Live Updates: Cohen Says Trump Approved Payments at White House Meeting  —  Michael D. Cohen, Donald J. Trump's ex-fixer, described a key element of the prosecution's case against the former president, who is accused of faking business records.  House Speaker Mike Johnson is set to be among Mr. Trump's supporters at the courthouse.

DOJ requests judge order Steve Bannon to begin prison sentence  —  An appeals court upheld Bannon's contempt of Congress conviction last week.  —  Steve Bannon, former adviser to Donald Trump, speaks at the Turning Point Action conference in West Palm Beach, Fla., July 16, 2023.

Mike Johnson expected to join Trump at N.Y. criminal trial … - North Dakota Gov. Burgum, a Trump VP contender, is also expected in court on Tuesday, Axios has learned.  — So is fellow VP contender Vivek Ramaswamy, his spokesperson confirmed to Axios on Monday.

FACT SHEET: President Biden Takes Action to Protect American Workers and Businesses from China's Unfair Trade Practices  —  President Biden's economic plan is supporting investments and creating good jobs in key sectors that are vital for America's economic future and national security.

Louisiana lawmakers insist child rape victims must carry their pregnancy to term  —  Former President Donald Trump, now the presumptive Republican nominee, boasts that he “broke Roe v. Wade.”  In the aftermath, according to Trump, “states are working very brilliantly” to impose various restrictions …

Ken Griffin Waits to See Trump's VP Pick Before Backing Him  — Griffin declined to name who he'd like as Trump's running mate  — The Citadel CEO is a prolific donor to Republican candidates  —  Ken Griffin, one of the most prolific supporters of Republicans across the US …

Biden's polling denial: Why he doesn't believe he's behind … - That bedrock belief has informed Biden's largely steady-as-she-goes campaign — even as many Democrats outside the White House are agitating for the campaign to change direction, given that Biden is polling well behind where he was four years ago.

Playbook: The 2024 campaign heads to the House floor  —  With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  CLICKER — “Trump's Lawyers Are Making Major Mistakes,” by Ankush Khardori: “Put simply, [DONALD] TRUMP's legal team has made several considerable …

Even When a Cop Is Killed With an Illegally Purchased Weapon, the Gun Store's Name Is Kept Secret  —  Under the Gun: How Gun Violence Is Impacting the Nation  —  As America emerged from the pandemic, communities continued to experience a rising tide of gun violence.

Wholesale prices rose 0.5% in April, more than expected … WATCH NOW  —  Wholesale prices jumped more than expected in April, putting up another potential roadblock to interest rate cuts anytime soon.  —  The producer price index, a gauge of prices received at the wholesale level …

MIT Hired Six New Diversity Deans.  Two of Them Are Serial Plagiarists, Complaint Alleges.  —  In dissertation titled ‘Cite a Sista,’ Tracie Jones-Barrett stole an entire passage on ‘ethical considerations’ from her classmate  —  In June 2021, a year into the cultural aftershocks of George Floyd's death …

Trump is gagged.  So his surrogates say the forbidden stuff for him.  —  Three GOP senators have appeared with Trump in court and conveniently proceeded to say precisely what he can't.  —  Donald Trump's mouth and keyboard fingers have been relatively disciplined — by his own standards …

House Democrats launch probe of Trump's dinner with oil executives  —  Lawmakers demand details of a Mar-a-Lago dinner where Trump promised to ease regulations on the oil industry while asking executives to steer $1 billion to his 2024 campaign.  —  House Democrats are launching an investigation …

Biden Levies Sweeping Tariffs on China, Intensifying Trade Fight With Trump  —  Presumed 2024 election foes are taking competing protectionist approaches against Beijing  —  WASHINGTON—One day after news broke that President Biden was planning to raise tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles to roughly 100% …

Biden Signs Ban on Imports of Russian Nuclear Reactor Fuel  — Russian supplies of enriched uranium to be barred in 90 days  — Move could boost costs for US nuclear plants, risk retaliation  —  President Joe Biden on Monday signed legislation banning the import of Russian enriched uranium …

Do Americans Remember the Actual Trump Presidency?  —  One of the remarkable things about the 2024 presidential election is that for the first time since 1912 voters will have a choice between presidents who served back-to-back in the immediately preceding eight years.

UNC-Chapel Hill BOT votes to divert DEI funding, redirecting it to campus public safety  —  The UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees has voted to divert $2.3 million away from diversity, equity and inclusion programs and into “public safety.”  —  The unanimous vote occurred at a special Board of Trustees meeting Monday morning.

Facing an Endless Barrage, Ukraine's Air Defenses Are Withering  —  This is what a year of Russian missile strikes on Ukraine looks like.  Ukrainian air defenses used to intercept most missiles, but in recent months, more and more have made it through.  —  Intercepted  —  Russian missile  —  Not

Debate devolves into snark-fest between Bowman and Latimer  —  The Democratic House challengers accused each other of colluding with Republicans.  —  NEW YORK — Sniping, snark and incessant interruptions defined the first televised debate in one of the country's most competitive primaries Monday night …

2 Democratic candidates named Bob Ferguson withdraw from WA governor's race  —  SEATTLE (KOMO) — Washington Attorney General (AG) Bob Ferguson addressed recent developments in the state's governor's race Monday morning, days after two people named Robert Ferguson joined the ballot.

Order Regarding the Acquisition of Certain Real Property of Cheyenne Leads by MineOne Cloud Computing Investment I L.P.  —  By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 721 of the Defense Production Act of 1950 …