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Arkansas takes home top ranking for religious freedom after Gov Sanders expands key protections

2026-07-14T10:00:57-04:00 / Fox News

The Natural State scored 89.2% on 50 legal benchmarks, earning the index’s new ‘excellent’ rating for faith protections

By Kiera McDonald, Andrew Mark Miller Fox News

Published July 14, 2026 10:00am EDT

Sarah Sanders outlines how major education shakeup has led to results in her state

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders tells Fox News Digital test scores are on the rise in Arkansas and that she hopes her state can serve as a national blueprint.

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FIRST ON FOX: Arkansas has been ranked the nation’s top state for religious liberty after Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a series of laws expanding faith protections that helped lift the state to the top.

Earning a score of 89.2%, Arkansas became one of only two states to earn the First Liberty Institute’s annual Religious Liberty in the States index’s first-ever “excellent” rating. The index evaluates states using 50 legal protections across 20 religious liberty safeguards spanning education, healthcare, family law, economic activity and other areas of daily life.

“Religious liberty is America’s First Freedom, and Arkansas is leading the nation in protecting it,” Sanders said.

“Our rights come from God, not government, and every American should be free to live according to their faith and conscience. We’ll continue defending that freedom and ensuring the Natural State remains the best place in the country to live, work and worship.”

AMERICA’S NEXT 250 YEARS DEPEND ON PASSING FAITH AND FREEDOM TO OUR CHILDREN

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders participates in the first-ever National Outdoor Recreation Executive Forum hosted by Outdoor Recreation Roundtable at Decatur House on May 7, 2024, in Washington, D.C.(Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Outdoor Recreation Roundtable)

The Natural State climbed six spots from last year’s rankings after lawmakers approved several measures expanding legal protections for religious exercise and conscience rights.

Arkansas’ rise was driven largely by Act 677, legislation Sanders signed last year that bars state and local governments from penalizing people, businesses and religious organizations for acting according to their religious beliefs regarding marriage and biological sex.

APPEALS COURT REVIVES LAWSUIT BY ALASKA AIRLINES FLIGHT ATTENDANTS FIRED AFTER OPPOSING PRIDE MESSAGE

A group of people hold hands in prayer. Arkansas topped a new religious liberty index after expanding faith and conscience protections.(iStock)

The state’s religious liberty push also included the Conscience Protection Act, signed by Sanders in 2023, which expanded Arkansas’ Religious Freedom Restoration Act by prohibiting state government discrimination against religious organizations based on their religious identity or status.

Kelly Shackelford, president, CEO and chief counsel at First Liberty, said other states should follow Arkansas’ lead and “strengthen religious liberty protections in their own states.”

“Religious liberty is best protected when leaders are willing to act before the rights of people of faith are threatened,” Shackelford said.

GOV SANDERS REVEALS ‘MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH’ ON EDUCATION AS RED STATE POSITIONS ITSELF AS ‘BLUEPRINT’ FOR NATION

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaking at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 17, 2024.(Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Dr. Mark David Hall, director of the Religious Liberty in the States project, said Arkansas demonstrates how states can protect what America’s founders called “the sacred right of conscience,” allowing people to practice their faith not just at church, but in their everyday lives.

“States have always served as laboratories of liberty, and this year’s results show why that matters,” Hall said.

Sanders also publicly defended religious freedom in December. She rejected demands from the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a group that advocates for the separation of church and state, to reverse her proclamation closing state offices for Christmas.

In a response letter previously obtained by Fox News Digital, Sanders pushed back on claims it was unconstitutional, saying “only by voicing our own faith and celebrating other faiths can we make our state’s diverse religious communities feel seen and heard.”

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“With this index, citizens and legislators can see where their state is doing well, where it still has room to improve, and which existing laws could help better protect the right of conscience,” Dr. Paul D. Mueller, associate director of the Religious Liberty in the States project, said.

Kiera McDonald is a Production Assistant for Fox News Digital.

Graham ally rips ‘thirsty’ Republicans jockeying to replace late senator

July 14, 2026 9:59am EDT / Fox News

Rep Timmons said rivals signaling interest within 24 hours of Graham’s death ‘rubbed me the wrong way’

By Alex Miller, Fox News

Rep. William Timmons, R-S.C., an ally and mentee of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., isn’t happy with how quickly his colleagues jumped at the chance to run for his suddenly vacant seat.

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FIRST ON FOX: The sharks are swirling in the water in the race to replace Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and one of his closest allies is unhappy with how quickly South Carolina Republicans jumped on the opening.

“I’ll just be honest, it rubbed me the wrong way,” Rep. William Timmons, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital in an interview.

“The way that within 24 hours people are talking about that, that’s just not appropriate,” he continued. “And I don’t know, I think it’s unfortunate that these people are so thirsty for attention that they’ll get it at the expense of — It just rubbed me the wrong way.”

LINDSEY GRAHAM’S SISTER APPOINTED TO SENATE AS GOP RUSHES TO PROTECT FRAGILE MAJORITY

Rep. William Timmons, R-S.C., an ally and mentee of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., isn’t happy with how quickly his colleagues, Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, jumped at the chance to run for his suddenly vacant seat.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Since Graham’s sudden death on Sunday, two members of the South Carolina GOP congressional delegation, Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, have signaled interest in running in the forthcoming special election to lock in a new Republican nominee.

Mace teased a bid on social media after she failed to secure the Republican nomination for governor in the Palmetto State last month. Norman similarly was unable to clinch the nomination, which eventually went to South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.

Mace posted a quote from “The Godfather III” on X on Sunday after sources close to her revealed she was “seriously” considering a bid in the Aug. 11 special election.

‘THE HALLS OF THE SENATE ALREADY FEEL EMPTY’: TEARFUL THUNE HONORS LINDSEY GRAHAM AS SISTER TAKES HIS SEAT

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“Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in,” she posted.

And Norman told reporters that he’s seeking Trump’s endorsement for the race.

Norman said Trump told him, “He’s got to have some time.”

“I said, ‘Can you endorse me if I run?’” Norman recalled.

Timmons, who shared a close bond with Graham forged through hours on the golf course, argued that he didn’t believe that either would be senator after voters “just got the best polling data ever in [the] South Carolina… primary election.”

He contended that the next senator needed to “work to earn everyone’s respect and trust. And you can disagree, but you don’t need to be mean about it,” and to model themselves after Graham.

Timmons said a lesson he learned from his late mentor was that you have to earn the respect and trust of your colleagues: “You don’t tweet hateful things at them. You don’t tell them what to do. You tell them why this is a good path forward, and sometimes you have to figure out a way that you can make it work.”

GRAHAM’S DEATH IGNITES GOP SCRAMBLE FOR SENATE SEAT AS TRUMP HINTS HE ALREADY HAS A FAVORITE

Sen. Lindsey Graham during a confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on June 16, 2026.(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“I think that some of the people that have talked about running have a history of just saying outlandish things and taking ridiculous positions just for the purpose of getting clicks,” Timmons said.

“And I think that that is not something that the people of South Carolina are going to reward,” he continued. “And I think that it would be very unfortunate if the next senator did not take the same approach.”

For now, South Carolina does have a temporary replacement for Graham — his younger sister, Darline Graham.

Darline Graham, who has never held elected office before, is set to be sworn in to the position on Tuesday. From there, she’ll serve out the remainder of her brother’s term.

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Candidates can begin filing for the primary race one week from Tuesday. Timmons, when asked if he was interested, didn’t shut the door on the idea.

“That’s a conversation for the future, and obviously I support the president,” he said. “I think the president is going to be the deciding factor of who the next senator is, and we will see what he decides.”

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

ICE agents instructed to end most vehicle stops in major policy shift

2026-07-14T10:59:44-04:00 / Fox News

Agents will now only pursue traffic stops targeting individuals with serious or violent criminal histories

By Peter Pinedo, Bill Melugin Fox News

Published July 14, 2026 10:59am EDT

ICE says officer was ‘fearing for public safety’ in Maine shooting incident

Immigration attorney Esther Valdes Clayton and television journalist Emmett Miller discuss an incident where a man was allegedly fatally shot by ICE on ‘Fox News @ Night.’

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are being instructed to end “most” vehicle stops nationwide in a major policy shift, effective immediately.

According to multiple federal sources, ICE agents will cease making traffic stops, which have played a significant role in the agency’s operations until now. A federal source told Fox News that ICE will continue conducting vehicle stops only for those considered to be the most egregious targets with serious or violent criminal histories.

This comes after two people were killed in ICE officer-involved shootings in Maine and Texas in the last week.

A senior ICE source remarked to Fox News that the change is “horrible but needs to happen.”

MAINE ICE SHOOTING VICTIM WAS NOT TARGET OF ARREST WARRANT, SEN. KING’S OFFICE SAYS AFTER EARLIER DHS ACCOUNT

Federal law enforcement officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) conduct a traffic stop and detain people, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Washington.(Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

Another senior ICE source said this policy change will be temporary. According to the source, the new policy will remain in place until new training on vehicle stops is approved by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and given to agents operating in the field.

Until now, ICE agents have commonly carried out vehicle stops as part of the agency’s regular immigration enforcement operations. The stops, however, have grown increasingly controversial with incidents such as last week’s shootings.

This Monday, an ICE agent shot and killed a man in Biddeford, Maine, leading to hundreds of protesters marching by the shooting site. According to Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, Mullin told him in a phone call that the man killed in the shooting was not the intended target of the arrest warrant federal agents were executing.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, an ICE spokesperson said that agents were conducting “targeted surveillance on the last known address of an illegal alien with a final order of removal.”

FAMILY SHATTERED AFTER 3-TIME DEPORTED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ALLEGEDLY BLEW THROUGH STOP SIGN, ROILING HOUSE RACE

Protesters lay flowers at a makeshift memorial following a fatal shooting by ICE agents in Biddeford, Maine, on July 13, 2026(Kailey Schuyler/Fox News)

An individual believed to be the illegal alien ICE was tracking departed the residence in a vehicle. When ICE agents attempted to conduct a vehicle stop, the vehicle attempted to flee the scene and “fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon,” the agency said.

According to the spokesperson, “the driver of the vehicle was struck, and emergency services were immediately contacted. He passed away from his injuries.”

The week before, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican citizen who authorities said was in the country illegally, was shot and killed in Houston after he tried to ram an ICE officer with his vehicle during a traffic stop, the agency said.

Araujo was struck and taken to a hospital, where he later died.

His family has disputed ICE’s account of the shooting and called on the agency to release any available video evidence.

DRIVER IN DEADLY OHIO CRASH SPOKE NO ENGLISH AS TRUMP ADMIN VOWS COMMERCIAL TRUCK LICENSE CRACKDOWN

Lorenzo Salgado Jr., left, and Ronaldo Salgado, right, sons of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, are shown during a news conference about the ICE shooting death of their father in Houston on July 8, 2026.(Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

However, when asked whether the officers involved were wearing body cameras, DHS told Fox News they “had not been issued body-worn cameras due to back-to-back Democrat shutdowns.”

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Both shootings are being investigated by federal and local authorities.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser, Kailey Schuyler, Jessica Sonkin, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Kelly Phares contributed to this piece.

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

U.K. man describes harrowing escape from Spain wildfire that killed his wife and friends

July 14, 2026 / 9:14 AM EDT / CBS News

A British man caught up in Spanish wildfires has described how he survived the inferno as his wife and friends died trying to escape.

Malcolm Timbrell, 70, lived with his wife Annette Kilgore, 69, in the village of Bedar, in the Almeria province of southeast Spain.

The area was scorched by wildfires on July 9 that killed 13 people, one of the deadliest fires in the country’s history.

Timbrell spoke to CBS News’ partner network BBC News on Monday — outside his blackened, destroyed hillside home — about the ordeal.

“You’d never imagine it could happen,” he said, “and when it does, and you’re the only survivor, then you’re left in a situation of, ‘What can I do?’”

Timbrell and Kilgore moved to Spain after several years sailing together. Having both previously lost partners to terminal illness, they were together for 17 years.

They had hoped to spend the rest of their lives together in the southern Spanish hills of Andalusia.

“She was such a happy, outgoing person,” Timbrell said of Kilgore. “We have had an amazing life together — and now it’s stopped.”

The wildfire spread rapidly, fueled by sweltering temperatures, high winds and dry land, scorching an area larger than Manhattan and at times racing across the parched landscape at more than 300 feet per minute.

Malcolm Timbrell and Annette Kilgore’s burnt-out house in Los Gallardos, Almeria, Andalusia, Spain, on 10 July, 2026, a day after it was engulfed in flames. Europa Press News

With the flames getting closer and closer to their home, Timbrell, Kilgore and their friends had to make a snap decision about how and when to flee.

They were going to try driving, but Timbrell quickly went back into their home to get the couple’s cats, Charlie and Lilly.

“If we’d have done the sensible thing and gone the other way and let our cats die, we both would be alive,” he told The BBC. “But when you’ve got animals, you don’t think like that.”

After grabbing Charlie and Lilly, Timbrell tried to rejoin the group, but saw that for some reason they had gotten out of their cars.

“My wife and our other seven friends and neighbors — against me screaming at them not to — decided the only safe way was to walk out in front of the firewall,” he said. “I’ve subsequently heard that that fire wall was moving at 20 kilometers (12 miles) per hour, plus. They had no chance.”

Timbrell tried to escape the flames in one of the abandoned cars.

“Of the six cars, four of them instantly combusted and as each one started to go, I moved back one car.”

“For some reason of fate, the last two cars, although very, very badly singed and paint bubbled and burnt, survived,” he said. “I survived inside the last one with a cat.”

Malcolm was eventually recused by local authorities, but eight bodies were found down the road from the couple’s house.

Three Britons — including a 93-year-old woman — and one French, Belgian and Spanish national, are among the confirmed fatalities.

Spanish authorities have said four more bodies, discovered in a burnt-out vehicle, are thought to be British.

Kilgore has not yet been formally identified.

“There’s just that little spark of hope,” Timbrell said, “even though I know a body has been found clutching a cat. Hard cold facts are pointing to the bodies they’ve found.”

“So we are just waiting now for DNA clarification. And after that, I will probably just fall apart.”

The blaze in Spain came as Europe swelters under record-setting heat — part of a growing climate crisis that is driving up average temperatures on the continent about twice as quickly as the rest of the globe.

Firefighters of the Andalusia Wildfire Service monitor a fire in the area of the wildfire that killed 13 near Bedar, in Los Gallardos district, in Almeria Province, July 10, 2026. JOSE JORDAN/AFP/Getty

Western Europe has just endured its hottest June ever recorded, causing nearly 10,700 excess deaths, and Italy has already entered its third major heat wave of the season.

In France, wildfires have already burned more land this year than during all of 2025. Tanker planes have been skimming the River Seine to scoop up water to try and douse blazes raging about 40 miles south of central Paris.

Hundreds of firefighters have been battling two blazes that have already charred about 4,900 acres in the Fontainebleau forest and forced about 1,000 people to evacuate from their homes, according to local authorities.

While much larger fires have hit southern France, the Fontainebleau blazes are relatively close to the densely populated region surrounding Paris.

No deaths or injuries have been reported in the area, and two people have been arrested in connection with the Fontainebleau fires, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said Tuesday on France’s BFM television.

Trump loses key Senate ally as election integrity fight enters critical phase

July 14, 2026 9:45am EDT / Fox News

Lindsey Graham’s death leaves Republicans without a key architect of Trump’s SAVE America Act

By Alex Miller, Fox News

Mike Lee remembers Sen. Lindsey Graham, discusses effort to pass SAVE America Act

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah., joins ‘Sunday Morning Futures’ to express condolences for Sen. Lindsey Graham’s unexpected passing and discuss the ongoing battle on Capitol Hill for the SAVE America Act.

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President Donald Trump’s top election integrity priority has been stalled in the Senate for months, and with the passing of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the push has lost a key player in getting the bill across the line.

Graham was not just a vocal proponent of the SAVE America Act; he was the Senate Budget Committee chair, a position that is crucial in setting the foundation and guardrails for the party-line process Trump has demanded Republicans take to pass the bill.

His sudden death on Sunday came as the House was gearing up to launch a third budget reconciliation attempt in a bid to fund the Pentagon and attach a version of the SAVE America Act to the party-line undertaking.

SENATE RETURNS TO PACKED AGENDA AFTER GRAHAM’S DEATH SHRINKS GOP MARGIN

Sen. Lindsey Graham, chair of the Senate Budget Committee, during a confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on June 16, 2026.(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“This is a big blow to the SAVE America Act, let me tell you,” Trump said after Graham’s death.

It’s a maneuver that Graham has wanted to make as soon as the political reality of the bill became clear in the Senate, where a cohort of Senate Republicans have broken from Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to block the bill with Senate Democrats.

In early April, Graham vowed to make a “down payment” on the SAVE America Act through reconciliation.

‘DID YOU CALL 911?’ TUBERVILLE RECOUNTS GRAHAM’S FRANTIC FINAL PHONE CALL

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6400957604112

“Voter integrity laws — I’m going to create grant programs, but they’ll have conditions on them,” Graham said. “To get a grant, you’ve got to make sure you purge your rolls of illegal immigrants. There are a lot of blue states out there that don’t do that, and we’ll try to get as much of a voter ID system as I can.”

His position on the Senate Budget Committee won’t remain vacant, however.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., is expected to take the gavel, but has not yet been formally tapped for the role. Still, he is already getting up to speed with staff on the committee and his colleagues in the House.

GRAHAM EYES ‘DOWN PAYMENT’ ON TRUMP-BACKED SAVE ACT WITHOUT DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., speaks during a Senate subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill on June 11, 2024, in Washington, D.C.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“I just walked by Lindsey’s desk, so, I mean, I’ve got to take one step at a time,” Johnson said. “I understand the responsibility I’m assuming.”

Johnson said that he’s already spoken with his House counterpart, House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, and is doing what he can to “organize the effort so we can succeed.”

He’s already gotten his hands on the House’s SAVE America plan from House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil, R-Wis., but whether the provision lives or dies is ultimately up to the Senate rules referee.

Complicating matters is the running clock lawmakers have to deal with, given the time-consuming nature of budget reconciliation.

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The House is in session for two weeks this month, while the Senate will embark on a near month-long sprint. Both chambers will be gone the entirety of August, and return in September to a looming fight over funding the government.

For now, the Senate is waiting on what the House produces, and there’s no guarantee that their product will pass muster with Republicans in the upper chamber.

“The path to 51 is going to be a bumpy one, I think over here,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said. “But, we’ll see what they come up with.”

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

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FIRST ON FOX: Major Cornyn backer goes all-in for Paxton as GOP rallies after red state shock poll

National Border Patrol Council President Paul Perez praised Paxton for standing up for law enforcement during the Biden years

July 14, 2026 10:00am EDT / Fox News

By Peter Pinedo

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FIRST ON FOX:The country’s largest union of Border Patrol officers is now backing Ken Paxton for Senate after having previously endorsed Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in the Republican primary.

In a statement shared with Fox News Digital, Paul Perez, president of the National Border Patrol Council, said the union is “proud” to endorse Paxton, “because we know he will continue fighting for the resources, policies, and leadership our agents need to keep America’s borders secure.”

This comes as Paxton, Texas’ current attorney general, continues to consolidate GOP support after what was a particularly bruising primary. Meanwhile, according to a recent poll, Democratic candidate James Talarico is running dead even with Paxton, giving Democrats hope he can be the first to flip a Texas Senate seat blue for the first time in nearly four decades.

An upset like that would be devastating for the GOP’s hopes of retaining a majority in the upper chamber.

SHOCK POLL: TALARICO TIES PAXTON IN TEXAS SENATE RACE, THREATENING GOP STRONGHOLD

The country’s largest union of Border Patrol officers is now backing Ken Paxton for Senate in the race against Democratic candidate James Talarico.(Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News via Getty Images; Alberto Silva Fernandez/Getty Images)

Once seen as the outsider candidate, Paxton soared to victory over Cornyn after a last-minute endorsement from President Donald Trump in the May primary runoff. Other Republican leaders who once backed Cornyn have rushed to Paxton’s support, such as Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-N.D., who said he was “all in” for Paxton.

Though he previously backed Cornyn, Perez spoke very highly of the attorney general, saying, “We know Ken Paxton stands with the men and women of the National Border Patrol Council who are on the frontlines protecting our borders, and he has always fought to uphold the rule of law.”

He added that “while many looked the other way during the Biden border crisis, Attorney General Ken Paxton has taken action to defend our state, our nation’s sovereignty and to support those on the front lines.”

A close Trump ally, Paxton was one of the most prolific state attorneys general in suing the federal government under former President Joe Biden. In total, Paxton sued the Biden administration more than 100 times. With Texas comprising over 60% of the U.S. southern border, many of Paxton’s suits against the Biden administration were related to border security. He even sued the Biden administration on his last day in office over offshore drilling limits.

JOHN THUNE GOES ‘ALL IN’ FOR KEN PAXTON AFTER BITTER PRIMARY RIPPED GOP APART

President Donald Trump looks on as National Border Patrol Council President Paul Perez speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 26, 2025.(Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Paxton responded that he is “honored to earn the endorsement.”

“No one understands the consequences of open-border policies better than the brave men and women serving on the front lines every day,” he said.

“As Attorney General, I have spent years fighting the Biden administration’s unlawful immigrant agenda, defending Texas’ right to secure our border, and standing with law enforcement officers,” he continued. “I will continue that fight by ensuring President Trump’s border security agenda is fully implemented, funded, and never undermined by partisan politics.”

Meanwhile, Talarico, a 37-year-old former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian, has emerged as the top Democratic fundraiser in Senate races, hauling in a massive $27 million in the first three months of this year.

Venezuelan immigrant Louis Sanchez asks Texas National Guard troops to let his family pass through razor wire after they crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico on Sept. 27, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas.(John Moore/Getty Images)

Talarico and Paxton are tied at 47% support among likely voters in Texas, according to a New York Times/Siena survey released in late June.

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Paxton, however, has asserted that “Talarico doesn’t belong in Texas,” saying, “He fits in California. He does not fit here.”

In the same vein, Republicans have repeatedly spotlighted Talarico’s past controversial comments, including saying that “God is nonbinary,” that there are six biological sexes and saying he thinks of himself as a Christian who “hates Christianity.”

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

Inflation eased more than expected in June as gas prices fell, CPI report shows

July 14, 2026 / 8:35 AM EDT / CBS News

Inflation slowed more than expected in June, easing to an annual rate of 3.5% from 4.2% in May as lower gasoline prices helped cool price growth, according to Labor Department data released Tuesday.

By the numbers

Economists polled by the financial data firm FactSet predicted June inflation would rise at an annual rate of 3.9%.

The cooler reading comes after three consecutive months of increases that pushed the CPI to its highest level in more than three years. Inflation slowed as a result of declining energy prices, with gasoline prices tumbling 9.7% in June from a month earlier.

June’s decline represented the largest one-month decrease since April 2020, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said.

With oil and gasoline prices falling in June and early July, May may represent this year’s peak inflation reading, Oxford Economics said in a report published July 14.

The CPI, a basket of goods and services typically bought by consumers, tracks changes in prices over time.

Core CPI, which excludes the more volatile energy and food categories, rose at an annual rate of 2.6%, down from 2.9% in May and below economists’ expectations.

The lower-than-expected inflation figure comes after the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding last month, which implemented a 60-day ceasefire in the war.

However, tensions between the two countries have since flared as they vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz.

“A serious re-escalation of the conflict would threaten to revive the key upside risk to inflation and raise the odds of rate hikes,” Goldman Sachs analysts said in a research note before Tuesday’s CPI release.

What experts are saying

Experts cautioned that today’s CPI figure doesn’t reflect the recent rise in energy prices driven by renewed tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

On Tuesday, the price of Brent crude, the international benchmark, shot up to a one-month high of more than $86 a barrel after President Trump said the U.S. would reinstitute a military blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and impose a 20% fee on cargo shipments transiting the waterway.

The national average for gasoline sat at $3.86 a gallon on Tuesday, according to AAA, down from a peak of more than $4.50 in May but still above the sub-$3-a-gallon level before the war started.

“Oil and gasoline prices — the main reason inflation eased in June — have started to edge back up on renewed US-Iran tensions, but the CPI won’t reflect this for another month,” Nic Puckrin, a markets expert and former Goldman Sachs analyst, said in an email.

Slowing inflation also offered a reprieve for consumers, who have been grappling with higher energy prices due to the war, said Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit.

“This is good news for the nation, for the Federal Reserve and for many middle-income and moderate-income Americans who were desperate for some relief on inflation,” she said in an email.

However, it’s too soon to tell whether the drop in prices will last, she said. “The concern is that this relief will be short-lived as the war in Iran restarts,” Long added.

What this means for the Federal Reserve

Last month, nearly half of Federal Reserve policymakers signaled they would be open to raising interest rates later this year. However, experts said Tuesday that June’s cooler inflation reading will likely keep the central bank on the sidelines for now.

CME Group’s FedWatch tool showed a 86% probability that the central bank would hold rates steady following the CPI release.

“After today’s benign core inflation release, it appears less likely that the FOMC will raise rates over the next few meetings,” Jeffrey Roach, chief economist for LPL Financial, said in an email. “However, we may still be at an inflection point, given the risk that the energy shock could spill over into other categories of consumer prices.”

The Federal Reserve is scheduled to make its next interest rate decision on July 29.

Edited by Aimee Picchi

诊断放射科医生 金融衍生品交易员与飞行教员 三职业去年最高薪

2026年7月14日 23:32 / 联合早报

AI摘要

• 诊断放射科医生、金融衍生品交易员与飞行教员为本地去年总月薪中位数最高的三大职业，均达2万元。
• 飞行教员连续第二年居首，另两职业则首次跻身榜首；前十高薪职业月薪介于1万3792元至1万7812元。
• 放射科医生与飞行教员业内薪酬差距显著，第75与第25百分位数差额超1万9000元。
• AI热潮推高年轻群体中AI工程师薪资，专家指善用AI将成为影响未来薪酬关键因素。

本摘要由AI辅助生成，仅供参考

HMI医疗中心诊断与介入放射科高级顾问医师熊森威指出，放射科医生的收入通常与工作量成正比，阅片数量越多、完成的影像报告越多，相应的收入也会越高。 （HMI医疗中心提供）

诊断放射科医生、金融衍生品交易员和飞行教员，是本地去年最高薪的三个职业，总月薪中位数均达到2万元。不过分析指出，个别诊断放射科医生和飞行教员的业内实际薪酬差距较大，收入水平因资历、雇主，以及工作性质而有所不同。

人力部于今年6月底发布《2025常年职业工资调查》，公布了520多个常见职业在去年6月的总月薪情况。其中，诊断放射科医生和金融衍生品交易员首次跻身薪酬榜首；飞行教员则继2024年后，连续第二年排在第一位。

其他跻身前十的职业是：首席信息官、技术官或信息安全官、风险管理经理、商业航空公司飞行员、资讯通信技术销售与服务专员、基金和投资组合经理、公司董事，以及船舶经纪人，他们的总月薪中位数介于1万3792元至1万7812元。

这项调查于去年7月至12月进行，以聘有至少25名员工的私人企业为抽样调查对象，共取得5232家企业的有效样本，涵盖约39万1300名去年6月缴交公积金的全职本地居民雇员。

人力部指出，调查中的总月入包括基本工资、加班费、佣金、津贴及其他固定现金收入，但不包括花红。因此，经纪、交易员及高层管理人员等绩效奖金占比较高的职业，其统计薪资可能低于实际总收入。由于数据来自抽样调查，不同年份的工资变化可能受样本影响，解读同比变化时应保持谨慎。

HMI医疗中心诊断与介入放射科高级顾问医生熊森威认为，官方公布的总月薪中位数为2万元，与行业实际情况大致相符。他接受《联合早报》访问时说：“放射科医生的收入通常与工作量成正比，阅片数量越多、完成的影像报告越多，相应的收入也会越高。”

他指出，放射科医生除须评估患者体内结构、协助诊断疾病，还须持续追踪病情及治疗进展，因此工作量相当繁重。

高薪往往伴随更大的压力和风险。一名专注原油市场的不具名金融衍生品交易员说，业内总月薪约1万2000元属常见水平，若要获得更高收入，必须承担更大市场风险，而风险的复杂程度往往超出外界想象。他平常工作超过12小时，并因须要紧盯欧美市场，时常工作至凌晨。

值得注意的是，诊断放射科医生和飞行教员去年总月薪第75百分位数与第25百分位数之间的差距，分别高达1万9151元和2万零433元，远高于其他排名前十的职业（均不超过1万1599元），凸显这两个职业不同从业者薪酬或存在显著差距。

人力资源公司仁立国际执行董事梁昌国博士指出，诊断放射科医生的执业范围广泛，薪酬水平也因经验不同而存在大幅落差。“许多经验丰富的放射科医生通过多种渠道获得收入，包括临床工作、教学、科研以及专业咨询。”

至于飞行教员，他们的薪资则取决于执教机型、教员等级、教学经验、任职机构及培训对象。梁昌国说：“那些具备培训航空公司学员或高级商业飞行员资格的教员，薪酬远高于主要培训私人飞行执照技师的教员。”

AI热潮推高相关职位薪资 或成影响未来薪酬关键

调查结果显示，不同年龄层的高薪职业各异：在25岁至29岁群体中，总月薪中位数最高职业是人工智能（AI）和机器学习工程师；30岁至39岁的是首席信息官、技术官或信息安全官；40岁至49岁及50岁至59岁，则同样是风险管理经理。

本地科技职位配对网站NodeFlair创办人洪仅翔指出，在AI热潮带动下，AI及机器学习工程师需求持续强劲，推高相关职位薪资。AI也正扩大职场薪资差距，未来企业将越来越重视能够熟练运用AI提升效率的人才，而善用AI与否，将成为影响薪酬的重要因素。

梁昌国则认为，从劳动市场角度来看，AI正改变职业竞争优势的基础。未来工作内容将持续重构，真正具竞争力的人才，不仅需要专业知识，也须懂得运用AI辅助决策，在复杂情境下作出判断，并能向利益相关者清楚阐述复杂建议。

他以诊断放射科医生为例说，AI不会全面取代他们，而是推动职业转型。虽然AI已能快速识别医学影像异常、提高阅片效率及协助分流急症，但结合患者病史作出临床判断、参与跨专科沟通，以及承担最终医疗和法律责任，仍须由医生负责。

（柯恩惠支援报道）

Trump’s Strait of Hormuz fee would have cost millions, opened “a very dangerous Pandora’s Box,” experts say

2026-07-14T10:59:00-0400 / CBS News

By Joanne Stocker Verification producer
Joanne Stocker is a verification producer for CBS News Confirmed. She was previously chief editor of Kurdistan 24 English and managing editor at The Defense Post. She has combined open-source investigation methods with on-the-ground reporting to cover conflict, terrorism, and misinformation for over 15 years.

Read Full Bio

Updated on: July 14, 2026 / 12:06 PM EDT / CBS News

If President Trump were to make good on his declaration that the U.S. will impose a 20% fee on cargo transiting the Strait of Hormuz it could cost the largest vessels over $30 million per shipment, industry experts say, while logistics companies have called the concept illegal.

The president abruptly changed course on Tuesday, however, announcing in a Truth Social post — just as he had about his original intention to impose the fee — that he had “decided to replace the 20% fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States.”

Mr. Trump did not offer any further detail about his new plans, and there was no immediate reaction from Gulf states.

Shipping industry analysts and logistics companies balked earlier Tuesday at Mr. Trump’s stated intention to impose a fee to cover U.S. security costs incurred as the “guardian” of the strait, calling it illegal and estimating the cost per ship at upwards of $30 million for large tankers.

It is not clear how the Trump administration would have imposed such a levy, but Lloyd’s List estimates that a 20% fee would amount to roughly $17 million for a fully laden large natural gas carrier.

At current Brent crude prices, which are hovering around $80 a barrel, about $16 per barrel “will go to Trump,” said Amena Bakr, head of Middle East and OPEC+ at the Kpler shipping industry intelligence firm, in a social media post Monday.

Even if Brent drops to $60 a barrel, the fee for a fully laden, very large crude carrier, which can carry around 2 million barrels, would have come to $24 million per shipment, Petras Katinas, a research fellow in climate, energy and defense at the RUSI Europe think tank, told CBS News on Tuesday before Mr. Trump’s about-face.

Iranian tolls imposed at the start of the conflict, in contrast, reportedly amounted to around $2 million, or about 1.2% of the value of the oil on board on a very large crude carrier, and unofficial payments made quietly between governments were as low as $120,000, Lloyd’s said.

The U.S. imposing a fee would be “opening a very dangerous Pandora’s Box,” Katinas said, “because in other parts of the world, other countries will decide they want to impose tolls as well. So, we are totally undermining international maritime law, which is already in a fragile situation.”

Other industry groups and shippers said it would be an illegal move.

Two men wade in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz with vessels anchored in the background, off Bandar Abbas, Iran, July 12, 2026. Razieh Poudat/ISNA/AP

“Whether the going rate is $200 or $20m, there is no legal basis for charging vessels to exercise their right of transit passage through an international strait,” Lloyd’s List editor Richard Meade wrote Monday. “Whether such demands originate in Tehran or Washington is largely beside the point. The danger lies in normalising the idea that access to one of the world’s most important maritime arteries can be subject to politically conditioned payments.”

Any imposition of fees on the transport of cargo through the Strait of Hormuz would be “fundamentally wrong,” German logistics company Hapag-Lloyd told CBS News on Tuesday.

“It would be fundamentally wrong to charge tolls for passage through international waters,” a spokesperson for the shipping giant told CBS News. “Tolls for infrastructure such as the Suez Canal or Panama Canal are different, because they reflect major infrastructure investments. That is not the case in the Strait of Hormuz.”

Mr. Trump said Monday that the U.S. was reinstating its naval blockade of Iranian ports and associated vessels, and that it would be “reimbursed” for costs associated with providing security in the strait with the 20% fee on all cargo shipped through the narrow passage.

The U.S. has repeatedly condemned Iran for saying it could impose fees on commercial vessels using the strait after Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding intended to reopen the passage to all ships.

“No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month. “That’s existing international law.”

The strait was always free and open to commercial traffic before the U.S. and Israel launched their joint war with Iran on Feb. 28. Iran responded to the assault by attacking ships and Gulf states, effectively deterring most shippers from using the waterway.

The United Nations’ International Maritime Organization said Tuesday it was “firmly against charging fees for passage through straits used for international navigation.”

“There is no legal basis through which to introduce mandatory tolls simply to transit through a strait,” an IMO spokesperson told CBS News.

As recently as June 25, Rubio told a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Bahrain that Iranian tolls in the strait would risk “total chaos” as a precedent for international shipping.

“International waterways do not belong to any nation state. This is a foundational principle in the world today, without which the world would be in total chaos,” Rubio said. “If, in fact, we accepted that you can charge money to use an international waterway because it happens to be near your territorial space, well then this will spread throughout the world like a contagion.”

Oil prices surged to about $87 a barrel Tuesday morning after rising almost 10% Monday when Mr. Trump first announced the 20% fee. The cost of a barrel of international benchmark Brent crude was back down to $84 a barrel by Tuesday afternoon.

“Snapping an immediate 20% transit fee on cargo ships already underway would prolong adverse cost impacts on global supply chains; though it seems that President Trump’s social media announcement is bluster, his principle and logic are sound: security has a price,” energy and security consultant Myles B. Caggins III told CBS News on Tuesday.

Iran agreed with that assessment, but the Islamic Republic’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, mocked President Trump’s declaration of a 20% fee, saying in a social media post that was “too much” for future tolls.

“POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service,” Araghchi wrote. “Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is of course too much. We will be fair.”

Caggins, a retired U.S. Army colonel who has led operations in Iraq and Syria, said Gulf oil and gas producers were “already implementing alternate routes to get supplies to market” due to the impact of the Iran war on traffic through the strait. He said specifically that Iraq had moved to prioritize oil shipments via pipelines to Turkey, and by truck to Syria.

Mr. Trump’s comments on Monday came after the United Arab Emirates’ defense ministry said Iranian cruise missiles struck two oil tankers using a southern shipping route through the strait, along the coast of Oman, which Tehran does not accept.

The U.S. has continued to encourage commercial ships to use the southern route despite repeated attacks by Iran.