WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Jay Clayton as the new director of national intelligence Tuesday, replacing acting Director Bill Pulte following months of Democratic opposition to both men. The Senate voted 51 to 47 to confirm Clayton on Tuesday evening, just hours after Pulte announced the latest round of drastic cuts to the agency, his final act before he departed. “Having known and worked with Jay for years, I was encouraged when he was first nominated for the position of DNI,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said on Tuesday. “Unfortunately, I came away from his confirmation process with serious reservations about whether he would be willing to stand up to political pressure when it matters most.” “Now that he has been confirmed, I sincerely hope he proves those concerns unfounded, because the Intelligence Community deserves steadier leadership than it has received in recent months,” he added. United States attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton testifies during his confirmation hearing on July 15, 2026. (Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images) Democrats had vociferously protested Pulte as the acting Director of National Intelligence, and initially appeared more receptive to Clayton as the permanent spy czar. Once it came time for his confirmation, however, Clayton received heavy pushback from Senate Democrats, prompting Senate Majority Leader John Thune to accuse them of “playing the same partisan games with this qualified nominee as they have for so many of President Trump’s picks.” “Democrats were so worked up over the president’s temporary choice for this position, they allowed our nation’s most important counterterrorism tool to go dark for the first time ever,” Thune said on the Senate floor on Monday. “Now Democrats have the opportunity to replace that acting official,” he added. “But they’re in no apparent rush to confirm a permanent director of national intelligence. They’ve opposed his nomination in committee. They’ve delayed things here on the floor. And I don’t expect we’ll see a lot of Democrat support for him in the final roll call.”

The conviction of Shiloh Hendrix, as we discussed at length on Monday, marks the end of the First Amendment in the state of Minnesota.  The right to free speech had a good run, but truth be told, its days were numbered beginning with the first Bush administration, when Africans were invited to flood into mostly-white places like Minneapolis and Rochester.   It was the administration of George H.W. Bush that first granted “temporary protected status” to Somalis, on the theory that it would be inhumane to make Somalis live among their own kind.  Think about that — it wasn’t a natural disaster like an earthquake or a hurricane that led Somalis to get “temporary protected status” to live in this country indefinitely. No, it was the fact that Somalis are so primitive that they can’t even govern themselves.  And then, in one of the greatest acts of treason ever committed, this so-called “temporary protected status” was extended for more than 30 years — enough time for Somalis to transform many American neighborhoods into Mogadishu.  Now Americans living in Minnesota have the same speech rights as the typical Somali back home, which is to say, they don’t have free speech rights at all. If you say the “n-word” — if you voice your outrage and frustration with the state of your country in a vulgar way — then you’ll be arrested. At the same time, there are some encouraging signs, in the days after the clearly unconstitutional conviction of Shiloh Hendrix, that Americans will fight to reclaim their civil liberties in the face of this foreign invasion.  Tens of thousands of additional dollars have flowed into Shiloh’s GiveSendGo fundraiser following her conviction. The fundraiser is now approaching one million dollars total — which is extremely upsetting to the mainstream press, as you might imagine.  They’re realizing that this verdict (and indeed this whole trial) has gone over very poorly with the general public, and now they’re scrambling to do damage control. Case in point: Here’s the headline of a Newsweek article from the other day: “Fundraiser for Woman Who Called Autistic Boy N-Word Surges After Verdict.” So the framing isn’t exactly subtle. They don’t mention what the “verdict” was about, because they know the verdict is indefensible. They also imply that she was convicted because of her behavior towards the child, which isn’t true. But they do mention that the poor boy is supposedly “autistic,” and therefore it’s horrible to use bad words in the presence of the child. Of course, every Somali child has an autism diagnosis.  As Nick Shirley demonstrated, if there’s one thing Somalis understand, it’s how to rip off Medicaid to the tune of a billion dollars using phony autism claims. That’s why, in the state of Minnesota alone, Medicaid payments for autism treatment increased from under $700,000 to over $342 million from 2018 to 2024. That’s an increase of more than 50,000 percent. And if you try to visit these “autism treatment centers” — no one is home, the sign on the wall is misspelled, and they’ll threaten to have you arrested. But let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that Shiloh did in fact direct a bad word towards an “autistic child,” whatever that means. Let’s assume that, after this child stole her property, she briefly lost her temper and uttered a vulgarity.  Why exactly would it be improper for Americans to raise money for her defense, given the fact that, in this country, you’re allowed to say vulgarities under the First Amendment? Well, here’s the explanation from Newsweek: A fundraiser for the Minnesota woman at the center of a viral playground confrontation involving an autistic Black child has seen renewed support following her criminal trial verdict, with supporters continuing to donate and some leaving messages containing racist language. So the idea is that the fundraiser is bad because the people who are donating are racist. Perhaps the state of Minnesota needs to kick down the doors of everyone who left a “racist” message on the GiveSendGo, just to really send the message that the First Amendment doesn’t exist anymore. Now, if there were indeed a lot of threatening, anti-black messages on the GiveSendGo, that could be arguably noteworthy.  After all, we all saw the comments on the Karmelo Anthony fundraiser, where they celebrated the murder of a white teenager.  Newsweek didn’t run any stories on those comments, but we all saw them — and they were noteworthy in that case, even if the media didn’t take note of them. If something similar were happening in this case, then you could imagine a scenario where it would be worth mentioning. So I took a look at the top comments on the fundraiser.  I came across comments like, “Long live Joan of Park,” which is kind of clever, actually. “Sorry you have to go through this unconstitutional proceeding,” said another person. “Free speech for everyone,” wrote another.  Here are three more: “Trial is a total sham. … You said the Magic Word, Shiloh… the same word black folks use every day … Free speech is paramount. We must all defend it. Godspeed.”    Then there’s this one, with 20 likes. “I am giving this money to help you appeal a blatantly unconstitutional verdict. I want you to appeal this ruling and fight it all the way to the Supreme Court if that’s what it takes.” Then there’s, “Please take them down with the appeal” and “Never let the Marxists win.” And on and on. All told, it seemed like a very civilized comments section — one in which people were concerned about important, abstract concepts like freedom of speech, rather than race hatred. So I was curious what Newsweek was talking about when they said the GiveSendGo was racist. Here’s what the outlet came up with as examples of the “racist messaging” on the fundraising page: A review of publicly visible comments on the fundraiser found messages from supporters defending Hendrix, including comments such as ‘fight for free speech,’ alongside others containing racist remarks and attacks targeting racial groups. One donor wrote: ‘Long live America! Get these foreign invaders out!’ So there you have it. According to Newsweek, “Long live America! Get these foreign invaders out!” is racist hate speech. Hundreds of thousands of foreigners can enter this country illegally, defraud us, harass us, and lower our quality of life in every respect, and we’re racist if we call them what they are.  It’s not hard to see what’s going on here. They don’t want to stop with the prosecution of Shiloh Hendrix. They want to make it illegal for anyone — anywhere — to object to the illegal invasion of the United States. This is a top-down effort from some of the most influential activist groups and NGOs on the Left. It’s much bigger than one case in a park in Rochester. One of the many elements of the Shiloh Hendrix case that we didn’t have time to mention yesterday is how the prosecution originated. It wasn’t an isolated decision by one district attorney. It was the result of pressure from the NAACP, which put out this statement shortly after the incident in the park went viral. Take a look at this:  The NAACP actually wrote out a list of all the charges they wanted to see in the case, beginning with disorderly conduct. Their list also included 5th-degree assault, harassment/stalking, bias-motivated assault, child endangerment, and assault in the second degree (otherwise known as assault with a weapon).  If Shiloh Hendrix had been convicted of all these charges, she’d have to spend at least ten years in prison. That’s what they were pushing for. Really, it wasn’t a pressure campaign at all. The NAACP was issuing orders, and the prosecutors felt compelled to bring a criminal case as a result. As the independent journalist Tom Hennessy has found, the President of the Rochester NAACP, a sub-Saharan African by the name of Walé Elegbede, delivered a speech in which he demanded that Shiloh Hendrix be held accountable for the alleged “trauma” she caused. He was upset that more charges weren’t forthcoming.  Watch:

Just before dawn on Tuesday, hundreds of Iranians gathered in Isfahan hoping to stop two young men from being hanged. Instead, security forces violently dispersed the crowd and publicly executed 25-year-old Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani and 28-year-old Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi. Both men were convicted on charges stemming from clashes that Iranian authorities say resulted in the deaths of four security officers. Human rights groups say the men were sentenced after proceedings marred by allegations of torture, forced confessions, and closed-door trials.  The executions stem from the nationwide uprising that began in late December after a currency collapse, soaring inflation, and worsening living conditions sparked protests across Iran. Iranian regime forces responded with a sweeping crackdown that included internet shutdowns, mass arrests, and the widespread use of lethal force.  The executions, which reportedly took place at 3:40 a.m. local time, coinciding with the morning call to prayer, came despite last-minute appeals from United Nations experts, international human rights organizations, and the State Department. Days before the hangings, State Department Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Riley Barnes condemned Iran’s execution campaign, saying the United States stood with “brave young Iranians who dared to raise their voices” and calling on the regime to release political prisoners and stop executing individuals for peacefully exercising their fundamental rights. President Donald Trump has continued to call out the treatment of protesters and the executions, including last week, when he shared a graphic about the execution of another January protester, 23-year-old Gol-Mohammad Mohammadi.  “The latest one of 52,000, plus, innocent protesters. Savages!!! When will the Dumocrats wake up??? Trump posted. Human rights groups have not verified Trump’s figure of 52,000 protesters killed, though Amnesty International and U.N. officials have estimated that several thousand were killed during the regime’s January crackdown. Iran has acknowledged that 3,117 people were killed. Rather than silencing dissent, the executions appeared to galvanize it for the first time since January. Videos posted by Radio Free Europe showed crowds gathering in Isfahan to demonstrate during the executions, with demonstrators chanting “Without honor!” while security forces maintained a heavy presence. Iranian Demonstrators Protest State Executions In Isfahan Videos posted on social media appeared to show crowds of protesters gathering in Isfahan on July 28 to demonstrate as state executions of two men took place. With more executions feared, the videos show groups of people… pic.twitter.com/6U550mm6od — Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (@RFERL) July 28, 2026 Videos shared by Iran International showed residents gathering overnight in hopes of stopping the executions before authorities dispersed the crowd. Messages sent to Iran International from Bandar Abbas, Pardis, Khomein, and other cities described a country grieving but increasingly determined to continue resisting the Islamic Republic. Many said they stayed awake until morning hoping the executions would be called off. “We wished until sunrise that morning would never come to Isfahan,” one person wrote. “The people of Isfahan showed that when the next call comes, millions across the country will return to the streets,” one resident of Bandar Abbas said. Another reaction shared by the outlet echoed that sentiment: “Did you think executing our brothers and sisters would make us retreat or become afraid? It has only made us more determined.” The two men were among 12 defendants sentenced to death in what has become known as the Alikhani Square case, which stems from the January anti-government protests in Isfahan. They are reportedly accused of arson, vandalism, killing four security personnel, and “waging war on God.” According to the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) organization, 62 people were initially arrested in connection with the incident and subjected to months of interrogation, during which rights groups allege many were tortured.  Ahead of the executions, U.N. experts led by Special Rapporteur Mai Sato urged Iranian authorities to halt the executions and claimed sentencing all 12 defendants to death in a single closed-door proceeding violated internationally recognized fair trial standards. The experts said the convictions relied heavily on televised confessions, while hearings were held behind closed doors and judgments were never made public.  IHRNGO also alleged that some defendants were tried remotely from prison without lawyers present and that Iranian state television later aired forced confessions as part of a propaganda documentary. The organization also says families of death row prisoners are routinely threatened and coerced into remaining silent about their loved ones’ cases. According to IHRNGO, at least 26 protesters have been executed in connection with the December 2025–January 2026 uprising, including Sepahi and Safari, and more than 70 additional protesters remain at risk of execution in Isfahan’s Dastgerd Central Prison. Even behind prison walls, resistance has continued. Hundreds of death row inmates at Ghezel Hesar Prison near Tehran have joined a mass hunger strike to protest Iran’s escalating use of the death penalty, reported The Guardian. According to Iranian rights groups, at least 1,500 prisoners have participated in the strike, which began after six men convicted on drug-related charges were transferred to solitary confinement ahead of possible executions.  Videos shared by rights groups show prisoners holding signs reading “No to Executions” and chanting, “Be our voice.”  In one video, a prisoner is seen sewing his lips shut after he said prison officials ignored the protest for days.  According to IHRNGO, at least 424 people have been executed in Iran so far this year. The organization documented 795 executions in 2025, the highest annual total in years.  While many of those executions involved drug-related offenses, rights groups say the Islamic Republic has increasingly used capital punishment against political dissidents and protesters in the months following the January anti-government uprising, with many convictions allegedly secured through torture and forced confessions.  Iran Human Rights Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam condemned Tuesday’s hangings, calling public executions “a cruel form of state terror” intended to instill fear and deter future protests.  “By resorting once again to the medieval practice of public hangings, the Islamic Republic is trying to instill fear throughout society and deter future protests,” Amiry-Moghaddam said. “Public executions are a cruel form of state terror that the international community must not tolerate.”  Amnesty International warned that the international community’s failure to hold Tehran accountable for its crackdown risks emboldening further abuses. “The international community’s failure to pursue international justice for these serious crimes has emboldened the Iranian authorities to threaten further mass killings by ‘trigger-ready’ security forces targeting protesters and dissidents they label as ‘enemies.’” Diana Eltahawy, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, said.

CBS News unveiled its first major slate of “60 Minutes” hires under Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss on Tuesday, tapping New York Times columnist Ross Douthat as the network presses ahead with its overhaul of the iconic news magazine. Executive producer Nick Bilton announced in a memo that Douthat will join the program as a correspondent, while bestselling author and filmmaker Sebastian Junger, former VICE News and CNN journalist Gianna Toboni, and British broadcaster Trevor Phillips will serve as contributors. Former CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell, who has contributed to “60 Minutes” for more than a decade, has also been elevated to full correspondent. “An exceptional lineup of journalists will be joining “60 Minutes”, carrying on its tradition of fearless, independent and impartial reporting,” Bilton wrote. “I can’t wait for them to get started.” The hires are the first major on-air additions since Weiss took control of CBS News and began restructuring “60 Minutes” after several longtime correspondents and senior producers departed earlier this year. Douthat joined the Times in 2009 and has become one of the paper’s best-known conservative opinion writers. Bilton praised him as “one of the preeminent public intellectuals in America today, a thinker of uncommon rigor and a journalist of deep empathy.” Bilton also announced that Junger, the author of “The Perfect Storm” and co-director of the Oscar-nominated Afghanistan war documentary “Restrepo,” will join the program as a contributor Toboni, whose reporting has included investigations into ISIS, Mexican cartels, mass shootings, and the death penalty, will also join as a contributor, while Phillips — recently hired as CBS News’ senior global affairs correspondent — will contribute to 60 Minutes from London. Bilton praised the whole group as “entrepreneurial journalists who understand how to reach modern audiences.” Earlier this year, Weiss removed longtime executive producer Tanya Simon and several senior producers before dismissing veteran correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega, and Scott Pelley. Anderson Cooper later departed the program voluntarily. The personnel changes followed years of criticism that “60 Minutes” had abandoned its reputation for impartial journalism, including backlash over its heavily edited 2024 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, which ultimately contributed to CBS parent company Paramount settling President Donald Trump’s lawsuit for $16 million. Since taking over, Weiss has pledged to restore trust in the network while broadening the program’s appeal. Bilton, a former technology journalist and author who was tapped to lead “60 Minutes,” has likewise promised to modernize the nearly six-decade-old broadcast without sacrificing its journalistic standards. “My responsibility is not just technological transformation,” Bilton previously told staff. “It is also our trust with the public. Above all, that means a commitment to fairness—in story selection, in the edit room, and in the broadcast.” Season 59 of “60 Minutes” is scheduled to premiere September 13.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday eulogized the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) as “the giant of the United States Senate” whose unwavering belief in American strength defined both his public career and his personal life, telling mourners gathered at Washington National Cathedral that the longtime South Carolina Republican “felt in his bones that our destiny is to win.” Speaking before a congregation that included Vice President JD Vance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, members of Trump’s Cabinet and congressional leaders from both parties, the president remembered Graham as one of the U.S. Senate’s defining figures whose influence stretched far beyond Capitol Hill. “The giant of the United States Senate, a true American original who left us much too soon,” Trump said. “Nothing of consequence happened in this capital without Lindsey Graham knowing about it. Nothing of significance happened anywhere in the world without Lindsey Graham having a view on it.” Trump centered much of his remarks on Graham’s worldview, describing the late senator’s foreign policy philosophy as one rooted in projecting American strength abroad. “Above all, Lindsey Graham believed in a strong America,” Trump said. “He had unwavering faith in the righteousness of American power and prayer. … He felt in his bones that our destiny is to win — and that his job was to do everything he could to ensure our enemies would lose.” Trump said that conviction motivated Graham’s 33 years of military service in the Air Force and Air National Guard, as well as his frequent overseas travel as a senator. “It was this conviction that took him as a senator to almost every country on earth, confronting America’s adversaries and standing up for America’s friends,” Trump said. “It’s a testament to his towering impact that among those mourning him here today are leaders, presidents, prime ministers from all over the globe.” The president also reflected on his unlikely friendship with Graham, recalling their bitter rivalry during the 2016 Republican presidential primary before the two became close political allies. “We became great friends, and Lindsey did not stop calling me for the next 10 years,” Trump joked. “I always cherished the memories of our golf games.” Trump acknowledged Graham’s reputation as one of the Senate’s most hawkish members while framing it as an extension of his patriotism. “He was extremely hawkish. I will tell you, he never saw a war that he didn’t like,” Trump said to laughter. “Only his true friends would understand that — but he wanted it for the good of our country.” Fox News host Sean Hannity, one of Graham’s closest friends, echoed many of those themes during his own eulogy, rejecting criticism that Graham was a warmonger. “The truth was the opposite,” Hannity said. “Lindsey desperately wanted a lasting peace in the Middle East.” Hannity argued that Graham’s support for a strong military stemmed from what he called the senator’s “moral clarity.” “He understood right from wrong, good from evil,” Hannity said. “He knew … there can be no path to peace until evil is defeated.” The longtime television host also reflected on Graham’s decades of military service, his devotion to South Carolina, and his friendship with Trump, saying the president had given Graham “the greatest gift of his life” by allowing him “a front-row seat at the highest levels of history.” Graham’s niece, Emillie Boggs Roberts, offered a more personal portrait of the senator, reflecting on his deep pride in his family and the relationships that shaped him away from public life. She described him as more than an uncle or senator, but “the foundation of our family.”  Roberts recalled how he became both brother and parent to her mother after their parents died, and said that despite decades in national politics, Graham never failed to prioritize his family, making time for holidays, vacations, graduations, hospital visits, and phone calls from home, no matter what demands awaited him in Washington. The funeral concluded ahead of Graham’s burial in South Carolina, where the longtime senator will be laid to rest after more than three decades in Congress.