• Maduro update: Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro appeared in a New York City court on Monday following his arrest by U.S. forces in Caracas over the weekend. Wearing a prison uniform, Maduro pleaded not guilty to charges connected to narco-terrorism, contending that he was “a decent man” and that he was “innocent” and “not guilty of anything that is mentioned here.” His wife, Cilia Flores, who was arrested and charged with him, also entered a not-guilty plea. Meanwhile, in Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, who had been serving as vice president under Maduro, was sworn in as the country’s interim president. She spun the U.S. operation to capture and arrest Maduro as a “kidnapping.” The U.S. ambassador to the UN clarified that “there is no war against Venezuela or its people. We are not occupying a country.”

• Trump’s next target: Mexican drug cartels: While the response to President Donald Trump’s directive to capture and arrest Nicolás Maduro has been met with mixed reactions across the world, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum unsurprisingly condemned the action. However, given Mexico’s cartel problem, she offered “cooperation.” Sheinbaum’s statement was likely in response to Trump’s warning on Saturday: “We will crash the cartels.” He also answered a question on Mexico’s cartels, saying, “So we have to do something because we lost, the real number is 300,000 people, in my opinion.” It would appear that Trump is far from done in addressing the scourge of criminal drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere. Indeed, he may just be getting started.

• Vance home attacked: It seems that the radical Left is at it again. A man attacked Vice President JD Vance’s Cincinnati home on Monday morning, shattering windows while the VP and his family were away. Vance thanked well-wishers on X while publicly questioning the news value of sharing pictures of his home with broken windows, given his young children. The 26-year-old attacker, William DeFoor, a Cincinnati local, has been arrested and is being held by the Cincinnati Police Department while the Secret Service reviews charges. DeFoor, whose parents donated thousands to Kamala Harris’s 2024 campaign, has been charged with trespassing and vandalism before. In those cases, he was referred to mental health treatment, and his mother was granted legal guardianship by reason of his mental illness. Trans-radicalism may be at play in this attack, as William has recently been posting to social media as “Julia.”

• Biden-era rule change that created a fraud loophole to be overturned: It’s starting to seem like a pattern: rules that were in place when Joe Biden took office were changed in ways that facilitated crime. The rule in question in this case is a change to the structure of the Child Care and Development Fund that required the Department of Health and Human Services to disburse payments based on prospective enrollment at childcare facilities rather than attendance. HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill says, “Paying providers upfront … invites abuse.” This administration’s proposed return to making payments based on attendance will make fraud more difficult and enable greater parental oversight of fund distribution.

• Child vaccine schedule lowered: Under new guidance issued Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now advises vaccines for 11 diseases instead of 17. Dropped from the vaccine schedule are recommendations for Hep B, Rotavirus, MenACWY, Hep A, and the flu shot. Health officials, in their assessment of 20 other developed peer nations’ schedules, found that the U.S. is a “global outlier” in both the number of diseases addressed in its routine vaccine schedule and the total number of recommended doses. A press release from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.‘s Health and Human Services said insurance “will continue to cover more vaccines for children in the United States than in peer nations, where insurance generally only pays for recommended vaccines.” While Kennedy is not discouraging vaccination, he is seeking to restore public trust in government health agencies that for years have been a “rubber stamp” for the pharmaceutical industry, prioritizing profits over science.

• Trump and Greenland: Donald Trump still has his eyes on Greenland, an interest he raised again over the weekend, telling reporters, “We need Greenland! From a national security situation.” He added, “Right now Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.” Noting national security concerns, Trump stated, “Denmark is not going to be able to do it.” He then said, “You know what Denmark did recently to boost up security in Greenland? They added one more dog sled. It’s true! They thought that was a great move.” Trump then claimed that even the European Union agrees that the U.S. should have Greenland. Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called Trump’s comments “very rude and disrespectful,” while Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen strongly urged “the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have said very clearly that they are not for sale.”

• Hilton Hotels causes ICE storm: After it came to light that a Hilton hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota, canceled the reservations of ICE officers, explicitly explaining “that we are not allowing any immigration agents to house on our property,” Hilton’s corporate headquarters responded with a quick about-face. The hotel giant released the following statement: “Hilton hotels serve as welcoming places for all. This hotel is independently owned and operated, and the actions referenced are not reflective of Hilton values. We are investigating this matter with this individual hotel, and can confirm that Hilton works with governments, law enforcement, and community leaders around the world to ensure our properties are open and inviting to everyone.” Clearly, the execs at Hilton are fearing getting the Bud Light treatment and are running damage control.

UPDATE: The hotel has been dropped by Hilton.

• Corporation for Public Broadcasting closes up shop: CPB officials announced on Monday that the board of directors voted to dissolve the organization. The agency created by the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 distributed funds to PBS and NPR, as well as local radio and television stations. The decision to dissolve was made to prevent manipulation from new actors who did not serve public media’s best interests. Ruby Calvert, the chair of the board, said the Trump administration’s efforts to defund the organization were “devastating” and opined that her organization was “critical to our children’s education … and democracy.” NPR and PBS continue to operate, though budget and staff cuts suggest their future is in doubt. Conservatives who have felt a bias against them in the programming supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting may find little to mourn in its end.

• Convicted ICE-interfering judge resigns: Actions have consequences, and for once, an anti-American obstructionist judge is feeling those consequences. Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan, who has been convicted of obstructing the arrest of illegal immigrants by ICE, has now bowed to pressure and resigned from her office. In a public statement, she defended her treatment of all people with dignity and respect and claimed the case against her was too large a distraction to continue acting as a judge. The facts are that giving preferential treatment to illegal immigrants is not treating American citizens with dignity or respect, and she was forced to leave her office in disgrace. Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican, praised Dugan’s decision to resign, as it follows “the clear direction from the Wisconsin Constitution.”

Headlines

• Marjorie Taylor Greene marks her last day in Congress after resignation (CBS News)

• Congress rolls out $174B spending bill (Fox News)

• NYC bus fares raised to $3 despite Mamdani’s promise to make it free (Not the Bee)

• Biden’s pension is largest of any president in history (NY Post)

• 9th Circuit rules against ban on open carry of firearms in most California counties (Center Square)

• Humor: Trump leads SEAL team to capture rogue dictator Gavin Newsom (Babylon Bee)

For the Executive Summary archive, click here.