“The White House for weeks promised that Iran was close to signing a nuclear deal and that Oman could be helpful in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The tiny Gulf nation suddenly found itself at the center of the effort to end the war,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “This deal, however, has proved elusive. […]

“President Trump voted by mail ahead of Florida’s Republican primary on Tuesday, participating for at least the third time in a practice that he has railed against for years and has equated to cheating,” the New York Times reports.

“Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Alaska, has shaken up her campaign in the final days before a high-profile primary, jettisoning at least one longtime senior aide and switching campaign managers,” the New York Times reports. “Two veteran contractors for Ms. Peltola’s campaigns were also let go.” The Guardian: Two Republicans with the […]

“Ah, Florida. It’s a land of retirees, fresh starts and second acts — even, it turns out, for Republicans running for Congress,” the New York Times reports. “Tuesday’s crowded primary to succeed Representative Byron Donalds, an acolyte of President Trump who is running for governor, features candidates who have run for Congress or served in […]

“Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico’s campaign hired a staffer from Republican Sen. John Cornyn,” NOTUS reports. “Jacob Smith, who worked for Cornyn for five years as a deputy legislative director and policy adviser, is taking on the role of deputy policy director for Talarico’s campaign.”

“U.S. consumption has remained remarkably strong despite higher fuel prices sparked by the war in the Middle East, though signs of strain have started to emerge,” Semafor reports. “Beef sales fell in the 13 weeks leading up to mid-July, with consumers cutting back on eating out or opting for cheaper proteins, Bloomberg reported. Goldman Sachs […]

“Russia is shipping drone components, ammunition and TNT to Iran through the Caspian Sea, helping Tehran replenish stockpiles damaged in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes,” NBC News reports. “The Russian shipments, which have not been previously reported, underscore the deepening strategic alliance between Moscow and Tehran. With both countries embroiled in separate wars, they have stepped […]

“A leader within the Democratic Socialists of America admitted he and his organization have a burning ‘hatred’ for the U.S. Constitution and view it as an ‘obstacle’ which must be overcome by a socialist revolution,” Mediaite reports.

“Since Donald Trump flattened the East Wing last October, his justification for building a White House ballroom has evolved considerably. Originally, the president suggested he needed a place to throw killer parties. But after the National Trust for Historic Preservation sued to stop the project, Trump reframed it as a necessary national security upgrade,” New […]

Jared Kushner told Fox News that President Trump “doesn’t wanna rush to a deal” with Iran to end the war, admitting: “We are not there yet.”

New York Times: “A year ago, it could take days for satellite imagery to get to frontline troops, slowed by less sophisticated technology and layers of command structure. That made it difficult to hit targets that can move locations, like troops in a house, with long-range drone strikes. Now, a support team monitoring the house […]

“The Justice Department plans to send 1,000 monitors to watch voting during the midterm elections in November, a historic figure for a Republican administration,” Bloomberg reports.

“President Donald Trump contradicted Vice President JD Vance on Monday after the vice president asserted last week that the administration’s top priority amid the Iran war was to keep the price of oil and gas down for Americans,” ABC News reports. In a social media post, Trump said that the “number one Goal is, and […]

“The USS George Washington’s deployment from Japan to the Middle East to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln will leave the U.S. without an aircraft carrier in the western Pacific — just as adversaries in the area are flexing their military power,” Axios reports. “Why it matters: Temporary carrier gaps are not uncommon, but the absence […]

Wall Street Journal: “From Venezuela to Iran, the U.S. has used satellites and other space capabilities to gain an advantage in warfare. Space technologies can help detect missile launches, synchronize strikes, provide a clear view of the battlefield and degrade an enemy’s ability to operate.”

“Planned Parenthood’s political action committee Monday announced new ads attacking Sen. Susan Collins (R) of Maine, the first of a campaign totaling more than $600,000 to oppose the vulnerable incumbent,” the Washington Post reports. “The ad buy is the largest investment from Planned Parenthood Votes across any state this cycle.”

“The House Ethics Committee announced Monday that it is investigating Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) over allegations of sexual misconduct,” Axios reports. “Gomez said in a statement that he’s made ‘personal mistakes outside my marriage,’ but said his actions were ‘consensual’ and did not violate the law or House Ethics rules.”

“President ‌Donald Trump’s approval rating fell to the lowest level of his presidency with an overwhelming majority of Americans concerned the U.S. war with Iran will last a long time,” according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. “Just 33% of respondents in the four-day survey said they ​approved of Trump’s performance in the White House, while […]

“As Democrats look beyond the midterms and lay the groundwork for 2028, some immigration policy hands are closely studying how White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller operates,” Politico reports. “In the words of Ken Salazar, a former senator and Interior secretary who served as the Biden administration’s ambassador to Mexico, presidents need someone […]

“House Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest, whose committee enforces compliance of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, violated the insider trading and transparency law,” NOTUS reports. “Guest, a four-term Republican from Mississippi, was more than six months late disclosing three stock sales made by a family trust fund owned by his wife, Haley, involving […]

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was scheduled to head to Iowa on Monday to give remarks, speak to veterans and campaign, as Republicans try to protect multiple GOP-held seats in Congress,” CBS News reports. “A parade of top Trump administration officials has been traveling to the battleground state in support of GOP candidates and for official […]

“Mark Cuban lashed out at Silicon Valley Congressman Ro Khanna over the Democratic lawmaker’s proposal that the government should lend money to billionaires with large paper fortunes to help them pay wealth taxes,” Bloomberg reports. Said Cuban: “That’s insane. You want the state to loan money to the founder, who will then immediately give it […]

“It used to be that once a National Institutes of Health grant award hit ‘status 19,’ the money was about to go out the door,” NOTUS reports. “That’s not the case anymore. The Trump administration has enacted an unprecedented political review process, pushing hundreds of awards into limbo. Status 19 — an administrative code describing […]

“Civil liberties groups on Monday asked the Supreme Court to hear their challenge of a Texas law requiring that all public school classrooms display the Ten Commandments, potentially setting up a landmark clash over the separation of church and state,” the Washington Post reports.

“President Donald Trump is providing Russian President Vladimir Putin a window of opportunity to break apart NATO, analysts fear, even as the Kremlin searches for an elusive path to victory in its grinding war of attrition against Ukraine,” Rolling Stone reports. “American actions are accumulating into an existential crisis for the alliance. Trump and members […]

“President Donald Trump is weighing relying again on a rotating cast of Cabinet officials to handle press briefings for an indefinite period following the departure of press secretary Karoline Leavitt later this month,” CNN reports. “The tentative plan comes amid a seemingly wide-open race to fill Leavitt’s role, with Trump still in the earliest stages […]

“Colombia President Abelardo de la Espriella named former Foreign Minister María Consuelo Araújo his new ambassador to the U.S. as he seeks to rebuild ties after years of tensions under his predecessor,” Bloomberg reports. “Her appointment comes days after De la Espriella spoke with Trump and asked him to temporarily suspend tariffs on Colombian goods […]

“Sen. Jon Ossoff has attacked Donald Trump’s ‘uniquely despicable’ handling of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, accusing the U.S. president of ‘re-rigging’ a corrupt system for himself in an excoriating speech,” The Guardian reports. “Ossoff, who is running for re-election in Georgia in November, has repeatedly stoked speculation that he is laying the ground for […]

“Eric Swalwell confessed to a drug-fueled sex romp with a suspected Chinese spy in newly released files that reveal the disgraced former congressman’s relationship with the woman went way deeper than previously known,” the New York Post reports.

New York Times: “In an era where candidates’ online pasts are etched into the public record, Mr. Herrera’s rise is testing voters’ tolerance for comments, even those made in jest, that are beyond the pale of public acceptability.” “It also underscores the anti-establishment energy coursing through both parties. As they wrestle for control of Congress, […]