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Good morning,

Happy Bastille Day to our handful of French and Francophile readers, and good luck this afternoon. Here in the States, the news environment this summer is starting to feel like some kind of twisted Groundhog Day, in which we are doomed to repeat the worst events of 2rump forever. We're back to fighting a hot war with Iran. ICE is back to killing people in the streets. Todd Blanche will go in front of Senate Judiciary tomorrow for his confirmation hearing to become AG, which means the godforsaken Jeffrey Epstein saga will come roaring back. I know summer is the dregs, but I'd like it if the news gods gave me something to work with here.

Let's start with the latest on Lindsey Graham's death. President Trump wants to honor his friend's legacy by getting the Senate to pass the Russia sanctions bill that Graham was working feverishly on right up until he died, which would be a nice way to honor a man who, if nothing else, devoted the last few years of his life to the fight for freedom in Ukraine.

Just kidding! Trump is actually pushing the Senate to pass the big crypto bill in Graham's honor. When I saw that headline cross the wire yesterday I had to laugh. The president, who seemed genuinely emotional and shaken up for about 24 hours after the unexpected death of his close friend, is back to his baseline: How can I make this otherwise tragic event benefit me personally? Let's use it to ram through the Clarity Act, a piece of legislation that just so happens to benefit the industry Trump and his family are using to make billions of dollars through various scams and swindles. Just perfect. Poor Lindsey. Body isn't even cold and his BFF is already using his death to advance his own personal enrichment. The man who Graham once called a "race-baiting, xenophobic religious bigot" before he became a supplicant gets the last laugh. As he always does.

Meanwhile, at Trump's urging, the governor of South Carolina has appointed .... Graham's sister, Darline, to fill his seat for the remainder of the year/term. I'm sure Darline, whom he raised when they were orphaned, is a nice lady. In a normal world it would be kind of nuts to appoint some random woman to the US Senate while the country is in the middle of a war, even if she's only there as a caretaker for a few months. But we're not in a normal world, and Congress doesn't exist as a coequal branch of government anymore, so who cares really. At least she can clear out her brother's desk.

To my point, yesterday the White House sent what's known as a "war powers notice" to the Hill, notifying lawmakers that we're back at war with Iran, which theoretically triggers a 60-day period for Congress to authorize that military action or else require that it end. Lol. Everyone knows it's just kabuki theater at this point. I've come to miss the old system, when lawmakers got together to "debate"/lie to our faces about going to war in places like Iraq, so that once we did it felt like a forgone conclusion. Congress had deliberated on it and chosen to strike! Senators were on record voting for or against! Voters could then hold them accountable based on that vote! It was a good system.

At least it was certainly better than this one, where Trump is now saying we're going to control the Strait of Hormuz and charge our own 20% toll. Sure, why not. That will never happen, but the mere prospect of it has been enough to send oil prices soaring again. And unlike when this shitshow began, the oil market is far less protected by a buffer of stockpiled product. The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve is sitting at its lowest level since 1983. Trump is making a bet that the energy markets will continue to be relatively sanguine in the face of a new forever conflict in the Gulf. As someone who uses oil and gas products, I hope he's right. As someone who wants to see Trump and the GOP punished badly at the ballot box for starting and losing this war, I hope he's wrong.

Amid all this news, all these various interconnecting stories, the president will address the nation on Thursday evening. Will he give a speech calling for Congress to pass the Russia sanctions bill that Graham had spent his last days on Earth working on? Will he explain to the American people why we are at war with Iran again, and how much this war is adding to the national debt, which is compounding these inflationary pressures we are all feeling every day? Maybe address this new ICE killing in Maine? Why can’t these goons keep their guns holstered when doing traffic stops?

No. He will not do any of that. Per reporting by MS NOW, Trump will break into primetime to present "newly declassified intelligence reports that the White House asserts reveal plans by foreign nations to interfere in the 2020 election."

SERENITY NOW.

We're gonna relitigate the 2020 election again? We really are living in Groundhog Day. Just destined to have the same stupid fights in perpetuity while everything gets slightly worse around us. Trump will come out and present some reheated, already debunked 2020 election conspiracy theories as “newly uncovered information” from the FBI as cover for whatever he’s planning to do to interfere in the midterms. That's what is about to happen. Democrats might want to get in a room and hammer out a strategy for how to counter that. Here's a free idea:

Your life has gotten more expensive in just about every way since Donald Trump was elected on a promise to bring down prices. Tariffs that raise consumer prices. War that raises gas prices. Corporate tax cuts that raise interest rates. He wouldn't even sign a bill to lower housing costs if it didn't include provisions to steal your vote. Now he's gonna try and steal your vote anyway. But hey, at least there's also a new nationwide explosive diarrhea outbreak. Stop fighting amongst yourselves over the pros and cons of socialism, vote for the candidates who can win a general election in your district and/or state, and focus on sending these criminals packing — starting in November.

That will be 10 million dollars, DNC. I'll invoice you.

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Carlo Versano is Newsweek's Director of Politics and Culture. He has in-depth knowledge and experience covering a range of topics and stories over a 20-year career in the news business. Carlo joined Newsweek in 2024 after a stint at The Messenger. Before that, he was an Emmy-winning producer at NBC News. He is a graduate of the University of Richmond and the New School. You can get in touch with Carlo by emailing [email protected].

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Today, two World Cup favorites collide: France and Spain, locked in a semifinal that's become less about soccer and more about who gets to decide which skin tones look "European enough."

This weekend, former Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy published what was, frankly, a racist op-ed. Spain, he warned, faces a team "full of African players," his delicate way of describing the French squad, many of whose stars trace their roots to former African colonies. Kylian Mbappé, born in Paris, carries Cameroonian heritage.

The problem? Spain's biggest star, 19-year-old Lamine Yamal, was born in Barcelona to a Moroccan family. The kid didn't just help Spain win the Euros two years ago; he's the talisman of Barcelona, one of Europe's two most storied clubs. Rajoy attacked France for playing with immigrants while Spain's entire tournament rests on the shoulders of one.

This is the European soccer script on repeat: immigration is celebrated as the greatest strength when you're lifting trophies, then promptly rediscovered as the root of all evil when you need a villain. France reaches back-to-back World Cup finals on immigrant talent, and half the country insists the team doesn't "look French." Spain's star is Moroccan-Spanish, and everyone cheers. Until they lose, of course.

Both Yamal and Mbappe have taken clear stances against the far-right rising in their countries. Not long ago, Mbappé himself was the target of a similar xenophobic screed from a Paraguayan lawmaker. But here is my fear: If Spain wins, Yamal is Spanish. If Spain loses, he's Moroccan. If France wins, it's a triumph of European talent and coaching. If France loses, it's because the team doesn't "look French enough."

“Well, you know, we were in Vietnam for 19 years. We’re here for four months.”

— President Trump when asked by CNN’s Kaitlin Collins if the situation in Iran is the new normal.

Newsweek is part of the Trust Project, which focuses on honesty, accuracy and fairness in journalism. Read more about our best practices. To get in touch with our newsroom with suggestions on how to point out possible errors, please contact us at [email protected].