The Patriot Post® · Friday: Below the Fold
Trump diagnosed with venous insufficiency: At the recent FIFA World Club Cup championship game held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Donald Trump attended and was photographed sitting next to FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The photograph raised concerns, as it showed that Trump had swollen ankles. On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the issue, explaining that Trump has been diagnosed with a blood circulatory condition known as chronic venous insufficiency, which can cause swelling in the extremities. Leavitt read a memo from Trump’s doctor, Dr. Sean Barbabella, who said that the president had been thoroughly evaluated, noting that his condition was “benign and common … particularly in individuals over the age of 70.” Trump is 79. Barbabella added, “Importantly, there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or arterial disease.”
Anti-ICE kidnapping hoax: Illegal alien Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon staged a fake ICE kidnapping in Los Angeles, the Department of Justice revealed on Thursday. On June 30, Calderon’s family held a press conference alleging that unmarked trucks full of armed men had ambushed “Juli” at a Jack in the Box restaurant, kidnapping her and taking her to an ICE officer with a deportation order. The family’s attorney said she refused to sign voluntary deportation paperwork and was held in a warehouse. Juli’s daughter created a GoFundMe page requesting $4,500, of which $80 was raised. Video evidence of Calderon leaving the Jack in the Box in a sedan, absent armed men, gives the lie to the entire story. LA Mayor Karen Bass promoted this hoax that not only wasted DHS time and manpower but also contributed to the increasingly heated anti-ICE actions taking place across the country.
FTC firing blocked: One of two Democrat commissioners on the five-member board of the Federal Trade Commission, whom Donald Trump fired back in March, had her firing blocked by a federal judge on Thursday. U.S. District Judge Loren Alikhan ruled that Trump’s firing of Rebecca Slaughter, who had been appointed to the board back in 2021 by Joe Biden, was not legal. Grounds for dismissing an FTC commissioner from the independent board are for “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office,” Alikhan observed in granting Slaughter’s motion to block her firing. The other commissioner Trump fired, Alvaro Bedoya, also filed a lawsuit to block his firing, but his case was dismissed.
HHS terminating child gender-mutilation funding: The U.S. government will soon stop funding gender-mutilating interventions for minors — that day cannot come quickly enough. The Department of Health and Human Services is in the final stage of review for a new rule that would prohibit hospitals participating in Medicare or Medicaid from performing “sex trait modifications” for minors. Congress attempted to codify something similar in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but the unelected Senate parliamentarian struck it down. The proposed HHS rule is under review to ensure that the medicines and procedures are available to patients in genuine need for non-transition-related reasons. This is complicated by the fact that many hospitals were advised by groups like the Campaign for Southern Equality on how to disguise sex transition for minors as genuine medical operations, like wrongly reporting an ovarian cyst.
Trump admin requires stricter reviews for renewables: The Trump administration will no longer favor green energy over other energy sources. The Interior Department has announced that wind and solar development projects will now require approval from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum personally. The department noted this stricter evaluation is in keeping with Donald Trump’s “promise to tackle the Green New Scam.” Acting Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Adam Suess explained, “American Energy Dominance is driven by U.S.-based production of reliable baseload energy, not regulatory favoritism towards unreliable energy projects that are solely dependent on taxpayer subsidies and foreign-sourced equipment.”
Mamdani taking heat for opposing police involvement in domestic violence: New York City Democrat mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is in hot water over comments he made against law enforcement back in 2020. During a podcast, Mamdani said, “Police do not create safety. … There are so many responsibilities we’ve given to police that, frankly, should have nothing to do with their departments. … If somebody is jaywalking, if somebody is surviving, going through domestic violence — there are so many different, different situations that would be far better handled by people trained to deal with those specific situations, as opposed to an individual with a gun.” His comment has domestic violence victim advocates alarmed. Michelle Esquenazi, founder of the Victims Rights Reform Council and herself a survivor of domestic violence, warned, “If Mamdani puts in any sort of barrier to victims getting immediate help from NYPD, then many lives will be lost.”
Leftist UK government lowers voting age to 16: British Prime Minister Kier Starmer is looking increasingly desperate. The voting age in the UK will be lowered to 16 in time for the next general election, a move that Nigel Farage of the Reform Party slammed as “an attempt to rig the political system.” Conservative shadow minister Paul Holmes pointed out the hypocrisy of allowing 16-year-olds the vote but prohibiting them from buying lottery tickets or alcohol, marriage, or military service due to their immature age. However, Starmer’s move could ultimately be counterproductive, as 16- and 17-year-olds broke for the “far right” parties in Germany and Belgium when they were recently allowed to vote.
Harris nosediving in 2028 race: Seven months on from November, the 2024 presidential election is already ancient history, and some are already looking toward 2028. That’s what Democrat candidates are doing, with hopefuls making trips to South Carolina and Iowa ahead of their important primaries. (The big news is that Democrats will hold a primary.) The Democrat field is still wide open and getting wider, with Kamala Harris losing her advantage over the other contenders. In February, Harris ranked highest with 36% of potential 2028 voters, but in a July poll, she only scored 25%. Gavin Newsom and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tie for second place with 9%, and Mayor Pete comes in fourth with 8%. JD Vance continues to lead the Republican field with 31%, and Donald Trump Jr. remains in second place with 19%.
Headlines
House passes cryptocurrency legislation, sending GENIUS Act to president’s desk (Just the News)
Senate panel approves nominations for Emil Bove and Jeanine Pirro as Democrats walk out (Just the News)
Karine Jean-Pierre, more top Biden aides to appear in House cover-up probe (Fox News)
Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg settles in $8 billion Facebook privacy case (Newsweek)
Justice Dept. probing George Mason University over racially based hiring goals (Daily Wire)
Trump discussing drone “mega deal” with Ukraine (NY Post)
Three killed by strike at Gaza’s only Catholic church; Israel launches probe, expresses “deep sorrow” (Christian Post)
Humor: Newsom founds underground railroad to help Mexican kids travel to work the marijuana farms (Babylon Bee)
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