July 15 1600 UTC Brief

In the Middle East Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least a dozen people, including police officers. The Israeli military said some of the officers were Hamas militants, but offered no evidence. Separate reporting says Gaza’s health care system is collapsing under Israeli pressure, leaving many Palestinians with serious conditions in increasingly dire shape. In Iran, U.S. strikes hit an army barracks and killed at least seven troops, while officials said more than 260 people were wounded across the country. The Revolutionary Guard has taken the lead in the response, with Tehran leaning hard into that posture. In U.S. politics and justice President Trump is pushing ICE to resume traffic stops even after the agency paused the practice following deadly shootings in Texas and Maine. The tactic has been controversial for obvious reasons. At Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing, Republican Senator John Cornyn pressed him over a deal that would give Trump, his family, and his businesses broad protection from audits. Blanche also drew attention for briefly saying, “I’m his lawyer,” before correcting himself. In weather and public safety Heavy rain continues across South Texas, and a tornado was reported in San Antonio. In Kerr County, where catastrophic flooding last year killed more than 100 people, officials say they are still in contact with summer camps that could be at risk. In Orlando, Javier Rosado Martinez was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole for killing 93-year-old Dolores Padilla-Marrero in her assisted-living apartment in 2022. Prosecutors said he strangled and beat her, and investigators pointed to video, DNA, and keys found when he was arrested.