Good morning, Wake Up Right fam! Let’s start out Friday with two of my favorite images of the week:

• On the left: Pete Hegseth and J.D. Vance laughing at far-left paid protestors.

• On the right: An illegal alien child sex predator crying as he’s detained.

This is the right energy.

• 💵 RNC has $80M cash on hand, DNC has $15M

• 🏝️ Most expensive zip code: Fisher Island, Miami

• 🍼 The median cost of daycare for five years is $44K

• 🚔️ 630 arrests since Trump's D.C. crime crackdown began

• 📈 Trump approval avg: 45.8% approve, 50.9% disapprove

^{Sources: Politico, Realtor, WSJ, Fox News, RCP}

Trump defeats Big Tish James

President Donald Trump declared “TOTAL VICTORY” yesterday, after a New York appeals court tossed out the roughly $500 million fine tied to AG Letitia “Big Tish” James’ civil fraud case against him.

The details: The five-judge panel of the Appellate Division ruled 3-2 to strike down Judge Arthur Engoron’s $464M fine (over $515M with interest), saying it was “excessive” and violated the 8th Amendment ban on excessive fines.

• Key quote: Justice David Friedman wrote that James' "ultimate goal was not market hygiene … but political hygiene, ending with the derailment of President Trump’s political career and the destruction of his real estate business."

• The court did, however, uphold findings that Trump and his sons exaggerated asset values, keeping in place restrictions on the Trump family from leading a company in New York.

Back up: This case stems from New York AG Letitia James’ 2022 civil suit against Trump, following a multi-year investigation alleging that he and his organization inflated property values from 2011-2021 to secure favorable loans and insurance terms.

What happens next? This case will continue to move up the ladder to New York’s highest court, giving Trump another chance to challenge remaining sanctions.

Turnabout is fair play: The Department of Justice is now investigating Tish James for allegedly doing the same thing — falsifying mortgage records to secure favorable terms on her own homes. How ironic. The prosecutor may have engaged in the very financial misrepresentations she accused Trump of committing.

Big picture: All the lawfare thrown at Trump to prevent him from running in 2024 has collapsed. Fraud fines tossed. Criminal cases gutted. Ballot bans defeated. Every attempt to sideline him has backfired.

The last word goes to Trump, who said what many of us are thinking, in a Truth Social post late last night: “Leticia James is a criminal who should be forced to resign!”

[Source: Washington Examiner]

How Biden packed swing states with illegals

During Joe Biden's single term in office, he dramatically increased the number of illegal aliens in swing states – a blatant attempt to alter the presidential map.

The details: According to analysis by Pew Research, Biden's open border policies led to more than a million illegal aliens spread across key electoral swing states between 2021-2023:

• Florida: +700,000

• Georgia: +100,000

• Michigan: +80,000

• Pennsylvania: +80,000

• North Carolina: +100,000

• Ohio: +70,000

• Arizona: +50,000

Zoom out: Overall, Pew estimates the illegal alien population hit a record 14 million in 2023, thanks to Biden. However, some scholars estimate the real number is closer to 22 million. I think it's much higher.

Related: It was reported yesterday that the Trump administration is reviewing all 55 million foreigners with U.S. visas – raising questions about why there are so many visa holders at once.

New sheriff in town: Since President Trump took office, illegal immigration has ground to a halt. In July, zero illegal aliens were released into the country for the third consecutive month.

Big picture: In 2024, Trump won each of the aforementioned swing states, despite the influx of aliens. But Democrats are playing the long game. Every time an illegal has a child, they’re automatically U.S. citizens who will be voting in 18 years.

[Source: Pew Research, Breitbart]

🚨 FBI agents raided the DC-area home of President Trump’s former national security adviser, John Bolton, which is said to involve classified documents. The investigation was first launched years ago, but the Biden administration shut it down “for political reasons." Read more.

🏛️ The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the Trump administration can cancel hundreds of millions of dollars in National Institutes of Health grants linked to DEI. Read more.

✅ A federal appeals court ruled in favor of the Trump administration, allowing the termination of Temporary Protected Status for over 60,000 migrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal. Read more.

🇵🇸 The UN-backed hunger monitor determined that parts of Gaza are enduring famine. Israel rejected the determination as fabricated and political. Read more.

🍟 McDonald's will cut the price of eight popular combo meals by 15% to revive the chain’s image as an affordable option. Read more.

🐊 A federal judge appointed by President Obama ordered the Trump administration to halt the transfer of illegal aliens to Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ and ordered site construction to stop. Read more.

💬 Bed Bath & Beyond CEO Marcus Lemonis says the popular retailer will not return to California because it's one of "the most overregulated, expensive, and risky environments for businesses in America." Read more.

🏈 The first transgender NFL cheerleader will not be returning to the Carolina Panthers cheer squad this season. Read more.

🤡 Two teens charged with attempted carjacking and beating a former DOGE staff member earlier this month were released by a Biden-appointed D.C. judge. Read more.

🚚 Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the Trump administration will pause "all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers" after an illegal alien from India driving a tractor-trailer killed three in Florida. Read more. No illegals should be on the road – PERIOD.

🏫 Police rushed to Villanova University amid reports of an active shooter during student move-in. President Rev. Peter Donohue later confirmed it was a “cruel hoax,” with no injuries reported. Read more.

🎥 Trump spent time with D.C. police and handed out burgers and pizza. Watch.

🎥 "Daddy, I'm getting a heart." 11-year-old Ava Cooper receives a heart transplant after 200 days in the hospital. Watch.

🎥 Florida mom calls out the teacher who called her son a "Nazi-phile" and "dictator" for his conservative beliefs and participation in ROTC. Watch.

🎥 Scott Jennings schools a smug liberal on CNN panel. Watch.

🎥 Illegal alien Uber driver punches out a CEO, leaving him with a brain injury. Watch. Why is an illegal alien driving Uber?

🎥 Massive fight breaks out on Carnival Cruise over CHICKEN TENDERS. Watch.

🎥 Jesse Watters breaks down how Gavin Newsom is embarrassing himself on social media. Watch.

🎥 How China is feeding the Russia-Ukraine conflict to distract the U.S. Watch.

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A few months ago, I was at a butcher in my neighborhood and saw a diagram of a cow, with all the cuts of meat labeled. And that gave me an idea for a t-shirt:

DOGE Butcher Shop — but instead of the cow, we use a pig. And the cuts of meat in the diagram represent all the waste, fraud, and abuse being butchered by the Trump admin.

Over the last few weeks, I worked with a really talented graphic designer who brought it to life. And on Friday I got a sample in the mail and I’m happy to say, it came out better than I’d hoped.

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