Principals

1. Trump’s bill deadline
2. GOP grinds it out
3. War powers vote
4. SCOTUS’ last day
5. Trump v. Powell (again)
6. Anthropic studies AI impact
7. VA special election

PDB: GOP drops “revenge tax” from megabill

Trump meets foreign ministers of DRC, Rwanda … US, China confirm details of trade truce ... WSJ: Caine rises

Could Trump’s big deadline slip?

President Donald Trump is betting his strong-arming skills will work once again to get his “big, beautiful bill” to his desk by July 4. But many Republican senators believe they need to slow down, Semafor’s Burgess Everett and Shelby Talcott report. “Getting it right is more important than timing,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said. Trump’s bill currently faces a series of problems: It doesn’t yet have sufficient support, and a lot of blank space remains as Republicans push to get approval for a host of provisions that were just declared ineligible by the Senate parliamentarian. Trump “has to shift the deadline, or it all falls apart,” one person close to the White House told Semafor. Despite the growing skepticism, White House officials are sticking to the president’s timeline — and Trump is “adamant” the bill will make it to his desk by Independence Day, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted.

‘This bill is like yogurt, not wine’

If Senate Republicans can close up all their outstanding issues on Trump’s megabill, expect them to vote basically immediately. “This bill is like yogurt, not wine,” one senator told Semafor. Senate Republicans are racing to write language on Medicaid that can help both comply with the parliamentary rules and get 50 votes, after the parliamentarian ruled their first approach didn’t pass muster. “A lot of this is fluid,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. It’s a distinct challenge, as Trump’s criticisms of the Senate’s approach shifts Republicans like Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., back towards the House’s gentler treatment of Medicaid cuts. And that’s one of many outstanding issues. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Medicaid negotiations are “still ongoing” but expressed confidence he can keep things on track. The first vote? “Whenever we can get to it,” he said.

— Burgess Everett

Senate votes on war powers

The Senate will vote today on moving forward with a resolution preventing Trump from taking further military action against Iran without congressional approval. The measure, from Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., is likely to fail; we’ll be watching for Democratic defections, after Chuck Schumer urged his colleagues to support it (Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman has already said he’ll vote no). The Senate vote follows a classified Iran briefing Thursday that stayed on the rails despite tensions between Congress and the executive branch over information sharing. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., described the back-and-forth as “generally constructive” even if it was “challenging at points.” Democrats said more information is needed to assess the damage to Iran’s nuclear program, while Republicans sounded more assured. “We’ve caused catastrophic damage to Iran’s nuclear program,” said Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton. “That’s not to say they won’t try to reconstitute.”

— Morgan Chalfant and Burgess Everett

SCOTUS ends term with a bang

A host of consequential Supreme Court decisions — the last of this term — will land today, according to Chief Justice John Roberts. That will include the Trump administration’s challenge to birthright citizenship — and specifically, the question of whether federal judges can issue nationwide injunctions to block its order pending litigation. The high court also has yet to release opinions on disputes over LGBTQ books in schools; Texas’ age verification law for adult websites; Louisiana’s congressional map; and Obamacare’s preventative health care task force — not to mention the forthcoming ruling that may force Foggy Bottom to revisit its reorganization plan. The justices handed down four opinions on Thursday, siding with a Texas death row inmate seeking DNA testing to prove his innocence and against Planned Parenthood by blocking the organization from suing South Carolina for denying it funding.

Trump isn’t done taking shots at Powell

The US is set to release the May report for the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge today, meaning Trump might not be done trashing Fed Chair Jerome Powell this week. The personal-consumption expenditures index is expected to rise just 0.1% in May, which may revive Trump’s push for a rate cut.

The Fed is holding off due to uncertainty about tariffs and the effect on prices, with the White House’s July 9 deadline fast-approaching. Countries like India are seeking face time with US officials to move talks along (Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said 10 deals are imminent). Trump this week called Powell “terrible” and said he had three or four candidates in mind to replace the Fed chair; the White House later clarified that a decision on Powell’s successor was not imminent, but Trump’s comments still sent the US dollar to its lowest level in three years.

Anthropic studies AI’s effect on economy

Anthropic is trying to address the economic consequences of artificial intelligence, after CEO Dario Amodei made dire predictions about AI-driven job losses, Semafor’s Reed Albergotti scoops. On Friday, the company kicked off the Anthropic Economic Futures Program, which will bolster research on the effects and potential downsides of AI. Amodei recently warned that AI would eliminate 50% of entry-level white collar jobs within five years. “This is really a wide call for people thinking creatively about how we can study the broad effects of AI,” said Sarah Heck, Anthropic’s head of policy programs and partnerships, of the new effort.

An in-house team of economic experts at Anthropic plan to award between 20 to 50 global research grants of up to $50,000 each, and they’ll provide free access to Anthropic’s AI products to help. The company also plans to hold a conference in Washington in fall.

Connolly’s legacy hangs over succession race

Virginia Democrats will pick a successor to Rep. Gerry Connolly on Saturday, one month after he died of cancer. He remained a major player in the special election anyway, with his former chief of staff, James Walkinshaw, running as Connolly’s endorsed candidate; with early voting underway, the late congressman’s X account posted, then deleted, a photo of the two of them together. (A version of the post is still up on Facebook.) “This is probably everything that’s wrong with the Democratic Party right now, the idea that a congressional seat is something that can be bequeathed,” said state Del. Irene Shin, one of Walkinshaw’s rivals. It’s not the only race where a dead member of Congress is a presence for his preferred successor; TV ads for Adelita Grijalva, who is running to replace her late father Raul, use his voice and image.

— David Weigel

Steve Inskeep has one of the most recognizable names and voices in the country, greeting millions of Americans every morning since the 2000s. This week, Ben and Max bring on the Morning Edition host to talk about NPR’s battle with the Trump administration, the role of public radio in an overcrowded media landscape, and why local journalism matters more than ever. They also discuss the conflict in Iran — a place that Steve has been to 6 times as a reporter — and whether Americans are less informed about global politics now than they were at the start of his career.

Blindspot: Subpoena and ICE

Stories that are being largely ignored by either left-leaning or right-leaning outlets, curated with help from our partners at Ground News.

What the Left isn’t reading: The House Oversight Committee issued a subpoena to Anthony Bernal, a former aide to then-first lady Jill Biden, as part of an investigation into Joe Biden’s mental fitness as president.

What the Right isn’t reading: A Canadian citizen died while in ICE custody.

Beltway Newsletters

Punchbowl News: Members of the Texas congressional delegation aren’t rushing to endorse Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in his primary.

Playbook: Democratic donors aren’t enthusiastic about Kamala Harris’ potential run for California governor.

Axios: Most Americans viewed the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities as a success, according to a new poll from a Republican firm, but a majority remains worried about the prospect of a widening war with Iran.

Congress

• Sen. Tommy Tuberville, incensed by the Senate parliamentarian’s rulings that a lengthy list of provisions in the GOP megabill need to be struck to make the package passable, demanded that Senate Majority Leader John Thune fire her “ASAP.”
• Republicans agreed to take the “revenge tax” provision — a levy on foreign-owned companies and investors — out of their megabill, at Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s request.

Health

• The CDC’s vaccine advisory panel voted against recommending some flu vaccines because they contain a preservative, thimerosal, that many vaccine opponents baselessly believe causes autism.

Outside the Beltway

• New York Rep. Elise Stefanik is preparing to run for governor. — The Hill
• Former Energy Secretary Rick Perry is trying to build a massive nuclear power plant/data center complex in Amarillo. — WaPo

Inside the Beltway

• Shutting down USAID will cost the government more than $6 billion, including more than $300 million in legal fees, according to the State Department. — Bloomberg
• Job listings at federal contractors have declined by 15% since January, according to data from Indeed. — Axios

Business

• A pending property deal between the Trump Organization and Israeli developers could plaster President Trump’s name on a Tel Aviv hotel. — NYT

Courts

• The Trump administration hopes to again deport Kilmar Ábrego García, the man it wrongly sent to El Salvador, though it plans to send him to an unspecified “third country” this time.

National Security

• The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog said that centrifuges at Iran’s Fordo facility are “no longer operational.” Meanwhile, European intelligence suggests Iran’s enriched uranium remains intact, according to the Financial Times.
• During a public briefing, Pentagon leaders described the planning and execution of the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites last weekend, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also chastised the media for what he said was unfair coverage of President Trump.

Education

• A top Justice Department attorney bragged that he and Texas officials were able to get a state law to provide undocumented students in-state tuition declared unconstitutional in a matter of hours — evidence of what Democratic groups say is “collusion.” — NBC
• The Trump administration has privately ordered the University of Virginia to fire its president, as it investigates the school’s DEI practices. — NYT

Technology

• ICE agents in the field are using a new facial recognition mobile app that draws on the photos and biometric data the government collects from passengers at airports. — 404 Media

Media

• Longtime news anchor and former Lyndon B. Johnson aide Bill Moyers died at 91.
• Anna Wintour, the fashion editor synonymous with Vogue, is stepping down as head of editorial content there. — Women’s Wear Daily

Principals Team

Edited by Morgan Chalfant, deputy Washington editor

With help from Elana Schor, senior Washington editor

And Graph Massara, copy editor

Contact our reporters:

Burgess Everett, Eleanor Mueller, Shelby Talcott, David Weigel

President Donald Trump looks on during an event promoting the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, as an image of former President Barack Obama pokes out of the background.