Trump will extend pause on ‘reciprocal’ tariffs until Aug. 1, White House says
“An initial 90-day freeze on new tariffs was set to expire Wednesday. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that the president would push the date back to continue negotiations on trade deals.”
Read more at Washington Post
Trump announces a 25% tariff on Japan and South Korea
“President Trump cranked up the pressure on two of America’s trading partners, Japan and South Korea, firing off letters Monday to the heads of their countries that informed them of their new tariff rate.
Both countries will face a 25% tariff come August 1, Trump said in posts on Truth Social displaying the letters, potentially giving countries more time to negotiate deals.”
Read more at CNN
Texas county deflects mounting questions over actions before deadly flood
“As deaths from catastrophic Texas flooding surpassed 100 on Monday, local officials in one of the hardest-hit counties have still revealed little about what, if any, actions they took to safeguard residents, tourists and visitors in an area known as ‘flash flood alley.’ Read more.
What to know:
Dalton Rice, the city manager of Kerrville, said Monday that authorities were reluctant to ‘cry wolf’ and order evacuations, adding that rainfall ‘significantly’ exceeded the projected amounts. He said officials had little time to react in the middle of the night, adding that qualified first responders were being “swept away” driving through the initial rainfall.
In the 48 hours before the floods, the potential for heavy rains put precautions in motion as the state activated an emergency response plan and moved resources into the central Texas area. The National Weather Service issued a flash-flood warning at 1:14 a.m. Friday to mobile phones and weather radios, more than three hours before the first reports of flooding at low-water crossings in Kerr County at 4:35 a.m. The warning was updated at 4:03 a.m. to a flash-flood emergency.
Local officials have known for decades that flooding posed serious risk to life and property in the region, and a county government report last year warned the threat was getting worse. The river authority has cited the need to develop a flood warning system in Kerr County as a top priority in its last three annual strategic plans.” [AP News]
Firefighters from Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, aid in search and rescue efforts Monday near the Guadalupe River days after a flash flood swept through the area in Ingram, Texas. (AP Photo/Eli Hartman)
Shortfalls in Texas' flood management
Search teams continue to look for flood victims in the Guadalupe River near Camp Mystic in Central Texas. Photo: Sergio Flores/Reuters
“While Texas state leaders have prioritized spending on border security and property tax cuts, they have been far more reluctant to fund flood management efforts, Axios Austin's Nicole Cobler writes.
Why it matters: Texas leads the nation by a wide margin in flood deaths.
The latest: Weekend floods in Central Texas have claimed over 100 lives, with dozens of people still missing.
Camp Mystic, a private Christian camp for girls, confirmed that 27 campers and counselors had died following the flooding.
More than 1,000 people died in Texas floods from 1959 to 2019, according to an academic analysis, most having occurred in the Hill Country.
Local officials in areas like Kerr County — where the worst of last weekend's flooding took place — have struggled to secure funding for basic warning systems and have instead relied on National Weather Service text alerts and word-of-mouth to alert residents rather than costly outdoor siren systems.
Between the lines: Despite Texas' vulnerability, the state didn't complete a comprehensive statewide assessment of flood risk and solutions until last year.” [Axios]
Keep reading ... Get Axios Local: Newsletters in 34 cities, including four in Texas.
Immigration
“The Justice Department said the U.S. would immediately start trying to deport Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia again if he were released from custody next week.
Armed federal agents marched through a Los Angeles park in what officials called an immigration enforcement operation. Mayor Karen Bass described it as “the way a city looks before a coup.”
The Trump administration ended deportation protections for migrants from Honduras and Nicaragua.
The U.S. has repeatedly insisted in court that it has no control over the Venezuelan migrants it deported to El Salvador. New documents seem to undermine those claims.” [New York Times]
Musk and Yang have connected on the billionaire’s third party threat
“As Elon Musk moves to create a third party to upend America’s political system, he’s spoken with one-time Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang about the nascent effort.
Yang, the 2020 White House contender and founder of the independent Forward Party, said in an interview that he has been ‘in touch’ with Musk and his team.
‘I’m excited for anyone who wants to move on from the duopoly,’ Yang said. ‘And I’m happy to help give someone a sense of what the path looks like.’
He did not respond to follow-up questions about when they spoke and what else they discussed. Yang amped up his denunciation of America’s two-party system after his failed run for New York City mayor in 2021 as a Democrat. The Forward Party has been recognized in a handful of states and has a goal of achieving ballot access in all 50 states this year.
The conversation between the entrepreneurs and two-party system skeptics provides a rare glimpse into Musk’s behind-the-scenes machinations as he attempts to create the ‘America Party’ — an arduous and expensive task that will test the political clout of the world’s richest man. Musk revealed on Saturday that he would form the party amid his dramatic fallout with President Donald Trump.”
Read the latest at POLITICO
Behind the scenes: Angling to help Musk party
Elon Musk and President Trump speak to reporters in the Oval Office in May. Photo: Evan Vucci/AP
“Elon Musk is fielding offers for help on his new political party from Andrew Yang's Forward Party, the Libertarian Party and several consultants, Axios' Brittany Gibson has learned.
Why it matters: Musk has said he wants his America Party to be a political disruptor in the 2026 midterms — a likely outlet for the billionaire's push to cut the nation's runaway debt and boost sustainable energy.
‘I'm in touch with Elon and his team, and I've said to them: 'Look, anyone who wants to challenge the duopoly has a friend in me,' Yang said in an interview with Axios.
Yang said he might help Musk recruit candidates in the House districts where Musk is looking to challenge incumbents.
No Labels, an organization that considered trying to run an independent presidential candidate in 2024, is also intrigued by Musk's interest in creating a new governing coalition in Congress, according to a representative from the group.
The Libertarian Party is lobbying Musk where he lives — on X — urging him to join Libertarians over a shared interest of fiscal responsibility and concern about the deficit.
Between the lines: Being the world's richest person will help Musk — where there's money, there are consultants and advisers.
‘I guarantee you every grifter in the petitioning world is already trying to get their claws into Musk,’ a third-party ballot access consultant told Axios.
Musk, the consultant added, needs ‘the pros, not the bros.’” [Axios]
Pastors who endorse political candidates shouldn’t lose tax-exempt status, IRS says in filing
“The IRS says pastors who endorse political candidates from the pulpit should not have to risk losing their tax-exempt status. The move effectively calls for a carve out for religious organizations from the rarely used IRS rule called the Johnson Amendment, put in place in 1954 and named after then-Sen. Lyndon Johnson. Read more.
Why this matters:
In a joint court filing intended to end an ongoing case against the IRS, the tax collection agency and the National Religious Broadcasters Association — an Evangelical media consortium — and other plaintiffs have asked a federal court in Texas to stop the government from enforcing the Johnson Amendment against the plaintiffs. The Johnson Amendment is a 1954 amendment to the U.S. tax code that prohibits tax-exempt organizations, including churches, from endorsing or opposing political candidates.” [AP News]
Senate GOP super PAC's fundraising record
Senate Majority Leader John Thune walks into his office on Capitol Hill last week. Photo: Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images
“The Senate GOP's top super PAC and affiliates have more than doubled their fundraising record for the first half of an off-year — bringing in $85 million, Axios' Stef W. Kight reports.
Why it matters: Senate Leadership Fund is a campaign powerhouse for the GOP. But its new leaders want to shake things up after a decade of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and his allies at the helm.
This is the group's first fundraising release since Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) took over as Senate GOP leader.
Zoom in: President Trump is more involved than ever, SLF executive director Alex Latcham told Axios in an interview.
‘We're working with [the White House] to identify and vet Senate candidates,’ Latcham said, describing it as an asset ‘as we navigate some of these primaries.’
Discussions with the White House about 2026 come at a ‘regular cadence, whether it's in person, over the phone.’
By the numbers: SLF and its affiliated group One Nation have raised over $85 million since the start of the year — far more than the $38 million raised over the same period in 2023, the group told Axios.” [Axios]
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Law enforcement killed a man who fired at the entrance to a McAllen, Texas, Border Patrol building, authorities said.
“The suspect was Ryan Louis Mosqueda, a 27-year-old with connections to Michigan who was reported missing from nearby Weslaco, Texas, earlier this morning, according to the local police chief. An officer who was shot in the knee was expected to recover. The FBI, which is leading the investigation, said it wasn’t aware of a current threat to public safety.” [Wall Street Journal]
1 big thing: MAGA's Epstein shock
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
“The MAGA movement erupted in disbelief today after the Trump administration said convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had not blackmailed elite figures, kept a ‘client list’ or been murdered in prison.
Even declarations from MAGA stalwarts like Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, the top two officials at the FBI, are not enough to placate some adherents to Epstein conspiracy theories, Axios' Tal Axelrod reports.
What they're saying: ‘As trusted voices like Dan Bongino, Kash Patel, and Pam Bondi align with the official story, many are asking: Who's still willing to demand real answers?’ LindellTV, the outlet helmed by Trump ally Mike Lindell, posted on X.
‘Assuming this leaked Epstein Files memo is true, then we all know this is a shameful coverup to protect the most heinous elites,’ added influencer Rogan O'Handley, who goes by DC Draino.
️ Between the lines: Patel and Bongino were both prominent purveyors of conspiracy theories around Epstein's death prior to Trump's inauguration.” [Axios]
Trump administration to ban Chinese purchases of U.S. farmland, citing national and food security threats
“In a joint news conference with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem, Agriculture Department Secretary Brooke Rollins said the administration would work with state partners and pursue executive actions to halt farmland purchases by foreign adversaries.”
Read the story at Washington Post
Veterans Affairs reverses course on large-scale job reductions after promising to cut 83,000 roles
“The agency says it will have reduced the number of staff by the end of fiscal 2025 by approximately 30,000 through hiring freezes, retirements and attrition. Further cuts to the agency would have brought deep political risks for President Donald Trump, who remains popular with military veterans and has promised to not do anything that would affect their benefits or care.”
Read the story at Washington Post
Flooding from Chantal's remnants forces dozens to flee homes in North Carolina
“Heavy rain and flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal forced dozens of people to flee their homes in central North Carolina, officials said Monday.” Read More at AP News
Trump’s $5 million ‘gold card’ visa might never happen
The president and his aides have exaggerated the likelihood that such a program can be legally implemented and have made no effort to introduce legislation that would be needed.
President Donald Trump shows a $5 million ‘gold card’ to reporters April 3 on Air Force One en route to Miami. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)
“Since February, the Trump administration has been touting a $5 million visa to wealthy foreigners to get into the United States with lofty promises of an immediate rollout. Aboard Air Force One in April, President Donald Trump flashed a laminated, golden prototype to reporters and announced that it would become available ‘in about less than two weeks,’ while the White House launched a website in June to sign people up to join a waiting list.
But in reality, any Trump gold visas are a long way off — if they can ever be implemented at all.
Trump and his aides have repeatedly exaggerated the likelihood that such a program can be implemented under current law, and they have made no effort to introduce legislation to make it happen. Immigration attorneys and other legal experts say a president has no power to unilaterally create a new visa category, which would require an act of Congress.
The gold card visa exemplifies a striking contrast in the Trump administration’s immigration stance, which is focused primarily on championing aggressive restrictions and deportations while proposing a fast track for the ultra-wealthy. Critics have argued that the proposal would turn access to the U.S. into a commodity for sale and reflects a transactional approach to immigration out of step with American values.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who is leading the rollout, has suggested that the gold card visa would replace an investor visa — called EB-5 — that has a long queue. But any effort to give wealthy people a visa ahead of people who have been waiting in line is bound to lead to legal challenges, attorneys say.
Doug Rand, senior adviser to the former director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under President Joe Biden, said that no administration has changed visa eligibility criteria since the 1990 law that formed today’s green card and temporary visa categories.
‘There’s no lawful basis to do this, and if they do it anyway, they’re going to get sued, and they’re almost certainly going to lose,’ Rand said.
In response to questions about the future of the visa program, Commerce Department spokeswoman Kristen Eichamer said in a statement that ‘Secretary Lutnick is determined to follow through on President Trump’s vision to create a Gold Card visa program that will raise unprecedented revenues for the United States.’
The White House and Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment.
The Supreme Court has established that Congress has ‘plenary power’ over immigration and has suggested in multiple instances that Congress has supremacy over the executive branch in establishing immigration policy, said George Fishman, senior legal fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies and a deputy general counsel at the Department of Homeland Security in the first Trump administration.
However, Fishman added that in one 1950 decision, the court also said that ‘when Congress prescribes a procedure concerning the admissibility of aliens, it is not dealing alone with a legislative power. It is implementing an inherent executive power.’ The decision also didn’t specifically say the executive branch could act without congressional authorization.
‘I’m very dubious it can be done without an act of Congress,’ Fishman said.
Congress hasn’t changed visa categories in 35 years and has at times pushed back when previous administrations took steps that they thought impeded their powers. Republicans in Congress argued that the executive branch had overstepped its authority when President Barack Obama sought to give legal status to children brought to the U.S. and when Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas expanded parole programs without congressional approval under Biden.
‘It would be hard to reconcile those views with the ability of the administration to create a new green card,’ Fishman said.
Cato Institute’s Alex Nowrasteh said the current Republican-held Congress is especially resistant to creating pathways for residency or citizenship. Nowrasteh was a witness at a June 25 House Judiciary subcommittee hearing, ‘Restoring Integrity and Security to the Visa Process,’ where the gold card didn’t come up and Republicans called for further scrutiny of the existing visa process.
‘There’s zero appetite for people in Congress to consider this right now,’ Nowrasteh said.
The legality issues have led to immigration attorneys warning clients to steer clear of the gold card.
Philadelphia-based immigration attorney Ron Klasko said he has had some clients from Canada and Europe express interest in the visa, but he has told them there is little use in even signing up for the waiting list until the path becomes clearer.
‘Why would I want to do that before I know if it’s a law, what the law says, what the requirements are, what information the form is going to ask me for, what documents I have to produce, what the terms and conditions are,’ Klasko said.
Klasko also warned that more needs to be done to clarify how these wealthy people would be taxed under this new form of residency.
Buffalo-based immigration attorney Rosanna Berardi said she was among the tens of thousands who have signed up on the website to learn more. However, she was dubious that any more would come from signing up after the administration has not provided clarity on the plan for creating a new visa category. She added that the White House has also not specified whether this would be a new visa category or replace an existing visa for foreign investors who create jobs.
‘This administration keeps forgetting that the executive branch doesn’t make the law,’ Berardi said.
Lutnick’s comments have offered some lofty ideas of what the gold card program could look like.
In a March interview on the All-In podcast, he said that the funds raised by sales would pay off the country’s $1.3 trillion annual deficit, or about 260,000 visa sales. He also said that eventually the program could effectively pay off the entirety of the U.S. debt, more than $36 trillion, meaning more than 7 million people would need to sign up for visas.
He told the Financial Times in mid-June that 70,000 people have signed up to learn more about the card.
Lutnick has said the idea for the gold card came from hedge fund manager John Paulson, who spoke with Trump and Lutnick about the project. Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service played a key role in organizing that effort, including standing up a website that advertises ‘The Trump Card Is Coming,’ according to records obtained by The Washington Post and a Department of Homeland Security official familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share internal discussions. The website instructs visitors to enter their name, email address and region to ‘be notified the moment access opens.’
In mid-April, DOGE representatives Edward Coristine and Marko Elez asked employees at DHS and the State Department to quickly set up a system that would pass gold card visa applicants’ data among different parts of DHS, the records show. The data that would be transferred was sensitive, detailing applicants’ names, birth dates, places of residence and other personal information, the records show.
The DHS team finished setting up its requested data transfer pipeline in less than a week, the employee said, then settled in to wait for applicants. But as of late June, not a single application had come along on a webpage for the visa application, which isn’t public, the employee said.
Lutnick told Axios in late May that the website would roll out in a week, and details about the visas would come out ‘over a matter of the next weeks; not months, weeks.’
Around the world, other countries that had once offered similar costly green cards have reversed course after controversies over granting rich people unfettered residency and the fallout from that, said Kate Hooper, a senior policy analyst for the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. For instance, Spain ended its golden visa after an explosion in housing prices fueled by wealthy buyers.
‘There’s been a bit of a backlash to that … the optics of selling citizenship and worries about due diligence,’ Hooper said.
Hooper, who studies the gold visa programs globally, said the U.S. proposal would be the most expensive one out there if it were feasible. Wealthy foreigners who want to spend less could easily acquire a visa to several Caribbean island nations for a fraction of the cost Trump has proposed. For instance, Antigua and Barbuda requires a contribution of $230,000 to a national development fund for a visa.
It is also unclear how many people would be interested in pursuing a U.S. gold card. EB-5 visas, which require investments of either $800,000 or $1.05 million, creating at least 10 jobs, are allocated to 10,000 foreigners a year.
The UBS Global Wealth Report for this year estimated many of the world’s millionaires already live in the U.S., and there may be about 33.5 million people outside of the U.S. with at least $1 million. (The report didn’t specify how many of those foreign millionaires might already have legal access to the U.S. and how many have more than $5 million.)” [Washington Post]
1 for the road: Shoes stay on
Photo: Jeff Gritchen/Orange County Register via Getty Images
“The TSA is introducing new procedures that let travelers keep their shoes on at airport security, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Why it matters: The unpopular rule has been in place since 2006, five years after an al-Qaeda operative unsuccessfully attempted to detonate a bomb planted in his shoes on a transatlantic flight.
The change hasn't been formally announced but already appears to be in place at airports across the country, the N.Y. Times notes.” [Axios]
Go deeper (WSJ gift link).
INTERNATIONAL
Yemen’s Houthi rebels attacked a ship in the Red Sea for the first time since Trump announced a truce with them in May.
“The crew of a Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier was forced to abandon ship, according to a British Navy task force and maritime firms. There were also reports of a hit on another vessel. Earlier, Israel had carried out preplanned airstrikes on Yemen after several recent Houthi ballistic-missile attacks, a military official said. The rebels say their assaults are in support of Palestinians in Gaza. Trump is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House today.” [New York Times]
Sweetening the Deal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin (left) talks to U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House in Washington on April 7.Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu touched down in Washington on Monday to discuss U.S. diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, including Israel-Hamas cease-fire negotiations and strategies to counter Iran’s nuclear program. The trip’s centerpiece will be an evening meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House—their third such face-to-face talk since Trump returned to office in January.
The conversation is expected to focus on cementing a cease-fire and hostage release deal in Gaza. Under the latest U.S.-backed proposal, Israel and Hamas would abide by a 60-day truce, during which Israeli troops would partially withdraw from Gaza, Hamas would release 10 living and 18 deceased hostages in exchange for some number of Palestinian prisoners released by Israel, and Israel would allow more humanitarian aid into the territory. More than 57,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began in October 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
‘We are working to achieve this deal that is being talked about,’ Netanyahu said on Sunday before departing for the United States, adding that Trump ‘can definitely help advance this outcome, which we all hope for.’ Trump appeared to agree with this assessment, saying on Sunday, ‘We are close to a deal in Gaza.’
Last Wednesday, Israel agreed to the proposal in principle, and on Friday, Hamas said it had responded to the deal in a ‘positive spirit.’ However, several sticking points remain unresolved. Hamas has said that it wants the United Nations to oversee aid delivery into Gaza instead of the Israeli- and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The group has also demanded that Israeli forces retreat to the boundaries established from before the last cease-fire collapsed in March and urged both sides to agree to a permanent end to the war. But Israel maintains its demand that some of its troops must remain in the territory, and it said that Israel would only agree to end the conflict if Hamas fully disarms and dismantles, which the militant group refuses to do.
A separate Israeli negotiating team traveled to Qatar on Sunday for indirect talks with Hamas. Netanyahu said he instructed his delegates to achieve a cease-fire deal under the terms that Israel has agreed to, but Reuters cited unnamed Palestinian sources in Doha who said Israel’s refusal to allow humanitarian aid to freely and safely enter Gaza is holding up progress.
U.S. officials are hoping to sweeten the cease-fire deal by linking the end of the war to a broader set of agreements that would also see Saudi Arabia and potentially other countries in the region establish formal diplomatic ties with Israel, as well as a leadership overhaul within the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Normalizing relations with Arab states, particularly Saudi Arabia, is a key goal of Netanyahu’s, and the White House has suggested that a permanent end to the war could convince Arab countries to do so. According to White House envoy Thomas Barrack Jr. last week, the United States is already mediating ‘meaningful’ talks between Israel and Syria.
Such sweeteners could help Netanyahu sell a cease-fire deal to his right-wing coalition—particularly his far-right cabinet ministers who have pushed against ending the war. This is an opportunity ‘to expand the circle of peace far beyond what we could have imagined,’ Netanyahu said on Sunday.
Netanyahu and Trump are also expected to celebrate their joint military efforts against Tehran’s nuclear program while discussing how to move forward from last month’s 12-day Israel-Iran conflict. ‘We’re working on a lot of things with Israel, and one of the things is probably a permanent deal with Iran,’ Trump said on Sunday while reiterating the demand that Tehran must give up its nuclear ambitions. Iran maintains that its uranium enrichment work is for civilian purposes.” [Foreign Policy]
The World This Week
“Tuesday, July 8: French President Emmanuel Macron begins a three-day trip to the United Kingdom.
Wednesday, July 9: Malaysia hosts a three-day foreign ministers’ meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Taiwan begins a weeklong annual military exercise simulating a Chinese invasion.
Thursday, July 10: Equatorial Guinea hosts the two-day African Union foreign ministers’ meeting.
The European Parliament holds a no-confidence vote for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Monday, July 14: China hosts the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organization foreign ministers’ meeting.” [Foreign Policy]
Trump's Ukraine missile plans
Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photos via Getty Images
“President Trump's decision to send defensive weapons to Ukraine last night followed days of talks with aides and other world leaders about where those arms would actually come from, Axios' Marc Caputo and Barak Ravid write.
Why it matters: The Trump administration had paused shipments of some arms to Ukraine, including Patriot missile interceptors.
Now the desperately needed weapons are on the way. But Trump is also seeking alternative solutions, including pressing Germany to send its own Patriot battery.
‘We are going to have to send more weapons to Ukraine. Defensive weapons, they have to defend themselves,’ Trump told reporters yesterday.
‘At President Trump's direction, the Department of Defense will send additional defensive weapons to Ukraine to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace,’ the Pentagon said later last night.
The big picture: Trump and his team are reluctant to part with many Patriot interceptors. He wants the Europeans to send more of their own money and materiel as well.
With stocks dwindling amid multiple ongoing wars, there's increasing concern among NATO countries about giving up munitions — particularly interceptors — more quickly than they can be produced.
‘Getting a Patriot missile isn't like going to Walmart and picking 10 off the shelf and going home,’ one Trump adviser told Axios.
Behind the scenes: Trump's change of heart started to become clearer on Friday when he spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in what both sides said was their best phone call since Trump assumed office.
Trump told Zelensky he wants to help Ukraine's air defenses but stressed that the U.S. had to pause the latest weapons shipment to review its own stockpiles, according to two sources briefed on the call.
Two sources said Trump promised to immediately send 10 Patriot interceptors — fewer than had been planned in the paused shipment — and help to find other means of supply.” [Axios]
International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders, accusing them of persecuting women
“The International Criminal Court on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for two top Taliban leaders, accusing them of persecuting girls and women in Afghanistan.
Haibatullah Akhundzada, supreme leader of the Taliban, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, chief justice of the Taliban, are suspected of ‘ordering, inducing or soliciting the crime against humanity of persecution’ against girls, women and “other persons non-conforming with the Taliban’s policy on gender, gender identity or expression,” the ICC said in a statement.”
Read more at CNN
“Restricting Schengen’s borders. Poland reinstated border controls with Germany and Lithuania on Monday for 30 days to discourage asylum-seekers from entering the country. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the measures last week in response to allegations from far-right Polish protesters that Berlin was transporting migrants into the country, which Germany denies. The move is part of an ongoing effort to temper far-right concerns that have hindered Tusk’s government and led to the defeat of his preferred, centrist candidate in the country’s June 1 presidential election.
Poland, Germany, and Lithuania are all part of the Schengen Zone, a visa-free travel area that allows citizens in most EU countries to move easily across much of the continent. Earlier this year, though, Berlin reimposed temporary border restrictions to curb asylum-seekers, prompting worries from its neighbors that such controls could become more widespread.
‘Such measures must undoubtedly be temporary and must achieve results as quickly as possible and be terminated,’ Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Sunday, adding that his country is preparing for possible traffic jams along their shared border.” [Foreign Policy]
“Deadly flooding. Flash flooding across Pakistan has killed more than 70 people and injured roughly 130 others, local authorities reported on Monday. Even with emergency services on maximum alert since last month and the country’s National Disaster Management Authority warning tourists to avoid affected areas, the aftermath of 10 days of heavy monsoon rains continues to devastate communities across several provinces.
The latest wave of extreme weather began on June 26 and gained international attention when flooding in the northwest Swat River swept away 17 tourists from the same family; only four members of the family were rescued alive. Now, officials are warning that they cannot rule out a potential repeat of Pakistan’s 2022 superflood, which killed more than 1,730 people and inundated a third of the country.
Meanwhile, search-and-rescue efforts in central Texas continued on Monday after weekend flooding killed more than 80 people, including more than 27 people at an all-girls Christian camp on the Guadalupe River, and left dozens of others missing. The devastating flooding is among the worst in the United States’ history, and experts warn that more is likely still to come.” [Foreign Policy]
“Even the pope deserves paid time off every now and then. On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV journeyed to the Italian town of Castel Gandolfo for a two-week summer vacation, restarting a more than 400-year-old tradition that his late predecessor, Pope Francis, abandoned during his 12-year tenure. Leo has decided not to stay at the traditional papal residence in town. But local officials are still hoping that his return could reignite tourism to the lakeside getaway.” [Foreign Policy]
Photo: Magali Cohen/Hans Lucas via AFP and Getty Images
“Paris opened parts of the River Seine to public swimming this past weekend for the first time in more than 100 years. It follows a major cleanup effort conducted for the Olympics.” [Axios]
“A man was gored and seven others lightly injured on the second day of Pamplona's San Fermin festival in which thousands of people line the medieval city's narrow streets for the centuries-old tradition of running with bulls.” [Reuters]
“Britain's King Charles will welcome French President Emmanuel Macron to Windsor Castle for the first state visit by a European leader since Brexit in a trip aimed at celebrating the return of closer political ties between the countries.” [Reuters]
“Over two dozen people were missing after torrential rain in China's Tibet region triggered a deluge in the Bhote Koshi River, washing away the "Friendship Bridge" that links China and Nepal.” [Reuters]
“At least 11 people were killed in violent clashes yesterday between Kenyan police and protesters demanding the removal of President William Ruto.” [Bloomberg]
WATCH: Ondiro Oganga reports on the latest deadly protests in Kenya on Bloomberg TV.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Investors snap up growing share of US homes as traditional buyers struggle to afford one
“Nearly 27% of all homes sold in the first three months of the year were bought by investors – the highest share in at least five years, according to a report by real estate data provider BatchData. Read more.
Why this matters:
The U.S. housing market has been in a sales slump since early 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Home sales fell last year to their lowest level in nearly 30 years. They’ve remained sluggish so far this year, as many prospective homebuyers have been discouraged by elevated mortgage rates and home prices that have kept climbing, though more slowly.
Investor-owned homes account for roughly 20% of the nation’s 86 million single-family homes, according to BatchData. Of those, mom-and-pop investors, or those who own between 1 and 5 homes, account for 85% of all investor-owned residential properties, while those with between 6 and 10 properties account for 5%. Institutional investors that own 1,000 or more homes account for only about 2.2% of all investor-owned homes, the firm said.” [AP News]
TECH
A Marco Rubio impostor using AI has contacted three foreign ministers, a U.S. governor and a member of Congress
“An impostor pretending to be the secretary of state contacted high-level officials by sending them voice and text messages that mimic Rubio’s voice and writing style using artificial intelligence-powered software, according to a senior U.S. official and a State Department cable obtained by The Washington Post.”
Read more at Washington Post
Middle managers fade as AI rises
Data: Gusto. Chart: Axios Visuals
“This chart may explain why your boss is taking longer to get back to you lately: They've got more underlings to watch over, Axios' Emily Peck writes from a new analysis.
Why it matters: Middle managers — i.e., bosses who have bosses — were already quietly going extinct, and now AI may be hastening the process.
By the numbers: People managers now oversee about twice as many workers as just five years ago.
There are now nearly six individual contributors per manager at the 8,500 small businesses analyzed in a report by Gusto, which handles payroll for small and medium-sized employers.
That's up from a little over three in 2019.
The big picture: Big Tech has been shedding middle managers for the past few years, a process that's been dubbed the Great Flattening.
Reducing management layers is one of Microsoft's stated goals in laying off thousands of workers this year as it ramps up its AI strategy.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy last year announced an effort to reduce managers (memo).
Another win for Meta's AI moonshot: Apple's top executive in charge of AI models — distinguished engineer Ruoming Pang — is leaving for Meta, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.” [Axios]
HEALTH AND MEDICINE
Planned Parenthood
“A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a provision of the president’s sweeping domestic policy law that would bar federal funding for providers ‘primarily engaged in family planning services, reproductive health and related medical care.’ The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts and the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah sued the administration, claiming the funding ban could lead to the closure of 200 clinics nationwide, most of which are in states where abortion is legal. On Monday, US District Judge Indira Talwani issued the order to stop enforcement of the provision for 14 days.” [CNN]
SPORTS
A top fencer was cleared after giving a surprising explanation for a failed drug test.
Ysaora Thibus has competed in three Olympics, including the 2024 Games in Paris. (Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images)
“The case: Ysaora Thibus, an Olympic medalist for France, faced a potential four-year ban from competition after she tested positive for the anabolic substance ostarine.
Yesterday: A panel ruled Thibus’s failed test could have been caused by repeated kisses with her partner, who she said was taking the drug.”
Read this story at Washington Post
TRANSITIONS
“Lives Lived: Six decades ago, Franklin Stahl helped create ‘the most beautiful experiment in biology’ — an elegant way to confirm how DNA replicates. He died at 95.” [New York Times]