Dr. Anthony Fauci sat before the Senate yesterday and invoked his Fifth Amendment rights 111 times, setting up a contempt of Congress showdown that will play out as early as next week. It was one of the more unusual hearings in recent memory, and it was not the only consequential event on Capitol Hill this week.

From the Fed’s rate decision to a Russia sanctions bill passed hours after a senator’s funeral, there is a lot to catch up on.

Here are five stories to get you current.

1. The Lead · National

Fauci Invokes the Fifth 111 Times; Rand Paul Sets a Contempt Vote

Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday on COVID-19 origins and his pandemic conduct. Committee Chairman Rand Paul said he will schedule a contempt vote next week, arguing the Fifth Amendment claim is “unsupported” because President Biden issued Fauci a preemptive pardon before leaving office. Fauci, who has denied misleading Congress, called Paul “unhinged.” The hearing followed Paul’s release of more than 1,100 pages of Fauci’s private pandemic-era journal entries, which Paul says show gaps between Fauci’s private and public positions. In a notable moment, Sen. John Fetterman said he regretted staying quiet when the lab-leak theory was dismissed as fringe. “It seemed to make sense to me,” Fetterman said, adding that partisan framing kept him from speaking up.

111: The number of times Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during Wednesday’s hearing.

Across the Coverage

• Center NBC News: NBC News centered Fauci’s own pushback, leading with his refusal to answer alongside his characterization of Paul as “unhinged,” and treating the hearing as a GOP-led proceeding.

• Center Axios: Axios led with the procedural consequence, framing the story around the coming contempt vote rather than the substance of the questions Fauci declined to answer.

• Right Fox News Politics: Fox News foregrounded the 111 invocations while conceding the contempt effort may fail, framing Paul’s crusade as substantively justified but procedurally uphill.

The DH Take: The Fifth is a right, not an answer

Fauci is entitled to invoke the Fifth. Americans should be slow to treat the exercise of a constitutional protection as proof of guilt, and Paul’s threat of “repercussions” for using it sits badly. But Paul is asking the right questions. Whether federal money funded risky coronavirus research, and whether the official who shaped pandemic policy told Congress the truth, are matters the public is owed answers on. The pardon is what makes this genuinely unresolved: a preemptive pardon arguably strips away the exposure the Fifth is meant to guard against, and the committee deserves a ruling on that question rather than a shouting match. The most useful thing said Wednesday came from a Democrat. John Fetterman did not defend anyone or attack anyone. He said he went along with a consensus he privately doubted because the other side had claimed the argument. That is the actual lesson of the era, and it is worth more than a contempt vote.

2. The Fed Decision · Money

Federal Reserve Holds Rates Steady, Three Dissenters Push for Hike Amid War Uncertainty

The Federal Reserve held its benchmark rate at 3.5% to 3.75% Wednesday, the fifth consecutive meeting without a change. Three regional Fed presidents dissented in favor of a 25-basis-point hike, the most notable level of dissent under new Chair Kevin Warsh. Warsh said the Fed “will not waver” from its 2% inflation target and called the three dissents “the designed feature.” Morgan Stanley’s Ellen Zentner said September remains “a live meeting” for a possible hike.

9-3: The Federal Open Market Committee vote to hold rates steady, with three members dissenting in favor of a rate increase.

3. The Senate Race · National

Fox News Poll: Cooper Leads Whatley by 9 Points in North Carolina Senate Race

Democrat Roy Cooper leads Republican Michael Whatley 53% to 44% in North Carolina’s open Senate race, according to a Fox News poll of 1,005 registered voters. Cooper, the state’s former governor, holds a 15-point edge among voters who say they are extremely interested in the election. About 14% of voters say they cannot rate Whatley or have never heard of him. Trump’s own standing in the state has slipped: 40% of North Carolina voters view him favorably and 58% unfavorably, a net negative of 18 points, compared with a net negative of 6 points two years ago.

53% to 44%: Cooper’s lead over Whatley in a state Trump carried by 3 points in 2024.

4. The Senate Vote · World

Senate Passes Graham’s Russia Sanctions Bill Hours After His Funeral Service

Hours after Sen. Lindsey Graham’s funeral at Washington National Cathedral, the Senate voted 86-12 to advance the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The bill targets Russian oil and gas exports, extends sanctions on Iran’s energy and weapons sectors, and gives President Trump authority to impose tariffs on countries that purchase Russian energy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who attended Graham’s funeral, watched part of the vote from the Senate gallery. The bill now heads to the House.

86-12: The bipartisan Senate vote to advance the Russia and Iran sanctions legislation named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.

5. The Layoffs · Money

Visa Cuts 2,600 Jobs in AI-Driven “Efficiency” Push Across Tech Teams

Visa announced it will cut approximately 2,600 employees, roughly 7% of its global workforce, with cuts focused on technology and product teams. CEO Ryan McInerney cited AI’s role in reducing repetitive tasks and reshaping product development, though Bloomberg noted AI was not the sole driver. Evercore ISI analysts called it routine, describing Visa as “one of the best-run companies in the world tweaking headcount and reallocating money into areas of higher growth.”

7%: The share of Visa’s global workforce affected by the reduction, or roughly 2,600 positions.

+ Also Worth Knowing

• National: A jury convicted former Navy SEAL Gregory Vandenberg, 49, of plotting to throw explosives at police during a June 2025 protest in San Diego after a store clerk tipped off federal investigators.

• Culture: Scholars at the University of Würzburg authenticated two previously unknown sermons by St. Augustine discovered in an 11th-century German manuscript after roughly 1,600 years.

• Money: Johnson and Johnson agreed to pay an estimated $5.5 billion to settle roughly 76,000 claims that its talc products caused ovarian cancer.

• Money: eBay agreed to pay roughly $50 million to settle a lawsuit brought by a Massachusetts couple terrorized by former company employees in 2019.

One Last Thing · On This Day

On this day in 2018, Emmerson Mnangagwa was elected to his first full term as president, having served as leader since the 2017 Zimbabwean coup d’état. On this day in 1975, American labor-union leader Jimmy Hoffa disappeared after last being seen outside a restaurant near Detroit.

I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past. Thomas Jefferson

That’s your Thursday. Forward this to someone who should have a clear read on the headlines shaping the news today.

It’s Monday, and the day’s thread runs through trade and the courts.

New U.S. tariffs on 60 trading partners took effect at midnight Friday, and within hours two small businesses sued to stop them, setting up the administration’s third tariff legal battle in six months.

Five stories cover what you need to know this morning.

1. The Lead · Money

Trump Hits 60 Trading Partners With New Tariffs as Temporary Global Duties Expire

New 10% and 12.5% tariffs on imports from 60 trading partners, including the EU, Taiwan, Canada, Mexico, India, and the UK, took effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer framed the duties around labor standards, arguing that stricter U.S. enforcement of forced-labor import bans puts American businesses at a disadvantage. Oil and gas, fertilizer, certain food products, and goods already covered by national-security tariffs are exempt. The move is part of a broader wave of trade actions this week that also included new duties on Canadian imports and a two-year tariff deferral on generic drugs.

122%: The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget projects federal debt will reach 122% of GDP by 2036 under the new tariff structure, worse than the 120% forecast under the prior regime.

Across the Coverage

FAIR: how outlets across the spectrum framed the same story

• Left The Guardian US Politics: The Guardian US Politics centered its piece on skepticism of the forced-labor rationale, emphasizing what it called the administration’s inconsistency on the issue given domestic prison labor practices.

• Center NPR Politics: NPR Politics foregrounded the economic pressure the replacement tariffs place on the broader U.S. economy, framing the story around macroeconomic impact.

The DH Take: A revolving door of tariff regimes is not a trade policy

Conservatives have long argued that executive power has limits, and the Supreme Court enforced that principle against the IEEPA tariffs. The administration’s response, reaching for a new statutory hook to maintain the same broad rates, tests whether courts will treat legal authority as a genuine constraint or a procedural technicality. The revenue shortfall identified by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget is also a serious concern: replacing one debt-worsening tariff regime with a slightly worse one is not fiscal strength. Businesses need policy stability to invest and hire. Three legal regimes in six months is not stability.

2. The Grocery Squeeze · Money

Albertsons Cuts Full-Year Outlook as Grocery Shoppers Pull Back on Spending

Albertsons cut its full-year sales and profit outlook Thursday after its first-quarter identical sales fell 0.8%, blaming a more cautious consumer and softer grocery demand across the industry. The chain now projects identical sales to decline 0.5% to 1.5% for the fiscal year, reversing earlier guidance of flat-to-1% growth. Adjusted earnings per share guidance dropped from $2.22-$2.32 to $1.75-$1.85. In response, the company is restructuring operations, consolidating its 11 divisions into four regions.

2,240: Albertsons operates 2,240 stores across 35 states and the District of Columbia, making its consumer warning a broad indicator of grocery spending trends.

3. The Indictment · National

Hawaii Lt. Governor Sylvia Luke Indicted on Bribery Charges Tied to COVID Contract

Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke was indicted by a state grand jury on charges of criminal conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, and falsifying candidate committee reports. Prosecutors allege she accepted two $5,000 checks from a lobbyist representing a COVID-19 testing contractor in 2022, with an alleged promise of $70,000 total. Luke acknowledged the two checks but denied any additional payments or that her legislative work was influenced. Gov. Josh Green called on her to resign within hours of the indictment.

$35,000: Prosecutors say Luke accepted a $35,000 bribe as a state lawmaker in 2022, tied to a lobbyist seeking to preserve state COVID-19 testing contracts.

4. The Fraud Watch · National

GAO Flags $1.1 Trillion in State-Run Federal Programs as High Fraud Risk

The GAO warned this week that nearly $1.1 trillion in federal spending routed through state governments is at serious fraud risk, identifying 20 programs including Medicaid, SNAP, and disaster relief funds as particularly vulnerable. Federal audits from 2020 to 2024 found severe and persistent control failures in 18 of those 20 programs. Fraud rings are now using artificial intelligence to file thousands of simultaneous claims, leaving officials “one step” behind. Twenty-two GAO recommendations remain unimplemented, and one major program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, reports no improper-payment data at all.

$233B-$521B: The GAO estimates government-wide fraud losses at $233 billion to $521 billion per year, roughly 3% to 7% of average federal obligations.

5. The Court Fight · National

Small Businesses Sue Trump Over New Forced-Labor Tariffs: “Changing the Statute Doesn’t Change the Law”

Two American small businesses, Burlap & Barrel (a New York spice importer) and Collective Horology (a California watch retailer), sued the Trump administration Friday the moment new Section 301 forced-labor tariffs took effect. Represented by the Liberty Justice Center, the firm that won the prior Supreme Court case against IEEPA tariffs, the plaintiffs argue the new duties exceed the administration’s authority under the Trade Act of 1974. They contend the near-uniform 10% or 12.5% rates imposed on roughly 60 economies were applied without showing how each country’s conduct burdens U.S. commerce. The case lands at the U.S. Court of International Trade, which has struck down two previous tariff rounds. President Trump called the new duties “very standard” and described them as a lawful fallback after the earlier rulings.

2: Prior tariff rounds the U.S. Court of International Trade has already struck down, the same court now hearing this challenge.

+ Also Worth Knowing

• National: The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the Trump administration’s mail-in voting rules in 23 Democratic-led states and D.C., setting up a likely Supreme Court fight.

• World: Russian missiles hit Kyiv while Ukrainian drones struck occupied Horlivka, leaving at least six dead across both countries.

• World: Abdul Ballout, suspected of driving a van into a Berlin crowd near Pride festivities and killing one woman, was shot dead by police after a 24-hour manhunt.

• Health: The Senate HELP Committee passed the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act 21-1, sending a hospital price-transparency bill to the full Senate.

• Health: Georgia plans a November groundbreaking on its first state mental health hospital since the 1960s, funded at $409 million.

• Health: Lawmakers met Wednesday to debate regulating compounding pharmacies that make GLP-1 weight loss drugs and expanding Medicare to cover them.

A Word from Our Publisher · All Upside

From the desk of Evelio Silvera. You just read the headlines. All Upside is my weekly read on what they add up to, and why I’m still long America when the news makes that hard to believe.

Subscribe to All Upside, free →

One Last Thing · On This Day in America

On this day in 2010, Police in Tokyo found the mummified remains of Sogen Kato, thought to have died in 1978, leading to widespread inquiries into the status of isolated elderly people in Japan. On this day in 1983, American musician Madonna released her self-titled debut album, which set the standard for the genre of dance-pop for decades.

The best way to predict the future is to create it. attributed to Abraham Lincoln

That’s your Monday morning. Share this with someone who wants the facts before the noise starts.

The Trump administration has announced a 50% tariff on a wide range of Canadian imports, set to take effect August 19.

Also this morning: a federal judge freezes a Hollywood mega-merger, a $547 million Medicare fraud fugitive is back in U.S. custody, and France bans social media for kids under 15.

Five stories follow.

1. The Lead · Money

Trump Hits Canada with 50% Tariff, Citing “Discriminatory” Trade Policies Against U.S. Exports

The Trump administration on Monday announced a 50% tariff on a broad swath of Canadian imports, effective August 19, under the Tariff Act of 1930. A presidential proclamation cited Canada’s “discriminatory, unequal, and unreasonable tariff scheme” and pointed specifically to U.S. vehicle, dairy, and alcohol exports. On vehicles, the White House said U.S. exports to Canada fell 22% in a single year, dropping from $25.9 billion to $20.3 billion. For alcohol, Canadian import bans imposed in March caused U.S. exports to collapse roughly 81%, from $718 million to $137 million. Goods affected include wine, clothing, electronics, and sports equipment; energy, potash, and critical minerals are exempt. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called the action a direct violation of CUSMA and pledged intensive talks before the effective date.

81%: U.S. alcohol exports to Canada collapsed roughly 81%, from $718 million to $137 million, after Canada imposed sweeping import bans in March 2025.

Across the Coverage

FAIR: how outlets across the spectrum framed the same story

• Left The Guardian US Business: The Guardian foregrounded the likelihood of economic turmoil and noted that the tariffs would hit goods previously shielded under the USMCA agreement.

• Center NPR Business: NPR led with the breadth of the tariff, describing it as covering most Canadian goods, and foregrounded the three specific U.S. industries the administration cited as harmed.

The DH Take: Leverage is one thing; blowback is another

Opinion, the DH Editorial Desk.

The administration has documented real grievances. An 81% collapse in U.S. alcohol exports and a 22% drop in vehicle sales to Canada are not abstractions; they represent lost jobs and shuttered markets. Using tariff pressure to force a fairer deal is a legitimate tool of trade policy. The risk, though, is escalation: Canada’s retaliatory surtaxes that provoked this round were themselves a response to earlier U.S. duties. A 50% tariff that raises prices for American consumers and disrupts deeply integrated supply chains is a heavy price to pay for leverage. The goal of a level playing field is right. The costs of getting there deserve honest accounting.

2. The Ruling · Money

Judge Freezes Paramount-WBD Merger: “Serious Questions” on Antitrust Claims

A federal judge temporarily blocked the planned $111 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery on Monday, siding with a coalition of 12 state attorneys general who argued the deal would harm consumers and competitors. California District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín found that the states raised “serious questions” on their Clayton Act claim and that the balance of equities tips in their favor. The Department of Justice had cleared the deal last week after an eight-month review, but state attorneys general retain independent authority to challenge mergers under federal law. A preliminary injunction hearing is set for August 3.

$111 billion: The blocked Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery merger was valued at $111 billion.

Go deeper: Fox Business: Full coverage of the Paramount-WBD merger restraining order

3. The Capture · Health

Fugitive Captured After Four Years: $547 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme Unravels

Khalid Ahmed Satary, accused of running a $547 million Medicare fraud operation, was captured overseas Monday and returned to the U.S. on Tuesday after nearly four years as a fugitive. Prosecutors say Satary controlled diagnostic laboratories in Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Georgia that billed Medicare roughly $547 million for expensive cancer genetic tests, marketed to beneficiaries through telemarketers, patient recruiters, and telemedicine doctors who in some cases never treated or even spoke with the patients. First indicted in 2019, Satary allegedly kept working with Houston-area labs while on pretrial release despite a ban on health care work, then failed to appear in court and vanished in 2022. The FBI placed him prominently on its Most Wanted Fraudsters list this summer with a $150,000 reward, and investigators had identified Dubai as a possible location before his capture. He faces charges including health care fraud, illegal kickbacks, and money laundering.

$134 million: Of the roughly $547 million the laboratories billed to Medicare, the program actually reimbursed about $134 million, according to federal prosecutors.

Go deeper: The Center Square: Fugitive accused in $547 million Medicare fraud scheme captured

4. The Ban · World

France Becomes First EU Nation to Ban Social Media for Children Under 15

France’s Parliament voted Tuesday to ban children under 15 from social media, making France the first nation in the European Union to adopt a blanket prohibition on the platforms for minors. Both chambers approved the measure, one of the final major legislative acts of President Emmanuel Macron’s second term. The bill also bans mobile phones in French high schools; online encyclopedias, educational platforms, and scientific directories are exempt. Macron wants the law in force by the September school year, though a constitutional review could delay it, and enforcement questions remain open, from age verification to identifying existing under-15 accounts. Support ran strong among parents and children’s advocates, and several French families have already sued TikTok, alleging harmful content contributed to teen suicides. Lawmakers from the left-wing France Unbowed party opposed the bill, arguing it would end online anonymity and prove impractical to enforce.

58%: France’s health watchdog reports that 58% of children aged 12 to 17 use their devices daily for social networks, and one in two teenagers spends two to five hours a day on a smartphone.

Go deeper: AP via New York Post: French lawmakers adopt a sweeping social media ban for children under 15

5. The Business Exit · Money

Mars Wrigley to Cut 307 Jobs, Leaving Newark for Chicago Expansion

Mars Wrigley filed a WARN notice with New Jersey confirming 307 layoffs as it shifts its U.S. headquarters to Chicago, where the company has invested $100 million to expand facilities. The Newark office will close by mid-October, though its Hackettstown manufacturing plant will remain open. The New Jersey Business and Industry Association noted the state has already seen more than 9,700 jobs disclosed through WARN notices in 2026, and its CEO called the departure “another unfortunate exodus of a job creator in New Jersey.” The announcement follows Samsung’s move to Texas and ExxonMobil shareholders’ vote to shift incorporation to Texas after 144 years in New Jersey.

9,700+: New Jersey has seen more than 9,700 jobs disclosed through WARN filings in 2026 alone, according to the state’s Business and Industry Association.

Go deeper: Fox Business original report on the Mars Wrigley layoffs and WARN filing

+ Also Worth Knowing

The Market Read. Stocks closed up: the Dow up +0.7% to 52,225, the S&P 500 up +0.9% to 7,509, the Nasdaq flat at 25,508.

The market read is brought to you by Bull Street, the daily read on American markets. Subscribe for Market Insights.

• National: House Republicans advanced the Permanent Trump Secure Border Act out of the Judiciary Committee Tuesday, sending it to the full House floor.

• World: U.S. and Mexican negotiators opened a third round of USMCA revision talks in Mexico City on Tuesday; Mexico’s ambassador said a new agreement is expected by the end of 2026.

• World: Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega publicly declared Sunday that Nicaragua will no longer hold elections, canceling votes scheduled for November 2027.

One Last Thing · On This Day in America

On this day in 1991, American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, after police discovered human remains in his apartment. On this day in 1975, Stanley Forman took the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo Fire Escape Collapse, which spurred action to improve the safety of fire escapes across the United States.

The price of greatness is responsibility. Winston Churchill

That's your Wednesday. You read to the end, so do us one favor: forward this to one person who would too.

The Daily Headlines Desk · See you Friday at 7 AM

The weekend’s biggest story comes from the Middle East, where Iran’s attacks on a U.S. base in Jordan have claimed two American lives and left one service member missing.

The broader conflict is widening, with Iran also striking U.S. allies in Kuwait and Qatar.

At home, debates over Pentagon policy, food safety, and healthcare spending are all moving at once.

Here are the stories to bring you up to speed.

1. The Lead · National

Two U.S. Troops Killed in Iranian Strike on Jordan Base, One Still Missing

Two U.S. service members were killed and one remains missing after Iran launched ballistic missile and drone attacks against a U.S. base in Jordan on Friday, July 17, U.S. Central Command confirmed Saturday. Four additional service members were medically evacuated to Jordanian hospitals and have since been discharged. CENTCOM said it would withhold the identities of the fallen until 24 hours after next-of-kin notifications are complete. The deaths are the first American fatalities in the conflict since fighting resumed in June, following the collapse of a ceasefire. The total U.S. death toll since the war began in February now stands at sixteen. Iran has also struck Kuwait and Qatar in recent days. Approximately 50,000 American service members remain deployed across the region. The State Department issued a worldwide travel warning following the Jordan attack, urging Americans overseas to keep a low profile.

50,000: Approximate number of U.S. service members currently deployed across the Middle East region, according to The Center Square.

Across the Coverage

FAIR: how outlets across the spectrum framed the same story

• Center The Hill: The Hill led with Sen. Mark Warner’s remarks that it is ‘remarkable in many ways’ the U.S. death toll has not been higher, foregrounding the political response from the Democratic side of the Senate.

• Right Breitbart: Breitbart centered its report tightly on the CENTCOM announcement itself, emphasizing the confirmed killed and missing figures with minimal political framing.

• Right The Center Square: The Center Square foregrounded the cumulative U.S. military posture, noting the 50,000 troops in the region and the Trump administration’s naval blockade as strategic context for the casualties.

The DH Take: Iran is testing American resolve, and the cost is real

Opinion, The DH Editorial Desk.

Sixteen Americans dead since February is not an abstraction. Each death represents a family destroyed and a commitment the country made. The broader strategic logic, protecting commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and degrading an adversary that has spent decades killing Americans by proxy, is defensible on its merits. But a war of this scale demands clear objectives, a defined exit, and transparent accounting to the public. Congress has been largely silent on its constitutional war-powers role. That silence should concern anyone who believes in limited executive power, regardless of which party holds the White House.

2. The Pentagon Order · National

Pentagon Mandates Testosterone Screening for 2 Million Troops, Skips Cost Estimate

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo on July 15 requiring annual testosterone screening for all active-duty and reserve troops age 30 and older, covering roughly 2 million service members. The Pentagon has released no cost estimate and declined to specify how readiness improvements would be measured. The Endocrine Society said there is insufficient evidence to support population-level screening for asymptomatic men and cited trial data showing about a 50% relative increase in pulmonary embolism among men on testosterone therapy. The Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness must update formal policy by Aug. 15.

27.9%: Share of special operations personnel with documented brain injuries found to have low testosterone in a Lancet Regional Health study that the Pentagon memo cites as justification.

3. The Food Safety Alert · Health

CDC Links Taco Bell Shredded Lettuce to Cyclospora Outbreak Across Five States

The CDC and FDA have linked shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia to a cyclospora outbreak with 1,645 confirmed cases nationwide. More than 5,100 additional cases are awaiting confirmation and at least 141 people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. The CDC expects case counts to continue rising as it assumes a six-week lag between illness onset and formal reporting.

1,645: Confirmed domestic cases of cyclosporiasis as of the latest CDC figures, with more than 5,100 additional cases still awaiting confirmation.

4. The Health Bill · Health

Bipartisan Senate Bill Would Force Hospitals to Post Real Prices

The Senate HELP Committee is set to mark up the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act on Wednesday, a bipartisan bill that would require hospitals, surgery centers, imaging centers, and labs to publicly disclose negotiated rates and cash prices. The bill was introduced by Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and has 24 co-sponsors, evenly split between the two parties. Marshall said the legislation would go further than existing executive actions by closing enforcement loopholes.

$6 trillion: Approximate annual U.S. healthcare spending nationally, the backdrop against which the price transparency bill’s lead sponsor is pushing for the legislation.

+ Also Worth Knowing

The Market Read. Stocks closed down: the Dow down -0.8% to 52,146, the S&P 500 down -1.0% to 7,458, the Nasdaq down -1.4% to 25,520.

The market read is brought to you by Bull Street, the daily read on American markets. Subscribe for Market Insights.

• Health: The Second Circuit reversed a lower court ruling that had excluded plaintiff experts, reopening multidistrict litigation linking prenatal acetaminophen use to autism and ADHD.

• All Upside: They Paid a Premium for Broken. Evelio Silvera on why healthcare insiders buying back Select Medical at an 18% premium proves a “broken” industry is really a mispriced asset, and how to find the same hidden value inside your own cost centers.

• Bull Street: The Game of Money. Oren Klaff breaks down how private equity actually works, and how everyday investors can trade the retail seat for a better one. Live and unrecorded on July 30, 9am PT.

One Last Thing · On This Day in America

On this day in 2024, Neary’s, a New York City Irish pub popular with political elites, closed. On this day in 2013, The NASA spacecraft Cassini took a photograph of Saturn with Earth in the distance (detail pictured), for which people were invited to “wave at Saturn”.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. Ronald Reagan

That is your Monday. Forward it to someone who should be in the loop.

The Daily Headlines Desk · See you tomorrow at 7 AM

It’s Tuesday, and the day opens with South Carolina filling the Senate seat left vacant by the death of Lindsey Graham, as Governor Henry McMaster names Graham’s sister to serve out the term.

Alongside that, there is big economic news out of rural Louisiana, a sweeping security move in Britain, and a major regulatory shift on endangered species protections at home.

1. The Lead · National

South Carolina Governor Appoints Lindsey Graham’s Sister to Complete His Senate Term

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Monday appointed Darline Graham Nordone, sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, to fill the remainder of Graham’s Senate term. Nordone is expected to be sworn in Tuesday, making her the first woman South Carolina has sent to the U.S. Senate. She has never held elected public office, though she has served as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. The appointment was backed by President Trump, Sen. Tim Scott, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Graham died Saturday night, two days after turning 71; a preliminary medical examiner’s report listed a tear of the aorta as the cause. A special election primary filing period opens July 21, with the primary set for Aug. 11, a compressed timeline that may conflict with federal law requiring military and overseas ballots be sent at least 45 days before an election.

3rd: Nordone would be only the third person to hold this Senate seat since Strom Thurmond won it in 1956.

Across the Coverage

FAIR: how outlets across the spectrum framed the same story

• Center NPR Politics: NPR led with the Republican coalition that assembled around Nordone, noting that Trump and other top party figures had quickly united behind the pick.

• Right Fox News Politics: Fox News foregrounded Nordone’s identity as Trump’s preferred choice, framing the story around the president’s active role in shaping the selection.

• Right Breitbart: Breitbart centered the governor’s formal action, framing the story as McMaster executing the appointment to complete Graham’s term.

The DH Take: A caretaker pick is fine; the election calendar is the real test

Opinion, The DH Editorial Desk.

Appointing a trusted family member as a caretaker senator is an old and defensible tradition. McMaster faces no credible objection to the Nordone pick itself: she comes from the same community as her brother, she has bipartisan goodwill, and she is not seizing the seat for personal ambition. The harder question is the timeline. A primary on Aug. 11 almost certainly conflicts with the federal 45-day ballot rule for military and overseas voters. That is not a procedural footnote. Disenfranchising service members and expatriates to satisfy a state statute is a real cost, and South Carolina officials should work quickly with federal authorities to resolve it.

2. The Investment · Money

Meta Pours $50 Billion Into Louisiana AI Data Center, Transforming Rural Parish

Meta announced Monday it is expanding its Richland Parish, Louisiana data center to 5 gigawatts of compute capacity, pushing total investment past $50 billion. Louisiana businesses have already collected more than $1.6 billion in contracts tied to the project since it broke ground in December 2024. The economic impact is already visible locally: teacher bonuses in the Richland Parish School District have risen from $10,000 annually to more than $50,000, driven by increased tax revenue. Meta also announced a $5 million donation to Louisiana Delta Community College to fund scholarships for data center training.

$50 billion: Meta’s total investment in the Richland Parish campus, placing it among the largest AI infrastructure commitments in the world.

3. The Security Move · World

UK Bans Iran’s IRGC and Russia’s GRU Volunteers as Terrorist Groups

The United Kingdom formally designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a Russian military intelligence proxy group, the GRU Volunteer Corps, as banned terrorist organizations on Monday. Security Minister Angela Eagle said an IRGC-linked group claimed seven attacks on British soil, including arson fires at London synagogues and a Persian-language media outlet. Once Parliament approves the accompanying legislation, expected by week’s end, committing sabotage on behalf of either group will be punishable by up to life in prison.

7: Attacks in the United Kingdom claimed by the Iranian-linked IMCR group, including arson fires at London synagogues and a Persian-language media outlet.

4. The Labor Crunch · Money

Volkswagen CEO Warns of 50,000 More Job Cuts Amid “Cost Disadvantage”

Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume warned employees in an internal memo that the automaker may need to cut an additional 50,000 jobs worldwide, on top of 50,000 cuts already announced, potentially bringing total reductions to 100,000 across the company’s global operations. Blume cited a 20% cost disadvantage relative to competitors, along with slumping profits tied to higher tariffs, Chinese market competition, and pressure to streamline German manufacturing. Labor representatives on the supervisory board blocked key restructuring proposals at a Thursday meeting, leaving the plan unresolved.

100,000: Potential total job cuts across Volkswagen and its subsidiaries, including Porsche and Audi, if the additional reductions are implemented.

5. The Regulatory Shift · National

Federal Regulators Narrow Endangered Species Act: “Restores Common Sense” for Landowners

The Interior and Commerce departments finalized a rule Friday that narrows enforcement of the Endangered Species Act, limiting the federal definition of “harm” to cases involving the direct injury or death of a listed animal. The change reverses a 1975 regulatory standard that also covered significant habitat modification and degradation. Administration officials grounded the rule in the Supreme Court’s 2024 decision in Loper Bright v. Raimondo. Environmental groups have pledged immediate court challenges, with emergency injunctions expected before the rule takes effect 30 days after Federal Register publication.

50 years: The length of time the prior habitat-protection standard had governed Endangered Species Act enforcement, dating to the 1975 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service definition.

+ Also Worth Knowing

The Market Read. Stocks closed down: the Dow down -0.3% to 52,499, the S&P 500 down -0.8% to 7,515, the Nasdaq up +0.3% to 26,282.

The market read is brought to you by Bull Street, the daily read on American markets. Subscribe for Market Insights.

• World: A Seoul court sentenced impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol to two years in prison for illegally receiving manipulated opinion polls from a political broker.

• World: European health authorities recorded 10,650 excess deaths during the week of June 22-28, when a record heatwave peaked across Western Europe.

• Health: Texas ACA marketplace enrollment fell 4% after enhanced COVID-19 premium subsidies expired on Dec. 31, 2025.

One Last Thing · On This Day in America

On this day in 2014, lightning strikes started four fires in the Methow Valley in the U.S. state of Washington, collectively known as the Carlton Complex Fire. On this day in 1950, Korean War: North Korean troops began attacking the headquarters of the American 24th Infantry Division in present-day Daejeon, South Korea.

I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past. Thomas Jefferson

That’s your Tuesday Headlines. Forward this to someone who wants the facts without the noise.

The Daily Headlines Desk · See you tomorrow at 7 AM

It is Monday, and the news carries the weight of a death in the Senate, a widening federal deficit, and several consequential court rulings.

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina passed away over the weekend, and the ripple effects across Congress and Republican politics will be felt for some time.

Here are five stories to get you caught up.

1. The Lead · National

Sen. Lindsey Graham, GOP Power Broker from South Carolina, Dies at 71

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina died Saturday at age 71 following what his office called a “brief and sudden illness.” Graham had just celebrated his birthday on July 9 and was actively campaigning for a fifth Senate term. He spent more than two decades as one of the Senate’s most influential Republicans, serving on both the Armed Services and Judiciary committees and steering the confirmations of dozens of federal judges, including Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. A retired Air Force Reserve colonel, Graham was part of the bipartisan “Three Amigos” alongside the late Sen. John McCain and former Sen. Joe Lieberman, and was a leading congressional advocate for Israel and Ukraine. President Trump, who said he spoke with Graham the night before his death, called him “a true American Patriot.” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster will appoint a temporary replacement under state law.

71: Graham died at age 71, just days after his birthday on July 9, while campaigning for a fifth Senate term.

Across the Coverage

FAIR: how outlets across the spectrum framed the same story

• Left The Guardian US Politics: The Guardian led with Graham’s identity as a key Trump ally and emphasized the shock his sudden death sent through Washington and the Republican Party.

• Center NPR Politics: NPR foregrounded Graham’s political evolution from Trump critic to Trump ally, framing that arc as central to his legacy.

The DH Take: A rare career built on conviction, not just calculation

Opinion, from The DH Editorial Desk.

Lindsey Graham was not a simple figure, and conservatives should resist the urge to flatten him into one now. He could frustrate his own party, and his relationship with Trump was complicated enough to fill a book. But his record on defense, judicial nominations, and support for allies abroad was grounded in genuine principle, not poll numbers. His rise from a small South Carolina town, his military service, and his willingness to take unpopular stands all reflect values that matter: duty, perseverance, and engagement with the world. The Senate will be less interesting, and arguably less serious, without him.

Go deeper: Fox News Politics: Lindsey Graham’s full biography and career retrospective

2. The Deficit · Money

Federal Deficit Races Toward $2 Trillion as Interest and Entitlements Surge

The federal deficit stood at $1.373 trillion through the first nine months of fiscal year 2026, already $35 billion worse than the same period last year, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The three biggest drivers were net interest on the national debt, Social Security, and Medicare. The full-year deficit is on track to exceed $2 trillion. Maya MacGuineas of the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget warned that Social Security and Medicare trust funds are within seven years of depletion, which would automatically trigger across-the-board benefit cuts.

$2 trillion+: The CBO projects the full-year FY2026 federal deficit will reach or exceed $2 trillion, among the largest outside of wartime or pandemic emergencies.

Go deeper: CBO Monthly Budget Review, June 2026 (primary source)

3. The Dismissal · National

Trump-Appointed Judge Dismisses Proud Boys Jan. 6 Case, Cites Constitutional Limits

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly permanently dismissed the federal Jan. 6 prosecution of four Proud Boys members, including Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola, after the Justice Department moved to drop the case with prejudice. Kelly wrote that charging decisions rest solely with the executive branch and he had no authority to force the DOJ to maintain a prosecution it had chosen to abandon. He was careful to note that granting the motion should not be mistaken for agreement with the decision, and he separately rebuked the Jan. 6 rioters for what he called an attack on “the Constitution’s mechanism to facilitate the peaceful transfer of power.”

4. The Ruling · National

Fifth Circuit Upholds Texas Ban on In-State Tuition for Undocumented Students

A Fifth Circuit panel voted 2-1 to uphold a federal court ruling that Texas’s in-state tuition benefit for undocumented students violates federal law, ending a policy that had been on the books for more than two decades. A 2001 Texas law signed by then-Gov. Rick Perry allowed undocumented students to pay in-state rates at public colleges; the Trump administration sued, arguing the law conflicted directly with a federal statute barring such benefits based on state residency. The ruling also covers DACA recipients, and Texas’s Higher Education Coordinating Board had already updated its rules accordingly.

57,000: In 2022, at least 57,000 undocumented students were enrolled in Texas public higher education at in-state tuition rates, according to an analysis by the Presidents’ Alliance.

5. The Water Fight · National

Supreme Court to Hear Nebraska vs. Colorado Fight Over Century-Old Water Compact

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on June 29 to hear Nebraska’s lawsuit accusing Colorado of violating the South Platte River Compact of 1923, which requires Colorado to let at least 120 cubic feet of water per second flow into Nebraska during irrigation season. At the center of the dispute is Nebraska’s planned Perkins County Canal, a project the state appropriated more than $600 million to build, which would draw water from the South Platte during the non-irrigation season starting in Colorado. Colorado’s attorney general says the state is in full compliance; Nebraska’s attorney general says his state has been shortchanged for decades and expects the litigation to take years.

$600 million+: Nebraska lawmakers appropriated more than $600 million for the Perkins County Canal, a project at the heart of its water dispute with Colorado.

+ Also Worth Knowing

The Market Read. Stocks closed up: the Dow up +0.3% to 52,637, the S&P 500 up +0.4% to 7,575, the Nasdaq up +0.3% to 26,282.

The market read is brought to you by Bull Street, a daily read on American markets. Subscribe for Market Insights.

• Health: The DEA filed notices of intent to place 7-hydroxymitragynine, a kratom compound, into Schedule I, just two months after President Trump publicly praised it.

• World: Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the former emir who transformed Qatar into a global power, died Sunday at age 74.

• Money: Apple filed a federal trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging the company instructed Apple employees to bring confidential prototypes and hardware to job interviews.

• Culture: Muhammad ranked as the most popular baby boy name in England and Wales for the third straight year, according to new government statistics.

• Health: Michigan declared a cyclosporiasis outbreak after cases surged from a typical annual 50 to roughly 700 in just over one week.

• Health: Washington state began distributing benefits from its mandatory WA Cares long-term care payroll tax program on July 1, 2026, becoming the first state to do so.

One Last Thing · On This Day in America

On this day in 2020, After a five day search, the body of American actress and singer Naya Rivera was recovered from Lake Piru, confirming her death. On this day in 1973, Watergate scandal: Under questioning by Senate investigators, White House deputy chief of staff Alexander Butterfield revealed the existence of a secret taping system (tape recorder pictured) in the Oval Office.

Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth. George Washington

That is your Monday. Pass it along.

The Daily Headlines Desk · See you tomorrow at 7 AM

A Texas Democrat stood at the state convention and declared “we’re all trans, we’re all gay tofu-eating vegans, and we’re all going to hell” defending Senate candidate Talarico, while Paxton’s camp said “they make all of our commercials for us.”

Iran hit Bahrain and Kuwait, the U.S. hit Iran, a Qatari mediator’s citizen is dead, and both sides agreed to meet Tuesday in Qatar to hold the ceasefire together.

A TikTok tarot creator with nearly a million followers walked away from her platform to follow Jesus, lost 30,000 followers in 48 hours, and has no regrets.

A child rapist and killer granted early release in Brazil was shot dead by two masked men waiting outside the hotel within hours of walking out.

Archaeologists found two Roman marble busts hidden face down in an ancient Israeli winepress for nearly 1,700 years on the last day of a dig, and nobody knows why they were buried.

We close with this day in 2007, when Apple released the original iPhone and made virtually every other phone on the market obsolete overnight.

Headline Story

Talarico’s Own Party Just Handed Ken Paxton His Best Campaign Ad of 2026

Ben Flores meant to defend James Talarico at the Texas Democrat Convention. Instead he handed Ken Paxton the best 30-second ad of the cycle.

More Headlines

US and Iran Agree to Stand Down After Trading Strikes as Ceasefire Hangs by a Thread

Iran hit Bahrain and Kuwait. The US hit Iran. A Qatari mediator’s citizen is dead. Now both sides say they’ll pause and talk Tuesday in Qatar.

Viral TikTok Tarot Creator With Nearly 1 MILLION Followers Walks Away to Follow Jesus

She had nearly a million followers, a Hayley Williams lyric, and one of the biggest tarot platforms on the internet. She gave it all up for Jesus, lost 30,000 followers in 48 hours, and said she has no regrets.

Child Rapist and Killer Shot Dead Hours After Prison Release

The cameras caught everything. Two masked men were waiting outside the hotel when João Ferreira da Silva walked out after being granted early release from a 42-year sentence for raping and murdering a nine-year-old boy.

Archaeologists Find 1,700-Year-Old Roman Marble Statues Hidden Face Down in Ancient Winepress

Someone buried them. Nobody knows why. Two stunning Roman marble busts turned up on the last day of a dig in Israel, hidden face down in an ancient winepress for nearly 17 centuries.

Today’s Meme

Today In History

On this day in 2007, Apple released the original iPhone and changed the world overnight, making virtually every other phone on the market obsolete in an instant. Steve Jobs had promised a revolutionary device that combined a phone, an iPod, and the internet into one, and he delivered. The glass rectangle he held up on that stage went on to become the best-selling consumer product in history.

The FBI warned battlefield drones are coming to American soil, noting someone in China can already pilot a drone over New Orleans via 5G with no operator stateside to find.

Pastor Tony Spell beat a neighbor who allegedly threatened to rape his wife and grandchildren while he was out of town, and is out on bond and zero percent apologetic.

Trump pulled the plug on the housing bill signing with Republican leaders already on stage, declaring voter ID a national emergency and demanding Congress pass it first.

Zohran Mamdani’s candidates swept three NYC congressional primaries, taking out two incumbents and making him the most powerful Democrat in New York.

Trump signed an executive order to expand regenerative agriculture and cut chemical dependence in the food supply, flanked by RFK Jr. and Brooke Rollins in the Oval Office.

We close with this day in 1956, when Eisenhower signed the act authorizing 41,000 miles of interstate highways in the largest public construction project in American history.

Headline Story

FBI Warns Explosive Drone Attacks on American Soil Are Only a Matter of Time

The same battlefield drones turning Ukraine into a war zone are coming to America next, and the FBI says it is not a question of if but when.

More Headlines

Pastor Arrested After Beating Neighbor Who Threatened to Rape His Wife and Grandchildren

Pastor Tony Spell crossed the street and took matters into his own hands after a neighbor’s son allegedly threatened to rape his wife, rape his grandchildren, and kill his family while he was out of town. Now he’s out on bond and zero percent apologetic about it.

Trump Kills Housing Bill Signing, Demands Congress Pass Voter ID Law First

Trump pulled the plug on the housing bill signing and declared voter ID a national emergency. Republican leaders were already on stage in Statuary Hall when the Truth Social post dropped.

Socialist Sweep Rocks NYC as Mamdani Crushes Democratic Establishment in Three Congressional Primaries

Zohran Mamdani just became the most powerful Democrat in New York, and Hakeem Jeffries can’t do a thing about it. Three socialist candidates, two incumbent scalps, one very bad night for the establishment.

Trump Signs Executive Order to Modernize American Farming, Slash Chemical Dependence in Food Supply

Trump put farmers front and center Thursday, signing an EO to expand regenerative agriculture and cut red tape on new crop protection tools. RFK Jr. and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins flanked him in the Oval Office.

Today’s Poll

Today In History

On this day in 1956, President Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act, authorizing more than $30 billion to build 41,000 miles of interstate highways in what became the largest public construction project in American history. The system transformed how Americans lived, worked, and traveled, connecting the country from coast to coast. It also reshaped the American landscape forever, giving rise to suburbs, road trips, and the interstate culture we know today.

Trump demanded oil companies pass falling crude prices on to consumers, warning that if gas prices stay artificially high, the Justice Department may step in to investigate.

The DOJ unveiled the largest healthcare fraud bust in U.S. history, charging 455 defendants, including 90 doctors, over $6.5 billion in alleged fraud as RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz hailed it as a major MAHA victory.

The Supreme Court ruled DHS can revoke green cards from permanent residents who leave the U.S. while facing criminal charges.

JPMorgan fired a DEI executive after she went viral for stealing a limited-edition Knicks trash can during the team’s championship parade.

And on this day in 2009, Michael Jackson died at age 50, shocking the world and leading to his physician’s conviction for involuntary manslaughter.

Headline Story

Trump Puts Big Oil on Blast: Drop Gas Prices Now or Face the DOJ

Crude oil is down 24% in a month. Your gas bill is not. Trump noticed and he is not waiting around for an explanation.

More Headlines

DOJ Drops Hammer on Healthcare Fraud: 455 Charged, $6.5 Billion Stolen, 90 Doctors Among the Defendants

Acting AG Todd Blanche called it the greatest combined federal and state fraud enforcement action in American history. RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz were standing right next to him. This is MAHA in action.

SCOTUS: DHS Can Strip Green Cards From Residents Who Leave the US While Facing Criminal Charges

Thirteen million green card holders just found out their permanent status is not as permanent as they thought.

JPMorgan Fires Viral DEI Executive Caught Stealing Trash Can at Knicks Parade

The DEI executive, emptied a limited-edition Knicks trash can onto a Manhattan sidewalk, rode the subway home with it, and racked up 5.5 million views doing it.

The FCC Wants Your Government ID on File With Your Phone Carrier…No Thank you!

The agency says it’s about stopping robocalls. What it actually does is create a permanent government-linked database of every American who owns a phone. Those are not the same thing.

Today’s Poll

Today In History

On this day in 2009, Michael Jackson, the King of Pop and one of the most iconic entertainers in history, died at age 50 from a lethal combination of sedatives and propofol administered by his personal physician. His sudden death sent shockwaves around the world, triggering an outpouring of grief that few celebrities have ever inspired. His doctor, Conrad Murray, was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison.

The Senate voted 50-48 to direct Trump to pull U.S. forces from Iran while Vance is actively negotiating in Switzerland, with Foreign Relations Chairman Risch warning it tells Tehran to “simply stand up and walk away.”

A Brazilian judge convicted two parents of “intellectual neglect” for homeschooling without gender ideology, jailing them even after the prosecutor asked for acquittal and the court’s own psychologist found no neglect.

The Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that homeowners have no constitutional right to fair market value in government tax sales, even as Justice Thomas wrote separately that what happened to the Pungs was “wrong, and likely unconstitutional.”

A federal judge blocked USDA waivers letting five states ban junk food on SNAP, ruling they exceeded executive authority even as RFK Jr. calls SNAP sodas “sugar bombs fueling obesity and diabetes.”

Coca-Cola took its $20 billion IRS dispute to federal appeals court, arguing it followed a profit-sharing method the IRS itself approved before reversing course years later.

We close with this day in 1983, when Sally Ride became the first American woman in space aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger at just 32 years old.

Headline Story

Senate Stabs Trump in Back During Iran Negotiations With 50-48 War Powers Vote

Four Republicans crossed the aisle to pass the resolution, but the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee warned it will torpedo Switzerland talks by telling Iran that Congress has neutered the president.

More Headlines

Judge Jailed Parents for Homeschooling and Every American Parent Should Be Paying Attention

A Brazilian judge convicted two parents of “intellectual neglect” for homeschooling without gender ideology. The prosecutor said acquit. The psychologist found no neglect. The judge jailed them anyway.

Supreme Court Rules 9-0: Homeowners Have No Right to Fair Market Value in Government Tax Sales

The Pungs lost nearly $118,000 in home equity to a county tax sale. The Supreme Court just said the Constitution does not require anything more than the auction price. Justice Thomas called what happened to them “wrong, and likely unconstitutional” anyway.

Federal Judge Blocks SNAP Junk Food Bans in Five States Before They Could Take Effect

Agriculture Secretary Rollins called SNAP sodas “sugar bombs fueling obesity and diabetes.” A federal judge called the USDA waivers that would have banned them an overreach of executive authority. The fight is just beginning.

Coca-Cola Takes $20 Billion IRS Tax Fight to Federal Appeals Court

The IRS says Coca-Cola improperly held profits offshore in lower-tax jurisdictions. Coca-Cola says it followed a method the IRS itself approved. Twenty billion dollars says one of them is right.

Today’s Poll

Today In History

On this day in 1983, the Space Shuttle Challenger touched down at Edwards Air Force Base in California, completing a milestone mission that carried Sally Ride into history as the first American woman to travel to space. Ride was 32 years old at the time, making her also the youngest American astronaut to reach orbit.

On her last day as DNI, Tulsi Gabbard released files showing Fauci met with the CIA weeks after denying gain-of-function funding to Congress, asked specific questions about pangolin experiments at the Wuhan lab, and had a whistleblower complaint buried by Biden’s team and routed to a political appointee.

Harvard found monthly mortgage payments jumped from $1,700 to $3,100 since 2020, with income needed to buy a median home nearly doubling and existing home sales near a 30-year low.

Texas Senate candidate James Talarico calls lawmakers who take megadonor money “puppet politicians” and just finished a four-stop Bay Area fundraising tour with Silicon Valley venture capitalists.

A new bill would ban lawmakers from betting on prediction markets using insider knowledge, but watchdogs say the penalties are too weak to stop anyone who actually wants to cheat.

Witnesses told Congress that 2,000 hospital mergers over 20 years drove prices up 220% and cost American workers nearly a trillion dollars in lost wages.

We close with this day in 1868, when Christopher Latham Sholes patented the typewriter that gave the world the QWERTY keyboard layout we still use today..

Headline Story

Tulsi’s Fauci Files Confirm What We Suspected From the Beginning

Gabbard released the Fauci files on her last day as DNI. They confirm what many of us have been saying since the beginning.

More Headlines

Harvard: Income Needed to Buy a Median Home Has Nearly Doubled Since 2020

Monthly mortgage payments jumped from $1,700 to $3,100 since 2020 and existing home sales are near a 30-year low. Harvard calls depressed demand the defining story in American housing right now.

Talarico Caught Courting Silicon Valley Tech Donors in Secret Bay Area Fundraisers

Talarico calls lawmakers who take megadonor money “puppet politicians.” He just finished a four-stop Bay Area fundraising tour with venture capitalists and wealthy tech donors. Make it make sense.

New Bill Would Ban Lawmakers From Betting on Prediction Markets Using Insider Knowledge

Rep. Bryan Steil wants to ban lawmakers from betting on prediction markets using insider knowledge. Watchdogs say the penalties are too weak and the scope too narrow to stop anyone who actually wants to cheat.

Congress Hears That Hospital Price Transparency Alone Won’t Lower What Americans Pay for Care

Witnesses told a House subcommittee that 2,000 hospital mergers over 20 years have driven prices up 220% and cost American workers nearly a trillion dollars in lost wages. Posting prices online is not going to fix that.

Today’s Poll

Today In History

On this day in 1868, Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for the Sholes and Glidden typewriter, the first commercially successful typewriter and the machine that gave the world the QWERTY keyboard layout still used today. The invention transformed writing from a purely handwritten craft into a mechanical process, revolutionizing offices, newsrooms, and literature.

Trump revealed on Fox News Sunday that he told Iranian officials overnight: “You close it and you won’t have a country. You won’t even make it back to your f---ing country,” while floating a U.S. takeover of the strait and threatening to “blow the s--- out of them.”

Iran’s military declared the strait closed Saturday citing Israeli strikes in Lebanon as a breach of the MOU signed just three days ago, but CENTCOM confirmed 55 ships carrying 17 million barrels transited anyway as Vance headed to Switzerland to hold the deal together.

A Georgia dad is going viral for teaching boys as young as 7 to grocery shop, change a tire, do laundry, and grow into capable men.

Sadie Robertson Huff fired back at critics who say women have no business preaching, pointing to Scripture and refusing to apologize for using her platform.

The FDA recalled over 11,000 bottles of blood pressure medication after pills from an India-based manufacturer may not dissolve properly, with a second recall of 15,000 bottles hitting the same week.

We close with this day in 1986, when Diego Maradona punched the ball into the net with his hand in the World Cup quarterfinal against England, called it the “Hand of God,” and Argentina went on to win the whole thing.

Headline Story

Trump Warns Iran: “You Close Hormuz and You Won’t Have a Country”

In a Fox News interview Sunday, Trump revealed what he told Iranian officials overnight, warning them they would not make it back to their country if they shut the strait, while floating a U.S. takeover of the waterway and threatening to “blow the s--- out of them.”

More Headlines

Iran Declares Strait of Hormuz Closed Again Three Days After Signing Trump’s Peace Deal

Iran’s military cited Israeli strikes in Lebanon as a breach of the MOU signed just three days ago, but CENTCOM says 55 ships carrying 17 million barrels of oil transited Saturday anyway, and Vance is wheels up to Switzerland to hold the deal together.

Georgia Dad Goes Viral for Teaching Young Boys Life Skills Nobody Else Is Teaching Them

He’s teaching boys as young as 7 how to grocery shop, change a tire, do laundry, and grow into capable men.

Sadie Robertson Huff Fires Back at Critics Who Say Women Should Not Preach

Critics told the Duck Dynasty star she has no business preaching because she is a woman. Scripture disagrees. So does Sadie.

FDA Recalls Over 11,000 Bottles of Blood Pressure Medication Over Dissolution Failure

Blood pressure made by an India-based manufacturer may not dissolve properly in the body, meaning patients could be taking a pill that does not actually work, as a second blood pressure recall involving 15,000 bottles hits the same week.

Today’s Poll

Today In History

On this day in 1986, Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona punched the ball into the net with his hand during a World Cup quarterfinal against England, and the referee allowed the goal to stand, believing it had hit his head. Maradona famously called it the “Hand of God,” and the moment became one of the most controversial in sports history. Argentina went on to win that match and ultimately claimed the World Cup title, making the illegal goal a cornerstone of one of soccer’s greatest championship runs.

The alleged ringleader of the White House UFC terror plot let his visa expire in 2001, received DACA protections under Obama in 2014, and allegedly ran the drone and sniper plot from Signal as “Shepherd.”

Vance put it simply: Obama bribed Iran to slow a program it already had. Trump destroyed it first and is offering relief only if Iran promises not to rebuild.

All nine justices struck down the federal gun ban for marijuana users after the government prosecuted a Texas man for owning a handgun while smoking pot every other day.

Don Jr. torched Cruz for claiming the MOU makes America pay $300 billion to rebuild Iran, noting the deal puts that tab on Gulf partners, not U.S. taxpayers.

DeWine co-authored Ohio’s 1981 death penalty statute, spent 50 years enforcing it, and stood before the legislature Tuesday and said he was wrong.

We close with this day in 1862, when Congress outlawed slavery in all U.S. territories, more than a year before the Emancipation Proclamation.

Headline Story

DACA Ringleader: Obama Protected the Man Who Plotted to Kill Trump at UFC Event

Abraham Alvarez, who allegedly directed a mass-casualty drone and sniper attack on the White House UFC event, entered the U.S. as a child, let his B2 visa expire in 2001, and received DACA protections in 2014 under Barack Obama.

More Headlines

Vance Explains How Trump’s Iran Deal Differs from Obama’s

Obama bribed Iran to slow a nuclear program it already had. Trump destroyed Iran’s nuclear program first, then offered sanctions relief if they promise not to rebuild it. Vance says that is the difference between weakness and strength.

SCOTUS Rules Federal Gun Ban for Marijuana Users Unconstitutional

All nine justices agreed the government went too far when it prosecuted a Texas man for owning a handgun while smoking marijuana every other day.

Don Jr. Scorches Ted Cruz for Spreading “Fake News” on Iran Deal’s $300 Billion Fund

Cruz said America should not pay to rebuild Iran. Don Jr. said America is not paying to rebuild Iran. The MOU says Gulf partners fund the $300 billion reconstruction plan, not U.S. taxpayers. Cruz apparently missed that part.

GOP Governor Who Wrote Ohio’s Death Penalty Law Now Wants to Abolish It

Gov. Mike DeWine co-authored Ohio’s 1981 capital punishment statute and spent 50 years enforcing it. On Tuesday he stood before charts and graphs and said he was wrong.

Today’s Poll

Today In History

On this day in 1862, Congress passed legislation outlawing slavery in all United States territories, a significant step toward abolition that came more than a year before the Emancipation Proclamation. The law did not apply to existing states, but it drew a firm line against the expansion of slavery into new American lands. It was one of the clearest signs yet that the Civil War was reshaping not just the battlefield but the moral direction of the nation.

Trump called Obama a “stupid son of a b*tch” over his Iran nuclear deal at the G7 in France and warned Tehran that if the current MOU falls apart, the bombs start falling again.

Trump ended the war with Iran. There are 14 main points to the deal. The next 60 days will determine whether history judges this as a win or a warning.

Pence called Trump’s Iran MOU “appeasement,” citing Iran’s “legacy of lies” on nuclear ambitions and warning the deal falls short of what the mullahs must be required to give up.

Three Giants pitchers wrote a Bible verse on their mandatory Pride Night hats and were warned by MLB, the same league that spent 2020 letting players put political messages on everything.

A new VA memo instructs facilities nationwide to remove DEI programs, gender identity initiatives, and LGBT coordinator designations from all federal veterans facilities.

We close with this day in 1812, when the U.S. declared war on Great Britain over trade interference and sailor impressment, a two-year stalemate that produced the Star-Spangled Banner and solidified American independence.

Headline Story

“Stupid Son of a B*tch” : Trump Dunks On Obama Over Iran Nuclear Deal

Speaking alongside Egyptian President el-Sisi at the G7 Summit in France, Trump torched Obama’s Iran nuclear deal and warned Tehran that if the current MOU falls apart, the bombs start falling again.

More Headlines

The Deal That Ended the Iran War: All 14 Points Explained

The war is over. The Strait reopens in 30 days. Iran promised no nukes. Here is exactly what the 14-point deal says.

Pence Drops Bomb on Trump’s Iran Deal: “This Smacks of Appeasement”

The former vice president said he does not trust the Iranians, citing a “legacy of lies” on nuclear ambitions, and warned the emerging memorandum of understanding falls short of what the mullahs must be required to give up.

Christian MLB Players Under Attack for Expressing Faith During Pride Month

Three San Francisco Giants pitchers wrote Genesis 9:12-16 on their mandatory Pride Night hats and got warned by the league. The same league that spent 2020 letting players put political messages on everything. Make it make sense.

Trump Admin Scraps Gender Ideology and DEI Programs at Veterans Affairs Facilities

A new VA memo instructs facilities nationwide to remove DEI programs, gender identity initiatives, and LGBT-specific coordinator designations, continuing the administration’s sweep of ideological programs from federal institutions.

Today’s Poll

Today In History

On this day in 1812, the United States declared war on Great Britain, kicking off the conflict known as the War of 1812. The war was fueled by British interference with American trade ships, the impressment of American sailors into the Royal Navy, and British support for Native American tribes resisting U.S. expansion. The two-year conflict ended in a stalemate, but it solidified American independence and produced one of the nation’s most enduring symbols when Francis Scott Key wrote what would become the Star-Spangled Banner.

RFK Jr. announced U.S. obesity rates dropped 2.5% since Trump took office, the first decline in decades, with CDC data showing the number of states above 35% obesity fell from 23 to 19.

The FCC voted 3-0 to require every American to hand a government ID to their phone carrier before activating any service, framing it as a robocall fix while building a permanent national identity database held by companies already repeatedly hacked.

The Supreme Court declined to let Carter Page sue James Comey personally over the flawed FISA warrants used to surveil him during Russiagate, leaving every official who signed them with zero personal consequences.

A B-52 crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base during a radar modernization test flight, killing all eight military personnel and contractors aboard with no survivors.

The DOJ cleared the $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. merger after an eight-month review, combining CBS News and CNN under one roof, with state AGs and British regulators still circling.

We close with this day in 1994, when O.J. Simpson was charged with murdering Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, setting the stage for the most watched criminal trial in American history.

Headline Story

RFK Jr. Announces Obesity Rates Are Falling for First Time in Decades Under Trump

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a 2.5% drop in U.S. obesity rates since Trump took office, calling it the first decline in decades, though experts note GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are also a major factor.

More Headlines

The FCC Wants Your Government ID on File With Your Phone Carrier…No Thank you!

The agency says it’s about stopping robocalls. What it actually does is create a permanent government-linked database of every American who owns a phone. Those are not the same thing.

Supreme Court Ends Carter Page’s Lawsuit Against Comey Over Unlawful Russia-Probe Surveillance

Page won $1.25 million from the federal government over documented FISA warrant failures but cannot pursue individual officials personally, closing the book on one of the most egregious surveillance abuses of the Trump-Russia investigation.

Eight Killed as B-52 Bomber Crashes at Edwards Air Force Base

The aircraft went down shortly after takeoff Monday morning carrying a mix of military personnel and government contractors, with no survivors found among the debris scattered across a burned section of desert near the runway.

DOJ Clears $110 Billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger After Eight-Month Antitrust Review

The Justice Department reviewed more than two million documents before concluding the deal is likely to increase competition, but state AG challenges and UK regulatory scrutiny could still block the finish line.

Today’s Cartoon

Today In History

On this day in 1994, former NFL star O.J. Simpson was charged with the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman, setting the stage for what became the most watched criminal trial in American history. Simpson was acquitted the following year after a lengthy and deeply polarizing courtroom battle that exposed sharp racial divisions across the country. He was later found liable for the deaths in a civil trial and ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages.

The FBI arrested five suspects and identified a 23-person network plotting to use explosive drones to evacuate the White House UFC crowd toward a pre-staged sniper team, with Trump and 1,200 troops on the South Lawn.

Vance confirmed IAEA inspectors return to Iran under an MOU signing Friday that reopens the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days, while Iran’s uranium stockpile stays in Tehran for 60 days of follow-on talks.

RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz threatened 519 hospitals with $2 million fines for hiding prices from patients after Biden let the law go unenforced for four years.

Texas AG Ken Paxton launched an industry-wide probe into protein powder manufacturers after nearly half of 160 products tested exceeded toxic heavy metal limits in a single serving.

Chris Nikic, the first person with Down syndrome to complete a full Ironman, crossed another finish line at 70.3 Massachusetts with a doctor who volunteered as his guide and said it taught him more about life than any race he has run.

We close with this day in 1858, when Lincoln delivered his “House Divided” speech warning the nation could not survive permanently half slave and half free.

Headline Story

FBI Foils Explosive Drone and Sniper Plot Targeting White House UFC Event

The alleged plot involved using explosive-laden drones to force a mass evacuation and funnel 4,300 attendees toward a pre-staged sniper team, with a second wave planned to storm the White House gate.

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Vance Confirms IAEA Inspectors Return to Iran as Part of Historic Deal to End the War

The MOU set to be signed Friday opens the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days, brings nuclear inspectors back into Iran, and launches 60-day follow-on talks to destroy a 440-kilogram stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium.

Trump Administration Warns 519 Hospitals: Post Your Prices or Face $2 Million Fines

RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz announced the enforcement action together, threatening the largest financial penalties yet for hospitals still hiding prices from patients in violation of federal law.

Texas AG Ken Paxton Probes Protein Powder Industry Over Heavy Metal Contamination

Nearly half of 160 products tested exceeded California’s toxic heavy metal limits in a single serving, with plant-based powders testing nine times higher in lead than dairy-based rivals.

First Person With Down Syndrome to Complete an Ironman Does It Again at 70.3 Massachusetts

When Chris Nikic needed a last-minute guide for Ironman 70.3 Massachusetts, Dr. Tommy Martin stepped up and said the race taught him more about life than any competition he has ever entered.

Today’s Cartoon

Today In History

On this day in 1858, Abraham Lincoln accepted the Illinois Republican Party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate and delivered his famous “House Divided” speech, warning that the nation could not survive permanently half slave and half free. Though Lincoln lost that Senate race to Stephen Douglas, the speech brought him national attention.

SpaceX raised a record $75 billion on its Nasdaq debut, drew $250 billion in orders, made 4,400 employees millionaires, and pushed Elon Musk past $1 trillion in net worth.

Eight University of Michigan students were federally indicted for chemical attacks on family homes, hit lists, and plotting to poison a target by becoming her doctor, all tied to an anti-Israel conspiracy after October 7.

A Minnesota man pleaded guilty to murdering Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband after posing as a police officer to reach them, and faces two life sentences plus 40 years.

Washington’s Supreme Court ruled that two DUIs within seven years permanently strip gun rights, with the dissent calling it punishment for crimes not yet committed.

A Chinese blogger’s Border Collie with 1.5 million followers was stolen, sold for $25, and eaten while wearing a GPS tracker that led police straight to the suspects.

We close with this day in 1974, when Simon & Schuster published All the President's Men, the definitive account of Watergate by the two reporters who broke it. Two months later, Nixon resigned.

Headline Story

SpaceX Makes History With $75 Billion IPO as Elon Musk Becomes World’s First Trillionaire

The largest stock offering in history vaulted SpaceX to a $1.8 trillion valuation on its first day of trading, pushing Musk’s net worth past $1 trillion and making 4,400 employees millionaires overnight.

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Eight University of Michigan Students Indicted in Federal Anti-Israel Terror Plot

Federal prosecutors allege the group threw noxious chemicals into family homes, compiled hit lists, plotted to poison a doctor’s patients, and intimidated a witness they believed was cooperating with the FBI.

Washington Supreme Court Rules Two DUIs Can Strip Gun Rights Permanently

Governor Newsom’s revised budget would shift costs to counties and cap personal The split ruling extends firearm disarmament to non-violent repeat offenses under a 2023 state law, with rights only restorable after five years of clean behavior and a formal court petition.

Minnesota Man Pleads Guilty in Murders of House Speaker, Husband

Minnesota man faces two consecutive life sentences, plus 40 years, after admitting to politically targeted attacks on Minnesota lawmakers.

Chinese Travel Blogger’s Dog, With 1.5M Followers, Stolen and Eaten After Being Sold for $25

Eight-year-old Border Collie Chutou was wearing a collar and GPS tracker when two thieves took him on an electric scooter.

Today’s Meme

Today In History

On this day in 1974, Simon & Schuster published All the President's Men, written by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the two Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists who broke the Watergate story. The book was the first definitive account of the scandal that brought down a presidency. Two months after its release, President Richard Nixon resigned from office.

A beheading attempt by a Sudanese asylum seeker set Belfast ablaze with riots, torched buses, and burning homes, while producing something nobody predicted: Catholics and Protestants marching side by side at one of the city’s most notorious sectarian flashpoints for the first time in living memory.

Newsom’s revised budget cuts $367 million from California’s in-home care program and caps disabled residents’ personal assets at $2,000 as protesters rallied outside the Capitol.

Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee warned Black Americans will “tap out” of elections entirely if the government never pays reparations for slavery.

North Carolina’s State Health Plan is raising premiums and copays for nearly 177,000 retirees starting January 2027 to close a $58 million gap.

We close with this day in 1987, when Reagan stood at the Brandenburg Gate and challenged Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall over his own advisors’ objections.

Headline Story

BOILING POINT: Historic Rivals Unite as Belfast Erupts Over Migrant Surge

The beheading attempt that set Belfast ablaze also produced something nobody predicted: Catholics and protestants unite against mass immigration.

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Sudanese Migrant Attempts Beheading Man on Belfast City Street

A Sudanese migrant was arrested after attempting to behead a man on a Belfast street, while bystanders beat him with a hurling stick.

Disabled Californians Rally Against Newsom’s $367 Million Cut to In-Home Care Services

Governor Newsom’s revised budget would shift costs to counties and cap personal assets at $2,000.

Rep. Summer Lee Warns Black Americans Will Stop Voting If Reparations Are Never Paid

The Pennsylvania Democrat said on a podcast that Black Americans will “tap out” of elections and civic participation entirely if they conclude the government will never pay reparations for slavery.

North Carolina State Health Plan Raises Medicare Rates to Close $58 Million Gap

Nearly 177,000 retirees on fixed incomes face higher premiums and copays starting January 2027 as North Carolina’s State Health Plan moves to stay solvent.

Today’s Poll

Today In History

On this day in 1987, President Ronald Reagan stood at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin and delivered one of the most memorable lines in modern political history, challenging Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. The speech was considered bold and even reckless by some of Reagan's own advisors, who tried to have the line removed from the script.

Federal trustees warned Social Security runs dry by 2032, one year ahead of schedule, triggering automatic 22% cuts for 70 million Americans with no congressional fix in sight.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett spent two hours defending Karmelo Anthony, claiming on camera the knife that pierced Austin Metcalf’s sternum and killed him “was not a deadly weapon,” while telling the Metcalf family they have never known real suffering.

Congress grilled Ohio officials over $1.2 billion in fake Medicaid home healthcare billing, with the state auditor confirming 15-16% of services were never processed through mandatory tracking systems.

Trump-backed Steve Hilton advanced out of California’s 61-candidate jungle primary and will face a Democrat in November in a state Republicans haven’t won since 2006.

Trump asked Congress for a short-term FISA extension after his Bill Pulte DNI pick derailed a bipartisan deal, with Democrats vowing to block any extension as long as Pulte remains in the role.

We close with this day in 1963, when President Kennedy forced Gov. George Wallace to step aside as two Black students enrolled at the University of Alabama in a pivotal civil rights moment watched live by the nation.

Headline Story

Social Security Trust Fund to Run Dry by 2032, Automatic 22% Cuts Loom

Federal trustees warn a six-year clock is ticking with no congressional fix in sight and 70 million Americans facing automatic benefit cuts.

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Crockett Says Knife That Killed Austin Metcalf “Was Not a Deadly Weapon”

The Texas congresswoman and licensed attorney spent two hours on her podcast defending Karmelo Anthony.

House Panel Grills Ohio Officials Over $1.2 Billion Medicaid Fraud Scandal

A congressional hearing spotlights a billion-dollar billing scheme rooted in fake home healthcare claims as VP Vance heads to Ohio Thursday for a fraud enforcement conference.

Trump-Backed Steve Hilton Advances to California Governor Runoff

Hilton secured a top-two finish in California’s 61-candidate jungle primary, setting up a November showdown in a state Republicans haven’t won since 2006.

Trump Promises New DNI Pick, Asks Congress for Short-Term FISA Extension

A last-minute White House concession may unblock a bipartisan spy-powers deal before Friday’s expiration of Section 702.

Today’s Cartoon

Today In History

On this day in 1963, the University of Alabama was desegregated when two Black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, enrolled despite Governor George Wallace literally standing in the schoolhouse door to block their entry. President Kennedy federalized the Alabama National Guard, and Wallace was forced to step aside. It was a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement, played out on live television for the entire nation to watch.

Bill Gates will testify before the House Oversight Committee Wednesday in a closed-door session about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, and the public may never see a word of it.

A Collin County jury found Karmelo Anthony guilty of first-degree murder after three hours of deliberation, rejecting his self-defense claim as he now faces five to 99 years in prison.

Outside the courthouse as the verdict was read, a supporter said on camera “both of the brothers should’ve been dead,” and the crowd around her agreed.

A Sudanese man was arrested in North Belfast after being filmed straddling a man on a city street and stabbing him repeatedly in the face and neck while bystanders beat him off with a hurling stick.

Meta committed $115 million to launch a free skilled-trades training program in four states where every graduate walks out with a portable credential and a guaranteed job.

We close with this day in 1692, when Bridget Bishop became the first person hanged during the Salem witch trials, one of history’s most chilling examples of what happens when fear and mob mentality replace reason and justice.

Headline Story

Bill Gates Set to Testify on Epstein Ties in Closed-Door House Hearing

House Oversight widens its Epstein inquiry as the tech billionaire faces lawmakers behind closed doors about his documented relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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Karmelo Anthony Found Guilty of Murder in Stabbing Death of Austin Metcalf

A Collin County jury rejected Anthony’s self-defense claim after three hours of deliberation, convicting the 19-year-old of first-degree murder and sending the case immediately into the sentencing phase.

Following Verdict, Karmelo Supporters Want Hunter Metcalf Killed Too

As the verdict came in, a supporter outside the Collin County courthouse said on video that “both of the brothers should’ve been dead,” drawing agreement from the crowd around her.

Meta Commits $115 Million to Launch Free Skilled Trades Academy With Guaranteed Jobs

The tech giant says AI infrastructure demand is driving an urgent need for hundreds of thousands of tradespeople, and every graduate will walk out with a job waiting.

Sudanese Migrant Attempts Beheading Man on City Street

A Sudanese migrant was arrested Monday night after attempting to behead a man on a North Belfast street, while bystanders beat him with a hurling stick.

Today’s Meme

Today In History

On this day in 1692, Bridget Bishop became the first person hanged during the Salem witch trials after a Puritan court convicted her of witchcraft. Eighteen more would follow before the hysteria finally ran its course, leaving a permanent stain on colonial America. The trials remain one of history's most chilling examples of what happens when fear and mob mentality replace reason and justice.