High court clears way for clinical trial giving puberty blockers to children

• In July 2026, press freedom faced escalating legal pressure as new laws, security regulations, and court rulings reshaped the landscape of journalism. • Reporters continued to operate in high-risk environments, specifically facing extreme dangers while covering conflicts in Gaza, Israel, and Iran.

• Hamas official Ghazi Hamad stated that the group is willing to hand over its weapons to a new Gaza administration established by Trump’s Board of Peace. • The transition is contingent upon the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.

• A new front of conflict is reopening in Yemen, driven by the broader regional war between the United States and Iran. • While neither Saudi Arabia nor the Houthi rebels currently desire prolonged hostilities, both risk being trapped in an escalatory spiral.

• Dr. Binoy Kampmark reports on tensions surrounding the Australian Labor Party (ALP) conference on July 30, 2026, specifically regarding debates over Palestine. • The Israeli embassy in Canberra issued warnings to the ALP, suggesting that the party's internal discussions and positions were moving "too far."

• The United Nations has formally launched the global selection process to find a successor for the outgoing Secretary-General, António Guterres. • The search occurs against a backdrop of escalating geopolitical flashpoints and compounding global crises that are currently straining multilateral diplomacy.

California governor and wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, release 2022-2024 filings amid Trump investigationGavin Newsom and his wife made from $1.7m to $2m annually from 2022 through 2024, and paid about half a million a year in federal and state taxes, according to tax returns released by his office.The California Democratic governor’s office released more than 700 pages of tax filings spanning four years for reporters to review, offering a window into Newsom’s finances as he prepares to leave office and considers a 2028 presidential bid. Newsom’s office did not release returns for 2025, because the couple filed for an extension and will complete those returns in October. Continue reading...

US president tells reporters during Camp David cabinet meeting technology ‘a hard thing to give away’Donald Trump has backed off a promise to let Ukraine manufacture its own Patriot air defense interceptors, telling reporters that handing over the underlying technology was “a hard thing to give away” during a cabinet meeting at Camp David.The retreat, billed by the White House as “something different” for the cabinet to experience together, was the first such meeting at the presidential compound of Trump’s second term. Continue reading...

Data by one test-maker shows a positivity drop, but rate could be influenced by number of people taking testSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailThe maker of a popular laboratory test said the cyclosporiasis outbreak in the US may be slowing. An outbreak of infections from the single-celled parasite has grown to more than 18,000 suspected and confirmed cases in late July, the nation’s largest on record.The midwest has been hit particularly hard in the outbreak, where public health officials have linked infections in nine states to iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms’ Mexico operations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said people in at least nine states appear to have connected cases. Continue reading...

Federal government plan outlines cuts to California, Arizona and Nevada but fix is likely to be only temporaryThe US government released its anxiously awaited plan for how to manage the Colorado river crisis on Friday, outlining cuts in water supplied to California, Arizona and Nevada.The proposal from the US Bureau of Reclamation spares Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming from facing mandatory cuts, for now. But it is a temporary fix as the states that rely on the river continue to fight over a long-term management plan for the dwindling resource that supplies huge swaths of the western US. Continue reading...

Adam O’Neal did not give reason for his departure at end of August, in another major shakeup at US publicationThe Washington Post had realized a state of relative calm in the five months since the paper was turned upside down in February, when nearly half the newsroom was laid off and its unpopular publisher, Will Lewis, abruptly resigned.But on Friday, staffers were shocked to find out that Adam O’Neal, a millennial hired last year to lead its opinion section, was already leaving. Continue reading...

Injectable PrEP drug holds promise but investment in HIV prevention has declined dramatically worldwideSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email New innovations in HIV prevention could dramatically reduce the number of new HIV cases around the globe, but US foreign aid cuts will mean that those that most need the new medication will be unable to access it, according to experts at the Aids 2026 Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.One year ago, the World Health Organization recommended that governments around the world prioritize expanded access to lenacapavir, an injectable version of the HIV prevention medication PrEP that requires only two injections annually. PrEP, which also comes in the form of daily oral medications and bimonthly injections, is 99% effective in preventing sexually transmitted HIV for people who take it consistently. Continue reading...