“The race, in a state critical to the party’s prospects for winning a Senate majority, has featured months of infighting over what the party stands for.”

“The battle between Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive former local public-health official, and Rep. Haley Stevens, a four-term congresswoman, encapsulates virtually everything dividing Democrats. There has been debate over who is to blame for 2024 election failures, the type of candidate best positioned to beat Republicans in November, the role of corporate and big-dollar campaign money, and the U.S. relationship with Israel.”

CNN: The fight for Michigan: how a marquee Senate primary became the Democrats’ latest proxy war.

Said Trump: “We’re ready to go any time we want. Would I rather make a deal? I’m not looking to kill people. People die. A lot of people die and we don’t want that.”

“At a weekend meeting of hundreds of party officials, the tax proposal on Sunday cleared the 60% threshold needed to overcome objections and win the endorsement, according to a party spokeswoman. California voters will decide whether to approve or reject the ballot initiative in November. If it takes effect, the state’s roughly 200 billionaires would pay a 5%, one-time levy.”

“The question is whether Trump’s Gulf partners can make enough headway in the days ahead to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, at least temporarily, and lay the groundwork for eventual nuclear talks. “

“Previous efforts on both fronts have failed for months, though there were initial signs of progress Sunday on reopening the waterway.”

CNBC: Hamas says Trump’s Gaza “disarmament” claim depends on Israel honoring commitments.

“The yen is ‘very undervalued,’ U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Friday — Japan’s currency has weakened for months, a phenomenon economists attributed to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s expansionary fiscal policy, including her push to boost defense spending.”

“The moves suggest the White House was concerned a yen selloff could further push up U.S. bond yields, which remain elevated.”

Reuters: Bessent’s “to do” list: buy $5-10 billion worth of Japanese yen, photo shows.

Said Trump: “It would have been the biggest attack since World War II. We’re just going to see whether or not we can make a deal.”

Said Trump: “’Thank you very much to all of those who participated. I won with a score of 70, and am so honored in that, unlike the rest of the field, I’m given very little time to practice, because I’m focused on many other things. It’s called TALENT, and I have it, and they don’t!”

“It also included instances when they were captured on camera at traffic intersections, markets, shopping malls or other locations, including a mosque.”

“Newsom has raised more than $1.7 million for critical state parties and their legislative committees so far this two-year cycle.”

“Two years later, Bush is staging a comeback attempt to reclaim the deep-blue Missouri seat she lost to Democratic Rep. Wesley Bell, a former prosecutor running as a more-centrist candidate to represent St. Louis and some of its inner suburbs.”

“The rematch Tuesday marks a high-profile test of which direction Democratic voters want to go: a pragmatic, moderate path personified by Bell, or the more-energetic, leftward direction sought by Bush, a onetime member of the ‘Squad’ of prominent progressive lawmakers.”

NBC News: Rep. Marcy Kaptur hospitalized after hit-and-run car crash.

“The Senate is likely to vote on the measure before leaving Washington at week’s end for its traditional August recess, a period that many lawmakers want to spend shoring up their reelection prospects rather than working in the nation’s capital.”

“The Georgia senator, 39, has catapulted into the 2028 conversation by making liberals on social media swoon over his viral clips of high-energy rallies and sharp takedowns of President Trump and Republicans.”

”Our conversations with Democratic strategists in Georgia and beyond — as well as aides to his potential 2028 rivals — revealed a mix of respect for Ossoff’s digital skills and skepticism that they add up to a serious presidential campaign-in-waiting.”

New York Post: Pete Buttigieg, AOC and Jon Ossoff poll ahead of Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris for White House run.

”Iran has made clear that its price for ending hostilities is control over the Strait of Hormuz, a politically unpalatable prospect for the White House. But the ongoing tit-for-tat strikes, threatening to become a wider regional war, is equally untenable.”

“That’s left a frustrated White House with few good options.”

“But some of the central allegations have been investigated before, and even some Republicans involved in those inquiries question how much the new material adds. Fauci denies claims of a cover-up, and his allies say he is stuck in a Kafkaesque nightmare. Their fears were accentuated after a former Fauci aide was arrested in April after he privately bragged about concealing emails.
The pressure on Fauci, 85, is intensifying. More lawmakers are preparing to challenge him. Paparazzi lurk outside his door, and death threats persist.”

“The declining religious affiliation of Latinos ages 18 to 29 — particularly among Catholics — is challenging long-held assumptions that their explosive growth would boost traditional religious values in American culture.”

“Republicans quickly shouted over the ruckus. But the repeated nods to Senator Mitch McConnell and his absence at the political stump in western Kentucky reflected how much his recent hospitalization and the sparse, limited official statements about his recovery have gripped Kentucky politics.”

“Mr. McConnell has been a fixture at the event over the last four decades, as he helped grow Kentucky’s Republican presence into a dominating political power. But he has not been seen in public since he was hospitalized in mid-June, fueling questions about his health and whether he would return to the Senate before his term ends on Jan. 3.”

NewsNation: GOP senators express confidence in McConnell’s return as health scrutiny grows.

“Vice President JD Vance has the inside track for Trump’s endorsement. But there’s a not-insignificant GOP faction that never embraced Trump’s overhaul of the party — and is already arguing against handing the reins to Vance.”

”In a series of recent columns, Journal opinion writers have ripped Vance for being too self-promoting, too eager to court Tucker Carlson, and too thin-skinned.”