Danger of synthetic opioids, rise of stablecoins, big day for gamers: Catch up on the day's stories
👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! It's a big day for gamers. Some Nintendo fans camped out overnight to get dibs on the new Switch 2 console, which arrived on store shelves. It marks the gaming giant's first major launch since the original Switch came out in 2017.
Here's what else you might have missed during your busy day:
1️⃣ Synthetic opioids: Overdoses and drug poisonings are now the third-leading cause of death in people younger than 20 in the US, behind firearms and motor vehicle crashes. An emergency room doctor explains why opioids are so dangerous.
2️⃣ 'Absolute sh*tshow': NASA scientists are in limbo after the Trump administration proposed eliminating the Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Closing the lab could jeopardize the country's leadership role in global climate science.
3️⃣ Travel ban: President Donald Trump announced a sweeping crackdown that prevents citizens from a dozen nations from entering the US — and seven more face partial restrictions. Here's what we know about the countries on the list.
4️⃣ All about stablecoins: They're a type of crypto asset that is tied to the value of another currency, such as the US dollar or gold. The coins have grown in popularity in recent years for use in digital payments, and now Congress is debating how to regulate them.
5️⃣ Worms galore: For the first time, scientists were able to capture images of nematodes that stack themselves into a wriggling, vertical tower. Watch the tiny architects in action.
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CNN's 5 Things newsletter is your one-stop shop for the latest headlines and fascinating stories to start and end your busy day. Sign up here. 👃 The nose knows: Nasal strips can help prevent snoring and improve sleep — and they may even enhance athletic performance. Tennis star Carlos Alcaraz is a big fan of wearing them during matches to aid in his recovery between points, but do they actually work that way? An expert weighs in on the benefits.
• Feud between Trump and Musk explodes into public view• Judge says Sean 'Diddy' Combs could be excluded from courtroom for nodding at jury• Supreme Court sides with straight woman in decision that makes it easier to win 'reverse discrimination' suits
That's how many men in Australia reported using violence with an intimate partner in a study that shows gender-based abuse is rising.
🔍 'Borrowed': Greenpeace activists took a wax statue of French President Emmanuel Macron from the Grévin Museum and placed it outside the Russian embassy in Paris to protest continued business ties between the two countries.
Although McCarthyism was bad, it wasn't anywhere as pervasive as it is right now — that kind of fear you see stretching through law firms and universities.
George Clooney
💬 Politics of fear: The actor sat down with CNN's Anderson Cooper on the set of his Broadway play 'Good Night, and Good Luck,' which focuses on Edward R. Murrow's famous battle with Sen. Joseph McCarthy.
🪡 Michaels is expanding its fabric selection following the collapse of which competitor?A. JoannB. A.C. MooreC. Hobby LobbyD. Factory Direct Craft⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.
⚽ A goal-orious mistake: The manager of Finland's women's national soccer team accidentally called up a 51-year-old with the same surname as a 23-year-old she meant to select. Stina Ruuskanen, who last played for the Finnish national team 29 years ago, took it all in good spirits. 'I'm definitely ready if the call comes!' she joked.
👋 We'll see you tomorrow.🧠 Quiz answer: A. Michaels is jumping into the void left by the collapse of Joann. Test your knowledge with CNN's weekly news quiz in tomorrow's 5 Things newsletter.📧 Check out all of CNN's newsletters.
5 Things PM is produced by CNN's Chris Good, Meghan Pryce, Kimberly Richardson and Morgan Severson.
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Newsweek
13 minutes ago
- Newsweek
The 1600: America Doesn't Have a Conservative Party
The Insider's Track Good morning, I paid $8 for a black iced coffee yesterday in my neighborhood. Eight. Dollars. Sometimes I think most of the underlying rage you see bubbling up around the country can be attributed to this feeling of just being constantly ripped off wherever you go. Speaking of getting ripped off, Congress is in the process of stitching up the votes on President Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" flagship legislation in hopes of getting it to his desk by the Fourth. Following a narrow 51–49 procedural vote over the weekend, the Senate advanced the bill to the debate stage, with Senators Rand Paul and Thom Tillis joining all Democrats in opposition. Targeted by MAGA for his disloyalty, Tillis immediately announced he's not running for re-election, thus putting NC potentially in play for Senate Dems next year (the modern GOP has no room for actual conservatives). So once the Senate passes the bill, it gets kicked back to the House as part of the reconciliation process before going to Trump. I'd put it at extremely likely that this giant turd of a bill becomes law in time for the fireworks on Friday. So what's in this thing? It's mostly an extension of the 2017 tax cuts, with some deep cuts to the welfare state for good measure. The current Senate version raises the debt ceiling $5 trillion. It'll increase the deficit by some $3 trillion over the next decade, per the Congressional Budget Office. (I've seen lots of Trump supporters attack the CBO for its scoring of this bill as some kind of "lefty" organization. Please. The CBO is run by a Bush appointee). The bill uses this well-worn accounting trick to make it look like Republicans are actually reducing the deficit by $508 billion, as Lindsey Graham falsely claimed over the weekend. But that's based on this little gimmick that lets them basically write off the $4 trillion cost of extending the tax cuts. So when you see Republicans tossing around that $508B number this week, it should immediately set off your B.S. detector. Here's some other random little tidbits that caught my eye in the current manifestation of the bill: A huge cut in SNAP benefits and food assistance for the poor, plus another $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and Obamacare (but mostly Medicaid). Millions will probably lose their coverage. This is the provision that Dems could run with as a winning message for the midterms, if they aren't too busy fighting for trans girls in sports or whatever. A tax on remittances, which is the money that immigrants send home, has been watered down to effectively be meaningless. House Rs passed a 5% tax on remittance, which was cut to 3.5% by the Senate, and then further to 1%. It also doesn't apply to bank transfers. This is one of those things I don't understand. It's a tax on US dollars flowing out of the country. Who is the lobby pushing Senate Rs against this? Western Union? On the energy front, the bill phases out Biden's tax credits for solar and wind—not surprising—while adding an excise tax on new renewable projects that utilize components made in China. At the same time, there's provisions tucked in there to incentivize domestic coal production. Making Coal Great Again, baby. Our children will be ashamed of us. Thankfully, the bill no longer includes Sen. Mike Lee's provision to sell off millions of acres of pristine federal land in the West to developers after an outcry from (actual) conservative voters. Teddy Roosevelt would've been spinning in his grave. The bottom line is that this legislation acts as a giant wealth transfer from the poor to the rich and the young to the old. Younger earners get nothing from the tax cuts, which are all structured to benefit higher-earners. It adds trillions to the national debt, which means higher taxes and mortgage payments for young Americans trying to start or build their families. One nonpartisan analysis suggests a 40-year-old making the median income will lose $7,500 over their lifetime, while a 70-year-old with the same income nets $17,500. The Boomers win, as always. And then we wonder why young voters turn out in record numbers in our most expensive city to elect a socialist. If this is the alternative, why wouldn't they? If this whole charade does anything, it should finally disabuse Americans of this notion that modern-day Republicans are the conservative party. You simply cannot be an actual conservative while voting to increase the debt, adding to the deficit, all while doing precisely nothing to deal with our spending problem. The Rundown A fierce war of words has erupted between Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Donald Trump following recent U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. Khamenei accused Trump of "exaggerating in order to cover up and conceal the truth," directly responding to Trump's claim that the U.S. had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear sites. Separately, Trump said that he is offering Iran "nothing" and is refusing to engage with Iranian officials, signaling a hardening U.S. stance. Read more. Also happening: US-Canada trade talks: Canada and the United States have resumed trade negotiations after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed to rescind the country's digital services tax on U.S. technology companies. The development follows President Donald Trump's announcement on Friday that he was suspending all trade talks with Canada "effective immediately" over the tax policy. Here's the latest. Week in review: President Donald Trump is coming off what may be his most successful week in office—a landmark Supreme Court ruling, a successful NATO summit, a ceasefire that appears to be holding in the Middle East, another peace deal in Africa, a stock market back to setting records and a key trade breakthrough with China. Read more. This is a preview of The 1600—Tap here to get this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox.
Boston Globe
24 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Senate Republicans are in a sprint on Trump's big bill after a weekend of setbacks
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The hours ahead will be pivotal for the Republicans, who have control of the Congress and are racing against Trump's Fourth of July deadline to wrap up work. The 940-page 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' as it is now formally titled, has consumed the Congress as its shared priority with the president, with no room politically to fail, even as not all Republicans are on board. Advertisement A new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill became law. It also said the package would increase the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion over the decade. Advertisement House Speaker Mike Johnson's leadership team has recalled lawmakers back to Washington for voting in the House as soon as Wednesday, if the legislation can first clear the Senate. But the outcome remains uncertain, especially after a weekend of work in the Senate that brought less visible progress on securing enough Republican support, over Democratic opposition, for passage. Senators to watch Few Republicans appear fully satisfied as the final package emerges. GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who announced Sunday he would not seek reelection after Trump badgered him over his opposition to the package, said he has the same goals as Trump, cutting taxes and spending. But Tillis said this package is a betrayal of the president's promises not to kick people off health care, especially if rural hospitals close. 'We could take the time to get this right,' he thundered. At the same time, some loosely aligned conservative Senate Republicans — Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming — have pushed for steeper cuts, particularly to health care, drawing their own warning from Trump. 'Don't go too crazy!' the president posted on social media. 'REMEMBER, you still have to get reelected.' GOP leaders barely secured enough support to muscle the legislation past a procedural Saturday night hurdle in a tense scene. A handful of Republican holdouts revolted, and it took phone calls from Trump and a visit from Vice President JD Vance to keep it on track. As Saturday's vote tally teetered, attention turned to Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who was surrounded by GOP leaders in intense conversation. She voted 'yes.' Advertisement Several provisions in the package including a higher tax deduction for native whalers and potential waivers from food stamps or Medicaid changes are being called the 'Polar Payoff' designed for her state. But some were found to be out of compliance with the rules by the Senate parliamentarian. What's in the big bill All told, the Senate bill includes some $4 trillion in tax cuts, making permanent Trump's 2017 rates, which would expire at the end of the year if Congress fails to act, while adding the new ones he campaigned on, including no taxes on tips. The Senate package would roll back billions of dollars in green energy tax credits that Democrats warn will wipe out wind and solar investments nationwide and impose $1.2 trillion in cuts, largely to Medicaid and food stamps, by imposing work requirements, making sign-up eligibility more stringent and changing federal reimbursements to states. Additionally, the bill would provide a $350 billion infusion for border and national security, including for deportations, some of it paid for with new fees charged to immigrants. Democrats ready to fight Unable to stop the march toward passage, the Democrats as the minority party in Congress are using the tools at their disposal to delay and drag out the process. Democrats forced a full reading of the text, which took 16 hours. Then Democratic senators took over Sunday's debate, filling the chamber with speeches, while Republicans largely stood aside. 'Reckless and irresponsible,' said Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan. 'A gift to the billionaire class,' said Vermont's Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats. 'Follow what the Bible teaches us: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,' said Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., as Sunday's debate pushed past midnight. Advertisement Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, raised particular concern about the accounting method being used by the Republicans, which says the tax breaks from Trump's first term are now 'current policy' and the cost of extending them should not be counted toward deficits. 'In my 33 years here in the United States Senate, things have never — never — worked this way,' said Murray, the longest-serving Democrat on the Budget Committee. She said that kind of 'magic math' won't fly with Americans trying to balance their own household books. 'Go back home,' she said, 'and try that game with your constituents.' ___ Associated Press writers Ali Swenson, Fatima Hussein and Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kremlin, asked about US sanctions bill, suggests it would impact Ukraine peace efforts if implemented
MOSCOW (Reuters) -The Kremlin said on Monday that it had taken note of comments made by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham who is sponsoring a tough new sanctions bill on Russia and that its backers should consider its impact on efforts to reach a peace deal on Ukraine. Graham said in an interview with ABC News on Sunday that President Donald Trump had told him that the sanctions bill - which would impose 500% tariffs on countries like China and India that buy Russian oil - should be brought forward for a vote. Graham called Trump's decision "a big breakthrough" which he said was part of efforts to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table on Ukraine and give Trump "a tool" to bring that about. He stressed however that Trump had a waiver and could decide whether or not to sign it into law if and when it passes Congress. Asked about Graham's comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia was aware of the U.S. senator's stance and had taken note of his statement. "The senator's views are well known to us, they are well known to the whole world. He belongs to a group of inveterate Russophobes. If it were up to him, these sanctions would have been imposed long ago," said Peskov. "Would that have helped the (Ukraine) settlement (process)? That is a question that those who initiate such events should ask themselves."
