Former President Biden Diagnosed with Stage 4 Prostate Cancer
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Chart of the week: U.S. military spending surpasses the next 9 countries combined.
Shooting at Israeli embassy: A 30-year-old man from Chicago shot and killed two people at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington D.C. on Wednesday in a targeted attack. The suspect shouted “free Palestine” as he was detained by authorities and left a manifesto calling Israel’s war in Gaza a genocide. The two individuals killed were a young couple that was planning for their marriage engagement. They were staffers at the Israeli embassy.
Russia - Ukraine: President Trump spoke on the phone with Presidents Zelensky and Putin on Monday and said truce discussions would begin immediately. However, indications from Ukraine and Russia were less optimistic and peace talks have struggled to advance. While delegations from both countries met in Turkey last week, Russia pushed for demands that were beyond what Ukraine is willing to entertain. Meanwhile, the fighting has continued in earnest and the EU and UK announced new sanctions against Russia this week.
More: Trump has also raised the possibility of the Vatican and Pope Leo helping mediate an agreement, an idea Italian PM Giorgia Meloni said she supports. For his part, Pope Leo affirmed the Church is always willing to help facilitate talks but said the possibility is more of a hope than a concrete plan at this point.
U.S. credit downgrade: Moody’s Ratings downgraded the U.S. credit rating from a perfect “Aaa” to “Aa1”, one step lower. The reason cited for the downgrade was persistent growing government debt and higher interest rates which have made it more expensive to service the debt. Last year, nearly 15% of total U.S. government spending went toward paying interest on the debt alone, surpassing military spending for the first time and trailing only Social Security and Medicare as the largest categories of spend. Similar to consumer credit scores, a country’s credit rating can impact its ability to borrow debt at favorable rates.
More: The other two major credit ratings – S&P Global and Fitch Ratings – downgraded the U.S.’ perfect credit rating in 2011 and 2023, respectively.
House passes “Trump” bill: In a vote after midnight on Thursday, House Republicans passed a massive budget, spending, and tax bill that has been branded by Trump as the “one, big, beautiful bill.” The legislation cleared by a 215-214 vote with 2 Republicans dissenting and no Democrats voting in favor. Several Republicans were wary of the bill given it is projected to increase federal deficits at a time when the party has been criticizing the country’s debt levels. The 1,000-plus page bill now goes to the Senate, where it will face revisions. President Trump has targeted an early July deadline to sign the legislation into law.
More: In its current form, the bill would extend most of the Trump tax cuts passed in 2017, cut Medicaid spending and impose stricter work requirements to qualify for Medicaid, phase out most green energy tax credits, and significantly increase military spending, among other items (read more). The Congressional Budget Office projects the bill would increase economic benefits to the top decile of the population while decreasing benefits for the bottom decile.
The Trump Administration revoked Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students on Thursday. Kristi Noem, head of the Department of Homeland Security, wrote, "While perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas rhetoric, and employs racist ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ policies, you have lost this privilege." Noem gave the university 72 hours to provide data on foreign students and their involvement in protests and anti-American practices. According to the policy, Harvard may no longer accept foreign students for the 25-26 academic year, and current foreign students must transfer schools or lose their legal status in the U.S. before the next academic year begins.
More: Harvard, which has over 6,700 foreign students, strongly rebuked the administration and said it will not comply.
The Supreme Court has blocked a Catholic charter school in Oklahoma from receiving public funding in a 4-4 decision in which Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself. Although it is not known exactly why Barrett recused herself, there is speculation that she is good friends with a Notre Dame professor who was legally advising the Catholic school in its early days. It would have been the first religious charter school to receive state funding. The school board said it would be free and open to the public "as a traditional public school." At the same time, the school said it "fully embraces the teachings" and supports the “evangelizing mission of the church."
More: Because the vote was divided equally at 4-4, no precedent was set in the decision.
Former President Biden Diagnosed with Stage 4 Prostate Cancer
“Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.” - President Joe Biden
What’s going on?
Former President Joe Biden was diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of stage 4 prostate cancer on Friday after seeing a doctor for urinary symptoms, according to his office. A statement released on Sunday read:
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,” his office said. “The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
The news brings up serious questions about Biden’s health while he was in office and why the diagnosis wasn’t caught at an earlier stage, given his prominent position of power and frequent health checks.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of the 236,659 prostate cancer cases diagnosed in 2021, 70% were identified while still confined to the prostate. In contrast, approximately 8% were diagnosed at an advanced stage, after the cancer had already spread.
The former president’s cancer hit a 9 in the Gleason score, which measures the severity on a scale from 6-10.
Why wasn’t the cancer caught sooner?
U.S. presidents have a dedicated physician and medical team at their service and go through a thorough physical exam every year at the Walter Reed Military Medical Center to assess their overall health and cognitive abilities. At the end of the last physical, Biden’s physician, Kevin O’Connor, said the president was “healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male”.
According to a Biden aide, "prior to Friday, President Biden had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer." The aide also said Biden’s last official prostate check-up was in 2014.
Some prostate doctors say it’s not out of the realm for prostate cancer to develop quickly or not be detected by the exams. Others say it’s not unusual to stop screening for men above the age of 70 as the cancer can grow slowly and the average life expectancy of men is 75. This was not the case for Biden, who was healthy and active at the ages of 70 and 75. He is currently 82.
Were Biden’s health problems covered up?
Biden dropped out of the presidential race in 2024 after a poor debate performance against Donald Trump, where he looked confused and lost the trust of the Democrat establishment. Although Biden and his team denied he dropped out due to poor health, it likely didn’t paint the full picture. In a new book, “Original Sin”, written by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’s Alex Thompson, the journalists describe a White House uncomfortable with the decline of the President’s health.
"Biden's physical deterioration - most apparent in his halting walk - had become so severe that there were internal discussions about putting the president in a wheelchair, but they couldn't do so until after the election."
The book also says Biden would often forget the names of his top aides and appointees in the administration.
President Trump responds
Trump first wrote a friendly and thoughtful note to Biden, saying he and Melania were “saddened to hear about Joe Biden's recent medical diagnosis.” He then later argued there was a conspiracy to cover up Biden’s health, calling it “treason at the highest level.”
Israel Relinquishes to Allow Some Aid into Gaza as War Grinds On
What happened?
Israel began to allow some humanitarian aid into Gaza following reported pressure from the U.S. and other allies. Since March, shortly before the ceasefire ended, Israel has blocked aid because it says Hamas uses the supplies for its war effort. Basic food, water, and medical supplies have been dwindling and more images have emerged of malnourished children in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, Israel has intensified its ground and air offensive in Gaza as it demands the return of the final hostages and seeks to eradicate Hamas. There are believed to be 20 Israeli hostages still alive and 30 deceased bodies being held by Hamas.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel now plans to conquer and control the entire Gaza strip. After Israel’s initial ground invasion, Hamas has re-infiltrated and occupied certain areas of Gaza. This time, Netanyahu wants to usher civilians out of the way as it seeks to fully destroy Hamas.
Opposition to Netanyahu’s strategy grows
Support for Netanyahu’s government strategy has faced growing opposition both internationally and within Israel. The UK, Canada, and France have been more vocal in their disapproval for the aid blockade and the plan to occupy all of Gaza, threatening sanctions against Israel.
While the U.S. has generally stood steady in its support of Israel, there are growing signs of frustration from lawmakers, the public, and the Trump Administration. Netanyahu said a reason for the decision to lift the aid blockade was because U.S. lawmakers indicated their support for Israel could dwindle amid the growing reports of famine and malnourished children in Gaza.
Further, over the past few weeks, President Trump has been operating with other countries in the Middle East without Israel at the table, including lifting sanctions against Syria, initiating a ceasefire with the Houthis, and opening direct nuclear talks with Iran. When President Trump made his trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE last week, he bypassed Israel. Vice President JD Vance reportedly postponed a trip scheduled for Israel this week.
Within Israel, Netanyahu had faced growing criticism for his strategy, and recent election polls have shown Netanyahu and his party losing some support as well. The next major elections in the country are set to be held in October 2026.
No sign of a ceasefire or peace agreement
The Trump Administration has said it is in communication with both Israel and Hamas to find a solution to end the fighting, although there have been no concrete signs of progress toward that end thus far. Statements from the White House in recent days have suggested President Trump wants the fighting to stop and has had more frustration with Netanyahu’s approach.
GetSmart: 🚘 The Incredible Origins of the Intermittent Windshield Wiper
Until the 1960s, windshield wipers were either on or off, meaning they moved continuously. Until Robert Kearns, drawing inspiration from the human eye which blinks about every 4 seconds, had the idea to create intermittent windshield wipers.
Kearns’ idea stemmed from the fact that the continuous motion of the windshield wipers irritated his eye. Why was his eye irritated? On the night of his wedding, Kearns was hit in the eye by an errant cork from a champagne bottle, leaving him legally blind.
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