Thursday, July 10, 2025
All civic learning topics for this day
Today's Topics
Senate to Vote on Trump Aid and Broadcasting Cuts by July 18 Deadline
On July 10, 2025, Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced the chamber will vote next week—likely Tuesday, July 15—on President Trump’s request to rescind $9.4 billion in foreign aid and public broadcasting funds. The package, which passed the House 214-212 in June, expires on July 18 if the Senate takes no action.
FEMA Leader No-Show in Texas Flood Response
Acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson hasn’t visited central Texas since deadly flooding struck in early July 2025, prompting concerns that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is running the response and slowing critical aid to survivors.
Senate Votes on Rescinding Trump Aid and Cutting Public Broadcasting
Senators voted July 10 on a plan to rescind $7.8 billion in military aid Donald Trump held back to push for a border wall and to cut funding for public TV and radio before Friday’s budget deadline. Mitch McConnell led Republicans pushing the plan, Chuck Schumer led Democrats opposing it.
Trump Says Renewables Slam Grid, Texas Data Proves Otherwise
On July 8, Donald Trump told reporters at his Philadelphia rally that wind and solar energy ‘crash the grid’ and warned they’ll cause nationwide blackouts. He blamed renewables for Texas’ 2021 freeze-off, but the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) filings tell a different story. In March 2025, wind and solar delivered up to 75% of the state’s electricity for hours without a single outage. ERCOT reported zero grid failures, while battery storage covered evening peaks.
Whistleblower Memos Reveal Emil Bove Advocated Defying Court Rulings
Emails and texts from inside the Justice Department show Emil Bove told colleagues on March 3 he’d defy federal judges whose rulings undercut Trump’s agenda. A DOJ lawyer flagged the messages and sent them to senators on the Judiciary Committee. Senators have stalled Bove’s confirmation vote and demanded internal documents on White House–DOJ coordination. The fight over Bove’s nomination exposes how the executive branch, DOJ insiders, and Senate oversight collide to decide who sits on the bench.
Trump Backs Russia SanctionsBut Keeps a Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Waiver
President Trump asked Congress this week to approve fresh sanctions on Russia, then slipped in a waiver that lets him dump those penalties whenever he wants. By insisting on that clause, Trump cut lawmakers out of the loop and grabbed extra foreign-policy power for himself.
Judge Halts Trumps Birthright Citizenship Ban
Judge Beryl A. Howell stopped President Trump’s July 4 order that would strip U.S. birthright citizenship from children born here to undocumented parents. She issued an injunction on July 10 after immigrant families filed a class-action suit backed by the ACLU. The ruling blocks the administration from enforcing the policy while courts sort out whether the president can rewrite the 14th Amendment on his own.
Supreme Court Blocks Floridas Aggressive Immigration Plan
Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law on June 30 that let Florida troopers detain anyone they suspect of crossing the border without papers. On July 9, Chief Justice John Roberts and a majority of the Supreme Court blocked it. They cited the Constitution’s supremacy clause to remind Florida that only Congress and federal agencies set immigration policy. You’ll learn how judicial review and federalism work together to stop states from rewriting national rules.
LA City Attorney Teams Up With ACLU to Block Trumps ICE Raids
Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto joined ACLU lawyers, led by Omar Jadwat, on July 9 to sue the Department of Homeland Security. They want courts to stop ICE from carrying out Trump’s planned sweeps that target up to 1,500 immigrants in the LA area. This showdown shows how a city can use lawsuits to push back when federal agents overstep and protect residents’ civil rights.
Supreme Court Lets Trump Slash 600,000 Federal Jobs
On July 8, 2025, the Supreme Court lifted a lower court’s pause on President Donald Trump’s rule stripping civil service protections from about 600,000 federal employees. That decision lets agencies fire, furlough or reassign workers without hearings or appeals. Trump says this change helps him reshape agencies faster. Worker advocates warn it hands the president unchecked power over your essential services.
Gabbard Demanded Spy Data to Drive Trumps Next Moves
Tulsi Gabbard’s team asked the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s secret unit for raw spy data and threat assessments to back Donald Trump’s policy goals. They tried to skip the usual vetting by analysts at the CIA and FBI, aiming to pull intelligence findings straight into Trump’s playbook. This move shines a light on how easily a president’s circle can twist independent spy work to score political points — and how weak current checks are at stopping it.
Supreme Court Puts the Brakes on Floridas Immigration Crackdown
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis rolled out new state rules to punish businesses that hire undocumented workers—slapping them with hefty fines and threatening to yank licenses. DeSantis pitched it as fixing federal inaction, but here’s the real play: he was trying to grab immigration power that the Constitution gives only to Congress and the president. Yesterday the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, said “nope”—states can’t rewrite immigration law.
Trumps Accreditation Ultimatum: How the White House Can Yank Harvards Credentials
On July 9, 2025, the Trump administration subpoenaed Harvard for detailed records on foreign students and warned it could pull the university’s accreditation. This move shows how the executive branch can weaponize regulatory authority—skipping Congress and using accreditation and subpoena power to pressure independent institutions and shape policy in secret.