A Week of Rebukes, Realignments and a Changing of the Guard

Washington Pushes Back

The defining thread of the week ran through Washington, where the other branches of government repeatedly checked the White House. On Tuesday, the House voted 220-204 to pass a Democratic-backed war powers resolution limiting President Trump's military operations in Iran, with seven Republicans joining Democrats to restrict engagement beyond the 60-day threshold. The vote landed the same day two official reports detailed the war's costs: the Congressional Budget Office estimated the conflict cost the Pentagon $38.1 billion through Aug. 1 -- an average of $246 million per day -- and a Pentagon inspector confirmed munitions shortfalls and resupply bottlenecks, contradicting the president's claim that U.S. supplies are "virtually limitless."

A day earlier, the Supreme Court delivered its own setback. In a 7-2 decision, the justices declined to let the U.S. Postal Service enforce a rule targeting mail-in ballots ahead of November's midterms, rejecting the administration's request, Reuters reported. The ruling settles a major question about voting procedures weeks before a national election: voters who use mail-in ballots will not face the proposed restrictions this year.

Congress also completed passage of a sweeping Russia sanctions bill Thursday, sending the most substantial legislative effort against Moscow since Trump returned to office to the president's desk. Its provisions could trigger secondary sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil -- a reach that extends well beyond Russia itself and could touch buyers such as India. Trump must now decide whether to sign it.

The president closed the week with an escalation of his own. On Friday he banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, citing their coverage of his administration, and threatened that more outlets could follow. The move drew condemnation from First Amendment advocates, elected Democrats and critics across the political spectrum. Legal challenges are widely expected, and recent case law on barring specific reporters from the White House suggests the move's legality could get complicated, according to USA Today's analysis.

Alliances Redrawn, North and East

Beyond Washington, the week reshaped America's relationships with two of its closest neighbors and allies. On Friday, the United States, Denmark and Greenland reached an agreement granting the U.S. permanent military basing and security control on the Arctic island, ending months of American annexation threats against the semiautonomous Danish territory. The pact bars China and Russia from operating on the island, and the U.S. basing rights carry no expiration date -- though Danish officials have not confirmed the deal's specifics. Denmark said the agreement could be signed next week.

Two days earlier, a different realignment took shape in Brussels. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen formally proposed making Canada the European Union's first associate member, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney embraced the idea in a speech to the European Parliament, saying Canada seeks a "unique security and economic alliance" with the bloc. Ottawa has sought to pivot away from trade dependence on the United States, Axios reported. Trump responded by threatening additional tariffs on the EU, calling the move a "hostile act" and deriding the pitch as "laughable."

The week's other foreign developments added to the sense of a continent on edge. An Italian fighter jet shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace, likely from Belarus -- the latest airborne incident along NATO's northeastern flank. A Russian drone struck a stationary train near Ukraine's border with Poland shortly after former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and senior European officials passed through the station. And a Hague-based tribunal convicted former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci of war crimes committed during Kosovo's war of independence, sentencing him to 25 years in prison.

The Economy Waits, an Era Ends

The week opened with markets bracing. The 10-year Treasury yield approached 5 percent, and investors priced in an interest rate hike at the Federal Reserve's Wednesday policy meeting -- what would be Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's biggest call yet, with energy costs driving inflation higher and a potential hike risking a collision with the president. The pressure showed up on store shelves, too: Costco raised the price of its private-label motor oil to $57.99 and imposed weekly purchase limits as the Middle East conflict pushed crude prices higher.

The corporate week ended with a milestone. Berkshire Hathaway announced Friday that Warren Buffett, 96, is stepping down as chairman, with his son Howard Buffett succeeding him under a long-standing plan. The transition comes less than a year after Buffett handed over the CEO reins and ends his formal leadership of the company he built over six decades. "Father Time always wins," Buffett said. Elsewhere in business, Generac shares rose more than 30 percent after Amazon agreed to a $2.4 billion deal for backup power generators, and South Korea's SK Hynix entered talks for Intel to manufacture its memory chips in the U.S. for the first time.

A grimmer story unfolded in Pennsylvania, where an unvaccinated 40-year-old woman died from complications of measles -- the state's third measles-related death in less than three weeks, and its third of 2026, according to the Jefferson County coroner. The woman had underlying health conditions, the coroner said. Measles is a highly contagious viral illness that can lead to severe and sometimes fatal complications, and it is preventable with vaccination.

Science offered counterweights. A gene-edited pig kidney kept a patient off dialysis for a record 271 days, the first pig organ to serve as a bridge to a human transplant. A neural implant let people with paralysis speak and move an avatar simultaneously. Scientists confirmed the tilcayo, a small spotted wildcat from Bolivia's cloud forest, as the first new cat species identified in more than a century. And New Zealand welcomed a record 90 kakapo chicks, lifting the world's chunkiest parrot to a global population of 325 -- up from just 51 at its lowest point.

What to Watch This Week

The calendar ahead is lighter than the week behind. The NFL's Week 3 Sunday slate kicks off across the league, with a full day of afternoon and evening games -- following an opening stretch that produced one of the highest-scoring first weeks in league history and Buffalo's 41-31 win over Detroit in the first game at its new Highmark Stadium.

In entertainment, Madonna opens the MTV Video Music Awards, her first opening slot since 2003.

And a line worth carrying into the week, from Billie Jean King, who won the "Battle of the Sexes" match on this date in 1973: "Pressure is a privilege."