Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🏛️ Trump’s filibuster fight
• 🏬 Amazon topples Walmart
• 😬 How to handle awkward moments

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.74-minute read (996 words).

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“Originality is the fine art of remembering what you hear but forgetting where you heard it.”

–Laurence J. Peter (1919-1990)

President Trump this week intensified his push for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to eliminate the filibuster so Republicans can pass his voting bill, known as the SAVE America Act, before the midterm elections.

Let’s back up: The filibuster dates back to the Senate's earliest days, when lawmakers could delay or block legislation by debating for as long as they could (known as “filibustering”). In 1917, the Senate adopted a rule allowing lawmakers to end filibusters with a two-thirds vote, which was later reduced to 60.

• Most filibusters today are "silent" filibusters, meaning senators aren’t required to hold marathon speeches on the Senate floor.
• Instead, lawmakers can signal they'll prolong debate, meaning most legislation needs 60 votes to invoke cloture and move to a final vote.
• Most legislation can't advance in the Senate without a filibuster-proof majority of 60 votes, though specific exceptions include budget reconciliation bills, budget resolutions, and federal nominations.

Why is the filibuster back in the spotlight?

President Trump has ramped up pressure on Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster in recent weeks, after the Trump-backed SAVE America Act stalled amid firm Democratic opposition in the Senate, where Republicans are seven seats shy of a filibuster-proof majority (53-47).

Despite Trump’s push, Senate Majority Leader John Thune says there still aren't enough Republican votes in support of eliminating the filibuster, despite near-unanimous GOP support for the SAVE America Act.

The arguments

Lawmakers and officials who support abolishing the filibuster say America’s governing party should have greater authority to enact its agenda. This argument was voiced by many Democrats when they recently controlled the White House and Congress, and is now being embraced by President Trump.

Other criticisms include the fact that the filibuster allows a minority of senators to block legislation supported by a majority of the chamber, and that today's "silent filibuster" allows lawmakers to stall legislation without the effort and public accountability it once required (speaking continuously on the Senate floor).

On the flip side: Supporters of the filibuster, including veteran lawmakers from both parties, say it should remain in place for a wide range of reasons:

• It provides protection for the minority party by preventing the majority from passing major legislation that doesn’t carry broad support.
• The filibuster encourages bipartisan compromise, since bills would require support from members of both parties without an overwhelming majority.
• It also helps stabilize federal policy, making it harder for Congress to reverse major laws every time political control changes in Washington.

What’s next?...The Senate is still scheduled to begin its annual month-long summer recess on August 7, despite Trump demanding lawmakers stay in Washington until they pass the SAVE America Act or eliminate the filibuster.

📊 Flash poll: What are your thoughts on the Senate’s legislative filibuster requiring 60 votes to pass most legislation?

• It should remain in place
• It should be abolished
• Unsure/other

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🥇 Amazon topples Walmart to take the No. 1 spot in the Fortune Global 500 ranking of the biggest companies in the world by revenue.
• 🏥 Trump admin to end Medicare subsidy program providing ~$3.6 billion/year to reduce premiums for Medicare Part D prescription drug plans; officials say 45% of Medicare Part D enrollees will see monthly premium increases of $11–$20 next year.
• 🎰 Federal judge temporarily blocks Minnesota’s first-in-the-nation statewide ban on prediction markets amid legal challenges from the Trump admin, Kalshi, and Polymarket.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🚨 Savannah Guthrie releases new video pleading for the return of her mother, who’s been missing since February 1st; Pima County Sheriff Office confirms case is still active.
• 🎤 Ariana Grande sues anonymous group of hackers for allegedly infiltrating the devices of people in her inner circle and stealing unreleased music and content to sell online.
• 🍿 Paramount drops first trailer for Children of Blood and Bone, upcoming film based on the popular 2018 novel of the same name. | Spider-Man: Brand New Day on track for $250+ million in domestic ticket sales in its debut this weekend.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🛰️ NASA’s rescue mission to save its Swift Observatory space telescope from crashing down to Earth is having problems of its own; the Katalyst Space robot launched to grab Swift and raise it to a higher orbit is now tumbling out of control, NASA says.
• 🇨🇩🦠 Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo rises to 3,200 confirmed infections and 1,405 deaths since late April (43.9% fatality rate), new data shows.
• ⭐⭐ Astronomers discover strongest evidence yet that famous star Betelguese has a companion star, with both orbiting around a shared center of mass.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 🙏 Funeral service for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC) held at Washington National Cathedral yesterday, with President Trump, congressional colleagues, and world leaders in attendance; memorial services in South Carolina take place today.
• 🏛️ Temporary Protected Status allowing Haitian and Syrian nationals to live in the US legally has now expired in response to recent SCOTUS judgment; ICE is reportedly planning a major operation to arrest and deport 300,000+ Haitians who no longer have temporary legal status. | Senate votes 51-47 to confirm Trump nominee Jay Clayton as director of national intelligence, replacing acting DNI Bill Pulte.
• 🌎 Canadian travel to the US fell 25% last year, with the decline also persisting into early 2026, new Canadian gov’t report finds. | Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Trump at the White House in first sitdown since both countries launched a joint war on Iran in late February. | Iran launches surprise ballistic-missile attack on American forces in the Middle East, with all missiles successfully intercepted, US military says.

☝️You’re looking at some of the finalists from the 2026 International Pet Photography Awards, which fielded 4,220 entries from 48 countries across 12 categories. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on August 1 (Saturday).

🤔 Did you know? Humans can learn to echolocate in just 10 weeks. A 2021 study found that blind and sighted people could learn to navigate using mouth clicks after two-and-a-half months of practice, with their brains adapting to recruit areas normally used for vision to help process the returning echoes.

📰 Worth a read: The invisible work draining the best employees

🖱️ What we’re clicking:

• People in strong relationships do 5 things every weekend
• Graceful ways to handle awkward moments
• What Comic-Con looks like amid superhero-fatigue

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How it works: We provide an incorrect stat. Your challenge is to guess whether the actual number is over or under the given value.

1. 🍿 100 years: How long popcorn has been sold at movie theaters
2. 🐝 100,000: Average number of bees in a colony during summer
3. 🌵 150 years: Maximum known lifespan of a saguaro cactus

(keep scrolling for the answers)

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1. 🍿 Over; at least since 1916.
2. 🐝 Under; 50-80,000
3. 🌵 Over; 200 years

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