Census changes
The Trump administration is proposing major changes to the constitutionally mandated decennial 2030 census. The Census Bureau released the proposed rule online on Wednesday, changing the meaning of “usual residence” to exclude illegal immigrants as well as those who are here legally but do not have lawful permanent resident status. A separate change in the filing proposes to prohibit questions about race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. If the changes are approved, they will affect how the 435 seats in the House are divided among the states and how congressional maps are drawn. The count also determines how much federal money each state receives, which would be a blow to the blue states harboring millions of illegal immigrants. New York Attorney General Letitia James vows to fight the proposed changes, claiming, “The Constitution is clear. Every person living in the United States must be counted in the census.”

Utah Valley University cancels classes for Kirk memorial
One year after his assassination, Charlie Kirk’s legacy still ripples through the political world. Utah Valley University, the school where Kirk was shot, is closing down campus today for a memorial service. Turning Point USA organized the memorial event to honor Kirk’s goals of defending free speech and conservative values. UVU stated that it is canceling classes to allow time for reflection. Not everyone, however, appreciates the day off. Students for a Democratic Society, a college club, is holding a counterdemonstration to protest Kirk’s political “bigotry” and “right-wing ideology.” Glenn Beck, a conservative commentator and one of the speakers at the memorial service, rebuked the club for being disrespectful. Kirk was murdered during his “America Comeback Tour” by a rooftop sniper who is now set to stand trial. A disturbing number of political opponents have celebrated Kirk’s death and mocked his mission.

Sitting governor loses in Rhode Island
Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee’s reelection bid ended early when he failed to secure the Democrat nomination in this year’s Rhode Island gubernatorial primary. He lost to Helena Foulkes, a former CVS executive and Costco board member. McKee has become the first governor to fail to secure his party’s nomination in eight years. What’s more, McKee lost by a landslide, losing to Foulkes by 25 percentage points. The primary debate mostly focused on past records, with Foulkes criticizing McKee’s failure to repair the Washington Bridge, and McKee criticizing Foulkes for recent missteps CVS has made. This primary race largely ignored the ideological struggle that has so largely defined many Democrat primaries this year, which is certainly a welcome change of pace. As the likely winner, one can only hope that Foulkes can, at the very least, not align herself with the cancerous DSA.

John Fetterman appears at GOP convention, endorses Republican
In what is likely the biggest surprise of the GOP convention, Democrat Senator John Fetterman made a cameo in a short video. In a segment prerecorded at a Pennsylvania steel mill, Fetterman stated that he wanted to align with American ideals and reject the socialist ideologues that have invaded his party: “I’m always going to stand with America. I’m always going to reject the extremes and socialism and the anti‑American way of life.” He also threw his support toward President Donald Trump and fellow Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick, who is a Republican. While Fetterman has made his disdain for the DSA and socialism very clear, crossing party lines to appear at the opposition’s convention is certainly a bold move.

Iran escalates the war
As the U.S. economic blockade against Iran has tightened, the Islamic Republic has increasingly targeted U.S. Navy ships and U.S. bases in the region. Former U.S. Ambassador to Oman Marc Sievers observed, “Iran is escalating because they don’t see other options. They’re under tremendous pressure from the blockade and the new sanctions.” On Tuesday night, a number of U.S. aircraft at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan were damaged by Iranian strikes, including an A-10 Thunderbolt whose wing was destroyed and eight F-15s that sustained light damage. No injuries or deaths were reported from these strikes.

Trump predicts Iran war to end after midterms
“They’re desperate to try and affect the election,” says President Trump of the Iranian regime. “I think the war’s going to end immediately after the election because they can’t hold out any longer.” Trump also told reporters just before boarding Marine One yesterday that oil prices will come tumbling down right after the election. American adversaries do time their military actions against U.S. elections, as evidenced by Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Oil prices certainly influence American voters, and gas prices ticking up to $4.22, as they did on Thursday, is an ill omen for Republicans in the midterms. Conservatives need to hope that Iran’s strategy isn’t able to sway the American electorate in November.

National Shooting Sports Foundation challenges New Jersey gun law
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) secured a victory on Tuesday after the Third Circuit approved its challenge to New Jersey’s A1765 gun industry liability law. The Garden State law opens gun sellers and related businesses to lawsuits as a “public nuisance” in an effort to circumvent Second Amendment protections. The law functions as a way to force manufacturers to “establish, implement, and enforce reasonable controls regarding its manufacture, sale, distribution, importing, and marketing of gun-related products.” This law violates the Second Amendment and the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which protects manufacturers from criminal or unlawful misuse of their products. NSSF contends that A1765 is an attempt to “hold [its members] liable for the acts of third parties who use their legal products to commit heinous crimes.”

Jurors using outside evidence to bully lone holdout
Lindsay Clancy’s seven-week trial ended in a mistrial after one juror refused to vote not guilty by reason of insanity. The judge instructed the jurors not to use outside evidence to inform their verdict, but several of those jurors were nurses and badgered the lone holdout with “evidence” from a toxicology report. One female juror recently let slip that they broke that rule on national television. The Federalist’s Sean Davis argued the woman was “too stupid to understand” that she was condemning herself by bragging and trashing the holdout. Another juror anonymously admitted that she flipped from guilty to not guilty after pressure from the others, who want Clancy to get medical help rather than face justice. Clancy sent her husband to run errands, strangled her three little children, and attempted suicide. She will remain in custody until the case continues.

Missouri redistricting case to be settled by Supreme Court
The nationwide redistricting war continues as an anti-gerrymandering group, People Not Politicians, is attempting to block Missouri from using a new congressional map that favors Republicans in November’s midterm elections. Minutes after a federal appeals court rejected their appeal, the group filed a case Wednesday afternoon asking the Supreme Court to intervene. In a confusing night of legal developments Tuesday, Justice Brett Kavanaugh denied an appeal to overturn a Missouri Supreme Court ruling last week that blocked the new map, but shortly after, a federal judge, in a separate case, ordered that the new electoral map be used. The state decided to follow the latest ruling, which prompted the anti-gerrymandering group’s appeal. Republicans currently hold six of Missouri’s eight congressional seats, and the new map would give the party a chance at picking up another House seat.

Hottest summer on record
According to a recent report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. just experienced the hottest summer on record. The average summer temperature across the nation between June and August was 74.4 degrees Fahrenheit, besting the previous record of 74.0 degrees set in 1936 and matched in 2021. Precipitation also fell below the summer average, totaling 8.11 inches from June through August, 0.21 inches below the 20th-century average. The U.S. Drought Monitor noted that 59.1% of the U.S. is experiencing drought as of September, up 10% since the start of August.

Headlines

  • Charlie Kirk’s 10 most powerful moments — from college campuses to the Republican National Convention (Fox News)
  • Trump’s $1 trillion-plus “dividend” plan meets immediate bipartisan pushback (CNBC)
  • Jim Jordan to relinquish House Oversight and Judiciary gavels, stirring leadership speculation (Washington Examiner)
  • Fraudulent cancer research papers increased 10x in recent years (Hot Air)

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.