5 Big News Stories Overnight - Saturday, July 11, 2026

How Marco Rubio is Running Venezuela From Afar

The New York Times reports:

President Trump was sitting in the Oval Office earlier this year with Secretary of State Marco Rubio when an idea came to him.

Maybe he should dispatch Mr. Rubio permanently to Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, where U.S. commandos had carried out the proudest foreign policy achievement of Mr. Trump’s second term: the capture of Nicolás Maduro, the country’s president.

Mr. Rubio could be the next leader of Venezuela, Mr. Trump suggested. And while the president’s aides say he was joking — and that he frequently teases Mr. Rubio about an overseas assignment — the fact is that Mr. Rubio does not need to move to Caracas.

He already runs Venezuela from Washington.

US CENTCOM Steps Up Attacks on Iran / US warns Iran: Reopen Strait of Hormuz and halt attacks today

The Telegraph Reports:

The US has told Iran that it must fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and renounce all attacks on commercial ships by Saturday.

Washington officials have conveyed to Tehran, both directly and through regional mediators, that it has until the end of the day to apologise for this week’s strikes that triggered renewed conflict, White House sources told US media.

The US expects Iran to say that it “screwed up” and that it will stop firing on commercial vessels, one official said.

Another told Axios on Friday: “If it is not their position [tomorrow], it is not going to be a great day for them.”

US officials claim the Iranians have told them the attacks on shipping were carried out by rogue hardliners within the country seeking to undermine the agreement.

Rapper Pitbull and fans set ‘bald cap’ Guinness World Record at London show

The Guardian reports:

A tight plastic cap is not an attractive option for protective headwear in 30C (86F) heat. Yet 22,141 people opted for just that – along with a white shirt, black tie and aviator sunglasses – in Hyde Park, London, on Friday afternoon. It was both a homage to the rapper Pitbull, the night’s headliner at the BST festival, and part of setting a Guinness World Record for the “largest gathering of people wearing bald caps”.

“I’m speechless. Who would have thought a first-generation Cuban would be record-breaking and record-making?” said the rapper, accepting the award in an all-black suit.

Pitbull, a bald man, had to put on a cap to count towards the record himself. According to Will Munford, an official adjudicator for Guinness World Records, it was not a record for the “largest gathering of bald people”, so for Mr Worldwide (the rapper’s nickname) to be counted he had “to wear a bald cap to be in the record number”.

In order to ensure an accurate result, Munford said there were “400 volunteers to individually check people” at the entrance and onsite, and “drone footage with 42 counters backstage”.

PHOTO: Pitbull Instagram

Khamenei says revenge for predecessor’s killing ‘inevitable’

Al Jazeera reports:

In his first message since the funeral of his father, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has pledged to “avenge [his] innocent blood”, adding that “revenge is the will of our nation”.

US president says 1,000 missiles are “locked and loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran” with thousands more to follow if it tries to assassinate him.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticised the United States over its failure to uphold the interim agreement, warning that the administration’s actions demonstrate a clear breach of established commitments.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry says any US breach of its commitments under the MoU will be met with “reciprocal action”.

Patriot missile license a 'long-term' investment for Ukraine – but can it afford the wait?

France 24 reports:

US President Donald Trump’s surprise announcement on July 9 that he will approve a license for Ukraine to produce its own Patriot missile interceptors signals a potential breakthrough for Kyiv – though one that could take years to produce concrete results.

“We're going to give a license to you to make Patriots [. . .] This way, you can't complain that we're not giving them enough,” Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara in Turkey.

The Ukrainian president has warned for weeks that the country is running out of Patriot interceptors, hampering its ability to defend Ukrainian cities from a near-constant barrage of Russian ballistic missiles.

PHOTO: Ukraine Defense Ministry