The Patriot Post® · Wednesday Executive News Summary

By The Editors ·
https://patriotpost.us/articles/126382-wednesday-executive-news-summary-2026-04-01

  • Trump’s mail-in vote order: President Donald Trump took action to secure the voting process on Tuesday with a new executive order on mail-in balloting. The order requires the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Social Security Administration, to transmit a list of every confirmed citizen to each state no later than 60 days before each federal election. These lists will be accessible and updatable by states and individuals. It requires the Postmaster General to require that each ballot be sent individually in an envelope with an Intelligent Mail barcode and to send those ballots only to enrollees on state-specific mail-in and absentee participation lists. States that do not comply with these new requirements or are found to have transmitted ballots to ineligible voters risk losing federal funding. This order is expected to be challenged.

  • Judge blocks White House ballroom: Judge Richard Leon blocked the continuation of the construction of the White House ballroom addition on Tuesday. Leon’s decision was in response to a lawsuit raised by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has opposed President Trump’s expansion project. The judge reasoned that the preservation group would likely succeed in its case, stating, “No statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have.” However, Leon noted that it’s not too late for Trump to secure congressional authorization for the ballroom. Trump blasted the decision as wrong, observing, “Many things built in the White House haven’t got congressional approval, especially when the money is not being put up by the taxpayers. The taxpayers are not putting up a dime.” The DOJ has appealed the ruling.

  • Trump expected to attend Supreme Court in historical first: President Trump plans to attend the Supreme Court today as the justices hear oral arguments on birthright citizenship. The case relates to Trump’s executive order that restricts birthright citizenship to children of citizens or lawful permanent residents, making ineligible illegal border crossers or those practicing “birth tourism.” This order has been repeatedly challenged in lower courts and has never gone into effect, with critics claiming it violates the 14th Amendment. Trump insists the 14th Amendment was meant to apply to children of freed slaves, never to Chinese billionaires flying to Hawaii for a day to give birth. Others are critical of the president’s decision to attend the hearings, viewing it as a separation-of-powers issue. While Trump will be the first sitting president to attend oral arguments, the Court does have a chair set aside for his use in such cases.

  • Kid Rock and Pete Hegseth clear Apache pilots: The pilots who hovered off the balcony of entertainer Kid Rock’s home over the weekend were briefly suspended as an investigation into the incident was announced. However, shortly thereafter, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth thanked Kid Rock and announced that there would be no investigation or suspension and to “Carry on, patriots.” Kid Rock greeted the helicopters with fist pumps and salutes, and later told local news that he thought the pilots would be all right because “my buddy’s commander-in-chief.” He also noted that this was not the first time Apaches had flown over his home, and that he had spoken to some of the pilots out of Fort Campbell at a Thanksgiving celebration last year, where he told them they were “always welcome.”

  • American journalist kidnapped in Iraq: In Baghdad, Iraq, American journalist Shelly Kittleson was in her car on a busy street when it was stopped by a number of armed men, who dragged her out of the car and into another vehicle that drove off. The Iraqi Ministry of Interior confirmed that Kittleson had been abducted and that a suspect had been arrested. It was later reported that Kittleson had been taken by Khatib Hezbollah, and her whereabouts are still unknown. Kittleson, an award-winning journalist who has worked for media outlets such as the BBC and TRT World, had been warned by the White House not to travel to Iraq. Hopefully, she will be quickly rescued unharmed.

  • DC safer because of Trump: A strange thing happened after President Trump addressed Washington, DC’s high crime by sending in the National Guard last year: It dropped. The District has seen major crimes fall by over 50%. Homicides are down 61%, vehicle thefts are down 53%, and robberies are down 45%. Over 11,000 arrests have been made, including gang members, drug addicts, and murderers. And 142 homeless encampments have been cleaned out. Trump’s insistence on enforcing the law has not only made DC a much safer city but also a cleaner, more attractive place, where refuse and graffiti are being removed. Furthermore, the wait time to obtain a concealed carry permit has been reduced from four months to one day. This is what genuine progress looks like.

  • Alberta the 51st state? Alberta may beat Quebec to be the first province to declare independence from Canada. A separatist group called Stay Free Canada says it has gathered more than 178,000 signatures in support of an independent Alberta, more than enough to trigger a referendum on the issue this October. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said she will move forward with a referendum if the required signatures are verified. Another group of separatists, the Alberta Prosperity Project, has met with U.S. State Department officials three times since April 2025. Meanwhile, Alberta opposition leader Naheed Nenshi has gathered more than 400,000 signatures for his “Forever Canadian” legislation, which would make a permanent union with Canada official Alberta policy. Most Albertan separatists are currently pushing for an independent Alberta rather than joining the United States.

  • NBA Christian player canned for expressing opposition to celebrating Pride Month: Controversy involving the NBA has exploded across social media after the Chicago Bulls cut Jaden Ivey. Ivey, who has increasingly expressed his Christian faith on social media since becoming a believer, was waived following a video he posted in which he said, “They proclaim Pride Month in the NBA. They show it to the world. They say come join us for Pride Month to celebrate unrighteousness.” Regarding his dismissal, the Bulls claimed that Ivey had engaged in “conduct detrimental to the team.” Ivey questioned the Bulls’ framing of his firing, asking, “Why didn’t they just say, ‘We disagree with his stance on LGBTQ?’ What did I do to the team? What did I do to the players?” Indeed. It would appear that the NBA has no room for Christian players who hold to traditional Biblical values.

  • DOJ loses lawsuit against Colorado’s sanctuary policies: A Biden-era judge ruled against the Trump administration’s attempt to overrule Colorado’s sanctuary polices that protect illegal immigrants. State laws limit cooperation with Homeland Security’s deportation “detainer” requests, and Denver’s policy prevents federal officials from accessing jails to enforce civil immigration laws. The judge disagreed that national laws supersede state laws and that the 10th Amendment guarantees a state’s freedom to uphold its own policies. “Plaintiff seeks to usurp control over Colorado and Denver officials by dictating what the officials can and cannot do,” Judge Gordon Gallagher wrote. “The federal government does not have the power to direct the Colorado legislature or Colorado state and local officials in such a fashion.” The DOJ has lost similar cases in Illinois and New York. The Democrats love the 10th Amendment when it suits their agenda, but they’re fine with stomping all over states’ rights otherwise.

Headlines

  • Trump to address the nation on Iran war Wednesday night (CNBC)

  • Obama-appointed judge sides with PBS and NPR (Hot Air)

  • Border Patrol chief Michael Banks hit with prostitution allegations (Washington Examiner)

  • Trump admin announces Planned Parenthood grants will end this year (LifeNews.com)

  • Michigan synagogue attack was inspired by Hezbollah (Hot Air)

The Executive News Summary is compiled daily by Jordan Candler, Thomas Gallatin, Sterling Henry, and Sophie Starkova. For the archive, click here.