NEWS - TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2026 - NEWS
The basket of goods comes with a basket of questions. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a plan to offer 30% discounts on a “core basket of goods” at the forthcoming city-owned grocery stories — but there are questions about how the sale will work and how much the subsidies will cost taxpayers. New York Post
VOA VIEW: Where will he get the money?
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson confirmed to local media that police had arrested a suspect in connection with the shooting. In a statement, Wilson called the shooting an 'act of horrific violence.' LA Times
Online criminals are tracking empty homes for burglaries. New York Post
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The Easy Grade Trail, a 0.6 mile section, is now part of the Ridge Trail network, creating a safer trail experience through the scenic landscapes of Mt. Tam. New York Post
“It’s hard to look at the last year and see anything other than a deliberate slowdown of these grants.” New York Times
The kingdom is being dragged deeper into the wider regional conflict as it faces attacks from Iraq and Yemen. New York Times
VOA VIEW: Yemen and Iraq are getting involved in a big mess.
More light at the day’s end comes at a price: much later winter sunrises across much of the U.S. Scientists have documented consequences for public health and the economy. New York Times
A new statement said the senator was not “medically cleared” to leave a rehabilitation facility and would miss a Kentucky political event. New York Times
VOA VIEW: McConnell is showing very serious health problem.
More light at the day’s end comes at a price: much later winter sunrises across much of the U.S. Scientists have documented consequences for public health and the economy. New York Times
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Bryan Kohberger, the man who pleaded guilty to murdering four University of Idaho students during a home invasion attack back in November 2022, has filed for post-conviction relief. The move reopens a case that has captivated the country, just one year after many thought it had come to a close. OANN
VOA VIEW: It supposed to be over.
The United States Department of State praised the decision of the Venezuelan government and interim President Delcy Rodríguez to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC). OANN
The National Guard Bureau has awarded a $292 million contract to corporate lodging company Placemakr to build “up to 2,000 apartment-style lodging units” for guard members stationed in Washington, D.C. OANN
Acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) William "Bill" Pulte announced that he and his team completed a fourth round of layoffs at the Office of the DNI (ODNI). OANN
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Crumbling and under-used Department of Transportation buildings are costing taxpayers $370 million a year in rent, operations and maintenance costs, the Government Accountability Office has estimated. Washington Times
Traffic is set to start flowing Monday across a new bridge over the Detroit River that will serve as a critical route for trade, jobs and tourism between Canada and the U.S. Washington Times
Tens of millions of people are under extreme heat warnings across central and southern parts of the United States on Sunday as high temperatures and severe humidity grip large swaths of the country for a second straight day. Washington Times
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As dry, windy weather fueled a big wildfire near a city in central Oregon, a fourth firefighter died after he and several colleagues last month were overcome by a fast-moving wildfire near the Colorado-Utah border. Washington Times
Three people were killed and four others wounded in a shooting during a food festival at the Seattle Center near the Space Needle. CBS
Four U.S. service members who were listed in a Pentagon casualties database as having died during the Iran war are now listed as "Overseas Operations Casualties." CBS
VOA VIEW: Trump should stop playing games.
The Colorado River, a lifeline for the American West, is now a line in the sand dividing seven states that can't agree how to share the shrinking water supply. After years of failed talks, the federal government is now poised to impose sweeping cuts. CBS
The plans include arresting migrants in Ohio and quickly putting them on deportation flights to crisis-stricken Haiti, the internal documents indicate. CBS
VOA VIEW: They should be sent back.
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An upgraded version of the world's most powerful rocket is key to landing NASA astronauts on the moon in the agency's Artemis program. CBS
Nearly as many Americans are following news about the cyclospora parasite as they are the conflict with Iran. CBS
VOA VIEW: Stay away from all lettuces.
Ford is expanding its accessory and parts business in an effort to boost profits and better tap into the $53 billion U.S. automotive aftermarket industry. CNBC
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The Federal Reserve is expected to keep its overnight rate unchanged at the conclusion of its July meeting. CNBC
VOA VIEW: As they should.
A key incentive in place for current Opportunity Zone investors — deferring taxation of reinvested capital gains — will end on Dec. 31. CNBC
Chocolate firms look to win shoppers back with premium products and social media trends after poor weather conditions, tariffs, and the Iran war hit sales. CNBC
Democrats see a path back to the U.S. House majority this November as President Donald Trump's approval dips. CNBC
VOA VIEW: Trump is playing with Iran.
Trump on Truth Social railed against the European Union's new fine on Google and prior penalties against U.S. tech giants Apple, Meta and Amazon. CNBC
A circus performer was airlifted to a hospital after his colleague's arrow struck his neck during a stunt at the Orange County Fair in Wallkill, police said. FOX News
A 67-year-old Florida man allegedly rammed a woman's car with his truck and pointed a Ruger at her friend after a Tinder sugar baby date went wrong. FOX News
The Florida couple allegedly claimed their newborn was "a prank" after the baby vanished, but investigators developed evidence for manslaughter charges. FOX News
A massive rural California party turned deadly when gunfire broke out, leaving one person dead and six wounded as authorities launched a homicide investigation. FOX News
More than 600 U.S. service members have been wounded since the war with Iran began in February, Pentagon statistics indicate. UPI
Zelensky says Russia wants 30,000 more North Korean troops, warning the deployment could strengthen Pyongyang's military threat in Asia. UPI
Romania said it Sunday it shot down another Russian drone that had penetrated its airspace, marking the third such incursion in three days. UPI
VOA VIEW: Russia is looking for trouble.
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The United States murder rate has plummeted to what experts project is its lowest level since at least 1900. Thank Trump.
According to an extensive justice (CCJ)annual crime trends report released by the Council on Criminal J, homicides nationwide have fully reversed their staggering pandemic-era spikes. Data analyzing major American municipalities suggest that murders plummeted by roughly 21% from 2024 to 2025, marking the single-largest one-year percentage drop recorded in modern U.S. history. Although the CCJ report states that the projected 2025 rate of ~4.0 per 100,000 would be “the lowest rate ever recorded in law enforcement or public health data going back to 1900,” FBI data (uniform crime reports) provides the most commonly cited modern national homicide/murder statistics, and reliable, standardized national FBI estimates begin around 1960.
The previous modern low was 4.4 – 4.7 in 2014, and similar levels in the late 1950s/early 1960s. Pre-1960 data, going back to 1900, comes primarily from public health records. These are not as complete or nationally representative as later FBI data — as early 20th-century coverage was limited to certain states and had underreporting issues. Adjusted historical estimates often put early 1900s rates higher than the raw reported figures, which sometimes looked artificially low. Critics of the report have called the phrasing misleading since FBI’s consistent apples-to-apples national tracking starts later, and the true modern-era lows are in the 1950s–60s and 2014.
“The United States almost certainly had the lowest murder rate ever recorded in 2025, with the FBI having data back to 1960,” stated crime data analyst Jeff Asher. “And the available evidence suggests that we’re going to go even lower this year.” The massive drop in lethal violence is part of a sweeping, broad-based decline across nearly every category of criminal offense. Alongside the historic drop in homicides, the CCJ data revealed that 11 of 13 tracked crimes fell significantly over the same period. Gun assaults dropped by 22%, robberies declined by 23%, and carjackings fell by an astonishing 43%.
Criminologists note that the data signals a complete deflation of the sudden, chaotic crime wave that gripped the country between 2020 and 2022, when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted social institutions and pushed the national murder rate to a modern high of 6.8 per 100,000. The year 2020 also saw a significant surge in civil unrest, marked by widespread protests and outbreaks of violence tied to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.
Nonetheless, public safety officials who previously feared that the country had settled into a permanently violent “new normal” are now looking at unprecedented peace across major hubs, with cities like Richmond seeing a 59% drop, Los Angeles down 39%, and Atlanta recording fewer than 100 homicides for the first time since before the pandemic. While politicians across the ideological spectrum have been quick to claim credit for the positive shift, CCJ researchers argue that the record-low numbers are driven by a “complex, multifactorial web of social recovery and focused intervention” rather than a single policy.
