Feds tout 'well-prepared' Trump fair after blistering heat wave hospitalized attendees

Federal officials described President Donald Trump's July 4 celebration as "safe" and "well-prepared" just hours after a record heat wave forced organizers to shut down the Great American State Fair and paramedics rushed to aid attendees, several of whom were reportedly hospitalized.In a joint statement Friday, Freedom 250, the U.S. Park Police, the National Park Service, the Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency said they had coordinated to expand cooling resources, water stations and medical support for the "Salute to America" event."We are proud to welcome the public to a safe, well-prepared, and truly memorable celebration of America's 250th birthday," the statement read.The reassurance arrived alongside a quiet concession. Organizers pushed back public entry to the Washington Monument grounds from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. "to reduce prolonged exposure to heat," cutting four hours off the window guests can spend on-site.Trump's slot was left untouched, however. The president is still scheduled to deliver remarks at 9:45 p.m., followed by a 10:30 p.m. fireworks display his task force has billed as the largest in history.The statement capped a troubled stretch for the 16-day event. The fair was forced to close for hours Friday as the capital baked under an extreme heat warning, with the heat index projected as high as 113 degrees. One attendee earlier dunked herself in a baptismal pool to escape the heat, and reporters described a largely deserted fairground throughout the week.Washington was forecast to be hotter than 99 percent of the planet on Friday, according to a Washington Post meteorologist.

Melania gives Congress private deadline as she works around Trump's team: report

First lady Melania Trump gave Congress a private deadline to pass her signature foster care bill, and she is pursuing it largely outside the usual White House channels, according to a new report in Politico. At a bipartisan roundtable with the House Ways and Means Committee in April, the first lady publicly called foster care legislation a "moral imperative." Then, behind closed doors, she set a target, Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) told the outlet: "I want this on Donald's desk by the August recess." The Fostering the Future Act, which expands housing, education and workforce help for young people aging out of foster care, passed the House unanimously.The Senate has not moved it out of committee, and lawmakers are set to leave Washington around Aug. 10. At a White House picnic the day the House passed the bill, both Trumps urged the Senate to hurry. "Hopefully, it will quickly pass in the Senate," the president said. He has not publicly pressed senators since.The deadline reflects a first lady who increasingly operates on her own track. Her office, not the State Department, has led her effort to reunite children displaced by the Russia-Ukraine war, negotiating directly with Moscow and Kyiv, the White House said. She has also shown a willingness to diverge from the administration's message. She broke with the White House on Epstein, calling for survivors to testify as the president's team tried to move past the scandal, and last week put her own spin on a Supreme Court ruling her husband celebrated, voicing support for the LGBTQIA+ community.A recent book recounted how she resisted Trump's overhaul of the White House grounds and lost.

REPORT: Acting DNI Bill Pulte Fires Dozens of ODNI Staff for Politicizing Intelligence, Insubordination, Gross Misconduct

The funniest part of the MSNBC report about the issue is their claim that Pulte has not been in office long enough to know who the Deep State embeds are. “I have a real question of how he would know this. This isn’t a guy who is familiar with intelligence,” said the former official, who […] The post REPORT: Acting DNI Bill Pulte Fires Dozens of ODNI Staff for Politicizing Intelligence, Insubordination, Gross Misconduct appeared first on The Last Refuge.

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Europe Has Replaced Most US Cuts Within NATO, Top Commander Says

European NATO allies have mostly replaced the assets that the US has cut from its rescue plans in case of a war in Europe, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe Sir John Stringer said in an interview.