Michael Cohen Agrees to Settle Lawsuit With Trump Organization  —  Donald J. Trump's former fixer had accused the company of failing to abide by the terms of a deal and refusing to pay more than $1 million in legal costs  —  Michael D. Cohen, the longtime fixer to Donald J. Trump …

Texas's governor put a barrier in the Rio Grande.  DOJ just hit back.  —  One of the more pernicious developments in our politics is the effort by red-state governors to assert outsize power over immigration in their states, in ways designed to appeal to national right-wing audiences.

‘This Is a Really Big Deal’: How College Towns Are Decimating the GOP  —  Growing population in America's highly educated enclaves has led to huge gains for the Democratic Party.  And Republicans are scrambling for answers. Animation by Shira Inbar for POLITICO

Alabama GOP refuses to draw second Black district, despite Supreme Court order  —  House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., have been calling state legislators about the map, which could affect control of Congress.  —  Alabama Republicans rejected calls …

Texas A&M President Katherine Banks resigns amid fallout from failed hiring of journalism professor  —  “The recent challenges regarding Dr. McElroy have made it clear to me that I must retire immediately,” Banks wrote in her resignation letter.  “The negative press is a distraction from the wonderful work being done here.”

Fulton county prosecutors prepare racketeering charges in Trump inquiry  —  Exclusive: racketeering charges based on influencing witnesses and computer trespass, sources say  —  The Fulton county district attorney investigating Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results …

Biden picks female admiral to lead Navy.  She'd be first woman on Joint Chiefs of Staff  —  President Joe Biden has chosen Adm. Lisa Franchetti to lead the Navy, an unprecedented choice that, if she is confirmed, will make her the first woman to be a Pentagon service chief and the first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Hunter Biden lawyer files complaint after Marjorie Taylor Greene shows Congress nude photos  —  Greene's presentation represented the latest clash between congressional Republicans and Biden over investigations the White House dismissed as baseless innuendo.

FBI Warned Congress Against Releasing Document Alleging Biden Bribery (Exclusive)  —  The FBI warned lawmakers that the release of the information could put confidential sources at risk, according to documents obtained by The Messenger  —  A Facebook icon representing an external link …

JFK's Grandson Rails Against ‘Embarrassment’ RFK Jr.  —  ‘PERSONAL GAIN AND FAME’  —  The grandson of President John F. Kennedy railed against his cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in an Instagram post on Friday, accusing him of trading “on Camelot, celebrity, conspiracy theories, and conflict for personal gain and fame.”

The Rise and Fall of the Chief Diversity Officer  —  Diversity executives hit the exits as company priorities shift; ‘everything is a battle’  —  Two years ago chief diversity officers were some of the hottest hires into executive ranks.  Now, they increasingly feel left out in the cold.

Fire damages building that houses office of Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul  —  FRONT PAGE PODCAST  —  QUESTION OF THE DAY  —  If the AWOL GI in North Korea crossed over voluntarily, should the US government work to secure his release?  —  Question of the Day Yes, of course Probably so  —  Unsure

Leon Black Agreed to Pay $62.5 Million to Settle Epstein-Related Claims  —  The private equity mogul struck a deal with the U.S. Virgin Islands to avoid a potential lawsuit over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.  —  The billionaire investor Leon Black agreed to pay $62.5 million to the U.S. Virgin Islands …

Biden to keep Julie Su on indefinitely as Labor chief despite lack of Senate votes  —  A White House official told NBC News that it will utilize a law that enables Su, who was confirmed as deputy labor secretary, to serve in an acting role without a time limit.

Nebraska Teen Who Used Pills to End Pregnancy Gets 90 Days in Jail  —  Celeste Burgess, 19, and her mother, Jessica Burgess, 42, were charged last year after the police obtained their private Facebook messages.  —  A Nebraska teenager who used abortion pills to terminate her pregnancy …

NEW: Jim Comer and Mark Green Raise Retaliation Concerns Over CBP Witness Hours After Voluntary Interview  —  The House Oversight Committee has had a busy July, between hosting hearings on the IRS whistleblowers and investigating the coverup regarding the origin of COVID-19.

Analyzing Joe Biden's drip  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With help from producer Raymond Rapada  —  It would probably come as a shock to many that an American president was more sharply dressed than his European counterparts.

Election interference grand jury heard testimony on Trump's state of mind  —  Prosecutors from special counsel Jack Smith's office focused their questioning of ex-White House aide William Russell on Trump's state of mind during and after the 2020 election.  —  Prosecutors from special counsel …

Iowa poll shows Scott gaining on DeSantis; Trump with commanding lead  —  A new poll out of Iowa shows Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) gaining momentum on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in the 2024 presidential race, though former President Trump maintains a commanding lead.

Ex-staffer pulls back the curtain on Santos  —  Naysa Woomer, former communications director for besieged New York Congressman George Santos, spoke for the first time with POLITICO's Daniel Lippman about what it was like to work for the fact-challenged freshman.

Member of ‘Tennessee Three’ set to challenge Marsha Blackburn for her Senate seat  —  State Rep. Gloria Johnson is preparing a long shot bid in a deep red state.  —  A member of the so-called “Tennessee Three,” the state lawmakers who were rebuked for protesting gun violence in their Capitol …