“Polls show voters unhappy with his handling of the economy and the Iran war, the issues dominating the upcoming election. Crime, by contrast, has traditionally been an issue on which voters see Republicans as strong.”

“Mills is running for a third term in Congress under a cloud of controversy, including an ethics investigation into possible domestic violence, which Mills denies.”

Said Trump: “After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated — pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States.”

“The so-called defense primes are retooling designs and manufacturing processes and partnering with some smaller firms to offer options beyond the costly, complicated and slow-to-produce ‘exquisite’ projectiles that can cost more than $4 million each.”

“The Invest in Tomorrow Coalition PAC, backed by solar executives and investors, will plow at least $1 million into defeating Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) in the South Carolina GOP Senate runoff, the group told Playbook. It’s a significant sum — which could grow — for the compressed two-week sprint to Norman’s one-on-one contest against Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) for a full term in the seat once held by her late brother Lindsey Graham.”

“For the renewable energy world, taking down Norman is personal.”

“So after Ms. Harris, who lost Alaska by 14 percentage points, signed a recent fund-raising email from her PAC supporting Ms. Peltola, Republicans saw an opening for an attack — and pounced. Ms. Peltola’s campaign, in turn, quickly said it had not approved the appeal and did not seek the former vice president’s endorsement.”

REPORTER: The family members of US service members are concerned about the conditions on the USS Lincoln.

TRUMP: No they’re not…

REPORTER: Has the deployment gone on too long?

TRUMP: No no no. Not nearly long enough.

“Two recent developments are a case in point.”

“On Friday, Trump appealed to the Supreme Court to be able to continue building his coveted ballroom — which Americans already don’t like. And the day before, the president and his handpicked board at the Kennedy Center tried to put Trump’s name on the building – again.”

“Both moves suggest Trump remains preoccupied with his self-gratification and glorification, even though it’s increasingly likely to come at the expense of his party.”

Said Piker: “I know we don’t always see eye to eye on a lot of stuff, but you have to, literally, at some point—I know you don’t want to do this—defend me.”

He added: “Not because you love what I have to say, not because I’m a part of this coalition, even though I am, whether you like it or not, but you are going to inevitably have to say, ‘This is a ridiculous conversation that we’re having,’ because the real conversation that Republicans don’t wanna have is the cost of living crisis. That requires you, at some point, to basically take the L a little bit, okay, and maybe be a little more honest about how I’m not this dangerous, toxic, radical force.”

“U.S. attention is now centered on cutting off all revenue sources for the regime rather than any military or special forces operation similar to the January raid that seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.”

“The strategy is aimed at creating fractures in the ranks and room for negotiation in a government that’s rejected U.S. calls for change after almost seven decades of one-party rule.”

“The steepest month-to-month drop in sentiment was among survey respondents who identify as Republicans, with their outlook now 19% below readings from just before the Iran war and at the lowest since the 2024 election.”

“Hundreds of candidates for House, Senate or governor this year have staked out policies related to AI or data centers on their campaign websites, injecting the issue into nearly 40 percent of races across the country… There are likely more races where AI has been featured in candidate messaging through speeches, debates and social media posts.”

“Campaign veterans, pollsters and political analysts say they’ve rarely seen a new issue become a force so quickly in American politics.”

“Why it matters: National security experts have long bemoaned the American reliance on foreign sources for drone production, particularly China.”

And surprise: Unusual Machines, backed by Donald Trump Jr., was up 24% in late morning trading.

“The departure of Baker, who had also served as Vice President JD Vance’s national security adviser, comes as the U.S. remains mired in a stalemate in the Middle East war.”

“Mr. Fry announced the endorsement on Friday, throwing his weight behind Ms. Graham as she competes in a two-week runoff contest against Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), a longtime lawmaker and vice chairman of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, in the solidly Republican state.”

Said Kelly: “He’s a marginally failed real estate developer with multiple bankruptcies. He shouldn’t be weighing in on systems, on aircraft carriers.”

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