Political Guyentist

Iran fires multiple ballistic missiles at U.S. base in Jordan; all are intercepted

The first publicly disclosed attack on U.S. troops since President Trump halted strikes last week ended the brief lull in direct fighting.

U.S. Central Command said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps began an attempted surprise attack at 5:45 p.m. ET Tuesday, targeting American forces stationed in the Middle East. Central Command said all the missiles were intercepted; the story provides no independent confirmation.

ContextThe Jordan launch was part of a broader exchange: CENTCOM said U.S. and Saudi aircraft struck Iran-aligned logistics and weapons sites in eastern Iraq after more than 30 IRGC-directed drone attacks over the previous 72 hours; Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces said at least 20 members were killed and 32 wounded. The renewed fighting followed 13 consecutive nights of U.S. bombing intended to reduce Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

AXIOS4 sources

2uscontested

Senate confirms Jay Clayton as intelligence chief in 51-47 party-line vote

Clayton takes office as Congress weighs whether to restore government surveillance powers that expired last month.

Clayton will replace acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte after staff cuts at the agency. He lost Democratic support after refusing to state clearly that Joe Biden won the 2020 election.

ContextThe expired authority is Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which lets the government target foreigners abroad without individual warrants. It lapsed June 12; as director of national intelligence, Clayton will coordinate 18 agencies and oversee production of the president’s daily intelligence brief.

THE HILL12 sources

3worldThe Iran war7d · #1

Senate advances sweeping Russia-Iran sanctions bill 86-12

A final Senate vote comes next; the House is out until Aug. 31, delaying any trip to President Trump’s desk.

The long-stalled bill, championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, would impose tougher sanctions on Russia and foreign buyers of Russian oil and gas while extending existing sanctions on Iran. The vote followed senators’ memorial for Graham and a closed-door meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

ContextThe bill would let the president impose targeted tariffs on imports from the five largest buyers of Russian oil and gas and the five leading countries helping Russia evade energy sanctions. The dispute is how much discretion that gives the president: Sen. Peter Welch said the bill does not precisely define who qualifies as a facilitator; a separate provision would extend sanctions authority covering Iran’s financial and weapons sectors through 2031. ![Senate advances sweeping Russia-Iran sanctions bill 86-12 chart](/charts/2026-07-28-senate-advances-sweeping-russia-iran-sanctions-bill-86-12.svg "Source: Senate Advances Graham’s Russia Sanctions Bill")

ABC NEWS5 sources

4not newsusTariffs and trade4d · #3

Trump’s tariffs will cost the average US household $900 in 2026

The current tariff package is projected to shrink long-run GDP by 0.4% and reduce hours worked by the equivalent of 367,000 full-time jobs before foreign retaliation.

The Tax Foundation estimates the tariffs will raise $121.4 billion in federal revenue in 2026, making them the 19th-largest US tax increase since 1940. Its model projects $1.612 trillion in conventional revenue from 2026 through 2035, falling to $1.186 trillion after accounting for the tariffs’ economic effects.

ContextTax Foundation economist Alex Durante said the $900 estimate covers all tariffs announced and imposed for 2026. He estimated that the Section 301 tariffs apply to roughly $960 billion of imports, produce an effective tariff rate of about 7% after behavioral changes and raise $630 billion over the next decade.

TAX FOUNDATION1 source

5not newsus

Medicare Part D got cheaper and more generous — but the subsidy is ending

Standalone drug-plan premiums averaged $36 in 2026 while covered-drug spending was capped at $2,100; the temporary premium-stabilization program expires before 2027.

Average premiums for standalone Part D plans fell 7%, from $39 to $36, in 2026 even as the redesigned benefit capped covered-drug out-of-pocket spending at $2,100. The administration is ending the stabilization program that helped hold premiums down, so some seniors are likely to pay more in 2027; final plan premiums will not be available until September.

ContextThe expiring demonstration did more than provide a flat subsidy: it cut the base beneficiary premium by $15 in 2025 and $10 in 2026, while limiting annual increases in a participating plan’s total premium to $35 and $50, respectively. Its expiration does not end the Inflation Reduction Act’s separate 6% cap on annual increases in the national base beneficiary premium; that benchmark rises from $38.99 in 2026 to $41.33 in 2027. Lower average premiums also do not mean every enrollee’s costs fell. In 2026, more Part D enrollees faced deductibles, and insurers increased their use of percentage-based coinsurance for some drug tiers.

KFF6 sources

6not newsusThe Iran war7d · #1

The SPR is at a 43-year low — but the viral chart starts after the fill-up

Stocks fell about 25% from March to July during the Iran-war release; the reserve last held this little oil while it was still being built in 1983.

Trump authorized a 172-million-barrel Strategic Petroleum Reserve exchange as the U.S. share of a coordinated 400-million-barrel release after Iran-related supply disruption. EIA data show U.S. stocks falling from roughly 415 million barrels in March to 311.4 million on July 17.

ContextThe “lowest in more than 40 years” claim is accurate, but the widely shared chart begins in 1990 and hides the reserve’s construction. EIA’s full series starts in 1977; stocks last crossed the current level while rising in March 1983. The Energy Department says the 2026 exchange requires companies to return the borrowed oil plus additional barrels and projects roughly 200 million replacement barrels within a year. That is a plan, not a completed refill.

U.S. EIA5 sources