Tuesday, July 22, 2025
All civic learning topics for this day
Today's Topics
Speaker Johnson blocks Massie resolution on Epstein grand jury materials
House leadership ended August recess a day early on July 22, 2025, to prevent Rep. Thomas Massie from forcing a vote on releasing all Jeffrey Epstein files. Massie secured enough Republican support to demand the vote after constituent calls about Epstein became "the number one phone call" to offices—"500 to one" according to Rep. Eric Burlison. Rep. Ralph Norman warned pressure won't subside, saying "This is about 13-, 14-, 15-year-old girls getting abused. This is beyond politics."
Musk files FEC paperwork for third party after reconciliation split
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced formation of the "America Party" on July 6, 2025, after breaking with President Trump over the "One Big Beautiful Bill" which Musk called an "insane spending bill." The billionaire, once Trump's closest adviser through DOGE, threatened to support primary challenges against Republicans who voted for the legislation that added $5 trillion to the national debt.
White House crypto czar Sacks oversees family token launches
President Trump appointed PayPal co-founder David Sacks as White House cryptocurrency and AI adviser in December 2024, weeks after Trump's sons announced their fourth digital token venture. The appointment gives industry insiders direct control over regulations while the Trump Organization expands crypto holdings worth an estimated $500 million. By July 2025, Sacks was promoting stablecoin legislation and evaluating a potential bitcoin strategic reserve for the federal government.