Culture Brief - Christian perspectives on the week's biggest news, sports & pop-culture stories Big Beautiful Bill, SCOTUS reshapes power, Diddy trial update & a July 4th poem | Ep. 26
On this episode of Culture Brief, we break down the headlines shaping your world—from politics to pop culture—with thoughtful, Christian insight. We unpack Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” the latest SCOTUS rulings, and why everyone suddenly has opinions about Chili’s. Plus: the Diddy verdict, UPenn’s apology to its female swimmers, Meta’s newest AI strategy, and a Fourth of July poem that’ll actually make you pause. It’s sharp, fast-moving, and grounded in truth—don’t miss it.
Topics
- (00:43): The Big Beautiful Bill
- (02:09): Senate's role and key players
- (06:10): Key provisions and impacts of the Bill
- (14:12): Spiritual Reflections on Political Decisions
- (17:05): Supreme Court decisions
- (23:33): Medicaid and Planned Parenthood funding
- (25:59): Free Speech Coalition vs. Paxton
- (29:57): Spiritual application and challenge
- (33:23): Listener mailbag: casual dining debate
- (36:30): Recent news highlights
- (40:21): 4th of July and American pride
Resources
- Mailbag: culturebrief@denisonforum.org
- Culture Brief Instagram
- DenisonForum.org/subscribe
- What Senate passage of “Big Beautiful Bill” says about the US
- US Senate advances “Big Beautiful Bill”
- Axios: Wall Street is post-tariff
- A List of Nearly Everything in the Senate G.O.P. Bill, and How Much It Would Cost or Save
- Thom Tillis denounces GOP megabill's Medicaid cuts in fiery speech - Live Updates - POLITICO
- Senate passes Trump tax breaks and spending cuts bill | AP News
- Here's what's in the Senate's version of the 'big, beautiful bill'
- Tangle: Fact vs. freakout on the SCOTUS universal injunctions ruling.
- SCOTUSblog
- Supreme Court enables states to defund Planned Parenthood
- Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Threatens Planned Parenthood Funds | TIME
- Supreme Court upholds age verification for pornography sites
About Micah Tomasella
Micah Tomasella is the Senior Advancement Officer at Denison Ministries and co-hosts Denison Forum's "Culture Brief" podcast. A graduate of Dallas Baptist University, Micah is married to Emily, and together they are the proud parents of two daughters. With an extensive background in nonprofit work, finance, and real estate, Micah also brings experience from his years in pastoral church ministry.
About Conner Jones
Conner Jones is the Director of Performance Marketing at Denison Ministries and Co-Hosts Denison Forum's "Culture Brief" podcast. He graduated from Dallas Baptist University in 2019 with a degree in Business Management. Conner passionately follows politics, sports, pop-culture, entertainment, and current events. He enjoys fishing, movie-going, and traveling the world with his wife and son.
About Denison Forum
Denison Forum exists to thoughtfully engage the issues of the day from a biblical perspective through The Daily Article email newsletter and podcast, The Denison Forum Podcast, as well as many books and additional resources.