The Patriot Post® · Thursday: Below the Fold
Are Ukraine-Russia talks imploding? The now three-year-long war in Ukraine continues to grind on. Though Donald Trump campaigned on ending it when he took office, the likelihood that it will actually end seems as far out as ever. On Wednesday, a frustrated Trump once again blasted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for prolonging the “killing field” after he rejected any deal that would allow Russia to retain Crimea. Further signaling the administration’s frustration, Secretary of State Marco Rubio skipped another round of ceasefire talks in Paris after Zelensky doubled down on his Crimea demand. Rubio indicated that the administration was willing to leave Ukraine to itself. Meanwhile, overnight, Russia hit Kyiv with a drone and missile attack that left nine dead. Trump responded on Truth Social, telling Vladimir Putin, “STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”
No. 2 Senate Democrat announces retirement: Illinois Senator Dick Durbin announced Wednesday that he will not seek reelection in 2026. “It’s time to pass the torch,” the 80-year-old senator said on X. Democrats anticipate replacing Durbin with a younger voice in their top leadership, likely 52-year-old Brian Schatz of Hawaii. In Illinois, three House Democrats, the lieutenant governor, and a state senator have expressed interest in pursuing Durbin’s seat. Durbin has been soft on illegal immigration since at least 2001, when he introduced the DREAM Act. Later, he was instrumental in the creation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In 2022, he expressed his wish to be remembered for championing the confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. For conservatives, that seems like a fitting remembrance of the man.
DOJ upends Civil Rights Division: Donald Trump was elected to change things in Washington; unsurprisingly, Washington’s bureaucratic class doesn’t like the changes his administration is conducting. Hence, the cries and moans to the press over those changes. The latest example comes from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, which has current and former members crying foul over new division head Harmeet Dhillon restructuring and redirecting its focus. Dhillon recently directed the division to prioritize enforcement of Trump’s executive orders, including “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports,” “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” and “Restoring Merit Based Opportunity.” A former senior official called it “a 180 shift from the division’s traditional mission.” Far from being problematic, this is a welcome development.
Another illegal alien ordered returned: U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher ordered the Trump administration to return a 20-year-old Venezuelan illegal alien who was among the gang members deported to El Salvador. The migrant in question, referred to as “Christian,” entered the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor. Due to a 2019 lawsuit, which the government settled in 2024, unaccompanied minors are permitted to remain in the country until their asylum applications are heard. Gallagher, who is a Trump appointee, ruled that the administration’s deportation was a “breach of contract.” ICE field director Robert Cerna noted that Christian “was removed under the Alien Enemies Act, 50 U.S.C. Ch. 3, pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 10,903, as a Venezuelan citizen 14 years of age or older who is a member of TdA.”
Intel leakers: DNI Director Tulsi Gabbard has referred two individuals to the Justice Department, accusing them of leaking classified materials to the media. Gabbard added that “a third criminal referral is on its way.” What was leaked to the press is not clear. However, what is clear is that the Trump administration is getting aggressive in its efforts to tighten up the ship and root out deep state actors who aim to undermine Donald Trump’s efforts to implement his agenda. As Gabbard warned, “Politicization of our intelligence and leaking classified information puts our nation’s security at risk and must end. Those who leak classified information will be found and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Trump warns against tax hike on wealthy Americans: With some Republican lawmakers flirting with the thoroughly un-Republican idea of a tax hike on wealthy Americans, Donald Trump weighed in Wednesday to warn against it. “A lot of the millionaires would leave the country,” Trump observed. “In the old days, they left the states. They’d go from one state to the other. Now, with transportation so quick and so easy, they leave countries.” He then added, “You’d lose a lot of money if you do that.” Trump’s words appear to be a pullback from statements he made earlier in the month when he said he’d be open to creating a higher tax bracket for millionaires and billionaires to offset ending taxes on tips.
Harvard pollaganda during its ongoing battle with Trump: According to a Harvard Youth Poll that surveyed 2,096 Americans aged 18-29, the future is bleak. Fewer than one in three surveyed expressed approval of the Trump administration or either party in Congress. More than four in 10 say they are just getting by financially. Similarly, 42% think there is a crisis at the southern border today. That’s an 11-point year-over-year decrease, so perhaps some of them are following the news that border crossings are at an all-time low. However, only 15% believe the country is heading in the right direction — probably because they’re listening to all the other Leftmedia spin. In our humble shop, we frequently use the term “pollaganda,” and this poll seems to serve as an example.
Headlines
Twelve states sue Trump administration over tariffs (Axios)
Deported “Maryland man” championed by Dems was pulled over driving car belonging to human smuggler (Fox News)
Trump strikes have killed 74 terrorist leaders planning attacks on U.S. soil (Daily Wire)
Yale derecognizes Students for Justice in Palestine chapter after group blocks Jewish students’ access (Washington Free Beacon)
California overtakes Japan to become fourth-largest economy in the world (Newsweek)
Pro-woman advocates slam Nike over alleged funding for puberty-blocker study (OutKick)
India and Pakistan are THIS close to war … again (PJ Media)
Humor: Democrats begin chugging artificial food dyes to protest RFK (Babylon Bee)
For the Executive Summary archive, click here.