Today: Memorial Services for Sen. Lindsey Graham

Details of the day—from the late senator’s sister and now Senator Darlene Graham: Funeral services for Senator Lindsey O. Graham will begin with an arrival ceremony at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. In recognition of Graham’s decades of service in the Air Force, his remains will be carried into the U.S. Capitol by an Armed Forces Body Bearer Team. Following arrival to the Rotunda, the Armed Forces Body Bearer Team will be replaced by a U.S. Capitol Police memorial guard in recognition of his service in the U.S. Senate. There will be a short program in recognition of Senator Graham’s decades of service in the U.S Senate. This ceremony will be closed to the public. The public is invited to view the ceremony via livestream. Following the Rotunda ceremony, his remains will depart to Washington National Cathedral for a funeral service starting at 2:00 p.m. Service participants will include a tribute from President Donald J. Trump, with others to be announced. The Washington National Cathedral funeral service will be by invitation only. Invitations will be sent out in the near future. The public is invited to view the service on the Cathedral’s website or YouTube page. Following the funeral service, the late senator will begin his final journey to South Carolina. He will arrive to South Carolina one last time on the evening of Tuesday, July 28th. The departure from D.C. and arrival to South Carolina will be closed press (Graham). Livestream: (YouTube).

Today: Trump to Meet Netanyahu at White House

Perhaps the current ceasefire is an effort to allow the two allies to plan the next stage in the conflict. Washington Times: President Trump on Tuesday is set to have his first face-to-face sit-down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since the outbreak of hostilities with Iran in late February. The talks at the White House are expected to focus heavily on the pause in U.S. airstrikes on Iran, strategic negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and broader Middle East security matters, including Israeli operations in Lebanon and the West Bank. “We will discuss all the issues on the table, with Iran at the forefront,” Mr. Netanyahu said before leaving for Washington. “Our goal is clear: to safeguard Israel’s security, strengthen its power, and expand the circle of peace around us.” Both leaders are facing tough electoral challenges in the months ahead. Republicans hold slim majorities in Congress. Mr. Netanyahu is up against former Israel Defense Forces chief Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the Yashar party, in Israel’s general election on Oct. 27 (Washington Times).

Today: Trump to Meet Zelensky at White House

Among what Ukrainian leader is going to display is intelligence confirming that Russia is giving Iran intelligence on the location of American military bases in the Middle East. Jennifer Griffin: Zelensky says he will share evidence with President Trump. Russia is providing Iran satellite imagery of US bases in the Middle East, helping Iran target US troops…. Ukraine says it struck an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea that was carrying military cargo, highlighting the growing Russia-Iran partnership and eliciting anger from Iran’s foreign minister: “Zelenskyy has attacked an Iranian commercial vessel, killing a sailor, a blatant UN charter violation. What the freeloader in Kyiv did cannot go unanswered.” Iran has provided Russia with thousands of one-way Shahid attack drones since the start of the war. And now there are new signs the conflicts in Europe and the Middle East may be converging and expanding (Special Report).

Trump: Ready for ‘strong military action’ if Iran Talks Fail

Barak Ravid at Axios: President Trump told Axios on Monday that he decided to pause U.S. strikes on Iran in order to give negotiations another chance, but stressed that he could order a return to expanded military operations if diplomacy fails. Why it matters: The current negotiations are focused on a new deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and relaunch talks on a comprehensive nuclear deal. The talks are being conducted mainly between Iran and Oman, but Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt and Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are actively involved. “We are in very deep talks with Iran. If they don’t work out, we will go back to very strong military action,” Trump said in the interview. Asked how long he’s willing to give diplomacy, the president said: “Not much time. Either it goes fast or not at all” (Axios). An alternative or additional reason for the pause: The top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, Adm. Brad Cooper, recommended stopping the bombing campaign around the Strait of Hormuz because it has reached the limit of its effectiveness, according to two sources with knowledge of his position. The recommendation by Cooper, the commander of the U.S. Military Central Command (CENTCOM), together with other advisers impacted President Trump’s decision on Friday to pause U.S. strikes against Iran, the sources said (Axios).

Fauci Under Fire in Wake of Release of His Diaries

Sen. Rand Paul has been admirably relentless in his pursuit of the truth. His summary: Dr. Fauci’s own diary, in his own words, shows he knew the lab leak theory was credible from the very first weeks of the pandemic. 10 of 12 scientists on his call believed deliberate insertion was possible. He wrote that the wet market was never the real source. Then he spent the next 2 years telling the American people the opposite and smearing anyone who disagreed as a “conspiracy theorist.” That is the definition of a cover-up. On Wednesday, under subpoena, Fauci finally has to answer for it (Paul). More from Rand Paul: If Anthony Fauci lies before Congress on Wednesday, as he did in previous hearings, his preemptive pardon won’t cover him (Paul). A nice collection of Fauci’s lies: (Maze). Tom Elliott of Real Clear summarizes the diaries by the numbers: Never once: “peer review,” “meta-analysis,” “risk-benefit,” ”learning loss,” “Mental health.” Once: “N95,” “seroprevalence,” “cost-benefit,” Twice: “cloth mask,” “school closure,” “natural immunity.” Against which: “Award”—80, “hero”—49, “Instagram”—36, “bobblehead”—23, “selfie”—19, entries headed “PRESS”—641 (Elliot). David Strom: There is, frankly, too much to cover because this scandal is so deep and has so many facets that it will take a series of articles to examine them all, and investigative reporters with the will and time on their hands will no doubt piece it all together into a coherent whole. Many books will eventually be written; at least I hope so (Hot Air). The diaries themselves: (Brownstone).

Another Socialist Race to Watch in Michigan

The contest here is Michigan’s 13^th congressional district. The sitting representative is progressive Democrat Shri Thanedar (Thanedar). Apparently, he’s not progressive enough. In May, Rep. Rashida Tlaib was one of the early progressives to put a target on Thanedar (Hill). He’ll be challenged by State Rep. Donavan McKinney who was asked if billionaires should exist: No. Bottom line? Hell no. I’ll talk about my grandfather in particular, who him and his parents, my great grandparents moved fled from the Jim Crow South to Detroit, Michigan (WDET). Washington Times: Mr. McKinney burnished his left-wing bona fides, appearing at a recent rally alongside Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Abdul El-Sayed, a front-runner for the party’s Senate nomination in Michigan (Washington Times). The primary is a week from today, August 4 (Ballotopedia).

Three Women Stabbed in Paris Attack, Suspect Explains ‘Allah sent me to kill women’

The attack was committed with kitchen knives. One of the victims was pregnant. Times of Israel: French police detained a man on Monday after he attacked three women with knives near Porte de Clichy in Paris, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told reporters. The man attacked the three women, who were aged 19, 24 and 36, with two kitchen knives, severely wounding two of them, Nunez said, adding that their lives were not in danger. One was hit in the lower back, another in the abdomen…. Another video showed the same man lying on the ground, immobilized by bystanders, while the two knives lie nearby on a pedestrian crossing. “It is Allah who commanded me,” the man lying on the floor said. The Times reported that a police source said the man told officers, ‘“Allah sent me to kill women.” Nunez said the man had been detained by an off-duty police officer. “I pay tribute to him, it was a courageous act,” he added. The attacker’s motive remains unknown, Nunez said, adding that police could not verify the identity of the attacker, whose declarations were “incoherent” while he was being arrested (Times of Israel). Breitbart: Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that he is remaining “very cautious about the motive of this violent act,” claiming that the suspect was heard “uttering incoherent statements” (Breitbart). Perhaps what the suspect did utter that was coherent has made the motive perfectly clear.

Troy Jackson Voted to Allow Minors to Get Trans Hormones Without Parental Consent

Jackson is the replacement candidate for Graham Platner. Jackson voted in favor of legislation allowing minors to receive transgender hormones without parental knowledge or consent. Breitbart resports: [Jackson] voted for legislation allowing qualifying 16- and 17-year-olds diagnosed with gender dysphoria to obtain nonsurgical “gender-affirming” hormone therapy without parental consent after a parent or guardian refused to support the treatment. Jackson voted in 2023 for LD 535, titled “An Act Regarding Consent for Gender-affirming Hormone Therapy for Certain Minors.” The legislation subsequently became law. The measure allows 16- and 17-year-olds to consent to nonsurgical hormone therapy without the consent of a parent or guardian if they meet several requirements. Under the law, the minor must have been diagnosed with “gender dysphoria,” discussed the potential treatment with a parent or guardian who refused to support it, and provided written consent to receive the treatment (Breitbart).

Minnesota Public Schools to Start Using ‘Transgender Dolls’

For instruction to children as young as four. New York Post: They’re dolling up the trans agenda — and taxpayers are footing the bill. “First-of-their-kind” transgender dolls — complete with removable genitalia — will debut in some Minnesota classrooms this fall to kids as young as 4 years old. The paper dolls, with gender-neutral names like “Sam,” “Rory,” “Avery” and “Parker,” have removable internal and external genitals, along with more than 100 interchangeable pieces of clothing, accessories and hairstyles — like a trans Mr./Mrs. Potato Head. The goal is for kids to “learn about the different options that exist for who they can be,” according to a therapist at the University of Minnesota Medical School, which spent over half a decade developing the controversial project funded by lefty Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (New York Post). More from Amy Curtis at Townhall: This is depraved, and it also glosses over the painful and irreversible damage done by so-called “gender-affirming” care (Townhall). Michele Tafoya—running for Senate—is looking increasingly electable: This should infuriate every taxpayer. It seems like every day we are in the news for some absurd reason thanks to radical Democrats in this state (Tafoya).

Public School Teachers in California Pressured to Receive Coercive ‘Training’

The PRISM training—Providing Relevant, Inclusive Support that Matters—would make a Bible-believing Christian deny his or her worldview or jeopardize career. California Family Council is pushing back: Christian teachers across California are being told they must complete a state-mandated training on LGBTQ+ issues called PRISM, then pass a test on it to keep their jobs. That test forces them to answer questions affirming things their Christian faith condemns. Most simply take it and comply. They don’t have to…. Every single teacher who has asked for an exemption has received one. Unfortunately, thousands of California’s Christian teachers are quietly going along with PRISM anyway, unaware that the law has been on their side the whole time. PRISM stands for Providing Relevant, Inclusive Support that Matters. It grew out of Assembly Bill 5, the Safe and Supportive Schools Act, which directed the California Department of Education to build an LGBTQ+ cultural competency training for teachers and staff serving grades seven through twelve. CDE handed the job to the Los Angeles County Office of Education, which brought in more than a dozen activist groups, including the Trevor Project and the ACLU of Southern California, to write the actual PRISM content. No religious leaders were consulted.  PRISM is the statutory model training, and all alternatives must be substantially similar. What came out the other end is not a mere training. PRISM coercively indoctrinates, seeking to change core beliefs, actions, and words (California Family).