Playbook: Scoop: McCarthy's secret promise to Trump  —  Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  HAPPENING TODAY — “'It makes them all look silly': Dems prepare to scorch RFK Jr. testimony,” by Nicholas Wu and Jordain Carney

Florida Schools Will Teach How Slavery Brought ‘Personal Benefit’ to Black People  —  The Florida Board of Education has approved shocking new standards for African American history, despite overwhelming backlash from the public.  —  Middle school students in Florida will soon be taught …

The Long-Shot Candidate Who Has the White House Worried  —  Joe Biden has a Cornel West problem.  —  Pull up a sticky green lawn chair, everyone.  It's time for another round of Mounting Democratic Jitters, cherished summer pastime from Wilmington to the West Wing.

Right-wing activists seek to ban “Arthur's Birthday” from Florida school libraries  —  On July 12, 2023, the book Arthur's Birthday was formally challenged in the Clay County School District, which is located outside of Jacksonville, Florida.  The challenge is an effort to remove the volume from the district's school libraries.

How Donald Trump Ended Up With Priceless Israeli Antiquities  —  After an appeal from Israel, the former president agrees to return ceramic oil lamps and coins  —  Former President Donald Trump agreed to return ancient artifacts after Israel's antiquities authority launched a public campaign to get them back.

MTG said she was ‘uncomfortable’ showing photos of Hunter Biden having sex but Americans ‘deserve’ to see them  — Marjorie Taylor Greene held up large nude photos of Hunter Biden during a House Committee meeting.  — Democrats questioned the move and said they were “completely irrelevant” to the hearing.

Influential activist Leonard Leo helped fund media campaign lionizing Clarence Thomas  —  The 25th anniversary of Clarence Thomas's confirmation to the Supreme Court was approaching — a moment that would draw attention to his accomplishments on the bench but also to the misconduct claims that had nearly derailed his rise.

Convicted con man who was pardoned by Trump is again charged with fraud  —  “I have a bad reputation,” Eliyahu Weinstein was recorded telling others charged in the $35 million Ponzi-like scheme, officials say.  —  A New Jersey con man with a “bad reputation” who was pardoned two years ago …

House GOP blocks funds to LGBT groups, using budget for cultural fights  —  Republicans denied funding to three Democratic efforts to assist local groups focused on LGBT housing and other issues, part of a sprawling conservative effort to use the 2024 budget to advance their social agenda

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis On 2024 Race and National Security Issues  —  Florida Governor Ron DeSantis joined me this AM:  —  Audio:  —  07-20hhs-desantis  —  Transcript:  —  HH: Pleased to welcome back to the program Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.  Good morning, Governor.

Donald Trump reportedly hired Gilgo Beach murders suspect Rex Heuermann for $205K project  —  Gilgo Beach murder suspect Rex Heuermann once worked as an architect for former President Donald Trump, a report said.  —  The Trump Organization hired Heuermann's architectural firm, RH Architecture …

British royal family's public cash formula changed amid surging windfarm profits  —  The British government said on Thursday it would cut the proportion of funds going to the royal family from the Crown Estate next year, after King Charles said he wanted bumper windfarm profits to go to the “wider public good”.

The Biggest Winners in America's Climate Law: Foreign Companies  —  U.S. seeks to build domestic supply chains but needs overseas expertise  —  The 2022 climate law unleashed a torrent of government subsidies to help the U.S. build clean-energy industries.  The biggest beneficiaries so far are foreign companies.

Political consultant backing Tim Scott spewed the N-word during card game  —  The operative previously worked for Scott's Senate office.  —  A political consultant closely tied to the effort to elect Tim Scott president repeatedly used the N-word when he was playing a card game with friends, a video obtained by POLITICO shows.

Extreme heat indices above 105°F to hit 80 million people in U.S.  —  Over 20% of the U.S.' population — 80 million people — are expected to face an air temperature or heat index above 105° Fahrenheit this weekend as a record-breaking heat wave persists over most of the South, the National Weather Service (NWS) warns.

Judge clarifies: Yes, Trump was found to have raped E. Jean Carroll  —  After Donald Trump was found liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll, his legal team and his defenders lodged a frequent talking point.  —  Despite Carroll's claims that Trump had raped her, they noted …