July 2, 2025
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Welcome to the news for independent thinkers
Leading the News . . .
Trump Scores Major Victory As Vance Helps Push 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Through Senate . . . President Donald Trump scored another major legislative victory on Tuesday with the GOP-led Senate narrowly passing "One Big, Beautiful Bill" with the help of Vice President JD Vance, keeping alive the prospect of Congress getting the centerpiece measure to his desk by Independence Day. The 800-page-plus bill, which aims to fulfill many of Trump's spending and tax-cut goals for his second term, triumphed in a 51-50 vote after a marathon "vote-a-rama" session on amendments and intense deliberations between members. Daily Wire
House Rules Committee advances Trump megabill as potential GOP revolt looms . . . Republicans can only afford to lose three votes and still clear the procedural hurdle, assuming full attendance and united Democratic opposition. The House is scheduled to convene on Wednesday at 9 a.m. EDT, with debate first, then a vote. Two of those defectors, however, are already called for: Norman and Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), the chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, say they will vote against the rule on the floor — and Harris said others will join them. The Hill
Here Are The Major Things The Senate Changed In The Big, Beautiful Bill
Politics
Grassley Reveals the FBI Suppressed Evidence of China Meddling in 2020 Election . . . Emails show that on Sept. 25, 2020, the FBI's field office in Albany, New York, recalled an intelligence report that showed potential Chinese election interference. The report had information from an FBI confidential human source who said the Chinese government was producing "tens of thousands" of fraudulent driver's licenses to manufacture mail-in votes for then-presidential candidate Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Daily Signal
Nothing to see here, please move along to the next story.
Former Obama Staffer Who Wished Death on Trump Finds New Work for Zohran Mamdani . . . A former Obama administration staffer who once publicly wished death on President Donald Trump has found new work as a communications consultant for Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist running for NYC mayor. His campaign paid Zara Rahim $3,500 for communications consulting in May, records show. Before working for Mamdani, Rahim was best known for expressing her hope that Trump would die of coronavirus after he contracted the disease in fall 2020. Washington Free Beacon
Biden Chief of Staff Set to Testify in House Probe of Cognitive Decline, Autopen Use . . . Former White House chief of staff Ron Klain has agreed to take questions from congressional investigators probing former President Joe Biden's apparent cognitive decline, according to an aide with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The committee is also investigating the potential unauthorized issuance of sweeping pardons and other executive actions. Klain agreed to a voluntary transcribed interview with the committee on July 24. Daily Signal
Lara Trump Considering Run for NC Senate as Tillis Steps Aside
Trump Tours Florida's New Illegal-Alien 'Alcatraz,' Where Guards Take 'Form of Alligators' . . . President Donald Trump toured a new detention center for illegal aliens referred to as "Alligator Alcatraz" in the Florida Everglades on Tuesday. "I mean, you don't always have land so beautiful and so secure," Trump said of the location of the detention facility after stepping off Air Force One in Florida. "They have a lot of bodyguards and a lot of cops that are the form of alligators. You don't have to pay them so much," Trump said with a smile. Daily Signal
Joy Reid Rages: Florida Built 'Alligator Alcatraz' as 'Concentration Camp to Round Up Brown People'
Rubio: USAID Closed After Decades Of Funding Posh Lifestyles Of 'Countless' NGO Execs . . . Rubio said USAID funds would be better managed and more effective under State Department oversight than they have been in decades. "USAID had decades and a near-infinite taxpayer budget to advance American influence, promote economic development worldwide, and allow billions to stand on their own two feet," Rubio wrote in a statement. "Beyond creating a globe-spanning NGO industrial complex at taxpayer expense, USAID has little to show since the end of the Cold War." Daily Wire
The Problematic Politics of Trump's Bill: More Lower-Income Americans Are Voting GOP . . . To understand why Republicans have struggled to unite behind their domestic-policy bill that cuts taxes and Medicaid, look at how much progress the party has made on one of its other primary goals: winning support from working-class Americans. About 15 years ago, in 2009, Republicans represented 26 of the 100 lowest-income House districts, according to Census data. By 2023, they represented 56—more than half. At the same time, Democrats came to dominate the wealthiest House districts. Wall Street Journal
Okay, but I'm not sure lower-income Americans are voting for the GOP to get more welfare.
Republicans in Congress see highest approval rating in more than a decade . . . A record-high share of American voters are content with the work of Republican lawmakers, according to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll. In the survey, conducted in late June, 36 percent of registered voters approve of the job Republicans in Congress are doing — the highest level recorded since pollsters began asking the question in 2011. The latest approval rating also marks a 10-point jump from the last time the question was asked, in February 2024. The Hill
Culture
Penn Settlement With Trump Admin Over Trans Athletes Seen as Big Win for Women's Sports . . . The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it had reached an unprecedented settlement with the University of Pennsylvania over transgender-identifying males competing against females in women's sports. The federal Department of Education was able to get the university to agree to restore female athletes to all individual UPenn Division I swimming records, titles, or other recognitions that were taken by those males who had competed in the female categories. Daily Signal
'Sinners' To Debut On Max As First Show With 'Black American Sign Language' Translation . . . On July 4th, the movie "Sinners" will become the first show to be interpreted into "Black American Sign Language (BASL)," per a press release from Warner Bros. "BASL is a distinct dialect of American Sign Language (ASL) with its own dynamic history and unique grammar, signing space, rhythm, facial expressions, and cultural nuances," the release stated. "For the first time, the Black Deaf community will have streaming access to a more immersive experience in their language. Daily Wire
In their language? Their language is English.
Australia stops censoring child safety activist for calling female who identifies as man a 'woman' . . . Australia has set a modest limit to its own speech policing, perhaps briefly tempering the heat the Aussies face from the Trump administration. Australia's Administrative Review Tribunal rebuked the office of eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, whom congressional Republicans recently accused of colluding with advertisers to mitigate the "contagion" of Donald Trump, for ordering X to block a post by Canadian activist Chris Elston that called an Australian female activist who identifies as a man a "woman." Just the News
National Security
Chinese Nationals Arrested Over Plot To Recruit American Military Personnel . . . Two Chinese nationals were arrested for allegedly working on behalf of a Chinese intelligence agency to recruit members of the United States military to betray America, the Justice Department announced. The FBI on June 27 arrested 38-year-old Yuance Chen, a Chinese national who has legal permanent residency in Oregon, and 39-year-old Liren "Ryan" Lai, a Chinese national who entered the country on a tourist visa in April. Daily Wire
Federal judge blocks Trump's immigration policy in shocking decision on Haitian protections . . . A federal judge shot down the Trump administration's efforts to end temporary protection status (TPS) for over 520,000 Haitian immigrants currently living in the U.S. The TPS designations for Haitians were expected to expire on Aug. 3 with termination to become effective on Sept. 2. U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan in Brooklyn rejected those plans on Tuesday, saying Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem did not follow a timeline and instructions mandated by Congress to reconsider TPS designations for Haitians. Fox News
International
U.S. Halts Key Weapons for Ukraine in New Sign of Weakening Support for Kyiv . . . The U.S. has stopped the delivery of air-defense interceptors and other weapons intended for Ukraine and is using them instead to beef up Pentagon stocks, a Trump administration official and two congressional aides said Tuesday. Administration officials have stressed the need to focus more on the longer-term threats from China and, more immediately, military needs in the Middle East. Wall Street Journal
Money
Paramount, CBS forced to pay eight figures, change editorial policy in settlement with Trump . . . Paramount Global and CBS agreed on Tuesday to pay President Donald Trump a sum that could reach north of $30 million to settle the president's election interference lawsuit against the network. Trump will receive $16 million upfront. Trump sued CBS over its handling of a "60 Minutes" interview last year with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing the network of election interference leading up to the 2024 contest. CBS is not acknowledging any journalistic wrongdoing. Fox News
You should also know
Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart Dies at 90 . . . Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, whose multimillion-dollar ministry and huge audience dwindled following his prostitution scandals, has died. He was 90. Swaggart death was announced Tuesday on his public Facebook page. A cause wasn't immediately given, though Swaggart had been in ill health. The Louisiana native was best known for being a captivating Pentecostal preacher with a massive following before being caught on camera with a prostitute in New Orleans in 1988. Breitbart
The Dalai Lama says he plans to reincarnate, ensuring the institution will continue . . . Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday said the centuries-old Tibetan Buddhist institution will continue after his death, ending years of speculation that started when he indicated that he might be the last person to hold the role. Speaking at prayer celebrations ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday, he said that the next Dalai Lama should be found and recognized as per past Buddhist traditions, while signalling that China should stay away from the process of identifying his successor. Associated Press
That's a relief. For a second there, I thought he WASN'T going to reincarnate. Hopefully his decision is final.
Guilty Pleasures
Calls for Scotland-wide seagull summit as dastardly birds attack innocent Scottish humans . . . Politicians have called for a Scotland-wide seagull summit to be held amid warnings someone could be killed. Former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross told the nation's parliament during a debate on the issue that people risk losing their lives over the "growing problem" of "nuisance" gulls. Scots are being left "scared, attacked and traumatised", fellow Tory Rachael Hamilton said as she called for a nationwide summit. Sky News
Seagulls are secretly plotting to replace humans as the dominant species if AI doesn't get there first. Their next target: Wales.
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