Trump Announces Executive Order to Reduce Prescription Drug Prices

Trump: At 9:00 A.M, I will be signing one of the most consequential Executive Orders in our Country’s history. Prescription Drug and Pharmaceutical prices will be REDUCED , almost immediately, by 30% to 80%. They will rise through the World in order to equalize and, for the first time in many years, bring FAIRNESS TO AMERICA! (X). At 9 A.M ET, the order should post here: (White House). Salem News Channel: The U.S. pays the most in the world for many prescription drugs, often nearly triple that of other developed nations. Trump has said he wants to close that spread, but has not publicly specified how and did not provide details in his post…. Drugmakers have been expecting an order that would focus on the Medicare health insurance program, according to four drug industry lobbyists who said they had been briefed by the White House. Reuters previously reported such a policy was under consideration. The drugmakers expect the order to apply to a universe of drugs beyond those currently subject to negotiation under former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (Salem News Channel). Karoline Leavitt: It cannot be overstated how big of a deal this Executive Order will be for American families and especially our seniors! Healthcare costs were the number one driver of Bidenflation. President Trump is tackling them head on (X).

Trump Nears Trade Deal With China

After talks this weekend in Geneva. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was joined by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who said: “It’s important to understand how quickly we were able to come to agreement, which reflects that perhaps the differences were not so large as maybe thought,” Greer said. He noted the U.S.’s massive trade deficit was why President Trump declared a national emergency and imposed tariffs on China and other countries. “We’re confident that the deal we struck with our Chinese partners will help us to work toward resolving that national emergency,” Greer said…. Trump has opened the door for lower tariffs. He said in recent days that they couldn’t get much higher than the current 145%, so that it was likely they would eventually come down. And Friday, he suggested lowering tariffs to 80%. On Friday night, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Fox News that the president is expected to keep significant so-called reciprocal tariffs on trade with China but may settle near 34%, which is the rate Trump announced on April 2 (Wall Street Journal). Bessent on Sunday evening: “We will be giving details tomorrow, but I can tell you that the talks were productive. We had the vice premier, two vice ministers, who were integrally involved, Ambassador Jamieson, and myself. And I spoke to President Trump, as did Ambassador Jamieson, last night, and he is fully informed of what is going on. So, there will be a complete briefing tomorrow morning” (White House).

HHS Deputy Secretary Nominee Commits to Safety Review of Abortion Pill

The comments came at the nomination hearing for James O’Neill last week. The abortion pill has received well-deserved scrutiny in recent days as a result of the monumental study released late April by the Ethics & Public Policy Center (EPPC) documenting the severe adverse effects of the drug by nearly 11 percent of women who use it (EPPC). Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), questioning the nominee: “In light of this new data, and it’s an enormous data set, just an enormous data set, isn’t it time for the FDA, No. 1, to put back in place the reporting requirements of serious adverse health effects?” asked Mr. Hawley. Mr. O’Neill agreed, saying the Food and Drug Administration’s policy is “to ensure that all drugs are safe and effective, and sometimes new data needs a review…. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has not yet voted on his nomination (Washington Times). Ryan Anderson: Love to see it (X)!

Trump Administration Fully Defunds United Nations Population Fund

The decision saves $335 million U.S. taxpayer dollars while saving innocent human lives—one revenue stream at a time. UNFPA was a key funding arm for abortion and coercive population control for the UN. Life News: The Trump administration has fully implemented the defunding of the UNFPA that it announced back in March and announced today that no new funding will the directed to it. And the pro-abortion agency is unhappy…. This is a continuation of his pro-life policy from his previous administration. In 2017, Trump signed an executive order defunding the UN population group because it pushes abortions on other countries and has worked with China for decades to implement its forced abortion population control policies (Life News). Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX): “The United Nations Population Fund is a globalist, Orwellian, propaganda machine that shills for the Chinese Communist Party its brutal mandatory abortion practices,” Roy stated…. “For decades the U.N. Population Fund has been providing support, mainly to China, for government programs which have promoted forced abortions and coercive sterilizations,” he said (Catholic Vote).

Hamas Claims They Will Release Israeli American Hostage Edan Alexander

Distrust and verify. Sarah Arnold of Townhall: Hamas terrorists announced plans on Sunday to release American hostage Edan Alexander, a move that comes amid ongoing negotiations and increasing international pressure. Alexander, a 19-year-old Israeli-American and former IDF soldier, was taken captive during the October 7 attacks…. Alexander is believed to be the last surviving American hostage held by the terrorist organization. While the exact timing of his release remains uncertain, Reuters reports that he is expected to be freed on Tuesday…. Alexander’s potential release comes ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East this week. He will spend four days in the Arabian Gulf nations, with his most controversial stop being in Qatar (Townhall). White House hostage envoy Adam Boehler: “It’s a positive step forward, and we would also ask that Hamas release the bodies of four other Americans who were taken.” He also noted that US President Donald Trump’s Middle East swing this week helped spur the move. “The president coming to the region was helpful, as was the work done on this issue by Secretary (of State) Rubio and (US special envoy) Steve Wikoff” (Jerusalem Post). Trump: “I am grateful to all those involved in making this monumental news happen. This was a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones. Hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict. I look very much forward to that day of celebration!” (YNET).

Trump at a Decision Point on Iran; “Now is the time for a U.S.-Israeli strike to destroy Iran’s nuclear capability”

If there were to be a deal with the mullahs, Steve Witkoff lays out the conditions: No uranium enrichment, no centrifuges, nothing that allows them to build a weapon, no expiration to the agreement (no sunset clause) (X). It’s a moment of truth for Trump. Karen Elliot House: The only honorable option is to dismantle it. This can be done through diplomacy, which is highly unlikely, or with force….. The president adamantly—and repeatedly—has insisted he will accept nothing less than “total dismantlement” of Iran’s nuclear program. The mullahs in Tehran will never agree to that. They saw what happened to Ukraine and Libya after giving up their nuclear ambitions. They think that enriching uranium for their nuclear reactors is a national right. Their real goal isn’t electricity generation but the ability to produce material for a bomb…. But the mullahs have never been weaker. At home, public discontent is rising as the economy sinks. Some 30% of Iranians live in poverty. Abroad, their proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen and Syria have been weakened or destroyed over the past year. Most important, Israel’s devastating retaliatory attacks have badly degraded Iran’s air defenses, leaving the country vulnerable to future Israeli strikes. But Israel is reluctant to target Iranian nuclear facilities without U.S. approval and lacks the ability to succeed fully without the latest U.S. bunker-buster bombs. Now is the time for a U.S.-Israeli strike to destroy Iran’s nuclear capability (Wall Street Journal).

Is There Daylight Between Israel and the U.S.?

Or: Between Trump and Netanyahu? It has been speculated in a number of outlets in both U.S. and Israeli media. Ambassador Mike Huckabee: All the nonsense about @POTUS & @IsraeliPM is from “sources” who don’t put their name on it. I will put mine. The partnership is STRONG. What’s broken is credibility of fake news (X). New York Sun: Some events might suggest so, but, we say, take care. Mr. Trump surprised Israel on Tuesday by ending America’s bombing campaign in Yemen. Sure enough, today Israelis across the country ran to shelter as the Houthis launched a ballistic missile. An American anti-missile battery intercepted it. “We will respond forcefully,” the defense minister, Israel Katz, said. With significant firepower nearby, America will coordinate its retaliation with Israel. Meanwhile, Secretary Hegseth’s planned weekend Israel visit is now off. Yet the secretary “did not cancel his trip to Israel,” the Pentagon protested in a statement Friday. He “very much looks forward to visiting our ally Israel soon.” Mr. Hegseth will join the president’s top national security team on next week’s trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Mr. Trump, in contrast to his first term’s first foreign trip, will this time skip the Jewish state…. Yet, the Israeli premier’s closest adviser, Ron Dermer, consulted at the White House with the president and his entire team Thursday. “It’s reckless & irresponsible for press to allege that @POTUS and @IsraeliPM are not getting along,” Mr. Huckabee writes on X. Mr. Trump acts like he can personally sway Mideast allies and even foes like the Islamic Republic. The war that Hamas launched in 2023 is raising regional anti-Israel sentiments. Arab leaders hesitate to openly support the Jewish state. The reluctance of the president, as he cultivates Mideast ties, to visit Israel might make sense then. All the more reason for him to dispel the idea that “daylight” is showing between Jerusalem and Washington (New York Sun).

Justice Sotomayor at American Bar Association Event: “we can’t lose the battles we are facing”

Carrie Severino of the Judicial Network: Justice Sotomayor just told an ABA audience that “Our job is to stand up” and that “we can’t lose the battles we are facing.” Also: “We need trained and passionate and committed lawyers to fight this fight.” That makes a mockery of any appearance of objectivity in cases challenging the administration or involving the ABA. As if to reinforce that she’s taking sides, she said, “For me, being here with you is an act of solidarity.” This was directed to an organization with a voluminous list of legislative issues on which it takes positions—see this 148-page document…  (X). New York Times: Justice Sotomayor spoke in general terms, but her remarks came against the backdrop of immense stress on lawyers and the legal system from the Trump administration. That tension included a string of executive orders from President Trump retaliating against prominent law firms, stripping their lawyers of security clearances, barring them from entering federal buildings and discouraging federal officials from interacting with the firms (New York Times).

A Response to Those Employing the Term “Woke Right”

“Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.” Anyone can disagree with a component part of the anti-woke coalition, but that doesn’t make them woke. From Yarom Hazony:  …“woke” always meant exactly one thing: It referred to that part of the Left which anti-Marxist liberals, conservatives, nationalists, Christians, and Jews had to join forces to defeat. And by repurposing that term as a weapon against parts of this coalition, you’ve turned it into gall in our mouths. You’ve taken a shared term of discourse, gutted its common and universally accepted meaning, and mangled it so we can’t use it to talk to one another anymore…. So that’s a lot of reasons why an anti-Marxist liberal might want to use the term “woke right.”… I say that every anti-Marxist liberal using this term is being a shmuck. Because either you are purposely trying to destroy the anti-woke coalition, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Or you are completely clueless about the damage you’re doing to the anti-woke coalition, and don’t have the political sense to know when you’re being played like a fiddle and who’s playing you. Either way, there’s an old political term for what you’re doing. You’re being shmuck (X).

Vice President J.D. Vance on Pope Leo XIV

In an interview with Hugh Hewitt: We don’t know a whole lot about him, but I just wish him the best, right? I’m a Catholic. He’s now the head of the Catholic Church, and we’ll pray for his wisdom, for his good decisions, and his good health, and hope that he has a long and successful papacy….. I am a Catholic convert, and so I come at this maybe with a slightly different perspective. But I try not to play the politicization of the Pope game. I’m sure he’s going to say a lot of things that I love. I’m sure he’ll say some things that I disagree with, but I’ll continue to pray for him and the Church despite it all and through it all, and that’ll be the way that I handle it…. And my attitude is, you know, the Church is about saving souls, and about spreading the Gospel…. I think it would be better for all of us if we allowed the Church to be about the saving of souls and didn’t try to fit it into a pre-ordained political box…  There is a tendency to try to make Jesus Christ this sort of very wise, I guess young man, to make Him a sort of teacher, maybe a prophet. But of course, Christians believe that He was much more than that. He was, in fact, the living, breathing Son of God. And so I think it’s, again, powerful words from an American Pope that we don’t know a lot about, but I think, you know, what I heard you just repeat to me was quite beautiful. It was quite moving, and I hope it’s indicative of the kind of Church that we’ll have under the leadership of Leo XIV (Hugh Hewitt; audio/video: You Tube).