“French President Emmanuel Macron revealed he had a ‘difficult’ meeting with President Trump on Monday evening,” the New York Post reports.
“The tension in their one-on-one meeting is reflective of the strained relationship Trump has with Macron and other European leaders, who remain frustrated that the American president started a war with Iran, has threatened to annex Greenland, and expressed sympathy for Russia in its war with Ukraine.”
“Nearly half of Americans say they don’t consider themselves a part of either major political party, the highest level of partisan independence measured by CNN polling in more than a decade,” CNN reports.
“Independents have grown to 47% of the population, rising roughly 10 points since just after President Donald Trump’s first term as president.”
“Though President Trump declared on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen and be ‘permanently toll-free,’ Iran indicated on Monday that it intended to charge fees for unspecified services in the strait,” the New York Times reports.
“The net effect — paying for passage through the vital waterway for global energy supplies, which was not required before the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran — could add expense and complications for commercial shipping in the waterway, and set a dangerous precedent for shipping in international waters worldwide.”
Punchbowl News: “It is very rare for a senior congressional leadership staffer to write a book. Maybe that’s why John Leganski’s book is causing so much angst in the House Republican leadership.”
“Glory, Grief, and the Gavel: An Inside Guide to Running for Speaker of the House will be out next week, and it’s a pretty juicy read. It dives deep into former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s rise and ultimate fall from Congress. It has some pretty good nuggets from the rooms Leganski was in; he served as McCarthy’s deputy chief of staff.”
Punchbowl News: “It won’t be clear for weeks or even months whether Trump can notch a lasting nuclear accord between the United States and the Islamic Republic — or whether the competing interests in the region will lead to another round of armed conflict.”
“What is clear, though, is that this may be the last chance for Trump and Republicans to change the subject back to the issue driving every race — the state of the U.S. economy. The big question hanging over Washington now is what Trump will do next.”
“GOP congressional leaders are desperate for Trump to not only wind down the Iran conflict but also begin focusing on the affordability issues that are driving a backlash to Republicans nationwide.”
Politico: “Trump’s attorney general nominee Todd Blanche met with Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley yesterday, but his potential confirmation vote still faces some hurdles and would be months away.”
“The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to receive Blanche’s paperwork this week, according to a person familiar with the process granted anonymity to speak about the plans. That would kick off the countdown to a confirmation vote as soon as the first full week of August. Grassley said in a statement on Monday he expected his panel to hold Blanche’s hearing in July.”
“House Democrats are seething over what is, by all indications, a nationwide Republican effort to elevate Democratic primary candidates viewed as more beatable in November,” Axios reports.
“A trio of obscure super PACs with progressive-sounding names have cropped up in recent months to support more left-leaning or scandal-tarnished candidates in key battleground districts.”
“Senate Republicans were noncommittal on backing President Donald Trump’s emerging deal with Iran, saying they are awaiting more information about the accord that is set to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and extend the ceasefire for 60 days,” NOTUS reports.
Semafor: “The GOP’s position on Iran has long disfavored dealmaking, with most Republican lawmakers railing against then-President Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear pact with Tehran. Many of those same Republicans withheld judgment on Monday on the memorandum that Trump signed on Sunday, given the lack of available information about it.”
New York Times: “At the onset of the war, Mr. Trump predicted that his intervention would be over in short order, resulting only in a mild disruption to the U.S. economy, which he promised would rebound quickly. But the campaign eclipsed three months, and it unleashed a set of financial stresses on the country that are expected to persist, perhaps into next year.”
“Oil prices have started to recede, but fuel costs generally will not fall to prewar levels immediately, and it may be months before consumers see full relief at the gas pump.”
New York Times: “Days after the Trump administration completed a $14.2 million project to coat the Reflecting Pool’s concrete floor with dark blue waterproofing material, clumps of algae dotted the surface on Sunday and Monday, giving parts of the pool a green hue.”
“The pool was gleaming last week after the work, which was meant to fix two longstanding problems, leaks and algal blooms, before the country’s 250th birthday. But after several hot and humid days, the algae returned in force.”
“Trump has no earthly idea of what’s coming for him. They’re not telling him. The vote against him in November is gonna be like, breathtaking.”
— James Carville, quoted by Mediaite.
“President Donald Trump’s nomination of Todd Blanche to lead the US Justice Department was met with cautious optimism by a key Republican senator who has repeatedly split with the administration on other issues,” Bloomberg reports.
“Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said he’s ‘generally satisfied’ with Blanche’s paperwork and plans to meet with him next week.”
“CIA Director John Ratcliffe told President Trump and other senior officials that intelligence gathered by U.S. intelligence agencies raised serious doubts about Iran’s willingness to make the nuclear concessions the U.S. is seeking in any final deal,” Axios reports.
“Ratcliffe isn’t the only skeptic in Trump’s top team. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have both expressed concerns and raised questions about the deal in internal discussions, while Vice President Vance and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner advocated for it.”
New York Times: “A decade before America’s 250th anniversary, Congress created a bipartisan commission to coordinate the festivities. The commission, named America 250, was supposed to build infrastructure projects, produce educational materials and facilitate “all fitting and proper activities” for the celebration.”
“But as July 4 nears, a separate organization called Freedom 250, created by President Trump, has taken over the handling of the biggest and boldest events…”
“The story of how there came to be two groups working on the anniversary celebrations — one created by Congress and the other by Mr. Trump — is a tale of government dysfunction and deep partisanship at what would normally be a moment of national unity. And behind the scenes, the power struggle has been driven by a president who is willing to push Congress aside and bring his own personal brand to the country’s marquee celebrations.”
“President Donald Trump’s White House hasn’t shared vital information with the Hill about the contours of the administration’s ceasefire deal with Iran. That’s created a vacuum, forcing Republicans to express varying degrees of skepticism about the accord,” Punchbowl News reports.
During the 2024 campaign, Vice President JD Vance vociferously defended his comments about “childless cat ladies,” but in his new memoir, he admits it was “boneheaded” and “one of the dumbest things I’ve ever said,” Mediaite reports.
The Economist: “On roughly 40 occasions since March, Donald Trump has claimed that he was close to a deal with Iran. This time, he was, at last, right. Overnight on Sunday both America and Iran announced an agreement that they claim will end their nearly four-month war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.”
“It will bring needed relief to a scarred region, and to global energy markets. But it will not resolve the issues that brought America and Iran to war in the first place.”
Aaron Blake: “President Donald Trump’s efforts to turn his second term into a big vanity project largely focused on himself are looking increasingly messy.”
“It would be one thing for him to go to such great lengths to build an elaborate White House ballroom and slap his name on buildings in the best of times; but Trump’s timing would seem exceedingly tone deaf, given most Americans are more concerned about their own pocketbooks than honoring a historically unpopular president.”
“And repeatedly in recent days and weeks, the administration’s initiatives have run into roadblocks and its efforts to embellish Washington, DC, (often by skirting the law) have looked rather haphazard.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.