2.3% inflation 4.1% unemployment 2.5% Q2 GDP nowcast you can (for all the reasons) dislike President Trump. but TACO or not, based on the data alone, this is still a solid, if slow, back-on-track postCovidflation economy. and partisan doomer economists have so far been wrong...

The president of the United States casually using an antisemitic term at the microphone:

July 4th cookout inflation: • Ground beef and ice cream hit their highest prices since the 1980s. • Miller Lite and Coors Light are up more than 13%. • Cookout essentials like aluminum foil, grill tools, and sunscreen saw hikes between 6% and 18%. axios.com/2025/07/03/jul…

As the The New York Times assistant managing editor for Standards and Trust, I’ve received reader feedback regarding our reporting on Zohran Mamdani’s 2009 application to Columbia University. To provide context on how the reporting came together, I wanted to share some information:

My dog endorses this ⬇️

The Dallas suburb of Frisco had 6,000 residents in 1990. It has now surpassed 240,000, more than Richmond VA, Norfolk or Spokane. In five years, it is expected to surpass 340,000, more than today live in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Newark, St Paul, St Louis and Buffalo.

Ruth Fortune, a 37-year-old mayoral appointee on the Hartford Board of Education..., filed papers Wednesday declaring her intention to challenge U.S. Rep. John B. Larson for the Democratic nomination in 2026. via Mark Pazniokas ctmirror.org/2025/07/03/joh…

NYT: Rob Kelly, the Kerr County judge and its most senior elected official, said the county did not have a warning system because such systems are expensive, and local residents are resistant to new spending. “Taxpayers won’t pay for it,” Mr. Kelly said. nytimes.com/2025/07/05/us/…

New from me for Votebeat: Arabic is the third-most common language spoken in Michigan. But because it's not included in a tiny federal law, voters who speak it rarely get the services that could help them vote.

“I haven’t done many press conferences lately — when I came and saw all of you here, I thought I was being deported,” jokes(?) ex-Gov. David Paterson, as he opens a presser calling on Democrats to unite against their mayoral nominee Zohran Kwame Mamdani

I wrote about a very 2025 DC dillemma: An Elderly Lawmaker’s Staff Keeps Walking Back Things She Tells Reporters. Should They Keep Quoting Her? politi.co/4eHIHPq

NEW: Sen. Ted Cruz was in Greece on vacation when the Texas floods turned deadly on July 4. He returned to Texas on a July 6 flight. w/ Gabby Birenbaum for Texas Tribune: texastribune.org/2025/07/07/ted…

The Democratic primary for the late Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva's seat runs counter to the conventional narrative about intraparty divisions. ow.ly/Nyvq50Wm1y6

NEW TONIGHT: @IRS says that churches can now endorse candidates from the pulpit, carving out an exemption to a decades-old ban on politicking by tax-exempt nonprofits. nytimes.com/2025/07/07/us/…

Travelers no longer have to remove their shoes to get through the regular line at TSA security checkpoints at airports, CBS News reports.

Organizers Fight Lawler say an aide to Rep. Mike Lawler infiltrated their private Signal chat, live-posted 'Boo (Lawler) off the stage' and encouraged Lawler foes to walk out of Somers Town Hall meeting. Did Mike Lawler orchestrate the infiltration? lohud.com/story/news/pol…

🚨MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT🚨 Ok. You've all convinced me. I'm in. I'm running for Senate against billionaire Pete Ricketts In Nebraska. This race represents the foundational battle taking place in America right now: The Billionaire Class vs. The Working Class Who's with me?

Upcoming D.C. exits by Thom Tillis and Don Bacon highlight the growing tribalism in Washington. Daniela Altimari from Roll Call has the story. @GodonDeal #AmericasFirstNews thismorningwithgordondeal.com/n/gumecu

Trump, asked what he wants Republican voters to do in the NYC mayoral election, reiterates opposition to Mamdani but says he's otherwise "not getting involved." On Sliwa: "Curtis runs every four years. He seems to be a fixture on the running scale."

"This seat doesn’t belong to any family or any person. It belongs to the people, and we’re hearing that loud and clear at the doors." — Deja Foxx By Daniela Altimari #AZ07 rollcall.com/2025/07/07/ari…