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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

💰 The State Department identified billions to cut in foreign aid. The State Department's review of US foreign aid identified nearly 15,000 grants, totaling $60 billion, for elimination, with the majority coming from USAID. According to a memo it circulated yesterday, the department now promises to "reform how the United States delivers foreign assistance" after "decades of institutional drift.”

🇻🇪 Trump to terminate Biden-era Venezuela "Concession Agreement." President Trump announced he would terminate the "Concession Agreement" with Venezuela, a deal that allowed Chevron to resume oil production in exchange for Venezuela taking back deported criminals. Trump criticized the regime for failing to meet the agreed deportation terms and slammed the concessions made under Biden, including easing sanctions.

🇵🇸 Saudi Arabia and UAE demand Hamas’ disarmament for Gaza reconstruction. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have conditioned their financial support for Gaza's reconstruction on Hamas disarming and stepping away from governance, while Egypt supports a compromise and Qatar opposes the idea altogether. Egypt has just over a week until the Arab League summit in Cairo, where its plan will be reviewed, but it may fail without broad agreement.

✝️ Christianity's decline is slowing in the US. A Pew Research survey revealed that the decline in Americans identifying as Christian has slowed after years of losses, with 62 percent of Americans still identifying as Christians. The increase in Christian identification is mainly driven by adults born in the 1980s (older Millennials) and those born between 2000-2006 (older Gen-Z).

Know what the power players are saying

Mentioned behind the paywall: Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, Ryan Girdusky, Jeff Bezos, and Kristi Noem.

The media’s latest lie

Mentioned behind the paywall: The New York Times downplaying the explicit sexual chats used by NSA employees.

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QUICK AND IMPORTANT

• AG Pam Bondi is expected to release some of the Jeffrey Epstein files today, including flight logs.

• CNN anchor Jake Tapper is releasing a new book on the media covering up President Biden’s cognitive decline. Tapper, however, previously downplayed these very accusations.

• Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. paused a multimillion-dollar contract from the Biden administration for the development of a new COVID-19 vaccine.

• Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) officially announced his campaign for Florida governor.

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THE MAIN STORY

House GOP rolls the dice with a DOGE-inspired budget resolution

WHAT’S HAPPENING_

House Republicans narrowly passed a budget resolution that tackles key parts of President Trump's agenda. The bill, which passed with a slim 217-215 vote, lays the groundwork for trillions in tax cuts, spending cuts, and increases in defense and border security funding.

The cuts — required over a 10-year period, as per reconciliation rules — present a major point of conflict. Democrats argue the cuts require slashing Medicaid, used by over 70 million low-income and disabled Americans. Republicans, however, claim Democrats are lying and misrepresenting their goals.

_THE FACTS_

→ The budget resolution calls for at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over ten years and includes a $4 trillion debt ceiling increase — a major Trump priority.

→ It directs around $100 billion in increased spending for the Judiciary, Armed Services Committee, and Homeland Security Committees.

→ It allocates $4.5 trillion to extend President Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provisions, set to expire this year.

→ Committees are tasked with finding cuts, including $880 billion from the Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over Medicare and Medicaid.

→ Because of this directive, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) accused Republicans of trying to “slash and burn Medicaid benefits.”

→ Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said that he won’t vote for Medicaid cuts.

→ House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) emphasized that the word “Medicaid” is not mentioned in the bill, and cuts would focus on eliminating fraud and waste within the program.

→ Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) stated, “There were at least $50.3 BILLION in improper Medicaid payments in 2023 alone,” adding that Republicans “simply want to eliminate the waste, fraud, and abuse riddling the program.”

→ However, as conservative commentator Steve Bannon acknowledged, “you have to be careful because a lot of MAGA is on Medicaid.”

_INSIGHTS_

Congress is now following the government-slashing path Elon Musk and DOGE have forged, but they may be risking cutting too quickly and too broadly. If the Energy and Commerce Committee has no choice but to cut critical healthcare services like Medicaid or Medicare, Democrats will seize the opportunity to claim Republicans are against lower-income, disabled, and older Americans.

Donald Trump has worked hard to refashion the GOP as the party of the working class. Cutting those health programs, used by many of his own supporters, while keeping taxes low for corporations and wealthier individuals, could damage that image and give Democrats the opportunity to portray themselves as the true working-class class party.

If Republicans do not make cuts with greater precision, it could ultimately cost them in the 2026 elections.

THE DAILY DEBATE

POLL RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY

Which intel agency’s recent actions worry you the most?

🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🚔 FBI (467)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🌐 CIA (571)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 💻 NSA (98)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🤔 Unsure (119)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 💬 Other (143)

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