Americans dodged a big tax hike when Congress passed the "big, beautiful bill," making permanent the tax cuts of President Trump's first term — and adding on a bunch more.
Why it matters: Tax cuts free up money for folks to spend on other things — which could be dearly needed next year as wages still haven't caught up with inflation and tariffs threaten to push costs up further.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was all over TV on Sunday with a consistent message: Don't expect new U.S energy sanctions against Russia anytime soon, but never say never.
Why it matters: Fresh penalties could raise oil prices while putting new pressure on Russia's massive fossil fuel export revenue.
The Trump administration is undermining — or has stopped collecting — key, once-nonpartisan data that kept the public informed about the state of the nation.
Why it matters: From Congress to city halls to boardrooms, critical decisions rely on accurate government data and public trust in that data. Without it, leaders risk making costly mistakes that could affect millions.
Editor's note: Read the latest on Hurricane Erin here.
Major Hurricane Erin's outer bands were lashing Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands with heavy rains, as officials in the North Carolina Outer Banks declared a state of emergency Sunday.
The big picture: The U.S. was expected to avoid a direct hit, but Dare County made the emergency declaration and issued a mandatory evacuation order for Hatteras Island for Monday onwards due to the storm's expected "life-threatening impacts."
