U.S. Soldier Killed in Iraq Identified by Army

July 22, 2026

1–2 minutes

Summary

Army identified Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, who was killed Sunday in Iraq during a controlled detonation of an Iranian drone.

Why this matters

The death underscores the widening risks to U.S. troops as fighting between the United States and Iran continues across the Middle East. It also adds to a recent toll of U.S. military casualties tied to the conflict.

A U.S. soldier killed in Iraq during a controlled detonation of an Iranian drone was a 30-year-old father from North Carolina who had served for nearly a decade, according to an Army statement Tuesday and his family.

Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton of Fayetteville died Sunday at an air base in Irbil. The Army said it was investigating the circumstances of his death.

Swinton enlisted in the Army in 2017 and was assigned to the 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The Army said he will receive a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Combat Action Badge, and will be promoted posthumously to staff sergeant.

He is survived by a 6-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter, his mother said.

“I will never recover from this, you should be home,” his wife, Mia Gonzalez-Swinton, wrote Monday on Facebook. “We had so many plans for when you got back, I’m sick to my stomach.” She said she was notified Sunday that he had been killed.

Swinton’s mother, Christel Swinton Andujar, told WRAL-TV on Tuesday that her son’s family was “the center of his world.”

“Every decision he made and every sacrifice he endured was with them in his heart,” she told the station from her home near Fort Bragg.

Swinton’s death came as renewed fighting between the United States and Iran entered its 10th day, with both sides launching strikes. Iran has attacked U.S. allies in the region, and U.S. troops are stationed across the Middle East.

Two U.S. Army soldiers were also killed in Jordan last week while defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. A third service member was reported missing after the Jordan attack. U.S. Central Command said “unidentified remains” had been found and were being examined.

Iranian authorities said U.S. strikes in the past three weeks killed at least 50 people and wounded more than 500.

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World

FIFA to investigate Argentina-Spain final clash

Four Argentina players, including substitute Paredes, were booked during the match, along with head coach Lionel Scaloni.

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FIFA said Monday it will investigate post-match incidents involving Argentina and Spain after Spain’s 1-0 victory in the World Cup final on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

After the final whistle, Spain’s players ran onto the field to celebrate. Argentina defender Nahuel Molina appeared to strike Spain midfielder Rodri in the stomach as Rodri ran onto the field.

A larger confrontation followed near midfield. Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes appeared to grab Spain’s Eric Garcia by the throat before throwing Gavi to the ground.

In a statement, FIFA said: “Following an assessment of the relevant match reports for the FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, and in line with article 36 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC), the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has appointed a Disciplinary and Ethics Prosecutor to investigate potential breaches of the FDC with regard to the post-match incidents.”

Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez was sent off in the third minute of stoppage time after receiving a second yellow card for a late challenge on Pau Cubarsi.
Europe

Zelensky removes army chief after protest backlash

The change followed Zelensky’s firing last week of Fedorov, 35, who had built a reputation for promoting technology and new recruitment approaches, but had clashed with members of Ukraine’s defense establishment, including Syrskyi.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed commander-in-chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi after days of protests over the removal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

Zelensky named Mykhailo Drapatyi, 43, to replace Syrskyi. Drapatyi, commander of Ukraine’s Joint Forces, is often described as part of a newer generation of military leaders whose careers were shaped by the war with Russia.

Syrskyi, 60, was born in Russia’s Vladimir region, then part of the Soviet Union, and studied at a military school in Moscow alongside classmates who later became Russian commanders. He faced criticism over the prolonged defense of Bakhmut and the losses it entailed.

Drapatyi was known for a 2014 video showing him driving an armored infantry fighting vehicle through a separatist barricade in Mariupol. Born in western Ukraine, he attended a military school in Kharkiv.

Announcing the change, Zelensky thanked Syrskyi for defending Kyiv and leading multiple offensive operations. “We share the same wish, which is victory over the enemy,” he said.

Drapatyi said he would work “responsibly, with focus and with respect” for Ukraine’s troops. He thanked Syrskyi for strengthening the military over his long service, adding: “I grew up in its ranks.”

Syrskyi had fought Russia and its allies since 2014, when he led Ukrainian troops against a Moscow-backed insurgency in Donetsk and Luhansk after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea. “I have been in this war since 2014,” he told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in a 2024 interview. “The frontline is my life.”

Zelensky on Tuesday offered Fedorov a “prominent position in government that would allow him to unify the technical component of our state and ensure its development.” It was not clear whether Fedorov had accepted.

As protests continued, speculation about Syrskyi’s future grew. On Monday, Zelensky met top generals, and his chief of staff said “the position of society has been heard.”

In an opinion piece Monday, Syrskyi apologized if he had offended Fedorov. He said he had established a drone unit as a separate military branch and rejected claims that he did not support wider drone use.

“I can’t switch a million-people army to drones in two months and say, ‘Now this is how we’re going to fight,’” he wrote. “Aside from the fact that this is clearly a reckless venture, any experiment on this scale comes at the cost of our land and our people.”

Fedorov congratulated Drapatyi on Telegram, calling his appointment “a new wind and a new hope in the struggle of free people for freedom and justice.” He also said he had thanked Syrskyi for his efforts defending Ukraine.
\top\

U.S. says latest Iran strikes ended after 11th night

On Monday, President Donald Trump said he would retaliate against Iran after a deadly weekend for U.S. troops.

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The U.S. military said late Tuesday that it ended its latest round of strikes on Iran, marking the 11th consecutive night of U.S. attacks.

The strikes lasted about 75 minutes, according to the U.S. military.

“CENTCOM assets targeted Iranian military operations centers, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities, and military logistics infrastructure to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

Washington said Iran had attacked more than 30 commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz in the last three months.

The war began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, and Iran responded with strikes on Israel and Gulf states that host U.S. bases.

U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon during the war have killed thousands and displaced millions.

An Iranian Health Ministry official said recent U.S. strikes on Iran had killed 50 civilians and wounded 500.

U.S. troop deaths in the war have risen to 18 in recent days.

Last week, Trump said the United States could expand its targets in Iran to include energy plants and bridges.

The 1949 Geneva Conventions prohibit attacks on sites considered essential for civilians. After Trump’s earlier threats to strike such targets, U.S. international law experts said in April that such attacks may amount to war crimes.
Europe

France backs François-Noël Buffet for rights post

While the Defender of Rights has no judicial or legislative power, the office can influence court proceedings and disputes with public authorities.

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French lawmakers on Tuesday approved President Emmanuel Macron’s nomination of right-wing Sen. François-Noël Buffet as France’s new Defender of Rights, backing him by 43 votes to 39 in the National Assembly and Senate.

Buffet, 62, a lawyer and senator from the Rhône area around Lyon, replaced Claire Hédon, a former journalist whose six-year term ended Monday. The independent watchdog handles complaints over rights violations and works to ensure equal legal protection in France.

His appointment drew criticism from rights groups and some staff members at the Defender of Rights office because of his past positions on LGBTQ+ rights, abortion, policing, and migrants’ access to health care.

Buffet campaigned against extending marriage rights to same-sex couples, opposed a 2021 law allowing medically assisted reproduction for single women and lesbian couples, and abstained in a 2024 vote to enshrine abortion rights in the French Constitution. He also supports reducing state-funded medical care for undocumented migrants.

In interviews with Mediapart, staff at the rights office previously said they were shocked by the prospect of Buffet taking over. One employee said a politician “whose recent views are so starkly at odds with the institution’s recommendations” should not have been considered.

Buffet is an ally of former Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau. He served as minister for overseas territories in Michel Barnier’s 2024 government and later worked with Retailleau at the Interior Ministry under former Prime Minister François Bayrou.

At a parliamentary hearing last week, a left-wing lawmaker accused Buffet of a record of “racist and homophobic votes.” Buffet said he had “evolved” on “a number of issues” and promised “total independence.” Asked about his opposition to same-sex marriage in 2013, he said: “I did something stupid; I had my doubts about the consequences, but not about the principle itself.”
World Politics

Iran warns Bulgaria over possible U.S. airbase use

Bulgaria’s government said it would seek parliamentary approval to station U.S. tanker aircraft at Bezmer military facility.

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Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman warned Bulgaria on Tuesday against allowing U.S. forces to use its territory for military operations against Iran.

Bulgaria’s government said it would seek parliamentary approval to station up to eight U.S. tanker aircraft at Bezmer military facility, about 160 miles southeast of Sofia. Bulgaria is a member of NATO and the European Union.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said any activity that facilitated U.S. attacks on Iran would amount to complicity in what he described as “aggression and war crimes,” according to Iranian state media.

Baghaei urged Bulgaria not to become “an accomplice of aggressors and lawbreakers,” Iranian state media said.

The tanker aircraft are mainly used for airborne refueling of other aircraft.

The U.S. and Iran have intensified strikes since an interim ceasefire agreement signed a month ago unraveled, raising the possibility of a return to all-out war.
World

Houthis Threaten Bab el-Mandeb, Raising Trade Risks

They said they forced six ships to reroute Tuesday, though there was no independent confirmation.

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Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they had closed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Saudi-linked shipping, a move that could disrupt oil flows and trade and add pressure to a region already affected by the war involving Iran.

The Houthis said the measure was in response to Saudi Arabia’s blockade on Yemen and an attack earlier this month on the airport in Sanaa, the rebel-held capital.

Bab el-Mandeb, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. About 12% of global trade, including about a quarter of container traffic, passes through the waterway en route between Europe and Asia via Egypt’s Suez Canal.

The strait has become more important for Saudi exports since shipping through the Strait of Hormuz was heavily disrupted during the Iran war. More than 7 million barrels of petroleum a day transited Bab el-Mandeb in June, up from about 4 million before the war.

Three Houthi officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity said that the group had prepared for months to disrupt shipping there, including using naval mines, explosive-laden boats, drones, and helicopters to board ships.

The Houthis said they would target only vessels linked to Saudi Arabia or its Red Sea ports. But in a similar campaign announced against Israel over the war in Gaza, they attacked more than 100 ships, including some with little or no apparent connection to the conflict.

International shippers could avoid the route, as many did during the Gaza war, by sailing around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, adding one to two weeks and raising costs.

Saudi Arabia said it would keep the waterway open. “All Houthi threats against transiting vessels will be dealt with swiftly and firmly, as such threats are a blatant violation of international law and fall under acts of maritime piracy,” Saudi military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said.

President Donald Trump downplayed the threat Tuesday. “So far, it hasn’t happened,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I think that if there is something like that, we’ll just have to take care of business.”

The dispute followed an attack the Houthis said Saudi Arabia carried out on Sanaa’s airport to stop a flight carrying Houthi leaders back from Iran after the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Houthis later launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport.
NC lead

N.C. attorney general opposes Duke rate proposal

Under the proposal, residential rates would rise 5.9% in the first year and 3.6% in the second, for cumulative growth of 9.5%, according to Duke spokesperson Bill Norton.

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North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson said Tuesday he would not support a Duke Energy settlement that would raise residential electric rates by 9.5% over two years.

Earlier this week, Duke Energy filed an amended agreement cutting its request from about 18% to about 9.5% for residential customers. Jackson said that was still too high and that residential customers were being asked to cover more of the increase than industrial users.

“We did our own independent analysis of what Duke will need to meet demand, and we think they overshot the mark,” Jackson said in a video posted to social media Tuesday. “We think they can come down significantly, and still meet demand.”

The settlement does not require the attorney general’s approval, but Jackson could challenge it in court.

Gov. Josh Stein also criticized the proposal, saying the Utilities Commission should impose a large-load tariff so data centers cover their own electricity costs.

“These are some of the largest and richest companies in the world,” Stein said on social media. “They can pay more to lower everyone else’s rates.”

The deal set a 9.8% return on equity, the profit margin for shareholders. North Carolina law requires regulated utilities to be allowed a reasonable rate of return to attract investors.

Kendal Bowman, Duke Energy’s North Carolina president, said the company’s goal remained delivering reliable power at the lowest possible cost.

“We appreciate our stakeholders’ engagement in finding a path that allows us to more cost-effectively serve the Tar Heel State,” Bowman said in a statement. “We’ve agreed to reduce rates even more than in our prior settlements, while still allowing us to make vital infrastructure investments to meet existing and future customer needs.”

The agreement between Duke Energy Carolinas, which serves western North Carolina, and North Carolina Public Staff, which represents customers, must be approved by the North Carolina Utilities Commission. If approved, the new rates would take effect Jan. 1.

Norton said Duke had held “constructive discussions” about a large-load tariff. He said Duke’s analysis showed that data centers and other large-load customers would cover the costs required to serve them and contribute additional revenue to lower costs for other customers, whether or not a tariff is adopted.
US Politics

Jay Feely wins GOP primary in Arizona House race

Feely is seeking to replace retiring Republican Rep. David Schweikert, who is running for Arizona governor, in the metro Phoenix-based district.

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President Donald Trump-backed candidate Jay Feely, a former NFL kicker, won the Republican primary in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, The Associated Press and NBC News projected.

With nearly 69% of the vote counted, Feely led former state Rep. Joe Chaplik and businessman John Trobough.

Feely first ran for Arizona’s 5th Congressional District, then switched to the 1st District after Trump endorsed former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb.

The 1st District could be competitive in November. Feely will face the winner of the Democratic primary between former state legislator Amish Shah and Marlene Galán-Woods, a former television news anchor endorsed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Shah and Galán-Woods also faced each other in the 2024 primary, when Shah defeated Galán-Woods by about 1,700 votes. Shah later lost to Schweikert.

“When I chose to walk away from my NFL broadcasting career, keeping the Republican majority was the primary focus,” Feely said in a statement posted on X. “We must maintain a GOP majority to ensure lower costs for Arizona’s families, safety in our neighborhoods, and the preservation of the American Dream.”

According to Federal Election Commission data, Feely’s campaign received thousands of dollars from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Charles Barkley, CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz, and New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh, among others.
Health, Virginia

Uninsured ER visits at Virginia hospitals rose 8%

A recent state report found 13 rural hospitals in Virginia at risk of closure as coverage changes and federal policy shifts affect hospital finances.

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Virginia hospital emergency departments recorded an 8% increase last year in visits from uninsured patients, according to new data from the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association.

Hospitals classify those visits as “self-pay,” meaning patients lacked insurance or did not show proof of coverage when they received care.

The association said the increase comes as health systems and safety-net providers prepare for changes in health coverage. Hospitals have raised concerns that more uninsured patients may turn to emergency rooms instead of primary care, while free clinics said additional demand could strain already tight budgets.

State lawmakers set aside funding to support free clinics and federally qualified health centers, and to create a state subsidy after Affordable Care Act subsidies expired earlier this year. Enrollment in the Virginia subsidy is expected to begin in November and aid about 200,000 residents.

Emergency room visits among Virginians with other forms of insurance, including government and private coverage, were steady or rose modestly, the association’s data showed.

More than 67,400 Virginians no longer have Affordable Care Act marketplace insurance compared with this time last year, according to the State Corporation Commission.

By January, Medicaid beneficiaries will face stricter work requirements and twice-yearly eligibility checks. State and local social service departments are preparing for added verification work, and more Virginians could lose coverage.

The report said some hospitals’ difficulties predated current policy changes and also reflected demographic and regional factors. It attributed current pressure to Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement cuts, the federal reconciliation bill Congress passed last summer, and the expired Affordable Care Act subsidies.

Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association spokesman Julian Walker said hospitals have a long history of adapting and may not close immediately or permanently. He said responses could include staffing or service reductions, the closure of hospital-owned primary care clinics, or negotiations with private insurers.

“We will see what other measures might have to be taken to continue to sustain hospitals longterm,” Walker said.

Hospitals must treat emergency room patients regardless of their ability to pay, but systems must absorb or offset uncompensated care costs over time.
US Politics

New Jersey says 6,600 noncitizens were registered

The state’s preliminary analysis found that fewer than 400 of those erroneously registered had voted.

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About 6,600 people in New Jersey who said they were not U.S. citizens were incorrectly registered to vote because of a software error during the previous gubernatorial administration, Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Tuesday.

Sherrill said the error affected people who answered “no” when asked on a keypad whether they were U.S. citizens while applying for driver’s licenses or identification cards between June 2023 and June 2024. She said the registrations occurred nearly three years before she took office this year.

Sherrill said those voters were not tied to one party and were registered as Democrats, Republicans, or unaffiliated voters. At a Tuesday press conference, she said the state had “no evidence at this time that any elections were swayed.”

Sherrill said she ordered an independent investigation, the removal from voter rolls of anyone who should not have been registered, and steps to replace the vendor running the faulty system. She also said the state would protect the identities of noncitizens who were inadvertently registered so their immigration status is not jeopardized.

The disclosure came less than a week after Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin sent letters to New Jersey and three other states alleging they might have tens of thousands of noncitizens registered to vote. Sherrill said New Jersey asked for evidence supporting the federal claim that as many as 35,152 noncitizens could be registered in the state, but had not received a response.

IDEMIA, the company that runs the motor vehicle system cited by the governor, said its role is to transmit information through the state system and that the New Jersey Division of Elections is responsible for verifying voter eligibility.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday it was investigating the matter. In a letter posted on social media, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon asked New Jersey to provide within five business days personal information on the registered noncitizens the state identified and details on the roughly 400 who voted.

The White House said Sherrill’s announcement supported President Donald Trump’s push for the SAVE America Act, a proposal that would significantly change election administration.