“Why it matters: Trump is seriously considering attacking Iranian energy targets in the coming days in response to Iran’s missile strike on a U.S. base in Jordan and its continued disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. He has yet to issue final orders.”

Associated Press: Saudi crown prince urges Trump not to escalate Iran war.

“The DNC isn’t the only problem spot for Democrats—other Democratic committees and super PACs lag behind Republicans across the board. It is common for a party that is out of power in Washington to struggle, but Democrats are increasingly concerned it will hurt their chances of winning this fall as Republicans stack up significantly more money in committees and PACs that can organize door-knocking efforts and air TV ads.”

“Loomer’s remarks come after a recent trip to Ukraine, where she said seeing the effects of the war firsthand changed her views on the conflict. She said her perspective shifted after experiencing an air raid and hearing warning sirens.”

New York Times: How Ukraine is making inroads with MAGA and a Trump ally, Laura Loomer.

Fox News: Sen Darline Graham drops campaign video on heels of brother’s funeral services amid tight primary timeline.

“The redistricting carried out in California and nine other states since 2024 has left the nation with an unusually low number of truly competitive districts, narrowing the battle for U.S. House control in this year’s historically consequential midterms cycle to a few dozen races at best.”

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“In fact, his real poll numbers are at or near the lowest they have ever been in some nonpartisan surveys…”

“The latest surveys indicate that Mr. Trump is now all but the most unpopular second-term president at this stage of their tenure in the history of polling going back to the 1940s. The only exception is not one that would give Mr. Trump much solace: Richard M. Nixon had even less public support at this stage in his second term but at that point he was just days away from resigning over the Watergate scandal.”

Rolling Stone: Trump is really, really unpopular, new polling shows.

“Kansans on Tuesday will decide whether to amend the state constitution to allow voters to directly elect justices to the state’s highest court — a push by the legislature’s Republican supermajority to reshape a judicial system that’s repeatedly stymied its policy priorities.”

“Critics of the measure worry Kansas could become the inspiration for other states to overhaul their own high courts, eroding the independence of the judiciary nationwide.”

“It is now much more common for grand juries around the country, particularly in Washington, to reject indictments brought by the department. In years past, this almost never happened.”

“Greene posted a picture on Saturday of her and her new husband Brian Glenn sitting at a wooden table headed by Carlson, who was flanked by lame duck Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and another ex-fan of President Donald Trump: Joe Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center who quit earlier this year in protest of the Iran war. Massie and Kent’s wife are also seated at the table.”

Said Greene: “We said no more foreign wars and we meant it and supported Donald Trump because he made that promise. But he’s betrayed us all. Our commitment is America First for all Americans, right, left, and center. The movement has begun.”

“This isn’t just the standard middle-aged lament that the kids aren’t all right. It’s a criticism aimed at institutions like the Heritage Foundation that purport to identify and train the party’s future governing class. To conservative critics in and out of government, many of whom ascribe to more traditional, pre-MAGA Republican beliefs, some such institutions have spent the last decade selecting for rigid conformity to Trumpist ideology over more typical markers of expertise.”

“Maybe that helps for enforcing the party line in the new GOP. But these critics fear a decline of merit and skill, along with a tolerance for darker ideologies that could cripple the party’s ability to govern in the long run.”

“Trump doubled down on claims that the renovated pool had been vandalized, even as federal prosecutors suggested the damage was instead due to ‘botched’ contractor work.”

The Guardian: Trump’s reflecting pool saga: a timeline of failure and finger-pointing.

“The 30-second spot, narrated by Jackson, is backed by a seven-figure buy slated to begin airing statewide next week.”

“The warning, posted online by U.S. embassies in Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to hit Iran ‘very hard.'”

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said vandals are to blame for the damage that appeared just two weeks after the $14 million renovation was completed in early June.”

Said Gingrich: “Socialism by itself has been given a new lease on life by three generations of college brainwashing. However, even most young people dislike the term big government so much that big government socialism is much less acceptable to Gen Z voters than socialism.”

“Why it matters: Tillis’s comment escalates the fight between the White House and holdout Senate Republicans over whether Trump’s fund — for people he considers victims of political persecution — is dead or not.”

”New reporting on government documents claiming that Miller poured hot water on his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, held a gun to her head and broke their young daughter’s collarbone has brought a wave of new attention to the Ohio lawmaker’s long-running public marital dispute.”