--:-- Traci Mumford: From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Traci Mumford. Today is Wednesday, July 2nd. Here's what we're covering.
--:-- Traci Mumford: President Trump's signature policy bill is moving closer to becoming law by the narrowest possible margins. An earlier version squeaked through the House back in May by a single vote. And yesterday, the Senate passed its own draft, again, by one vote.
--:-- Traci Mumford: The passage came after a brutal slog of debating and negotiating as GOP leaders maneuvered to get the needed votes. Ultimately, a skeptical Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski seemed to swing things by agreeing to support the legislation, thanks to a provision tucked in that would insulate her state, Alaska, from some of the bill's harshest cuts.
--:-- Traci Mumford: Do I like this bill? No. Murkowski acknowledged the tradeoff after the vote. I know that in many parts of the country, there are Americans that are not going to be advantaged by this bill. I don't like that.
--:-- Traci Mumford: Because of the extensive changes the Senate made to the legislation, including cuts that are far deeper than originally proposed, it's now back to the House for another contentious vote that's expected to be just as tight. What the Senate did is unconscionable. What they did to our bill was unconscionable.
--:-- Traci Mumford: Multiple Republican representatives are already up in arms about the latest version, with fiscal conservatives denouncing how much the bill would add to the country's deficit. One estimate puts it at $3.3 trillion. And the GOP can only have three defections when the House votes as soon as today, though House Speaker Mike Johnson said he's confident it will pass.
--:-- Traci Mumford: We're at the one-yard line in this game. We're going to run it right up the middle and score for the American people. And I tell you what, meanwhile, when it comes to the public polls have shown the legislation which would slash programs like Medicaid and food stamps is deeply unpopular with voters.
--:-- Traci Mumford: While most Americans stand to see some form of a tax cut under the plan, as the president and Republicans have promised, the benefits will be disproportionate. One analysis of a draft of the bill found that a person making over about $200,000 will get a roughly $12,000 tax cut, while a person making $35,000 would see only a $150 tax cut.
--:-- Traci Mumford: And for the poorest Americans, cuts to health insurance and other federal aid will overshadow any tax benefit. Overall, the bill stands to be one of the largest reductions in the federal safety net in a generation.
--:-- Traci Mumford: For more about the bill, including how Republicans have rewritten budget rules to push it through, listen to today's episode of The Daily.
--:-- Traci Mumford: Now, three quick updates on the Trump administration. The media giant Paramount announced late last night that it will settle a lawsuit with President Trump for $16 million, a remarkable concession to a sitting president by a media organization.
--:-- Traci Mumford: Trump sued the company after its network CBS aired a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris that Trump claimed was deceptively edited to interfere with the election. Many legal experts said the case was baseless, considering the protections of the First Amendment and that nothing the network reported was inaccurate.
--:-- Traci Mumford: But some Paramount executives saw the lawsuit as a potential hurdle to completing a multi-billion dollar sale of the company, which will require the Trump administration's approval. Paramount is the second major media company to agree to a settlement with Trump since he was re-elected.
--:-- Traci Mumford: In December, ABC agreed to pay millions over comments made by one of its TV hosts. Also, the University of Pennsylvania has made a deal with the Trump administration saying it will no longer allow transgender women to participate in women's sports.
--:-- Traci Mumford: The announcement came amid a civil rights investigation into Penn over the university allowing a trans woman to compete on its women's swim team three years ago. The Department of Education says the school's support for the swimmer violated laws around sex discrimination.
--:-- Traci Mumford: The White House halted $175 million in federal funding for Penn this spring over the issue. It's not immediately clear whether the new agreement will restore any of that money.
--:-- Traci Mumford: And in a surprise move this week, the Department of Education announced that it will not release nearly $7 billion intended to pay for a variety of services like after-school care and summer programs.
--:-- Traci Mumford: The department offered almost no explanation for the decision, saying only that the funds are under review. They were supposed to be released yesterday. The director of one educational group called the move catastrophic and said it will mostly hurt low-income students.
--:-- Traci Mumford: The funding freeze is likely to be challenged in court. Democrats and teachers unions have criticized it as illegal.
--:-- Traci Mumford: Around the world, almost half a billion tons of plastic are now produced every year, a number that's doubled in the last two decades. And the question of what to do with all of those water bottles, take-out containers, and plastic straws has become increasingly urgent.
--:-- Traci Mumford: Only a tiny fraction of American plastic is ever recycled. 90% is burned, ends up in landfills, or is shipped overseas. China used to take a lot of it, until it banned plastic trash imports in 2018.
--:-- Traci Mumford: The U.S. and other countries then turned to other places to try and offload their waste. But now they're starting to say no thanks, too. This year Thailand and Indonesia have announced bans on plastic waste imports. And yesterday, Malaysia said it would stop accepting American plastics.
--:-- Traci Mumford: Its environment minister said, "We do not want Malaysia to be the world's rubbish bin." Environmental experts tell the Times that there needs to be a focus on reducing plastic production in the first place, rather than the hot potato game of what to do with it once it's been used.
--:-- Traci Mumford: One told the Times that what many people find themselves doing, diligently rinsing and sorting their plastics, expecting that they'll be recycled, is basically, quote, "wish cycling."
--:-- Traci Mumford: And finally, temperatures from Pakistan to Paris to Pennsylvania have been reaching brutal highs due to heat waves, heat domes, and other scorching weather patterns. No surprise, it is going to be a toasty evening.
--:-- Traci Mumford: And at the cutting edge of how to stay cool, temperature at first pitch, 96 degrees. We're going to drop down to only about 90 degrees by fifth inning. Is Major League Baseball. Unlike other major sports, its season runs right through the sweatiest part of the year.
--:-- Traci Mumford: And as climate change has made summers hotter and hotter, teams have been experimenting with strategies to keep players from cramping and collapsing on the field. Some pitchers now use a special water-cooled mitt in between innings to try and bring down their core temperature.
--:-- Traci Mumford: Teams are also measuring players' hydration levels and preparing them customized drinks with personalized levels of electrolytes. And during spring training, the Tampa Bay Rays even tested each of their players' sweat rate.
--:-- Traci Mumford: Second baseman Brandon Lowe, for example, said he turned out to be a Tier 2 sweater. It's not clear if that gives you bragging rights or not.
--:-- Traci Mumford: Those are the headlines. I'm Traci Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.
