ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 28, 2026--
With students preparing to leave for campus in just a few weeks, Panda Cares® and Boys & Girls Clubs of America today announced a total of $375,000 in Panda Cares® Great Futures Scholarships, awarded to 15 outstanding Club teens who will each receive $25,000 to attend colleges and universities across the country this fall. The scholarships are part of Panda Cares’ broader commitment to support academic success at Boys & Girls Clubs. These transformative $25,000 scholarships bring the total scholarship support awarded to Boys & Girls Clubs youth to $1.34 million in 2026, which includes an additional 299 scholarships ranging from $2,500 to $5,000.
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Meet the 2026 Great Futures Scholars
The 2026 Panda Cares® Great Futures Scholars represent the next generation of leaders, innovators and changemakers, pursuing degrees in fields including public health sciences, multimedia, biology, psychology, kinesiology and human services. The 2026 scholarship recipients are:
To celebrate this milestone, six Southern California-based scholars were surprised with an in-person scholarship celebration at the Panda Restaurant Group headquarters, where they were joined by their families, Panda Cares leaders and Boys & Girls Club leaders to recognize their achievements. Two additional scholars were honored during Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Keystone Conference, celebrating their accomplishments alongside fellow Club youth and advisors from across the country.
“The Panda Cares Great Futures scholarship will allow me to be the first in my family to earn a bachelor’s degree,” said Jei’Alani R., 2026 Panda Cares Great Futures Scholar.
“As a future leader, I am committed to giving back to my community by mentoring younger youth and helping them to access the same opportunities that shaped me,” said Isabelle J., 2026 Panda Cares Great Futures Scholar. “Receiving this scholarship will assist me in reaching my educational goals and allow me to build the skills I need to advocate for others through my work.”
Expanding Access to Higher Education
Since launching the scholarship program in 2022, Panda Cares has invested in 755 Boys & Girls Clubs of America youth to pursue higher education. By expanding access to scholarships and reducing financial barriers, the organization continues its long-term commitment to creating opportunities that empower young people to achieve their educational goals, unlock their potential and build brighter futures.
The scholars join a growing network of alumni who continue to demonstrate the lasting impact of the program. Former Panda Cares scholarship recipients Holden, Enrique, Rima and Ximena have each been recognized for their outstanding leadership and academic commitment, being named Youth of the Year for their region. Ximena went on to be named National Youth of the Year, Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s highest honor, reflecting how investments in Club youth can inspire academic success, leadership and a lifelong commitment to making a difference in their communities.
Building a Legacy of Great Futures
Each year, Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide provide afterschool programming, homework help, STEM learning and college and career readiness programs that help prepare young people for life after high school. Four in five Club youth report earning mostly A's and B's in school, and 97% believe they will graduate from high school.
“A Great Future to me means creating opportunities for others just as my Boys & Girls Club created opportunities for me,” said Tiedrell A., 2026 Panda Cares Great Futures Scholar. “My advice to younger people is simple. Never let your circumstances define your future.”
“These scholarships help remove barriers to pursuing higher education and open doors for young people,” said Jim Clark, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “We value Panda Cares’ continued partnership and significant investment in our youth. Every day, Clubs help kids and teens see what’s possible for their futures, and partnerships like this help make those possibilities a reality.”
As the 2026 Great Futures Scholars prepare to begin their college journeys in the weeks ahead, Panda Cares is helping ensure they do so with greater confidence and the resources they need to succeed. Together, Panda Cares and Boys & Girls Clubs of America continue investing in the next generation of leaders and creating more great futures.
To learn more about this partnership visit https://bgca.org/about-us/our-partners/panda-cares.
About Panda Express®
On a mission to inspire better lives, Panda Express® is the largest Asian dining concept in the US. Family-owned and operated since 1983 by Co-Founders and Co-CEOs Andrew and Peggy Cherng, Panda Express is best known as a trailblazer for creating a wide variety of industry-first recipes, including its best seller the Original Orange Chicken® and award-winning Honey Walnut Shrimp, which have defined the category of authentic American Chinese cuisine. Each dish at Panda Express is thoughtfully crafted with quality ingredients and inspired by bold Chinese flavors and culinary principles. The restaurant brand has more than 2,500 locations and has introduced American Chinese cuisine to 11 international countries.
Powered by a global family of associates, Panda Cares®, Panda's philanthropic arm, has raised more than $455 million and has dedicated countless volunteer hours in bettering the health and education for over 16 million youth, as well as supporting communities in need since 1999. In 2021, Panda Express established the Panda CommUnity Fund — a five-year, $10 million community investment and response program that supports immediate and sustainable solutions from national and local organizations to uplift diverse groups, including people of color and other marginalized communities. For more information about Panda, visit pandaexpress.com, or find us on Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 160 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America ( BGCA.org ) has provided a safe place for kids and teens to learn and grow. Clubs offer caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Boys & Girls Clubs programming promotes academic success, good character and leadership, and healthy lifestyles. Over 5,500 Clubs serve more than 4 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. The national headquarters is located in Atlanta. Learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of America on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Panda Cares Scholars Program Awards 15 Boys & Girls Clubs Teens with $25,000 Great Futures Scholarships
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with President Donald Trump on Tuesday is the first since the two leaders launched a joint war against Iran and a chance for Netanyahu to smooth out strains in their relationship.
The two leaders also plan to discuss the framework agreement the U.S. and Israel signed with Lebanon over the Israel-Hezbollah war and the expansion of the Abraham Accords, according to a White House official.
Trump also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday ahead of Sen. Lindsey Graham’s funeral, which was their second sit-down this month. Sen. Lindsey Graham will be eulogized Tuesday during memorial services across Washington. Trump is expected to deliver remarks at the cathedral, alongside Fox News’ Sean Hannity and other conservative leaders.
Later, Trump joined guests and foreign leaders at Washington National Cathedral to eulogize Sen. Lindsey Graham, who rose to become one of his generation’s more influential U.S. politicians at home and abroad.
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The U.S. Air Force has begun taking steps to rename Joint Base Charleston in honor of the late South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, an Air Force official says.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal military matters, said Air Force Secretary Troy Meink signed a memo Monday to begin the process of renaming the base to Joint Base Lindsey Graham.
The official said there was no immediate timeline on how long the process would take to rename the base, which is adjacent to Charleston International Airport. The renaming was reported earlier by the Post and Courier.
Graham served in the Air Force, the Air Force Reserves and the Air National Guard for more than 30 years as a lawyer before retiring at the rank of colonel, according to his Senate website.
He was honored at a memorial service Tuesday after he died suddenly on July 11.
—- Konstantin Toropin
Speaking at the lectern during his tribute to Graham, Trump paused to note the difficulty of the moment.
“I will say, this memorial service — it’s so hard to say: memorial service for Lindsey,” Trump said before continuing.
Toward the end of his roughly 12-minute tribute, Trump looked upward and suggested Graham was “watching us” now.
“Our nation needs more men and women like that great person sitting, laying — wherever he may be,” Trump said. “I think I know where he is, and I think he’s up there. I think he’s watching us. I’m pretty sure of it.”
Trump recalled the passionate defense Graham issued during the confirmation hearing in 2018 for now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, during Trump's first term as president.
Christine Blasey Ford had come forward and accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a party when they were in high school, an allegation he denied.
Graham, who was a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee considering the nomination, passionately defended Kavanaugh, who later was confirmed to the high court.
“His impassioned defense of a wonderful person, a great gentleman, Justice Kavanaugh, ended a disgraceful attack on this very good man and gave us one of the greatest moments the Senate has ever seen,” Trump said. “It was a truly monumental moment in Senate history. I believe it was Lindsey’s perhaps finest hour.”
Kavanaugh was among the mourners at Washington National Cathedral.
Trump remembered Graham as someone who became a “constant fixture of American politics at the highest level, and a force to be reckoned with all over the world.”
“For more than 30 years, nothing of consequence happened in this capital without Lindsey Graham knowing about it. Nothing of significance happened anywhere in the world without Lindsey Graham having a view on it,” Trump said. “And no bill became law in the most exceptional Republican human history without Lindsey Graham having a say in it.”
“He was a man who gave America the full measure of his good and mighty heart until that heart itself just gave out,” Trump said.
Trump said Graham “went out at the peak of his career and the top of his game.”
In a video posted on his Instagram account, Netanyahu described his meeting with Trump on Tuesday as “excellent.”
He added that it was “a conversation with full partnership, with mutual support, with an understanding of the common goal of ensuring that Iran does not have nuclear weapons, and other goals as well. One of the best conversations I’ve had with the President of the United States, our friend Donald Trump.”
The Israeli Prime Minister met with Trump in the White House for about 90 minutes of talks, in a meeting that was closed to press coverage. He said that Trump’s “entire senior team” was present at the meeting, as well as “our senior team,” and that it was “an opportunity to exchange ideas and to coordinate arrangements that are important for the security and future of the State of Israel.”
The Israeli prime minister departed after about 90 minutes of talks.
As he was leaving, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt released a statement on X noting that Trump had concluded his meetings with Netanyahu and Zelenskyy.
She said: “Both meetings were positive and productive!”
They were closed to press coverage.
The event was held in Washington on Monday evening and was also attended by Graham’s sister and replacement in the Senate, Darlene Graham, as well as other relatives, friends of the late senator, “senior administration officials and members of Congress,” according to a statement by Netanyahu’s office.
Speaking at the event, the Israeli leader praised Graham as “deeply committed to the security of the United States, to the security of Israel, and to the ongoing fight against anti-Semitism,“ the statement said.
Netanyahu, who is meeting with Trump at the White House, is among several foreign leaders who are expected to attend Graham’s Washington funeral held later on Tuesday.
“America has lost a great patriot. Israel has lost one of its greatest friends and supporters. And I have lost a dear friend,” Netanyahu said at the memorial dinner.
In a social media post afterward, the Ukrainian leader said his first act was to offer his condolences to Trump on the death of Graham, who was close to Trump and a strong supporter of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy says he and Trump discussed licenses for Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptors and “several other ideas that could help.” They also discussed diplomacy.
Zelenskyy said he expressed gratitude to the United States for “its firm support” and said their teams will arrange future communication.
The White House closed the meeting to independent journalists. Zelenskyy released photos showing him posing with Trump and that U.S. secretaries Rubio, Bessent and Hegseth attended the Oval Office meeting.
Iran says recent U.S. strikes destroyed an airport and a marine control tower, and caused damage to 12 bridges and two tunnels, among other infrastructure.
Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani provided the details Tuesday in an announcement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency.
The U.S. military said it struck numerous military targets this month in response to Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Arab countries hosting U.S. forces.
Both sides paused their attacks over the weekend, though tensions remain high.
Mohajerani said Bushehr International Airport, on the Persian Gulf, has been “rendered inoperable.” Both tunnels have been reopened and alternate routes have been established around the damaged bridges, she said.
She said other civilian infrastructure had also been destroyed, including a meteorological center and fishing boats. The U.S. says it targeted small boats used by Iranian forces to harass ships in the strait.
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., placed both hands on his casket and then placed her hand on her heart. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., saluted from her wheelchair. And Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., gave a fist bump.
Scores of former senators also traveled to the Capitol to pay their respects, including former Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., who bowed and then briefly kissed the casket.
Others stood briefly before his casket and offered a short prayer and a sign of the cross.
The black SUV carrying the Israeli prime minister arrived on West Executive Avenue minutes after Zelenskyy departed after his own meeting with Trump.
Netanyahu stepped out of the passenger side of the vehicle and buttoned his suit jacket before entering through a side entrance to the West Wing. The meeting is also closed to press coverage.
Ambassador Danny Danon told U.N. reporters Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu definitely wants to hear from President Trump what he wants to see in the coming days or weeks.
“I cannot tell you which direction it will go. There are different options,” he said. “We are prepared for all scenarios, and we will discuss it with the president.”
Danon was responding to a question on whether Israel expects the two leaders to talk about specifics of scaling down or ending the war in Iran.
“Well, I’m sure that will be number one on the agenda in the meeting today between the prime minister and the president,” he replied.
Amid somewhat strained U.S.-Israeli relations, Danon stressed, “We fought shoulder-to-shoulder against Iran, and we are prepared to continue supporting the U.S. in pursuing peace and stability in the region.” He added that Gaza will also be on the Trump-Netanyahu agenda.
“I traveled with Lindsey all over the world as part of the congressional delegations and I saw firsthand just how much he was respected by our allies and just how well he was able to connect with foreign leaders around the world,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said.
Thune and others are honoring Graham at a tribute Tuesday in the Capitol Rotunda.
Thune and others also cited Graham’s sense of humor. He said that when lawmakers would gather for dinners in Washington, Graham was always the first call. He said no one was more capable of cracking up a room.
Choking up, he closed by telling Graham to “rest in peace my friend.”
“I look forward to the days when you make us all laugh again,” Thune said.
The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index fell to 90.8 in July from 92.2 in June.
Consumers’ view of current business and labor market conditions fell by 3.6 points to 114.9, the third straight monthly decline.
Views about their near-term futures held steady from last month with a reading of 74.7.
Consumer attitudes had improved modestly in June as gas prices came down to around $3.70 a gallon from more than $4.50 a gallon in late April and early May. But as fighting in the Middle East escalated, the average price for a gallon of gas in the U.S. started to rise again. On Tuesday it was $4.10, according to the auto club AAA.
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The White House says the meeting started at 9:47 a.m. It is “closed press,” meaning journalists at aren’t likely to see the leaders together in the Oval Office.
The remains of the Republican senator have arrived at the U.S. Capitol, his flag-draped casket carried inside by an armed forces team, in recognition of his military service.
He’s being honored at a tribute in the Rotunda, the start of two days of services for the South Carolina senator.
Vice President JD Vance is expected to speak and several Cabinet officials, including former Sen. Markwayne Mullin, the Homeland Security secretary, were in attendance, as was acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who faces a rocky Senate confirmation for the job.
The threat came in response to President Trump’s post on social media last week, in which he threatened to use Iranian assets frozen abroad to pay for damage to ships from Iranian attacks in the strait.
Ebrahim Zolfaghari, the spokesperson for Iran’s joint military command, said Tuesday that any countries or companies that join in Trump’s “unlawful action” will be barred from using the strait. The critical waterway carried a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas before the war. His video message was carried by Iranian state TV.
Trump had said damage to ships would be “paid for by Iranian Money that the United States has in its possession, and controls.” It was unclear what legal mechanisms Trump would use to seize and spend the funds.
The Ukrainian leader’s car pulled up on West Executive Avenue, a private road within the White House complex. He stepped out of the passenger side of a black SUV and walked around the rear to enter the White House for the meeting.
Bill Pulte, the acting director of national intelligence, has sought to leave his mark during his interim status in the job.
With the Senate poised to confirm Jay Clayton for the role, Pulte released Tuesday on X a series of intelligence community documents from 2020 that described China’s capacity to interfere in the American political process as well as vulnerabilities in the election system.
The substance of the material was largely recycled and already known, but its disclosure is part of a broader Trump administration effort to raise concerns about the integrity of U.S. elections — most especially the 2020 presidential race he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
Pulte has also presided over a downsizing of the national intelligence office, which functions as a coordinating hub for the U.S. government’s intelligence agencies.
He boasted on X that with a latest round of job cuts, the office is carrying out about a 30% staff reduction from weeks ago.
Trump has repeatedly retreated from threats to knock out bridges, power plants and other infrastructure but he told Fox News Channel in an interview that Iran knows he’ll “finish the job” if its leaders don’t make a deal to end the war.
He says millions of people would then struggle to get by.
Trump claimed he would need less than an hour to “take out” most of Iran’s bridges and said he could blow up their power plants “within one day” and then target desalinization plants.
“You know, if I can avoid doing that, I’d like to do that,” he said.
The president says he’s not worried about construction activities at Iran’s potential nuclear site at Pickaxe Mountain, a complex Trump has threatened to bomb.
And Trump criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for publicly expressing concerns about the site ahead of the two leaders’ meeting Tuesday at the White House.
“I know exactly what’s going on at Pickaxe,” Trump told “Fox & Friends,” adding that whatever Iran is doing is “not a big problem.”
On Netanyahu’s statements ahead of his visit to Washington, Trump said, “Why don’t you just tell it to me? Why do you have to announce to the world.”
The bilateral huddle, on the same day that both men are attending the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s funeral, is the first since Netanyahu and Trump launched their war in Iran five months ago.
Speaking fondly about his friend and ally, Trump said he admired Graham as a nice person who was quick to call for military action.
“He was a guy that liked war,” Trump said Tuesday in a Fox News interview. “I jokingly say, and there’s nothing funny about it, but he’s never seen a war that he didn’t like.”
Trump added that Graham was “very much a hawk on Iran” but had also told Trump it was time to make a deal to end the war. That sentiment did not extend to the Russia-Ukraine war, Trump said.
“Ukraine he’s very militant about,” Trump said. “Lindsey liked war, to be honest with you.”
It will ensure that a permanent director is in place as the midterm elections approach.
Clayton is expected to be confirmed along party lines after a contentious hearing two weeks ago in which he repeatedly refused to say that former President Joe Biden won the 2020 election. Still, Democrats have said they have more confidence in Clayton than they do in Trump’s temporary pick for the job, Bill Pulte, who has no known intelligence experience and investigated the president’s perceived enemies in his previous post as a federal housing regulator.
Senators from both parties have expressed concerns about Pulte, who took over on an interim basis last month after Tulsi Gabbard resigned. Pulte was in charge when Trump delivered a speech from the White House earlier this month doubling down on his false claims about the 2020 election, which he lost, and released classified documents he said were relevant to his arguments.
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Only foot traffic is allowed on streets surrounding the complex. Vehicular traffic is blocked by city police cars and dump trucks at key intersections, like Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th St and near Lafayette Park.
Netanyahu is staying at Blair House, the U.S. government’s guest house across from the White House.
Zelenskyy has the first meeting with Trump, scheduled for 9:30 a.m., followed by Netanyahu at 11 a.m.
Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet Tuesday ahead of Sen. Lindsey Graham’s funeral, their second sit-down this month and after a far-right activist with the U.S. president’s ear had a widely publicized change of heart on Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Trump is set to welcome Zelenskyy to the White House as the Ukrainian leader travels to Washington to honor Graham, whose final act as a public official was visiting Kyiv and securing an agreement on a package of sanctions that seek to punish countries that purchase Russian oil, gas and other exports.
Zelenskyy posted on X early Tuesday that he had arrived in the U.S. and listed the goals for his visit.
“Our schedule includes meetings with President Trump, his team, and those who can support our defense,” the Ukrainian leader said. “Our number one priority is anti-ballistic defense and strategic cooperation with America. Peace needs to be brought closer.”
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with President Donald Trump on Tuesday is the first since the two leaders launched a joint war against Iran and a chance for Netanyahu to smooth out strains in their relationship.
The meeting comes as both face growing pressures at home. Netanyahu is up for reelection and is embattled in part because of his deteriorating relationship with Trump. Trump is under pressure to end an unpopular war that has wreaked economic havoc and driven prices higher ahead of midterm elections this November.
The two leaders also plan to discuss the framework agreement the U.S. and Israel signed with Lebanon over the Israel-Hezbollah war and the expansion of the Abraham Accords, according to a White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the meeting.
“We have a little difference,” Trump said Monday when asked by reporters if he and the Israeli prime minister were on the same page with Iran. “But pretty close, yeah.”
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President Donald Trump speaks during the funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Tuesday July 28, 2026, at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One, Monday, July 27, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
FILE - President Donald Trump listens as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
