CBS News reports: Workers at a site in South Carolina that once made key parts for nuclear bombs in the U.S. have found a radioactive wasp nest but officials said there is no danger to anyone. Employees who routinely check radiation levels at the Savannah River Site near Aiken found a wasp nest on July 3 on a post near …

CNN reports: President Donald Trump signed executive actions on Wednesday implementing a crippling 50% tariff on Brazil as well as a 50% tariff on certain copper products, the White House said, in the latest escalation of his administration’s aggressive trade war. Trump had previously threatened to impose the 50% tariff on Brazil effective August 1 in a letter he sent …

The New York Times reports: Former Vice President Kamala Harris will not run for California governor next year, she announced Wednesday, forgoing another campaign after losing last year’s presidential election. “For now, my leadership — and public service — will not be in elected office,” Ms. Harris said in a statement. “I look forward to getting back out and listening …

The Associated Press reports: The Trump administration is pushing an initiative for millions of Americans to upload personal health data and medical records on new apps and systems run by private tech companies, promising that will make it easier to access health records and monitor wellness. Trump is expected to deliver remarks on the initiative Wednesday afternoon. The event is …

Via press release from the DNC: We already know that Trump’s billionaire-first budget is the largest cut to health care in history — all to give massive tax handouts to the ultrarich — and now, his administration is admitting that the “Trump Accounts” included in the bill will be how they go after Social Security. Donald Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott …

CBS News reports: The Federal Reserve on Wednesday said it’s keeping its benchmark interest rate unchanged, marking a continuation of its “wait-and-see” strategy this year, as it monitors the impact of the Trump administration’s tariffs on consumer prices. The central bank on Wednesday said it would maintain the federal funds rate at its current range of 4.25% to 4.5%. The …

Reuters reports: The U.S. imposed sanctions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Wednesday, accusing him of authorizing arbitrary pre-trial detentions and suppressing freedom of expression. Moraes is overseeing the criminal case against former President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been charged with plotting a coup. U.S. President Donald Trump has tied new tariffs on Brazil to what he …

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to tubthump for a rare mid-decade census and Congressional redistricting, as he maintains Florida should have more seats than it does now. “I had some people in the (Donald Trump) administration tell me they thought Florida would get like three to five more seats if they did it properly. Like, I haven’t seen …

The Telegraph reports: A US Secret Service agent tried to smuggle his wife on President Donald Trump’s trip to Scotland. The law enforcement agency has launched an investigation into the incident. Reports said the agent, who is based in Dallas, Texas, flew his wife, a member of the US air force, to Maryland where she was among those who received …

The Independent reports: Multiple packagings of High Noon Hard Seltzer are being recalled due to a major labeling issue. The popular drink brand is recalling two lots of its High Noon Beach Variety 12-packs, according to a press release. The recall was issued because some cans, filled with High Noon Vodka Seltzer, were mislabeled as the non-alcoholic Celsius Astro Vibe …

Axios reports: President Trump has extracted more than $1.2 billion in settlements from 13 of the most powerful players in academia, law, media and tech, according to an Axios analysis. If finalized, a potential $500 million deal with Harvard would represent the largest scalp to date. America’s most elite institutions have largely succumbed to the Trump administration’s cultural crackdown, opting …

Richmond’s ABC affiliate reports: After pleading guilty to three charges of child sex crimes, a former Richmond County youth counselor has been sentenced to five years in prison. In a hearing back in March, David Lawrence Schneider pleaded guilty to one charge of aggravated sexual battery and two charges of taking indecent liberties with a child by a person in …

Mediaite reports: President Donald Trump went on a rollercoaster re-posting spree on his Truth Social platform Wednesday during which he shared a number of off-the-wall memes — including several alluding to the imprisonment of his political enemies. The president began re-posting shortly before 7 a.m. ET Wednesday — in all sharing 30 memes and other posts from his followers. The …

CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale writes: President Donald Trump told a story on Monday about how he “made a correct prediction” about the outcome of the United Kingdom’s 2016 Brexit referendum while he was visiting his golf course in Scotland “the day before the vote.” “You remember?” he asked reporters. They couldn’t have remembered. It didn’t happen. Trump actually visited Scotland …

“Last night, I was surprised to see President Trump on Truth Social go after me and Senate Republicans over what we call the ‘blue slip.’ Now, to people in the Real America – not here in Washington, D.C., an island surrounded by reality – the people in Real America don’t care about what the ‘blue slip’ is, but, in fact, …

Orlando’s Fox affiliate reports: The Florida heatwave continues as a massive so-called “heat dome” brings dangerously hot temperatures to Orlando and Central Florida, and the rest of the Sunshine state. An extreme heat warning has been issued for Volusia, Lake, Orange, Seminole, and Osceola counties, indicating heat index values between 108 and 112. How often does Orlando hit 100 degrees? …

The BBC reports: A woman who died after refusing chemotherapy was having “five coffee enemas a day” under her mother’s care, her brother told an inquest. Paloma Shemirani, who had declined chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, suffered a fatal heart attack caused by her tumour at the Royal Sussex County Hospital on 24 July last year. Her mother, Kate Shemirani [photo], …

Politico reports: Texas Republicans would create five House seats that President Donald Trump carried by 10 or more points in November through a redrawn Congressional map to be released Wednesday. Four of the GOP’s pickup opportunities reside in majority-Hispanic districts. The new map — created at Trump’s urging — stands to upend the midterms next year and give Republicans an …

Deadline reports: Donald Trump is heavily weighing giving Sean “Diddy” Combs a full presidential pardon ahead of the convicted Bad Boy Records founder’s sentencing later this year. Nearly two months after Trump publicly entertained the notion of a Diddy pardon in an Oval Office gaggle, a comprehensive get out of jail card for Combs is being “seriously considered,” an administration …

Michael Lavers reports at the Washington Blade: The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court has declared provisions of the St. Lucia penal code that criminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations unconstitutional. Saint Lucia, along with Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands and Montserrat fall under the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court’s …