The Daily Punch

With five months until Election Day, Congress returns to a tough legislative environment, as lawmakers face a major challenge: two of the president’s key priorities conflict.

Anna and Jake discuss the latest on reconciliation. Plus, a breakdown of the highway bill’s next hurdles.

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Max and Laura discuss Iowa Democrats' optimism in the upcoming midterms and what to expect when Congress returns after recess. This story was featured in The Readback, our weekend digest featuring the best of Punchbowl News this week.

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Iowa Democrats are dreaming big in 2026, aiming to flip the governor’s mansion, a Senate seat and three House districts.

Anna and Jake discuss Max Cohen’s latest on-the-ground reporting on the Democrats’ very tall task. Plus, who’s up and who’s down in this week’s Punch Power Matrix.

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President Donald Trump made a startling admission on Wednesday while meeting with his Cabinet. “I don’t care about the midterms,” Trump told reporters when asked about the Iran war.

Punchbowl News Reporters Brendan Pedersen and Laura Weiss discuss the latest developments. Plus, inside the toss-up race for Iowa’s 1st District.

Watch this episode on YouTube here!

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With President Donald Trump’s eleventh-hour backing, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated Sen. John Cornyn in the Texas Senate GOP primary runoff by a whopping 28-point margin.

Deputy Congressional Editor Robert O’Shaughnessy discusses the latest developments. Plus, what the NDAA says about defense hawks.

Watch this episode on YouTube here!

Punchbowl News is on YouTube⁠. ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to our channel today to see all the new ways⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠we’re investing in video.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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