Why Iran is targeting Kuwait's desalination plants as part of its war strategy

 EXPLAINER  MIDDLE EAST 
Iranian strikes targeted Kuwait’s desalination and power plants for the fourth consecutive day on Monday. The attacks are putting unprecedented pressure on a Gulf country heavily dependent on desalination for its water supply. Iran is attempting to wage a “psychological war” on a country with few options for striking back, according to some analysts.

Issued on: 23/07/2026 - 18:53
4 min Reading time
By: Sophian Aubin

Concerns are mounting over Kuwait’s water supply after Iran once again struck power stations and desalination plants on Monday, sparking fires in a fourth consecutive day of attacks.

Live updates: Trump issues new double-digit tariffs on 60 countries

Edited By BRIDGET BROWN, BERNARD MCGHEE, LUENA RODRIGUEZ-FEO VILEIRA, AISHA I. JEFFERSON and NELL CLARK
Updated 4:24 PM PDT, July 23, 2026

Here’s what we’re following:

• President Donald Trump announced Thursday he is imposing new double-digit tariffs on dozens of U.S. trading partners, just as the clock runs out Friday on stopgap levies he imposed after a defeat at the Supreme Court. The United States will impose taxes of 10% to 12.5% on imports from 60 countries, charging that they have inadequately enforced bans on goods produced by forced labor.
• Trump said earlier Thursday that a new agreement reached with Saudi Arabia for a civilian nuclear program will require the kingdom to normalize relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords. Trump added that the new nuclear deal, which is expected to last 30 years and involve U.S. firms, does not allow for enrichment of uranium. But experts are concerned the deal lacks guardrails to prevent uranium enrichment to weapons-grade levels.
• The U.S. military launched strikes on Iran for the 13th night in a row as clashes escalate over shipping routes. The House on Thursday narrowly passed a resolution to halt U.S. military action in Iran, sending a largely symbolic warning to Trump for the second time. A day earlier, the House adopted a Republican-only $95 billion budget proposal in a long-shot effort to fund the Iran war and other White House priorities, despite objections from Democrats and a few GOP holdouts. The Senate must now reach an agreement for it to pass.

Man gets two life sentences for killing Minnesota lawmaker and husband

Vance Boelter, 59, agreed to plead guilty in June to six counts so federal prosecutors would not 

seek the death penalty

July 23, 2026

Source: The Associated Press

By The Associated Press and Rebecca Cohen

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota man who pleaded guilty to killing a top Democratic lawmaker and her husband was sentenced to two consecutive terms of life in prison on Thursday in federal court. Vance Boelter, 59, agreed to plead guilty in June, almost a year after the Minneapolis-area attacks in which he stalked and killed former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and critically wounded state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette.

Greece approves over $3.4B in air defenses for Achilles’ Shield

Air Warfare

The system would reportedly rely heavily on Israeli tech as Athens, like other world capitals, rushes to build a national "shield" 

against aerial threats.

By Lee Ferran 

on July 23, 2026 1:41 pm

WASHINGTON — Greece’s defense minister announced today that his government has approved the purchase of more than €3 billion-worth ($3.4 billion) of air defense systems, mostly reportedly from Israel, as part of Athens’ Achilles’ Shield initiative.

Jes Staley testifies on Capitol Hill over ties to Jeffrey Epstein

Epstein Files

Former Barclays chief took questions from House oversight committee 

over his links to the late sex offender

Lauren Fedor in Washington and Ortenca Aliaj in London

Published yesterday Updated10:21

Former Barclays boss Jes Staley appeared on Capitol Hill on Thursday to face questions from lawmakers over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Staley is the latest in a string of current and former Wall Street executives to be grilled by members of Congress over their links to Epstein.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon Just Issued a Stark Warning About Long-Term US Bonds: 'I Would Not Be a Buyer...'

Tanya Rawat 

Wed, July 22, 2026 at 9:31 AM PDT 5 min read

BENZINGA

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has said he would not buy long-dated government bonds, warning that elevated government debt and persistent fiscal deficits across major economies could eventually push interest rates higher and unsettle financial markets.

With bombing campaign unlikely to change Iran’s posture according to US intel, Trump faces limited options

By Katie Bo Lillis 4 hr ago
Two weeks into a renewed bombing campaign against Iran, with US forces taking casualties and allies wary of the conflict escalating further, President Trump insists that Iran is “desperate” to find an end to wave after wave of US attacks.

But both the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency have recently assessed that the kind of bombing the US is currently carrying out is unlikely to shift the Iranian negotiating position, according to two US officials familiar with the assessments.

Trump says Saudi Arabia must normalize Israel ties before nuclear deal is approved

The deal announced Wednesday “is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords,” President Donald Trump said.

NBC News

July 23, 2026, 5:35 AM PDT

Updated July 23, 2026, 6:00 AM PDT

By Henry Austin

President Donald Trump said Thursday that a nuclear deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia requires the kingdom to normalize relations with Israel — a significant condition not previously mentioned as the deal was announced.

There will ⁠be “​no ⁠enrichment of ⁠material” under the agreement, he wrote on Truth Social, adding that the deal signed a day earlier “pertains only to non-military use.” Lawmakers and experts have raised concerns that the civil nuclear agreement could fuel nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.

The Democratic Socialists of America Want to Expand Democracy

By Ben Burgis

Right-wing and centrist pundits, and even House Speaker Mike Johnson, have rushed to denounce the Democratic Socialists of America’s new “Workers Deserve More” platform. But the platform’s central insights are hard to dispute.

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) recently adopted a new platform entitled “Workers Deserve More.” Normally, the only people who notice the platforms adopted by socialist organizations are their own members and members of rival socialist organizations. But not this time.

Emirates refusing to take delivery of first 10 Boeing 777X jets

 

Vlad Schepkov
Tue, July 21, 2026 at 7:04 AM PDT 1 min read
BA+1.88%
KHC+0.66%

Emirates has refused to accept delivery of 10 Boeing aircraft from its order of 270 new 777X planes, with the airline's president saying the delayed jets would be better suited as baked bean cans.

GOP Rep. Called Israeli–U.S. Defense Tech Integration “Dangerous.” The House Passed It Anyway.

Rep.Thomas Massie had tried to strip the provision from the $1.15 trillion Pentagon budget, calling it “lopsided” in Israel’s favor.
 Austin Campbell

July 22 2026, 6:13 p.m. ET

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., talks with reporters outside the U.S. Capitol on July 16, 2026. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
The House passed a $1.15 trillion defense authorization bill Wednesday with a controversial provision expanding U.S.-Israel military technology cooperation intact, despite a bipartisan effort to remove it and warnings from Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., that the measure could compromise American sovereignty and national security.

US confirms signing a nuclear cooperation pact with Saudi Arabia, to Israel’s alarm

 Deal not conditioned on Saudi-Israel normalization 

The Trump administration has released few details about the agreement, which paves the way for construction of a uranium enrichment facility that could eventually be converted to develop nuclear bombs

By Agencies and ToI Staff

Today, 5:20 am

The United States and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday forged a new agreement that could potentially provide the kingdom with uranium enrichment capability for its civilian nuclear program. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Minister of Energy Abdulaziz bin Salman formally signed the nuclear cooperation agreement, known as a “123 agreement,” alongside what the Trump administration described as a “bilateral safeguards agreement.”

The verdict is in: Canadians hate America thanks to Trump

Story by Joe Sommerlad

Canadian confidence in the U.S. has plunged to a new low thanks to Donald Trump, according to an opinion poll. Seventy-nine percent of Canadians currently say they have no confidence in Trump’s leadership, compared to just 20 percent in favor, according to Pew Research Center data cited by CNN analyst Harry Enten.

Troy Jackson leads Sen. Susan Collins in new poll

 

by WGME Staff

Wed, July 22, 2026 at 6:23 AM

The race for Maine's U.S. Senate seat continues to take shape as Democrats prepare to officially select their nominee at this weekend's state convention.

A new University of New Hampshire poll shows former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson leading incumbent U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, 49% to 46%, in a potential general election matchup. Jackson's three-point advantage is just outside the poll's margin of error.

Burnham says £2 bus fare cap in England being paid for by 're-prioritising' money

21 July 2026
Summary

• England's £2 single bus fare cap will be paid for by "re-prioritising" government funds, Andy Burnham says
• Earlier, the prime minister announced fares would be capped from January and throughout 2027 in all areas outside London - the capital has its own £1.75 limit
• There will also be extra funding for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland - though they're not obliged to introduce the same policy
• The bus fare cap is expected to cost more than £500m, with funds largely coming from reallocated Department for Energy Security and Net Zero money
• On a visit to Bath - where he met the "Bus Aunty" - Burnham also says there is "no commitment" to increasing the tax-free personal allowance
• I wish I had waited for the £2 cap, jokes one man who travelled from Land's End to John O'Groats when the cap was £3

The Wall Street Journal accuses Trump of 'madness' in new 'senseless' swipe at Canada

Story by Matthew Rozsa 

21h • 3 min read

by AlterNet

President Donald Trump’s new tariffs against Canada are “madness” and will hurt his supporters, according to an editorial by a prominent right-leaning newspaper.

“The White House on Monday exhumed Section 338 of the 1930 Tariff Act to impose 50 [percent] tariffs on hundreds of Canadian goods, including hockey sticks, honey, beer, down feathers, fishing rods and golf clubs,” The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board wrote on Tuesday. “The tariffs are set to take effect in 30 days, which means he’s using tariffs as leverage to win concessions from Canada.”

The Gates Foundation met with Epstein about 30 times despite staff concerns, an external review says

JAMES POLLARD

Updated 10:21 AM PDT, 

July 21, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — Bill Gates and the staff of his charitable foundation met with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein more than two dozen times even as employees expressed concerns about the reputational risk of working with him, an external review commissioned by the Gates Foundation found.

US greenlights Saudi nuclear enrichment without safeguards: Report

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman previously said he would acquire a bomb if Iran did
MEE staff Published date: 20 July 2026 19:22 BST | Last update: 1 day 13 hours ago

The Trump administration has greenlit Saudi Arabia's nuclear enrichment project, but with no safeguards in place to prevent the development of a bomb, CNN reported on Friday.