The Patriot Post® · Wednesday Executive News Summary
Fuller, Harris advance in GA-14: Georgia held a special election for its 14th Congressional District yesterday to fill the seat vacated by Marjorie Taylor Greene in early January. The heavily Republican district will head to an April 7 runoff election between the top two candidates, Republican District Attorney Clay Fuller and Democrat retired Army Brigadier General Shawn Harris. Fuller, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, came out on top of a field crowded with 16 other Republicans, while Harris employed a significant fundraising advantage to help secure a spot in the runoff. Given that the district leans heavily Republican, with Trump carrying it by 37 points in 2024, Fuller is well-positioned to win the runoff and hold the seat for the Republicans, helping maintain the GOP’s slim House majority. Our Mark Alexander will have more later today.
Inflation holds steady for now: The February consumer price index came in as expected, rising 0.3%, with annual inflation remaining at 2.4% over this time last year. There is a caveat in this report, however, as many of these numbers came before the U.S. launched its joint strike with Israel against Iran. For instance, gas prices have jumped dramatically since February. Seema Shah of Principal Asset Management observed, “Today’s CPI report is already something of a historical artefact. With oil prices up roughly $30 in recent weeks … investors are far more focused on how the conflict feeds into inflation over the months ahead.” The other major development that is expected to have a sizable impact on future inflation is the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling against President Trump’s tariffs.
Iran and Hezbollah coordinate cluster bomb strikes on Israel: Iran and its proxy Hezbollah managed to restore coordination ahead of a strike on the 11th day of Operation Epic Fury. The Lebanese terror group launched a salvo of rockets and drones in concert with Iranian missiles. The simultaneous attack stretched Israel’s air defenses, especially since Iran’s salvo involved cluster munitions. Cluster warheads burst at high altitudes, dispersing dozens of bombs over a large area, making them difficult to intercept. Israeli military officials say that as many as half of the Iranian projectiles are now cluster bombs. The attacks on northern Israel are ramping up even as Hezbollah prepares to face what may be a full-scale Israeli invasion into its territory.
Dem legislator leaves Dems over Christianity: Michigan Democrat State Rep. Karen Whitsett announced that she’s leaving the party and will not seek reelection. “For me, it is impossible to be a faithful follower of Jesus Christ while remaining a member of the Democratic Party as it exists today,” she stated. “I cannot reconcile that platform with Scripture.” She further explained, “I have compromised my relationship with Jesus for too long, and I’m grateful God did not give up on me. He gave me time to repent, turn, and be fully devoted to Him. That conviction includes the issues I cannot reconcile with Scripture: abortion, the normalization of the gay lifestyle, and the push to redefine gender.” She credited Republican State Rep. Bradley Slagh with helping to convict her, noting his comment, “You’re to vote your district, but you’re not to sell your soul.”
Illegal immigrant voted in seven U.S. elections since 2005: Mahady Sacko, a citizen of Mauritania, registered to vote in the U.S. in 2005 before voting in five federal general elections and two primaries. If the registered Democrat voted party line, he cast votes for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris. He was apprehended in Philadelphia, and while he faces a felony charge, it is only for his most recent vote in the 2024 election. DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis explained, “Illegal aliens should NOT be electing American leaders. Our elections belong to American citizens, not foreign citizens.” Memo to Congress: Pass the SAVE Act.
Loudoun County sheriff says crime is low thanks to cooperation with ICE: Michael Chapman, the sheriff of Loudoun County, Virginia, testified before the Senate Budget Committee on Tuesday, where he credited his cooperation with ICE for helping to make his county safer. “It’s worked for us,” he said. “It’s kept our crime rate down extraordinarily low.” Senate Democrats sought to frame anti-ICE “sanctuary” policies as “helping to make America great,” a claim that Chapman rejected. Neighboring Fairfax County has adopted a sanctuary policy, which has come under fire following the recent stabbing death of a woman at a bus stop by an illegal alien with a criminal record who had been released the day before the murder without alerting ICE. Chapman argued, “It’s irresponsible of me to allow that to happen and let these people back into our community.”
Speaker Johnson pivots anti-Muslim messaging to anti-Sharia law: Two Republican representatives, Andy Ogles of Tennessee and Randy Fine of Florida, have recently been very open about their belief that Islam is incompatible with Western civilization. Ogles went so far as to say that “Muslims don’t belong in American society.” When asked about the comments, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he has spoken to the representatives about tone, but reiterated that Muslims who do not integrate and seek to impose Sharia law represent an issue, as Sharia law is incompatible with the U.S. Constitution. No major Islamic sect rejects Sharia law, and both the Sunnis and the Shias view it as foundational. It is not clear that Islam is separable from Sharia law.
Report says Americans lose at least $119 billion a year to scams: An advocacy group called Consumer Federation of America released a new study using reported losses to estimate the yearly cumulative loss to all scams, including those that go unreported. A 2017 study by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics found that only 14% of scams are reported to the government. Using this and other data, the Consumer Federation estimates that Americans lost nearly $119 billion to scams in 2024, rather than the reported $16.6 billion. The costliest scams involve investments, business email, and tech support. Nevada, Wyoming, and California experience the highest per-capita losses to scams.
Humans take AI jobs: As a result of copious customer dissatisfaction and frustration with chatbots, companies that had replaced humans with AI are now rehiring customer service workers, content writers, and software engineers. The Washington Times reports, “Brands such as IBM, Salesforce, Google and Meta have added undisclosed numbers of workers in redefined roles since late last year to help steer their generative artificial intelligence services.” Many companies are discovering that they moved too quickly with AI and that “many tasks still require judgment, escalation, quality control, and human interaction.” Careerminds, a workforce development firm, informed in a survey last month that about a third of the organizations that conducted AI layoffs have now rehired 25% to 50% of those jobs. It will take time for employers and workers to adjust to the new technology, and the companies that succeed will focus on human-AI collaboration rather than replacement.
Headlines
Iran targets commercial ships across Persian Gulf, Dubai airport, and oil facilities (NY Post)
IEA agrees to release 400 million barrels of oil to address Iran war supply disruption (CNBC)
CNN deletes post about suspects in attempted terror attack (National Review)
CNN host apologizes after saying NYC bombers attacked Muslim mayor (Not the Bee)
Federal court terminates Biden-era student loan plan affecting millions nationwide (Fox Business)
The Executive News Summary is compiled daily by Jordan Candler, Thomas Gallatin, Sterling Henry, and Sophie Starkova. For the archive, click here.