“Or do you just need a little inspiration?”

“Well, don’t worry, Transportation secretary Sean Duffy is here to help! Not by, like, doing anything to lower fuel costs, but by sharing a family road-trip reality TV show he’s been filming over the past seven months.”

“Friday on Fox & Friends, the secretary and his wife, Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy, revealed that they celebrated the semiquincentennial by traveling the country with their nine children. And they filmed the whole adventure for a reality series called The Great American Road Trip, which launches on YouTube next month.”

“A four-point structural advantage wouldn’t be enough to make the Republicans favorites to win the House, but it gives them a real shot at it. In polling averages, Democrats lead by six points on the so-called generic congressional ballot, which asks voters which party they’ll support for Congress. But if Republicans make gains between now and November or pull off enough victories in key races, they could have a chance to retain control of the House even while losing the national vote by a significant margin.”

“A different way to consider the Republican advantage is to look at the kinds of seats they would need to win. Here, the most popular measure is the median congressional district — the district that would serve as a tipping point for House control. By this measure — after the Southern states redraw their maps — the median district will have voted for Mr. Trump by 5.5 points in 2024, or about four points more Republican than his 1.5-point margin in the 2024 national popular vote.”

We talked about Donald Trump’s sinking approval numbers, Democratic momentum heading into the midterms, the races that could determine control of the Senate and the political backlash building around AI data centers.

We also looked ahead to the future of the Republican party after Trump — and whether someone not yet on the radar could define the 2028 presidential race.

The discussion was part campaign analysis, part media conversation and part political shop talk. You can listen here: 

— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), speaking at the University of Chicago.

“White House officials have been met with notes of caution about redistricting in the Palmetto State, which is a major focus of the push, including from Republican Gov. Henry McMaster and GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham. That has prompted Trump officials to place calls to multiple Republican state senators to urge action on redistricting.”

“Trump officials have also called GOP officials in Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee in support of redistricting… making the case that the issue remains important to the president.”

— President Trump, in a speech at the White House.

“But Iran, it seems, does not want the war to come to a close. Or at least not with any sort of outcome that could be acceptable to American negotiators. Trump is now in a bind. The president, five aides and outside advisers told me, is convinced that he can sell any sort of agreement as a win. But at least for now, the man who wrote The Art of the Deal can’t even get Iran to the negotiating table.”

The latest episode of Trial Balloon is live.

Can Republicans redraw enough congressional maps to hold back a Democratic wave in the midterms?

“If the party defies expectations and keeps control of Congress this fall, Trump’s ruthless maneuvers to sideline some candidates while forcefully backing others will be a big reason.”

“China’s war readiness may be disrupted for years by the very cleanup that Mr. Xi has said is necessary to purify and strengthen the ranks. What once looked like a limited crackdown on corruption became a sweeping dismissal of dozens of top officers, and culminated in the downfall early this year of Zhang Youxia, China’s top uniformed commander, who had appeared to be a confidant of Mr. Xi’s.”

“Four states are considering drawing new congressional or judicial maps for partisan gain in the coming weeks that could be implemented in time for the fall midterms. But the real flurry could come next year, when at least a dozen more that sat out this year’s redistricting parade could join the fray.”

“Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson (D) faces a Democratic version of that retribution, drawing the most difficult primary challenge of his 16-year career.”

“Like the ousted Indiana Republicans, Ferguson defied demands from his party’s leaders to create new congressional maps to boost chances of controlling the U.S. House. He, too, faces political consequences after rejecting efforts to eliminate the state’s one GOP-leaning House district.”

“But two court rulings — one by the Supreme Court and another by Virginia’s top court — and an aggressive new push by red states to carve up congressional maps have delivered the Republican Party its biggest burst of momentum in many months.”

“Put bluntly, Republicans have roughly 10 more House seats that favor them than they did just 10 days ago, and Democrats are suddenly grappling with a new landscape.”

Washington Post: “With GOP wins on election maps, Democrats have a steeper climb to victory.”

“And toward the end of the week, he was in Vatican City, being escorted through marble hallways by members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard for an audience with Pope Leo XIV, who has been criticized by the president and vice president.”

“Rubio comes across as the happy warrior, not the angry one—the one offering lighthearted jokes more than brash confrontation.”

— President Trump, speaking to reporters.

“That strategy has seen the ceasefire between the US and Iran tested as the two sides traded fire in recent days after Trump ordered US warships to provide cover for merchant vessels transiting the strait, and then abruptly shelved ‘Project Freedom’ on Tuesday. Iran also targeted oil facilities in the nearby United Arab Emirates.”

“But as top Democrats in the Empire State move ahead with their attempt to redraw lines in 2028, they’re also far more likely to pull their punches in the ongoing gerrymandering wars.”