Principals

1. Cory Booker’s mission
2. Trump tempers Fed attacks
3. Trump’s sinking approval
4. Mark Kelly in MI
5. NC Senate race
6. Antitrust tensions

PDB: France to recognize Palestinian state

Trump heads to Scotland … Witkoff says US out of Israel-Hamas talks … DOJ continues Maxwell interview

Booker pushes Dems to get more online

Sen. Cory Booker is strengthening Democrats’ weak social media muscles six months into his stewardship of the Strategic Communications Committee, Semafor’s Burgess Everett reports. The New Jersey Democrat has his caucus quadrupling its social media engagement, earning it 15 million new followers and doing appearances with social media influencers whose following far outpaces traditional media. “Our caucus was not understanding that we put so much energy into going on MSNBC, but more people are on these devices,” Booker said in an interview. “We’ve got to start shifting our strategy towards having a digital and media strategy that could break through, that could capture attention.” Booker is encouraging his colleagues to flood the zone, especially on YouTube and TikTok — despite bipartisan security concerns about the latter: “I made a hard pitch on TikTok to my colleagues.”

Trump tempers attacks on Fed after tour

A walk through a construction site clad in hard hats may have helped Fed Chair Jerome Powell win over the developer-turned-president. After his tour of the Federal Reserve’s renovations — which President Donald Trump had savaged in recent days, as he looked for ways to pressure Powell to lower interest rates — the president gave only mild criticisms, Semafor’s Shelby Talcott and Eleanor Mueller write. Trump described his meeting with Powell as “good,” despite an on-camera fact-check, and indicated that he didn’t “think it’s necessary” to fire him. In a post later, Trump said the project “is what it is and, hopefully, it will be finished ASAP.” Budget Director Russ Vought was less sanguine: There was “a lot of progress” made during the visit, but “the president was very clear, interest rates need to come down.” The Fed has declined to cut rates this year, and is expected to hold that course next week.

Trump approval approaches record low

Thirty-seven percent of American adults approve of the job that Trump is doing as president, according to Gallup. It’s the lowest reading of his second term and close to his lowest ever (34%, at the end of his first term). His approval rating among independents has sunk to 29%, on par with his lowest-ever rating among these voters and a decline of 17 points since January. The poll, conducted in the days after Trump signed his massive tax cuts-and-spending bill into law, shows voters losing confidence in Trump’s handling of the federal budget in particular — only 29% approve of his stewardship there, down from 43% in March. The data underscores the challenge the White House will face as it looks to sell Trump’s policies as winners for the economy. His policy on Iran fared better, with 42% of respondents approving.

Kelly heads to MI to whack Republicans

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., will travel to Michigan on Friday with his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, for a town hall in the Detroit suburbs repped by John James, R-Mich. James is running for governor in Michigan, and Kelly took a low view of him in an interview with Semafor. “He runs for a lot of things; he lost a lot,” Kelly said of James, who ran for Senate twice before winning a tough House seat. “I think he does a crappy job representing his district.” Kelly’s goal is to spotlight the impact of Republicans’ forthcoming Medicaid cuts and give James’ constituents a lively public forum. “It puts [Republicans] on the spot a little bit, that they’re not doing this,” Kelly said. The swing-state trip may also stoke talk of the Arizona Democrat’s future ambitions, after he was on Kamala Harris’ VP shortlist.

— Burgess Everett

Cooper plans roil NC Senate race

The news that former Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper will launch his Senate campaign next week is already toppling dominoes in his state and beyond. Not only is it poised to transform the race into one of 2026’s most competitive, it’s also likely to send Democrat Wiley Nickel on to other ventures: The former congressman, who entered the race earlier this year after his House district was redrawn, has already begun exploring a bid for district attorney in Wake County, a person familiar with the move told Semafor. Nickel, who declined a request for comment, is a criminal defense attorney who opened his own law practice in 2011. Those watching also tell Semafor that Cooper is close friends with Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills, so his move is making Democrats feel more bullish on Mills running for Senate herself.

— Eleanor Mueller and Burgess Everett

DOJ drama clouds antitrust picture

A bitter tug-of-war over antitrust enforcement is testing the White House’s dual impulses: challenging tech companies’ consolidation and backing big American business. Capitol Forum reported that acting Associate Attorney General Chad Mizelle overruled Justice Department antitrust chief Gail Slater to approve HPE’s $14 billion takeover of Juniper Networks. Things turned bitter when Slater’s team reportedly pushed HPE to dispense with two Trump-aligned consultants and negotiate directly with government lawyers. Slater and her antitrust allies didn’t just lose the argument: Earlier this week, top Trump DOJ officials told associates that two of Slater’s deputies, Roger Alford and Bill Rinner, were out, two lawyers close to DOJ told Semafor. By Thursday morning, their names had been removed from the department’s website, only to be restored a few hours later. A DOJ spokesman said that the two had not, in fact, been ousted.

— Ben Smith and Liz Hoffman

Blindspot: DOJ and Head Start

Stories that are being largely ignored by either left-leaning or right-leaning outlets, curated with help from our partners at Ground News.

What the Left isn’t reading: Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a new Justice Department “strike force” to support the department’s criminal referrals of former President Barack Obama for an alleged conspiracy to undermine President Trump’s first term.

What the Right isn’t reading: The Government Accountability Office determined that the Trump administration unlawfully withheld funds to Head Start that had been approved by Congress.

Scott Galloway has built a modern media empire, and he’s quickly becoming a leading voice for young men on the left. This week, Ben and Max talk to the Pivot co-host about how he turned a career in marketing into a new kind of media stardom, how much money his podcasts make, and why he’s so vocal about masculinity. They also talk about whether podcasts will become the new target for political campaigns and which Democrats are calling him up in anticipation of the 2028 election.

Beltway Newsletters

Punchbowl News: Democrats are starting from a disadvantage in the redistricting fight.

Playbook: President Trump is “itching to return to the stump and hold rallies.”

Axios: The 2028 Democratic presidential primary could be extremely long. Democratic insiders say multiple candidates could launch before the 2026 midterms.

White House

• The White House is taking steps to minimize and control what administration officials say about the Jeffrey Epstein saga in public. — NBC
• President Trump’s name is on Epstein’s birthday book contributor list, per NYT. The book also included letters from Bill Clinton and Leon Black, per WSJ.

Congress

• Mike Waltz is one step closer to being confirmed as US ambassador to the UN: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., voted to advance his nomination after securing a deal with the Trump administration on releasing foreign aid to Haiti and Nigeria. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., opposed his nomination. — Axios
• Lawmakers delayed a confirmation hearing for Paul Ingrassia, President Trump’s nominee to head up the Office of Special Counsel.

Executive Orders

• President Trump signed an executive order directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to encourage state and local policies that allow for removal and “civil commitment” of homeless people with serious mental health or substance use disorders, to map the location of homeless sex offenders, and to cut off federal support for “harm reduction” services, though the logistics and funding details remain unclear.

Outside the Beltway