Good morning. It’s Wednesday, July 29, and we hope the lifeguard and the boy in this incredible rescue video are doing well. Now let’s get to the news.
The U.S. and Saudi Arabia carried out strikes targeting Iran-backed forces in Iraq.
Why it matters: The rare joint operation appeared to mark Saudi Arabia’s direct entry into the conflict. It followed a pause in hostilities ordered by President Donald Trump.
What else to know: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Trump at the White House yesterday. The leaders face a widening gap about how to manage the war in Iran.
Lindsey Graham’s funeral was held yesterday at Washington National Cathedral.
(Tyler M. Andrews/The Post)
Trump paid tribute to the late senator: He called Graham “one of the great figures in Senate history,” liked by “virtually everyone.” Trump was one of many powerful figures to attend.
Hours after the funeral: The Senate advanced a Russian sanctions measure that Graham was fighting to pass before his sudden death. He called it “the sanctions bill from hell.”
Conservative activists released audio of Joe Biden’s conversations with a ghostwriter.
The audio was part of a high-profile 2023 special counsel investigation into Biden’s handling of classified materials. (Demetrius Freeman/The Post)
Why? The activists are casting the conversations, recorded in 2016 and 2017, as evidence that Biden’s mental sharpness was declining years before the public became aware.
But the audio is more nuanced: Listen to four key moments here. At times, Biden struggles to recall names and dates. In other instances, he offers vivid details about old meetings.
The Senate confirmed Jay Clayton as the new director of national intelligence.
It was tight: The vote was more partisan than expected at 51-47. Many Democrats soured on Clayton this month after he declined to directly say Biden won the 2020 election.
More from the Senate: Mitch McConnell’s absence is entering its seventh week. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) demanded that McConnell prove his capacity to serve or resign.
Bari Weiss made a big new hire at the revamped “60 Minutes.”
Who? The conservative New York Times opinion columnist Ross Douthat is part of a set of new hires at the CBS News show, according to an internal email seen by The Post.
The show has been in turmoil: Weiss, the editor in chief of CBS News, has made a series of high-profile firings. Some allege that she interfered with the show’s editorial integrity.
Colorado residents are ratting out their neighbors over water use.
A home with a brown lawn sits next to a home with a green lawn in Denver. (Michael Ciaglo for The Post)
Why? The state is facing a historic drought. Denver residents have been asked to cut their water use by 20% and only water their lawns twice a week.
That has sparked tension: Thousands of people have reported neighbors this summer for cheating on the restrictions. Lush green lawns have made defiance clear for all to see.
These are the strangest things TSA has found in luggage this summer.
Cannonballs and grenades were among the questionable items passengers tried to bring on board planes. (The Post illustration; TSA; iStock)
People pack all kinds of stuff: Most of the time, TSA officers confiscate things like full water bottles and too-large toiletries while screening 2 million passengers daily.
However: This year, they’ve also found live smoke grenades, a replica bomb, five stolen cannonballs and a samurai sword. See a list of the seven weirdest TSA finds here.
Listen to this briefing
