Washington, DC

1. Kennedy’s folksy force
2. Iran briefings
3. War economy
4. Counter-China plans
5. Bondi’s defense
6. Midwest primaries
7. Dispatch dispatch

PDB: Senate Republicans release immigration enforcement package

Vance in Iowa … Greer meets EU counterpart in Paris … UAE restricts airspace after Iran missile attacks

John Kennedy keeps Republicans guessing

You might be familiar with Sen. John Kennedy’s quips. You should also pay attention to what the Louisiana Republican is actually doing, Semafor’s Burgess Everett and Eleanor Mueller report. Kennedy contributed to the downfall of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, helped shield Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell from the Trump administration’s criminal probe, nearly derailed the GOP’s budget resolution for immigration enforcement, and is now withholding support for a key cryptocurrency bill over stalled House action on housing legislation. “I play outside the pocket, just always have and always will. And that’s why I’ll never be part of leadership. I don’t completely fit in,” Kennedy told Semafor of his approach, which equally delights and puzzles his colleagues — depending on the day. “Sometimes that pisses them off, and sometimes it doesn’t.” Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., put it another way: “He’s a clever bugger.”

Trump’s Iran ceasefire deal is at risk

Top Trump administration officials will face reporters today, as a stark warning from Iran’s chief negotiator underscored sharply escalating tensions. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Iranian parliament speaker, wrote on social media Tuesday morning that the US had violated the ceasefire and that “a new equation” was in place in the Strait of Hormuz, after President Donald Trump’s operation to “guide” vessels through the key shipping route was followed by an outbreak of fighting. While the current standoff was “unbearable” for the US, Tehran has “not even started yet,” Ghalibaf warned. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine will undoubtedly face questions about the tenuous truce, which Washington has yet to declare over, when they brief reporters at the Pentagon today. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is slated to headline this afternoon’s White House press briefing, an unusual arrangement with press secretary Karoline Leavitt on maternity leave.

— Shelby Talcott

Job market escapes war impact

More data out this week will shed light on the Iran war’s ongoing economic impact. Today’s report on new home sales will add to the picture of the conflict’s effect on the housing market, which is struggling despite signs of a rebound earlier this year. The job market, meanwhile, has been more resilient: Analysts expect Friday’s April jobs report to show a 62,000 jump in payrolls, per Bloomberg, even as the job openings figure out tomorrow is unlikely to show much change from March. More information about the labor market will come in ADP’s report on private sector jobs due tomorrow, and in initial jobless claims to be released on Thursday. Later today, AMD’s earnings report will provide the latest glimpse of the strength of the US tech sector as artificial intelligence buoys the economy.

Norway joins Pax Silica

The US this week plans to announce that Norway will become the 15th country to join Pax Silica, a consortium of countries that is trying to counter China’s influence in critical minerals, tech, and AI. “Norway is home to the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, and the depth of that institutional capital combined with critical mineral reserves are important,” Jacob Helberg, Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs, told Semafor’s Shelly Banjo. While the declaration isn’t binding, Helberg said the State Department plans to announce a series of commercial deals with a half-dozen large corporations in what he called a “product-based approach to economic statecraft.” The move comes as the Trump administration continues planning for a summit in China later this month in Beijing, where Trump is expected to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Does Pam Bondi have a lawyer now?

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi might now have a new personal attorney in Congress’ Jeffrey Epstein investigation: Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee made the claim in a letter Monday morning to the committee’s Republican chair, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky. “DOJ staff provided her official DOJ cell phone number when it referred Democratic Oversight staff to her as counsel for Ms. Bondi, and the Assistant Attorney General has posted on X in connection with Ms. Bondi’s appearance before this Committee from the handle @AAGHarmeetDhillon,” wrote Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif, the panel’s top Democrat. Garcia said Dhillon’s involvement could pose a conflict of interest ahead of Bondi’s scheduled interview date at the end of the month. The Justice Department declined to comment on Dhillon’s role, while Dhillon did not respond to a request for comment.

— Nicholas Wu

All eyes on Trump’s Hoosier purge

It’s a busy Election Day in the Midwest, starting in Indiana, where Trump and his allies are working to replace GOP state senators who voted against redrawing the state’s congressional map. Trump, Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., the Club for Growth, and Turning Point Action are targeting seven Republicans who voted “no” on the failed redistricting effort. Indianapolis Democratic Rep. André Carson, whose district those Republicans saved, faces a primary challenger who’s 16 years younger and running on generational change. In Ohio, Republicans will nominate challengers to Democratic Reps. Marcy Kaptur, Greg Landsman, and Emilia Sykes, all three of whom sit in competitive seats after a 2025 gerrymander. And in a mid-Michigan special election, Democrats are trying to retain the hypercompetitive state Senate seat vacated by Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet.

— David Weigel

Dispatch leader exits as sale eyed

One of The Dispatch’s top leaders is out amid broader questions about the media organization’s future, Semafor’s Max Tani scoops. Mike Rothman, who joined the right-leaning digital outlet as its president in 2025, is leaving the media company in part due to differences with founders Jonah Goldberg and Stephen Hayes about its direction. Rothman’s departure comes as the company has explored a potential sale to Axel Springer, which also owns Politico. The German media giant’s sudden purchase of The Telegraph earlier this year has satiated some of its appetite for major acquisitions, dampening prospects for a near-term sale. However, one person familiar with the discussions said some interest in a future deal remains.

Marc Lore built Diapers.com and sold it to Amazon. Then he built Jet.com and sold it to Walmart. Now he’s trying something different: taking Wonder — his vertically integrated food-delivery startup — all the way to a public offering. On this week’s Compound Interest episode, presented by Amazon Business, he joins Liz and Semafor’s Deputy Editor-in-Chief Shelly Banjo to talk about why he’s betting that robots, influencers, and AI-directed meal plans can finally crack the code on profitable food delivery and what e-commerce taught him about attacking fat margins with automation. Plus, why he’s quietly searching for desert land to build a city from scratch.

Blindspot: Climate change and Uno

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 Justice Department sued Minnesota over the state’s own climate lawsuit against oil companies.

What the Right isn’t reading: President Trump posted a meme of himself holding “all the cards” in Uno, which would be a losing hand in the game. 

Beltway Newsletters

Punchbowl News: “When I’m doing my stump speech and tell people that on the first day of this campaign, I made a promise not to support Chuck Schumer for leader, the room — without any explanation — just spontaneously bursts into applause,” said Iowa state Sen. Zach Wahls, who is running in the state’s upcoming Senate Democratic primary.

Playbook: “The central question today is whether Trump retains the authority to oust well-respected local Republicans at will, even as his own poll ratings crater and the clock winds down on his final term.”

Axios: Black voters are shifting to the right, as the once-reliably Democratic voting bloc morphs into a cohort of “political free agents” that the Republican party seeks to attract.

Congress

• Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., now the subject of a House Ethics Committee probe, showered compliments and gifts on a pair of young female staffers in ways that “crossed professional boundaries.” — Axios
• The ethics panel also investigated Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., over his allegedly inappropriate behavior towards female interns, but that probe was dismissed. — NOTUS
• More women detailed uncomfortable interactions with former Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., to CNN.

Outside the Beltway

• The Education Department is investigating Smith College, an all-women’s school, for admitting transgender women.