Keeping Up With America

California fireworks warehouse catches fire and explodes: A warehouse storing fireworks in California caught fire and exploded Tuesday, sending a fireball into the air, launching debris and causing pyrotechnics to detonate above the site, according to officials and video from the scene.

Trump, Noem vow to prosecute CNN for reporting on ICE app, Iran strike: President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said they are looking at prosecuting CNN for their reporting on an app that allows users to track ICE agents.

The US plans to begin breeding billions of flies to fight a pest. Here is how it will work: The U.S. government is preparing to breed billions of flies and dump them out of airplanes over Mexico and southern Texas to fight a flesh-eating maggot.

Pentagon halts weapons shipment to Ukraine amid concerns over U.S. stockpile: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a pause in sending a shipment of missiles and ammunition to Ukraine amid concern about the U.S. military’s stockpiles, according to two defense officials, two congressional officials and two sources with knowledge of the decision.

California colleges can now pay athletes directly. Why taxpayers may foot some of the bill: Starting Tuesday, California’s top universities can pay their athletes directly — a dramatic shift in college sports that blurs the line between amateur and professional play. Schools have yet to say how much individual students will actually make or when checks might arrive, though a CalMatters estimate suggests some student-athletes at UC Berkeley could make roughly $200,000 a year.

Around the World

France bans smoking in most public areas, enacting stricter anti-smoking laws with costly fines: The iconic image of a smoking Parisian is becoming a thing of the past as France has banned smoking in most public areas.

Satirical magazine employees detained over prophet cartoon controversy in Turkey: Turkish police detained three more employees of a satirical magazine on Tuesday, raising the number of people taken into custody over a cartoon that allegedly depicted the Prophet Muhammad to four.

Lets Talk Business and Tech

​Medicaid cuts in Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ will leave millions uninsured, threaten rural hospitals

Jeff Bezos sells $737 million worth of Amazon shares

Clean energy stocks jump after tax on solar and wind projects is removed from Trump’s big bill

Richer, Wiser, Happier

Want to consolidate your credit card debt? Do these 3 things first.: In today’s economy, managing credit card debt is a lot harder — and a lot more expensive — than it was just a few years ago. Part of the issue is that years of high inflation have led to higher costs on everything from housing to groceries, and, in turn, many cardholders have had to rely on their credit cards to make ends meet. As of mid-2025, credit card balances are sitting at record highs and the average card rate is also hovering near 22%, so the interest charges are compounding quickly on those unpaid card bills.

Why the Average American’s Savings Account Is Losing Money | Joel O’Leary, Fool. Right now, inflation is around 2.4%. Meanwhile, the average savings account pays just 0.38% APY. (It’s even worse for checking accounts which average a pitiful 0.07%.) Basically, for the average saver, inflation is eating at cash value faster than interest is being earned. This results in a net loss each and every month. But here’s the good news. Simply moving cash from an average account to an above average account means it can outpace inflation and keep growing. Some of the top savings accounts are paying near 4.00% APY — that’s 10x more interest than average!

4 HELOC mistakes to avoid this July: Home equity borrowing is one of the more effective ways to fund large expenses and pay for specific home projects, especially in the unique interest rate climate of recent years. Interest rates on home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), specifically, are down by more than 1.5 percentage points from their position last September. And with a variable rate, they’re well-positioned to become even cheaper in the weeks and months ahead. Combined with the average home equity amount of more than $300,000 now, a HELOC offers homeowners a cost-effective way to access large amounts of money this month.

Sports and Showbiz Shenanigans

No. 2-ranked Coco Gauff stunned by Dayana Yastremska in first round of Wimbledon | Fever top first-place Lynx to win WNBA Commissioner’s Cup

Alison Brie to Star in Witness Protection Pilot at FX From Hannah Fidell, Gina Welch | Lena Waithe, Brandon Flynn Featured in LGBTQ Doc ‘Reclaim the Flag’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Keith Urban exits interview after racy Nicole Kidman ‘love scenes’ question | Savannah Guthrie touches on ‘horrible’ divorce: ‘It took me years to recover’

Life Hacks to Hack Your Life

How To Get Rid Of Toilet Bowl Stains For Good

President Trump now has full access to Big Pharma’s biggest secret

9 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Plastic Use, According to a Sustainability Expert

Eight of the Best Countries for Americans to Retire To (That Aren’t the US)