Good morning. A controversial move by the Pentagon to reclassify casualties in the Iran war as being killed in “Overseas Operations” is being taken by US military veterans as a sign of disrespect for the dead.
Michael E Smith, a retired US rear admiral who completed combat tours in Iraq, Bosnia and Kosovo said “It’s such a huge disrespect for the families. To claim that they weren’t killed as a result of the war – oh, it was just overseas operations – is just ludicrous.”
The change came as Donald Trump once again warned that the US will return to “strong military action” against Iran if diplomatic efforts do not bring a rapid resolution to the crisis in the Middle East. “We are in very deep talks with Iran. If they don’t work out, we will go back to very strong military action,” the US president told Axios on Monday. Asked for how long he would allow the talks to proceed, he answered: “Not much time. Either it goes fast or not at all.”
- What changes did the Department of Defense make?The Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS), a military database for displaying casualties, introduced a new casualty category labeled “Overseas Operations” for personnel killed and wounded “starting July 7”. That splits the count from the beginning of the US-Israel war on Iran into effectively two different campaigns.
- How is the administration justifying the change?The War Powers Act of 1973 requires the president to end military operations within 60 days unless Congress authorizes an extension, which it has not. The Trump administration has argued that the April ceasefire with Iran paused the clock on 1 May for the conflict’s initial period. The separate casualty count beginning on 7 July follows that interpretation.
Michigan progressive Abdul El-Sayed says ‘ogre’ remark not directed at rival
The Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed said his comments that progressives need to put the head of an “ogre” on a pike was in reference to the US senator John Fetterman – not his opponent, representative Haley Stevens. The comments drew immediate backlash from several high-profile Democrats and charges of sexism by those who believed the remark was a reference to Stevens.
El-Sayed claimed he had been speaking of supporting a primary challenge to Fetterman, the Pennsylvania Democrat who campaigned as a progressive but has moved to the right since taking office. “I was referring to a guy named John Fetterman, who’s a senator from Pennsylvania who has done terrible things, got elected on a set of values, and is now completely throwing those values in the mud.”
US airman accused of ‘spree’ of rapes on sleeping women in England avoided UK courts
A US airman accused of a “spree” of rapes and sexual assaults in England, drugging some women and breaking into the homes of others, was able to avoid English justice after local police handed over part of the case to the American military.
Two British women went to Suffolk police in August 2019 to allege that James Loubeau and another US airman had drugged and raped them. Less than two weeks later, Suffolk police allowed the US air force to take responsibility for investigating the two alleged rapes. It has since emerged that Loubeau, 38, allegedly attacked a total of six women in East Anglia over a four-month period in 2019, in what US prosecutors described as a “frightening and dangerous” pattern of assaults.
DoJ urges supreme court to allow Trump order targeting mail-in voting
The Trump administration has asked the supreme court to clear the way for an executive order from Donald Trump that could dramatically change mail-in voting. The emergency appeal comes after an appeals court upheld a ruling blocking the president’s order in nearly half the country ahead of November’s midterm elections.
- What is the president attempting to do?Trump ordered the government in March to create a “state citizenship list” of eligible voters and deliver mail ballots only to those people on that list. The legal challenge says the constitution gives states and Congress the authority to set election rules, not the president. Trump promoted the proposed changes as safeguards to keep non-US citizens from voting, which has been shown to be rare.
In other news …
- Andrew and Tristan Tate are to remain in jail until their next extradition hearingas they fight being sent to the UK where they face rape, sexual assault and other allegations, which they deny.
- Betye Saar, pioneering figure of the Black arts movement, has died at 99.She was best known for reclaiming Jim Crow era memorabilia and recasting them as images of Black liberation.
- Cracker Barrel CEOJulie Masinois to step downafter overseeing the logo redesign backlash last year.
- The musicianCarly Simonhas revealed that she has Parkinson’s disease.
- Fifa presidentGianni Infantinohas been called to appear before Congressover his ties to the Trump administration.
Stat of the day: Johnson & Johnson to pay $5.5bn settlement in talc cancer lawsuit
Johnson & Johnson said it would pay an estimated $5.5bn to resolve tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging its baby powder and other talc products caused ovarian cancer, in a landmark deal that could end a contentious, decade-long legal battle.
Culture Pick: Furious – a proper grownup thriller that’s powered by sheer female rage
Dropping this week on Hulu in the US, Lucy Mangan says Furious is possibly the birth of a new post-Epstein files sub-genre of television drama. She says it asks how individuals survive such predators and how society survives the knowledge of the depth and breadth of his network of suppliers, enablers and willing (rich, male) participants.
Don’t miss this: Odyssey translator Emily Wilson attacks Nolan blockbuster
It might be raking it in at the box office, but Emily Wilson, a classicist whose 2017 translation of Homer’s epic was praised by director Christopher Nolan, said his film was grandiose and superficial with “nothing convincing to say”. Ouch.
… or this: A dog saved Houssein Hamze from a bomb. When war returned, he stayed to care for Lebanon’s animals
Soon after his near-death experience, Houssein Hamze founded the Mashala shelter in the village of Zefta, south Lebanon, to take care of animals in the area. In normal times he takes in strays, and in wartime he is the only lifeline for animals in the area.
Climate check: France and Spain race to contain huge wildfires before fresh heatwave begins
Wildfires have forced about 375,000 people to leave their homes in France and Spain. These tourists have been caught up in the unfolding disaster as firefighters struggle to regain control amid a warning the fires could burn until November.
Last Thing: Motorbikes and mountains – photographing the 2026 Tour de France
I adore the Tour de France, and this picture essay by Pete Goding, who has been photographing it for 20 years, gives an insight into what it’s been like to document this year’s race.
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