Schumer’s Bad Bets

Today’s notice: DSCC chaos. Colorado Democrats vote like New York City Democrats. DOGE’s impacts on America 250. And: As Team USA heads to the knockout round, learn which senator says, “I still don’t understand the game.”

THE LATEST

The state of Chuck Schumer’s 2026 plans: The last time a Democratic Senate candidate with the support of the D.C. leadership lost a primary was 2010 – and one of those candidates was the late Sen. Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania, who had just become a Democrat after three decades as a Republican. Tough sell.

This cycle, Schumer’s preferred pick has already lost in Maine, could very likely lose in Michigan and down in Texas, only got the nomination after an extremely messy and divisive primary. In a ton of recent interviews, NOTUS reporters found many Democrats at a loss over what they feel is a confusing lack of grand strategizing from their longtime Senate strategy master and caucus leader.

Caveats: Schumer’s recruitment efforts have quietly (i.e. without much primary fuss) put Ohio, North Carolina and Alaska in play. There’s a lot for Team Schumer to feel good about there.

But also: “I’m proud to be the only candidate in my race that the Senate minority leader has said that he would not be OK with,” Abdul El-Sayed, the guy who may very well win the Michigan primary, told NOTUS — and tells anyone else who asks, for that matter. This is in a state seen as a must-win. One cannot simply wave off how bad a ride the three most-watched Democratic Senate primaries of the cycle have been for Schumer.

It’s worse than you’ve heard, actually. Our deep reporting finds fumbled DSCC efforts across the map, and quotes from baffled strategists and politicians.

“I think a lot of Democratic senators are starting to think about what a different kind of leadership model would look like,” one Democratic senator said of Schumer.

What Schumer’s team says: “A year ago, few believed a Senate Democratic majority was even possible.”

Open tabs: Tom Kean Jr. Reveals Depression Caused His Months-Long House Absence (NOTUS); NPR retracts story about Alito retirement (NPR); C.I.A. Reorganization Prioritizes Cyberoperations (NY Times); Administration seeks to stomp out all wildfires quickly, reviving policy that has been discredited (AP)

From the campaign trail

Don’t be from D.C.! That was the message sent by Democratic voters in Colorado last night. In every competitive party primary, the more D.C.-tinged candidate struggled. Sen. Michael Bennet was shellacked by state Attorney General Phil Weiser in the gubernatorial primary,NOTUS’ Torrie Herrington writes. In the 1st Congressional District, democratic socialist Melat Kiros toppled Rep. Diana DeGette, the fifth House Democratic incumbent to lose their primary this year, NOTUS’ Christa Dutton reports.

And in another Democratic House primary testing what type of representation voters want, state Rep. Manny Rutinel, a young, Latino candidate, beat out former, moderate state lawmaker Shannon Bird.

From the states

DOGE actually ate its 250 homework. In nearly every state and territory across the country, the official humanities nonprofits created by congressional mandate had to scale back or abandon their 250th celebration planning when DOGE pulled their federal funding, NOTUS’ Anna Kramer reports. The result has been significantly more minor plans for the nation’s birthday at the local level. Anna has a look at what could have been, and what is no longer happening.

The twist: Congress actually replaced the funding for these nonprofits that got DOGE’d. But as of June, the administration has only given states less than half of what Congress appropriated — and told them not to expect the rest, humanities council leaders said.

Follow the money: The White House has redirected humanities projects to Trump’s splashier 250 plans, like the “Garden Of American Heroes,” which also will not be ready for this weekend – Anna reports no organization has yet received public dollars to build statues for the project.

From the Hill

Early dismissal. The House has left town ahead of schedule, after a deep fracture in the Republican conference shut things down, against Speaker Mike Johnson’s wishes, NOTUS’ Hill team reports. The trouble started last week, when MAGA allies blocked movement on the House floor in solidarity with Trump’s wishes that nothing gets through until the SAVE America Act passes. “The only way us conservatives really have an avenue, you know?” is how Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tennessee) explained the strategy.

NOTUS METRO

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Local news. ‘The Battle Line Has Been Drawn’ Around Virginia’s Data Centers by Taylor Giorno, Zara Norman and Samuel Larreal

Sports desk. Next Up for High-Flying USMNT: Confronting its European Boogeyman by Dave Sheinin

ON NOTUS PODCAST

From your favorite podcast app: Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky) said the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein will include public hearings and a final report. “We’re gonna do everything we can to hold anyone accountable who’s still alive,” Comer told NOTUS’ Reese Gorman on today’s episode ofOn NOTUS. Comer also talked about his likely bid for governor in 2027 and defended his tenure atop the Oversight Committee.

NOTUS PERSPECTIVES

Many American Jews have felt anguished, and hesitant to condemn Israel, Dana Milbank argues today in NOTUS Perspectives. Now it’s time for American Jews to tell Israelis: We’re sick of Netanyahu.

NEW ON NOTUS

They shoulda renamed the coffee place (World) Cups this month, because Congress has FIFA fever, NOTUS’ Igor Bobic reports. Sen. Andy Kim (D-New Jersey) is streaming the games on his phone (he prefers the Telemundo broadcast.) Team Republican Congressional Baseball Game star Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri) is rooting hard for Team USA tonight. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) wants the Scots who flooded Boston to come back because “they drank the bars dry!” Sen. Todd Young (R-Indiana) is co-chair of the Congressional Soccer Caucus and says the sport is a unifier.

Um, soccer? “I still don’t understand the game,” said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri). “Typical American.”

More: Mark Kelly Backs Another Hegseth Foe In Latest Endorsement Push, by Joe Gould

FDA Lowers Risk Profile for RFK Jr.’s Preferred Nicotine Pouches, by Torrie Herrington

Trump Discloses More Than $1.1 Billion In Crypto Earnings, by Marissa Martinez

Trump Wants Congress to Limit Birthright Citizenship. A Path Isn’t There, by Violet Jira

NOT US

• Trump now ‘hates’ his own trade deal. But he’ll have a hard time killing it., by Daniel Desrochers for Politico
• Hackers more focused on misleading voters than ballot tampering: Report, by Miranda Nazarro for The Hill
• Trump’s DOJ Said Police Reform Was “Factually Unjustified.” A New Report Shows Otherwise. By Topher Sanders for ProPublica
• RFK Jr.’s plan to boost peptide access just got more complicated, by Rachel Roubein and Lauren Weber for The Washington Post

BE SOCIAL

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The newsletter was produced by Kelly Poe, Thomas Burr, Brett Bachman and Erik Schutz. Photo by Francis Chung/POLITICO/AP.