{"id":1103,"date":"2026-07-14T11:37:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T11:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=1103"},"modified":"2026-07-14T11:37:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T11:37:37","slug":"iran-politics-are-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=1103","title":{"rendered":"Iran Politics Are Back"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Today\u2019s notice:<\/i><\/b> What happens after the ceasefire? Lindsey Graham\u2019s legacy. The story behind the photo of the woman on the train. Fraud enforcement check-in. Mike Lawler\u2019s fight. And: Which progressive firm has come out on top after Graham Platner?<\/i><\/p>\n

Read more James Wood Is Still Growing (And Other Things to Know)<\/a><\/p>\n

THE LATEST<\/b><\/h2>\n

The dream of lower gas prices this summer<\/b> seems truly gone, doesn\u2019t it? Donald Trump <\/b>and the Iranian regime have torn up their deal and are now once again each claiming to have control of the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices have already started to tick back up<\/u><\/span>, and it\u2019s hard to imagine that story will change anytime soon.<\/p>\n

The war returns, and the political challenge with it. <\/b>In other words, this is an election where costs are a huge motivating factor, and a conflict that has never been popular doesn\u2019t play well for the incumbent party. There was some hope that at least one of those challenges, the price of gas, would be alleviated.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not an economist,\u201d<\/b> Rep. Richard Hudson <\/b>(R-North Carolina), the chair of the NRCC, told Manuela yesterday when asked if gas prices will be going back down again significantly before the election \u2014 just hours after meeting with Trump at the White House. It was a d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu moment from the pre-ceasefire world. \u201cWhat the president did in Iran was the right thing to do, and he had to do it, and I support him,\u201d Hudson went on. \u201cYou can\u2019t make political calculations when it comes to the safety of this country. I think Americans, people appreciate the president who\u2019s willing to stand up for the country and do the hard things.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just the Iran war that feels like it\u2019s moving backwards. <\/b>\u201cThere\u2019s no question that inflation is back. The issue is, what\u2019s causing it?\u201d Sen. John Kennedy <\/b>(R-Louisiana)said. \u201cIs it temporary? Is it systemic? I think it\u2019s being caused by three things: conflict in Iran, the AI boom, and I think we\u2019re still seeing some inflation from the rising cost of imports from tariffs.\u201d<\/p>\n

But what\u2019s new? <\/b>There\u2019s a lot going on, and trading strikes with the Iranian regime has become par for the course lately. Congress is back, but with the baggage of a summer of rising gas prices and an ongoing conflict \u2014 exactly what many members hoped just a month ago would not be the case.<\/p>\n

Open tabs:<\/b> Trump to assert voting machine vulnerabilities in Thursday speech<\/u><\/span> (Reuters); Trump Administration Finally Hands Over Evidence From Minnesota ICE Shootings<\/u><\/span> (NOTUS); Judge Rebukes Settlement Creating Trump\u2019s \u2018Anti-Weaponization\u2019 Fund<\/u><\/span> (NOTUS); Appeals Court Revives Lawsuits Alleging Tylenol Causes Autism and ADHD<\/u><\/span> (WSJ)<\/p>\n

From the Hill <\/b><\/h2>\n

Lindsey Graham\u2019s replacement to be sworn in today. <\/b>The late senator\u2019s younger sister, Darline Graham Nordone<\/b>, is set to become the next senator from South Carolina at 2:30 p.m., Senate Majority Leader John Thune<\/b> announced. She will be South Carolina\u2019s first female senator<\/u><\/span> and is not expected to run in the shortened Republican primary next month.<\/p>\n

Carrying Graham\u2019s torch,<\/b> at least on the issue of sanctioning Russia,will be several sitting senators, NOTUS\u2019 Joe Gould reports<\/u><\/span>. Sen. Richard Blumenthal<\/b> (D-Connecticut), who cosponsored Graham\u2019s sanctions bill, says the measure\u2019s text could be out as soon as today, with a vote on it coming later this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, Lindsey was the man driving that, the driving force behind it,\u201d Thune said of the bill\u2019s next steps. \u201cBut there are others who have a deep interest in it. So it would be great if we could figure out a way, a path forward to get that done.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sanctions bill will be perhaps the first test<\/b> for a Republican conference without Graham, as fears rise among members that losing the South Carolinian means they\u2019ve also lost the Senate\u2019s Trump whisperer, NOTUS\u2019 Al Weaver and Avani Kalra report<\/u><\/span>.<\/p>\n

From the District <\/b><\/h2>\n

Knowing Bernita Bowlding:<\/b> \u201cThey say that \u2018We love you, we got you,\u2019 but the reality is that this woman is homeless,\u201d said Joseph Bowlding<\/b>, the older brother of Bernita \u2014 whose stare into a photojournalist\u2019s camera while surrounded by white supremacists went viral this month. In a deeply reported story, NOTUS\u2019 Ellie Silverman<\/u><\/span> introduces us to Bernita and her family and the reality behind the photograph. \u201cThey don\u2019t understand her. They don\u2019t know how our family feels,\u201d Joseph said of the online chatter. \u201cIt was important to hear the true side of who she really is, instead of just like a fantasy fairy tale.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more The Race to Become the Democratic Left\u2019s Next Power Firm<\/a><\/p>\n

From the DOJ<\/b><\/h2>\n

What\u2019s new in the new Fraud Enforcement Division? <\/b>So far, mostly just a new name, NOTUS\u2019 Violet Jira reports<\/u><\/span>. Violet checked on the progress of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche<\/b>\u2019s promise to centralize and boost anti-fraud efforts at the Department of Justice and found much of the substantive work remains to be done. Former senior DOJ officials in anti-fraud work told her that while existing divisions have been moved to the new one, they have not seen a significant change in output. The DOJ says its plans ahead of schedule. \u201cWe\u2019re building a first-of-its-kind division to deter fraud against the United States,\u201d a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

From the campaign trail<\/b><\/h2>\n

Mike Lawler\u2019s fight to stay in the House: <\/b>\u201cIt\u2019s not so much about him personally, but more of I want Democrats in the majority,\u201d voter Frank Burgold<\/b>, 39, of Chappaqua, New York, told NOTUS\u2019 Kadia Goba<\/u><\/span> of Lawler. The Republican congressman faces one of the most high-profile House contests in the country and is trying to convince swing voters he\u2019s the good parts of Trump and none of the bad.<\/p>\n

Kadia spent time with Lawler on the trail in New York\u2019s purple 17th Congressional District, where one recent (Democratic-sponsored) poll found him down by 6 just as the money bombs are starting to land. Trump appeared with Lawler in May, a visit that Democrats are trying to exploit. Lawler calls it part of what makes him the right member for the district.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, he\u2019s the president of the United States, and just like when Joe Biden<\/b> came to my district, I showed up,\u201d Lawler told NOTUS. \u201cIf you want to be able to deliver for your district and your community, you have to engage with the president of the United States, no matter who it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

NOTUS METRO<\/b><\/h2>\n

Sign up for our local newsletter.<\/b> NOTUS has some of the best reporters covering D.C.-area news, sports and culture. Sign up for all the latest<\/u><\/span>, launching July 20!<\/p>\n

Sports desk:<\/b> James Wood Is Still Growing (And Other Things to Know)<\/u><\/span>, by Jesse Dougherty<\/p>\n

NEW ON NOTUS<\/b><\/h2>\n

Choosing the Middle Seat:<\/b> NOTUS\u2019 Stephen Neukam profiles<\/u><\/span> the political consulting firm involved with a string of progressive victories in this year\u2019s primaries \u2014 among them Melat Kiros <\/b>in Colorado and Darializa Avila Chevalier <\/b>and Claire Valdez <\/b>in New York. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<\/b> (D-New York) is a longtime client. The firm, Middle Seat, may see its profile rise even higher, Stephen writes, after competing lefty political firm Fight Agency drew progressive critics after the implosion of Graham Platner<\/b>\u2019s candidacy in Maine.<\/p>\n

More:<\/b> Trump Cuts Two Utah National Monuments by More Than 90%<\/u><\/span>, by Anna Kramer<\/p>\n

Trump National Golf Club in Virginia Has a Pest Control Problem, Records Show<\/u><\/span>, by Dave Levinthal<\/p>\n

NOT US<\/b><\/h2>\n