July 8, 2025
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Welcome to the news for independent thinkers
Leading the News
Texas county deflects mounting questions over actions before deadly flood . . . As deaths from catastrophic Texas flooding surpassed 100 on Monday, local officials in one of the hardest-hit counties have still revealed little about what, if any, actions they took to safeguard residents, tourists and visitors in an area known as "flash flood alley." At a series of briefings since the flooding on July 4, Kerr County officials have deflected a series of pointed questions about preparations and warnings as forecasters warned of life-threatening conditions. Associated Press
Rescue effort becomes a recovery effort
Dems twist facts to blame Trump DOGE cuts . . . Not only have there been no cuts to NWS or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, but it appears that those agencies were well and properly staffed on the eve of the floods. The Associated Press reported that the NWS office in New Braunfels "had extra staff on duty during the storms." Whereas during normal times two forecasters would be on duty, the office had five forecasters on duty ahead of the storms, according to AP. But most evidence points to NWS fulfilling its duty and providing warnings well ahead of the floods. Daily Signal
Texas animal rescue group helps 'influx' of missing dogs and cats: 'Thousands of pets out there'
Politics
Biden White House memo Reveals Advisers Urged Early Debate . . . A newly leaked White House memo from April 2024 reveals that former President Joe Biden's advisers urged him to debate now-President Donald Trump early in the election cycle to "reach the widest audience possible." The disastrous June 27 debate, in which Biden was often incoherent, was the death knell of his campaign. Under pressure from Democratic Party leaders, he dropped out of the race on July 21 and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the party's presidential nominee. Daily Signal
NYC Real-Estate Execs Throw Money Behind Adams to Counter Rise of Mamdani . . . New York City real-estate executives are throwing support and money behind incumbent Mayor Eric Adams in their fight to block Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, who campaigned on a rent freeze to help solve the city's housing crisis. Marc Holliday, chief executive of the New York-based real-estate investment trust SL Green, is hosting an Adams fundraiser Wednesday at One Madison, one of his office towers. Wall Street Journal
Mamdani threatens to arrest Netanyahu if he visits New York City.
Mamdani stokes Italian American outrage after tweet shows him giving the finger to Columbus statue . . . Italian Americans were outraged at mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani Monday after a social media post resurfaced showing him flipping the bird at a statue of Christopher Columbus and calling for its removal. The socialist Mamdani is seen in the tweet from June 2020 giving the middle finger to the back of the towering figure in Astoria, which is part of his state Assembly district. New York Post
Marc Elias-Led Group Guided Illinois on Anti-Trump Litigation, Documents Reveal . . . A former Hillary Clinton election lawyer sought to team up with a key Democrat state attorney general to create litigation chaos in the early days of the Trump administration, documents obtained by The Daily Signal show. Shortly after November's presidential election, a legal organization led by anti-Trump Democrat super lawyer Marc Elias was advising the office of Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul about confronting the incoming Trump administration. Daily Signal
Netanyahu nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize ahead of private White House dinner
Teachers Union Resolves To Call Trump 'Fascist,' Support Student Protests Over ICE Raids . . . The largest teachers union in the United States has demanded that $3500 be set aside so that it can officially refer to President Donald Trump and his "programs and actions" as "fascist." Members of the National Education Association, during its annual convention, adopted a resolution that would have the group put up the cash so that all official NEA materials would "correctly characterize" the agenda of the Trump administration as "fascist." Daily Wire
Culture
Leftist Judge Blocks Trump From Defunding Planned Parenthood With Big Beautiful Bill . . . On Monday, shortly after Planned Parenthood sued the Trump administration over a provision in the "big, beautiful bill" that would have cut federal funding for the abortion giant, a leftist federal judge in Massachusetts blocked the provision outright. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, approved Planned Parenthood's request to halt the provision, which freezes Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood for one year. Daily Wire
National Security
LA Mayor Karen Bass denounces, interferes with ICE during sweep in gang-plagued area . . . Federal agents, accompanied by members of the National Guard, conducted an immigration raid in Los Angeles on Monday, prompting Mayor Karen Bass to heavily criticize the move, calling it "outrageous" and "un-American." The operation targeted an area near MacArthur Park, an area with a large immigrant population, in the city's Westlake neighborhood, which is heavily Hispanic and has a heavy MS-13 influence. Fox News
Leading Anti-Trump Protest Organizer Engages With Socialist, Communist Groups on Social Media . . . A key organizer of anti-Trump protests—including the "No Kings" rallies last month—appears to have social media connections with far-left organizations that include openly communist and socialist organizations. The group 50501—read "Fifty-Fifty-One"—is so named to symbolize 50 protests for 50 states and one movement. Daily Signal
International
Trump says US must send more weapons to Ukraine, days after ordering pause in deliveries . . . President Donald Trump said Monday the U.S. will have to send more weapons to Ukraine, just days after ordering a pause in critical weapons deliveries to Kyiv. The comments by Trump appeared to be an abrupt change in posture after the Pentagon announced last week that it would hold back delivering to Ukraine some air defense missiles, precision-guided artillery and other weapons because of what U.S. officials said were concerns that stockpiles have declined too much. Associated Press
Hamas used sexual violence as part of 'genocidal strategy', Israeli experts say . . . Hamas used sexual violence as "part of a deliberate genocidal strategy" during the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, an all-women group of Israeli legal and gender experts allege in a new report calling for justice. The Dinah Project says the report is based on a review of evidence including first-hand testimony from a survivor of an attempted rape and 15 former hostages held in Gaza, as well as accounts from witnesses to sexual assaults. BBC
Russian minister sacked by Putin found dead . . . Russia's Investigative Committee says former Russian transport minister Roman Starovoit has been found dead, apparently with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was dismissed earlier on Monday by President Vladimir Putin. No reason for Starovoit's dismissal was given and deputy transport minister Andrei Nikitin was announced as his replacement shortly after. BBC
This could be termed a "suspicious death" if it weren't completely obvious what happened here.
Money
Trump sets 25% tariffs on Japan and South Korea, and new import taxes on 12 other nations . . . President Donald Trump on Monday set a 25% tax on goods imported from Japan and South Korea, as well as new tariff rates on a dozen other nations that would go into effect on Aug. 1. Trump provided notice by posting letters on Truth Social that were addressed to the leaders of the various countries. The letters warned them to not retaliate by increasing their own import taxes, or else the Trump administration would further increase tariffs. Associated Press
You should also know
TSA quietly scraps security check that every passenger dreads . . . The Transportation Security Administration has finally scrapped one of its most unpopular policies. After more than two decades of forcing travelers to remove their shoes in airport security lines, the shoe removal requirement was suddenly pulled effective immediately on Monday. According to an internal memo, the policy shift appears to be tied to recent improvements in screening technology and an updated assessment of current security threats. Daily Mail
Sweden's Secret to Well-Being? Tiny Urban Gardens. . . . Koloniträdgårdar are prized for providing a rare kind of urban sanctuary, a corner of the city where residents can trade pavement for soil, and the buzz of traffic for birdsong. The health benefits of gardening are well established, both for the physical activity and for the time spent in nature. Research shows that those who frequently visit green spaces, whether a forest or a koloniträdgård, "have better health outcomes, in terms of fewer depressive symptoms, less anxiety, better sleep and fewer feelings of loneliness and social isolation." New York Times
Guilty Pleasures
Climate change causing more home runs in baseball . . . Warmer air is less dense and therefore exerts less drag on batted baseballs, allowing them to fly farther. The number of home runs per game has increased since the 1980s. While many factors – including the use of performance-enhancing drugs and changes in analytics and player training – have likely contributed to the documented rise in home runs, science suggests that rising game day temperatures and decreasing air density over the same period are playing a measurable role. Climate Central
In other news, more pitchers have become environmentalists.
Editor's note: An AP story Monday about the Israeli bombing of the Houthis was from May. While the basic information was correct — the Israelis bombed the Houthis this week in response to an attack on their airport — the wrong story was selected. We apologize for the error.
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