The Patriot Post® · Friday Executive News Summary
FDA approves new generic form of drug used in 63% of abortions: “The most pro-life president in our nation’s history,” as Donald Trump refers to himself, must have been asleep at the wheel on this one. Mifepristone is a drug available by mail in most of the U.S. that kills preborn babies by starvation and also harms mothers. The first Trump administration approved a generic form of the drug, and on Tuesday, it approved a second generic form. HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon complained that the FDA has very little discretion in approving generic drugs, as long as evidence is provided that proves they are identical to the name brand. Evita Solutions, which secured the approval, is dedicated to providing abortions to everyone “regardless of where they live.” Mifepristone is especially dangerous because it can be mailed to a home and taken without oversight.
Apple yanks ICE-tracking app: The anti-immigration enforcement app ICEBlock, which gave users the location of ICE agents, has been removed from Apple’s App Store. Apple explained that it had done so as a result of “information we’ve received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated” with the app. Attorney General Pam Bondi heralded the news, explaining, “ICEBlock is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs, and violence against law enforcement is an intolerable red line that cannot be crossed.” This reality was demonstrated last week when an individual who expressed animus toward immigration enforcement used a similar app when he targeted and shot at an ICE facility in Dallas, killing two detainees and injuring two others. Despite the attack, the app’s developer, Joshua Aaron, denied that his app had harmed any law enforcement officers.
“Armed conflict” with cartels: On Thursday, the Trump administration officially notified Congress in a memo that the U.S. is engaged “in a non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels that have recently been officially designated as “terrorist organizations.” The memo highlights the U.S. military’s strike against a cartel boat transporting illicit drugs last month, defending the action as in keeping with Donald Trump’s “constitutional authority as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive to conduct foreign relations.” This memo appears to be in response to a number of lawmakers, mostly Democrats, who have accused Trump of exceeding his powers in using the military to attack drug cartels. The memo contends that these cartels have “grown more armed, well-organized, and violent” and “have the financial means, sophistication, and paramilitary capabilities needed to operate with impunity.” Furthermore, much of this “narco-terrorism” is tied to Nicolas Maduro’s regime in Venezuela.
Conservative journalist arrested outside Portland ICE facility during clash with antifa: Conservative journalist Nick Sortor’s coverage of antifa’s antics outside a Portland ICE facility led to him being taken into custody. Sortor was posting videos of antifa shouting at ICE and ICE-friendly citizens when antifa turned on him. Fox News’s Bill Melugin spoke to Sortor following his arrest and learned that antifa surrounded Sortor, pushing him to the ground and throwing a punch. Sortor defended himself and then disengaged, walking over to Portland police officers, where he was surprised to be arrested. Sortor and two others were charged with second-degree disorderly conduct. Sortor has since been released from custody.
Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Ed: On Wednesday, the Trump administration unveiled a 10-point initiative aimed at refocusing America’s institutions of higher education on academic excellence. Dubbed the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” the plan offers “substantial and meaningful federal grants” to universities that sign onto it. The compact includes requiring schools to ban all race- or sex-based admissions and hiring practices, placing a five-year freeze on tuition, limiting international students to 15% of undergraduate enrollment, requiring the SAT or a similar test for application, and eliminating grade inflation. Furthermore, the initiative calls for schools to ensure a “vibrant marketplace of ideas on campus,” while also eliminating departments that “purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas.” The memo has been sent to nine universities thus far.
Hanoi Jane relaunches her father’s free speech group: Henry Fonda first launched the Committee for the First Amendment in an attempt to protect communist subversives in Hollywood, so it’s no surprise that his daughter Jane has resurrected the group in response to Jimmy Kimmel’s non-cancellation. The committee released a statement alleging that the current government is engaged in a campaign to silence critics “in government, the media, judiciary, academia, and the entertainment industry.” The committee correctly points out that free speech is not a partisan issue, but one wonders where it was when Big Tech bowed to Biden administration pressure to silence any opinion that strayed from The Narrative™. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson pointed out that far from being censorious, Donald Trump has been the victim of censorship and supports free speech, calling the group’s allegations “laughable.”
Americans’ trust in the media keeps falling: Democrats age 50 and above trust the media, but no one else does. Every group of Republicans has a majority distrust in the media, and even young Democrats don’t trust them. In 2021, 40% of respondents had a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in mainstream media; last year, that number fell to 31%, and this year it’s down to 28% with no end in sight. Asked about confidence in the media, seven in 10 U.S. adults have “not very much” or “none at all.” Republican trust in the media has fallen to a staggering 8%.
Greenpeace looks to EU court to avoid paying U.S. jury verdict: In May, a North Dakota jury ruled in favor of Energy Transfer, a Dallas-based energy company, in its lawsuit against Greenpeace over the environmentalist activist organization’s year-long efforts to block the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The jury awarded Energy Transfer a $667 million verdict, a sum that effectively bankrupts Greenpeace, leading to its shuttering. In an effort to stave off elimination, Greenpeace International filed a countersuit based on a new law established by the European Union. That law is designed to protect activists from “strategic lawsuits against public participation.” Greenpeace has taken its case to a Dutch court, hoping to void the U.S. verdict. However, according to Brady Pelton, vice president and general counsel for the North Dakota Petroleum Council, “Whatever the outcome in the Netherlands, it cannot overturn the North Dakota judgment.”
Headlines
Kavanaugh’s attempted assassin to be sentenced today (The Hill)
U.S. to provide Ukraine with intelligence for missile strikes deep inside Russia (WSJ)
Bari Weiss to lead CBS News as part of major shakeup (NY Post)
Trump admin cancels one of Gavin Newsom’s favorite green energy grants (Washington Free Beacon)
Walmart will no longer use synthetic food dyes in store-brand products (Not the Bee)
Church of England names Sarah Mullally first woman Archbishop of Canterbury (Fox News)
Humor: Dems call for commonsense sombrero control (Babylon Bee)
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