Good morning. In this edition:

• 👍 Senate approves Trump’s tax and domestic policy bill
• 🚀 Rocket launches are coming to Netflix
• ⚽ Robot soccer

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~5.05-minute read (1,344 words).

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+Editor’s note: We’ll be off the rest of the week for the holiday. Happy Independence Day! See you back here on Monday.

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

–Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

The Senate officially passed President Trump’s tax-and-spending megabill yesterday following a marathon 27-hour voting process.

The “vote-a-rama” ended with a 51-50 margin in favor. Three Republican senators joined with all 47 Democrats in voting against, while VP JD Vance delivered the tie-breaking vote.

So, what’s in it?

The Trump-backed bill would lock in many of his administration’s top legislative priorities: a permanent extension of his 2017 tax cuts, a combined ~$300 billion in additional funds for border enforcement/defense, and various new tax breaks.

These include no taxes on tips/overtime/car loans, an increased SALT deduction, and permanently increasing the child tax credit by $200/year.

• The measure’s funding relies on a combination of increasing the national debt—projected at $3.3 trillion over 10 years—and cutting spending on other federal programs.
• Cuts include new work requirements and eligibility checks for federal safety-net programs (like Medicaid and food stamps), a phase out of tax credits for the clean-energy industry, and cost-saving changes to federal student loans.

It also looks a bit different now. The main differences in the Senate version compared to the House include:

• Making the standard tax deduction permanent, instead of expiring in 2028 as in the House’s version.
• Raising the federal debt limit by $5 trillion, instead of $4 trillion.
• Eliminating a House provision that would ban states from regulating AI for the next ten years.

The Senate’s version would also add ~$900 million more in federal debt over the next decade compared to the version that passed the House last month, per the Congressional Budget Office. And it's no longer officially called the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” after Schumer used Senate rules to strike the name from the record.

Criticisms abound

Democrats in Congress unanimously oppose the legislation, arguing it represents an unprecedented transfer of wealth from poorer Americans to businesses and the rich. The three Republican senators who voted “nay” specifically pushed back against the measure’s projected impact on the national debt, and to Medicaid funding changes that could reduce healthcare coverage for millions.

Elon Musk also re-joined the fray: In a series of social media posts ahead of Senate passage, the world’s richest man once again argued that the bill is fiscally irresponsible and shouldn’t pass. Musk pledged to support primary challenges to GOP lawmakers who voted “yes,” and suggested he could form a third political party.

• In response, Trump told reporters that “DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon,” and said he might take a look into deporting Musk.

Looking ahead…The legislation now heads back to the House, where GOP leaders are hoping to get it approved and sent to Trump before a self-imposed July 4 deadline. But there’s a catch: any changes made by the House would also need to be re-approved by the Senate.

📊 Flash poll: In general, do you support the Trump-backed One Big Beautiful Bill Act?

• Yes
• No
• Unsure/other

I couldn't function without my morning coffee—until my body started rejecting it. Shakes/anxiety, stomach issues, sleep disruption, the works. I had to quit completely.

Then I tried Rarebird's dark roast. Game changer. Surprisingly smooth—I actually drink it black now, which blows my mind. No jitters, no stomach upset, just natural energy and focus.

They use PX instead of regular caffeine, so your body doesn't work overtime processing it. Now I look forward to coffee again instead of dreading side effects.

Time to see how realistic space movies actually are: Netflix and NASA this week announced a partnership that will allow users of the streaming platform to tune into rocket launches, astronaut spacewalks, mission coverage, and views from the International Space Station.

• The livestreamed channel is expected to hit 300+ million Netflix home screens sometime this summer.
• Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Shooting for the m👀n

News of the partnership comes as NASA is embarking on the PR version of a popular center-focused football play that haters outside of Philly recently tried to ban (a publicity push), with the goal of securing as many eyeballs as possible.

The space agency inked similar deals with Amazon Prime Video and France’s TF1 broadcast network earlier this year. NASA, which will continue to host the content on its app and website for free, also launched a streaming service in 2023.

“We’ll take budget cut for $6.1 billion, pls, Ken”: These recent big-screen maneuvers are underpinned by a looming budget cut, which would return NASA funding to a level not seen since 1961, the dawn of American human spaceflight. Meanwhile, the annual number of objects launched into space by the US has spiked (s/o to the commercial space industry), reaching a record 2,263 in 2024—a far cry from the 95 launched in 2014.

Here’s what will be happening over the holiday weekend, as you frolic around in a bathing suit and try to dodge feelings and delicious cupcakes both:

Dinosaurs are returning to the big screen. Jurassic World: Rebirth, the seventh installment in the film series (starring Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali), hits theaters nationwide today.

Record travel is expected. AAA projects a record 72.2 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home over the Independence Day holiday period (from June 28–July 6), an increase of 1.7 million over the previous record set last year.

Musical reunions: so hot rn. Oasis frontmen Noel and Liam Gallagher kick off a reunion tour starting this Friday, while Ozzy Osbourne and the original Black Sabbath lineup take the stage on Saturday for the first time in 20 years to host one final show.

The hot dog-eating king is back to defend his throne. Joey Chestnut will compete in the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest on Friday, after being banned last year for striking a deal with plant-based food company Impossible Foods.

+One more for the road…The 122th edition of the Tour de France, the biggest event in cycling, begins in Lille on Saturday. Competitors will need to travel 2,075 miles across 21 stages before ending in Paris on July 27.

This Independence Day, discover the events and voices that forged our nation through Autio's location-based storytelling.

• 🗺️ Stories play automatically as you explore historic sites
• 🙌 Hands-free format enhances your connection to place
• 🎇 Independence Day narratives activate exactly where history unfolded
• 🎙️ Narrated by famous voices like co-founder Kevin Costner

Walk through the places where our nation's story began today with Autio.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• ⚖️ Lululemon sues Costco, accusing the retail wholesaler of selling bargain knockoff versions of its popular activewear. | DOJ charges 300+ people for allegedly participating in $14.6 billion worth of healthcare fraud schemes; "Operation Gold Rush" marks the largest coordinated takedown of healthcare fraud schemes in history, per DOJ. 
• 📉 Fed Chair Jerome Powell responds "I think that's right" when asked during a panel if the Fed would have lowered rates again this year had President Trump not announced his reciprocal tariff plan. | Tesla shares fall ~5% amid Musk-Trump big beautiful bill back-and-forth.
• 📝 Luckin Coffee, China’s biggest coffee chain, opens its first US stores. | AI-powered writing assistant Grammarly acquires email client Superhuman. | Design-software maker Figma files for IPO.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

in partnership with Arro

• 🤝 Pac-12 officially adds Texas State as a member; conference now has eight members, the minimum necessary to exist. | Bobby Bonilla Day was yesterday; marks the day each year when retired MLB All-Star third baseman Bobby Bonilla receives a $1.19 million check from his former team, the New York Mets. | NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) signs four-year, $285 million contract extension with OKC Thunder; marks the highest annual salary in NBA history.
• ⚖️ Jury reaches partial verdict in Sean "Diddy" Combs' wide-ranging sex crimes trial, agreeing on four of five counts; jury resumes deliberations today on racketeering conspiracy charge.
• 🎾 American Coco Gauff upset in first round at Wimbledon by Dayana Yastremska; see live updates from the All England Club here.

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🤖 Amazon reportedly close to having more robot workers at its warehouses than humans, with 1+ million robots deployed to date. | Apple reportedly considering using AI tech from OpenAI or Anthropic to power a new version of Siri instead of in-house options.
• 🦠 Scientists discover brand-new organelle in human cells involved in sorting and recycling proteins; could unlock new insight into how diseases such as Alzheimer's manifest.
• 😴 New research into eating habits and sleep quality found eating dairy or sweets before bed linked to more intense nightmares.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

in partnership with Meru Health

• 🏛️ California legislators roll back decades-old environmental law that was one of the most stringent in US; critics highlight how it was used to block all kinds of development projects, contributing to the state’s housing/homelessness crisis. | UPenn agrees to deal with Education Department that strip titles from transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and prevent trans athletes from playing women's sports.
• 🗽 Zohran Mamdani officially defeats former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo in third round of NYC’s Democratic mayoral primary, per ranked-choice voting results.
• 🇺🇸 New Gallup poll shows record-low 58% of US adults are "extremely" or "very" proud to be an American, with results split heavily along party lines.

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🥇 Bo the bloodhound was named American Humane’s Hero Dog of the Year. The 18-month-old pup has saved multiple lives by tracking down missing people with his impressive sniffer, including children and seniors.

🍑 A movement in China has been started by young adults addicted to traveling, who proudly call themselves the Iron Butts. Rather than taking planes to their destination, the Iron Butts are committed to traveling by bus, sometimes for days at a time, to reach their final stop.

❤️🐐Just because it's cute: Check out this video of a baby goat being rescued by good Samaritans after four days of being stranded on a cliffside in Hawaii.

+Note: These stories previously appeared in a Nov. 2024 edition of Positive DONUT, our weekly newsletter surfacing all the good things you don't hear about in the news.

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

• 🎆 $1.5 billion: Amount spent on fireworks annually by Americans
• 🌭 125 million: Estimated number of hot dogs eaten by Americans on July 4th
• 📜 3 million: Total US population when the Declaration of Independence was signed

🃏 That’s cool: A quest to learn the origins of tarot cards.

🌱 Explore: An interactive world map of 30,000 plant species.

📖 Read: Conversations with a hit man.

🧹 Can I clean here? Here is possibly the best Anatoly edit in existence.

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*A message from our partners

1. 🎆 Over; $2.3 billion (in 2023)
2. 🌭 Over; 150 million, per the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council
3. 📜 Under; 2.5 million

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