Monday Afternoon News Updates: Iran and the Houthis Just Boxed In Saudi Oil, Paramount Merger Paused, + More — 7/20/26

Your midday updates are here.

Hi all, Ben here. It’s Monday, July 20th, and there is a lot to get through today.

And thanks again to all of you who’ve already preordered our new book, WTF America?!: The Way Out of This Hell and Back to Democracy and making it the bestseller in its category! If you’ve preordered, be sure to let me know in the comments!

Here’s what we’re tracking:

• Threatening billboards and street banners popping up across Tehran, directly taunting Trump

• Trump grounding his own Qatari jet for a month over fears it isn’t safe from Iran

• New Truth Social rants on grocery prices and climate science

• FIFA editing Trump out of World Cup celebration photos

• The Trump family living it up in a stadium suite while soldiers die overseas

• Two more American service members identified after being killed in Jordan

• Iran’s parliament speaker mocking the US

• A cut-rate Patriot missile interceptor that’s still three years away

• New fighter jets and tankers flooding into the Middle East

• Escalation at sea: tankers hit, drones launched, a full Houthi blockade of Saudi Arabia

• Oil and gas prices climbing fast

• A reported 10-day pause proposal that is likely more spin

• Pentagon transparency questions and the true scope of US casualties

• Direct hits now landing in Kuwait, Bahrain, and beyond

• A new UK Prime Minister, a paused Paramount-Warner Bros merger, and a shady lettuce recall tied to Trump’s super PAC

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Let’s get into it.