• Qatar update: Donald Trump was in Qatar on Wednesday, continuing his Middle East tour. Meeting with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Trump announced the signing of a defense agreement with the nation, which has a history of supporting terrorism. Qatar also signed an agreement with Boeing to buy 160 of its 787 Dreamliner and 777x aircraft. “It’s the largest order of jets in the history of Boeing. That’s pretty good,” Trump boasted. “It’s over $200 billion.” This deal comes amidst the controversy surrounding Qatar gifting the Trump administration a $400 million 747 Boeing jumbo jet to be used to replace Air Force One in the wake of Boeing’s continued delay in delivering a new aircraft.

• Putin, Trump skip peace talks with Zelensky: Russian President Vladimir Putin, who signaled his willingness to hold “direct negotiations” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last Sunday, will not attend the peace talks being held in Turkey today. Donald Trump was not expected to attend these talks, but there was a possibility he would make an appearance as he wraps up his Middle East trip. Zelensky arrived in Turkey for the talks today, as did a delegation from Russia led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky and an American delegation, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Putin’s failure to attend these peace talks is another in a long line of signals that he is not serious about ending the war in Ukraine.

• Democrat reneges on impeachment vote: Michigan Rep. Shri Thanedar was convinced not to bring his impeachment resolution to a vote in the House yesterday. Thanedar had planned to impeach Trump for seemingly everything he’s done in his second term, including accepting a $400 million jet from the Qataris — a deal that has not happened yet. Since House Democrats were stridently opposed to Thanedar’s resolution, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries promised to vote to table the resolution. Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern said, “I haven’t even thought about it.” Thanedar’s resolution was likely an attempt to demonstrate his anti-Trump credentials ahead of a primary challenge in 2026. He’s now free to return to the back bench.

• House GOP considering punishing NJ Dems over ICE storming: Last Friday, Democrat Reps. LaMonica McIver, Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Robert Menendez visited an ICE facility in Newark to, as they said, conduct oversight. That oversight looked more like lawlessly trying to enter the facility despite ICE agents denying them entry, getting into a physical altercation, and, in McIver’s case, throwing an elbow and a punch at ICE agents. Members of Congress are allowed to conduct oversight of ICE without prior notification, but physical assault is not one of their privileges. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has made it clear that Republicans take this seriously and are considering disciplinary options: censure, removal from committees, or even expulsion. Johnson has said, “I think there’s some legal ramifications to play out here.”

• The UK rediscovers border security: Politics in the United Kingdom is not like politics in the U.S. British political parties are different and have divergent priorities, and their elections are much more anti-climactic. Nothing highlights that difference more strongly than Prime Minister Kier Starmer’s massive flip-flop on the issue of illegal immigration. Last year, during the Southport riots, his government cracked down on anti-immigrant language and made arrests over anti-immigrant posts on social media. On Tuesday, though, Starmer posted on X, “Settlement in the UK is a privilege that is earned, not a right.” As many noted, his statement would’ve gotten an ordinary Englishman arrested just last year. Starmer’s tough talk goes even further, with promises to crack down on every area of illegal immigration. It’s a startling change for the prime minister, but whether he follows through on the rhetoric remains to be seen.

• RFK probes mifepristone: True to his word, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has placed his commitment to adhere to the Trump administration’s policy positions over his own personal views. On Wednesday during a Senate hearing, Kennedy revealed that he has directed the FDA to conduct a “complete review” of the chemical abortion pill mifepristone following a recent study that found nearly 11% of women using the drug experience a “serious adverse event.” Kennedy, who holds pro-abortion views, called the study’s finding “alarming,” stating, “Clearly, it indicates that at the very least, the label should be changed. I’ve asked Marty Makary, who is the director of the FDA, to do a complete review and to report back.”

• Overdose deaths drop: In a bit of good news on illicit drug use, last year the U.S. saw a 27% drop in the number of overdose deaths. According to a report from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, the number of overdose deaths decreased from 110,037 in 2023 to 80,391 in 2024. That total is the lowest since 2019 and represents the second year in a row showing a drop in overdose deaths. The most significant drop in overdose deaths was associated with synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, decreasing from 76,282 to 48,422. The number of overdose deaths dropped in nearly every state except for South Dakota and Nevada, which saw slight increases. Credit for much of the reversal in overdose deaths has been tied to the broader availability of Narcan, an overdose reversal drug, which the FDA approved for over-the-counter use in 2023.

• Public colleges suffer record revenue decline: Public colleges have experienced a second straight year of record revenue decline despite increasing enrollment numbers. According to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association’s (SHEEO) annual report, the net tuition and fee revenue per full-time student in 2020 was $7,510, which, adjusted for inflation, is a 3.7% drop from 2023 and an 8.1% decrease from 2019. So what accounts for this decrease in revenue? SHEEO spokeswoman Jessica Duren explained, “The decline … was largely due to a combination of low growth in tuition rates and increases in state financial aid.” As federal COVID stimulus funding has finally dried up, states have been trimming their education budgets. Peter Wood, president of the National Association of Scholars, observed, “The American public is losing its reflexive support for colleges and universities. You’re asking them to continually increase subsidies at a time when these institutions are serving fewer people and faith in their value is in steep decline.”

Headlines

• DOJ asks Supreme Court to restrain activist judges today in Trump v. Casa (Daily Wire)

• Senate confirms Troy Meink as Air Force secretary in bipartisan vote (Just the News)

• Trump says U.S. close to a nuclear deal with Iran (NY Post)

• Former Army National Guardsman charged with planning mass shooting at U.S. base “on behalf of ISIS” (Daily Wire)

• Illegal immigrant teen gets off easy after killing Colorado woman in high-speed crash (Daily Wire)

• Gavin Newsom now wants to stop giving free healthcare to illegal immigrants (Not the Bee)

• Rhode Island capital to hoist Palestinian flag at city hall, citing diversity (Fox News)

• “MAGA accounts”: What to know about the $1,000 child savings pitch in the tax bill (WSJ)

• Humor: Here are eight other gifts world leaders are giving to America (Babylon Bee)

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