Man Killed After Firing at U.S. Border Patrol Station in Texas

Reuters   A 27-year-old Michigan man was shot dead by police after opening fire with an assault rifle on a U.S. Border Patrol station in the southern Texas city of McAllen on Monday, local police said. Ryan Louis Mosqueda fired dozens of rounds at the entrance of the facility shortly before 6 a.m. and U.S. Border Patrol agents returned fire, McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez told reporters. A McAllen police officer was shot in the knee during the exchange of fire and was taken to hospital, Rodriguez said. READ THE FULL STORY             

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Docs Sue RFK Jr. over COVID Vax Policy Changes

Axios   The American Academy of Pediatrics and other physician groups on Monday sued HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for unilaterally changing federal COVID vaccine recommendations, saying the move undercut some patients’ right to get the shots. The lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts charges that Kennedy’s revised vaccine policies have already caused confusion, and seeks a freeze of Kennedy’s May directive to remove COVID vaccine from immunization schedules for healthy kids and pregnant women. The medical associations claim Kennedy’s directive to change COVID vaccine recommendations violates federal administrative law. READ THE FULL STORY               

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Germany Begins Process to Restart Deportations to Syria, Starting with Criminals

Breitbart   The German government has begun the process of lifting the protection status for some Syrian refugees with the aim of returning them to their homeland now that the civil war has ended. Germany has long been one of the top destinations for Syrian asylum seekers after civil war broke out in 2011. This was ramped up during the 2015 Europe Migrant Crisis when then-Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the gates of the EU, allowing in around a million migrants into Germany, including hundreds of thousands of Syrians. Now, with the fall of the Assad regime in Damascus and the recent election of Christian Democrat Friedrich Merz in Berlin, Germany finally appears set to begin the process of returning at least some Syrians home. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Commentary: Remembering the Real Revolution of July Fourth

by Patrick Garry   The words are engrained in our national consciousness: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are … endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These inspirational and linguistically beautiful words of the Declaration of Independence justified the American colonies’ break from England. But they did more than that. They explained to the world and to history that natural rights formed the basis of civil law and government. This was the truly revolutionary aspect of that document signed on July 4, 1776. After the Declaration, the world was never the same. The legacy of natural rights meant that law and government would no longer legitimately flow from the whims of a monarch. Tyrants would no longer carry any moral authority. Human dignity would transcend the interests of the empire. The Declaration and its natural law foundations vaulted the human world into a new orbit of political philosophy, where deprivations of individual dignity could not be convincingly justified by the self-interests of a ruling elite. The Declaration led to a political and legal system that in turn gave birth to a flourishing of…

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Commentary: We Must Protect Online Freedom of Speech at All Costs

kid on computer

Proposed child online safety legislation poses a grave threat to our most fundamental rights, and above all, free speech. However well-intentioned, such proposals are in clear violation of the First Amendment and promise to cast unprecedented chilling effects on all online discourse. As important as it is to protect children online, we’re not allowed to violate the Constitution to do so, and for child online safety proposals to succeed, they must successfully navigate around this hurdle. Sadly, existing proposals crash into our Constitutional rights head on.

The First Amendment is abundantly and explicitly clear on this point: “Congress shall make no law . . . “abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press. . .” This includes online discourse and extends to both individual users, including those under the age of 18, and the platforms which host online content. These groups have first amendment rights—namely to access and engage with speech online, and to choose which content to host on their platforms, no different from the editorial discretion protected as part of freedom of the press.

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Top FDA Official Rejects COVID-19 Vaccines, Citing Unknown Risks

Washington Examiner    The Food and Drug Administration’s chief medical and scientific officer, Dr. Vinay Prasad, rejected two COVID-19 vaccines in May due to unknown risks despite experts’ confidence that they were safe, documents revealed. While both the Novavax vaccine and the newest generation of the mRNA Moderna vaccines had been signed off on by about 30 FDA vaccine officials, Prasad ended up writing overrides for each, restricting their use. Prasad argued that the threat of COVID-19 had decreased, changing the cost-benefit weight of receiving such a vaccine. “Even rare vaccination-related harms, both known and unknown, now have a higher chance of outweighing potential benefits in non-high-risk populations,” Prasad said in the Novavax override memo.  READ THE FULL STORY               

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FBI Makes ‘Largest Takedown’ of Anti-Tren Gang Members in Texas Roundup

Breitbart   A joint task force of federal, state, and local law enforcement officials led to the arrest of 16 members of the Venezuelan “Anti-Tren” gang, a spinoff faction of the Tren de Aragua foreign terrorist organization. Officials called it the “largest takedown of suspected Anti-Tren members and associates by the FBI, so far.” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Nicholas J. Ganjei wrote, “The Southern District’s twin priorities are securing our border and the eradication of violent crime. This case implicates both.” In an announcement on Monday, Ganjei said law enforcement officers with the FBI Houston Field Office, DEA, U.S. Marshals, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, Texas Department of Public Safety, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, and the Houston Police Department teamed up to arrest 16 members of the Anti-Tren gang. He said the charges, which include drug trafficking and weapons offenses, were filed against former members and associates of Tren de Aragua (TdA). READ THE FULL STORY                 

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FBI Announces Move to New D.C. Headquarters

CBS News   The Federal Bureau of Investigation has selected a new headquarters building in Washington, D.C., after nearly two decades of failed attempts to find a permanent new space, the Bureau announced on Tuesday. The FBI has been headquartered in downtown D.C. at the J. Edgar Hoover building since 1975 but structural problems have plagued the building for the last 20 years, leading to redevelopment and relocation projects that until Thursday had not successfully been resolved. “This is a historic moment for the FBI,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement, adding he is “ushering FBI Headquarters into a new era and providing our agents of justice a safer place to work.” READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Trump Says Daughter-in-Law, Lara Trump, Is His ‘First Choice’ to Run for North Carolina Senate Seat

Washington Examiner   President Donald Trump all but endorsed his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, on Tuesday to run for North Carolina’s open Senate seat in 2026. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), fresh off a public clash with Trump surrounding the president’s gargantuan tax and spending legislation, announced over the weekend that he will not seek reelection in 2026. Trump, who traveled to Ochopee, Florida, on Tuesday morning to visit the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention facility, briefly addressed the race when asked on the return flight to Washington who he wants to be the Republican nominee. Trump previously vowed to back a primary challenger to Tillis before the latter announced he would not seek reelection next year. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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American Pride Plummets to New Low

Axios   Ahead of the Fourth of July, a record-low share of U.S. adults — 58% — say they are “extremely” or “very” proud to be an American, according to recent Gallup polling. That’s down 9 percentage points from last year and 5 points below the previous low from 2020. That fall is largely driven by Democrats’ and Independents’ national pride sharply cratering in the first year of the Trump 2.0 era. READ THE FULL STORY               

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Trump Says He’s ‘Terminating All Discussions on Trade with Canada, Effective Immediately’

CBS News   President Trump says he’s “terminating all discussions on trade with Canada, effective immediately,” after Canada announced a digital services tax on large foreign and domestic technology companies.  Posting on Truth Social Friday afternoon, the president said the U.S. will let Canada know what their tariff rate will be in the next week. The trade talks blowup comes only a week after the president met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the Group of Seven economic summit in Alberta.  “We have just been informed that Canada, a very difficult Country to TRADE with, including the fact that they have charged our Farmers as much as 400% Tariffs, for years, on Dairy Products, has just announced that they are putting a Digital Services Tax on our American Technology Companies, which is a direct and blatant attack on our Country,” the president wrote. “They are obviously copying the European Union, which has done the same thing, and is currently under discussion with us, also. Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately.” READ THE FULL STORY               

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Gavin Newsom Sues Fox News for $787 Million, Claiming Network Defamed Him over L.A. Riots

Breitbart   California Governor Gavin Newsom is suing Fox News for $787 million over its “deceptive editing” of a call he had with the president during the Los Angeles immigration riot. The Newsom suit, filed Friday and reported by a variety of news outlets, charges that prime time host Jesse Watters claimed the governor lied about his phone calls with President Trump, who ordered National Guard troops to Los Angeles earlier this month. Historically, politicians and lawmakers have avoided suing news outlets as the bar for winning is a high one and most consider unflattering or inaccurate coverage the cost of doing business in the political arena. But that didn’t deter the the media-conscious governor whom many expect to run for president in 2028. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Ex-Biden Aide Neera Tanden Tells Oversight Committee She Was Authorized to Use Autopen

Washington Examiner   A top former aide to former President Joe Biden testified behind closed doors Tuesday for more than four hours as part of the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into his mental fitness to serve and his White House’s use of an autopen, confirming she was authorized to use the automatic signature device while pushing back on concerns about alleged manipulation or malfeasance. Neera Tanden, who served as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, explained in her opening remarks Tuesday that she was given authority to wield the autopen. She said she “was responsible for handling the flow of documents to and from the president” and was authorized to direct autopen use from October 2021 to May 2023 when she was serving as staff secretary and senior adviser to Biden. Tanden entered the committee’s Capitol Hill office building at 9:46 a.m. and did not respond to questions from reporters. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Poll: Majority Say It Should Be ‘Illegal’ for Americans to Prevent ICE from Doing Its Job

Breitbart   A majority believe it should be “illegal” for Americans to prevent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from doing its job, a recent survey from the Economist/YouGov found. The survey asked respondents, “Do you think it should be legal or illegal for Americans to attempt to prevent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from doing its job?” Across the board, most, 52 percent, believe it should be illegal for Americans to attempt to prevent ICE from doing its job. Another 24 percent said they believe it should be legal, and 24 percent remain unsure. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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The Fed Sees Biggest Divide over Rate Cuts in Years

Axios   Two President Trump-appointed Fed officials favor interest rate cuts as soon as next month. Seven of their colleagues don’t envision cutting rates this year at all. It amounts to the biggest divide over the proper course for policy in years, one with delicate political optics as the Trump administration and some Republican lawmakers beat the drum for lower rates. The tension boils down to whether the Fed should hold back from adjusting policy, despite falling inflation in backward-looking data, because of the inflation risks ahead due to tariffs. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Commentary: A Pro-Children Victory Worth Celebrating

AG Skrmetti

This week, Tennessee struck a resounding blow for conservative values and the protection of our children, leading the nation again thanks to the unwavering resolve of Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, House Majority Leader William Lamberth, and Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti. The U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling in United States v. Skrmetti, upholding Tennessee’s Senate Bill 1, is a triumph against the radical left’s agenda to push experimental gender-transition procedures on vulnerable minors. As a proud member of the Williamson County Conservatives, I salute these Republican leaders for defending our children, our families, and our state’s sovereignty from the clutches of woke ideology.

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Florida Officials Ask Supreme Court to Allow the State to Enforce Strict New Immigration Law

CBS News   Florida officials asked the Supreme Court on Monday to allow the state to enforce a new immigration law that makes it a crime for people in the United States unlawfully to enter Florida.  In an emergency appeal to the high court, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier asked the justices to put on hold a federal judge’s decision preventing law enforcement officers from enforcing the new law, known as SB 4-C. The judge, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, ruled that the measure is likely unconstitutional. A federal appeals court in Atlanta declined to halt Williams’ order and is allowing the law to take effect while legal proceedings continue. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Mike Johnson Opposes Bipartisan War Powers Resolution to Authorize Trump’s Iran Strikes

The Hill   Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday came out against a bipartisan war powers resolution to prevent U.S. intervention in Iran, a show of support for President Trump as dozens of lawmakers question the weekend strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a libertarian and progressive pair, introduced a war powers resolution last week that would direct Trump to “terminate the use” of U.S. armed forces from Iran unless Congress authorizes such involvement. Massie said Monday the effort has 57 cosponsors, and he vowed to bring a vote on the legislation.   Asked Monday if he would allow the bipartisan measure to come to the floor for a vote, Johnson demurred, suggesting it was a political endeavor, and noted presidents in both parties had authorized military strikes without congressional approval. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Report: Los Angeles Rioters Helped Illegal Alien Escape from ICE Custody

Breitbart   A mob of rioters in the sanctuary city of Los Angeles, California, reportedly helped an illegal alien break out of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and fled with him, a new report reveals. The report from the Manhattan Institute’s Heather Mac Donald, published in the Wall Street Journal, details the extent to which California’s sanctuary state policy enabled the anti-ICE riots that occurred earlier this month while ensuring activists could assist illegal aliens in committing jailbreak. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Trump Team Discusses Potential Iran Strike in Crucial Situation Room Meeting

Axios   President Trump met with his national security team in the White House Situation Room for around one hour and 20 minutes on Tuesday to make decisions about U.S. policy towards the war between Israel and Iran. Ahead of the meeting, three U.S. officials said Trump was seriously considering joining the war and launching a U.S. strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, especially its underground uranium enrichment facility in Fordow. Trump returned early from the G7 summit to focus on Iran, telling reporters on Air Force One overnight that he wasn’t interested in a “ceasefire” but a “real end” to the war and to Iran’s nuclear program. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Brad Lander, NYC Comptroller and Mayoral Candidate, Arrested and Released by ICE Agents

CBS News   New York City Comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested Tuesday by masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at federal immigration court in Lower Manhattan.  A U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Lander was arrested for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer.  Lander was released several hours later. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said charges against him have been dropped.  READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Massie, Democrats Move to Block U.S. Strikes on Iran

Politico   Rep. Thomas Massie said Tuesday he has filed a House resolution seeking to block U.S. involvement in the burgeoning conflict between Iran and Israel. Announcing the move on X, the Kentucky Republican said he is being joined by a coterie of Democratic co-sponsors led by Rep. Ro Khanna of California. The measure, filed pursuant to the War Powers Resolution of 1973, would block President Donald Trump from engaging in “unauthorized hostilities” with Iran. “This is not our war. Even if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution,” Massie wrote, posting a copy of the resolution. READ THE FULL STORY               

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Trump on U.S. Military Involvement in Israel-Iran: ‘I Don’t Want to Talk About That’

The Hill   President Trump sidestepped a question Monday on what it would take for the U.S. military to get involved in the escalating military strikes between Israel and Iran. “I don’t want to talk about that,” he told reporters on his first day of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Alberta, alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.   Israel and Iran exchanged strikes for the fourth consecutive day Monday. Iran fired a missile attack that killed at least eight people, and Israel warned people to evacuate Tehran because it achieved air superiority over the Iranian capital, The Associated Press reported. READ THE FULL STORY 

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UK Gov’t Admits ‘Clear Evidence’ of Tie Between Pakistanis and Child Rape Grooming Gangs

Breitbart   Longstanding efforts by the legacy media and the political establishment to downplay the issue of ethnicity in the child rape grooming gang scandal have been overturned by a public inquiry from Baroness Casey of Blackstock, which found a direct tie between Pakistani men and the abuse of mostly young working class white girls. A report from Dame Louise Casey has explicitly linked the grooming gang scourge to Pakistani-heritage men, whose crimes were “institutionally ignored for fear of racism”. The review also called for police in England to improve the collection of ethnicity data in child sexual exploitation cases. Unveiling the findings of the report in the House of Commons on Monday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the audit “identified clear evidence of over-representation among suspects of Asian and Pakistani-heritage men”, The Times of London reported. She further said that the report highlighted “examples of organisations avoiding the topic altogether for fear of appearing racist or raising community tensions.” READ THE FULL STORY                       

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Tim Kaine to Force Senate Vote on Trump Authority to Attack Iran

Washington Examiner   The Senate will vote on the United States’s involvement in Israeli operations against Iran, with a new Democratic-led resolution attempting to bar President Donald Trump from joining the conflict without the approval of Congress. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced a resolution Monday that requires congressional debate and a vote before the U.S. takes any offensive measures against Iran. Trump has so far provided defensive support to Israel, which launched military strikes against Iranian nuclear sites on Thursday, but the president said Sunday that the U.S. could get more “involved.” “It is not in our national security interest to get into a war with Iran unless that war is absolutely necessary to defend the United States,” Kaine said in a statement. “I am deeply concerned that the recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran could quickly pull the United States into another endless conflict.” READ THE FULL STORY     

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Commentary: Don’t Let Swamp Lobbyists Stop Trump’s Trade Agenda

Donald Trump

As a former Ohio Treasurer, I know the sheer impact farmers have on Ohio’s economy — and I am concerned that out-of-state lobbyists are trying to undermine President Trump’s agricultural trade deals to rig the free market against our state’s hardworking growers.

The Ohio agricultural sector is responsible for generating $15 billion in cash receipts, or 3% of our total GDP. And now, Ohio is championing greenhouse production, the next revolution in American agriculture, which will turbocharge this already impressive GDP number in the coming years — if we don’t let special interests shut it down.

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DOE Targets Columbia’s Accreditation over Antisemitism Allegations

Axios   The Department of Education initiated the process to remove Columbia University’s accreditation on Wednesday over its antisemitism allegations. The move represents an escalation on the part of the Trump administration, despite the institution caving to the White House’s demands, which included severely punishing students and alumni engaging in pro-Palestine protests. The Trump administration has pulled some $400 million in funding from the university since March. READ THE FULL STORY               

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Trump’s Tariffs Would Cut Budget Deficits by $2.8 Trillion, CBO Says

Breitbart   The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that recent U.S. tariff increases will reduce federal deficits by $2.8 trillion over the next decade, primarily through increased customs revenue and lower interest payments on federal debt—more than enough to offset the projected cost of President Donald Trump’s proposed tax cut bill. In a separate analysis, the CBO recently estimated that extending the 2017 tax cuts, as proposed in the administration’s new tax and spending bill, would increase the deficit by roughly $2.4 trillion over the same period. That legislation would reduce federal revenues by $3.67 trillion while cutting spending by $1.25 trillion, resulting in a net increase in the federal deficit. The CBO’s estimate of gains from tariffs strengthens the administration’s case that tariffs can pay for tax relief. In fact, the combination of tax relief and tariffs produces a net reduction in deficits, according to the CBO. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Federal Judge Halts Deportation of Boulder Firebombing Attack Suspect’s Family

Washington Examiner   A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the deportation of the wife and five children of an Egyptian man accused of a firebombing attack in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday. U.S. District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher granted the family’s request to pause deportation proceedings after immigration officials took them into federal custody on Tuesday. “The court finds that deportation without process could work irreparable harm,” Gallagher wrote, “and an order must issue without notice due to the urgency this situation presents.” READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Trump Administration Strips Federal Protections for Emergency Abortion Providers

Axios   The Trump administration on Tuesday rescinded guidance telling health providers who perform abortions in emergency cases that they’re protected under federal law, despite any bans that might exist in their states. The directive was issued by the Biden administration to give legal assurances to physicians and other providers facing questions about what qualifies as an emergency under a state ban. Since then, courts have grappled with how state restrictions and federal directives on emergency health care mesh. The Supreme Court last year dismissed a case surrounding Idaho’s ban without ruling on the merits. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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DOJ Dismisses Biden-Era Records Lawsuit Against Peter Navarro

The Hill   The Justice Department on Tuesday agreed to dismiss a lawsuit seeking records from White House senior trade adviser Peter Navarro’s time in the first Trump administration, brought during President Biden’s presidency. In a short notice, government lawyers stipulated to the dismissal of the 2022 lawsuit seeking emails Navarro sent from a personal encrypted account but refused to produce to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).    They agreed to dismiss the action with prejudice, meaning the claim can’t be brought again. The court filing gave no explanation for the decision. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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FBI Has Arrested More than 10,000 Illegal Immigrants Since Trump Took Office

Washington Examiner   The FBI has been involved in the arrests of 10,553 illegal immigrants since the start of the second Trump administration.  The data, which was first shared with Fox News, coincide with FBI Director Kash Patel’s efforts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security in achieving President Donald Trump’s goals of curbing illegal immigration, an agenda that emphasizes aggressive deportation tactics and high-profile crackdowns on gang activity, particularly involving MS-13. “The @FBI is proud to work with great partners like @TheJusticeDept @DHSgov @ICEgov @DEAHQ and more to stand up record immigration enforcement efforts across the country,” Patel posted on X. “With this administration’s leadership we’re letting good cops be cops again and there’s more results to come.” READ THE FULL STORY 

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Marsha Blackburn Commentary: Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell Must Be Held Accountable for Endangering Federal Law Enforcement

ICE Arrest

In November, Tennesseans and Americans across the country voted overwhelmingly to get crime under control, secure our border, and remove criminal illegal aliens from our country.

Since Inauguration Day, President Trump and congressional Republicans have been working hard to carry out this mandate. Yet, in recent weeks, Democrats have tried their best to obstruct the will of We the People—including in Tennessee.

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U.S. Nuclear Deal Offer Allows Iran to Enrich Uranium

Axios   The nuclear deal proposal the U.S. gave Iran on Saturday would allow limited low-level uranium enrichment on Iranian soil for a to-be-determined period of time, Axios has learned, contradicting public statements from top officials. White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have said publicly that the U.S. will not allow Iran to enrich uranium and will demand the full dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear facilities. The secret proposal shows far more flexibility on both points. Iran has consistently said it won’t sign any deal that bans enrichment for civilian purposes — a red line that is irreconcilable with the U.S. public posture. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Research: AI Chatbots Are more Manipulative than Anyone Thought

Breitbart   As AI-powered chatbots become increasingly prevalent, concerns are growing about the potential for these tools to manipulate and deceive users. In one study, a recovering addict was encouraged by an AI-powered therapist to take meth to get through the workday. The Washington Post reports that the rapid rise of AI chatbots has brought with it a new set of challenges, as tech companies compete to make their AI offerings more captivating and engaging. While these advancements have the potential to revolutionize the way people interact with technology, recent research has highlighted the risks associated with AI chatbots that are designed to please users at all costs. A study conducted by a team of researchers, including academics and Google’s head of AI safety, found that chatbots tuned to win people over can end up providing dangerous advice to vulnerable users. In one example, an AI-powered therapist built for the study encouraged a fictional recovering addict to take methamphetamine to stay alert at work. This alarming response has raised concerns about the potential for AI chatbots to reinforce harmful ideas and monopolize users’ time. READ THE FULL STORY                    

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Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Maryland’s Assault Weapons Ban

CBS News   The Supreme Court on Monday turned away a challenge to Maryland’s ban on so-called assault weapons, leaving intact a lower court ruling that upheld the law. In declining to review the decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, the high court skirts for now a fight over whether the Second Amendment allows states to regulate the rifles that have been used in a wave of mass shootings. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch disagreed with the Supreme Court’s decision to turn away the case. The Supreme Court had already turned away the legal battle over Maryland’s law last year because a federal appeals court had yet to rule. But the 4th Circuit upheld the measure last August, finding that weapons like the AR-15 could be banned in part because they are outside the scope of the Second Amendment. READ THE FULL STORY 

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CDC Contradicts RFK Jr. on COVID Vaccine for Kids

Axios   The Centers for Disease Control is recommending that children over six months old can get COVID shots after a consultation with a medical provider, contradicting HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s push to drop the shots for healthy kids. An update the CDC posted online late Thursday adds a new wrinkle to shifting federal recommendations on the shots, and Kennedy’s efforts to do away with a COVID booster strategy for healthy children. The CDC now says healthy from six months to 17 years old may get COVID vaccines but that decision should be “informed by the clinical judgment of a healthcare provider and personal preference and circumstances.” READ THE FULL STORY              

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Trump Says Biden Autopen Could Become One of the ‘Great Scandals’

Washington Examiner   President Donald Trump hit his predecessor over autopen use on Friday, predicting that it could become a legendary scandal in time. “I think the autopen is going to become one of the great scandals of all time,” Trump said during an Oval Office press conference with Elon Musk. Republicans allege that former President Joe Biden was not in control of his own administration and that his aides may have been behind executive orders and pardons signed with an automatic pen device. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Donald Trump Gifts Elon Musk Key to White House in Send-Off Presser

Breitbart   President Donald Trump gifted Elon Musk a key to the White House for leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) during his send-off press conference in the Oval Office on Friday. Friday marks the end of Musk’s special government employee tenure, which is capped at 130 days. Trump lauded Musk for the work that DOGE has done in exposing waste, fraud, and abuse. “Today, it’s about a man named Elon, and he’s one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced. He stepped forward to put his very great talents into the service of our nation, and we appreciate it,” Trump said. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Marsha Blackburn Commentary: AI Could Endanger the Music Industry

Music producer

In the decades ahead, artificial intelligence has the potential to transform Americans’ lives for the better. From advanced manufacturing and health care to agriculture and finance, this emerging technology is improving efficiency, increasing productivity, and aiding innovation.

As AI develops and relies on more and more data, however, it is imperative that Congress provide guardrails to protect Americans’ intellectual property.

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Commentary: Trump’s Pardon Rescued Me from a Weaponized Justice System

Brian Kelsey

In President Trump’s inspirational speech to the Department of Justice this spring, he triumphed, “I pardoned hundreds of political prisoners who had been grossly mistreated.” I am forever grateful to President Trump because I am one of those political prisoners.

The president’s speech was more than just a victory lap. It was a call to do better: “We’re turning the page on four long years of corruption, weaponization, and surrender to violent criminals, and we’re restoring fair, equal, and impartial justice under the constitutional rule of law.”

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Trump Pauses Student Visa Interviews, Weighs Social Media Vetting for Applicants

Axios   The Trump administration is halting student visa interviews and considering a social media vetting requirement as its immigration crackdown extends to people who want to study in the U.S. The move would be a major escalation for the White House, which has already started monitoring immigrants’ social media for antisemitism and has detained students for pro-Palestine campus activism. “We will continue to use every tool we can to assess who it is that’s coming here, whether they are students or otherwise,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said at a briefing on Tuesday. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Pop Star Usher and Barack Obama Named in Diddy’s Sex Trafficking Trial

Breitbart   Singer Usher and former President Barack Obama were both named in testimony during the sex trafficking trial of rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs on Monday. The court heard testimony from Diddy’s ex-assistants, ex-associates, and his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, as the tril rolls into its third week, Fox News reported. Several other A-List names also came up as those called to testify spoke about the parade of top celebrities and music industry persons who attended Diddy’s events and parties or who otherwise had some connection to the matter. Along with Usher and Obama, names including Biggie Smalls and Jennifer Lopez were also mentioned. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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NPR Sues Trump Administration over Executive Order to Cut Federal Funding to Public Media

The Associated Press   National Public Radio and three of its local stations sued President Donald Trump on Tuesday, arguing that his executive order cutting funding to the 246-station network violates their free speech and relies on an authority that he does not have. Earlier this month, Trump instructed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and federal agencies to cease funding for NPR and PBS, either directly or indirectly. The president and his supporters argue their news reporting promotes liberal bias and shouldn’t be supported by taxpayers. Retaliation is Trump’s plain purpose, the lawsuit argues. It was filed in federal court in Washington by NPR and three Colorado entities — Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Public Radio and KUTE, Inc., chosen to show the system’s diversity in urban and rural areas. READ THE FULL STORY       

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Man Arrested After Car Plows into Pedestrians During Liverpool Football Club’s Victory Parade

CNN   UK police have arrested a man after a car plowed into Liverpool fans during the soccer club’s Premier League trophy parade on Monday evening. “The man arrested is a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area,” Merseyside police said in a statement, urging people not to speculate on the circumstances of the incident. The local police force previously said they were contacted just after 6 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET) “following reports a car had been in collision with a number of pedestrians” in the city center. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Bongino Says FBI Looking at ‘A Number of Cases of Potential Public Corruption’

The Hill   The FBI’s No. 2 official said Monday the agency had either reopened or shifted resources toward “a number of cases of potential public corruption,” including the leaked Supreme Court draft decision on abortion and an incident involving cocaine found at the White House during former President Biden’s term. “Shortly after swearing in, [FBI Director Kash Patel] and I evaluated a number of cases of potential public corruption that, understandably, have garnered public interest,” Dan Bongino, the FBI’s deputy director, said in a post on social platform X.   “We made the decision to either re-open, or push additional resources and investigative attention, to these cases,” he added. “These cases are the DC pipe bombing investigation, the cocaine discovery at the prior administration’s White House, and the leak of the Supreme Court Dobbs case.” READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Commentary: I’m Proud to Be a Grassroots Conservative Republican Leader with the Williamson County Conservatives

Kimberly Calcote

As a dedicated member of the Williamson County Conservatives’ advisory board, I am deeply honored to stand as a grassroots leader in the fight to preserve the values that make our county, our state, and our nation strong. Being part of this movement is not just a political stance—it’s a commitment to the principles of liberty, limited government, and the right of every citizen to have their voice heard. It is about ensuring OUR Right to Vote and Election Integrity. Our work in Williamson County is about empowering Tennesseans, protecting our constitutional freedoms, and ensuring that the Republican Party remains a beacon of conservative ideals.

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House Punts on Trump Impeachment Vote at 11th Hour

Axios   A House Democrat abruptly scrapped his plans to force a vote on impeaching President Trump, which was set to come to the House floor on Wednesday, three sources familiar with the matter told Axios. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) was under considerable pressure from Democratic leadership to pull the vote, which had angered many of his colleagues. One House Democrat told Axios they “saw about 50 members pow-wowing with him on the floor” before his decision to pull the vote. READ THE FULL STORY               

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