1. Trump weighs scaling back Border Patrol in Minnesota amid standoff with state leaders: The president is considering reducing federal agents in Minnesota while sending Tom Homan to negotiate cooperation.
2. Gold surges above $5,000 as BRICS nations push away from the U.S. dollar: China is encouraging BRICS countries to abandon the U.S. dollar as the global reserve currency and move toward gold.
3. Republicans revive earmarks to move legislation through Congress: With a razor-thin House majority, Republican leadership is turning back to earmarks, inserting roughly $16 billion in targeted spending into appropriations bills to secure votes.
4. U.S. prepares aggressive response to Iran after mass killings of protesters: Human rights observers estimate up to 30,000 Iranians killed and hundreds of thousands wounded after the regime opened fire on demonstrators. The United States is reportedly assembling target lists of Iranian officials and military assets as warships move closer to the Persian Gulf.

Erick Erickson breaks down the four major stories you need to know before the day ends. From political power plays in Washington to breaking developments the mainstream media is ignoring, this rapid-fire update cuts through the noise.

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