The Actual News

Key Facts

• Hulk Hogan, real name Terry Bollea, was a famous wrestler in the 1980s and 90s.
• In 2018, Hogan was reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame.
• A small plane crashed in a Florida neighborhood, with all four people on board having minor injuries.
• New flash flood warnings appear in Central Texas, delaying some rescue operations.
• Severe weather led to a rare shelf cloud over Maryland and flooding across the Northeast US.
• A car crash caused an explosion at a Domino's restaurant in Utah.
• Major flooding incidents in Texas resulted in deaths and ongoing search and rescue efforts.

Key Facts

• Chuck Mangione was a jazz musician who played the flugelhorn, an instrument similar to a trumpet but larger and with a softer sound.
• He was born on November 29, 1940, in Rochester, N.Y., and began his music career in his youth after being inspired by a film.
• Mangione won two Grammy Awards and an Emmy Award during his career.
• His song "Feels So Good" became very popular, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978.
• He worked with famous jazz artists like Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie early in his career.
• Mangione contributed music for the Olympics in 1976 and 1980 and was involved in music education at the Eastman School of Music.
• He voiced a character based on himself on the animated TV show "King of the Hill."
• His signature brown felt hat is part of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History collection.

Key Facts

• Paramount and Skydance are merging in an $8 billion deal.
• The Federal Communications Commission approved the merger.
• Paramount settled a legal issue with President Trump by paying $16 million.
• Critics see the settlement as a possible attempt to influence Trump.
• CBS canceled Stephen Colbert's "Late Show" shortly after the settlement.
• The FCC Chairman commented that the merger could improve CBS's balance.

Key Facts

• The Epstein files include evidence from investigations into Epstein and his associates, such as Ghislaine Maxwell.
• Attorney General Pam Bondi released over 100 pages of Epstein-related documents in February, but not all records have been disclosed.
• A federal court unsealed more than 1,000 pages of Epstein documents in January 2024.
• There is no evidence of a "client list," according to the Department of Justice and FBI.
• Former President Trump knew Epstein and has been photographed with him, but is not implicated in illegal activities.
• Reports saying Trump's name appears in new Epstein documents were labeled false by the Department of Justice.
• The DOJ announced there is no evidence Epstein was murdered or that he kept a list of clients for blackmail.

Key Facts

• President Trump visited the Federal Reserve.
• He made public remarks and personal comments about Jerome Powell, the head of the Fed.
• Trump's approach is different from that of previous presidents.
• There are concerns about the Federal Reserve's independence.
• The discussion included insights from Julia Coronado of Macro Policy Perspectives.

Key Facts

• Columbia University and the Trump administration have agreed on a deal.
• The deal will restore federal funding and research grants to Columbia.
• Columbia University will pay $200 million to the federal government.
• Amna Nawaz spoke with Michael Roth, president of Wesleyan University, about the agreement.
• The conversation covered what this deal means for higher education.

Key Facts

• The FCC approved the sale of Paramount Global to Skydance Media.
• The deal is valued at $8 billion.
• The transaction includes the cancellation of the CBS Late Show with Stephen Colbert, cited as a financial decision.
• Paramount paid $16 million to resolve a lawsuit Trump filed against CBS and 60 Minutes.
• Skydance Media has promised to eliminate all U.S.-based DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs at Paramount.
• Skydance plans to create an ombudsman to address complaints about bias in news coverage.
• The company has agreed to broadcast $20 million worth of announcements that align with President Trump’s beliefs.
• David Ellison, head of Skydance, met with FCC officials to discuss commitments to unbiased journalism and diverse viewpoints.

Key Facts

• The Jeffrey Epstein scandal is connected to President Trump.
• The situation is escalating and gaining more public attention.
• Republicans are showing more defiance regarding this issue.
• The Trump administration is trying to distract people from the scandal.
• Geoff Bennett discussed the issue with Carrie Johnson from NPR.

Key Facts

• The House of Representatives is going on break in August.
• Speaker Johnson ended House business early.
• This decision is linked to political issues about Jeffrey Epstein.
• House Democrats want to vote on releasing documents from the Epstein investigation.
• Representative Mike Haridopolos of Florida discussed the political situation and Republican priorities with Amna Nawaz.

Key Facts

• The Trump administration is changing student debt policies.
• Loan collections from past borrowers have resumed.
• These changes might impact weekly paychecks for some borrowers.
• Credit ratings could be affected by the debt collection.
• Two million overdue borrowers might face these penalties soon.

Key Facts

• Hulk Hogan was born Terry Gene Bollea.
• He gained the nickname "Hulk" after a TV appearance and later became known as Hulk Hogan.
• Hogan played a crucial role in wrestling's rise as a popular TV show in the 1980s.
• He starred in movies, including Rocky III, and had a reality TV show called Hogan Knows Best.
• Hogan won six WWF/WWE championships and headlined WrestleMania eight times.
• He was inducted twice into the WWE Hall of Fame.
• In 2015, Hogan was suspended by WWE after a leaked video showed him using a racial slur.
• Hogan supported Donald Trump and made appearances at political events endorsing him.

Key Facts

• Hulk Hogan's real name was Terry Gene Bollea.
• He gained the nickname "Hulk" after appearing taller than the actor who played The Incredible Hulk.
• Hogan became famous in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and helped make wrestling popular on TV.
• He acted in movies like Rocky III and had his own reality TV show, Hogan Knows Best.
• Hogan won six WWF/WWE championships and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice.
• In 2015, he was suspended by WWE for using a racial slur but was reinstated three years later.
• Hogan won a high-profile lawsuit against Gawker, which published a video of him without his permission.
• He openly supported Donald Trump and endorsed him at various events.

Key Facts

• President Trump signed a bill on Thursday to cancel $9 billion in spending.
• The cuts affect money that was meant for public broadcasting and foreign aid.
• Foreign assistance programs are the primary target of these cuts.
• About $1.1 billion in funding was intended for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supports NPR and PBS.
• The White House described the bill as a test for Congress, suggesting more cuts may follow.
• Some Republicans felt uneasy about the cuts but chose to support them.
• All Democrats opposed the cuts but did not have enough votes to block the bill.

Key Facts

• The Supreme Court kept a rule in place, letting voters sue to protect their rights under the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
• Section 2 of this Act makes it illegal to discriminate against voters based on race.
• The current case involves North Dakota's voting map, challenged by Native American tribes for reducing their voting power.
• A federal court agreed with the tribes, mandating a new voting map that increased Native American representation.
• North Dakota officials appealed, questioning if individuals can sue under the Voting Rights Act.
• The Eighth Circuit supported North Dakota's appeal, but this view is uncommon nationwide.
• The Supreme Court's temporary decision means individuals can still bring challenges for now.
• Justices Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch disagreed with the Supreme Court's intervention.

Key Facts

• Social Security benefits could drop by 24% by late 2032.
• A retired couple might lose $18,000 annually in benefits if cuts happen.
• Medicare hospital payments might be reduced by 11%, leading to less healthcare access.
• The trust fund funded Social Security from surplus taxes but started spending reserves in 2021.
• Once reserves run out, benefits will depend solely on incoming tax revenue.
• Changes like tax cuts could speed up when the reserves are used up.
• The last time the Social Security fund faced trouble, Congress intervened at the last moment.

Key Facts

• President Trump has made many changes to education policies.
• Trump initially talked about closing the Department of Education.
• Despite this, the administration still uses the Department’s authority.
• The Trump administration has withheld billions of dollars meant for K-12 schools.
• These actions have significantly changed the federal government’s role in education.

Key Facts

• The ruling was made by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
• The court said the order conflicts with the Fourteenth Amendment, which grants citizenship to all born in the U.S.
• The decision keeps a hold on enforcing the policy nationwide.
• The Supreme Court recently limited lower courts' powers to block federal policies.
• Democratic attorneys general from several states filed the case against the Trump administration.
• Federal agencies involved include the State Department, Justice Department, and Department of Homeland Security.
• The court's decision is likely the first appeals court ruling on this issue.
• The White House plans to appeal the ruling.

Key Facts

• The DOJ will interview Ghislaine Maxwell in Florida.
• Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for sex trafficking minors with Jeffrey Epstein.
• Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting his trial.
• Trump's former lawyer, Todd Blanche, is set to interview Maxwell.
• The House Oversight Committee has also subpoenaed Maxwell to appear before Congress.
• There is public interest and controversy over Epstein's case, including conspiracy theories.
• A DOJ memo recently found no new evidence in Epstein's case, which upset some groups.
• Some lawmakers are demanding the release of Epstein-related files.

Key Facts

• President Trump visited the Federal Reserve to check on its renovation project.
• During the visit, Trump and Fed Chair Jerome Powell disagreed on the final renovation costs.
• Trump claimed the costs had risen to $3.1 billion; Powell denied this, noting a possible mix-up with a separate project completed years ago.
• The renovation costs increased from $1.9 billion to $2.5 billion over recent years.
• This was the first presidential visit to the Federal Reserve since 2006.
• The Federal Reserve typically operates independently from presidential influence, especially regarding interest rates.
• Trump expressed a desire for the Fed to lower interest rates, despite its decision to keep them steady.
• The Federal Reserve's stability is important for maintaining global investor confidence.

Key Facts