Headlines for July 13, 2026 | Democracy Now!
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HeadlinesJuly 13, 2026
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U.S. Continues to Attack Iran as IRGC Retaliates by Striking U.S. Bases Across the Middle East
Jul 13, 2026
Image Credit: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard
The United States is continuing to bombard Iran amid an intensifying standoff over the Strait of Hormuz. On Sunday, U.S. Central Command said the U.S. had struck 140 targets in Iran. In retaliation, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted U.S. military facilities in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Jordan. The escalating attacks come after Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and President Trump declared the ceasefire was over
On Sunday, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “deeply concerned by the serious escalation.” He urged Iran and the United States to “urgently resume negotiations and to address outstanding issues through diplomacy.” We will have more on Iran after headlines.
Topics:
- Iran
- Pentagon
- Jordan
- Qatar
- Oman
- Bahrain
- United Nations
Armed Israeli Settlers in the Occupied West Bank Detain Congressman Ro Khanna
Jul 13, 2026
In the occupied West Bank, armed Israeli settlers have carried out a number of attacks in recent days targeting local Palestinians, as well as foreign journalists and even a U.S. congressmember. On Wednesday, armed settlers carrying U.S.-made M4 rifles surrounded a van carrying Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, who was visiting a Palestinian village that had been destroyed by settlers. Khanna said his delegation was blocked for about 90 minutes
Rep. Ro Khanna: “I am certainly, probably, the first American politician who’s been detained by the IDF and Israeli settlers. I mean, we were at a village that Israeli settlers had destroyed. They had destroyed the school. They had destroyed that village. And we were just looking at it, and these hoodlums come in with machine guns, an M4, an American-made machine gun, and they detain us. They block off the road. And then they call the IDF, and the IDF is on their side, not on the side of the Americans.”
In a separate incident, on Saturday, Israeli settlers armed with clubs, rocks and a knife attacked a group of journalists including CNN’s Jeremy Diamond. One of the journalists posted video of the attack on Instagram
Adele Shoko: “He’s going at our car.”
Jasper Nathaniel: “Go. Drive. Drive.”
Adele Shoko: “No! No! No!”
Jasper Nathaniel: “Drive. Move! Move!”
Gabriele Micalizzi: “Move.”
Jasper Nathaniel: “Get the [bleep] out of the way! Move! Move! Move!”
Gabriele Micalizzi: “Move. Move.”
Andrey X: “Drive. Drive. Drive. Drive. Drive.”
Jasper Nathaniel: “Move!”
Andrey X: “Go. Go. Go.”
Jasper Nathaniel: “Watch out! Watch out!”
Israel reportedly arrested four individuals in the attack on the journalists. The incident occurred at the same location where a mob of settlers beat U.S. citizen, 20-year-old Saif Musallet to death exactly one year earlier. To date, no one has been arrested for the death of Musallet.
Topics:
- West Bank
- Israel & Palestine
- Congress
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina Dies at 71
Jul 13, 2026
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has died at the age of 71 after what his office called a “brief and sudden illness.” For decades, Graham had been one of the most vocal supporters of war in Washington. Graham died just after returning from a visit to Ukraine, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. During the trip, Graham pushed for increased U.S. military support for Ukraine
Sen. Lindsey Graham: “We have a magic moment in time here. In the coming months, if we do this right, increase Ukraine’s lethality, get people to help us with Putin, rather than propping him up, we can end this war.”
Lindsey Graham was a leading backer of the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran, as well as a vocal supporter of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. He also pushed for a permanent occupation of Afghanistan and once called for a preemptive attack on North Korea. After Israel was accused of committing genocide in Gaza, Graham told the head of the International Criminal Court, “this court is for Africa and thugs like Putin. It is not for democracies like Israel and the United States.”
Graham became a close ally of President Trump, but during his unsuccessful, failed presidential run in 2016, Graham had this to say about Trump
Sen. Lindsey Graham: “He’s a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot. He doesn’t represent my party. He doesn’t represent the values that the men and women who wear the uniform are fighting for. … And you know how you make America great again? Tell Donald Trump to go to hell.”
South Carolina’s Republican governor will now pick a replacement to serve out the rest of Senator Graham’s term, which ends in January. Republicans will hold a special primary in August to pick a candidate to run in November.
Topics:
- Republican Party
- Congress
- Ukraine
GOP Senator McConnell Reveals He Was Hospitalized After He Fell
Jul 13, 2026
In other news from the Senate, Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell has finally revealed details about why he has been hospitalized for the past month. In a statement, the 84-year-old McConnell said that he fell on June 14 and became “briefly unconscious.” He later developed what he described as a mild case of pneumonia. McConnell also released a photograph from his hospital bed with his wife Elaine Chao. McConnell is planning to retire at the end of his current term in January. With McConnell’s absence and the death of Lindsey Graham, the Republicans have just 51 votes in the Senate for now.
Topics:
- Kentucky
- Senate
- Republican Party
NYT: U.S. Secretary of State Rubio Serving as De Facto Viceroy of Venezuela
Jul 13, 2026
The New York Times has revealed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has become the de facto viceroy of Venezuela, effectively controlling Venezuela’s finances, the distribution of its natural resources and its government. Rubio’s informal role began after U.S. forces attacked Venezuela in January and abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.
Maduro’s former vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, has since served as Venezuela’s acting president, but the Times reports Rubio has essentially been running the country from afar, even controlling Rodríguez’s public appearances and statements, as well as her governmental appointments. The Times likened Rubio’s role to that of Paul Bremer, who was installed by George W. Bush to run Iraq after the 2003 U.S. invasion.
Topics:
- Venezuela
- Iraq War
Wildfires Rage in Greece, Spain and France During Europe’s Record Heat Wave
Jul 13, 2026
In Europe, a group of scientists warned that extreme heat led to 10,000 excess deaths in the last month. Germany recorded nearly 100 deaths by drowning. Over the weekend, wildfires raged in Spain, killing at least 12 people, in one of the deadliest wildfires in the country’s history. In Greece, authorities have urged residents in the country’s second-largest city, Thessaloniki, to stay indoors and secure their windows and doors because of toxic smoke caused by a recycling plant engulfed by a wildfire. Meanwhile, in France, hundreds of firefighters are battling a wildfire south of Paris.
Topics:
- Greece
- Spain
- France
- Wildfires
- Climate Crisis
Federal Judge Approves DOJ Request to Dismiss Charges Against Five Members of the Proud Boys
Jul 13, 2026
A Trump-appointed federal judge has approved a request by the Justice Department to dismiss seditious conspiracy charges against five members of the far-right group the Proud Boys in connection with the January 6 insurrection. In his order, Judge Timothy Kelly said he did not agree with President Trump granting clemency to the rioters, but that he had no choice but to comply. After taking office, President Trump pardoned all of the nearly 1,600 rioters for taking part in the attack on the Capitol, which injured more than 100 police officers.
Topics:
- Department of Justice
- U.S. Capitol Insurrection
Protests Continue in Houston After ICE Fatally Shot Mexican Father Lorenzo Salgado Araujo
Jul 13, 2026
Protests are continuing in Houston, Texas, after an ICE agent fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican father who had lived in the United States for decades. He was shot after being stopped while driving to a construction site with three other men who were detained. Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz is expected to meet with the FBI on Tuesday in an attempt to access evidence gathered by federal investigators. On Friday, the family of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and lawmakers gathered to call for an independent investigation after eyewitnesses disputed claims made by ICE agents. Hugo Baldera-Ibarra is a lawyer for the family.
Hugo Baldera-Ibarra: “After speaking with these men, I have no doubt that what they’re saying is the truth. I know that these agents — the agency is going to try to cover it up. This is not the first time that it happens. This has become a pattern, where ICE agents claim that they use their vehicle as a deadly weapon, that they tried to run over the agents and the agents shot in self-defense. But all three of my clients reiterated that at no point was there ever an agent standing in front of the vehicle, nor was an agent ever placed in the line of danger. That is simply false, and I believe my clients are telling the truth.”
Topics:
- Mexico
- Immigrant Rights
- Immigration
- Department of Homeland Security
Justice Department Probes Yale’s Admissions Practices
Jul 13, 2026
Image Credit: yale.edu
The Justice Department is investigating Yale’s admissions practices for its medical school, law school and undergraduate college. Now Yale Law School’s dean, Cristina Rodríguez, and several other law school faculty members are urging Yale’s leadership not to settle with the Trump administration, saying that it would be damaging to the rule of law and would compromise the university’s reputation. According to the Yale Daily News, the university’s first settlement offer was rejected by the Trump administration; Yale has since offered a second proposal. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said, “As I’ve told top Yale officials, Trump’s word means nothing. An agreement with these corrupt bullies is only an invitation to more lawbreaking abuse.”
Topics:
- Department of Justice
- Education
Federal Judge Rejects DOJ Subpoena Seeking Names of Election Workers in Fulton County from the 2020 Election
Jul 13, 2026
In election news, a federal judge in Atlanta has rejected the Justice Department’s subpoena seeking the names of election workers in Fulton County, Georgia, from the 2020 election. Judge William Ray wrote in his order, “Such a large disclosure of information threatens to chill participation in future elections, which will surely impact Fulton County.” President Trump continues to repeat the false claim that he won the state of Georgia in the 2020 election, accusing Fulton County officials of so-called ballot fraud. It comes as President Trump is pushing Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and identification at the polls. Meanwhile, in Texas, the state’s Attorney General Ken Paxton has reportedly listed an address where he did not reside, while voting in several elections during the last two years. This comes as Paxton has warned voters about misrepresenting their residence on election records.
Topics:
- Georgia
- 2020 Election
President of PEN America Resigns After Article on Boycotts of Israeli and Jewish Writers
Jul 13, 2026
Image Credit: Bard
The president of PEN America, the novelist Dinaw Mengestu, has resigned from his position in part because of an article published by the organization about Israeli and Jewish writers denouncing cultural boycotts. Mengestu said in an interview with The New York Times that he didn’t agree with the publication of the article because it could cast the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement as discrimination instead of protected political speech. Mengestu said, “We have the responsibility to be conscious and aware of how our work can impact and influence those debates, and especially if that means producing work that might actually restrict or limit or suppress what is constitutionally protected speech.” In an email to the Times, PEN America said, ”PEN America has long opposed cultural and academic boycotts, but we have always drawn a clear line between disagreeing with a tactic and defending the right to use it.”
Topics:
- Freedom of Expression
- Israel
- Palestine
Civil Rights Leaders Call for Independent Probe of Black Teen’s Death in Mississippi
Jul 13, 2026
Civil rights leaders are backing an independent investigation into the mysterious death of Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old Black college athlete whose body was found last week on a barrier island in Mississippi. Wells had taken a boat to the island with a group of white friends to celebrate the July Fourth holiday. The friends say Wells chose to stay on the island when they returned home. Authorities say Wells may have accidentally drowned, but his family has questioned the official story in part because Wells’s cellphone was found not with his body, but in the possession of one of his friends who returned home. Wells’s mother spoke at a press conference on Friday.
Christine Wonsley: “Nolan was — is the kindest soul. He never met a stranger. He loved everybody. He didn’t care if you were Black, white, purple, green, looked like a marshmallow. Like, he just wanted everyone to be in peace with one another. He just — he loved life, and God gave him this big heart, which always scared us. Me and his dad had conversations with him all the time, not just about the importance of understanding our history as Black people, but also the importance of how you have to move in certain spaces.”
The family of Nolan Wells is being represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who also spoke at Friday’s press conference
Benjamin Crump: “It is because the family has distrust of the Mississippi law enforcement officials giving them a fair investigation where their Black son ended up dead after going out on a boat with three young white men. The history of Mississippi is something that they don’t just read about in books, but it’s a lived experience for many Black Americans.”
Topics:
- Mississippi
- Civil Rights
- Black Lives Matter
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