Trump’s Budget Push and Biden’s Cancer Diagnosis – 5/18/2025

President Trump’s comprehensive budget legislation faces internal GOP resistance, while former President Joe Biden’s aggressive prostate cancer diagnosis prompts urgent medical attention. Internationally, Russia’s massive drone assault on Ukraine and a Mexican Navy ship’s fatal crash into the Brooklyn Bridge highlight escalating global tensions.

United States

• House Republicans push to pass President Trump’s comprehensive budget legislation tonight
• Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy criticizes House Republicans for blocking a key vote on Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” calling it a “real misstep,” per The Hill
• White House advisers warn that rejecting Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act could strip health insurance from 8.2 to 9.2 million Americans
• FBI Director Kash Patel pledges full transparency, ensuring no redactions in newly released Russiagate documents
• Pope Leo XIV, first American pope, commits to fostering unity and peace in the Catholic Church during inaugural Mass
• Stephen Miller’s America First Legal Foundation supports Trump’s push to restore merit-based federal hiring, targeting Carter-era DEI policies
• Charles Carrier, ex-“We Buy Ugly Houses” franchisee, allegedly ran a Ponzi scheme, defrauding millions from investors and elderly, with no company intervention despite red flags, per ProPublica
• Trump faces scrutiny, including from GOP, over accepting a luxury Qatari jet as the next Air Force One, raising concerns about appropriateness, per The Hill
• FBI Director Kash Patel aims to reassign FBI agents nationwide to tackle violent crime and boost recruitment, per Fox News, TheNextGenBusiness
• Edan Alexander, freed Hamas hostage, speaks with President Trump for the first time since his October 7 ordeal, per Fox News, TheNextGenBusiness
• GOP pundit Scott Jennings dodges questions about a potential Kentucky Senate run to replace Mitch McConnell, per The Hill, TheNextGenBusiness
• President Trump criticizes Walmart for raising prices due to his administration’s trade war tariffs, saying “Eat the tariffs,” per The Hill, TheNextGenBusiness
• Severe storms in Missouri and Kentucky reportedly claim over 20 lives, with homes like Joan Miller’s in St. Louis heavily damaged, per RTE News, TheNextGenBusiness
• House GOP to investigate alleged Biden cognitive “cover up” after leaked 2023 Hur interview audio, per The Hill, TheNextGenBusiness
• House Republicans revise Trump’s major bill to unify party factions and push it to the Senate before Memorial Day, per TheNextGenBusiness
• CNN’s Scott Jennings sidesteps speculation about running for Kentucky Senate to succeed Mitch McConnell, per The Hill, TheNextGenBusiness
• Trump slams Walmart’s price increases tied to his trade war tariffs, urging them to “Eat the tariffs,” per The Hill, TheNextGenBusiness
• Tornadoes k*ll 28 in Midwest and South, with Kentucky and Missouri residents bracing for more severe weather, per KUTV2News, TheNextGenBusiness
• Apple device owners since 2014 may be eligible for a $95 million class action settlement, per FOX5 Las Vegas, TheNextGenBusiness
• Man arrested for holding girlfriend and her family hostage for six months with fake cartel threats, per KUTV2News, TheNextGenBusiness
• Man sold stolen parts to New Jersey buyer, who resold them for $600 million, per FOX5 Las Vegas, TheNextGenBusiness
• A Signal clone used by a Trump admin official was hacked due to a simple misconfiguration, per Wired, TheNextGenBusiness
• Apple teams up with a startup to control devices using brain signals, per FastCompany, TheNextGenBusiness
• Weakening Atlantic currents are raising New England sea levels, worsening coastal flooding, per NewScientist, TheNextGenBusiness
• Trump coin investors who spent the most and held longest were chosen for an event, identities hidden, per Wired, TheNextGenBusiness
• Rising seas erode landfills, spilling toxic waste onto beaches, per NewScientist, TheNextGenBusiness
• Housing market shifts from boom to affordability crisis, increasing active listings, per FastCompany, TheNextGenBusiness
• Eleven families build a community with shared spaces in a new development, per FastCompany, TheNextGenBusiness
• Lululemon’s Align pants success drives its push into office attire, per FastCompany, TheNextGenBusiness
• NFL teams craft viral social media moments from schedule reveals, per FastCompany, TheNextGenBusiness
• “The idea of being sincere is so repulsive that I just won’t answer,” says source on humor struggles, per Wired, TheNextGenBusiness
• Microsoft’s Nadella prioritizes chatbots over podcast ventures, per TechCrunch, TheNextGenBusiness
• Recreating meal kit recipes in supermarkets reveals hidden costs, per Wired, TheNextGenBusiness

Western States

• Former President Joe Biden diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, per ABC15 Arizona, TheNextGenBusiness
• FBI names a 25-year-old California man as the alleged perpetrator behind the Palm Springs fertility clinic explosion, per Bloomberg News
• A bomb caused the explosion at a Palm Springs fertility clinic, city mayor confirms, per LA Times, TheNextGenBusiness
• Guy Edward Bartkus, 25, identified as suspect in Palm Springs fertility clinic explosion, per KTLA 5, TheNextGenBusiness
• FBI labels Palm Springs car explosion “intentional act of terrorism,” k*lling one and damaging health facility, per KTLA 5, TheNextGenBusiness
• California Gov. Newsom scales back healthcare program for 1.6M undocumented immigrants, per FastCompany, TheNextGenBusiness
• Search continues for 13-year-old Mikee Macahia, missing since May 9 in Southern California, per KTLA 5, TheNextGenBusiness
• Three Southern California natives identified among seven k*lled in violent Yellowstone crash on May 1, per KTLA 5, TheNextGenBusiness
• 18-year-old arrested after fatal crash on Sauvie Island leaves one dead, per KOIN 6 News, TheNextGenBusiness
• Community mourns 13-year-old Liam Spahnle-Bailey, sht and klled while sleeping in Gresham, per KOIN 6 News, TheNextGenBusiness
• Police seek black Dodge Ram 4500 tow truck with no markings in ongoing investigation, per Arizona’s Family 3TV & CBS 5, TheNextGenBusiness
• Man hospitalized with suspected sh*t wound after domestic violence incident in Mesa, per FOX 10 Phoenix, TheNextGenBusiness
• Man and two children seriously injured in Phoenix crash, per Arizona’s Family 3TV & CBS 5, TheNextGenBusiness
• Kyler Murray hosts celebrity softball game in Arizona to raise charity funds, per FOX 10 Phoenix, TheNextGenBusiness
• Man found sh*t and seriously injured near Cinnabar Avenue in Phoenix, per FOX 10 Phoenix, TheNextGenBusiness
• Idaho police name six victims from China, Italy, and California k*lled in fiery tour van crash near Yellowstone, per KUTV2News, TheNextGenBusiness
• “Miracles happen,” says mother of teen saved by Johnette and faith, per FOX5 Las Vegas, TheNextGenBusiness
• 17-year-old fatally sh*t in Kearns High School parking lot during botched robbery, per KUTV2News, TheNextGenBusiness

International

• Russia unleashes 273 drones on Ukraine in a single night, the largest drone assault since the invasion began, per Euronews
• University students protesting Novi Sad train station tragedy gain unexpected allies, per Euronews
• Federal probe launched into Mexican navy ship’s collision with Brooklyn Bridge, which k*lled two crew members and broke three masts
• Bucharest’s centrist mayor, Nicusor Dan, poised to win Romania’s presidency, upsetting Trump-inspired hard-right rival with 54-55% of votes, per Reuters
• UK-EU talks on resetting relations reach critical stage, with fisheries and youth mobility unresolved before a key summit, per The Guardian
• VP JD Vance meets Zelensky in Rome, alongside Rubio, to push for a Ukraine war ceasefire, marking their first talks since a tense February meeting, per The Washington Post
• A 16-year-old boy dies and a 17-year-old is arrested after an incident on a Scottish beach in Irvine, per The Guardian
• Dublin Castle hosts memorial for 90 fallen Garda members, including Kevin Flatley, k*lled on duty last weekend, per RTE News, TheNextGenBusiness
• President Trump plans to discuss ending the Ukraine conflict with Vladimir Putin to stop soldier deaths, per Fox News, TheNextGenBusiness
• A 25-year-old groom dies of a heart attack moments after tying the ‘mangalsutra’ during his wedding ceremony, per NDTV, TheNextGenBusiness
• Ireland marks 51 years since the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, which k*lled 34 people, including an unborn baby, on May 17, 1974, per Virgin Media News Ireland, TheNextGenBusiness
• YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra among six arrested in Haryana and Punjab for allegedly sharing Indian military secrets with Pakistan, per NDTV, TheNextGenBusiness
• Ireland urges Israel to halt Gaza military operations and lift the blockade amid ongoing strikes, per Virgin Media News Ireland, TheNextGenBusiness
• An air ambulance crash-lands in Kedarnath, captured on video, per NDTV, TheNextGenBusiness
• Paranoia rises as people demand email, DM, or timestamped selfies to verify identity, per Wired, TheNextGenBusiness
• 1967 Outer Space Treaty’s vague terms fuel a modern lunar race, per FastCompany, TheNextGenBusiness
• Infants as young as 9 months show empathy, comforting adults in pain, per NewScientist, TheNextGenBusiness
• Passing stars could disrupt planetary orbits, flinging them into the sun or space, per NewScientist, TheNextGenBusiness
• Job satisfaction often comes from purpose, not high pay or prestige, per NewScientist, TheNextGenBusiness
• Amazon reportedly invites new users to Alexa Plus to boost adoption, per Verge, TheNextGenBusiness
• A Mexican Navy ship’s fatal crash into the Brooklyn Bridge, caused by a mechanical failure, k*lls two and injures 22, per NBC News
• New Jersey fireman allegedly reveals wife’s infidelity during a family birthday event, per NY Post, TheNextGenBusiness
• Walton Goggins’ wife addresses rumors of his alleged affair with ‘White Lotus’ co-star Aimee Lou Wood, per NY Post, TheNextGenBusiness
• Texas lawmakers propose harsh penalties for local governments failing to post campaign finance reports online, following a probe revealing 35 school districts’ missing filings, per ProPublica
• Border Patrol seizes $930,000 in c*caine hidden in vehicle at Del Rio Port of Entry, per KUTV2News, TheNextGenBusiness
• A divisive Texas Senate primary could jeopardize GOP efforts to maintain their Senate majority, per The Hill, TheNextGenBusiness