“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out at the Pentagon’s top representative from Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service weeks ago in an angry confrontation arising from claims the DOGE official had summoned law enforcement to remove a subordinate from the building,” the Washington Post reports.
Trump Wants to Automate Federal Agencies
“Elon Musk has receded from Washington but one of his most disruptive ideas about government is surging inside the Trump administration,” the Washington Post reports.
“Artificial intelligence, Musk has said, can do a better job than federal employees at many tasks — a notion being tested by AI projects trying to automate work across nearly every agency in the executive branch.”
Bond Traders Boost Bearish Bets
“A bearish tone is taking hold in the Treasury market amid worries over the risk of tariff-fueled inflation and increased government spending in some of the world’s biggest economies,” Bloomberg reports.
“The 30-year Treasury yield climbed above 5% for the first time since early June, and there were large flows seen in options bets costing a combined premium of about $10 million that target a jump to around 5.3% within roughly five weeks. The rate on the long bond hasn’t been that high since 2007.”
Cornyn Raised Less Than $1 Million Last Quarter
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) raised just $803,952 for his re-election committee and has $5.9 million on hand.
Meanwhile, GOP primary challenger Ken Paxton (R) brought in $2.9 million and has $2.5 million on hand.
House GOP Again Blocks Attempt to Release Epstein Files
“House Republicans on Tuesday voted down another Democratic procedural maneuver aimed at forcing the Justice Department to release documents related to Jeffrey Epstein,” Axios reports.
“It’s the second time this week Democrats have forced their GOP colleagues to choose between loyalty to President Trump and a MAGA base that is furious at his administration over its handling of the Epstein files.”
Trump Challenges Democratic Lawmakers to IQ Test
President Trump wants to give IQ tests to Democratic representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett to “see who comes out best,” the Daily Beast reports.
Said Trump: “AOC — look. I think she’s very nice. But she’s very low IQ, and we really don’t need low IQ. Between her and Crockett, we’re gonna give ’em both an IQ test to see who comes out best. I took a real test at Walter Reed medical center and I aced it. Now it’s time for them.”
Boebert Wants Matt Gaetz Appointed Special Counsel
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) proposed former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) as special counsel to investigate “the truth” about the Jeffrey Epstein files.
The MAGA Blowup Over Pam Bondi
Politico: “The attorney general has long tried to establish herself as one of Donald Trump’s most faithful allies: She was part of his defense team during his first impeachment, she helped him challenge his 2020 election loss and she stood by his side during his New York hush money trial.”
“But many of Trump’s very online MAGA supporters have always distrusted Bondi. Far-right influencers haven’t forgotten that she did not vocally defend the people who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. They view her career in Florida politics as tainted by her links to the GOP establishment, especially the state’s former governor, Jeb Bush. As a private lawyer, she even represented Pfizer, a company that some elements of Trump’s base view with suspicion due to its Covid-19 vaccine.”
Andrew Cuomo Retools His Mayoral Campaign
“Andrew Cuomo is scrambling to reinvent himself in an uphill general election bid for New York City mayor,” Politico reports.
“His pitch: The former three-term governor is running as an underdog — speaking with voters, boosting his online presence and attempting to appeal to New Yorkers under 30. In sum, it’s the opposite of how he ran his failed primary.”
Senate Confirms Official Who Called Obama a ‘Terrorist’
“The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Anthony Tata to serve as the Pentagon’s undersecretary for personnel and readiness, approving a nominee whose incendiary political commentary made him unconfirmable during President Donald Trump’s first term,” Politico reports.
“The vote was 52-46 with all Republicans voting in favor and all Democrats opposed.”
“Tata faced criticism over past remarks in which he called then-President Barack Obama a ‘terrorist leader,’ and accused senior Pentagon officials of being ‘compromised by hatred’ against Trump.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“If you’re not hiding anything, prove that to the American people. And if you are trying to hide something, as many of Donald Trump’s MAGA supporters apparently believe, then the Congress should work hard to uncover the truth for the American people.”
— House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), quoted by the Washington Post, calling for the full release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Democrats Plot Walkout to Block Texas Redistricting
“National Democratic leaders are encouraging state Democrats in the Texas House to consider walking out of a special legislative session this month to block Republicans from redrawing the state’s congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Jeffries called the coming special session an all-hands-on-deck moment that would require extraordinary actions to block Mr. Trump and Texas Republicans.”
For members: Republicans Take a Big Gamble in Texas
A Reminder Looking Ahead to 2028
Chuck Todd: “Since the Democrats regained the White House in 1976, only four people have won the presidency: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden. Of those four, three of them — Carter, Clinton, and Obama — were barely even in the top tier of conversation three years before their nomination.”
Trump Says Bondi Should Release ‘Whatever Is Credible’
President Trump said Attorney General Pam Bondi should release “whatever she thinks is credible” on Jeffrey Epstein as he faces pressure from his MAGA supporters, ABC News reports.
Epstein Prison Video Had Nearly 3 Minutes Cut Out
Wired: “Newly uncovered metadata reveals that nearly three minutes of footage were cut from what the Department of Justice and FBI described as ‘full raw’ surveillance video from the only functioning camera near Jeffrey Epstein’s prison cell the night before he was found dead.”
Democrats Are Workshopping New Tactics
“If there is one point of consensus in the deeply fractured Democratic Party, it’s that the old ways of doing business just aren’t cutting it,” the New York Times reports.
“And so, many of the party’s most analytically minded strategists have begun focusing their energies on dissecting the tactical and technical decisions that led to last year’s devastating defeats, and dreaming up proposals to overhaul the machinery of progressive politics.”
“This work is not about the big picture of what the party stands for. It is about the nuts and bolts of how to get candidates elected: which potential voters to target; whose doors to knock on, and whether door-knocking is still effective in a digital age; and when and where to advertise, whether online, on television or by mail.”
NATO Warns Brazil, China and India
“NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned on Wednesday that countries such as Brazil, China and India could be hit very hard by secondary sanctions if they continued to do business with Russia,” Reuters reports.
Trump Adds Tariffs to Mexican Tomatoes
“The Trump administration announced that it would impose a 17 percent tariff on most imports of tomatoes from Mexico, as it withdrew from a decades-old trade agreement that had prevented those levies from snapping into place,” the New York Times reports.
“The tariffs will add to the price of a year-round grocery store staple for many Americans, while funneling more business to domestic tomato growers, largely in Florida.”
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