Monday morning news: July 7, 2025

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Texas flooding » The death toll from flash floods that raged through central Texas has risen to 78 after crews found more bodies.

Authorities say many more remain missing, including 10 girls from a summer camp wiped out by the flooding on Friday.

Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha:

LEITHA:  We extend our sincerest condolences and prayers for every single family affected by this tragedy  and we continue to work around the clock and reunite these families.

He said rescue crews will continue to search until everyone is found. And Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick added:

PATRICK:  We are not giving up on a miracle happening because they've happened in the past. We know that people can be found down river, uh, days later.

The destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet on the river in only 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles.

Gov. Greg Abbott has declared an emergency in several counties. And President Trump has declared a major disaster for Kerr County, activating federal assistance.

And flash flood watches remained in effect earlier this morning.

Tropical storm » Meantime, in the Southeast, Tropical Storm Chantal slammed South Carolina Sunday with heavy rain and sustained winds around 50 miles per hour.

Meteorologist Adam McWilliams said as of last night, the storm had weakened:

MCWILLIAMS:  Down to a tropical depression near the Florence area, and then a remnant low as it moves through parts of, uh, North Carolina.

As of last night, there were no reports of any deaths related to this storm. But it has raised concerns about flash flooding in North Carolina, as forecasters predicted up to 6 inches of rain in parts of the state through today.

Authorities are urging residents to avoid flooded roads and heed road-closure signs.

Big beautiful bill reactions » In Washington, Republicans and Democrats continue to clash over what President Trump called his “one big beautiful bill.” That is, of course, now law after the president signed it on Independence Day at the White House picnic.

But Democratic Congressman Tom Souzzi says it’s nothing to celebrate.

SOUZZI:  I describe it as the big ugly bill, not the big beautiful bill. Uh, it's gonna do a lot of things that are gonna hurt a lot of people in our country.

Democrats say the law will take away healthcare from many Americans, kicking them off Medicaid. Republicans insist that spending cuts are focused on eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse—and won’t affect benefits for those rightly receiving them.

Some critics of the bill also pointed to a projection from the Congressional Budget Office ... estimating that it would pile onto the national debt. But top White House economic adviser Stephen Miran argues that those predictions aren’t accounting for the economic growth that he says the law will generate.

MIRAN:  You're gonna get more people investing in factories as a result of these tax benefits. More investment means more income. More income means more tax revenue, and as a result, deficits go down.

Both the House and Senate narrowly passed the bill last week, largely down party lines. It will, among other things, lock in tax cuts passed during President Trump’s first term.

Immigration enforcement » The bill also includes more funding for border security. And Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin says, the Trump administration actually agrees with the top Democrat in the House about one thing the new law will do.

MCLAUGHLIN:  Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader, saying that if they passed the big beautiful bill, it would allow us to unleash a deportation machine on steroids, and he's absolutely correct. We will do just that.

Of course, there’s a difference of opinion across the aisle about whether that’s a good thing.

GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin says the law also provides funding to help finish the border wall.

MULLIN:  Last time that President Trump started the wall, obviously you saw the Biden administration come in and just [wreak] havoc on it and sell the material at pennies on the dollar. So the first thing we're doing is we're actually putting this into law.

During Trump’s first term, the president declared a national emergency at the border, and then reallocated existing funds to build the wall.

But the new law directly funds the wall to the tune about $47 billion dollars.

Biden mental fitness probe » Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are expected to grill former President Joe Biden’s White House doctor, Kevin O’Connor, this week.

It’s part of a probe into Biden's mental fitness during his time in office. Committee Chairman James Comer said Sunday:

COMER:  we have a lot of questions about the health reports that he would issue to the American people about Joe Biden that I don't think anyone in America … believes that Joe Biden was anywhere near as healthy as Dr. O'Connor would continuously publish.

The committee subpoenaed O’Connor, after he declined a request to appear for questioning. He’s now set to testify on Wednesday.

Republicans say the probe is digging into whether former White House officials covered up Biden’s cognitive decline, and whether anyone other than the president was making presidential decisions.

The panel has planned to question nearly a dozen former White House officials or aides.

Democrats call the probe political theater and a waste of time.

Ukraine latest » Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced deals with Western partners to boost production of military drones. Kyiv has increasingly relied on drones to counter Russia's offensives. Zelenskyy said he talked with President Trump about that in a phone call over the weekend:

ZELENSKYY: (Ukrainian)

He said they discussed—quote—“air defense issues, adding, “I’m grateful for the willingness to help.”

Zelenskyy said his latest phone call with Trump was the most productive yet.

And President Trump for his part, seemingly signaled a commitment to get more Patriot missiles to Ukraine, telling reporters:

TRUMP: Well, they need them for defense. I don’t want to see people killed, and they’re going to need them for defense. They are amazingly effective.

The Pentagon recently paused shipments of certain weapons and munitions to Ukraine, saying stockpiles were thinning out for domestic defense.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: an update on the county clerk who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses. 

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