The Actual News

Key Facts

• The health of U.S. children has declined significantly since 2007.
• Chronic conditions in children have increased by 15-20% from 2011 to 2023.
• Rates of depression, anxiety, autism, and obesity in children have risen.
• Sleep problems, reduced physical activity, and loneliness have also increased.
• U.S. child mortality rates have risen, with gun violence as a major factor for older kids.
• Firearm mortality overtook motor vehicle crashes as the top cause of death for U.S. youth in 2020.
• Lack of universal health care in the U.S. is linked to poorer health outcomes for children.
• Recent Medicaid cuts may further limit health care access for low-income children.

Key Facts

• The Department of Health and Human Services is investigating the University of Michigan Health system.
• A former employee, Valerie Kloosterman, claims she was fired for seeking a religious exemption from gender-affirming care.
• This case is part of a broader series of investigations by HHS into religious protections for health workers.
• The Church Amendments are federal laws that protect healthcare workers' rights to refuse certain medical procedures based on conscience or religious beliefs.
• The investigation includes other cases involving ultrasound technicians and a nurse who had religious objections to certain types of care.
• HHS launched these investigations after similar efforts by the Trump administration were halted by federal courts.
• Valerie Kloosterman worked as a physician assistant at the University of Michigan Health-West.
• The HHS spokesperson declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.

Key Facts

• Millions of old gas and oil wells exist in the U.S.
• Old wells can leak harmful chemicals like benzene and arsenic.
• Leaking wells can contaminate water and harm human health.
• Natural gas leaks contribute to global warming due to methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
• Properly plugging old wells is difficult and expensive.
• Wells that are not plugged correctly can start to leak again over time.
• Maria Burns' well in Ohio was initially plugged in the 1950s but was leaking and required re-plugging.
• The project to plug Burns' well was funded by Ohio's Orphan Well Program.

Key Facts

• Small, family-run stores in Kansas City are experiencing lower sales.
• These stores mainly serve recent immigrants.
• The drop in sales started after stricter immigration policies were introduced.
• Store owners report that customers are holding back on spending because they are worried.
• The changes began during Trump’s presidency.

Key Facts

• The Trump administration deported Venezuelan migrants to a Salvadoran prison called the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).
• El Salvador acknowledged to U.N. investigators that the U.S. controls the situation of these deported migrants.
• The U.S. government claimed it could not return the migrants due to a lack of legal authority now that they are outside the country.
• This deportation process was challenged by more than 100 migrants in court.
• The U.N. report supports claims by lawyers that the U.S. retains control over the Venezuelans.
• The Trump administration agreed to pay El Salvador $6 million to house the migrants.
• Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a migrant mistakenly deported to the same prison, has been returned to the U.S. and faces charges.
• A coalition of immigrant rights groups sued to cancel the deal with El Salvador, claiming it violates the U.S. Constitution.

Key Facts

• President Trump threatened a 10% additional tariff on countries aligning with BRICS.
• BRICS is an economic group including Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and others.
• The BRICS group criticized trade tariffs and military actions in Iran.
• The US and Israel conducted military strikes on Iran, claiming to prevent nuclear weapon development.
• BRICS leaders argued against unilateral tariffs, saying they harm global trade.
• President Trump aims to use tariffs to negotiate better trade deals, part of his "America First" agenda.
• BRICS held their 17th summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• Leaders like South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticized Trump's tariff threats.

Key Facts

• Flash floods hit central Texas on Friday, causing over 100 deaths.
• Search and rescue teams continue to look for missing people.
• Camp Mystic, a girls' summer camp, lost at least 27 people.
• Kerr County had the most casualties, with 84 confirmed dead.
• Critics argue government budget cuts possibly affected disaster response.
• The National Weather Service issued warnings before and during the flood.
• The White House states the floods were "an act of God" and not due to administration actions.
• Texas Senator Ted Cruz urged people not to engage in political blame during the crisis period.

Key Facts

• The UK government plans to stop the use of NDAs to silence victims of workplace misconduct and discrimination.
• The change is an amendment to the Employment Rights Bill, expected to become law later this year.
• An NDA is a legal document meant to keep certain information private.
• This amendment follows high-profile cases like Zelda Perkins breaking her NDA against Harvey Weinstein.
• The change will bring the UK laws closer to those in Ireland, the United States, and parts of Canada.
• Employment rights minister Justin Madders stated that NDAs were misused to hide inappropriate workplace behavior.
• The amendments will be discussed in the House of Lords on 14 July and require approval by MPs.

Key Facts

• Democrats claimed federal staffing cuts might have hindered accurate weather forecasting for Texas floods.
• The Trump administration proposed a future budget cut to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) but staffing cuts had already occurred.
• Voluntary redundancies and early retirements led to 600 staff reductions at the NWS.
• As of April 2025, many NWS offices had a 20% vacancy rate, higher than ten years ago.
• Experts said the forecasts and warnings for the Texas floods were as good as expected under the circumstances.
• Local NWS offices in Texas reportedly had staff vacancies, which some experts believe may have impacted coordination with emergency services.
• The San Antonio NWS office listed several open positions, including meteorologists, on its website.

Key Facts

• Donald Trump used his social media platform to support Jair Bolsonaro amid criminal charges against him.
• Bolsonaro is alleged to have plotted a coup after losing Brazil's 2022 election.
• Trump's comments suggested both he and Bolsonaro face politically motivated legal challenges.
• Trump has been accused of trying to overturn the 2020 U.S. election results.
• Bolsonaro's charges involve claims of spreading falsehoods about Brazil’s voting machines and resisting election outcomes.
• Trump's supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol in 2021 to interrupt the election certification.
• Bolsonaro has been barred from running for office in Brazil until 2030.
• Both leaders have denied the accusations against them.

Key Facts

• Severe flooding hit a Texas neighborhood.
• Ilda Mendoza, who is pregnant, helps lead the search and recovery efforts.
• Volunteers discovered the bodies of José Olvera and two children.
• They are still searching for Alicia Olvera, the missing mother of the children.
• The flooding has resulted in an increasing death toll.
• Volunteers are navigating through debris in their search efforts.

Key Facts

Key Facts

• Flash floods hit central Texas, causing significant damage.
• At least 95 people have died due to the floods.
• Among the victims are 28 children.
• Dozens of people are still missing.
• At least 10 missing people are girls.

Key Facts

• The US has reported nearly 1,300 measles cases, the most in 33 years.
• Measles cases have been found in 38 states and Washington, D.C.
• At least three people have died, and 155 were hospitalized due to measles.
• 92% of cases are in people who were not vaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.
• Texas has the highest number of cases, with over 700 reported.
• Vaccination rates are increasing as a response to the outbreak.
• The MMR vaccine is 97% effective and protects against measles, mumps, and rubella.
• Other countries, like the UK and Canada, are also seeing measles outbreaks.

Key Facts

• Federal officers and about 90 California National Guard members were deployed to MacArthur Park.
• The operation included over a dozen military vehicles.
• The park is in a neighborhood with many immigrants and businesses with signs in multiple languages.
• Mayor Karen Bass criticized the deployment, calling it a "political stunt."
• An 8-year-old boy expressed fear of immigration officers, known as ICE.
• Health care workers were told to leave the park by armed troops.
• The deployment follows President Trump's increased focus on deporting immigrants illegally in the U.S.
• California Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Bass criticized the operation as unnecessary and damaging.

Key Facts

• Kerr County, Texas, suffered the worst flooding from heavy rains.
• The flooding led to the highest death toll in the region.
• NPR journalist Juana Summers provided a report from Kerr County.
• The report was featured on NPR's "All Things Considered."
• The flooding in Kerr County was covered on July 7, 2025.

Key Facts

• The tax law was introduced by President Trump.
• It includes work requirements for Medicaid and food stamp recipients.
• Medicaid is a program that helps people with low incomes get medical care.
• SNAP, or food stamps, helps people buy groceries.
• The Congressional Budget Office, a group that studies economic issues, estimates that 11.8 million people might lose Medicaid in the next ten years.
• More than 3 million people could lose their SNAP benefits.
• Laura Barrón-López discussed these changes with Pamela Herd.

Key Facts

• Three journalists wrote a book about the 2024 presidential election.
• The book explains how Donald Trump returned to the presidency.
• It includes information from hundreds of interviews with people involved in the election.
• The book looks at the difficulties faced by the Democratic Party during the election.
• The title of the book is “2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America.”

Key Facts

• The flooding in Texas occurred over the July Fourth weekend.
• More than 100 people have died because of the flooding.
• Kerr County, Texas, is one of the worst-hit areas.
• Search teams have found 84 bodies in Kerr County.
• Among the bodies found in Kerr County, 28 are children.
• The search for missing people in the area is ongoing.

Key Facts

• Many countries, including the U.S., are seeing a decline in birth rates.
• As fewer babies are born, populations are getting older.
• This demographic shift can lead to smaller national populations over time.
• The change in population dynamics is influencing political landscapes.
• Populism, a political approach that seeks to represent the common people, is becoming more popular globally due to these changes.