The United States cannot disentangle itself from the Middle East – and that has big consequences for our defence planning.

On Independence Day, we took an enlightening tour. And it shone a light on Trump’s America, whose people are at one another’s throats – a world where Trump and JD Vance excel.

Michael McCown drove to the Texas Hill Country as soon as he heard about the flood. His little girl had been at Camp Mystic, among the youngest campers in the Bubble Inn cabin beside the river.

Authorities were coming under growing scrutiny over whether the camps and residents in places long vulnerable to flooding received proper warning and whether enough preparations were made.

As the agony for the families of Israel’s hostages drags on, some now believe one man holds the key to achieving their freedom.

At least 27 people have died, including 9 children in fast-moving floods in Texas.

This city is under near-constant bombardment. Every night, sirens wail and explosions shake buildings. Yet life persists. And nowhere is that tenacity more visible than in a group of children gathered in a bunker classroom.

Donald Trump has swept sweeping domestic policy bill into law on Independence Day.

Parents frantically posted photos of their daughters on social media with pleas for information as more than 20 campers from an summer camp were unaccounted for after deadly floods.

A desperate search is under way after deadly flash flooding in a rural area of the state where many children’s summer camps are located.

The militant group said it was “fully prepared” to negotiate “in all seriousness”, but a number of sticking points between the sides are thought to remain.

Bejo Santoso was leaving his family to go back to his Bali construction job. Soon, he and a small group of passengers would find themselves fighting for their lives.

While the war between Israel and Iran ended after 12 days, tensions in the fiercely contested West Bank are only increasing. Foreign affairs correspondent Matthew Knott and photojournalist Kate Geraghty travelled there for this report.

Waves of drones and missiles targeted Ukraine’s capital overnight in the largest aerial assault since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began more than three years ago.

The US decision to cut off munitions already promised seems cruel and gratuitous.

The deputy head of the Russian Navy has been killed, depriving Moscow of one of its most senior officers.

Sales have plunged amid dislike of the company’s boss - but it’s not local carmakers who are benefiting from the dramatic shift.

When it comes to ending the war, Benjamin Netanyahu’s political future is as much a factor as the demands of Israel and Hamas.

British historian Niall Ferguson has a cardinal rule: When a country’s interest payments on debt eclipse its military expenditure, the collapse of empire cannot be far away. That’s now a problem for Trump’s America.

The Russian president sent his message to his US counterpart via a private phone call, while European leaders promised Ukraine more military support.