New Zealand MMP Electoral System Faces Fresh Referendum Debate 
Rubio, UK’s Miliband Stress Stronger European Security Role in Washington Talks 
Russia Intensifies Drone and Bomb Attacks on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia, Deepening Civilian Fear 
Trump Unveils $3 Billion U.S. Critical Minerals Push 
Russian Strikes Kill Six in Eastern and Northern Ukraine, Dozens Injured 
SEC Moves to Dismiss Insider Trading Case Against Trump-Pardoned Terren Peizer 
Russian Strikes on Ukraine Kill Six, Wound Dozens in Balakliia and Sumy 
Taiwan President Lai Oversees Coastal Strike Drills in Han Kuang War Games 
U.S. Unseals Charges Against Five Alleged CJNG Leaders, Raises Reward for New Cartel Chief 
Germany Warns of Daily Hybrid Warfare Threats 
Trump Administration Weighs Executive Order on Vaccines and Autism Research 
Ukraine Agrees to Protect Kazakhstan Oil Exports via Black Sea 
ICE to Complete Nationwide Body Camera Rollout by End of August 
US-Backed Venezuela Government, Opposition Talks Begin 
Trump Faces Tough Choices as Iran War Drags On 
Zelensky Urges Faster NATO Action on Air Defense Missiles 
Trump Orders Probe Into Pentagon Munitions Stockpile Leaks After Iran Conflict 
President Donald Trump has been criticized for forcefully dispersing peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square so he could go to St. John’s Church on Monday. But a new report claims that the idea of staging a photoshoot actually came from his senior adviser from Ivanka Trump.
Mark Meadows, White House Chief of Staff, reportedly said during a senior staff meeting on Tuesday that Ivanka Trump “deserved the credit for that decision,” according to Insider. This was revealed by New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman who cited two unnamed White House officials as her sources.
“Meadows said that while others were getting credit for the church appearance, it was Ivanka Trump who deserved the credit, per two officials,” Maggie Haberman posted on Twitter.
The reporter also said that Ivanka even thanked Meadows and his team for implementing her idea. “She thanked him and thanked the team for carrying it out, the officials said,” Haberman added.
To carry out the plan, law enforcement officers used tear gas and rubber bullets to remove peaceful protesters from the square on Monday. Donald Trump then walked to St. John’s Church where he declared himself as “your president of law and order” and “an ally of all peaceful protesters,” according to The New York Times. He was also photographed carrying a bible that was provided by his daughter and senior adviser Ivanka Trump.
The use of force against non-violent protesters has been criticized by many. “I don’t think the military should be used in the streets of American cities against Americans,” Mayor Muriel E. Bowser of Washington said. “And I definitely don’t think it should be done for a show.”
“When peaceful protesters are dispersed by the order of the president from the doorstep of the people's house, the White House — using tear gas and flash grenades — in order to stage a photo op at a noble church, we can be forgiven for believing that the president is more interested in power than in principle,” Joe Biden also said in his Philadelphia speech.
