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Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Israel Eliminates Hezbollah’s Commander Responsible for Attack on Children Playing Soccer Over the Weekend

Fox News: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the death of Fuad Shukr, the Hezbollah commander who was behind a drone strike that killed 12 children and teens over the weekend. Shukr, who was also known as Hajj Mohsin, joined Hezbollah in 1985. He was also sought by the U.S. government over his connection to the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing, which targeted U.S. Marines. Shukr served as a senior adviser to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah at the time of his death. He died in an IDF strike on Tuesday in southern Beirut, Lebanon (Fox News). Israel Hayom: The IDF has confirmed the assassination in an official statement. The IDF Spokesperson stated: “The IDF has conducted a precision strike in Beirut, targeting the commander responsible for the recent killing of children in Majdal Shams and numerous Israeli civilians” (Israel Hayom).

Acting Secret Service Director Testifies Before Senate, Dodges Questions

Ed Morrissey: Say, remember when Kimberly Cheatle tried dodging questions about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in congressional testimony and ended up resigning? Her replacement, acting director Ronald Rowe, showed up at the Senate today to take questions about the failures that allowed a local nutcase to gain access to a rooftop 130 yards away from the stage and fire eight shots at Trump, wounding him and killing Corey Comparetore… Rowe followed the same obfuscatory strategy that Cheatle tried, and Sen. Ted Cruz wasn’t having any of it (HotAir). Townhall: “I believe that Secret Service leadership made a political decision to deny these requests.” Things get HEATED when Sen. Ted Cruz presses the acting Secret Service director on the Trump team’s requests for additional security (X). Reporter Kyle Becker: Senator Marsha Blackburn confronts Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe about a DELETED Counter-Sniper’s email calling out the agency’s lack of accountability over the Trump assassination attempt (X). Reporter Drew Hernandez: Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe completely loses it and starts to play the victim as Josh Hawley presses him for accountability for the Secret Service “failure” to protect President Trump on J/13. He claims the Secret Service are being “unfairly persecuted” (X).

Acting Secret Service Director: “I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured”

Washington Post: The acting head of the Secret Service told lawmakers Tuesday that he was “ashamed” his agency failed to secure the rooftop where a gunman fired on former president Donald Trump, as he sparred at times with angry Republicans who demanded he fire people immediately over the security shortcomings. “I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured,” Ronald Rowe Jr. told a joint Senate committee examining the assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13. Firing at the GOP presidential candidate, the gunman killed one person in the crowd and critically injured two others. One of the bullets grazed Trump’s ear. At times, the hearing turned emotional and even angry, particularly when Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) loudly called for people to be ousted from the agency. “Sir, this could have been our Texas schoolbook depository,” Rowe told the lawmaker, referring to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. “I have lost sleep” (Washington Post). Wall Street Journal: His testimony came a week after his predecessor, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned under pressure from lawmakers frustrated with her lack of answers during a blistering appearance before the House Oversight Committee. Rowe was named acting director after her resignation (Wall Street Journal).

Two Transgender Boxers Approved to Fight Women in the Olympics

Daily Mail: Two boxers who were banned from the world championships for being deemed biologically male have been cleared to compete at the Olympics as women. A row has erupted in Paris after it emerged that Imane Khelif, of Algeria, and Lin Yu-Ting, of Taiwan, were thrown out of the tournament last year amid questions over their biological sex. But IOC bosses said both meet eligibility criteria and will box over the coming days (Daily Mail). Riley Gaines: Imagine training your WHOLE life, getting good enough to earn a spot on the Olympic team, hoping to a win an Olympic medal….then you’re told you have to fight a man. That’s the tragic reality for these women (X). Reporter Katherine Deves Morgan: Beating women is now a spectator sport. We have never been more aware as a society of male violence against women (X).

UK Court Upholds Ban on Prescribing Puberty Blockers to Minors

Daily Caller: A High Court judge in the United Kingdom on Monday upheld the government’s emergency ban on puberty blockers due to high risks to children. The court’s ruling defended the Cass Review, conducted by Dr. Hilary Cass, which found that children placed on puberty-blocking drugs were prone to permanent neurological issues. The Cass Review recommended that puberty blockers should only be prescribed as part of clinical research (Daily Caller). Andy Ngo: Boom! The High Court in London has ruled that a government ban on puberty blockers is lawful. The ruling follows a medical academic review by pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass earlier this year which found little evidence to support positive outcomes for medically transitioning children (X).

Biden, Harris Want to Allow Illegal Immigrants Access to Taxpayer-Funded College Prep Courses Meant for American Students

Daily Wire: The Biden-Harris administration proposed a new rule that would allow illegal immigrants to access taxpayer-funded college preparatory programs that were meant to assist low-income American citizens. The new proposed rule from the Biden-Harris Department of Education would allow illegal immigrants who qualify for the Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA) to access federal TRIO programs targeted to serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to post-baccalaureate programs. Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) blasted the proposed rule from the Democratic administration, noting that it would allow illegal immigrants to take the spots of American citizens (Daily Wire). Breitbart: Mass immigration serves as a billion-dollar profit pipeline for American colleges and universities. In the 2023 school year, for example, more than one million foreign students — from visa-holders to illegal aliens — were enrolled in colleges and universities in the United States. These colleges and universities rake in an estimated $9 billion annually from foreign students, including illegal aliens, via tuition costs and fees (Breitbart).

Venezuelan Gang Green Lights Members in the U.S. to Attack Police Officers

Spencer Brown: A new bulletin from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is warning border agents and other law enforcement agencies of a threat posed by Tren De Aragua (TdA), the largest criminal organization in embattled Venezuela, after an apparent “green light” to attack American law enforcement has been given to its members who have infiltrated the United States (Townhall). Ali Bradley: More than 1,000 known Tren De Aragua (TdA) members are in the U.S. and have been given the “green light” to fire on and attack law enforcement according to an internal bulletin that went out across Border Patrol—The agency has encountered nearly 70 TdA members since October of 2023—TdA is the largest criminal organization in Venezuela and its membership has spread throughout the Western Hemisphere and into the US… One alert says that “TdA is known to exploit immigrant populations and carry out acts of violent crime” (X).

VP Kamala Harris Wants to Use Taxpayer Money to Perform Gender Surgeries on Prison Inmates

Daily Caller: Vice President Kamala Harris previously said she worked “behind the scenes” during her term as California attorney general to secure sex change surgeries for California inmates despite the fact that it was against state policy at the time. Harris bragged about circumventing the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation to ensure that transgender inmates were given access to medical services, including sex-change surgeries (Daily Caller). Charlie Kirk: Here’s Kamala Harris bragging that she fought to secure taxpayer funded gender reassignment surgeries for “every transgender inmate in the prison system.” Countless women have been raped by trans convicts, and Kamala wants you to pay for their surgery (X).

Donald Trump Pulls Away of Harris in New Poll

Ed Morrissey: According to a new Harvard-Harris CAPS poll, Donald Trump leads Kamala Harris 52/48 with leaners, and 48/45 without. Harris has improved Joe Biden’s numbers on the latter, but not the former…The top three issues for respondents in this survey when asked in an open-ended manner are inflation (37%), immigration (33%), and the economy and jobs (27%). When asked to specify which single issue impacts respondents the most, 45% chose inflation and 14% chose immigration (HotAir).

10.

U.S. National Debt Reaches $35 Trillion

NBC: The US national debt hit a record $35 trillion, outpacing economists’ predictions. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen recently stated that the debt is reasonable given the economy’s size. Rising costs of federal programs and lack of budget cuts contribute to the increasing debt (NBC). Daily Wire: To maintain the national debt, the federal government gets charged interest for use of money from lenders, the Treasury Department says on its website. As of June 2024, the agency notes, it cost $868 billion to maintain, or 17% of total federal spending in the current fiscal year (Daily Wire).