Robinhood shares soar as new crypto stock tokens open doors to overseas investors

 The stock tokens give E.U. investors exposure to hundreds of U.S. stocks, as well as to private companies SpaceX and OpenAI

Robinhood Markets Inc. shares soared into record territory Monday, lifted by the financial-services platform's launch of U.S. stock and ETF tokens for customers in the European Union.

Robinhood (HOOD) said that European customers will now have access to more than 200 U.S. stock and ETF tokens, which include tech heavyweights Nvidia Corp. (NVDA), Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), Apple Inc. (AAPL) and e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN). Stock tokens for private companies SpaceX and OpenAI are also available.

The stock ended Monday's session up 12.8% to hit an 11th record-high close for the month. It ran up 41.5% in June - its best month since the 59.8% rally seen last November - after climbing 34.7% in May.

Speaking during a launch event, Robinhood Chief Executive Vlad Tenev said that Robinhood is giving E.U. customers "exposure to two of the most valuable private companies in the world right now."

"As long as you're a Robinhood E.U. customer, you'll be able to claim what we believe are the world's first OpenAI and SpaceX private-stock tokens on a decentralized blockchain," he added.

IPO spinoff talk continues to swirl around Starlink, the SpaceX-owned satellite-internet constellation, following comments from CEO Elon Musk. Musk was asked about the possibility of a public listing for SpaceX or Starlink during a wide-ranging Bloomberg interview last month, and said that Starlink may go public at some point in the future. "I'm in no rush to go public," he added.

Earlier this month, Cathie Wood's Ark Invest said that SpaceX has an expected enterprise value of $2.5 trillion by 2030.

ChatGPT maker OpenAI, the darling of the artificial-intelligence revolution, raised money at a $300 billion valuation earlier this year.

There are zero commissions or added spreads from Robinhood on the tokenized stocks, but the company said that other fees may apply.

The stock tokens will initially be issued on Arbitrum cryptocurrency technology, although they will eventually be issued on Robinhood's own blockchain.

Robinhood, like Coinbase Global Inc. (COIN) and Strategy Inc. (MSTR), is seen as a beneficiary of a crypto-friendly Trump administration - although bitcoin (BTCUSD) fell during President Trump's first 100 days in office this year.

https://www.morningstar.com/news/marketwatch/20250630263/robinhood-shares-soar-as-new-crypto-stock-tokens-open-doors-to-overseas-investors

Fresenius Medical Care Expands Access in Mexico

Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE:FMS), the global leader in renal disease products and services, has expanded its High-Volume Hemodiafiltration (HighVolumeHDF) therapy in Mexico through a partnership with CCINSHAE. The two-year contract includes installing 150 Fresenius Medical Care 5008S CorDiax systems across seven CCINSHAE centers in Mexico City.

The program now treats 240 new uninsured CCINSHAE patients and 410 regular insured patients. Clinical studies, including the CONVINCE Trial, showed HighVolumeHDF therapy reduces all-cause mortality by 23% compared to standard high-flux hemodialysis. Following FDA clearance of its 5008X CAREsystem in May 2025, Fresenius plans to launch HighVolumeHDF in the U.S. market by 2026.

https://www.stocktitan.net/news/FMS/fresenius-medical-care-collaborates-with-coordination-of-national-0mt7f438brvm.html

Deputy head of Russian Navy killed by Ukraine in Kursk area, says Moscow

 Major General Mikhail Gudkov, deputy head of the Russian Navy and a former commander of a marine brigade fighting against Ukraine, has been killed in action, depriving Moscow of one of its most senior officers, the Russian military said on Thursday.

Gudkov, who was handed a top military honour in the Kremlin by Russian President Vladimir Putin in February, was killed on Wednesday "during combat work in one of the border districts of Kursk region," the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Unofficial Russian and Ukrainian military Telegram channels had earlier reported that Gudkov had been killed, along with other servicemen and officers, in a Ukrainian missile attack on a command post in Russia's Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, with a U.S.-made HIMARS missile.

Reuters could not independently verify how Gudkov, 42, lost his life.

In charge of the navy's coastal and land forces, including marine units, he is one of the most senior Russian military officers to have been killed since Moscow launched its full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022.

At least 10 other senior Russian commanders have been killed in action or assassinated by Kyiv since the start of the war.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine, which accused Gudkov and his subordinates of committing various war crimes, something Moscow denied.

In the far eastern port city of Vladivostok, the home base of Russia's Pacific Fleet, mourners left flowers near an outdoor portrait of Gudkov, part of a photo exhibition celebrating officers Russia regards as military heroes.

Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of the Primorsky region which includes the port, said in a statement that Gudkov, whom Putin appointed deputy commander-in-chief of the navy in March, had been killed "carrying out his duty as an officer" along with others, and expressed his condolences to the dead men's relatives.

Attached to his statement was a video showing him awarding Gudkov a military honour and images of Gudkov - set to a patriotic Russian song - on the battlefield.

"When he became deputy chief of the navy, he did not stop personally visiting the positions of our marines," Kozhemyako said on Telegram.

Before his promotion to the navy's top brass, Gudkov had led a marine brigade of Russia's Pacific Fleet, which had fought in Ukraine and had fought in Kursk too.

Parts of Kursk were seized by Ukrainian forces in a surprise offensive in August 2024 before Russia said earlier this year it had driven them out.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/deputy-head-russian-navy-killed-093205085.html

House Republicans advance Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ to a final vote

 Republicans in the House of Representatives advanced President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill toward a final yes-or-no vote early Thursday, appearing to overcome internal party divisions over its cost.

Following a day of closed-door meetings on Capitol Hill and at the White House, lawmakers cleared a final procedural hurdle needed to begin debate on the bill in a 219-213 vote around 3:30 a.m.

Lawmakers then reopened debate for a final vote that was expected around 5:30 a.m.

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The House voted 219-213 to move forward.Getty Images

An earlier procedural vote was held open for seven hours Wednesday, giving Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson time to convince holdouts to back the president’s signature bill.

Johnson (R-La.) had expressed optimism Wednesday night, saying lawmakers had a “long, productive day” discussing the issues.

After the vote, he praised Trump for making phone calls to the holdouts through the early hours of Thursday.

“There couldn’t be a more engaged and involved president,” Johnson told reporters.

The Senate passed the legislation, which nonpartisan analysts say will add $3.4 trillion to the nation’s $36.2 trillion in debt over the next decade, by the narrowest possible margin Tuesday after intense debate on the bill’s hefty price tag and $900 million in cuts to the Medicaid health care program for low-income Americans.

Democrats united in opposition

With a narrow 220-212 majority, Republicans can afford no more than three defections to get a final bill passed.

Democrats are united in opposition to the bill, saying that its tax breaks disproportionately benefit the wealthy while cutting services that lower- and middle-income Americans rely on.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson (center) walks back to his office, as Republican lawmakers struggle to pass President Trump’s sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill on July 3, 2025.REUTERS

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that almost 12 million people could lose health insurance as a result of the bill.

“This bill is catastrophic. It is not policy, it is punishment,” Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) said in debate on the House floor.

Republicans in Congress have struggled to stay united in recent years, but they also have not defied Trump since he returned to the White House in January.

Any changes made by the House would require another Senate vote, which would make it all but impossible to meet the July 4 deadline.

The legislation contains most of Trump’s top domestic priorities, from tax cuts to immigration enforcement.

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Lawmakers cleared a final procedural hurdle needed to begin debate on the bill around 3:30 a.m.AFP via Getty Images

The bill would extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, cut health and food safety net programs, fund Trump’s immigration crackdown, and zero out many green-energy incentives.

It also includes a $5 trillion increase in the nation’s debt ceiling, which lawmakers must address in the coming months or risk a devastating default.

The Medicaid cuts have also raised concerns among some Republicans, prompting the Senate to set aside more money for rural hospitals.

https://nypost.com/2025/07/03/us-news/house-republicans-advance-trumps-big-beautiful-bill-to-a-final-vote/

Schengen Shaken? Poland To Introduce Border Controls With Germany As Migration Crisis Grows

 Via Remix News,

Poland is set to reinstate temporary controls on its borders with both Germany and Lithuania, a decision that has already drawn a reaction from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the measure on Tuesday, stating: “We have decided that we are restoring temporary control on the border of Poland with Germany and Poland with Lithuania,” adding that the Polish Ministry of the Interior and Administration is currently preparing the necessary implementation of the law.\

He said the new border controls are designed to “limit and reduce the uncontrolled flow of migrants back and forth.”

Recently, a number of videos have displayed German police dumping migrants across the border, prompting Poles to set up citizen patrols at various border points. The situation remains volatile.

🇵🇱 Two days ago, 30 Poles stood at the Polish-German border at Lubieszyn vowing to tackle illegal immigration. Two were temporarily detained by German police.

They vowed to be back each day and that "soon there will be hundreds of us."

This was the scene this evening. pic.twitter.com/d2cekeH5Kw

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) June 27, 2025

In addition, Tusk’s main opposition, Poland’s Law and Justice party (PiS), continues to hit him hard over the issue.

​”Germany regularly transfers illegal migrants to our side. The state has abdicated, and chaos and impunity are growing day by day. Officers lack the tools to act. They have been left to fend for themselves. The cardboard state has failed once again. Ordinary people—citizens—are starting to organize to defend the border. And we will not leave them alone,” wrote PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński.

He added that “Parliamentarians and activists of Law and Justice will travel to the border. We will support those who fight for the safety of our families. We demand immediate action: a ban on entry to the territory of Poland for people from the Middle East and North Africa, and the restoration of random checks at the border with Germany. Poland’s security is non-negotiable.”

Niemcy regularnie przerzucają nielegalnych migrantów na naszą stronę. Państwo abdykowało, a chaos i bezkarność rosną z dnia na dzień.
Funkcjonariusze nie mają narzędzi, by działać. Zostali zostawieni sami sobie. Państwo z dykty zawiodło po raz kolejny. To zwykli ludzie –…

— Jarosław Kaczyński (@OficjalnyJK) June 30, 2025

Tusk revealed that he had engaged in multiple discussions with the German chancellor, conveying that “Poland’s patience in this matter is not unlimited,” particularly in light of altered practices that complicate determining the rightful return of individuals to Poland.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, commenting on the development on Tuesday, affirmed Germany’s “close cooperation with Poland in the field of border control.”

He further emphasized Germany’s commitment to preserving the Schengen Area, but underscored that “it is only able to function if it is not abused by criminals who smuggle migrants.”

🇵🇱🇩🇪"That’s how the f**king German police work."

Tensions are rising at German-Polish border crossings as German police are accused of dumping migrants on Polish territory.

However, many simply head right back into Germany. pic.twitter.com/JBFUFM9vI5

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) July 1, 2025

Notably, following Merz’s election victory, Germany set up various border control checkpoints across the country’s borders. In many cases, many of these migrants are being rejected at the border by German police. Poles apparently want them to keep moving onward into German territory, which is fueling tensions.

Meanwhile, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys, speaking at a press conference in Vilnius, disclosed that he had been informed by Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski on Monday evening of Poland’s intention to introduce increased controls on the Lithuanian-Polish border.

Budrys stressed the importance of assessing “the actual numbers, dynamics, number of detained illegal migrants in the territory of Lithuania and Poland. Some data we already have.”

He concluded by stating the need to establish effective measures that “will not violate our common interest in the free movement of people, and will also contribute to our pursuit of strong and hard protection of the external border of the European Union and NATO.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/schengen-shaken-poland-introduce-border-controls-germany-migration-crisis-grows#google_vignette

House Republicans Clear Critical Hurdle in Trump Tax Bill Debate

 House Republicans overcame a critical procedural hurdle to advance Donald Trump’s massive tax and spending package early Thursday, holding a key vote open for hours past midnight as the president and his allies worked to win them over.

The House finally voted 219-213 to essentially move toward a final vote on Trump’s “big beautiful bill,” which includes tax cuts Republicans campaigned on, a phase-out of Biden-era clean energy incentives and funding for the president’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

Debate began immediately on the legislation, setting up a potential final vote for later in the morning in Washington, ahead of Trump’s self-imposed July 4 deadline.

Even with the extended delay, the GOP’s ability to get past the procedural vote bodes well for final passage of Trump’s signature legislation. Speaker Mike Johnson — who repeatedly voiced optimism about the legislation even as the overnight hours ticked away — can only afford three defections in the tightly divided House.

“We have the votes,” Johnson told reporters just after 3 a.m. on Thursday. “We’re still going to meet the deadline.”

Despite Republicans controlling both the US House and Senate, Trump’s signature legislation ran into resistance from cost-conscious conservatives as well as swing-district moderates, who worry the measure cuts too deeply into Medicaid and other safety-net programs.

‘Costing You Votes’

The president voiced his frustration with the delay shortly after midnight Washington time, more than two and a half hours after the vote began.

“Largest Tax Cuts in History and a Booming Economy vs. Biggest Tax Increase in History, and a Failed Economy,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “What are the Republicans waiting for??? What are you trying to prove??? MAGA IS NOT HAPPY, AND IT’S COSTING YOU VOTES!!!”

In the end, Johnson lost just one Republican, Representative Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.

The House vote in question was on the rule governing debate for the underlying tax measure. Historically, those are routine, party-line votes. However, in a House closely divided they can also become a venue for opponents to flex their leverage and seek to win concessions.

As House leaders furiously cajoled the holdouts and rebels, Johnson vowed to keep pressing through the night.

“I’ll keep it open for as long as it takes to make sure we’ve got everybody here accounted for and all the questions answered,” Johnson said in an interview on Fox News.

Delivering the bill

Trump and Johnson had projected confidence ahead of the critical procedural vote.

“We had GREAT conversations all day, and the Republican House Majority is UNITED, for the Good of our Country, delivering the Biggest Tax Cuts in History and MASSIVE Growth,” the president said in a post on Truth Social.

Republican Representative Warren Davidson of Ohio, a fiscal conservative who voted against the initial House version of the legislation in May, eventually agreed to back the bill.

“This bill isn’t perfect, but it’s the best we’ll get,” Davidson said in a social media post before the vote.

A key issue for many reluctant Republicans is cost. The $3.4 trillion Senate bill adds more to the deficit than an earlier House version which clocked in at $2.8 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

‘Time to pass’

Any changes to the measure made to win over restive House Republicans would have forced the Senate to vote again on the bill, blowing Trump’s July 4 deadline, and adding weeks of potential delay to his flagship measure.

Instead of entertaining changes to the bill text itself, the White House instead explored with Republican lawmakers if their priorities could be addressed in other ways, such as by executive actions or in future legislation.

Trump repeatedly blasted Republican lawmakers resisting the legislation as “grandstanders” and threatened to oppose reelection of members who block his agenda.

“We are going to get this done. Trump is the best closer,” Representative Richard Hudson of North Carolina, one of the House’s vote-counting whips, said. “The White House has made it clear we are done negotiating. It’s time to pass the bill.”

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gop-resistance-softens-trump-presses-231414410.html