A Political Wire reader asks about the pros and cons of ranked-choice voting — and, more importantly, who benefits from it. The basic idea is straightforward: Instead of choosing one candidate, voters rank them in order of preference. If nobody wins a majority, the last-place candidate is eliminated and those ballots are redistributed to the […]

“President Trump on Monday described Democratic candidates in the midterm elections as ‘jihadists,’ adding to Islamophobic statements recently made by Republican elected officials,” the New York Times reports. “Mr. Trump also delivered another tirade against people of Somali descent, saying: ‘They’re not smart, they have no aptitude, they have nothing going, and they’re telling us […]

“An Iranian assassination threat against President Donald Trump prompted an extraordinary operation last month in which he flew secretly from Turkey on an alternate military aircraft while the White House said he was aboard Air Force One,” the Washington Post reports. “The clandestine mission, which has not been reported previously, was carried out unbeknownst to […]

“President Trump may want to let go of the Middle East. But it won’t let go of him,” the New York Times reports. “Over the weekend, Mr. Trump said his new strategy was to be ‘low-keying it’ in Iran, a suggestion that he wants to pressure the country into making a favorable deal without taking […]

“New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s new pied-à-terre tax hit a wall on Monday after a New York judge ordered an emergency pause on the implementation of the new surcharge,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Here’s fun way to test just how well you know the U.S. Senate. Yea or Nay gives you five senators and three bills each day — and challenges you to guess how each senator actually voted. It’s deceptively hard, highly addictive and a lot of fun.

“For the last year, the Trump administration’s efforts to seek retribution against intelligence officials and FBI agents who investigated Russia’s 2016 election meddling have been spearheaded by federal prosecutors in South Florida trying to build a criminal case,” the New York Times reports. “But in recent weeks, the White House has added a dimension to […]

“The average national price for a gallon of gasoline hit $4.01 today, according to AAA – higher than it has ever been this late in the summer, an ominous sign for Republicans as they confront voters’ concerns with affordability,” Politico reports. “The national average price for a gallon of gas has never surpassed $4 after […]

“President Donald Trump played down the frequency and length of his conversations with Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh, which raised fresh questions about whether he was seeking to directly influence the central bank,” Bloomberg reports. “Trump insisted on Monday that he had spoken to Warsh only once ‘briefly’ since joining the Fed, despite one of […]

“The Federal Aviation Administration announced on Monday that it will close Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington to flight traffic for three hours later this month, to accommodate the Trump administration’s planned IndyCar grand prix on the National Mall,” the New York Times reports.

“A pair of Senate Republicans leading the congressional investigations into Dr. Anthony Fauci released an initial batch of text messages Monday from his government-issued cellphone, shedding more light on his real-time response to the Covid-19 pandemic,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “The phone contains more than 34,000 text messages and 522 voicemails, according to the […]

“Tucker Carlson kept his 2026 Trump Bashing Tour rolling on Monday by accusing the president of being the most ‘flamboyantly corrupt’ leader in American history during an interview with Hunter Biden,” Mediaite reports.

“Members of President Donald Trump’s political team asked Ohio Republicans last week not to wage a public pressure campaign against embattled GOP Rep. Max Miller, after they became increasingly convinced he wouldn’t end his reelection bid,” Politico reports.

“July was the hottest month ever recorded in the contiguous U.S. the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday, dramatically marking an already scorching summer,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “The average temperature was 76.9 degrees Fahrenheit, the highest in the agency’s 132-year record and more than three degrees above the 20th-century average.”

“Rep. Lauren Boebert’s son was arrested last week on three felony charges related to sexual exploitation of a child,” Denver Post reports. “Tyler Boebert, 21, was arrested in Garfield County and was released from the county’s jail on Sunday, jail records show. Court records indicate he was arrested on suspicion of five felonies, apparently related […]

“Oil has Trump over a political barrel ahead of the midterms,” Politico reports. “As the latest phase of the Iran war drags on, without either resolution or significant escalation, the rising cost of oil remains Republicans’ greatest liability heading into the fall — combining the war’s unpopularity and enduring cost-of-living concerns into one package for […]

“Former president Barack Obama, an avid book reader, will host a new podcast starting next month to talk with guests about volumes that have affected them,” the Washington Post reports. Said Obama: “At a time when fewer people are able to sit down with a book, it’s important to remember the joy and power that […]

“Iran said on Monday that any deal with Oman on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz would not lead to the waterway being fully reopened and that the route would remain closed until the United States agreed to demands including lifting a naval blockade,” the New York Times reports.

“Todd Blanche was sworn in as attorney general at the White House on Monday after the Senate narrowly voted to confirm the president’s former defense lawyer to helm the Justice Department over the weekend,” CBS News reports.

We’re putting together a summer mailbag episode of Trial Balloon for later this month and we want your questions. Ask us about the latest political developments, the 2026 midterms, the future of the two political parties, what goes on behind the scenes at Political Wire — or anything else you think we should tackle. We’ll […]

“The Trump administration is preparing an executive order that would upend decades of federal guidance on which vaccines are administered to children and call for states to reconsider school vaccine requirements,” the Washington Post reports. “It calls for rethinking the long-standing practice of grouping vaccines to reduce the number of medical appointments parents of small […]

“President Donald Trump lashed out on Monday against Iran’s demands for war compensation as part of talks to wind down the conflict, dimming hopes of a quick deal that would reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz and pushing up oil prices,” Bloomberg reports. Said Trump: “I am likewise demanding compensation from Iran, for all of […]

New York Magazine: “Donald Trump just turned 80 years old, he has a terrible diet, he doesn’t believe in exercise, and he has an extremely stressful job known for rapidly aging anyone who takes it on. And yet, if you scrolled through Truth Social yesterday, you might have noticed the president looks younger and fitter […]

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed Congress to approve a sharp increase in the Pentagon’s budget during a ceremony on Monday to rename a base for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham,” CNN reports. Said Hegseth: “Lindsey himself said to me in his office, ‘This is the best military budget I’ve seen since I’ve been in Congress.’ […]

“Over the course of Ken Paxton’s decade-long rise to prominence, through scandal and turmoil, questions about his finances have followed him. Opponents scrutinized his real estate holdings and suggested that he has used his public office to enrich himself personally — allegations that have never been proven,” the New York Times reports. “With Mr. Paxton […]

“Ukraine’s military attacked the large Taneco oil refinery and the ZapSibNeftekhim petrochemical plant deep inside Russia on Monday, adding to the pressure on the country’s downstream industry,” Bloomberg reports.

“Senator Jon Ossoff delivered a blistering attack on Donald Trump from a Black pulpit near Atlanta, casting his gaze beyond his Senate opponent to the U.S. president as the Georgia Democrat campaigns for a second term this November,” Bloomberg reports. “He made no mention of his Republican Senate opponent, Representative Mike Collins, instead telling the […]

“President Donald Trump won court permission to revise his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corp. by excluding his earlier claim that a 12-second clip in a documentary caused massive financial damage to his business,” Bloomberg reports. “The ruling by U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman in Miami could spare Trump’s sprawling real […]

“The rapid rise of artificial intelligence has started to rattle voters around the country, raising fears that they could be thrust from their jobs if the technology succeeds, or lose their retirement savings if the industry falters,” the New York Times reports. “But for all of the emerging doubt and political blowback, there has been […]

“Former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) said she will not run for election for U.S. Senate in 2028 despite rumors,” South Dakota Public Broadcasting reports.