Republicans Destroy Democrats in Congressional Baseball Game

A 13-2 win at Nationals Park. Leading off for the GOP was Steve Scalise—House Majority Leader who was grateful just to be there. The cancer survivor was the target of a left-wing terror attack at a practice for the Congressional game in 2017 (History). Scalise: The Congressional Baseball Game will always have special meaning to me. I am blessed that I was able to be the first at bat (Scalise). MVP for the GOP was Texas Rep. August Pfluger who made a big league play at third in the top of the first, getting things started for team MAGA (Townhall). Fox News: The Republicans all wore the same red uniforms with MAGA hats, while Democrats wore differing jerseys and hats. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., pitched five innings for the GOP to get the win, giving up two runs with seven strikeouts. Steuebe faced trouble in the first inning when the Democrats loaded the bases with two outs. But a diving play by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, at third base ended the inning when he leaned out to stop a hard-hit ball from getting out of the infield and then dove onto the base with his mitt to get the out (Fox News). Speaker Johnson: Another GOP VICTORY at the annual Congressional baseball game—with more than 30,000 tickets sold and $2.8 million raised for charity! (Johnson).

Trump Unapologetic as He Seeks to Restore Law and Order

And the public—pretty clearly—is with him. Heather MacDonald: L.A.’s illegal-alien riots have provided Trump with a picture-perfect opportunity to deliver on his central campaign promises: the era of tolerating arson, looting, destruction of property, and attacks on law enforcement is over; the era of enabling endemic immigration lawlessness is over. And that picture-perfect opportunity has filled the Democratic establishment with impotent rage…. The Trump National Guard mobilization brought into relief an important distinction. There is violence, and then there is violence, in the words of the June 7 memorandum, intended to “inhibit the execution of the laws.” Both eat away at social order, but the latter is a death knell for civilization. That is why, when progressive prosecutors in California and elsewhere decriminalize resisting arrest, they are violating their most sacred oath of office. To the disgust of the media, Trump said after the mobilization: “No one will spit on our police and our military; when they spit, we will hit.” There may be more eloquent ways to express this determination, but for many Americans, Trump’s unapologetic defense of the law this weekend represented liberation from a poisonous set of lies (City Journal). Senator Tom Cotton (who famously advocated for a show of force in the riots of 2020): The solution now is the same as I said then: an overwhelming show of force to end the riots. As always, local police are the first line of defense, but when the police can’t restore order—or aren’t allowed to by Democratic mayors—the National Guard must be called out….. Mr. Newsom—incompetent and ideological all at once—refused to mobilize the National Guard, leaving Mr. Trump little choice but to federalize the California Guard to protect federal law-enforcement agents and restore order. He has unquestioned legal authority to do so, plus many precedents….. (Wall Street Journal).

Newsom “Leans Into LA Unrest”

While Trump tries to restore law and order, Governor Newsom is embracing the unrest … with his political aspirations there for all to see. Twenty million people in the greater Los Angeles area are paying the price. Wall Street Journal: Newsom’s pugilistic response to Trump’s provocations has gladdened the hearts of Democrats hungry for a crusader. But at a time when Newsom has attempted to moderate his image, playing to the Democratic base runs the risk of cementing his profile as a left-coast progressive and associating him with images of urban unrest. Asked about his presidential aspirations, Newsom, who will leave office next year, didn’t deny he might seek higher office. “I’m not thinking about running, but it’s a path that I could see unfold,” he told the Journal…. Newsom, who has an acute sensitivity to political appearances, has yet to appear in public since arriving on the scene, communicating with the public through media interviews and social-media posts. (Wall Street Journal). In the face of the violence, Newsom on X in Spanish: California will continue to fight in the courts on behalf of our people—all of our people (Newsom). No word about the safety and security of law-abiding citizens.

LA City Council Presses Police Chief to Alert Them of ICE Actions

Los Angeles Times on the Police Chief’s meeting with LA’s City Council: In the testiest exchange of the afternoon, Councilmember Imelda Padilla asked the chief if the LAPD would consider warning city officials if it heard from federal law enforcement that immigration raids were coming. “You’re asking me to warn you about an enforcement action being taken by another agency before it happens? We can’t do that,” McDonnell responded, noting that such a warning would amount to obstruction of justice. “That would be completely inappropriate and illegal,” he said (Los Angeles Times). Ed Morrissey: With the city knee-deep in crisis created by radical leftists intent on disrupting federal law enforcement, the city council wants to side with the radicals. And now they want the LAPD to do the same. Last night, the council grilled police chief Jim McDonnell about the police response not so much to the riots, but to the operation of ICE enforcement actions within the city. McDonnell reported that police had arrested more than 100 people the day before, half for failing to disperse but the rest for more serious crimes, including looting. One person got arrested for assault with a deadly weapon on a law enforcement officer, and another for attempted murder. The council’s response? Yada yada yada.  What the council really wanted to know is when McDonnell would start revealing ICE operations to them before they take place, presumably to prevent those operations from succeeding (Hot Air).

Iran Issues Threat to American Bases as Nuclear Talks Come to a Head

New York Sun: The Iranian defense minister says American bases could be attacked if nuclear talks go south. Secretary Hegseth is authorizing the voluntary departure of military dependents in the Middle East following a threat from Iran’s defense minister, a senior Department of Defense official tells the Sun. The American embassy in Iraq is also preparing to partially evacuate. On Wednesday morning, the Iranian defense minister, Aziz Nasirzadeh, said in a speech that Iran is not taking military strikes against American assets off the table ahead of negotiations related to his country’s nuclear program. “Some officials on the other side threaten conflict if negotiations don’t come to fruition. If a conflict is imposed on us … all U.S. bases are within our reach and we will boldly target them in host countries,” Mr. Nasirzadeh said, according to Al Jazeera. A source at the Pentagon tells the Sun that Mr. Hegseth has authorized the departure of dependents, if they choose to do so, across the entirety of Central Command’s jurisdiction. That area of operation stretches from Egypt to Pakistan (NYSun).

Is a Strike on Iran Possible?

Israel Hayom: Israel sees a rare opportunity – one that may not return – to strike Iran, based on the convergence of several factors: The recent acceleration of uranium enrichment processes by Iran; the extensive damage to its strategic defense systems from Israeli Air Force strikes last year; the significant weakening of Hezbollah and Iran’s other proxies, apart from the Houthis; and Trump’s explicit pledge that Iran will not acquire nuclear weapons under any circumstances, “under a deal or otherwise,” in his words. The issue of uranium enrichment is expected to provide Israel with broad international support in the event of a strike. According to the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran now possesses 408.6 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent, enough material to produce approximately ten bombs…. Those looking for more signs of what’s to come can find them in warnings issued yesterday by the United Kingdom (regarding the risks to maritime traffic in the Persian Gulf) and the US (which is preparing to evacuate its embassy in Baghdad, and possibly other bases in the region). They can also be seen in the unusual silence of Israeli politicians, who typically comment on everything but are now imposing a media blackout on what is arguably the most critical issue (Israel Hayom). Jennifer Jacobs of CBS News: US officials have been told Israel is fully ready to launch an operation into Iran. This is part of the reason the US advised some Americans to leave region. US anticipates Iran could retaliate on certain US sites in Iraq. Witkoff is still planning to meet with Iran for the 6th rounds of talks this Sunday (Jacobs).

A Victory for Life—and for Speech—as House Moves to Repeal FACE Act

House effort to repeal the FACE Act—The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act—advances through the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday by a 13-10 vote. The application of the law—passed in 1994 and signed by Bill Clinton—has been uniquely discriminatory against pro-life advocates in front of abortion facilities. Daily Signal: Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who sponsored the bill to end the law abused by the Biden Department of Justice to arrest, prosecute, and jail pro-life demonstrators, has fought for months to bring his legislation to a vote. “The FACE Act has been undeniably—and predictably—weaponized to target pro-life Americans while turning a blind eye to the destruction, vandalism, and even firebombing of pregnancy resource centers and churches,” Roy told The Daily Signal. Passed in 1994, the FACE Act prohibits the use or threat of force and physical obstruction that “injures, intimidates, or interferes” with a person seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services or to practice freedom of religion at a place of religious worship (Daily Signal). Kristen Waggoner: Excellent. The FACE Act was always constitutionally suspect. But it’s also been used as an ideological weapon against peaceful pro-life advocates, while attacks on pregnancy centers & churches go unpunished. Every state has laws against trespass & violence. Repeal the FACE Act (Waggoner). Ben Johnson: “What the Biden-Harris administration did to peaceful pro-lifers like Mark Houck, Paul Vaughn, and Lauren Handy, among many others, can never be erased. The FACE Act is unconstitutional, and today’s committee vote on its repeal is an important step to restoring justice for the pro-life advocates who were targets of weaponized prosecutions and for restoring the rule of law for all,” Peter Breen, executive vice president and head of litigation at the pro-life Thomas More Society, told The Washington Stand (Washington Stand).

A Victory for the Death Agenda: New York State Senate Passes Euthanasia Bill

LifeSite: The New York legislature has given final approval to a bill to make New York the latest state to allow assisted suicide, requiring only far-left Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature to become law. The so-called “Medical Aid in Dying Act” would allow patients given a prognosis of six months or fewer to live to be prescribed euthanasia drugs, upon affirmation by two doctors that they have “decision-making capacity” (LifeSite). Madeleine Kearns: Some of those opposed to assisted suicide have said that New York’s legalization is on the “outer edge” of liberalization, eliminating safeguards that exist in other states where medical aid in dying (MAID) is legal…. New York’s bill does not have a mandatory “cooling off” period, meaning that a patient could request assisted suicide immediately after diagnosis, have it approved, and be dead within 24 hours (Free Press). New York Post: The Empire State bill also has no real mechanism for tracking how many deaths it brings: Some commissioner is supposed to review a “sample” of patient medical records and produce a yearly report to the Legislature on how it’s going; that’s it. Beyond the details, this is fundamentally about a reinvention of the medical profession: Out goes “do no harm,” in comes a “calculation” as to whether a given life is still worth living (New York Post). And so erodes human dignity.

Trump Administration Plans for Saturday’s Flag Day Celebration

The administration is marrying Flag Day with a celebration of the 250^th birthday of the Army. News Nation: The parade will bring more than 150 armored vehicles, tanks and more than 6,000 soldiers to the nation’s capital. The soldiers will be housed in nearby federal buildings. Army officials estimate around 200,000 people will attend the highly anticipated military parade on Saturday, which is also Flag Day and President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. Army recognizes 250th birthday with weeklong celebration. With an influx of soldiers, weapons and potential protestors headed toward Washington, D.C., the parade will be classified as a national special security event, according to plans obtained by the Associated Press. The Federal Aviation Administration will be suspending flight operations on the day of the parade, and encourage anyone with flight plans that evening to check with their airlines for any changes (News Nation). Flag Day commemorates adoption of the flag on June 14, 1777 with the simple resolution: “Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new constellation” (Military).

Hard Left Marks Flag Day With Protests: Anti-Flag Day?

They’re calling them “No Kings” demonstrations. Perhaps it’s fitting that it’s on flag day: it’s the flag and all it represents that they’re really against. The Socialist People’s World: In the aftermath of the Los Angeles immigration raids of the last several days, organizers expect the nationwide “No Kings Day” protests on June 14 to be massive…. They’re implementing more intense training for local leaders and potential participants when it comes to safety and security measures as they get ready for at least 1,900 marches and rallies expected across the country (People’s World). All the Anti-Flag Day protests (No Kings).