Your First Look at Today's Top Stories
|
|
|
|
Trump Visits Federal Reserve Building Under Renovation, Confronting Fed Chairman Powell
|
In an awkward moment for Powell ( X). Financial Times: Donald Trump clashed with Jay Powell during a visit to the Federal Reserve’s headquarters on Thursday in a rare public confrontation between a US president and central bank chief. The two men, who had donned white hard hats as they surveyed the refurbishment of the Fed’s Marriner S Eccles headquarters in Washington, quarrelled in televised remarks over the costs of the project. “We’re taking a look, and it looks like it’s about $3.1bn, it went up a little bit, or a lot. So the 2.7 is now 3.1,” Trump said moments after beckoning Powell to come into the centre of the camera frame. Powell shook his head and interrupted the president, saying he was “not aware” that the cost of the project had risen from the central bank’s estimate of $2.5bn. “It just came out,” Trump said, removing a piece of paper from his pocket as they stood side-by-side in a corridor with exposed wood framing and construction equipment …. Trump said on Thursday that there was “no tension” between him and Powell. “I have one dispute . . . I just want to see one thing it’s very simple, interest rates have to come down,” he said. He added that he “didn’t think it was necessary” to fire Powell, whose term as chair expires in May 2026 ( Financial Times).
|
|
|
|
President Macron: France Will Recognize Palestinian State
|
The move is planned to take place at the meeting of the UN General Assembly in September. Macron made the announcement on X: I will make this solemn announcement before the United Nations General Assembly this coming September. The urgent priority today is to end the war in Gaza and to bring relief to the civilian population ( Macron). Prime Minister Netanyahu responded strongly: “We strongly condemn President Macron’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state next to Tel Aviv in the wake of the October 7 massacre. Such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became. A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel—not to live in peace beside it. Let’s be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel” ( Jerusalem Post). Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett: Macron’s recognition of a Palestinian state after the October 7th massacre isn’t diplomacy; it’s moral collapse. It rewards mass murder and tells Islamist terrorists: kill Jews, and the world will hand you a state. This shameful decision will be tossed this into the dustbin of history ( Bennett). U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee: “France should carve out a piece of the French Riviera, and create a Palestinian state there” ( X).
|
|
|
|
US Pulls Out of Gaza Ceasefire Talks
|
With special envoy Steve Witkoff clearly frustrated. Financial Times: Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has said US negotiators are cutting short talks over a possible ceasefire in Gaza, accusing Hamas of being “selfish” and “not acting in good faith.” Witkoff said in a post on X on Thursday that the US was pulling negotiators from talks in Qatar, adding the latest response from Hamas “clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.” “While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be co-ordinated or acting in good faith,” said Witkoff, the president’s special envoy for peace missions ( Financial Times). Times of Israel: According to the official, Hamas has not offered any compromise on the demilitarization of Gaza or the end of the war, and there are “difficulties” around the potential release of Palestinian prisoners. The sides did not discuss guarantees about ending the war, a key Hamas demand, or the technical arrangements around the implementation of a deal, the official said, but he added: “We can arrive at this quickly.” Israel is under the assumption that Hamas wants an agreement, the official said, adding that the team will continue to work “from the moment it lands and there is reception” ( Times of Israel). Witkoff seems to have recognized—albeit a bit late—that Hamas terrorists don’t operate in good faith. Ed Morrissey: What was your first clue? Perhaps the rapes and massacres on October 7, 2023? Killing babies they kidnapped? Inquiring minds want to know. The last straw came within the last 24 hours. Steven Witkoff had pushed Israel into more concessions on withdrawing from portions of Gaza, the ratio of hostages-for-prisoner swaps, and apparently got some movement on aid. After Hamas negotiators in Doha offered positive reactions to the terms, they stalled on actual acceptance—and then heaped more conditions, reversing some of their previous concessions ( Hot Air).
|
|
|
|
Decision at 9th Circuit: Christian Mother Free to Adopt a Foster Child
|
KGW8 Portland: An appeals court panel sided with an eastern Oregon woman who was blocked from adopting foster children after she said she could not comply with a state policy requiring support of a child’s LGBTQ identity. The decision means that Jessica Bates will be able to move forward with the foster care process in Oregon while a lower court reconsiders the case ( KGW8). Kristen Waggoner: The 9th Circuit ruled that Oregon’s policy likely violates Jessica’s First Amendment rights to free speech & religious liberty. The state must immediately stop enforcing this unconstitutional policy against her, because it served as a de facto ban on parents of certain faiths from Oregon’s adoption & foster care system. We’re thrilled that Jessica’s courageous stand has resulted in this win at the 9th Circuit. We pray it will lead to more victories for children & families ( Waggoner).
|
|
|
|
Columbia University Announces Settlement: $221 Million and the End of DEI
|
Wall Street Journal: Columbia University reached a deal with the Trump administration, ending a confrontation that disrupted U.S. higher education and sparked a contentious renegotiation of academia’s relationship to the federal government. As part of the deal, Columbia will pay $200 million to the federal government over three years to settle allegations the school violated antidiscrimination laws. The school also agreed to settle investigations brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for $21 million. In return, the Trump administration will restore nearly all of the hundreds of millions of dollars in research grants it had pulled from Columbia back in March. The New York City school will also be able to access federal funding in the future ( Wall Street Journal). Ed Morrissey : In the end, Columbia did what was right. But only after all other options, save self-immolation, had been exhausted. After months of fighting the Trump administration over its campus policies and actions, Columbia University finally threw in the towel. A sweeping agreement with the White House will cost the university $221 million, its DEI policies, and to some extent its independence. A monitor will be assigned to Columbia to ensure compliance with the agreement, which also allows the restoration of federal research dollars…. This is a total victory for the Trump administration, and it sets a very clear precedent and model for other such conflicts with higher education, especially in the Ivy League ( Hot Air). Trump: I also want to thank and commend Columbia University for agreeing to do what is right ( Truth).
|
|
|
|
In Wake of Columbia’s Settlement, All Eyes Are on Harvard
|
As a first step, the Ivy League university is moving staff out of its DEI programs. Axios: Harvard is folding staff from its former offices for minority students, women and LGBTQ+ students into its new Office of Culture and Community, according to a Wednesday message from college officials…. The Harvard College Women’s Center, the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations, and the Office of BGLTQ Student Life have been closed and their staff will be incorporated into a new foundation, a Harvard College spokesperson confirmed to Axios Thursday ( Axios). Is the change substantive?—or just some sort of shell game? Time will tell. In April, Harvard renamed its Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging to “Community and Campus Life.” Crimson: In place of the three centers, the College will establish the “Harvard Foundation” within the recently-formed OCC, under the College’s Dean of Students Office. Current staff from the Harvard College Women’s Center, Office for BGLTQ Student Life, and Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations will be reassigned to the Foundation ( Crimson).
|
|
|
|
Law Enforcement Apprehend Suspects in Alabama Sex Trafficking Ring That Victimized at Least 10 Kids
|
With the sheriff calling it, “absolutely the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen.” New York Post: At least 10 children, as young as 2 years old, were held captive in an Alabama storm bunker for three years and sexually tortured through the use of tools like animal shock collars as part of a horrific sex-trafficking ring organized by some of the victims’ own parents, police said. So far, seven suspects have been arrested as part of the roundup of the ring, including three family members and two mothers whose children were also trapped and abused in the basement, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Department said…. Rebecca Brewer, 29, Sara Louise Terrell, 41, Ricky Terrell, 44, Dalton Terrell, 21, William Chase McElroy, 21, Andres Velazquez-Trejo, 29, and Timothy St. John, 23, all face a laundry list of charges ranging from sodomy and rape to sexual torture and human trafficking. Each player arrested thus far played a specific role in the ring, according to investigators…. [Bibb County Sheriff Jody] Wade noted that “there’s no telling” how many more victims there may be in the grander trafficking scheme as the investigation continues in tandem with the Department of Homeland Security. Part of the unified investigation will probe suspects’ potential affiliations with the Mexican gang Seranos, which makes a majority of its profits through child sex trafficking ( New York Post). Alabama: The allegations against the latest suspects – one of whom is the mother of some of the victims – include them using an animal shock collar on the children’s genitals, both as a form of punishment and for sexual pleasure, according to court documents made public Wednesday. Bibb County Sheriff Jody Wade held a press conference Wednesday to talk about the exhaustive investigation which was led by deputies Chris Poole and Justin Hobbs. “I’ve been in law enforcement for 33 years and this is absolutely the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen when it comes to the victimization of children,” the sheriff said ( Alabama).
|
|
|
|
FCC Green Lights Paramount-Skydance Merger; Will Conduct Editorial Bias Review
|
Part of the rationale the FCC expressed was the ability the merger gives for Paramount (parent company of CBS) to deal with its debt load that had become untenable. Hollywood Reporter, picking up with a quote from the FCC order: “We find that the record indicates that the Transaction will produce some public interest benefits, including enhancing the service of the CBS television network and its owned-and-operated local television broadcast stations and revitalizing Paramount to navigate challenging economic and marketplace conditions,” stated the order. Due to economic headwinds and a shift in the consumption of media, Skydance said that Paramount’s costs are untenably increasing while its traditional sources of revenue are shrinking. These challenges, it said, left Paramount with $14.6 billion in longterm debt by the end of 2023…. Ultimately, the FCC agreed with Skydance that the purchase gives Paramount a pathway to emerging as a “stronger and more vibrant competitor in the modern media landscape” ( Hollywood Reporter). Traditionally-minded media consumers fatigued by and cynical as a result of the nation-destroying bias from our elite outlets ought to take note of a commitment, reported by the Free Beacon: Skydance Media has made a series of new commitments to eliminate bias in news and entertainment programming at CBS and its parent company, Paramount, when its planned acquisition of the companies is complete. Skydance is also confirming the “elimination” of all “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” policies and initiatives at Paramount, which had been one of the most aggressive proponents of DEI in the entertainment business ( Free Beacon).
|
|
|
|
A Warning From the UK: Get Your Kids Off Social Media
|
With an official offering a “huge apology” for the “vile, harmful and damaging forces that made their way into their feeds.” Telegraph: Every child in the UK under the age of 13 must be barred from social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and X, the Technology Secretary has said. In an interview with The Telegraph, Peter Kyle said he was aiming for “100 per cent” enforcement of the new laws, which come into force on Friday, requiring tech firms to block children aged under 13 from their platforms. He said he “expected” the estimated 1.8 million children aged eight to 12 in the UK who already have social media accounts to be removed from the sites. “I cannot see the circumstances where online activity under 13, when it comes to social media, is ever appropriate. So in this instance, it is right that the Government sets this baseline from which parents can build appropriate boundaries for their families,” said Mr Kyle…. On behalf of the Government, he offered an apology: “My other reflection is the huge apology we owe young people who are over the age of 13 and yet lived in the online smartphone era. They were unprotected from the vile, harmful and damaging forces that made their way into their feeds without any restraint. I and we as a society owe them an apology, and I certainly offer it with all sincerity” ( Telegraph).
|
|
|
|
Hulk Hogan Dies
|
The WWE star was a ubiquitous cultural figure for a generation of Americans. He was 71: One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition with the Hulkamania craze of the 1980s and reignited sports-entertainment’s popularity in the 1990s through his leadership of the New World Order in WCW. Whether he was a hero or villain, clad in red and yellow or black and white, The Hulkster was always one of the ring’s most popular and enduring stars…. He first appeared in WWE in 1979 and was named Hulk Hogan by Vincent J. McMahon….There are few names more synonymous with sports-entertainment than Hulk Hogan, as the larger-than-life icon was a central figure in WWE’s rise from a regional attraction to the worldwide entertainment leader. The Hulkster’s superhuman size and undeniable charisma helped him reach heights once unthinkable in sports and entertainment, as Hogan packed 93,173 fans into the Pontiac Silverdome for WrestleMania III, won six WWE Championships, starred in movies and set the standard for what a WWE Superstar could be ( WWE). Hogan got serious about life’s ultimate issues over the course of the last couple years. Sports Spectrum in 2023—published shortly after his baptism: Hogan’s character is emblazoned on the American psyche. But what happened in his life this week was no act at all. While wearing a cross necklace, Hogan professed his faith in Christ and was baptized, along with his wife Sky Daily, at Indian Rocks Baptist Church in Largo, Florida, near where he grew up in Tampa. “Total surrender and dedication to Jesus is the greatest day of my life,” Hogan wrote on X on Wednesday. “No worries, no hate, no judgment… only love!” Hogan, now 70 years old, says he accepted Christ at the age of 14. He’s been more vocal about his faith in recent years, telling TMZ in 2009 that Jesus “died on the cross and paid for my sins” and saying in 2015 that “the only thing that is really real is the stuff that’s gonna last forever: your faith and your belief in God and knowing that once you’re a Christian and you’ve accepted Christ as your Savior, you’re not gonna perish but you’re gonna have everlasting life” ( Sports Spectrum).
|
|
|
Copyright © 2025 DaybreakInsider.com
|
|
|
|
SUBSCRIPTION INFO: This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. It is only sent to people who signed up from one of the Salem Media Group network of websites. We respect and value your time and privacy. Unsubscribe from The Daybreak Insider 6400 N. Belt Line Rd., Suite 200, Irving, TX 75063 Copyright © 2025 Salem Media Group and its Content Providers. All rights reserved.
|
|
|
|