Iran's Secret Plan to Escalate the War  —  Intercepted communications and other intelligence suggest a strategic shift by hard-line leaders to raise the costs for the U.S. and its regional allies  —  After President Trump signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran in mid-June …

Trump Orders Pentagon to Curtail Military Exercises With Ally South Korea  —  In a social media post, the president scolded South Korea for not helping denuclearize Iran, and also praised North Korea and its leader.  —  President Trump said on Sunday that he had instructed the Pentagon …

Burnham exchanged messages with impersonator of top Trump aide  —  The U.K. leader believed he was communicating with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.  —  LONDON — U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham engaged with messages from somebody impersonating one of Donald Trump's closest advisers, four officials have told POLITICO.

Fox Host Trashes U.S. Sailors as ‘Weak’ for Speaking Out About Dire Conditions  —  Fox News host Joey Jones mocked service members speaking out about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln  —  Key Points … Fox News host Joey Jones lashed out at U.S. service members who have spoken publicly …

Kushner Meets With Hamas to Advance Trump's Gaza Plan  —  The president's son-in-law met the Palestinian militant group's leaders in Egypt, officials said.  He will soon see Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli leader.  —  Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and close adviser …

Hakeem Jeffries says he wants to see ‘dramatic reform’ of Supreme Court  —  Hakeem Jeffries supports aggressive changes to the Supreme Court.  —  House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Sunday he wants to see “dramatic reform” to the Supreme Court, heeding a growing clamor within the Democratic party for changes.

Trump blames vandals for damaged grass in the same spot where he held his big July 4 celebration  —  President Donald Trump on Sunday said vandals are to blame for large swaths of dead grass on the National Mall near the World War II Memorial — in the same spot where Trump had a stage built and hosted crowds for his July 4 celebration.

Blanche won't pledge DOJ independence from Trump  —  Attorney General Todd Blanche refused Sunday to pledge the Justice Department's independence from the White House, saying he would consider President Trump's views on individual prosecutions. … Blanche made the stakes clear …

Why prescription drug prices are plunging  —  America is experiencing its biggest prescription drug price deflation in generations. … - Prices haven't risen in any month this year, an unusually persistent stretch of flat or falling drug prices.  — The downward trend comes as costs …

Nancy Pelosi is leaving Capitol Hill.  Her team is still calling shots.  —  Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi may be leaving Congress, but dozens of her longtime staffers are sticking around in the House's top jobs.  —  The aides who worked for the California Democrat throughout …

What could a post-Trump governance coalition look like?  —  To simplify a bit (a lot): there are two parts to public administration.  “Administration” means getting shit done.  “Public” implies doing it in a way that is broadly legitimate and accountable to citizens.

Kelly starts the countdown  —  With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner  —  Good Monday morning, The DNC may have officially given up on Iowa this weekend, but Playbook will continue to visit early and often.  We could also go for an apple egg roll at the Iowa State Fair (scroll down for more on that).

Texas AG Paxton claims widespread noncitizen voting.  Three people have been charged.  —  Among 53 cases that were referred for investigation, at least five people were listed as American citizens in previous court records, according to an NBC News review.  —  For more than a year …

Hook and Squeeze  —  This investigation was originally developed for The New York Times, where it underwent eight months of editing, multiple rounds of fact-checking, and independent replication of the underlying methodology.  The piece had a scheduled publication date when requests for comment were sent.

Capitol agenda: Congress tries again to police itself  —  Reps. Kat Cammack and Teresa Leger Fernández are leading a bipartisan effort to fundamentally change how sexual misconduct and other bad behavior in Congress is investigated and eradicated.  But the goal of changing Congress …

Melania Trump keeps a much lower public profile in her second term as first lady  —  The first lady has done about half as many public events as she did at this point in President Donald Trump's first term, an NBC News analysis found.  A senior adviser said she “prioritizes results over appearances.”

How AOC is rewriting her own “Woke 1” history  —  New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is laughing off “Woke 1.”  But she's carrying baggage from the 2020 era of cultural progressivism that some Democrats say is an obstacle to a future presidential run.

The Democratic establishment's ideas deficit  —  The centrist Democratic group Third Way recently declared “war” on democratic socialists to head off what they fear could be a far-left hijacking of the party ahead of 2028.  — But establishment Democrats have made clear what they're …

Advocates worry new bans on student IDs will trip up young voters  —  To vote in the 2024 election, Lia Symer remembers checking in at her polling place with her student ID card.  —  “I tend to not carry my driver's license on my person when I'm walking around campus.

Some Democrats trying to reclaim the issue of faith from the Republican Party  —  Several Democratic candidates talk openly about how their faith shaped them.  —  State Senator Sarah Trone Garriott, a Democrat from Iowa and US congressional candidate, during a primary election night event …