House Republicans pass hard-right defense bill, handing wins to Trump  —  The House narrowly passed its marquee $1.15 trillion defense policy bill largely along party lines Wednesday amid a bitter partisan divide over President Donald Trump's conduct of the war against Iran and his push for a massive Pentagon spending boost.

‘A politically impossible situation’: New poll shows Trump voters losing patience with Iran war  —  Half of President Donald Trump's MAGA base thought Iran's war was worth its economic costs in May. Now, just a little more than a third do.  —  That precipitous, 13-point drop in just two months …

Amish Shah Wins Democratic Primary in Swing Arizona House District  —  Dr. Amish Shah, who beat the choice of the party's House campaign arm, will face Jay Feely, a Republican, in a battleground district that covers parts of Phoenix.  —  Dr. Amish Shah, a moderate Democrat …

Suspicion and Doubt at the National Civics Contest  —  The morning after the competition, Aangad Singh's family was trying to figure out what went wrong.  They were walking through the National Museum of Natural History, going over answers, doing the math.  —  “It doesn't make sense,” said his mother, Ramandeep.

OpenAI's models broke free and launched a cyberattack.  Congress wants new rules before it happens again.  —  An alarming cybersecurity incident involving OpenAI's newest and most advanced artificial intelligence technology has lawmakers hurrying to advance legislation that they say is needed …

Software Vendor Tagged for Illegal NJ Voter Registrations Says ‘Not So Fast, Jersey Mikie’  —  Holy smokes, this is a giggle.  —  Ed had the story first thing yesterday, complete with a totally appropriate title: … New Jersey Governor ‘Jersey’ Mikie Sherrill had walked to a podium …

Trump's New Insult Won't Save Republicans  —  President Trump knows that he is unpopular.  —  This is why he has become even more obsessed with election fraud; why he fumed and rambled about the 2020 election for a prime-time audience last week; and why he wants Congress to pass the SAVE America Act …

Jim Jordan refers Jack Smith to DOJ over alleged false statements  —  House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) referred former Special Counsel Jack Smith to the Justice Department on Wednesday, alleging he knowingly made false statements during congressional testimony last year.

Trump's Saudi nuclear deal risks igniting a Middle East arms race, lawmakers warn  —  Some lawmakers in both parties are warning that the newly inked U.S. nuclear agreement deal with Saudi Arabia could ignite a Middle East arms race at a particularly dangerous moment — when the Iran war is already provoking conflict across the region.

Fox News Poll: Voters want major change amid economic and political discontent  —  Latest survey shows Trump approval stuck near record low  —  Several findings in the latest Fox News Poll show voters are unhappy and want major change, which bodes well for Democrats in November …

Maine Democrat Troy Jackson has raised $1M for his Senate bid so far  —  Maine Democrat Troy Jackson has raised $1 million in the less than two weeks since he entered the race for Senate shortly after Graham Platner dropped out, his campaign told POLITICO on Wednesday morning.

Newsom appoints podcaster Scott Galloway to UC Board of Regents  —  Gavin Newsom on Wednesday appointed Scott Galloway, an entrepreneur and influential podcaster, to a seat on the University of California's Board of Regents.  —  If confirmed by the state Senate, Galloway …

James Woolsey, Embattled C.I.A. Director Under Clinton, Dies at 84  —  He arrived in Washington a conservative Democrat and drifted rightward, supporting the 2003 invasion of Iraq and Donald J. Trump's 2016 presidential bid.  —  R. James Woolsey, a lawyer and arms control negotiator who had a brief …

Tesla's Cratering Cybertruck Sales Evoke Ford Edsel Comparisons  —  Both automakers expected consumers to buy hundreds of thousands of their futuristic models per year.  Tesla's pickup is missing the mark by a wider margin.  —  Ford Motor Co. introduced a car almost 70 years ago widely viewed …

Trump administration weighing military options in Mali, officials say  —  If approved, it would add an eighth nation to the list of countries where President Donald Trump has ordered strikes since the start of his second term.  —  Summary  —  The Trump administration is weighing military action …

Lisa Murkowski is undecided on Blanche's confirmation.  Her state is getting a windfall from DOJ. … A July 7 settlement over the federal government's unfinished work on the port of Alaska resulted in a $180 million payout to Anchorage — an announcement Blanche, who is currently …

Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role  —  Iranian drone attacks on CIA facilities in the Gulf have prompted U.S. intelligence analysts to investigate whether Russia assisted by providing targeting information or advanced drone technology, said four people familiar with U.S. intelligence.

Local U.S. TV News Will Soon Be Entirely Right Wing Propaganda  —  Thanks to the destruction of media consolidation limits, Republicans will soon enjoy propaganda and market domination over what's left of local U.S. news.  —  Just a quick programming note: my 90-year-old father passed away over the weekend …

Gerth: My too-early ‘tribute’ to Mitch McConnell  —  With McConnell allegedly on the mend, I figured I'd go ahead tell you what I think about him now - when no one can complain, ‘How dare you write that about a dead guy?’ … Following the unexpected death of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham on July 11 …

Letter to Congress: End the Redistricting Wars by Adopting Proportional Representation  —  Gerrymandering persists because single-member districts allow it.  —  ·  —  Just now  —  An Open Letter to Congress:  —  The redistricting wars have thrust America's gerrymandering problem into a new and alarming phase.

Hegseth turns to University of North Carolina, Virginia Tech after cutting Ivy League ties  —  The Defense Department has selected the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Virginia Tech to host a revamped fellowship program for senior military officers — the first universities approved …

Bari Weiss's Latest Hire Has an N-Word Problem  —  CBS hires another controversial ‘anti-woke’ media figure as it continues its shift to the right.  Plus: the shameless White House Correspondents' Association prepares to host anti-press Donald Trump.  —  ∙ Paid

Trump's Plan for Science: More Money for A.I., Less for Universities  —  Michael Kratsios, President Trump's science adviser, proposed overhauling how the government funds research.  Democrats said Mr. Trump's actions had weakened science.  —  President Trump's science adviser told lawmakers …

White House expands data center electricity cost pledge to utilities, states  —  The White House is expanding a voluntary pledge aimed at mitigating the electricity cost impacts of data centers to utilities and state governors.  —  A White House official confirmed to The Hill Wednesday …