Big Beautiful Bill Projected to Lead to Preventable Deaths

Contrary to President Donald Trump’s claim that no one will die as a result of the Republican budget bill, an analysis from the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University estimated that the legislation’s changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act will result in at least 42,500 preventable deaths each year. At the same time, independent Sen. Bernie Sanders has slightly overstated the estimate.

In the run-up to and in the wake of the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Trump signed into law on July 4, politicians of both parties have sparred over the budget reconciliation bill’s effects on mortality.

Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have said that “tens of thousands” of people will die as a result of losing health insurance.

MAGA Ad Distorts How Massie Diverges from Trump

An attack ad by a super PAC called MAGA Kentucky targets Republican Rep. Thomas Massie — a longtime conservative foil of President Donald Trump — with claims that distort the congressman’s votes on some of Trump’s policy goals.

The 30-second broadcast and digital ad, the first phase in a $1 million ad buy, according to Axios, began airing in late June in the northern Kentucky district where Massie is seeking reelection in 2026. The ad is titled “RADICAL DEMOCRATS,” and its narrator asks, “What happened to Thomas Massie? When did he decide to start voting with the radical Democrats? Massie voted against President Trump’s tax cuts. Massie voted against finishing Trump’s wall. Massie even voted against Trump’s ban on taxpayer-funded sex changes for minors.”

Border Czar Makes Misleading Claim About Immigrants With Criminal Records

The Trump administration’s border czar, Tom Homan, has been repeating the misleading claim that there are “over 600,000 illegal aliens with criminal records walking the streets of this nation.”

That number includes legal immigrants, not just those who entered the country illegally; about a third of them have only been charged, not convicted; and it’s unclear how many of them have been, or currently are, incarcerated. The figure also includes individuals who have entered the country over the past several decades.

Homan made the claim on July 12 at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida, and reiterated it on July 7, including in an appearance on Fox News, which reported that new funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will enable the current force of 5,000 agents to triple to 15,000. There, Homan said, “This is going to make this community safer. … We’ve got over 600,000 illegal aliens with criminal records walking the streets of this nation. With this plus up, we can take them into custody and remove them quicker.”

The White House informed us that Homan’s claim was based on data from a 2024 letter from then-Department of Homeland Security Deputy Director Patrick Lechleitner to Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican from Texas, who had requested information on the number of noncitizens on the ICE docket who had been convicted or charged with a crime.

The data showed that, as of July 21, 2024, “nearly 650,000 criminal aliens were on the [Non-Detained Docket],” a White House spokeswoman told us, referring to the list of noncitizens who have been charged with a crime but are not in ICE custody.

But important caveats are missing from Homan’s claim.

Weather Modification Played No Role in Texas Floods

Unfounded rumors linking an extreme weather event to human efforts to control the weather are again spreading on social media. It’s not plausible that available weather modification techniques caused or influenced the July 4 flash flooding along the Guadalupe River in Texas.

The flooding, which is known to have killed at least 134 people, including at least 37 children, as of July 15, occurred after remnants of a tropical storm moved north and stalled over a region known as “Flash Flood Alley” that is prone to flash flooding due to its terrain. Experts have stated that climate change likely contributed to the worsening of the rain.

However, popular social media posts implied without evidence that the Texas flooding resulted from attempts to modify the weather. Some posts, including ones amplified by former Trump national security adviser and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, made an unfounded suggestion that cloud seeding by a specific company may have contributed to the flooding.

“This isn’t just bad weather,” read one post. “It looks a hell of a lot like weather warfare.”

Cloud seeding is a real weather modification method, often used in an attempt to alleviate drought, that can sometimes nudge clouds to produce small amounts of rain or snow. It does not cause rain on the scale seen in the Texas flooding.

Five Georgia Bulldogs Named to SEC Student-Athlete Leadership Council

CJ Allen, Blue Cain, Savannah Henderson, Destin Howard, and Ryan Olree to Represent UGA at Two-Day Leadership Meetings in Atlanta

ATLANTA – Five University of Georgia student-athletes have been selected to participate in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Student-Athlete Leadership Council meetings, set for Thursday and Friday at the Omni Hotel in Atlanta.

Representing UGA are CJ Allen (football), Blue Cain (men’s basketball), Savannah Henderson (women’s basketball), Destin Howard (softball), and Ryan Olree (track & field/cross country). The group will take part in joint sessions of the SEC’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Football Leadership Council, and Men’s and Women’s Basketball Leadership Councils.

The SEC Student-Athlete Leadership Council aims to amplify student-athlete voices while fostering engagement with campus administrators and conference officials on issues including student-athlete wellness, academic support, and playing rules.

The two-day agenda includes presentations from DeLaina Sarden of Parker Executive Search and representatives from the law firm Akin Gump. Topics will cover leveraging student-athlete experiences for career development and understanding the legislative landscape in college athletics.

Participants will also have the opportunity to meet with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, SEC Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Katie O’Neal, and other conference staff. Breakout sessions tailored to each sport-specific council will provide additional opportunities for discussion and leadership development.

Mizzou Football Caps SEC Kickoff with Coach Drinkwitz and Players in the Spotlight

Head Coach Eliah Drinkwitz, Carnell, Tollison, and Young represent Missouri in Atlanta; the QB competition, transfers, and team mindset are highlighted in media day discussions.

ATLANTA | Missouri football concluded the final day of SEC Football Kickoff on Thursday with Head Coach Eliah Drinkwitz and student-athletes Daylan Carnell, Connor Tollison, and Zion Young taking center stage at the College Football Hall of Fame and Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park.

The Tigers' delegation engaged with multiple ESPN and SEC Network programs, including SEC This Morning, SEC Now, and Marty & McGee. Coach Drinkwitz’s interview with Marty Smith and Ryan McGee will be featured on a special episode of Marty & McGee: Talkin’ Season airing August 11 or 12.

Drinkwitz was the first of four head coaches to speak from the main media room Thursday morning, offering insight on several key topics heading into the 2025 season.