12AM ET 07/12/2026 Newscast

Summary

---

Fox News Hourly Update: 12AM ET 07/12/2026

Host: Debra Valentine (with reports from Lucas Tomlinson, Madeline Rivera, Max Gordon, and Jane Menar)
Date: July 12, 2026

---

Episode Overview

This newscast delivers a concise but dramatic roundup of critical overnight news stories, focusing on escalating U.S.–Iran tensions, recent developments in Israel and Lebanon, newly released files on UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomena), a controversial fatal shooting involving federal law enforcement and an undocumented migrant in Houston, and a major flooding event in Missouri with significant rescues and one death.

---

Key News Segments & Insights

---

1. New U.S. Airstrikes on Iran and Middle East Tensions

[00:03–00:52]

• U.S. Airstrikes on Iran

  • Debra Valentine opens with:

    "The U.S. is carrying out a new round of airstrikes on Iran not long after getting a warning from the Islamic Republic's Revolutionary Guard declaring the Strait of Hormuz closed." (00:03)

  • U.S. action appears to follow an attempted act of retaliation by Iran, connected to President Trump’s attendance at a NATO summit in neighboring Turkey.

• Ceasefire End/Israel–Hezbollah Clash

  • Israeli forces, specifically the IDF’s Galani Division, observed Hezbollah fighters smuggling anti-tank missiles into a building across the southern Lebanon buffer zone.
  • The IDF waited for the fighters to enter the building, then destroyed it:

    "They waited until the terrorists rolled inside and leveled the building. The IDF said secondary explosions were seen afterwards." (Lucas Tomlinson, 00:32)

  • Reference to recent fatal incident involving a Merkava tank and similar Hezbollah munitions.

---

2. Pentagon Releases New UAP Files

[00:52–01:44]

• Historic and Recent UAP Sightings Released

  • Madeline Rivera covers the Pentagon’s release of decades of files, dating back to the 1940s, from agencies including the Department of Energy, NASA, CIA, and FBI.
  • Notable incident:
    • September 1, 2015, at the Pantex nuclear plant near Amarillo, Texas—security personnel reported chasing a "diamond-shaped" flying object that was silent and lacked visible propulsion.

    "They described chasing down a flying object near the facility. They said the object did not make a sound, had no identifiable propulsion system, and was shaped like a diamond." (Madeline Rivera, 01:15)

  • President Trump is demanding transparency about unidentified aerial phenomena, though the Pentagon maintains no evidence of extraterrestrial life has been found.

• Reasons for Unresolved Cases

  • Debra Valentine notes:

    "The Pentagon has suggested other reasons for these unresolved cases, including a lack of sufficient data." (01:44)

---

3. Houston Shooting Involving Undocumented Migrant

[02:29–03:21]

• Incident & Investigation

  • Max Gordon reports that the DHS Inspector General and Houston prosecutors are conducting separate probes into the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo—a Mexican national living in the U.S. illegally.
  • Key Details:
    • ICE agents involved were not wearing body cameras.
    • Araujo was not the intended target; he was stopped due to his van resembling that of a suspect.
    • DHS claims Araujo rammed an ICE vehicle, prompting an agent to shoot "in self-defense."
    • Van passengers dispute that Araujo attacked agents with the vehicle.

    "Authorities say... Araujo was not the intended target. But he was stopped because his van resembled a vehicle associated with their suspect... the situation turned deadly when Araujo rammed an ICE vehicle, leading an agent to shoot in self-defense. But according to reports, passengers... dispute that he used the vehicle to try to hit officers." (Max Gordon, 02:51–03:13)

• Ongoing Dispute

  • Three other undocumented migrants present. Their attorney is challenging the DHS’s recounting of the events.

---

4. Missouri Flooding and State of Emergency

[03:21–04:15]

• Governor Declares Emergency

  • Missouri hit with flash floods after days of heavy rain, resulting in at least one confirmed death.
  • Rescue Efforts:
    • 351 rescues, including 200 children at a summer camp; campers were stranded as floodwaters isolated the facility.
    • Military helicopters were used in the rescue:

      "Those campers all brought up into the dining hall and unfortunately they were stuck... The water too high for emergency vehicles. And so Blackhawks and choppers had to go in there." (Jane Menar, 03:52)

• Casualty

  • The body of Faith Gregory was found two miles downstream in Crawford County. (Reported by Jane Menar & Debra Valentine, 04:15)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the airstrikes and IDF operation:

  "They waited until the terrorists rolled inside and leveled the building. The IDF said secondary explosions were seen afterwards."
  (Lucas Tomlinson, 00:32)

• On the Pantex nuclear plant UAP sighting:

  "They said the object did not make a sound, had no identifiable propulsion system, and was shaped like a diamond."
  (Madeline Rivera, 01:16)

• On Missouri summer camp rescues:

  "Those campers all brought up into the dining hall... The water too high for emergency vehicles. And so Blackhawks and choppers had to go in there."
  (Jane Menar, 03:52)

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:03 — U.S. Airstrikes on Iran; Strait of Hormuz closure by Iran
• 00:17–00:52 — Israeli operation against Hezbollah; reference to previous IDF casualties
• 00:52–01:44 — Department of War/UFO (UAP) files release; Pantex nuclear plant incident
• 02:29–03:21 — Houston shooting of undocumented migrant; investigation details
• 03:21–04:15 — Missouri flooding; mass rescues, summer camp, and fatality

---

Tone & Style

The episode delivers high-impact news with urgency, sticking to a straightforward and factual reporting style typical of Fox News’ radio newscasts. Reporters utilize evocative language (e.g., “leveled the building,” “diamonds,” “flooding rain”) while moving quickly from one major story to the next.

---

This tightly packed newscast covers escalating military tensions in the Middle East, government transparency on UAPs, a contentious incident of deadly force in U.S. law enforcement, and life-saving disaster response—all within a few minutes, offering listeners a brisk, clear, and authoritative snapshot of critical overnight events.

Transcript

[Debra Valentine]

New attacks on Iran. I'm Debra Valentine, Fox News. The U.S. is carrying out a new round of airstrikes on Iran not long after getting a warning from the Islamic Republic's Revolutionary Guard declaring the Strait of Hormuz closed.

[Lucas Tomlinson]

It appears that act of revenge by Iran was foiled when President Trump attended that NATO summit in Turkey, a country that borders Iran. With the ceasefire over earlier today, Israeli forces stopped a plot of their own. Troops from the IDF's Galani Division spotted Hezbollah fighters bringing anti tank missiles into a building inside the southern Lebanon buffer zone. The IDF watched the terrorists bring these rounds into the building. They waited until the terrorists rolled inside and leveled the building. The IDF said secondary explosions were seen afterwards. Recall last month Hezbollah fired similar anti tank rounds at an Israeli Merkava tank, killing all four soldiers inside.

[Debra Valentine]

Fox's Lucas Tomlinson reporting from Tel Aviv, Israel. The Department of War released a new batch of files on UFOs or UAPs. Fox's Madeline Rivera. The latest from Washington.

[Madeline Rivera]

The materials released in this latest batch go back to the 1940s, and they come from different agencies, including the Departments of Foreign Energy, NASA, the CIA and the FBI. One report was filed by security personnel at the Pantex nuclear plant near amarillo, Texas, on September 1, 2015. They described chasing down a flying object near the facility. They said the object did not make a sound, had no identifiable propulsion system, and was shaped like a diamond. President Trump has demanded transparency regarding unidentified flying objects, aerial phenomena and alien life. But the Pentagon has previously said they found no evidence of aliens or extraterrestrial intelligence.

[Debra Valentine]

The Pentagon has suggested other reasons for these unresolved cases, including a lack of sufficient data. America's listening to Fox News.

[Chevron Narrator]

Who helps America go farther, fly higher, dream even bigger?

People do.

Since 1879, our people have been more than a source of energy. They've been a source of progress. Today, that same progress is helping deliver record US Energy production, fueling the workers, the makers, the boundary pushers and risk takers who spark the breakthroughs that move America forward. Learn more about what our people [e-mail]

[Debra Valentine]

USA250amigrant reportedly in the US illegally was fatally shot by a federal law enforcement officer in Houston. Fox's Max Gordon reports from Los Angeles.

[Max Gordon]

The DHS inspector general and Houston prosecutors are running separate probes of the fatal shooting that took place last Tuesday. Sources tell Fox News that the ICE agents involved were not wearing body cameras at the time. Authorities say the man who was shot and killed, Lorenzo Salgado Arujo, a Mexican national living in the US Illegally was not the intended target. But he was stopped because his van resembled a vehicle vehicle associated with their suspect and they were near the address. DHS says the situation turned deadly when Araujo rammed an ICE vehicle, leading an agent to shoot in self defense. But according to reports, passengers inside the van with Araujo dispute that he used the vehicle to try to hit officers. Araujo was struck by gunfire and taken to a local hospital where he died.

[Debra Valentine]

There were three other undocumented migrants with Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. Their attorney is disputing the Department of Homeland Security's account of the fatal event. The governor of Missouri declares a state of emergency days after heavy rain resulted in flash flooding and at least one death.

[Jane Menar]

We've got a great update coming out of southeastern Missouri today. 351 rescues 200 of those summer campers, children, a camp that definitely is a place where kids want to go to enjoy. But of course, Mother nature bringing in this flooding rain. And it was just overwhelming. We had anywhere from a 3 to 19 foot water rise along the Black river in the early morning hours on Friday. Those campers all brought up into the dining hall and unfortunately they were stuck. The roads around that camp were washed away. The water too high for emergency vehicles. And so Blackhawks and choppers had to go in there.

[Debra Valentine]

Fox Weather meteorologist Jane Menar reporting from the show me State. The body of Faith Gregory was found two miles downstream from her home in Crawford County. I'm Debra Valentine. This is FOX News.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. Now I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited Premium Wireless for $15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills. But it turns out that's very illegal. So there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment

[Mint Mobile Announcer]

of 45 for three months, $90 for six months or $180 for a 12 month plan. Required $15 per month equivalent taxes and fees. Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes. Me slow when network is busy. See terms.