Senator Gallego’s staff flings
Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego is joining the ranks of high-profile Democrats faced with uncomfortable investigations into their private lives in 2026. First, Gallego’s “best friend,” Eric Swalwell, was forced to withdraw from the California gubernatorial race over sexual assault allegations. Maine Democrat Graham Platner faced sexual assault allegations and also withdrew. Now, sitting Senator Ruben Gallego is facing a possible investigation into his sexual relationships with staffers during his time in the House. Just last month, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna brought a complaint against Gallego alleging sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations; that complaint was dismissed. Now Gallego has admitted to sexual relationships with at least two staffers for House Democrats from Texas. Relationships with staff from other offices usually do not violate congressional ethics rules, although there is a push to change that.

CDLs for Veterans
“We’re going to replace [illegal aliens] with proud American veterans,” President Donald Trump stated yesterday as he laid out his administration’s new plan to stop illegal aliens from fraudulently obtaining commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs). Trump added, “We’re going to say any American who has driven a heavy truck for the military will automatically be eligible for a commercial driver’s license.” Given that many CDL schools cater to training foreigners, Trump’s plan is to prioritize CDLs for Veterans by cutting red tape and making it easier for them to obtain one, especially if they had driving experience while serving in the military. Also, it’s estimated that more than 200,000 noncitizens are currently driving trucks across the country; the Trump administration announced it would be deploying ICE agents at truck weigh stations in an effort to crack down on illegal alien drivers.

Rubio smashes communism
On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a speech to his own department addressing the resurgence of political terrorism, specifically highlighting the growing threat of Marxism. Observing the often-voiced claim that communism “sounds good in theory, but it never works in practice,” Rubio stated, “That’s actually not true. Communism does not sound good in theory. The world that envisions for all of us is small, flat, gray, leveled of all exception, drained of all that is good and noble in the human soul.” Noting its view of a world without God, Rubio said, “For these architects of revolutionary violence, the towering achievement of our civilization, for them, it’s an unbearable humiliation, a reminder of what they cannot do and a reminder of what they cannot be. So they choose instead to destroy.” Rubio’s eloquent, well-reasoned thinking, combined with his impressive record, is making him a rising star for presidential consideration in 2028.

SAVE America Act troubles
Despite the fact that 83% of Americans, including Democrats, support requiring photo ID to vote and 61% support requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections, there’s still not enough support for either in the Senate. Majority Leader John Thune claims that Republicans all favor the SAVE America Act and Democrats are blocking it. However, Thom Tillis, who is retiring, harshly criticized the legislation, calling it “fundamentally flawed” and saying it’s impossible to implement before the midterms anyway. House Republicans are attempting to include parts of the SAVE America Act in a reconciliation bill, sending more money to the Pentagon and farmers, but that is unlikely to pass without Democrat votes. Tillis and others support providing grants to states that implement the voting measures included in the SAVE America Act.

DHS announces new rule blocking immigrants from welfare
Those who seek to immigrate to America should be considered based upon what they will contribute to the nation, not as charity cases. On that historical basis, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it was eliminating a Biden-era rule that prevents immigration officers from considering whether a green-card applicant had claimed welfare. As U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman Zach Kahler explained, “The Trump administration is upholding the rule of law and protecting American taxpayers from subsidizing aliens who may become dependent on public benefits.” DHS estimated that the rule change would save American taxpayers over $110 billion over the next decade. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin noted that the new rule aims to give immigration officers greater leeway to make case-by-case decisions.

DOJ sues to stop MD from offering college tuition to illegals
Maryland illegal immigrants are, as a matter of state law, granted in-state tuition rates when they attend Maryland colleges. The law enacted in 2011 specifically applies to children who graduated from a Maryland high school and whose parents pay taxes in Maryland. Now the Justice Department has informed Maryland that its behavior is illegal. Assistant Attorney General Brett Schumate explained, “This is a simple matter of federal law: Colleges cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens.” American citizens from Virginia or Pennsylvania cannot attend those schools at the same rate, so the illegal immigrants cannot be given that rate. The DOJ’s lawsuit against Maryland also attempts to block illegal immigrants’ access to scholarships and financial assistance. The DOJ has brought similar cases in 12 other states.

Trump’s teleprompter operator bet on Kalshi
A White House employee made more than $100,000 betting on a recent speech by President Trump. The longtime teleprompter operator, Gabriel Perez, used Kalshi, a popular prediction-market app that allows users to wager on what someone will or will not say. Trump placed Perez on unpaid leave. Perez worked as a technical adviser and teleprompter operator during Trump’s first and second terms and thus had access to Trump’s speech before it was delivered. Kalshi flagged the bet and alerted federal officials. The money has been frozen. White House staffers and all government employees follow strict ethical guidelines concerning personally profiting from their positions. “This individual unfortunately violated the plan,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, “and therefore he’s paying the consequences.”

Xi Jinping’s remarks about AI
Chinese President Xi Jinping wants his nation to rival the U.S. In this case, that applies to remarks made at an AI conference on Friday. Xi called for “extensive international cooperation” at the conference in Shanghai a day after 30 nations, including Brazil, Indonesia, and Russia, agreed to join the new World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization. With China as the only major nation in that group releasing cutting-edge AI models that consistently narrow the gap with top-of-the-line American models, the Middle Kingdom stands to influence AI development on an international scale. Meanwhile, China’s incredible GDP numbers are proving to be less than credible. In March, the CCP set a growth target of 4.5-5% year over year; now the numbers have come in at 4.3%. Some analysts question whether China might truly be in a recession rather than growing.

Andy Burnham to be UK’s new PM
On Thursday, Britain’s governing Labour Party picked former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to replace the outgoing Keir Starmer as the party’s new leader, who will then become the nation’s seventh new prime minister since 2016. Burnham is more charismatic than the rather feckless and dull Starmer, but he takes over a party whose popularity has tanked. The British people have become increasingly angered by a government that has done little to stop mass migration and turn around a stagnant economy. Burnham is not a fan of Donald Trump, blaming him for bringing “instability” to the world. He warned that the UK, “if we are not careful, is on a path towards the politics of the United States of America,” which he described as “a polarized, poisonous politics where people in communities don’t work together anymore.”

Wildfire smoke and unhealthy air quality continue
More than 115 million Americans face unhealthy air quality from wildfire smoke drifting down from Canada. The smoke has hit 14 states, including major cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Boston, and New York. Through the weekend, the smoke could contaminate the air as far south as North Carolina. The skies could clear in New England but not in the upper Midwest. Officials warn that Air Quality Index readings are hazardous and recommend avoiding strenuous outdoor activity during the worst air conditions. Satellites are tracking the smoke in real time. The largest fire, 150 miles north of Lake Superior, has grown to over 867,000 acres. More fires are burning near Ontario. Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno criticized Canada’s government for failing to contain the fires.

Bad lettuce epidemic
In an age of clean water and robust healthcare, a plague of severe diarrhea sweeping the nation is not the lethal threat of an earlier era but instead becomes slightly humorous. The Food and Drug Administration has been investigating the outbreak of the stomach bug cyclosporiasis, which has made nearly 7,000 people suddenly much more familiar with their toilets. Some 1,645 cases have been confirmed, with 5,100 still under investigation, but the FDA and The Washington Post believe they have found the cause: bad lettuce grown in Mexico and provided to Taco Bell locations in as many as five states. The jokes about Taco Bell and gastric distress practically write themselves. Hopefully, the lettuce sourced from Taylor Farms gets removed from the system soon, but in the meantime, Americans may want to lay off the crunchwraps.

Headlines

• Key House committee advances framework for reconciliation 3.0 (The Hill)

• House ends taxpayer-funded aid to Nigeria over Christian genocide (Daily Signal)

• Homeland Security found over 250,000 illegal aliens registered to vote in just four states (Just the News)

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