Wednesday News Updates: NATO Meltdown, Iran 'Ceasefire' OFF, + More – 7/8/26
Trump stumbles through Ankara while the Middle East lurches toward all-out war
Hi all, Ben here. It’s Wednesday, and I’ve got a lot to catch you up on, so let’s jump right in.
Here’s what we’re tracking:
Trump’s disastrous press conferences at the NATO summit in Ankara, where he confused Iran for Japan, called Zelenskyy “President Putin,” and threatened to level Iran’s infrastructure
Breaking overnight strikes: the US hitting targets across southern Iran, and Iran retaliating against American bases in the region
The MOU and Islamabad Agreement officially declared dead by both sides
Oil prices spiking as the Strait of Hormuz becomes a flashpoint again
Trump torching Spain and threatening to blow up Greenland’s sovereignty, again
The Kennedy Center ruling against Trump
Trump’s legal team trying to delay paying E. Jean Carroll her $5.7 million judgment again after SCOTUS ruling
New developments in the Maine Senate race as Democrats try to replace Graham Platner
Growing speculation Mitch McConnell’s health and a suspiciously scripted round of Senate phone calls
And yes, the water at one of Trump’s Freedom 250 beautification projects has turned brown
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Alright, let’s get into it.
An NATO Summit That Should Terrify You
I want to start with what happened in Ankara today, because I don’t think people fully appreciate how unhinged this was.
Trump stood there and casually threatened war crimes against Iran, saying the United States could knock down every bridge in Iran, take out their electric grid, and destroy their desalinization plants, the facilities that give millions of people access to drinking water. And then, because apparently that wasn’t enough, he referred to the Iranian people as a cancer that needs to be eradicated in its early stages.
That is genocidal rhetoric, and it was said by the President of the United States at a NATO summit.
But here’s the thing. That’s not even the strangest part of what happened today. Because right as the world’s attention was fixed on Ankara, something else was happening thousands of miles away that changes the entire equation.
