FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration is proposing to slash Biden-era truck emissions regulations in a move officials say would save the trucking industry about $12 billion and ease supply chain costs that make everyday goods more expensive for Americans.

«Collectively, these savings will be passed on to American families through lower costs for food, household goods, and other products trucks deliver, while still maintaining strong environmental protections and ensuring clean air,» read the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) press release first viewed by Fox News Digital.

The EPA has proposed changes to heavy-duty truck emissions rules that would save truckers an estimated $12 billion, including up to $6,000 per new truck, helping lower transportation costs and prices for American families. 

The proposal would eliminate DEF-related engine deratements and speed restrictions for new highway engines and vehicles, as well as new nonroad engines and equipment, including farm machinery, replacing them with warning alerts so operators can keep working until repairs can be made safely.

TRUMP PARDONS 9 PEOPLE CONVICTED OF TAMPERING WITH EMISSION CONTROLS ON DIESEL ENGINES

Previous policies «make delivering everything more expensive and so that’s going to all be passed on to the consumer as well. By making these trucks cheaper and more reliable, we are making sure that the supply chain stays as cheap as possible for the American people,» EPA air chief Aaron Szabo told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

The proposal would also reduce costly emissions warranty requirements from the 2023 rule while keeping nearly 90% of the planned NOx emissions reductions and giving manufacturers more time and flexibility to meet the updated standards.

Szabo said the proposal addresses a major problem caused by DEF system failures, which can force trucks and farm equipment into «limp mode» by reducing their speed to just five miles per hour.

STEVE MOORE: POLITICIANS ARE BLAMING THE WRONG VILLAIN FOR AMERICA’S RISING FOOD PRICES

Trump’s White House dinner for farmers comes as the administration touts trade gains, tax relief and other policies affecting rural America. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

He said with more than 200 possible failure codes, the deratements can leave truckers stranded on the side of the road and farmers losing hours—or even days—of productivity during critical work like harvesting.

«We’re both making the products more reliable and decreasing the impact from DEF. And we’re also bringing down the price of the whole supply chain by reducing the cost of these new trucks,» Szabo said.

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins told Fox News Digital in a statement that the issue has «shown the true cost of government overreach.»

AMERICA’S FAVORITE BEERS — AND THE JOBS TIED TO THEM — ARE AT THE CENTER OF A BREWING TRADE FIGHT

President Donald Trump walks past tractors as he arrives to participate in a roundtable on «American Agriculture» at Custer Farms in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin (SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)

«Our rural communities rely on diesel powered engines to deliver their food, families, electricity, and so much more to where it needs to go. The billions in savings will directly benefit those who feed, fuel, and clothe our nation,» Rollins said.

The latest proposal follows Trump’s broader pledge to roll back Biden-era green regulations after he returned to office.

«We will terminate the Green New Deal, revoke the electric vehicle mandate, and unleash American energy,» Trump said in his inaugural speech.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Szabo said the Biden administration tried to push Americans into electric trucks with rules it enforced.

«That’s what the Biden administration was doing. They were forcing people to not have choice anymore, taking away their freedom to choose what kind of vehicle and telling them you have to buy an electric vehicle,» he added.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Office of Joe Biden for comment.

The State Department condemned Iran’s intensified repression of Christians, including a Catholic woman on hunger strike in a prison known as one of the most brutal in the theocratic state.

The Trump administration statement on widespread human rights violations carried out by the Iranian regime coincides with new military strikes against it in response to Tehran’s attacks on commercial tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Christian woman on hunger strike is 42-year-old Ghazal Marzban, who sits in Iran’s infamous Evin prison in Tehran, according to Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). Iran sentenced Marzban, a Catholic, to nearly 10 years in prison for practicing her Christian faith, Iranian experts told Fox News Digital. Marzban’s physical health, as of late May, had deteriorated. Her current condition is not known.

IRAN REGIME ACCUSED OF KILLING 19 CHRISTIANS IN ANTI-REGIME PROTESTS AS PERSECUTION CONTINUES: WATCHDOG

It is unclear if the administration plans to ramp up pressure on Iran’s leaders for their widepsread persecution of religious minorities and opponents of the regime.

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, «We are aware of these reports. It is reprehensible that the Iranian regime continues to persecute religious minorities, including Iranian Christians.»

Article 18, an organization that promotes religious freedom in Iran, noted that following Marzban’s conversion, the Islamic law graduate was banned from taking her bar entry examination. Her husband, who also converted to Christianity, has been denied medicine for his Parkinson’s disease, according to Article 18.

Fox News Digital sent a press query to Iran’s U.N. Mission about Marzban and the plight of practicing Christians in Iran.

Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran on Jan. 9, 2026.   (MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

The State Department spokesperson said, «In Iran, human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, association, and religion or belief, are completely ignored. The regime targets members of religious and ethnic minority groups and uses tactics like arbitrary arrest and torture to intimidate opponents and silence dissent.»

After the regime reportedly murdered as many as 45,000 Iranian demonstrators within a 48-hour period in January, including as many as 22 Iranian Christians, the security forces of the regime arrested vast numbers of protestors.

Reports say the Iranian regime is seeking the eviction of families from the St. Peter’s Church compound, Critics say it sends a clear message of intimidation to the wider Christian community.  (Article 18)

PENCE COMMENDS TRUMP FOR WINNING FREEDOM OF BEIJING’S ZION CHURCH PASTOR EZRA JIN FROM CHINESE DETENTION

President Trump has cited the number of 45,000 Iranians killed by the regime. The State Department told Fox News Digital that Iran’s leaders should free those protesters still in detention.

«We reaffirm our unwavering solidarity with the people of Iran and call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political and wrongfully detained prisoners, including those facing persecution for peacefully exercising their fundamental freedoms,» said the State Department spokesperson.

Lisa Daftari, an expert on Iran who is the editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk, told Fox News Digital that the joint U.S.-Israel elimination of the former Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, in February, «Hasn’t eased pressure. On the contrary, we are seeing more escalation and the implementation of even more hardline influences.»

Daftari said the «Arrests of Christians jumped from 139 in 2024 to 254 in 2025, alongside longer and more frequent sentences. At least 11 people received over a decade. After the recent war, authorities claimed they had ‘neutralized’ 53 elements, which is how they refer to evangelical Christians. That is because the Islamic Republic views conversion as a security threat.»

Hengaw, an organization that monitors human rights violations in Iran, reported on its website on July 3 that the regime plans to seize the St. Peter Church in Tehran. Daftari said, «This is a large Christian compound with schools and family homes, and roughly 20 Armenian and Assyrian families are being expelled under a Revolutionary Court order that’s been sitting unused since 1998.»

Iranian authorities are reportedly evicting all those living in the compound of the church. (Article 18)

When asked about a policy response from the U.S., Daftari said, «If there’s going to be a response, it has to be targeted. That means sanctions on the specific judges, intelligence officials and IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] actors involved in cases like St. Peter Church and Marzban. And the transfer of church property to entities like EIKO [a business empire controlled by the late Khamenei] should be treated as state seizure, not an internal legal matter, and raised accordingly in international forums.»

Ramin, whose real name cannot be disclosed due to «security reasons,» an expert for Open Doors, a global Christian organization that aids persecuted Christians, told Fox News Digital, «The threatened confiscation of St Peter’s Evangelical Church in Tehran is deeply concerning and should not be viewed merely as a property dispute. It reflects a wider and long-standing pattern of pressure on Iran’s Christian communities, including recognized historic churches, Protestant communities, converts and reported cases involving Catholic converts.»

Ramin added, «St Peter’s is one of Iran’s historic Protestant churches, and the reported eviction of families from the compound sends a clear message of intimidation to the wider Christian community. Together with the arrest, detention and sentencing of Christian converts, including those from Catholic backgrounds, this shows that the Iranian authorities continue to treat the peaceful Christian faith as a security concern rather than as a basic right to freedom of religion or belief.»

RUBIO REVOKES IRANIAN OFFICIALS’ US TRAVEL PRIVILEGES OVER DEADLY PROTEST CRACKDOWN KILLING THOUSANDS

Mansour Borji, the executive director of Article 18, told Fox News Digital that «The targeting of Christians whom the founders of the Islamic Republic viewed as an ideological threat began from the earliest days of the revolution. This included both Catholic and Protestant communities. Within days of the 1979 revolution, the Rev. Arastoo Sayyah, an Anglican priest, was murdered in his office. Foreign missionaries were expelled within the first year and Christian schools, hospitals and churches soon came under increasing pressure.»

He added that, «Since 2008, Article18 has documented numerous confidential cases involving the arbitrary arrest of Catholic converts, harassment of church leaders, visa denials for clergy, the revocation of citizenship from a long-serving bishop and the confiscation and demolition of church property.»

A billboard depicting Iran’s supreme leaders since 1979: (L to R) Ayatollahs Ruhollah Khomeini (until 1989), Ali Khamenei (until 2026), and Mojtaba Khamenei (incumbent) is displayed above a highway in Tehran on March 10, 2026. Iran marked the appointment of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father as its supreme leader on March 9, 2026.  (AFP/Via Getty Images)

Borji continued, «The recent move against St. Peter’s Church is therefore not an isolated incident or a new development. It is part of a long-standing pattern of systematic pressure on independent Christian communities. The Islamic Republic is a totalitarian regime that has consistently sought to suppress any institution or community that operates outside its ideological control.»

In the wake of the intensified persecution of Iranian Christians, he warned that «If the Islamic Republic regains the capacity to project its ideology with renewed confidence, the consequences are likely to extend across the region and beyond.»

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

He urged that perpetrators «face targeted sanctions, visa restrictions and asset freezes under existing human rights mechanisms.»

Borji said that «Governments, especially in the EU, U.K. and other trade partners, should also make religious freedom a consistent part of their engagement with Iran, rather than treating it as a secondary issue. Appeasing a regime that persecutes its own people has rarely produced moderation.»

Un adolescente de 13 años resultó herido el martes 7 de julio de 2026 después de que un rayo impactara su vivienda en Cypress, Texas, mientras utilizaba una computadora. El incidente, que generó daños materiales y requirió la intervención de servicios de emergencia, fue confirmado por autoridades locales y estatales.

De acuerdo con información proporcionada por la Oficina del Alguacil del Precinto 4 del Condado de Harris y difundida por ABC News, la descarga eléctrica, generada por el impacto del rayo, se transmitió a través del sistema eléctrico de la casa y alcanzó al menor, quien se encontraba jugando videojuegos en su dormitorio. El suceso también provocó un incendio menor en el ático y daños en el sistema de tuberías y electrodomésticos.

El caso se produjo en un contexto de condiciones meteorológicas adversas en la región de Houston, donde el pronóstico había anticipado tormentas eléctricas y chubascos aislados, según reportó el Servicio Meteorológico Nacional. El episodio evidencia los riesgos asociados al uso de dispositivos conectados a la red eléctrica durante tormentas.

Según la Oficina del Alguacil del Precinto 4 del Condado de Harris, el adolescente, identificado como Vladyslav Skuridin, se encontraba en su habitación utilizando una computadora cuando la vivienda fue alcanzada por un rayo. El impacto se produjo en medio de una tormenta eléctrica registrada en Cypress, un suburbio al noroeste de Houston.

El rayo originó una corriente eléctrica que se propagó por el cableado del inmueble, alcanzando una pieza metálica del escritorio que estaba en contacto directo con el menor. “Sentí una descarga eléctrica que recorrió todo mi cuerpo y vi una luz blanca muy brillante. De repente, reaccioné de golpe y me sentí muy mareado y confundido”, relató Skuridin en una declaración recogida por ABC News.

El padre del adolescente contactó inmediatamente a los servicios de emergencia, que acudieron al lugar junto con el Departamento de Bomberos de Cypress Creek. Los equipos evaluaron al menor en la vivienda y descartaron la necesidad de traslado hospitalario, de acuerdo con el reporte oficial de la Oficina del Alguacil del Precinto 4.

El impacto del rayo ocasionó un incendio de pequeña magnitud en el ático de la casa y provocó daños en la estructura del tejado, así como en el sistema de tuberías y varios electrodomésticos, según confirmó la madre del adolescente, Yuliia Skuridina, en declaraciones recogidas por ABC News.

El Departamento de Bomberos de Cypress Creek controló el fuego en pocos minutos y verificó que no existía riesgo adicional para los ocupantes. La revisión de daños identificó una rotura en la tubería de gas, que fue asegurada por los equipos técnicos.

La familia informó que el adolescente presentó una marca visible en el pecho tras la descarga, aunque se encuentra bajo observación médica preventiva. Los daños materiales están en proceso de evaluación para su reparación, de acuerdo con reportes oficiales citados por ABC News y el New York Post.

Tras el incidente, el agente Mark Herman, titular de la Oficina del Alguacil del Precinto 4, emitió una advertencia sobre los riesgos de utilizar dispositivos electrónicos conectados a la red eléctrica durante tormentas. “Durante las tormentas eléctricas, evite usar aparatos electrónicos con cable y manténgase alejado del cableado eléctrico y las tuberías, ya que los rayos pueden viajar a través del sistema eléctrico de una vivienda”, señaló Herman en un comunicado institucional reproducido por ABC News y medios locales como el New York Post.

El Servicio Meteorológico Nacional también recomienda, ante la presencia de tormentas eléctricas, permanecer en lugares cerrados, desconectar equipos electrónicos y evitar el contacto con instalaciones de agua o gas, ya que los rayos pueden desplazarse por estos sistemas.

El caso de Vladyslav Skuridin ilustra los peligros de utilizar computadoras u otros dispositivos electrónicos conectados a la red eléctrica durante tormentas. Los rayos pueden ingresar a las viviendas a través del sistema eléctrico o de las tuberías, produciendo descargas que afectan a personas en contacto con aparatos metálicos o conectados.

De acuerdo con la Asociación Nacional de Protección contra Incendios de Estados Unidos (NFPA), los rayos pueden viajar por cables eléctricos, líneas telefónicas, tuberías de plomería y otras vías conductoras. La NFPA recomienda desconectar computadoras, televisores y otros equipos electrónicos durante tormentas eléctricas para evitar daños y lesiones.

Según estadísticas del Centro Nacional de Datos Climáticos, los impactos de rayos provocan cada año entre 20 y 30 muertes y cientos de lesiones en Estados Unidos. Aunque la mayoría de los incidentes ocurre en actividades al aire libre, los casos de descargas en interiores no son infrecuentes, especialmente cuando se utilizan dispositivos conectados a la electricidad.

El Servicio Meteorológico Nacional informó que la región de Houston experimentó el 7 de julio un frente de tormentas eléctricas con precipitaciones aisladas y actividad eléctrica frecuente. Las autoridades locales reiteran la importancia de atender las recomendaciones, ya que las tormentas eléctricas pueden producir daños estructurales y cortes de energía.

Las autoridades del condado de Harris y el Departamento de Bomberos de Cypress Creek recordaron que la mejor protección ante una tormenta eléctrica es permanecer en el interior de edificios seguros, alejarse de ventanas y desconectar aparatos electrónicos. Además, se recomienda evitar el contacto con tuberías de agua o gas y no utilizar teléfonos fijos conectados por cable.

El pronóstico meteorológico para los días siguientes en la región de Houston mantiene la probabilidad de tormentas aisladas. Ante este panorama, los organismos de emergencia insisten en la adopción de medidas preventivas sencillas para reducir el riesgo de accidentes eléctricos.

El incidente en Cypress ha motivado a las autoridades locales y estatales a intensificar la comunicación sobre la prevención de accidentes eléctricos durante tormentas. Los servicios de emergencia han reforzado la vigilancia y la difusión de recomendaciones, mientras la familia afectada permanece en observación médica y técnica.

El departamento de policía y los bomberos continúan recabando información sobre la secuencia de eventos, en tanto que la comunidad ha respondido con interés a los comunicados oficiales. El caso sirve como recordatorio sobre la importancia de adoptar medidas de seguridad básicas en el hogar, especialmente durante fenómenos meteorológicos adversos.