JUDGE: Short-Barreled Rifle, Suppressor NFA Registration Scheme Unconstitutional

A judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas has ruled that the remaining registration scheme for short-barreled rifles and suppressors in the National Firearms Act (NFA) is unconstitutional in Jensen v. ATF, a case supported by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF).

Since 1934, the NFA required anyone who wished to purchase certain classes of firearms, including silencers and short-barreled rifles, to pay a $200 tax and register the firearm with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), purportedly drawing from Congressional authority to levy taxes. Through the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, however, the tax on these arms was eliminated but the registration requirement was left in place. SAF and its partners have filed three lawsuits challenging the remaining registration requirements, because without the tax, Congress’ reliance on their taxing power is no longer justifiable.

“The basis for each lawsuit challenging the NFA registration scheme is the same – without the tax, the remaining requirements for the affected arms under the NFA have no constitutional basis,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “And today the first court to rule on the issue has agreed with us. We’re eager to continue this fight and leave major portions of the NFA in the dustbin of history. A big win is a great way to kick things off.” (Read more from “JUDGE: Short-Barreled Rifle, Suppressor NFA Registration Scheme Unconstitutional” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

60 Minutes Quietly Killed Explosive Story About Epstein’s Shady Transactions with Some of the World’s Largest Banks

CBS’s 60 Minutes had the scoop on Jeffrey Epstein’s sketchy financials—before the Bari Weiss–run network fired the reporter fronting the investigation.

A new report by Democratic Senator Ron Wyden revealed that Deutsche Bank AG, JPMorgan Chase, and Bank of America enabled Epstein by permitting millions in suspicious transactions over the course of the sex offender’s criminal career.

Deutsche Bank AG failed to promptly notify authorities of more than $250 million in questionable transfers tied to Epstein, according to Wyden’s report. Those included cash amounts to pay women in Russia and Eastern Europe—of which the bank retroactively informed U.S. officials after Epstein was arrested on sex-trafficking charges in July 2019.

Bank of America Corp. reported $170 million in Epstein-related transactions tied to billionaire Leon Black. The bank, according to Wyden’s report, noted years later that the transactions had “no apparent economic, business, or lawful purpose.” . . .

Yet former 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi had the story months ago, having interviewed Wyden in March about her own investigation into Wall Street banks’ and the U.S. Virgin Islands government’s relationship with Epstein, according to Bloomberg. (Read more from “60 Minutes Quietly Killed Explosive Story About Epstein’s Shady Transactions with Some of the World’s Largest Banks” HERE)

Hero Civilian Who Fired Back at In-N-Out Shooter Trained in Self Defense after Witnessing another Mass Shooting

By New York Post. The good Samaritan being hailed as a “hero” for firing upon Idaho In-N-Out gunman Chad Williams in the middle of his deadly drive-thru rampage had trained for such a moment for years after witnessing another mass shooting.

Jordan Salinas, 35, a healthcare worker and the full-time caregiver of his brother, who uses a wheelchair, had been horseback riding with his girlfriend the morning of the shooting when the couple pulled into the Twin Falls In-N-Out location for lunch and immediately noticed something amiss.

[Photo credit: Facebook]

A large crowd of people was rushing through the exit doors of the restaurant, which he assumed was due to a kitchen fire until he heard the unmistakable pop of gunfire.

Operating on pure instinct, Salinas sprinted toward the sound of the gunfire – a response he’d later refer to as “automatic” and “mechanical,” he told the Idaho Statesman.

He drew his FN Five-Seven – a semiautomatic pistol equipped with a suppressor – and engaged Williams using the military’s four-step “Observe, Orient, Decide Act” approach. (Read more from “Hero Civilian Who Fired Back at In-N-Out Shooter Trained in Self Defense after Witnessing another Mass Shooting” HERE)

______________________________________________________

California native among 3 killed in mass shooting at Idaho In-N-Out, family says

By ABC News 7. One of the victims killed in a shooting at an In-N-Out restaurant in Idaho over the weekend was from California, according to the New York Times.

Authorities in Twin Falls, Idaho are still working to find a motive behind the deadly shooting on Saturday. The 24-year-old shooter, identified as Chad Williams, died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene, according to police.

Three people were killed and seven others were injured when the gunman shot at the In-N-Out restaurant, which had just opened about a week before, drawing big crowds.

The New York Times identified Christopher Claunch, a California native, as one of the victims killed in the shooting. His sister lives in Rosamond, north of Lancaster.

His sister told the Times that Claunch worked at Renaissance Ranch Recovery Center in Rupert, Idaho. He had lived in the state for about 30 years. (Read more from “California native among 3 killed in mass shooting at Idaho In-N-Out, family says” HERE)

Photo credit: X Screenshot

Trump Slams Jeanine Pirro for Dropping Reflecting Pool Vandalism Cases, says She “Choked”

President Trump on Monday publicly rebuked Jeanine Pirro, his handpicked U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, for dropping the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool vandalism cases, but ignored questions about whether he intends to fire her.

The Justice Department submitted a court filing Friday moving to dismiss vandalism charges against 67-year-old former Olympian David Hearn, saying the Interior Department incorrectly attributed damage in the pool’s lining to vandalism and that evidence showed “contractor error” and a “botched installation” were to blame.

That move did not rest well with Mr. Trump, who said Pirro “choked” and “made a mistake.”

“I was disappointed with Jeanine Pirro,” Mr. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday. “Really disappointed with Jeanine Pirro. She folded like an umbrella.”

“Frankly, I think she choked,” he said. “…I guess she choked. I don’t know what the hell happened.” (Read more from “Trump Slams Jeanine Pirro for Dropping Reflecting Pool Vandalism Cases, says She “Choked” HERE)

House Ethics Committee Refuses To Say If GOP Congressman Will Be Investigated For Domestic Violence Allegations

The House Ethics Committee refused to say Friday whether it would investigate Republican Ohio Rep. Max Miller in connection with domestic abuse allegations.

Miller’s ex-wife, Emily Moreno, accused the congressman of domestic abuse against her and their two-year-old daughter and filed for restraining orders. The House Ethics Committee declined to tell the Daily Caller News Foundation whether it would investigate these allegations.

“No comment,” the Ethics Committee told the DCNF.

Miller’s office did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said in May that he does not “get involved in the personal lives of members.”

“I don’t get involved in the personal lives of members and those things. You know, he’s refuted some of these allegations, and he’s got to work that out,” Johnson told NBC News. (Read more from “House Ethics Committee Refuses To Say If GOP Congressman Will Be Investigated For Domestic Violence Allegations” HERE)

Trump DOJ Gives School District 7-Day Ultimatum over Student Trans Policy that Keeps Parents in the Dark

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon demanded in a letter sent July 29 that a school district in Maryland stop hiding information about student gender transitions from parents or face litigation from the Justice Department.

“By categorically withholding ‘(i)nformation about a student’s gender identity’ from parents except where ‘legally required,’ AACPS appears to have adopted a blanket, district-wide practice of nondisclosure untethered to FERPA’s enumerated exceptions … parents were denied access to their child’s full record, information was disclosed without parental consent, and the parents were denied a hearing to correct the record,” she wrote, aimed at the Anne Arundel County school system.

“Comply with the law or face us in court,” Dhillon later added on X.

The demand marks the Trump administration’s latest effort to challenge school policies that allow students to socially transition without their parents’ knowledge, testing whether federal education privacy law requires districts to disclose gender-identity records. Anne Arundel County now faces possible litigation — and potentially the loss of federal funding — unless it reverses the policy within seven days, escalating a national dispute over parental rights, a significant plank in the president’s policy agenda.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is designed to give parents the legal right to access their children’s educational records, which the Trump administration argues includes information related to changes in their gender identity. The law has previously been used by the DOJ in attempts to overturn similar policies in Maine and California. (Read more from “Trump DOJ Gives School District 7-Day Ultimatum over Student Trans Policy that Keeps Parents in the Dark” HERE)

25 States Sue over Trump’s New Tariffs, Calling them ‘Pretext’ to Replace His Old Ones

Twenty-five states sued the Trump administration Monday over its latest tariffs, calling them a pretext for replacing import taxes the Supreme Court struck down in February.

The United States last month imposed double-digit tariffs on 59 countries and the European Union, charging that they had not done enough to crack down on imports produced by forced labor. The new tariffs took effect just as the clock ran out on temporary tariffs President Donald Trump had turned to after the Supreme Court defeat.

“After losing at the Supreme Court, the administration is once again trying to illegally raise taxes on families and businesses with a new round of tariffs,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Joining New York in the lawsuit announced Monday are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. (Read more from “25 States Sue over Trump’s New Tariffs, Calling them ‘Pretext’ to Replace His Old Ones” HERE)

Trump Lashes out at Big Oil for ‘Making too Much Money’ During Iran War: ‘They ought to give some of that back’

President Trump bristled Monday at Big Oil’s huge windfall amid the war in Iran, arguing that the country’s largest oil companies should give some of their record profits to the American public.

“I don’t like it,” Trump said in the Oval Office, when asked about the eye-popping earnings reported by ExxonMobil and Chevron last week.

ExxonMobil reported making $14.5 billion in the second-quarter of 2026 – double what it made over the same period of time last year – and the $12 billion Chevron raked in was the most the company has made in a single quarter in six years.

Their soaring earnings came as the Iran war pushed oil prices at times to above $100 a barrel – and gasoline skyrocketed up to an average of $4.56 per gallon this spring.

“They’re making too much money, okay, based on a shortage,” Trump fumed.

“I don’t like it, and I should be the last one to say it because I’m a big free enterprise guy,” he continued. “Nobody bigger.” (Read more from “Trump Lashes out at Big Oil for ‘Making too Much Money’ During Iran War: ‘They ought to give some of that back’” HERE)

US Military Fighter Jet Crashes At Air Base, Pilot Ejected

A U.S. military F-35 stealth fighter jet crashed near the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California Friday, causing the pilot to be ejected.

“The pilot ejected, was transported to a local medical facility in stable condition for evaluation and treatment of non-life-threatening injuries,” the U.S. Marine Corps announced, according to The Associated Press (AP). The aftermath of the crash was captured on film from several angles, which depict smoke coming from the area of the wreckage site somewhere in a California dirt tract inside the base. . .

A concrete worker close to the scene named Wade Lott told The AP that he witnessed the military air mishap while he was on his way to work.

“It just blew up, it was crazy,” said Lott, 36, who watched from his truck as two jets descended toward the runway together.

(Read more from “US Military Fighter Jet Crashes At Air Base, Pilot Ejected” HERE)

Major University Requires ‘Business Suit And Proper Shoes’ Under New Dress Code For Students

Tuskegee University announced plans to roll out a new dress code this upcoming semester at the historically black college.

The dress code announcement came directly from the top in an email to students from Tuskegee University President Dr. Mark A. Brown. “The Student Handbook requires students to arrive on campus with a business suit and proper shoes for a business meeting,” the email read.

The new dress code also bars “revealing clothing in class, to the cafeteria or in official settings like Convocation,” and prohibits “bedroom shoes, bonnets, or du-rags to class or the cafeteria,” according to the email.

The university president assured the coeducational campus community that students will derive long-term benefits from these dress policies.

“The goal here is not meant to restrict you from enjoying the Tuskegee Experience, but to prepare you with a solid foundation for the workforce you will enter once you leave Tuskegee,” Brown noted. (Read more from “Major University Requires ‘Business Suit And Proper Shoes’ Under New Dress Code For Students” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr