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BBC video of how fast the waters rise on the Llanos river in central Texas.

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WSJ Analysis of $1 trillion Medicaid Cuts in the One Big Beautiful Act-who it impacts most. It means less money for insurers, hospitals, and 9 million able bodied Medicaid recipients being moved to being covered by new employers. Under extension of Obamacare able bodied Americans were added to Medicaid in some of the states. Some states such as Texas and Florida and other southern states decided not to do this. The One Big Beautiful Act removes this extension of Obama care and the funding to states and adds the able bodied requirement to cut funding by about $1 trillion. Insurance companies who covered the insured and got payments from the federal government will lose these payments. Hospitals will also lose these payments from the federal government that sent money to the states for funding Medicaid. Overall Medicaid funding is proportionally cut more in Republican states. In Arizona, Kentucky and Virginia Medicaid cuts will be 18%, compared to 9% in New York and 13% in California. 93% of the cuts are in states that have expanded Medicaid to include able bodied adults. The Big Beautiful Act also cuts down on provider taxes which hospitals used to get more funding. Rural hospitals are given access to a $50 billion fund in the Act  so they can be kept open. ...

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Scientific American says 8-11% impact larger emissions under the One Big Beautiful Act than the 61%-66% emissions cut under Biden IRA in 2035 over 2005. What is the reasoning behind DJT Republicans approach? 

Remember that the wealthiest House districts are now in the Democratic party and the working class, rural and poorer districts are now in the Republican party as shown in the recent WSJ analysis.  In this situation after  30-40 increase in the price of groceries, new and used cars, and housing costs 2019-2024 the argument is that American working families need relief. Another factor was the grasp of the fact that for climate change action to work China could not be allowed to build one coal plant a week (95GW of coal electricity capacity in 2024). In 2024 US represented only 12% of global emissions and EU only 6%, China, Russia, India, Brazil etc emitting the rest of 82%. 

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EV makers in US offer about $5000 in discounts to replace $7500 lost in government EV tax credits. The hurdle for electric vehicles is the lack of charging infrastructure and the cost of home chargers, in addition to the limited range in miles. The big jump in inflation centered not just on groceries in 2019-2024, there was a 34% increase in the cost of new cars and 50% increase for used cars, and a jump in maintenance costs. Reducing affordability for young people and making car ownership costlier. This turned into a cost of living crisis with groceries up 31%, that affected people's enthusiasm for climate change action when China was building one coal plant a week (adding 95 GW in 2024)- underlying the need to provide immediate relief to American working families and elderly through tax cuts, benefits and shifting tax dollars from climate change action to working families in the next 4 years. This is the approach taken under the DJT One Big Beautiful Act of 2025. Basically what the DJT side of the story is on emissions- US has only 12% of global greenhouse gas emissions, cut this by half to 6% and assuming the EU which has 6% of gas emissions also cuts by half to 3%, the saving just 9%  while the 82% of emitters China, India, Russia and Brazil etc not making the cuts needed the impact on climate change is not significant. If China and India want relief US working families also need relief.  ...

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What an amazing recovery Rishabh Pant has made after his Mercedes SUV crashed on the Delhi-Roorkee expressway, hitting a divider and went into flames. It was in January 2023 that surgery was done on Pant. After rehab work at the National Cricket Academy, water aerobic work and training, he is back to play Test cricket as wicketkeeper for the Indian side at Headingley and now at Edgbaston. He scored a century at Headingley.

Here he talks about his near death experience and his first question will he be able to play again, his mother's was will he be able to walk again. Dr Pardiwala, his orthopedic surgeon, was uncertain if Pant could ever play again. It shows miracles happen.

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Hurdles Republicans face in selling the One Big Beautiful Act to voters in 2026 Midterms. Republicans have to find ways to talk to voters about the benefits of the bill.

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62% in You.Gov poll say they are dissatisfied on cost of living issues, a clear warning for Labour and Reeves plan to raise taxes to finance spending on benefits. 

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Is increasing taxes in the UK a good idea in 2025 for middle income people? Why Reeves is the wrong chancellor for Starmer and Labour in 2025 with her insistence on having everything balance to the last pound without looking at the big picture- people's strained finances and the need to do what DJT has done with the One Big Beautiful Act- to support mothers with childcare, the retired with nearly eliminating social security taxes, and finding the funding to do this in other ways, reducing taxes on small business to create new investment.

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A look at state visits past going back to 1855 as Macron of France visits the King and Queen in July 2025. Macron and King Charles get along well on environmental issues. Mrs Macron and the Queen have a shared interest in global literacy.

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Shubman Gill breaks Sunil Gavaskar's 221 run score at the Oval in 1979. And Gavaskar was watching and happy to see the performance at Edgbaston when Shubman Gill scored 269 runs breaking many records in batting against England. It is 46 years before an Indian batsman breaks this record. Another aspect of this batting record is that it was done with minimum number of errors in batting, an almost flawless batting performance with little chance of England getting him out. Gill as captain of the Indian team for the first time also showed the kind of composure and fielding excellence in a superb catch that ended Root's batting in the England first innings.

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Liverpool fans sing this song on Portugal's Diogo Jota from Clearwater Revival, the lines are-

"Oh, he wears the No 20 / He will take us to victory / And when he’s running down the left wing / He’ll cut inside and score for LFC / He’s a lad from Portugal / Better than Figo don’t you know / Oh, his name is Diogo!”

The roaring fans of the Liverpool Football Club in England remember Diogo Jota, the Portugal soccer player who won people's hearts. He died in a car accident.

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Emma Raducanu injuries and recovery- after trainer Nakamura + disciplined workout, she is back.  Emma Raducanu serves for first set and is 5-1 in second set yet loses to Sabalenka at Wimbledon with fans elated to see Raducanu's performance.

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US ceasefire proposal July 3, 2025 for Gaza accepted by Israel and Gaza/Palestine. An end to Gaza/Palestine war July 3, 2025 with US Egypt UAE mediators after months of fighting that have left Gaza in ruins, Iran and proxies in disarray, and leadership in Gaza changing three times. This opens up a path for humanitarian help to the population of Gaza/Palestine, ending hostage crisis, and finding a new path to Palestine/Gaza living in peace with its neighbors, Egypt, Israel, UAE and Gulf States.  It marks the end of another chapter of failures in the wars of the Middle East starting with Afghanistan/Pakistan under Reagan and Soviet leader Brezhnev on opposite sides, then Iraq/Iran interventions under Reagan/Bush/Bush first on one side then on the other, Afghanistan/9/11 under Bush Jr., Syria under Obama and Trump, Iraq/ISIS under DJT, and Afghanistan closure under Biden, Iran/Gaza/Israel under DJT second term. Forty Five Years War is an appropriate term reminiscent of the Thirty Years War in Europe in the 17th century, this one that destroyed Soviets and the American administrations priorities of Reagan to Biden 1980-2025. ...

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Japan's hopes of reaching a trade agreement with the US before tariffs of 24% kick in in July are now nil. Upper House elections coming up in Japan mean that the ruling LDP party could lose seats in parliament if it makes any concessions. US sees Japan as stalling in trade negotiations.

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Life in Sumy, Ukraine July 2025. A drone war over Ukraine.

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England wicketkeeper Jamie Smith's 184 helps England  get to 407 at Edgbaston against India, July 3, 2025. Smith hit the fastest century for an England batsman except for Jessup by doing this in 80 balls. Gilbert Jessup was at the Oval in 1902 against Australia, with a century hit in 76 balls. Smith's century will go in the books as the fastest for England in the last 100 years,  a feat thoroughly enjoyed by cricket fans.

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China is focused on getting a trade agreement with the US to continue exporting its overcapacity in manufacturing, which cannot be absorbed in it's domestic market. The EU or the US are the only destinations, but this runs into problems as both the US and EU want China to cut production overcapacity, and will no longer take in Chinese exports that hurt manufacturing communities in EU and US over 25 years since 2000.