The Patriot Post® · Monday Top News Executive Summary

On the Homeland Security Front

COATS OUT: “Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats will leave his position next month, President Trump announced Sunday, capping a tumultuous relationship in which the two were often at odds over the wisdom of negotiating with Russia, the status of Iran’s nuclear weapons program and the severity of foreign threats to U.S. elections. Trump said in a tweet that he would nominate Rep. John ­Ratcliffe (R-Tex.), a third-term congressman and prominent supporter, to replace Coats.” (The Washington Post)

BORDER FUNDING UPHELD: “The Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration on Friday in lifting a freeze backed by a lower court that had halted plans to use $2.5 billion in Pentagon funds for border wall construction. The decision, which split the bench along ideological lines, allows the administration to move ahead with plans to use military funds to replace existing fencing in California, Arizona and New Mexico.” (Fox News)

ASYLUM DEAL: “President Trump inked a deal with Guatemala on Friday to crack down on migrants who cross that country’s territory en route to the U.S. to claim asylum, with Guatemala’s government agreeing to take them back.” (The Washington Times)

RUSSIAN HACKING REPORT: “The Senate Intelligence Committee confirmed Friday that Russian hackers targeted election systems in all 50 states in advance of the 2016 elections, but did not attempt to alter any vote totals. … While it was previously known that hackers targeted a handful of states in the run up to the election, the report revealed that the effort was more widespread that previously understood.” (National Review)

Government & Politics

CUMMINGS’S COMEUPPANCE: “President Trump called Rep. Elijah Cummings a racist while defending himself against accusations of racism for having criticized the Maryland Democrat. Trump made blunt statements about the current state of Baltimore on Saturday and Sunday, accusing Cummings of failing to represent his district well. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other leading Democrats came to Cummings’ defense, accusing Trump of being a racist and attacking minority members of Congress.” (Washington Examiner)

HARRIS TOES THE LINE: “Sen. Kamala Harris, who has spent some time clarifying her stance on ‘Medicare for All,’ is now proposing her own version of the single-payer insurance plan. … Harris has proposed to double the transition period from the current health care system to the single-payer system, to reduce [Bernie] Sanders’ proposed tax on middle-class families to pay for the plan, and she would allow private insurance companies to offer Medicare options.” (CBS News)

Around the Nation

CALIFORNIA SHOOTING: “Three people were killed and at least 15 others injured Sunday after a shooting that sent panicked people running at an annual food festival in Northern California. Also dead is the shooter, who used a rifle and gained entry to the packed festival by cutting through a fence to avoid the tight security, including metal detectors, police said. … Police confronted the [assailant] within a minute of shots being fired.” (KTLA)

COVINGTON LAWSUIT DISMISSED: “A federal judge in Kentucky dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed against the Washington Post by a Covington Catholic High School student. Nicholas Sandmann and his family sought $250 million in damages over the newspaper’s reporting about a confrontation between Sandmann and a Native American man in January.” (Washington Examiner)

GENDER-NEUTRAL ILLINOIS: “On April 11, the Illinois state Senate voted 53-0 in favor of SB 556, otherwise known as the ‘Equitable Restrooms Act,’ which would have all single-occupancy restrooms in ‘places of public accommodation’ be labeled as gender-neutral. On May 21, the state House passed the bill on a 109-5 vote, and on Friday, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the legislation into law.” (The Daily Wire)

RHODE ISLAND PAY-TO-PLAY: “Rhode Island governor Gina Raimondo is facing criticism after her administration awarded a no-bid billion-dollar contract to a gaming company that is represented by the treasurer of the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) which Raimondo chairs.” (The Washington Free Beacon)

Closing Arguments

POLICY: How Republicans can appeal to the white working class (National Review)

POLICY: The minimum wage is not about helping the poor; it’s a boon to organized labor (Commentary)

HUMOR: Ilhan Omar introduces resolution condemning racism, white men, and the Jews (The Babylon Bee)

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

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