“Mr. Miller would have had to withdraw by Saturday evening, at the latest, to allow local party chairs enough time to name a replacement on the ballot by Monday at 4 p.m. according to Ohio state law.”

“Republican lawmakers had insisted they would work tirelessly to enact election changes that Mr. Trump has suggested the party needs in place to win the midterm elections. Instead, they departed with little to show for their efforts, other than a performative pre-dawn procedural vote on a watered-down version of the bill that they knew they could not pass.”

“Even the staunchest advocates of the election measure eventually conceded what had been clear all along: There was simply not enough Republican support to push through the strict voter identification legislation.”

“Hunter Biden said the disease has taken a ‘very painful’ toll on his father, who has remained outspoken on politics since leaving office in 2024.”

CNN: Joe Biden’s prostate cancer getting worse, Hunter Biden says.

“Harris has ripped off the phrase and worked it into several of her speeches lately, including a Friday speech in New Orleans when she said Democrats have to win so handily it’s ‘too big to rig’ for the ‘cheating’ Republicans to do anything about it.”

Said Vance: “I think the guy’s crazy.”

“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 Russia and China feeling emboldened should they contemplate a potential conflict with the United States, experts said.”

— Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), on X.

“Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, issued a statement carried by state media laying out multiple requirements for reopening the strait. He called for the United States to lift its naval blockade and sanctions on Iran, withdraw the U.S. military from around Iran, pay war reparations and release frozen Iranian assets, as well as end attacks on Iran’s allies in the region and threats against the country.”

“The Trump administration is unlikely to agree to those demands.”

“The possible trip would mark a renewed push by Trump’s two main intermediaries in the Russia-Ukraine talks after earlier negotiations to end the conflict stalled, and the U.S. pivoted to the situation in the Middle East.”

“The president fired off three posts about the senator who nearly derailed the nomination, suggesting he has not forgiven the critic who joined the Senate in 2002 and voted to convict him during his second impeachment trial in 2021.”

“One missive he reposted called her a ‘traitor.'”

“Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that negotiators are closing in on temporary lanes for ships entering and exiting the Persian Gulf. He cautioned that any agreement won’t result in an immediate reopening of the strait, signaling that any respite for energy supplies may be limited.”

Associated Press: Iran thinks the U.S. will let it keep the Strait of Hormuz.

“The decision could have far-reaching implications for federal funding, particularly in states where there are substantial numbers of racial and ethnic minorities, as well as on immigrant communities across the country.”

”In a Truth Social post Friday afternoon, the president called on Pirro — a longtime ally and former Fox News host — to ‘re-visit her hastily made decision,’ not to pursue a case against David Hearn, one of several people accused of damaging the lining of the Washington landmark that had been refurbished at the direction of the Trump administration.”

Washington Post: Pirro, Trump’s longtime champion, is on the outs over Reflecting Pool move.

”While Congress will be back in September, there are private doubts among GOP lawmakers that the Senate will move a plan before Nov. 3, given a pileup of other legislation and a desire to protect vulnerable Senate Republicans from taking tough votes just weeks before the election.”

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.

”A fifth of active registered voters cast a ballot in three Democratic U.S. House primaries held Thursday in Shelby County, which includes Memphis. That’s more than double the turnout percentage for similar contests in 2024.”

“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 pay for everything from military-drone parts to luxury cars to imported fruit, using a mix of cryptocurrency transactions and more-traditional banking methods, researchers say.”

“But in contrast to those earlier years, Americans’ views don’t differ substantially by party today, even as Republicans and Democrats express different concerns about elections.”

“Tehran’s threat highlights the ascendance within the Iranian leadership of hard-liners in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who have long sought the ouster of American forces from the region. Though Iran has taken a devastating military beating, its leaders now see an opportunity to use negotiations on ending the six-month war to dislodge the U.S. as the dominant power in the Persian Gulf.”

CNBC: Iran’s chief negotiator accuses Trump of “theater diplomacy” with Hormuz traffic near standstill.