Today’s notice: Congress grapples with the escalating Iran war. Hakeem Jeffries gets a DSA-shaped lifeline. Primary day in Arizona. A full legislative plate for House Republicans. And: Trump brings back (a version of) the tariffs.
THE LATEST
Fresh attacks: “It looked like things were tapering off, and now things look like they’re heating up,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) told NOTUS as the Iran war inches closer to the five-month mark. With 17 service members confirmed killed in action and a hundred more injured since early July, there’s growing anxiety on Capitol Hill over the intensifying hostilities and the lack of justification for them.
The U.S. launched a new round of airstrikes yesterday, the 10th consecutive day of the assault. The Houthis in Yemen declared a “maritime blockade” against Saudi Arabia, blocking off another key waterway and potentially opening up a new front in the war.
Trending
Several lawmakers told NOTUS’ Hamed Ahmadi, Al Weaver and Igor Bobic that Congress should no longer remain on the sidelines and that the White House needs to explain where the conflict is headed (blink if this sounds familiar!).
House Republicans will have a chance to ask Donald Trump about the escalations directly today, when he hosts some in the Oval Office at 5 p.m. And new details could come from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chair of the Joint Chiefs Dan Caine when they get grilled by senators about the nearly $70 billion supplemental request for war funding. Expect some tough questions from both sides of the aisle.
“The president is threatening escalation and war crimes, and suggesting this could be another forever war,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington) is expected to say, according to excerpts released this morning.
Meanwhile, the president’s allies say Iran escalated first. “I’m not nervous that it is expanding,” House Foreign Affairs Chair Brian Mast (R-Florida) told Manuela. He said he thinks the daily bombings “will be the status quo” going forward.
Stockpile shortcomings: It would take three and a half to six years to restock America’s interceptors and a number of other missiles to the point the Pentagon could juggle a major war and a smaller conflict — and that’s if Congress appropriated every dollar needed to replace them. That’s according to a new report out this morning by the pro-Israel Jewish Institute for National Security of America, NOTUS’ Joe Gould picked up.
Open tabs: Democrat set to replace Platner in Maine led state Senate with a temper (WaPo); U.S. Sought Phone Records of Times Journalists and Their Relatives (NYT); Trump, Pushing Back on Mamdani, Says Netanyahu Won’t Be Arrested if He Comes to U.S. (WSJ); Chuck Edwards gifted pink and blue handguns to young female staffers (Axios)
From the campaign trail
The progressive push and pull: Congressional candidate Brad Lander (D-New York) says he’ll support House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for speaker if Democrats take back the House, even as he and other über-progressives run as insurgents against the status quo, NOTUS’ Daniella Diaz reports.
“I look forward to voting for Hakeem to be the speaker of the House,” Lander told Daniella. “At the same time, I want a party and party leadership that can listen to the passion and anger that voters feel and be responsive to it, and that means showing people much more clearly than leadership have so far what we’re fighting for.”
It’s part of the tug-of-war growing between DSA-aligned candidates challenging the establishment and the party’s center of political gravity. And that contest is playing out mostly in Jeffries’ backyard.
It’s primary day in Arizona, and all eyes are on the Democratic contest in the 1st Congressional District, an open-seat toss-up race in this year’s general. For the palace intrigue, NOTUS’ Christa Dutton reports that the DCCC is backing Marlene Galán-Woods, a former broadcast journalist who’s never held public office, over former state Rep. Amish Shah, who got the group’s support last cycle. Galán-Woods came in third when she ran in 2024 for the same nomination.
“She’s on paper a better fit, but you’re dealing with the rather uncomfortable question that she already lost a primary to him,” said a Democratic strategist and DCCC alum.
Other Democrats, including Shah himself, are not too pleased. “I think they got it wrong,” Shah told Christa. “I think the Democratic Party voters do not want to see meddling from D.C. here in our district.”
From the Hill
What’s a week without some House drama? Republican leadership is chugging along with its plan to vote on a rule to advance multiple priorities today: the budget resolution, the National Defense Authorization Act, a short-term continuing resolution to fund federal agencies and a stock-trading ban bill.
Speaker Mike Johnson faced some pushback from members regarding reconciliation 3.0 during a leadership meeting yesterday, sources told NOTUS’ Oriana González, Kadia Goba and Reese Gorman. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who said he was undecided on the rule, said Republicans need to have more conversations about these bills.
But still, Johnson’s confident the rule vote will not blow up: “We’ll pass it. We’re in good shape,” he told NOTUS.
Pen to paper: A question hanging over Democrats ahead of November is not just if they can take back control of Congress but what they would do with the power? Sen. Andy Kim (D-New Jersey) is ready to start filling that void today by introducing the MediKids Act, which would basically enroll every child into a section of Medicaid that is already used to provide health services for children from lower-income families, NOTUS’ Paul Kane reports.
“I’m trying to think through everything I can do for the next two-and-a-half years. But I’m also thinking through the next two-and-a-half decades,” Kim, who is just 18 months into his first Senate term, told Paul in an interview. “What do I want to accomplish here, what is the type of senator I want to be? And I think this is, particularly, very meaningful.”
From the White House
Tariffs are back, baby: Trump slapped 50% tariffs on some Canadian products yesterday, from wine to wood furniture, apparel and cosmetics, NOTUS’ Violet Jira reports. And while Trump threatened to smack America’s northern neighbor for the wildfire smoke that wafted over the border and cost America, by the president’s own math, billions of dollars, a senior administration official said these are “not the so-called wildfire tariffs.”
NOTUS PERSPECTIVES
“America First” is often associated with bigots and sycophants, argues Matt K. Lewis today at NOTUS Perspectives. But it doesn’t have to be — and he’s reclaiming the phrase.
NEW ON NOTUS
Switching sides? The Senate Democrats’ albatross, Sen. John Fetterman, is sparking growing speculation that his time on the party rolls is coming to an end. The Pennsylvanian’s embrace of members on the right and his recent declaration that he’d leave the Democratic Party if it officially opposes Israel have left some on edge, NOTUS’ Igor Bobic reports.
One Democratic senator, who requested anonymity to speak freely, expressed anxiety over the prospect of an unexpected party switch.
“I am concerned,” the senator told NOTUS.
More: House Judiciary Panel Gives Border-Enforcement Legislation Another Try, by Jackie Llanos
Trump Keeps Claiming Credit for Major Chains’ Summer Price-Cut Promotions, by Jenna Monnin
The FDA Says It Did Not ‘Officially Apologize’ to Taylor Farms, by Margaret Manto
Darline Graham Will Run for a Full Term in the Senate, by Torrie Herrington
NOT US
- The Wingman, by Mark Leibovich for The Atlantic
- How Biden Enabled Israel’s Aggression Toward Gaza—and Iran, by David D. Kirkpatrick for The New Yorker
- America First, Soccer Second, by Adam Wren for Politico
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The newsletter was produced by Thomas Burr, Brett Bachman and Andrew Burton. Photo by U.S. Navy via AP.
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