Good morning, everyone. This update is a tough one—some of the stories below are heartbreaking. Still, it's important to stay informed, and I wanted to make sure you had the full picture.
On a different note, I want to thank you. Over the past few weeks, we've been featured in Rolling Stone and Forbes—a milestone made possible by your support. Your subscriptions don’t just help—they make everything we do possible. Let’s keep building something real, together.
With that, here’s the news:
A federal judge ruled that DHS and ICE have been arresting people in Los Angeles without probable cause—relying on factors like accent and occupation—and ordered the agencies to stop, also mandating immediate reforms after finding detainees were denied access to legal counsel in a basement holding area known as “B-18.”
A longtime New Hampshire resident and vocal Trump supporter, Chris Landry, is stranded in Canada after being denied re-entry to the U.S. due to past minor convictions—highlighting the harsh immigration policies he once backed; now separated from his American children, he blames Trump-era crackdowns for his predicament.
Jaime Alanis, a longtime farmworker and father, died from injuries sustained during the dramatic federal immigration raid at a California cannabis farm—he fell 30 feet while hiding from agents; the enforcement action, involving armored vehicles and gas, left communities outraged and traumatized, especially given Alanis’s decade of labor and the presence of immigrant children on-site.
A disabled U.S. veteran and citizen, George Retes, was violently detained during a federal immigration raid at a Camarillo cannabis farm—despite not being involved in protests—leaving his family desperate for answers as authorities have refused to disclose his whereabouts days later.
After a deadly ICE raid at a California cannabis farm, Trump gave federal agents “Total Authorization” to use force against protesters, calling them “slimeballs” and directing arrests “by any means necessary” following reports of rocks and bricks thrown at officers.
According to the New York Times, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem failed to renew critical FEMA call center contracts in time, leaving disaster survivors unable to reach help—prompting outrage as the agency struggled to respond amid ongoing crises, only reinstating staffing days later under pressure.
On July 6, the day after FEMA call center contracts lapsed, the agency answered only 846 of 2,363 calls—just 35.8%.
On July 7, FEMA answered just 2,613 of 16,419 calls—only 15.9%—leaving thousands of flood survivors without assistance.
The contracts for hundreds of call center workers expired on July 5 and were not renewed by Secretary Kristi Noem until July 10—a 5-day gap during a critical disaster window.
Sen. Ted Cruz slashed $200M in weather and climate forecasting funds, then vacationed in Greece as deadly floods killed over 100 in Texas—critics say his actions weakened early warning systems, worsening the disaster and prioritizing Big Oil over public safety.
Trump has announced a 30% tariff on goods from the European Union and Mexico, warning that any retaliation will be met with an equivalent increase in tariffs—escalating trade tensions with key U.S. partners.
As the Trump administration fires around 1,300 State Department employees in a sweeping reorganization, an internal image shared with PBS shows a note taped to a mirror urging remaining staff to “RESIST FASCISM” and remember their oath—highlighting internal dissent amid the mass layoffs of diplomats and civil servants.
The U.S. Department of Justice has requested Minnesota’s voter and election data to review compliance with the Help America Vote Act, giving the Secretary of State’s Office until July 25 to respond—though the office has yet to issue a reply.
The UN warns that Gaza’s fuel shortage has reached “critical levels,” threatening a total collapse of humanitarian services for 2.1 million people—hospitals, bakeries, water systems, and communications are failing, pushing the population to the brink of starvation and disease despite a minimal fuel delivery this week, the first in 130 days.
As U.S. regulators restrict COVID mRNA vaccines and the Trump administration cuts funding, scientists warn that critical mRNA-based cancer research—targeting deadly diseases like brain and pancreatic cancer—is at risk, with at least 16 grants already frozen and researchers pressured to strip “mRNA” from proposals.
Good News:
At a Virginia adoption event, a shelter dog named Sienna alerted to a man's impending seizure—despite no training—by sitting at his feet and pawing his leg, stunning rescuers and proving, as the shelter put it, the “unspoken wisdom” some rescue dogs carry; Sienna is now fully sponsored and still awaiting a forever home.
After surviving a rare stroke caused by a hidden heart defect, 18-year-old Katie Rangel made it to prom just two weeks later—thanks to her boyfriend's insistence she go to the hospital; now recovered, she plans to become a nurse inspired by the care that saved her life.
See you this evening.
— Aaron
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