The Daily Brief — July 24, 2026
States that voted for Harris lost grants, new Trump tariffs, DOJ drops NYT subpoenas
These are today’s top stories, delivered straight to your inbox. Catch up here on all the news.
Grants Canceled Over Politics
The Trump administration has admitted in court filings that it canceled hundreds of federal clean energy grants based solely on political considerations, according to The New York Times.
Last fall, the Energy Department proposed canceling more than 600 Biden-era clean energy grants in both Republican- and Democratic-led states. But Russell Vought, the director of White House Office of Management and Budget, canceled only 284 of them, worth $7.5 billion, describing the cuts as ending funding for the “Left’s climate agenda.” The grants funded projects including electrical grid upgrades, methane leak reduction, and hydrogen energy hubs.
A July filing states that, with one exception, the 284 canceled grants were located in states that voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election and are represented by two Democratic-caucusing senators. Government lawyers also acknowledged that the grants were not selected for cancellation based on program performance, cost savings, or legal requirements.
The court filing came in Thakur v. Trump, a federal lawsuit brought by University of California researchers challenging the administration’s cancellation of Biden-era research and energy grants. They contend the funding cuts were politically motivated and unlawful.
The administration left intact hundreds of other grants in Republican-led states that voted for Trump in the last election, even though the Energy Department had previously recommended canceling many of them.
New Global Tariffs
The Trump administration has imposed new tariffs on imports from 60 of America’s trading partners, including the European Union, arguing that they have not done enough to block goods made with forced labor from their markets.
The administration is using Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, a law that lets the president impose tariffs in response to unfair foreign trade practices. Officials say countries that don’t block imports made with forced labor give their exporters an unfair edge over American companies that follow stricter rules.
The tariffs, set at 10% or 12.5% depending on the country, replace a temporary 10% global tariff that expires today. They apply to nearly all imports, with exemptions for those already taxed under separate national security tariffs, including oil and gas, fertilizer, some food products, autos, steel, aluminum, and copper.
DOJ Drops NYT Subpoenas
The Justice Department withdrew its subpoenas for New York Times reporters’ phone records and grand jury testimony yesterday. The subpoenas, issued this month, sought testimony and phone records connected to Times reporting that Trump switched to an older Air Force One before leaving a NATO summit in Turkey after the Secret Service raised security concerns about a newer Qatari-donated plane. The requests were part of the Trump administration’s investigation into who leaked the information to the Times. The Times had argued that the subpoenas were an attempt to intimidate journalists and pressure them into revealing confidential sources.
The withdrawal came during a Manhattan court hearing yesterday at which a federal judge pressed government lawyers on why they’d sought the subpoenas before pursuing other investigative leads. The judge said the case raised “profound First Amendment issues” and told the government he would quash the subpoenas if it didn’t withdraw them.
After yesterday’s hearing, the Justice Department said that its investigation into the leaks is continuing and that it will keep pursuing anyone accused of illegally disclosing classified information.
Police Placed on Leave
All four police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a man in Madison, WI, earlier this week have been placed on administrative leave while an investigation continues.
A police officer fatally shot Corey Durell Ruiz, 38, after police said Ruiz injured an officer with a knife during a struggle. A bystander’s video shows officers struggling with the man, who is then pulled to his feet as an officer yells that the man has a knife and calls for a taser. As the man begins to fall to the ground with his legs pinned by an officer’s foot, another officer appears to draw a gun. Three shots are heard. It is not clear what happened before the video recording began.
Police say they were responding to a report of someone checking parked vehicles and that Ruiz fled on a bike before officers caught up with him blocks away. None of the four officers were wearing body cameras, as the Madison Police Department does not require them.
According to Wisconsin court records, Ruiz was identified as Black or Latino. He was homeless and had been in and out of jail over the past decade for a variety of misdemeanor and felony offenses.
Newsbreak
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Cyclospora Outbreak Expands
The multistate cyclospora outbreak linked to tainted lettuce at Taco Bell restaurants has expanded to nine states today after the CDC added Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania. Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia were already part of the outbreak. The CDC has said shredded lettuce sold in grocery stores or served at other restaurants is not contaminated.
Cyclosporiasis is caused by a microscopic parasite that spreads through food or water tainted with feces; it doesn’t spread person to person. It typically causes watery diarrhea that can last for weeks, along with loss of appetite, bloating, and fatigue.
The CDC has confirmed 1,947 cases specifically tied to the current outbreak. That’s part of a much larger national total: the CDC has confirmed 4,173 cyclosporiasis cases overall since May 1, already surpassing the 3,955 cases reported for all of 2025.
Federal investigators traced the shredded iceberg lettuce served at the affected Taco Bell locations to a single supplier in Mexico, Taylor Farms de Mexico, which voluntarily recalled the product from the US market.
House, Senate Split on Iran Vote
The House and Senate split yesterday on separate resolutions that would have directed President Trump to end US hostilities against Iran. The House passed its resolution 214–208, with four Republicans joining all Democrats. The Senate rejected its version 47–49, with one Republican crossing over to join Democrats and one Democrat voting against it. Four Republican senators did not vote.
The resolutions are largely symbolic because Trump, who has criticized similar measures in the past, is expected to veto any legislation that reaches his desk.
Both chambers passed similar war powers resolutions last month.
Iran Rejects Trump’s Ceasefire Offer
Iran has rejected a new ceasefire proposal from President Trump that reportedly was relayed to Tehran by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. Trump, however, has publicly said he is not interested in a peace deal for now and that Iran wants to negotiate but is not yet ready.
After The New York Times ran a story on Iraq’s unsuccessful mediation effort, the Iraqi government denied the report without providing further details. Iraq’s reported involvement followed earlier mediation attempts by Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar. Those efforts produced a 60-day peace framework in June, but it has effectively collapsed.
Thursday marked the 13th consecutive night of US strikes on Iranian targets, which CENTCOM said hit “military command centers, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance sites, and maritime capabilities.” Iran, meanwhile, launched missiles at US military sites in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan.
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