The Patriot Post® · Thursday Executive News Summary
Fauci faces the Justice Department
This morning, Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted 8-5 to pass Senator Rand Paul’s resolution to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. Fauci had previously refused to answer questions in his congressional hearing concerning his actions during the COVID pandemic, invoking the Fifth Amendment over 100 times. This resolution will now move to the Justice Department for U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to seek an indictment against Fauci. While Fauci has a long way to go before he actually faces charges, this was an important step, as his case is no longer in the hands of politicians but of legal professionals. He clearly has contempt for Congress, and we hope this will yield the information Fauci refused to disclose, leading to justice being carried out.
Iran, Oman agree to new shipping routes through Hormuz
On Wednesday, Iran and Oman agreed to allow new shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz. The deal gives the two countries joint control over the Strait’s traffic and could change future control of the waterway. However, the U.S. must also remove its naval blockade before the Strait can reopen. Hormuz has remained closed since the last agreement in July, and Iran has threatened commercial shipping since February. Typically, countries control the sea for 12 miles off their coasts; however, the Strait’s narrowest point is 21 miles wide, leaving no international waterway. A United Nations law forbids tolls and gives ships the right of transit through such straits. Iran may have demanded to impose service fees on commercial vessels, though the U.S. will refuse any deal that includes tolls. The cycle of fire and ceasefire continues.
Schwartz confirmed
Yesterday, the Senate voted along party lines to confirm President Donald Trump’s choice of Dr. Erica Schwartz as the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Schwartz becomes the second person in Trump’s second term to head the CDC. During her initial committee hearing, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy raised concerns over whether she would be willing to break from potentially politically motivated directives given by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to which Schwartz responded, “The secretary will absolutely allow me to be CDC director.” Cassidy, who will soon be leaving office after being ousted in the primary by a Trump-backed opponent, pushed the narrative that Kennedy is untrustworthy on the science and that the CDC needs a strong leader to resist potentially bad policy. Yet regarding Schwartz, he said, “I’m confident that she knows what she is doing and will stand against those who do not.”
Trump-endorsed Amir Hassan loses primary to campaign dropout
Politicos will likely devote considerable time to analyzing how Tom Smith, who suspended his campaign to represent Michigan’s 8th District in mid-July and endorsed another candidate, wound up winning the primary by 17 points. Smith beat Trump-endorsed Amir Hassan, a Navy Veteran who served as a law enforcement officer and enjoyed national Republican support. Time will tell why the Republican base rejected someone the Republican leadership was so soundly behind. Smith, who announced that he is excited to work with Speaker Mike Johnson to advance Trump’s America First agenda, will challenge incumbent Democrat Representative Kristen McDonald Rivet, who has a significant campaign war chest.
El-Sayed’s CAIR patrons
Michigan’s new Democrat Senate candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, is funded by Muslim leaders around the country affiliated with an organization designated by Texas and Florida as a terrorist organization. (The United Arab Emirates also identifies the Council on Islamic Relations as a terrorist organization over its ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.) CAIR leaders across the U.S., including the national board chair, national board treasurer, national vice chair, and a Michigan CAIR board member who is also El-Sayed’s father-in-law, have donated over $115,000 to the Michigan Democrat nominee’s campaign. El-Sayed has strong ties to the organization, including a speaking event in 2022 in which he compared Oklahoma’s ban on Sharia law to the Trail of Tears.
Crockett questions Talarico’s chances
In a recent interview with NBC News, outgoing Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett expressed doubts about James Talarico’s ability to win the general election against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, citing lack of funding on both sides. (Crockett and Talarico were rivals in the Senate Democrat primary.) “When I look at the money, if Republicans start spending money in Texas, then I’ll be convinced,” she said. “National Democrats have not decided to dump money into Texas either. … Where does the NRSC stand? Where does DSCC stand? Right now, neither one is investing, which tells me that their internals are saying the same thing.” This is a continuation of the former congresswoman’s refusal to support Talarico because he has not engaged African American voters. Whether or not either of these claims is true, it seems that the bad blood between these two has not cooled off yet, and the lack of party unity could hurt Talarico’s chances.
Miller digs a bigger hole on CNN, damages career
The airing of dirty laundry between two Ohio Republican lawmakers is seriously threatening the reelection bid of one of them: Representative Max Miller. He’s the former son-in-law of Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno, and he has been accused of domestic abuse. The trouble is that Miller’s response to the accusation has only made things worse, at least for his political future. Miller hoped that talking to CNN’s Jake Tapper would boost his credibility with voters. However, his interview appears to have backfired, showing him as woefully unprepared and offering deflective responses to Tapper’s direct and serious questions regarding the accusation against him. As political commentator Scott Jennings observed, “I found no reason why I would want Max Miller serving in Congress.”
Pirro reflects on the Reflecting Pool
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro endured substantial backlash from President Trump after dropping vandalism charges against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn. Pirro was previously confident about the case but felt betrayed by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum after concluding that the evidence his department had given her was not enough to convict. Trump met with both Pirro and Burgum at the White House, with Pirro bringing all the evidence she received. Despite the intensity of the meeting, Pirro seemed to have done enough to keep her job for now, although the situation is still tense. While this whole story portrays your standard government squabble, major media outlets took to it like a moth to a light bulb. They are attracted to Trump’s mistakes, even if they are minor. TDS is a contagious disease, and this is how it spreads.
Oxferd Comma declassified
The White House has released FBI memos associated with a probe headed by then-Special Counsel Robert Mueller to investigate whether President Trump was acting as a Russian agent when he fired James Comey in 2017. The probe, called Oxferd Comma, was a continuation of Crossfire Hurricane, the original investigation of Trump’s supposed collusion with Russia. Mueller’s report in April 2019 concluded that Trump and his campaign members had not conspired or coordinated with the Russian government. The Oxferd Comma probe was also closed in April 2019 with no charges against Trump, according to the declassified information. Afterward, Attorney General William Barr tapped John Durham to assess how the FBI had initiated the Russia investigation. Durham concluded that the Bureau did not have sufficient evidence or even a factual basis to open Crossfire Hurricane and that the FBI demonstrated bias by not adhering to its normal standards.
Fewer jobless claims; wages rising
Experts say the lowest number of people have filed for unemployment since 1969. In America’s workforce of 169 million, jobless claims have dipped to 187,000. Wages are rising, particularly in utilities, construction, maintenance, healthcare, and social services; more companies than usual plan to offer slightly larger raises next year; and more workers are moving between jobs. However, these improving numbers might not fully address middle-class economic concerns, as analysis suggests the current median income is insufficient to afford middle-class life in the nation’s largest cities. Additionally, employers are increasingly using AI to analyze and respond to job applications. Demand for jobs and supply of unemployed workers are roughly balanced.
Headlines
Hawaii Democrat House candidate faces felony threat charges after beach fight (Fox News)
Aurora cop indicted for murder after shooting black man who crashed, tossed gun, resisted, and advanced with fists up (Not the Bee)
National Firearms Act no longer applies to silencers, judge rules (Washington Times)
SpaceX rocket stage slams into moon at 5,400 mph (Fox Business)
The Executive News Summary is compiled daily by Jordan Candler, Thomas Gallatin, Sterling Henry, Jacob Geoffrey, Hudson Baldwin, and Sophie Starkova. For the archive, click here.