The Patriot Post® · Friday Executive News Summary
Healthy jobs report
172,000 jobs were added in May, coming in well above economists’ projection of 80,000. Furthermore, April’s jobs total was revised upward slightly from 172,000 to 179,000. Meanwhile, the headline unemployment rate remained static at 4.3%. The healthcare and education sectors were the biggest drivers of job growth, with the leisure and hospitality industry surprisingly adding 70,000 positions in May, “well above the average monthly gain of 14,000 over the prior 12 months,” the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The positive jobs numbers, despite the current high gas prices thanks to the Iran conflict, are a promising sign of U.S. economic health. The big question will be the inflation rate, with that report expected next week.
Reconciliation bill is House-bound
The Senate held a “vote-a-rama” on Thursday that culminated in the passage of a $70 billion reconciliation bill by a 52-47 vote. It will now head to the House for approval. The bill will fund ICE and Border Patrol for the next 3.5 years. Despite efforts, including from many Senate Republicans, language to permanently block the $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund” was not included. Another amendment that would have required congressional approval for the White House ballroom garnered the support of Democrats and six Republicans but failed to meet the 60-vote threshold needed to attach it to the bill. Ultimately, the day was a success for Senate Republicans and the Trump administration despite growing tensions and the removal of extra funding for the ballroom and Secret Service.
Platner’s imbroglio metastasizes
Graham Platner’s campaign has previously survived a Nazi tattoo, insulting American war hero Chris Kyle, and making light of rape online, but it may not survive this new round of scandals. Last week, his wife revealed that he had sexted over a dozen women since their marriage in 2023, which Platner has confirmed. Now, The New York Times has run an exposé in which several of Platner’s ex-girlfriends spoke out. Some described Platner in positive terms, saying they felt safe with him, but three exes have affirmed some of the disturbing behavior that has come to light during his Senate campaign. One ex reported that Platner would refer to his tattoo as “my Totenkopf,” contradicting his campaign claim that he was unaware of the tattoo’s significance. He also reportedly frequently fantasized about how he would rape anyone who broke into his home, “not in a gay way.”
Trump admin investigates California vote counting
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles will investigate California’s late mail-in-voting surge as well as the state’s notoriously slow ballot counting process, which allows up to 30 days after an election to count votes. President Donald Trump raised the issue this week, accusing Democrats of “trying to steal” primary election results. “They are trying to steal the governor of California primary and the mayor of Los Angeles primary away from two great Republican candidates,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Here we go with the very late and massive numbers of mail-in ballots.” As of Thursday, Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton was narrowly leading Democrats Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer with 56% of the votes counted. In Los Angeles, upstart Spencer Pratt was in second place behind incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. If the vote holds, those two will enter a runoff election in November.
Buckeye State fraud
The Department of Justice conducted a multi-department press conference yesterday outlining its success working with the state of Ohio to root out fraud. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche reported that Ohio has some of the most significant fraud schemes in the country and coordinated with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz to suspend 49 Medicaid providers in the Buckeye State. They also detailed the success of Operation Playground Therapy, which began with a tip from Ohio’s attorney general in late 2024 and has now resulted in nine indictments of four individuals representing $75 million defrauded from Medicaid. FBI agents seized seven bank accounts and 14 vehicles. The anti-fraud efforts were ongoing during the press conference, with U.S. marshals serving warrants related to suspected fraud in Columbus. Officials also unveiled the FBI’s new “Most Wanted Fraudsters” list.
Finally, a safety study on mifepristone
The Trump administration is finally showing some movement on its review of the abortion pill mifepristone. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had said that the FDA was reviewing the drug’s safety, but pro-life advocates’ belief that FDA Commissioner Marty Makary was dragging his feet likely contributed to his ouster last month. Acting Commissioner Kyle Diamantas met with pro-life advocates to assure them of his support despite previously representing Planned Parenthood in court. Despite reports that the FDA has recently launched a review of the drug, the White House has vigorously disputed that assertion, claiming the review has been in process for months. Mifepristone is frequently mailed to mothers’ homes after a telehealth meeting. Telehealth abortions are largely unregulated, with less than a quarter of providers reporting that they honor the restriction on shipping the pill to mothers past 70 days gestation.
MARTA probe
Two recent stabbings on Atlanta’s commuter train system known as MARTA, one of which took the life of 66-year-old great-grandmother Margaret Swan, have sparked a federal investigation. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the Federal Transit Administration will audit MARTA, posting on X, “I want ANSWERS from Atlanta. The number of assaults, robberies, and rapes on MARTA’s trains is MORE THAN THREE TIMES the national average.” He added, “Margaret’s family DESERVES ACCOUNTABILITY. No one should be forced to fear for their safety on public transit.” Last week, Swan was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack by a vagrant while she was quietly riding on the train — a stabbing that was eerily similar to the attack on Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte last year. In this case, there is no apparent racial animus, as both the attacker and Swan were black.
Defiant Hezbollah
As Iran continues to drag “negotiations” out to buy time, Hezbollah has once again rejected a ceasefire agreement. The Hezbollah chief stated that the “resistance” will continue as long as Israel remains in southern Lebanon. Moreover, they do not want the Lebanese government in direct talks with Israel or foreign involvement in decisions regarding its weapons. The Iran proxy said it won’t make any commitments to stop attacks and that northern Israel will not be safe while Lebanese towns are under attack. All of this directly contradicts what the parliamentary leader said a few days ago, when he claimed that Hezbollah would stop all of its attacks and cooperate with a ceasefire. If this terrorist organization says that disarmament is a red line, it seems that Israel is left with only one option. It is long past time for the IDF to finish off Hezbollah, but it seems the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is calling the shots right now.
Ukraine aid
The House yesterday passed a bill with bipartisan support, despite the objections of House GOP leadership, to send more aid to Ukraine and put sanctions on Russia. Eighteen Republicans joined all but one Democrat in support of the bill. The Ukraine Support Act put forward by Gregory Meeks of New York proposes to send $8 billion in loans to Ukraine and NATO allies under the Foreign Military Financing program. Meeks told reporters, “It’s absolutely important to the people of Ukraine to know that the United States of America is not going to turn its back” on the war. Michael McCaul of Texas crossed the aisle, calling it a “stand against Russian tyranny.” The bill heads to the Senate, where it may encounter tougher opposition from Republicans.
Pentagon narrows recognized religions
The U.S. military has narrowed its list of recognized religions per a directive from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who observed that the number “had ballooned to well over 200 faith codes,” adding, “It was impractical and unusable, and many codes were never used at all.” The Pentagon announced on Thursday that 180 faiths had been removed, leaving a total of 31 officially recognized religions. According to Undersecretary of War Anthony Tata, the new streamlined list of recognized religions “will provide chaplains with clear, readily available information that will better enable them to anticipate the religious support needs of service members and to provide religious support activities that align with service members’ personal faith and practices.” Included on the new list are Agnostics, Buddhists, Hindus, Islam, Judaism, Sikh, and a wide range of Christian denominations.
Headlines
Four Senate Republicans again unite with Dems to block SAVE America Act (Fox News)
U.S. sanctions Cuban president as Trump turns up heat on island’s leadership (Washington Examiner)
China’s Xi to visit Kim in North Korea next week (Washington Times)
SCOTUS delivers 8-1 blow to AT&T, Verizon in $100M FCC case (Daily Signal)
Judge dismisses charges against trans-identifying sex offender accused of exposing himself in girls’ locker rooms (National Review)
The Executive News Summary is compiled daily by Jordan Candler, Thomas Gallatin, Sterling Henry, and Sophie Starkova. For the archive, click here.