Tuesday Top News Executive Summary

Government & Politics

2020 CENSUS: Even though the Supreme Court temporarily blocked Trump’s citizenship question, Attorney General William Barr has informed the Associated Press that “the Trump administration will take action in the coming days that he believes will allow the government to add the controversial census query.” The AP adds, “A senior official said President Donald Trump is expected to issue a memorandum to the Commerce Department instructing it to include the question on census forms.”

JUDICIAL BENCHMARKS: Supreme Court to consider whether public schools can keep their monopoly on teaching kids religion (The Federalist)

WITCH HUNT CODIFIED: Cuomo signs law permitting Congress to access Trump’s New York tax returns (National Review)

PEROT DIES: “H. Ross Perot, an eccentric Dallas billionaire whose two independent runs for president in the 1990s tapped into voters’ frustration with the major political parties and foreshadowed the rise of the tea party two decades later, died July 9 at his home in Dallas. He was 89.” (The Washington Post)

2020 Election

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE… “California Rep. Eric Swalwell became the first serious presidential candidate to drop from the Democratic primary on Monday,” reports Time magazine. Or, as PJ Media alternatively headlines it, “BREAKING: Eric Swalwell has been running for president this whole time.”

…THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME: “Tom Steyer has changed his mind. The billionaire progressive activist and a leader in the drive to impeach President Trump said earlier this year he wouldn’t run for the White House. But on Tuesday, he announced in a four-minute campaign video that he’s launching a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.” (Fox News)

Immigration & Economy

DEMO-PLUNDER SWEEPSTAKES: Federal $15 minimum wage would eliminate 1.3 million jobs, Congressional Budget Office says (National Review)

BORDER ARRESTS DROP: “The number of people taken into custody after illegally crossing from Mexico into the United States dropped in June for the first time in six months, plummeting by more than 37,500 since May, according to two officials with first-hand knowledge of the data. Exactly 94,487 people were arrested crossing between ports of entry in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California last month.” (Washington Examiner)

HISPANIC POPULATION SURGES: “The U.S. Hispanic population surged another 1.2 million last year and now is a record 59.9 million, according to newly released U.S. Census Bureau population estimates. The percentage of Hispanics as part of the overall U.S. population also jumped to 18%.” (Washington Examiner)

Environment

‘GLOBAL HOT AIR’ AWARD: “A group of US lawmakers including … Bernie Sanders are proposing to declare the climate crisis an official emergency,” according to The Guardian. Meanwhile, The Independent says that “France will introduce an ‘eco-tax’ … on tickets for all flights leaving the country,” which “comes amid an escalating planetary climate emergency which is disproportionally being caused by the tiny percentage of people who use planes for transport.” Will Bernie et al. do their part to ameliorate this “climate emergency” by refusing to fly airplanes? Don’t bet on it. But take solace by reading Trump’s remarks on America’s environmental leadership.

Other Notables

NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION: “Iran said it had already begun enriching uranium beyond the cap set in the landmark 2015 nuclear deal and threatened to boost enrichment to 20% purity, escalating tensions with European partners who are struggling to salvage the accord in the face of tightening U.S. sanctions.” (Bloomberg)

GUN-CONTROL DEFIANCE: “New Zealand’s government … is running into stiff resistance to new gun rules from firearms owners who are slow to surrender now-prohibited weapons and will probably never turn them in. … As of last week, only around 700 weapons had been turned over. There are an estimated 1.5 million guns — with an unknown number subject to the new prohibition on semiautomatic firearms — in the country overall.” (Reason)

RACISM: “A local music festival in Detroit has moved away from ticket prices based on race after drawing international attention when a rapper pulled out of the show over the price discrepancy. The organizers behind Afrofuture Fest announced on their Eventbrite listing last week that tickets for people of colour would cost $20 US. Tickets for "non-people of colour,” however, were priced at $40 US.“ (CBC News)

Closing Arguments

POLICY: If antifa isn’t checked, beware the backlash against their violence (The Federalist)

POLICY: President Trump needs to hold Qatar accountable for cheating on Open Skies (Issues & Insights)

HUMOR: Trump declares new holiday: Tanksgiving (The Babylon Bee)

For more of today’s editors’ choice headlines, visit In Our Sights.