Per the terms of the recent U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, the U.S. Treasury had waived sanctions on some Iranian crude oil exports for 60 days. That move quickly sent American gas prices downward. Then on July 6, Iran renewed attacks on shipping that got the waiver revoked. But for China, there seems little good news either way regarding its energy security. An uncomfortable reality for Beijing is that its strategic ambitions are conditioned on access to cheap imported energy. Credit: The Heritage Foundation. China’s status as the world’s second-largest economy backed by the world’s largest navy and commercial fleet makes it an energy-hungry industrial and military goliath. Since 2000, its energy imports have grown by 984%, and today Beijing imports over 20% of its energy needs; importing over 70% of its crude oil needs and approximately 40% of its LNG needs.  But it is reliant on foreign oil and natural gas, much of it from countries of questionable stability often forced to operate in the shadows of legality under sanctions. President Donald Trump’s moves on Venezuela and Iran this year have agitated China’s energy dilemma. The emerging energy market reality is proving a strategic vulnerability for Beijing. China’s economy, military, and ambitions are increasingly at the mercy of Washington. Significant disruption could cripple China’s crude oil imports and rapidly deplete its reserves, according to the new report Tidalwave from the Heritage Foundation. Even some casual observers began to suspect this was in fact occurring during the recent closures of the Strait of Hormuz. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), in 2024 Beijing consumed approximately 16.3 million barrels of petroleum daily, though it produced only 4.3 million barrels of crude oil domestically. The nation’s domestic crude oil production has steadily increased in recent years, but consumption has continually outpaced production, forcing China to depend heavily on imported energy. The Daqing oil field in northeastern China and the Shengli oil field in Shandong remain the pillars of China’s domestic crude oil production despite decades of extraction. China is the world’s largest importer of natural gas, importing approximately 5.7 trillion cubic feet in 2023, with more than 60% arriving as liquefied natural gas from Australia (34%), Qatar (23%), and Russia (11%). The EIA estimates that roughly 92% of China’s crude oil imports move over maritime routes. Tankers carrying petroleum from the Persian Gulf, Africa, and Latin America travel across vulnerable sea lanes and chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz near a range of potential foes. Approximately 80% of China’s imported crude oil passes through the Strait of Malacca, making it a longstanding concern for Chinese strategists. The recent conflict with Iran and closure to shipping via the Strait of Hormuz has demonstrated in real terms to Beijing such vulnerability. Beijing had hoped its massive strategic petroleum reserves would mitigate this vulnerability, but recent news indicates these reserves may not be adequate. According to the EIA, China held an estimated 1.4 billion barrels of strategic crude inventories by the end of 2025, while the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve contained approximately 413 million barrels of commercial crude inventories. Senior Chinese officials were reported to be inspecting the country’s strategic petroleum reserve under suspicions about the reliability of Beijing’s reported reserves. Meanwhile, the U.S. is a net energy exporter with a remarkable degree of energy security. The U.S. also possesses sizeable domestic refining capacity and geographically-secure North American energy partners, which could help address any energy shocks. Today’s energy market shocks will likely spur Beijing to accelerate energy diversification. All told, the ongoing shocks to the global energy market are creating a new normal that will persist well into the future, in part thanks to pipelines. At the dawn of the current conflict, there was an average of 153 transits per day through the Strait of Hormuz. This number dropped to fewer than 15 in a matter of days. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates can partially bypass the Strait of Hormuz through pipelines. UAE alone is capable today of transporting approximately 1.8 million barrels of crude per day, and it intends to expand this to 3.3 million barrels of crude per day by 2027. Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline connects to the port of Yanbu, moving 7 million barrels of crude per day, and there are plans to add an additional 2 million barrels a day to its capacity in coming years. That represents today just under half of the roughly 20.9 million barrels of crude shipped through the Hormuz Strait before the conflict—meaning these pipelines cannot cover for Hormuz, not to mention that they provide no alternative routes for Qatar’s LNG exports. Chinese strategists have long been aware of the vulnerability of the nation’s energy needs, and they have sought alternative energy sources (e.g. solar, nuclear) and diversified markets. A most remarkable investment has been in Russia’s remote Arctic: Yamal LNG export facility in northern Siberia. Chinese banks committed about $12 billion to develop Yamal LNG production through state-backed financing and procurement of specialty ships for the Arctic transit. Those ships are a fleet of 15 Arc7 icebreaking tankers designed to sustain year-round exports. Today, Yamal LNG is the world’s fifth largest LNG terminal and is an increasingly important source of imported gas for China, but Chinese shipments must still pass through the Bering Sea—near the U.S. While Yamal does not eliminate China’s broader energy vulnerabilities, it is one example of Beijing’s attempts to secure overland and less vulnerable Arctic energy. China has also run into limitations with its Russian neighbor regarding overland pipelines. Two pipelines are key to China’s overland petroleum imports: the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean Pipeline (ESPO) pipeline system with Russia, and one from Kazakhstan. The ESPO network provides China with 820,000 barrels of crude oil per day, representing roughly 7% of total crude oil imports shipped to China. The Kazakhstan-China Oil Pipeline delivers Central Asian oil directly into Western China and last year saw a 4% increase to roughly 400,000 barrels of crude oil daily, accounting for approximately 3.5% of China’s crude oil imports. Together, these pipelines mitigate but don’t eliminate China’s reliance on vulnerable sea routes for critical energy. Poor maintenance and capital investment in Russia’s pipelines are risking their viability and precluding potential expansion of capacity—plus, sanctions and the conflict in Ukraine are making it even more difficult to extract its Arctic energy reserves. Overall, China has few good options to securely meet its energy needs and fuel its leaders’ aspirations to challenge American global leadership. Beijing energy issues have been amplified by President Trump’s recent successes in Iran and Venezuela. At a March 2021 hearing before Congress, the Indo-Pacific commander, Adm. Philip Davidson, made clear Beijing was making every preparation to prevail in a war over the fate of Taiwan by 2027. President Trump has likely bought America some time to prevent such a war.

Virginia’s governing Democrats made it a crime to buy, sell, manufacture, or swap so-called assault weapons and high-capacity magazines that hold more than 15 rounds of ammunition. The law’s July 1 enactment, however, sits in a legal limbo as a wave of lawsuits move through various courts. Plaintiffs in four state jurisdictions have sued to have the law overturned. The lawsuits all claim that the gun law violates Article I, Section 13 of the state constitution, which reads, in part: “That a well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state, therefore, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” Another case, filed in Fauquier County, makes that same legal argument, but adds that the law also violates the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which reads, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Former state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, lead counsel in the case filed in Spotsylvania County, told the Daily Signal why that case is unique. “Our case is unique in that we are suing under the original militia clause. The ‘right to keep and bear arms’ language so familiar to people today was only added to Virginia’s State Constitution in 1971,” Cuccinelli said. As the four cases moved ahead, Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones asked the state Supreme Court to consolidate them into one. On Monday, a three-judge panel in Charlottesville unanimously rejected that effort and held that the cases will all proceed separately. “While consolidation would have provided a single, uniform path for resolving these important legal questions, the Commonwealth remains steadfast in the constitutionality of these laws and optimistic they will be upheld upon final adjudication of the several cases,” Jones told local news outlet WSET. He has said he plans to appeal but hasn’t filed yet. Cuccinelli disagrees. “I expect to prevail for the simple reason that it is inconceivable that George Mason, Patrick Henry, and other Virginians could have conceived of the idea that their own state government could ban the most popular guns in America, the very guns that an ordinary citizen would show up with if called to militia service today,” he told the Daily Signal. The cases have created a patchwork, with the new law potentially being enforced in some places and blocked in others. Two judges granted preliminary injunctions ahead of July 1, and another judge is still considering whether to grant an injunction. “The injunctions stop the defendants in those cases from enforcing the law,” Cuccinelli said. “That includes the state police and some of the commonwealth’s attorneys.” Late Tuesday, a Washington County Circuit judge issued a statewide injunction that prevents law enforcement officers from implementing the law. Judge Jeffrey Campbell expanded his order, which had originally applied only to Virginia State Police and the localities of Washington County, Chesterfield County, Frederick County, York County, Giles County, and Chesapeake. “The appeals by the Commonwealth of their preliminary injunction losses will get to the state Supreme Court relatively quickly,” possibly within months, Cuccinelli said. One court case could end up overruling all the state decisions. On July 1, the U.S. Justice Department filed its own lawsuit in federal court to strike down the law on Second Amendment grounds. If the DOJ case prevails, the cases filed at the state level would be moot.

The scandals involving Graham Platner, still the Democrat nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, continue. Nevertheless, Platner looks to be making demands. On Tuesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said Platner should “step aside.” Platner has until next Monday to decide. Otherwise, his name remains on the ballot. I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine. In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 7, 2026 Despite declining support from his once top supporter, there are signs that Platner won’t go quietly, if at all. According to Tuesday reporting from the New York Post, Platner and his campaign strategist Morris Katz “are deliberating about the Maine Democrat dropping out, but only if his replacement shares his left-wing values.” The outlet reported that Katz, who helped elect New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, “had been recommending Platner stay in the race.” Strategist Rebecca Katz called the New York Post article “false.” Platner’s campaign could be navigating an exit, according to CNN. Tony Kinnett, host of “The Tony Kinnett Cast,” argued on Tuesday’s podcast that Platner “knows he has to step down and it’s done, but he’s blackmailing the party.” Kinnett referenced Platner’s alleged victims, including Jenny Racicot, who spoke to Politico and claimed that Platner broke into her home and raped her. Lyndsey Fifield, who spoke to The New York Times alleging abuse from Platner, also recently spoke to The Washington Post about her claims that Platner refused to wear a condom during sex or took it off during sex. Audio footage from Townhall draws a connection between Platner and Dan Osborne, an independent running against Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts in Nebraska. Kinnett said the association “really branches out into the broader party,” as it appears Osborne had a role in vetting Platner. Kinnett noted that commentator Molly Jong-Fast is claiming she’s “baffled” by the vetting process for Platner, adding “this was all out in the open at the beginning.” Hosts on ABC News’ “The View” are still defending Platner, showing video footage of the Democrat addressing and denying allegations, and with Joy Behar choosing to complain about the “Epstein Protection Party.” Such comments signaled an obsession with President Donald Trump that Kinnett addressed with the Maine race. “They keep bringing this up because they don’t want to come to the conclusion that independent voters already have: Donald Trump’s not on the ballot in the midterms,” Kinnett said. He added that Platner is running against “the most milquetoast mediocre woman in the Senate in history,” referring to Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Co-host Sunny Hostin also made clear she’d vote for Platner if she lived in Maine, claiming, “we are in a time of existential crisis in this country.” On Tuesday night, Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson released a video statement addressing Platner’s demands. “Unfortunately, Graham Platner’s team has repeatedly reached out to us in an attempt to put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like,” Murphy-Anderson said about picking a replacement nominee. “We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner’s team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like.” “We have also reiterated that Graham Platner must drop out of this race so that Democrats in Maine can focus on defeating Susan Collins this November. We look forward to making this process public, as soon as Graham Platner formally withdraws from this race,” Murphy-Anderson concluded. Update from Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson on the Maine Senate race. pic.twitter.com/Jzj9ofinU8— Maine Democrats (@MaineDems) July 8, 2026

A top public health official says the battle against gender ideology is not yet won despite a massive victory at the Supreme Court last week. States and the Trump administration have succeeded lately in taking action against gender ideology. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld laws in West Virginia and Idaho preventing males who identify as females from competing against women in sports. The Trump administration has also stripped Medicaid funding from hospitals that offer transgender procedures to minors, and the Department of Health and Human Services issued a report last May on the dangers of experimental transgender medical interventions referred to as “gender-affirming care.” Still, Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Brian Christine says the threat of gender ideology has not been extinguished.  “We haven’t won,” he told the Daily Signal in an exclusive interview. “All it takes is an election that goes the wrong way in an administration that is hostile to our children to begin backsliding.” “We’re going to continue messaging on this,” he continued. “We’re going to continue to advocate for children when it comes to treating them appropriately, those kids who have gender dysphoria.” Christine promised future agency action against gender ideology.   “We are not going to stop protecting kids,” Christine said. “That’s true for HHS, and I will tell you, it is absolutely 100% true for me, as the assistant secretary for health.” Christine said the subject is extremely important to him. “HHS is 100% in line with President Trump, and I’m going to continue to fight for our kids,” he said.  Christine’s position strongly differs from that of his predecessor, Rachel Levine, a male who identified as a transgender woman. While at HHS, Levine supported “early” transgender surgeries, hormone treatment, and affirmations for kids and teens who identify as transgender, calling them “crucial” to their well-being. “I understand that the biological differences between boys and girls, men and women, are real,” Christine said. “They’re real, they’re immutable. They absolutely make a difference. And so, when you have girls competing against boys, because even if someone says I identify as a girl, they’re genetically boys.” Christine celebrated the Supreme Court’s women’s sports ruling. “Having girls compete against boys simply isn’t fair,” he said. “I think this is a massive win, and I think, again, it’s part of that spectrum of wins for the administration and for the American people that include all the movement we’ve seen on gender dysphoria in minors, recognizing that using sex-rejecting procedures, castrating chemicals simply are not in the best interest of these kids.” 

REUTERS—President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States will give a license to Ukraine for Patriot missiles as he said both Russia and Ukraine want to see the war settled. “We’re going to give a license to you to make Patriots. That’s pretty cool. This way, you can’t complain that we’re not giving ’em enough,” Trump said at a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. “It’s a defensive weapon, which I like better than an offensive weapon,” Trump said. Zelenskyy has repeatedly pleaded for the U.S.-made interceptors—the only weapon in Ukraine’s arsenal that can shoot down ballistic projectiles, whose high velocity and steep flight path make them difficult to stop. He was expected to raise the issue with Trump during their meeting. Trump said pressure could be applied to companies to produce Patriot missiles. “We have great power over the companies, those companies that make the Patriot,” he said. “We haven’t informed the company of that yet, but that’ll work out all right. I’m sure they will be thrilled,” he said.  Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the interceptor missiles that go in the Patriot system. Russia fired ballistic missiles at Kyiv again overnight, officials said on Wednesday, a third attack on the Ukrainian capital in less than a week exploiting Ukraine’s critical shortage of U.S.-made air-defence interceptors. While Ukraine’s air defenses intercepted 139 of the 169 drones during the overnight strikes on the country, they were again unable to down any of the five ballistic missiles used by Russia, air force data showed. Trump said both sides in the war would like to see it end, but Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy have both been “difficult.” “We’ve settled a lot of wars, and this one is the one that I thought maybe would be the easiest, but Putin is a difficult character, and this guy’s a difficult character,” Trump said, referring to Zelenskyy, who was sitting next to him. Zelenskyy said he wanted to discuss “some very important details” with Trump. “I’m sure you will do everything to stop this war,” he told Trump. Moscow has stepped up its air war on Ukraine in recent months as its ground advances have largely stalled and Ukrainian attacks on its military logistics and oil industry triggered widespread fuel shortages. Originally published by Reuters