Iran is rejecting comments by President Donald Trump that since as part of any peace talks, he鈥檒l demand the same. It was part of , who鈥檚 arguing that Iran is on the cusp of financially collapsing, even though the decades of financial sanctions it faces aren鈥檛 an immediate conflict-ending tool.
Prompted by an Iranian assassination threat, Trump secretly flew out of last month鈥檚 , on an alternate military aircraft while the White House made it appear he was with the press pool on Air Force One, .
Russia has released who spent more than four years in prison on disputed charges under abusive conditions and was said to be gravely ill and at risk of dying, a group advocating for him said Tuesday. Gilman was on his way to a U.S. military hospital in Texas, where he will be medically and psychologically assessed and treated.
The president鈥檚 media company has tried a half-dozen businesses to lift its stock, but nothing has worked. , telling investors Monday that Truth Social will focus on a move raising ethical questions.
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Trump announces release of American detained in Russia, says no prisoner swap took place
The U.S. president said Tuesday that Robert Gilman, a Marine veteran who was detained in 2022, is being released on a 鈥渉umanitarian basis鈥� after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
鈥淲e appreciate this decision, and the fact that Russia asked for no one in return 鈥� No exchange took place,鈥� Trump said in a social media post on Tuesday.
Gilman is scheduled to land at Andrews Air Force Base just outside of Washington, D.C. on Tuesday night, Trump said. He is being accompanied on the plane back to the U.S. by his mother, Nancy.
鈥淚 just spoke to him, and he had one request 鈥� A GREAT cheeseburger when he lands,鈥� Trump said in his post. 鈥淚 will take care of that!鈥�
Sen. Ed Markey: Gilman鈥檚 return was long overdue
鈥淚t is a tragedy that it took Robert鈥檚 near-death condition for his case to receive the attention that it required for his release to be negotiated,鈥� Markey said in the statement from Global Reach.
鈥淭hroughout his detention, Robert was subjected to physical torture, forced medication, and provocations by Russian authorities. There is no doubt that his treatment by Russian authorities is the reason Robert is in this precarious state today.鈥�
State Department: Other Americans should be released as well
The State Department said that Gilman had been determined recently to have been wrongfully detained, and was released on humanitarian grounds.
This 鈥渨as not part of an exchange, and no other concessions were provided,鈥� the department said. It called Gilman鈥檚 release 鈥渁 welcome step that we hope leads to the release of , such as wrongful detainee Stephen Hubbard.鈥�
Gilman鈥檚 sister: 鈥榃hy did they do this to such a wonderful person?鈥�
Gilman鈥檚 sister, Lexie Hudson, credited President Donald Trump and Sen. Ed Markey for the former Marine鈥檚 release.
鈥淭here is no other reason that Robert is alive today other than that President Trump heard about the case and took action,鈥� said Hudson, who thanked Markey in the statement from Global Reach 鈥渇or leading our advocacy efforts in Congress.鈥�
鈥淭he Russians treated my brother so badly,鈥� Hudson said. 鈥淭hey hurt him for no reason, other than that he was both an American and a Marine. What did they get out of this? Why did they do this to such a wonderful person?鈥�
Released American鈥檚 family flew to Texas to meet him, advocates say
Robert Gilman鈥檚 mother had been in Russia, attempting to see him there. Gilman had been in 鈥渁 dissociative stupor鈥� for 47 days due to the abuse he has suffered in prison, and was moved to a civilian hospital, where he was hooked up to a feeding tube and handcuffed to a bed, aid Eric 鈥孡ebson, chief strategy officer of Global Reach.
Now he鈥檒l be medically and psychologically assessed and treated at a U.S. military hospital, Lebson said.
The 32-year-old teacher was convicted of beating a police officer after being taken off a train for causing a disturbance, and his last year to 10 years after he was found guilty of assaulting prison guards.
Sen. Edward Markey had called on Russia and the U.S. to work together to release the Massachusetts resident, one of at least 8 Americans who remained in Russian custody after a series of high-profile .
Former US Marine held in Russia for over 4 years has been released after group warned he was gravely ill
A former U.S. Marine who has been held in Russia for more than four years on disputed charges has been released, his advocates said Tuesday, days after warning he was gravely ill and at risk of dying.
Robert Gilman, a 32-year-old teacher detained since 2022, was on his way to a U.S. military hospital in Texas, according to Eric 鈥孡ebson, chief strategy officer of Global Reach, a group that鈥檚 been working to free him and other American detainees abroad.
Russian attacks kill 10 in Ukraine as Zelenskyy says Moscow is getting more North Korean missiles
Russia attacked Ukrainian cities with missiles, drones and glide bombs Tuesday, killing at least 10 civilians, officials said, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow is getting more North Korean help to extend its
Zelenskyy said Russian forces used ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea in the overnight attack, and is preparing to deploy to Russia. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un already sent thousands of troops and to support Putin鈥檚 invasion.
Now Ukraine says Russia aims to exploit Kyiv鈥檚 of Patriot air defense interceptors, which worsened after U.S. diplomacy to end the war fizzled and Washington turned its attention to the .
鈥淓very step Russia takes 鈥� increasing ballistic missile production, bringing in North Korean equipment, preparing for mobilization 鈥� all of this shows that Moscow is preparing not for peace, but for escalation,鈥� Zelenskyy said on social media.
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Trump told Ukraine it had no cards. Then Kyiv took the war to Russia
When Trump told the Ukrainian president in the Oval Office last year that in the fight against Russia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy already had a bold plan to take the fight deep inside Russian territory.
While Trump was warmly welcoming President Vladimir Putin in Alaska and encouraging Ukraine to accept , Ukraine was smuggling drones for an attack that worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
And since then, Kyiv鈥檚 campaign of longer-range strikes has targeted , and , and impressing Trump. When Trump and Zelenskyy met at a NATO summit in July, the American president said the Ukrainian leader had .
An Associated Press analysis shows how Ukraine has shifted the narrative about the war in Washington, but it鈥檚 still not clear if it will be able to push Putin toward the negotiating table.
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Houthi rebels attack vessel in Bab el-Mandeb, killing four
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels fired missiles on a vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Tuesday and killed four people, Yemeni authorities said.
The transportation ministry of Yemen鈥檚 internationally recognized government said the dead included three Pakistani nationals and an Indonesian.
The ministry statement said the Houthis fired three ballistic missiles on the Yemeni commercial vessel, and then fired another missile that targeted rescue teams, wounding a Yemeni rescuer.
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down by Iran, there has been a renewed focus on the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait at Yemen鈥檚 southern tip, which is an alternate route for Saudi Arabia to ship its oil.
Congressional Democrats probe alleged coordination between ICE and Iran to deport detainees
Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Adam Schiff are requesting access to all potential communications between two private immigration detention centers and Iranian diplomats, according to two letters shared with The Associated Press.
, alleging that the Department of Homeland Security endangered them by sharing details of their application records with the Iranian government.
The applicants said they were forced to meet with Iranian Interests Section officials who had confidential information about their claims of persecution in Iran for converting to Christianity, for their sexuality or for participating in the Women, Life, Freedom protests against the Iranian government, according to court filings.
鈥淭hese allegations that ICE shared asylum application records with the Iranian government are FALSE,鈥� a DHS statement said.
In rejecting Trump鈥檚 Gaza plan, Netanyahu reprises a balancing act he has mastered
It鈥檚 possibly the most important job of any Israeli prime minister: maintain good relations with the United States while pushing back on demands seen as undermining Israel鈥檚 security.
No one has managed the balancing act longer than Prime Minister , Israel鈥檚 longest-serving leader.
But with at a stalemate, and U.S. President looking to advance , Netanyahu鈥檚 task is getting harder less than three months away from .
On Sunday, Netanyahu to advance the , saying Israel will not withdraw from any of the roughly 60% of the territory it controls until Hamas has been completely disarmed 鈥� something the militant group controlling the other 40% has long resisted.
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Houthis hit Red Sea port city, threatening regional shipping
Iranian-backed renewed attacks Tuesday on government-controlled areas in Yemen as the violence threatened to reignite civil war and raised fears over new threats to regional shipping lanes.
Yemen鈥檚 military said the rebels targeted the government-held port city of Mokha and the central province of Marib with missiles and drones but did not provide further details. The Houthis also hit Mokha with missiles and drones over the weekend and killed at least seven people, it said.
The escalation by the Houthis against government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia aims to threaten the kingdom鈥檚 alternative route for shipping its oil. The attacks could reignite Yemen鈥檚 civil war following a 2022 truce, and open a new front in the Middle East war.
Iran and Germany鈥檚 foreign ministers describe their call
Iran鈥檚 Abbas Araghchi said on his Telegram channel that in a call with Germany鈥檚 Johann Wadephul late Monday, he had 鈥渆mphasized that making the Strait of Hormuz secure requires an end to the United States鈥� aggressive actions and unlawful interventions, including the naval blockade and other violations of U.S. obligations.鈥�
Wadephul said on X that he had emphasized 鈥渢he Strait of Hormuz needs to be opened unconditionally ensuring free and safe navigation for all.鈥�
Iranian foreign minister underlines Tehran鈥檚 demands
Iran鈥檚 foreign minister says Tehran is insisting that the won鈥檛 be reopened until the U.S. meets its conditions, after said he wants compensation from Iran 鈥渇or all of the people that they have killed鈥� in the past.
Abbas Araghchi told reporters that Iran has 鈥渁stonished the whole world鈥� in the war against the United States and Israel, proving 鈥渢hat it is a tough and invincible power.鈥�
Iran effectively closed the strait by threatening shipping after Israel and the U.S. attacked the country on Feb. 28.
Oil prices jumped, gasoline over $4 after Trump鈥檚 latest Iran war comments
Oil prices are settling in a state of uncertainty about when the will reopen to global energy supplies, after jumping about 7.5% since at Iranian demands for compensation for war damage.
Motor club AAA says the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline ticked up overnight to $4.01.
Brent crude oil was trading at about $87.61 a barrel early Tuesday, and U.S. benchmark crude at $82.19. Shares of major U.S. oil companies 鈥� including Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips 鈥� were close to unchanged after jumping 4.5% on Monday.
Higher oil prices mean consumers pay more for all manner of products as companies pay more for fuel to produce and transport goods. Accordingly, the main event for Wall Street this week will be Wednesday鈥檚 update on U.S. inflation.
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Former Air Force Secretary says he鈥檒l sue Trump administration to restore his security clearance
Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall on Monday said he鈥檒l sue to force the Trump administration to restore his security clearance, which after claiming he had disclosed sensitive information about the Qatari-gifted jet now serving as Air Force One.
Kendall, a West Point graduate who served as President Joe Biden鈥檚 head of the Air Force, said on CNN Monday that he鈥檒l sue the administration, noting it has a history of retaliating against critics by stripping their clearances. 鈥淎s my mother taught me years ago, you stand up to bullies,鈥� said Kendall, who has denied disclosing classified information.
Mark Zaid, a prominent national security attorney who sued the administration after his own clearance was revoked by the Trump administration, confirmed in a post on X that Kendall had hired him. 鈥淢ore to come,鈥� Zaid wrote.
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As Trump Media scraps some businesses, it鈥檚 doubling down on Truth Social and the president
The president鈥檚 media company has tried its hand at a half-dozen new lines of business to lift its stock, but nothing has worked. Now it鈥檚 getting back to its roots.
In a conference call with investors Monday, the company behind Truth Social said it will be unwinding much of its expansion and doubling down on its original media business , a move that has raised big ethical questions among Democrats and government watchdogs.
Trump started Truth Social after he was kicked off Twitter and Facebook, but the two reinstated him more than three years ago, so the company has had to transform itself. Instead of a 鈥渇ree speech鈥� forum, it now acts more like a 鈥渉ear it here first鈥� site, a second White House press office where people get scoops from the president on everything from the Iran war to tariffs to the future of the U.S. central bank.
But shares of the parent company, Trump Media & Technology, kept falling so it decided to become than a media company and branched into unrelated industries like online betting, finance, investment funds, buying and storing bitcoin and nuclear energy.
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Trump used elaborate ruse to fly out of Turkey following summit because of Iran threat, report says
Catering trucks are parked at Air Force One on the tarmac as the motorcade carrying U.S. President Donald Trump arrives on the tarmac to depart following the NATO summit at Ankara International Airport in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Trump secretly flew out of last month鈥檚 , on an alternate military aircraft while the White House made it appear that the Republican president was flying on Air Force One, according to a report published by The Washington Post on Monday.
The Post said the operation was prompted by an Iranian assassination threat against Trump. The ruse was carried out as journalists and some White House staff members were led to believe they were on the same plane as the president as he began his journey back to Washington from the annual gathering of NATO country leaders.
The Post cited material reviewed by the newspaper, a U.S. official familiar with the operation and another person with knowledge of the president鈥檚 travel. The Associated Press has not independently confirmed the report.
The White House did not respond directly to questions about the Post report of the secret operation to whisk Trump out of the country on a third aircraft, or the reported elaborate ruse to make it appear he was on the baby blue Air Force One jet flying to Mildenhall.
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Trump pivots back to sanctions for Iran as other strategies to end his war fizzle
The Trump administration is hoping that months of bombing have pushed Iran鈥檚 economy to a breaking point that will to cave to demands to end its nuclear program and fully reopen the to oil and natural gas tankers.
The president on Monday said that since as part of any peace talks, he now intends to demand the same for the U.S. side. It鈥檚 part of a larger pivot this weekend by Trump to argue that Iran is now on the cusp of financially collapsing, even though it has already endured decades of financial sanctions, which are often a longer-term strategy rather than an immediate tool of warfare that can halt a conflict.
The shift comes as have dwindled and as stop-start talks seem again to have stalled. But Trump insists the pressure can lead to a breakthrough.
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