Sunday's FIFA World Cup final drew more than 62.8 million viewers in the U.S., making it the most-watched World Cup final and soccer telecast in American history.
Why it matters: The record audience underscores soccer's growing popularity in the U.S. and is likely to boost the value of future media rights.
President Trump is invoking an unused provision of the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act to impose additional tariffs on Canada over alleged discrimination against U.S. exports.
Why it matters: As the Supreme Court limits Trump's ability to wield tariffs and a temporary tariff stopgap expires, the president is turning to a rarely used tariff authority.
President Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. military will bomb Iran's Pickaxe Mountain, a deep underground site that the U.S. and Israel suspect could be used for nuclear activity.
Why it matters: Trump's remarks, at the top of his meeting with the president of Lebanon at the White House, signaled that he is not interested in a ceasefire at the moment and is moving towards escalating the strikes on Iran.
LONDON — Canada has joined the Global Combat Air Program as an observer, aligning with the British, Italians and Japanese on a potential sixth-generation stealthy warplane.
Why it matters: Canada could be moving away from the American arsenal, as it suggested in its first-ever defense-industrial strategy. Or it could be seeking the insights and prestige that come with such a sophisticated — but still in-the-works — aircraft.
Three months into the Iran war, bond market traders are tuning out President Trump's posts on his personal social media site, Truth Social, analysts say.
Why it matters: Researchers from JPMorgan show that for the most part, his social media posts are noise, with very little ability to move the market.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will meet President Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday — a sit-down that comes as the Israeli military begins its first withdrawal from Lebanon under a U.S.-brokered agreement.
Why it matters: The Trump administration is politically invested in strengthening Aoun, isolating Hezbollah and pushing for an Israeli-Lebanese peace agreement.
A white separatist group is openly planning a network of whites-only settlements across rural America that aim to withstand legal challenges by operating essentially as private clubs.
Why it matters: The communities are launching in the Ozarks, Appalachia and the South as the Trump administration has backed off prosecuting many civil rights cases.
President Trump is nearing a decisive fork in the Iran war, with U.S. and Israeli officials envisioning only two viable endgames:
Option 1: Pursue a new 10-day ceasefire aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Option 2: Launch a massive joint military campaign with Israel to force Tehran's capitulation.
Why it matters: Trump hasn't made a decision yet. Butofficials believe the next few days will determine which path prevails — with little room left for the grinding, open-ended conflict now paralyzing the Gulf.
Andy Burnham is the U.K.'s seventh prime minister in a decade, inheriting an economy constrained by weak growth, high debt and years of political turmoil.
Why it matters: Burnham is promising to remake Britain's economy just as growth has stalled, inflation remains elevated and public finances are stretched.
WASHINGTON – America's next chapter hinges on how it navigates global conflict while sustaining confidence at home, speakers said at Axios House D.C.
Why it matters: As the nation commemorates 250 years of independence, questions about U.S. leadership abroad, public optimism and economic growth are becoming increasingly intertwined.
Axios' Mike Allen, Nathan Bomey, Hans Nichols and Courtenay Brown hosted conversations with Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Gallup global managing partner Joe Daly, Washington Commanders president Mark Clouse and Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.). The July 15 event was sponsored by Bank of America.
What they're saying: The Iran conflict won't be a "forever war," Hagerty said.
"The Iranian regime is in shambles right now," he said.
Yes, but: Dean said she believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convinced President Trump "to go to this reckless war of choice in Iran."
She also said she does not trust Netanyahu and thinks he's "lied to our faces" about targeting strategies and casualties in the Gaza war.
Despite global tensions, the "American spirit is alive," Daly said, referring to recent findings from the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream-Gallup American Dream Study.
"The vast majority [78%] of Americans think that they themselves will achieve the American dream, and they think that it is a worthy thing to strive for," Daly said.
By the numbers: One industry that's experiencing huge economic growth is sports. NFL team valuations have been skyrocketing, with the Seattle Seahawks reportedly being acquired for $9.6 billion.
Zoom in: Clouse said soaring NFL team valuations are sustainable, pointing to the audience demand – 23 of the 25 most-watched telecast programs in 2025 were NFL games.
Content from the sponsor's segment:
In a sponsored conversation, Bank of America chair and CEO Brian Moynihan said consumer spending increased roughly 6% in the second quarter compared to last year, leading him to predict that the economy will grow by at least 2% this year.
"Affordability is a real issue," he said. However, he added, "what people are doing is still spending money, and that's good for the U.S. economy in the broadest context."
Drivers can expect pump shock déjà vu as the national average gas price again climbed over $4 per gallon Monday, as President Trumpappears poised to escalate the war in Iran.
The big picture: Tanker traffic is once again being choked in the Strait of Hormuz after fighting between Iran and the U.S. reignited, with Washington reinstating a naval blockade that could dramatically escalate tensions.
Last week's dramatic showdown over cutting U.S. aid to Israel offered a glimpse into just how profoundly progressive anger is reshaping Democratic politics.
Why it matters: It's not just that the left is winning seats — they're ousting incumbents and instilling panic among House Democrats, who fear they may be next if they don't take a more hostile posture toward Israel.
The U.S. military launched fresh strikes against Iran on Sunday evening, after announcing the death of one American service member and the recovery of another's remains following an Iranian missile strike in Jordan.
The big picture: The deaths underscore the growing toll of the U.S.-Iran conflict as both countries continue military attacks and the risk of further escalation rises.
Data: TicketData.com; Chart: Brad Jennings/Axios. Note: Excludes championship final and third-place match.
Even the "cheap seats" at most World Cup games were expensive, with last-minute prices reaching thousands of dollars for some matches.
The big picture: Get-in prices ranged from just over $300 for a group-stage match in Atlanta to nearly $7,500 for Sunday's final in East Rutherford, N.J.
