Teen lifeguard rescued boy from ocean, wins trip to White House
Sixteen-year-old Ryder Williams received national praise after saving a 10-year-old boy from a dangerous California riptide. Video of the rescue portrays Williams showing incredible strength and resolve, dragging young Nathaniel Rai to safety while battling relentless eight- to 10-foot waves and formidable currents. The rescue even came to the attention of President Donald Trump, who welcomed Williams and Rai to the Oval Office yesterday. Williams used the newfound platform to stress the importance of the lifeguard job and helping people in general. “I hope that everybody can take away from this and try to help more people,” he said. “Try to look out for everybody around you and just try to help everybody out as much as you can.” People like Ryder Williams set a great example of exceptional character and fortitude that everyone should aspire to.

Meta goes to court again
Meta faces thousands of lawsuits involving child safety on its platforms, but the most significant one gets underway today in California. The lawsuit alleges that Meta purposefully designed features that addict children to its platforms, and that the company collects data on children under 13 without parental consent, which violates federal law. Dozens of states filed a joint lawsuit three years ago, but only four — California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey — are plaintiffs in this case (another 25 states plan to go to trial later). The states seek financial damages of up to $1.4 trillion and alterations to how Meta operates its platforms. It is unlikely a judge will award the massive $1.4 trillion figure, but Meta has already lost two cases over harms to children and teens this year, costing $2.4 billion in legal expenses. Meta insists the trial evidence will demonstrate its support of young people.

Primaries: Two Dans, FL GOP chooses DeSantis successor
Four more states hold their primaries today, highlighted by Alaska’s Senate race featuring two Republicans sharing the same name and the Florida GOP gubernatorial race. In Alaska, which uses inherently problematic ranked-choice voting, all Senate candidates, regardless of party, are running for the top four spots, which will then advance to a ranked-choice runoff. Complicating matters for incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan is the fact that another candidate is also running as a Republican and will appear on the ballot as “Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.” In Florida, the big question is determining who will succeed outgoing Governor Ron DeSantis. The GOP gubernatorial primary pits Trump-endorsed Congressman Byron Donalds against Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins and newcomer James Fishback. Meanwhile, former Republican lawmaker David Jolly hopes to become the Democrat gubernatorial candidate.

Trump threatens Oman
Americans likely share Trump’s frustration with the Iran war as peace talks drag on, but the president may need to rein in his rhetoric. Oman has been working closely with the U.S. throughout the Iran war and has suffered Iranian strikes for doing so. Now the Gulf state is working with Iran to finalize a shipping plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key point Trump has insisted on. However, on Monday, following a question from a reporter about the peace process with Iran, Trump issued a threat, warning that the U.S. would bomb Oman if it “gets in the way.”

Kushner negotiations
After Israel rejected a Trump-proposed 15-point peace plan for Gaza last week, Middle East envoy Jared Kushner has been trying to get the peace process back on track. Kushner has reportedly had lengthy talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which Kushner called “very good,” suggesting that progress could be made in “as little as 30 days.” Kushner also held a rare talk directly with Hamas, which asked the Board of Peace to “compel” Israel to accept the 15-point plan. Many Israelis are understandably skeptical that Hamas means what it says in peace negotiations, but Kushner reported that the U.S. will give them “a chance to perform.” Israeli rhetoric around Gaza and Judea and Samaria, sometimes called the West Bank, has grown increasingly heated as an October general election approaches.

Ossoff tries to get under Trump’s skin
At a rally over the weekend, Georgia Democrat Senator Jon Ossoff insulted Donald Trump and his assistant, Natalie Harp, who manages his social media posts. Harp was one of the few aides who stayed with Trump when he secretly switched planes to avoid the alleged Iranian assassination plot in July. Ossoff said that while the war rages, “the president sleeps through his meetings, he golfs, and trades stocks.” Ossoff continued, “He doesn’t want to do the job. He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace, gifted by the emir of Qatar.” When asked about the insult, Trump responded with one of his own, calling Ossoff a “Pee-Wee Herman look-alike.”

Sanctuary Boston vs. ICE
Boston Democrat Mayor Michelle Wu plans to target the citizens of her city who are willing to cooperate with ICE. The federal immigration enforcement agency posted online seeking to rent 249 parking spaces near ICE facilities in Boston. Mayor Wu warned that her office would file public records requests to identify which property owners had responded to ICE’s request, so they could contact them and encourage them not to cooperate. She said she would let property owners know “this is not a way to make our community safer” and ensure that they are “not adding to a surge of unlawful and dangerous activity.” Wu acknowledged that she can’t block private property owners from renting to ICE, but neither should American citizens have to face denigration and threats from their own mayor for being willing to help a federal agency uphold the laws of our country.

Judge blocks FBI’s HQ move to Reagan Building
Obama-appointed Judge Theodore Chuang has blocked the FBI’s attempt to redirect funding and move its headquarters to the Ronald Reagan Building. The FBI has been searching for a new building for years. Its current location, the J. Edgar Hoover Building, is old and too small, forcing some employees to work in off-site offices. Under the Biden administration, the FBI chose a site in Greenbelt, Maryland. However, current FBI Director Kash Patel decided to move his bureau’s headquarters to the nearby Reagan Building, a more cost-effective solution. By doing so, however, Patel broke site-selection laws (Congress must approve federal sites). Maryland sued, wanting the FBI to keep the Greenbelt location, and Chuang sided with the state, forbidding action until Congress gives the green light.

Influencer under investigation for attempted voter fraud
Cam Higby, a political commentator and influencer, faces possible legal repercussions for posing as a Muslim woman while attempting to expose Minnesota voter fraud. Higby and fellow right-wing personality James O'Keefe dressed up as covered Muslim women and imitated Arabian accents to try to vote at multiple polling sites in Minneapolis. Higby hoped to expose laws he believed allowed a registered voter to vouch for unidentified people. However, the law requires that both the vouchees’ IDs and residency be verified, which the content creator ignored. Poll workers reported all three of Higby’s visits, prompting an investigation. While voting laws can certainly be stronger in Minnesota and across the country, Higby’s ignorance of the law he sought to exploit and his failure to break it will undoubtedly undermine his intended message.

SCOTUS asked to discipline HI Supreme Court
Following the Hawaii Supreme Court’s recent ruling overturning a sexual assault and kidnapping conviction, the America First Policy Institute called on the U.S. Supreme Court to discipline three of the state court’s justices. AFPI’s complaint is not about the court’s decision to vacate the conviction; rather, it concerns 10 pages within the 91-page ruling in which the justices effectively labeled the U.S. Supreme Court racist. The Hawaii justices highlighted several rulings concerning voting rights, abortion, campaign finance, religious liberty, firearms, and more, writing, “The Roberts Court sees only white. That is not blindness. That is white sight, by design.” They further described SCOTUS’s jurisprudence as “white noise.” The AFPI wants the suspension or disbarment of these justices over their blatant racism and disparagement of the nation’s highest court.

Headlines

• Fang Fang solicited illegal campaign donations for Eric Swalwell, FBI found (NY Post)

• Supreme Court again rejects Trump’s appeal in E. Jean Carroll’s $5 million defamation lawsuit (Washington Times)

• Trump DOJ accuses Obama judge of “Monday-morning quarterbacking” in bid to revive Abrego Garcia case (Washington Examiner)

• Report: $460 billion in HUD spending barely impacted housing affordability (Center Square)

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.