Tootfinder

Periodic reminder that the literal text of laws are actually full of phrases that have specific legal meanings settled by case law, and in absence of overriding legislation, you need a lawyer or a lot of legal experience to unpack what is actually being said. Sometimes this makes things better than expected, sometimes not.
Lawyers have jobs for a reason and it's not just being bloodsucking leeches.

I remember BIll Stowe clashing with ag-lobbyists, where the lobbyists claimed they were doing exactly the right things to protect water in Iowa, and that further legislation and lawsuits were not necessary.
Now, in 2025, Central Iowans must curtail water usage, not because there isn't enough water, but because the source water is too contaminated with farm runoff nitrates.

President Trump's spending bill could limit local control over zoning and environmental regulations for AI data centers, worrying state lawmakers (Molly Taft/Wired)
https://www.wired.com/story/a-political-battle-is-brewing-over-data-centers/…

A Political Battle Is Brewing Over Data Centers
An AI-related provision in the “Big Beautiful Bill” could restrict state-level legislation of energy-hungry data centers—and is raising bipartisan objections across the US.

We’re only six months into Donald Trump’s second term,
and House Republicans are already panicking.
They’ve hitched themselves to an unpopular president.
They’ve supported deeply unpopular legislation.
And most damning?
They've proven unwilling to do anything but bow down to Trump and rubber-stamp his every whim.
 
Voters will tolerate divergence in policy.
They will excuse various styles and political temperaments.
But Americans …

The House Rules Committee advances a bill that would claw back $1.1B in funding for public broadcasting, including $535M for CPB, over the next two fiscal years (Ted Johnson/Deadline)
https://deadline.com/2025/06/pbs-npr-funding-rescinded-congress-12364…

House Committee Advances Bill To Rescind Funding For Public Broadcasting Stations, NPR And PBS
The legislation is expected to make it to the floor later this week.

Following Supreme Court Order on Federal Employee Layoffs, Ranking Member Markey Introduces Legislation to Prevent Workforce Cuts at the Small Business Administration (Bill Text/U.S. Committee on Small Business ...)
https://www.sbc.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=005D76A0-BF59-4406-B83F-1F85BA0AC2CD
http://www.memeorandum.com/250711/p89#a250711p89

Sad to say, Washington has 6 anti-trans bills.
So far in 2025, there are 701 anti-trans bills making their way through the American legislative bodies. Trans Legislation Tracker monitors this harmful legislation, bill by bill, so that our community can stay informed.
Legislation Dashboard - TransLash Media
https://translash.org/projects/legislation-dashboard/

US Congress ready to move forward on Russia sanctions bill, but Trump wants changes, Politico reports: https://benborges.xyz/2025/07/10/us-congress-ready-to-move.html

Beyond Dogma: Can Compassion Exist Without Compromise?
I discuss a religious perspective on compassion, questioning the validity of core beliefs that might hinder empathy. Then I discuss new legislation in Washington State on clergy reporting child abuse, scrutinizing the Catholic Church's position on confessions.

Beyond Dogma: Can Compassion Exist Without Compromise? – Bob Mueller
Evangelical dogma says Christ changes you. What about your core beliefs? And how does Catholic dogma affect a new Washington law?

It's astonishing how much time #Republicans spend raging about — and then "fixing" — problems that don't exist.
The brainless rep who introduced this #chemtrail bill claims she's personally seen contracts "with at least nine federal agencies" to spray barium and…

Louisiana lawmakers push ‘chemtrail’ ban legislation through the House
The chemtrail ban heads to the Louisiana Senate despite experts saying chemtrails are only a conspiracy theory.

Republican Bill Puts Nation on New, More Perilous Fiscal Path
Among the most expensive pieces of legislation in years,
the Republican legislation could reshape the country’s finances for a generation.
https://www.

Trump’s Big Policy Bill Puts U.S. on Perilous Fiscal Path
Among the most expensive pieces of legislation in years, the Republican legislation could reshape the country’s finances for a generation.

What’s in Trump’s major tax bill? Extended cuts, deportations and more
Donald Trump’s sweeping legislation boosts the wealthy, funds a border wall and risks $3tn deficit before his term ends
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/01/what-is-in-bi…

oBrien spending at least two hours doing a retrospective about 20 year old bomb and has spent zero hours talking about the banning of a peaceful campaign group under terrorism legislation.
I turned it off. 🥱

The head of the California Privacy Protection Agency on the future of data privacy regulation https://therecord.media/california-privacy-protection-agency-tom-kemp-interview

Why does #MayorLurie issue a press release with great fanfare, announcing the has introduced housing legislation, and there is NO link to the legislation on the page:

Why does #MayorLurie issue a press release with great fanfare, announcing the has introduced housing legislation, and there is NO link to the legislation on the page:

Spanish Schools Must Now Serve Fruit, Vegetables, And Vegan Meals #plantbased

Spanish Schools Must Now Serve Fruit, Vegetables, And Vegan Meals
Spain has just passed legislation requiring schools to make vegan and vegetarian options available to students at every meal served on site

“We need to go beyond legislation to a cultural change, where disability is treated as an identity to be celebrated.”
Brilliant article in the FT on housing design for disability and the aesthetics of accessibility
https://www.ft.com/content/05309cf9-96d9-460…

The aesthetics of accessibility: design for disability that’s dynamic not dreary
Architecture is at a fertile inflection point. But while housebuilding goals, sustainability and retrofitting are dominating the agenda, why does accessibility too often remain an afterthought?

good news: California Assembly passed a bill to require Caltrans to develop a quick-build program for bike lane and intersection safety projects on state highways! it's #AB891 (Zbur)
https://

Quick-Build Legislation Makes It Through the Assembly - Streetsblog California
Following the success of Quick-Build projects in Santa Monica, their Assemblymember wants to allow them on state highways.

Numbers & facts only.
How's our money spent?
What's the most efficient services?
✅ What’s in the “One Big Beautiful Bill”? | USAFacts
https://usafacts.org/articles/whats-in-the-one-big-beautiful-bill/

What’s in the “One Big Beautiful Bill”?
From tax reform to shifts in healthcare, immigration, and SNAP, this legislation will likely affect you.

SIGN THE PETITION: PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS. STOP BILL C-2
Prime Minister Mark Carney ran a campaign on leading Canada through Trump’s tariffs & attacks on sovereignty & a cost-of-living crisis. Instead, his first piece of legislation, Bill C-2, is an attack on migrants & privacy rights straight out of the Trump playbook.
Bill C-2 drastically restricts refugee protection, allows for mass deportations & gives security officials unchecked power to access everyone’s data…

SIGN THE PETITION: PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS. STOP BILL C-2 - Leadnow

A US judge has said that Meta’s use of copyrighted books to train its AI models constitutes "fair use" under US copyright law. It follows a similar judgement about Anthropic earlier this week, and will come as disappointment to authors and other creators looking for compensation in what they see as use of their work without permission.

Meta’s AI training on copyrighted content is ‘fair use’, US judge says
But creators could have grounds for complaint in future cases they can prove market dilution and unfair competition, judge adds.

FPF Unveils Paper on State Data Minimization Trends
https://fpf.org/blog/fpf-unveils-paper-on-state-data-minimization-trends/
@…

"Spain aims to ban flushing of wet wipes, with manufacturers paying for cleanup"
#Spain #Pollution

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders condemned the Republican budget reconciliation package in stark terms during a floor speech late Sunday -- calling the measure
“the most dangerous piece of legislation in the modern history of our country”
and warning that its massive cuts to Medicaid, federal nutrition assistance, and other programs would have deadly consequences nationwide.
“Over 50,000 Americans will die unnecessarily every year,” said Sanders (I-Vt.),
referring to a recent…

Sanders Calls Trump-GOP Budget Bill 'Most Dangerous Piece of Legislation' in Modern US History | Common Dreams
"In my view, nobody in the Senate or the House should vote for this legislation," said Sen. Bernie Sanders.

In the past week I have sent emails to and called 3 of my local (city & state) electeds regarding active legislation. I have not heard back from a single one of them.
I don't feel particularly represented right now. You're going to have to EARN my vote in the next election.

UK cyber agency pushes for 'strategic policy agenda' as government efforts stall https://therecord.media/ncsc-pushes-uk-government-create-strategic-cyber-policy-agenda

Common Corpus: The Largest Collection of Ethical Data for LLM Pre-Training
Pierre-Carl Langlais, Carlos Rosas Hinostroza, Mattia Nee, Catherine Arnett, Pavel Chizhov, Eliot Krzystof Jones, Ir\`ene Girard, David Mach, Anastasia Stasenko, Ivan P. Yamshchikov
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.01732

Common Corpus: The Largest Collection of Ethical Data for LLM Pre-Training
Large Language Models (LLMs) are pre-trained on large amounts of data from different sources and domains. These data most often contain trillions of tokens with large portions of copyrighted or proprietary content, which hinders the usage of such models under AI legislation. This raises the need for truly open pre-training data that is compliant with the data security regulations. In this paper, we introduce Common Corpus, the largest open dataset for language model pre-training. The data assem…

I'd be interested in how well "hand over all the data or be fired" will work in a country without a presidential override for legislation.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jun/02/reform-uk-to-pilot-doge-…

Chuckling at all the 'its-my-money' libertarian casino players who've been cheering for Trump greed.
Hope you enjoy the 10% drop in deductible losses. Mmm. Taste the MAGA.
✅ Trump's ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Includes Huge Tax Hike for Gamblers
https://

Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Includes Huge Tax Hike for Pro Gamblers
One professional gambler told FOS how the legislation could turn a year with a $1 million profit into one with a $2 million loss after taxes.

Poland establishes July 11 as National Day of Remembrance for Volyn massacre victims: https://benborges.xyz/2025/07/03/poland-establishes-july-as-national.html

Lawmakers Push Legislation to Make It Easier for Families to Access WIC Benefits | Civil Eats
https://civileats.com/2025/06/17/lawmakers-push-legislation-to-make-it-easier-for-families-to-access-wic-benefits/

The giant policy bill muscled through Congress by Republicans is poised to
remake American energy
by slashing tax breaks for wind and solar power and electric cars
while maintaining some federal support for sources like nuclear reactors and geothermal plants.
The legislation, which carries Trump’s domestic policy agenda, provides a boost to fossil fuels
and dismantles many of the biggest actions the federal government has ever taken to fight climate change,

How the G.O.P. Bill Will Reshape America’s Energy Landscape
Here’s a rundown on the winners and losers in the legislation muscled through Congress.

California lawmakers introduce legislation to ban law enforcement from wearing face coverings (Julia Jacobo/Associated Press)
https://abcnews.go.com/US/california-lawmakers-introduce-legislation-ban-law-enforcement-wearing/story?id=122900904
http://www.memeorandum.com/250616/p159#a250616p159

AIMSCheck: Leveraging LLMs for AI-Assisted Review of Modern Slavery Statements Across Jurisdictions
Adriana Eufrosina Bora, Akshatha Arodi, Duoyi Zhang, Jordan Bannister, Mirko Bronzi, Arsene Fansi Tchango, Md Abul Bashar, Richi Nayak, Kerrie Mengersen
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.01671

AIMSCheck: Leveraging LLMs for AI-Assisted Review of Modern Slavery Statements Across Jurisdictions
Modern Slavery Acts mandate that corporations disclose their efforts to combat modern slavery, aiming to enhance transparency and strengthen practices for its eradication. However, verifying these statements remains challenging due to their complex, diversified language and the sheer number of statements that must be reviewed. The development of NLP tools to assist in this task is also difficult due to a scarcity of annotated data. Furthermore, as modern slavery transparency legislation has bee…

Well, this is an encouraging resolution, and I, for one, will be urging my Supervisor to support it - If you're in SF, I urge you to do the same.
"Resolution urging state legislators to champion legislation allowing cities and counties to decide if they want to implement local wealth and progressive income taxes."
And thanks to the Sponsors: #ChyanneChen,

Well, this is an encouraging resolution, and I, for one, will be urging my Supervisor to support it - If you're in SF, I urge you to do the same.
"Resolution urging state legislators to champion legislation allowing cities and counties to decide if they want to implement local wealth and progressive income taxes."
And thanks to the Sponsors: #ChyanneChen,

Understanding Japan’s AI Promotion Act: An “Innovation-First” Blueprint for AI Regulation
https://fpf.org/blog/understanding-japans-ai-promotion-act-an-innovation-first-blueprint-for-ai-regulation/

Sources: Anthropic has been lobbying Congress to oppose a bill banning states from regulating AI, and pushed against the recent US AI deal with Gulf states (Reed Albergotti/Semafor)
https://www.semafor.com/article/05/30/2025/anthropi…

Anthropic emerges as an adversary to Trump’s big bill
Sources familiar say the White House, angered by Anthropic’s lobbying against its chief piece of legislation, have come to view the AI company as an obstacle.

hope this will lead to lots of garages and driveways being eliminated!
https://missionlocal.org/2025/07/sf-adu-condos-in-laws/

S.F. passes law to let homeowners sell new in-law units as condos
The legislation aims to benefit "house-rich, cash-poor" homeowners, while adding to the city's supply of "affordable, entry-level" homes.

New survey data out Friday shows that Republicans are wrong if they remain unconcerned about public sentiment as it relates to the evisceration of Medicaid or healthcare support systems that would result from passage of their colossal legislation now making its way through Congress
— a bill that, if passed, would see coverage stripped from an estimated 11-16 million people in the coming years.

Poll Shows GOP Senators Who Vote to Cut Medicaid Could Face Political Peril
A KFF Health Tracking Poll shows anxiety is high about looming Medicaid cuts among voters across the political spectrum.

A Model Anti-Doxing Law: Free Speech, Press Freedom Groups Oppose Effort https://thedissenter.org/a-model-anti-doxing-law-free-speech-press-freedom-groups-oppose-effort/

"But West Virginia’s new law is unusual. Boasting the “least restrictive regulatory environment in the nation,” it prohibits local officials from having any input into where off-grid data centers go. This provision appears to be a nationwide first and is angering mayors and commissioners statewide."
From: @…

In the past week I have sent emails to and called 3 of my local (city & state) electeds regarding active legislation. I have not heard back from a single one of them.
I don't feel particularly represented right now. You're going to have to EARN my vote in the next election.

"the legislation they’re proposing would actually mandate the burial or cremation of miscarriages—opening the door to arresting women who dispose of their miscarriages ‘improperly’.
The Anti-Abortion Movement Has a New Language Trick
https://jessica.substack.com/p/the-anti-abortion-movement-has-a

Deepening divisions are threatening the fate of the sprawling bill,
which includes large tax cuts;
reductions to Medicaid, food assistance and clean energy programs;
and additional money for border security and the military.
They erupted online on Tuesday after Trump lashed out at an outspoken Republican opponent of the legislation
-- and as Elon Musk, the tech billionaire who recently left his governmental role leading the Department of Government Efficiency, …

Trump Pressures Divided G.O.P. to Back Policy Bill
The president is pressing Republicans in the Senate to unite quickly behind sprawling legislation that carries his domestic agenda, but the measure’s opponents have a powerful new ally: Elon Musk.

Animals are abused and exploited in various ways for the sake of entertainment. LCA strongly opposes the use of animals in entertainment.
Animals have their own needs, interests, and rights, especially the right to engage in their natural behaviors in their natural habitat. https://www.lcanimal.org/…

Mathematical Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Utilizing Machine Learning Tools for Assessing the Impact of Climate Lobbying
Andrew Jacoby, Samiran Ghosh, Malay Banerjee, Aditi Ghosh, Padmanabhan Seshaiyer
https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.09617

Mathematical Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Utilizing Machine Learning Tools for Assessing the Impact of Climate Lobbying
Climate policy and legislation has a significant influence on both domestic and global responses to the pressing environmental challenges of our time. The effectiveness of such climate legislation is closely tied to the complex dynamics among elected officials, a dynamic significantly shaped by the relentless efforts of lobbying. This project aims to develop a novel compartmental model to forecast the trajectory of climate legislation within the United States. By understanding the dynamics surr…

"The quiet demise of Texas’ anti-renewables legislation"
#US #USA #America #Texas

The quiet demise of Texas’ anti-renewables legislation
Three bills that would’ve hurt solar and wind development are on track to expire as some Republicans and business groups show support for renewables.

Republicans fellate "Tiny Hand's" latest strap-on, as he continues to compensate for his inability to satisfy...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/28/republicans-tax-and-spending-bill

The Republican budget measure that Donald Trump signed into law late last week contains a provision that analysts say will
🔥allow private jet owners to write off the full cost of their aircraft in the first year of purchase,
❌a boon to the ultra-rich that comes as millions of people are set to lose healthcare under the same legislation.
FlyUSA, a private aviation provider, gushed in a blog post that with final passage of the unpopular budget reconciliation package,
…

The Return of 100% Bonus Depreciation: How 2025 Made Private Aircraft Ownership More Valuable Than Ever
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1) was permanently reinstated 100% bonus depreciation for capital equipment, including business & aviation aircraft.

License plate reader company Flock has stopped US agencies from accessing cameras in CA, IL, and VA after reports of lookups related to ICE and an abortion case (404 Media)
https://www.404media.co/flock-removes-state…

Flock Removes States From National Lookup Tool After ICE and Abortion Searches Revealed
Following 404 Media’s reporting and in light of new legislation, automatic license plate reader (ALPR) company Flock has stopped agencies reaching into cameras in California, Illinois, and Virginia.

Animals are abused and exploited in various ways for the sake of entertainment. LCA strongly opposes the use of animals in entertainment.
Animals have their own needs, interests, and rights, especially the right to engage in their natural behaviors in their natural habitat. https://www.lcanimal.org/…

From The Tyee
The province [BC] is facing a wall of opposition from First Nations and municipalities over legislation [Bill 15] meant to fast-track development.
https://thetyee.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?…

Texas enacts legislation, effective September 1, requiring a permit to operate self-driving vehicles, just before Tesla's planned robotaxi trial in Austin (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-trans…

FPF and OneTrust launch updated Conformity Assessment under the EU AI Act: guide and infographic
https://fpf.org/blog/fpf-and-onetrust-launch-updated-conformity-assessment-under-the-eu-ai-act-guide-and-infographi…

nice to see this op-ed calling for protecting Muni service by
1. expanding Residential Parking Permits and raising the fee to $104/mo (=Muni pass)
2. congestion pricing
3. running parking meters on Sundays/evenings
SF could do 1&3 tomorrow with no state legislation needed
ht…

Defiant peers have delivered an ultimatum to the government – calling on it to offer artists copyright protection against artificial intelligence companies or risk losing a key piece of legislation.
The government suffered a fifth defeat in the House of Lords over controversial plans to allow the AI companies to train their models using copyrighted material
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jun/04/ministers-offer-concessions-ai-copyright-avoid-fifth-lords-defeat?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

With new Senate legislation, Congress is one step closer to gutting the Inflation Reduction Act
The so-called Big Beautiful Bill targets the tax credits designed to put the U.S. on the path to net-zero carbon emissions
https://grist.org/politics/big-beautif

With new Senate legislation, Congress is one step closer to gutting the Inflation Reduction Act
The so-called Big Beautiful Bill targets the tax credits designed to put the U.S. on the path to net-zero carbon emissions.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress "Hands Off Our WiFi"
(Public Knowledge and New America Foundation's Open Technology Institute)
https://www.votervoice.net/PublicKnowledge/Campaigns/128237/Respond

Timothy Snyder:
The people described as "undocumented" or "denaturalized"
(and other categories sure to be invented soon)
are portrayed as criminals.
If the Trump regime tries to enslave such people on a large scale, there will be a court case.
But waiting for the Supreme Court to do the right thing is, to put it gently, no substitute for action.
It would be good if there were explicit legislation banning slave labor in all circumstan…

Concentration Camp Labor
Cannot Become Normal

Texas becomes the third US state to approve a public crypto reserve, allowing direct purchases of assets averaging $500B in market cap over 24 months (Vince Dioquino/Decrypt)
https://decrypt.co/326427/texas-us-states-bitcoin-reserves

Texas Joins Growing List of US States With Bitcoin Reserves
Texas has become the third U.S. state to approve a public Bitcoin reserve, with new legislation allowing direct crypto purchases.

Loser: U.S. factories
When Democrats in 2022 created and expanded a slew of federal tax breaks for electric vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines, batteries,
they designed them to encourage companies to use components made in the United States.
That spurred a manufacturing boom, including solar-panel glass recyclers in Georgia and electric-vehicle assembly lines in Kentucky.
The new law could derail many of those factories.
The old tax credit for solar power, for…

How the G.O.P. Bill Will Reshape America’s Energy Landscape
Here’s a rundown on the winners and losers in the legislation muscled through Congress.

Several significant pieces of the House-approved spending bill are at risk of falling out of the legislation as it moves through the Senate
At least one of Thune’s members is already publicly floating that his party should be willing to directly overrule Senate Parlementarian MacDonough on the reconciliation bill.
In a tweet last month, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) wrote on X that “disagreeing with the Senate parliamentarian may be warranted if the parliamentarian gives bad advice, and …

'Hortman played a central role in MN's pursuit of racial justice, actively participating in vital police reform legislation. [H]er efforts continue to shape the state. Significant reforms include prohibitions on neck restraints and chokeholds, banning "warrior-style" training, and the creation of an independent body to investigate police misconduct.'
White George Floyd Advocate and Husband 'Target of Political Assasination' but It Gets Worse | The Root
https://www.theroot.com/white-george-floyd-advocate-and-husband-target-of-polit-2000045678

The last time a Republican-controlled Congress and President Donald Trump moved to slash Medicaid spending, in 2017, a key political force stood in their way:
GOP governors.
Now, as Congress steamrolls toward passing historic Medicaid cuts of about $1 trillion over 10 years through Trump’s tax and spending legislation,
red-state governors are saying little publicly about what it does to health care
— even as they face reductions that will punch multibillion-dollar hole…

GOP Governors Mum as Congress Prepares To Slash Medicaid Spending for Their States - KFF Health News
In 2017, when President Donald Trump tried to repeal Obamacare and roll back Medicaid coverage, Republican governors helped turn Congress against it. Now, as Trump tries again to scale back Medicaid, Republican governors — whose constituents stand to lose federal funding and health coverage — have gone quiet on the health consequences.

A look at California's 52-page California Report on Frontier Policy, which proposes an AI regulatory framework based on transparency, risk assessments, and more (Hayden Field/The Verge)
https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-int

California is trying to regulate its AI giants — again
California has released a safety report proposing new legislation after Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed SB 1047.

Millions of low-income Americans could experience
🆘 staggering financial losses
under the domestic policy package that Republicans advanced through the Senate on Tuesday,
💥which reserves its greatest benefits for the rich while threatening to strip health insurance, food stamps and other aid from the poor.
For many of these families, the loss of critical federal support is likely to negate any improvements they might have seen as a result of slightly lower taxes, expe…

Poorest Americans Would Be Hurt By Trump’s Big Bill
Small improvements in taxes are overshadowed by cuts to health insurance and other federal aid, resulting in a package favoring the wealthy.

South Korea’s New AI Framework Act: A Balancing Act Between Innovation and Regulation
https://fpf.org/blog/south-koreas-new-ai-framework-act-a-balancing-act-between-innovation-and-regulation/

The EU says Apple and Meta will not face sanctions immediately after their 60 day DMA grace period ends on June 26, following €500M and €200M fines in April (Peggy Corlin/Euronews)
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/06…

Apple and Meta to escape sanctions for failing to meet digital rules
The European Commission will opt not to impose immediate financial penalties on Apple and Meta—even if they fail to comply with the legislation by next week's deadline. #EuropeNews

Oregon becomes second state to ban sale of precise geolocation data https://therecord.media/oregon-passes-geolocation-kids-data-bill

I am now heading to Shreveport, Louisiana, the home of Speaker Mike Johnson.
He is the architect of Trump's "big beautiful bill," the most destructive piece of legislation in modern history.
And his constituents need to know that.
@BernieSanders

Dysfunction reigned on the House floor into the wee hours of Thursday morning ahead of the vote, as a handful of Republicans opposed bringing up the measure and more withheld their votes altogether, sending Mr. Johnson grasping for a way to muscle through the sweeping legislation in the face of unified Democratic opposition.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/07/03/us/trump-news-policy-bill

House GOP fiscal hawks demand big changes to megabill
Members of the House Freedom Caucus were expected to meet with the president this morning.
Earlier, caucus chairman Andy Harris earlier told CNN:
"I’m still voting no on the rule. We have to get this thing right."
And Texas representative Chip Roy, among the most vocal critics of the Senate’s version of the bill,
said that he and many other conservatives remain opposed to the bill and still want maj…

Little Rock, Minor Rights: Arkansas Leads with COPPA 2.0-Inspired Law
https://fpf.org/blog/little-rock-minor-rights-arkansas-leads-with-coppa-2-0-inspired-law/
@…

Before states banned abortion,
one of the gravest outcomes of early miscarriage could easily be avoided:
👉Doctors could offer a dilation and curettage procedure, which quickly empties the uterus and allows it to close,
protecting against a life-threatening hemorrhage.
⚠️But because the procedures, known as D&Cs, are also used to end pregnancies, they have gotten tangled up in state legislation that restricts abortion.
🆘Reports now abound of doctors hesitat…

A “Striking” Trend: After Texas Banned Abortion, More Women Nearly Bled to Death During Miscarriage
A new ProPublica data analysis adds to the mounting evidence that abortion bans have made the common experience of first-trimester miscarriage far more dangerous.

Civitai Ban of Real People Content Deals Major Blow to the Nonconsensual AI Porn Ecosystem https://www.404media.co/civitai-ban-of-real-people-content-deals-major-blow-to-the-nonconsensual-ai-porn-ecosystem/…

Trade Unionists Against the Benefit Cuts (UKPol)
Good letter, including both the principle of the thing and the likely outcomes in practice. Starmer & co should take note.
"We the undersigned are trade unionists opposed to the Universal Credit and Personal Independence bill, designed to restrict access to PIP and to reduce the sickness element (LCWRA) of UC. We believe this is shameful anti-worker and anti-working class legislation. ...
"Not only will these cuts cause increased financial hardship for some of those made vulnerable by a disabling society, but will also add considerable expenses and a much increased workload to workers in several sectors. This is because more people will be plunged into debt. More people will be served with eviction notices... Cutting incomes will push people further from work...
"The Disability Policy thinktank forecast that the cuts will lead to £1.2bn in extra costs for the NHS and local care services provided by councils, raising the alarm for both councillors and MPs whether the cuts will backfire even on their own economic terms."
Still accepting signatures:
#disability #benefits #unions #NHS #debt #UK #UKPol

When JD Vance arrived in the Senate in 2023, he backed a raft of proposals that were characterized as reflecting a new brand of economic populism for the Republican Party.
He championed higher taxes on some businesses, increased support for families and a willingness to interfere in free markets that bordered on the heretical in the modern GOP.

Two years later, the now-vice president’s distinctive policy ideas are hard to find in the tax legislation now advancing through Congres…

JD Vance’s prior vision for populism is largely absent from GOP tax bill
The GOP tax bill advancing through Congress does not include key proposals championed by JD Vance, including a $5,000 child tax credit and a tax on executives of large banks that fail.

Senate Republicans seek to vote on Trump’s massive tax bill Monday

The Senate version of the bill would cause the national debt to soar by $3 trillion,
-- even more than previous estimates,
according to newly released projections.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/p…

Senate rushes to pass Trump’s tax bill, as cost tops $3 trillion
The legislation would cause the national debt to soar even more than previous estimates, according to new projections released Sunday.

Flock Removes States From National Lookup Tool After ICE and Abortion Searches Revealed https://www.404media.co/flock-removes-states-from-national-lookup-tool-after-ice-and-abortion-searches-revealed/

According to a report published late Saturday night, the Senate version of the GOP budget bill would leave 💥 11.8 million more Americans uninsured by 2034.
Federal spending on Medicaid, Medicare and Obamacare would be reduced by more than💥 $1.1 trillion over that period
— with more than $1 trillion of those cuts coming from Medicaid alone.
The fresh estimates make official what many analysts had already predicted -- and some Republican lawmakers had feared.
The size an…

Senate Version of Trump’s Policy Bill Would Slash Medicaid Spending Even More
Analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that Republicans’ new version of the legislation would make far deeper cuts and lead to more people becoming uninsured than previous proposals.

The Senate has been preparing for a key procedural vote during a rare Saturday session as Republicans race to pass President Donald Trump’s package of tax breaks, spending cuts and bolstered deportation funds by his July Fourth deadline.
Watch the Senate floor live in the PBS player

WATCH LIVE: Senate convenes ahead of possible vote on Trump's big budget bill
Senators were expected to take a procedural vote Saturday to begin debate on the legislation, but the timing was uncertain and there is a long path ahead, with at least 10 hours of debate time and an all-night voting session on countless amendments.

Bipartisan bill aims to create CISA-HHS liaison for hospital cyberattacks https://therecord.media/bill-proposes-cisa-hhs-liaison-hospital-cyberattacks

Britain's parliament voted on Tuesday to
decriminalise abortion
in England and Wales
to stop a growing number of women from being investigated by police
for terminating pregnancies
under legislation dating back to the mid-19th century.
Abortions have been legal in England and Walesfor almost 60 years
but only up to 24 weeks and with the approval of two doctors.
Women can face criminal charges if they decide to end a pregnancy after 24 week…