A New Threat to Global Shipping, and a Huge Drop-Off in Food Stamps

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**Jason DeParle** (0:17)
Dana, we heard you.

**Tracy Mumford** (0:18)
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**Tracy Mumford** (0:33)
From the New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today is Tuesday, July 21st. Here's what we're covering.
In the Middle East, there are fears that a new front in the war could be opening.
Yesterday one of Iran's key proxy forces, the Houthi militia in Yemen, declared that it will choke off a key waterway in the region. It said it would stop all ships from Saudi Arabia, a major US ally, from passing through a portion of the Red Sea, which has become a critical alternate path for oil shipments as the Strait of Hormuz has been under fire. The Houthis, which are part of the so-called Axis of Resistance led by Iran, have been fighting the Saudi-backed government in Yemen for years. They've largely stayed out of the US-Iran war so far, but the new threat could bring them fully into the broader conflict in the region. It could also put more strain on global energy supplies. There is some precedent for what that could look like. During the height of the war in Gaza, the Houthis attacked and hijacked ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Hamas. That forced shipping companies to divert their cargo thousands of miles south around the tip of Africa, sending shipping costs soaring. Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill today, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the president's top military adviser, General Dan Cain, will appear before Congress to try and make the case for why lawmakers should approve tens of billions of dollars in new funding for the war.

**SPEAKER_5** (2:09)
The greatest fighting force on the planet, the last great superpower, must be fully equipped, and that's the job of Congress to make sure it's done.

**Tracy Mumford** (2:16)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has already signaled he intends to try and push that request through, even though many other lawmakers, including a handful of Republicans, have raised concerns that President Trump is waging war without congressional authorization. Trump ignored recent votes by the House and Senate directing him to get their approval for the war. Democrats, for their part, are refusing to back the funding request, saying the administration needs to share more details about its strategy in the conflict, which is now stretched for almost five months and is deeply unpopular with the American public.
Now, two other quick updates on the Trump administration. Yesterday, the president signed an order that will slap 50% tariffs on a wide range of goods from Canada starting next month, likely reigniting a clash with one of America's closest allies. Canada has been in the administration's crosshairs ever since it retaliated against Trump's first round of tariffs last year with tariffs of its own. And it's expected to be one of several countries to now face a new wave of surcharges from the White House. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court struck down Trump's sweeping use of tariffs, but the administration has been finding workarounds by turning to more obscure legal provisions.
Also, the White House says that Trump's new Air Force One jet will be temporarily taken out of service this fall for what it called additional upgrades and enhancements. It's not clear exactly what those changes will be, but the Times has reported that the Secret Service raised security concerns about the Qatari donated jet, which multiple officials say lacks the same anti-missile capabilities as the old Air Force One models. Trump, who was eager to get the luxury jet into service, has been furious about coverage of the plane's security issues, and the administration has been trying to unmask the confidential sources who spoke with the Times. Beyond issuing subpoenas to some of the reporters, the Justice Department has also been trying to get phone records from them and their relatives. That includes information about calls and messages on the phones from one of the reporters' mothers and two of the reporters' spouses. A Justice Department spokesman said in a statement that any subpoena issued by the department is done, quote, in full compliance with federal law.
In the years since Congress passed the one big, beautiful bill, a growing number of Americans are no longer receiving federal food stamp benefits, commonly known as SNAP. The state with the highest drop-off is Arizona, where the number of people on SNAP has dropped by roughly half, meaning almost 500,000 people there now don't get federal food assistance.