Texas Officials Defend Flood Response And Tucker Carlson Criticizes Trump: Morning Rundown

Republican strategists want lawmakers to get circumstantial erstwhile trading nan “big, beautiful bill” to voters. State and section officials take sides their consequence to nan catastrophic floods successful Central Texas. And Tucker Carlson explains why he’s pushing backmost against immoderate of Trump’s caller decisions.

Here’s what to cognize today.

Republicans look for caller ways to waste Trump’s megabill

President Donald Trump shows his signature connected nan "Big Beautiful Bill Act" astatine nan White House successful Washington, D.C., connected July 4.Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images

Now that Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” is signed into law, it’s apt nan president will proceed to usage nan alliterative move of building he coined successful talking astir nan legislation. But those successful his ain party, arsenic good arsenic Democrats, cognize those superlatives opportunity thing astir what nan measurement intends for Americans worried astir nan value of state and groceries — truthful they’re mounting retired to explicate what nan measure intends for regular life.

Two Republican strategists said they’re advising lawmakers to usage different titles — specified arsenic nan “Working Family Tax Cuts” enactment aliases perchance nan “Trump Working Family Tax Cuts” — erstwhile referring to nan legislation. The purpose is to allude to policies, for illustration nary taxes connected tips aliases overtime, that were celebrated among Trump voters. They’re besides advising lawmakers to tout nan further money going to states for separator enforcement.

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The White House besides believes that different parts of nan measure that whitethorn not person gotten arsenic overmuch attraction are wide popular. For example, Republican polling shows a planned overhaul of nan nation’s aerial postulation power strategy is nan best-liked constituent of nan act.

Trump, however, isn’t readying to traverse nan federation to transportation nan measure to voters. Instead, it’ll autumn mostly connected his administration. An early trial comes tomorrow, erstwhile Vice President JD Vance gives a reside astatine a instrumentality shop successful Pennsylvania, wherever he is expected to item really nan measure “helps moving people group astir of all,” a personification acquainted pinch nan reside said.

Democrats, meanwhile, are poised to title nan Republican talking points astatine each turn. At liking is power of Congress, which is up for grabs successful nan 2026 midterm elections.

Read nan afloat communicative here.

More authorities news:

• The Supreme Court is allowing nan Trump management to move guardant pinch a scheme to instrumentality wide layoffs astatine nan Department of Education that had been blocked by a national judge.

• Rep. James Comer, who is starring nan probe into Joe Biden’s cognitive authorities while he was president, has utilized an “autopen” to motion immoderate of nan letters and lawsuit notices he has sent retired during his investigation.

• Democrats are echoing disapproval from nan right and calling for nan Trump management to merchandise much documents related to nan investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

• House Democrats are divided complete nan rumor of impeaching Trump, pinch grassroots activists hoping lawmakers prosecute votes much aggressively while centrist statement members opportunity they’re a “waste of time.”

• Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is backmost successful nan New York City mayoral race. He announced a third-party bid aft losing nan Democratic superior to Zohran Mamdani.

• Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered nan dismissal of a criminal case accusing a Utah expert of trading clone Covid vaccination cards months aft a national “weaponization” committee allowed nan lawsuit to proceed.

Texas officials take sides consequence to deadly floods

Local and authorities officials who responded to nan catastrophic flooding this period successful Central Texas said they did everything successful their powerfulness to prevention lives. Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice, Kerr County Commissioner Jeff Holt and authorities Rep. Wes Virdell told NBC News complete nan play that officials did their champion to coordinate evacuations and rescues against uncontrollable forces of nature. "Our teams did everything they perchance could pinch this gruesome, devastating business that happened, and we would not alteration nan measurement we did that. And I deliberation we saved arsenic galore group arsenic we could," Rice said.

However, nan officials noted that a imperishable emergency operations center, much diversion dams and amended cellphone work successful definite areas mightiness prevention lives successful early floods.

At slightest 132 group person died aft nan Guadalupe River surged to unprecedented heights successful nan early greeting of July 4. More than 160 group are still missing. Kerr County and Kerrville officials held abstracted meetings yesterday astir nan ongoing flood response, though they mostly steered clear of addressing speculation complete really leaders communicated astir nan floods. Read nan afloat communicative here.

Study shows nary nexus betwixt aluminum successful vaccines and autism

A study of much than 1.2 cardinal group recovered that location is nary nexus betwixt aluminum successful vaccines and an accrued consequence of 50 chronic conditions, including autoimmune diseases, allergies and autism. The study, published yesterday successful nan Annals of Internal Medicine, utilized Denmark’s nationwide registry to study group calved betwixt 1997 and 2018 and followed them until nan extremity of 2020. Researchers were besides capable to comparison children who received much aluminum successful their vaccines by property 2 compared to those who received less. The study looked for connections betwixt aluminum vulnerability from puerility vaccines and 36 autoimmune disorders, 9 allergy aliases asthma conditions and 5 neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and ADHD.

Aluminum successful puerility vaccines is simply a target of vaccine skeptics, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who said connected a 2024 podcast that aluminum successful vaccines is “extremely neurotoxic.” Read nan afloat communicative here.

Read All About It

• Heavy rainfall and flash floods deed parts of nan Northeast, starring New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy to declare a authorities emergency. New Yorkers successful basement apartments were told to beryllium fresh to leave.

• Kentucky constabulary identified nan gunman who they opportunity killed 2 women and wounded 3 others successful 2 shootings complete nan weekend.

• The Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh became nan first catcher and switch-hitter to triumph nan MLB Home Run Derby. Those adjacent to Raleigh opportunity his at-bat occurrence can beryllium traced backmost to 1 summer during his clip successful nan insignificant leagues.

• A creepy teddy bear that looked for illustration it was made of quality tegument sewage nan attraction of California rule enforcement. (Don’t worry, it wasn’t really quality skin.)

• Need impervious that “Love Island USA” became a taste event? Just look astatine nan bars packed pinch viewers who gathered to spot nan finale unfold.

Staff Pick: Why Tucker Carlson stands retired among MAGA’s worried warriors

Tilde Oyster / NBC News ; Getty

NBC News' authorities squad has been intimately search MAGA influencers raising nan siren astir immoderate nan moves by President Donald Trump and his management — whether that intends bombing Iranian atomic facilities, floating a deportation carve-out for undocumented workplace workers aliases shutting down nan merchandise of further accusation connected nan precocious financier and convicted activity offender Jeffrey Epstein.

No one’s pushback garnered much curiosity, though, than Tucker Carlson, nan erstwhile Fox News host-turned-"America First" thought leader who was talented a primetime speaking slot astatine nan Republican National Convention past summer. Carlson had been aligned intimately pinch nan president aft some men recovered themselves successful exile aft Trump’s grounded effort to overturn nan 2020 election.

I was capable to get Carlson connected nan telephone and ask astir what’s been driving his caller criticism. “I for illustration Trump. I campaigned for Trump,” Carlson told maine past week, adding: “But I’ve sewage my views. I presume that we will overlap connected astir things, and I dream that, by nan way, nan bombing of nan atomic sites successful Iran, which I did not support, I dream it useful retired great, and I’ll beryllium grateful if it does. And I’ll beryllium nan first to opportunity I was incorrect for nan millionth clip successful my life.”

Carlson said pinch maine astatine a cardinal infinitesimal for MAGA that is testing whether it’s consenting to genuinely break pinch Trump and whether anyone too Trump, nan man who brought nan activity together, tin displacement its direction. If immoderate of these influencers tin play a domiciled successful shaping Trump's right-wing alliance, it's Carlson.

— Allan Smith, authorities reporter

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