The Big Picture Newsletter

Four months from Election Day, and Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate are showing major strength in their bid to flip the Senate blue. In North Carolina, former Governor Roy Cooper is surging in the latest NYT/Siena poll, with 50% support. In Iowa, the red state’s newly minted Democratic Senate candidate Josh Turek has surged to a 4-point lead. In Georgia, a new poll shows Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff with an even bigger lead against his MAGA opponent, Mike Collins.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts and Justice Elena Kagan.Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images. Because we wanted to provide an in-depth Supreme Court analysis for our paid subscribers in lieu of our regular Tuesday piece this week, we have opened today’s news round-up to all our subscribers. If you find this news summary valuable, please consider upgrading your subscription below.

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press before he boards Air Force One for his first flight aboard the Boeing 747-8 that Qatar gifted the United States.Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images. Donald Trump’s annual financial disclosure landed Tuesday. It revealed some genuinely shocking numbers, even in an era when few things do.

Tuesday’s financial disclosure by Donald Trump confirmed what critics have alleged for a year: He has made far more money from the presidency than any occupant of the White House in American history. Cryptocurrency did most of the dirty heavy lifting. Then there’s the Qatari jet worth $400 million, the ventures his sons are invested in, his no bid $500 million ballroom, on and on.

A demonstrator holds a sign depicting Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts after the court ruled to allow the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status for Syrian and Haitian nationals.Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images. Welcome guest contributor Meagan Hatcher-Mays, a lawyer and democracy expert, who writes the Swamp Person newsletter. She lives in Washington, D.C. and hosts a podcast.

Donald Trump really doesn’t want people to vote by mail. So much so that he’s trying to use the postal service to prevent people from receiving their mail-in ballots. Even though…Trump votes by mail all the time. But now, Trump’s voter suppression executive order keeps getting blocked in court. And it’s not even Trump’s only voter suppression smackdown of the week.

In what was widely seen as a remarkable bipartisan feat, on Monday, the U.S. Senate passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act by a vote of 85-5 and the House followed suit on Tuesday in a 358-42 vote, sending it to Donald Trump’s desk.

Immigration activist outside The Supreme Court. Credit: Kevin Dietsch/Getty ImagesJustice Samuel Alito. Credit: Jay Janner/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images It’s never a good sign when, on a Supreme Court decision day, the Chief Justice announces that three of the day’s opinions have been authored by Justice Samuel Alito, the justice possibly best known for flying a pro-January 6 flag outside of his house.

On June 24, 2025, Zohran Mamdani shocked the Democratic political establishment by defeating Andrew Cuomo in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary. Now this week, almost a year to the day later, Mamdani delivered an arguably larger blow, endorsing in three House primary races and winning all of them. In two, his chosen candidates defeated sitting Democratic members of the House. In just one year, Mamdani has gone from giant slayer to kingmaker.

One year ago this week, Zohran Mamdani rocked the political world with his New York City mayoral primary victory over Andrew Cuomo. Yesterday, Mayor Mamdani followed that up with a second political earthquake, as his three endorsed House primary candidates all won their races, ousting two sitting Democratic Representatives in the process. The message Mamdani has sent to the Democratic establishment is unmistakable. But will they listen?