Gov. Chris Sununu: This Is How to Beat Trump  —  This week, Republican primary candidates for president will have a chance to make their case before a national audience — with or without Donald Trump on the debate stage.  To win, they must break free of Mr. Trump's drama, step out of his shadow …

How every GOP presidential candidate performed with likely caucusgoers in new Iowa Poll  —  From Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis to Ryan Binkley and Francis Suarez, how 14 Republican candidates performed in the new Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll

Trump legal team agrees to $200,000 bond after meeting with Fulton County district attorney's office  —  Former President Donald Trump has agreed to a $200,000 bond and other release conditions after his lawyers met with the Fulton County District Attorney's office on Monday, according to court documents reviewed by CNN.

Elon Musk's Shadow Rule  —  How the U.S. government came to rely on the tech billionaire—and is now struggling to rein him in.  —  Last October, Colin Kahl, then the Under-Secretary of Defense for Policy at the Pentagon, sat in a hotel in Paris and prepared to make a call to avert disaster in Ukraine.

Vivek Ramaswamy wants to know how many ‘federal agents’ were on the planes that hit the Twin Towers: ‘I want the truth about 9/11’  — Vivek Ramaswamy is again raising questions about what happened on September 11, 2001.  — The GOP contender says it's “legitimate” to ask “how many federal agents” were on the planes.

House Freedom Caucus fires warning shot over government shutdown  —  Members of the House Freedom Caucus are making it harder for leadership to avoid a government shutdown, announcing on Monday that they'll oppose a stopgap funding bill unless it caves to their terms.

Scoop: Inside Trump's new plan to limit immigration  —  Former President Trump wants unprecedented restrictions on immigration and the border if he's elected in 2024 — such as screening prospective immigrants for “Marxist” ideologies and a naval blockade to target drug smugglers, Axios has learned.

Virginia Democrats raise alarms that Gov. Glenn Youngkin could be building toward a national bid  —  Youngkin has built a robust statewide political operation.  Virginia Democrats worry the national party isn't doing enough.  —  Virginia Democrats are worried the national party isn't doing enough …

Conservation groups sue to keep Virginia in Youngkin-opposed climate program  —  A group of Virginia-based environmental and conservation groups sued the state Monday over Virginia's withdrawal from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a carbon-capping agreement encompassing several other East Coast states.

Five indications Joe Biden will not run in 2024  —  We don't see Biden on the campaign trail defending his presidency or touting his accomplishments  —  Standing before a New Mexico audience recently, President Biden unintelligibly joked that, “I hibernated in a while - all, you know, in Iowa for a while.”

Biden Visiting Hawaii to Inspect Wildfire Damage  —  After remaining secluded since Friday, the president will break away from his vacation for a brief trip to Maui, where flames have demolished a town and killed more than 100 people.  —  President Biden is set to break away from his summer vacation …

Run It Cold: Why Xi Jinping Is Letting China's Economy Flail  —  China is steering clear of big stimulus even in the face of deflation risks.  —  Xi Jinping's quest to rewrite the playbook that drove China's economic miracle for a generation is facing its sternest test yet.

Indiana's near-total abortion ban takes effect as state Supreme Court denies appeal  —  Indiana's law banning almost all abortions will take effect immediately Monday after the state Supreme Court denied a request from the ACLU and Planned Parenthood to rehear an earlier ruling where it upheld …

A right-wing sheriffs group that challenges federal law is gaining acceptance around the country  —  A national group of sheriffs that claims the top law enforcers in American counties are not bound by federal law has successfully spread its doctrine to dozens of states in recent years

Airline Close Calls Happen Far More Often Than Previously Known  —  On the afternoon of July 2, a Southwest Airlines pilot had to abort a landing at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.  A Delta Air Lines 737 was preparing to take off on the same runway.