarian pauses in fighting in three heavily populated areas, so that U.N. trucks can more more easily distribute food.
Still, U.N. World Food Program spokesperson Martin Penner said the agency’s 55 trucks of aid that entered Gaza on Monday via the crossings of Zikim and Kerem Shalom were looted by starving people before they reached WFP warehouses.
Experts say that airdrops, another measure Israel announced, are insufficient for the immense need in Gaza and dangerous to people on the ground. Israel’s military says 48 food packages were dropped Sunday and Monday.
Palestinians say they want a full return to the U.N.-led aid distribution system that was in place throughout the war, rather than the Israeli-backed mechanism that began in May. Witnesses and health workers say Israeli forces have killed hundreds by opening fire on Palestinians trying to reach those food distribution hubs or while crowding around entering aid trucks. Israel’s military says it has fired warning shots to disperse threats.
The U.N. and partners say that the best way to bring food into Gaza is by truck, and they have called repeatedly for Israel to loosen restrictions on their entry. A truck carries roughly 19 tons of supplies.
Israel’s military says that as of July 21, 95,435 trucks of aid have entered Gaza since the war began. That’s an average of 146 trucks per day, and far below the 500 to 600 trucks per day that the U.N. says are needed.
The rate has sometimes been as low as half of that for several months at a time. Nothing went in for 2 1/2 months starting in March because Israel imposed a complete blockade on food, fuel and other supplies entering Gaza.
Delivering aid is difficult and slow
The U.N. says that delivering the aid that is allowed into Gaza has become increasingly difficult.
When aid enters, it is left just inside the border in Gaza, and the U.N. must get Israeli military permission to send trucks to pick it up. But the U.N. says the military has denied or impeded just over half the movement requests for its trucks in the past three months.
If the U.N. succeeds in picking up the aid, hungry crowds and armed gangs swarm the convoys and strip them of supplies. The Hamas-run civilian police once provided security along some routes, but that stopped after Israel targeted them with airstrikes.
Five kids hospitalized after barge collided with sailing boat, authorities say
A barge appears to have struck a sailing boat carrying six people, including five children and a woman. The collision happened near Star Island in Biscayne Bay, authorities say. All the victims were transported to a local hospital for treatment
The collision happened near Star Island in Biscayne Bay, and all the victims were transported to a local hospital for treatment, said Arielle Callender, a regional spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, in a statement.
The agency is investigating the crash, and has not disclosed details about those injured.
Local television stations showed first responders, some in scuba diving gear, in boats around what appears to be a barge.
The Latest: Trump calls for more Gaza aid during meeting with UK’s prime minister
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3. US reaches a trade deal with the EU: The United States and the European Union agreed to a trade frameworkthat sets a 15% tariff on most goods, staving off — at least for now — far higher imports on both sides that might have sentshock waves through economies around the globe. The announcement came Sunday after Trump and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen met briefly at Trump’s golf course.