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Medicare update: List of lawmakers pushing for major changes via new bill

A group of House Democrats has introduced legislation that would make some of the most significant changes to Medicare Advantage in years. The Save MEDICARE Act of 2026 (H.R. 9544), introduced by Texas Representative Lloyd Doggett, is looking to tighten oversight of Medicare Advantage plans and overhaul payment formulas while increasing audits and recovering MA overpayments. The lawmakers say that private insurers have been receiving billions of dollars in excessive payments while traditional ...

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DHS orders Customs and Border Protection to remove all videos featuring ousted Kristi Noem at airports

Tuesday 07 July 2026 11:03 EDT The Department of Homeland Security is asking its largest law enforcement agency to remove any videos featuring former Secretary Kristi Noem that may still air at airports or other ports of entry, four months after she was ousted. In an email sent to Customs and Border Protection last week, obtained by HuffPost, Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s office asked the agency to report if any videos were currently playing. “If so, please kindly remove them as soon as possi ...

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11th Circuit strikes down part of Florida's 'Stop WOKE Act' as unconstitutional

July 7, 2026 ATLANTA (CN) — Part of a Florida law limiting discussions on race, gender and diversity unconstitutionally restricts the speech of college professors, a divided 11th Circuit panel ruled Tuesday.“If the First Amendment offers any boundary of protection at all for public university classrooms, this statute crosses it,” U.S. Circuit Judge Britt Grant wrote on behalf of the majority. In a 2-1 decision, the Atlanta-based appeals court rejected a request by Florida officials to toss ou ...

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Senate Republican leaders say they've spoken to Mitch McConnell as he remains hospitalized

July 7, 2026, 4:40 PM Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell has had phone conversations with several Republican leaders as he remains hospitalized, spokespeople for the lawmakers told ABC News on Tuesday. A spokesperson for McConnell first confirmed the senator had been hospitalized on June 14 for an unknown condition. His office has not provided many updates, though they said McConnell is continuing his recovery in the hospital. "Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he's re ...

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'Grab Whatever You Want':Trump Reportedly Told White House Guests to Take Swag That Could Sell for Thousands of Dollars

(Mediaite) President Donald Trump reportedly invited a German delegation to take various items from a room in the White House, saying they could be sold for “thousands of dollars.” In a piece published by The Wall Street Journal on Sunday, the paper described a previously unreported meeting of European heads of government back in January, after Trump reiterated his desire to acquire Greenland, the autonomous North Atlantic and Arctic Circle territory from Denmark.

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Republicans now 'sincerely worried' about Senate seat in a state Trump won by 13 points

(Raw Story) Iowa was supposed to be safe Republican ground, but a closely watched Iowa political analyst said Monday the GOP is worried about holding a Senate seat in a state President Donald Trump carried by 13 points just two years ago. Appearing on Democratic strategist Joe Trippi's "On the Ground" podcast, Laura Belin, who runs the progressive Iowa site Bleeding Heartland, said the open contest to replace retiring Sen. Joni Ernst has become a real fight.

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Mitch McConnell's daughter deletes her X account as questions swirl over health after his hospitalization

(The Independent) The daughter of Senator Mitch McConnell has deleted her X account amid widespread speculation over the former Senate majority leader’s health, following a sudden June hospitalization. It is unclear when or why Porter McConnell, a progressive-leaning political activist who previously directed the Take On Wall Street campaign, deleted her account. The Independent has contacted Porter McConnell for comment.

Eugene

Two tankers hit in latest attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, British military says

(AP) Two tankers were struck by projectiles Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz, the British military said, in the latest attacks targeting vessels moving through the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf. One of the tankers was traveling off the coast of Oman and caught fire, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center. Iranian state television said the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim the assault.

KS Toronado

Tuesday's Condensed News Cartoons & Memes

littlemissmartypants

Belgium beats, then trolls, U.S. team on Monday night

(NBC Sports) Throughout the night, the U.S. team seemed flat, lifeless. Low energy, as some would say. Chances started to materialize, inevitable close calls happened, but nothing made it into the goal. And an awkward play by U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese early in the second half resulted in Belgium’s third goal. After that, even though there was plenty of time to play, it felt like it was over. After it ended, the Belgian team’s social media account had a message to the U.S. on Twitter: “Overturn this.”

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Meta Now Lets Anyone Use Your Instagram Photos in AI Images--Unless You Opt Out

24 min ago - Meta launched its inaugural AI image model from the Meta Superintelligence Labs on Tuesday, its effort to compete with the likes of OpenAI’s GPT Images 2.0 and Google’s Nano Banana 2 in the AI image generation race. The new model, called Mu ... (Wired)

Elaine Chao, wife of Mitch McConnell, issues statement after US return

28 min ago - Ruby Grisin and Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal Updated Tue, July 7, 2026 at 5:25 PM CDT Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has returned to the United States from China after her husband, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell was hospital ... (yahoo.com)

John Deere offers UAW workers 2-year contract extension

30 min ago - Jul 7, 2026 Updated 11 hrs ago [MOLINE, Ill.] — John Deere has proposed a two-year extension to its collective bargaining agreement with the United Auto Workers union, which would push the contract's expiration from fall 2027 to 2029. The compa ... (KWWL)

White House Pressures Top U.S. Grocers on Beef Prices

52 min ago - EXCLUSIVE RETAIL White House Pressures Top U.S. Grocers on Beef Prices USDA officials called grocers including Walmart, Kroger and Albertsons about beef prices ahead of July 4 holiday weekend By Patrick Thomas and Sarah Nassauer July 7, 2026 at 7:20 ... (The Wall Street Journal.)

Maine Democratic Party Says Platner Will Have 'No Role' in Next Nominee

2 hrs ago - A top official with the Maine Democratic Party said on Tuesday night that Graham Platner’s team had been trying to “put their thumb on the scale” in the party’s planning for his replacement as the Democratic nominee for Senate, bu ... (New York Times)

Trump weighed in on Cabinet squabble over ride for July Fourth flyover

3 hrs ago - Trump weighed in on Cabinet squabble over ride for July Fourth flyover The president encouraged acting attorney general Todd Blanche to fly on one of NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman's jets despite the FAA's prior objection to the planes. July 7, 20 ... (Washington Post)

Woman suspected of Monaco bombing is found dead in Ukraine, authorities say

3 hrs ago - Woman suspected of Monaco bombing is found dead in Ukraine, authorities say The woman suspected of trying to kill a Ukrainian business tycoon in a bombing attack in Monaco last week was found dead in Ukraine with gunshot wounds to the head July 7, 20 ... (Washington Post)

Wisconsin Supreme Court refuses to release voter records sought by conservative activist

3 hrs ago - Updated 12:19 PM EDT, July 7, 2026 MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an attempt by a conservative activist to obtain guardianship records in an effort to find ineligible voters in the presidential battleground ... (AP)

Jamaican Anger Rises Over Hosting Immigrants Deported From US

3 hrs ago - Published Jul 07, 2026 at 12:00 PM EDT Opposition politicians, protesters, and many Jamaicans are pushing back against a government agreement that would allow the Caribbean nation to temporarily receive certain immigrants deported from the United Sta ... (Newsweek)

Trump says US will lift sanctions on Turkey, reopen door to F-35 talks

4 hrs ago - Posted 10:32 AM, Jul 07, 2026 President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the U.S. will lift sanctions on Turkey that were issued after Ankara purchased a Russian missile defense system that led to the country being kicked out of the F-35 fighter jet ... (Scripps News/AP)

Meta says US states are seeking $1.4 trillion in penalties in August youth safety trial

4 hrs ago - 7h July 6 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms said in a court filing on Monday that four states were seeking $1.4 trillion in penalties over accusations the company designed its Facebook and Instagram platforms to addict young users and misled the public abo ... (msn/Reuters)

Judge rules for The Washington Post in $3.8B defamation suit brought by Trump Media

5 hrs ago - A federal judge on Thursday ruled in favor of The Washington Post, throwing out a $3.8 billion defamation lawsuit filed in 2023 by President Donald Trump’s social media company, Trump Media and Technology Group. U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber ... (Washington Post)

Senate Republican leaders say they've spoken to Mitch McConnell as he remains hospitalized

5 hrs ago - July 7, 2026, 4:40 PM Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell has had phone conversations with several Republican leaders as he remains hospitalized, spokespeople for the lawmakers told ABC News on Tuesday. A spokesperson for McConnell first confirmed the sena ... (ABC News)

Democrats' Project 2029 Takes Shape With Online Safety and Junk Fees

5 hrs ago - Jul 07, 2026 at 01:20 PM EDT A group of Democrats is building a plan of action should the party retake the White House in 2028, preparing a list of immediately actionable policies to reform the country on day one of a post-Trump administration. In it ... (Newsweek)

U.S. launches new attacks on Iran in retaliation for attacks on commercial ships, U.S. military says

6 hrs ago - July 7, 2026, 5:29 PM EDT / Updated July 7, 2026, 5:41 PM EDT The U.S. military launched new attacks on Iran Tuesday in retaliation for Iranian attacks against commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command said in a post on X. “ ... (NBC News)

Trump-backed Freedom Fuel Network debuts in N.J. with unclear gas savings: 'Absolutely unrealistic'

6 hrs ago - Updated: Jul. 07, 2026, 1:21 p.m. Can a Freedom Fuel Network lower driver's gas costs? A motorist removes a pump nozzle to add fuel to their car at a filling station in Philadelphia. A group of Philadelphia area gas stations, including five in New Je ... (nj.com)

Supreme Court's Kagan, Barrett to testify to House for budget request, a first since 2019

6 hrs ago - Published Tue, Jul 7 2026 1:14 PM EDT Updated 2 Hours Ago Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett are scheduled to testify next week to a House Appropriations subcommittee about the high court’s fiscal 2027 budget request, accor ... (CNBC)

DHS orders Customs and Border Protection to remove all videos featuring ousted Kristi Noem at airports

7 hrs ago - Tuesday 07 July 2026 11:03 EDT The Department of Homeland Security is asking its largest law enforcement agency to remove any videos featuring former Secretary Kristi Noem that may still air at airports or other ports of entry, four months after she ... (The Independent)

Nigel Farage accused of 'desperate stunt' after quitting UK parliament in face of financial scrutiny

7 hrs ago - Flanked by union jack flags, with a spectacular view of the City of London behind him, Nigel Farage said he had “never been angrier”. In an address that was billed as a “statement on my future in public life”, the leader of Reform ... (The Guardian)

Yale Law School Fights to Stop Trump Deal

7 hrs ago - July 7, 2026, 2:08 p.m. ET The dean of Yale Law School and some members of its faculty are trying to stop a settlement between the university and the Trump administration, warning that an agreement could jeopardize Yale's independence, according to t ... (New York Times)