“Senate Republicans are pouring cold water on the House GOP’s $95 billion blueprint for a new party-line spending package,” Politico reports. “Their skepticism is a reality check on Speaker Mike Johnson’s ambitious pledge that the Senate will adopt a budget resolution before leaving in early August.”

Punchbowl News: “House Republican leaders had to pull a veterans benefit bill after a prolonged arm-twisting session on the House floor on Thursday.” “Four Republicans — Reps. Max Miller (Ohio), Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.), Jeff Van Drew (N.J.) and Victoria Spartz (Ind.) — voted with Democrats to recommit the bill to committee, a move that […]

Washington Post: “Strikingly, Trump has lost enthusiasm among many fellow Republicans, a core source of his power for more than a decade. Reduced enthusiasm among those base supporters jeopardizes his party’s hopes of retaining control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.” “Trump’s inability to shake these negative perceptions of his presidency within the broader public […]

“Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said he’d leave the Democratic Party if it becomes the ‘anti-Israel party,’ though he signaled he had no plans to imminently depart the caucus,” Axios reports. “Republicans currently hold a narrow Senate majority, but with midterm elections looming, Fetterman’s comments could be a blow to Democrats should they flip four seats […]

“Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), a retiring Republican who has become one of the most vocal critics of the Trump administration in his party, delivered harsh words for President Trump’s top-priority voter ID legislation on the Senate floor Thursday morning, saying he would stall it if the legislation came again to the Senate,” The Hill reports. […]

“Vice President Vance is venturing into unfriendly media terrain to defend the White House against its critics — reviving the same playbook that endeared him to President Trump when he was picking his running mate,” Axios reports. “Vance is using the media blitz to showcase one of his biggest political assets — his talent for […]

“Sen. Thom Tillis said Thursday his vote to confirm attorney general nominee Todd Blanche is contingent on Blanche meeting with victims of the late convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein,” Politico reports. ”The North Carolina Republican’s new demand creates yet another hurdle for Blanche’s confirmation, which will fail to advance to the Senate floor if one […]

“The federal agency that regulates prediction markets is investigating President Donald Trump’s longtime teleprompter operator for potential insider trading,” CNN reports. “The sources said White House employee Gabriel Perez made trades on the prediction site Kalshi that were flagged for possible insider activity. The trades were on ‘mention markets,’ where users can bet on which […]

“The lining of the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool peeled away in at least seven places along seams that were created when the material was applied in large rectangular sections, indicating likely problems in how it was installed, according to an analysis of visuals and interviews with experts,” the Washington Post reports. ”President Donald Trump has […]

“Chevron intends to sign preliminary deals Friday to invest in two Iraqi oil fields and will join a consortium of investors exploring the construction of a pipeline to connect Iraq’s oil patch with the Syrian coast,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Iraq and other Middle East oil producers are scrambling for alternatives to the Strait […]

“When major disasters strike, Americans are routinely waiting weeks — or even months — to receive presidential approval for aid. And if they live in a state that didn’t support President Donald Trump, chances are greater that aid will be denied,” the AP reports. “Since taking office last year, Trump has approved about 65 requests […]

“Like many leaders before them, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are coming face-to-face with the limits of massive airpower to achieve strategic victory,” Bloomberg reports. “Trump is again threatening to step up the intensity of airstrikes against Iran, even though thousands of previous attacks since late February failed to dislodge the government in Tehran, eliminate […]

“The Trump administration is considering placing a bond of $100,000 on some green-card seekers applying at U.S. consulates abroad, according to people familiar with the plans,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “The State Department is developing the proposal as part of the Trump administration’s continuing efforts to limit immigration by foreigners of limited means, and […]

“Senate Democrats are adopting a new strategy in their Maine Senate primary: staying all the way out of it,” Semafor reports. “Chief among them is Bernie Sanders, who propelled Graham Platner’s rise and supported the gubernatorial bid of Troy Jackson. Though Jackson is seeking the progressive mantle in the race to replace Platner on the […]

New York Times: “As a top Hollywood superagent, Ari Emanuel spent decades amassing a client list chock-full of silver screen icons. These days, his sprawling sports and entertainment empire has brought him closer to the podcasters, peptide-takers and proteinmaxxers who occupy a significant mindshare of some of America’s most valuable and persuadable voters: independent young […]

“No one starts a war expecting it to last forever,” the New York Times reports. “Yet, since Vietnam, American presidents have repeatedly gotten into conflicts that seem like they could last forever, at least until the next president — or the one after that — decides that the expense and political pain are not worth […]

The Atlantic: “The spread of conspiracy theories about Senators Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell underscores the lack of trust in American society.”

“A federal design panel on Thursday will consider the Trump administration’s plan to add a permanent fence around Lafayette Square Park, a public space next to the White House that is frequently the site of protests,” the New York Times reports. “The move comes as President Trump and the Secret Service say that they are […]

“When Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin decided to halt most vehicle stops by federal immigration officials, he didn’t have a chance to brief President Trump before news of the decision started to leak,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Mullin had made the decision Monday evening with acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Dave Venturella, following […]

“At the start of this week, President Trump asserted that the Strait of Hormuz was open and under U.S. control. But by Wednesday, as the U.S. and Iran fought it out over the vital waterway, ship tracker Kpler was saying traffic had dropped as the risk to transits deepened,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “The […]

“Several of Russia’s richest people including some close to President Vladimir Putin have moved billions of dollars abroad in the past year after growing concerned about the country’s economy and the government budget,” Bloomberg reports.

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lifted a temporary pause on vehicle stops after President Donald Trump touted the controversial tactic as an essential enforcement tool, a White House official said Wednesday,” the Washington Post reports. “ICE halted vehicle stops after officers fatally shot two people in less than a week during encounters involving vehicles. Within […]

“The Democratic National Committee asked its leadership team to sign non-disclosure agreements before a recent meeting about the party’s finances,” Axios reports. “The move — a break from past practice for such officers — underscored DNC chair Ken Martin’s sensitivity about the party’s money woes and the persistent criticism about his leadership.”

“With the November race to succeed Lindsey Graham in the Senate still wide-open, Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina suggested the late senator’s interim replacement — his sister, Darline Graham — could be one candidate,” CBS News reports. Said Scott: “Darline has so far been off to a remarkable start. Why not her?” Fox […]

“President Trump’s primetime address Thursday night is forcing TV networks to choose: Air potential 2020 election falsehoods, or risk backlash from a White House that’s shown little hesitation in confronting the media,” Axios reports. “What usually would be a straightforward decision on whether to carry a presidential address has become a high-stakes editorial judgment for […]

“George Conway, the former conservative lawyer turned Democrat, loaned his campaign $2 million to finish fifth in the crowded Democratic primary in New York’s 12th Congressional District,” NOTUS reports. “He reported the personal loan in a Federal Election Commission report published on Wednesday. Micah Lasher, a state assembly member, won the primary in June and […]

“President Donald Trump announced he will deliver a Thursday night address that he suggested will focus on ‘free and fair elections,’ teasing what he called one of the most important speeches of his presidency while offering few details about what he plans to unveil,” Fox News reports. Said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt: “As […]

“Graham Platner quit Maine’s U.S. Senate race last week after being accused of sexual assault, but his campaign committee remains flush with cash,” NOTUS reports. “Platner’s campaign had more than $1.7 million cash on hand as of June 30, according to a new financial filing with the Federal Election Commission, as he had raked in […]

“The U.S. has levied 25% tariffs on most imports from Brazil effective next week, concluding a yearlong investigation into what Washington calls unfair trade practices, and reigniting tensions with the Latin American nation after negotiation fell apart,” CNBC reports. The Guardian: Brazil condemns U.S. move to impose 25% tariffs next week.

“The U.S. struck Iran for a fifth straight day overnight and hit a sanctioned oil tanker near the country’s main export terminal, as tensions between the warring sides show little sign of abating,” Bloomberg reports. “Iran responded to the U.S.’s barrage on military targets such as command centers and missile sites by firing upon American […]