USA knocked out of World Cup
Team USA lost in a 4-1 match against Belgium
World
F-35 Sale Resuming
United States President Donald Trump announced that he plans to lift sanctions on Turkey and is open to resuming sale of F-35 fighter jets, reversing a ban that he imposed in his first term. Opposition has risen from the European Union, Isreal, and members of the U.S. Congress. Lawmakers argue that this move violates the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. Some members of congress state that this move rewards Turkey's violent behaviour, Trump suggests that Turkey has proved to be a good ally and is deserving of the decision.
Iran Ceasefire Ends
The United States has begun strikes in Iran once again after another unsuccessful ceasefire. U.S. Central Command states that its goal in these strikes is to degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz
National
SCOTUS ends Temporary Protected Status
In Mullin v. Doe, The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the Presidential administration can end Temporary Protected Status for refugees without judicial review.
This immediately affects over 300,000 Hatians currently living in the United States that were granted TPS under president Barack Obama.
Many have falsely confused TPS with immigration. A refugee living under TPS may be a temporary legal resident, but is not an illegal immigrant, or an immigrant by any means.
While it could be possible to be under TPS and then apply to immigrate as a citizen, most conflations of the two are incorrect.
Trump Accounts
"A new era of investing for America's youngest generation", stated President Trump. Children born between 2025 and 2028 will recieve an intial investment account of $1,000. The initial investment is funded by taxpayer dollars and private donations. Parents can also make additions to the account yearly. The money grows tax deffered until they're withdrawn from the account at 18 years of age. After 18, the account becomes a traditional IRA. This move generally had bipartisian support. Investment company Robinhood secured the management and infrastructure of these accounts.
Gavin Newsome Fraud Probe
Multiple federal investigations are examining fraud allegations involving California Governor Gavin Newsom and his wife Jennifer Newsom. The most prominent of these being a DOJ investigation on Jennifer Newsom with regard to fraud and missuse of nonprofit funds.
Mississippi
Former Jackson Mayor Pleads Guilty
Chokwe Lumumba pled guilty to a single count of conspiracy to commit bribery, wire fraud, and money laundering.
Initially, Lumumba called the FBI sting "political prosecution" intended to harm his run for re-election.
Former Jackson city coucilmen Aaron Banks and Hinds County District Attourney Jody Owens have each submitted guilty pleas for this same scheme.
18-Year Old Found Dead
While on a Fourth of July boat trip to Horn Island off the Gulf Coast, Nolan Wells dissapeared.
His body was found by a park ranger on July 7th. Authorities belive that Wells drowned after his friends returned to land without him.
Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter stated that there is no current suspicion of foul play.
The Wells family has hired civil rights attourney Ben Crump, who is conducting an independent investigation.
Coffee Chain Comes to Jackson Metro
Dutch Bros Coffee opened a new location in Pearl, MS this week, its first location in the state.
Business
Instagram's New AI Tools
Meta's Instagram rolled out new AI features this week, allowing anyone with an instagram account to create custom AI videos using any account's public instagram photos. Users will not be notified when their content is used by others for AI content. All public accounts will be default opted-in to this, while user can select the option to opt-out in their user settings.
Xbox Layoffs
Microsoft subsidiary, Xbox announced the elimination of over 4,500 jobs. Concurrently, Microsoft has been approved for over 2,000 H-1B visas for foreign workers Xbox executives state that AI is changing the way that they work and that the company is shifting to focus on their main money making intellectual properties like Minecraft and Candy Crush.
What can I do for someone else today?
How can I add value to the world today?
These above questions can aid in intentional decision making throught the week. Everything we do is an opportunity to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. Once again, prayer is one of the most powerful actions that we can take and is so commonly forgotten. Pray for your leaders, pray for the leaders of other nations, pray for the people you love, the people that love you, and the people that hate you. Remember that you are a sinner, and we have all fallen and made terrible mistakes. It is only through the sacrifice of death and resurrection of Jesus that we are redeemed from our sin.