Vladimir Putin has told President Trump during a phone call yesterday that Russia will have to respond to Ukraine’s drone attack on Russian airbases, according to Trump. Putin accused Ukraine of becoming a “terrorist organization” and disrupting negotiations. The conversation came as Ukraine met with U.S. senators to discuss arms and ending the war, after peace talks in Istanbul failed to make a major breakthrough. (BBC)
Elon Musk blast the massive Republican spending bill making it’s way through Congress, telling his over 200 million followers to “KILL the BILL” as it “bankrupts America.” Musk has posted over 25 times attacking the bill, previously calling it a “disgusting abomination.” Indeed, the Congressional Budget Office revealed this week that Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” would add $2.4 trillion to the nation’s deficit. (Hill)
Two Chinese nationals have been accused by U.S. federal prosecutors of smuggling the dangerous Fusarium graminearum fungus, a potential agricultural terrorism weapon, into the U.S. for research. Zunyong Liu, 34, allegedly brought the fungus to the U.S. to study it at a University of Michigan lab where his girlfriend Yunqing Jian, 33, worked. The pair were charged with crimes including conspiracy and smuggling. (Reuters)
A man accused of threatening to assassinate President Trump was framed. Ramon Morales-Reyes, an undocumented immigrant, was arrested for the threats, but prosecutors now claim they were written by Demetric Deshawn Scott to prevent Morales-Reyes from testifying against him in a robbery case by getting him deported. Despite being cleared of the threat allegations, Morales-Reyes will face a deportation hearing. (BBC)
Former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claims she left the Democratic Party and is urging more Americans to become independents in a new book. Jean-Pierre cites the Democratic Party’s “betrayal” that led to Biden’s decision not to run for a second term, and says the U.S. has a broken two-party system. She defends Biden’s mental acuity but criticizes Democrats for putting him “before a firing squad.” (UPI)
