Politics & World Affairs — July 21, 2026

Arizona holds primaries today. Voters cast ballots Tuesday in earlier-than-usual primaries for governor, attorney general, and several swing congressional seats that could affect control of the House majority.

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'El Mayo' receives life sentence. A New York federal court sentenced Sinaloa Cartel co-founder Ismael Zambada García to life in prison. The court also ordered him to pay $15 billion after he admitted sending drugs to the U.S.

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Mediators propose Iran ceasefire. Mediators presented a 10-day ceasefire proposal Tuesday aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Nearly 100 U.S. troops have sustained injuries since July 7. Fresh U.S. strikes and Iranian ship attacks continued overnight.

The proposal comes amid daily exchanges of fire, with the U.S. and Iran each seeking control of the strait and neither side backing down, according to AP News. The outlet reports the standoff is exposing the limits of President Trump's reliance on escalating airstrikes, and the administration now faces a choice between further escalation and the diplomatic opening the mediators' 10-day plan represents.

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Conservative PAC backs House candidates. Defending Our Values PAC launched a multimillion-dollar push backing Rhett Marques and Scott Singer in crowded Republican primaries it views as critical to preserving the GOP House majority.

Fox News reports the group is framing its spending push around Big Tech, making the issue central to its involvement in the two contests. Both races feature crowded Republican fields, and the PAC's multimillion-dollar commitment signals it sees the primary outcomes, not just the general elections, as decisive for the party's prospects of holding its House majority.

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