Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: The GOP days of summer

The GOP days of summer

Jul 16, 2026

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THE CATCH-UP

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Speaker Mike Johnson's struggle to control the House floor resumed today. | Jose Luis Magana/AP

HILL HEADACHES: Congressional Republicans’ stop-start summer continues as the party tries to make progress on priorities big and small with narrow margins in both chambers.

For Speaker Mike Johnson, the struggle to control the House floor resumed today: Republicans yanked a veterans’ bill after straining for support to overcome a procedural vote. The bill now faces diminishing chances to move before this fall, potentially depriving vulnerable members of an opportunity to tout veterans’ benefits on the summer campaign trail.

Behind the scenes: The vote followed a tense meeting in the speaker’s office, where Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) argued with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), POLITICO’s Leo Shane III and Meredith Lee Hill report. Some GOP holdouts objected to the pay-fors undergirding the benefits expansion, which would cut some future disability claims — a concern Johnson blamed on “misinformation” about the legislation.

The tumult over a relatively low-profile bill lays bare just how hard it’ll be for Republicans to advance their bigger-ticket priorities.

And the prospects for reconciliation 3.0, in particular, look murkier today after Senate Republicans gave the House plan a tepid reception, per POLITICO’s Jordain Carney. The House Budget panel just advanced a resolution, on a party-line vote, to lay the groundwork for reconciliation. But Senate Majority Leader John Thune said it was “news to me” that Johnson indicated the Senate would adopt its own budget resolution by early next month. “Is the juice worth the squeeze?” a skeptical Thune asked.

Pay-fors could be an issue: Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) became the latest of several GOP senators to say the bill can’t increase the debt.

And even in the House, Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) is fuming over tax provisions, and tax writers, being left out of the package, POLITICO’s Kelsey Brugger and Brian Faler report. One top House Republican told our colleagues the GOP is considering a fourth reconciliation bill, in what’s becoming a perpetual effort to reassure lawmakers their priorities will be included.

“How about 5, 6 and 7?” Smith retorted.

Government funding: Johnson told Meredith he wants the House to pass a stopgap measure funding the government through the midterms — potentially teeing up another shutdown fight with Democrats, which some Republicans believe could work to their benefit. As always, the SAVE America Act is a potential irritant. And some Dems may be OK with Johnson’s punt.

Republicans are eager to land wins that can either persuade swing voters or shore up their base’s turnout in the midterms. But President Donald Trump’s persistent unpopularity remains an albatross: The latest WaPo-Ipsos poll found his approval rating among Americans stuck at 37 percent, the same low mark as in February. He’s lost some support among his base, and voters feel negatively about his handling of the economy and Iran war.

The nominees: Across the Capitol, senators have much of their attention consumed by a series of high-profile nominees this week. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a key vote on Todd Blanche’s AG nomination to advance out of committee, said today that Blanche will need to meet with angry Jeffrey Epstein victims to land his vote, per POLITICO’s Chris Marquette and Erica Orden. It’s another hurdle for Blanche, albeit an eminently clearable one — Tillis overall sounds likely to vote yes.

Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com.

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6 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. DEMOCRACY WATCH: Ahead of Trump’s primetime speech tonight — the subject of internal strife at the White House over potential unsubstantiated claims about election integrity — Democrats are already making plans to respond. Dozens in the House got together privately this week for a tabletop exercise to game out what will happen if Trump tries to subvert the midterms, MS NOW’s Kevin Frey reports. House Administration ranking member Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.) said his team has made plans for more than 100 different ways Trump could interfere.

As a John Solomon-led task force worked to try and find evidence to back up Trump’s fraud claims, some in the administration worry declassifying intelligence could “undermine confidence in elections” and “risk jeopardizing intelligence collection methods,” CNN’s Kevin Liptak and Tierney Sneed report. House Intelligence Democrats today urged the nation’s spy leaders to stop Trump from cherry-picking and weaponizing intelligence, POLITICO’s John Sakellariadis reports. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said this afternoon that Trump will present evidence to show Americans that elections may not be as secure as they think.

Beyond the Beltway: As Trump’s false election conspiracy theories spread throughout the GOP, election deniers have now taken power on the Georgia State Election Board, Hanna Rosin captures on the new episode of “Radio Atlantic.” And the North Carolina State Board of Elections is due to sign off on changes that would make it easier for local officials to toss out mail ballots over technicalities, per WRAL’s Will Doran.

2. KFILE STRIKES AGAIN: “GOP Senate candidate has close ties to White nationalist influencer, his son-in-law,” by CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck: Rep. Mike Collins’ (R-Ga.) son-in-law, David Alan Scheer II, is “a pro-White nationalist and social media influencer with a track record of sharing antisemitic material and Nazi imagery in comments across the internet. Scheer, who is married to Collins’ daughter, Summer, is featured in family photographs on Collins’ campaign website and social media. … Scheer has promoted White nationalist ideology, spread antisemitic conspiracy theories, called for Muslims to be deported and shared an antisemitic infographic targeting Jews that he said his wife (Collins’ daughter) made.”

Collins’ campaign didn’t respond to CNN’s questions about Scheer’s white nationalism except to say that Collins’ “support for Israel is unquestionable.”

3. WAR REPORT: Attacks by both the U.S. and Iran continued overnight and into today, escalating the war again around the region. Iranian state media reported its Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz was hit, and U.S. attacks struck further north into the Tehran area and an oil tanker. Kuwait and Jordan intercepted missiles and drones from Iran. Iranian officials said more than 30 of its civilians were killed in the past week. And Iran’s warnings multiplied: A military spokesman said interference in the strait is “an unbreakable red line” — which would elicit retaliatory attacks on “all” infrastructure in the region.

Over a barrel: As diesel reaches $5 a gallon again, Reuters’ Parisa Hafezi and colleagues scooped that Iran is threatening to make things even worse. Iranian officials told the Houthis in Yemen that if the U.S. goes after Iranian power infrastructure, the rebels should close the Red Sea’s Bab el-Mandeb gateway for oil shipping.

Now read this: “US military hasn’t conducted standard review of intelligence tied to strike on school in Iran, sources say,” by CNN’s Zachary Cohen

4. MAINE SQUEEZE: The Democrats competing in Maine’s compressed Senate quasi-primary will meet for a second debate July 23, hosted by CNN and the Bangor Daily News. Behind the scenes, the candidates are scrambling to win over the delegates who’ll vote at next weekend’s convention. County events this weekend will be a crucial test, per NBC’s Bridget Bowman. But back in D.C., many Graham Platner-scarred senators are opting to stay out of the contest for now, Semafor’s Burgess Everett reports.

One down: Social worker Paige Loud dropped out of the race, bringing the number of debaters who’ll be on stage tonight down to eight.

5. DEEP IN THE HEART: Texas AG Ken Paxton bought three more condos in Utah, worth $1.6 million, NYT’s Lauren McGaughy reports. State Rep. James Talarico has sought to make an issue out of Paxton’s real estate and wealth in the Senate race, though there’s no indication of impropriety in these condos. Meanwhile, Bloomberg’s Bill Allison reports Talarico’s super PAC pulled in $10 million from megadonor Reid Hoffman.

What they’re reading in Houston: Harris County DA Sean Teare told CNN’s Kate Bolduan he believes the substances authorities found in Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s vehicle were not drugs. That contradicts what the FBI indicated in court documents about the man an ICE agent killed last week.

6. FOR YOUR RADAR: “Trump is taking longer to approve disaster aid and denying Democratic states more frequently,” by AP’s David Lieb and M.K. Wildeman: “Trump has taken longer on average to approve disaster requests than any other president, according to an Associated Press analysis of data dating back to 1989 … And no other president has such a disparity in denials between states that supported him politically and those that did not.” The White House responded that “there is no politicization to the President’s decisions on disaster relief.”

A message from Anthropic:

Helping a Boston restaurant owner support his team

Running a restaurant comes with pressure. At Shy Bird, Claude helps Eli Feldman do more for his team. Learn more.

TALK OF THE TOWN

TOP TALKER — Gabriel Perez, a close aide to Trump and his teleprompter operator since 2016, is facing CFTC allegations that he used insider knowledge to bet on Trump’s speeches on Kalshi and net more than $100,000, ABC’s Katherine Faulders and colleagues report. Perez is now in settlement talks with federal regulators. This is one of the highest-profile examples yet of alleged improper wagering on prediction markets by people with access to sensitive information at the government’s top levels. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said this afternoon Perez is now on unpaid administrative leave and Trump considers it a “disgrace.”

POOL REPORT — Though Trump and other top government officials blamed vandals for damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool’s new lining, an analysis by WaPo’s Jarrett Ley and colleagues concludes that mistakes in its application are the much likelier culprit. The White House and Interior Department continued to insist otherwise, without providing evidence.

PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — Today, the Commission of Fine Arts is taking up the Trump administration’s plans to fence Lafayette Square Park and construct a major screening center for White House visitors. More from the NYT

HOLLYWOODLAND — “Ava DuVernay announces ‘14th’ documentary on birthright amendment contested by Trump,” by AP’s Jake Coyle: “Netflix said Thursday that it will release ‘14th’ later this year. The film will mark a return to nonfiction for [Ava] DuVernay … and a follow-up to DuVernay’s 2016 film ‘13th,’ her examination of the legacy of the 13th Amendment.”

OUT AND ABOUT — The Entertainment Software Association hosted its annual Capitol Hill video game showcase and Interactive Entertainment Impact Awards last night at Union Station. SPOTTED: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Reps. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.), Gabe Evans (R-Colo.), Derek Tran (D-Calif.) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Jenni Katzman, Cinnamon Rogers and Stanley Pierre-Louis.

— SPOTTED at last night’s Taste of the South congressional reception in Rayburn, sponsored by the National Association of Manufacturers: Reps. Marc Veasey (D-Texas), Tim Moore (R-N.C.), Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) and Tony Wied (R-Wis.), Stef Webb, Tymon Daniels, Brent Fisk, Erin Adrian, Brian Raymond, Anna Claire Stietenroth and Lemond Brown.

— The Fund for American Studies held its 36th annual scholarship dinner last night at the Watergate Hotel, where API’s Mike Sommers, Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) and BGR Group’s Joseph Lai were honored. SPOTTED: Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), John Boehner, Louis DeJoy, Daniel Hannan, Ed Gillespie, Grover Norquist, Desiree Koetzle, Paul and Kathie Russo, Randy Teague, Roger Ream, Steve Slattery, Lawson Bader, Cary Barnett, Charlie Black, Jeff Carneal, Dan McConchie, Peter McPherson, Jean Schindler, David Stover, Eric Tanenblatt, Aldona Wos, Jade West, Chris Ullman, Bridgett Wagner, Geoff Verhoff, Pat DiFrancesco, Anne Bradbury, Kirk Blalock, Nick Calio, Will Kinzel, Marlene Colucci, Kristen Silverberg, Jim Carlisle, Kevin Seifert, Alex Mistri, Randy DeCleene and Mick Tuesley.

TRANSITIONS — William Foster will be the next president and CEO of The Pew Charitable Trusts, starting in March. He currently works at the Bridgespan Group. … Andrew Tabler is now an EVP at Elevate Government Affairs. He most recently worked at K&L Gates and is a Defense Department alum.

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Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook PM misspelled Sen. Jon Ossoff’s (D-Ga.) name.