World
U.S. Declines to Renew USMCA in Current Form, Triggering a Decade of Annual Reviews
Washington let the July 1 joint-review deadline pass without agreeing to a 16-year extension, keeping the North American trade pact alive but placing it on a yearly review cycle that runs until 2036.
U.S. Sends About 900 Troops Into Venezuela for Earthquake Relief; Death Toll Surpasses 1,900
The deployment aids rescue efforts after twin June 24 quakes and also enlarges the U.S. military footprint in a country whose government Washington helped install in January.
Pakistan Strikes Sites in Eastern Afghanistan After Karachi Attack; Casualty Counts Disputed
Pakistan says it hit militant hideouts and killed 29 fighters; Afghan officials and the UN report dozens of civilians dead, amid a conflict that has run since February 2026.
Pentagon's Section 1260H Ban on Direct Defense Contracts With Listed Chinese Firms Takes Effect June 30
A statutory prohibition bars the U.S. Defense Department from signing new contracts with companies on its expanded "Chinese military companies" list, including Alibaba, Tencent and BYD, all of which deny military ties.
EU Finalizes U.S. Trade Deal Days Before Trump's July 4 Tariff Deadline
The European Union gave final approval on June 25 to the tariff commitments President Trump demanded by July 4, capping most U.S. tariffs on EU goods at 15% while sides still dispute whether the underlying deal is balanced.
Ukraine Reports Drone Strikes on Oil Refineries in Russia's Krasnodar and Yaroslavl Regions
Kyiv says its overnight strikes hit two refineries as part of a months-long campaign against Russian fuel production; Russia says most incoming drones were shot down.
U.S. Allows Russian Oil Sanctions Waiver to Lapse, Restoring Full Blocking Measures on Rosneft and Lukoil
A temporary exemption granted in March 2026 during a Strait of Hormuz crisis expired on June 26, putting full U.S. sanctions on Russia's two largest oil producers back into force.
Israel and Lebanon Sign U.S.-Brokered Framework for a Phased Israeli Pullback From Two Areas of Southern Lebanon
The trilateral framework signed in Washington ties limited Israeli withdrawals to the disarming of Hezbollah, which was not a party and rejects the deal.
U.S. State Department Official Says Taiwan Arms Sale Is Not Conditioned on China Talks
Assistant Secretary Michael DeSombre told a House subcommittee the pending roughly $14 billion package does not depend on negotiations with Beijing, after President Trump earlier called it a 'negotiating chip.'
U.S. Notifies Congress of $700 Million GE F110 Engine Sale to Turkey for KAAN Fighter
The Trump administration formally moved a sale of dozens of jet engines for Turkey's homegrown fighter, drawing objections from senior Democrats over Ankara's Russian S-400 systems weeks before a NATO summit in Ankara.