Top 5 US news stories
July 2 2026
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US Declines to Renew USMCA, Shifts to Annual Reviews
Trump Debuts Qatar-Gifted Air Force One on North Dakota Flight
GM US Sales Fall 4.2% as BYD Posts Record EV Quarter
Atlas V Launches 29 Amazon Leo Broadband Satellites
US Men Beat Bosnia for First World Cup Knockout Win Since 2002
US Declines to Renew USMCA, Shifts to Annual Reviews
The Trump administration announced on July 1, 2026 — the deadline for the three partners to decide on a 16-year extension — that it will not renew the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement in its current form, moving instead to yearly reviews. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the treaty remains in effect but that the US will keep pressing to address its "shortcomings and our trade deficits with these countries." Trump's chief objection is the US trade deficit with both neighbors. Greer said the US will meet with Mexico during the week of July 20 for a third round of negotiations.
CNBC
Trump Debuts Qatar-Gifted Air Force One on North Dakota Flight
President Trump took the inaugural flight aboard the new Air Force One on July 1, 2026, landing in North Dakota shortly after 10:30 a.m. for events marking the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. The aircraft is a retrofitted Boeing 747-8 valued at about $400 million that was gifted by Qatar and refurbished using taxpayer funds. Rep. Julie Fedorchak became the first member of Congress to fly on the plane, alongside Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and members of the Trump family. Trump then traveled by Marine One and a "Freedom250" train to Medora for a private tour ahead of the library's grand opening on Saturday, July 4.
ABC News
GM US Sales Fall 4.2% as BYD Posts Record EV Quarter
General Motors reported on July 1, 2026 that its US second-quarter vehicle sales fell 4.2% to 714,896 units, down from 746,588 a year earlier. GM's electric vehicle sales dropped about 33% year over year, a sharp reversal after EV sales surged in 2025 ahead of the Trump administration's move to end federal consumer EV tax credits, and Silverado pickup sales fell 7.7%. GM attributed the decline to inflationary pressure on new-vehicle demand but remained the top-selling US automaker on the strength of its trucks and SUVs. The decline contrasts with Chinese automaker BYD, which reported record second-quarter battery-electric vehicle sales of roughly 557,000 units, again outpacing Tesla in global fully electric deliveries. Tesla's official Q2 delivery figures were due July 2, with analysts expecting them to land near 406,000 vehicles.
CNBC / Electrek
Atlas V Launches 29 Amazon Leo Broadband Satellites
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launched 29 Amazon Leo broadband satellites from Cape Canaveral at 12:30 a.m. EDT on July 2, 2026, carrying a roughly 18-ton batch that tied the record for the heaviest payload ever flown on an Atlas V. Amazon confirmed contact with all 29 satellites after deployment, bringing the constellation to more than 375 spacecraft in orbit toward a planned first-generation network of more than 3,200. The mission was the eighth and final Atlas V flight for the program, formerly known as Project Kuiper, closing a run in which the rocket delivered 224 Leo satellites without a failure. Amazon now shifts to ULA's next-generation Vulcan rocket, which will carry more than 40 satellites per launch across 38 planned missions ahead of an initial commercial service rollout later this year. Amazon is building the network to compete with SpaceX's Starlink, which dominates the satellite internet market with nearly 11,000 spacecraft in orbit and a yearslong head start. Federal Communications Commission license terms require Amazon to deploy half of its constellation by the end of July 2026, a deadline the company has asked regulators to relax.
Space.com / Spaceflight Now / ULA / Amazon Leo
US Men Beat Bosnia for First World Cup Knockout Win Since 2002
The US men's national soccer team defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 on July 1, 2026, in Santa Clara, California, earning its first World Cup knockout-stage victory since 2002 and advancing to the round of 16. Folarin Balogun scored the opening goal before being sent off with a red card in the 64th minute, and Malik Tillman sealed the win with an 82nd-minute free kick as the Americans held on a man short. The victory came at the 2026 FIFA World Cup — the largest ever, expanded to 48 teams and co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with the majority of matches played in American stadiums. The US will next face Belgium on July 6 in Seattle for a spot in the quarterfinals. The tournament is unfolding during the same week the country marks its 250th anniversary on July 4, drawing large crowds and global attention to American host cities. The home team's run comes amid a stretch of marquee international events hosted in the United States through the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
ESPN / NPR / U.S. Soccer
JULY 2, 1881: PRESIDENT JAMES A. GARFIELD SHOT
Only four months into his presidency, James A. Garfield was shot in a Washington, D.C., railroad station by disgruntled office seeker Charles J. Guiteau. Garfield lingered for 80 days before dying of infection, elevating Vice President Chester A. Arthur to the presidency and intensifying calls for civil service reform.
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