After Another Bloody Weekend in Chicago, Trump Escalates

At least seven were killed, 12 more wounded (CBS). Trump on Monday: This would mean that over the past number of weeks, approximately 50 people were killed, and hundreds were shot, many expected to die. Governor Pritzker just stated that he doesn’t want Federal Government HELP! WHY??? What is wrong with this guy, and the 5% in Polls Mayor. I want to help the people of Chicago, not hurt them. Only the Criminals will be hurt! (Truth). Why does Gov. Pritzker absolutely refuse to ask for help? Ed Morrissey: Good question. Everyone knows the answer, too. Donald Trump has J.B. Pritzker cornered, whether the governor of Illinois realizes it or not. After another violent weekend in Chicago, voters there and in the state are looking at the suddenly calm streets of Washington, DC … and wondering why they have to live with high levels of crime without any action from current leadership. Trump has already demonstrated that the introduction of federal resources can have a dramatic effect on crime, and especially on street crime. If those resources are available, some of them certainly wonder, why isn’t Pritzker asking for them? … The real reason: To do so would be to admit the progressive policies that Pritzker and Johnson apply are what is failing Chicago. Until the deployment in DC, Pritzker and Johnson could ignore crime and misery as inevitable and unaddressable. Trump proved that crime rates at the current level in American cities are neither inevitable nor unaddressable, and that puts Pritzker in a corner with no escape route (Hot Air).  

DHS Launches ICE Operation in Chicago

Dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz.” DHS:  DHS is launching Operation Midway Blitz in honor of Katie Abraham who was killed in Illinois by a criminal illegal alien who should have never been in our country. This operation will target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens in Chicago,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “For years, Governor Pritzker and his fellow sanctuary politicians released Tren de Aragua gang members, rapists, kidnappers, and drug traffickers on Chicago’s streets—putting American lives at risk and making Chicago a magnet for criminals. President Trump and Secretary Noem have a clear message: no city is a safe haven for criminal illegal aliens. If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will hunt you down, arrest you, deport you, and you will never return.” (DHS). John Sexton : Gov. Pritzker was quick to complain: “Once again, this isn’t about fighting crime. That requires support and coordination — yet we’ve experienced nothing like that over the past several weeks. Instead of taking steps to work with us on public safety, the Trump Administration’s focused on scaring Illinoisians” (Hot Air). Chicago Tribune: The Homeland Security statement marks the first official word from the Trump administration about increased immigration enforcement…. ICE has secured an office at Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago to serve as an operations hub for its activities (Tribune).

Republicans Notice Crime, Journalists Pounce

It’s predictable but worth pointing out—as it will happen again and again and again. Andrew Stiles: Republicans have done the unthinkable once again by noticing the senseless murder of an attractive young woman in Charlotte, N.C., and using it as an example to counter the Democratic view that crime is good and criminals are the real victims. On Monday, Axios lamented that a video of the gruesome fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, who fled war-torn Ukraine for a better life in the United States, was “drawing repeated attention” from Republicans who believe that protecting innocent civilians is more important than coddling career criminals in the name of “equity” and social justice. The perpetrator, Decarlos Brown, was a mentally deranged homeless man with an extensive criminal record who had received lenient treatment under the Democrat-controlled justice system…. Caputo’s report featured an absurd passage about how the increased prevalence of surveillance cameras in public spaces had become a “big accelerant” when it comes to the ability of anti-crime advocates to pounce and seize on video evidence of senseless urban crime. These videos are “easily shared or leaked, and can instantly pollinate across social media,” which might actually be a bad thing because they provide a “visual counterpoint” to questionable statistics—widely touted by Democrats and journalists—that purport to show that crime is down (Free Beacon).

Another Supreme Court Win for Trump: ICE Immigration Enforcement Efforts Can Continue

The Supreme Court order pauses a ruling from federal judge in Los Angeles which had placed restrictions on federal agents and their ability to make immigration stops. Scotusblog, starting with the order the Trump administration challenged: The order by U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong barred agents in the Central District of California – an area with a population of approximately 20 million people – from making such stops without reasonable suspicion that the person being stopped is in the United States illegally…. Monday’s order by the Supreme Court puts Frimpong’s ruling on hold while the Trump administration’s appeals continue. In an opinion agreeing with the decision to grant the government’s request for a stay, Justice Brett Kavanaugh emphasized what he characterized as the narrow role of judges in immigration cases (Scotusblog). Ed Morrissey: this order sends a strong signal to lower courts. The Supreme Court has its ducks in a row on both merit and standing, and are signaling that the Trump administration does as well. The enforcement of law depends on policy and politics, but the law is the law, and ICE and the White House are operating well within it (Hot Air).

French Prime Minister Resigns

Emmanuel Macron will be forced to name his fifth premier in under two years.  Politico: Three hundred and sixty four lawmakers voted to oust [Prime Minister François Bayrou] over his plans to slash the French budget by €43.8 billion, while 194 supported him. Macron’s office said that he would meet with Bayrou to accept his resignation Tuesday and name his replacement “in the next few days.” The Elysée Palace has not yet said when Macron will make a public address. But Macron has limited options to steer France out of this crisis. He is reportedly leaning toward appointing another prime minister — the fifth since January 2024 — but a new premier would face the same intractable parliament. So too would a technical government made up of civil servants (Politico). Financial Times: He ended his premiership on a defiant note, warning France’s debt problem would not disappear without action. “You have the power to topple the government, but you don’t have the power to erase reality,” he told lawmakers before the vote. Bayrou was expected to submit his official resignation to Macron on Tuesday. The Elysée palace said the president “takes note” of the vote and will appoint a new prime minister in the next few days. Bayrou’s ousting is only the third time since the start of France’s fifth republic in 1958 that a prime minister has been toppled by parliament. It is part of the fallout from Macron’s decision to call snap legislative elections last year, only to lose them and usher in a hung parliament with an emboldened far right and a rejuvenated left (Financial Times).

UK Debt Hitting Crisis Level

Debt—and the government’s inability to deal with it—is behind the governmental crisis in France (story above). And debt is quickly engrossing the U.K., with borrowing costs surging. The U.S. should be paying attention. Wall Street Journal reports: This past week, U.K. long-term borrowing costs hit their highest level in decades, causing Treasury chief Rachel Reeves to shoot down suggestions that the heavily indebted country is heading for a fiscal crisis. Most economists agree with her—for now. But in a world where industrialized nations have taken on record amounts of debt and are paying ever more to finance the borrowing, the U.K. could become the financial markets’ equivalent of the proverbial canary in the coal mine—a leading indicator of trouble for other debtors like the U.S. and France, economists say. “The U.K. isn’t alone in all of this,” said Ruth Gregory, deputy chief U.K. economist at Capital Economics. “There is a common theme across many G-7 countries that the conditions do seem to be in place for a potential fiscal crisis, although that doesn’t mean a crisis is imminent or inevitable” (Wall Street Journal).

Rupert Murdoch Seals Succession Deal Allowing Fox News to Remain Right-of-Center

The media mogul resolved a bitter battle with his children over the future of the empire, including Fox News here in the U.S. The price: $3.3 billion—$ 1.1 billion each to three of the four Murdochs. The fourth—Lachlan—will inherit control upon the death of Rupert. With elite media outlets overwhelming hard left and lacking integrity, the Murdoch succession plan is a win for all who believe viewpoint diversity is important for an informed electorate. Key pieces in the conglomerate: Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post and The Sun (UK). Financial Times: The multibillion-dollar payout resolves a decades-long family feud that has mesmerised media and political circles and helped inspire storylines in HBO’s Succession. The prevailing wisdom had been that James Murdoch, who has been estranged from the family in recent years, had been interested in taking over his father’s news outlets and potentially shifting their conservative political stance. However, the decision ultimately came down to money over ideology, said a person familiar with the negotiations….  Monday’s deal will secure the right-leaning political direction of Fox and News Corp’s stable of influential newspapers under Lachlan, who was anointed heir to the empire after being appointed chair of the media group in 2023 (Financial Times).

UN General Assembly Convenes in New York Today—With Plans to Take Up Palestinian Statehood

They should not do it. From Salem: Creating a Palestinian state right now would be illegal under the U.N.’s own charter. Chapter II of the Charter states, “Membership in the United Nations is open to all other peace-loving states which accept the obligations contained in the present Charter and, in the judgment of the Organization, are able and willing to carry out these obligations.” Some of those obligations include “To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace.” We stand firmly against rewarding any of this with the credibility of a body such as the United Nations whose very founding was based on ending “the scourge of war” and promoting “fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person.” Given the entire history of the proposed state’s cause, to create this new state this September would be to mock any serious notion of human rights and make both the U.N. and the world, indeed, a far more dangerous place (Townhall).

Liberal Think Tank Admits: “To please the few we have alienated the many”

And their response? Change the language, not the policy, not the ideology. From Third Way: To please the few we have alienated the many, especially on culture issues where our language sounds superior, haughty, and arrogant (Third Way). Albert Mohler responds: Now, I’ll just say all that certainly is true. They do sound, well, let’s just put it this way: “superior, haughty, and arrogant,” but they also sound extremely leftist. And here’s a group that basically wants the leftism but wants better language. That’s a very interesting thing for us to observe today. We’re looking at an attempted rebranding, not only the Democratic Party, but of leftist positions in the United States. And so what’s being encouraged here is to change the language. Note very carefully, don’t change the ideas, just change the language. Third Way is effectively saying to the Democratic Party, “We’re entirely with you on wanting to shift the culture left. We just don’t want you to scare the culture while you’re doing it, and certainly scare voters away in elections” ….  And by the way, one of the accusations that is at the very base of conservative concern about the Left is that they have just given themselves over to a new form of Marxist thinking and logic in the form of critical theory. And so they say, “Stop using the categories of critical theory.” Don’t say, for instance, the two words, “critical theory,” don’t say “systems of oppression,” don’t say “subverting norms,” but you’ll notice they want to keep making the very same arguments. They’re just saying, “Hey, let’s clean up the language and don’t sound like a doctoral student” (Mohler).

Trump Champions Religious Liberty at Museum of the Bible

Trump was holding a meeting of the relatively new Religious Liberty Commission. Trump: When faith gets weaker, our country seems to get weaker. When faith gets stronger… good things happen for our country. It’s amazing the way it seems to work that way. Under the Trump Administration, we’re defending our rights and restoring our identity as a nation under God. We are One Nation Under God — and we always will be…. We will protect the Judeo-Christian principles of our founding, and we’ll protect them with vigor…. To have a great nation, you have to have religion. I believe that so strongly. There has to be something after we go through all of this — and that something is God (White House). Full video: (White House).