Trump warns Iran war about to get ‘really bad’; 3 missing after San Francisco Bay tragedy
U.S. strikes on Iran enter a fourth straight night, and President Donald Trump warns things could get “really bad.” He also issues one of his biggest economic threats as the conflict escalates.
Plus, after two deadly Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) incidents in a week, the agency abruptly changes how it makes arrests.
And a memorial service on San Francisco Bay ends in tragedy when a boat capsizes. The search continues for three people who never resurfaced.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
US launches strikes on Iran again as Trump warns next week could get ‘really bad’
The U.S. has stepped up its campaign against Iran, and Trump said the worst may be yet to come.
U.S. Central Command said it hit dozens of targets overnight, including missile and drone sites along with coastal defense systems. It comes as the U.S. and Iran continue to clash over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said Tuesday it will get “really bad” next week if Iran does not agree to a deal, warning that bridges and power plants could be the next targets.
Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan also reported fending off retaliatory Iranian attacks overnight.
The Treasury Department, meanwhile, said it has frozen more than $130 million in digital assets controlled by Iran’s central bank.
Trump has also backed away from his proposed 20% fee on cargo moving through the Strait of Hormuz, saying Gulf states could avoid the charge through trade deals with the United States.
Iran, however, said it has not ruled out imposing its own tolls and continues to warn ships against using the waterway without its permission.
ICE temporarily halts traffic stops, shifts body camera policy following two deadly shootings
After two deadly ICE-involved shootings in just one week, the agency is changing how it carries out arrests. The Department of Homeland Security said ICE will temporarily suspend routine vehicle stops during immigration operations.
The changes come just days after ICE officers shot and killed a man during an operation in Maine. It was the second deadly agent-involved shooting in a week.
An internal email to senior officials instructed agents to use alternative enforcement methods, limiting traffic stops to cases involving the most dangerous targets.
One source told ABC News that, in most cases, agents will wait until a target leaves a home or workplace before making an arrest.
In the meantime, ICE officers will receive additional training on vehicle stops.
The department also said every ICE arrest team will now include at least one officer equipped with a body camera. Neither of the two recent shootings involved agents wearing body cameras.
The announcement also comes as the Florida Highway Patrol investigates the death of a man who was struck and killed Tuesday by a tractor-trailer after running from ICE agents during an operation in St. Augustine.
The circumstances leading up to that encounter remain under investigation.
1 dead, 3 remain missing after boat sinks near Alcatraz
One person has died, and three others remain missing after a cabin cruiser carrying about 20 people capsized and sank near Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay.
The emergency call came in just after 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, with the boat about 600 yards from Alcatraz. By the time rescue crews arrived, the vessel had almost fully sunk, with some passengers clinging to the exterior and others trapped inside, banging on submerged windows as the water closed in.
Justin Marceline, longshoreman: “It was complete chaos when we showed up.”
Mike Montoya, commercial fisherman: “People were hanging on to the side of the boat, and when we had drove past the boat, I could see people that were below the waterline, inside the boat where the windows were covered by water, and they were banging on the windows trying to break them, but they couldn’t get them.”
Marceline: “It was a wild scene to pull up to that.”
Rescuers pulled sixteen people from the water. Three of the injured were taken to the hospital and were expected to be released last night. Those rescuers also brought a severely injured man to shore and administered CPR, but he was later pronounced dead.
Fire Chief Dean Crispen said most of the passengers appeared to be family members attending a memorial service.
The emergency was first reported as a boat fire, but officials state that no evidence has been found to support this.
The coast guard and local authorities are continuing to search for the three missing people, using divers, helicopters and boats.
Blanche faces key confirmation test with some Republicans still on the fence
Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department faces what could be his toughest test yet. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche begins a two-day confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
The former Trump defense attorney has served as acting attorney general since April, but his path to a permanent job is not a sure thing.
On Tuesday, Trump urged every Republican senator to back Blanche, writing on Truth Social that Blanche “stood by my side. He is a great lawyer, always very fair.” But Democrats argue Blanche has served Trump, not the American people.
In a statement, Senate Judiciary Committee member Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said, “He is a walking disgrace … Trump intends to damage the rule of law, to protect his massive corruption, and Blanche is his hatchet man.”
Blanche is also expected to face questions about his handling of the Epstein files and his role in a scrapped $1.8 billion “Anti-weaponization” fund. That fund is also one of the issues giving some Republicans pause.
Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., have yet to commit their support, while a federal judge this week sharply criticized Blanche’s role in the agreement that created the now-abandoned fund. The politics have become even trickier following the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham. With Democrats expected to oppose the nomination, Judiciary Committee Republicans can afford to lose only one vote to advance Blanche, making every GOP holdout critical.
If Blanche clears the committee, Republicans hope to hold a full Senate vote before the August recess.
House advances bill to make daylight saving time permanent
Congress has a new plan to make daylight saving time permanent.
On Tuesday, the House passed the Sunshine Protection Act with a bipartisan vote of 308 to 117, which would keep daylight saving time year-round nationwide. Following the vote, Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., played “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles from his phone.
Trump has pushed Congress to pass this legislation, stating on Truth Social in May, “It’s time that people can stop worrying about the ‘clock,’ not to mention all of the work and money that is spent on this ridiculous, twice-yearly production.”
The bill now moves to the Senate, where a similar bill passed in 2022 but did not advance last year after Sen. Tom Cotton opposed it due to concerns about darker winter mornings.
T. rex fossil sells for record $50.1 million at auction
One of the largest, most complete fossils ever found fetched a record-breaking price at auction.
Someone on the phone bid $50 million for the bones of a Tyrannosaurus rex, nicknamed “Gus,” at a Sotheby’s auction on Tuesday.
The fossil dates back approximately 67 million years. The adult dinosaur measures about 12.5 feet tall and 38 feet long. It is roughly 60% intact, retaining features such as its skull, large jaw and formidable teeth. Diggers discovered it in 2021 on land owned by a man in South Dakota.
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology has urged the winning bidder to donate the T. rex fossil to an accredited natural history museum for public display and further study in the name of science.
More from Straight Arrow:
One Republican senator is dead, another is still alive. Both are the center of conspiracy theories
A powerful, longtime Republican senator was declared dead, and, frankly, people weren’t that shocked. At least not at first glance.
After all, online conspiracy theories had been swirling around for weeks about 84-year-old Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. He was hospitalized more than a month ago, and his lack of public appearances had led to questions about whether he still had a pulse.
But McConnell is very much still kicking, he confirmed with a proof-of-life photograph his office released Sunday. It showed the frail-looking lawmaker in a hospital bed, smiling and clutching an up-to-date copy of The Washington Post.
The man whose death was announced Sunday was that of the younger — but still elderly — Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who, his office initially stated, succumbed to a “brief and sudden illness” at the age of 71.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
