Good morning, everyone. If you’re reading this, take a moment to remind yourself: you’re doing better than you think, and you matter.
Today promises to be a big one — Texas Democrats face a critical deadline that could lead to deportation proceedings, President Trump is hosting a high-stakes peace summit between Armenia and Azerbaijan at the White House, and that’s just the start.
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With that, here’s the news:
Roland Beainy, a 28-year-old Lebanese immigrant and owner of Trump-themed burger restaurants in the Houston area, is facing deportation after overstaying his visa; ICE arrested him in May 2025, stating he has no legal immigration protections, though he was later released on bond pending immigration proceedings, with officials emphasizing that enforcement applies regardless of political affiliations or business ownership.
The White House announced an increased federal law enforcement presence at tourist hotspots in Washington, DC, for at least a week to address violent crime, as Trump signals interest in taking direct federal control of the city, citing safety concerns and calling for the repeal of the Home Rule Act. I live in Washington, D.C., have lived here for eight years now, and have rarely felt unsafe in this city. As the Administration ramps up law enforcement presence, I will be reporting live, on the ground to show you what’s really happening.
Utah GOP Senator Stuart Adams revised the state’s consent law in 2024 after his 18-year-old relative was charged with child rape and sodomy involving a 13-year-old, prompting accusations of hypocrisy and self-interest; the amended law shields 18-year-olds enrolled in high school from being charged as adults, a change that directly influenced a plea deal in the case, sparing the defendant from prison time or sex offender registration despite the original potential for a 25-year sentence.
Today marks the deadline set by Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows for Democrats who fled the state to return and help reestablish a quorum.
Attorney General Ken Paxton warned that if Democrats miss the deadline, he will pursue court rulings to have their seats declared vacant.
Texas AG Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dustin Burrows filed a lawsuit in Illinois to enforce arrest warrants against Democratic lawmakers who fled Texas to block a GOP-favored redistricting plan.
Governor Greg Abbott asked the Texas Supreme Court to vacate the seat of Rep. Gene Wu, one of the 50 Democrats who left to block a vote on GOP-drawn congressional maps.
Chaofeng Ge, a 32-year-old Chinese national in ICE custody, died by suicide at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania just five days after being detained; Ge, who had recently pleaded guilty to credit card fraud charges, was found hanging in a shower room with a handwritten note nearby, prompting ICE and DHS to reaffirm their commitments to safe, humane detention practices amid ongoing scrutiny of ICE's handling of in-custody deaths.
House Oversight Committee Republicans are demanding testimony from Bill and Hillary Clinton, James Comey, and Eric Holder regarding Jeffrey Epstein, while notably excluding Alex Acosta—the former U.S. attorney who arranged Epstein’s controversial non-prosecution deal and later served as Trump’s Labor Secretary—from their witness list.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley is leading House Oversight Democrats in calling for a congressional hearing focused on centering and prioritizing the voices and experiences of survivors of abuse linked to Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and their associates.
The Trump administration cut federal funding for the McGruff the Crime Dog “Go For Real” campaign, a public education initiative aimed at warning youth about fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills, prompting criticism from advocates and lawmakers who argue the move undermines recent progress in reducing drug deaths among young Americans; the National Crime Prevention Council says the nearly $2 million cut halted new PSAs and government-funded research, despite data showing youth overdose deaths have nearly halved since 2021.
Vice President JD Vance begins his UK trip with a meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, drawing attention due to Vance’s past criticisms of Britain and its Labour government.
The Trump administration doubles the reward for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, accusing him of being a top narco-trafficker aiding fentanyl-laced cocaine trafficking to the US.
President Trump nominates Stephen Miran to temporarily fill a Federal Reserve seat following Adriana Kugler’s resignation, as the administration continues its search for a permanent chair.
Trump is set to announce a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia at the White House on August 8, with both nations' leaders in attendance.
Trump says he is willing to meet Vladimir Putin without requiring a prior meeting between Putin and Ukraine’s Zelenskyy, easing expectations for preconditions to a US-Russia summit.
Trump demands Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan resign over alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party, triggering a drop in the company’s stock price.
Gaza News:
Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan to take control of Gaza City, stopping short of declaring a full takeover of the Gaza Strip; Hamas denounced the move as a “full-fledged war crime.”
The phased plan includes an October 7 evacuation deadline for Gaza City and a halt to aid distribution to pressure civilians to leave, according to Israeli sources.
The strategy has drawn global condemnation amid worsening starvation and deadly conditions at aid sites in Gaza.
Germany announced it will halt approval of any arms exports that could be used by Israel in Gaza, marking a major policy shift from Israel’s second-largest weapons supplier.
Good News:
After his wife's chemotherapy claim was denied, Raleigh resident Neal Shah founded Counterforce Health, a startup using AI to fight back against insurance companies’ AI-powered claim denials; the free app automatically generates appeal letters by analyzing denial forms against policy contracts, boasting a 70% success rate and empowering patients to push back in a system where 850 million claims are denied annually—but less than 1% are appealed.
For the first time in six years, four Montagu’s harrier chicks—England’s rarest breeding birds—have successfully fledged on a private wheat farm thanks to a joint effort between conservationists from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the landowner; predator-proof fencing, drone monitoring, and cooperation with farmers helped protect the ground-nesting birds from threats like foxes and farm machinery, offering a hopeful milestone for the critically small UK population.
In a compassionate effort to reduce feline drownings, the Dutch cities of Amsterdam and Amersfoort are installing hundreds of tiny staircases along their canals, allowing cats to safely climb out if they fall in; the initiative, funded by €100,000 from Amsterdam’s biodiversity budget, was proposed by the animal welfare group Party for the Animals and supported by the city council, with installations prioritized in areas identified as high-risk by local animal rescue organizations.
See you this evening.
— Aaron
