Raw Story

Nearly 300 employees of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have signed onto a letter of dissent published Monday in opposition to President Donald Trump’s environmental regulatory rollbacks, who, at the risk of retaliation, argued the administration’s actions will cost lives.

“People are going to die,” said Carol Greider, professor of molecular and cellular biology at the University of California, speaking to The Associated Press. “And if we don’t have scientists at the EPA to understand how what we do that goes into the air affects our health, more people are going to die.”

The Trump administration has made significant budget cuts to the EPA and regulatory rollbacks on environmental policies, including broad pollution exemptions for industrial plants, while also vowing to halt environmental improvement projects for minority communities, among other initiatives.

The letter, signed by around 270 EPA employees, warns Trump that continued budget cuts and regulatory rollbacks not only threaten lives but also further scientific research necessary to combat climate change and other existential risks.

“Since the Agency’s founding in 1970, EPA has accomplished (its) mission by leveraging science, funding, and expert staff in service to the American people,” the letter reads, as reported by The Associated Press. “Today, we stand together in dissent against the current administration’s focus on harmful deregulation, mischaracterization of previous EPA actions, and disregard for scientific expertise.”

The letter of dissent mirrors a letter signed by hundreds of scientists at the National Institutes of Health objecting to cuts and mass layoffs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Raw Story reported that at a hearing last week of the House Subcommittee on Health, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. refused to commit to not retaliating against those scientists for their dissent.

“Americans should be able to drink their water and breathe their air without being poisoned,” said Amelia Hertzberg, EPA environmental protection specialist, speaking with the Associated Press. “And if they aren’t, then our government is failing.”

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) questioned Senate Majority Leader John Thune's (R-SD) claim that they'll be ready to pass the budget bill by the end of the week.

The legislation, which President Donald Trump refers to as the "big, beautiful bill," has a hard deadline for July 4, according to the president, but it is growing less likely.

Burgess Everett, congressional bureau chief for Semafor, spoke to Johnson on Thursday about the likelihood of the bill passing this week.

“I don’t see how it gets done,” he said. “What I don’t want is all of a sudden: ‘the bill’s done, motion to proceed.’ Hold on, time out here.”

Top lawmakers often negotiate the bill without prior review, and others are expected to vote for it. This has became an issue in the House, where a provision in the bill barred states from regulating artificial intelligence for the next decade. Some Republicans were unaware the provision was included in the bill and have indicated they would not have voted to support it with that measure in place.

Johnson told Everett that if he can't review the bill, he's a no-vote.

He and a group of his fellow senators, which includes Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rick Scott (FL), "all have to be a yes before any of us are a yes."

Republicans then headed to the White House to give a status update on the bill.

The Department of Justice vowed Thursday to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the migrant who President Donald Trump’s administration wrongfully deported to El Salvador earlier this year due to an “administrative error.”

“Our plan is that he will be taken into ICE custody and removal proceedings will be initiated,” said Jonathan Guynn, deputy assistant attorney general at the DOJ’s civil division, Notus reported.

Guynn was answering questions in a federal courtroom Thursday from U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, among several federal district judges in Maryland whom the DOJ sued over their opposition to the Trump administration’s efforts to deport migrants to countries of which they have no connection, and without due process.

Xinis asked Guynn where the Trump administration, now planning to deport Garcia a second time, would deport him to.

“To a third country is my understanding,” Guynn said, ruling out that the Trump administration would again deport Garcia to El Salvador. “There’s no timeline for these specific proceedings.”

Garcia, who was recently charged with crimes related to human smuggling, charges he denies, was ordered by a federal judge Wednesday to be released, and is expected to be released Friday. Concerns exist, however, that Garcia could be arrested the moment he’s released.

U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas, whose son was killed in an act of political violence meant for her, forcefully denounced the Trump administration for fomenting violence against the American judiciary.

CNN's Boris Sanchez asked Salas about the administration's decision to sue all 15 federal judges in Maryland for blocking the immediate deportation of undocumented migrants.

CNN reported, "The remarkable action lays bare the administration’s determination to exert its will over immigration enforcement as well as a growing exasperation with federal judges who have time and again turned aside executive branch actions they see as lawless and without legal merit."

Salas said, "Some would say that this is unprecedented," adding, "The Department of Justice generally represents judges when we're sued in our official capacity, and now we have a situation in which we're being sued."

Salas cited the Trump administration's calls for judges to be impeached for "just doing their jobs," suing judges when the opinion doesn't appease Trump, spreading disinformation, and "willfully defying court orders."

"I would say to you that, unfortunately, I think that the judiciary in many ways is under attack, and we are seeing that in the number of threats that are being lobbed against judges, pizzas being sent to judges homes in the middle of the night, to their children's homes, pizzas being sent in my murdered son's name. These are acts of intimidation meant to chill judges and the third branch of government.

"I will tell you that all Americans should be very concerned about the attacks against the third branch of government. You know...we're at 408 threats against judges, and we're only in June...Threats are up, the budget's down. This is a dangerous place for the judiciary to be in the United States of America."

Watch the clip below via CNN.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told his GOP colleagues on Tuesday that they should stop worrying so much about the rising tide of constituents protesting the planned Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" on tax cuts for the wealthy.

The speech came during a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill, reported by Punchbowl News' Andrew Desiderio.

"Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) warned GOP senators during closed-door mtg that their Medicaid provider tax framework will cost Republicans seats in 2026, comparing it to their 'Obamacare' — a reference to Dem losses due to rocky rollout," wrote Desiderio.

Tillis, one of the holdouts on the Medicaid cuts, got into an argument with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) "over the provider tax language."

"Tillis said Senate should use House framework. Thune defended Senate approach as key component of spending cuts target. But Tillis, Moran, Hawley, Collins, others still oppose it," Desiderio continued.

After that, Desiderio noted, McConnell, who previously served as GOP Senate leader himself, "gave a short speech saying 'failure is not an option' and added: 'I know a lot of us are hearing from people back home about Medicaid. But they’ll get over it.'"

The House-passed version of the tax cut bill already cut $600 billion from Medicaid, largely by requiring states attach draconian work requirements to enrollment in the program that could deny care to millions of people, including some who are working.

The Senate GOP, however, want to cut Medicaid even further. Their version sharply caps the rates at which state governments can tax health care providers, which is a common source of revenue for Medicaid and increases the federal government's funding match.

Such a change to the formula would sharply decrease how much money states can raise for the program, which would particularly devastate rural hospitals and force states to cut many more people from the program. Tillis has been one of the biggest opponents of this change, saying that North Carolina would be hit hard by these cuts and that as a former speaker of the North Carolina General Assembly, "I just don't know how my current speaker is going to manage it."

President Donald Trump named some of his top supporters to the Homeland Security Advisory Council, or HSAC, and the group includes former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Bikers for Trump founder Chris Cox.

In an announcement on Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security revealed that Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem had made the selections.

"HSAC leverages the experience, expertise, and national and global connections of its membership to provide the Secretary of Homeland Security with real-time, real-world and independent advice on homeland security operations," the notice said.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) was named as chair, and Florida state Sen. Joseph Gruters (R) was appointed vice chair.

Other notable names included actor Richard "Bo" Dietl, Fox News host Mark Levin, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, and former Sen. Bob Smith (R-NH).

"America First HSAC will draw upon a deep well of public and private sector experience from homeland security experts committed to fulfilling President Trump's agenda," DHS said in a statement.

The group was expected to hold its first meeting on July 2.