Trump Threatens EU With Tariffs For Enforcing Their Own LawsPresident Donald Trump on Friday accused the European Union of “‘ROBBING’ American Companies and, in turn, the American taxpayer,” after the bloc imposed hefty fines on several big tech companies in recent months for flouting digital fairness laws — or, in Trump’s words, “for no reason at all.”Trump said his administration would launch a formal investigation and threatened to impose further EU tariffs “at the earliest possible moment.” He did not explain why the fines impacted U.S. taxpayers.The EU announced Wednesday that Google had incurred an additional $1 billion fine for prioritizing its own services on Google Search in violation of the EU’s Digital Markets Act, a 2022 regulation aimed at reigning in big tech.“The United States of America is not a ‘PIGGYBANK’ for Europe, nor will we allow it to be!” Trump raved on Truth Social. Latest Live UpdatesTrump Orders Signs Outside Smithsonian Museum To Dispute America’s HistoryAn executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Friday requires signs to be erected outside of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington that will challenge and dispute the institution’s work.The signs will inform visitors of the findings of a recent 162-page report, released by the White House, that accuses the Smithsonian Institution of working to “divide, dispirit, and discourage” American citizens through its educational programs, research and museums.“President Trump is committed to ensuring that American history is celebrated accurately, fairly, and with pride—honoring the remarkable progress, liberty, and ingenuity that define our great Nation,” the White House said while announcing the order’s signage.The signs, or exhibits, are described as temporary and meant “to ensure America’s Founders are honored during its 250th year.” A deadline for their erection was not included in the order.Trump Says Iran Exit Strategy Is To Keep Doing The Same Thing We’re DoingPresident Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Friday he has “a lot of” options for exiting the Iran war, then proceeded to describe just one: doing the exact same thing we’ve been doing.“Well, I think there’s a lot of them,” he said. “There’s a military exit, where we just keep going just the way we are, and we can even make it a heavier dose… or there’s a smarter strategy and that’s — you make a deal.”Trump then claimed the Iranians want to make a deal even though “sometimes they don’t want to say they want to make a deal.”“They want to make a deal, I just don’t think they’re ready yet,” Trump asserted. “But they do want to make a deal. Sometimes they don’t want to say they want to make a deal, they want to be the tough guys, but they do want to make a deal.”The president concluded the question by denying Russia and China are helping Iran, contradicting his own defense secretary’s assessment that they are enabling the country.Gretchen Whitmer Endorses Haley Stevens In Heated Dem Primary For SenateMichigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) endorsed Haley Stevens in a heated Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate, saying she’s “as Michigan as it gets.”Stevens, who is running against Abdul El-Sayed, shared Whitmer’s endorsement video on social media Friday. El-Sayed has earned endorsements from big names including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).The primary takes place August 4.I am absolutely thrilled to have Gov @GretchenWhitmer’s endorsement for U.S. Senate. She is a champion for our state, she understands the stakes of this race and why it’s so important we elect the strongest Dem in this primary, and she gets stuff done for Michigan. Let’s go win! pic.twitter.com/NfFtlD2IWu— Haley Stevens (@HaleyforMI) July 24, 2026Former NFL Star Tony Romo Arrested In MilwaukeeFormer Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was arrested Thursday night in Milwaukee County and charged with operating while under the influence after failing standard field sobriety tests, according to Fox6 Milwaukee.As a first-time offender, it’s unlikely Romo will see much of a judgment. Wisconsin ABC affiliate WISN notes Wisconsin treats first-time OWIs as a civil, not criminal, offense — punishable by a $150 to $300 fine.Romo is due back in court on Sept. 21, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He was in town for an amateur golf tournament, where he tied for 74th.The four-time pro-bowler retired in 2017 before transitioning to the broadcast booth for CBS. CBS declined to comment on Romo’s arrest to The Athletic.Mike Johnson Reportedly Snaps Over GOP Infighting: ‘I’m Sick Of This Shit’House Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly snapped during a closed-door meeting earlier this week as Republican infighting threatened to tank an imminent vote, according to a Friday report by NOTUS.The fireworks came during a meeting in which Johnson was trying to whip support for a bipartisan veterans bill. As tensions mounted, GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida), an opponent of the bill, “pointed her anger toward Johnson,” according to the NOTUS report. Johnson responded: “I’m sick of this shit.”He then apologized for losing his temper, left the room, and pulled the bill.Read more at NOTUS.Graham Platner’s Strategist Admits He Got It WrongPolitical strategist Morris Katz admitted that he was wrong about Graham Platner, the disgraced former U.S. Senate Democratic nominee in Maine who dropped out of the race earlier this month.Platner’s campaign was marred by controversies surrounding a tattoo associated with Nazis, sexting women outside of his marriage, problematic Reddit posts, and, eventually, credible allegations of sexual assault. Katz, who helped propel Zohran Mamdani to become New York City’s Mayor, has been publicly criticized for his role in Platner’s rise. “The challenge of all of this was — as someone who does deeply believe in grace and nuance and the fact that people are complicated and life is complicated and maybe politics should reflect a little bit more of that — there was a constant weighing of: How much is too much? What is the red line? And I think, obviously, I did not see it soon enough,” Katz said in an interview with Ezra Klein on his New York Times podcast, admitting that the criticisms were valid. Read “The Ezra Klein Show” transcript:California Rejected Nearly 150,000 Mail-In Ballots In June PrimaryData compiled by the California secretary of state’s office shows nearly 150,000 mail-in ballots were rejected from the state’s June primary, accounting for 1.73% of all the state’s mail-in ballots.A majority of them (93,479) were rejected for arriving too late, with voting experts telling the Associated Press that changes at the U.S. Postal Service — specifically, changes that affect when ballots are postmarked — are likely to blame.“Ballots rejected due to lateness are caused primarily to being postmarked too late to count, not because they arrived too late to count,” Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, told the AP.An additional 44,000 ballots were rejected because the voter’s signature didn’t match what county officials had on file, 8,300 had no signature, and in 743 cases the voter had already cast a ballot in-person.A 2025 Brookings Institution study found mail voting fraud is exceedingly rare, accounting for about four cases out of every 10 million mail-in votes.Democrats Select South Carolina For Their First Presidential Nominating Contest In 2028 ElectionSouth Carolina was selected Friday to once again lead off the Democratic Party’s 2028 presidential nominating schedule, most likely cementing a dramatic break from decades of tradition by keeping Iowa off the top of the calendar and elevating more racially diverse states.The decision by the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee will need to be approved by the full organization, which is scheduled to meet in August.Read more from The Associated Press:Trump Goes Full Ostrich Mode On Russian, Chinese Military Aid To IranInstead of acknowledging the possibility that Russia and China are providing intelligence to Iran, as U.S. authorities suspect, President Donald Trump is choosing to flatter himself — refusing to entertain the idea that the leaders of U.S. adversaries would lie to him. “President Xi, at our recent meeting in Beijing, China, told me that he would not, under any circumstances, give or sell Weapons to the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump wrote on social media Friday. “Considering our relationship, I take him at his word.”Trump said the same of Russia’s Vladimir Putin, claiming he also “told me that he would not sell Weapons to Iran.”“Therefore,” Trump concluded, “two major Countries that people speak of often in terms of Iran are, in my opinion, not participating.”The proclamation contradicts U.S. assessments which suggest both countries are likely providing material and technological support to Iran. U.S. officials believe Russia may have provided targeting information for Iranian drone attacks on CIA facilities and has provided technology to improve the targeting accuracy of Iran’s Shahed drones.Likewise, a report published earlier this month by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission detailed China’s role in boosting Iran during the war. While China has “largely refrained” from direct weapons sales, the report concluded, “China has provided significant economic, technological, and diplomatic support that has helped Iran mitigate international sanctions, sustain oil exports, and acquire dual-use technologies necessary for Iran’s drones, ballistic missiles, and other weapons.”In April, Iran shot down a U.S. F-15 fighter, likely with a Chinese-made shoulder-launched missile.LeBron James Thinks He Can Turn The 76ers Into 'Championship Team'LeBron James’ decision to leave Los Angeles for Philadelphia at age 41 sent shockwaves through the NBA on Friday, as the league’s all-time leading scorer explained that he thinks he can turn the 76ers into “a championship team.”“I thought I was done when the season ended,” James said on social media. “I wasn’t ready to announce it, and I knew I needed some time to really decide, but I was pretty sure I played my last game. I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and decide if I still love this game. I still truly love this game, and I have more to give.”Read more here: See All Updates