U.S. economic growth slows in second quarter
The Commerce Department released its advance estimate of second-quarter economic growth on Thursday, and it came in below expectations. Economists expected an annualized growth rate through June of around 2.1%, but the actual estimate came in at 1.5%. This is the first Q2 estimate, with a revised figure to be released at the end of August and a final revision at the end of September. A sluggish economy may prove to be bad news for Republicans hoping to hang on to Congress in the November midterm elections.

Tillis, Cornyn block Blanche
President Donald Trump’s nominee to replace former Attorney General Pam Bondi, current interim AG Todd Blanche, was sidelined yesterday after two Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans — John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, both of whom will leave office in January — refused to vote in his favor. The apparent hangup is the IRS settlement made with Trump over the leaking of his tax records. That settlement included the infamous anti-government weaponization fund, which the Trump administration ditched. Yet Cornyn is bothered that the settlement prevents the IRS from auditing Trump, his family, or his companies. Cornyn wants “some written proposals to modify the release that was signed in the tax dispute with President Trump and his organization.” Tillis said he had no issue with Blanche but awaits the requested written proposals from Blanche and the DOJ.

Pro-life father wins seven-figure settlement after Biden-admin persecution
If the first Trump administration was the most pro-life in history, the following Biden administration was one of the least. Team Biden targeted Paul Vaughn under the FACE Act for protesting outside a Tennessee abortion clinic in 2021. Two days after he was charged, armed federal agents raided the peaceful protester’s home, arresting him in front of his family, and three of his children were “basically held at gunpoint.” The Biden-era persecution was a response to the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. Now, years later, with the children still expressing anxiety over the trauma inflicted on them by the Biden administration, Vaughn and his attorneys from the Thomas More Society have secured a seven-figure settlement to begin to set things right.

A Florida man’s clever Flock protest
Often when “Florida Man” makes the news, it involves strange criminal offenses, firing weapons at hurricanes, or wrestling alligators, but this time a Florida man is standing up for the right to privacy. Carl Gunn is taking the fight for privacy directly to the Flock cameras watching Americans’ every turn — with his pool skimmer. The 77-year-old has taken to setting up a camp chair and his pool skimmer with a sign attached that reads “Down with Flock cameras,” and sitting for hours at a time in front of various Flock cameras in his area. His protest is not permanent, non-damaging, constitutionally protected, brings attention to the issue, and, more importantly, impedes the camera’s view. Gunn encourages Americans to join him in his peaceful protest.

Chicago’s hilarious solution to crime
Democrat Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson doesn’t believe that a stronger police force and presence will reduce crime. Instead, his solution is to prevent violence via grants to a bunch of leftist non-governmental organizations. “Gun violence” is one of the Democrats’ primary culprits, but, ironically, Johnson ended the city’s contract with Shotspotter, a noise detection system that quickly alerted law enforcement to specific locations where gunshots were fired. Johnson said the tech was racist. So, how does Chicago plan to stop the violence? With a public awareness campaign via some 7,000 signs plastered across public transit that read, “Violence on the CTA will not be tolerated. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office will prosecute and seek pretrial detention for all violent offenses on public transit.” Surely, that’ll do the trick.

U.S. bans foreign-made humanoid robots
China currently dominates the development of humanoid robots, controlling roughly 85% of the global market. Naturally, concerns have grown over the possible risk these robots may pose. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission recently announced a ban on all foreign-made humanoid robots, including four-legged doglike robots, over cybersecurity concerns and other national security risks. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr explained that the decision was intended to “secure America’s critical supply chains.” The FCC already bans a number of Chinese technologies, including drones. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning blasted the decision, stating, “Protectionism does not make the U.S. more competitive, and it will only hurt the interests of U.S. companies and consumers.”

Rising antisemitic violence
In 2025, 20 people were killed in antisemitic attacks, making it the deadliest year for such assaults since 1994. Misinformation about the war in Gaza has turned public opinion against the Jews. The attacks occurred in the seven countries home to 90% of the Jewish population living outside of Israel: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, Canada, and Argentina. A global report said that Jewish people “across the globe report hiding their Jewish identity in public” and worry “whether they have a future in their home countries.” Driven by Islamist and far-left rhetoric, antisemitic incidents have increased even in countries with low Jewish populations.

Media censors new J.K. Rowling biography
Media outlets typically jump at the chance to highlight famous biographies, but the media has gone silent about the new J.K. Rowling biography, A Pen to Change the World, by historian Solomon Schmidt. It will be the first complete biography of the popular author of the bestselling book series in modern publishing history. Yet the media can’t look past Rowling’s opinions on gender and politics. Though claiming to be a left-leaning liberal feminist, Rowling has spoken out for women’s rights and against gender identity culture. Fans criticize her as anti-trans, since she has continually denounced pro-trans policies. The Left may have forgotten that biographies are explorations, not endorsements.

Half of Gen Z engage in “bed rot”
Since the COVID pandemic, society hasn’t quite bounced back from the lockdown restrictions that pushed kids to study and socialize online. Polls say that young adults report higher levels of loneliness than older generations and that staying home on weekends has become their default plan. Instead of social interaction, young adults rot in front of digital screens. Increased screen time intensifies anxiety and depression and decreases romantic relationships. Common places for social interaction, like shopping malls, are closing down. Though most cite money and rest as reasons for staying home, the addictive nature of screens likely weighs in more than most realize. The bed rot trend could change, however, since polls also report more young men attending church and emphasizing religion, which often creates more opportunities for socializing.

Musk and AI lawsuit
Minnesota has enacted a first-of-its-kind law banning AI “nudification.” The law goes into effect on Saturday, and its goal is laudable: banning apps and websites that create fake sexualized images of people without their consent, or in many cases without their knowledge. However, xAI, one of the leading AI image generation platforms, is filing suit against Minnesota for the law’s “clumsy,” overly broad implementation. xAI does not contest Minnesota’s purpose and indeed prohibits sexualized images of real people on its platform. The lawsuit explains that “the statute contains no knowledge, intent, or purpose requirement,” meaning the company would be held liable for images created in violation of its own policies. The law provides no protections for companies that make good-faith efforts to restrict banned content, even “if the company has deployed near-perfect, state-of-the-art technical controls to prevent the generation of nude images.”

Headlines

• U.S. launches more airstrikes against Iran (RedState)

• Fed holds rates steady as three officials push for a hike (The Center Square)

• Florida AG announces investigation into Anthony Fauci (Not the Bee)

• Storm co-owner suspended after incident with Sophie Cunningham fans (OutKick)

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