Lindsey Graham’s sister picking up his mantle
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has appointed Darline Graham Nordone to the U.S. Senate after the sudden death of her brother, Lindsey Graham. At a press conference on Monday, McMaster referenced the siblings’ close relationship, saying, “Lindsey took care of his little sister in years long departed. It’s my honor to ask his little sister, Darline Graham, to finish his work for him now.” Darline will be sworn in at 2:30 p.m. today and will serve at least through the remainder of Lindsey’s term, which ends on January 3, 2027, when a new Congress will be sworn in. Candidates are sure to announce their intentions to seek Graham’s seat; Nikki Haley and Nancy Mace are already rumored, but Lindsey passionately praised his sister’s ability to represent the U.S. during his brief 2015 presidential run.

Iran blockade reimposed
President Donald Trump on Monday said that the U.S. has reimposed its blockade on Iranian ports following days of strikes in which Tehran has repeatedly targeted commercial shipping navigating the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has been exerting control over the Strait in contravention of the memorandum of understanding. The Iranians “didn’t honor the test, Trump said. "We had this deal settled numerous times. I said, ‘Watch, I guarantee. Watch.’ And they never, they never followed it.” Trump pledged to hit Iran “very hard.” He also posted on social media that the U.S. would charge a 20% fee for all cargo ships traversing the Strait. This announcement contradicts a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who last month said, “It’s an international waterway. No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway.”

Schumer signals coming government shutdown over Iran war funding
Chuck Schumer’s shutdowns keep coming, it seems; this time, the Senate minority leader may refuse to fund the government over the annual National Defense Authorization Act. In the proposed White House budget, $1.5 trillion would be allocated for defense, an increase of half. Ahead of that spending being authorized, the president has asked Congress to pass the NDAA as part of a budget reconciliation bill that will provide $350 billion in defense funding. The passage will be complicated by the absence of Senator Mitch McConnell and the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, both of whom were involved in crafting and passing reconciliation bills. Democrat senators explained their opposition by arguing that this is an Iran war authorization bill rather than a standard NDAA.

Trump admin says foster kids no longer have to be placed with groomers
Much of the best work of the second Trump administration has been its rollback of onerous and un-American regulations. One such regulation installed by the Biden administration in April 2024, though stymied in court, required children in custody of Health and Human Services who were struggling with gender identity — that is, children in the process of being groomed — to be placed with pro-LGBTQ families. The system was designed to ensure that a child being groomed couldn’t resist the programming. This morning, HHS Assistant Secretary Alex Adams announced that the regulation had been officially removed. Adams explained that “all families are welcome” in the foster care system and that there is a nationwide shortage of homes in which to place foster children.

Trump’s weaponization fund takes a court beating
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams blasted the Trump administration yesterday over its abandoned $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund, which was part of a settlement the IRS reached with the president over the leak of his tax information. In her 56-page decision, Williams called Trump’s lawsuit and the administration’s conduct “an attempt to use the Court to provide some legitimacy to an agreement to confer immunity to people and entities affiliated with the President and to earmark billions of dollars from American taxpayers to redress grievances not defined in the law.” Williams also referred attorneys involved on both sides of the case for possible disciplinary action. Meanwhile, Trump’s legal team defended the lawsuit, pointing out that the IRS failed to protect Trump’s confidential tax information.

Anti-ICE attack in Maine?
An illegal immigrant was killed in Maine on Monday after he allegedly tried to flee ICE officers and run them down with his vehicle. ICE was surveilling the last known location of an illegal immigrant under a deportation order when the Colombian national fled the home in his car. ICE agents gave chase, trying to pull the man over before an agent, fearing for his life, shot the man. Emergency services were contacted, but he died from his injuries. The man has been unofficially identified by his neighbors as Joan Sebastian Guerrero. One twist in this case is that the ICE agents involved were not wearing body cameras that are meant to be distributed to agents across the country. The leftist protest machine has naturally rolled into action.

Inflation report
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released its consumer price index for June, noting that inflation decreased by 0.4% last month, bringing the annual inflation rate to 3.5%. The decrease was led by a 5.7% drop in energy prices, with the BLS observing, “This decline in the all items index was the largest 1-month decrease since April 2020.” Other sectors that saw prices drop included apparel, used vehicles, and housing. However, food costs continued to rise in June, with takeout costs rising 0.2% and full service meals increasing 0.4%. Unfortunately, with the U.S. and Iran jostling again, oil and gas prices have begun spiking, suggesting the drop in the inflation rate will likely be short-lived.

Did the Israelis try to recruit Ahmadinejad?
A recent New York Times article claims that Israel devised a plan of regime change in Iran back in 2024. That plan, according to the Times, was put into action in early 2024 and involved an effort to groom an unlikely Iranian into an Israeli asset. That man was Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran from 2005 to 2013, a notorious hardliner and opponent of Israel. Ahmadinejad is responsible for restarting Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Despite his history, Israel saw an opportunity to turn Ahmadinejad and install him as Iran’s new leader following the joint U.S.-Israel operation launched in February. The plan failed as Ahmadinejad apparently had a change of heart following the elimination of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Ahmadinejad was last seen attending Khamenei’s funeral and is reportedly now in IRCG custody.

New York data center ban
Democrat New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed an executive order making New York the first state to pause permits for data center construction for one year. She claims this will give the state time to establish rules on where data centers can be built, protecting electrical grids and the environment. New York already has the fewest data centers of any state, and Hochul’s order to repeal sales tax exemptions for data centers will likely further deter them. While other states have not blocked data centers, local communities have voted to ban them, as many fear high energy prices and water use. The AI industry and the White House warn that blocking data centers will allow rival countries like China to gain an advantage over the U.S.

AI helping to increase college closures
With AI taking over jobs across various sectors, many liberal arts colleges expect a drop in enrollment. As many as one-fourth of private, nonprofit colleges could close or merge in the next decade, affecting more than half a million students. Many colleges are already downsizing and moving programs online as needs change. Compounding the problem, tuition continues to rise. The country has too many colleges and not enough students willing to pay, even with scholarships. “We are only seeing the beginning of how artificial intelligence is completely rewriting the rules of the job market,” said Dan Ye, CEO of CollegeNode. On a more positive note, demand has prompted a spike in enrollment in short-term credentials for skilled trades.

Headlines

• Trump teases primetime speech to the nation on Thursday (National News Desk)

• Justices Barrett, Kagan to face House grilling (Daily Signal)

• Trump slashes three million acres from Utah monuments (Washington Times)

• Ambassador Huckabee: Ro Khanna’s West Bank “detention” was staged (NewsNation)

• Daylight Saving Time bill clears key House hurdle (Fox News)

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