Washington, DC

1. Intel chief jockeying
2. No guarantee on AG
3. US strikes Iran
4. Inflation spike expected
5. Primary results
6. Trump-Coupang link
7. China Shock 2.0

PDB: Trump to sign immigration enforcement bill

USDA’s Rollins testifies before Senate … Bill Gates appears privately in House Oversight’s Epstein probe … South Korea’s KOSPI ⬇️ 4.5% amid tech selloff

Jockeying starts for Trump intel role

Speculation is heating up over President Donald Trump’s permanent director of national intelligence gig, even as he hasn’t fully committed to replacing Bill Pulte, his interim choice, Semafor’s Shelby Talcott, Burgess Everett, and Nicholas Wu report. Trump’s suggestion last week that Pulte’s tenure will be “short-term,” coupled with the bipartisan outrage over his temporary role, is causing a flurry of names to float around for the permanent position — like Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. One GOP lawmaker said she’d be “perfect for the job.” Others inside and close to the administration have suggested names like Michael Ellis, the deputy director of the CIA, and House Intelligence Chair Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., as contenders for the permanent intelligence role. Cliff Sims, one of Vice President JD Vance’s national security advisers, has also been mentioned, and one source indicated that former Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz is interested.

Blanche’s rocky road to Senate confirmation

Republicans are preparing to try and move Todd Blanche’s nomination to be attorney general this summer, aiming to hold his hearing in about a month. Blanche’s confirmation isn’t assured and just one GOP rebel could stop the whole thing in the Judiciary Committee. Sen. Thom Tillis’, R-N.C., reservations about Blanche are well-known, but there are other undecided senators on the judiciary panel, and the nomination could be linked to whether Trump’s “anti-weaponization” fund is revived. “My mind’s open. It’ll depend on how he does in the hearings. Obviously, the anti-weaponization program will be a big issue,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. “He has told us and the world that we’re not going to do it, and I believe him. And he’s put his credibility on the line.” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said that he’s “looking forward to asking [Blanche] some questions.”

— Burgess Everett

Attacks dent hopes for Iran breakthrough

The prospect of some kind of near-term breakthrough with Iran is looking more unlikely by the day. The US military launched what it said were “proportional” retaliatory strikes on Iran yesterday, after Trump blamed Tehran for downing a US Army Apache helicopter; early this morning, Iran said it attacked US bases in the Gulf. The strikes presented the latest test for a fragile ceasefire that earlier this week faltered as Israel and Iran traded fire amid the former’s military campaign on Lebanon. In a sign of how uncertain an agreement is, Vance told CBS that a deal that would address Iran’s nuclear program “could happen in the next week, but the deal could also happen months from now.” Even so, oil prices dropped yesterday after Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was “rising very meaningfully.”

Inflation expected to pass 4% threshold

Analysts expect the Bureau of Labor Statistics to report this morning that prices last month increased at an annual rate of more than 4% for the first time in more than three years. That type of acceleration in the Consumer Price Index would make it even less likely the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates later this year; the expectation already spurred bond traders this week to brace for the central bank signaling a more hawkish stance later this month. The biggest driver of inflation is by far the Iran war, which has led to higher oil and gas prices. Economists continue to warn that the longer the conflict drags on, the more likely those cost increases fuel others — and the more time they will take to reverse. Vance’s acknowledgement that a deal could be months away won’t settle worries.

— Eleanor Mueller

Platner wins, gov races go to runoffs

Maine Democrats have nominated Graham Platner for Senate, after weeks of negative media attention focused on his personal life and allegations about his treatment of women. (He declared victory in front of a sign reading “They don’t know Maine,” a statement conveying his belief that the scandals matter more to outsiders than to Mainers.) He’ll challenge GOP Sen. Susan Collins in November, while the Democratic primaries for governor and an open, competitive House seat will be determined by ranked choice voting. In South Carolina, Republicans set up a gubernatorial runoff between Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson, days after Trump endorsed Evette. GOP Rep. Nancy Mace, who conceded defeat while coming in a weak fifth place, endorsed Wilson as the “law and order” candidate, just months after she attacked him for “not prosecuting pedophiles.” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., also avoided a runoff.

— David Weigel

Trumpworld ties fuel Korea clash

Trump administration officials and congressional Republicans are marshalling their clout against one of the US’ strongest trade partners in a remarkable display of support for South Korea’s biggest online retailer, Semafor’s Eleanor Mueller and Nicholas Wu report. Coupang, which maintains a corporate headquarters in the US despite conducting most of its business in South Korea, found itself at odds with Seoul following a sweeping data breach last year. It’s now protesting what it says is a broader pattern of unfair treatment of US firms — an argument that’s helped stall the South Korea trade deal. Prominent Republicans have raced to the company’s side. “An American company that sells American products into another market, that’s a good thing for our country,” said Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb. “When I see a government treating a US company unfairly like that — that’s a problem.”

View: Europe hit by China Shock 2.0

Beijing often gets blamed for the devastation of US factory towns that spawned an opioid epidemic and a populist revolt, but the “China Shock” was largely a Made-in-America phenomenon led by US multinationals. After Washington ushered China into the WTO in 2001, US Fortune 500 companies shifted supply chains to China to take advantage of cheap labor. In the process, global companies ended up training several generations of Chinese engineers and managers who went on to establish enterprises that now outcompete the rest of the world. “The textbook was written in the West,” explains Shane Tedjarati, who built Honeywell’s China operations. Today, as Western economies scramble to defend themselves against “China Shock 2.0” — a tsunami of heavily subsidized Chinese exports targeting high-tech sectors — their corporate and national interests are again radically at odds. That’s especially the case in Europe.

Blindspot: Biden and bridges

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: The Supreme Court reopened a fight over a Biden-era energy efficiency rule by asking a federal appeals court to rethink its decision upholding the regulation.

What the Right isn’t reading: A Canadian-built bridge over the Detroit River owned by Canada and Michigan will still open despite President Trump threatening to block the project.

The most powerful people in media are gathering in Cannes this month, and we’re on the ground to cover it all. Starting June 22, Semafor’s Ben Smith and Max Tani will hop between panels, parties, and yachts to bring you the essential guide to marketing and media’s most consequential event.

Whether you’re jetting to Cannes or just want to stay in the loop, subscribe to our pop-up newsletter, Semafor Cannes.

Beltway Newsletters

Punchbowl News: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and several committee ranking members have written to President Trump and Majority Leader John Thune to express their concern at Republicans’ refusal to fill Democratic positions on a host of bipartisan commissions.

Playbook: A post-primary memo from the NRSC calls Maine “the linchpin” in Republicans’ battle to retain control of the Senate, stating: “The political fundamentals in Maine remain challenging, and it is a fatal mistake to assume [Graham] Platner is too damaged to win.”

Axios: “Platner’s primary victory signals that Democratic voters have become more willing to accept skeletons in a candidate’s closet.”

Congress

• The House passed an immigration funding bill along largely party lines, sending it to Trump’s desk. Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., who caucuses with Republicans, was the only lawmaker on the right side of the aisle to oppose it. President Trump is scheduled to sign the bill this morning.
• Republicans who’ve been pushing to make freshman Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., the next labor secretary could threaten the balance of power in the House. — Politico

Campaigns

• California primary results continue to trickle in: Republican Steve Hilton officially made the top-two runoff for governor,