David Frum: “You might have thought that presiding over such a celebration would be an easy success for Trump. He is a showman, after all. He loves parades and extravaganzas. It was all an easy layup, a gimme, a chance for a now-unpopular second-term president to reinvent himself as the leader of all of the American people. The only thing he had to do was—for once in his life—not act like an insane egomaniac.”
Former Fed Chair Powell Delivers a Pointed Warning
“In a speech that dwelled on lofty civic themes, former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell grew conspicuously specific about one thing on Sunday night: that the central bank cannot survive if any administration finds a way to remove its officials over policy disagreements,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Powell, now a Fed governor, accepted an award recognizing political courage from the family of former President John F. Kennedy at a ceremony in Boston. Speaking in generalities about institutions, the rule of law and the inheritance of American democracy, he named no president and aired no specific grievance.”
“But on the structure that keeps monetary policy out of a president’s hands, he was exact.”
Iran Digs Out and Reopens Missile Sites
CNN: “Iran is poised to fire far more long-range missiles at Israel and other Middle Eastern nations after rapidly digging out its buried arsenals – an effort that highlights the limits to US bombing strategy.”
Trump Complains Democrats Make Iran Deal Harder
President Trump in an early morning post complained that Democrats and some Republicans make negotiating with Iran harder by “negatively ‘chirping,’ at levels never seen before… that I should move faster, or move slower, or go to war, or not go to war, or whatever.”
He added: “Just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end – It always does!”
Hurricane Season Is Here and FEMA Is Shorthanded
Politico: “The Trump administration is approaching hurricane season with the smallest disaster workforce since 2021, a huge backlog of state aid requests and 15 vacancies in top emergency management jobs.”
“President Donald Trump’s cuts to agencies that help with everything from clearing roads to finding emergency lodging are raising fears that a catastrophic hurricane could overwhelm the government’s ability to help desperate people and demolished communities.”
“Overall, that could mean the U.S. is less prepared for this hurricane season, beginning Monday, than it was at the start of last year’s unusually quiet summer and fall, said several emergency managers.”
Colorado Braces for Release of Tina Peters
New York Times: “On Monday, Ms. Peters, 70, will walk out of a Colorado prison a free woman, her nine-year sentence cut short by a commutation from Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat. His grant of clemency followed months of debate and political attacks from Mr. Trump, who demanded the governor free Ms. Peters.”
“She is set to be paroled to Grand Junction, where she once oversaw elections and still owns a home. Her hometown is solidly Republican and voted for Mr. Trump in the past three presidential elections, but residents there are now deeply divided over whether Ms. Peters is a martyr or villain — and whether they even want her back.”
Platner Denies Reports About Sexually-Explicit Texts
Graham Platner (D) “struck a defiant posture on Sunday in response to reports that he had sent sexual messages to women outside his marriage, accusing a former aide of false claims and news outlets of ‘journalistic malpractice,’” the New York Times reports.
Asked by reporters whether they were true, he said: “No. This is the amazing part. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times ran stories without any evidence besides the gossip from a former staffer. I’m sorry, that’s — that’s frankly journalistic malpractice. We pushed back on it.”
CNN: “CNN has not independently confirmed the existence of the text messages. CNN did verify that an account on the messaging app Kik appears to belong to Platner. The account, under the username ‘phustle0331,’ features a profile photo showing Platner shirtless in a bathroom with a towel on his waist and uses a handle similar to ones on his since-deleted Reddit account and a now-deleted Instagram account.”
Platner Tests Democrats’ Tolerance for Scandal
“Donald Trump shattered long-held political norms when Republicans elected him twice despite scandals that would have sunk most candidates. Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner is testing whether Democrats are willing to play by the same rules,” Axios reports.
“The answer will show whether voters’ tolerance for scandal — long thought to be a Trump-only phenomenon — is hardening into a broader feature of American politics.”
Platner Could Be Replaced on Ballot After Primary
“As controversy surrounding Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner continues to mount, attention is turning to a little-known provision of Maine law that could allow Democrats to replace him on the general election ballot after the primary,” Fox News reports.
“The question has taken on new significance because Maine election law provides a mechanism for replacing a nominee who withdraws after winning a primary.”
“Under Maine law, a candidate who wins the June 9 primary and subsequently withdraws by 5 p.m. on July 13 may be replaced by a nominee selected by party officials. Any replacement candidate must be chosen no later than 5 p.m. on July 27. The timeline would give Democrats just 14 days to settle on a replacement candidate and prepare for the general election campaign.”
Trump’s Slush-Fund Jam Swamps Hill
Punchbowl News: “All of this has left trust between Trump and GOP senators, in particular, at a low point.”
“Now Trump and Republicans have a real problem on their hands, with two of the president’s priorities — immigration enforcement and rewarding his political allies — in conflict with each other, forcing GOP lawmakers along for the ride.”
“Weaponization of reconciliation. The Republican reconciliation bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the rest of Trump’s term is in real peril amid strident opposition to the administration’s $1.8 billion ‘anti-weaponization’ fund.”
Politico: Trump fund angst keeps GOP agenda in limbo.
Right-Wing Firebrand Surges Into Colombia Runoff
“A far-right lawyer who pledged to smash the cocaine-fueled armed groups that have expanded in this country took the most votes in Sunday’s first round of the presidential election, a blow to both the ruling leftist party and establishment conservatives,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
U.S. Strikes Iranian Air Defenses
“The U.S. and Iran exchanged fresh blows over the weekend, with the U.S. striking what it said were air-defense radar and drone sites and Kuwait coming under attack after Iran said it was retaliating,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The exchange of fire came as the two foes were working to hammer out a deal to wind down the fighting. President Trump indicated a deal was close ahead of the weekend, but mediators have said issues like nuclear commitments and the timing and scale of any financial relief remained unresolved.”
A Few Thoughts on Graham Platner’s Latest Controversy
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Cory Booker Has ‘Concerns’ About Platner Revelations
“Sen. Cory Booker said that he had ‘concerns’ that the candidacy of Graham Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine, could be damaged by recent revelations, including that Mr. Platner exchanged sexual messages with women outside his marriage,” the New York Times reports.
Washington Post: The Platner sexting controversy and what it could mean for Democrats.
Trump Hits the Stalemate Phase of His Interventions
David Sanger: “President Trump likes his military and diplomatic victories quick, clean and decisive.”
“On his desk in the Oval Office, he keeps models of the B-2 bombers that took out three Iranian nuclear sites in one night, not quite a year ago. In the opening weeks of the Iran conflict this year, he talked often about replicating his success in Venezuela — ‘the perfect scenario,’ he said — shorthand for overthrowing a troublesome leader with one quick commando raid, and replacing him with a pliant, American-friendly successor.”
“But now, Mr. Trump has hit the stalemate phase of his presidency.”
Migration Boom, Latino Backlash Jolts Texas Senate Race
Axios: “Texas has gained more than 2.5 million new residents since 2020 — roughly the entire population of New Mexico — reshaping the electorate and injecting new uncertainty into this year’s marquee Senate race.”
“Republican Ken Paxton is favored to defeat Democrat James Talarico in November, but the influx of new arrivals — along with fading Latino support for President Trump and booming exurban counties — has scrambled the political math in typically red Texas.”
Ex-Biden Aides Give Jill’s New Book a Frosty Review
“Many former Biden aides think Jill Biden’s new book is rewriting history, unhelpful to the Democratic Party and tone-deaf,” Axios reports.
“Most Democratic Party leaders don’t want to talk about Joe Biden’s presidency, but the Bidens are making that difficult. Both are writing books and the former president plans to make campaign stops ahead of the November midterms.”
Trump’s Physical Report Has Gaps in Details
Wall Street Journal: “The White House memorandum describing President Trump’s recent physical examination lacks details of the results of tests to assess his cardiovascular health, according to physicians who read the report.”
“That is one of several areas of the report that doctors said stood out for its lack of specificity. The president spent about three hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday, where he underwent a battery of tests as part of his annual medical examination.”
Axios: Trump health readout leaves key blanks unfilled.
