So What?

U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the East Room of the White House on July 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump is expected to speak on election security. (Photo by Saul Loeb/Pool - Getty Images) In the run-up to President Donald Trump’s speech on Thursday night, he and his allies promised a major reveal of conclusive proof that the 2020 election was interfered with by foreign powers. He, um, didn’t deliver.

Happy Friday. We made it. Below I answered real questions from real paid subscribers to this newsletter. Not one yet?

Tonight at 9 pm eastern, President Donald Trump will deliver a speech that ā€” we think ā€” will be all about, er, election integrity. ā€œTrump will deliver a major address to the nation on protecting the integrity of our elections,ā€ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Politico.

It’s my favorite day of the year: The day when Decision Desk HQ unveils their House and Senate election forecasts! Here are the toplines: Democrats have a 61% chance of retaking the House majority Republicans have a 57% chance of holding the Senate majority And yet, the most likely outcome of the election, according to the DDHQ forecast, is that either Republicans or Democrats wind up with total control of the House and Senate.

Every year, Gallup does a “trust” survey where they ask people how much or how little confidence they have in major American institutions. Gallup has been doing this for decades. Their new poll came out this week. And I think it is the key to unlocking what ails our politics — and our culture more broadly. Let’s get to the chart — and I’ll explain why I think it matters so much.

My first “real” political reporting job was with Roll Call newspaper back in the early aughts. It was an amazing place to work for a lot of reasons but the biggest one was the people I got to work with. I’ve written about my editor, Tim Curran, who passed away last year.

7/13/26 Go Blue Poem A truthful eulogy of Lindsey Graham Why is the corrupt media still talking about Lindsey He served an intolerable master, not his country He deserted the nation during one of its darkest hours He watched the January 6th attack on Congress in horror But changed his political history by being blind History will remember Lindsey and it won't be kind A politician takes the oath of office to the Constitution Not to a corrupt master and his message of pollution Electing...

For soccer fans — like me — the last month has had very high highs and one very low lows. The United States men’s national team was dominant in the group stage of this year’s World Cup. The USMNT convincingly beat Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round 32. I’ve never — in my adult life — seen more people more excited about soccer. And then came the Belgium game.

Former President Donald Trump listens as Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks at a campaign event at the South Carolina Statehouse, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) President Donald Trump called into “Fox and Friends” Monday morning to rant and rave about the SAVE America Act mourn the sudden death of South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. I went through the whole interview line by line — and picked out the quotes from the president you need to see.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., left, gestures as President Donald Trump speaks with reporters while in flight on Air Force One, Jan.