“Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has written a memoir that will be released two weeks after the midterm elections this fall,” the New York Times reports.

“I was just gifted a book that I’m about to crack open called Boss Lincoln. It’s about the lost years when Lincoln was building a political machine before he ran for the presidency.” — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), when asked by a reporter if she has any book recommendations.

“Congratulations to Speaker Mike Johnson and the House Republican leadership. They finally got the House floor open after a three-week Republican blockade,” Punchbowl News reports. ”But what’s coming next will make that look like child’s play.” ”Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Majority Whip Tom Emmer are entering a very perilous period. GOP leaders […]

“The Trump administration is leaving the door open to future executive action that would address China-related concerns over open-source AI models, an unnamed senior White House official signaled Tuesday, referencing ‘plenty of ongoing work’ beyond an executive order signed by Donald Trump last month,” Semafor reports.

“Cuba’s national power grid collapsed on Tuesday, the energy ministry said, ​marking the third major blackout in nine days on the ‌island of about 10 million people,” Reuters reports.

“Having choked off shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Iran is now signaling it could play its most dangerous card yet: using Yemen’s Houthi allies to shut the Bab el-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea, opening a new front against Washington and putting two of the world’s most vital energy arteries at risk,” Reuters reports. “As […]

“Legislation making daylight saving time permanent will face turbulence in the Senate after sailing through the House,” Semafor reports. “Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR)has previously opposed the bill, citing potential harms to schoolchildren commuting in the dark and people working outdoors in the early morning without sunlight. He ‘has the same concerns he’s had for years […]

Nate Cohn: “With Graham Platner officially out of the Maine Senate race after a series of scandals reached a breaking point last week, it’s natural to look for lessons in his campaign’s collapse.” “But as disastrous as his candidacy was for Democrats, the more important lessons may come from his successes. His failings were mostly […]

“U.S. military strikes on Iran will intensify next week if Tehran does not cooperate in peace talks in the coming days, President Donald Trump warned on Tuesday,” CNBC reports. Said Trump: “We’re going to hit them very hard tonight. We’re going to hit them hard tomorrow night. We’re going to hit them really hard the […]

“County party chairs inundated with calls. An endless stream of Google sign-up forms and spreadsheets. And a disgraced former nominee looming over it all, haunting the party’s hopes of starting anew,” CNN reports. “The snap Democratic election to replace Graham Platner and face Republican Sen. Susan Collins this fall is off to a hectic and […]

“At Jay Clayton’s confirmation hearing to be director of national intelligence on Wednesday, senators are likely to grill the office as much as the man,” Politico reports. ”Democrats, Republicans and former intelligence officials have in recent weeks floated a range of options to cut, curb or even eliminate the Office of the Director of National […]

“President Donald Trump announced a ‘FULL Blockade’ on Iranian shipping on Wednesday as he declared the Strait of Hormuz open to international traffic while warning Tehran it was on the path to ‘TOTAL DESTRUCTION’ after another night of escalating military strikes,” Mediaite reports.

“The fate of the Senate majority could lie in the hands of 601 yet-to-be-chosen Maine Democrats. And Chuck Schumer, known for working every possible angle to give his party’s campaigns an edge, is largely helpless to do anything about it,” Politico reports. ”The sidelines are an unusual place for the longtime Senate Democratic leader. Known […]

“Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona is set to report a political treasury of nearly $25 million across his federal accounts, emerging as one of the Democratic Party’s top fund-raisers and donors in recent months as he considers a potential presidential run,” the New York Times reports. “In addition to that war chest, Mr. Kelly’s political […]

“U.S. Senate Democratic hopeful Haley Stevens holds a nearly 7-percentage-point lead over rival Abdul El-Sayed in a new statewide poll of Democratic primary voters, with about 10% of respondents saying they remain undecided three weeks out from the Aug. 4 election,” Detroit News reports.

“President Donald Trump may be posting and talking about the fresh assassination threat he faces from Iran — but in private, according to those closest to him, he rarely brings it up,” Semafor reports. “Behind closed doors Trump shows a different, almost wry side as he considers his safety. More than a half-dozen aides and […]

“The road ahead for the U.S. economy looks like a two-lane highway: stubbornly elevated inflation in one lane, strengthened growth and employment in the other,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “That is the consensus from 72 forecasters surveyed this month by The Wall Street Journal. The panel sees the Iran War’s effects on the economy […]

“President Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call Thursday that Israel should start redeploying its forces out of Syria and urged him to do the same in Lebanon,” Axios reports. “Why it matters: Three months ahead of an election that is existential for his political survival and personal freedom, Netanyahu is […]

“The owner of The Baltimore Sun is threatening to sue Maryland Gov. Wes Moore over comments the governor made linking him to Jeffrey Epstein,” Semafor reports. “During an appearance on MS NOW on June 16, Moore was asked about the newspaper’s recent critical reporting on Moore’s administration and past military record. The Maryland governor dismissed […]

“President Donald Trump curiously claimed that pipelines in Texas and Alaska could be ‘alternatives’ to the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East,” Mediaite reports.

“One day after proposing a fee for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump on Tuesday said the United States would instead guarantee safe passage to vessels from Persian Gulf states that agree to invest in the United States,” the New York Times reports. “It’s not clear how Mr. Trump’s plans would play out, […]

“China’s growth slowed in the second quarter of the year to the weakest pace in more than three years, as surging exports buoyed by the AI boom failed to compensate for a weak domestic economy and sluggish consumer spending,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“As the U.S. war with Iran resumes, there is little sign that diplomacy can stop it,” Politico reports. ”Efforts by Arab, Pakistani and other mediators to revive negotiations or restore a ceasefire have shown no public signs of progress, and the overall feeling in the Middle East and beyond is that the fighting will simply […]

“President Donald Trump is expanding his data center pledge to include some Republican governors and several large utilities, according to state officials and industry executives,” Politico reports. ”Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon and Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe have all signed the White House’s so-called Ratepayer Protection Pledge, a set of principles committing […]

New York Times: “Mr. Blanche’s personal role in the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein case will be front and center on Wednesday during his confirmation hearing to become attorney general, the nation’s top law enforcement official.” “Mr. Epstein’s victims, lawmakers and others have criticized Mr. Blanche’s handling of the Epstein files. They say he […]

“An analysis of a torrent of public comments submitted on a White House proposal to change the way federal contracts and grants are doled out shows a widespread rebuke of the potential change by scientists and others,” Stat reports.

“President Trump held a Situation Room meeting Tuesday to discuss a massive offensive in Iran that will be wider in scope than the current strikes around the Strait of Hormuz,” Axios reports. “Trump appears willing to escalate the war to cause enough damage that the Iranian regime will open the Strait of Hormuz and accept […]

“Flights were halted at Ronald Reagan National Airport for several hours on Tuesday, leading to over a hundred canceled flights and cascading delays, due to security measures meant to protect the Iraqi prime minister during his visit to Washington, D.C. during the war with Iran,” CBS News reports.

“On the 136th day of his war against Iran, President Trump came up with a new plan. He would impose tolls on ships traversing the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for protecting them from Iranian forces,” the New York Times reports. “But that was then. On Day 137, he had another new plan. No tolls […]

“President Donald Trump is planning a primetime address Thursday that will use findings from reexamined government files to argue that the country’s election infrastructure has vulnerabilities,” the Washington Post reports. “Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday that the speech would concern voting machines but declined to elaborate.”