BIG: The US and Saudi Arabia signed a "123 agreement" for peaceful nuclear cooperation, plus a bilateral safeguards agreement.

It opens Saudi Arabia's nuclear energy market to American companies, aims to boost US nuclear exports and jobs, and is framed as upholding nonproliferation standards.

Trump:

Democrats will make D.C. and Puerto Rico states.

They will get like 40 electoral votes.

Trump:

I don't think you want to see me cry, you know.

You don't want to see me cry.

BIG: First Saudi oil tanker reportedly hit by Houthi missile near Yemen, engulfed in flames.

NEW: Yemen’s Houthis claim they targeted two Saudi oil tankers, ENCELA and LAYLIA, with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, alleging the vessels violated their shipping ban.

Yemen’s Houthis warn that any Saudi attack on Yemen will trigger large-scale retaliatory strikes deep inside Saudi Arabia.

CENTCOM:

At 5:30 p.m. ET today, U.S. forces began launching more strikes against Iranian military targets at the Commander in Chief's direction.

The mission will continue to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters.

The House passed a $1.15 trillion defense bill despite strong Democratic opposition, driven in part by the US-Israel war with Iran.

Democrats criticized Trump for joining Israel's attacks on Iran without congressional approval and opposed provisions that would deepen US-Israel defense cooperation.

The bill also includes $60 billion in additional military spending, much of it expected to cover costs related to the conflict. It now heads to the Senate.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Manila during the ASEAN summit.

Around 1,300 Israeli "settlers" entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during Tisha B’Av under Israeli police protection, while Palestinian worshippers faced tight access restrictions, according to the Jerusalem Governorate.

The governorate condemned the visits by Israeli officials, including Itamar Ben-Gvir, as a violation of the site's historical status quo and warned of escalating tensions.

The U.S. used a B-1 long-range bomber to strike Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran on Tuesday, marking the first B-1 mission since fighting resumed 12 days ago.

The deployment signals a major escalation, as the bomber can carry heavy bomb loads and cruise missiles.

The aircraft flew from a UK base.

Source: Axios

Iran's IRGC says it struck several U.S. military assets in Jordan, including a THAAD radar, a Patriot system, a C-RAM radar, fuel storage, and helicopter maintenance facilities.

Tucker Carlson:

I don't have a home in Doha. I don't own anything in Doha.

I've never taken money from the Qataris or any other government. I don't even have a bank loan. I have no investors. I have no debt.

But you know what I would say? I love Qatar. I really like Qatar.

And the Israelis liked Qatar too, which is why Benjamin Netanyahu asked the Qatari government to send money to Hamas.

So it was actually Netanyahu who asked Qatar to send money to Hamas. Now they're attacking the Qataris for being a tool of Hamas. The whole thing is so dishonest I can't deal with it.

Tucker Carlson:

Even if I were being bribed by Qatar—to do I don't know what Qatar bribes people to do—you'd still have to contend with this: Is what I'm saying true? Is the Iran war going well? Is it in America's interest? Did the administration say we're following Israel? They did.

Is genocide being committed in Gaza? Of course, objectively, the numbers are there.

They attack me as a person. "I'm a bad person. I'm a Nazi."

Well, I'm not at all, but even if I were, it wouldn't change the fact that you're committing genocide and this war is hurting my country.

Tucker Carlson:

There's this frantic effort by agents of Israel to rewrite history and make us forget what just happened in February, which was the United States following the lead of Israel into a war that gravely harms the United States.

That just—that's what happened. Trump was not for this. I talked to him a lot about it.

He made no case to the American public demonstrating that he was for it.

Tucker Carlson:

Israel controls our politics through campaign donations at least. And maybe there are other ways that it controls our politics, but there's no debate about it.

Now, this is not an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. My whole life I've watched this. My whole life I've said nothing about it. And in a lot of ways, I was intimidated by the claim that anyone who notices it is an anti-Semite.

Well, I'm not an anti-Semite. I'm never going to be an anti-Semite. I abhor anti-Semitism and all forms of racism, no matter what they say. That's not my motive.

My motive is it's true. And trying to bully me into saying it's not true is not going to work.

Tucker Carlson:

Both parties supported regime change in Iran because both parties have the same paymasters and the same donors who are demanding loyalty to a foreign country.

The same AIPAC donations that, like, I think 90% of the entire Congress takes money from a foreign lobby, unregistered foreign lobby. That's bonkers.

If this were Liechtenstein or Congo bribing 90% of our lawmakers to tow the Liechtenstein or Congo line, I'd be totally opposed to it.

Doesn't make me anti-Congolese or anti-Liechtensteinian. I'm not a racist for thinking that. I'm an American who wants my lawmakers to vote on behalf of my country. Like, it's that simple. It's literally that simple.

Japan's planned participation in a USD 40bn US small modular reactor (SMR) project has stalled because Tokyo wants legal assurance that its lenders won't be liable if a nuclear accident occurs.

The project, agreed as part of Japan's USD 550bn US investment pledge tied to lower US tariffs, would fund SMRs in Tennessee and Alabama.

US officials have verbally assured Japan that state-backed lenders such as JBIC would bear no liability, arguing the reactors will be US government-owned and operated.

However, Japan wants those assurances in writing before committing funds.

Source: FT

A person in the crowd imitates Trump's mannerisms behind him during a speech in Georgia.