Good evening, everyone! I hope your day has been kind to you. As promised, scroll to the very bottom for a few uplifting news stories—because in a world that can feel heavy with negativity, I believe in making room for a little light.
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With that, here’s the news:
Gov. Greg Abbott has released the agenda for a special legislative session beginning July 21. Among the key items: redrawing Texas’ congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterms—a move aimed at helping Republicans gain additional seats, potentially offsetting losses in other states.
Bishop Rojas of San Bernardino issued a rare dispensation allowing parishioners to skip Sunday Mass indefinitely due to ongoing ICE raids, reflecting the Catholic Church’s extraordinary response to fears that worshippers could be detained or deported en route to services.
Staff at Chicago's National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture say individuals appearing to be federal agents visited the museum Tuesday, raising concerns of potential future operations targeting undocumented individuals ahead of the 25th annual Barrio Arts Fest on July 12; museum staff, elected officials, and immigrant advocates expressed outrage, saying agents refused to provide identification and were reportedly surveying entry and exit points.
Imam Ayman Soliman, a chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital who immigrated from Egypt and was granted asylum over a decade ago, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on July 9 after his asylum status was rescinded; supporters from Ignite Peace and Young United Souls for Revolutionary Action plan to hold a press conference at 3 p.m. outside ICE offices in Blue Ash.
Amazon Prime Day sales on the first day are down 41% compared to last year.
Following a controversial social media post interpreted by Trump allies as a threat, the Secret Service subjected former FBI Director James Comey to extensive physical and digital surveillance—including tracking his phone and tailing him and his wife in unmarked cars from North Carolina to Washington—despite his denial of violent intent and lack of any violent history, according to three anonymous government officials cited by The New York Times.
In her first public appearance since a major Supreme Court ruling limiting judicial checks on presidential power, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson warned that recent decisions by the court’s conservative majority pose an “existential threat to the rule of law,” defending her stark dissent in Trump v. Casa and emphasizing the importance of public engagement in democracy during an interview at the 2025 ESSENCE Festival.
The U.S. Supreme Court denied Florida's emergency request to enforce a state immigration law that would bar undocumented immigrants from entering the state.
During a meeting with Liberian President Joseph Boakai, Donald Trump remarked, “Such good English. Beautiful English. Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?”—despite English being Liberia’s official language.
Senator Ron Wyden accused the Trump administration of ignoring “actionable” information related to Jeffrey Epstein and Wall Street, suggesting a failure to pursue potential leads during its tenure.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called for the elimination and complete overhaul of FEMA, criticizing its past disaster response failures during a reform council meeting, even as the agency assists with search and rescue efforts in flood-stricken Texas; critics argue the Trump administration is politicizing a critical emergency response agency.
Donald Trump announced new tariffs today posting letters with specific rates: 30% on Algeria, Iraq, and Libya; 25% on Brunei and Moldova; and 20% on the Philippines, ahead of a meeting with West African leaders.
According to the Knight First Amendment Institute, a senior ICE official testified that the agency assembled a team to investigate student protestors, rapidly compiling over 100 reports using a list of 5,000 individuals identified on the Canary Mission website.
The Senate voted 53–43 to confirm Donald Trump’s nominee, Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford, as head of the Federal Aviation Administration; Bedford will oversee $12.5 billion in funding to modernize U.S. air traffic control and has pledged strict oversight of Boeing following recent safety concerns.
South Sudan confirmed it is holding eight men deported from the U.S.—only one of whom is South Sudanese—after accepting them as part of a Trump administration effort to relocate migrants to third countries; the group includes individuals from Myanmar, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, and Mexico, and had reportedly been convicted of violent crimes in the U.S.; South Sudanese authorities say the men are under government care in Juba.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins suggested that automation and requiring Medicaid recipients to work could offset the loss of migrant farm workers due to Donald Trump’s deportation campaign, despite experts warning these measures cannot realistically replace the largely undocumented, foreign-born agricultural labor force; Trump recently signed legislation imposing the first federal work requirements for Medicaid recipients, set to take effect by 2026.
Good News Update:
After years of bullying due to his learning difficulties, 16-year-old Josh Duff from Swindon, England, was escorted to prom by an astonishing convoy of around 1,500 bikers—organized by his dad to lift his spirits—creating an unforgettable entrance and showing global support for inclusion and kindness toward children with special needs.
After a three-year effort, California wildlife photographer Randy Robbins captured rare, high-quality footage of the elusive Sierra Nevada red fox—possibly fewer than 100 remain—using a camera trap set at 8,500 feet in Lassen Volcano National Park, offering a precious three-minute glimpse into the behavior of one of the state’s rarest and most endangered mammals.
University of Sydney researchers have identified a malfunctioning brain protein, SOD1, linked to Parkinson’s disease and found that targeting it with a copper-based treatment significantly improved motor function in mice—offering a promising path toward slowing the disease’s progression in humans, according to a decade-long study published in Acta Neuropathologica Communications.
Chuck E. Cheese is rebranding as Chuck’s Arcade, a new adult-focused arcade experience featuring nostalgic and modern games, animatronic characters, unique location designs, and offerings like full menus, merchandise, and a vibe similar to Dave & Buster’s, with several U.S. locations already open and more on the way.
See you in the morning.
— Aaron
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