What Happened Today - 17 July 2025
What Happened Today – 17 July 2025
Another Dementia Wednesday…and probably Thursday
$9B Cut to Foreign Aid and Public Broadcasting
Rigging the Rules
Trumps Failures…that must be “lost” with the Epstein Files
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Another Dementia Wednesday…and probably Thursday
Donald Trump delivered another round of eyebrow-raising statements over the past two days. One of the most bizarre claims was that he convinced Coca-Cola to replace high-fructose corn syrup with “REAL Cane Sugar” in all U.S. Coke products, triumphantly posting about it on social media. On a different topic, he lashed out at both the media and his own supporters regarding the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, angrily denouncing the push for transparency and calling it a “Democrat scam” and a “hoax,” even shaming his own followers for demanding the release of Epstein files and warning that he doesn’t want their support if they stay focused on the topic.
On the economic front, he tried to distance himself from Jerome Powell, calling him “a terrible Fed chair” and expressing “surprise he was appointed,” omitting that he personally nominated Powell in 2017. His confusion became more apparent when he appeared to blame Biden for Powell’s continued service, despite making the original appointment himself.
To round it out, Trump regaled audiences with provably false tales, like an imaginary conversation his uncle (a former MIT professor) supposedly had about the Unabomber—never mind the timeline doesn’t add up and his uncle died long before Kaczynski became infamous. He reportedly even fell asleep onstage at a public event, adding to a string of rambling and disconnected appearances. In summary, Trump spent July 16-17 spinning a wild mix of corporate fantasy, historical revisionism, and aggressive deflection—leaving supporters and observers struggling to keep up.
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$9B Cut to Foreign Aid and Public Broadcasting
The Senate just squeaked through a massive $9 billion cut to foreign aid and public broadcasting, a big win for Trump and his crowd who claim cutting the budget—and public media—will make America “leaner.” This bill only passed by a hair, with just a couple of Republicans joining Democrats to try and stop it. Now it’s headed to the House, and if it makes it there, some crucial programs could get gutted.
Here’s what’s on the chopping block:
- Around $8 billion from international aid. This means big hits to US foreign assistance—think global disaster relief, programs for refugees, and support for things like emergency water, food, and shelter in crisis zones.
- $1.1 billion slashed from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This directly threatens outlets like NPR and PBS, putting hundreds of local and rural stations at risk, and could seriously hurt communities that rely on public TV and radio—especially for emergency notifications when disaster strikes.
Major cuts to programs that support
- Basic education, nutrition, and health care in poor countries.
- Economic development and democracy-building efforts across developing nations.
- Organizations like USAID, UNICEF, and global responses to natural disasters and conflicts.
While some proposed cuts, like the ones to international AIDS programs, were spared at the last minute, the rest are on the line. Bottom line—these “savings” barely move the needle on the federal deficit, but they hit vulnerable communities, rural America, and life-saving aid hard. All in the name of going after “waste,” but what’s really wasted is the impact on people who depend on these services.
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Rigging the Rules
The Trump administration is ramping up the pressure on several states to hand over their detailed voter rolls ahead of the midterm elections, claiming it's all about “election integrity”—but we know what that really means. At the same time, Texas is going all-in on drawing new congressional districts in a way that blatantly favors Republicans, using every gerrymandering trick in the book to tilt the playing field before voters even show up. And as if that wasn’t enough, there’s now a push to keep non-citizens out of the 2030 census count. If that move sticks, it could completely upend how political power and resources are distributed for a decade, since census numbers affect everything from congressional seats to federal funding. All these moves add up to a clear pattern: rigging the rules to lock in political advantage, drown out certain voices, and make it harder for everyone to have a fair say in their own government.
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Trumps Failures…that must be “lost” with the Epstein Files
Here’s a run-down of Trump’s headline-grabbing proposals that fizzled out, stalled, or failed—and the main reasons why they didn’t fly.
Gold Cards for Citizenship: Trump proposed selling “Gold Cards” for a $5 million fee, promising wealthy foreigners a fast-track to U.S. residency and citizenship, saying it could bring in trillions and replace the current EB-5 visa program. The plan tanked because it looked like a pay-for-passport scheme for the mega-wealthy, drew backlash from both sides, raised serious legal and ethical issues, and never got congressional support.
$5,000 DOGE Checks: The administration floated giving every taxpayer a $5,000 “DOGE Dividend” check from savings supposedly uncovered by the Department of Government Efficiency, with Elon Musk somehow involved. But there’s no proof those savings existed at that scale, the math didn’t add up, and both economists and lawmakers called it out as nonsense, so it faded away without a trace.
Making Alcatraz a Prison Again: Trump made noise about reopening Alcatraz Island as a supermax for the “worst of the worst,” but local and national officials immediately pointed out it’s a national park, there’s no prison infrastructure, and restoring it would be a logistical, financial, and political disaster. It was a headline grab, not a practical plan.
No Tax on Tips: He pledged to make tips tax-free for restaurant and hospitality workers, turning it into a big campaign talking point. But the plan ran up against major revenue losses for the government, headaches around enforcement, and the reality that most low-wage workers already pay little to no federal income tax on tips—plus, payroll taxes like Social Security wouldn’t change. Congress hasn’t moved forward on this.
No Medicaid Cuts: Trump promised to protect Medicaid and accused his critics of lying about cuts. In reality, his legislation ended up slashing almost a trillion dollars from Medicaid, forcing states to trim coverage and services. Some lawmakers tried to walk it back after the fact, but the cuts became law.
Tariffs: Trump’s tariffs—especially against China—were pitched as reviving U.S. manufacturing and protecting jobs. Instead, retaliatory tariffs hit, prices rose for consumers, studies showed massive job losses and minimal benefit, U.S. exporters lost markets, trade deficits barely budged, and industries like steel remained uncompetitive.
Other Ideas that Flopped or Stalled:
- Ending birthright citizenship—shut down by courts as unconstitutional.
- Shutting down USAID and foreign aid—bipartisan blowback and legal fights kept it from happening completely, though programs took big hits.
- Radical immigration stunts, like mass travel bans and “deportation-only” policies—ran straight into public backlash, court orders, or failed logistics.
A lot of Trump’s wildest ideas either collapsed under legal, political, or practical reality—or brought a bunch of consequences he didn’t count on even when they did go through.
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Today, coast-to-coast protests are taking place across all 50 states under the “Good Trouble Lives On” banner—a powerful callback to the legacy of civil rights legend John Lewis. These demonstrations are all about pushing back on Trump’s latest attacks targeting immigrants, women’s rights, LGBTQ protections, and vital social programs.
Tens of thousands are expected in major cities and small towns alike. Whether you’re in it for voting rights, outrage over the latest budget cuts, or just sick of seeing voices get silenced, today is the day people are making some “good trouble”—the way John Lewis taught us.
Want to join or see what’s happening in your area? Head to www.goodtroubleliveson.org, where you can look up a map to find rallies, marches, and events happening near you.
What’s Driving These Protests?
-Immigrant Rights: Rallies responding to mass deportations and forced removals.
-Women’s and LGBTQ Rights: Standing up against rollbacks on freedoms for women and the LGBTQ community.
-Social Program Cuts: Protesting massive slashes to Medicaid, food assistance, and public education.
-Civil Rights: Pushing back on attacks to free speech and the right to protest.
Events are organized by a wide coalition—activists, voting rights groups, faith leaders, and everyday people who believe in justice and equity. In true John Lewis fashion, today’s actions are peaceful, determined, and built on the idea that when you see something wrong, it’s your job to get in the way and make “good trouble”.
If this has helped, please like and share—cause good trouble.
Go Cause Good Trouble, with Your Elbows Up!
**These are facts that I researched and verified – AI helped put together some sentence structure, but the words and tone are mine. These are my views based upon facts, research and thoughtful consideration using logic. I own the copyright to any images used. I’m comfortable to stand alone to uphold truth. Feel free to check me, but do not attack me. I am only causing good trouble.**