“President Mohammed Shahabuddin of Bangladesh resigned on Friday as Bangladeshis anticipated the return and surrender of the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, his onetime ally who fled to India before being convicted of crimes against humanity last year. Mr. Shahabuddin, 76, who was halfway into his term in the largely ceremonial post of president, cited illness as the reason for his resignation. Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, the speaker of the country’s Parliament, announced at a news conference that he had assumed the role of interim president, in accordance with the country’s Constitution, which also states that an election to choose an official successor must be held within 90 days.” (07/24/26)
It’s a “Firehose Friday” at the freedom movement’s daily newspaper, with all our content — more than 100 news stories, opinion pieces, and audio/video links! — available only here at the web edition.
Why? Three reasons:
First, Steve Trinward is still traveling, I’m still covering, and a web-only edition saves me about half an hour of messing around versus putting out an email edition. I’m not doing that EVERY day (we do have extra content on the web every day!), but …
Second, I can make good use of that saved half hour this particular morning, as both my wife and I have medical appointments to get ready for and out to.
Third, it’s always a good time to remind you that we’re a reader-supported publication and point you to the “send us money” link:
“The Trump administration imposed tariffs of up to 12.5% Friday on [American buyers of] goods from 60 U.S. trading partners it accused of failing to crack down on forced labor. The move, announced Thursday, extended the administration’s tariffs on much of the world. … The new tariffs went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, when a separate set of 10% levies on [American buyers of] most imports expired.” (07/24/26)
“The House on Thursday approved a Democratic-led proposal to end the Iran war, directing President Donald Trump to remove armed forces from hostilities. The resolution is nonbinding, however. The House voted 214-208, with four Republicans joining all Democrats to cast decisive votes for the measure: Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. Later in the day, the Senate voted 47-49 to reject a ‘joint resolution’ to end the Iran war that would have the force of law, unlike the House version, but would be subject to a presidential veto.” [editor’s note: Concurrent war powers resolutions are binding and not subject to veto — and the war was, and remains, illegal anyway in the absence of Congress declaring war. Impeachment and removal of a rogue president are the BARE MINIMUM appropriate response from Congress – TLK] (07/23/26)
“Ousted Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on Thursday he would accept no other government position besides his former job, escalating a political crisis that has gripped Ukraine at a pivotal point in the war with Russia. Fedorov’s surprise dismissal this month had sparked rare wartime protests prompting President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to replace his unpopular top general with a respected younger commander. Zelenskiy said on Thursday he had offered Fedorov several other roles, including vice prime minister for defence innovation, but has not indicated he would reappoint him to the defence ministry. Fedorov’s refusal piles pressure on Zelenskiy, whom protesters gave a deadline of Friday to return the 35-year-old credited with cleaning up the defence ministry to his post.” (07/23/26)
“The Justice Department on Thursday said it would withdraw subpoenas issued to several New York Times reporters earlier this month over their reporting on security concerns regarding the new Air Force One jet gifted by Qatar. The development came during a hearing in a Manhattan courtroom in which Judge Arun Subramanian was weighing whether to grant the outlet’s motion to quash, according to multiple reports. … Four Times journalists — Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager and Eric Schmitt — were hit with subpoenas on July 10, seeking to compel their testimony before a federal grand jury. The Justice Department also sought the reporters’ phone and text messaging records and, in some cases, those of family members, according to the newspaper. The Trump administration was pushing to identify the confidential government sources who spoke with reporters about the donated jet’s security capabilities, a move critics see as a brazen attempt to chill press freedom and suppress unfavorable coverage.” (07/23/26)
“A man who pleaded guilty to assassinating a top Democratic lawmaker in the state of Minnesota has been sentenced to two life terms plus 40 years in prison, in a case that underscored growing concerns over political violence in the United States. Vance Boelter, who pleaded guilty in June to the slaying of House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, was sentenced on Thursday. The 59-year-old also seriously wounded state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in the attacks in June of last year. … Boelter stated that he spent months identifying and stalking his planned targets. He then drove to their homes disguised as a police officer to carry out the attacks, which were followed by the largest police search in the Midwestern state’s history.” (07/23/26)
“A filing in San Francisco court last week has researchers from the University of California feeling bullish about an ongoing legal fight with the Trump administration. Last year, the administration, through various agencies, cut money from thousands of research grants within the UC system. … the researchers’ lawyers wrote that per sworn statements, the agencies in question ‘used ‘search terms, keywords, or phrases’—and in some cases ‘artificial intelligence tools or software’—‘to identify grants for termination review.’’ The lawyers argue those cuts violate the First Amendment because they targeted researchers who work in Democratic-leaning states or were pursuing ideas that were not favorable to the Trump administration, like projects that prioritized disadvantaged communities or grants that mentioned working on diversity within the workplace. Additionally, the lawyers say, because the administration never rerouted that money elsewhere, the terminations violated the Constitution’s appropriations clause.” (07/23/26)
“Crime rates are on the decline in U.S. cities with the national homicide rate falling by 18%, inching closer to a historic low, the Council on Criminal Justice said Thursday. The Council on Criminal Justice released its mid-year report examining patterns for 13 types of crime in 36 U.S. cities. It found that nine of the 13 crimes were on the decline through mid 2026. … Of the nine types of crime that declined in the first half of the year, carjacking had the greatest decrease, falling by 47%. Drug offenses [sic] have continued to rise, marking the biggest upward trend at 12%.” (07/23/26)
“Short sellers betting against SpaceX have accumulated an estimated $15.5 billion in paper profits after the company’s shares fell sharply below their initial public offering (IPO) price, Reuters reported, citing data from analytics firm Ortex Technologies. The stock has declined 28% over the past month and fell another 6.7% in the previous trading session on July 22. On Wednesday, SpaceX shares dropped to a fresh low of $115.26, extending losses from their post-IPO peak of $225.64. The stock is now trading well below its IPO price of $135. Short selling involves borrowing shares and selling them with the expectation of buying them back later at a lower price, allowing traders to profit from a decline in the stock price.” (07/23/26)
