For The First Time In Four Years, Americans Aren’t Paying More For Their July 4 Cookouts

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For the last four years, Americans suffered through record-high inflation that threatened to derail backyard barbecues across the nation. That cost curse, however, is expected to change as year-over-year inflation rates under President Donald Trump hit lows unseen under President Joe Biden.

Prices, no doubt, are higher during Trump’s second term than they were during his first. Yet Independence Day party hosts and goers will get some reprieve this year compared to the Biden administration-induced inflation that plagued their grilling in years past.

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s latest report, a July 4 cookout including cheeseburgers, pork chops, chicken, potato salad, fruit, ice cream, and other picnic staples for 10 guests will cost roughly $70.92 in 2025.

While that total remains one of the highest prices ever recorded by AFBF, up significantly from the $52.80 recorded in 2019 before the Covid and Bidenflation price hikes, it is down 30 cents from the record high $71.22 bill calculated in 2024.

The fees for chicken breasts, pork chops, cheese, hamburger buns, and potato chips, specifically, are all down from 2024. (Read more from “For The First Time In Four Years, Americans Aren’t Paying More For Their July 4 Cookouts” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Hunters, Fishermen And Outdoors Experts Rejoice As Sen. Mike Lee Backs Off Plan To Sell Public Lands

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Conservationists, hunters, fishermen and outdoorsmen celebrated Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee’s decision to withdraw his public land sales proposal from the “big beautiful” tax bill Saturday.

Lee, who had originally proposed an amendment to the bill that would have required two U.S. agencies holding public lands to sell between 0.5 and 0.75 percent of the land for housing development, withdrew his proposal Saturday.

Conservationists and outdoor lovers lauded his backtrack.

“Big win for conservation!” the Tennessee Wildlife Federation reacted in a Monday post on X.

“Thank you to everyone who called your Senators in support of our nation’s public lands,” the organization concluded. (Read more from “Hunters, Fishermen And Outdoors Experts Rejoice As Sen. Mike Lee Backs Off Plan To Sell Public Lands” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

RFK Jr. Tells Tucker Carlson Fellow Cabinet Member Has Undergone ‘Incredible Transformation’

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Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Daily Caller News Foundation co-founder Tucker Carlson during a Monday interview that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has significantly shifted his foreign policy stance.

Rubio had developed a reputation for being a foreign policy hawk, but as he grew closer to President Donald Trump during the 2024 election cycle, his views evolved to become more aligned with Trump’s America First foreign policy agenda. Kennedy, on “The Tucker Carlson Show,” said he previously disapproved of Rubio because of his hawkishness, but he now believes the secretary of state has similar views to his own, including on Ukraine.

“Marco Rubio is the funniest guy in the cabinet. He says things that make people belly laugh at every cabinet meeting,” Kennedy said. “I never was very — let’s say — approving of Marco, because he was kind of a neocon war hawk. But now he’s had this incredible transformation.”

“I think he’s very aligned with me on most issues, on Ukraine, you know, and just the fact that we should not be the policeman of the world anymore, that we’ve got to, you know, we’ve got to withdraw from that,” he continued. (Read more from “RFK Jr. Tells Tucker Carlson Fellow Cabinet Member Has Undergone ‘Incredible Transformation’” HERE)

‘Sick-Of-ICE, Sick-Of-Trump’ Sickout Protests Kick Off Nationwide

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Protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and President Trump are scheduled to take place on Tuesday in most major cities across the country. The well-organized campaign at “SICKOFICE.ORG” urges people to call out sick in solidarity with illegal aliens facing deportation.

Much like the “No Kings” protests held in June to denounce the Trump administration’s efforts to conduct mass deportations of illegal aliens, Tuesday’s protests are being supported by the same activist organizations. The Party for Socialism and Liberation is actively promoting the “Sick of ICE” events nationwide on social media. . .

The omission of sponsors may be a deliberate attempt to conceal the funders of the “Sick of ICE” events, following Senator Josh Hawley’s (R-MO) announcement in June that he would launch an investigation into the financing of anti-ICE protests.

On the “Sick of ICE.Org” website, the organizers liken the effort to carry out deportations by the Trump administration to a declaration of war, saying:

Trump’s vow to carry out “the largest domestic deportation operation in American History” is a declaration of war against all of us. It is not just an attack on our immigrant families, but all of our civil liberties, and all of the gains of the Civil Rights movement. We can’t leave the immigrant community to fight alone; all citizens have a duty to stand up to this assault.

Trump has already broken up thousands of immigrant families and violently kidnapped our neighbors. He has also tried to strip away our rights to free speech and due process.

(Read more from “‘Sick-Of-ICE, Sick-Of-Trump’ Sickout Protests Kick Off Nationwide” HERE)

Trump Gives Illegal Aliens Advise About Escaping From Alligators

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Speaking to reporters ahead of his trip to “eastern Alcatraz” on the South Lawn of the White House Tuesday, President Donald Trump gave some interesting advice to the illegal alien criminals who will be housed there.

“I guess that’s the concept. This is not a nice business. I guess that’s the concept,” Trump said after being asked if inmates trying to escape could get eaten by alligators. “You know, the snakes are fast, but alligators, we’re going to teach them how to run away from an alligator. Okay? If they escape prison, how to run away. Don’t run in a straight line. Look like this. And you know what? Your chances go up about 1%. Not a good thing.”

(Read more from “Trump Gives Illegal Aliens Advise About Escaping From Alligators” HERE)

Deadly Brooklyn Bridge Ship Crash Mystery Deepens as NTSB Reveals Shocking Loss of Control

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The Mexican Navy Tall Ship that smashed into the Brooklyn Bridge in May was inexplicably sailing backwards — and picked up speed — before the fatal collision, according to officials.

The preliminary NTSB report released Monday leaves more questions than answers on the crash that killed two crewmembers and left 19 other people injured, including why the docking pilot’s orders to stop the boat didn’t have any effect.

The new facility is a project between the federal government and the state of Florida. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has been working to prepare the facility for Trump’s arrival.

A tugboat was trying to assist the doomed Cuauhtémoc, which had hundreds of Mexican naval cadets on board, when the crew seemingly lost control of the vessel.

“The upper sections of all three masts of the Cuauhtémoc contacted the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge, one by one,” the report states. (Read more from “Deadly Brooklyn Bridge Ship Crash Mystery Deepens as NTSB Reveals Shocking Loss of Control” HERE)

U.S. Did Not Use Bunker-Buster Bombs on One of Iran’s Nuclear Sites, Top General Tells Lawmakers, Citing Depth of the Target

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By CNN Politics. The US military did not use bunker-buster bombs on one of Iran’s largest nuclear sites last weekend because the site is so deep that the bombs likely would not have been effective, the US’ top general told senators during a briefing on Thursday.

The comment by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, which was described by three people who heard his remarks and a fourth who was briefed on them, is the first known explanation given for why the US military did not use the Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb against the Isfahan site in central Iran. US officials believe Isfahan’s underground structures house nearly 60% of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, which Iran would need in order to ever produce a nuclear weapon.

US B2 bombers dropped over a dozen bunker-buster bombs on Iran’s Fordow and Natanz nuclear sites. But Isfahan was only struck by Tomahawk missiles launched from a US submarine.

The classified briefing to lawmakers was conducted by Caine, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. A spokesperson for Caine declined to comment, noting that he cannot comment on the chairman’s classified briefing to Congress. (Read more from “U.S. Did Not Use Bunker-Buster Bombs on One of Iran’s Nuclear Sites, Top General Tells Lawmakers, Citing Depth of the Target” HERE)

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Iran Warns of ‘Real Capabilities’ if Trump Doesn’t Drop ‘Disrespectful’ Tone Toward Supreme Leader

By Fox News. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned President Donald Trump Friday to drop what he called a “disrespectful” tone toward Tehran’s supreme leader or face serious consequences.

In a blunt post on X, Araghchi said if Trump truly wants a deal with Iran, he must show respect instead of insulting Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Araghchi wrote that Trump should “put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone” toward Khamenei and “stop hurting [Khamenei’s] millions of heartfelt followers.”

Araghchi wrote, “The complexity and tenacity of Iranians is famously known in our magnificent carpets, woven through countless hours of hard work and patience. But as a people, our basic premise is very simple and straightforward: we know our worth, value our independence, and never allow anyone else to decide our destiny.”

(Read more from “Iran Warns of ‘Real Capabilities’ if Trump Doesn’t Drop ‘Disrespectful’ Tone Toward Supreme Leader” HERE)

2 Firefighters Killed in Ambush While Responding to Wildfire

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Two firefighters were killed and a third was fighting for his life Sunday when an alleged shooter, who was apparently found dead, ambushed fire crews responding to a wildfire near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Republican Gov. Brad Little of Idaho responded to the active shooter incident in a statement posted on X Sunday, while the International Association of Firefighters confirmed two firefighters were killed and a third was in surgery in a Sunday night post on X. The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office announced a man was found dead with a firearm and lifted the shelter in place order late Sunday.

“This evening, members of the SWAT team located a deceased male on Canfield Mountain,” the office said in a statement. “A firearm was found nearby.”

“While responding to a fire earlier today in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, IAFF members were ambushed in a heinous act of violence. Two of our brothers were killed by a sniper, and a third brother remains in surgery,” the union posted. “Please keep them, their families, and law enforcement in your prayers.” (Read more from “2 Firefighters Killed in Ambush While Responding to Wildfire” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Senate GOP Puts $1,600,000,000,000 In Spending On Chopping Block

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Senate Republicans are nearing a vote to slash more than $1.6 trillion in government spending over a decade within President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” bill — and the conference could enact more cuts in the final hours before a vote on final passage.

Trump and Senate Republicans are touting the largest cut to mandatory spending in American history within the upper chamber’s budget bill. The Senate proposal notably exceeds the initial House draft’s estimated savings by $200 billion over a ten-year period, surpassing Senate Republicans’ goal of slashing spending by $1.5 trillion over a ten-year period.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has also backed an effort to secure more cuts within the president’s sweeping tax relief and immigration legislation.

The deficit-reducing measure is sponsored by Republican Florida Sen. Rick Scott and would lower the 90% federal match rate for new Medicaid enrollees in states that expanded coverage under the Affordable Care Act. A group of deficit-concerned senators, including Scott, helped secure a vote on the amendment, which will occur during an anticipated marathon session of voting, known as a “vote-a-rama,” before senators will vote on final passage of the bill.

“We think it’s really good policy,” Thune told reporters Sunday. “We’re going to do what we can to support that effort.” (Read more from “Senate GOP Puts $1,600,000,000,000 In Spending On Chopping Block” HERE)

Millions of 4th of July Travelers Face Potential Storm-Related Delays Across U.S.

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Fourth of July travelers are in for traffic and flight delays this week as a cold front pushing across the US is forecast to bring storms to the eastern half of the country, which could culminate in a washout on July Fourth for the Southeast.

AAA is predicting a record-breaking 72.2 million Americans will travel for the holiday, due in part to America’s birthday falling on a Friday this year, creating a three-day weekend.

The FOX Forecast Center is tracking unsettled weather ahead of a cold front moving across the country early this week. For those hoping to get an early start on the celebration, travel disruptions are possible early this week from the Ohio Valley to the Southeast.

On Monday, as the cold front sags across New England, some stronger thunderstorms are possible across major cities from Tampa in Florida to Cleveland in Ohio to Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. These storms could cause ripple-effect delays across the country for airline travelers.

By Tuesday, the tough travel conditions will extend to the Northeast flight hubs as storms fire along the Interstate 95 corridor. Thunderstorms could impact travel up and down this region, including cities such as New York, Boston, Washington, Baltimore, Atlanta and Tallahassee, Florida. (Read more from “Millions of 4th of July Travelers Face Potential Storm-Related Delays Across U.S.” HERE)