• Trump comments on Social Security turning 90: Yesterday, President Donald Trump commemorated the 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act, which was signed into law by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935. Trump touted the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, noting that it included a provision for “no tax” on Social Security benefits for most Americans. “In the campaign,” he said, “I made a sacred pledge to our seniors that I would always protect Social Security, and under this administration, we’re keeping that promise and strengthening Social Security for generations to come.” He argued that nearly 60 million Americans rely on Social Security, saying they “paid into the system, and they deserve leaders in Washington who are going to protect the benefits.” Trump also touted his efforts to protect the program, pointing to his action to boot some 275,000 illegal aliens off the rolls.

• DOJ lawyer fired for throwing sandwich at federal agent: Sean Charles Dunn, 37, was arrested after he verbally abused and threw a sandwich at a federal officer in Washington, DC, earlier this week. “I just learned that this defendant worked at the Department of Justice,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “NO LONGER. Not only is he FIRED, he has been charged with a felony.” She added, “If you touch any law enforcement officer, we will come after you.” Dunn had been an international affairs specialist at the DOJ, working in fugitive criminal extradition cases. He was apparently incensed by Donald Trump’s federalization of the DC Metropolitan Police Department to crack down on crime in the city. “He thought it was funny,” DC U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro observed. “Well, he doesn’t think it’s funny today.”

• TX Dem lawmakers wave the white flag: The stunt is finally coming to an end, as 13 Texas Democrat lawmakers who fled the state over opposition to a Republican redistricting map will now be returning. The Democrats have disingenuously spun their opposition to the redistricting map, which favors Republicans who enjoy majority control of the Texas legislature, as a fight to protect democracy. The hypocrisy of their opposition is exposed by the fact that Democrat-run states such as Illinois, New York, and California serve as the most egregious examples of partisan gerrymandered maps. The truth of the matter is that Democrats have long been guilty of “rigging” redistricting maps in their favor. They are only objecting now because Republicans are daring to follow their lead.

• Newsom’s gerrymandering push: California Gov. Gavin Newsom is attempting to “push back” with his gerrymandering proposal, which would pave the way for California Democrats to circumvent the independent commission that controls the state’s map-drawing process and pass new congressional lines more favorable to their party. CA lawmakers must approve the ballot initiative for this year’s November election. If it passes, then new maps can be enacted for the 2026 midterms. Newsom claims this will “neuter and neutralize” the additional five Republican seats that Texas would gain by redistricting, but Democrats already represent 43 of the 52 districts in CA. Newsom claims he wants to “give power to the people.” Well, the people gave redistricting power to an independent commission instead of the state in 2008 and 2010 reforms. Furthermore, a recent poll shows that the majority of voters want to keep it that way.

• Susan Miller’s security clearance nullified: One of the chief Russia collusion hoax propagandists has had her security clearance terminated. Susan Miller is a retired CIA officer who used her clearance credentials to lend weight to the idea that Russian President Vladimir Putin colluded with Donald Trump to win the 2016 election. An unnamed senior defense official commented that “all she did was lie to the American people to hurt Trump.” Miller has made the media rounds lately, attempting to counter the growing evidence that the collusion hoax was entirely manufactured at the behest of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Friendly media have described Miller as an author of the error-ridden Intelligence Community Assessment used to create the hoax, but senior intelligence officials say she was neither an author nor involved at all. Terminating her security clearance is a hopeful step toward holding the Russia hoaxers accountable.

• DC mayor leaves town: As the Donald Trump-initiated crackdown on crime in the nation’s capital has gotten underway, with arrests of criminals quickly piling up, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser elected to leave town for Martha’s Vineyard. On Thursday, her office explained, “The Mayor has a family commitment and had to pick up her daughter. She will return to the District tomorrow.” While Bowser responded to Trump’s action as “unsettling and unprecedented” and an “authoritarian push,” she evidently felt it wasn’t bad enough to merit her canceling a trip to Martha’s Vineyard. With the National Guard walking the streets of DC, maybe the mayor felt there was no better time to take a break, as the city is certainly in good hands.

• Hunter Biden doubles down on Melania defamation: First Lady Melania Trump put Hunter Biden on notice earlier this month after he made defamatory statements in a “Channel 5” podcast. Melania’s $1 billion notice warned Hunter to retract and apologize for falsely stating that Jeffrey Epstein was the one who introduced her to Donald Trump. The claim comes from “serial fabulist Michael Wolff,” according to attorney Alejandro Brito, and even James Carville issued an apology for repeating the false story. When podcast host Andrew Callaghan asked Hunter this week if he would retract and apologize, a smiling Hunter responded, “F**\k that. That’s not going to happen.” The notice warned Hunter that failure to comply would result in legal action, which has not yet been forthcoming, though Donald Trump says he “let her use my lawyers.”

• Businesses paying tariffs … for now: To accommodate tariffs, businesses have started to raise prices on each other as opposed to the consumer. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, wholesale prices increased 6.9% in July, with trade services leading the hikes. Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer for Northlight Asset Management, noted, “The large spike in the Producer Price Index (PPI) this morning shows inflation is coursing through the economy, even if it hasn’t been felt by consumers yet.” He called it an “unwelcome surprise” and one that is “likely to unwind some of the optimism of a ‘guaranteed’ rate cut next month.” The consumer inflation report published earlier this week confirms that inflation hasn’t been felt by consumers yet because it revealed a more subdued picture of price growth. Some reports estimate that consumers are only paying 22% of the tariffs currently, but wholesale prices suggest that figure is likely to rise.

Headlines

• AG Bondi strips power from DC police chief, rescinds sanctuary city protections (Fox News)

• Florida to expand “Alligator Alcatraz” franchise with “Deportation Depot” (Not the Bee)

• Trump administration launches investigation into Kansas school districts over transgender policies (Washington Examiner)

• Toronto Film Festival will “ensure” Oct. 7 doc is screened following swift backlash (NY Post)

• Costco opts out of being a latter-day abortion clinic (National Review)

• 84% of mail-order abortion pills sent to pro-life states (Washington Stand)

• Democrats love citing this one climate change study. Turns out it’s all bogus. (Daily Wire)

• Humor: Trump negotiates Russian ceasefire by giving Putin California (Babylon Bee)

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