Just for members: The latest issue of 
Republicans Scrub Their Ken Paxton Insults
“Within hours of Ken Paxton defeating Sen. John Cornyn in Tuesday’s Senate Republican primary runoff in Texas, the Senate GOP’s campaign arm deleted at least nine press releases and digital ads from its website that had attacked Paxton — an erasure of a monthslong opposition campaign that the committee had waged against the man it will now help elect,” NOTUS reports.
The Guardian: Republicans race to back Ken Paxton as runoff sets up closely-watched US Senate battle in Texas.
Justices Face First Major Test of Voting Rights Act Ruling
New York Times: “Alabama Republican leaders asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to allow them to use a congressional district map that a lower court this week determined discriminated against Black voters.”
“The fight over Alabama’s map will be the first major test of how the justices intend to apply their recent ruling narrowing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”
CNN: Alabama urges Supreme Court to bring back GOP-friendly House map for midterm elections.
Democrats Across the Country Can Run on Corruption
Paul Waldman: “There may never be a better time to run on questions of corruption. Trump’s actions in his second term are truly mind-boggling: from the gold-plated ballroom and the slush fund for insurrectionists to the way the administration is slashing regulation around crypto and prediction markets while the Trump family benefits from them, to the $400 million plane Qatar gifted Trump, to the government contracts given to companies with ties to Trump’s sons, to the Gulf emirates pouring money into Trump family firms.”
Weep Not for John Cornyn
Michael Wood: “Maybe a grudging, strange new respect will form for Cornyn over the coming months as he joins Senators Cassidy and Tillis in offering the most modest pushback imaginable against our Nero-in-Chief. And then John Cornyn will be forgotten, and to the extent that he is remembered he will vaguely be thought of as that one Texas senator who wasn’t as bad as the other one: not as sleazy as Cruz, not as corrupt as Paxton, etc.”
“But I don’t think he should get away that easily.”
“No, it is as important to call out our gutless elected officials as it is to celebrate the brave ones. I hope John Cornyn is remembered for what he is: an incompetent and cowardly senator who put himself before his country.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I don’t care about the midterms.”
— President Trump, quoted by CNN, saying he won’t be rushed into making a deal with Iran to bring down energy prices.
Not a Parody
Charlie Sykes: “At a time of war, economic anxiety, toxic political divisions, a relentless assault on the rule of law, and unprecedented corruption, the president is erecting a giant cage on the South Lawn to ‘host next month’s Ultimate Fighting Championship bout, helping mark the nation’s 250th anniversary — and President Donald Trump ‘s 80th birthday.'”
“Because, my friends, what says ‘Happy Birthday, America’ more eloquently than a mixed martial arts bout held in an octagonal cage made of metal chain-link fencing, where gladiators pummel one another with punches, kicks, elbows, knees, takedowns, and submissions — both above and below the belt — for the amusement of the invited botoxed elites?”
Cornyn’s Defeat Fuels Tensions With President Trump
“Senator John Cornyn’s resounding primary defeat in Texas on Tuesday has sharpened tensions between President Trump and Senate Republicans, and threatens to imperil the president’s agenda as allies who have stayed in lock step with him see his actions increasingly diverging from their interests,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Cornyn, who less than two years ago came within a handful of votes of becoming the Republican leader, was a popular and respected senator as well as a prolific fund-raiser, a dependable conservative vote and an able floor debater. His colleagues saw the president’s last-minute endorsement of his scandal-mired opponent as a move to punish a senator whom Mr. Trump deemed insufficiently loyal, an insult to the institution and a self-serving political mistake that put his party’s hold on the Senate at risk.”
Lame-Duck Republicans Who Don’t Owe Trump Anything
Washington Post: “One by one, Trump is putting an end to the political careers of lawmakers in his party that he deems, for reasons more personal than policy-oriented, to be apostates. But in doing so, he may also be liberating them as they serve out their remaining seven months in Congress. They now have nothing to lose if they stand up against him.”
“By giving belated independence to a handful of incumbents he vanquished at the ballot box or forced into retirement, the president is creating a growingly noxious dynamic between the two ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.”
Massie on Vacation with Marjorie Taylor Green
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) is coping with his primary loss last week by vacationing in Costa Rica with former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), TMZ reports.
The Iran Deal Is in the Hands of a Terrible Negotiator
David Graham: “Donald Trump’s reputation and political career were built on his dealmaking prowess, yet the president keeps demonstrating that he is a terrible negotiator.”
“Repeatedly over the past nine years, Trump has gotten rolled by counterparts during high-stakes exchanges. North Korea, Russia, Russia again, China, and China again have gotten the better of the United States. Trump has had to slink back to Washington without much to show except empty talk about friendship with whatever dictator has just run circles around him. He’s had some success in brokering agreements when acting as a third party (though not nearly as much as he pretends) but much less luck when his own government is a participant.”
“The one glaring exception came when he was effectively negotiating with himself, getting his own administration to set up a $1.8 billion slush fund for his political allies.”
How Trump Insulates Himself from Future Investigations
CNN: “On several fronts, Trump is dismantling post-Watergate transparency mandates, attacking Congress’ power of the purse, rewarding loyalists accused of committing crimes that support his causes, and assaulting independent agencies and executive branch watchdogs.”
“Trump has done so by capitalizing on and accelerating an expansion of presidential power embraced by the conservative Supreme Court, and by blowing through norms and political gravity that reined in other presidents.”
Quote of the Day
“To call Ken Paxton ethically challenged is to call Jeffrey Dahmer suffering from an eating disorder.”
— Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), quoted by the New York Times, on the new Republican nominee for Senate in Texas.
Trump’s Missing Ambassadors
Tom Nichols: “The United States is fighting, in some form or another, with almost everyone. America’s in a hot war with Iran and a cold war with China and Russia (even if President Trump hasn’t figured that out). Trump has ignited various trade wars, and keeps talking up a possible conflict with Cuba.”
“And just for good measure, the president seems still obsessed with grabbing Greenland, which would spark a confrontation with NATO, the most powerful and successful alliance in history—and one supposedly led by Washington.”
“This might seem like a good time for some traditional diplomacy: deploying ambassadors to smooth ruffled feathers, assure friends and warn enemies of American resolve, and work out details on trade and other issues that require professional attention.”
“The problem is that those ambassadors don’t exist. As The Wall Street Journal reported last week, the Trump administration has left more than 100 ambassadorships unfilled, including some to important U.S. allies.”
The One Republican Who Could Lose Texas
Dan Pfeiffer: “The field in the Lone Star State is set. Last night, Texas Republicans nominated Trump-backed and scandal-plagued Attorney General Ken Paxton for Senate. Paxton defeated John Cornyn, a four-term incumbent and former Senate Majority Whip.”
“This is an absolute gift to Democrats.”
“The Paxton-Cornyn primary was one of the most brutal and expensive in modern political history, with accusations of adultery, bribery, support for Sharia law, and so much else. The end result is a bruised and battered, very vulnerable Ken Paxton running against an incredibly talented and well-funded Democrat in James Talarico.”
Democrats Still Haven’t Won Back the Latino Vote
CBS News: “Some 54% of Latino voters plan to vote for a Democratic House candidate in November, and 27% plan to vote for a Republican, with 19% undecided, according to the poll of 3,000 registered Latino voters, which was conducted nationally and across 32 competitive congressional districts…”
“That 54% figure lines up exactly with the Democratic share of the Latino vote in the 2024 House elections, according to exit polls that year — which is a notable drop from previous cycles. Democrats won 60% of the Latino House vote in 2022, 63% in 2020 and 69% in 2018.”
A Third of Americans Say They Don’t Have Control
Gallup: “One in three Americans say they lack agency in their lives, feeling like their lives are mostly dictated by circumstances beyond their control. This sentiment is expressed most commonly by younger and lower-income Americans.”
Republicans Stare Down Inflation Abyss
CNBC: “Republicans have said for months that inflation is former President Joe Biden’s problem. Now, they’re staring down the barrel of an inflation crisis of their own making just in time for the midterm election, and the blame game is just getting started.”
“Inflation ticked up to 3.8% year-over-year in April, the highest mark since 2023. Much of that spike is coming on the back of soaring energy prices, which have persisted since President Donald Trump launched a war in Iran.”
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