Wednesday, June 25, 2025
All civic learning topics for this day
Today's Topics
Trump Restricts Intelligence Sharing After Iran Strike Leaks Contradict Claims
President Trump ordered limits on classified intelligence sharing with Congress after leaks revealed that US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities only delayed Iran's program by months, contradicting administration claims of complete destruction, as House Speaker Mike Johnson considers further restricting lawmakers' access to sensitive information.
RFK Jr. Fires All CDC Vaccine Advisors, Replaces Them with Conspiracy Theorists
Health Secretary RFK Jr. dismissed all 17 members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in June 2025, eliminating the independent medical experts who made vaccine recommendations based on scientific evidence. He replaced them with 8 new members, including several known vaccine skeptics, potentially changing decades of established vaccine science.
House Passes Veterans Healthcare Funding 218-206: How Congress Actually Controls Government
The House passed the FY-26 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs spending bill by a razor-thin 218-206 margin, with almost every Republican voting yes and almost every Democrat voting no. This narrow vote on veterans healthcare—which typically receives bipartisan support—shows how budget politics can affect even earned benefits for military service members.
DOJ Whistleblower: When Justice Officials Tell Judges to Go F--- Themselves
Emil Bove, Trump's former criminal defense lawyer now serving as the #3 DOJ official, allegedly told subordinates they might need to tell federal judges "f--- you" and ignore court orders blocking mass deportations, according to a whistleblower complaint. Erez Reuveni, a career DOJ attorney, filed this complaint on June 24, 2025—just one day before Bove's confirmation hearing for a lifetime federal appeals court appointment.
Congress Moves to Ban Chinese AI from All Federal Agencies: The New Tech Cold War
The "No Adversarial AI Act" shows rare bipartisan unity as House China Committee Chair Moolenaar (Republican) and Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi (Democrat) co-sponsor legislation banning AI from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea across all federal agencies. Senate versions respond to security concerns about AI systems potentially influencing government decision-making.
Supreme Court's June 2025 Decisions: From Transgender Healthcare to Ghost Guns
The Supreme Court's June 2025 decisions show how the conservative majority approaches government authority differently depending on the issue. They upheld Tennessee's ban on transgender healthcare for minors (6-3) and federal ghost gun regulations (7-2), while deadlocking 4-4 on religious charter schools, revealing selective application of "states' rights" and "federal authority" principles.
Trump Calls Fed Chair "Very Dumb" While Powell Warns Tariffs Cause Inflation
Fed Chair Jerome Powell testified to Congress June 24-25, 2025, warning that Trump's tariffs will cause "persistent" inflation and explaining why the Fed can't cut interest rates while prices are rising. Trump responded by calling Powell "very dumb, hardheaded" on Truth Social and demanding Congress pressure him to force rate cuts, creating a policy contradiction.
Treasury Department Weaponizes Financial System Against Mexican Banks in Fentanyl War
The Treasury Department used the new FEND Off Fentanyl Act to blacklist three Mexican banks—CIBanco, Intercam Banco, and Vector Casa de Bolsa—from the U.S. financial system, claiming they laundered money for fentanyl cartels. This action forces all U.S. banks to immediately cut ties with these institutions, potentially affecting billions in legitimate business transactions.
Chemical Industry Buys Six More Years to Poison Your Tap Water
The EPA announced June 24 that water utilities can wait until 2031—instead of 2029—to remove cancer-causing PFAS "forever chemicals" from drinking water, while completely scrapping limits on four other toxic compounds. This reversal came after lobbying by chemical manufacturers and water companies who spent $47 million on Republican campaigns in 2024.
Trump Administration Eliminates Suicide Prevention for LGBTQ Teens During Mental Health Crisis
Health and Human Services announced the 988 Suicide Lifeline will shut down its specialized LGBTQ youth option on July 17, eliminating the only federal resource specifically trained to handle LGBTQ-specific mental health crises. The service handled 1.3 million calls since 2022 from teens who needed LGBTQ-affirming counselors, at a time when LGBTQ teen suicide attempts increased 23% in states with anti-LGBTQ legislation.
America's Cyber Defense Agency Implodes as Foreign Hackers Ramp Up Attacks
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency faces a major leadership crisis, with five of six operational divisions losing their directors by June 30. The exodus accelerated after Senate Republicans blocked confirmation of Trump's CISA nominee, leaving critical infrastructure protection with significant staffing gaps during a period of increased cyber threats.
Congress Prepares to Funnel Pell Grant Money to For-Profit Training Scams
House Republicans advanced a "Workforce Pell" bill through committee in 48 hours, opening federal Pell Grants to eight-week job training programs with minimal quality controls. The bill was supported by lobbyists from for-profit colleges that faced scrutiny in the 2010s, and it blocks the Department of Education from requiring proof that these programs lead to jobs or higher wages.
Labor Department Legalizes Wage Theft for Uber, Lyft, and Amazon
The Department of Labor issued guidance instructing federal investigators to abandon the 2024 worker classification rule that helped employees prove they deserved minimum wage and overtime pay. Instead, the DOL will use a weaker "economic realities" test that makes it easier for companies like Uber and Amazon to classify employees as independent contractors.
How Republicans Are Disguising the Largest Healthcare Cuts in History as "Tax Relief"
House Republicans passed Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" by a single vote after midnight negotiations, describing it as "tax relief for working families." The 1,000+ page bill cuts $880 billion from Medicaid while permanently extending tax cuts that give 82% of benefits to the top 5% of earners, and the Congressional Budget Office confirms it adds $3 trillion to the deficit.