Health Tracking App, Housing Bill, & Pizza High

News without the noise

Adam Rogers
July 31, 2025

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The Trump administration is launching an initiative for Americans to upload personal medical records to private tech apps run by Google, Amazon, and 60+ companies. Officials say the program will improve healthcare outcomes by giving both patients and doctors better access to medical information.
The opt-in system allows patients to share medical records, including lab results, doctor visits, and treatment histories with participating apps. Apps can then provide personalized health recommendations to patients while doctors get a complete view of patient health. It is scheduled to launch early next year.
Digital privacy advocates warn it creates opportunities for government surveillance and corporate monetization of personal health data, concerns highlighted by CMS sharing its database of 140 million patients with deportation officials earlier this month.

The Senate Banking Committee unanimously advanced a housing bill to boost home supply nationwide. The ROAD to Housing Act authorizes $1 billion over five years and focuses on cutting zoning and building red tape. The bipartisan effort was led by Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Republican Sen. Tim Scott to address the housing crisis.
The bill directs HUD to create zoning guidelines encouraging construction and establishes a pilot program offering grants and loans to low-income homeowners. It streamlines environmental reviews and creates an "innovation fund" for communities developing new housing approaches.
The legislation is designed to address a severe affordability crisis where 75% of US households cannot afford a median-priced new home of $460,000, according to 2025 NAHB data. Home prices have risen 52% since 2019 while wages grew only 30%, requiring an income of nearly $92,000 to afford a typical house.

President Trump announced 25% tariffs on Indian goods starting August 1. He cited India's high tariffs on US goods and purchases of Russian energy and weapons during the Ukraine war. Trump called India a "tariff king" despite describing it as a friend.
The tariffs target a $45.8 billion trade deficit, meaning the US imports far more from India than it exports there in their $190 billion trade relationship. Agriculture access remains the key sticking point, with the US wanting to sell more farm products to India's massive market while India protects millions of small farmers from foreign competition.
India remains "optimistic" about striking an agreement despite the disputes. Both countries have set a target to more than double bilateral trade to $500 billion. India has already reduced tariffs on bourbon whiskey and motorcycles.
Later, President Trump announced a trade deal with South Korea that sets 15% tariffs on its exports, down from the 25% he previously threatened in his "tariff letter" earlier this month.

Kamala Harris ruled out running for California governor after "serious thought," saying she'll help elect Democrats nationwide while keeping presidential ambitions open for the future. (More)

Texas Republicans released a congressional map that targets five new seats by redrawing districts held by Latino Democrats Cuellar and Gonzalez. (More)

A man and two children under 12 were killed in an explosion at a Nebraska biofuels plant Tuesday. Crews are still battling fires as they work to recover the victims. (More)

Arab League members called for Hamas to disarm and transfer Gaza control to the Palestinian Authority at a UN conference outlining steps toward Middle East peace. (More)

The EU will launch its biometric border system on October 12, requiring non-EU travelers to provide fingerprints or facial scans instead of passport stamps. (More)

An 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia prompted tsunami evacuations across Japan, Chile, Colombia, and Hawaii, but waves caused limited damage despite being one of the strongest quakes ever recorded. (More)

US stock markets closed mixed on Wednesday (S&P -0.12%, Nasdaq +0.15%, Dow -0.38%). The S&P and Dow finished lower after Fed Chairman Powell said the central bank isn’t ready to cut rates. (More)

Palo Alto Networks will acquire Israeli identity security firm CyberArk for $25 billion in cash and stock, sending Palo Alto shares down 5% on the news. (More)

US economic growth surged to 3% in the second quarter, reversing a first-quarter decline as consumer spending recovered and imports fell sharply amid tariff uncertainty. (More)

ESPN parted ways with Hall of Fame broadcaster Shannon Sharpe after he settled a $50 million sexual assault lawsuit. (More)

The NBA will play two 2025–26 regular-season games in Berlin and London. The league is also exploring a potential Europe-based league. (More)

German biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier, who won two gold medals at the 2018 Olympics, died in a mountaineering accident in Pakistan's Karakoram range at age 31. (More)

Federal health officials want to ban 7-hydroxymitragynine, an opioid ingredient in energy drinks sold at gas stations that's "more potent than morphine" and linked to overdoses. (More)

YouTube will use AI to estimate US users' ages for appropriate content filtering, responding to Australia's under-16 ban and UK age verification laws. (More)

NASA and India launched the $1.5 billion NISAR satellite using the most sophisticated radar ever built to detect Earth changes for disaster prediction. (More)

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