Trump revives 2020 election claims in speech; Wildfire smoke spreads across US
President Donald Trump says foreign governments are still targeting U.S. elections, and he’s promising to lock them down.
Plus, one senator demanded Todd Blanche meet with Jeffrey Epstein survivors before earning his vote. The meeting happened, but it left some of those survivors deeply dissatisfied.
And wildfire smoke is spreading across the U.S., turning skies orange and sending air quality downhill.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, July 17, 2026.
Trump declassifies election files, claims documents expose major security flaws
During a Thursday night prime-time address, Trump unveiled newly declassified intelligence he says exposes major election security gaps, while again pressing Congress to pass the SAVE America Act.
“Every American deserves to know that when they cast their vote, that vote will be counted accurately in a system, and that is to make that system secure,” Trump said. “One where cheating and interference are not just difficult, but virtually impossible. Unfortunately, the system we have today falls catastrophically short of that standard.”
Trump claimed China bought, stole or hacked tens of millions of voter files across 18 states and accused a “deep state” conspiracy of keeping that information from the public.
But much of the material he cited describes China’s use of publicly available voter data to influence public opinion, not to change vote totals.
“This evidence shows that the election system we have dangerously exposes and really exposes, like levels never thought possible, to hacking, exploitation and foreign interference,” Trump said. “Just as disturbingly, this vital information has for many years been covered up and hidden from you.”
Trump said the declassified documents prove America’s election system is vulnerable to foreign interference.
But one of those documents — a 2020 National Intelligence Council assessment — reached a different conclusion, saying vote tabulation systems would be difficult to manipulate on a scale large enough to change an election.
The president is using the documents to build support for the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and would sharply limit mail voting.
“Addressing this crisis of election security demands that Congress must pass the SAVE America Act,” Trump said. “How easy is that to do, unless you want to cheat. The only reason you wouldn’t do it is you want to cheat because your policies are so bad, and your candidates are so pathetic that you can’t get away or can’t get elected any other way.”
Democrats say Trump is revisiting false claims about the 2020 election to justify changes they believe would restrict voting ahead of next year’s midterms.
“This is not about 2020, this is about 2026,” Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., said in a post on X. “The president is rehashing his demented fantasies about an election being stolen in 2020 as a pretext for interfering in the election in 2026. He knows that he is on course to lose in 2026 and instead of doing something about the — for the people, he’s trying to interfere in our elections.”
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., said the speech was an attempt to undermine confidence in future elections.
He said he heard, “a president signaling his unmistakable intent to attack these elections and our voting rights, just as he tried to throw out our votes and seize the presidency in 2020.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., warned she fears the administration could use the military to interfere with voting.
“What if they send in the military and they say, ‘You know what? We’re coming into this voting location, we’re gonna seize machines.’ What will we do? What if they don’t have a warrant?” Slotkin said.
Iran hits Kuwait infrastructure, damaging power and desalination plants
The war between the U.S. and Iran spreads farther across the Gulf on Friday morning, with Kuwait reporting damage to critical infrastructure after an Iranian attack.
Kuwait’s electricity, water and renewable energy ministry said an Iranian strike hit a power station that also houses a major desalination plant, sparking a fire and damaging multiple electricity generation units. Crews extinguished the fire and are assessing the damage. Desalination plants provide most of Kuwait’s drinking water.
The attack came as U.S. forces completed a sixth night of strikes inside Iran.
U.S. Central Command said American forces hit dozens of Iranian military targets overnight. Iran fired missiles toward U.S. allies in the region. Qatar twice warned residents to take shelter, while Kuwait and Bahrain issued their own emergency alerts.
The Strait of Hormuz remains at the center of the conflict as U.S. forces continue to disrupt Iranian shipping.
CENTCOM said American forces have now redirected three commercial vessels, disabled an oil tanker and boarded another ship since the blockade began.
Tillis warns he won’t vote unless Blanche meets with Epstein survivors
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s path to becoming the nation’s top law enforcement officer may now hinge on a single meeting with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse.
Blanche returned to Capitol Hill Thursday for a second day of his confirmation hearing, where Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he won’t vote to advance the nomination until Blanche meets face-to-face with Epstein survivors.
Tillis says he’s “trying to get to yes,” but called the meeting essential before the Senate Judiciary Committee takes up the nomination in the coming weeks.
“Because it seemed to me that Mr. Blanche was willing to say that he would meet with them and counsel — I understand the restriction that counsel has to be present — I expect that meeting to occur before I’m willing to vote out of this committee,” Tillis said. “I’m trying to get to yes, but this is a very important part of getting to yes.”
The issue gained new attention Thursday after Epstein survivor Dani Bensky testified that she and other victims repeatedly asked to meet with Justice Department leaders but never received a meeting.
After leaving the hearing, Blanche told reporters he rearranged his schedule to meet with survivors Thursday, but said it didn’t work out.
“The Department of Justice will always meet with victims or their representatives, and if those victims or the representatives have evidence that anybody committed a crime, whether it has to do with Jeffrey Epstein, anybody else that was associated with Jeffrey Epstein, or anybody else, we will, of course, move forward and investigate and prosecute,” Blanche said. “So that’s what we’re going to do. I expect that there’ll be a time that works for their representatives, and we’ll go from there.”
A Justice Department spokesperson later said the meeting was rescheduled for Thursday afternoon.
With Democrats expected to oppose the nomination, Blanche can likely afford to lose only one Republican on the committee, making Tillis’ vote one of the most important still in play.
Wildfire smoke chokes cities as millions wake to unhealthy air
Wildfire smoke from Canada has spread across the eastern half of the country, and for millions of people, Friday could be the worst. From New York City to Chicago, people are masking up as thick smoke from Canadian wildfires pushes air quality to unhealthy and, in some places, hazardous levels.
“I was a bit surprised. I live down in Miami, so we don’t really get that many wildfires happening, and it’s a bit overwhelming. I had to run to the store and buy myself a mask and emergency inhaler, and I was not expecting this,” Chicago tourist Samuel Etienne said.
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The smoke has poured south from hundreds of active fires across Ontario and British Columbia, where crews continue battling large, out-of-control wildfires. The smoke has also turned skies hazy across the Midwest and Northeast, reducing visibility and prompting air-quality alerts from the Great Lakes to New England.
“Coming out of the subway, my chest started to give me some issues. My nose was burning. I could taste it. So I’m just sitting here, like, wow, I really need a mask,” Chicago tourist Larrion Harmon said.
One pilot flying near Thunder Bay, Ontario, thought he was looking at a line of thunderstorms until he got closer and realized the massive plume below was smoke from active wildfires. Some pilots have even reported ash buildup on their planes’ windshields while in flight.
Health officials have urged people, especially children, older adults and those with heart or lung conditions, to limit time outdoors if they can.
Forecasters said conditions should start to improve across parts of the Northeast on Friday, though smoke could linger into the weekend in some areas as new plumes continue to drift south.
Trump teleprompter operator ousted, accused of using speech access to place Kalshi bets
A longtime member of Trump’s staff has been placed on unpaid leave after allegedly using inside access to the president’s speeches to place more than $100,000 in bets.
Federal regulators alleged Gabriel Perez, who has operated Trump’s teleprompter since the 2016 campaign, placed bets on whether the president would say specific words or phrases during more than a dozen speeches.
Kalshi, the prediction market where the bets were placed, flagged the trades earlier this year, froze Perez’s account and referred the case to federal regulators after suspecting he may have used nonpublic information.
Investigators believe Perez made more than $100,000, and ABC News reported he is now in talks to settle the allegations.
“The White House has extremely strict, ethical guidelines with respect to issues like this. And as I just told you, this individual will no longer be here,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “The administrative leave is unpaid. To be very clear, that was a decision by the president. So I think that speaks for itself.”
According to investigators, Perez had access to draft speeches before they were delivered and, in some cases, even changed his bets mid-speech when the president went off script.
Federal regulators are now working toward a civil settlement that could require Perez to forfeit his profits and bar him from placing similar bets in the future.
King Charles raises a pint after England’s World Cup exit
In Great Britain, they’re still recovering from a heartbreaking World Cup loss. England fell to Argentina 2-1 in the semifinals this week, and even King Charles is feeling it.
King Charles and Queen Camilla visited a brewery in Dorset on Thursday to celebrate its 250th anniversary.
While sampling a couple of pints, the king joked that it was a good day to “drown a few sorrows.” The royal family also posted a message on social media, telling England’s team, “You remain the pride of the nation and will rise again.”
As for the World Cup final, defending champion Argentina will face Spain on Sunday afternoon at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
More from Straight Arrow:
How record land prices threaten the next generation of American farmers
Jediah Smith has worked on his parents’ South Dakota farm for nearly his entire life.
The 23-year-old’s job description includes everything from fixing equipment to tending the seemingly endless rows of corn and soybeans sprouting from the rich dark soil on the state’s eastern edge.
“I’ve been doing that ever since I can remember,” he told Straight Arrow.
It’s work he takes on enthusiastically. Smith grew up in a region where vast crop fields fill the space between strings of towns with population counts in the dozens, and he’s long dreamed of someday running the farm.
But as the price of farmland rises, those dreams have been tinged with misgivings. Running the farm requires someday buying from his parents.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
