The magnificent ten: A coalition of the willing to drive the EU’s next enlargement – European Council on Foreign Relations

• Justice Elena Kagan stated on Thursday that the U.S. Supreme Court is not a "rubber stamp" for President Donald Trump, despite the court's deep conservative majority. • The comments come amid a period where public trust in the Supreme Court has reached historic lows and critics have accused justices of being driven by political motivations.

• European centrist-liberal parties are shifting toward a "politics of security," increasingly supporting a more muscular state approach they previously opposed. • This strategic pivot includes backing higher defense budgets and implementing tighter controls over social media to protect European freedoms.

• NGOs, including Transparency International EU and the Corporate Europe Observatory, are challenging the European Commission's selection of Guidehouse to design the rules for its hydrogen bank subsidy scheme. • The controversy centers on whether Guidehouse maintains inappropriately close ties to the fossil fuel industry, potentially compromising the bidding and evaluation processes for qualifying projects.

• Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan asserted that the Court does not act as a "rubber stamp" for former President Donald Trump's legal and policy initiatives. • To support her claim, Kagan highlighted specific judicial rulings that rejected Trump's implementation of sweeping tariffs and his attempts to eliminate birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants.

• During a Senate subcommittee hearing on July 14, Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Justice Elena Kagan addressed concerns regarding the judiciary's ethical standards. • Senatorial questioning focused on whether the Supreme Court has implemented policies to manage the "meteoric rise" of prediction markets and the resulting ethical predicaments.

• The US launched airstrikes against Iranian military targets, marking the 13th consecutive night of operations following the collapse of a ceasefire deal. • President Donald Trump indicated he is not yet prepared to negotiate a new ceasefire, despite intensifying fighting between the two nations.

• House Republicans adopted a $95 billion budget proposal designed to fund the war in Iran and other White House priorities. • Speaker Mike Johnson pushed the package through on Wednesday, overcoming objections from Democrats and several members of his own party.

• The House of Representatives passed a series of bills focused on GOP priorities, including election security and the conflict in Iran, just before the summer recess. • In a separate legal development, a judge issued a temporary halt to an unspecified acquisition process following an antitrust lawsuit filed by 12 states.

• Activist Sonam Wangchuk has signaled a potential end to the protests against the NEET-UG paper leak at Jantar Mantar by softening his stance. • Wangchuk has dropped his key demand for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, providing the Modi government with a strategic "off-ramp."

• Activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day indefinite hunger strike on Friday after receiving formal assurances from the Indian government. • The strike was launched to support students protesting against alleged irregularities in examinations, demanding fair processes and accountability.

• U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the Trump administration is prepared to assist in ending the war in Ukraine, though he admitted no quick path to a deal currently exists. • Rubio emphasized that "new ideas" are necessary to break the deadlock and reach a sustainable resolution between the warring parties.