Still Watching - Trump News July 2025
The Trump news in a nutshell - for July, 2025.
For more, see our continuing feature “We Are Watching” in Harvest Blue. Lots of blocks get knocked over every week. It will take all of us to rebuild.
July 21 to 26 (so far)
Jeffrey Epstein dominates headlines - Trump DOJ makes limited immunity deal in a private meeting with Epstein's accomplice, convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. House Speaker Johnson sends members home to avoid a vote of accountability. Columbia University succumbs to Trump pressure, paying over $200 million over supposed transgressions.
Trump visits the Fed building renovations, trying to use alleged cost overruns in his pressure campaign against Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Supreme Court allows Trump to fire members of Consumer Product Safety Commission despite Congress's intent that it have independence. Trump makes tariff news with Japan this week and Indonesia the week before (details of which are hard to track - we'll see how it all shakes out). GOP makes clear that mid-decade redistricting is their 2026 House strategy.
US Labor Dept announces it will weaken or repeal over 60 worker safety/protection regulations. EPA eliminates its science R&D arm, weakening independent review of hazards. Congressional Budget Office confirms in their final scoring that the big budget bill will add $3-4 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years. It will also leave 10 million more Americans without health insurance. France set to recognize Palestine as a state, say Prime Minister Macron. CBS/Paramount appears to give in to Trump's extortion to cancel Stephen Colbert --- Colbert and friends make clear the gloves are off. Paramount get's their $8 billion merger deal done for Skydance.
South Park goes full Satan satire against the President. Trump accuses former President Obama of "treason" in yet another deflection. Trump ends the week with an escape to visit his golf course in Scotland. (nbc, ap, nytimes)
July 14 to 20
The over 200 immigrants shipped to the torture prison in El Salvador were released to Venezuela as part of a prisoner exchange. Senate Democrats walked out of a Judiciary Committee meeting intended to advance Emil Bove's nomination as a lifetime US judge. Epstein heats up the airwaves, with Trump calling his supporters "weaklings" for not abandoning their demands for information.
Fresh off their big ugly bill win, Congress also approves the "rescissions package" to cut $9 billion in funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting. DHS sent 5 detained immigrants to Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) in Africa - people that have no ties to that nation. Trump signals some toughness against Russia with plan to send weapons via NATO and the threat at least of secondary sanctions.
Serious reports of ICE mistreatment of detainees continue to emerge. An ICE report shows about 72% of immigrants detained had no criminal convictions. Supreme Court uses their shadow docket to enable the destruction of the Department of Education - including a layoff of nearly 1,400 employees. (nbc, ap, nytimes)
July 7 to 13
The Archbishop of Miami (Florida) condemned Alligator Alcatraz, calling it "corrosive of the common good." Tariff income bumped federal receipts --- money that comes fundamentally from consumers and American retailers. Sen. Tillis criticizes Defense Secretary Hegseth over unauthorized halt in weapon shipments to Ukraine.
IRS rules that churches can now open endorse candidates while keeping tax-exempt status. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at the White House - Gaza children continue to suffer from hunger with little relief in sight. (nbc, ap, nytimes)
July 1 to 6
On partisan lines, the Senate and House each pushed through the Big Ugly Budget bill by the Trump-imposed deadline of before July 4th. All Kansas GOP members voted for the budget. The bill includes $4.5 Trillion in taxes skewed to the wealthy and corporations, deep future cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, and a dramatic expansion of ICE police and immigrant detention.
The deportation of 8 men from the US to war-torn South Sudan was completed after the Supreme Court pulled back protections. Most of the men have no ties to South Sudan or Africa. DOJ states its intent to amp up "denaturalization" to would yank already=conferred US citizenship based on crimes or national security risk (as defined by the administration).
Social Security Administration sends out a partisan email with misleading information on the budget bill, while Homeland Security posted a disgraceful meme of alligators with ICE uniform hats. Paramount, the owner of CBS, capitulates to Trump in a lawsuit over 60 Minutes coverage.
Supreme Court decision restricts national injunctions, a once favorite tactic to hobble Biden's progressive agenda but now not so favored when applied to Trump's overreach. Court also gve parents more options to "opt out" of all sorts of assignments, including any with LGBTQ themes. The Court did, however, save a a provision of Obamacare that empowers a federal task force to decide which preventative health measures must be covered by insurance. RFK Jr. now controls that board.
Russia declares that it fully occupies the Luhansk region of Ukraine, one of 4 provinces it annexed in 2022. After phone call, Trump says Putin doesn't want to end war. Major attacks levied on Kyiv. Devastating floods hit central Texas on July 4th, many dead along the Guadalupe River, including young girls at a summer camp. (Sources: AP Morning Wire, NY Times “The Morning”, NBC News, the Independent, the Hill)