WINNER WINNER: Sen. Ron Johnson (R., Wis.) received the Defender Award from Children’s Health Defense (CHD) for his “longstanding commitment to government oversight, transparency, and public accountability.” Johnson joins distinguished company in receiving the award; it was first given to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in 2023. Among those in attendance were Grace Carnathan, Kennedy himself, Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.), Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.), Rep. Paul Gosar (R., Ariz.), Tony Lyons, Brian Hooker, Polly Tommey, Michael Kane, Jan Jekielek, Andrew Wakefield, and Josh Hartling.
RELIEF AT THE PUMP: Rep. Russell Fry (R., S.C.) made the case for a temporary suspension of the gas tax, arguing that “high gas prices don’t just hit drivers. They hit American families, farmers, ranchers, foresters, truckers, and small businesses—and drive up costs across our economy. Temporarily suspending the gas tax will give Americans some breathing room and put more money back in their pockets.”
MONEY PROBLEMS: ActBlue is becoming a campaign trail issue for Democrats, as Reps. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio), Bryan Steil (R., Wis.), and James Comer (R., Ky.) continue their investigation into the Democratic Party’s fundraising behemoth. Calvin Moore, a spokesman for Rep. Bill Huizenga’s (R., Mich.) reelection campaign, wants Huizenga’s Democratic opponent, Sean McCann, to “cut ties to ActBlue and return all illegal contributions Act Blue may have funneled to his campaign.”
ONLY THE BEST: The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Kiersten Pels defended the Trump administration’s hiring practices at DOJ. “Every career lawyer we hire is screened, ranked, interviewed, and recommended by a committee of experienced career staff, consistent with longstanding DOJ practice,” Pels told Bloomberg in a story it wrote. One of the story’s authors, Ben Penn, who has a history of problematic reporting. National Review’s Michael Brendan Dougherty previously criticized Penn’s reporting about Leif Olson as being an example of when “activist-reporters misreport and misconstrue the words of their ideological opponents in order to get them fired.” One senior Trump administration official told the Reporter that the administration should “deport Ben Penn.”
FRANCHISE FUN: The International Franchise Association (IFA) hosted its annual fly-in, Vince Haley, the Trump administration’s Director of the Domestic Policy Council, announced that the Trump administration is backing the bipartisan American Franchise Act (AFA). “I want to say up front, I know the biggest item on the agenda at this gathering is driving momentum for passage of the American Franchise Act,” Haley told those gathered. “I think you already know this, but I want to assure you that the Trump administration fully supports this bill, and no matter what happens this year, we have to get it done this year.” Among those spotted at Eastern Market’s North Hall, which was transformed into a Main Street of franchise storefronts, featuring Woofie’s, Chick-fil-A, Dunkin’, McDonald’s, Sport Clips, School of Rock and more, were Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Angie Katsanevas, Reps. Aaron Bean (R., Fla.), Juan Ciscomani (R., Ariz.), Beth Van Duyne (R., Texas), Ron Estes (R., Kansas), Kevin Hern (R., Okla.), Randy Fine (R., Fla.), Vince Fong (R., Calif.), and Riley Moore (R., W.Va.), along with IFA leaders Matt Haller, Sam Ballas, David Humphrey, Randy Cross, Michael Layman, Erica Farage, Katherine Knight Patterson, and Catherine Bartley Darden.
TAX MAN: Rep. Ashley Hinson’s (R., Iowa) Senate campaign is criticizing Josh Turek, her Democratic opponent, for Turek seeming to support tax raises on Iowans. “When asked to defend his vote? His campaign pointed to a group that called making tax hikes harder a ‘threat to Iowa’s future,’” Hinson noted.
STALKING STEVENS: Anti-Israel demonstrators have been following Rep. Haley Stevens (D., Mich.) around the Hill. In one video, Stevens accurately told one stalker that there is no genocide in Gaza; while Stevens will be out of office next year, following her loss to Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Democratic primary, she is winning support from Democrats back home in Michigan. State Representative Noah Arbit is in Stevens’s corner. “People like this radicalized creep promote political violence,” Arbit said. “Haley Stevens is right, antizionism is a hate movement funded by authoritarian countries.”
PAC PROBLEMS: Townhall reported that “Texas Majority PAC [which backs Democrat James Talarico] fires organizer after a Townhall undercover video catches him admitting the group’s $25 ‘voter education’ payments are ‘a roundabout way of paying people for their votes, essentially.’” Townhall’s Storm Paglia suggested there is more to come, which should help Ken Paxton. “Only the beginning… stay tuned,” Paglia tweeted.
BASED IN POLAND: President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that America is poised to establish a military base in Poland. “GREAT NEWS!” the president wrote. “Thanks to the bold leadership of my friend, Karol Nawrocki, President of Poland, major progress is being made toward establishing a U.S. Army base in Poland. If this happens, the location will be announced very soon. This will be a historic step for our Great U.S./Polish Alliance. Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP.” Trump endorsed Nawrocki in his bid for Poland’s presidency, which he narrowly won.
NOT SO FAST: Rep. Russell Fry (R., S.C.) blocked an attempt by House Democrats to impeach President Donald Trump again. “Democrats just tried to impeach President Trump without going on the record,” Fry noted. “I refuse to let this happen again. Another Democrat stunt stopped. Another win for the American people.”
PRAISE FROM POTUS: President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that “Andrew Ferguson, Fraud Task Force Vice Chairman, was FANTASTIC tonight on FoxNews.” Joe Simonson, who works for Ferguson at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), said the president was in “beast mode” with his praise for Ferguson.
HAPPY BIRTHDAYS: The Washington Reporter wants to wish Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) and Tianna Torrejon with Grassley happy birthdays, along with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sydney Sweeney, Sarah Selip, and to Rep. Tom Tiffany’s (R., Wis.) mom, Virgal!
