14 nations and the EU reaffirm 2016 ruling invalidating China’s claims in South China Sea

BY JIM GOMEZ
Updated 12:26 AM PDT, July 12, 2026

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The United States, the United Kingdom and a dozen other Western and Asian countries reasserted on Sunday that China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea are illegal based on a 2016 arbitration ruling.

A joint statement issued by the 14 nations said they rejected “destabilizing” actions in the disputed waters that threaten regional stability. The 27-nation European Union released a separate statement, reaffirming the ruling as a “landmark decision in the peaceful settlement of disputes.”

Conflicting court orders over citizenship data stir more midterm confusion

One judge blocked states from using a government database to confirm voters are citizens. Another said some states must have access to it.

July 11, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. EDT

By Patrick Marley and Mark Berman

Two federal judges, presiding nearly 1,000 miles apart, issued conflicting rulings in recent days that left unclear whether states can legally abide by a Trump administration push to use federal data to confirm all voters are citizens.

Iran carries out wave of strikes across Gulf

Smoke billows from a Thai-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz after it was hit by a projectile Credit: Noppadon Wongsuvan
Jörg Luyken
Last updated12 July 2026 8:44am BST
Iran has carried out a wave of strikes across the Gulf, including on Qatar and Jordan, in a round of attacks that threaten to unravel the ceasefire deal further.

Qatar reported three injuries following Iranian drone attacks on Sunday morning as Kuwait said it was fending off “ongoing” strikes.

No alternative

July 10, 2026

PRINT EDITION

George Kapopoulos

If the US could, it would have overthrown by now the Islamic regime in Tehran and strengthened separatist minority nationalisms as a battering ram against the central government. But it couldn't.

Therefore, any attempt to control the Strait of Hormuz is like playing with fire, as Tehran believes that for a year now it has sent a clear message to Washington about its resilience in a prolonged war of attrition, which at any moment could trigger a global energy and economic crisis.

Just like in 2018, a passenger was almost sucked out of a Boeing 737 window shuttered by a broken piece of engine during flight. His wife saved him...

July 10, 2026

Sources: Local Greek News, The Guardian, Reuters

A Ryanair passenger was reportedly nearly pulled out of a shattered window shortly after takeoff on a Boeing 737 flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, local media said. His wife managed to save him by grabbing him by the legs.

According to Greek reports cited by news outlets, an engine-related part broke off early in the flight and smashed an acrylic cabin window. The damage caused the cabin to depressurize, and the passenger was partially sucked toward the opening in mid-air.

A major housing bill is set to become law at midnight — even though Trump says he won't sign

July 10, 2026

10:55 AM ET
By Stephan Bisaha

  
Democrats in Congress hailed it as the biggest housing bill in decades. Republicans called it a win for families across the country. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described it on X as "one of the most significant pieces of housing legislation in American history." And in June, both houses of Congress passed it with broad bipartisan support.

The Pollution Being Churned Out by AI Data Centers Is So Severe That It’s Almost Incomprehensible

Cost of ChatGPT

Sickening.

By Victor Tangermann

Published Jul 9, 2026 2:51 PM EDT

Shutterstock / Futurism

The massive surge of fossil fuel-powered data centers cropping up across the country is emitting an enormous amount of pollution, a pulsing indication that we’re headed in the wrong direction in the midst of a climate crisis.

ICE killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. They want you to be apathetic. Don’t be.

Salgado came from Mexico, built the American dream, sent his sons to college, and was senselessly killed by ICE

by Will Bunch | Columnist

Published July 9, 2026, 2:03 p.m. ET

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo woke up at 5 a.m. Tuesday and started his day like almost every other one for the last 35 years since he came to Houston from Mexico and built his own American dream brick by brick — sending his three sons to top universities on the foundation he’d constructed through years of backbreaking labor.

Trump fires Election Assistance Commission members ahead of midterms

Thu, July 9, 2026 at 7:24 PM PDT

By Bo Erickson and Erin Banco

WASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday terminated the last three members of the Election Assistance Commission, the independent, federal commission that assists election administration officials nationwide, the White House ‌confirmed.

Democrats Can Still Win the Maine Senate Race After Platner’s Collapse, if They Pick Troy Jackson To Replace Him

The party still has a clear path to unseating Republican Sen. Susan Collins—so long as it acts smart, moves fast, is disciplined and picks a progressive candidate, like Troy Jackson.

Source: MSNow, Zeeshan Aleem

July 9, 2026 

The collapse of Graham Platner’s Senate campaign after a sexual assault allegation he has denied has thrown Democrats into a tight scramble. Now that Platner is out of the race, Democrats have until July 27 to select a new nominee for November’s election. Even with this disruption, here at The Greek Courier we are confident they can still win in Maine and defeat Republican Sen. Susan Collins in one of the most important midterm fights on the calendar, so long as they pick a progressive candidate. Troy Jackson is that man!

"Thank You, Mr. President: Now We Can Enjoy 'Affordable' $3.47 Gas!"

July 9, 2026

So generous of the White House to offer us a price that’s only 50 cents higher than the pre-war level! 

Oh, what a delightful turn of events we have in the gas station saga! Before the grand Iran conflict kicked off in late February 2026, the average American was cruising along with regular gasoline sitting comfortably at about $2.98 per gallon. But fear not! Our fearless leaders, with the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, kicked the oil prices into a whole new stratosphere, peaking at a jaw-dropping $4.54 by May 2026. What can we say? War really revs up the economy, right?

U.S. launches new airstrikes on Iran and Tehran fires back at Gulf Arab states

July 9, 2026, 1:46 AM ET
By The Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar in crossfire that again threatened an interim deal intended to help end the war in the Persian Gulf.

What Trump said in Ankara—and what it could mean (ceasefire, negotiations, markets, Hormuz, and Lebanon)

By Yiannis Damellos

Sources: Reuters, AP, and an unreliable US President

July 8, 2026

During the last hours in Ankara, President Donald Trump sent mixed signals: he publicly framed U.S.–Iran fighting as something that will “go very quickly” and not escalate into a broader war, but he also declared the interim Iran agreement (“MOU”) “over,” called Iran’s leadership “scum,” and suggested the U.S. was preparing for another night of strikes. Those comments immediately fed into oil-price fears and pressured global equities.

Lawsuit says U.S. immigration agencies illegally shared confidential information on Iranian asylum seekers with Iran

World Jul 7, 2026 4:38 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges that the Trump administration's immigration agencies have been sharing confidential information about Iranian asylum seekers with the Iranian government, violating national immigration regulations and endangering countless Iranians, court filings argue.

Farage’s rivals are snubbing the "fake" by-election—while “Posh George” fuels fresh questions over Reform’s inner circle

Source: BBC News
Farage’s resignation triggers a Clacton by-election, but the democratic parties ruled out standing in it; instead, they demand a full investigation into Farage's finances and his relationship with Posh George
July 7, 2027

Nigel Farage’s surprise resignation has set off political turmoil ahead of a Clacton by-election, but as the democratic parties steer clear of the contest—or argue over whether it should even proceed—the attention shifts to the influence of George Cottrell, a controversial aristocrat nicknamed “Posh George”, whose name has become closely linked to recent Reform-linked scrutiny.

Midtown Manhattan buildings evacuated after columns found buckling at high-rise construction site

Tuesday, July 7, 2026 7:50PM

Lauren Glassberg and Crystal Cranmore have team coverage of the investigation.

MIDTOWN EAST, Manhattan (WABC) -- The effort to stabilize an under-construction high-rise in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday is underway and expected to last "into the night," keeping some streets shut down and buildings evacuated.

Laurel Canyon : A Place In Time | Docuseries Episode 1 | 2020

 

presents

A Documentary that pulls back the curtain on a mythical world and provides an up-close look at the lives of the musicians who inhabited Laurel Canyon. It paints an intimate portrait of the artists who created a music revolution that would change popular culture.

There’s a New Democratic Machine. It’s Unabashedly Socialist.

While establishment Democrats argue socialists are confined to the coasts, DSA chapters have helped elevate more than 300 candidates nationwide

Akela Lacy, Jonah Valdez

July 6 2026, 1:29 p.m. ET

As democratic socialists toppled establishment favorites this midterm cycle, the old guard of the Democratic Party picked up a preferred cudgel against insurgents: These people were propped up by white, urban, coastal, educated electorates — not the ones the Democrats were trying to reach, and certainly not the working class.