5 Big News Stories Overnight - Tuesday, July 7, 2026

U.S. Soccer Knocked Out

ESPN reports:

For almost a month, the United States men's national team showed the best version of itself. It played with aggression, passion, and even some flair. The team was flying high. And then, on the biggest stage yet at this FIFA World Cup, in front of a capacity home crowd, the USMNT crashed to earth, delivering its worst performance in recent memory, falling to an inspired Belgium side 4-1.

There was nothing lucky or fortunate about Belgium's win. The Red Devils were dominant in all facets for 90 minutes, overwhelming the U.S. midfield and positively dunking on the American backline. In fact, had the U.S. not scored from a deflected Malik Tillman free kick in the 30th minute, the tournament co-hosts wouldn't have been in the game at all. The game could have been settled by halftime had Belgium converted some clear chances.

This was a Belgium team that entered the match seemingly short of its best. It was also missing two of its best-known players in Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku -- who were supposed to be critical components but weren't missed at all. The Red Devils were also supposed to be old and slow, but these players looked nothing of the sort. They were dynamic in every part of the field and competed with a ferocity that was too much for the Americans.

Buckingham Palace says Harry can no longer stay at royal residence on UK visit

The Guardian Reports:

It was about 9 am when the news broke that a significant rapprochement had finally been reached: Prince Harry, once referred to as the royal family’s “wayward son”, had accepted an invitation to stay with his relatives at Buckingham Palace during his visit to the UK this week.

After years of bad blood, marked by allegations that brother had briefed the press against brother, it appeared to mark the beginning of a new era of relative peace among the royals.

The illusion lasted only about 15 minutes. The bombshell that shattered it was the announcement that the palace had, regardless of what the Duke of Sussex’s spokesperson said, told him he would not be welcome there after all.

The decision to withdraw the invitation was said to have been taken in consultation with the king, who is understood to have spoken privately to his son, with the outcome later communicated through the appropriate channels.

Klopp leads backlash as Infantino faces calls to resign

The Telegraph reports:

Jürgen Klopp led a furious backlash against Gianni Infantino, who faces calls to resign after Fifa overturned US striker Folarin Balogun’s World Cup suspension.

Infantino, the Fifa president and most powerful figure in football, was engulfed by crisis on Monday after Donald Trump admitted lobbying him to overturn Balogun’s dismissal. 

The decision means the striker is allowed to play in the last-16 tie against Belgium on Monday night.

In a press conference in the Oval Office on Monday, the US president said he asked for a “review” of Balogun’s sending-off, because he “didn’t think it was a foul”.

Fifa’s scrapping of Balogun’s suspension after Trump’s intervention has provoked the first major rebellion in the game against Infantino.

Klopp, the former Liverpool manager, Uefa and the federations of Germany and Belgium launched unprecedented attacks on Infantino, who has faced repeated accusations of cosying up to Trump. “This is our sport, not theirs,” said Klopp. “If Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino really sorted this out between themselves, it is madness; it calls everything into question.”
 

Graham Platner Reassesses Maine Senate Bid, Denies Sexual-Assault Allegation

The WSJ reports:

Maine Senate Democratic nominee Graham Platner said his campaign would be reflecting on the “best path forward” after a woman he was romantically involved with publicly alleged that he sexually assaulted her, an allegation he denied.

The allegation is the latest controversy to emerge about Platner’s past and calls his political future into question.

In a video he released Monday afternoon, Platner said “any accusation of nonconsensual behavior is categorically false.” He also said he was “mindful” of the political impact it could have on his race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins. “We are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward,” he said.

The video comes after Politico detailed an allegation by Jenny Racicot, a 41-year-old Maine resident, who said Platner forced himself on her about five years ago and had nonconsensual sex with her after she told him repeatedly to stop. She had previously told the New York Times that he didn’t respect women and that she had cut off contact with him after finding his behavior “reckless” and “unsettling.” Racicot told Politico she was reluctant to come forward, in part, because she agrees with Platner politically.

PHOTO: MAINEiac4434, CC: 4.0
 

Decision Day in France

Bloomberg reports:

It must be quite stressful for Marine Le Pen, waiting to hear whether she can run for president of France.

Appeals court judges are set to issue a ruling today on allegations of embezzlement. She was convicted last year in a decision that included a five-year ban on running for office. She can only run again if the court overturns that ruling or lightens her sentence enough.

For someone who has worked for so long to drag her party toward respectability and put it in a position to possibly win France’s top political prize, sitting out would be a bitter pill.

But mostly just for her. One of the lessons from the uncertainty over who will be the National Rally’s candidate in next year’s presidential election is that it doesn’t appear to make that much of a difference to French voters.

Whether it’s Le Pen or her 30-year-old protégé, Jordan Bardella, polls over the past year consistently show the far-right party well ahead in the first stage of France’s two-round system.

PHOTO: Cecilia Miraldi, Unsplash