Principals

1. Iran strike
2. SALT clash
3. DOGE cuts pass
4. Padilla ‘manhandled’
5. Next front of immigration crackdown
6. Africa diplomat exits
7. Grenell’s trio of jobs
8. News on silencer legislation

PDB: Mamdani’s rise in New York

Trump attends National Security Council meeting … Oil markets surge amid Middle East tensions … Appeals court allows National Guard deployment in California for now

Iran strike disrupts Trump diplomatic push

Israel’s sweeping attack on Iran dramatically spiked tensions in the Middle East, and raised serious doubts about the fate of the Trump administration’s efforts to broker a new deal with Tehran to curb its nuclear program. The US said it was “not involved” in the strikes, which hit uranium-enrichment facilities and killed top Iranian military officials, and warned Tehran against striking US assets in the region in retaliation. Iran launched 100 drones at Israel, which has telegraphed that its campaign will “continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.” A looming question is whether the US will assist in defending Israel against Iran’s response. “That’s up to the president,” a US official told The Washington Post. Talks between the US and Iran were still scheduled for this weekend as of Thursday, but it’s difficult to see those moving forward. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said the attack was “clearly intended to scuttle the Trump Administration’s negotiations with Iran” and risks a regional war.

Senate GOP seethes as SALT advocates dig in

An ugly clash over state and local tax deductions is dominating the final days of negotiations on President Donald Trump’s megabill, Semafor’s Burgess Everett and Eleanor Mueller report. Plenty of senators would be perfectly fine to kill the SALT deduction entirely, but House Republicans from high tax states are digging in. “Unless there’s at least $40,000 of SALT in the bill, it can’t pass the House,” said Rep. Nick Lalota, R-N.Y. When we asked what number he’d be comfortable with, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., replied simply: “Zero.” We don’t mean to belabor the definition of a compromise, but both sides will have to climb down a bit to avoid a protracted standoff — something nobody wants at this point. As Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., put it: “Everybody’s having to accept stuff they don’t like in this bill.”

House GOP narrowly passes DOGE cuts

House Republicans narrowly passed legislation clawing back spending on public media and foreign aid Thursday after leaders successfully pressured a pair of moderates to change their votes on the floor. One of those moderates, Nick LaLota, told reporters that he’d decided to flip to “yes” because “PBS and NPR will live on … and I expect my constituents will be quite pleased when they get $40,000 worth of SALT” — a nod to the higher cap on the state and local tax deduction that he and others want included in the GOP’s tax-and-spending package. Another vocal SALT advocate, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., also voted “yes” — “because we have a lot of work that we’re undertaking, and finding savings within the federal government is part of it,” he said. Four Democrats were absent for the 214-212 vote.

— Eleanor Mueller

Padilla episode prompts Trump scrutiny

The forcible removal of Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., from a Homeland Security press conference in Los Angeles on Thursday — caught on camera — rattled Capitol Hill and triggered fresh scrutiny of Trump’s immigration agenda. Padilla was pushed and handcuffed by federal law enforcement as he introduced himself and tried to ask a question of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The episode quickly overshadowed a House Oversight Committee hearing with Democratic governors on blue-state immigration policies, Semafor’s David Weigel and Burgess Everett report. Padilla’s colleagues were disturbed by his treatment. “I don’t know what preceded it … but it looks like he’s being manhandled and physically removed, and it’s hard to imagine a justification for that,” Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, told Semafor. Across the US, protests against Trump’s immigration crackdown are multiplying.

Trump to target employers in migrant crackdown

The White House’s next target in its immigration fight will be companies. White House border czar Tom Homan told Semafor’s Ben Smith that the administration plans to step up civil and criminal prosecutions of businesses that employ workers without legal status. “Worksite enforcement operations are going to massively expand,” Homan said. The White House has faced criticism from Democrats like Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., for targeting undocumented workers without holding their employers responsible. While companies are growing more worried behind the scenes about the prospect of penalties, Trump on Thursday acknowledged that the crackdown was threatening businesses’ workforce and operations — and suggested he would shield farmers and the hotel industry from the impact.

Trump’s top Africa diplomat to step down

Trump’s top Africa diplomat, Troy Fitrell, has told colleagues he will leave the State Department in mid-July, Semafor’s Mathias Hammer and Yinka Adegoke scooped. A 30-year career diplomat who has worked across the African continent, Fitrell is temporarily leading the department’s Bureau of African Affairs, and has been the most public proponent of the new administration’s Africa policy. He also led the department’s commercial diplomacy push with Africa, arguing that the continent should become one of the US’ biggest trading partners. His departure raises questions about the trajectory of Washington’s policy on Africa, and whether the US can successfully host a planned Africa Leaders summit on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September.

Grenell juggles three unique jobs

Ric Grenell’s collection of jobs is growing: He was recently named to Live Nation Entertainment’s board of directors. In the role, Grenell is expected to earn a cash retainer of $100,000, in addition to garnering an annual $200,000 in restricted stock grants upon his appointment, according to company disclosures. He also remains the Kennedy Center’s president and Trump’s special missions envoy — a source with knowledge of the situation told Semafor he is still serving in that position, which is often not a full-time government role. The source said Grenell plans to recuse himself from any potential conflicts with the Kennedy Center given his Live Nation post; given his special envoy status, Grenell may have more leeway in accepting outside positions. It’s unclear whether Grenell informed the White House prior to accepting his Live Nation position; he did not return a request for comment.

— Shelby Talcott and Rohan Goswami

Republicans’ silencer provision at risk

Senate Republicans may get a split decision on the firearms portion of their megabill. There’s a decent chance the House-passed language delisting silencers and suppressors from the National Firearms Act is deemed noncompliant with Senate rules or otherwise won’t be included in the legislation. However, fallback language cutting a $200 tax on silencers is more likely to survive. “We will reduce the tax to zero at a minimum. Our goal is to basically change the policy, admittedly that’s going to be a discussion with the parliamentarian. It remains to be seen,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. Democrats say they will fight the provision with everything they’ve got. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said if the GOP succeeds in putting gun policy changes in the bill, then “maybe the next time we have power we’ll be able to change the gun laws of this country a little bit easier.”

— Burgess Everett

Cleo Abram left Vox and started her YouTube show, Huge If True, three years ago. Since then, the channel has grown to nearly 6 million subscribers and she’s become one of the most important tech journalists in the world. This week on Mixed Signals, Ben and Max talk to Cleo about why she started an optimistic show in an age of pessimism, the time she got space-sick in zero gravity, and how she navigates conversations with tech titans like Mark Zuckerberg and Jensen Huang.

Blindspot: Arrests and rulings

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: New York City police arrested dozens during anti-ICE protests in Manhattan.

What the Right isn’t reading: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to say he’d obey federal courts if they ruled against the continued military deployment in Los Angeles, though he said he’d abide by a Supreme Court decision to that effect.

Beltway Newsletters

Punchbowl News: House Republicans are divided over a request from the federal judiciary for billions more in funding in part to increase court security amid escalating threats against federal judges.

Playbook: Ric Grenell said he spoke with President Trump this week about potentially running for California governor. “If Kamala [Harris] runs, I think there’s a whole bunch of Republicans who are going to have to take a look at it, not just me,” he said.

Axios: Israel had been planning the attack on Iran for eight months.

WaPo: A new Yale analysis showed that Trump’s megabill and tariffs combined would leave the bottom 80% of US taxpayers worse off.

Congress

• At a House Armed Services hearing Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested the Pentagon has drafted contingency plans to invade Greenland and Panama.
• A new assessment from the Congressional Budget Office found that Republicans’ megabill would help the wealthiest Americans while hurting the poorest.

Outside the Beltway

• Detainees at a privately run ICE facility in New Jersey began to rebel against guards, angered by what they say are deteriorating conditions inside.
• Zohran Mamdani has emerged as a surprisingly strong contender in the New York mayoral race, and he’s running with some serious Bernie Sanders energy, Semafor’s David Weigel reports from New York.

Business

• Former Harris aide David Plouffe has a new job at Coinbase. — Politico

Courts

• The Supreme Court revived a lawsuit in which a family sued over a mistaken FBI raid at their home.

Immigration

• The Trump administration has paused plans to ramp up detentions of migrants in Guantánamo Bay. — Politico
• The administration informed migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela that their legal residency in the US under a Biden-era expanded parole program has been revoked. — CNN

Foreign Policy

• Germany pledged a new military aid package for Ukraine worth 1.9 billion euros.
• Iran announced plans to build a new nuclear enrichment facility.

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

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem serves McDonald’s fries to troops.