The full text of the Biden-McCarthy negotiated debt deal has now been released. The bill, released Sunday night, is 99 pages long,
You can read the full bill text for the McCarthy-Biden debt deal, below:
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Supreme Court will review state bans on transgender athletes’ participation in school sports amid two cases in Idaho and West Virginia.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: U.S. Supreme Court, West Virginia, Idaho, West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey, Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador, and the Trump administration.
💬KEY QUOTE: “We are confident the Supreme Court will uphold the Save Women’s Sports Act because it complies with the U.S. Constitution and complies with Title IX.” — West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey
🎯IMPACT: The enforcement of Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in education, may become more stringent depending on how the Supreme Court rules. The position of the Trump administration and several conservative-led states is that forcing women and girls to compete with biological males who identify as transgender is discriminatory.
IN FULL
On Thursday, the Supreme Court decided to review state bans on transgender athletes participating in public school sports. Oral arguments will be heard this fall regarding two cases in Idaho and West Virginia focused on state laws that prevent biological males from competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams.
West Virginia enacted the “Save Women’s Sports Act” in 2021, but a lower court ruling allowed a transgender athlete who goes by Becky Pepper-Jackson to compete in cross country and track teams. In April 2024, the US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Pepper-Jackson.
West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey said of the Supreme Court review in a statement, “It’s a great day, as female athletes in West Virginia will have their voices heard,” He added, “The people of West Virginia know that it’s unfair to let male athletes compete against women; that’s why we passed this commonsense law preserving women’s sports for women.”
“We are confident the Supreme Court will uphold the Save Women’s Sports Act because it complies with the U.S. Constitution and complies with Title IX,” McCuskey added. “And most importantly: it protects women and girls by ensuring the playing field is safe and fair.”
Raul Labrador, the Attorney General for Idaho—where a similar law protecting women’s sports from transgenders has also been blocked by judges—also expressed satisfaction with the Supreme Court review, saying, “Idaho’s women and girls deserve an equal playing field.” He added, “For too long, activists have worked to sideline women and girls in their own sports. Men and women are biologically different, and we hope the court will allow states to end this injustice and ensure men no longer create a dangerous, unfair environment for women to showcase their incredible talent and pursue the equal opportunities they deserve.”
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem signed a waiver to allow for the construction of a waterborne barrier on the southern border in Texas.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Secretary Kristi Noem, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the U.S. Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley Sector.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Construction planned in the Rio Grande River, Cameron County, Texas, with awards expected by the end of Fiscal Year 2025.
🎯IMPACT: The barrier aims to close capability gaps, deter illegal crossings, and create safer conditions for border agents.
IN FULL
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has signed a waiver for the rapid construction of around 17 miles of waterborne barrier in Texas. The barrier will be built in the Rio Grande River in Cameron County, Texas, within the U.S. Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley Sector, to help combat human and drug traffickers.
The RGV Waterborne Barrier Project has been solicited and is planned for award by the end of Fiscal Year 2025, using U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) FY 2021 appropriations. This marks the sixth waiver signed by Secretary Noem for border barrier construction projects along the southern border.
Addressing a capability gap in waterways along the Southwest border, CBP has identified the need for waterborne barriers to combat drug smuggling, human trafficking, and other illegal activities. These barriers are also intended to create safer conditions for patrolling agents and deter illegal crossings through hazardous waterways.
The Secretary’s waiver authority, granted under Section 102 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, allows DHS to bypass certain legal requirements, including environmental laws, to expedite the construction of these physical barriers and roads.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: The New York Times has finally admitted that President Donald J. Trump was right in his claims about the violent illegal immigrant crime crisis that plagued the city of Aurora, Colorado, in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The New York Times, President Donald J. Trump, illegal immigrants from Venezuela, Tren de Aragua, residents of Aurora, Colorado, and journalist Ted Conover.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Aurora saw a series of violent crimes perpetrated by illegal immigrants between 2023 and 2024, with the NYT acknowledging Trump was correct on July 3, 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “[T]heir refusal to acknowledge the violence that some residents were seeing with their own eyes came off not as reassurance but as erasure,” writes Ted Conover, describing Democrat lawmakers and the corporate media who waved off the incidents of violent illegal immigrant crime in Aurora in 2024.
🎯IMPACT: The issue of illegal immigrant crime became a major presidential campaign issue for Trump, with his administration subsequently enacting a sweeping nationwide crackdown on those in the country unlawfully.
IN FULL
The New York Times has finally acknowledged that President Donald J. Trump was right about the illegal immigrant Venezuelan gangs that have plagued residents in Aurora, Colorado. In a sprawling exposé, author and journalist Ted Conover details a violent series of incidents perpetrated by illegal immigrants believed to be members of the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, that became a core focus of President Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
Conover admits that, at the time, the corporate media and Democrat politicians ignored the city’s illegal immigrant gang crisis, writing, “[T]heir refusal to acknowledge the violence that some residents were seeing with their own eyes came off not as reassurance but as erasure.” Notably, the NYT itself ran a story with the headline, “How the False Story of a Gang ‘Takeover’ in Colorado Reached Trump” and waved away the crisis, stating: “The claim that Aurora, Colo., has been overrun by gun-toting migrants stemmed from the city’s fight with a landlord.”
While city officials in Aurora had been engaged in a protracted battle with CBZ Management—a Brooklyn, New York-based landlord company—over sanitation and blight conditions at three apartments along East Colfax Avenue, these issues appear only tangentially connected to the spike in violent crime perpetrated by illegal immigrants at the complexes. Speaking with several former residents of the CBZ Management properties in Aurora, Conover details incidents that far exceed the claims made by Trump during the election.
While a video of a group of young male Venezuelan illegal immigrants brandishing firearms and breaking into a residential unit at the Edge at Lowry apartment complex last year garnered some corporate media attention, the details surrounding the incident and the frightening extent of criminal activity were largely ignored. Notably, while the illegal immigrants appeared to leave after briefly entering the apartment unit, they subsequently confronted the resident, Oswaldo José Dabion Araujo, outside the complex and shot and killed him. “It looked like Beirut, with bullet holes in the front,” a local pastor said, describing the state of the property after a wave of illegal immigrants, mostly young men in their twenties, arrived from Venezuela in late 2023.
In addition to the murder of Dabion Araujo, the three apartments owned by CBZ Management saw other violent assaults. In one incident, a man and a woman arguing in a parking lot outside one complex were attacked by a group of illegal Venezuelans, ending with the man being shot several times in the leg. Other residents reported illegal immigrants stealing motorcycles and riding them through the hallways of the buildings. All three properties were plagued with drug dealing, theft, and prostitution.
Two Venezuelan nationals appear to have controlled a bulk of the criminal activity in at least one of the apartment buildings. Brothers Jhonnarty and Jhonardy Pacheco Chirinos ran what Aurora Police now believe was a local affiliate of Tren de Aragua, financing their gang operations through—among other things—the theft of items from a nearby Walmart. Both brothers have subsequently been arrested.
While President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration has begun to turn the tide—U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests in Colorado are up over 250 percent—Aurora is still seeing some violent incidents. In June, the city’s Chief of Police, Todd Chamberlain, publicized a new video of an apartment break-in perpetrated by illegal immigrants believed to be members of a gang. “This might sound like déjà vu,” Chamberlain said at the time, adding: “This is something that we are proactively addressing with everything that we can.”
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: A federal judge ruled that the family of Mohamed Sabry Soliman, accused of a firebomb attack on pro-Israel demonstrators, can be deported.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Mohamed Sabry Soliman, his wife, five children, U.S. District Court Judge Orlando Garcia, and Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The attack took place on June 1, 2023, in Boulder, Colorado. The ruling was issued on Wednesday, July 2.
💬KEY QUOTE: “This horrific act of terror has now claimed the life of an innocent person who was beloved by her family and friends.” – Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty.
🎯IMPACT: The ruling clears the way for the family’s deportation while Soliman faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder and federal hate crime violations.
IN FULL
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the family of Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian illegal alien accused of a firebomb attack on peaceful pro-Israel demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado, can be deported. U.S. District Court Judge Orlando Garcia rejected the Soliman family’s lawsuit to halt their removal, stating that the Trump administration followed proper legal procedures for deportation.
The decision overturned a temporary stay issued last month by Biden-appointed Judge Gordon Gallagher. Soliman’s wife and five children had sought to block the expedited deportation process, but Garcia ruled he lacked jurisdiction to grant their request.
The case stems from a June 1 terror attack, where Soliman allegedly threw Molotov cocktails and used homemade flamethrowers against elderly participants in a “Run for Their Lives” event supporting Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023. The attack injured 29 people, eight of whom were hospitalized with burns. Karen Diamond, an 82-year-old victim, died from her injuries this week.
Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty called the attack a “horrific act of terror” that took the life of a beloved community member, vowing to seek justice for the victims. Following Diamond’s death, prosecutors upgraded two of Soliman’s charges from attempted murder to first-degree murder, which carries a mandatory life sentence without parole if convicted.
Federal prosecutors charged the 45-year-old Egyptian with a 12-count indictment, including nine hate crime violations and three counts related to using fire or explosives during a felony. The indictment claims Soliman targeted the demonstration due to its support for Israeli hostages, with witnesses reporting him shouting anti-Zionist phrases like “How many children you killed” and “They are killers.”
Soliman entered the U.S. legally on a tourist visa in 2022, which expired in February 2023. Despite his unlawful status, the Biden government granted him work authorization in March 2023. After the attack, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained his wife and five children. Their deportation is expected to proceed in the coming weeks, pending any appeals.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) placed 144 officials on leave after they signed a public letter criticizing the agency’s direction under the Trump administration.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, 144 EPA officials, and over 400 current and former government employees who signed the letter.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The action was taken on Thursday at the EPA, which employs over 15,000 staff nationwide.
💬KEY QUOTE: “We have a ZERO tolerance policy for agency bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging, and undercutting the agenda of this administration,” said Lee Zeldin.
🎯IMPACT: The decision underscores the administration’s commitment to enforcing its policies and sends a message to fifth-column staff.
IN FULL
The 144 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees who signed a letter criticizing the Trump administration’s reorganization of the agency and shift in its policies have been placed on leave. Sent to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin earlier this week, the letter accused the agency of sidelining environmental protections and undermining public trust. Among the complaints leveled was the EPA’s abandonment of far-left progressive environmental justice initiatives.
Speaking on the matter, Zeldin emphasized that the majority of EPA employees remain committed to implementing the Trump White House’s agenda, describing the letter as the product of a small minority. “We have a ZERO tolerance policy for agency bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging, and undercutting the agenda of this administration as voted for by the great people of this country last November,” Zeldin said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, a small number of employees signed onto a public letter, written as agency employees, using their official work title, that was riddled with misinformation regarding agency business,” Zeldin stated, adding: “Our ZERO tolerance policy is in full force and effect and will be unapologetically implemented unconditionally.”
The letter, signed by more than 400 current and former government officials, listed five primary concerns, including claims that the EPA is ignoring science, gutting environmental justice initiatives, and fostering a “culture of fear.” However, only 144 signatories were identified as active EPA employees, with the rest being former Biden government appointees, retirees, or individuals from other agencies who signed anonymously or under pseudonyms.
Since taking office, Zeldin has focused on rolling back regulations he argues are overburdensome and harm economic growth, while targeting wasteful green spending programs introduced during the Biden government. The National Pulse has previously reported that under Zeldin’s leadership, the agency uncovered a $14 billion scheme that saw taxpayer dollars funneled by the Biden-era EPA to an external account with Citibank, which disbursed the funds to three Democrat-aligned environmental nonprofits. Notably, one of the nonprofit groups, which received $2 billion in grants, is affiliated with Georgia election denier Stacy Abrams.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has been arrested and is facing “expedited removal” from the U.S. over allegations of cartel involvement in his home country.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., son of legendary three-weight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Sinaloa Cartel.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Chavez Jr. was arrested on Wednesday, July 2, as announced by DHS on Thursday, July 3, 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Under President Trump, no one is above the law—including world-famous athletes,” said DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin.
🎯IMPACT: Chavez Jr. faces deportation proceedings from the United States.
IN FULL
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., a well-known Mexican boxer and son of the legendary three-weight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., has been arrested by U.S. immigration authorities over alleged ties to Mexican organized crime. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Thursday that Chavez Jr. is being processed for “expedited removal” from the United States.
“Under President Trump, no one is above the law—including world-famous athletes,” DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said. According to DHS, Chavez Jr. has “an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives.”
The arrest was carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Wednesday. Federal officials state that Chavez Jr., originally from Mexico’s Sinaloa region, is allegedly linked to the infamous Sinaloa Cartel. In February this year, the Sinaloa Cartel was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by President Donald J. Trump.
Notably, the boxer legally entered the United States in 2023 on a B2 tourist visa, which expired in February of last year. Subsequently, on April 2, 2024, Chavez Jr. filed for Lawful Permanent Resident status, citing his marriage to a U.S. citizen. “Chavez’s application was based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen, who is connected to the Sinaloa Cartel through a prior relationship with the now-deceased son of the infamous cartel leader Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman,” DHS revealed.
“On December 17, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services made a referral to ICE that Chavez is an egregious public safety threat,” the department noted, adding: “However, an entry in a DHS law enforcement system under the Biden administration indicated Chavez was not an immigration enforcement priority.” According to the arrest announcement, Chavez Jr. re-entered the United States on January 4, 2025, and was paroled by the Biden government. The Trump administration determined on January 27, 2025, that the boxer had made “multiple fraudulent statements on his application to become a Lawful Permanent Resident,” making his continued U.S. residency unlawful.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: Rock legend Rod Stewart has endorsed Nigel Farage’s Reform Party, with the Trump ally expressing surprise and praising Stewart’s performance at the Glastonbury Festival.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Nigel Farage, Rod Stewart.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Farage made his comments on British radio on July 3.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Politically, I never would have expected him to say that, but I think he’s reflecting what many millions of the country are reflecting.” — Nigel Farage
🎯IMPACT: The endorsement shows a broadening acceptance and support for Reform UK among celebrities and mainstream figures as the party leads in many national polls.
IN FULL
Nigel Farage has praised rock legend Rod Stewart’s Glastonbury set as the highlight that “saved” the festival, following a storm of controversy over an anti-Semitic and anti-British performance aired live by the BBC. Stewart closed the weekend’s Legends slot on the Pyramid Stage, joined by fellow icons Lulu and Ronnie Wood.
Farage took aim at the BBC for broadcasting punk-rap artist Bob Vylan’s set, during which he led the crowd in chanting “Death, death to the IDF” and performed a song including the lyrics, “I heard you want your country back? Shut the f**k up… you can’t have that!”
Farage said Stewart’s classic set that brought a sense of unity and relief: “Thank goodness, at the end, for Lulu and Rod Stewart! That sort of saved the whole thing, didn’t it, really?” The Reform Party leader also expressed surprise that Stewart had endorsed him and his party, saying it was not something he expected.
“Politically, I never would have expected him to say that, but I think he’s reflecting what many millions of the country are reflecting,” he said. Stewart expressed his support during an interview, saying, “We’re fed up with the Tories. We’ve got to give Farage a chance. He’s coming across well.”
Farage also slammed the BBC’s handling of the Bob Vylan incident, questioning why the broadcaster, with 400 staff on-site, failed to cut the controversial stream. “They should have used the delay, which they could have done quite comfortably,” Farage said. “Why did no one exercise any discretion at all?”
The BBC has since admitted fault, saying: “The team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen.”
Meanwhile, Bob Vylan has been dropped by the UTA talent agency in the wake of the performance. President Donald J. Trump’s administration has also revoked the duo’s visas, meaning they cannot perform in the United States.
‘Thank goodness for Rod Stewart.’
@Nigel_Farage says the future of Glastonbury is not safe in the BBC’s hands. pic.twitter.com/1z9aP2Yfsl— LBC (@LBC) July 3, 2025
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: Mandatory military conscription has been introduced for women as well as men in Denmark, with all over-18s required to enroll in a national service lottery.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Danish Armed Forces, Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, and Chief of Defense General Michael Wiggers Hyldgaard.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Effective immediately for young women turning 18, across Denmark.
💬KEY QUOTE: “[G]et used to the fact that every citizen capable of bearing arms, and not just men, is obligated to contribute to the defense of the fatherland. – Danish Armed Forces.
🎯IMPACT: The policy expands the recruitment base for Denmark, a NATO and European Union (EU) member, at a time when the West is increasingly close to open conflict with Russia.
IN FULL
Men and women in Denmark are now subject to equal conscription requirements, as the government expands its mandatory military service program in response to what it describes as a deteriorating security situation in Europe.
Young women turning 18 on or after this week will receive “invitations” to attend a military base on Denmark’s national ‘defense day’ for assessment. If deemed fit, they will be entered into a lottery, and those selected will be legally obligated to serve. Previously, conscription applied only to men.
The Danish Armed Forces described the inclusion of women as a “historic change” and warned Danes to “get used to the fact that every citizen capable of bearing arms, and not just men, is obligated to contribute to the defense of the fatherland.” Additionally, chronic health conditions such as diabetes and asthma no longer automatically disqualify individuals, with assessments now tailored to specific roles within the military.
The length of mandatory service will now be more than twice as long, increasing to 11 months. This will include five months of training followed by six months in active service. Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen emphasized the seriousness of the European security situation, stating, “A broader basis for recruiting that includes all genders is needed.”
Denmark joins other European nations in revisiting conscription policies. Sweden reinstated the draft in 2017 and included women, citing Russian aggression as a key factor. Norway became the first NATO member to conscript women in 2013, while Germany is reconsidering its decision to end conscription in 2011. The United Kingdom has also faced recruitment challenges, with former Defense Minister Ben Wallace expressing admiration for Sweden’s model.
European states are also now looking to spend more money on their militaries, with many responding to pressure from U.S. President Donald J. Trump to pull their weight more by pledging to increase spending to required NATO minimums or higher. Germany, in particular, has promised billions of dollars towards rearmament amid the ongoing tensions with Russia.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: House Republicans have adopted a final version of the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which passed the chamber largely on a party-line vote. The legislation enacting much of President Donald J. Trump’s domestic policy agenda will now head to the White House for the America First leader’s signature.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, House Republicans, Vice President J.D. Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
📍WHEN & WHERE: The procedural vote to advance the bill began Wednesday evening and concluded early Thursday morning in the U.S. House of Representatives, clearing the way for the legislation’s final passage.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Trump was directly engaged, as he always is, and that was very important.” – House Speaker Mike Johnson.
🎯IMPACT: The bill extends Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and fulfills other economic promises, including Trump’s no tax on tips, overtime, and social security campaign pledge. The passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” marks a significant political victory for the America First leader.
IN FULL
House Republicans voted to adopt the “One Big Beautiful Bill” on Thursday largely along party lines, following delays that began on Wednesday evening. The landmark legislation enacts much of President Donald J. Trump’s domestic policy agenda; extending his 2017 tax cuts, fulfilling his campaign pledge for no tax on tips, no tax on social security, no tax on overtime, and providing significant increases in funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The procedural vote began at approximately 9:30 PM on Wednesday and concluded at 3:20 AM on Thursday. Much like the bill’s passage in the Senate, Congressional leadership was forced to keep the floor vote open for an extended period as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and the Trump White House worked to flip five Republican holdouts.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) spoke before the final vote, abusing party leaders’ right to unlimited debate time to ramble for close to nine hours. Vice President J.D. Vance noted that a Republican Congressman texted him, stating, “I was undecided on the bill but then I watched Hakeem Jeffries’ performance and now I’m a firm yes.”
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) lauded President Trump’s involvement in securing the votes for the bill’s final passage. “Trump was directly engaged, as he always is, and that was very important,” Johnson said. He added that members sought assurances from Trump regarding the bill and future plans, which helped solidify support.
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❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Department of Justice (DOJ) has entered a legal battle involving allegations that major media outlets and tech corporations coordinated to suppress independent journalism through the Trusted News Initiative (TNI).
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Plaintiffs include Children’s Health Defense (CHD), independent publishers, and reporters. Defendants include TNI participants such as the BBC, Reuters, The Associated Press (AP), The Washington Post, and tech firms like Google, Meta, and Microsoft.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The lawsuit was filed in 2023, with the DOJ filing its notice of intent last week in federal court.
💬KEY QUOTE: The DOJ highlighted the CHD lawsuit’s focus on “anticompetitive collusion among competitors over product features” as of particular interest.
🎯IMPACT: The DOJ’s involvement could signal a shift in addressing anticompetitive practices and bolster the plaintiffs’ case against TNI.
IN FULL
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is entering a legal battle challenging an alliance between establishment media outlets and technology corporations accused of stifling independent journalism. According to the lead plaintiff, the Children’s Health Defense (CHD), the Trusted News Initiative (TNI)—a BBC-led international consortium that includes the likes of Reuters, The Associated Press (AP), and The Washington Post—unlawfully coordinated with technology companies to throttle independent media competitors by labeling their reporting as “misinformation” or “disinformation.”
In federal filings, the plaintiffs argue that the collusion between TNI and the technology industry constitutes a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act, contending the scheme is an anti-competitive practice. While the lawsuit was initially filed in 2023, it languished in federal court until last week, when the DOJ indicated it would soon submit a statement of interest in the case. Notably, a statement of interest is a filing where the DOJ informs a court of its stance on a particular legal issue or argument. Specifically, the DOJ highlighted the CHD lawsuit’s focus on “anticompetitive collusion among competitors over product features” as of particular interest.
Mary Holland, the CEO of CHD, welcomed the Trump administration’s involvement in the case, which could help advance the lawsuit. Plaintiffs argue that the collusion between TNI and social media companies resulted in shadow bans and targeted content removals under the guise of fighting “disinformation.” The plaintiffs state these measures were aimed at restricting their media reach and ability to conduct business.
Founded by the BBC’s former Chief of Staff, Jessica Cecil, TNI publicly presents itself as an international coalition of media outlets, technology corporations, and social media companies working to counter “disinformation.” However, CHD and its co-plaintiffs contend that the organization’s true purpose is to protect the corporate media’s market monopoly, using anti-competitive practices to stifle independent news companies.
In court filings, they cite comments by figures close to TNI’s operations, like former BBC news controller Jamie Angus, who stated that independent media competitors had unleashed “a tidal wave of unchecked [reporting] that’s being piped out mainly through digital platforms.”
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