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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Wed Jul 16 2025

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

Good morning!🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. I'm SAT for "The Summer I Turned Pretty" Season 3.

Quick look at Wednesday's news:

•	If Congress moves ahead on spending cuts, local NPR and PBS stations are expected to bear the brunt of the lost funding.
•	The June inflation report shows early effects of tariffs.
•	The National League won the MLB All-Star Game in an epic home run derby tiebreaker.

Rural TV and radio stations face public media cuts

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he expects the final decision on billions of dollars in spending cuts likely late Wednesday or early tomorrow. The proposal slashes about $9 billion in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS, and foreign aid agencies including the World Health Organization and U.S. Agency for International Development. President Donald Trump's May 1 executive order called for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting to "cease direct funding" to NPR and PBS. But some in the GOP worry about the impacts on rural areas.

•	America's broadcasters fear a catastrophic loss. Station employees and board members for Smoky Hills PBS told USA TODAY the clawback would severely impact the 1.2 million Kansans it reaches across 71 counties.

Is the 'tariff shock' finally here?

In recent months, critics of President Donald Trump's tariff campaign have braced for an unwelcome rise in the inflation rate.

That moment may have arrived. Prices rose 2.7% in the 12 months through June, the Labor Department announced July 15. It's the highest annual inflation rate since February and a sign that Trump's import taxes may be finally raising consumer prices, as many forecasters predicted.

•	Rising prices for housing, food and gasoline drove the increase. Apparel prices rose by 0.4% in June. Furniture prices rose by 1%. Prices on video and audio products increased by 1.1%. Toy prices rose by 1.8%.
•	The June inflation report may be an early sign of the tariff effect. There is now a 10% tariff on most imported goods. And most economists expect the import taxes to lift the inflation rate, as retailers pass their costs on to American consumers.
•	And what's going on with interest rates? The Federal Reserve aims for an annual inflation rate of 2% — a figure central bankers don't expect to reach any time soon, and tariffs are the main reason. And Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell may finally have had enough of the White House's pressure campaign to have him either slash rates or resign.

More news to know now

•	An "American Idol" music supervisor and her husband were both found dead in their California home.
•	The Pentagon pulled 2,000 National Guard members from Los Angeles.
•	The daughter of a late Arizona congressman won the primary bid to fill his House seat.
•	Rick Singer, ringleader of a nationwide college admissions scandal, can consult college hopefuls again.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Detainees go to new lengths to raise funds to cover legal fees

In a photo on OnlyFans.com, a former model from Colombia smiles under a white visor as she sunbathes in South Florida. But the image is far from her current reality: She's locked up in an ICE detention center in Louisiana. The cost of deportation defense can run into the thousands of dollars, and this woman is among a growing number of immigrant families that are using online fundraising to make ends meet. A USA TODAY analysis of fundraising efforts of one of the nation's largest crowdsourcing sites, GoFundMe.com, found dozens of campaigns that have raised more than $1.8 million since President Trump took office, the majority in the past two months. "The Blonde that Shouldn't Get Deported" spoke with USA TODAY via video call from the ICE facility where she is detained.

More rain, flooding expected in parts of New Jersey

Cities across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic were inundated by heavy rainfall that swamped roads, knocked out power and prompted water rescues this week. Video posted to social media showed a New York City subway station inundated with fast-moving floodwaters as passengers watched from inside a train, lifting their feet to avoid the water rushing into the subway car. In McLean, Virginia, just outside Washington, videos showed cars stuck in floodwaters. In New Jersey, two people were killed in flash flooding. Authorities issued a flood watch Wednesday for portions of central, northern and northwest New Jersey through late tonight.

•	The fate of dozens remains unknown in Texas after flooding.

A man looks on from a subway as a station is flooded in New York, July 14, 2025, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video.

Juan Luis Landaeta, via REUTERS

Today's talkers

•	A "Bridgerton" star stunned at Wimbledon. Then, the internet came for her.
•	Actress Lupita Nyong'o joined the Congressional Black Caucus to lobby for more funding.
•	Caitlin Clark suffered yet another injury late in the Fever's win over the Sun.
•	SEC college football power rankings are headlined by Texas and Georgia.

The Emmy nominations are here. Who got snubbed?

While plenty of stars were celebrating after the 2025 Emmy nominations were announced Tuesday, there were inevitably some deserving and celebrated actors and TV shows left out from the list of nominees. While Martin Short gets to check off his yearly nod for Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building," his costars Steve Martin and Selena Gomez didn't have the same luck. And "Paradise," Hulu's post-apocalyptic thriller starring Sterling K. Brown and James Marsden, surprised with major drama category nods, likely pushing out previous nominees including "Yellowjackets," "Squid Game" and "The Handmaid's Tale." Here are the most jaw-dropping stars and TV shows to miss out on nominations for the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Photo of the day: National League reaches for the win

After finishing nine innings all tied up, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game Tuesday night was decided by a swing-off for the first time, with the National League emerging victorious after blowing a six-run lead over the final three innings.

Mlb All Star American League At National League

American League third baseman Maikel Garcia (11) of the Kansas City Royals steals second base during the seventh inning of the 2025 MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park.

Brett Davis, Imagn Images

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here . Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.