Zacharia ousted after a week
Katie Zacharia is no longer the White House press secretary, posting Friday on X that “it was an honor” to serve President Donald Trump. Earlier in the day, the president told reporters that he had said to Zacharia, “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. ... I think you should reconsider.” That was tantamount to getting firing, and she was gone by the end of the day. Zacharia’s first press briefing on Tuesday drew heavy criticism for a few verbal stumbles and for being only 14 minutes long. She has also drawn scrutiny for calling herself an attorney despite not having passed the bar exam and for her ties to China. According to Zacharia’s LinkedIn page, she worked for two years as a full-time associate at Zhong Lun Law Firm, one of China’s largest and most well-connected law firms.

Trump waives Russia sanctions
In an interesting twist, President Trump, whose support for the late Lindsey Graham’s sister to fill his Senate seat helped propel her to the Republican nomination, suspended sweeping sanctions against Russia — sanctions that Graham had championed. Indeed, just last month, Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act into law, but on Friday, he announced he would withdraw the sanctions. In his written statement to Congress, Trump noted that Section 115 of the law permitted him to “waive the application of any sanctions provision with respect to a foreign person” if determined to be “in the national interests of the United States.” This decision comes after Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel in a bid to combat high global energy prices.

Ukraine launches biggest attack of the year against Russian oil
Despite President Trump’s recent call for Ukraine to cease attacks against Russian oil assets and infrastructure, as Trump has been pressing to bring down global energy prices, over the weekend, Ukraine launched its largest drone attacks of the year against the Petersburg Oil Terminal. Roughly 1,000 drones struck the facility in Russia, President Vladimir Putin’s hometown, leaving the Ruchi oil depot in flames. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s message is clear: Ukraine will not bend to calls for a ceasefire driven by global energy-price concerns. Furthermore, Zelensky stated on Sunday, “America should see that Russia is not taking any reciprocal steps in response to sanctions relief or agreements. On the contrary, they take every signal of an opportunity to make money as proof that their bet on war is paying off and they can keep fighting.”

No Kings resurgence
Over the weekend, thousands of No Kings protesters gathered across the country. Previous protests focused on denouncing President Trump and his policies. This new wave of demonstrations highlights the election season and calls for a “Blue Tsunami” in November. At each protest, politicians and organizers spoke, encouraging protesters to vote blue during states’ early voting period. The operation reveals a refined electoral strategy: transform the anti-Trump crowds into a voter bloc that will turn the tide in the House and Senate. Over 300 progressive organizations donated $2.5 billion to the No Kings movement, funding Democrat voter mobilization. A No Kings spokesperson said, “No Kings is a nonpartisan, peaceful movement that has brought millions of Americans together to stand up for democracy, defend our freedoms, and reject authoritarianism.” Yet in this recent early voting campaign, the No Kings advertisements openly support Democrats and vilify Republicans.

Omar will be deported if found guilty, says border czar
Border czar Tom Homan reminded everyone on Saturday that no one is above the law, and that “if you lie during the naturalization process, there is a process to denaturalize somebody.” He was referring to the investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar’s possible immigration fraud and noted that she will “be held to the same standards you and I are held to.” He commented that officials have a strong case and that the evidence will lead where it leads. The federal investigation entails allegations that Omar and her father lied about her birth year on immigration paperwork in order to gain U.S. citizenship. They claimed Omar’s age to be 17, which qualified her for citizenship through her father as a minor. If she was actually 18, then she would have been required to go through the process herself as an adult.

Trump endorses Netanyahu
On Sunday, President Trump proclaimed his support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reelection ahead of Israel’s October 27 parliamentary elections. In a Truth Social post addressed to Israel, Trump said that anyone other than Netanyahu would leave the U.S. to fight Iran alone. Trump stressed that Netanyahu has been a critical ally in the war against Iran. “Together we will never let Iran’s regime get nuclear weapons,” responded Netanyahu. “Thank you for your clarity, courage and unwavering support.” Last week, the two leaders considered renewing strikes against Iran before the elections — Israel’s first national vote since Hamas attacked on October 7, 2023. Voters in Israel don’t directly elect prime ministers, instead selecting political parties through proportional representation. Trump’s endorsement could give Netanyahu the boost he needs to secure another term.

Vance comments on 2028 candidacy
Vice President JD Vance avoided answering questions about his possible 2028 presidential aspirations in an interview with Sean Spicer on Friday. As has become usual for the VP, he punted the question until after the midterms, calling himself a procrastinator. “If my wife was making this decision, she would have been thinking about this for the past two years,” said Vance, “But ... I’m not going to make the decision until I really have to.” Vance said he expects President Trump’s endorsement in the Republican primary to be the final word, suggesting that Trump gets to choose the nominee. Vance added that his young children will be a major factor in his decision to run.

“Gay” Moroccans invade Ceuta
Moroccan asylum seekers appear to have found a cheat code for invading Spain. Anonymous sources from Spain’s National Police report that seven of 10 asylum applications claim that the asylum seeker is gay. This almost surely isn’t true, as nearly all of these people are adherents of Islam, a religion that strongly condemns homosexuals. It’s more likely they’re willing to lie about it if it means they’ll be allowed into Spain. While nearly all of these applications get rejected, Moroccan invaders have still gotten into the nation illegally in droves, with law enforcement ill-equipped to deal with the issue. Asylum organizations have notably encouraged migrants to “act gay” so they can gain asylum, and Spain has become the latest recipient.

DC can’t even get a good golf course
It’s clear President Trump can’t build anything nice in Washington, DC. The latest round of problems has come with the renovation of the East Potomac Golf Links, which Trump wanted to upgrade from its current condition of disrepair and make into a championship-level course. However, a left-wing environmental organization sued, and unfortunately, the minor case is being amplified by Ana Reyes, a lesbian Joe Biden appointee who has consistently refused to examine the golf course’s needs for repair, instead blocking the renovation and angrily inserting herself in an otherwise quick and minor deliberation. After reading Trump’s latest announcement on the course, she has called an entire hearing over his Truth Social post alone and demanded that the DOJ reverse course.

Russian satellite buzzes U.S. satellite
Space is immense, so when two objects come into close proximity, it is either an extraordinary coincidence or deliberate. Last week, a Russian satellite deliberately came within 100 feet of a U.S.-Finnish radar satellite believed to be providing key intel to Ukraine. Before the Russian satellite began maneuvering, it was over 200 miles from the U.S. satellite. This close call has stoked fears that Russia is prepared to initiate on-orbit military actions intended to take down satellites. Russia demonstrated its ability in this sector as far back as 2021, when it destroyed one of its own satellites in a test. Seemingly in anticipation of this escalation, the U.S. announced for the first time that it has on-orbit military capability meant to counter hostile actions in defense of NATO.

Headlines

  • Air Force identifies airman killed in fall during fast-rope demonstration at UTSA football game (NY Post)
  • National Guard member shot in DC while trying to break up fight (Washington Times)
  • Dozens of Marxist groups are behind the French riots, and they are plotting a bigger riot across Europe next month (Not the Bee)
  • Voters in 11 states get their say on core provision of the SAVE Act (Daily Signal)

The Executive News Summary is compiled daily by Jordan Candler, Thomas Gallatin, Sterling Henry, Jacob Geoffrey, Hudson Baldwin, and Sophie Starkova. For the archive, click here.