The Actual News

Key Facts:

• Senate Republicans aim to pass Trump's policy bill by July 4, which includes tax cuts and increased border and defense spending.
• There are disagreements among senators on how to fund the policy bill, particularly concerning Medicaid and clean energy tax credits.
• NATO leaders agreed to boost their defense budgets to 5% of GDP at a summit in The Hague, Netherlands.
• President Trump described NATO positively, contrary to his past criticisms, and called the defense spending increase a victory.
• Discussions at the NATO summit also included U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites.
• Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to a Salvadoran prison, will be released pending his trial on human smuggling charges.
• The government initially claimed it couldn't return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. but later did.
• There are concerns that U.S. immigration officials might deport Abrego Garcia before his trial, prompting the judge to involve the DOJ and Homeland Security.

Key Facts:

• Republicans want to reduce government spending by changing Medicaid, a program that provides health insurance to over 75 million Americans.
• Medicaid supports low-income families, seniors, and disabled people, and is popular among many voters.
• The proposed bill includes work requirements for able-bodied adults to qualify for Medicaid, needing proof of work every six months.
• Some believe work requirements help people find jobs and reduce misuse of government funds.
• Critics argue that most people using Medicaid already work or cannot work due to valid reasons like disability or age.
• Introducing work requirements may lead to cost savings because complicated paperwork can result in eligible people losing benefits.
• This paperwork challenge is sometimes called the "paperwork trap" or "administrative burden," making it hard for those eligible to keep getting benefits.

Key Facts:

• "Hidden Once, Hidden Twice" focuses on the lives of older lesbian partnerships across the U.S.
• The project started in 2022 to address the lack of visibility for aging lesbian women.
• It explores the impact of not having older queer role models during younger years.
• The project includes women from diverse backgrounds and regions, including rural and conservative areas.
• Participants have been involved in various professions, from politics to the arts.
• The documentary examines their fights for rights before and after the legalization of same-sex marriage.
• It reflects on the personal and social changes following the AIDS crisis.
• Photographer Morgan Lieberman views the project as a tribute to the women's bravery and authenticity.

Key Facts:

• President Trump wants to eliminate FEMA, suggesting states should manage disaster response and preparation.
• A group called the FEMA Review Council, including government and emergency experts, will propose changes to FEMA.
• The council’s recommendations are expected by November 2025, with possible changes occurring between the 2025 and 2026 hurricane seasons.
• FEMA helps states prepare for disasters, provides emergency support, and funds disaster repairs.
• The cost of weather-related disasters has risen sharply in the U.S., partly due to climate change.
• Congress supervises FEMA but only it can completely eliminate the agency.
• A related bill in Congress aims to reform FEMA by simplifying aid applications and boosting state preparations.
• The Trump administration criticizes FEMA for past failures, despite previous efforts to improve its effectiveness.

Key Facts:

• The Obergefell v. Hodges ruling was issued on June 26, 2015.
• This Supreme Court decision legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states.
• Before the ruling, 37 states and Washington, D.C. allowed gay marriage; the rest had bans.
• The decision was based on the 14th Amendment, which requires equal protection under the law.
• Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion for the 5-4 ruling.
• The ruling addressed a patchy legal landscape where only some states recognized same-sex marriages.
• As a result, same-sex marriages quickly took place across the country.
• In the decade following the ruling, the number of married same-sex couples in the U.S. more than doubled.

Key Facts:

• Kari Lake is President Trump's special adviser for the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
• She testified before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs about the operations of Voice of America (VOA).
• Lake claimed that foreign influences, such as the Chinese Communist Party, impact VOA's news coverage.
• Critics, including Michael Abramowitz, dismissed her claims as unfounded and stated that VOA critically reports on Chinese government activities.
• Lake's efforts included putting most VOA employees on leave and attempting to terminate a majority of permanent staff.
• She tried to stop Congress-approved funding to other U.S.-backed networks like Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia but had to comply after court rulings.
• Foreign journalists working for VOA face security risks, with some currently detained by authoritarian regimes.
• There is a debate over whether to hire more American journalists instead of relying on foreign workers for U.S.-funded media.

Key Facts:

• Liam Powell, a student at Duke Kunshan University, received news that his State Department internship was canceled.
• The cancellation followed a hiring freeze across the U.S. federal workforce, ordered by President Trump.
• The hiring freeze was part of efforts to cut perceived government waste and inefficiency.
• The changes have created uncertainty for college students entering the job market.
• Powell previously interned with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which saw funding cuts.
• Thousands of USAID employees were laid off due to these funding reductions.
• Powell and his peers had to reconsider their career paths in light of these changes.
• Powell faced difficulties accessing data for his thesis due to changes in agency documentation.

Key Facts:

• Nursing homes depend on immigrant workers, making up 28% of the direct care workforce.
• The Trump administration lifted protections against immigration raids at health care facilities, affecting worker availability.
• Proposed federal Medicaid cuts could reduce funding for nursing homes, which rely on Medicaid to pay for care for 60% of residents.
• Nursing homes are already struggling with staff shortages after COVID-19, where over 200,000 long-term care residents and staff died.
• Quality of care issues in nursing homes have increased, with more facilities cited for endangering residents.
• Congress may oppose a rule that requires minimum staffing levels in nursing homes, further affecting care standards.

Key Facts:

• The funding amount is £9,324,930.29.
• This is the seventh round of the Household Support Fund.
• The fund is set to be used by March 31, 2026.
• Nearly half, £4.1 million, will be spent on food vouchers during school holidays.
• £1.7 million is allocated for food banks and similar services.
• £750,000 is designated for the Surrey Crisis Fund for emergencies.
• The council will also introduce a new scheme to distribute additional funds.
• Funding has been reduced by 12% compared to earlier allocations to improve spending efficiency.

Key Facts:

• President Trump attended a NATO summit in the Netherlands.
• Kilmar Abrego Garcia was wrongly deported to El Salvador.
• The case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia is currently in the news.
• Senate Republicans are working quickly to pass a key policy bill from President Trump.
• The meeting and policy discussions are part of ongoing political developments.

Key Facts:

• An assemblyman, who was not well known, is now likely to become the Democratic nominee for mayor in New York City.
• The assemblyman's rise in the political race was unexpected.
• NPR's A Martinez interviewed Bob Hardt, a political director at NY1 news, for insights.
• The discussion explores the steps and events leading to the assemblyman's prominent position.
• The radio segment aired on NPR, a national media organization.

Key Facts:

• Closing arguments in Sean Combs' trial are scheduled for June 26, 2025.
• The prosecution presented witnesses for six weeks.
• Sean Combs has a defense team.
• The defense team presented their case in only 30 minutes.
• The trial has progressed to its final stage.

Key Facts:

Key Facts:

• Jose Adolfo Macias, known as "Fito," led the Los Choneros gang and was arrested after 18 months on the run.
• He escaped from Guayaquil prison in January 2024, where he was serving a 34-year sentence for drug-related crimes and murder.
• After his recapture, Macias will be sent to the United States, where he faces charges for drug trafficking and firearms smuggling.
• President Daniel Noboa used social media to announce Macias’s capture and had earlier offered a $1 million reward for help in finding him.
• Following the escape, Ecuador experienced riots, bombings, and violence, leading to a 60-day state of emergency.
• President Noboa labeled 22 gangs, including Los Choneros, as terrorist groups.
• The US Department of the Treasury sanctioned Macias and Los Choneros in February 2024 for their involvement in drug trafficking and violence.
• Ecuador, once peaceful, is now a target for gangs due to its location near major cocaine-producing countries, leading to increased violence.

Key Facts:

• Richard Gerald Jordan was executed on Wednesday by lethal injection.
• He was sentenced to death in 1976 for kidnapping and murdering Edwina Marter.
• Jordan was a 79-year-old Vietnam veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder.
• The U.S. Supreme Court denied Jordan's final appeals without comment.
• His execution began at 6 p.m., and the time of death was recorded at 6:16 p.m.
• Jordan had sued the state, arguing the execution method was inhumane.
• This execution was Mississippi's third in the last 10 years.
• Jordan was among 22 people sentenced in the 1970s who were still on death row.

Key Facts:

• The Supreme Court is releasing its final decisions for the term this month.
• Since January, the court has handled many emergency applications from the Trump administration.
• These requests ask the court to make fast decisions on important matters.
• The term "shadow docket" refers to this quick decision-making process.
• The shadow docket is increasingly affecting people's everyday lives.
• The information is shared in a podcast episode featuring Steve Vladeck, a law professor.
• The episode was originally published in 2023 and has now been updated.

Key Facts:

• The lawsuit targets 15 federal judges in Maryland.
• The disputed order prevents the U.S. from deporting migrants until a certain time after they file requests to review their detention.
• The Trump administration believes this order goes against a Supreme Court ruling and limits the president's authority.
• Attorney General Pamela Bondi says judges are stopping the president's agenda with too many legal blocks.
• Chief Judge George L. Russell III issued the order in May to protect migrants' rights to legal processes.
• A federal judge, Paula Xinis, and others were named in the lawsuit for their rulings on deportations.
• Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts previously stated impeachment is not appropriate for judicial disagreements.

Key Facts:

• President Trump supports a budget bill that may cut funding for SNAP.
• SNAP helps low-income people buy food, including families, the elderly, and disabled individuals.
• About 16% of people in West Virginia rely on SNAP benefits.
• The proposed bill aims to reduce spending, affecting SNAP and similar programs.
• Republicans control both houses of Congress, making it easier to pass the bill.
• Some Republicans are concerned that cutting SNAP could harm their chances in future elections.

Key Facts:

• Kilmar Abrego Garcia is being held in Nashville, Tennessee, on charges of human smuggling.
• He was previously deported by mistake under the Trump administration but now risks a second deportation.
• U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw allowed his release, but concerns about deportation have delayed it.
• Lawyers are worried that deportation will prevent Abrego from defending himself and affect the government's case.
• Abrego Garcia fled El Salvador to escape gang violence and has lived in Maryland with his family for over a decade.
• In 2019, a judge ordered that he could not be removed from the U.S., but he was deported during an immigration raid in 2020.
• The government admitted his removal was due to an "administrative error."
• The Trump administration labeled certain Latin American gangs as terrorist organizations.

Key Facts:

• The detention center is being built on the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in the Everglades, about 43 miles from Miami.
• The project started following an executive order by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to address undocumented immigration.
• The new facility will have space for around 1,000 detainees and is expected to open in July or August.
• The area is known for wildlife like alligators and pythons, which contributes to its nickname "Alligator Alcatraz."
• Human rights and environmental groups worry about overcrowding and impact on the environment and detainees' conditions.
• As of now, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is holding 59,000 detainees, which is 140% above its capacity.
• The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has criticized the detention centers for issues like medical neglect and lack of legal access.