• Trump’s NATO arms deal: Donald Trump has changed his tune on the war in Ukraine. No longer promising to end the war at any moment, Trump has negotiated a deal with NATO in which European allies like Germany, Finland, and Denmark purchase U.S. arms and then send them along to Ukraine. Other European allies are expected to quickly sign on to this deal. The top-of-the-line weapons Ukraine will receive include 17 Patriot missile systems and possibly long-range offensive missiles. Trump has also sent a very clear message to Vladimir Putin’s Russia: negotiate a deal in the next 50 days, or face 100% tariffs. Trump gave a similar timeline to the Iranian regime that ended with Operation Midnight Hammer. Trump has expressed frustration with Putin, citing seemingly productive phone calls followed by missiles striking Kyiv the same day.

• Trump can dismantle DOE, says SCOTUS: On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court handed the Trump administration another win with a 6-3 decision to lift a lower court’s injunction against the Department of Education’s layoffs of some 1,400 employees. Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to eliminate the DOE and has tasked Education Secretary Linda McMahon with reducing the size of the department. However, since the DOE was created by an act of Congress, it cannot be entirely eliminated without congressional consent. The Court did not rule on whether Trump has the authority to eliminate the DOE, just that the executive does have the authority to hire and fire. Trump responded to the ruling on Truth Social, writing, “The Federal Government has been running our Education System into the ground, but we are going to turn it all around by giving the Power back to the PEOPLE.”

• Trump’s first judge confirmed in 46-42 vote: After her nomination in May, Whitney Hermandorfer has become the first Senate-confirmed judicial appointment in Trump’s second term. Judge Hermandorfer is from Tennessee and will serve on the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, where she will hear appeals from Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee. A Princeton grad, she previously served as the director of the Strategic Litigation Unit in Tennessee. She clerked for Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Amy Coney Barrett, as well as Brett Kavanaugh during his tenure on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. Chuck Grassley, who led her nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, highlighted the Senate’s relatively swift action, having already confirmed 21 members of Trump’s cabinet, beating the pace of the previous three administrations, and 89 of his civilian appointees, which outpaces the first Trump term.

• Cuomo launches independent bid for NYC mayor: Disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo lost to Zohran Mamdani in the New York City Democrat primary in June, but he’s not letting that stop him from running as an independent in November’s general election. The crowded field of Mamdani opponents now includes Cuomo, incumbent and scandal-plagued Mayor Eric Adams (formerly a Democrat), Republican Curtis Sliwa, and independent Jim Walden. Cuomo agreed with a proposal from former Governor David Paterson, who is connected to almost all the candidates, that September would serve as a time of reckoning, with the best-positioned candidate continuing to the general race with Mamdani while the rest defer.

• Apple’s U.S. rare earth investment: President Trump’s push to free the U.S. from dependence on Chinese materials got a boost this week with the news that Apple will announce a $500 million commitment to MP Materials, which owns and operates the only rare earth mine in the U.S. The Department of Defense announced a $400 million stake in the company. Rare earth magnets are utilized in high-tech electronics and the green energy industry. Currently, China controls the vast majority of the global trade in rare earths, with 60% of the supply and 90% of the processing. Apple’s investment is expected to include the construction of a recycling plant in California, where materials from electronics can be reprocessed for use in future Apple devices.

• Inflation ticks upward: As has been anticipated, Donald Trump’s tariffs are beginning to impact the cost of goods. The consumer price index rose 0.3% in June, raising the annual inflation rate to 2.7%. Prices on food and energy were the leading drivers of the uptick, rising 0.2% last month. This represents a reversal of prior months, when the rate of inflationary growth was slowing. June’s numbers are a mixed bag, with the price of new vehicles down 0.3% and used cars down 0.7%. Meanwhile, the price of apparel rose 0.4% and household furnishing jumped 1%. Due to increasing prices, inflation-adjusted hourly earnings fell by 0.1%. Trump has continued to press the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, which have remained unchanged since December, arguing that failing to do so will increase the cost of U.S. debt.

• Trump Pentagon snubs Aspen Security Forum: Some dozen high-ranking U.S. military officials will no longer be attending or speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, as the Pentagon has pulled them from the conference. “The Department of Defense has no interest in legitimizing an organization that has invited former officials who have been the architects of chaos abroad and failure at home,” Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson explained. He noted that the annual forum, often called “the mountain retreat for the liberal elite,” holds views that “are antithetical to the America First values of this administration.” Thus, “Senior representatives of the Department of Defense will no longer be participating in an event that promotes the evil of globalism, disdain for our great country, and hatred for the President of the United States.” The Aspen Institute is primarily funded by leftist donors and holds a pronounced anti-Trump bias.

• John MacArthur has died: On Monday, pastor, theologian, and influential evangelist John MacArthur went home to be with the Lord. The longtime pastor at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, died at the age of 86 after a battle with pneumonia. He founded the media ministry Grace to You, where he shared the message of the Gospel and was a staunch defender of Christianity, consistently adhering to the Scriptures. During the COVID pandemic, MacArthur made national headlines when he and his church refused to adhere to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide restrictions that forbade in-person church gatherings. MacArthur and Grace Community Church challenged those restrictions and prevailed in court, with the state and Los Angeles County eventually agreeing to pay some $800,000 in attorneys’ fees. In announcing his death, Grace to You poignantly wrote, “This evening, his faith became sight. He faithfully endured until his race was run.” RIP.

Headlines

• Republicans block vote to release Epstein files (Newsweek)

• Justice Department acts quickly to reverse nationwide blocks following Supreme Court win (Washington Times)

• DOJ’s ethics lawyer fired by Pam Bondi (Newsweek)

• Dems start to claim credit for Big Beautiful Bill they voted against (Daily Wire)

• Nvidia wins OK to sell AI chip to China again (WSJ)

• Trump administration sets deportation record (Daily Signal)

• Fears over ICE lead university to give option for online classes (Center Square)

• UN blames capitalism for Israel-Hamas war (Hot Air)

• Green fever dreams: The Dutch are now rationing electricity (Hot Air)

• Humor: Eight ingenious new life hacks discovered by Gen Z (Babylon Bee)

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