Walmart is recalling hundreds of thousands of reusable water bottles after multiple customers reported injuries, some of them going blind.The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the recall of Ozark Trail 64 oz Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottles last week, alerting consumers of the potential hazard and telling them to stop using the products immediately.“The lid can forcefully eject, posing serious impact and laceration hazards, when a consumer attempts to open the capped bottles after food, carbonated beverages or perishable beverages, such as juice or milk, are stored inside over time,” the recall notice explained.The notice also stated that some of the injuries related to the product have been serious. “Walmart has received three reports of consumers who were injured when struck in the face by a lid forcefully ejected from these bottles upon opening. Two consumers suffered permanent vision loss after being struck in the eye.”The now-recalled product is not new to Walmart shelves. It’s been on the market since 2017. However, it seems injuries have only just been recently reported. The product itself does not contain the model number, however, the number, 83-662, can be found on the packaging. The bottles measure 4.41 by 4.41 by 11.5 inches, the agency noted.In a statement to the Associated Press, Walmart said, The health and safety of our customers is always a top priority” and said the brand has “fully cooperated” with CPSC to take the product off of shelves and alert customers to the danger. The company is offering full refunds for the water bottles and directed customers to return the water bottles to Walmart stores.CPSC directed customers to call Walmart directly at 800-925-6278 or visit www.walmart.com/help or https://corporate.walmart.com/recalls for additional information.Water bottles have become somewhat of a fashion statement, surging in popularity in recent years. But along with the rise in popularity has also come an uptick in safety concerns. Last year, Stanley made headlines after TikTokkers began testing the water bottles for lead, and in some cases, finding it.The company initially said there is no lead in the products, then later clarified the statement to explain that lead is used in the manufacturing process, but that cups would have to be damaged for the lead to be exposed. A law firm sued the maker of Stanley cups over the concern, and other lawsuits followed.
EU trade ministers agreed Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump‘s announcement of 30% tariffs on the European Union was absolutely unacceptable,” and they are studying a new set of countermeasures to respond to the move.
The ministers met Monday in Brussels following Trumps surprise announcement over the weekend of such hefty tariffs, which could have repercussions for governments, companies and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic. The EU is Americas biggest business partner and the worlds largest trading bloc.
Maroš Šefčovič, the EUs trade representative in its talks with the U.S., said after the meeting that it was very obvious from the discussions today, the 30% is absolutely unacceptable.
He said that the commission was sharing proposals with the 27 member countries for the second list of goods accounting of some 72 billion euros ($84 billion) worth of U.S imports. They will now have a chance to discuss it. This does not exhaust our toolbox and every instrument remains on the table.
Lars Lkke Rasmussen, foreign minister of Denmark, which recently assumed the presidency of the EU, said the ministers vowed to work together in negotiating a trade deal with Washington or agreeing on countermeasures.
The EU remains ready to react and that includes robust and proportionate countermeasures if required and there was a strong, feeling in the room of unity,” Rasmussen told reporters after the meeting.
The tariffs, also announced for Mexico, are set to start on Aug. 1 and could make everything from French cheese and Italian leather goods to German electronics and Spanish pharmaceuticals more expensive in the U.S., and destabilize economies from Portugal to Norway.
Meanwhile, Brussels decided to suspend retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods scheduled to take effect Monday in hopes of reaching a trade deal with the Trump administration by the end of the month.
The countermeasures by the EU, which negotiates trade deals on behalf of its 27 member countries, will be delayed until Aug. 1. Trumps letter shows that we have until the first of August to negotiate, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels on Sunday.
Maroš Šefčovič, the EU’s trade representative in its talks with the U.S., said negotiations would continue Monday.
Im absolutely 100% sure that a negotiated solution is much better than the tension which we might have after the 1st of August,” he told reporters in Brussels on Monday. But he added that we must be prepared for all outcomes.
I cannot imagine walking away without genuine effort. Having said that, the current uncertainty caused by unjustified tariffs cannot persist indefinitely and therefore we must prepare for all outcomes, including, if necessary, well-considered proportionate countermeasures to restore the balance in our transit static relationship.
The letters to the EU and Mexico come in the midst of an on-and-off Trump threat to impose tariffs on countries and right an imbalance in trade.
Trump imposed tariffs in April on dozens of countries, before pausing them for 90 days to negotiate individual deals. As the three-month grace period ended this week, he began sending tariff letters to leaders, but again has pushed back the implementation day for what he says will be just a few more weeks.
If he moves forward with the tariffs, it could have ramifications for nearly every aspect of the global economy. The American Chamber of Commerce in the European Union, an influential industry group representing major American corporations in Europe, said the tariffs could generate damaging ripple effects across all sectors of the EU and US economies and praised the EU’s delay of countermeasures.
In the wake of the new tariffs, European leaders largely closed ranks, calling for unity but also a steady hand to not provoke further acrimony.
Just last week, Europe was cautiously optimistic.
Officials told reporters on Friday they weren’t expecting a letter like the one sent Saturday and that a trade deal was to be inked in the coming days.” For months, the EU has broadcast that it has strong retaliatory measures ready if talks fail.
Reeling from successive rebukes from Washington, Šefčovič said Monday the EU is doubling down on efforts to open new markets and pointed to a new economic agreement with Indonesia as one.
The EU top brass will visit Beijing for a summit later this month while courting other Pacific nations like South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines, and Indonesia, whose prime minister visited Brussels over the weekend to sign a new economic partnership with the EU. It also has mega-deals in the works with Mexico and a trading bloc of South American nations known as Mercosur, and Šefčovič will meet with his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates next week.
While meeting with Indonesia’s president on Sunday, Von der Leyen said that when economic uncertainty meets geopolitical volatility, partners like us must come closer together.
Sam McNeil, Associated Press
This weekend, dozens of CEOs, tech tycoons, and billionaires packed their bags and jetted out of Sun Valley, Idaho, after the annual four-day Sun Valley conference (nicknamed summer camp for billionaires) came to a close.
Hosted by the investment banking firm Allen & Co., the conference is essentially a yearly opportunity for some of the worlds most influential businesspeople to rub elbows and talk shop over scenic mountain views.
Aside from giving its attendees a chance to break out their best polos and khakis for an expectant clutch of paparazzi, the secretive retreat has also served as the site of some of the most significant deals in the past four decades. Those include Disneys acquisition of ABC in 1995, Googles acquisition of YouTube in 2006, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezoss purchase of The Washington Post in 2013.
This years star-studded cast included OpenAIs Sam Altman, Apples Tim Cook, and Microsofts Satya Nadella, to name a few. Heres everything we know about the 2025 conference so far:
Skydance discusses purchase of ‘The Free Press’
According to a report from The New York Times, one potential deal on the table at this years gathering was an acquisition of the online publication The Free Press by the media company Skydance.
David Ellison, Skydances CEO, attended the conference alongside Bari Weiss, cofounder of The Free Press. Sources close to the discussion told The Times that Ellison has previously offered Weiss a wide variety of options in terms of potential working arrangements were Skydance to purchase The Free Pressincluding one scenario in which Weiss would take a major role in shaping the editorial direction of CBS News.
Still, no official agreement has been announced, and The Times did not learn the terms of any potential deals. Fast Company reached out to Skydance and The Free Press for comment.
In the meantime, Ellison is also in the midst of attempting to close a proposed merger with Paramount.
Disney looking to sell A&E Global Media
On July 8, just before the start of this years Sun Valley conference, Disney and Hearst, co-owners of the cable network A&E Global Media, announced that they were looking to sell the network.
The news follows a larger trend of media companies like Comcast and Warner Bros. Discovery spinning off their respective cable networks in an attempt to purge underperforming arms of the business, as traditional pay TV continues down a path of rapid decline.
Its quite a turn from just a few years ago, when media companies were opting to acquire their rivals in what Variety has called an arms race to compete with streaming competitors.
In the wake of the news that A&E is seeking a new buyer, Disney CEO Bob Iger attended Sun Valley alongside media moguls including Comcast head Brian Roberts, Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Ravi Ahuja, and Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav.
One topic was top of mind
At the end of the conference, Business Insider caught up with Flowcode CEO Tim Armstrong, who has attended Sun Valley annually for more than a decade. Armstrong shared that, unsurprisingly, this years hottest topic of discussion was AI.
It was the “1,000-pound gorilla” in “every conversation, every meeting,” Armstrong told the publication, adding that executives spent a good chunk of the retreat sharing their ideas on how to implement new AI tools.
The year of weird sunglasses and Western cosplay
While the general public waits to hear more details about deals made behind closed doors at this years conference, there is one element of the retreat that the average American had full access to: the fashion.
This year, like the years before it, saw an excess of bland polo shirts, jeans, ball caps, and button-downs.
In an interview with Fast Company, L.A.-based personal stylist Mary Komick explained that quiet luxury is the generally accepted dress code at Sun Valley, with execs opting for neutral shades and understated cuts.
Theyre showing off to each other, with their stealth luxe style noticeably recognized by those in these circles, Komick noted.
Still, there were a couple of new trends to emerge this year. Ivanka Trump and Spanx founder Sara Blakley both opted for Western-inspired accessories, while several other attendees stepped out in simple outfits accented with over-the-top sunglasses, including Altman (who donned a $400 pair of sunnies inspired by 70s ski masks) and Ferrari chairman John Elkann (who wore a vintage pair of Tom Fords that were chunky enough to resemble an Apple Vision Pro).
IShowSpeed and Jynxzi are teaming up to host a $100,000 Fortnite tournament, bringing together 100 top creators for whats shaping up to be the biggest celebrity Fortnite match to date.
During one of IShowSpeeds streams last week, he FaceTimed fellow streamer Jynxzi, and the two broke the news: a $100,000 Fortnite tournament featuring 100 streamers is coming soon.
While the FNCS (Fortnite Champion Series) is the official Fortnite tournamenttaking place between September 6 and 7 in Lyon, Francecreator-led events like IShowSpeed and Jynxzis are increasingly stealing the spotlight. With competitive prize pools and added entertainment value, theyre drawing in casual fans who might not typically follow formal esports.
Insane for smaller streamers. This will change a life! wrote one X user in response to the news. $100K and 100 streamers? Chaos loading added another.
Insane for smaller streamers. This will change a life!— Chloe Donald (@ChloeDonald_) July 8, 2025
Speed got his start streaming from his bedroom in Cincinnati. Today, he boasts over 41.9 million YouTube subscribers and 874,000 Twitch followers, and was named Streamer of the Year at the 2024 Streamer Awards.
Like Speed, Jynxzi is an avid gamer. With 7.6 million Twitch followers, he ranks as the sixth most-subscribed Twitch streamer of all time. He was voted Best Breakthrough Streamer and Gamer of the Year at the 2024 Streamer Awards.
The tournament will likely be streamed live across both Speed and Jynxzis Twitch and YouTube channels, as multi-platform broadcasting becomes the norm for creators aiming to reach wider audiences.
The event will exclusively feature content creator participants, who are also expected to stream their own POVs. This will give fans the chance to follow gameplay from their favorite channels in real time. Its another example of gaming and digital entertainment continuing to converge, with creators driving cross-genre, community-centered events.
No official date has been confirmed, but Speed hinted it would happen in the next upcoming weeks. Stay tuned.
The developer of what would be the first new coal mine in Wyoming in decades is launching a potentially half-billion-dollar effort to extract rare earth metals from the fossil fuel that are crucial for tech products and military hardware.Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, and Wyoming’s congressional delegation took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday for Ramaco Resources, Inc.’s Brook Mine outside Ranchester in northeastern Wyoming.“Not only do we get coal here, we are going to get those rare earth elements that are going to break our dependence on China,” Wright told Fox News from the mine site Friday.Wright’s involvement underscores President Donald Trump’s determination to advance fossil fuel projects and mining and reverse former President Joe Biden’s moves to support for renewable energy.Administration officials on Monday moved toward selling federal coal leases in the top U.S. coal-producing region in northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana. On Thursday, officials announced a proposal in Utah that they said would be the first coal exploration project on U.S. Bureau of Land Management property since 2019.Those moves came on the heels of legislation signed last week that lowered royalty payments for companies mining coal on public lands and mandated officials make available for potential mining an area greater in size than Connecticut.Meanwhile, local officials in Utah hope the administration will support plans to build a railroad spur to boost oil drilling. A coalition of eastern Utah counties wants Trump’s Transportation Department to approve $2.4 billion in bonds for the 88-mile (140-kilometer) spur to export oil from the Uinta Basin, a project that may proceed after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.On Friday, the minerals capturing the administration’s attention were not just coal but rare earths a family of 17 metallic elements with unusual properties that make them useful in modern technology, from electric car batteries and wind turbines to military targeting devices.The only operating U.S. rare earths mine is at Mountain Pass in California. Nearly all of the nation’s supply comes from China, the source of nearly 90% of the world’s supply.Rare earths aren’t especially rare but so scattered they are difficult to bring together in useful quantities.Concern about continued access to them has been a focus of recent negotiations between China and the U.S., and led the Trump administration to try to encourage more production domestically.“We would intend to mine it here in Wyoming, process it here in Wyoming and sell it to domestic customers including the government,” Ramaco CEO Randall Atkins said Thursday.Former West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, an independent who left office in January after not seeking reelection, joined the Ramaco board in April.The new Brook Mine, though relatively small, offers a glimmer of optimism for Wyoming’s coal industry as potentially the state’s first new coal mine in 50 years. Massive, open-pit mines east of the Brook Mine supply around 40% of the nation’s coal but Wyoming coal mining has shrunk substantially since its peak over a decade ago, as utilities switch to renewable energy and power plants fueled by cheaper natural gas.“Wyoming is moving to meet growing energy demands here at home and internationallywith the recognition that coalWyoming coalis essential to healthy energy portfolios,” Gordon, a Republican, said in a statement after the Brook Mine event.The Brook Mine has been in the works for over a decade, stalled in part by landowners worried about groundwater depletion. Atkins originally envisioned it as a source of subbituminous power plant fuel like the state’s other coal mines.A public company with metallurgical coal mines in Appalachia, Ramaco in recent years received Department of Energy grants to develop coal into carbon-based products such as carbon fiber. This year, it got a $6.1 million grant from Wyoming to build a rare earth and critical minerals processing plant.A consultant report released this week found that fully developing the mine and processing plant to extract rare earths would cost $533 million, a sum that could be recovered in five years if the elements in the coal prove profitable. Ramaco also would sell the processed coal as fuel, Atkins said.Analysis by U.S. national laboratories show the Brook Mine coal contains valuable quantities of the rare earths neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium, as well as the critical minerals gallium, scandium and germanium, according to a Ramaco letter to shareholders on July 1.Neodymium and dysprosium are used in the permanent magnets of wind turbines, lanthanum in electric and hybrid car batteries. Yttrium and terbium have critical military uses, including in targeting devices.
A previous version of this story said Joe Manchin was a Democrat when he left office in January. He was an independent.
Mead Gruver, Associated Press
Millions of people receive a federal tax deduction for the interest they pay on home loans. Under President Donald Trumps new tax-cut law, many people for the first time also could claim a tax deduction for interest on their vehicle loans.
The new tax break will be available even to people who don’t itemize deductions. But there are some caveats that could limit its reach. The vehicles must be new, not used. They must be assembled in the U.S. And the loans must be issued no sooner than this year, to list just a few qualifications.
Here are some things to know about the new auto loan interest tax deduction:
Candidate Trump promised an auto loan interest tax break
Trump pledged while campaigning last year to make interest on car loans tax-deductible. He said it would make car ownership more affordable and stimulate massive domestic auto production.
The idea made it into the big tax-cut bill passed by Congress, which Trump signed into law July 4.
The law allows taxpayers to deduct up to $10,000 of interest payments annually on loans for new American-made vehicles from 2025 through 2028. It applies to cars, motorcycles, sport utility vehicles, minivans, vans and pickup trucks weighing less than 14,000 pounds, a threshold referred to as light vehicles. But it only applies to vehicles purchased for personal use, not for fleets or commercial purposes.
The tax break can be claimed starting on 2025 income tax returns. But the deduction phases out for individuals with incomes between $100,000 and $150,000 or joint taxpayers with incomes between $200,000 and $250,000. Those earning more cannot claim the tax break.
Millions of buyers could benefit, but millions of others will not
U.S. automobile dealers sold 15.9 million new light vehicles last year, a little over half of which were assembled in the U.S, according to Cox Automotive. It says around 60% of retail sales are financed with loans.
After excluding fleet and commercial vehicles and customers above the income cutoff, an estimated 3.5 million new vehicle loans could be eligible for the tax break this year, if purchasing patterns stay the same, said Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at Cox Automotive.
It’s the assembly plant, not the automaker’s headquarters that matters
The tax break applies to vehicles assembled in the U.S., no matter where the company making them is headquartered. All Tesla vehicles sold in the U.S. are assembled in this country. But so are all Acura brands, the luxury model of Japanese automaker Honda.
Last year, 78% of Ford vehicles sold in the U.S. were assembled in this country, according to Cox Automotive. But customers wanting the tax break will need to pay attention to specific models. While the Ford Mustang is assembled in Michigan, the Mustang Mach-E is built in Mexico.
General Motors assembles all of its Cadillacs in the U.S. But just 44% of its Chevrolets sold last year were assembled in the U.S., and just 14% of Buicks, according to Cox Automotive. That’s a lower U.S-assembled rate than Honda (60%), Toyota (52%) and Nissan (48%), which all are headquartered in Japan.
Taxpayers could save hundreds of dollars a year
The average new vehicle loan is about $44,000 financed over six years. Interest rates vary by customer, so the savings will, too. In general, the tax deduction will decline after the initial year, because interest payments on loans are frontloaded while principal payments grow on the back end.
At a 9.3% interest rate, an average new vehicle buyer could save about $2,200 on taxes over four years, Smoke said. The tax savings would be less on a loan at 6.5%, which is the rate figured into calculations by the American Financial Services Association, a consumer credit industry trade group.
Some people also could see a reduction in state income taxes
Whereas the tax deduction for home loan interest can be claimed only by people itemizing on their tax returns, Congress wrote the deduction for auto loan interest so that it can apply to all taxpayers, including those claiming the standard deduction.
On a tax form, the auto loan deduction will come before the calculation of a taxpayer’s adjusted gross income. That’s an important distinction, because many states use a taxpayer’s federal adjusted gross income as the starting point for figuring their state income taxes. If that income figure is lower, it could reduce the state taxes owed.
The verdict is out on whether the tax break will boost sales
At Bowen Scarff Ford in Kent, Washington, customers started asking about the auto loan tax deduction before Congress had even taken a final vote on the tax-cut bill, said General Manager Paul Ray. So he decided to promote it on the dealer’s website.
A website ribbon exclaims: CAR LOAN TAX DEDUCTION NOW AVAILABLE” while also promoting an electric vehicle tax credit that is ending soon as a result of Trump’s tax-cut law.
I think its going to help incentivize vehicle purchases through this year,” Ray said.
Celia Winslow, president and CEO of the American Financial Services Association, concurred: For some people deciding should I buy it, should I not this could be something that tips the scale.
Others remain skeptical. According to Smoke’s math, the average annual tax savings is smaller than a single month’s loan payment for a new vehicle.
I dont think it moves the needle on somebody on the fence of buying a new vehicle or not,” Smoke said. “But I think it could influence their decision to finance that vehicle instead of paying cash or instead of leasing a vehicle.
David A. Lieb, Associated Press
Starbucks has been in a bit of a slump, facing stagnant growth as it awaits its new CEO Brian Niccols turnaround. His strategy? Nicer stores you want to sit in. Protein-loaded coffee. And now . . . turning every day at Starbucks into a viral drop.
The company is launching a secret menu in its app today, building off the momentum of its not-so-secret menu broadcast channel on Instagram. Secret menus, of course, are irresistible to the fleshy consumer brain. A mystery and treat in one! But in the case of Starbucks, its part of a brilliant promotional strategy by its new chief brand officer Tressie Lieberman.
How will Starbuckss Secret Menu work?
The menu will contain rotating offers for drinks. But instead of being born inside its Seattle headquarters coffee lab, these drinks are created by fans on social media who use Starbuckss customization options to create particularly alluring beverages.
Thats what people do today: create their own Starbucks order, says Lieberman. And so how do we tap into that?
Indeed, customization is a big part of Starbuckss appeal; you can order a drink just as you like it. But its menu has become so sprawling and complicated for baristas to produce that Niccol has actually cut it back by nearly a third to simplify production.
Whats brilliant about the Starbucks Secret Menuwhich is launching with a $25,000 prize to stoke interestis twofold: Instead of creating a TikTok trend, it can simply ride a TikTok trend, since people are already promoting their own custom drinks on the service. But the second component is just as important for a company with tens of thousands of locations worldwide. These glitzy, viral drinks are being made with the ingredients Starbucks already has lying around. In other words, its all turnkey. Starbucks doesnt need to spin up a whole production supply chain to sell the equivalent of a McRib. It can just rearrange its food stuffs to make something novel, a lot like Taco Bell combines its shells and sauces to make something newbut crowdsourced.
This strategy is a far cry from how Starbucks used to look at viral creations: as operational headaches that were at odds with its own business model. Instead, Starbucks can analyze a viral menu item, decide if it needs to be tweaked for scale, and then share it back with its audience in a way that can work.
Some of the best ideas are coming from customers. Customers decide what’s in; customers decide what’s cool, says Lieberman. [With the Secret Menu] We’re really just working to help put media behind [fans] and get more reach around new ideas. It’s a lot about being visible, visible to our audience, and being really strategic about how we approach these different trends as well, says Lieberman.
She points to a recent viral drink called the Gummy Shark, where TikTokers took the Summer Berry Refresher and added cold foam so it would taste like the popular candy, as a recent proof point of this strategy.
That’s a gift from our customers, says Lieberman. Let’s jump on that. Let’s create content around it and celebrate it, instead of moving away from it.
In other words, with its new Secret Menu, Starbucks is building a workflow so that they dont need to come up with their next hit, while ensuring that you can taste the wild thing youre gawking at online easily. (Its new point-of-sale terminals will even be getting a viral drinks tab so that if you walk into a store without your phone, you can order off this menu as well.)
The only question remaining is, can a secret menu stay cool when it’s available to millions of customers? Anyone who’s ordered a speak-easy-inspired Neapolitan shake or animal style fries from In-N-Out knows . . . the answer is a sad and true, “absolutely yes.”
Senate Republicans will test the popularity of Department of Government Efficiency spending cuts this week by aiming to pass President Donald Trump’s request to claw back $9.4 billion in public media and foreign aid spending.Senate Democrats are trying to kill the measure but need a few Republicans uncomfortable with the president’s effort to join them.Trump’s Republican administration is employing a rarely used tool that allows the president to transmit a request to cancel previously approved funding authority. The request triggers a 45-day clock under which the funds are frozen. If Congress fails to act within that period, then the spending stands. That clock expires Friday.The House has already approved Trump’s request on a mostly party line 214-212 vote. The Senate has little time to spare to beat the deadline for the president’s signature. Another House vote will be needed if senators amend the legislation, adding more uncertainty to the outcome.Here’s a closer look at this week’s debate.
Public media on the chopping block
Trump has asked lawmakers to rescind nearly $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which represents the full amount it’s due to receive during the next two budget years.The White House says the public media system is politically biased and an unnecessary expense.The corporation distributes more than two-thirds of the money to more than 1,500 locally operated public television and radio stations, with much of the remainder assigned to National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System to support national programming.The potential fallout from the cuts for local pubic media stations has generated concerns on both sides of the political aisle.Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said he’s worried about how the rescissions will hit radio stations that broadcast to Native Americans in his state. He said the vast majority of their funding comes from the federal government.“They’re not political in nature,” Rounds said of the stations. “It’s the only way of really communicating in the very rural areas of our state, and a lot of other states as well.”Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Ala., said that for the tribal radio stations in her state, “almost to a number, they’re saying that they will go under if public broadcasting funds are no longer available to them.”To justify the spending cuts, the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers have cited certain activities they disagree with to portray a wide range of a program’s funding as wasteful.
In recent testimony, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought criticized programming aimed at fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. He said NPR aired a 2022 program entitled “What ‘Queer Ducks’ can teach teenagers about sexuality in the animal kingdom.” He also cited a special town hall that CNN held in 2020 with “Sesame Street” about combatting racism.
Targeting humanitarian aid
As part of the package, Trump has asked lawmakers to rescind about $8.3 billion in foreign aid programs that aim to fight famine and disease and promote global stability.Among the targets: $900 million to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases and strengthen detections systems to prevent wider epidemics. $800 million for a program that provides emergency shelter, water and sanitation and family reunification for those forced to flee their own country. $4.15 billion for two programs designed to boost the economies and democratic institutions in developing and strategically important countries. $496 million to provide humanitarian assistance such as food, water and health care for countries hit by natural disasters and conflicts.Some of the health cuts are aimed at a program known as PEPFAR, which President George W. Bush, a Republican, began to combat HIV/AIDS in developing countries. The program is credited with saving 26 million lives and has broad bipartisan support.On PEPFAR, Vought told senators “these cuts are surgical and specifically preserve life-saving assistance.” But many lawmakers are wary, saying they’ve seen no details about where specifically the administration will cut.The administration also said some cuts, such as eliminating funding for UNICEF, would encourage international organizations to be more efficient and seek contributions from other nations, “putting American taxpayers first.”U.S. leaders have often argued that aiding other nations through “soft power” is not just the right thing to do but also the smart thing.Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told Vought there is “plenty of absolute nonsense masquerading as American aid that shouldn’t receive another bit of taxpayer funding,” but he called the administration’s attempt to root it out “unnecessarily chaotic.”“In critical corners of the globe, instead of creating efficiencies, you’ve created vacuums for adversaries like China to fill,” McConnell told Vought.
Trump weighs in
The president has issued a warning on his social media site directly aimed at individual Senate Republicans who may be considering voting against the cuts.He said it was important that all Republicans adhere to the bill and in particular defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.“Any Republican that votes to allow this monstrosity to continue broadcasting will not have my support or Endorsement,” he said.For individual Republicans seeking reelection, the prospect of Trump working to defeat them is reason for pause and could be a sign the package is teetering.Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., opted to announce he would not seek reelection recently after the president called for a primary challenger to the senator when he voted not to advance Trump’s massive tax and spending cut bill.
Getting around a filibuster
Spending bills before the 100-member Senate almost always need some bipartisan buy-in to pass. That’s because the bills need 60 votes to overcome a filibuster and advance. But this week’s effort is different.Congress set up a process back when Republican Richard Nixon was president for speedily considering a request to claw back previously approved spending authority. Under those procedures, it takes only a simple Senate majority to advance the president’s request to a final vote.It’s a rarely employed maneuver. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush, a Republican, had some success with his rescissions request, though the final bill included some cuts requested by the president and many that were not. Trump proposed 38 rescissions in 2018, but the package stalled in the Senate.If senators vote to take up the bill, it sets up the potential for 10 hours of debate plus votes on scores of potentially thorny amendments in what is known as a vote-a-rama.Democrats see the president’s request as an effort to erode the Senate filibuster. They warn it’s absurd to expect them to work with GOP lawmakers on bipartisan spending measures if Republicans turn around a few months later and use their majority o cut the parts they don’t like.Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer offered a stern warning in a letter to colleagues: “How Republicans answer this question on rescissions and other forthcoming issues will have grave implications for the Congress, the very role of the legislative branch, and, more importantly, our country,” Schumer said.Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., took note of the warning.“I was disappointed to see the Democrat leader in his recent Dear Colleague letter implicitly threaten to shut down the government,” Thune said.The Trump administration is likening the first rescissions package to a test case and says more could be on the way if Congress goes along.
Kevin Freking, Associated Press
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published two recent mushroom-related recall notices due to potential Listeria illness concerns.
Several mushroom products distributed in New York, Michigan, and Ohio have been recalled after routine testing found the presence of Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that can spread to and from food and can cause serious and fatal infections.
While Listeria infections are rare, pregnant individuals, newborns, adults 65 and above, and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk.
Consumers who have purchased these products should return them for a refund.
Here’s more information on the recalled products:
Multiple mushroom products recalled by Wiet Peeters Farm Products Limited
On July 10, Canadian company Wiet Peeters Farm Products Limited, which is based in Charing Cross, Ontario, issued a recall for the following products due to their potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes:
Aunt Mid’s Fresh Sliced Mushrooms (227g flat blue packaging with UPC 0 33383 676005 and best before date of 25JL04)
Peeters Mushroom Farm Cremini Sliced (flat black plastic packaging with UPC 0 68414 96960 3 and best before date of 25JL04)
Peeters Mushroom Farm Thick Slice Mushrooms (10 lb. cardboard box)
The products were distributed in Ohio and Michigan. Testing done by the Canadian Food Inspection revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in 227g packages of Fresh Sliced Mushrooms. The other mushrooms were manufactured on the same line.
The FDA published the recall information on July 11. If you have purchased any of the above products, you should return them to the retailer for a full refund.
If you have any questions, you can contact Wiet Peeters Farm Products Limited by calling 1-519-351-1945 or 1-800-364-1305.
LLK Trading issues recall for ‘needle nushrooms’
On July 11, LLK Trading Inc., based in Linden, New Jersey, recalled its 200g packages of “needle mushrooms” due to their potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
The mushrooms come in a 200g blue package with a clear plastic top. The products were distributed to Bally Produce Corp in Maspeth, New York, and were sold to DA TANG Supermarket in Middletown, New York.
Routine testing done by the FDA found the presence of Listeria monocytogenes. If you have purchased this product, you should return it to the retailer for a full refund. If you have any questions, you can contact LLK Trading Inc. by calling 908-290-3061.
As of this date, no illnesses have been reported for either of these recalls.
A preliminary finding into last month’s Air India plane crash has suggested the aircraft’s fuel control switches were turned off, starving the engines of fuel and causing a loss of engine thrust shortly after takeoff.The report, issued by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau on Saturday, also found that one pilot was heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel in the flight’s final moment. The other pilot replied he did not do so.The Air India flighta Boeing 787-8 Dreamlinercrashed on June 12 and killed at least 260 people, including 19 on the ground, in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad. Only one passenger survived the crash, which is one of India’s worst aviation disasters.The report based its finding on the data recovered from the plane’s black boxescombined cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders.Here is an explanation of what black boxes are and what they can do:
What are black boxes?
The cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder are tools that help investigators reconstruct the events that lead up to a plane crash.They’re orange in color to make them easier to find in wreckage, sometimes at great ocean depths. They’re usually installed a plane’s tail section, which is considered the most survivable part of the aircraft, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s website.
What does the cockpit voice recorder do?
The cockpit voice recorder collects radio transmissions and sounds such as the pilot’s voices and engine noises, according to the NTSB’s website.Depending on what happened, investigators may pay close attention to the engine noise, stall warnings and other clicks and pops, the NTSB said. And from those sounds, investigators can often determine engine speed and the failure of some systems.Investigators can also listen to conversations between the pilots and crew and communications with air traffic control. Experts make a meticulous transcript of the voice recording, which can take up to a week.
What does the flight data recorder do?
The flight data recorder monitors a plane’s altitude, airspeed and heading, according to the NTSB. Those factors are among at least 88 parameters that newly built planes must monitor.Some can collect the status of more than 1,000 other characteristics, from a wing’s flap position to the smoke alarms. The NTSB said it can generate a computer animated video reconstruction of the flight from the information collected.
What are the origins of the black box?
At least two people have been credited with creating devices that record what happens on an airplane.One is French aviation engineer François Hussenot. In the 1930s, he found a way to record a plane’s speed, altitude and other parameters onto photographic film, according to the website for European plane-maker Airbus.In the 1950s, Australian scientist David Warren came up with the idea for the cockpit voice recorder, according to his 2010 AP obituary.Warren had been investigating the crash of the world’s first commercial jet airliner, the Comet, in 1953, and thought it would be helpful for airline accident investigators to have a recording of voices in the cockpit, the Australian Department of Defence said in a statement after his death.Warren designed and constructed a prototype in 1956. But it took several years before officials understood just how valuable the device could be and began installing them in commercial airlines worldwide.
Why the name “black box”?
Some have suggested that it stems from Hussenot’s device because it used film and “ran continuously in a light-tight box, hence the name ‘black box,'” according to Airbus, which noted that orange was the box’s chosen color from the beginning to make it easy to find.Other theories include the boxes turning black when they get charred in a crash, the Smithsonian Magazine wrote in 2019.The media continues to use the term, the magazine wrote, “because of the sense of mystery it conveys in the aftermath of an air disaster.”
Associated Press
