“John Thune is eager to let GOP senators out of the Capitol and onto the campaign trail as Republicans fight to hold the Senate majority in November. First, he has to get through the next eight days,” Politico reports. ”The majority leader is hoping to fund the government, confirm dozens of President Donald Trump’s nominees […]

“President Trump has made more money while in office than most of us can even conceive of. In 2025, he took in more than $2.2 billion,” the New York Times reports. “Democrats intend to make a big deal of this in the midterm elections, by accusing Trump of corruptly using his office to enrich himself […]

Aaron Blake: “Republicans are starting to fret about their base’s lack of enthusiasm ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.” “Those voters were already disproportionately less likely to vote in elections not featuring Donald Trump, and now the GOP has to contend with the president being more unpopular than ever.” “And a new CNN poll drives […]

A new Fox News poll in North Carolina finds Roy Cooper (D) leads Michael Whatley (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 53% to 44%.

“American forces began launching strikes against Iran on Wednesday night, in what the U.S. military called a ‘powerful response’ to Iran’s Tuesday missile attacks on U.S. forces in Jordan,” the Wall Street Journal reports. Said Trump: “We are going to be hitting them very hard, because it’s our turn.”

Axios: “Musk is resuscitating his dormant super PAC, America PAC, which spent more than $260 million to help get President Trump elected in 2024.” “America PAC will focus on door-knocking, digital advertising and direct mail aimed at turning out the conservative base, including voters who typically are less inclined to cast ballots in a non-presidential […]

“Politicians are increasingly abandoning scripted language and publicly cursing as profanity becomes a more common political tool,” Axios reports. “The shift suggests politicians are using profanity intentionally to project authenticity, signal confrontation and distance themselves from traditional Washington norms.”

“President Trump’s nomination of Todd Blanche as attorney general hung in the balance Wednesday, as the administration struggled to win over holdout Republicans who could block the pick from advancing,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “The Senate Judiciary Committee had scheduled a vote Thursday on whether to send Blanche’s nomination to the full Senate floor, […]

“Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is calling for Anthony Fauci to be held in contempt, prosecuted for perjury and sent to jail after the former White House Covid-19 advisor pleaded his Fifth Amendment right more than 100 times during a Senate hearing Wednesday,” Fox News reports.

The Economist: “Americans have long loved the idea of being their own boss… For at least two decades around 60% of them have said they would prefer to start their own business than to toil for someone else, according to Gallup, a pollster. Yet until recently fewer and fewer were living out that dream. As […]

“Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he met with Democratic Maine Senate hopeful Troy Jackson Wednesday morning,” NOTUS reports. Said Schumer: “We had a great meeting this morning. We’re working together to win the seat, beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate.”

“As President Donald Trump weighs his next move on Iran, his top aides and allies can’t agree on a path forward,” NBC News reports. Said one U.S. official: “After all this time, there is no unity.” “Two others familiar with the White House discussions on the war also described the president as increasingly frustrated over […]

“New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who pledged repeatedly during his mayoral campaign to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said that he does not have the power to do so,” the Washington Post reports. New York Post: Netanyahu says he’s “definitely” going to New York despite “hate-spewing” Mamdani’s call for his arrest.

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“President Donald Trump said he will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to revive his failed lawsuit accusing Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee and others of conspiring to tarnish his 2016 campaign with bogus claims of collusion with Russia,” Bloomberg reports.

“President Donald Trump said he would be ‘disappointed’ in China if they provided weapons to Iran, repeating assurances he said Xi Jinping had made to him that Beijing would not sell arms to Tehran,” Bloomberg reports. Said Trump: “That was surprising. I mean, things like that happen, but that would be surprising.”

“Your generation has a great bullshit meter, because you’re fed bullshit online all day. And the Democratic Party brand right now is so bullshit.” — Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D), quoted by The Atlantic, speaking to college students. 

“The Senate unanimously agreed Wednesday that Ghislaine Maxwell, a convicted sex offender and collaborator of Jeffrey Epstein, should not be allowed a presidential pardon or clemency of any kind,” NewsNation reports.

“A democratic socialist is surging in Wisconsin’s Democratic primary race for governor, and establishment figures are showing no signs of stopping her,” the Washington Post reports. “Polling this week shows that state Rep. Francesca Hong is well-positioned to win the five-way primary on Aug. 11.”

“He’s in the midst of a national book tour and his name often emerges as a potential leader of the Democratic National Committee. But former Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler has his sights set on something else: a U.S. Senate run in 2028,” NBC News reports. “For months, Wikler has had discussions with insiders […]

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed skepticism during his meeting with President Trump about the chance of a deal with Iran and discussed increasing economic pressure on Iran ‘through kinetic and non-kinetic means,'” Axios reports.

The Economist: “The Calendar says it is July, but the headlines look like April. The war between America and Iran has paused but not ended. The Strait of Hormuz is in effect shut, but Gulf states are trying to broker a deal that would reopen it, at least temporarily. Donald Trump has retreated from his […]

“President Donald Trump on Wednesday is set to announce a sweeping plan to remake Dulles International Airport, including building new terminals and doing away with the airport’s long-criticized shuttles,” the Washington Post reports. “Trump has spent months considering how to overhaul the airport, hearing pitches in the Oval Office from rival construction and design firms […]

“Alex Jones, formerly of InfoWars, on Tuesday said President Trump must be impeached over the Iran conflict, describing the situation as ‘absolutely out of control’ and warning that the administration is preparing for a national draft,” NewsNation reports.

A new Quinnipiac poll finds just 32% of voters approve of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president, while 58% disapprove, with 10% not offering an opinion. And this is brutal: “Twenty-nine percent of voters think Donald Trump is focused enough on addressing the problems most Americans are facing, while 68 percent […]

“Federal Reserve officials held interest rates steady Wednesday over the objections of three bank presidents who wanted an increase, underscoring how pressure is building inside the central bank to act on inflation that has run above its target for five years,” the Wall Street Journal reports. CNBC: Warsh’s plan for a more opaque Fed will […]

“Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) suggested Wednesday that everyone knew someone who dealt with complications from the Covid-19 vaccine promoted by Dr. Anthony Fauci,” Mediaite reports. Said Marshall: “I mean, who didn’t have a friend that took this vaccine and had some type of complication? A stroke, a blood clot, a young man getting some type […]

“Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has a massive problem on his hands. Negotiations with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) have blown up,” Punchbowl News reports. “Blanche’s nomination for the permanent AG job is supposed to get a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee in less than 24 hours, but it’s no longer clear whether that’s going […]

“Dr. Anthony Fauci, who led the nation’s infectious disease efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic, invoked the Fifth Amendment on Wednesday and declined to answer questions from a Senate committee investigating the origins of the coronavirus,” Axios reports. “Homeland Security Chair Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said the committee will vote on a contempt resolution against Fauci […]

“White House officials will press Senate Republicans behind closed doors Wednesday to pass a blueprint for another GOP-only megabill before they leave for the August recess, but save any possible debt ceiling increase for later,” Axios reports. “Senate Republican leaders have been skeptical that there is the time — or the votes — to get […]