Good morning, everyone. As promised, I’ll be ending each update with a few uplifting news stories—because in a world flooded with negativity, we could all use a little light.
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With that, here’s the news:
According to The Atlantic, despite Trump’s strong public support for ICE, morale within the agency is at a low, with agents describing burnout, ethical conflicts, and pressure to meet arrest quotas at the expense of major criminal investigations.
Officers report grueling schedules, predawn raids, and emotionally charged arrests—often targeting non-criminal immigrants—as political demands intensify under the direction of Trump adviser Stephen Miller.
Fear of public backlash, internal scrutiny, and leadership instability has left many ICE employees feeling vilified, overworked, and trapped in what some call a “mission impossible.”
In June, ICE arrested about 30,000 immigrants — the highest monthly total in over five years — but deported only around 18,000, revealing a widening gap between arrests and deportations under the Trump administration due to legal hurdles like pending asylum cases, causing overcrowded detention centers and raising concerns about detainee conditions.
FEMA’s response to the deadly Texas floods was delayed by a new policy requiring Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s personal approval for all spending over $100,000, exposing major bureaucratic hurdles, reduced agency autonomy, and a broader Trump administration push to shift disaster relief responsibilities to the states and potentially dismantle FEMA altogether.
As rescue efforts continue after the July 4 flash floods in central Texas with 173 people still missing, the disaster highlights growing concerns over FEMA’s future under Trump, who has floated eliminating the agency; meanwhile, leadership gaps and tighter spending controls by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are raising fears of bureaucratic delays and weakened disaster response.
Trump appointed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as interim NASA administrator after withdrawing tech billionaire Jared Isaacman's nomination, amid rising tensions with Elon Musk and looming White House budget cuts that would slash NASA’s funding by 25% and eliminate over 5,000 jobs.
Duffy, who lacks space policy experience, will lead NASA as it faces deep staffing losses—including 2,145 senior employees—raising concerns about diminished U.S. space leadership and competitiveness against China.
New whistleblower texts and emails reveal Trump judicial nominee Emil Bove allegedly urged Justice Department lawyers to defy a court order to return a wrongly deported immigrant, with messages showing officials mocked the ruling and tried to link the man to MS-13—raising serious ethical concerns just days before Bove’s confirmation vote. This is an image of the texts obtained by CBS News showing the messages between the whistleblower and another DOJ official:
After backing Trump’s sweeping legislative package, Sen. Josh Hawley is now opposing its Medicaid reimbursement limits, highlighting GOP tensions over rural healthcare impacts and the difficulty of selling the bill to the public despite promoting wins like expanded aid for nuclear waste victims.
Trump drew criticism after praising Liberian President Joseph Boakai’s English-speaking skills—despite English being Liberia’s official language—prompting backlash from Liberians who viewed the comment as condescending, though both the White House and Liberia’s government defended the exchange as well-intentioned and rooted in misunderstanding.
President Trump announced a steep 50% tariff on Brazil—up from a previously stated 10%—citing the treatment of former President Bolsonaro, while also threatening tariffs of 20–30% on seven other nations if trade deals aren’t reached by August 1, amid rising tensions over trade and free speech concerns.
Former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey are under criminal investigation, though the focus and extent of the probes remain unclear.
Six Secret Service agents were suspended without pay following last year’s assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
Trump is pushing Republicans to bypass Democrats and reclaim $9.4 billion in approved spending, risking a government funding standoff and potential shutdown.
Good News:
Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman, who was shot in his home last month, has been released from the hospital and is now recovering in a rehabilitation facility.
Thailand’s beloved baby pygmy hippo, Moo Deng, celebrated her first birthday with a festive fruit-and-vegetable cake at the zoo, delighting fans worldwide who have followed her since birth.
After falling from a two-story window and losing consciousness, 68-year-old Sandie Gillard was saved by Jellybean, a magpie she once rescued, who tapped her awake just in time for her to call for help—an extraordinary act of loyalty from the bird she had raised and released years earlier.
To celebrate their 20th anniversary, Kansas farmer Jesse Blasi secretly planted a mile-long wheat field message reading “Jesse + Sarah, 20 Years” using two wheat varieties and 65 million seeds—revealing the heartfelt surprise to his wife Sarah during a June flight over their farm.
In a rare uplifting whale story from Iceland, about 60 pilot whales stranded on Ólafsfjörður beach were successfully rescued by locals and emergency crews, who worked together to return the disoriented pod—likely chasing mackerel—back to open water, marking a hopeful moment for a country once known for its whaling past.
See you this evening.
— Aaron
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