Principals

1. Tax bill vote ahead
2. SCOTUS approval
3. ‘White Dudes’ raise $4 million for Harris
4. Trump at Bitcoin convention
5. New Biden AI recommendations
6. Fed meeting
7. FBI investigation of Trump shooter

PDB: Roy Cooper bows out of Kamala Harris’ running mate search

Elana Schor joins Semafor … Harris campaigns in Atlanta … Trump says he’ll ‘probably’ debate Harris ... CNN: Inside story of Supreme Court votes

Schumer putting tax bill up for vote

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is putting the House-approved tax package up for what amounts to a show vote later this week. The measure has languished for months due to GOP resistance, and there’s little sign that has softened. “The American people will see for themselves who in reality supports the fine provisions of the tax bill and who does not,” Schumer said. GOP senators have mostly deferred to Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. He said Monday evening that he remains opposed to the bill. Still, some Republicans signaled they’d break ranks: Sen. Todd Young of Indiana said the tax legislation had his support. The bill would temporarily expand the child tax credit and restore a set of business deductions popular in both parties.

— Joseph Zeballos-Roig

SCOTUS gets low approval rating

The Supreme Court enjoys a near-record low approval rating, according to new data from Gallup. Currently, 43% of American adults approve of the job the court is doing, while 52% disapprove. The opinions of the conservative-leaning court vary widely between parties, with 66% of Republicans approving, 44% of independents, and 15% of Democrats. The 51-point gap between Republicans and Democrats is close to the record 61-point gap post-Dobbs decision. The figures are being released a day after President Biden proposed controversial changes to the court, including term limits and an ethics code, and in the wake of high-profile decisions like the one on presidential immunity.

‘White Dudes For Harris’ overcomes the cringe to raise big money

“White Dudes For Harris” raised over $4 million on a Monday night livestream while hosting several potential vice presidential nominees and various celebrities. “I’m white, I’m a dude, and I’m for Harris,” Jeff Bridges, of “Big Lebowski” fame, said during the program. It’s the second grassroots event for white liberals to go viral after a “White Women for Harris” event raised $8.5 million last week. But the “white” identity-based groups are also drawing critics across the political spectrum, Kadia Goba and Benjy Sarlin write, who argue they come off as offensive. “White Dudes” organizer Ross Morales Rocketto, 39, told Semafor the party needed to counter Trump’s inroads with his cohort. “It’s not on anybody else to organize us,” he said. “It’s on us to organize us.”

Crypto crackdown turns into D.C. comeback

Crypto’s long winter in Washington is coming to an end. Last year, the digital asset industry faced a regulatory crackdown after the collapse of leading crypto companies and the indictments of their executives. Fast forward to this past week, when both Vice President Harris and Donald Trump took an interest in the sector and calls to replace its chief nemesis, Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler, grew louder. “It’s been a remarkable turnaround in how people perceive the industry,” Kristin Smith, CEO of the Blockchain Association, told Semafor’s Joseph Zeballos-Roig. “If you had told me a year ago we would be in the place where we were today, I’m not sure I would believe you.”

Feds should develop tools to monitor risks of open AI models, report says

The federal government should not restrict access to the components of powerful open artificial intelligence models but should better monitor potential risks associated with them, a new Biden administration report recommends. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration report recognizes the technologies pose a potential national security risk, particularly if they are used by adversaries for malign purposes — like for cyber operations, biological warfare, controlling weapons, or even image recognition. “If you think about just even image recognition, an AI system could be really good at recognizing pictures of cats or it could be used for recognizing pictures of tanks,” Assistant Secretary of Commerce Alan Davidson told Semafor, noting the US has heard concerns about adversaries using AI to “develop frightening new capabilities.” The US plans to brief industry and its allies on the report following its release, Davidson said.

— Morgan Chalfant

Fed may signal future rate cuts

The Federal Reserve meeting kicks off today and while it is widely expected to leave rates unchanged, officials may hint at the timeline for future rate cuts. “The case to cut is already strong, and the Fed will likely use the July meeting to plant a seed that a cut in September is on the table,” one economist wrote. Bloomberg reports that some bond traders are even betting on the off chance that the Fed slashes rates earlier — just in case — in light of calls from some economists for a move at the July meeting. Chair Jerome Powell said earlier this month that the Fed was looking for “greater confidence” that inflation would decrease to 2%. A rate cut in September could have bearing on the US election two months later. Donald Trump has warned against cutting rates before November.

FBI details how Trump shooter planned an attack

The FBI has evidence suggesting the shooter who tried to assassinate Donald Trump at his rally in Butler, Pa., had long been planning an attack. Thomas Matthew Crooks made 25 gun-related purchases online between spring 2023 and the first half of 2024, and bought materials for explosives six times. “While the FBI’s investigation may not have yet determined a motive, we believe the subject made significant efforts to conceal his activities,” said FBI agent Kevin Rojek. Trump has also agreed to be interviewed in the investigation, which is standard practice but may be complicated by Trump’s adversarial relationship with the bureau. On Capitol Hill, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced the members of a bipartisan task force to investigate the assassination attempt; it will be led by Chair Mike Kelly, R-Pa., who represents Butler, and ranking member Jason Crow, D-Colo.

Beltway Newsletters

Punchbowl News: Senate Republicans are holding out hope that they’ll get a better deal on a tax bill next year. “If we were lucky enough to run the tables and have the trifecta next year, obviously it’s a much better bill,” John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican, said. “And even if it’s not, you can use the things they’re asking for now as [a] trade.”

Playbook: Donald Trump’s campaign is spending $12 million on an ad attacking Vice President Harris on the border. The ad, which calls Harris “failed, weak, dangerously liberal,” will air in six swing states.

WaPo: House lawmakers are missing more and more votes this Congress.

Axios: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum along with GOP Sens. Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, and Bill Hagerty are all in the running to be Trump’s secretary of state if he wins in November.

White House

• The White House unveiled a new $1.7 billion lethal aid package for Ukraine, consisting largely of missiles and ammunition for missile, artillery and air defense systems the US has already provided to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
• President Biden is scheduled to hold a call with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva today.
• Vice President Harris is campaigning in Atlanta.

Crime

• A teenage boy allegedly killed two children and wounded 11 other people in a stabbing rampage at a children’s dance and yoga class in northwest England.
• Ismael Zambada Garcia, the last godfather of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel, was forced onto a plane last week by the son of the imprisoned drug lord known as El Chapo – Zambada Garcia’s former partner in crime – and flown to the US where he was arrested, according to American officials. Officials had said initially Zambada Garcia was lured onto the plane.
• William Calley, the US Army officer who was the only person convicted in connection with the 1968 My Lai Massacre where hundreds of unarmed South Vietnamese civilians were slaughtered, died in late April. He was 80. —WaPo

Courts

A New York judge declined to appoint an independent monitor to oversee the National Rifle Association’s finances, but it did bar former chief executive Wayne LaPierre from holding a paid post with the gun-rights organization for 10 years.

On the Trail

• Kari Lake and Mark Lamb face off in the Arizona Republican Senate primary today.
• Donald Trump appeared to back off from his commitment to debate Vice President Harris, telling Fox News he “probably” would debate but “can also make a case for not doing it.”
• Republicans are now using clips and statements from Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign against her.
• Trump will appear before the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago on Wednesday
• JD Vance privately told donors over the weekend in Minnesota that President Biden’s departure from the presidential race and entry of Harris was “a little bit of a political sucker punch,” according to a recording of his remarks.
• Four mayors of border towns in swing-state Arizona have endorsed Harris.
• House Majority PAC, the largest of the House Democrats’ super PACs, is adding $24 million to its original $186 million fall TV and digital ad campaign. — Politico
• North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has withdrawn from consideration to be Harris’ running mate. Cooper’s team communicated to the Harris campaign last Monday that he didn’t want to be among the candidates. Cooper “harbored concerns that Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a conservative Republican who is on the ballot this year to replace him, would mount a legal effort to usurp his executive authority while he was out of state.” — NYT
• Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan is emerging as a dark horse to be Harris’ running mate. — Axios
• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she is “not part of the vetting” process to be Harris’ running mate.
• The National Republican Congressional Committee announced 26 candidates as part of its “Young Gun” program that focuses on nonincumbent candidates in competitive districts.

Foreign Policy

• Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González said his campaign has the evidence to prove he won Sunday’s disputed election over President Nicolás Maduro. The US, meanwhile, left open the possibility of levying more sanctions on Venezuela.
• Far-right Israeli protesters stormed military bases where alleged Hamas militants are being held and the Israel Defense Forces military court is housed after the IDF military police detained nine reservists over allegations of abusing a Palestinian detainee.
• Russian troops have made significant gains in eastern Ukraine by exploiting Kyiv’s shortage in manpower, Semafor’s Jenna Moon writes.

Technology

• Fiber optic cables providing broadband services across France were cut early Monday – but not connections that serve Paris – in the latest attack on infrastructure in the country during the Olympics.
• Elon Musk accused Google of bias against Donald Trump with its autocomplete feature, which he said doesn’t show the former president in its predictions. A Google spokesperson said the feature experienced issues on Monday. — NBC News
• Musk’s SpaceX is talking with US and Australian officials to land and recover one of its rockets off the coast of Australia. — Reuters

Big Read

The messaging of US political parties is highly gendered, The Atlantic’s Derek Thompson writes. Men and women are drifting apart, according to several measures. Women in 1995 were one-percentage point more likely than men to be pro-choice, but that gap is now 14 points. Women between 19 and 29 years old in 1999 were five points more likely to identify as “very liberal,” but that’s now 15 points over men. “The Democratic Party appears to have made a conscious choice not to make young men a political priority,” American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Daniel Cox said, just as “the GOP under Trump seems unconcerned about the ways it may be alienating young women.”

Blindspot

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 US national debt topped $35 trillion for the first time.

What the Right isn’t reading: Vice President Harris has launched a “week of action” for reproductive freedom as Iowa’s abortion ban takes effect.

Principals Team

Editors: Benjy Sarlin, Jordan Weissmann, Morgan Chalfant

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

Marsha Blackburn is a Republican senator from Tennessee. She is among the cosponsors of the Kids Online Safety Act, which is up for a vote this week in the Senate.

• A more media-friendly Kamala Harris runs for president.
• US high rejections of African student visas “steadily rising”.
• San Francisco arrives on the “late freight” to surveillance tech.