Hey Africa—Bill Gates is planning to spend all of his money to “fix” you. Lucky you! In Case You Missed It
🗳️ Lee Jae-myung was elected as the President of South Korea in a snap election after the former President declared martial law last year. He says that he will seek diplomacy with North Korea.
🪖 The U.S. Army has reportedly met and surpassed its recruitment goals. This was the earliest in the year that the Army has done this in more than a decade.
🏥 The Trump administration rescinded a Biden-era policy that mandated hospitals provide emergency abortions to stabilize pregnant patients, even in states with strict abortion bans, citing legal confusion and a shift in federal enforcement priorities.
📦 The U.S. group that was helping Israel distribute aid in Gaza has quit.
*Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 5:00 AM.
Lead: Russia Will Retaliate
Photo credit: @ZelenskyyUa
Russia will “inevitably” retaliate for the Ukrainian attacks on its soil, according to former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who currently serves as deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council.
“Our army is on an active offensive and will continue its push forward. Everything that needs to be blown up will be, and those who need to be eliminated will be,” he wrote with a declarative specificity rarely seen from politicians.
Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine remain bleak. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the Russian negotiators “idiots.” He demanded that the U.S. and Europe place “new, tougher sanctions against Russia.”
The U.S. said that President Trump was not notified about Ukraine’s strikes on Russia in advance. When White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked if the President was informed in advance of the attacks, she responded, “He was not.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will reportedly not participate in a defense conference for Ukraine on Wednesday. This is a conference that the Biden administration organized three years ago.
U.S. Hegseth to NATO: Pay Up or Shut Up
Photo credit:Â Defense Department
The U.S. will ask NATO members to pony up some cash this week. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will travel to Europe to participate in the 81st anniversary of D-Day and to push NATO members to pay into the “defensive” organization that they hold so dear.
The U.S. currently pays for about 64% of NATO members’ combined defense spending, but its direct contribution to NATO’s common budget is only around 16%. That direct contribution totaled about $600 million in 2024.
The other 32 NATO countries don’t even pay 2% of the overall cost. By some estimates, only 22 out of those 32 meet their 2% contribution. That’s pathetic. It means a third of the alliance still underfunds its military obligations—while riding the coattails of U.S. power.
As journalist Michael Shellenberger put it: “Europeans don’t respect us; they look down on us.” Why would they sacrifice their protected welfare states to support NATO when they know Washington will foot the bill anyway? It’s arrogance layered on top of dependence.
“In Europe, you have universal healthcare, you work 35 hours a week, you retire at a young age, you don’t work nearly as hard as we do in the United States. You have many more benefits in large part because we pay for your security and in turn we just get disrespect,” Shellenberger said.
So even if Secretary Hegseth says “please”: why would they change anything?
New investor or retiree—earn steady income
Wall Street mood swings shouldn’t decide your future. Connect Invest lets you grow wealth with real-estate–backed Short Notes that pay up to 9% annualized—no market exposure, no landlord headaches.
Get started in three easy steps
Fund your digital wallet (it takes just $500)
Pick a 6, 12, or 24-month term that fits your timeline
Collect fixed monthly income—right on schedule
No fine print to decode. No rollercoaster charts. Just predictable cash flow you can plan around.
Bonus for Redacted readers: earn an extra $50 after you open and fund your account.
Whether you’re making your first investment or shifting to safer returns, this is the smarter way to grow.
Photo credit: AI-generated image by ChatGPT (OpenAI)
President Trump’s Big Beautiful Spending Bill is breaking Elon Musk’s heart and with good reason. It is a spending bonanza and it undoes a lot of the hard work that was done by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
When mortals dabble in politics, they expose the contradictions Congress sold its soul to ignore.
Musk posted this on X: “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”
He added that the bill “will massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion (!!!) and burden America citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt.”
The bill passed in the House and is currently with the Senate and is poised to pass ahead of the July 4 deadline.
Musk is not the only one who is deeply disappointed by this bill. After years of ballooning budgets, voters are demanding real, lasting cuts—not another bloated dead dog.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said that the President asked him to “eliminate $9.4 billion in wasteful foreign aid spending at the State Department and USAID and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS.”
Does that make anyone feel better? The Big Beautiful Bill could add $2.3 trillion to the deficit but we’re supposed to feel better about $9.4 billion in cuts? It’s pennies for dollars.
News By The Numbers
Photo credit: ABC
1 Day. That is how long you’ll have to wait for new episodes of Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune to stream on Peacock and Hulu. Sony Pictures Television announced the streaming deal on Tuesday, which will include both show’s library episodes too.
47%. That is how much ratings are down for MSNBC in the 9 p.m. time slot since former White House Spokesperson Jen Psaki took over for Rachel Maddow.
20. That is how many young hawks and bald eagles were poisoned by a hunter in Virginia because they were killing the ducks that the hunter wanted to hunt. The man was sentenced to one day in prison and received a $9,800 fine.
What’s Trending?
Photo credit: McDonalds
McDonald’s Snack Wrap is trending because the fast food chain is bringing this item back in a few days.
Harvey Milk is trending because CBS News reports that the U.S. Navy wants to rename the USNS Harvey Milk but a replacement name has not been chosen.
Tom Thibodeau is trending because the Knicks fired their coach even though they had their best season in 25 years.
Children of Suspect Detained—What Country Is This?
Photo credit: The White House
The Department of Homeland Security has detained not only the suspect in the Colorado firebombing but also his wife and five children. The White House says that they are scheduled to be deported.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said that DHS and ICE are “investigating to what extent his family knew about this horrific attack – if they had any knowledge of it or if they provided support to it.”
So now the Trump administration is deporting children who are in the country legally for actions of their family members. That is not what the law allows.
How far can this go? Can the government now deport entire families based on association? What’s next—ideology?
The U.S. has had many instances where immigrants committed high-profile terror attacks—and yet their families were not deported or prosecuted:
2015 San Bernardino shooting
2013 Boston Marathon bombing
2017 NYC truck attack
2016 Chelsea bombing
In every case, only those directly involved were targeted. Their families? Left alone.
This latest action is something new. It opens the door to ideological purges, guilt by association, and legalized intimidation of entire communities.
It should scare you because it isn’t justice—it’s authoritarianism. Is this the USA or the USSR?
SUPPORT INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM
Click here to go to our store to grab some of our exclusive Merchandise.
Want to support our independent journalism and snag some Redacted gear? Visit our store for hats, mugs, t-shirts, and more.
*Some of the links in this newsletter may come from our affiliates or sponsors, meaning we could earn a commission if you purchase.
At Redacted, we believe in digging deep into every story—and sometimes that means we invest in (or use) the products and services we cover.
Please remember: we’re not financial advisors. Our content is for educational and informational purposes only. Always perform your own due diligence and consult a qualified professional regarding your personal financial decisions. All investments involve risk.
Thanks for reading Redacted and standing up for independent journalism.
