MTG: "It’s the most truthful and easiest thing to say that Oct 7th in Israel was horrific and all hostages must be returned, but so is the genocide, humanitarian crisis, and starvation happening in Gaza."

What retiring Sen. Tillis told me of Roy Cooper in #NCSen-"I think he’ll be a formidable competitor. He’s not invulnerable, but he’s got a pretty good track record as governor.” “We’ve just got to match up and beat them. I don’t want this seat to be taken by a Democrat.”

GOP shows little appetite for relitigating John Brennan’s Russiagate claims, w/Rachel Schilke washingtonexaminer.com/news/senate/34…

News: Tim Burchett suffered a broken rib on Sunday when a horse on his Tennessee farm kicked him in the chest He is fine and maintaining a normal recess schedule washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/348…

No. 3 Klobuchar suggests must-have is allowing Dem noms on independent commissions (FCC, CFTC) "One dam that has to break is they're not allowing [D] appointees to independent commissions...We didn't obviously support all their appointees but we've always had [D & R] appointees"

Booker, tasked w/leading his party's "strategic communications," blasts his fellow Dems on the Senate floor as ‘complicit’ with Trump in a heated spat over police bills washingtonexaminer.com/news/senate/34…

Some drama on the Senate floor today, Ramsey Touchberry reports for Washington Examiner, when Cory Booker calls Democrats 'complicit' for helping Trump washingtonexaminer.com/news/senate/34…

Grassley spox response: “Chairman Grassley has already successfully moved U.S. Attorneys through committee who have received blue slips from Democrats, including Senators Warner and Kaine of Virginia and Klobuchar and Smith of Minnesota. (1/2)

GOP Whip Barrasso: "[Grassley] addressed that this morning, and I support the chairman."

Thune this AM—"Communicating about [OBBBA] should be a priority" My reporting on catch-up game facing GOP after weeks of Dem offense Hawley—"Some of the people who are the most vocal cheerleaders behind closed doors won’t say a word about it in public..." washingtonexaminer.com/news/senate/34…

paging congress *HIGH NOON RECALLS VODKA SELTZERS MISLABLED AS CELSIUS, FDA SAYS

Raskin: 🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸

Just now: Fed holds interest rates steady once again despite pressure from Trump Notably, two Fed governors — Michelle Bowman and Chris Waller — dissented. They preferred a 25bps cut washingtonexaminer.com/policy/finance…

Thune tells me a bipartisan noms rule change is less likely but "obviously preferable." (The alternative is Rs going nuclear at simple majority threshold.) "I suspect, with the current Democrat Party, though, it'd be very hard to get 67 to change the rules that way."

New—With House gone & Senate GOP avoiding scrutiny from base, Senate Ds picking up baton to keep Epstein in the news & stoke R divisions Welch—"What gave this some new life was the apocalyptic reaction of the MAGA base & Trump’s inability to shut them up" washingtonexaminer.com/news/senate/34…

Per source, Senate Rs are eyeing upward of 40 nominations for a pre-recess package. Dems would have to give consent to unlock the August break. h/t Ramsey Touchberry

On finishing some Trump noms and getting out of Dodge, Senate Rs have pitched Dems on bundling 40 together to UC en bloc, per source. But no matter what, expectation is Senate is still in tomorrow with hopes they wrap by Saturday morning

First Emerson #NCSen poll has Gov. Roy Cooper (D) up 6 over RNC Chair Michael Whatley (R), 47%-41%. Cooper has greater name recognition and higher favorables.

Inside the Senate’s August recess plans

One casualty if Congress can't get it together (again) to pass budget is lawmakers' pet projects: earmarks AL gov hopeful Tuberville—"You can live w/o them. But it makes it a lot easier for state budgets" Year-long CR better for fiscal hawks like RonJohn washingtonexaminer.com/news/senate/34…