Washington, DC

1. Trump scorches Ossoff
2. Primaries to watch
3. Peltola shakeup
4. Market jitters over Iran
5. Global security shift
6. Weather worries

PDB: Texas Dem goes after Abbott on data centers

Trump holds policy meetings … Graham, Norman debate as runoff nears … Home Depot reports earnings

Why the White House torched Ossoff

The White House hit back hard — for a reason — after Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., targeted close Trump aide Natalie Harp over the weekend. President Donald Trump called Ossoff a “Pee-Wee Herman look-alike,” while communications director Steven Cheung dubbed the senator “the biggest cuck loser in politics” on X. The onslaught stems in part from Ossoff’s status as a potential presidential candidate. But his comment that Trump “wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie” landed as “a cheap shot,” one administration official said. Harp’s proximity to Trump has unnerved some of his aides and sparked unfounded rumors about a relationship. One person close to the White House said Harp “will ultimately jump the highest out of anyone in the room when he says jump,” adding that the aggressive pushback is partly because “the first lady doesn’t like these types of things” and Trump “does get furious” about personal topics.

— Shelby Talcott

Four states host hotly contested races

The results of tonight’s primaries will come with real implications for the GOP, the Democratic Party’s fight about Israel, and control of the Senate in November. Semafor’s David Weigel previews what to watch: The center of the action will be Florida, where Rep. Byron Donalds will face a trio of Republican primary opponents, including influencer James Fishback, in his bid to replace Gov. Ron DeSantis. Trump antagonist Alexander Vindman and progressive state Rep. Angie Nixon are squaring off for Democrats’ Florida Senate nomination; the party is also contending with the results of DeSantis’ partisan redistricting while mulling an intraparty battle for embattled Rep. Cory Mills’ seat. Elsewhere, nine Republicans are vying to replace Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., and in California, state Sen. Aisha Wahab is competing with local transit official Melissa Hernandez to temporarily take over ex-Rep. Eric Swalwell’s safe blue seat.

Peltola shakes up staff before primary

Mary Peltola might have a slight edge over incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, in polling, but there are signs she faces shaky ground ahead once she gets through today’s primary. The Democratic Senate candidate, who represents one of Democrats’ best pickup opportunities, shuffled her campaign staff yesterday, replacing longtime campaign manager Anton McParland and promoting his deputy. And days earlier, the Peltola campaign rejected an endorsement that Kamala Harris made in a fundraising email that solicited donations split between the candidate and Harris’ own Fight for the People PAC. Republicans attacked Peltola over the unsolicited email, and she became the first 2026 Democratic candidate to distance herself from the party’s last presidential nominee. Peltola has raised more than $18 million for her campaign, and spent nearly $14 million, and there’s been no sign yet that the Harris spat impacted her donations.

— David Weigel

Bond yields spike as Iran conflict drags on

Government bond yields rose to multiyear highs and stock markets fell on growing concern that tensions between the US and Iran are unlikely to resolve in the near future. Benchmark oil prices also topped $90 a barrel as investors fretted that efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz were making little headway. Worries over inflation because of rising oil prices and threats to key supply-chain chokepoints, as well as huge debt issuance tied to the AI infrastructure boom, drove yields on 30-year Treasury bonds to nearly their highest level since 2002. Elsewhere, French and German long-dated yields are at their highest since 2008 and 2011 respectively, while Japanese ones are closing in on an all-time record.

Doubts over US power lead to security shift

Geopolitical upheaval is upending the Middle East’s security architecture and forcing middle powers worldwide to be more flexible, but may ultimately deliver a new, stable equilibrium, analysts argued in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs. Though Gulf states are upping US military purchases, “long-building doubts about American power and purpose have passed their tipping point,” a leading political scientist warned. Separately, the director of the European Council on Foreign Relations argued that “states will have to adapt cunningly” to “a rotten-tail world” — a play on a Chinese term for a project gone haywire. But forcing smaller countries to play a greater role, two Biden-era officials insisted, may “strengthen the alliance system,” arguing: “Tensions can spur reforms that create tomorrow’s capability.”

— Prashant Rao

Extreme weather worries mount in US

Nearly four in 10 Americans say their communities were damaged by extreme weather in the past year, as climate change helps fuel high heat, intense flooding, and other events. And 57% of those US adults who have felt the effects of extreme weather in the past year are worried it’ll happen again in the next, according to the new poll from the Walton Family Foundation and Gallup. The East South Central states are most impacted, including Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee — all deep-red. Trump has come under scrutiny for cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which critics say leave the US less prepared to respond to weather events and track important environmental changes. The continental US has experienced a relatively calm hurricane season thus far this year, as Lala batters Hawaii, but wildfire season is picking up.

Blindspot: Drug prices and Melania

Stories that are being largely ignored by either left-leaning or right-leaning outlets, curated with help from our partners at Ground News.

What the Left isn’t reading: Prescription drug prices are on the decline.

What the Right isn’t reading: First lady Melania Trump is keeping a lower public profile in her husband’s second term, NBC reported. 

White House

• President Trump’s approval rating is at 33%, a second-term nadir, per a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Congress

• The House Ethics Committee is investigating Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., over alleged sexual misconduct.
• As California Rep. Nancy Pelosi nears retirement, the Democratic kingmaker’s staffers are sticking around in DC. — Politico
• AI-generated bills riddled with mistakes are swamping the House Office of Legislative Counsel. — Politico

Campaigns

• Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa is releasing a new ad today hitting Gov. Greg Abbott over data centers, Semafor’s David Weigel reports.
• Democrat James Talarico’s Senate campaign in Texas poached a staffer from outgoing Republican Sen. John Cornyn. — NOTUS
• Planned Parenthood’s campaign arm is planning a $600,000 ad buy against Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the organization’s largest this election cycle.

Business

• The military awarded arms maker Raytheon a $23 billion contract to refill the US’ depleted Tomahawk missile stockpile.
• World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s crypto firm, is partnering with an AI venture that offers Chinese models the US has flagged for national security concerns. — Reuters

Economy

• Buy-now-pay-later lenders like Affirm are now extending loans to Americans to cover necessities like rent.

Courts

• Paramount asked a judge to force the 12 states suing to block its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery to put up a nearly $1.9 billion bond to cover its financial losses if the company ultimately wins the case.

National Security

• Election officials are bracing for prediction markets to add a layer of confusion to this year’s midterms. — Wired

Immigration

• Immigration and Customs Enforcement is offering to subsidize liability insurance for state and local officers who are accused of misconduct while enforcing federal immigration law.

Foreign Policy

• South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said President Trump’s move to cut back on joint US-South Korea military drills means Seoul must prepare for the “