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Earlier this week, Trump sent dozens of letters to a variety of longtime US trading partners informing them that they could soon face tariffs ranging from a minimum of 25% all the way to a whopping 50%. And, in an NBC News interview that aired Thursday, Trump suggested hiking blanket tariffs on most countries. Collectively, the tariffs Trump has threatened to enact on August 1 would mark the highest average tariff rate America has seen in over a century, according to multiple estimates.
Related: Trump Threatens Brazil With Tariff Over Bolsonaro Trial
President Donald Trump is framing his threat to slap a bruising 50 percent tariff on Brazil as a quest for justice for his friend and ally, far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro.
But it was his displeasure at a gathering of emerging market nations in Rio de Janeiro over the weekend that tipped the president over the edge, convincing him to send a letter laying out the new levies, according to four people familiar with the situation granted anonymity to share details.
The White House concluded that other methods of punishing Brazil for its perceived mistreatment of Bolsonaro and its alleged censorship on social media, like sanctions, would take too long or were too complex, according to two of the people. But “BRICS tipped the scale,”
Musk’s Grok AI Goes Full “MechaHitler”
Grok's behavior appeared to stem from an update over the weekend that instructed the chatbot to "not shy away from making claims which are politically incorrect, as long as they are well substantiated," among other things. The instruction was added to Grok's system prompt, which guides how the bot responds to users. xAI removed the directive on Tuesday.
It's not the first time Grok has sparked outrage. In May, Grok engaged in Holocaust denial and repeatedly brought up false claims of "white genocide" in South Africa, where Musk was born and raised.
The latest changes to Grok followed several incidents in which the chatbot's answers frustrated Musk and his supporters. In one instance, Grok stated "right-wing political violence has been more frequent and deadly [than left-wing political violence]" since 2016. (This has been true dating back to at least 2001.) Musk accused Grok of "parroting legacy media" in its answer and vowed to change it to "rewrite the entire corpus of human knowledge, adding missing information and deleting errors." Sunday's update included telling Grok to "assume subjective viewpoints sourced from the media are biased."
Linda Yaccarino, who was hired two years ago as chief executive officer of X, said on Wednesday she was stepping down from the social media platform.
Khalil Sues Trump Admin for $20M
Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist who was detained by the Trump administration for months, have filed a claim for $20m in damages against the administration, alleging Khalil was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an antisemite as the government sought to deport him over his prominent role in campus protests.
The filing – a precursor to a lawsuit under the Federal Tort Claims Act – names the Department of Homeland Security, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the state department.
Khalil, 30, was released from US immigration detention last month after having been held for more than three months over his activism against Israel’s war on Gaza.
Trump administration officials had accused Khalil of antisemitism and of pro-Hamas advocacy, although they did not provide evidence at any point during his arrest or detention.
Measles Cases Reach 33-Year High
Measles cases have surpassed a recent 2019 record to reach the highest level since 1992, with at least 1,289 cases reported in 39 states.
There have been 3 confirmed deaths from measles in 2025.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases and can spread rapidly among unvaccinated people.
WHO had declared measles eliminated from US in 2000.
State Department Lays Off 1300 Employees
As fired employees packed their belongings, dozens of former colleagues, ambassadors, members of Congress and others spent a warm, humid day protesting outside. Holding signs saying, “Thank you to America’s diplomats” and “We all deserve better,” they mourned the institutional loss from the cuts and highlighted the personal sacrifice of serving in the foreign service.
FBI Director Patel Polygraph Testing Agents
Agents have expressed concerns that they are at risk of losing their jobs if found to have said anything even remotely critical about Patel or Bongino.
Dozens of FBI officials have reportedly been subjected to polygraphs under Patel’s leadership, though it’s unclear how many were interrogated specifically about bad-mouthing the boss.
TikTok to Create M2 American Version?
TikTok is pushing back against a Reuters report that claims the company is working on a standalone version of its app for the U.S. market, complete with a separate algorithm and data infrastructure.
The report said this version would operate independently from the global app, using only U.S. user data to train its recommendation algorithm.
Reuters framed the effort as part of TikTok’s response to a 2024 U.S. law requiring its parent company, ByteDance, to divest U.S. operations.
Scott’s Story: Texas Floods
More than 100 people have died, with hundreds more reported as still missing.
Who’s to Blame? Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) - “I believe there have been failures at every level of government, from the county to the state and the federal,” to anchor Ali Velshi on MSNBC.
Trump admin failures
“The National Weather Service (NWS), in particular, has lost close to 600 staff at a time when 40 percent of national weather forecast offices are facing significant staff vacancies. Specifically for the Austin/San Antonio forecasting office, which covers areas affected by the Texas floods, the Trump administration’s recent DOGE layoffs included a warning coordination meteorologist position that plays a critical role in communication coordination between forecasters, emergency managers, and the public.”
“Prior to this past weekend’s events, the National Weather Service had been warning about the coming rains and potential for flash floods for days, but a few key local NWS positions had been vacant since the first round of DOGE cuts and buyouts. The vacant warning coordination meteorologist position, in particular, is “responsible for working with emergency managers and the public to ensure people know what to do when a disaster strikes.” Yet the person who had served in that role for decades was among hundreds of NWS employees who accepted an early retirement offer, leaving the agency at the end of April.”
Abbott admin failures
'Who's to blame?' Know this. That's the word choice of losers. Let me explain one thing about Texas. And that is, Texas, every square inch of our state cares about football. You can be in Hunt, Texas, Huntsville, Texas, Houston, Texas, any size community, they care about football. High school Friday night lights, college football, or pro. Every football team makes mistakes. The losing teams are the ones who try to point out who is to blame. The championship teams are the ones who say, 'Don’t worry about it, man, we got this.' We're going to make sure that we go score again and we're gonna win this game. The way winners talk is not to point fingers. They talk about solutions."
“The Texas Division of Emergency Management denied Kerr County’s 2017 application, meeting minutes show. Kerr County applied again in 2018, when more federal funding became available after Hurricane Harvey. But meeting minutes indicate that Texas’ emergency authority again did not approve it.”
Local govt failures
“Local leaders have talked for years about the need for a warning system. Kerr County sought a nearly $1 million grant eight years ago for such a system, but the request was turned down (see above). Local residents balked at footing the bill themselves, [Kerr Co. Judge Rob] Kelly said.”
In 2021, Kerr County was awarded a $10.2 million windfall from the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, which Congress passed that same year to support local governments impacted by the pandemic.
a survey sent to residents about ARPA spending showed that 42% of the 180 responses wanted to reject the $10 million bonus altogether, largely on political grounds.
When it was all said and done, the county approved $7 million in ARPA dollars on a public safety radio communications system for the sheriff’s department and county fire services to meet the community’s needs for the next 10 years, although earlier estimates put that contract at $5 million. Another $1 million went to sheriff’s employees in the form of stipends and raises, and just over $600,000 went towards additional county positions. A new walking path was also created with the ARPA money.
Gross reaction from some on the online left
Things like, “Texas deserves it for voting for Trump”
Is it appropriate to talk about the politics around this?
Directed at officials? I say yes.
Victim-blaming? Absolutely Not.
Blythe’s Story: Is Epstein Case the Hill MAGA Dies On?
“This week, the Justice Department said it would not release any additional files related to the case of the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein died in 2019 while in custody, and a medical examiner ruled his death a suicide. He was facing sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi released a two-page memo saying that the department's review turned up no “client list” of powerful men who allegedly participated in Epstein's schemes, and there was no “credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals.”
The memo enraged Trump supporters, who quickly turned on [Atty General Pam] Bondi
Bondi herself told Fox News in February that the Epstein client was "sitting on my desk right now." Trump also repeatedly said he would release the Epstein files.
And in February, Bondi kept the issue alive by bringing right-wing influencers to the White House and giving them Epstein documents. [which contained no new information and actually redacted already-available info].
Wired determines Epstein prison footage was “likely modified” using metadata
Trump defends Bondi in wild Truth Social rant
Brandon’s Story: More ICE Gestapo Shit
Show of Force at MacArthur Park LA
About 90 National Guard troops and dozens of federal officers descended on MacArthur Park in the morning. But it was nearly empty, since word spread of a potential raid. Mayor Karen Bass said she pulled over on her way to City Hall to witness officers on horseback and soldiers in tactical gear walking past a playground as children at a summer day camp were rushed indoors so they would not be traumatized.
Since the 1980s, the Westlake neighborhood has evolved into a densely populated immigrant neighborhood with the settlement of Indigenous people from Mexico and Central America and other groups. It is also home to several immigrant rights organizations and legal aid offices.
Clashes at Camarillo, CA Farms
Federal immigration authorities said Saturday they arrested more than 300 immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally in raids Thursday on two California cannabis farm sites as protesters engaged in a tense standoff with authorities during an operation at one of the farms. One farm worker also died after sustaining injuries during one of the raids
Four U.S. citizens were arrested for "assaulting or resisting officers," the department said.
Authorities were offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of one person suspected of firing a gun at federal agents. Some protesters were also captured on video throwing rocks.
During the raid, crowds of people gathered outside Glass House Farms in Camarillo to seek information about their relatives and protest immigration enforcement. Authorities clad in military-style helmets and uniforms faced off with the demonstrators. Acrid green and white billowing smoke then forced community members to retreat.
A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to halt indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests in seven California counties, including Los Angeles.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the recent wave of immigration enforcement has been driven by an “arbitrary arrest quota” and based on “broad stereotypes based on race or ethnicity.”
Friday’s order will prevent the government from solely using apparent race or ethnicity, speaking Spanish or English with an accent, presence at a location such as a tow yard or car wash, or someone’s occupation as the basis for reasonable suspicion to stop someone. It will also require officials to open [Downtown LA ICE Facility] B-18 to visitation by attorneys seven days a week and provide detainees access to confidential phone calls with attorneys.
Chris’s Story: OBBB: We have a spending problem in Washington
CBO Score Shows Senate OBBBA Adds Over $3.9 Trillion to Debt
At the center the "big, beautiful bill" is an extension of Mr. Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was slated to sunset at the end of the year. The legislation would make most of the tax cuts permanent, while increasing spending for border security, defense and energy production.
The bill is partially paid for by significant cuts to health care and nutrition programs, like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
The legislation includes more than $46.5 billion for border wall construction and related expenses, $45 billion to expand detention capacity for immigrants in custody and about $30 billion in funding for hiring, training and other resources for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The legislation would raise the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, going beyond the $4 trillion outlined in the initial House-passed bill. Congress faces a deadline to address the debt limit later this summer.
Indiana Stories
Quick Headlines - Around the Corn
A January executive order gave agencies until July 1 to complete a review and identify DEI in their policies, which Braun released late Wednesday afternoon. In total, 350 DEI initiatives were identified and detailed across more than 3,800 pages of information.
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson told a group of lawyers and judges on Thursday that "the state of our democracy" is what keeps her up at night.
Rokita accuses Monroe County sheriff of violating ICE hold and releasing sex offender
The person at the heart of the controversy is 38-year-old Manuel Lopez Lopez.
The Bloomington man pleaded guilty earlier this year to a 2024 sexual assault and was released in February after 222 days in jail. Then on July 2, he was arrested and charged with attempted rape, criminal confinement and battery, in the attack of a 26-year-old woman walking on Bloomington's B-Line Trail.
"On Feb. 19, 2025, Manuel Lopez Lopez entered a plea agreement, was convicted on a Level 6 Felony-Confinement, and was released by the court," the news release said. "At the time of his release, there was not an immigration detainer on file for him with the Monroe County Correctional Center."
He said the jail had received what's called a “Request for Advance Notification of Release” from ICE requesting law enforcement provide notice of release to ICE. "This form specifically states that it 'does not request or authorize that you detain the subject beyond the time that he or she is scheduled for release from your custody,'” Marté said.
"That request was honored, and ICE was notified before Lopez was released."
Rep. Robb Greene will serve as the next executive director of the state party, effective later this month.
Greene will replace Josh Waddell, who will be joining Gov. Mike Braun’s administration.
Greene is a native of Shelby County, where he lives with his wife and three children. He has served House District 47, which includes portions of Johnson and Shelby counties, since 2022.
Indy Airline Exec Confirmed as FAA Chief
The U.S. Senate on July 9 officially confirmed the former CEO of Indianapolis-based Republic Airways to lead the Federal Aviation Administration under President Donald Trump.
Bryan Bedford will lead the FAA as the agency navigates the impacts of mass federal staffing cuts and plans upgrades to its air traffic control systems, following a string of deadly commercial flight accidents earlier this year.
Chris’s Story: Re-imagining Indiana’s Approach to Education Funding
RELATED: Trump Admin Withholds $100M+ from Indiana Schools
The Trump administration told states that it won’t be dispersing over $6 billion in federal education grants, according to reporting from NPR.
Indiana expected to receive roughly $107 million in funding that is now on hold. That’s based on funding levels from last year.
Here are the funding programs and how much has been withheld from Indiana.
Title I-C Migrant Education Program: $2.5 million
Title II-A Supporting Effective Instruction: $41.2 million
Title III-A English Language Acquisition State Grants: $10.1 million
Title IV-A Student Support and Academic Enrichment Program: $20.7 million
Title IV-B Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers: $19.9 million
Adult basic education, literacy and civics grants: $12.8 million
Brandon’s Story: Indy City Council Drama Continues
In her statement, Carlino attributed her decision to the “continued lack of leadership and accountability, abuse of power, and unfair application of our Caucus rules for membership.”
J.Brown Introduces Motion to Remove Osili, A.Brown
“Right now, we still haven’t seen the documents showing why Fisher Phillips, the law firm investigating Thomas (Cook) and Joe Hogsett, didn’t see fit to include Hogsett’s creepy texts and did not subpoena Thomas Cook,” Jesse Brown said, “why it continued working even after that contract that I’ve seen that Vop Osili signed says that they should’ve come back to the council asking for guidance and advice.
Before Monday’s meeting, members of the council had debated if the City should pay the remaining $300,000 bill or withhold payments. Some councilors expressed concerns about paying the remaining balance because Fisher Phillips’ report did not include the messages Hogsett reportedly sent Ellert and Roberts.
Jesse Brown’s proposition to remove Osili and Ali Brown failed to receive enough support from the city-council to move forward during Monday’s council meeting.
Graves Accused of Sexual Assault
Laurin Embry, a social worker who has volunteered on Democratic campaigns, told IndyStar she experienced the abuse at the hands of Keith Graves, an eastside councilor, during and after their romantic relationship, which she said began in 2020 and ended in 2022.
In addition to Embry’s accusations against Graves, a woman who was in a relationship with the councilor filed an order of protection against him in 2024, according to a copy of the document obtained by Mirror Indy, though no criminal charges were filed, according to IndyStar.
Graves (30 years Embry’s senior) is stepping down as chair of the Education Committee in light of the allegations
Blythe’s Story: Potential for using Camp Atterbury for a concentration camp
While no official decision has been announced, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed to the Indiana Capital Chronicle [...] that the agency is actively “exploring all options” to meet current and future detention needs.
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s enhanced enforcement operations and routine daily operations have resulted in a significant number of arrests of criminal aliens that require greater detention capacity in Indiana,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement. “While we cannot confirm individual pre-decisional conversations, we can confirm that ICE is exploring all options to meet its current and future detention requirements.”
Camp Atterbury, located about 30 miles south of Indianapolis, has previously been used for large-scale federal operations.
Most recently, in 2021, the facility temporarily housed thousands of Afghan refugees evacuated during the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Camp Atterbury wouldn’t be the first military or state-owned site proposed to be repurposed by federal officials for immigration-related operations.
Most recently, Fort Bliss in Texas was identified as a potential deportation hub, with plans to hold thousands of detainees in massive tents on the Army base. The site could serve as the model for a dozen other holding facilities on military bases nationwide.
[Rep. Andre Carson] asked Noem’s department to confirm whether there are plans to use the Indiana’s National Guard Training base to hold detainees. And if that is the plan, to provide a timeline, explain legal and ethical frameworks for treatment of detainees, oversights in place at Atterbury, and the effect it will have on the base’s military training and operations
Scott’s Story: Indiana Public Broadcasting Eliminates Statewide Reporting Team
Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations will be eliminating its entire statewide team of reporters and editors at the end of the year after the Indiana General Assembly defunded the organization.
IPBS is a non-profit consortium of 17 public radio and television stations established in 1979. IPBS and its member stations are partners on education initiatives, civic affairs programming and public safety projects.
Indiana Public Broadcasting has an eight-person statewide team that includes education, labor, health, Statehouse and energy and environment editors and reporters.
“Individual stations will continue to collaborate on statewide reporting relying on the deep community knowledge and on-the-ground work of local reporters who live in, listen to, and report for their own communities. This proposed approach and reorganization to the IPB News statewide reporting collaboration is an immediate consequence of state funding cuts. Specifics of the plan will be released in the near future,” the post concluded.
Brandon Smith has covered the Statehouse for more than a decade and co-hosts Indiana Week in Review on WFYI
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