“The pardon for Mr. Buyer was endorsed by current and former Republican lawmakers, including Senators Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and former House Speaker John Boehner, according to the proclamation, which was dated June 4.”

“The fast-tracking, which is also intended to increase the pace of deportations, started without any formal notification or announcement from the Trump administration.”

“Moraff and Fan had no ties to Maine or to the Democratic Party’s election machinery, which made their mission all the more audacious: to recruit a working-class candidate to run for the U.S. Senate on a populist platform. The idea, Platner recalled telling his visitors, was ‘quite literally the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard.'”

“Nearly a year later, it has become clear just how big a gamble it was. Platner, 41 years old, has improbably become the Democratic Party’s presumed nominee in one of its most important Senate elections. In doing so, he has saddled the party with the risks of an untested candidate who has a messy life story.”

“While Senate GOP leaders successfully quashed much of that dissent, the days of bitter wrangling exposed cracks in Trump’s base of support on Capitol Hill. There is now a growing chorus of Republicans — and not just the usual defectors — willing to defy him as they seek to rein in his pursuit of his agenda, ranging from projects like the White House ballroom and exacting political retribution on his enemies to his handling of the Iran war and other foreign policy issues.”

“The trend is only expected to accelerate as the November elections approach, with contentious fights ahead like Trump’s push to confirm his controversial expected pick to lead the Department of Justice.”

“Democrats have a shot at taking back a Senate seat in Ohio, boosted by growing doubts about the president’s policies. But in interviews in this deep red part of the state, voters still firmly in Trump’s camp say the president has delivered on key promises that he campaigned on in 2024, such as tackling illegal crossings at the southern border and reducing crime, as well as what they see as his effort to shift America’s culture rightward.”

Said Trump: “We’re going to come out of Iran very quickly — one way or the other, whether it’s a piece of paper or the very tough way. The very tough way may be the easier way.”

The latest episode of Trial Balloon is live.

Did Graham Platner and Ken Paxton cross a line that will doom their candidacies? Is there a line?

“The decision might appear to stabilize a situation that risked seeing the entire franchise implode, or at a minimum, struggle to deliver enough stories to populate a 59th season when the program returns from its annual summer hiatus in September.”

“The Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency in recent weeks issued the new counterintelligence threat assessment amid rising tensions between Israel and the U.S. over the way forward in the war with Iran.”

“But evaluators recommended that red, blinking obstruction lights similar to the ones atop the Washington Monument be added to the design — a common measure for large structures that go up near airports.”

“It could prove to be among the most significant federal interventions in the private sector in modern history.”

Financial Times: Trump says US may take equity stakes in AI companies.

REPORTER: The cheapest price for the game you’re going to is $8,000. Everyday Americans can’t afford these sporting events.

TRUMP: No, but they can watch it on television. It’s sort of semi-free to watch it on television. But that’s the way life goes…

— James Carville, on his podcast, endorsing Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner (D).

“As outside advisory and legal firms prepare the private sector for a Democratic House takeover that still looks likely, despite the GOP’s aggressive redistricting, the target list may well grow beyond US-based companies. Foreign dealmaking by the Trump family and its allies, including in the Gulf, is also in line for Democratic scrutiny.”

“In fact, this outcome was entirely expected. And that’s the whole problem.”