The Patriot Post® · Thursday Executive News Summary
Trump announces economic warfare
Yesterday evening, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would begin a new economic campaign against Iran. “I am announcing the MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale.” The president urged allies to stand with the U.S. and warned that any country that helped Iran would also face fierce economic consequences. After weeks of negotiations, Iran claims the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed, while Trump claims the U.S. controls the waterway. The war has already cost Iran roughly $5 billion in oil revenue, and further blockades could increase the economic damage exponentially.
Key Iranian trading partner severs ties
Iran suffered a major blow as the United Arab Emirates announced it was discontinuing all trade agreements with the Islamic Republic. The Emirati government cites the increased escalation of the Iran war and Iranian missiles flying into UAE airspace. Previously, the UAE and Iran enjoyed a fruitful trade relationship, worth $28 billion as recently as 2024. The Emirates were even Iran’s largest source of imports. It is widely believed that this trade relationship was a major part of Iran’s strategy to evade sanctions imposed by major Western powers. This comes amidst the widespread U.S. naval blockade of Iran and the new strategies to suffocate it economically. While it is unclear the extent to which the UAE was influenced by the current wargaming, it is certainly advantageous to President Trump as he continues to hold the Islamic Republic under siege.
GOP fixes Missouri gerrymandering
The redrawn congressional map led by the Missouri GOP has been upheld by a local judge. Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green ruled that referendum provisions in the Missouri Constitution “do not apply to congressional redistricting enacted by the General Assembly.” The redrawn maps will likely give Republicans another House seat in a tight election this November. Those supporting the old map sought to force a statewide referendum, but Judge Green and Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins both rejected the proposal, as congressional redistricting cannot lawfully be put to a referendum.
Surrogate who chose life gets sued
The biological parents of a child born to a single mother, McKenna West, whom they hired as a surrogate, have filed a $100,000 lawsuit against her for carrying the child to term rather than following through on their demand to abort the child. The parents accuse West of engaging in “malicious, outrageous conduct” for her refusal to terminate the pregnancy, which they requested following a detection of a treatable heart defect in the preborn baby. The couple claims to have suffered emotional stress from the ordeal. West, who fled to Texas in order to save the baby, said of the child, “His life doesn’t have a price tag on it. There’s nothing that they could try to come after me for that would be worth his life.” The baby boy, who has now undergone a couple of surgeries, is recovering with his parents. West’s attorney argues that she “is lawfully the parent because she gave birth to this child that she carries in Texas” and that “she should control custody.”
Study: Minimum wage hurts low-income workers
A study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research concluded that higher minimum wages hurt low-income workers. If companies have to pay their employees more, they will fire more workers, hire fewer people, and give them fewer hours. The study used data from 2003 to 2016, surveying low-income families. Although the federal minimum wage has been $7.25/hour since 2009, many states have more than doubled it. This election season, many Democrat candidates have pushed for a higher minimum wage. Texas Senate candidate James Talarico views raising the minimum wage to $15 as a top priority. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has recommended raising it to $20/hour or more.
North Korea launches 10 missiles in test
In response to the annual joint U.S.-South Korea military war games exercise known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, North Korea launched 10 ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Thursday. Earlier this week, President Trump ordered Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to trim down the scope of the exercise, calling it costly. In response, the drills have been shortened to five days rather than the typical 10 days. Interestingly, the missile launches came mere hours after Trump said that he would be meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, a claim that Pyongyang denied. Since ballistic missile launches are prohibited by a UN Security Council resolution, South Korea immediately condemned the launches and called on North Korea to cease.
At least 24,000 noncitizens voted in 2020
Far from being “the most secure election in history,” the 2020 election — which was decided by fewer than 276,000 votes in key swing states — is now confirmed to have included 24,000 ballots cast by noncitizens. The states with the largest numbers of confirmed illegal votes were California (4,300) and Texas (2,500), neither of which was seriously in play that election. Roughly 128 million out of the 160 million votes cast have now been reviewed by the U.S. Census Bureau and determined to be cast by American citizens with “high confidence”; 32 million votes remain to be analyzed. On a related note, two California Public Records Act requests submitted by the American Center for Law and Justice have revealed that the Golden State does not keep a record when a voter is removed from the rolls for being a noncitizen.
Illegal alien exploitation of kickbacks ended
The Treasury Department and IRS announced Wednesday that requirements for four refundable tax credit programs would be tightened to ensure that illegal immigrants no longer get a check from Uncle Sam. Previously, the adoption, child, American opportunity, and earned income tax credits allowed illegals with more credit than the taxes they owe to get a payment for the difference. The rule change does not disallow illegals from using these credits to offset the taxes they owe; it merely cuts them off from receiving payments. The administration estimates that the rule change will affect almost one million people and result in $3 billion in savings.
DOJ indicts 17 Iranian cybercriminals
The Justice Department filed a 14-count indictment on Tuesday, charging 17 Iranian nationals employed by the IRGC with targeting American and foreign institutions in a cyber-theft campaign. The Iranians were members of the Iran-based Mabna Institute and hacked into the computer systems of at least 144 universities, 178 foreign universities, 42 private companies, and five federal and state government agencies. According to the DOJ, the institute stole more than 31 terabytes of academic data and intellectual property, as well as the email accounts of employees at private companies, government agencies, and NGOs. Nine of the 17 defendants were indicted on seven counts by a federal grand jury in 2018, but this most recent indictment supersedes that one. The State Department is still searching for five of the defendants and is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to their locations.
Trump and Cohen bury the hatchet
Michael Cohen appears to be back in Donald Trump’s good graces as the president has agreed to an interview on Cohen’s new 770 WABC Radio show, “When You Know, You Know.” Cohen said they resumed speaking terms following his statement that he never witnessed or heard of sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein communicating with Trump, which caused leftists to hit the “absolute war path” against him. Trump’s former personal lawyer told prosecutors in 2018 that he was directed by Trump to lie about the “hush money” to Stormy Daniels, and he also testified against Trump in the 2023 case involving inflating property values. Cohen claimed in a Substack article that he felt “pressured and coerced” into testifying against Trump by Alvin Bragg and Letitia James. Following a 36-month stint in federal prison, the “turncoat” lawyer seems to be turning over a new leaf.
Headlines
Another top Dem under sexual assault investigation (Daily Signal)
Karmelo Anthony wins bid for new judge as he seeks new trial (NewsNation)
Trump’s smart move to cut nonprofit funding (City Journal)
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.