Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV star, criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for a speech he gave before the 250th anniversary of the United States. Pratt called Mamdani a “vile, commie” in a video he shared on social media.
Key Facts
Spencer Pratt is a former reality TV star and ran for mayor of Los Angeles earlier in 2024.
Zohran Mamdani is the mayor of New York City and a member of the Democratic Party.
Pratt made his remarks on social media on the day before the 250th anniversary of the U.S. founding.
Pratt described Mayor Mamdani using the phrase “vile, commie.”
The controversy arose in the context of Pratt’s video response to Mamdani’s speech.
The article focuses on a political disagreement involving a public figure and a city mayor.
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A building under construction in Midtown New York City became unstable after two support columns bent and five floors collapsed. The New York City Fire Department responded with a large emergency operation on Tuesday morning.
Key Facts
The incident happened in Midtown, New York City.
Two structural columns in the building bent or buckled.
Five floors of the building gave way and collapsed.
The building was still under construction at the time.
The New York City Fire Department launched a major emergency response.
The event occurred on Tuesday morning.
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Senator Bernie Sanders asked Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner to leave the race after new sexual assault allegations surfaced. Platner denies the claims, while some Democrats have withdrawn their support, which may affect efforts to gain a Senate majority.
Key Facts
Bernie Sanders recommended Graham Platner step aside following serious sexual assault allegations.
Platner is a progressive Democrat running against Republican Susan Collins in Maine’s Senate race.
A woman named Jenny Racicot accused Platner of forcing sex on her in 2021 while she objected.
Platner denies the allegation and calls it false.
Other Democrats, including Rep. Ro Khanna, have withdrawn endorsements of Platner after the allegations.
The controversy could hurt Democrats’ chances of winning this key Senate seat in 2026.
Maine was seen as an opportunity to defeat Susan Collins, who is popular but vulnerable in a strong anti-Trump environment.
Sanders had previously supported Platner and campaigned with him despite past controversies.
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Federal laws on medical cannabis need major changes to align with new rules about the drug's classification. Without clear guidance, patients may face problems and rely on court decisions to protect their rights.
Key Facts
Medical cannabis laws at the federal level are outdated.
Changes are needed to match the updated drug classification.
Lack of clear rules causes difficulties for medical cannabis patients.
Courts may have to intervene when patients face legal issues.
Coordinated guidance from the government is necessary to prevent ongoing problems.
Patients currently face inconsistencies in access and legal protections.
The article stresses the importance of updating federal laws to reflect new cannabis policies.
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A strong storm hit New Jersey, causing heavy rain, strong wind, and flooding. A store roof at BJ's Wholesale Club in Ocean Township collapsed, but no one inside was hurt.
Key Facts
A severe storm brought heavy rain and strong winds to New Jersey.
The storm caused flooding and knocked down trees in the area.
The roof at a BJ's Wholesale Club in Ocean Township, New Jersey, collapsed during the storm.
No injuries were reported inside the store when the roof fell.
News reporters Meg Oliver and Rob Marciano covered the event.
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A U.S. House committee asked Ted Leonsis, owner of the Washington Wizards and Capitals, to end business ties with Alibaba. This request follows the Pentagon labeling Alibaba as a “Chinese military company,” a decision Alibaba is legally challenging.
Key Facts
Ted Leonsis owns Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which includes the NBA team Wizards and NHL team Capitals.
Rep. John Moolenaar, chair of the House Select Committee on China, sent Leonsis a letter asking to confirm that Alibaba ties are cut.
The Pentagon designated Alibaba as a Chinese military company because it may support China’s military through business activities.
Alibaba sued to be removed from the Pentagon’s list of companies linked to the Chinese military.
The Committee set a July 15 deadline for ending these business links.
Joseph Tsai, co-founder of Alibaba, owns the Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty teams, showing other sports ties to Alibaba.
The Committee has previously questioned Alibaba’s involvement with the Olympics and raised concerns over performance-enhancing drug cases involving Chinese athletes.
LA Olympic organizers chose Google, a competitor to Alibaba, as an official sponsor for 2028.
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Two Supreme Court justices, Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett, will testify before Congress about the Supreme Court's budget. They will appear at separate hearings held by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government on July 14.
Key Facts
Justices Kagan and Barrett are scheduled to testify before Congress.
The topic is the Supreme Court's annual budget request.
Hearings will be held on Capitol Hill.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government is leading the hearings.
The hearings will take place on July 14.
Tom Cole, a Republican from Oklahoma, chairs the subcommittee.
Each justice will testify in separate hearings.
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Senator Bernie Sanders has urged Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner to drop out of the race after a sexual assault allegation. Platner denies the claim but has paused campaign events and is thinking about what to do next.
Key Facts
Graham Platner is the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Maine.
A sexual assault allegation has been made against Platner.
Many Democrats have withdrawn their support for Platner.
Senator Bernie Sanders spoke to Platner and recommended he step aside.
Platner denies the sexual assault allegation.
Platner canceled upcoming town hall events.
Party leaders are unsure how to proceed in the Senate race against Republican Senator Susan Collins.
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Democratic candidate Graham Platner faces calls to quit the Maine Senate race after a sexual assault claim, which he denies. If Platner withdraws by July 13, the party can choose a new candidate by July 27 to run against Republican Susan Collins in November.
Key Facts
Graham Platner is the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate from Maine facing a sexual assault allegation.
Platner denies the accusation and is thinking about his next steps.
Several senior Democrats have taken back their support for Platner.
The party’s main Senate fundraising group will stop spending money in Maine until Platner drops out.
Maine law requires Platner to quit by 5 pm ET on July 13 for Democrats to pick a new candidate.
The replacement candidate must be selected by 5 pm ET on July 27.
Possible replacements include Nirav Shah, Shenna Bellows, and Troy Jackson, all of whom have asked Platner to step down.
The Maine Democratic Party says the replacement selection will be open and involve voter participation.
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Senator Bernie Sanders asked Graham Platner to withdraw from the US Senate race in Maine because of serious sexual assault claims. Platner denies the accusations but is considering his next steps after the story became public.
Key Facts
Bernie Sanders is a progressive senator.
Sanders wants Graham Platner to quit the Senate race in Maine.
Platner faces serious sexual assault allegations.
The claims were first reported by Politico.
Several Democrats also want Platner to step down.
Platner denies the accusations.
Platner said he is thinking about what to do next.
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The United States’ trade deficit rose sharply to $77.6 billion in May due to higher imports and lower exports. Increased spending on artificial intelligence, semiconductors, petroleum, and auto parts contributed to the larger trade gap.
Key Facts
The US trade deficit in May was $77.6 billion, a 42.2% increase from April.
Imports grew 3.3% to $395.3 billion, while exports fell 3.2% to $317.7 billion.
Semiconductor imports increased by $1.2 billion amid a boom in AI-related spending.
Petroleum imports hit a record high, rising by $1.5 billion despite tensions involving Iran.
Imports of automotive parts and engines rose by $2.2 billion; passenger car imports grew by $1 billion.
Toyota announced a $3.6 billion investment to move Tacoma pickup truck production to Texas by 2030.
The US had its largest trade deficits with Vietnam, Mexico, Taiwan, China, and the European Union.
Canada posted a trade surplus of 4.24 billion Canadian dollars (about $3 billion), reaching a four-year high.
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Maine Democrat Nirav Shah is thinking about running for the U.S. Senate after a new sexual assault claim was made against the current Democratic nominee, Graham Platner. Platner is pausing his campaign to reconsider his options.
Key Facts
Nirav Shah is a Democrat from Maine.
He previously served as the state's public health chief.
Shah ran for governor of Maine but did not win.
Graham Platner is the current Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Maine.
A new sexual assault allegation has been made against Platner.
Platner is taking time away from his campaign to review the situation.
Shah is now considering entering the Senate race because of these developments.
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Senator Bernie Sanders asked Democrat Graham Platner to leave the race for the Maine Senate seat after a report said Platner sexually assaulted a woman he dated in 2021. Sanders said he spoke with Platner about what is best for Maine.
Key Facts
Graham Platner is running for the Maine Senate seat as a Democrat.
A report alleges Platner sexually assaulted a woman he dated in 2021.
Senator Bernie Sanders spoke directly to Platner about the situation.
Sanders suggested that Platner should quit the Senate race.
The call from Sanders was made public on Tuesday.
Sanders framed his advice as being in the best interest of Maine.
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A group of House Democrats has introduced the Save MEDICARE Act of 2026 to change how Medicare Advantage plans are paid and monitored. The bill aims to stop overpayments to private insurers and strengthen Medicare’s financial health.
Key Facts
The bill is called the Save MEDICARE Act of 2026 (H.R. 9544) and was introduced by Representative Lloyd Doggett from Texas.
Medicare Advantage plans are private insurance options that now cover about half of Medicare beneficiaries.
Lawmakers say Medicare Advantage plans receive billions of dollars in excessive payments, costing taxpayers more than traditional Medicare.
The bill proposes excluding certain diagnosis codes that lead to inflated payments to Medicare Advantage plans.
It wants to speed up audits and increase efforts to recover overpaid money.
The bill would give states more power to enforce Medicare Advantage rules.
It also requires Medicare Advantage and Part D plans to pay the Department of Veterans Affairs for services given to veterans.
The bill may not affect Medicare beneficiaries immediately but aims to save money that could improve Medicare benefits like dental, vision, and hearing coverage.
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New York City fire officials are responding to reports about a building in Manhattan that may collapse. The building, near 235 East 42nd Street, was once Pfizer’s headquarters and is being turned into apartments.
Key Facts
The Fire Department of New York got a call shortly before 8 a.m. about falling bricks near 235 East 42nd Street.
Officials describe the situation as a "major technical rescue response."
The building is located in Manhattan, New York City.
This building used to be the headquarters for Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company.
It is currently being converted into an apartment complex.
New York officials planned a news conference to give updates about the situation.
People were observed looking at the building because of its reported structural problems.
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The former mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, Chokwe Antar Lumumba, pleaded guilty to conspiracy involving bribery, wire fraud, and money laundering. This plea ends a federal case that began after an FBI investigation into alleged illegal payments linked to a real estate deal.
Key Facts
Chokwe Antar Lumumba served as mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, starting in 2017.
In November 2024, Lumumba was indicted by a federal grand jury following an FBI sting operation.
Lumumba and two other elected Democrats were accused of accepting bribes disguised as campaign contributions.
Lumumba pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in federal court in Jackson in 2025.
Former city council member Aaron Banks also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery.
A trial scheduled for July 2025 was avoided due to the guilty pleas.
Details revealed that Lumumba received $50,000 in bribes and allegedly influenced city planning meetings.
The National Conference of Black Lawyers defended Lumumba, citing concerns about unfair scrutiny of Black elected officials.
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President Donald Trump has accused the Smithsonian Institution of engaging in extreme political activism. This accusation relates to a disagreement about how American history should be presented.
Key Facts
President Trump is involved in a dispute about telling America's story.
He claims the Smithsonian shows strong political bias.
The issue concerns the way American history is told to the public.
The Smithsonian is a group of museums and research centers in the U.S.
This disagreement reflects wider debates over history and politics in the country.
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A high-rise building in Midtown Manhattan undergoing conversion from offices to luxury apartments showed signs of structural damage, including falling bricks and buckled columns, which led to evacuations of nearby buildings, including a school with about 400 children. Officials reported no injuries and closed nearby streets while inspecting the building’s safety.
Key Facts
The building is located at 235 East 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan.
It was formerly Pfizer’s global headquarters and dates from the 1970s.
Structural problems included falling bricks and buckling columns on the 21st and 22nd floors.
Floors between the 21st and 26th levels were sagging.
The building is being converted into luxury apartments with over 1,600 units, including adding more than a dozen stories.
Nearby buildings, including a school with about 400 children, were evacuated as a precaution.
No injuries were reported, and all workers inside the building were accounted for.
Streets near the site were closed to vehicles and pedestrians during the inspection.
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The former mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, Chokwe Antar Lumumba, and the former City Council president, Aaron Banks, pleaded guilty to conspiracy in a bribery case. This happened just before their trial and follows similar guilty pleas by others involved, including the Hinds County District Attorney.
Key Facts
Chokwe Antar Lumumba is the former mayor of Jackson, Mississippi’s capital city.
Aaron Banks is the former president of the Jackson City Council.
Both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy related to a bribery scheme.
Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens also pleaded guilty and resigned last week.
Angelique Lee, former vice president of Jackson City Council, and businessman Sherik Marve Smith had already pleaded guilty.
Owens was accused of accepting at least $115,000 from undercover FBI agents posing as real estate developers.
The bribes, totaling over $80,000, were directed to Lumumba, Banks, and Lee to help approve a development project.
Lumumba, Banks, and Owens face up to five years in prison and have sentencing hearings set for October 15, 2024.
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A former campus police officer testified that he found a spot on a rooftop that looked like a “sniper pad” near where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed. Prosecutors want to use this evidence to try Tyler Robinson for murder.
Key Facts
The testimony came from Christopher Bagley, a former police officer at Utah Valley University.
Bagley said the “sniper pad” was on a rooftop overlooking the place where Charlie Kirk was assassinated.
Charlie Kirk is a conservative activist who was killed.
Tyler Robinson is accused of murder in this case.
Prosecutors are using the rooftop finding to support their case against Robinson.
The hearing is part of deciding whether Robinson will go to trial for murder.
The event happened at Utah Valley University.
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