• First anniversary of Trump assassination attempt in Butler: This Sunday, July 13, will mark the first anniversary of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. While questions remain unanswered regarding the shooter’s motives, the U.S. Secret Service has responded to the incident with a renewed commitment to ensuring that “a tragedy like this can never happen again.” Six USSS agents were suspended following the assassination attempt, and a bipartisan congressional task force was commissioned to investigate. That report noted the assassination attempt was preventable and provided 46 recommendations for Secret Service changes. In a recent interview, Trump stated that he was “satisfied” with the investigation, noting “there were mistakes made that, you know, shouldn’t have happened.” He added that he had “great confidence” in the USSS, saying, “They had a bad day, and I think they’ll admit that.”

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• State Department layoffs incoming: Following the 8-1 Supreme Court decision that allowed the Trump administration to move ahead with its planned cuts of the federal workforce, the State Department announced Thursday that more than 1,500 employees will receive Reduction in Force notices. A State Department official said that Secretary Marco Rubio has led a “historic reorganization” of the department. Deputy Secretary Michael Rigas thanked the department employees for their dedication to “advancing U.S. national interests across the world.” More specific information will come in the following weeks.

• Birthright citizenship back before the court with class-action loophole: U.S. District Judge Joseph LaPlante used the loophole the Supreme Court left in its landmark Trump v. CASA decision to block the president’s executive order ending birthright citizenship. LaPlante granted class certification to babies who would be denied citizenship under the order. Since they can now bring a class-action lawsuit, LaPlante was able to issue a nationwide injunction on Trump’s EO, effectively making the plaintiffs U.S. citizens if the ruling is upheld. The Trump administration’s new rule would deny citizenship to anyone born in the U.S. when neither parent is a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident. In Trump v. CASA, Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas warned that district judges would use the class certification loophole to continue issuing universal injunctions.

• No more HHS/DOE goodies for illegals: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday announced a policy change to the department’s interpretation of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA). Since 1998, HHS has interpreted the law in a way that permits illegal aliens to access federal public benefits. That will no longer be the case. “For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans’ tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration,” Kennedy explained. “Today’s action changes that — it restores integrity to federal social programs, enforces the rule of law, and protects vital resources for the American people.” Now, PRWORA programs will be reserved exclusively for American citizens. Furthermore, the Education Department will no longer subsidize illegal aliens’ education, as they will not have access to taxpayer-funded educational grants and programs.

• Kerry throws Trump a bone: In a recent BBC interview, former Obama Secretary of State John Kerry sought to unpack reasons behind the Democrats’ 2024 election loss. The failed 2004 Democrat presidential candidate finally conceded what should be blatantly evident to anyone paying even a modicum of attention — that Donald Trump “was right” about immigration. Democrats “missed on the issue of immigration,” Kerry lamented, and “allowed the border to continue to be sieged.” He stated that every president should embrace the fact that “without a border protected, you don’t have a nation.”

• Rep. Burchett believes Biden admin destroyed Epstein Files: On Wednesday, Tennessee Congressman Tim Burchett speculated that the Epstein Files had likely been destroyed before the second Trump administration entered office. The current word from the administration is that Epstein never had files with blackmail material on prominent individuals. Burchett believes that the files did exist but were destroyed. He went on to explain that if there had been evidence involving Donald Trump, the Biden administration likely would have released it on Day One. Attempting to explain Attorney General Pam Bondi’s statements on Epstein, Burchett said that she likely “got over her skis” when she said the files were on her desk.

• Anti-Israel activist sues the Trump administration: Mahmoud Khalil is suing the Trump administration for falsely imprisoning him in its effort to deport him. The 30-year-old anti-Semitic “Columbia student” bemoaned the anguish he experienced being detained for deportation while his wife gave birth to his son. The lawsuit names DHS, ICE, and the State Department as codefendants. Khalil has said he will settle for an official apology from the administration with changes to policy that prevent any more un-American anti-Semites from going through what he did. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin dismissed his claims as “absurd” and highlighted how Khalil’s actions are the ones that have made so many Jewish students feel unsafe.

• Hegseth reneges on promoting pro-drag queen officer: Rear Adm. Michael “Buzz” Donnelly, whom Donald Trump had nominated on June 18 for promotion to vice admiral and appointment to command the 7th Fleet, has had his nomination withdrawn. Following revelations that Donnelly, when he served as commanding officer of the USS Ronald Reagan from 2016 to 2018, permitted drag queen performances, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth withdrew his recommendation. Donnelly had permitted the drag queen shows as part of a department-sanctioned “Morale, Welfare, and Recreation” event on the aircraft carrier. It clearly would have been a bad look to promote a commanding officer who supported this kind of deviancy given the Trump administration’s actions to remove “transgender” troops from the military.

Headlines

• Immigration operation at California cannabis farms leads to clash between federal agents and protesters (Fox News)

• Trump threatens 35% tariff on Canadian goods over cross-border fentanyl dispute (Fox Business)

• Honda pulls the plug on large electric SUV as driver demand for battery-powered cars plummets (NY Post)

• Education Department launches probe into George Mason University over DEI policies (Just the News)

• Trump administration launches investigation into Minnesota for alleged hiring discrimination (National Review)

• Baylor returns LGBT church activism grant after backlash (Washington Stand)

• Iran sets new terms for nuclear talks with U.S. (Newsweek)

• Trump plans on invoking foreign aid law to send weapons to Ukraine (Newsweek)

• Rubio claims U.S., Russia have come up with a “new” approach for Ukraine peace talks (Just the News)

• France and UK agree to joint migration deal (DW)

• Humor: 7 totally plausible explanations for what happened to the Epstein list on Pam Bondi’s desk (Babylon Bee)

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