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Border Patrol Records 14 Straight Months Of Zero Releases At Southern Border
Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,
The U.S. Border Patrol released zero illegal immigrants into the United States from the southern border for the 14th consecutive month in June.
Border enforcement is at “historic levels,” and illegal crossings last month remained significantly low, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a July 16 statement. Border Patrol apprehended 9,848 people at the southwest border last month, 94 percent lower than the monthly average under the previous administration. It was also lower than the number of people “apprehended in 4 days” in June 2024.
“As I have said many times, leadership and policy matter. When laws are enforced, fewer people will break the law. Under the leadership of President [Donald] Trump and [Homeland Security] Secretary [Markwayne] Mullin, CBP is fully enforcing our immigration and border security laws,” CBP Commissioner Rodney S. Scott said in the statement.
“CBP is preventing dangerous criminal aliens and illicit narcotics from entering our communities, enhancing the safety of every American for generations to come.”
Last month, the Border Patrol received a funding boost for its anti-illegal immigration efforts when Trump signed the Secure America Act into law. The legislation provides $70 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol through Sept. 30, 2029, beyond Trump’s current term.
The bill allocated $22 billion for Border Patrol to recruit, train, equip, and pay agents and staff members. Out of the $22 billion, about $13 billion was specifically set aside for immigration enforcement operations. The legislation also granted $5 billion to be used for border security technology and screening systems.
After the bill was passed by the House on June 9, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) justified the legislation, saying Democrats will not be able to defund Border Patrol and ICE for the next few years. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said the bill supported law enforcement in the country.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) criticized the funding as a “disastrous bill” to bankroll ICE and Border Patrol, according to a June 12 statement from Duckworth’s office.
“There are an infinite number of ways we could be working to help Illinoisans get by, and it’s despicable that Trump would rather bankroll ICE and Border Patrol’s reign of terror than keep his promise and lower costs for the middle class,” Duckworth said in the statement.
2025–2029 StrategyAs the CBP counters the influx of illegal immigrants into the United States, the agency has reported strong growth in its Border Patrol workforce.
In a June 24 statement, CBP said that 21,471 Border Patrol agents were serving on America’s front lines—the highest employee count in the agency’s 102-year history.
CBP credited investments from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by Trump last year, for fueling “increased applicant interest” and enabling the agency to attract top talent.
CBP said in a July 16 statement that it was filling in mission-critical roles in law enforcement and mission operations support positions at various locations throughout the United States, and it stated that it planned to conduct a virtual event on July 23 to highlight the career opportunities open to military spouses and veterans.
“CBP is an extremely welcoming employer for veterans and military spouses,” CBP Office of Human Resources Management Assistant Commissioner Andrea Bright said in the statement.
According to the 2025–2029 Border Patrol Strategy, the agency aims to counter illegal immigrant influx by expanding physical infrastructure, such as wall barriers, checkpoints, and permanent towers, in all regions of the country.
The agency seeks to deploy advanced autonomous surveillance systems as part of enhancing its detection and identification capabilities. Moreover, Border Patrol plans to proactively forecast high-risk crossing patterns and “strategically position resources to disrupt and deter illicit activities.”
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GLP-1 Fight: Novo Sues Eli Lilly Over Nationwide "Deceptive Advertising" Campaign
Novo Nordisk wrote in a press release that it is suing GLP-1 rival Eli Lilly in federal court in New Jersey, alleging nationwide "deceptive advertising" for Zepbound and Mounjaro. The company claims Lilly misleads consumers by comparing Lilly's highest doses with lower doses of Novo's Wegovy and Ozempic.
Novo claims Lilly's Zepbound advertising campaign relies on outdated studies that exclude the 7.2-milligram dose of Wegovy, approved in March 2026, which produced an average weight loss of about 19%. Novo also stated that there has been no head-to-head trial comparing the highest approved doses of the two drugs.
"A lawsuit, filed today in federal court, challenges a nationwide pattern of deceptive advertising which confuses consumers by using outdated studies to compare the highest injectable doses of Lilly's medicines against lower doses of Novo Nordisk's injectable medicines for obesity and type 2 diabetes," Novo wrote in the release.
What Novo seeks:
Through this action, Novo Nordisk is seeking a permanent injunction requiring Lilly to pull its misleading comparative advertising across all platforms and to conduct a corrective advertising campaign. We have also communicated to Lilly that if they do not voluntarily pull these ads, Novo Nordisk intends to file a formal motion with the Court in the coming days seeking a preliminary injunction to immediately block them, with evidence that consumers are being confused and misled by Lilly's ads.
The lawsuit comes as Novo and Lilly battle for share of a global GLP-1 market projected to exceed $120 billion by 2030, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. Novo entered the obesity market first with Wegovy, but Lilly has since overtaken its rival with Zepbound and now leads in sales.
The divergence is reflected in their share prices: Novo's stock is flat this year and trading at lows last seen in 2021, while Lilly is at record highs.
Novo is pursuing a turnaround under its new CEO, expanding partnerships with telehealth companies and rolling out a new oral weight-loss drug. Will that be enough to reverse the stock?
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"Demand Remains Strong": GM Beats Expectations, Lifts Guidance For Second Time
GM beat Wall Street's second-quarter expectations on Tuesday, posting adjusted earnings of $3.57 per share on $48.03 billion in revenue as profitability improved despite softer vehicle sales. Adjusted EBIT reached $3.94 billion, up from $3.0 billion a year earlier, helped by lower tariff-related costs and stronger operating performance, according to Yahoo Finance.
The Detroit automaker also lifted its full-year guidance for the second time in 2026.
It's amazing what happens when the federal government isn't pressuring your business to convert entirely into an entirely new unprofitable line of products because "climate change"...
The report says that GM now expects adjusted EBIT of $14 billion to $16 billion and adjusted earnings of $12 to $14 per share, citing improving EV economics, modest pricing gains, regulatory benefits, and continued efforts to offset tariff expenses.
"Customer demand in North America remains strong driven by our very attractive lineup of pickups and SUVs," CEO Mary Barra wrote in a letter to shareholders. She added that the company's North American adjusted EBIT margin climbed to 8.6%, while GM continued to "lower our warranty costs, reduce EV losses, and increase operating efficiency."
The stronger earnings came even as U.S. deliveries slipped 4.2% to about 715,000 vehicles during the quarter. GM attributed much of the decline to discontinued models, including the Cadillac XT4, XT6, and Chevrolet Malibu, along with a steep drop in electric vehicle demand after the federal EV tax credit expired and pulled purchases into late 2025.
The company said it has recorded roughly $4.5 billion in EV-related charges so far this year, with the total impact rising to $7.2 billion when non-cash items are included. Sales of the Chevrolet Equinox EV, Blazer EV, and GMC Hummer EV all fell sharply, although GM retained the No. 2 position in the U.S. EV market behind Tesla.
Demand for GM's profitable truck and SUV lineup helped cushion the slowdown. The GMC Sierra posted a record second quarter, while the Chevrolet Traverse and Trailblazer also delivered strong sales gains. GM said it accomplished this while keeping incentives below the industry average and pushing average transaction prices above $52,400, though executives acknowledged affordability remains a headwind as elevated prices and interest rates continue to weigh on consumers.
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Domino's US Sale Growth Hits Five-Quarter Low As Budget Diners Pull Back
Domino's Pizza posted its softest US comparable-sales growth in five quarters as inflation and the national average price for regular gasoline above $4 a gallon pressured working-poor consumers.
Second-quarter same-store sales rose a measly .1%, in line with estimates but trailing the growth expected across much of the quick-service restaurant industry (QSR).
Snapshot of 2Q earnings results (courtesy of Bloomberg):
Total domestic stores comp sales growth +0.1%, estimate +0.11% (Bloomberg Consensus)
- Domestic franchise comparable sales growth 0%, estimate +0.07%
- Domestic co-owned comparable sales growth +2.1%, estimate +0.55%
Revenue $1.19 billion, +4.3% y/y, estimate $1.18 billion
International comparable sales -0.1%, estimate +0.62%
EPS $4.07 vs. $3.81 y/y, estimate $4.18
Net addition of stores 209, +16% q/q, estimate 199
Income from operations $232 million, +3.1% y/y, estimate $225.5 million
Domino's shares were unchanged premarket trading. Although US same-store sales were roughly flat, the figures "were better than we and investors feared," TD Cowen analyst Andrew Charles wrote in a note.
Will the stock be able to stage another 2023-style bounce of the $300 level?
Citi analyst Sam Teeger noted:
DPZ noted that category growth in pizza is being driven by the dine-in channel as some pizza consumers are returning to pre-Covid habits of wanting a dine-in experience. Independent QSR pizza restaurants have been the biggest beneficiary of this shift. We are careful not to read too much into this as these comments were more focused on the US market.
Here is the Rothschild & Co analyst Edward Lewis' take on 2Q earnings:
Domino's Pizza reported second-quarter results that were in line on comparable sales but a miss on earnings. Revenue of $1,194m was marginally ahead of the $1,181m consensus had expected, while EPS of $4.07 fell short of consensus expectations of $4.16. Domestic same-store sales rose 0.1%, in line with flat consensus forecasts, but international same-store sales fell 0.1% consensus at +0.7%. Net store additions were mixed: domestic openings of 26 came in consensus at 35, while international additions of 183 beat consensus forecasts 158.
The top-line beat was entirely down to Supply Chain – the products Domino's sells to its franchisees – which was ahead by $17m against a total revenue beat of $14m. The Supply Chain outperformance reflects a combination of pricing and higher order growth, evidence that the value deals are working but at a cost, which is the source of the earnings miss.
The key challenge for Domino's is that it has delivered broadly flat comparable sales in the US in the first half – domestic same-store sales of 0.4% in 1Q26 (versus - 0.5% in 1Q25) and 0.1% in 2Q26 (versus 3.4% in 2Q25) – but now faces much tougher comparatives of 5.2% and 3.7% in the third and fourth quarters as it laps last year's menu innovation (stuffed crust) and the DoorDash launch.
In its prepared remarks, management emphasised order growth, which it sees as the lifeblood of the business: consumers coming into stores or through the aggregator channel can be signed up to the loyalty programme, giving franchisees the volume to leverage into profit. However, the long-term guidance still calls for 3% same-store sales growth, and we find it tough to see a path to that in the near term. There were no major announcements in the release on menu innovation or an updated outlook, and no revision to the long-term growth plans.
The shares look cheap on a P/E basis, but with no change to the long-term algorithm we see little fundamental support for a re-rating and retain our Sell rating.
Lewis summarizes the earnings call with management:
The quarter: management was at pains to flag that order count was in line with expectations; the miss was on ticket growth, as the Premium Series with Slice Sauce did not resonate as management had expected. Management returned repeatedly to the strength of order growth in a flat QSR industry as evidence of the health of Domino's core business.
Updated outlook: low-single-digit same-store sales guidance for both Domestic and International was reiterated, though International now includes any World Cup benefit (the tournament began after 2Q ended). FY26 domestic unit growth has been capped at 175, versus a prior 175-plus, as macro pressures and the weak 2Q ticket weighed on franchisee profitability. This may have ramifications for FY27 unit growth in our view. On comps, management is confident in the order-growth trajectory and expects to do a better job on ticket in the second half than in 2Q, implying sequential improvement on the 0.5% delivered in 1H26.
Strategic update: the outgoing CEO remained as positive as ever on the pizza category. He flagged a new product coming in 3Q – as yet undisclosed – that he expects to be incremental to the category, playing into an occasion where pizza does not typically do well (it sounds like an afternoon opportunity). He expects industry competition to stay elevated and has leant further into value, adding premium stuffed crust to the Best Deal Ever this quarter
Domino's maintained its forecast for low-single-digit US same-store sales growth in 2026 but trimmed planned domestic store openings to 175. As one of the first QSR chains to report quarterly results, Domino's provides an early proxy for consumer sentiment and a read-through on how restaurant operators are holding up amid elevated gasoline and diesel prices.
Tyler Durden Tue, 07/21/2026 - 08:05