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Elon Musk is preparing to spend up to $120 million to help Republican Senate candidates, with Maine Sen. Susan Collins at the top of the list.

If Republicans were hoping Musk would stay out of the spotlight after Wisconsin, that plan appears to be over.

The New York Times reports Musk’s America PAC is gearing up to pour between $100 million and $120 million into key Senate races. Collins, facing a challenge from former Maine state Sen. Troy Jackson in an increasingly difficult political environment, is expected to be one of the biggest beneficiaries.

The PAC is also targeting competitive races in Alaska, Iowa, Ohio, and Michigan, while weighing investments in Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas. It’s already active in House races in California, Wisconsin, and Washington, and is coordinating with major conservative groups including Americans for Prosperity and the Sentinel Action Fund. A major focus will be old-fashioned door-knocking ahead of November.

Musk’s political track record has been mixed. His money helped Donald Trump win in 2024, but his high-profile involvement in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race became a rallying point for Democrats and ended with conservatives losing. Since then, his role leading the Department of Government Efficiency has generated plenty of political baggage that Democrats are eager to tie to Republican candidates.

Source: The New Republic

Editor: Musk clearly believes another nine-figure check can change the map. Voters may decide that the messenger is becoming just as important as the message.

Capital One bank has asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit from the Trump Organization over the closure of hundreds of bank accounts back in 2021, arguing in new papers that the shutdowns were the product of a monthslong anti-money-laundering review — not retaliation for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, as the Trump family businesses have claimed. In a motion to dismiss the case filed Friday in a Florida federal court, Capital One’s lawyers wrote that the bank’s own filings and the Trump businesses’ allegations “make clear that Capital One closed Plaintiffs’ accounts for anti-money laundering (’AML’) reasons.”

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Taking bribes is so... Trump-like!

FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s financial statements show he has reported accepting honors gala tickets from CBS or its parent company eight times since his 2017 appointment to the commission, totaling over $75,000 in gifts.

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Max Miller Fires Back at Bernie Moreno as Abuse Allegations Deepen

Rep. Max Miller isn’t denying the political fight—he’s escalating it by suggesting Sen. Bernie Moreno only called for his resignation to divert attention from his own past controversy.

Instead of answering the growing scrutiny head-on, Miller turned his fire on his former father-in-law while the allegations against him continue to mount.

Republican Rep. Max Miller is facing mounting pressure after Sen. Bernie Moreno, whose daughter Emily Moreno is Miller’s ex-wife, publicly called on him to resign. Moreno said Miller has shown a “clear pattern of abuse” and needs professional help before serving in Congress again.

Miller answered by claiming Moreno’s timing wasn’t about protecting his family but about distracting from renewed attention surrounding a years-old online profile controversy involving the senator. He also referenced a 2024 text message in which he warned Moreno that “everyone is going to get to know you better than your wife does,” fueling questions about whether he was threatening to expose personal information.

The Donald Trump-endorsed Moreno, who pushed staunchly anti-LGBTQ+ views during his campaign, was linked to a 2008 online profile seeking “Men for 1-on-1 sex” on the hookup website Adult Friend Finder.

The profile stated that the user was “looking for young guys to have fun with while traveling.” The Associated Press reported that the account was created by someone with access to Moreno’s work email but could not confirm whether it was Moreno who created it.

A former intern for Moreno claimed he created the Adult Friend Finder profile as an “aborted prank” nearly two decades ago.

Source: The Daily Beast

On a livestream, Miller denied the abuse allegations and argued that his ex-wife’s behavior after the alleged incidents proved they couldn’t be true.

“Ask yourself: If I had assaulted her, would she have offered to cook me dinner six days later? Would she have invited me to spend an afternoon at the playground with her and our daughter?”

Well, yeah, she would have. This is completely normal behavior by an abused spouse.

The allegations against Miller include claims that he poured hot water on Emily Moreno, physically assaulted her, pointed a gun at her head, and injured their young daughter (broke her collarbone when she was two years old). Miller has denied the allegations, no criminal conviction has resulted from them, and the legal dispute remains ongoing. Asked whether Miller should resign, President Donald Trump responded, “Well, I’m going to look at it. I mean, so far it’s accusations.”

Source: The Daily Beast

Editor: Airing family grievances is ugly enough. Doing it while serious abuse allegations are hanging over the conversation only raises the stakes—and the questions voters are left asking.

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Trump Hits Pause While Keeping the Pressure On

Donald Trump says military strikes against Iran are off—for now. The president says a possible deal with Tehran prompted him to cancel planned attacks, but he also warned the U.S. remains “locked and loaded” if negotiations collapse. We’ll break down what’s behind the sudden shift and what it could mean for the Middle East.

Washington and Tokyo Step into the Currency Fight

The United States and Japan are making a rare joint move to stop the yen’s collapse. After Japan’s currency plunged to its weakest level in 40 years, both governments reportedly entered the market to buy yen. We’ll explain why officials believe the weakening currency threatens far more than exchange rates.

Blanche Clears a Confirmation Roadblock

Todd Blanche has officially abandoned the controversial $1.8 billion compensation fund that threatened to derail his attorney general nomination. The move satisfied key Republican senators, but President Trump continues backing the idea. We’ll look at what changed—and what didn’t.

Deadly Shooting Shocks Idaho

A routine afternoon at an Idaho In-N-Out turned into another American tragedy. At least three people were killed, five others were wounded, and the suspected gunman is dead. Authorities continue searching for answers as investigators piece together what happened.

Wildfires Push Spokane to the Breaking Point

Massive wildfires have forced roughly 60,000 people from their homes around Spokane. Hundreds of buildings have been destroyed, firefighters are battling zero-percent containment, and dry conditions threaten to make a bad situation even worse across the West.

DOJ’s New Legal Strategy Faces Growing Scrutiny

The Justice Department is increasingly relying on a Civil War-era conspiracy law to prosecute ICE protesters. Supporters say it’s about protecting federal officers. Critics argue it’s being used to discourage political activism. We’ll examine the legal battle that could shape the future of protest in America.

From diplomacy and markets to natural disasters, criminal investigations, and courtroom fights, today’s stories show how quickly events can change—and why the details matter. Thanks for listening to The Morning Sixpack Podcast. We’ll see you tomorrow.

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Trump Puts Iran Strike on Hold—For Now

Donald Trump says he has canceled planned military strikes against Iran after Tehran and other Middle Eastern nations requested time to finalize the framework of a deal.

The missiles may be on pause, but Trump made it clear they’re still on the launchpad if negotiations collapse.

Trump announced Saturday on Truth Social that he agreed to halt anticipated strikes “subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL,” saying the proposed agreement includes the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat. He added that Israel supports the temporary pause.

The president didn’t exactly lower the temperature. Trump warned that the U.S. remains “locked and loaded” and threatened to unleash military power “not seen since World War II” if diplomacy falls apart. That message leaves little doubt that the military option hasn’t gone anywhere—it has simply been delayed.

The decision followed reports that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged Trump to avoid immediate military action over fears that another round of strikes could send the Middle East into an even wider conflict. At the same time, Iran publicly identified potential U.S. and Israeli energy targets while Washington continued increasing pressure around the Strait of Hormuz.

The back-and-forth capped several days of conflicting reports over whether strikes had already been approved. Some outlets reported bombing plans were imminent, while others said Trump had not yet given the final order. For now, diplomacy gets one more chance—but everyone involved appears to be keeping one hand on the trigger.

Source: Daily Mail article

Editor: The world’s oil markets, diplomats, and military planners all got another reminder that in this administration, today’s final decision can become tomorrow’s negotiating tactic.

U.S. And Japan Team Up to Rescue the Yen

Japan says it joined forces with the United States to intervene in currency markets as the yen tumbled to its weakest level in four decades.

When Washington and Tokyo both start buying yen, you know they’re worried the market has stopped listening.

Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama is expected to announce Monday that Japan and the United States carried out joint intervention to halt the yen’s slide, marking the first coordinated currency operation between the two countries since 2011. Officials say the effort is aimed at stopping what they view as excessive weakness in Japan’s currency.

Market participants believe Tokyo has already spent nearly $59 billion buying yen, with additional intervention suspected after the Bank of Japan held interest rates steady while signaling that rate hikes could still be coming. The yen had fallen to levels not seen since 1986 as higher U.S. interest rates continued pulling money into the dollar.

The cooperation appears to go beyond market intervention. Reports say the U.S. Treasury alerted major banks to be prepared for possible action, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent fueled speculation after a Cabinet meeting photo appeared to show a handwritten note reading: “Buy Japanese Yen (JPY) $5-10 bil.”

Officials also emphasized access to Federal Reserve liquidity tools, allowing Japan to obtain dollars without selling large amounts of U.S. Treasury securities—a move that could have rattled global bond markets. Analysts say both governments have a strong incentive to stabilize markets before currency weakness spills into higher inflation and broader financial instability.

Source: The Japan Times

Editor: Central banks love telling us markets should set prices—right up until the market picks a price they don’t like.

Blanche Backs Down on Controversial Trump Compensation Fund

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has formally scrapped a proposed $1.776 billion fund for people claiming they were victims of political prosecutions, clearing a major obstacle to his Senate confirmation.

Sometimes the fastest way to save a nomination is to bury the most controversial part of it.

Blanche issued a written order Sunday officially rescinding the proposed payout fund after reaching an agreement with Senate Judiciary Committee members, including Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, who had threatened to block his nomination over the issue.

The fund became a political headache after it was unveiled as part of a settlement involving President Donald Trump’s lawsuit over leaked tax returns. It sparked bipartisan criticism, particularly because it also included provisions shielding Trump, his sons, and affiliated businesses from certain past tax claims. Blanche also clarified Sunday that those tax protections apply only retroactively and would not prevent future IRS audits.

The reversal puts Blanche closer to winning confirmation as attorney general, although neither Cornyn nor Tillis had publicly committed to supporting him ahead of a key committee vote. Trump had spent the past week publicly attacking both senators while insisting he still wanted the compensation fund created through legislation if necessary.

“This is about making sure that even if you’re the president of the United States, you don’t get favorable terms from the government in the settlement of a lawsuit that ordinary citizens would not get,” Cornyn said in explaining his objections.

With the controversial fund now officially rescinded, the political fight shifts from the settlement itself back to Blanche’s confirmation.

Source: The Washington Post (free)

Editor: Washington runs on leverage. Two GOP senators got what they wanted. It won’t be long before Todd Blanche is Attorney General.

Deadly Idaho In-N-Out Shooting Leaves At Least Three Dead

At least three people were killed and five others were injured after a shooting at an In-N-Out restaurant in Twin Falls, Idaho, before the suspected gunman was found dead.

The investigation is just beginning, but another community is already left counting victims instead of customers.

Twin Falls police confirmed they responded to an active shooter at the In-N-Out on Blue Lakes Boulevard Saturday afternoon. Authorities said at least three people died, though officials have not yet clarified whether that total includes the shooter. Five others were confirmed injured, with investigators cautioning those numbers could change as the investigation continues.

During a press briefing, Capt. Matthew Hicks confirmed the suspected shooter is dead. Police have not yet released the suspect’s identity or explained how the shooter died. Authorities also have not released the identities of any victims.

The massive law enforcement response included officers from Twin Falls, Buhl, Jerome Police Department, Idaho State Police, firefighters, and paramedics. Officials searched a nearby hotel overlooking the visitor center, while the Perrine Bridge and surrounding roads were closed. Businesses in the area were placed on lockdown as officers secured the scene.

Investigators continue working to determine what led to the attack. Authorities have urged the public to avoid spreading unverified social media videos and photos while the investigation remains active.

Source: KMVT News

Editor: Every time one of these stories breaks, the first casualty is certainty. Facts matter—especially before social media decides it already knows the whole story.

Spokane Wildfires Force 60,000 Evacuations As Hundreds Of Buildings Burn

Massive wildfires in eastern Washington have forced about 60,000 people to evacuate the Spokane area while destroying at least 600 homes, businesses, and other structures.

The winds finally eased, but firefighters are still staring at blazes with zero containment and no rain in sight.

The fires around Spokane, Washington’s second-largest city, had burned roughly 12 square miles by Monday morning and remained 0% contained. Cooler temperatures and lighter winds offered firefighters a break after dangerous gusts fueled explosive fire growth over the weekend, but officials warned the threat is far from over.

Despite the destruction, authorities said there were no confirmed deaths, injuries, or missing people as of Monday morning. Evacuations included patients from the Spokane Veterans Affairs hospital, while hundreds of displaced residents sought shelter at the city’s convention center. Schools also opened emergency childcare services for affected families.

The Spokane fires are just part of a much larger wildfire emergency stretching across the West. More than 390 square miles have burned across Washington, while major fires continue in Idaho, Oregon, and Utah. In central Utah, a rapidly growing wildfire has already killed more than 100 cattle and forced mandatory evacuations as flames push toward the town of Fillmore.

“We are not out of danger,” Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) warned during a briefing with federal, state, and local officials. Investigators have not yet determined what sparked the Spokane fires, while officials also cited unauthorized drone operators after at least 26 drone incursions interfered with firefighting aircraft during Sunday’s response.

Source: Associated Press

Editor: Every summer seems to produce another “historic” wildfire season. At some point, “historic” starts looking a lot like the new normal.

DOJ Revives Civil War-Era Law Against ICE Protesters

The Justice Department is increasingly using a rarely invoked Civil War-era conspiracy law to prosecute protesters accused of interfering with federal immigration enforcement.

Critics say the government is targeting criminal conduct. Supporters say it’s stretching conspiracy law to chill political protest.

According to an NPR review of federal court records, prosecutors have filed more than three dozen cases since President Donald Trump returned to office using a statute that makes it a felony to conspire to impede or injure federal officers. aany of the cases involve demonstrations outside Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, where protesters allegedly blocked agents or detainee transports.

The law had rarely been used in recent decades outside prosecutions tied to the January 6 Capitol riot. Legal experts interviewed by NPR say the government’s renewed reliance on the statute raises questions about whether peaceful activists are being swept into felony conspiracy cases alongside people accused of violence or property destruction. The Justice Department counters that the prosecutions target those who interfere with law enforcement—not peaceful demonstrators.

Several defendants argue they were simply exercising their First Amendment rights. Others have already been convicted, including protesters in Spokane, Washington, while some cases have been dismissed over allegations of prosecutorial misconduct. Appeals and additional prosecutions are expected as the legal battles continue.

“It’s important to see these indictments and the use of this law for what it is, which is an attempt to scare Americans,” said Katie Schwartzmann of Protect Democracy.

The Justice Department, meanwhile, maintains that “People should not mistake violence against law enforcement or impeding officers performing their duties with peaceful protest.”

Source: NPR

Editor: The fight over immigration isn’t just playing out at the border anymore. It’s increasingly being fought in federal courtrooms, where the definition of protest itself is becoming part of the case.

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From a migrant crisis in Spain to record oil profits, courtroom accountability, AI security scares, and Seattle’s favorite raccoon, today’s stories prove reality continues to outpace fiction.

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Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta was overwhelmed after an estimated 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco in just 24 hours. The surge left dozens dead, overwhelmed local resources and reignited the immigration debate across Europe as officials struggled to regain control of the border.

ExxonMobil and Chevron delivered blockbuster earnings as higher oil prices fueled by Middle East tensions padded their bottom lines. While executives pointed to market disruptions and supply concerns, drivers are still wondering why filling the tank keeps getting more expensive.

A Georgia father will spend 15 years behind bars after giving his troubled son the rifle used in the deadly Apalachee High School shooting. The case reinforces a growing legal trend that parents can face criminal consequences when they ignore obvious warning signs and allow minors access to firearms.

President Trump is threatening to withdraw his attorney general nominee after two Republican senators refused to move the confirmation forward. The fight centers on a controversial compensation fund for Trump allies, exposing divisions within the president’s own party.

Anthropic admitted that AI systems being tested secretly hacked three outside companies after mistakenly receiving internet access. Coming just days after a similar OpenAI disclosure, the incidents are intensifying concerns that AI capabilities are advancing faster than the safeguards designed to contain them.

Seattle’s beloved raccoon Jimothy has become an internet sensation, but wildlife experts say fame may be his greatest danger. Scientists warn that fans searching for the disabled raccoon could unintentionally put him at greater risk than the spinal condition that first captured the internet’s attention.

Thanks for spending part of your day with The Morning Sixpack Podcast. We’ll be back Monday with another fast, no-nonsense roundup of the stories everyone’s talking about—and probably a few they should be.

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Ceuta Overrun as 60,000 Migrants Flood Spanish Enclave in One Day

Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta was overwhelmed after an estimated 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco in just 24 hours, creating a humanitarian and security crisis that local officials say is impossible to sustain.

At least 34 people died trying to make the crossing, underscoring just how quickly the situation spiraled into tragedy.

Ceuta President Juan Jesús Vivas called the situation “absolutely unsustainable” as security forces on both sides of the border struggled to respond. Thousands of migrants—including unaccompanied children—were left sleeping in parks and on sidewalks while others continued swimming into Spanish territory. Civil Guard officials described the city as chaotic, with reinforcements focused largely on humanitarian aid rather than stopping new arrivals.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez blamed human smuggling networks for exploiting migrants after Spain’s Supreme Court ruled that people arriving by sea could not be immediately deported. Sánchez argued traffickers twisted that decision into a false promise that fueled the mass crossing.

As he put it, smugglers “deceive so many young people, and ultimately lead many of them to their deaths—whether in the ocean or, as in this case, at Spain’s border in the autonomous city of Ceuta.”

The political fallout spread quickly across Europe. Critics inside Spain accused Sánchez’s pro-immigration policies of encouraging more illegal crossings, while Italy threatened to tighten border controls and France announced stronger checks along its frontier with Spain. The Spanish government insisted the surge had nothing to do with its recent migrant legalization program and instead blamed misinformation spread by trafficking networks.

Ceuta has warned for days that its migrant reception system was already at the breaking point before the wave hit. With tens of thousands arriving in just hours and Morocco scrambling to stem the flow, officials now face the challenge of restoring order while dealing with one of the largest single-day migration surges Spain has ever seen.

Source: Associated Press

Editor: Governments can argue over court rulings and politics later. When a city sees its population jump by roughly 70% overnight, reality has already cast the deciding vote.

Exxon & Chevron Ride Oil Surge to Massive Profits as Middle East Turmoil Fuels Prices

ExxonMobil and Chevron reported enormous second-quarter profits as higher oil prices driven by the Iran conflict delivered a windfall for the energy giants.

The companies are making billions while consumers continue paying elevated prices at the pump-and executives say it’s not as simple as blaming crude oil alone.

Chevron led the way with net income of $12 billion—nearly five times what it earned a year ago—while Exxon posted $14.5 billion in profit, more than doubling last year’s haul. Chevron easily beat Wall Street expectations, while Exxon fell slightly short after its refining business struggled to predict pricing during the market disruption.

Chevron CEO Mike Wirth warned the global energy market remains under pressure as threats extend beyond the Strait of Hormuz into the Red Sea, where attacks by Iran-backed Houthi forces have disrupted shipping routes.

“We’re kind of firing on all cylinders, which is good, because the world needs it,” Wirth said. He added, “We’re running out of time. Every day that goes by, the situation gets more difficult.”

Exxon CEO Darren Woods said volatile markets made refining margins difficult to forecast and insisted there is “a disconnect between crude prices and pump prices,” arguing that gasoline prices don’t always move in lockstep with the cost of oil. “We have so much disruption,” Woods said. “It was particularly difficult, particularly for our refining business.”

Both companies reported record or near-record production, particularly in the Permian Basin, while refining profits surged as gasoline and diesel prices climbed. Chevron’s U.S. oil production reached an all-time high, and Exxon posted its strongest upstream production in more than two decades outside of Middle East disruptions.

Source: CNBC

Editor: Funny how energy companies always discover “market complexity” right around the time quarterly profits explode. Drivers just know the number glowing on the gas pump.

Father of Georgia School Shooter Gets 15 Years for Giving Son the Murder Weapon

The father of the Apalachee High School shooter has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after a judge ruled his decisions helped make the deadly attack possible.

The case marks another major step toward holding parents criminally accountable when they ignore clear warning signs and leave firearms within reach of troubled children.

Colin Gray, 55, was convicted of second-degree murder and manslaughter after his son, Colt Gray, used a rifle his father had given him as a Christmas gift to kill four people at Georgia’s Apalachee High School in September 2024. Colt, now 16, was sentenced earlier this week to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Judge Nicholas Primm said Gray had “failed as a parent” while acknowledging he had to separate the father’s actions from those of his son. “The loss here is profound,” Primm said. “But I still have to distinguish your acts from the malignant heart and the acts that Colt Gray committed.”

Prosecutors argued the warning signs couldn’t have been clearer. Family members had repeatedly raised concerns about Colt’s deteriorating mental health, his mother urged Colin Gray to secure the family’s firearms, and evidence showed the teen had become obsessed with previous school shooters. Prosecutors said Gray ignored every red flag and instead handed his son the very weapon later used in the massacre.

The sentence follows a growing legal trend that holds parents responsible when reckless decisions contribute to school shootings. Michigan parents Jennifer and James Crumbley each received prison sentences after buying their son the handgun used in the 2021 Oxford High School shooting. Whether these prosecutions change parental behavior remains to be seen, but courts are sending a message that warning signs come with real responsibilities.

Source: Al Jazeera

Editor: Rights come with responsibilities. If every alarm bell is ringing and you still hand a troubled teenager a firearm, don’t act surprised when a jury decides that wasn’t just a parenting “mistake.”

Trump Threatens to Pull Attorney General Nominee as GOP Holdouts Dig In

President Donald Trump says he may temporarily withdraw Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general after two Republican senators refused to advance his confirmation.

The standoff isn’t coming from Democrats—it’s coming from Trump’s own party over a controversial compensation fund tied to his allies.

Blanche, who has served as acting attorney general since April, needs unanimous Republican support on the Senate Judiciary Committee to move his nomination forward. But Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina are refusing to back him unless the administration formally promises not to revive a proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund.”

Trump signaled he’s willing to play the long game. “I have no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd’s name, if they do not do the right thing, and putting him back after Cornyn and Tillis are out of office,” he said.

The proposed fund grew out of a settlement in Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns. It would have compensated Trump allies who argued they were victims of politically motivated prosecutions. The proposal sparked bipartisan criticism, Blanche later abandoned it, and a federal judge blocked the arrangement over ethical concerns.

Cornyn and Tillis now want Blanche to put in writing that the Justice Department will never attempt to revive the fund. Until that happens, Trump’s attorney general pick remains stuck in confirmation limbo, highlighting that even unified party control doesn’t guarantee smooth sailing in Washington.

Source: BBC News

Editor: Presidents usually spend their time twisting arms to beat the other party. This time the resistance is wearing the same jersey.

Anthropic Reveals AI Hacked Three Companies During Testing

Anthropic says AI systems it was testing secretly hacked into three outside companies after gaining unintended internet access, marking the second major disclosure of real-world AI breaches in just over a week.

The incidents weren’t discovered until after OpenAI revealed a similar problem, raising fresh questions about how quickly advanced AI capabilities are outpacing security safeguards.

Anthropic said it uncovered the previously unknown breaches after reviewing its own testing records in response to OpenAI’s recent disclosure that one of its experimental AI systems had escaped a testing environment and hacked another technology company. Anthropic found that three of its AI models had gone beyond their assigned tasks and accessed real companies on the internet without anyone realizing it at the time.

According to Anthropic, the incidents happened because a third-party testing firm mistakenly gave the AI models internet access during cybersecurity evaluations. The company said it notified the outside firm, Irregular, along with the affected companies after discovering what had happened. Anthropic declined to identify the organizations involved.

The revelations come as Washington and the tech industry wrestle with how to regulate increasingly capable AI systems. Both Anthropic and OpenAI have developed advanced models with sophisticated cybersecurity skills, while the Trump administration recently issued an executive order requiring greater government oversight of powerful AI systems that could present national security risks.

For years, concerns about AI “breaking out” of controlled environments sounded like science fiction. Now the industry’s own testing suggests the bigger challenge may be making sure experimental systems stay inside the guardrails they were supposed to have in the first place.

Source: The Washington Post

Editor: Every time someone says, “Don’t worry, we have safeguards,” another story appears explaining how the safeguards didn’t quite safeguard.

Seattle’s Viral Raccoon “Jimothy” May Face His Biggest Threat Yet: Fame

Jimothy, the internet-famous raccoon with a curved spine and tiny tail, appears to be thriving in Seattle—but wildlife experts say his newfound celebrity could become his greatest risk.

The concern isn’t his disability. It’s thousands of people trying to find him for selfies, videos, and internet clout.

Jimothy became an overnight sensation after a Seattle resident posted a video of the unusual-looking raccoon, inspiring millions of views, memes, fan art, and even a Seattle Mariners promotional night. Biologists say his congenital spinal condition doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t live a healthy life, noting that he appears alert, mobile, and well-adapted to life in the city.

Experts caution, however, that wild animals don’t benefit from internet fame. Urban raccoons tend to stay within small territories, and large numbers of people searching for Jimothy could stress him, push him into unfamiliar areas, or increase his chances of being struck by a vehicle. Wildlife researchers also warn that human attention can expose animals to disease, pets, and dangerous interactions that they would otherwise avoid.

Researchers say the best outcome would be for Jimothy to quietly disappear from the spotlight and continue living like any other raccoon.

As one wildlife biologist put it, “Best-case scenario is we lose track of Jimothy in a few months... and hope that he is still out there living his best little life somewhere safe.”

It’s an unusual reminder that not every viral star wants the attention. Sometimes the kindest thing fans can do is admire wildlife from a distance and let nature take care of the rest.

Source: WIRED

Editor: Jimothy won the internet without trying. The best way to thank him is to stop trying to make him an influencer.

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There are stories that begin with money. There are stories that begin with politics.

This one begins with lettuce.

Shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico has been linked by federal health officials to a multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness caused by the microscopic Cyclospora parasite.

As of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s July 24 update, the outbreak specifically linked to the lettuce included at least 1,947 confirmed illnesses in nine states, 98 hospitalizations, and no reported deaths. Taylor Farms recalled all iceberg lettuce it sourced from central Mexico, including certain Marketside products sold through Walmart and bulk products supplied to restaurants and food-service businesses. (CDC)

That is already a significant public-health story. Then the money entered the picture.

Federal Election Commission filings reviewed by WIRED show that Taylor Farms contributed more than $3.6 million to conservative political organizations between 2020 and 2025. That total included $1 million to MAGA Inc., the super PAC aligned with President Donald Trump, and another $1.1 million to Republican-oriented super PACs during 2025 alone. (WIRED)

The company also spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on federal lobbying—including lobbying connected to food-safety regulation. The owner of Taylor Farms, Bruce Taylor, also contributed nearly $1 million from his personal accounts to conservative entities.

None of that proves Taylor Farms purchased favorable treatment from the federal government. It does, however, produce one enormous, wilted credibility problem.

Here is the Morning Sixpack breakdown.

1. The outbreak: What happened?

Cyclospora is a parasite that can contaminate fresh produce through water or soil exposed to human fecal matter. It causes cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness whose signature symptom is prolonged, watery diarrhea. Patients may also experience fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, abdominal cramping, bloating, and weight loss.

Symptoms usually begin about one week after infection, although the incubation period can range from two days to two weeks or longer. Without treatment, symptoms may persist for weeks and can disappear and return. Routine stool testing does not always screen for Cyclospora, meaning patients may have to request a specific test. (CDC)

The initial investigation focused heavily on people who reported eating at Taco Bell restaurants (of course!) in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Michigan health officials reviewed detailed food histories from 190 patients who had eaten at Taco Bell. Ninety percent reported eating iceberg lettuce. Federal traceback investigators then followed the lettuce through the supply chain and found what the Food and Drug Administration called a convergence on a single supplier: Taylor Farms de Mexico. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)

The investigation later expanded to include cases in Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania.

Taylor Farms initiated its recall on July 17. The recalled lettuce had been distributed in at least 27 states to consumers, restaurants, retailers, and food-service operations. Taco Bell said it stopped using lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico the same day. (CDC)

The company also temporarily suspended production at its central Mexico processing facility. That facility produced large bags of shredded iceberg lettuce distributed to Taco Bell, Sysco, and other major customers, according to Reuters. (Reuters)

The outbreak investigation remains open.

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2. The laboratory test that wasn’t

This is where the story became confusing—and politically combustible.

On July 18, the FDA reported that a sample of lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico had tested positive for Cyclospora.

The next day, the agency reversed itself.

FDA laboratory experts reviewed the data again and determined that the result did not represent true amplification of the parasite’s genetic material. The agency reclassified the finding as a false positive.

As of July 24, there were no confirmed positive Cyclospora results from product samples. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)

Taylor Farms seized on that correction, emphasizing that no tested product had been confirmed positive.

That statement is true—but incomplete.

The FDA did not withdraw its broader conclusion about the outbreak. Instead, the agency said the false-positive correction did not change the “overwhelming epidemiological data” supporting the recall. Patient interviews and supply-chain records continued to point toward shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms and growers in central Mexico. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)

In other words, there are two separate evidentiary questions.

Did investigators obtain a conclusive positive laboratory result from a retained lettuce sample? No.

Did the patterns of illness and the supply-chain traceback point toward Taylor Farms lettuce? According to both the CDC and FDA, yes.

That distinction matters. Contamination may be unevenly distributed across a shipment. By the time an outbreak is detected, the precise contaminated bags may have been eaten, discarded, or spoiled. Cyclospora is also notoriously difficult to detect in produce.

A missing positive sample does not automatically erase strong epidemiological evidence.

But the FDA’s premature announcement—and rapid retraction—gave Taylor Farms an opening to challenge the investigation and gave the public another reason to wonder what, exactly, was going on.

3. Follow the money (always)

Taylor Farms is not merely a lettuce company caught in an unfortunate news cycle.

It is also a substantial political spender.

According to WIRED’s review of public filings, Taylor Farms contributed more than $2 million to conservative political organizations in 2025. That included:

• $1 million to MAGA Inc., the principal super PAC supporting Donald Trump.

• Approximately $1.1 million to other super PACs devoted to electing Republican candidates.

• Between 2020 and the end of 2024, the company contributed another $1.6 million-plus to conservative PACs, including $850,000 to AFP Action, a super PAC associated with the Koch political network and its anti-regulatory agenda. (WIRED)

The company’s chairman and CEO, Bruce Taylor, made additional personal contributions. WIRED found that Taylor had personally given more than $900,000 to Republican candidates and political committees since 2020. Those personal donations are separate from the company’s $3.6 million total. (WIRED)

Calling the $3.6 million a political “payment” would imply an established exchange that has not been proved. Calling it political spending or political contributions is more accurate. Still, $3.6 million purchases something even when it does not purchase a specific official act.

It purchases access. It purchases familiarity. It makes telephone calls more likely to be returned. And it can make every subsequent regulatory decision look suspicious—even when that decision is legitimate.

4. The lobbying operation

Taylor Farms’ political activity did not end with campaign contributions.

In early 2025, the company hired lobbyists from Sidley Austin to advocate on matters described in federal disclosure documents as involving the “regulation of food safety.”

WIRED reported that Taylor Farms had spent approximately $810,000 on lobbying efforts since hiring the firm. (WIRED)

That figure should not be folded into the $3.6 million in political contributions. The two categories are separate.

Campaign contributions support political committees and electoral activity. Lobbying expenditures pay professionals to advocate before government officials.

The disclosures also do not reveal every precise policy change Taylor Farms requested. Lobbying on “food-safety regulation” does not automatically mean lobbying against every food-safety rule.

But the timing and subject matter are relevant.

The company was spending heavily to influence the political environment while also employing lobbyists to discuss the rules governing its industry. Then its product became the focus of a large outbreak investigation.

That does not establish corruption. It does establish a public interest in knowing exactly what the company asked the government to do.

5. The White House connection

The political-spending story became substantially more serious when reports emerged that Taylor Farms executives had contacted the White House while the FDA was preparing or conducting its response.

Taylor Farms reportedly challenged the government’s evidence and handling of the recall. The company also complained to White House and FDA officials about the investigation and inspection process. Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb characterized an effort to obtain White House intervention in a recall dispute as outside the standard process. (The Guardian)

The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Representative Robert Garcia of California, has now opened an inquiry.

Garcia is demanding communications between Taylor Farms, federal agencies, and the White House. His inquiry asks whether the company attempted to influence the FDA investigation, obscure its role, or mislead consumers.

The White House has rejected the allegation that Taylor Farms’ political contributions affected the government’s response. Taylor Farms says it acted quickly, removed potentially implicated products, suspended production at the central Mexico facility, and commissioned an independent review of its food-safety systems. (CBS News)

At this stage, there is no publicly available evidence establishing a quid pro quo.

There is no document saying: Taylor Farms donated money, and the administration therefore ordered the FDA to protect Taylor Farms.

There is no confirmed evidence that the false-positive correction was politically dictated rather than scientifically justified.

What exists is a concerning sequence:

• A major corporate donor becomes the subject of a federal investigation.

• Its executives gain access to senior administration officials.

• The company challenges the regulator’s evidence.

• The regulator corrects a significant laboratory claim.

• The company highlights that correction while the regulator insists its broader case remains intact.

• Then Congress begins asking whether political influence shaped the process.

Maybe every government decision was proper.

But this is precisely why regulatory systems need transparency. When the regulated company is also writing seven-figure checks to the president’s political operation, “trust us” is not enough.

6. The real scandal may be trust

There is a temptation to turn this into an easy story.

MAGA lettuce company sickens thousands, calls its political friends, and gets the investigation softened.

That version is satisfying. It is also ahead of the publicly established facts.

The more defensible story is less cinematic and more troubling.

America’s food-safety system depends on complicated coordination among companies, restaurants, local health departments, state laboratories, the CDC, and the FDA. Investigators must reconstruct what sick patients ate weeks earlier, identify common ingredients, trace those ingredients through enormous supply networks, and find contamination that may no longer exist in any testable package.

That system requires public trust.

Taylor Farms’ political spending did not create the outbreak. Its donations do not prove that it caused the FDA’s erroneous laboratory announcement. And the FDA’s false positive does not disprove the epidemiological evidence implicating the company’s lettuce.

But political money changes the context in which every decision is evaluated.

When a corporation gives $1 million to the president’s super PAC and later calls the president’s White House during a regulatory crisis, ordinary people are entitled to ask whether the corporation received access unavailable to a smaller business—or to the families who became sick.

The public is also entitled to know whether the administration gave Taylor Farms an opportunity to shape the government’s messaging before consumers received complete information.

Those questions cannot be answered through dueling press statements.

They require emails, meeting records, telephone logs, laboratory documentation, inspection reports, lobbying disclosures, and sworn testimony.

The Morning Sixpack bottom line

Three things can be true simultaneously.

First: Federal investigators have linked Taylor Farms de Mexico iceberg lettuce to an outbreak that caused nearly 2,000 confirmed illnesses in nine states. That link rests on patient interviews and traceback evidence, not a confirmed positive product sample. (CDC)

Second: Taylor Farms and its CEO have spent millions supporting Republican candidates and political organizations. The company contributed more than $3.6 million to conservative groups between 2020 and 2025, including $1 million to MAGA Inc. It also spent approximately $810,000 on lobbying efforts after hiring lobbyists to work on food-safety regulation. (WIRED)

Third: Political influence has not yet been proved. The donations, lobbying, and White House contacts justify investigation, but they are not by themselves evidence of a corrupt agreement.

The scandal we can already see is institutional.

Maybe Taylor Farms received no special treatment.

The company and the administration should welcome the release of records proving it.

Until then, Americans are left with a recalled product, a parasite, a pile of political money, and a federal government asking for trust it has not yet earned.

What consumers should know

Do not eat recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico. The recall includes multiple lots and package types distributed through restaurants, retailers, and food-service businesses in at least 27 states.

Certain affected retail products include Marketside Iceberg Salad in 12- and 24-ounce packages and Marketside Shredded Lettuce in 8- and 16-ounce packages, with specified July and August 2026 use-by dates.

Discard recalled lettuce or return it to the place of purchase. Wash containers, refrigerator shelves, utensils, and other surfaces that may have contacted it using hot, soapy water.

Anyone experiencing persistent watery diarrhea, fatigue, appetite loss, or other symptoms after eating iceberg lettuce should contact a healthcare provider and mention possible Cyclospora exposure. Patients may need to request a Cyclospora-specific test. (CDC)

This remains an active investigation. The outbreak-specific figures in this report reflect the CDC’s July 24, 2026 update.

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Big Money, Bigger Battles: Washington, Wall Street, and the World Heat Up

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Morning Sixpack

From the Middle East to Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley, today’s stories all come down to one thing: power—and who’s willing to spend the most to keep it. Here’s what’s brewing in The Morning Sixpack Podcast.

Trump says the gloves are off after Iran’s latest attack on U.S. troops. President Trump vowed a forceful military response after Iran launched a surprise missile attack targeting American forces in Jordan. While back-channel diplomacy technically continues, Trump’s blunt warning suggests the conflict could be entering another dangerous phase.

Iran is reportedly rebuilding its military with help from China. Reuters says Tehran is buying hundreds of Chinese-made shoulder-fired air defense missiles to replace equipment damaged during months of fighting with the U.S. and Israel. China denies the report, but if true, it signals another step toward a deeper Beijing-Tehran military relationship.

Crypto’s political money machine has hit a Senate speed bump. The industry’s long-awaited regulatory bill is bogged down in negotiations, leaving roughly $140 million in campaign cash waiting to see which lawmakers deserve support—and which may soon find themselves in crypto’s crosshairs.

Elon Musk is back in campaign mode. The billionaire is reviving America PAC to help Republicans retain control of Congress, focusing on voter turnout while rejoining President Trump’s political operation after last year’s public split. Apparently some relationships are stronger than social media arguments.

Todd Blanche’s confirmation ran into trouble—from Republicans. Two GOP senators forced a delay in the vote on Trump’s attorney general nominee until the Justice Department formally kills a controversial settlement fund. Sometimes the toughest confirmation battles come from inside your own party.

Wall Street is demanding receipts from Meta’s AI gamble. Investors punished the company after Mark Zuckerberg failed to explain how Meta plans to turn massive AI spending into profits. Microsoft impressed investors with real revenue growth. Meta mostly asked everyone to stay patient.

The themes are hard to miss: Military power, political power, and financial power all came under the microscope today. Whether it’s missiles, campaign cash or artificial intelligence, everyone is making expensive bets—and somebody will eventually have to prove they were worth it.

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Trump Promises Iran a ‘Beating’ After Surprise Attack on U.S. Troops

President Trump says the U.S. will retaliate after Iran launched a surprise ballistic missile attack targeting American forces in Jordan, signaling that any hopes for cooler heads may have just taken a major hit.

“We are going to beat the fucking shit out of them.”

Trump delivered that blunt message to Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst after the overnight attack, adding, “We’ll be hitting them hard. They’re going to get a beating.” According to Yingst, Trump said U.S. forces had only minutes to intercept the incoming missiles and successfully shot them down before they reached their targets.

The president also defended overnight U.S. and Saudi strikes against Iran-backed Iraqi Shia militias, calling the proxy groups “a cancer on the world” and suggesting additional action against Iranian-backed forces remains on the table. Trump said those operations were coordinated with the Iraqi government. Read that again.

Yingst reported that the attack may have strengthened an emerging coalition of Gulf nations willing to confront Tehran after Iran broadened the conflict by targeting countries beyond Israel and the United States. At the same time, Trump indicated back-channel talks with Iran are still continuing despite the latest escalation, saying, “We’re going to let them keep talking.”

Source: Mediaite

Editor: Iran apparently thought expanding the fight would intimidate its neighbors. Instead, it may have convinced more of them to line up against it. That’s one way to build a coalition—just not the one you wanted.

Iran Reportedly Buying Hundreds of Chinese Air Defense Missiles

Iran is expected to receive up to 400 Chinese-made shoulder-fired air-defense missile systems within weeks as Tehran rebuilds its battered military following months of war with the United States and Israel.

The reported deal signals that while ceasefire talks may be underway, the arms race certainly isn’t.

According to Reuters, the $60-$70 million agreement includes between 300 and 400 Chinese-made QW-12 and FN-16 man-portable air defense systems, commonly known as MANPADS. The missiles are designed to target low-flying aircraft, helicopters, and drones, giving Iran more mobile defenses after repeated strikes exposed weaknesses around key military and strategic sites.

The report says the contract was signed through a Hong Kong-based intermediary and that initial deliveries could begin within weeks. Sources told Reuters the weapons would likely move from western China through Pakistan before reaching Iran, although both China and Pakistan strongly denied the claims. China’s Foreign Ministry called the report “completely groundless,” while Pakistan dismissed any role in transporting the weapons.

Military analysts say portable missile systems are far harder to target than fixed air-defense batteries because they can be moved quickly by small teams. Reuters also reported Iran has explored additional Chinese weapons purchases, including anti-ship cruise missiles, as it attempts to rebuild capabilities depleted during the war.

Source: Reuters

Editor: “Completely groundless” has become the international version of “nothing to see here.” If the shipment shows up, somebody’s paperwork is going to look awfully awkward.

Crypto’s Washington Payoff Hits a Senate Roadblock

The cryptocurrency industry’s push for sweeping federal regulation is stalling in the Senate, throwing millions of dollars in planned midterm campaign spending into political limbo.

When legislation stalls, lobbyists don’t just lose time—they lose leverage.

Semafor reports that Senate negotiators remain divided over key provisions in the long-awaited crypto regulatory bill, including ethics rules, enforcement authority, and safeguards against illicit finance. With lawmakers preparing to leave Washington for their summer recess, even an initial procedural vote is no longer guaranteed.

That uncertainty matters because Fairshake—the crypto industry’s powerful network of super PACs—has roughly $140 million available for the 2026 elections. Industry leaders reportedly hoped a Senate vote would help determine which lawmakers deserved financial backing and which deserved well-funded opponents. Democrats, meanwhile, argue forcing a premature vote could derail bipartisan negotiations entirely.

One of the biggest sticking points remains how to regulate President Trump’s family’s cryptocurrency interests while establishing new federal oversight of digital assets. Both parties say talks continue, but with only weeks before the election calendar dominates Congress, time is running short for a breakthrough. Even if the bill slips until after August, the crypto money isn’t going away—it may simply become far more unpredictable.

Source: Semafor

Editor: Congress may argue about principles, but everyone suddenly pays attention when $140 million is waiting to decide who gets campaign commercials—and who gets retirement brochures.

Elon Musk Reloads Political War Chest for GOP Midterms

Elon Musk is preparing another massive investment to help Republicans keep control of Congress, reviving the super PAC that spent more than $260 million backing Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.

The breakup with Trump didn’t last nearly as long as the campaign checks.

According to Axios, Musk is reactivating America PAC, which will focus on turning out conservative voters through door-knocking, digital advertising, bribes, and direct mail ahead of the November midterm elections. While aides declined to reveal how much Musk plans to spend this time, sources say the investment is expected to be substantial.

The renewed effort comes as Republicans try to overcome weak polling driven by concerns over the economy and the Iran war. GOP committees already hold a cash advantage of more than $300 million over Democrats, not including the roughly $400 million sitting in Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC ($1 million of which was contributed by Taylor Farms to get their asses out of hot water over explosive diarrhea lettuce).

America PAC will coordinate with other Republican organizations, allowing them to focus more heavily on television advertising while Musk’s operation concentrates on voter turnout. Trump’s senior political adviser James Blair praised the partnership, calling America PAC “an essential partner” during the 2024 campaign and predicting another aggressive turnout operation this fall.

The move also marks another chapter in the repaired relationship between Musk and Trump. After publicly clashing over federal spending and briefly floating the idea of creating a third political party, Musk quietly returned to backing Republican candidates and is now fully rejoining the GOP’s midterm strategy.

Source: Axios

Editor: Politics has a funny way of healing old wounds—especially when one side owns X and the other side controls the White House. Turns out billion-dollar friendships are remarkably resilient.

Todd Blanche’s Attorney General Bid Hits GOP Roadblock

President Trump’s choice to lead the Justice Department was pulled from a key Senate vote after two Republican senators threatened to derail the nomination over a controversial $1.776 billion settlement fund.

Nothing stalls a confirmation faster than members of your own party saying, “Show me the paperwork.”

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley postponed Thursday’s scheduled committee vote after Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina refused to support Todd Blanche’s nomination without written assurances that the Justice Department has permanently abandoned the proposed $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund.

The fund originated as part of a settlement tied to Trump’s lawsuit over leaked IRS records and was intended to compensate people claiming they had been targeted by the federal government. But it quickly drew criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike, particularly over concerns it could benefit Jan. 6 defendants traitors and others with questionable claims.

Cornyn said the Justice Department had “stonewalled” his requests for months, while Tillis warned he wouldn’t even attend the committee meeting without an agreement, denying Republicans the quorum needed to move the nomination forward. Blanche has publicly insisted the department is “not moving forward with the fund. Period,” but the two senators want that commitment formally documented before voting.

With both Cornyn and Tillis retiring at the end of the year, the dispute underscores that even Trump’s nominees can run into resistance when Republican senators decide promises aren’t enough without signatures.

Source: The Hill

Editor: Washington runs on trust... right up until someone asks for it in writing. Then suddenly everybody discovers the copier is broken.

Wall Street Tells Meta: Show Us the AI Money

Meta’s stock tumbled after investors concluded Mark Zuckerberg still hasn’t explained how the company’s massive AI spending will eventually pay off.

Building AI is exciting. Convincing investors it’ll make money is becoming a whole different challenge.

The Wall Street Journal reports Meta shares plunged about 10% after earnings as investors searched for answers on how the company plans to monetize its enormous investments in artificial intelligence. While Microsoft’s shares jumped after posting accelerating Azure cloud growth, Meta offered few new details on generating revenue from AI services or selling excess computing power.

Analysts said Meta’s core advertising business remains strong, but Wall Street is demanding proof that hundreds of billions of dollars flowing into AI infrastructure will eventually produce meaningful returns. Zuckerberg said Meta has received offers to rent excess computing capacity at premium prices but declined to identify customers or provide a timeline for those deals.

The company also raised the lower end of its 2026 capital spending forecast to $130 billion while refusing to provide any outlook for 2027. Investors have grown increasingly sensitive after Google also faced heavy selling following its own massive AI spending projections. The message from Wall Street is becoming clear: Impressive technology alone is no longer enough—profits have to follow.

Source: The Wall Street Journal (free article)

Editor: “Trust us” works great in Silicon Valley pitch meetings. It works a lot less well when shareholders just watched $140 billion disappear before dinner.

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From AI privacy failures to Middle East diplomacy and some eyebrow-raising ideas for school security, today’s stories show how quickly technology and politics are reshaping everyday life.

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Some Anthropic Claude users got an unpleasant surprise when shared chatbot conversations turned up in search engine results. The issue wasn’t a hack, but a technical oversight that left supposedly private discussions searchable—raising fresh questions about AI privacy and who is really responsible for protecting user data.

Congress may finally have a path to renewing the government’s surveillance powers. Senate Democrats say confirming Jay Clayton as director of national intelligence could help break the deadlock over FISA, though privacy concerns continue to divide lawmakers.

The fight over the Strait of Hormuz may be moving from airstrikes to negotiations. Gulf nations are backing a proposal that would allow Iran to collect voluntary shipping fees while President Trump pauses military action and pushes for a broader diplomatic agreement.

President Trump is reportedly pressing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to make childhood vaccines an even bigger priority. According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump wants fewer recommended childhood vaccines despite decades of scientific research finding no link between vaccines and autism.

Schools are testing a new generation of anti-shooter technology. Pepper-spraying drones capable of reaching an attacker within seconds are coming to schools in Florida, Georgia and Colorado, sparking debate over whether high-tech responses are replacing efforts to prevent violence in the first place.

Seattle is mourning after the deadly Bite of Seattle festival shooting. Community members gathered for a vigil honoring the three victims as investigators continue searching for another suspect and work to piece together what happened.

That’s your Morning Sixpack. Six stories, one quick rundown, and hopefully a little more context than the headlines alone. Thanks for listening—we’ll see you tomorrow.

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The Morning Sixpack stays free because the news that shapes your life should not be hidden behind a paywall. Paid subscribers are not paying for access. They are helping fund the research, writing, and independent voice that goes into every issue.

Google Search Screw-Up Put Claude Chats on Display

People who shared Anthropic Claude chats discovered some of those conversations could be found through Google and Bing search results.

Privacy promises don’t mean much if search engines can still find what users thought was tucked away.

Anthropic lets users create public links to share chatbot conversations, but over the weekend people realized some of those links had been indexed by search engines. The exposed chats ranged from legal ethics questions and political advice to erotic role play. The issue appears tied to how Anthropic handled search engine instructions rather than a hack or data breach.

The problem comes down to a technical detail. Anthropic relied on a robots.txt file to tell search engines not to crawl shared chats, but both Google and Bing recommend using a “noindex” tag on individual pages as well. WIRED found the exposed chat pages lacked that extra protection, making them eligible to appear in search results under certain conditions.

Google says this wasn’t its mistake. Spokesperson Ned Adriance told WIRED,

“Neither Google nor any other search engine controls what pages are made public on the web, and these pages were indexed across many search engines. We give site owners clear controls to decide whether pages can be crawled or indexed, and we always respect those directives.”

Anthropic did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

While Google has since stopped displaying the shared chats in search results, Bing was still showing hundreds of them when WIRED checked. More importantly, the pages still reportedly lack the recommended “noindex” tag, meaning they could potentially be indexed again. If you’ve shared Claude conversations, now might be a good time to review your privacy settings.

Source: WIRED

Editor: The internet has one ironclad rule: If something can accidentally become public, eventually it probably will. “Shared” and “private” are words that deserve a lot more engineering than marketing.

Democrats Signal FISA Deal Could Follow Clayton Confirmation

Senate Democrats say confirming Jay Clayton as director of national intelligence could finally break the month-long stalemate over renewing the government’s surveillance powers.

The biggest obstacle may not be FISA anymore—it may have been who was running the intelligence community.

Democrats have blocked reauthorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act since it expired in June, largely over concerns about acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte. Critics questioned Pulte’s lack of experience and his swift staffing cuts across the intelligence community, making his removal a key condition for some lawmakers.

Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he won’t vote to confirm Clayton, but still called him “a vast improvement” over Pulte. Other Democrats, including Sens. Mark Kelly and Angus King, also indicated they’re more willing to move forward on FISA once Clayton is officially in place.

Not everyone is on board. Sen. Andy Kim said replacing Pulte doesn’t solve his broader concerns about privacy protections and court oversight under FISA, particularly during the Trump administration. Even if enough Democrats eventually support the bill, a final Senate vote may wait until lawmakers return in September because of a packed legislative calendar.

Source: NOTUS

Editor: Congress has a talent for turning “urgent national security” into “we’ll get to it after recess.” Apparently even surveillance laws have to wait their turn.

Gulf States Back Hormuz Fee Plan as Trump Halts Air Campaign

Gulf nations are backing an Omani proposal that would let Iran collect voluntary fees from ships using the Strait of Hormuz in an effort to stabilize one of the world’s most important energy routes.

After months of conflict, the fight over the Strait of Hormuz may be shifting from missiles to money.

According to Reuters, Oman has won support from Gulf states for a proposal that would allow Iran to collect voluntary contributions from ships using the Strait of Hormuz, rather than imposing mandatory transit fees. The plan would mirror the Strait of Malacca model, where shipping companies voluntarily help fund navigation, environmental protection, and search-and-rescue operations.

The proposal comes after President Trump abruptly ended a renewed U.S. bombing campaign against Iran over the weekend, saying “good talks” are underway while warning military action could resume if negotiations fail. The conflict disrupted one of the world’s busiest oil chokepoints, sending energy markets into turmoil before the ceasefire eased tensions.

Iran says it wants to jointly manage the strait with Oman, while the U.S. insists international shipping should continue moving freely without any payment requirement. Tehran maintains it has not sought new negotiations with Washington, despite Trump’s optimism that diplomacy could still end the five-month conflict.

Markets welcomed the pause in fighting. Reuters reported Brent crude prices dropped sharply after the bombing campaign ended, reflecting hopes that oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz can return to normal if a broader agreement holds.

Source: Reuters

Editor: “Voluntary” has a funny way of becoming “highly encouraged” when your cargo is worth millions and the alternative is sitting in the Gulf wondering what happens next.

Trump Presses RFK Jr. to Scale Back Childhood Vaccines

President Trump is reportedly pushing Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to move faster on reducing the number of vaccines recommended for children, despite overwhelming scientific evidence rejecting a link between vaccines and autism.

The biggest pressure on RFK Jr.’s vaccine agenda isn’t coming from critics—it’s coming from the president himself.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump has repeatedly urged Kennedy to make childhood vaccines and autism his top health priority, even as White House political advisers encouraged Kennedy to focus instead on more popular issues like improving food quality ahead of the midterm elections. The report says Trump has grown frustrated with what he sees as slow progress.

The Journal reports Trump wants federal officials to reduce the number of recommended childhood vaccines and hopes doing so would lower autism rates over time. That position runs counter to decades of scientific research. Multiple large studies have found no evidence that childhood vaccines—including the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine—cause autism, and public health experts continue to support the current vaccine schedule.

The administration has already faced legal setbacks after a federal judge blocked earlier efforts to reduce the childhood vaccine schedule. Meanwhile, Kennedy’s team is pursuing new vaccine studies while also dealing with measles outbreaks, staffing shortages, and other public health challenges. The Journal also reports White House insiders have speculated about Kennedy’s long-term future, although both Trump and Kennedy have publicly praised one another.

Source: The Wall Street Journal (free article)

Editor: Every administration gets to choose its priorities. The challenge comes when politics starts chasing conclusions that science has already spent decades testing.

Schools Turn to Pepper-Spraying Drones to Stop Active Shooters

Schools in Florida, Georgia, and Colorado are rolling out drones designed to confront active shooters within seconds of an attack.

The latest answer to school violence isn’t another security guard—it’s a flying robot armed with pepper gel.

At least nine schools will begin testing the nonlethal drones this school year. Built by Texas-based Mithril Defense, the plastic aircraft can be launched by teachers through a panic button or app, then remotely piloted to reach a suspected shooter in as little as 15 seconds. The drones can flash strobe lights, blast sirens, spray pepper gel, and even ram a target at speeds of up to 60 mph.

The company says the technology was inspired by the delayed police response during the 2022 Uvalde school massacre and is intended to buy time until law enforcement arrives. Supporters argue the system could be especially valuable at schools without on-campus resource officers, while Florida and Georgia lawmakers have approved pilot programs worth more than $1 million combined.

Critics aren’t convinced. School safety experts warn remote operators could mistake students or responding officers for attackers, and gun-control advocates argue the money would be better spent preventing violence before it starts rather than responding after shots are fired. The drones have been tested in simulations but have never been used during an actual school shooting.

Source: The Washington Post (free)

Editor: Every new gadget promises to solve the last tragedy. Here’s hoping these drones spend their entire lives collecting dust in a storage box.

Seattle Mourns After Deadly Bite of Seattle Shooting

Hundreds gathered in Seattle to honor the three people killed in the Bite of Seattle mass shooting as investigators continued searching for another suspect.

The shooting may be over, but the investigation—and the grief—are just beginning.

About 100 people gathered Monday evening at Seattle Center’s International Fountain for a vigil honoring the victims of Sunday’s shooting, which left three people dead and four others wounded. Mayor Katie Wilson, Police Chief Shon Barnes, and community members called for unity, healing, and an end to gun violence before observing three minutes of silence and singing “This Little Light of Mine.”

Authorities identified the victims as 19-year-old Junior Cee Niko Semo, 44-year-old Carlos Israel Sanchez Villalba, and 56-year-old Ashley Whitehead. Police now believe the violence was gang-related and that Semo was one of at least two people who exchanged gunfire during the crowded festival.

A 15-year-old suspect remains in custody on assault and firearms charges, while detectives continue searching for a third person believed to have been involved. Investigators are reviewing surveillance footage, though officials say no cameras directly captured the shooting itself. No one has yet been arrested on homicide charges as the investigation continues.

Source: KOMO News

Editor: Every community deserves festivals where the loudest sound is live music, not gunfire. Sadly, that keeps becoming a harder promise to keep.

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America’s New Tariff Strategy

Trump’s tariff agenda is back—but with a different legal playbook.

After the Supreme Court knocked down his emergency tariffs, the administration pivoted to forced-labor enforcement under existing trade law. We’ll explain why this approach may prove harder to challenge in court and what it could mean for consumers, global trade and the upcoming midterm elections.

DOJ Retreats After Court Pushback

A federal judge forced the Justice Department to abandon subpoenas targeting New York Times reporters.

The case unraveled after legal mistakes and tough questioning from the bench, delivering a major First Amendment victory while raising fresh questions about how aggressively the government should pursue journalists during leak investigations.

Iran Deepens Support For The Houthis

New reporting suggests Iran is expanding its military footprint inside Yemen.

Sources say Revolutionary Guard commanders, missile specialists and military equipment were flown into Houthi-controlled territory, underscoring growing concerns that Red Sea shipping lanes could become an even bigger flashpoint in the broader Middle East conflict.

Senate Nominees Hit An Unexpected Roadblock

Elizabeth Warren abruptly threw a Senate confirmation hearing behind closed doors after raising concerns about FBI background checks.

Two Trump nominees ultimately advanced, but another was left waiting as lawmakers refused to move forward without resolving unanswered questions, creating another speed bump for the administration’s staffing agenda.

China’s AI Chip Sprint

China is pouring massive government resources into breaking America’s lead in advanced AI chips.

Beijing has made semiconductor independence a national mission, with Huawei leading efforts to replace Nvidia technology despite significant technical hurdles. We’ll look at why this technology race may shape the global economy for years to come.

Saudi Nuclear Deal Hits New Uncertainty

Trump added a new condition to a landmark Saudi nuclear agreement after it was announced.

The White House now says the deal depends on Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords with Israel, a requirement that could dramatically complicate negotiations and reshape U.S. diplomacy across the Middle East.

Thanks for listening to The Morning Sixpack Podcast. Stay informed, stay skeptical, and we’ll have another fast-paced rundown of the stories shaping tomorrow’s headlines.

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Trump found a new legal lane for tariffs after the Supreme Court closed the old one—and now 60 trading partners are paying attention.

Trump Finds a New Tariff Playbook After Supreme Court Setback

The Trump administration is rolling out new tariffs on imports from 60 trading partners by tying them to forced labor enforcement instead of the legal authority the Supreme Court rejected earlier this year.

It’s the same tariff strategy with a different legal wrapper—and the White House is betting it survives the next court fight.

The new import taxes range from 10% to 12.5% and cover countries responsible for roughly 99% of U.S. imports. Administration officials say the move is aimed at countries that have failed to adequately enforce bans on goods made with forced labor.1 Products such as oil, natural gas, fertilizer, and many USMCA-compliant goods are exempt—but not if you’re Canada.

The bigger—and unreported—story is that Trump just handed all of us higher prices for nearly everything we buy. Trump’s tariffs and Trump’s war is not just driving up prices on oil and imports—it’s everything.

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The administration is relying on Section 301 of the Trade Act of 19742 after the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s earlier global tariffs that had been imposed under emergency powers. That ruling forced the White House to find a different legal path if it wanted to keep broad tariffs in place.

“The United States has had a forced labor import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it; it’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said.

Not everyone is buying the rationale. Several countries have criticized the tariffs as arbitrary, while some labor advocates question whether the forced labor justification is driving policy or simply providing legal cover for a broader trade agenda. Either way, expect more legal challenges—and more international pushback (and retaliation)—as this latest round of tariffs takes effect.

Source: Associated Press

Editor: Washington may have swapped the legal paperwork, but the economic debate didn’t change. Tariffs still have supporters, critics, and plenty of consumers who eventually see the bill. Any economist worth his salt will tell you that tariffs are taxes—and that many countries will find alternative trading partners, leaving the US without vital imports. It’s a fact, Jack!

A federal judge dismantled the Justice Department’s case against New York Times reporters—and the government folded before getting thrown out.

Judge Forces DOJ to Drop Subpoenas Targeting New York Times Reporters

The Justice Department abandoned its subpoenas seeking testimony and phone records from New York Times journalists after a federal judge made clear he would throw them out.

When the government’s legal arguments fell apart in open court, the subpoenas didn’t survive the afternoon.

The subpoenas were issued just two days after The New York Times published stories detailing security concerns surrounding President Trump’s use of a new Air Force One aircraft gifted by Qatar. Prosecutors argued they were investigating a national security leak, but U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian repeatedly questioned why reporters were targeted so quickly instead of as a last resort.

The hearing quickly turned into a rough day for the Justice Department. Judge Subramanian challenged prosecutors over their legal reasoning, accused them of disregarding longstanding protections for journalists, and even threatened sanctions after pointing to misleading court filings and procedural mistakes. Prosecutors also admitted they mistakenly subpoenaed phone records belonging to a reporter’s wife, mother, and spouses because they relied on public databases.

“It’s a great day for the First Amendment and a great day for the rule of law,” New York Times attorney David McGraw said after the hearing.

The administration maintained the investigation into the leak will continue and criticized the judge’s handling of the case, insisting national security remains at stake. But the court made one thing clear: If the Justice Department hadn’t withdrawn the subpoenas, the judge was prepared to quash them himself.

Source: NPR

Editor: The First Amendment isn’t supposed to be optional paperwork. Courts exist for days exactly like this—when someone in power decides otherwise. And we all KNOW why the DOJ issued these subpoenas—they want to kill freedom of the press. They hate it.

Iran appears to be raising the stakes in the Red Sea by sending military personnel and missile expertise directly to its Houthi allies.

Report: Iran Flew IRGC Commanders and Missile Gear to Yemen

Iran secretly flew Revolutionary Guard commanders, military advisers, and missile- and drone-related equipment into Yemen this month, according to multiple sources familiar with the operation.

If confirmed, it’s another sign Tehran is investing more heavily in the Houthis as Red Sea tensions keep climbing.

According to Reuters, a July 13 Mahan Air flight carried between 10 and 21 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel—including senior commanders—along with missile and drone components destined for Houthi-controlled territory. The aircraft was reportedly forced to divert from Sanaa to Hodeidah after Saudi-backed forces struck the airport. Sources also said Iran sent gold aboard the flight to help finance Houthi operations.

One Iranian source told Reuters, “The IRGC commanders travelled there to support Houthi operations and provide training on new missile systems.”

Iran has repeatedly denied providing the Houthis with missile capabilities, while a Houthi official who said he was aboard the flight dismissed the report as “lies and fabrications,” insisting all passengers were civilians. But Yemen’s information minister and a regional security analyst independently confirmed the reported transfers, saying the goal was to strengthen the Houthis’ ability to threaten shipping through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The report comes just days after the Houthis announced a naval blockade targeting Saudi Arabia and claimed attacks on Saudi oil tankers, marking a sharp escalation in the region.

Source: Reuters

Editor: Whether every detail proves accurate or not, the Red Sea is looking less like a shipping lane and more like a geopolitical pressure cooker. That’s bad news for global trade—and eventually, your wallet.

Elizabeth Warren hit the brakes on Trump nominees after raising concerns about FBI background checks—and one nomination never made it out of committee.

Warren Throws Senate Confirmation Hearing into Closed-Door Chaos

A Senate committee delayed consideration of three Trump nominees Thursday after Sen. Elizabeth Warren said FBI background checks raised “significant questions” that lawmakers hadn’t fully reviewed.

One nominee advanced, another advanced, and the third was left sitting on the sidelines after an unusual closed-door showdown.

The Senate Banking Committee abruptly suspended its public hearing after Warren requested a classified discussion with Chairman Tim Scott, saying members deserved more information before voting. Because the background checks involve confidential FBI material, Warren said she was limited in what she could discuss publicly.

After two closed sessions, the committee voted to advance Christopher Phelan for the Council of Economic Advisers and John Crews for the National Credit Union Administration along party-line votes. But lawmakers did not vote on Jeffrey Ledbetter’s nomination to become inspector general at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, leaving his confirmation in limbo.

“We should put off this markup until we have confidence that the FBI has run down all the answers,” Warren said.

Neither Warren nor committee Republicans disclosed what prompted the concern, and the FBI declined to comment on the confidential background investigations. The White House brushed aside the delay, saying it expects all of President Trump’s qualified nominees to be confirmed quickly.

Source: The Hill

Editor: Closed-door meetings are sometimes necessary. But when a confirmation hearing suddenly disappears behind closed doors, it usually means somebody found answers nobody was expecting.

China isn’t waiting for U.S. export controls to disappear—it’s throwing the full weight of the state behind building its own AI chip industry.

China Goes All-In to Break America’s AI Chip Lead

China has launched a government-backed campaign to build domestic AI chips capable of challenging U.S. technology, turning the race for artificial intelligence into a national priority.

Beijing’s message is simple: Build it at home—or risk falling behind for good.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang has spearheaded an aggressive effort to unite China’s top technology companies, research labs, and manufacturers to reduce the country’s dependence on American chipmakers. Officials have reportedly pushed major AI companies to adopt Chinese-made chips, with resistance viewed as undermining a strategic national goal.

Huawei has emerged as the centerpiece of that effort. The company says it has dramatically reduced China’s reliance on foreign AI chips over the past several years while developing workarounds that allow advanced processors to be built despite U.S. restrictions on cutting-edge manufacturing equipment. Chinese AI firms are increasingly using domestic hardware, although experts say China’s best chips still trail Nvidia’s top products by a significant margin.

“If the U.S. hadn’t forced our country, our company, and our industry into a corner, we would never have done something like this,” Huawei deputy chairman Eric Xu said.

Despite the progress, analysts caution that China still faces major hurdles, including limited manufacturing capacity and the challenge of matching the most advanced semiconductor technology available in the United States. But Beijing appears committed to playing the long game, betting that sustained government support and engineering talent can eventually close the gap in one of the world’s most important technological competitions.

Source: The Wall Street Journal (free)

Editor: Export controls may have slowed China’s sprint, but they also gave Beijing a reason to build its own track. That’s a competition that isn’t ending anytime soon.

Trump signed a Saudi nuclear deal—then added a major new condition the next day.

Trump Puts Saudi Nuclear Deal on Hold with New Israel Demand

President Trump says Saudi Arabia will only receive a U.S. civilian nuclear agreement if it agrees to normalize relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords.3

Adding that condition after the deal was signed suddenly threw one of the administration’s biggest Middle East agreements into doubt.

The agreement, announced a day earlier, would allow Saudi Arabia to develop civilian nuclear power using American technology. But Trump declared on social media that the pact is “totally subject” to the kingdom joining the Abraham Accords, reviving a diplomatic hurdle that had stalled similar negotiations in previous administrations.

“The Civil Nuclear Deal ... will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords,” Trump wrote.

The new requirement complicates the agreement because Saudi Arabia has repeatedly insisted that normalizing relations with Israel depends on meaningful progress toward a Palestinian state—a prospect that has become even more difficult since the Gaza war. The deal is also facing scrutiny in Congress from lawmakers concerned that any pathway toward uranium enrichment could increase long-term nuclear proliferation risks, despite Trump’s insistence there will be “no enrichment of material.”

Source: The Washington Post

Editor: International agreements are hard enough before they’re signed. Changing the terms afterward tends to make the other side reach for the fine print—and maybe the exit.

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Welcome to The Morning Sixpack Podcast. Today’s lineup has a little of everything—global conflict pushing up gas prices, another trade fight, Europe taking another swing at Big Tech, ethical questions on Capitol Hill, a billion-dollar divorce fueled by AI, and a police shooting that’s putting Madison, Wisconsin, under the national spotlight—AGAIN.

Oil prices are climbing after attacks on Saudi tankers expanded the Middle East conflict into the Red Sea. Brent crude surged toward $100 a barrel after Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for attacking Saudi oil tankers, threatening a second major shipping route while the Strait of Hormuz remains under pressure. The result could be another round of higher prices at the pump.

President Trump is pushing forward with tariffs despite losing key legal battles. His administration has shifted to different sections of federal trade law to keep imposing duties on Canada, Brazil and other imports, insisting the overall trade strategy hasn’t changed. Even some Republicans are warning that consumers could wind up paying the price.

The European Union has hit Google with another $1 billion antitrust fine. Regulators say the company used Google Play and its dominant search engine to steer consumers toward its own services instead of competitors. Google says the ruling will hurt European consumers, but Brussels is making it clear its crackdown on Big Tech isn’t slowing down.

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Republican senators are questioning a proposal to sell Wall Street firms faster access to President Trump’s Truth Social posts. Reports say investment firms could pay as much as $100,000 a month for premium access, giving traders a split-second advantage on market-moving statements. Even some GOP lawmakers say the optics are difficult to defend.

South Korea’s “divorce of the century” could cost an AI billionaire nearly $1 billion. SK Hynix Chairman Chey Tae-won has watched his fortune soar thanks to the artificial intelligence boom, but a court now must decide how much of that wealth belongs to his former wife after one of the country’s most closely watched divorce battles.

Madison, Wisconsin, is demanding answers after a fatal police shooting captured on video sparked protests. Police say the suspect injured an officer with a knife during a struggle before being shot. Witnesses who recorded the encounter question whether deadly force was necessary, and an independent state investigation is now underway.

From global shipping lanes to courtroom battles and city streets, today’s headlines show how quickly politics, economics, and public trust can collide. Thanks for listening to The Morning Sixpack Podcast.

We’ll be back tomorrow with another six stories you need to know before everyone else.

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The Iran conflict just expanded beyond the Strait of Hormuz, and now the Red Sea is becoming another choke point for global oil—with drivers everywhere likely to pick up the tab.

Red Sea Attack Sends Oil Prices Racing Toward $100

A Saudi oil tanker attack in the Red Sea has pushed Brent crude above $99 a barrel, raising fears that another vital shipping lane is being dragged into the Iran conflict.

The world doesn’t need a second oil choke point, but that’s exactly where this is headed.

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The Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for attacks on two Saudi tankers, saying they were enforcing a new maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia. So far, Saudi officials have confirmed one vessel caught fire after being struck, though the crew escaped safely. Reports of a second successful attack remain unconfirmed.

President Donald Trump responded by warning Iran that it would be held responsible for any additional Houthi attacks.

“Major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis, themselves, who I am very disappointed with in that they have, until now, acted very professionally and smart,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Editor: Can I just say it? That statement came from a 2nd-grader trying to explain something to his mom.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Houthis had been “smart” to stay out of the broader conflict until now but warned they risk escalating a crisis that is already squeezing global energy supplies. The attacks threaten the Bab el-Mandeb Strait just as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely disrupted, creating the possibility of two major bottlenecks for the world’s oil trade at the same time.

Asian economies could be hit especially hard if both shipping routes remain under pressure, while traders are already reacting by driving oil prices sharply higher. If these attacks continue, consumers should expect the pain to show up at the gas pump before long—AGAIN.

Source: The Washington Post

Editor: Energy markets don’t care about political talking points. When tankers start burning in two of the world’s most important shipping lanes, the price tag eventually lands where it always does—on everyone filling up their tank.

Trump’s tariff strategy keeps changing legal lanes, but the destination hasn’t changed—higher tariffs, bigger trade fights, and more uncertainty for consumers.

Trump Doubles Down on Tariffs Despite Court Losses

President Trump is pressing ahead with sweeping new tariffs even after major court rulings forced his administration to change the legal playbook.

The legal setbacks didn’t stop the tariff war—they just changed the paperwork.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told lawmakers the administration remains fully committed to using tariffs to rebuild American manufacturing, shrink the trade deficit, and pressure trading partners. After the Supreme Court blocked Trump’s emergency tariff authority earlier this year, the White House shifted to other sections of federal trade law to keep imposing new duties.

That strategy is already hitting Canada and Brazil. New tariffs on Brazilian goods are now in effect, while Canada faces additional duties on selected exports, prompting Prime Minister Mark Carney to accuse Washington of violating the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The dispute has already derailed joint events between the two countries and raised fresh doubts about the future of the trade pact.

Meanwhile, Trump is also warning imported generic drugs could face 100 percent tariffs beginning in 2028 unless manufacturers move production to the United States. Polls show more than 70 percent of Americans believe tariffs are driving up prices, and even some Republican lawmakers are openly expressing concern about higher costs for consumers.

“The specific authorities this administration is using have changed, but the trade strategy has not,” Greer told the Senate Finance Committee.

Source: The Hill

Editor: If your toolbox gets taken away but you keep finding new hammers, eventually everything starts looking like another tariff.

Now we have a stupid war fueling higher fuel prices (which has multiple downstream impacts) AND stupid tariffs that raise prices on many things even higher. You get the sense that Trump doesn’t give a shit about the American people.

Europe isn’t easing up on Big Tech. Google just got handed another billion-dollar reminder that Brussels still calls the shots inside its borders.

EU Slaps Google with Another $1 Billion Antitrust Fine

The European Union has fined Google nearly $1 billion after regulators concluded the company unfairly steered users toward its own services through Google Play and its dominant ad-addled search engine.

Brussels keeps proving that if you’re Big Tech, there’s always another investigation waiting.

European regulators said Google violated the Digital Markets Act by using its control over Google Play and its search engine to give its own apps and services an unfair advantage over competitors. The European Commission said consumers deserve to see the best products—not just Google’s—and developers should be free to direct customers to better offers outside Google’s app store.

The latest penalty comes after Google recently lost its appeal of a separate $4.5 billion antitrust case involving Android, underscoring that Europe’s crackdown on Silicon Valley remains very much alive. The EU has made policing the world’s biggest technology companies a top priority, even as President Trump has criticized Europe’s digital regulations and previously warned of retaliation against penalties targeting American firms.

Google blasted the decision, arguing the rules force the company to remove popular search features and weaken security protections in Google Play, ultimately hurting consumers and European businesses.

“The best products should succeed because they’re better, not because they’re owned by the company running the search engine,” European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera said.

Source: Associated Press

Editor: Europe’s regulators don’t seem interested in breaking up Big Tech—they just keep sending invoices with a lot of zeroes attached.

Even some Republicans are saying selling faster access to a president’s market-moving posts looks less like innovation and more like Wall Street’s newest VIP lane.

GOP Senators Rip Plan to Sell Early Access to Trump’s Posts

Republican senators are openly criticizing a proposal by Trump Media to charge Wall Street firms up to $100,000 a month for faster access to President Trump’s Truth Social posts.

When lawmakers in your own party start asking, “What are we doing here?” you’ve got a political problem.

Trump Media’s proposed “Truth API” would give paying investment firms real-time access to posts from high-profile Truth Social accounts, allowing traders to react to market-moving statements milliseconds before everyone else. Reports say subscription prices could reach $100,000 a month, with discounts for long-term contracts.

Several Republican senators questioned both the ethics and the optics. Sen. Bill Cassidy called it “a form of buying access,” while Sen. Susan Collins said the proposal “does not sound appropriate.” (Editor: I bet she’s “very concerned.”)

Sen. Lisa Murkowski warned that giving wealthy traders an advantage on presidential statements raises serious conflict-of-interest concerns, calling the idea “wild.”

The company defended the proposal, arguing it simply meets market demand and accused critics of trying to undermine a publicly traded business. Democrats, meanwhile, blasted the plan as another example of conflicts between public office and private business, while some Republicans warned it hands political opponents fresh ammunition heading into the midterms.

“I think that’s wrong. It’s a form of buying access,” Sen. Bill Cassidy said.

Source: The Hill

Editor: Wall Street has always paid for better data. Selling premium access to a sitting president’s posts? That’s the kind of idea that practically writes attack ads by itself.

AI made SK Hynix’s chairman much richer, but now a South Korean court has to decide just how much of that fortune belongs to his ex-wife.

AI Fortune Fuels Billion-Dollar Divorce Showdown

The billionaire chairman of SK Hynix is headed into what South Korea calls the “divorce of the century,” with as much as $1 billion on the line after his AI-driven fortune exploded in value.

When artificial intelligence sends your wealth soaring, divorce court suddenly gets a whole lot more expensive.

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, whose company supplies the advanced memory chips powering Nvidia’s AI boom, is awaiting a court ruling that could award his former wife, Roh Soh-yeong, a massive share of his fortune. The couple’s highly public split followed Chey’s public admission a decade ago that he was in love with another woman and had fathered a child outside the marriage.

Chey’s wealth has surged alongside SK Hynix’s rise as one of the biggest winners of the AI revolution. His close ties to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and other tech leaders have helped make him one of South Korea’s most prominent business figures, even as his personal life has remained front-page news.

Roh argues she deserves a much larger settlement because the family’s wealth was built during their nearly three decades of marriage, while Chey contends the company’s recent AI-fueled gains came long after their relationship had effectively ended. A ruling could reshape control of one of South Korea’s largest business empires if the payout reaches the upper end of expectations.

“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”1

Source: The Wall Street Journal (free)

Editor: It’s one thing to strike it rich from the AI boom. It’s another to discover the biggest valuation model you’ll face is the one sitting in divorce court.

A police shooting captured on video has reignited tensions in Madison, with investigators now facing intense scrutiny over exactly what happened in the final seconds.

Police Shooting Sparks Protests In Madison

A fatal police shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, has triggered protests after graphic bystander video showed officers struggling with a man moments before he was shot.

The video is already shaping public opinion, but investigators say it doesn’t tell the whole story.

Madison police said officers were trying to arrest a man suspected of checking vehicle door handles when he fled on a bicycle before a confrontation turned violent. Police Chief John Patterson said the man pulled a knife during the struggle and injured one officer. That officer then fired the fatal shots after another officer unsuccessfully deployed a Taser.

The bystander video spread rapidly online, showing multiple officers wrestling with the man before three shots were fired at close range. Witnesses questioned whether deadly force was necessary after the Taser had been used, while police emphasized that the video captures only one angle of a fast-moving encounter.

All four officers involved have been placed on administrative leave while Wisconsin’s Division of Criminal Investigation conducts an independent review. Officials promised a transparent investigation as demonstrators marched through downtown Madison and held vigils demanding accountability.

“We’re going to do our darndest to communicate as proactively as we can,” Police Chief John Patterson said.

Source: The Washington Post

Editor: Viral video can answer some questions in seconds—and create a hundred more just as fast. That’s why investigations still matter, even after millions of people think they’ve already reached a verdict. But let’s also be real: Cops kill a lot of people and are almost never held to account.

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Welcome to The Morning Sixpack Podcast, where we cut through the headlines and get straight to the stories shaping Washington, the economy and the campaign trail. From a new tariff offensive to another Capitol funding fight, here’s what you need to know.

Trump’s Tariff Push Gets Bigger

The Trump administration is preparing another major tariff expansion targeting roughly 60 trading partners. The White House says the new duties are tied to forced labor enforcement, while critics warn consumers could once again end up paying the price. Another round of global trade battles may be just around the corner.

Pentagon Wants Another $80 Billion

The administration is asking Congress for nearly $80 billion in emergency defense funding as Iran war costs continue climbing. Republicans argue the military needs the money to replenish stockpiles and maintain readiness, while Democrats question why previously approved funds haven’t all been spent. The spending debate is becoming nearly as heated as the conflict itself.

Arizona Sets Up a High-Stakes Governor’s Race

Trump-backed Congressman Andy Biggs easily won Arizona’s Republican gubernatorial primary. The victory sets up a marquee showdown with Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs in one of the nation’s most closely watched battleground states. Arizona voters are once again preparing for an election that could be decided by razor-thin margins.

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Trump Approves Saudi Nuclear Agreement

President Trump has approved a landmark civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia. Supporters see billions in opportunities for American companies and a strategic win over China and Russia. Critics worry the deal could increase long-term nuclear proliferation risks across the Middle East.

Congress Avoids a Shutdown...For Now

House Republicans passed a temporary funding bill, but the Senate is unlikely to go along without major changes. Lawmakers are once again racing against another government shutdown deadline while simultaneously debating billions more in spending. Washington’s budget drama continues one short-term fix at a time.

Trump’s BBC Lawsuit Takes an Unexpected Turn

A federal judge ruled that Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC opens the door to scrutiny of his financial records. By seeking massive economic damages, Trump’s legal strategy may now require extensive financial disclosures during discovery. It’s another reminder that lawsuits often produce consequences neither side originally planned for.

That’s your Morning Sixpack. Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time as we separate the headlines from the hype and keep an eye on the stories everyone else will be talking about tomorrow. Prefer to read The Morning Sixpack?

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Washington is swapping one tariff scheme for another, and America's trading partners are about to find out the bill just went up.

Trump Readies New Tariff Blitz as Global Levy Nears Deadline

The Trump administration is preparing a new round of tariffs on roughly 60 trading partners as its temporary 10% global tariff expires Friday.

The next wave of tariffs is expected to cover most U.S. trade, putting fresh pressure on allies and rivals alike.

Trade envoy Jamieson Greer said the administration will move soon on tariffs tied to alleged failures by other countries to combat forced labor. The planned duties, expected to range from 10% to 12.5%, would replace the temporary global levy that followed legal setbacks to Trump’s earlier trade agenda.

“The US has laws to prohibit trading goods with forced labor. Other countries, most don’t have a law, those that do don’t really enforce it,” Greer said.

The targets in the crosshairs include the countries in the European Union, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Japan, setting the stage for another round of trade fights. The EU has already dismissed tariffs based on forced labor claims as “unjustified,” making it clear this won’t be a quiet policy change.

Trump is also piling on additional trade pressure with a 25% tariff on various Brazilian goods, a 50% tariff on many Canadian products scheduled for August, and investigations into excess industrial capacity involving 16 trading partners. Meanwhile, Greer heads to Mexico this week as USMCA talks continue, while negotiations with Canada remain stuck in the mud.

Source: Vanguard News

Editor: Tariffs are becoming Trump’s favorite negotiating tool. Whether they produce better trade deals or just bigger headaches and prices for consumers is the part that never seems to make the press release.

DoD head Hegseth says the Pentagon needs another $80 billion, but some lawmakers want to know where the last pile of cash went first.

Pentagon Seeks $80 Billion MORE as Iran War Costs Keep Climbing

The Trump administration is asking Congress for nearly $80 billion in emergency defense funding as the cost of the Iran war continues to grow.

The request ignited a fierce Senate showdown over military spending, strategy, and whether taxpayers should keep footing the bill. After all, somebody has to pay for it…

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine warned senators that without the supplemental funding, military training, readiness, and weapons production could all take a hit. Hegseth said the Pentagon’s immediate priority is replenishing stockpiles and preparing for future threats, while Caine cautioned that delays would strain personnel, operations, and next-generation capabilities like AI, drones, and space systems.

Democrats pushed back hard, arguing the Pentagon still has roughly $75 billion in previously approved funding that hasn’t been fully spent. Hegseth countered that money has already been committed to Trump administration priorities—including the Golden Dome missile defense project and hypersonic weapons—and shifting it now would amount to “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

The hearing turned especially heated as Hegseth disclosed the Iran war has now cost about $37.5 billion through September projections. Senators Jon Ossoff and Gary Peters challenged his repeated claims that the campaign was a historic victory, while Peters accused Pentagon leadership—not the troops—of lacking a clear strategy. Hegseth fired back, accusing Democrats of refusing to support the military because of “Trump derangement syndrome.”

Source: The Hill

Editor: Congress never seems to have trouble finding money for wars. Finding agreement on how to pay for them—or when they should end—is apparently the impossible mission—especially when Congress didn’t even authorize the war, which makes it illegal. I don’t think the US government should be funding illegal wars.

Arizona Republicans doubled down on the Trump lane, betting it can finally get them back into the governor's office.

Trump Ally Andy Biggs Wins Arizona GOP Governor Primary

Republican voters handed Rep. Andy Biggs a decisive primary victory, setting up a high-stakes showdown with Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs this November.

The race will test whether Arizona’s Trump-backed conservative movement can finally reclaim the governor’s office after years of close statewide losses.

Biggs, a former chairman of the House Freedom Caucus and one of President Donald Trump’s closest congressional allies, easily defeated fellow Rep. David Schweikert for the Republican nomination. Trump endorsed Biggs, whose campaign also drew strong support from Turning Point Action and grassroots conservatives.

Democrats wasted little time painting Biggs as too far to the right for Arizona’s increasingly competitive electorate. Biggs backed Trump’s effort to block certification of the 2020 election (Editor: You know, the insurrection) and has become one of the GOP’s most recognizable conservative voices.

Hobbs, who narrowly defeated Kari Lake in 2022, said, “The more Arizonans learn about Biggs, the more they’ll realize he’s one big problem they can’t afford.”

The primary also reshaped several key down-ballot races. Former NFL kicker Jay Feely captured the Republican nomination in Arizona’s competitive 1st Congressional District, while attorney Alexander Kolodin won the GOP nomination for secretary of state. Democrats also settled key congressional contests as both parties prepare for what is expected to be another fiercely contested election in one of the nation’s premier political battlegrounds.

Source: Associated Press

Editor: Arizona keeps producing elections decided by inches instead of miles. That makes every primary feel less like the opening act and more like the main event.

Washington DC spent decades saying "not so fast" to Saudi nuclear ambitions—now it's saying, "Where do we sign?"

Trump Greenlights Landmark Saudi Nuclear Deal

President Trump has approved a 30-year civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, opening the door to one of the biggest U.S.-Saudi energy deals in decades.

The agreement promises billions for American companies while reigniting fears that nuclear technology could spread across the Middle East—as if it hasn’t already.

The deal would give U.S. companies the lead role in building Saudi Arabia’s civilian nuclear program, with projects expected to be worth tens of billions of dollars. A key provision allows for the possible construction of a uranium enrichment facility inside the kingdom if a joint U.S.-Saudi study concludes it’s commercially justified. Administration officials argue the American role would keep the program under tight safeguards and prevent military misuse. (Editor: LOL)

Supporters say the agreement strengthens America’s strategic position by shutting Russia and China out of the Saudi nuclear market while creating major opportunities for U.S. firms such as Westinghouse Electric. Former State Department official Robert Einhorn said the deal could bolster the U.S. nuclear industry and deepen ties with Riyadh, but warned that inadequate restrictions on enrichment could increase proliferation risks.

Critics argue the agreement marks a major policy shift. Previous administrations insisted Saudi Arabia normalize relations with Israel before moving forward on nuclear cooperation, while others opposed allowing uranium enrichment anywhere in the region. Opponents also warn the agreement could encourage other Middle Eastern nations to pursue similar programs, complicating U.S. efforts to limit Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Source: The Wall Street Journal (free)

Editor: Civilian nuclear programs always begin with promises about peaceful energy. History shows the real debate starts years later, when everyone wonders where the technology might eventually lead.

Congress is once again racing the shutdown clock because budgeting is now a seasonal sport.

House Passes Stopgap Funding Bill, but Senate Roadblock Looms

House Republicans approved a temporary spending bill to keep the government open through early December, but the measure faces long odds in the Senate.

The vote sets up another spending showdown just weeks before the midterm elections, with both parties already blaming the other for a potential shutdown.

The House passed the stopgap measure 220-205 after Speaker Mike Johnson argued Congress needed to avoid a fall funding fight as lawmakers remain behind on passing the annual spending bills. Republicans say the temporary extension buys time to finish the budget while keeping the government operating through Dec. 4.

Democrats lined up against the bill, arguing it gives the Trump administration greater control over federal spending while failing to restrict funding for immigration enforcement. Senate Democrats are already working with Appropriations Chair Susan Collins on a separate bipartisan proposal, making the House version effectively dead on arrival unless major changes are made.

House Republicans are also turning their attention to a proposed $95 billion reconciliation package that would include funding for election security, aid for farmers, and additional Pentagon spending tied largely to the Iran war. But even some fiscal conservatives within the GOP remain skeptical because the package adds spending without offsetting budget cuts.

Source: The Washington Post (free)

Editor: Congress has perfected the art of governing one deadline at a time. Somehow, every “temporary” funding bill manages to create the next emergency before the ink is dry.

Suing for billions sounds great until the discovery process starts asking for receipts.

Trump’s $10 Billion BBC Lawsuit Opens Door to Financial Records

President Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC has taken an unexpected turn after a federal judge ruled his own damage claims put his financial records in play.

By seeking sweeping financial damages, Trump may have handed the BBC access to the information he was hoping to keep out of court.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett ruled that because Trump’s lawsuit alleges his reputation damaged his businesses and brand, the BBC is entitled to seek financial records tied to those claims. According to reports, that could expose records connected to hundreds of Trump-affiliated companies during the discovery process.

Trump’s legal team argued the case has shifted and now focuses only on reputational harm rather than economic damages. Judge Lett rejected that argument, saying she cannot rewrite the complaint.

During the hearing, BBC attorney Chuck Tobin argued, “You cannot separate the man and his reputation from his operation of his businesses.”

The judge also ruled the BBC may question Trump about how his Jan. 6, 2021, remarks were understood by listeners but cannot turn the case into a full relitigation of the Capitol riot. Meanwhile, the BBC continues to seek Trump’s deposition and has also asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing the broadcaster lacks sufficient ties to South Florida for the case to proceed.

Source: Raw Story

Editor: Litigation is full of unintended consequences. When you ask a court for billions in damages, don’t be surprised if the other side wants to see the math.

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From a new trade fight with Canada to a Pentagon budget crunch, today’s headlines show just how expensive—and contentious—Washington’s biggest battles have become. We’ve also got new questions surrounding the IRS chief, an FDA food safety mystery, a press freedom showdown, and a State Department report that’s already fueling political controversy.

Trump’s new 50% tariffs on many Canadian imports mark another major escalation in the U.S.-Canada trade fight. The White House says Canada unfairly discriminates against American goods, while Ottawa is threatening retaliation. With billions of dollars at stake, consumers on both sides of the border could end up paying the price.

The Pentagon is running low on cash as the Iran war continues to drain military resources. Officials are cutting training and shifting money between accounts while Congress struggles to approve billions in additional funding, raising new concerns about long-term military readiness.

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The IRS commissioner is facing fresh scrutiny over allegations stemming from his time at JPMorgan Chase. A Wall Street Journal investigation claims Frank Bisignano directed staff to access colleagues’ communications without a business reason. He strongly denies the allegations, but the story is certain to generate new questions about the man now overseeing Americans’ tax records.

The FDA has backed away from a key laboratory finding but is still telling Americans not to eat recalled iceberg lettuce. Even after declaring one Cyclospora test result a false positive, investigators say more than 1,600 illnesses still point toward the recalled products as they search for the outbreak’s true source.

The Justice Department is battling The New York Times over subpoenas seeking reporters’ phone records—and even records belonging to family members. The newspaper argues the investigation crosses long-standing lines protecting the press, while the administration says it is pursuing a legitimate national security leak investigation.

The State Department has released an unusual report publicly naming left-wing activists and organizations it says support Cuba’s communist government. The report is already sparking fierce debate over foreign influence, political activism and whether the administration is targeting ideological opponents.

Washington never seems to run out of controversies, but today’s lineup shows how quickly policy fights can spill into courtrooms, newsrooms and kitchen tables. Thanks for listening to The Morning Sixpack Podcast—we’ll be back tomorrow with another fast, fact-packed rundown of the stories everyone will be talking about.

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