Principals

1. Bowman goes down
2. Trump goes one for four
3. House Freedom Caucus turns on itself
4. Rutte will be NATO boss
5. What to expect in Thursday’s debate
6. Top reporters leave Politico

PDB: Trump gag order amended

Julian Assange pleads guilty, goes free … TIME: Steve Bannon prepares for prison … Politico: WH braces for Netanyahu’s upcoming address to Congress

Latimer ousts Bowman in New York

Democratic voters in Westchester County rejected Rep. Jamaal Bowman on Tuesday, nominating county executive George Latimer after the most expensive House primary in American history. That included a $14.5 million spend by AIPAC, which helped recruit Latimer. “Some so-called Democrats are aligning themselves with radical, racist right-wing Republicans,” Bowman told supporters as he conceded the race. “We should be outraged when a super PAC of dark money can spend $20 million to brainwash people into believing something that isn’t true.” Justice Democrats, which recruited and helped elect Bowman in 2020, said in a statement that the race “was not a referendum on Israel-Palestine policies,” but the congressman sharply criticized Israel in the closing weeks, accusing Latimer of supporting “genocide” by opposing an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.“This country can not afford to splinter into pieces,” Latimer told his supporters. “Every single representative has to understand the need for unity.”

—David Weigel

Trump endorsees stumble in Tuesday primaries

Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert won the GOP nomination for a safe seat, but three other Trump-backed candidates faltered. Boebert, who switched districts after nearly losing her 2022 re-election, rolled over a divided field of lesser-known conservatives. But in the neighboring 5th District, Colorado GOP chair Dave Williams was crushed by conservative pundit Jeff Crank, despite Williams touting his Trump endorsement. In South Carolina, Trump-endorsed pastor Mark Burns narrowly lost a runoff to Sheri Biggs, a nurse endorsed by Gov. Henry McMaster. In Utah, Rep. John Curtis grabbed the GOP nomination to succeed Sen. Mitt Romney; Trump endorsed Trent Staggs, a conservative mayor who trailed by 26 points. American Leads Action and Conservatives for American Excellence, two super PACs funded by GOP donors sometimes critical of Trump, gave crucial support to Crank and Biggs.

—David Weigel

Semafor has appointed PBS News Hour co-anchor, Amna Nawaz, former Wall Street Journal writer, Jon Hilsenrath, former Wall Street Journal and Washington Post editor, Marcus Brauchli, and former New York Magazine journalist and Mixed Signals co-host, Nayeema Raza, as contributors. The contributors will work alongside Semafor’s editorial and events teams in Washington, D.C to produce and moderate compelling news-driven events, and we’ll bring their voices into our newsletters when we can. In addition, Semafor has promoted Meera Pattni, its head of communications, to oversee its global live journalism business, working closely with senior editor Gina Chon. Pattni, a founding member of the Semafor leadership team, will be responsible for expanding and enhancing the company’s global events portfolio. Maggie Soergel, formerly the head of events, has been promoted to general manager of live journalism.

House Freedom Caucus weighs booting one of its own

The fallout from Rep. Bob Good’s primary could extend beyond his Virginia district, where the race is headed for a contentious recount. House Freedom Caucus members are discussing whether to try and expel Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson from their ranks, multiple Congressional sources told Semafor’s Kadia Goba and David Weigel, after he endorsed John McGuire against Good, who chairs the ultra-conservative group. It’s the latest strain in the group over its relationship with Donald Trump, who opposed Good in large part because he backed Ron DeSantis in the presidential race. Rep. Troy Nehls, for his part, said he was against ousting Davidson. “I don’t wanna remove him,” the Texan HFC member told Semafor while wearing Trump’s signature gold sneakers. “He’s one of the smart ones.”

Rutte appointed NATO boss

Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte was appointed as NATO’s next secretary-general. The move became a formality after his only rival quit the race last week, but Rutte had earlier faced difficulty persuading Eastern European nations, and especially Hungary, whose premier Viktor Orban is Europe’s most pro-Russian figure. Rutte is a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and strongly pro-Ukraine, and in 2018 earned the nickname of “the Trump whisperer” after convincing the then US president that Europe was boosting its defense spending. He faces a full in-tray: As well as the war in Ukraine on NATO’s doorstep, there is uncertainty over the US’ future involvement in the alliance should Donald Trump be elected once again.

What to watch in Thursday’s Biden-Trump debate

Both President Biden and Donald Trump are telegraphing their punches ahead of tomorrow’s debate. Biden’s campaign put out a new ad yesterday saying Trump was out for “revenge” and tax cuts for the wealthy, rather than helping middle class voters. One campaign official noted he’s been “punchier” lately and said to expect an aggressive approach. Trump has brought up killings by migrants on Truth Social and Semafor’s Shelby Talcott reports that he’ll likely invite family members of victims to Atlanta as his guests, although the debate itself will have no audience. TNR’s Greg Sargent writes that Democrats should be prepared for the attack and polled some big-name strategists on possible responses. If Trump wants to really blow up the debate, he has another option: NBC News reports he’s weighing announcing a running mate before the event.

In the latest episode of Mixed Signals from Semafor Media, presented by Think With Google, Ben, Nayeema, and Max report from Cannes, decoding the year ahead for the ad business amidst the panels and parties. While enjoying the Côte d’Azur, they discuss Washington’s move to ban TikTok and the company’s denial of what’s unfolding. Then, they weigh in on whether Will Lewis, CEO of the Washington Post, will survive.

Listen to this episode of Mixed Signals wherever you get your podcasts.

More star reporters out at Politico

Politico is losing some of its biggest names as it faces internal discontent over a new editing regime, Semafor’s Maxwell Tani reports. The latest batch of departures: Alex Ward, co-author of Politico’s massive scoop about the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, is leaving for The Wall Street Journal along with Pentagon reporter Lara Seligman. Jack Shafer, the longtime Politico media columnist, is also heading out, telling Tani “the job has changed in recent months.” The exits come amid a new push by top editor John Harris to exert more direct control over day-to-day coverage, which has frustrated some staff. Harris told Tani he wants coverage to be “even more original, more topical, more rigorously edited, and more responsive to our publication’s long-term strategy” and some staff may not fit that strategy.

Beltway Newsletters

Punchbowl News: The House Energy and Commerce Committee is marking up the American Privacy Rights Act and the Kids’ Online Safety Act, although leadership may not want to buck tech companies by putting them on the floor this year.

Playbook: A poll by Mark Mellman for Democratic Majority for Israel shows Rep. Cori Bush in a dead heat against challenger Wesley Bell in the Aug. 6 Missouri primary that will again pit a “Squad” member against pro-Israel groups.

WaPo: Trump has been preemptively attacking CNN debate moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, a “tactic Trump has used time and time again, aiming to redirect expectations and delegitimize the process.”

Axios: Republicans are more likely to blame government spending and policies for inflation while Democrats are more likely to blame big business, according to a new Harris poll.

White House

• President Biden is expected to pardon US veterans today who were convicted by the military over a 60-year span under a military law that banned gay sex. — CNN
• Biden health officials urged WPATH, the main international transgender health organization, not to recommend specific minimum ages for treatments in 2021 out of fear it would encourage efforts to ban care in the US. — NYT

Congress

House Republicans for now are passing on using funding bills to target former President Donald Trump’s prosecutors.

Outside the Beltway

• National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy on Tuesday accused Norfolk Southern of unethical conduct and an inappropriately aggressive response to the investigation of the freight train derailment last year in East Palestine, Ohio, including efforts to undermine the NTSB staff.
• The FBI and federal prosecutors are investigating New York mayor Eric Adams’ use of private email addresses and how records from seven trips he made to China have disappeared. — NY Post

Economy

Nippon Steel’s bid to acquire U.S. Steel is in trouble over concerns about future job cuts and plant closures, according to labor officials and previously unreported correspondence. — WaPo

Courts

• The judge in Donald Trump’s Manhattan hush-money trial has lifted parts of the limited gag order he placed on the former president during the proceedings. Trump is now free to publicly comment on witnesses and jurors, but Judge Juan Merchan left a separate order in place that bars Trump and his attorneys from disclosing the identities and addresses of jurors. Trump remains barred from commenting on court staffers, the prosecution team, and their families until he is sentenced next month.
• The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Russia’s former defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, and army chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov for war crimes in Ukraine.
• WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified information over his alleged role in one of the largest breaches of classified materials in US military history.
• Expect Supreme Court decisions starting today. Pending cases include a challenge to the Chevron doctrine, potential limits on government interaction with social media, and questions about presidential immunity.

Polls

Voters have swung right on immigration since 2020, but views on race are more stable after a leftward swing under Trump, according to a new Democracy Fund report by political scientists John Sides, Michael Tesler, and Robert Griffin. Their theory: The border has been a more hot-button political issue within both parties, while racial justice topics have come up less under Biden.

On the Trail

• The Republican Party platform will likely be amended to reflect Donald Trump’s position that abortion policy should be left to the states, and anti-abortion activists are already raising the alarm. — NOTUS
• Two Trump advisers have presented him with a plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine by telling Kyiv it will only get more US arms if it enters peace talks and threatening Moscow with elevated US support for Ukraine if it refuses them. — Reuters
• Former CNN commentator John Avlon won the Democratic primary in NY-1. He’ll take on Republican Rep. Nick LaLota in the general election.

National Security

The US and the Philippines are seeking to de-escalate tensions with Beijing after Chinese coast guard ships forcibly boarded Philippine naval vessels last week. — WaPo

Foreign Policy

• The Biden administration wants stable gasoline prices ahead of November’s election by encouraging the flow of oil into global markets, but that has run straight into another of its priorities: being tough on Russia, Iran, and Venezuela. — WSJ
• Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will go on trial for espionage in secret today. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. “We already know the conclusion: This bogus accusation of espionage will inevitably lead to a bogus conviction for an innocent man who would then face up to 20 years in prison for simply doing his job.” Journal Editor in Chief Emma Tucker said in a letter to readers.

Media

• The Kremlin has restricted access on Russian territory to 81 media outlets that do business in the European Union in retaliation against the EU’s ban on some Russia-linked media outlets within the bloc.
• The Associated Press is launching a sister organization to raise at least $100 million to expand state and local news. — Axios
• Uri Berliner, the former NPR senior business editor who accused the organization of progressive biases in April, has joined The Free Press, the online outlet that published his allegations in an essay.

Big Read

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s evolution from firebrand to pragmatist has roiled some progressives, Bloomberg says. AOC, who defeated a primary challenge Tuesday from finance veteran Martin Dolan, sees herself as an engineer steeped in policy, such as with her long-stalled Green New Deal and push for student debt cancellation. That’s far from her arrival on Capitol Hill, when she challenged the party establishment, including then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi said AOC has been “true to her beliefs but not an obstacle.” Supporters are disappointed with AOC’s role as President Biden’s emissary to young and minority voters. “She’s out there. She’s making mistakes,” said one progressive organizer. “I wish she hadn’t endorsed Biden, but I also understand why she did.”

Blindspot

Stories that are being largely ignored by either left-leaning or right-leaning outlets, according to data from our partners at Ground News.

What the Left isn’t reading: Brazil’s Supreme Court has voted to decriminalize marijuana possession for personal use in a move that could reduce its massive prison population.

What the Right isn’t reading: Shelby Busch, the vice chair of the Maricopa County Republican Committee in Arizona, has threatened to lynch the county’s top election official. Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, who is running for re-election, posted a video of the comments on X.

Principals Team

Editors: Benjy Sarlin, Jordan Weissmann, Morgan Chalfant

Editor-at-Large: Steve Clemons

Reporters: Kadia Goba, Joseph Zeballos-Roig, Shelby Talcott, David Weigel

Nanette Barragán is a Democratic representative from California. She’s playing in the Congressional Women’s Softball Game today, which pits members against the press for charity.