US & World Headlines: Aid Cuts, Gaza Conflict, Epstein Files, and More - July 18, 2025

US House Votes on Foreign Aid and Public Broadcasting

• 🏛️ The House of Representatives narrowly passed a recisions package that claws back $9 billion in approved funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting.
• ⚠️ Only two Republicans opposed the measure, which now heads to President Trump's desk for signature.
• 🌍 The legislation codifies Trump's cuts to foreign assistance, which The Lancet estimates could result in 14 million additional deaths globally by 2030.
• 📢 NPR's head criticized the "unwarranted dismantling of beloved local civic institutions" by an act of Congress that disregards the public will.

Escalating Conflict and Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

• 💔 An Israeli strike killed five displaced Palestinians in tents in Alasi, an area designated as a safe zone, sparking a major fire and resulting in infant casualties.
• 😥 Seven more Palestinians were killed while searching for humanitarian aid parcels.
• 📈 Medical workers report at least 30 Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks since dawn.
• 😭 A separate Israeli air strike killed 14 members of the Arafat family, including seven children, with rescue crews reportedly fired upon by Israeli drones while attempting to help.
• 👶 UNICEF warns that 21 months of Israeli attacks have killed over 17,000 children in Gaza, with an average of 28 children killed daily.

West Bank Tensions and Syrian Conflict

• ⛪ Christian leaders accuse Israeli settlers of attacking religious sites, including an arson attack on a fifth-century church cemetery.
• 🚨 The Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem called for an investigation into the Israeli police's alleged failure to respond to emergency calls.
• 🇸🇾 Heavy fighting has erupted in southern Syria between Druze fighters and armed groups following a Syrian government forces withdrawal.
• ⚖️ The UN Human Rights Office reports all factions in Sua have committed widespread rights violations, including summary executions and kidnappings.

Jeffrey Epstein Files and Judicial Nominations

• 📁 President Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to release grand jury testimony from federal investigations into Jeffrey Epstein, but this did not satisfy demands for all files.
• 📰 The Wall Street Journal reported Trump sent a lewd letter to Epstein in 2003.
• ⚖️ Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the nomination of controversial Justice Department official Emil Boie to a federal court, despite bipartisan objections and a walkout by Democrats.
• 🏛️ Boie, a former personal attorney for Donald Trump, has been accused of directing lawyers to ignore judicial orders and was allegedly involved in the decision not to release Epstein files.

Immigration Policies and International Relations

• 🛂 ICE will gain access to personal data of nearly 79 million Medicaid enrollees as the Trump administration ramps up nationwide raids and deportations.
• ⚖️ A coalition of immigrant rights groups is suing the Trump administration over the arrest of thousands at immigration courts, alleging denial of due process.
• 🇸🇻 In El Salvador, a human rights group reports at least 427 deaths in prison since President Nayib Bukele imposed a state of emergency, with systematic denial of due process.
• 🇫🇷 French troops completed their withdrawal from Sagal, the last West African country with a permanent French military presence.

Legal Proceedings and Media News

• 👮 A former Louisville police officer convicted of violating Breonna Taylor's civil rights was recommended for a one-day prison sentence.
• ✊ A judge lifted domestic travel restrictions on Columbia University Palestinian activist Mosen Madawi, who was previously targeted by ICE.
• 📺 CBS announced the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, citing financial reasons, despite its high ratings.