Four Fingers News — Sunday, July 5, 2026
Day 128. Five ships cleared Hormuz today — a gas-and-container convoy, hugging the Omani coast, Gulf flows back near where they sat before any of this began. For weeks I’ve said I’d believe it when the metal moved. The metal moved, and I’ll give the day its due. But read the fine print: they passed by permission, along an approved route, inside a 60-day window where transit is free only because Tehran agreed not to bill yet. That isn’t an open strait. It’s a tollbooth with the arm raised and the meter off. The funeral runs to Jul 9, the talks are frozen until it does, and the question that actually settles this — what happens when the free days lapse — is still bobbing out there unanswered. A real day. A provisional one. Leave the bottle.
Trump Turns the 250th Into a Campaign-Style Address on the Mall
President Trump marked America’s 250th on Saturday night with a speech that broke from the day’s unifying tradition — praising his Iran war, likening communism to a cancer, and vowing to end most mail-in voting through the stalled SAVE America Act.
Hormuz Traffic Recovers as the Ceasefire Holds and Iran Mourns Khamenei
Oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz are back above 10 million barrels a day as the June stand-down holds and Iran marks the second day of Khamenei’s funeral, with U.S.–Iran talks in Doha paused until the mourning ends Jul 9.
Heat Dome Breaks After Setting Records on the Fourth
The dome that pushed 200 million people past dangerous highs set Independence Day marks — Atlantic City 106, Washington 103, and Central Park’s first 100 since 2012 — before the East cools toward seasonable 80s next week.
U.S. Meets Belgium in Seattle Monday With a Quarterfinal at Stake
The Americans, through on a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, meet a Belgium side that rallied past Senegal 3-2, with kickoff 5 p.m. Monday at Seattle’s Lumen Field.
Mariners Blank Toronto 11-0 as Gilbert One-Hits Into the Eighth
Logan Gilbert allowed one hit and struck out seven over 7 1/3 innings Saturday, and Randy Arozarena’s grand slam led a home-run night that also brought shots from Cal Raleigh and Dominic Canzone.
Mortgage Rates Jump Back Toward 6.4% to Start July
The average 30-year fixed rose 23 basis points over the week to 6.40% as of Sunday, with the 15-year at 5.86% and the 5/1 ARM at 6.52%.