“For weeks, President Trump had been laying the groundwork to declare victory in the Iran war should Tehran fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, even floating the idea privately to senior aides that he’s willing to walk away without a nuclear deal,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “But that scaled-back objective became more difficult when […]

“President Donald Trump bragged on Saturday about some ‘great poll numbers’ he received… but there was just one problem: he didn’t mention which poll he was talking about,” Mediaite reports. “The president posted about the mysterious poll on Truth Social and added ‘Thank you!!!’ — complete with three exclamation points — without sharing more details.”

“There’s an adage in politics that people view their own members of Congress more favorably than they view Congress overall. Data from a recent New York Times/Siena University poll suggests that distinction, known as Fenno’s paradox, may extend to political ideology,” the New York Times reports. “According to the survey of voters in key battleground […]

“Iran’s politburo-like body known as the Supreme National Security Council said the Strait of Hormuz will not open until the United States ‘corrects its behavior,’ issuing new demands that could shake up talks on a deal to manage the waterway and traffic on it,” Politico reports. ”Iran’s state broadcaster published the statement by the council’s […]

”A bipartisan majority of Americans support more government rules for how social media companies conduct business, including a requirement of age-verification tools to keep younger children off social media,” according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

“The Pentagon is pressing the U.S. defense industry to accelerate production of weapons to help replenish its diminished stockpile of munitions, including those depleted in the ongoing war with Iran,” the Associated Press reports.

“With his bruising confirmation battle behind him, Todd Blanche will soon be sworn-in as the Senate-backed head of the Justice Department,” the Washington Post reports. ”But the hardest part may be what comes next.” ”Blanche, President Donald Trump’s former criminal defense lawyer, will officially assume the title of attorney general and take command of an […]

“In the chaotic aftermath of the 2020 election, as President Trump refused to accept defeat and pumped out false claims about voter fraud, Mike Rogers was a clear and consistent voice of reproach,” the New York Times reports. “Mr. Rogers, a former Republican representative from Michigan, denounced Mr. Trump’s efforts to undermine the election as […]

“Representative Jared Huffman, Democrat of California, thought he was going to make himself a political pariah when he announced publicly that he did not believe in God,” the New York Times reports. “Mr. Huffman, the only self-declared ‘humanist’ in Congress, found that constituents in his mostly liberal Northern California district were unfazed.” “Now Mr. Huffman […]

“Rep. Ed Case (D-HI), a moderate Democrat, fended off a younger challenger from the left in the primary for the state’s 1st Congressional District,” the Washington Post reports. ”Case, 73, returned to the House in 2019 after representing Hawaii in Congress in the early 2000s. He overcame a lively challenge from 42-year-old Jarrett Keohokalole, who […]

“Representative Max Miller, the Republican from Ohio accused of physically abusing his ex-wife and young daughter, has defied calls from his own party to drop out and plans to stay in the race to keep his seat in Congress, according to his spokeswoman,” the New York Times reports. “Mr. Miller would have had to withdraw […]

“The Senate bowed to political reality at 4:36 a.m. on Saturday, adjourning and allowing bleary-eyed senators to leave Washington without any concrete steps toward passing the voting restriction bill that President Trump has demanded for months,” the New York Times reports. “Republican lawmakers had insisted they would work tirelessly to enact election changes that Mr. […]

“Former President Joe Biden’s prostate cancer has metastasized into his bones and spread further into his body, his son Hunter Biden said in a late Friday interview with the BBC,” NOTUS reports. “Hunter Biden said the disease has taken a ‘very painful’ toll on his father, who has remained outspoken on politics since leaving office […]

Mediaite: “Former Vice President Kamala Harris has been urging Democratic voters to make the midterms ‘too big to rig,’ which might sound familiar, because it was one of President Donald Trump’s go-to slogans during his 2024 campaign.” “Harris has ripped off the phrase and worked it into several of her speeches lately, including a Friday […]

“Vice President JD Vance ripped radical Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed Saturday, predicting he’d be a ‘terrible senator’ if elected,” the New York Post reports. Said Vance: “I think the guy’s crazy.”

“President Trump’s war against Iran has depleted U.S. weapons stockpiles to troubling levels, siphoning supplies from Asia and Europe, according to senior officials,” the New York Times reports. “The rapidly shrinking supply of air-defense missiles and other critical weaponry in Europe and Asia not only leaves the U.S. military less equipped, but could also leave […]

“Every single Muslim holding public office in America is a Trojan horse, and a threat to both national security and our republic. We refuse to be silent.” — Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), on X.

“A top Iranian national security official delivered a sweeping set of demands on Saturday that he said the United States must meet before the Strait of Hormuz can reopen to maritime traffic, throwing the fate of the critical trade waterway into question,” the New York Times reports. “Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme […]

“Key members of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy team — special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner — may visit Kyiv and Moscow within the next seven to 10 days, Russian state-run Tass news agency reported,” Bloomberg reports. “The possible trip would mark a renewed push by Trump’s two main intermediaries in the Russia-Ukraine […]

“President Trump tore into Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) Saturday hours after the Senate confirmed Trump’s AG nominee Todd Blanche, casting aside Murkowski’s warnings that he might not be able to stop the ‘worst impulses’ of the administration,” the New York Post reports. “The president fired off three posts about the senator who nearly derailed the […]

“Iran said it’s ‘very close’ to a deal with Oman on a new maritime transit route in the Strait of Hormuz, after expectations grew this week that an announcement may soon be made,” Bloomberg reports. “Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that negotiators are closing in on temporary lanes for ships entering and […]

“Two drones were sighted flying over a key military base in western Germany late on Thursday, just days after an armed unmanned aircraft was discovered at a major cargo hub in the country’s east,” Bloomberg reports.

“The U.S. Department of Commerce, which oversees the Census Bureau, is circulating a proposed rule that would cease the collection of demographic data on racial minorities and LGBTQ+ people and prevent undocumented immigrants from being counted in the 2030 census,” Wired reports. “The decision could have far-reaching implications for federal funding, particularly in states where […]

“President Donald Trump is calling on Washington U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro to take another look at her decision to drop charges against a former Olympian accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool,” Politico reports. ”In a Truth Social post Friday afternoon, the president called on Pirro — a longtime ally and former Fox News host — […]

“A sweeping party-line spending bill demanded by President Donald Trump is at risk of being put on hold until after November’s election, after Senate Republicans failed to muster support before departing for August recess,” Politico reports. ”While Congress will be back in September, there are private doubts among GOP lawmakers that the Senate will move […]

The latest episode of Trial Balloon is live. A party that quickly falls in line behind its nominee isn’t showing many signs of civil war. Join now to continue reading. Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn more. If you’re already a member, sign in to your account.

“Democratic turnout for House primaries in a majority-Black Tennessee county surged to the highest level in a decade Thursday, the latest sign that redistricting may be energizing Black voters across the South,” the Washington Post reports. ”A fifth of active registered voters cast a ballot in three Democratic U.S. House primaries held Thursday in Shelby […]

“Russia’s war effort in Ukraine might be faltering, but the Kremlin has a high-tech superweapon to neutralize Western sanctions,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “It is called A7. The state-backed payment network moves money in and out of Russia, defying U.S. and European efforts to isolate Moscow from the global banking system. A7 helps Russia […]

Pew Research: “A narrow majority of Americans (55%) are confident that this November’s midterm elections will be conducted fairly and accurately – down from 61% ahead of the 2024 elections, 64% in 2022 and 59% in 2020.” “But in contrast to those earlier years, Americans’ views don’t differ substantially by party today, even as Republicans […]

“Iran is vowing to bar U.S. Navy warships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz as part of an agreement to reopen the waterway, pressing its goal of curtailing America’s decades-old military presence in the Persian Gulf,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Tehran’s threat highlights the ascendance within the Iranian leadership of hard-liners in the […]