News From Around the Web
#1 House Republicans Narrowly Pass $1.15t Defense Spending Bill - Darryl Coote for UPI, AIPAC, Carolyn Rockey, Joe Rumolo, HSdriven/Eric Moutsos, Sun Stone, and StonewallTitlow on X
House Republicans narrowly passed a massive $1.15 trillion defense authorization bill Wednesday, despite strong Democratic opposition to the inclusion of President Donald Trump's election legislation and provisions deepening U.S.-Israel military cooperation. The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2027 passed 216-212 mostly along party lines, with six Democrats joining their Republican colleagues in voting for final passage. Seven Republicans voted with Democrats against it...
#2 Johnson Scores Major Win as House GOP Advances Trump’s Top Election Priority - Elizabeth Elkind for Fox News, Democracy Docket, Eric Daugherty, and Mario Nawfal on X
Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to bypass Democratic opposition on a key election integrity bill took a major step forward in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. It’s a major victory for Johnson, R-La., who had to overcome a wall of left-wing opposition and threats of a rebellion within his own GOP ranks. House Republicans are working to move the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act as part of a larger $95 billion budget bill that, if successful, would completely sideline Democrats to implement election reforms sought by President Donald Trump...
#3 House Takes First Step to Ban Lawmakers From Trading Stocks - Cami Mondeaux for Deseret News, Breaking911, Nick Sortor, Thomas Massie, Rep. Mark Pocan, and Action News on 6abc on X
The House took its first step toward banning lawmakers from trading stocks while in office, the latest effort by Congress to crack down on insider trading inside the political realm. Lawmakers voted 232-198, mostly along party lines, to approve the Stop Insider Trading Act, which seeks to prohibit members of Congress and their family members from purchasing publicly traded stocks. The legislation comes amid growing concerns that politically connected individuals are using nonpublic information to benefit financially on prediction markets. Only 13 Democrats joined Republicans to approve the measure. All four members of Utah’s delegation voted in favor...
#4 Playground for Predators. Profit for Platforms. Who’s Really Grooming Our Kids? - Tracy Beanz and Michelle Edwards for The HighWire, UncoverDC
In 2019, the online platform and game creation system Roblox told the U.S. government about 675 suspected cases of child sexual exploitation on its platform. Four years later, that number had grown to more than thirteen thousand. In 2025, that number had grown to over 65,000. Nobody had to go undercover and coax those figures out of a whistleblower. No indeed. Instead, the company reported them itself, year after year, while also telling parents that Roblox was a safe place for them to leave their kids...#5 Massive Disconnect of Power Roils Largest US Electric Grid - Tim McLaughlin for Reuters/MSN, Reuters Energy and Commodities, Col Alois Hammer, End Time Headlines,
A massive amount of data center power abruptly disconnected from the largest U.S. electric grid on Wednesday, causing a voltage disturbance that could be felt from Washington, D.C., to Chicago, according to experts and data from grid operator PJM. The epicenter of the event was in northern Virginia, home to the largest collection of data centers in the world. When an area transmission line went out of service Wednesday morning, the data centers' own control systems unplugged from the electric grid and transferred to backup power, Dominion Energy, the electric utility for the region, said in a statement...#6 Secret Service Agent on Vance’s Detail Suspected of Leaking Information Is Put On Leave Amid Internal Review - Josh Campbell and Kristen Holmes for CNN, Brett C Collins, The Irish Sun, John The Main Guy, and The Blast on X
A Secret Service agent on Vice President JD Vance’s security detail is under internal review and has been put on administrative leave after being suspected of leaking information for a news story that included details about Vance’s travel, a source familiar with the matter said. A second source confirmed officials had identified a person believed to have been leaking information about Vance. The review is being conducted by the agency’s internal affairs component, the first source said, and it’s unclear if any possible administrative punishment or criminal charges could be forthcoming...
#7 Twins, Vaccines, and a Mother’s Arrest - Tracy Beanz and Michelle Edwards for The HighWire, UncoverDC, Robin Miller, "Sudden And Unexpected", CO2=LIFE, White Lives Matter, and Rod Mickleburgh on X
Andrea Shaw gave birth to her third child on June 25, 2026. Four days later, a Payette County, Idaho, grand jury indicted her for previously murdering her twin toddlers, and the following day, the new mother was arrested in Boise. Her newborn, three weeks premature, went home with her husband. She did not. Andrea instead went to jail. That series of events is not what is currently making headlines, but it tells us something about this heartbreaking story. Shaw’s beloved twins died on May 1, 2025. Yet it took the state fourteen months to bring charges, and the moment it chose to do so was the week she delivered another child...#8 U.S. Signs Nuclear Power Agreement With Saudi Arabia - Spencer Kimball and Pippa Stevens for CNBC, Breaking 4 News, AFBytes, American Patriot, Coin Bureau, and BlueWaveGroup, LLC (Greg Magnuson) on X
The U.S. signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to develop a civilian nuclear program in the kingdom. The agreement will lay the legal foundation for a decades-long, multibillion-dollar partnership, the Department of Energy said. It will provide U.S. companies with access to Saudi Arabia’s nuclear energy program, boosting exports of American technology in the sector, the department said. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman also signed a bilateral agreement on nuclear safeguards...
#9 Oil Prices Surge Toward Triple Digits After Red Sea Attacks - Steve Kopack for NBC News, SimpleFX, OnlyOptionsTrades, Victoria Delaney, Ph.D., Gulf News, and Israel Army on X
Oil prices rose Thursday to their highest level since early June after the latest Iran war escalation threatened severe new disruption to global supplies. Brent crude oil, one of two key global benchmarks, rose more than 5% to nearly $99 per barrel in early Thursday trading. That is its highest level in seven weeks, since June 3. U.S. crude oil also jumped for a second straight day, rising more than 4% to almost $91 per barrel, its highest since June 11.The new surge in prices comes after the Tehran-backed Houthi rebels claimed attacks on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, following their announcement of a naval blockade on the kingdom...
#10 Zuckerberg Says AI Should Empower People, Not Replace Them, in New Meta Vision - Michael Sinkewicz for FOXBusiness, Mario Presidente/FOX News, Axios, adolf nigler, and Neeraj K. Agrawal on X
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the company's latest vision for artificial intelligence Wednesday, arguing the technology should empower people rather than replace them. The social media giant released a new video outlining its approach to AI, contrasting it with what it described as a growing "fear" or "dystopian" narrative surrounding the rapidly evolving technology. The announcement comes as major technology companies race to shape the future of artificial intelligence, with Meta positioning itself as a company that believes AI should benefit everyone. "Meta has always believed in giving people the power to share, connect, and shape your world in the ways you want," Zuckerberg said...And Now for Something Special 
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