Trump’s Middle East Diplomacy and Florida’s Fluoride Ban – 5/15/2025

President Trump concluded a Middle East trip with significant deal-making, while Florida became the second U.S. state to ban fluoride in water systems. Domestic issues like data breaches and international events, including stranded marine life in France, also dominated headlines.

United States

  • Florida becomes second state to ban fluoride from water systems as Governor DeSantis signs new legislation
  • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez leads 2028 Democratic nominee odds at 11%, followed by Gavin Newsom at 10%, per Kalshi prediction market
  • National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett predicts “One Big Beautiful Bill” will pass Congress, sparking “an economic boom unlike anything we’ve ever seen”
  • Texas woman charged with terrorism for buying guns for her 13-year-old son, who expressed intent to commit a school shooting, per The New York Times
  • Denver air traffic controllers face 2-minute communications outage, raising concerns after recent disruptions at Newark airport, per NPR
  • Amgen ordered to pay $406 million to Regeneron for monopolizing cholesterol drug market with Repatha, per Reuters
  • Georgia hospital keeps brain-dead pregnant woman on life support for three months to comply with strict anti-abortion law, per PBS News
  • Republican megabill to fund Trump’s agenda includes tax cuts, defense, and immigration enforcement, cutting health and education programs, per The New York Times
  • DHS requests 20,000 National Guard troops to assist in deporting migrants without legal status, a first if approved, per NPR
  • A House committee advanced a bill to slash Medicaid funding, threatening millions with loss of coverage and harming disabled individuals, per aclu_nationwide, TheNextGenBusiness
  • RFK Jr. says Trump, not experts, will decide on new FDA restrictions for medication abortion, per aclu_nationwide, TheNextGenBusiness
  • NY AG Letitia James sues Capital One for allegedly defrauding customers of millions in interest, after Trump admin dropped a similar case, per perfectunion, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy claims Newark Airport is safe despite outages, yet rerouted his wife’s flight to avoid it, per perfectunion, TheNextGenBusiness
  • A proposed bill could weaken courts’ ability to check Trump admin actions, per aclu_nationwide, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Nearly 200 fired federal workers screening miners for black lung reinstated after judge rules Trump admin’s termination illegal, per perfectunion, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Disabled protesters disrupt GOP House hearing, chanting “No cuts to Medicaid!”, per aclu_nationwide, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Incarcerated people’s forced labor in dangerous conditions for pennies exploits 13th Amendment loophole, per aclu_nationwide, TheNextGenBusiness
  • U.S. median income is below $40,000 annually, per perfectunion, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Medicaid, vital for millions, faces potential cuts Congress must reject, per aclu_nationwide, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Judge orders reinstatement of 200 federal workers fired from black lung screening, ruling Trump admin’s move unlawful, per perfectunion, TheNextGenBusiness
  • 89 million Steam accounts reportedly compromised in a data breach; users urged to change passwords, per CNET
  • GM and Ford aim to disrupt China’s EV battery dominance with new manganese-based batteries, per TheInformation
  • Coinbase reports customer data stolen in a security breach, per TechCrunch
  • Apple’s advanced in-car technology, delayed for years, nears launch, per Wired
  • Apple collaborates with Synchron to enable brainwave-controlled devices, aiding mobility-impaired users, per IEEESpectrum
  • Acorns acquires EarlyBird to expand family wealth and digital memory services, per TechCrunch
  • EPA reverses Biden-era clean water regulations, per Engadget
  • The U.S. Supreme Court will review Trump’s executive order to limit birthright citizenship, per FastCompany
  • Transform your old iPhone into a functional alarm clock, per Engadget
  • Defrost your fridge to save energy and preserve equipment, per CNET
  • Scientists exposed human cells to 5G radiation to study its effects, per Gizmodo
  • Roblox allows creators to sell physical goods within its platform, per TechCrunch

Western States

  • Scottsdale residents lost over $5M to crypto scams in 2025, police report, per Arizona’s Family 3TV & CBS 5
  • Greer Fire prompts evacuations and destroys structures in Eastern Arizona, per ABC15 Arizona
  • Funeral held for Mesa firefighter Mark Keller, who died on duty, in East Valley, per Arizona’s Family 3TV & CBS 5
  • Flagstaff residents face smoke from early morning train engine fire, per Arizona’s Family 3TV & CBS 5
  • Oscar Sanchez, 61, allegedly set fire to a Chandler home with people inside, per FOX 10 Phoenix
  • One detained after a shooting near 15th Avenue and Cochise Drive in north Phoenix, per FOX 10 Phoenix
  • Youngtown family and dogs displaced by home fire near 111th and Peoria Avenues, no injuries reported, per FOX 10 Phoenix
  • California colleges lose $13M to ‘ghost student’ fraud, up 74% from last year, per San Francisco Chronicle
  • LA dispensary guard fires at suspected burglars during early morning break-in, per KTLA 5
  • Dick’s Sporting Goods acquires Foot Locker for $2.4B, keeping brands like Champs Sports, per KTLA 5
  • Southern food chain expands to Oregon, offering dishes like stuffed French toast, per KOIN 6 News
  • LA Olympics designates an official air taxi partner, per Engadget
  • Consumer Reports finds major grocery chain overcharging on sale items at over half its stores, per KTLA 5
  • Crash at Harry Reid Airport connector tunnel causes delays, injuries reported, per FOX5 Las Vegas
  • Mother charged for allegedly aiding son’s plan for mass violence at a middle school, per FOX5 Las Vegas
  • Viola Fletcher, 111, oldest Tulsa Race Massacre survivor, gifted new smile by local dentist, per FOX5 Las Vegas
  • Man arrested for allegedly attempting to poison neighbors’ dogs with rat-filled meatballs, per FOX5 Las Vegas
  • Bear Lake rangers call for cautious driving after a rare black bear was killed by a vehicle, per KUTV2News

International

  • ChatGPT surpasses Wikipedia in monthly active users, per Bloomberg
  • Two orcas and 12 dolphins stranded in algae-infested pools in France, with activists urging authorities to act as “orcas need to be removed from dangerous conditions,” per Marketa Schusterova of TideBreakers
  • Belgium’s parliament reverses plan to phase out nuclear power with new vote
  • South Africa deems it “treasonous” to discuss poor treatment of white citizens, escalating tensions as some reportedly seek US refugee status
  • Thirteen injured after car crashes into crowd outside RCD Espanyol vs. FC Barcelona soccer match in Spain, per Reuters
  • Mexican influencer Valeria Marquez fatally shot during TikTok livestream by intruder in a beauty salon, per NBC News
  • Warm weather persists into next week, but dry conditions are straining water supplies, per virginmedianewsireland, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Zelenskyy and Putin may meet in Turkey for talks, their first since 2019, per skynews, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Working over 52 hours weekly may change brain structure, research shows, per skynews, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Mother of Debs crash victim says “there is no justice” after driver gets 7 years for killing Kiea McCann and Dlava Mohammed, per virginmedianewsireland, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Thousands attend Balmoral Show in Co Antrim, with 3,500 livestock competing, as newlyweds delay honeymoon to join, per rtenews, TheNextGenBusiness
  • EU court rules EC wrongly blocked NYT access to von der Leyen-Pfizer texts on COVID vaccine deal, per virginmedianewsireland, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Hackers stole M&S customer data in a major cyber attack, per skynews, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Tributes honor April Jones’ father, who died suddenly at 55, per skynews, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Beauty influencer, 23, fatally shot during TikTok livestream, possibly due to gender-based violence, per FOX5 Las Vegas
  • Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan pleads not guilty to aiding a man in evading immigration agents, per KUTV2News
  • China tightens AI data center regulations, potentially delaying licenses for tech giants, per TheInformation
  • Anthropic’s AI models can self-correct during tool use, enhancing task reliability, per TheInformation
  • SpaceX’s Starlink Wi-Fi on flights offers stable, high-speed internet, streaming, and video calls, per PCMag
  • Leap 71’s AI accelerates and reduces costs for rocket engine development, per FastCompany
  • Innovative device measures milk intake during breastfeeding, easing parental concerns, per NewScientist
  • Rihanna and The Weeknd support African causes while their label’s billionaire faces corruption allegations, per FastCompany

Middle East

  • President Trump concludes Middle East trip with UAE visit, touring Abrahamic Family House, before returning to White House at 10:40PM ET
  • President Trump’s Middle East trip showcases deal-making, as he “is dealing in realism” with regional leaders, per Scott Jennings
  • Comedian Theo Von performs for US troops in Qatar, joking “this is definitely court-ordered” after surprise appearance at Al Udeid Air Base
  • UAE launches TAMM, an AI-powered superapp with 950+ government services, handling everything from parking tickets to bill payments in real time, per Thenational News
  • FIFA congress sees delegate walkout, including FA chair Debbie Hewitt, after Infantino arrives late from a Middle East trip with Trump, per The Guardian

India

  • Trump urges Apple’s CEO to halt iPhone production expansion in India, per TechCrunch