🗞️State Department layoffs

July 11th, 2025

What happened today 🇺🇸,

• The State Department is laying off more than 1,300 employees, including 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers, as part of a reorganization plan under Secretary of State Rubio and President Trump, this move comes after the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump Administration could move forward with mass federal workforce reductions

• Secretary of State Rubio met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Malaysia on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum, Rubio described the meeting as "constructive" emphasizing the importance of keeping communication channels open and exploring areas for cooperation while managing differences…Rubio indicated there is a "high probability" of a meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year

• Metadata shows that the Justice Department’s “full raw”Jeffrey Epstein prison video was likely modified, but there is no evidence it was deceptively modified

• FBI deputy director, Dan Bongino, took the day off from work and is reportedly considering resigning after clashing with AG Pam Bondi over their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files

• The Trump administration has warned that U.S. blackouts could double by 2030 due to increased power demand driven by AI and coal plant closures

• Late last night, President Trump announced 35% tariffs on all Canadian imports, effective August 1st saying the reason is because of trade imbalances, Canada’s digital tax, and the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.

• The U.S. Director of Federal Housing Finance Agency, William Pulte, released a statement saying that Federal Reserve Chair Powell is considering resigning

• Walmart is recalling approximately 850,000 Ozark Trail 64-ounce stainless steel water bottles due to a serious safety hazard where the lid can forcefully eject when opened, causing impact injuries…the Consumer Product Safety Commission reported two incidents of lids striking consumers in the face, with two cases resulting in permanent vision loss

• The median pay for CTOs at public companies rose 30.81% in 2024 from the previous year to about $2.4 million, per WSJ

• For a third day in a row, Bitcoin has hit an all-time high going above $118,500

• DOW down .63% / S&P down .33%

Bonus: A look at which counties invest the most in America

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