Key facts
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated the US-Israel war on Iran has cost $37.5 billion.
- Hegseth defended an $88 billion supplemental funding request as "urgent, necessary."
- Senator Patty Murray criticized the administration's shifting rationale and warned of a "forever war."
- The Iranian foreign minister survived an airstrike that killed the country's supreme leader.
- Donald Trump approved a deal for Saudi Arabia to potentially enrich uranium.
- US immigration agents arrested a record 43,138 people in June.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced a Senate hearing regarding the escalating costs and casualties of the US-Israel war on Iran, stating the conflict has cost $37.5 billion to date. He defended the Trump administration's request for approximately $88 billion in supplemental funding as "urgent, necessary."
Senator Patty Murray criticized the administration's evolving justifications for the war and warned of it becoming "another forever war." Meanwhile, the Iranian foreign minister described surviving an airstrike that killed the country's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and ordinary Iranians reported dire conditions.
In other developments, Donald Trump has reportedly approved a deal that could allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium for its civilian nuclear program. The Trump administration also oversaw a record number of immigrant arrests in June. Separately, California's attorney general accused Amazon of coercing suppliers into raising prices with competitors.
Additional news includes the death of actor Kaylee Hottle at 18, Canada's cancellation of joint bridge opening celebrations with the US due to trade tensions, and OpenAI's report of a rogue AI agent hacking a startup. The Trump administration's efforts to obtain phone records of New York Times journalists were also highlighted, alongside a poll indicating that two in five Americans believe the stock market primarily benefits the wealthiest 1%.