A Rare Rebuke

Politics

A Rare Rebuke

What’s going on: President Donald Trump is having a string of terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days... and his own party is partly to blame. Earlier this week, the House voted to limit his power amid the Iran War (a move Trump called “unpatriotic”). Senate Republicans forced him to abandon his $1 billion ballroom budget request, and in a surprising display of bipartisanship, both parties in the Senate applied major pressure to his $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) called the amendment “utterly stupid, morally wrong.” And at times, even Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has seemed fed up with the president. Did HR just point congressional Republicans to the bullet point in their job description requiring them to “check presidential power”? 

Why this is such an about-face: The rare revolt is significant in the wake of party in-fighting and Trump's obsession with loyalty. After losses in some statewide primaries, the president and many Republicans in Congress have diverging goals. Trump wants to paint a rosy picture of his policies, and lawmakers want to win in November. That’s much harder to do if, say, the party is seen as rewarding Jan. 6 rioters or if being focused on the “anti-weaponization” debate distracts from funding ICE, analysts say. Still, while some congressional Republicans publicly criticized the slush fund, they didn't actually vote against the president’s priority, which he calls a “beautiful thing.” 

Related: Trump’s Expected To Pick Todd Blanche To Run the DOJ — But His Path Won’t Be Easy (Politico)

The News in 5

🗞️ Israel and Lebanon agreed to the latest version of a ceasefire, however, Hezbollah rejected the terms.

🗞️ Protests in Albania are growing over Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s latest pet project. The flamingos probably have thoughts. 

🗞️ Trump critic and former National Security Advisor John Bolton is expected to plead guilty in another classified documents case.

🗞️ A UK legislator is suing Elon Musk’s company after Grok allegedly created photos of her in a bikini without her consent. 

🗞️ We haven’t thought about this in a while, but there’s a real uh-oh Spaghettios situation happening with this canned classic.

HIPAA Who?

It’s Between You, Your Doctor, and RFK Jr.

What's going on: Like your diary and the timestamp for that one Heated Rivalry scene you watch on repeat, your medical records are supposed to be private. But according to a KFF Health News report, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. soon hopes to change that. RFK Jr. wants government access to most Americans’ medical records. His reason? To try to prove a link between vaccines and autism (a myth that medical experts have repeatedly and resoundingly rejected) and identify causes of chronic illnesses. And Kennedy believes those answers are in your patient information, including prescription history, visit summaries, and doctors’ notes in state health information exchange systems. 

Why experts have concerns: Nebraska is so far the only state to publicly go along with the idea. Kennedy told KFF there are "studies in motion” (vague) thanks to cooperation from states (even more vague). If a larger plan moves forward, data from hospitals, clinics, labs, pharmacies, and insurers could be tied together in one patient file and handed to the federal government. A proposal says patients "will be deidentified where appropriate" — though it's unclear how. In 2025, Kennedy made a similar push for identifiable data when his staff traveled to CDC headquarters to download millions of decades-old vaccine records. A former CDC official warned that electronic health records only tell part of the story. Others wonder if it's even legal.

Related: Scientists Want To Retract Three Studies Used by Anti-Vaccine Proponents (The Guardian)

The Ol’ Ballgame

A Pitch To Take It Down a Notch 

What’s going on: Chewing gum and cracking bats haven’t gotten louder, but MLB stadiums certainly have. Turns out that’s by design. The 150-year-old league is getting retrofitted for the modern fan, and audio’s a big part of that. Hype prompts, sound effects, and pop songs between pitches want to grab your attention and keep it, per Front Office Sports (FOS). Even pitchers exit the bullpen to fully produced walk-out songs. It's not just to draw crowds: Players also love a good beat. Yankees captain Aaron Judge even asked to have the volume turned up so he could hear it from the field. However, one radio host told FOS being at a game felt like being on "an insane coke bender."

Why reinvent the mound?: America’s pastime doesn’t want to be stuck in the past. A Texas Rangers exec told FOS that baseball is competing for eyeballs thanks to the “second screen” phenomenon. Not only that — they have to compete with other sports leagues for fan attention. Many MLB games happen at the same time as NFL, NBA, and NHL games (sometimes all playing in the same city). Teams feel the pressure to dazzle fans so they come back. It’s no wonder the Savannah Bananas have skyrocketed in popularity. Baseball’s version of the Harlem Globetrotters draw sold-out crowds thanks to bat flips, TikTok dances, and mid-game concerts. Still, not every stadium wants to rupture your eardrums. The Triple-A affiliate Louisville Bats plans to expand its annual “Nothing Night” — where only the team’s organist plays. Maybe the Big Show doesn’t always need a big show.  

Related: NiJaree Canady Is Making Millions as a Generational Softball Talent (ESPN)

Quick Hits

🥗 The investigative journalism we didn’t know we needed: Editors tested and reviewed 41 different Caesar salad dressings.

🌍 These Boy Meets World stars are opening up about falling out with one of the show’s main characters. Mr. Feeny would be so disappointed.

🧺 Laundry experts shared how to remove these tricky stains tormenting us all. Because washing your clothes should be no sweat.

🥄 Three chefs agreed on this as the best Greek yogurt brand. We knew to trust our gut.

⚽ In a last-minute change, FIFA has banned this common item from World Cup games, and fans are not happy. As if the ticket prices weren’t enough.

🥤 The latest energy drink trend was inspired by a very surprising (and holy) source. Blessed be the extra caffeine. 

On Our Calendar

Friday, June 5

🎵 New Taylor Swift song is released 

“I Knew It, I Knew You” is for Toy Story 5. The muse? Cowgirl Jessie.

🍩 National Donut Day 

Scoring free donuts — which you can do at Dunkin’, Krispy Kreme, and more — is only part of this holiday’s story.

Saturday, June 6

🐴 Belmont Stakes 

It’s the year’s third (and final) big horse race of the Triple Crown. All eyes are on Golden Tempo and history-making trainer Cherie DeVaux.

🧩 World Tetris Day 

In honor of the anniversary of Tetris’s creation, play a game or 10.

Sunday, June 7

🏆 79th Annual Tony Awards 

Pink hosts, Schmigadoon! and The Lost Boys lead with 12 nominations each — use this printable ballot to track it all.

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Skimm'd by: Marisa Iallonardo, Molly Longman, Aryanna Prasad Bhullar, Mallory Simon, Erika W. Smith, Kylie McConville, and Jessica Prois. Fact-checked by Sara Tardiff.