Hyde Amendment turns 50 today
On the 50th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment, it is important to highlight the profound effect that prohibiting federal funds from paying for abortions has had. Not only has Hyde prevented $2.1 billion of our taxpayer dollars from financing abortions through Medicaid, but it has also saved an estimated 2,646,474 lives since its enactment in 1976. That’s one out of every 72 children born in the U.S. since the amendment took effect. This demonstrates not only Hyde’s massive impact but also the importance of keeping it intact, especially as the government’s role in financing Americans’ healthcare expands. However, there are some states that use their own funds to cover abortion. At its inception, most states followed Hyde’s restrictions, but today, 21 states use “their money” (a.k.a. taxpayer money) to fund abortions.

SCOTUS greenlights third-country deportations ... for now
The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to continue deporting illegal aliens to “third countries” when their home countries are unwilling to accept them. A February decision by a Massachusetts district judge ordering more due process for deportees was largely upheld in federal appeals court before SCOTUS stepped in and stayed the decision while it hears the merits. The justices ordered both sides to argue four points: whether the district court has jurisdiction, whether the district court had authority, whether the government’s policy is unlawful, and other questions the federal government determines are relevant. SCOTUS will hear the merits of the case in December, but third-country deportations will be allowed until SCOTUS sends down its judgment, likely next summer.

Judge blocks Mamdani’s home tax
Mayor Zohran Mamdani proposed an annual tax on homes valued above $5 million when no primary New York City resident is present. Homeowners sued over the pied-à-terre tax scheme, and on Tuesday, New York Supreme Court Justice Wayne Ozzi ruled in favor of the homeowners, blocking Mamdani’s high-end second home tax. Ozzi also criticized Mamdani’s decision to release an online list of one million addresses. The lawsuit didn’t outright accuse the mayor of breaking the law, but it did condemn how he determined who owed the tax. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump slammed Mamdani for overtaxing New York City. Recently, though, the president and the mayor have enjoyed cordial meetings.

Hawley’s Flock bill
“AI-powered cameras produced by Flock and its competitors are tracking and creating digital footprints of everyday Americans — a nightmare for individual liberties unless Congress enacts meaningful rules and accountability,” argued Sen. Josh Hawley on Tuesday. “That’s why I’m introducing the STOP Flock Abuse Act to establish basic safeguards for AI-powered cameras and protect Americans’ fundamental constitutional rights. Law-abiding Americans should not be treated like criminals.” Hawley’s bill would set strict limits on local governments’ collection and use of vehicle data camera technology. These limits would require the permanent deletion of driver data within 10 days of collection unless it is part of an ongoing criminal investigation. The bill also bans these AI networks from using facial recognition technology. Hawley’s legislation follows an investigation he launched into Flock and similar tech companies.

Hegseth shakes things up at the Pentagon
During his State of the Force address in Quantico, Virginia, on Wednesday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will announce a 20% reduction in admiral and general positions at the Pentagon as part of his plan to overhaul the department. Two Pentagon officials reported that it will affect leadership across the Army, Navy, and Air Force. In May 2025, Hegseth ordered Pentagon leaders to reduce the number of general officers in the National Guard by 20% and cut the number of one-star officers and above by 10%. The defense secretary’s goal is to “shift resources from bloated headquarters elements to our warfighters,” reduce “redundant force structure,” and streamline leadership. The upcoming cuts will begin January 1.

After more than 20 years, the U.S. pulls out of Iraq
In a conflict that has seen two different adversaries and over 20 years of military deployment, the U.S. has finally pulled all of its military presence out of Iraq. In normal circumstances, this could be seen as a major win. With Saddam Hussein’s hostile regime a distant memory and the Islamic State neutralized, the mission in Iraq can finally be seen as complete. That being said, the timing of this withdrawal could not be worse. Taking one piece off the proverbial chessboard while fighting a war against the next-door neighbor generally goes against conventional wisdom. America was always meant to leave Iraq at some point, but it does present the question of whether the short-term gains of leaving outweigh the long-term ramifications of fighting an increasingly desperate opponent.

CA bans officers from using electric shock gloves
On Tuesday, Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law prohibiting law enforcement from using electric shock gloves meant to de-escalate combative situations. Local, state, and federal officers can’t use the stunning technology until 2030. Last month, ICE spent millions equipping its officers with shock gloves. Over the past year, California has passed two dozen bills to assist immigrants, restrict law enforcement, and regulate immigrant detention facilities. States have extremely limited powers over how federal officers are armed. Federal judges have blocked other similar laws that stretch California’s authority, such as Newsom’s attempt to ban ICE agents from wearing face coverings. Nationwide, blue states have passed over 100 pro-illegal-immigration bills.

Clancy’s lawyer changes mind
In the original trial of Lindsay Clancy over the strangulation murder of her three young children that ended in a mistrial, Clancy’s lawyer, Kevin Reddington, did not dispute her own admission that she killed her children. Instead, Reddington argued that Clancy was innocent by reason of insanity, claiming she suffered a severe case of postpartum psychosis. However, on Tuesday, during arguments over retrying Clancy, Reddington backtracked and claimed there was no evidence that she even committed the crime. He also argued that people fail to see the distinction between the criminal act and whether she is criminally responsible, and falsely blamed President Trump for calling her a ”demon” and “possessed” and saying she “should be executed.” Trump did not call Clancy a demon, only referring to the case as a tragedy with “no winner there.” A decision on retrial is expected in November.

Three black men charged with hanging black woman
A Mississippi judge recently charged a third man for murdering Tasia Fortune, a black woman found hanging from a tree in August. CNN and other left-wingers spun the story as a racially motivated lynching, but the three murderers, recently arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, are black. CNN dropped the story, and other news outlets left out the mugshots. For the past few weeks, the Leftmedia has been fearmongering about lynching, reporting racism even when the vast majority of hanging cases are suicides. In Fortune’s case, the hanging was staged: She died when a fight broke out during a drug deal, and the three murderers arranged the body to make it look like she had been hanged, hoping the racial spectacle would throw police off their scent.

Teens are becoming straight again
According to a study by the Centre of Heterodox Social Science, the percentages of high schoolers identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or other alternative orientations have all decreased significantly. Virtually every chart the study commissioned showed a steady increase in woke-influenced identities from 2015 to its peak around 2022–2023, after which the numbers dropped significantly. It goes to show that the woke ideology that encouraged these high schoolers to create distorted identities and even mutilate their own bodies was a trend that has damaged livelihoods and is unhealthy. It seems like people have noticed the cancerous results and are making positive decisions for themselves. Obviously, there’s still a lot of improvement to make in efforts to protect America’s children and teens, but this is a good step in the right direction.

Tennessee woman to be executed today
Thirty-one years ago, Christa Pike, her boyfriend, and another girl lured a third girl, Colleen Slemmer, into the woods in Tennessee, forced her to strip, slashed her with a knife, carved a pentagram into her chest, and killed her. Pike slit Slemmer’s throat and took a piece of her skull as a souvenir. She was found guilty and sentenced to death, but anti-death penalty activists have fought for decades to keep Pike alive. Most recently, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee rejected a 226-page clemency petition. Advocates for Pike have argued that the sexual abuse and rape she endured as a small child and again as a young teenager left her unable to “put the brakes on” with Slemmer. Cornell School of Law went so far as to suggest that Pike will “involuntarily relive her rapes when she is executed.” Pike will be executed today. [UPDATE: Pike’s execution was halted in a 2–1 vote by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. The state has appealed to the Supreme Court to allow the execution to proceed.]

Headlines

  • Copilot subdued after stabbing pilot in alleged attempt to crash plane full of Israelis (Times of Israel)
  • Jack Smith scooped up reporters’ phone data in Trump probe (Daily Signal)
  • DHS claims deportations are lowering rent. Economists agree. (Washington Examiner)
  • Trump unveils America.gov, a one-stop shop for government info (Washington Times)

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.