Today’s notice: Hope you wanted the Democratic Senate primary in Michigan to go on longer. Max Miller says he has friends in high places. Latest on Todd Blanche’s nomination. Redistricting’s next steps. Private health info leaked with Fauci’s journal. And: Bond market warning signs.
THE LATEST
The dreaded third option: When the polls closed in Michigan last night, the idea was that Democrats would get clarity on the questions that have plagued them throughout the primary season. A big win by progressive Abdul El-Sayed would mean the left could fight off big outside money and wave off pesky worries about electability. A clear win by Rep. Haley Stevens, the establishment pick, would signal that battleground Democrats weren’t ready to take the same ideological risks as safely blue places — and let party leadership breathe a little.
El-Sayed remains ahead of Stevens, but the margin is too narrow for there to be a clear winner early this morning. That means the argument about the party’s future goes on.
Trending
It was a proverbial Groundhog Day for this Democratic primary cycle, and the little guy saw his shadow — forecasting at least six more weeks of Democratic Party angst. Bring on the Wisconsin primary!
One thing we definitely learned last night: time to really stop listening to the polls, right? There were a lot of them in this Senate primary and in most cases they were, uh, not accurate.
Open tabs: Chuck Edwards Ends His Reelection Following Harassment Allegations (NOTUS); Iran reports positive signs in Hormuz talks with Oman (Al Jazeera); Armed Man Arrested at Trump’s LA Golf Course Ahead of the President’s Visit (NOTUS); Former GOP Sen. Jeff Flake backs Jon Ossoff (AJC); Arizona’s Democratic Governor Set to Pick a Republican Running Mate (NYT)
From the Hill
Rep. Max Miller says he has allies: The embattled Ohio Republican vowed to stay in his reelection race, called for a House Ethics investigation of his conduct and asserted powerful people still have his back, NOTUS’ Adora Brown writes. “Speaker Mike Johnson, everyone else, they’re standing behind me,” Miller told CNN. “No one has told me to get off the ballot.” Johnson hasn’t publicly joined calls for Miller to step down and didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Todd Blanche drama gets one more act: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said yesterday that she’ll vote against Blanche, Trump’s nominee to be attorney general. That means Blanche must win over at least one of the two remaining Republican holdouts in the Senate to be confirmed, NOTUS’ Al Weaver reports. The senators to watch: Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Bill Cassidy (R-Lousiana).
From the redistricting wars
Redistricting rekindled: Maryland statehouse Democrats passed a constitutional amendment yesterday that would make it easier to redraw congressional lines ahead of the 2028 election, NOTUS’ Manuela Silva reports. And 900 miles away in Missouri, the state’s top elections official blocked a petition challenging a Republican-passed map aimed at eliminating Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s seat.
THE BIG ONE
Rand Paul’s doxing problem: When the Kentucky senator made public the journal kept by Anthony Fauci last week, Paul also released personal medical information of more than 20 individuals, NOTUS’ Margaret Manto reports.
What’s included: Names, diagnoses, symptoms and test results of individuals. Two of the people identified by name alongside their medical details were children, Margaret writes. (One of those was the child of Trumpworld players Stephen and Katie Miller, as we first reported.) Some are very public figures like Joe Biden, and others appear to be private individuals whose medical history was posted for the world to see.
And those individuals are understandably angry. “If I was a victimizer in the Epstein files, my name would have been redacted,” Leslie Adelman, whose name and medical condition were posted in the document dump, told NOTUS. (Adelman gave permission to use her name in Margaret’s story.) “Instead, I am an innocent and productive member of society, who has donated her time and body to NIH for research that will benefit millions of people — yet MY name and information is blasted to the national news.”
NOTUS PERSPECTIVES
When Trump called Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz “seriously retarded” last year, it was part of a disturbing pattern. “The use of slurs in general is up,” according to one expert. “But nothing comes near the numbers we’re seeing on the R-word.” Today at NOTUS Perspectives, Sadie Dingfelder explains why this particular insult has become the defining slur of the Trump era.
ON NOTUS PODCAST
From your favorite podcast app: As the Senate prepares to head home for August recess, some Republicans want to stay behind to pass the SAVE America Act, even if they lack the votes. NOTUS’ Igor Bobic is joined by Avani Kalra and Al Weaver to discuss the inner machinations of the Senate Republican Conference and President Trump’s “dog with a chew toy” focus on the voting act.
NEW ON NOTUS
Bad signs in the bond market: Last week’s unexpected surge in bond yields — primarily triggered by doubts about the Fed’s commitment to fighting inflation — could hit small- and medium-sized banks hard if the market doesn’t calm, NOTUS’ Jeff Stein reports. The implications for the U.S. economy, not to mention the midterms, are potentially huge. Volatility in the bond markets helped push Trump to back off of his “Liberation Day” tariff scheme, which corrected the situation quickly. But the spike this time was less sudden and has gotten less attention, Jeff writes, and it may also be harder to resolve.
More: Mike Lindell Steps Down From MyPillow to Focus on Minnesota Governor Campaign, by Jenna Monnin
FEMA Cut Staff Without Planning for Future Work, Watchdog Says, by Natalie Alms
Freedom 250 Sponsors Failed to Disclose Donations — A Potential Lobbying Law Violation, by Taylor Giorno
NOT US
- US diesel prices overtake Biden-era average, by Myles McCormick for the Financial Times
- At least 12 states face cyberattacks on their water systems, sources say, by Luke Barr, Jack Date, Katherine Faulders, Josh Margolin and Aaron Katersky for ABC News
- Ronald Lauder, a Billionaire G.O.P. Backer, Closes His Wallet, by Nicholas Fandos for The New York Times
- How predatory trade schools drained $300 million from the GI Bill and cheated veterans, by Craig Whitlock and Andrew Ba Tran for The Washington Post
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The newsletter was produced by Thomas Burr, Brett Bachman and Andrew Burton. Photo by Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP.
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