The Patriot Post® · Tuesday Executive News Summary
Anti-ICE protester injures immigrant
If leftists want to be seen by others the way they see themselves — i.e., as the benevolent nobility protecting the little man (in this case, illegal immigrants) — they should probably take care not to firebomb those immigrants. On Monday morning, Andrew Arrabaca, an “anti-ICE rioter,” allegedly ignited fireworks and set a fire outside 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan, a building that houses multiple federal agencies, including ICE’s New York City headquarters. After being detained, Arrabaca, a U.S. Army veteran, said he was targeting the building and that it was okay if both federal employees and civilians were harmed. As it turned out, only one person was injured: an immigrant who was appearing for an immigration status hearing. The cart Arrabaca used to transport his materials to the scene had a sign reading “ICE off our streets.”
Teen dead in Ayanna Pressley’s husband’s home
On Saturday, an 18-year-old woman was found shot to death inside a Boston house owned by Democrat Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley’s husband, Conan Harris. The young woman has been identified as Yoseliani Marte via a GoFundMe campaign launched by her mother. According to the campaign, Marte was a victim of “domestic violence.” Neither Pressley nor Harris live at the residence in question, which is reportedly a rental property valued at $1.15 million. Curiously, the mainstream media has been entirely uncurious about the incident, especially given the fact that Harris is a convicted felon who spent 10 years in prison for drug trafficking. If Pressley were a Republican, the media coverage of this incident would not be so indifferent and dismissive.
Canadian tariffs
President Donald Trump has invoked the Tariff Act of 1930 to impose a 50% tariff against a range of Canadian goods. According to Trump’s proclamation, “The United States, U.S. businesses and workers, and U.S. commerce suffer from Canada’s discriminatory, unequal, and unreasonable tariff scheme.” Trump’s gripe is over Canada’s current trade policy that unfairly targets three U.S. sectors — vehicles, dairy, and alcohol — negatively impacting American sales while advantaging other foreign competitors. This move, according to the Trump administration, is not intended to start a trade war with Canada; rather, the tariffs “are defensive measures by the United States taken to remedy discriminatory actions by Canada.” Canada’s discriminatory policies against American goods have resulted in declining sales. For example, the imposition of restrictions on U.S. alcohol exports has dropped sales of American alcohol in Canada by 81% since March 2025.
Nuns, New York, and hospice euthanasia
New York Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul sees the euthanasia MAID program in Canada as a roadmap and is trying to force Catholic nuns to participate. Thirteen plaintiffs, including several orders of Catholic nuns, have filed suit to stop New York’s Medical Aid in Dying program, which currently lacks a proper exception for religious belief. Hochul insists that the bill does protect religious liberty since it includes protections against coercion for patients and does not require a religious organization to “offer” euthanasia. The nuns say the religious protections are not enough since they only allow the nuns to refuse to prescribe or administer the lethal drugs. These dedicated Christian women would still be required to allow doctors and nurses to counsel patients on MAID and walk them through the entire approval process while the patients are under the sisters’ care.
Talarico clashes with black voters
James Talarico, Democrat candidate for Texas Senate, answered questions for 90 minutes at his Sunday town hall meeting. He said he needed the support of the black community to win the Senate race and pledged $25 million in voter outreach. But Kandice Webber, a Black Lives Matter activist and organizer, confronted him, claiming he had no real interest in improving their quality of life. “You’re not leaving here until you answer our questions,” Webber said. “Black people don’t trust you for this reason, and you cannot win without us, so you stay here, you answer our questions, or you suffer the consequences.” Recent polling suggests over 60% of black voters support Talarico — an unusually low number for a Democrat.
Dept. of Education has a new college standard
With student debt ballooning into the trillions, President Trump’s Department of Education is establishing an accountability test on colleges. Institutions that fail to prove their graduates earn more than comparable workers will lose access to federal student loans. The Department of Education will evaluate colleges over three years, and programs must meet earning benchmarks in two of those years. This accountability test should better protect both students and taxpayers. “For too long, badly calibrated financial incentives have driven universities to squeeze tuition revenue from taxpayers and young, impressionable individuals instead of preparing them for rewarding and remunerative careers,” said Education Secretary Linda McMahon. It’s no wonder college enrollment is declining. The average cost of college for a four-year degree in the United States is over $150,000.
U.S. comes to Venezuela’s rescue, expands food security efforts
The U.S. State Department has worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. military to help stabilize Venezuela, which was rocked by two massive earthquakes in June, leaving almost 4,000 people killed and more than 16,000 injured. In the initial aftermath, the U.S. pledged $150 million in humanitarian aid to Venezuela, which has already grown to over $180 million. The State Department has provided food, while the USDA has coordinated food security efforts, and the military has handled distribution. Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, has worked closely with the U.S. State Department since her predecessor was captured by the U.S. in January.
Where is Mojtaba Khamenei?
Iran’s new supreme leader, who replaced his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after he was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike, has not been seen in public since he was named the new leader. There are now rumors swirling that Khamenei is not even in Iran, but fled the country and may be currently hiding out in Russia, a longtime ally of the Iranian regime. The excuse for Khamenei not to show his face in public is the legitimate concern that doing so would compromise his security and hidden location, inviting a strike from the Israelis. Furthermore, Khamenei is believed to have suffered significant injuries from U.S.-Israeli strikes, and may be severely disfigured. However, others question the claim that Khamenei left Iran, noting that the country still has medical facilities that could meet Khamenei’s needs, and leaving could undermine his tenuous hold on power.
Treasury stops $100M payment to the dead
Secretary Scott Bessent’s Department of the Treasury has initially reviewed 885 million benefit payments totaling over $2.7 trillion and already found and stopped almost $100 million in payments going to dead people. As the review continues, Bessent estimates up to $350 million can be saved by the end of the year. The review is being conducted as part of a new program that gives the Treasury access to Social Security’s “Full Death Master File.” Access was initially granted on a three-year trial basis before being made permanent by the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act, which President Trump signed into law in February. These numbers are still a drop in the bucket compared to the U.S. annual budget, but the savings already triple those from the pilot program, which totaled only $31 million.
Headlines
Lindsey Graham’s sister confirms she’ll run for full Senate term (NY Post)
Appeals court affirms five-year prison term for source who leaked tax info to NYT, ProPublica (WFB)
California loses another vital defense contract to Texas (Hot Air)
Nicaragua’s Ortega says country will “never again” hold elections (Fox News)
The Executive News Summary is compiled daily by Jordan Candler, Thomas Gallatin, Sterling Henry, and Sophie Starkova. For the archive, click here.