The Patriot Post® · Thursday Executive News Summary
Trump loses House on Iran
President Donald Trump was given a symbolic rebuke by the House of Representatives on Wednesday when four Republicans joined the Democrats to pass legislation to force a withdrawal of troops from military action in Iran. The legislation is not expected to pass the Senate and would be met with a presidential veto even if it did. Two of the Republicans who supported the measure face competitive reelection races, while Warren Davidson of Ohio is on the libertarian anti-war side of the caucus. The recently defeated sore loser Thomas Massie of Kentucky also voted in favor. The Trump administration contends that hostilities have ended in light of the fragile ceasefire that has mostly held in recent weeks. The president had harsh words for the legislators, saying they’re undermining peace negotiations.
Former national security advisor to plead guilty
John Bolton, who served as national security advisor in the first Trump administration, will plead guilty to unlawfully retaining classified information, according to new reporting. Bolton was indicted last October on 18 counts of illegally hoarding or sending sensitive information. Trump, who has positioned himself as anti-war, employed the war-hawk Bolton in his first term because “when you walk into the room with him, you’re in a good negotiating position. Because they figure you’re going to war if John Bolton was there.” The relationship between Trump and Bolton soured after Bolton left the White House and wrote The Room Where It Happened, a memoir that Trump called “a compilation of lies.” Bolton’s hearing will take place on June 26 in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Reconciliation bill headway
The Senate voted 53-46 along party lines on Wednesday to advance a $72 billion reconciliation bill to fund immigration enforcement. The bill came under heavy scrutiny after the White House announced its $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche had to testify to the Senate that the fund was “not moving forward” before the necessary votes could be gathered. $1 billion in Secret Service and White House ballroom funding was scrapped, along with $1.5 billion for anti-fraud investigations. The reconciliation bill, dubbed the Secure America Act, will now come up for a “vote-a-rama” in the Senate before it can be sent to the House. If the bill passes the Senate, the House intends to pass it before the end of the week. This will be the second of three reconciliation bills allowed to bypass the 60-vote filibuster threshold in the Senate in a year.
Israel-Lebanon ceasefire
Israel and Lebanon have reached a significant ceasefire agreement following two days of talks in a U.S.-brokered deal in Washington. The two countries issued a joint statement that reads in part, “Israel and Lebanon reaffirmed that they have no hostile intent toward one another and committed to continuing direct negotiations to build confidence, resolve all outstanding issues, and work toward a comprehensive agreement between the two countries.” The deal requires Hezbollah militants to leave Lebanon’s South Litani Sector and also establishes “pilot zones” that will be occupied by the Lebanese Armed Forces in order to secure the region and prevent Hezbollah militias from entering. As officials noted, “Hizbollah is not just an enemy of Israel and an enemy of America, but that it is an enemy of Lebanon.” Israel and Lebanon have also agreed to meet in three weeks to work toward developing a comprehensive peace treaty.
Update on SPLC funding hate groups
Officially, the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is a hate group itself, is under indictment from the DOJ for deceiving donors on how funds would be used, not for directly funding the hate groups it alleges to be fighting. The most recent allegations state that when two Ku Klux Klan members came to the SPLC seeking help to leave the organization, they were instead paid $1,200 monthly to remain as informants. The SPLC directly reimbursed the costs associated with white robes, fuel, and materials for crossburnings, extremist literature, recruitment, and establishing new chapters. The SPLC maintains that it was using informants to stop violence and save lives (the last killing linked to the KKK was 45 years ago). SPLC coffers swelled from $38.7 million when it began paying for hate in 2010 to $129 million by 2023.
Gov. Moore’s BIG military lie?
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore can’t seem to keep his military service record straight. Moore has previously claimed to have earned the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Action Badge prior to actually receiving those honors. The Combat Action Badge was awarded in 2006 after he claimed to have received it in an application. The Bronze Star was not awarded until 2024, seemingly in an attempt to save Moore from his own lies. Now, even his claim that he “led men into combat” is coming into doubt. No public records support that claim; his Combat Action Badge was awarded for an attack on his base. News media looking into the claim could not find corroborating evidence and claimed that two of Moore’s senior officers dodged the question.
NPR’s “Climate Desk” shuttered
NPR has become the latest Leftmedia organization to dismantle its climate alarmism desk. According to NPR’s now former Chief Climate Editor Neela Banerjee, “It was a grand run. Today, I was laid off by NPR. The climate desk no longer exists separately but has been folded into the National Desk.” This appears to be a growing trend, as CNBC “dismantled its climate desk” a couple of years back, and The Washington Post recently significantly downsized its climate desk from 30 reporters to five. It’s beginning to look like the climate alarmism jig is finally up after decades of doom and gloom predictions never came even remotely close to reality.
Karmelo Anthony trial
The 12 jurors have been chosen for the trial of Austin Metcalf’s alleged killer, Karmelo Anthony, and the mob is already up in arms because there are no black jurors. Both the prosecutor and the defense questioned potential jurors. Karmelo’s attorney, Mike Howard, asked how the jurors felt about “self-defense” and repeated the line that it’s not illegal to have a knife under 5 ½" in a public place. However, the murder happened on Frisco ISD property, not in a public location. One juror plainly stated that he didn’t feel that he could “put a brother in jail.” Next Generation Action Network, which represents the Anthony family, reported that it is “outraged” the prosecution used its final strikes to remove the remaining black jurors from the pool, “raising serious concerns about fairness and equal justice.” If “fairness” and “equal justice” are based on skin color, then justice is no longer blind.
Re-erecting statues
In the fervor of the woke iconoclasm that swept across much of the nation following the death of George Floyd, a number of cities and towns removed statues of famous historic figures who contributed much to America’s existence. Now, in light of the nation’s 250th anniversary, and in response to a slew of lawsuits, a number of principalities are seeking to put the statues back up. For example, Columbus, Ohio, is in the midst of returning the statue of Christopher Columbus, the city’s namesake. At the time of the statue’s removal, Democrat Mayor Andrew Ginther stated, “We will no longer live in the shadow of our ugly past.” The fact of the matter is that Ginther would not be where he is today if it weren’t for Columbus. A coalition of Italian-Americans sued the city for its removal of Columbus, with Jack Conte, the group’s lawyer, cogently stating, “The silent majority is becoming vocal.” Other municipalities are facing similar pushback.
Fortune 500 companies head to Texas
Texas has officially surpassed California as the state with the leading number of Fortune 500 companies. As of 2026, the Lone Star State boasts 57 Fortune 500 companies, narrowly besting the Golden State’s 56. Those 57 companies equate to some $2.8 trillion in annual revenue, also beating California’s $2.7 trillion. California had been the Fortune 500 king for years, but thanks to that state’s onerous regulations and increasingly business-hostile laws and high taxes, not to mention crime and vagrancy problems, a growing number of companies have jumped ship for greener pastures, like Texas. California had the proverbial golden goose, but it has effectively killed the goose, thanks to radical leftist and environmental policies.
Headlines
Trump will nominate Acting AG Todd Blanche to permanently lead Justice Department (Fox News)
Marco Rubio torches Democrat after bizarre hearing questions about his shoes (Fox News)
Trump admin invokes human rights in latest bid to restore “Liberation Day” tariffs (Just the News)
Ohio has its own Somali fraud problem, House oversight says (Washington Examiner)
Michigan voters say they’re sick of mass Muslim migration (Daily Signal)
The Executive News Summary is compiled daily by Jordan Candler, Thomas Gallatin, Sterling Henry, and Sophie Starkova. For the archive, click here.