Temporary proscription on ICE traffic stops
After two illegal immigrants were killed in a week as they refused to cooperate with law enforcement and leave their vehicles, causing risks to public safety, Immigration and Customs Enforcement put a brief pause on its use of traffic stops to enforce immigration laws. Border Czar Tom Homan reported that this was a temporary pause in light of the deaths and that traffic stops will be up and running again “in a couple of weeks.” President Donald Trump took to social media to reaffirm that “We CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.‘s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!” ICE is also changing policy to ensure at least one agent in any enforcement operation is wearing a body camera as they wait on a backorder to equip the remaining agents.

Todd Blanche confirmation hearing
Republicans are facing their first nomination battle without Senator Lindsey Graham, as Todd Blanche has his first confirmation hearing in the Senate today. He was appointed deputy attorney general before being nominated to fill former AG Pam Bondi’s position. Democrats oppose Blanche due to his connections to President Trump as his former personal attorney, and 40+ civil rights organizations claim that Blanche is going to indict civil rights champions and protect insurrectionists. Marsha Blackburn, along with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said they are working to fill Graham’s seat before the committee votes on Blanche’s confirmation next week. Twenty conservative leaders wrote a letter to Chairman Chuck Grassley, urging him to confirm Blanche.

Barrett-Kagan testimony
Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan appeared together before House and Senate committees yesterday to make the case for the Supreme Court’s requested $228 million budget for 2027. The request represents a $20 million increase, including $14.6 million intended to boost security for the justices. Barrett testified to some of the increasing security threats the justices face, including being sent home with a bulletproof vest that she had to explain to her young son. In another instance, her son answered the door to find the street swarming with law enforcement after an attempted swatting. Kagan outlined some of the history of Supreme Court security during her tenure, with security mainly focusing on securing the Supreme Court building in 2007 and a ramp-up in a focus on individual security in 2017. Kagan’s stated goal is to have a 12-person security team for each justice.

Iran blockade
The Strait of Hormuz “is open to ALL Ship traffic except for Iran,” President Trump declared on Truth Social, as he backed off instituting a 20% toll on all ships passing through the Strait. Trump further explained that the U.S. would move forward on enforcing a blockade against Iran, saying it would only apply to “ships coming to and from Iranian ports, or carrying anything [having] to do with Iranian cargo.” Meanwhile, CENTCOM announced it had launched another wave of strikes against Iran, hitting “dozens of military targets” overnight. The action comes following Trump’s warning that the U.S. would be hitting Iran “very hard” in an effort to get the regime back to the negotiating table. CENTCOM explained that its strikes were designed to “degrade military capabilities Iranian forces have used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”

Social Security salvation at hand?
It’s no secret that Social Security has been barreling toward insolvency for years. Indeed, the government retirement program’s trust fund is now projected to become insolvent in 2032, earlier than previously forecast. Should that threshold be reached, it would trigger a 22% across-the-board benefit cut. In response, a bipartisan group of senators has proposed legislation dubbed the Promise Act, which does not directly raise taxes or Social Security’s benefits. What the legislation would do is give the seven-member Social Security Advisory Board the authority to draft legislation to keep the trust fund solvent. This legislation would then be introduced into Congress and would require a majority vote in the House and a three-fifths vote in the Senate to pass. The theory behind the Promise Act is that it would help to advance bipartisan solutions to Social Security. In truth, it looks more like a gimmick.

Mamdani whiffs on worsening rape data
In an effort to downplay a recent crime report showing a rise in rapes in New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani sought to Mam-splain the data as misleading. “A lot of the increase in rape also comes from an expanded definition of what counts as rape, as well as survivors coming forward for acts that took place years prior,” Mamdani opined. In 2024, the Empire State passed the Rape is Rape Act, which modernized the legal definition to classify nonconsensual or forcibly compelled sexual intercourse as rape. The previous law had limited the definition to only nonconsensual or forcibly compelled vaginal sex, excluding oral or anal sexual conduct. However, despite Mamdani’s “context,” the NYPD had already adopted the expanded definition the year prior, and thus the 6.6% increase in rape this year cannot be attributed to a definitional change.

Texas police threaten Christians, retract threat
Last month, a Fort Worth police officer threatened two street preachers with disorderly conduct charges while they were speaking near a Pride event. Another officer warned the evangelists that they could face legal consequences if their Christian message offended the crowd before citing them for using a bullhorn. Police Chief Eddie Garcia later admitted the officers had mishandled the matter. “There certainly was a better way to have that communication,” Garcia said, “and we were wrong in the manner in which we communicated that.” To take accountability, the police department will conduct First Amendment training, though further disciplinary action remains uncertain. The two evangelists rejected the apology, and their lawyer argued that the citation was groundless.

California’s trash spies
Sacramento, the capital of California — a state with a few pressing issues and major problems to deal with — will be investigating how residents sort trash. Those who incorrectly organize their trash into the provided bins — by putting plastic bags into the recycling bin, for instance — will be graded. Bins will receive either a “Great job” or a “Let’s sort this out” tag. The policy is in accordance with California’s SB 1383, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from waste disposal and slow climate change. City officials defend their spying policies by explaining that it does cost more to dispose of improperly sorted trash. Californians in recent decades have hardly met an invasive regulation they haven’t approved; perhaps that’s why the state is hemorrhaging population.

Canadian gays sue surrogate mother who refused abortion
Surrogacy can be used in a loving way, but the current system is degrading and dehumanizing in far too many cases. One surrogate in Canada is facing a civil suit from the gay couple she carried a child for, as they allege she caused them emotional distress. The relationship between the surrogate and the gay men soured when she refused to abort the child over what turned out to be a minor birth defect, a cleft palate, detected in the womb. “I just feel used,” says the unnamed woman, “They didn’t get the perfect child they wanted, and they threw me away.” Surrogacy is a fraught issue, but supporters should question whether gay men demanding babies with minor defects be aborted is something they support. The baby boy is now two and lives with the gay couple.

Headlines

• U.S. announces end to military operations in Iraq as conflict in Iran ramps up (The Center Square)

• Republicans release budget instructions for filibuster-proof defense, SAVE Act package (Washington Times)

• Trump nominee for CDC director appears before Senate panel (Reuters)

• U.S. put nearly $500M into critical artillery plant that still hasn’t produced a single round (NY Post)

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