Politico

5 questions for Stanford’s Lloyd B. Minor #Tech

Army chief retires as Tuberville hold snarls the Pentagon's top ranks Both the Army and Marine Corps are operating without Senate-confirmed leaders due to the senator's blockade. #TopStories

GOP China hawks take aim at Tim Scott The South Carolina senator is talking tough on the campaign trail, but has used his powerful committee perch to water down U.S.-China investment rules in Washington. #TopStories

‘Whistling past the graveyard’: Dem fear grows over massive grassroots fundraising hit The decline is a major warning sign as the presidential campaign heats up. #TopStories

I Saw the Hollowness Inside Andrew Yang’s New Third Party The Forward Party is betting that a movement defined by what it is against is far more important than what it stands for. #TopStories

The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills to capture the foibles, memes, hypocrisies and other head-slapping events in the world of politics. The fruits of these labors are hundreds of cartoons that entertain and enrage readers of all political stripes. Here's an offering of the best of this week's crop, picked fresh off the Toonosphere. Edited by Matt Wuerker. #TopStories

Don’t Blame the Dog. Blame Joe Biden. The weird politics around Commander, the president’s ill-behaved German Shepherd. #TopStories

From Martha’s Vineyard addresses to rushing back to D.C.: When presidential vacations don't go to plan Vacations don’t always go as planned, with major events and executive duties sometimes interrupting a president’s downtime. #TopStories

Cape Cod or Cancun? Vacation Spots to Suit Every Political Type All is political now, including your summer getaway. #TopStories

What’s next in United States v. Trump: Choosing a trial date Both sides will file arguments soon on how swiftly, or slowly, the case should move. Then it’s up to Judge Tanya Chutkan. #TopStories

GOP lawmakers go after environmentalists on FARA Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) claim that some environmental groups are likely acting as foreign agents, although they are not registered with the DOJ. It’s part of a yearslong effort by the GOP to tie environmental groups to foreign adversaries. #Influence

Eight Ukrainian pilots ready to train on F-16s #Defense

Inside the courtroom: Donald Trump, Jack Smith and a historic glance The former president sat at the very same courtroom table that has been occupied by Jan. 6 defendants who stormed the Capitol in his name. #TopStories

‘Death Star’ law nixes water breaks as Texas bakes #Energy

The Dems staying quiet on Trump's indictment #Huddle

Trump pleads not guilty to charges that he conspired to overturn 2020 election At the former president's arraignment, prosecutors and defense lawyers signaled immediate disagreement over how quickly he should stand trial. #TopStories

O-o-overwhelming interest in weight-loss drugs Nearly half of Americans are at least “somewhat” interested in taking a prescription weight-loss drug. #Pulse

Will the ‘Bidenomics’ hot streak continue? CNN polling reveals that 63 percent of Americans disapprove of President Joe Biden’s handling of the economy. #Money

Subdued crowd gathers outside Washington courthouse where Trump was arraigned One popular attraction for passersby and the media was a person dressed up in an inflatable baby Trump costume, mimicking the voice of the former president. #TopStories

Sam Altman vs. the world’s governments … again #Tech

If Trump Gets Convicted, Blame Ulysses S. Grant A post-Civil War statute could make all the difference in the case against the former president. #TopStories

Democrats' last anti-abortion lawmaker gets leadership endorsements After getting exiled by most of his party in 2022, Henry Cuellar, Democrats’ last anti-abortion incumbent, was left to fend for himself against a progressive primary challenger — the biggest scare of his career. #TopStories

House GOP worries that hardliners actually want a shutdown Speaker Kevin McCarthy insists Congress will avoid a government shutdown in the fall. But some members of his right flank seem to be embracing that outcome. #TopStories

Biden beefs up his finance team with 3 senior hires The president’s reelection campaign has turned to seasoned hands at the DNC for some help raking in the dough. #TopStories

Opinion | Trump Actually Has Pretty Good Odds of Getting Back to the White House Yes, he can win. #TopStories

Biden world moves to stave off Cornel West and No Labels threat Democrats fear repeating history from third-party challengers threatening Biden's 2024 bid. #TopStories

Ron DeSantis agrees to debate Gavin Newsom on Fox News The California governor has been trying to get his Florida Republican counterpart to engage. On Wednesday, he got it. #TopStories

641 years behind bars? No, but Trump’s risk of prison is real. Of the more than six dozen felonies that Trump is accused of, many often result in harsh sentences. #TopStories

Trump’s indictment for Jan. 6 turns Mike Pence into a litmus test The former vice president stood by his criticism of Trump on Wednesday, and called his former boss’ one-time lawyers “crackpots.” #TopStories

Nestlé doubles down on plant-based lobbying Mercury Public Affairs registered to represent the food conglomerate, which is rapidly acquiring companies specializing in plant-based foods. #Influence

Ramaswamy: I ‘don’t believe’ the 9/11 Commission report The GOP candidate went on to insist he was expressing doubts about the Saudi government’s explanation for the attacks. #TopStories

Offshore wind: An ocean of untapped potential #Energy

Congress’ last anti-abortion Dem isn’t going anywhere #Huddle

‘Jack Smith Has Made Sure That the System of Laws Still Holds’ Thirteen legal and political experts on why the third indictment might just matter. #TopStories

What’s Washington’s public health plan? The politicization of Covid-19 — and many programs associated with the pandemic — has made mentions of public health unappealing for some lawmakers. #Pulse

A new regulatory rift The friction over how to police financial markets involves two Biden appointees aligned with Democrats: CFTC Chair Rostin Behnam and fellow Commissioner Christy Goldsmith Romero. #Money

'Everything has fallen off a cliff': Battleground state GOPs nosedive in Trump era State Republican parties across the country are struggling. Can they recover? Does it matter? #TopStories

Tanya Chutkan returns to court, with Trump case on her mind The judge selected for Trump's new criminal case handled routine matters Wednesday, even as her newest and biggest assignment lurked in the background. #TopStories

Here's how Trump's 2024 rivals responded to his third indictment Perhaps the most interesting statement came from Mike Pence. #TopStories

Republican senator who voted to convict Trump speaks out on his third indictment The Alaska Republican, who won reelection last year, was one of seven senators in her party who voted to convict the former president in 2021 after his second impeachment by the House. #TopStories