Trump’s receipts don’t back up new election claims
✓Skip to content
In today’s issue:
▪ Trump points finger at China
▪ Tillis stands his ground
▪ Trump’s teleprompter operator suspended
▪ FEC deadline takeaways
Close
The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Morning Report newsletter
President Trump’s sweeping claims of election interference during his primetime address to the country Thursday night were largely unsupported by documents the White House posted to its website as he was speaking.
Trump spoke for about half an hour from the East Room of the White House on Thursday, alleging that the U.S. intelligence community overlooked China’s infiltration of voter rolls, even suggested some officials could face criminal charges. As Trump spoke, a new landing page appeared on the White House website including links to some documents.
But the documents did not go nearly as far in their conclusions as Trump suggested. A CNN analysis of the documents found they are newly declassified but mostly discuss vulnerabilities that have been known for years that officials have been trying to address.
Trump’s main accusation against China was that it attempted to interfere in the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to former President Biden, in gaining access to the voter rolls — information often available for purchase — a move that has been known for years.
The Washington Post noted one CIA report said China wanted Trump to lose the 2020 election but described the Chinese government as having used political and economic influence rather than any election hacking.
Another CIA report said Chinese cyber actors were targeting Biden’s campaign rather than Trump’s, though it determined China “does not currently intend to covertly interfere to try to sway” the election’s outcome.
Trump alleged the intelligence community kept the information from him during his first term. The documents show intelligence officials debating over how to portray the information they obtained, a standard part of their analysis.
Some of the claims were determined to be not consequential or credible enough to include in its assessment.
A 2021 intelligence community report previously concluded with “high confidence” that China didn’t try to influence the outcome of the 2020 election. A minority view expressed with “moderate confidence” that China tried to oppose Trump’s reelection through social media and public statements but not direct interference.
Trump also made claims that at least 250,000 noncitizens were registered to vote in federal elections across multiple states. The White House cited commercially available databases for its analysis, but CNN reported these databases are considered less reliable than government data.
A document said 28,000 noncitizens were found to have illegally registered to vote across 25 states based on data from a government tool used to identify noncitizen voters.
Some localities have approved measures allowing noncitizen voting in local races, explaining why noncitizens are registered in some states, such as California. But noncitizen voting in federal elections remains illegal and rarely occurs, election experts have said.
Observers are now awaiting a briefing that Trump said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin plans to hold Friday on his department’s “recent work confirming cyber-vulnerabilities in our electronic voting systems.”
“Put together, these disclosures reveal an election system so broken and so vulnerable that no one can possibly defend it,” Trump said. “It is not defensible.”
▪ The Hill: Trump rails against China with claims disputed by critics.
▪ The Hill: Five takeaways from Trump’s speech.
▪ The Hill: GOP fears Trump speech could boomerang.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 15, 2026. (Allison Robbert, Associated Press)
PLAYING HARDBALL: Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is leaning into his lame duck status to stand up to his party on a couple of high-profile issues in his final weeks in the Senate.
Tillis took to the Senate floor Thursday to rail against the president’s voter ID legislation — which House Republicans are seeking to pass through a budget reconciliation package — saying he would stall legislative activity if House Republicans sent over another version of the bill.
“If I see a reconciliation bill come from the House with another failed attempt to confuse this election, I will use every device I have available to slow down the wheels of government until people cop a clue and do the math,” Tillis said, nearly shouting on the Senate floor.
Tillis said every version of the legislation is “fundamentally flawed and impossible to implement by this election,” which he warned could cast doubt on the integrity of the electoral process.
“Let’s stop the charade. Let’s stop the distraction,” he said. “Let’s get the government funded, let’s use reconciliation if we need to, but let’s not clog it up with another piece of policy airdropped by a member of this Senate or the White House that will undermine this bill, undermine what we need to get done before the election.”
Tillis also leveraged his spot on the Senate Judiciary Committee to compel acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is seeking confirmation to remain in the post permanently, to meet with survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Blanche met with victims Thursday afternoon, hours after Tillis said that whether Blanche holds the meeting “is a very important part of getting to yes” on his nomination.
CBS News reported that after the meeting took place, Blanche told reporters he encouraged those he met with to come forward with any information that could help the FBI in its investigation.
But at least a couple victims said the meeting went poorly. Epstein accuser Annie Farmer said in a statement following the meeting that she feels “even more confident in urging senators to vote against his confirmation as the United States’ Attorney General.”
▪ The Hill: Tillis shouts at Russell Vought over ‘DOGE s—.’
▪ The Washington Post: 5 things we learned during Blanche’s confirmation hearing.
WHO’S NEXT: The candidates seeking to replace Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine took to the debate stage Thursday for the first time but struggled to stand out.
Eight out of the 12 declared candidates participated in the debate, split into two parts. The four candidates considered top contenders faced off in the first hour, while the remaining candidates participated in the second session.
The Hill’s Julia Mueller reports the candidates mostly avoided clashing with each other or even slamming Platner over his controversies as they seek to court his base.
Those on stage said in response to a question that they want to emulate Platner’s progressive ideals that energized many Democratic voters in the primary. But the debate itself marked a contrast from the energy that seemed to drive Platner’s candidacy.
Days after a federal immigration officer shot and killed a man in Maine, most Democrats on the debate stage called to abolish ICE as they blasted Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) for voting to fund the agency.
▪ NBC News: Candidates race to build early delegate advantage.
▪ The Hill: Election handicapper shifts House seat ratings.
LEAVITT RETURNS: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took her place behind the podium Thursday for her first press briefing since returning from maternity leave.
Her return marked the end of the rotation of administrative officials who would brief the press in her absence. In the briefing, she urged media companies to air Trump’s primetime address on elections, addressed the conflict with Iran and said the White House is monitoring the cyclosporiasis outbreak.
NBC and ABC ultimately decided against airing the speech, a decision that Trump said should cost them their broadcast licenses.
▪ The Hill: Leavitt previews Trump speech.
INSIDE SCROLLER: A teleprompter operator for the president who has been accused of placing bets on Trump’s speeches has been placed on administrative leave.
ABC News first reported that Gabriel Perez, who has served as a technical assistant for Trump since 2016, is in talks with regulators from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to settle allegations that he made more than $100,000 using inside knowledge about Trump’s speeches.
Kalshi, the platform that Perez allegedly used, said it flagged suspicious trades to authorities and is working with the CFTC.
Leavitt told reporters that Trump was made aware of the situation and a different teleprompter operator would be used for his address to the country Thursday.
“He believes it is deeply unfortunate and, frankly, a disgrace,” she said.
▪ CNBC: Who will be the watchdog for prediction markets?
▪ The Guardian: Kalshi to offer betting on drug trial results.
CASTING DOUBT: A local district attorney disputed an FBI assessment that the Mexican migrant killed by federal immigration officers in Houston had illegal drugs in his van when the incident happened.
The warrant application that the FBI filed said it had cause to believe there were drugs in the van that 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was driving before a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and killed him in Houston. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare (D) told CNN that his office doesn’t agree.
“Based on the information we have regarding who Mr. Salgado was, and just eyeballing the evidence as it was collected yesterday, we don’t believe that they are drugs,” Teare said Thursday.
He said he believes the FBI will test the substances found in the vehicle “either today or in the next few days.” But even if the substances test positive, Teare said it won’t impact his office’s investigation into whether the shooting was justified.
▪ NBC News: Family attorney says substance in van was salt.
▪ The Texas Tribune: Likely law enforcement violations during shooting.
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) questions Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the nation’s intelligence agencies, as he appears for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, July 15, 2026. (J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press)
LATEST HAULS: Democratic candidates for Senate are significantly outraising their GOP counterparts in some of the most competitive races this fall, but the parties are running neck and neck in House contests as Republicans look to defend their narrow majority.
Jared and The Hill’s Caroline Vakil are diving into the latest federal campaign finance reports, which candidates, PACs and party committees filed this week for the second quarter, spanning April to June. Super PACs, which only have to file twice a year, filed their reports this week for the last two quarters.
They highlight stark fundraising disparities in Senate races that will be key to who wins control of the upper chamber.
In Georgia, incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff — seen as the most vulnerable Democratic senator up for reelection — far outraised his Republican challenger, Rep. Mike Collins. Ossoff raised roughly $17 million from his campaign, while Collins raised $1.6 million through the campaign.
In Texas, Senate Democratic candidate James Talarico raised approximately $28 million from his campaign alone, while his GOP opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, reported raising $1.6 million from the campaign.
In Alaska’s Senate race, Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign outraised incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan’s campaign, raising nearly $7 million to his $2 million.
In Michican Wayne County health director Abdul El-Sayed is outraising Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), but the AIPAC-affiliated United Democracy Project has shelled out some $15 million for the more moderate Stevens so far this year.
Some members of Congress are also building up major warchests.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who is not up for reelection this year, brought in another $5.5 million this past quarter to bring his cash on hand to top $24 million, while Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), has raised more over the past 18 months than any other House candidate, taking in $32.6 million, according to OpenSecrets.
Both Democrats have been floated as potential 2028 presidential contenders, while Ocasio-Cortez has also been rumored to be mulling a Senate run in two years.
▪ The Hill: Anthropic CEO gave $1M to AI safety super PAC.
▪ The Hill: OpenAI employees pour nearly $250K into AI safety PAC.
People gather to denounce President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to dismiss Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov after six months in the post, July 16, 2026, Kyiv, Ukraine. (Danylo Antoniuk, Associated Press)
TO THE STREETS: Thousands of protesters are pushing back on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to oust his defense minister as part of a recent shakeup in his government.
Demonstrators across Ukraine objected to Zelensky’s decision to force out Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who has been widely popular as an innovator of the country’s drone warfare. Fedorov has only served in the role for six months.
Zelensky said he made his decision in response to friction between Fedorov and Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s armed forces.
“I’m just showing that if the sides can’t resolve an issue, I will have to resolve it,” he said.
Fedorov was viewed during his tenure as being key to helping Ukraine gain the upper hand on the battlefield against Russia four years after the war began. One of his accomplishments was securing restrictions to Russian forces’ access to the Starlink satellite communications system.
Fedorov fought corruption and worked to make weapons procurement more transparent.
His removal has mostly angered young Ukrainains, who took to the streets of Kyiv and other cities with chants slamming Syrskyi.
Fedorov is the most recent top Ukrainian official to be replaced. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stepped down on Sunday. The country’s Parliament overwhelmingly approved Serhii Koretskyi, the head of the state energy company, as her replacement.
▪ The Hill: Bill to provide Ukraine assistance, sanction Russia teed up.
▪ Reuters: Who is Ukraine’s new prime minister?
The World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, July 15, 2026. (Jacob Kupferman, Associated Press)
And finally … 👏👏👏 Congrats to this week’s Morning Report quiz winners! They were golden with these World Cup questions.
Here’s who went 4/4: Michael Salanik, Jess Elger, Carmine Petracca, Rick Schmidtke, Richard Baznik, Chuck Schoenenberger, Peter Sprofera, Ned Sauthoff, Jenessa Wagner, Lou Tisler, Mark R. Williamson, Brian Hogan, Robert Bradley, William Chittam, Linda Field, Stan Wasser, Harry Strulovici, Pam Manges and Elizabeth Prystas.
There were 13 teams that competed in the first ever men’s World Cup in 1930. The number increased to 16 in 1934 and now stands at 48.
The best result for the U.S. men’s team also came during the inaugural tournament in 1930, when it placed third, though there was no third-place game at the time. The U.S. hasn’t matched that success since, getting as far as the quarterfinals in 2002. Because some consider the 2002 run to be the true deepest run, both answers are acceptable.
Brazil is the only country to have competed in every World Cup. Germany has competed in all but two.
Ahead of this year’s World Cup, Miroslav Klose held the record for most goals scored in the men’s tournament. He was surpassed during this tournament by both Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.
Predictions on the game were evenly split, with 11 choosing Argentina and 11 choosing Spain. We’ll see who’s right!
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at Al Jazeera ↗ · The Hill ↗
In today's issue: ▪ Trump points finger at China ▪ Tillis stands his ground ▪ Trump’s teleprompter operator suspended ▪ FEC deadline takeaways President Trump’s sweeping claims of…
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
Skip to content
In today’s issue:
▪ Trump points finger at China
▪ Tillis stands his ground
▪ Trump’s teleprompter operator suspended
▪ FEC deadline takeaways
Close
The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Morning Report newsletter
President Trump’s sweeping claims of election interference during his primetime address to the country Thursday night were largely unsupported by documents the White House posted to its website as he was speaking.
Trump spoke for about half an hour from the East Room of the White House on Thursday, alleging that the U.S. intelligence community overlooked China’s infiltration of voter rolls, even suggested some officials could face criminal charges. As Trump spoke, a new landing page appeared on the White House website including links to some documents.
But the documents did not go nearly as far in their conclusions as Trump suggested. A CNN analysis of the documents found they are newly declassified but mostly discuss vulnerabilities that have been known for years that officials have been trying to address.
Trump’s main accusation against China was that it attempted to interfere in the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to former President Biden, in gaining access to the voter rolls — information often available for purchase — a move that has been known for years.
The Washington Post noted one CIA report said China wanted Trump to lose the 2020 election but described the Chinese government as having used political and economic influence rather than any election hacking.
Another CIA report said Chinese cyber actors were targeting Biden’s campaign rather than Trump’s, though it determined China “does not currently intend to covertly interfere to try to sway” the election’s outcome.
Trump alleged the intelligence community kept the information from him during his first term. The documents show intelligence officials debating over how to portray the information they obtained, a standard part of their analysis.
Some of the claims were determined to be not consequential or credible enough to include in its assessment.
A 2021 intelligence community report previously concluded with “high confidence” that China didn’t try to influence the outcome of the 2020 election. A minority view expressed with “moderate confidence” that China tried to oppose Trump’s reelection through social media and public statements but not direct interference.
Trump also made claims that at least 250,000 noncitizens were registered to vote in federal elections across multiple states. The White House cited commercially available databases for its analysis, but CNN reported these databases are considered less reliable than government data.
A document said 28,000 noncitizens were found to have illegally registered to vote across 25 states based on data from a government tool used to identify noncitizen voters.
Some localities have approved measures allowing noncitizen voting in local races, explaining why noncitizens are registered in some states, such as California. But noncitizen voting in federal elections remains illegal and rarely occurs, election experts have said.
Observers are now awaiting a briefing that Trump said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin plans to hold Friday on his department’s “recent work confirming cyber-vulnerabilities in our electronic voting systems.”
“Put together, these disclosures reveal an election system so broken and so vulnerable that no one can possibly defend it,” Trump said. “It is not defensible.”
▪ The Hill: Trump rails against China with claims disputed by critics.
▪ The Hill: Five takeaways from Trump’s speech.
▪ The Hill: GOP fears Trump speech could boomerang.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 15, 2026. (Allison Robbert, Associated Press)
PLAYING HARDBALL: Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is leaning into his lame duck status to stand up to his party on a couple of high-profile issues in his final weeks in the Senate.
Tillis took to the Senate floor Thursday to rail against the president’s voter ID legislation — which House Republicans are seeking to pass through a budget reconciliation package — saying he would stall legislative activity if House Republicans sent over another version of the bill.
“If I see a reconciliation bill come from the House with another failed attempt to confuse this election, I will use every device I have available to slow down the wheels of government until people cop a clue and do the math,” Tillis said, nearly shouting on the Senate floor.
Tillis said every version of the legislation is “fundamentally flawed and impossible to implement by this election,” which he warned could cast doubt on the integrity of the electoral process.
“Let’s stop the charade. Let’s stop the distraction,” he said. “Let’s get the government funded, let’s use reconciliation if we need to, but let’s not clog it up with another piece of policy airdropped by a member of this Senate or the White House that will undermine this bill, undermine what we need to get done before the election.”
Tillis also leveraged his spot on the Senate Judiciary Committee to compel acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is seeking confirmation to remain in the post permanently, to meet with survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Blanche met with victims Thursday afternoon, hours after Tillis said that whether Blanche holds the meeting “is a very important part of getting to yes” on his nomination.
CBS News reported that after the meeting took place, Blanche told reporters he encouraged those he met with to come forward with any information that could help the FBI in its investigation.
But at least a couple victims said the meeting went poorly. Epstein accuser Annie Farmer said in a statement following the meeting that she feels “even more confident in urging senators to vote against his confirmation as the United States’ Attorney General.”
▪ The Hill: Tillis shouts at Russell Vought over ‘DOGE s—.’
▪ The Washington Post: 5 things we learned during Blanche’s confirmation hearing.
WHO’S NEXT: The candidates seeking to replace Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine took to the debate stage Thursday for the first time but struggled to stand out.
Eight out of the 12 declared candidates participated in the debate, split into two parts. The four candidates considered top contenders faced off in the first hour, while the remaining candidates participated in the second session.
The Hill’s Julia Mueller reports the candidates mostly avoided clashing with each other or even slamming Platner over his controversies as they seek to court his base.
Those on stage said in response to a question that they want to emulate Platner’s progressive ideals that energized many Democratic voters in the primary. But the debate itself marked a contrast from the energy that seemed to drive Platner’s candidacy.
Days after a federal immigration officer shot and killed a man in Maine, most Democrats on the debate stage called to abolish ICE as they blasted Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) for voting to fund the agency.
▪ NBC News: Candidates race to build early delegate advantage.
▪ The Hill: Election handicapper shifts House seat ratings.
LEAVITT RETURNS: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took her place behind the podium Thursday for her first press briefing since returning from maternity leave.
Her return marked the end of the rotation of administrative officials who would brief the press in her absence. In the briefing, she urged media companies to air Trump’s primetime address on elections, addressed the conflict with Iran and said the White House is monitoring the cyclosporiasis outbreak.
NBC and ABC ultimately decided against airing the speech, a decision that Trump said should cost them their broadcast licenses.
▪ The Hill: Leavitt previews Trump speech.
INSIDE SCROLLER: A teleprompter operator for the president who has been accused of placing bets on Trump’s speeches has been placed on administrative leave.
ABC News first reported that Gabriel Perez, who has served as a technical assistant for Trump since 2016, is in talks with regulators from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to settle allegations that he made more than $100,000 using inside knowledge about Trump’s speeches.
Kalshi, the platform that Perez allegedly used, said it flagged suspicious trades to authorities and is working with the CFTC.
Leavitt told reporters that Trump was made aware of the situation and a different teleprompter operator would be used for his address to the country Thursday.
“He believes it is deeply unfortunate and, frankly, a disgrace,” she said.
▪ CNBC: Who will be the watchdog for prediction markets?
▪ The Guardian: Kalshi to offer betting on drug trial results.
CASTING DOUBT: A local district attorney disputed an FBI assessment that the Mexican migrant killed by federal immigration officers in Houston had illegal drugs in his van when the incident happened.
The warrant application that the FBI filed said it had cause to believe there were drugs in the van that 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was driving before a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and killed him in Houston. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare (D) told CNN that his office doesn’t agree.
“Based on the information we have regarding who Mr. Salgado was, and just eyeballing the evidence as it was collected yesterday, we don’t believe that they are drugs,” Teare said Thursday.
He said he believes the FBI will test the substances found in the vehicle “either today or in the next few days.” But even if the substances test positive, Teare said it won’t impact his office’s investigation into whether the shooting was justified.
▪ NBC News: Family attorney says substance in van was salt.
▪ The Texas Tribune: Likely law enforcement violations during shooting.
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) questions Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the nation’s intelligence agencies, as he appears for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, July 15, 2026. (J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press)
LATEST HAULS: Democratic candidates for Senate are significantly outraising their GOP counterparts in some of the most competitive races this fall, but the parties are running neck and neck in House contests as Republicans look to defend their narrow majority.
Jared and The Hill’s Caroline Vakil are diving into the latest federal campaign finance reports, which candidates, PACs and party committees filed this week for the second quarter, spanning April to June. Super PACs, which only have to file twice a year, filed their reports this week for the last two quarters.
They highlight stark fundraising disparities in Senate races that will be key to who wins control of the upper chamber.
In Georgia, incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff — seen as the most vulnerable Democratic senator up for reelection — far outraised his Republican challenger, Rep. Mike Collins. Ossoff raised roughly $17 million from his campaign, while Collins raised $1.6 million through the campaign.
In Texas, Senate Democratic candidate James Talarico raised approximately $28 million from his campaign alone, while his GOP opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, reported raising $1.6 million from the campaign.
In Alaska’s Senate race, Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign outraised incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan’s campaign, raising nearly $7 million to his $2 million.
In Michican Wayne County health director Abdul El-Sayed is outraising Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), but the AIPAC-affiliated United Democracy Project has shelled out some $15 million for the more moderate Stevens so far this year.
Some members of Congress are also building up major warchests.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who is not up for reelection this year, brought in another $5.5 million this past quarter to bring his cash on hand to top $24 million, while Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), has raised more over the past 18 months than any other House candidate, taking in $32.6 million, according to OpenSecrets.
Both Democrats have been floated as potential 2028 presidential contenders, while Ocasio-Cortez has also been rumored to be mulling a Senate run in two years.
▪ The Hill: Anthropic CEO gave $1M to AI safety super PAC.
▪ The Hill: OpenAI employees pour nearly $250K into AI safety PAC.
People gather to denounce President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to dismiss Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov after six months in the post, July 16, 2026, Kyiv, Ukraine. (Danylo Antoniuk, Associated Press)
TO THE STREETS: Thousands of protesters are pushing back on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to oust his defense minister as part of a recent shakeup in his government.
Demonstrators across Ukraine objected to Zelensky’s decision to force out Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who has been widely popular as an innovator of the country’s drone warfare. Fedorov has only served in the role for six months.
Zelensky said he made his decision in response to friction between Fedorov and Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s armed forces.
“I’m just showing that if the sides can’t resolve an issue, I will have to resolve it,” he said.
Fedorov was viewed during his tenure as being key to helping Ukraine gain the upper hand on the battlefield against Russia four years after the war began. One of his accomplishments was securing restrictions to Russian forces’ access to the Starlink satellite communications system.
Fedorov fought corruption and worked to make weapons procurement more transparent.
His removal has mostly angered young Ukrainains, who took to the streets of Kyiv and other cities with chants slamming Syrskyi.
Fedorov is the most recent top Ukrainian official to be replaced. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stepped down on Sunday. The country’s Parliament overwhelmingly approved Serhii Koretskyi, the head of the state energy company, as her replacement.
▪ The Hill: Bill to provide Ukraine assistance, sanction Russia teed up.
▪ Reuters: Who is Ukraine’s new prime minister?
The World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, July 15, 2026. (Jacob Kupferman, Associated Press)
And finally … 👏👏👏 Congrats to this week’s Morning Report quiz winners! They were golden with these World Cup questions.
Here’s who went 4/4: Michael Salanik, Jess Elger, Carmine Petracca, Rick Schmidtke, Richard Baznik, Chuck Schoenenberger, Peter Sprofera, Ned Sauthoff, Jenessa Wagner, Lou Tisler, Mark R. Williamson, Brian Hogan, Robert Bradley, William Chittam, Linda Field, Stan Wasser, Harry Strulovici, Pam Manges and Elizabeth Prystas.
There were 13 teams that competed in the first ever men’s World Cup in 1930. The number increased to 16 in 1934 and now stands at 48.
The best result for the U.S. men’s team also came during the inaugural tournament in 1930, when it placed third, though there was no third-place game at the time. The U.S. hasn’t matched that success since, getting as far as the quarterfinals in 2002. Because some consider the 2002 run to be the true deepest run, both answers are acceptable.
Brazil is the only country to have competed in every World Cup. Germany has competed in all but two.
Ahead of this year’s World Cup, Miroslav Klose held the record for most goals scored in the men’s tournament. He was surpassed during this tournament by both Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.
Predictions on the game were evenly split, with 11 choosing Argentina and 11 choosing Spain. We’ll see who’s right!
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at Al Jazeera ↗ · The Hill ↗
Skip to content
In today’s issue:
▪ Trump points finger at China
▪ Tillis stands his ground
▪ Trump’s teleprompter operator suspended
▪ FEC deadline takeaways
Close
The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Morning Report newsletter
President Trump’s sweeping claims of election interference during his primetime address to the country Thursday night were largely unsupported by documents the White House posted to its website as he was speaking.
Trump spoke for about half an hour from the East Room of the White House on Thursday, alleging that the U.S. intelligence community overlooked China’s infiltration of voter rolls, even suggested some officials could face criminal charges. As Trump spoke, a new landing page appeared on the White House website including links to some documents.
But the documents did not go nearly as far in their conclusions as Trump suggested. A CNN analysis of the documents found they are newly declassified but mostly discuss vulnerabilities that have been known for years that officials have been trying to address.
Trump’s main accusation against China was that it attempted to interfere in the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to former President Biden, in gaining access to the voter rolls — information often available for purchase — a move that has been known for years.
The Washington Post noted one CIA report said China wanted Trump to lose the 2020 election but described the Chinese government as having used political and economic influence rather than any election hacking.
Another CIA report said Chinese cyber actors were targeting Biden’s campaign rather than Trump’s, though it determined China “does not currently intend to covertly interfere to try to sway” the election’s outcome.
Trump alleged the intelligence community kept the information from him during his first term. The documents show intelligence officials debating over how to portray the information they obtained, a standard part of their analysis.
Some of the claims were determined to be not consequential or credible enough to include in its assessment.
A 2021 intelligence community report previously concluded with “high confidence” that China didn’t try to influence the outcome of the 2020 election. A minority view expressed with “moderate confidence” that China tried to oppose Trump’s reelection through social media and public statements but not direct interference.
Trump also made claims that at least 250,000 noncitizens were registered to vote in federal elections across multiple states. The White House cited commercially available databases for its analysis, but CNN reported these databases are considered less reliable than government data.
A document said 28,000 noncitizens were found to have illegally registered to vote across 25 states based on data from a government tool used to identify noncitizen voters.
Some localities have approved measures allowing noncitizen voting in local races, explaining why noncitizens are registered in some states, such as California. But noncitizen voting in federal elections remains illegal and rarely occurs, election experts have said.
Observers are now awaiting a briefing that Trump said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin plans to hold Friday on his department’s “recent work confirming cyber-vulnerabilities in our electronic voting systems.”
“Put together, these disclosures reveal an election system so broken and so vulnerable that no one can possibly defend it,” Trump said. “It is not defensible.”
▪ The Hill: Trump rails against China with claims disputed by critics.
▪ The Hill: Five takeaways from Trump’s speech.
▪ The Hill: GOP fears Trump speech could boomerang.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 15, 2026. (Allison Robbert, Associated Press)
PLAYING HARDBALL: Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is leaning into his lame duck status to stand up to his party on a couple of high-profile issues in his final weeks in the Senate.
Tillis took to the Senate floor Thursday to rail against the president’s voter ID legislation — which House Republicans are seeking to pass through a budget reconciliation package — saying he would stall legislative activity if House Republicans sent over another version of the bill.
“If I see a reconciliation bill come from the House with another failed attempt to confuse this election, I will use every device I have available to slow down the wheels of government until people cop a clue and do the math,” Tillis said, nearly shouting on the Senate floor.
Tillis said every version of the legislation is “fundamentally flawed and impossible to implement by this election,” which he warned could cast doubt on the integrity of the electoral process.
“Let’s stop the charade. Let’s stop the distraction,” he said. “Let’s get the government funded, let’s use reconciliation if we need to, but let’s not clog it up with another piece of policy airdropped by a member of this Senate or the White House that will undermine this bill, undermine what we need to get done before the election.”
Tillis also leveraged his spot on the Senate Judiciary Committee to compel acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is seeking confirmation to remain in the post permanently, to meet with survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Blanche met with victims Thursday afternoon, hours after Tillis said that whether Blanche holds the meeting “is a very important part of getting to yes” on his nomination.
CBS News reported that after the meeting took place, Blanche told reporters he encouraged those he met with to come forward with any information that could help the FBI in its investigation.
But at least a couple victims said the meeting went poorly. Epstein accuser Annie Farmer said in a statement following the meeting that she feels “even more confident in urging senators to vote against his confirmation as the United States’ Attorney General.”
▪ The Hill: Tillis shouts at Russell Vought over ‘DOGE s—.’
▪ The Washington Post: 5 things we learned during Blanche’s confirmation hearing.
WHO’S NEXT: The candidates seeking to replace Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine took to the debate stage Thursday for the first time but struggled to stand out.
Eight out of the 12 declared candidates participated in the debate, split into two parts. The four candidates considered top contenders faced off in the first hour, while the remaining candidates participated in the second session.
The Hill’s Julia Mueller reports the candidates mostly avoided clashing with each other or even slamming Platner over his controversies as they seek to court his base.
Those on stage said in response to a question that they want to emulate Platner’s progressive ideals that energized many Democratic voters in the primary. But the debate itself marked a contrast from the energy that seemed to drive Platner’s candidacy.
Days after a federal immigration officer shot and killed a man in Maine, most Democrats on the debate stage called to abolish ICE as they blasted Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) for voting to fund the agency.
▪ NBC News: Candidates race to build early delegate advantage.
▪ The Hill: Election handicapper shifts House seat ratings.
LEAVITT RETURNS: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took her place behind the podium Thursday for her first press briefing since returning from maternity leave.
Her return marked the end of the rotation of administrative officials who would brief the press in her absence. In the briefing, she urged media companies to air Trump’s primetime address on elections, addressed the conflict with Iran and said the White House is monitoring the cyclosporiasis outbreak.
NBC and ABC ultimately decided against airing the speech, a decision that Trump said should cost them their broadcast licenses.
▪ The Hill: Leavitt previews Trump speech.
INSIDE SCROLLER: A teleprompter operator for the president who has been accused of placing bets on Trump’s speeches has been placed on administrative leave.
ABC News first reported that Gabriel Perez, who has served as a technical assistant for Trump since 2016, is in talks with regulators from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to settle allegations that he made more than $100,000 using inside knowledge about Trump’s speeches.
Kalshi, the platform that Perez allegedly used, said it flagged suspicious trades to authorities and is working with the CFTC.
Leavitt told reporters that Trump was made aware of the situation and a different teleprompter operator would be used for his address to the country Thursday.
“He believes it is deeply unfortunate and, frankly, a disgrace,” she said.
▪ CNBC: Who will be the watchdog for prediction markets?
▪ The Guardian: Kalshi to offer betting on drug trial results.
CASTING DOUBT: A local district attorney disputed an FBI assessment that the Mexican migrant killed by federal immigration officers in Houston had illegal drugs in his van when the incident happened.
The warrant application that the FBI filed said it had cause to believe there were drugs in the van that 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was driving before a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and killed him in Houston. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare (D) told CNN that his office doesn’t agree.
“Based on the information we have regarding who Mr. Salgado was, and just eyeballing the evidence as it was collected yesterday, we don’t believe that they are drugs,” Teare said Thursday.
He said he believes the FBI will test the substances found in the vehicle “either today or in the next few days.” But even if the substances test positive, Teare said it won’t impact his office’s investigation into whether the shooting was justified.
▪ NBC News: Family attorney says substance in van was salt.
▪ The Texas Tribune: Likely law enforcement violations during shooting.
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) questions Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the nation’s intelligence agencies, as he appears for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, July 15, 2026. (J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press)
LATEST HAULS: Democratic candidates for Senate are significantly outraising their GOP counterparts in some of the most competitive races this fall, but the parties are running neck and neck in House contests as Republicans look to defend their narrow majority.
Jared and The Hill’s Caroline Vakil are diving into the latest federal campaign finance reports, which candidates, PACs and party committees filed this week for the second quarter, spanning April to June. Super PACs, which only have to file twice a year, filed their reports this week for the last two quarters.
They highlight stark fundraising disparities in Senate races that will be key to who wins control of the upper chamber.
In Georgia, incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff — seen as the most vulnerable Democratic senator up for reelection — far outraised his Republican challenger, Rep. Mike Collins. Ossoff raised roughly $17 million from his campaign, while Collins raised $1.6 million through the campaign.
In Texas, Senate Democratic candidate James Talarico raised approximately $28 million from his campaign alone, while his GOP opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, reported raising $1.6 million from the campaign.
In Alaska’s Senate race, Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign outraised incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan’s campaign, raising nearly $7 million to his $2 million.
In Michican Wayne County health director Abdul El-Sayed is outraising Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), but the AIPAC-affiliated United Democracy Project has shelled out some $15 million for the more moderate Stevens so far this year.
Some members of Congress are also building up major warchests.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who is not up for reelection this year, brought in another $5.5 million this past quarter to bring his cash on hand to top $24 million, while Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), has raised more over the past 18 months than any other House candidate, taking in $32.6 million, according to OpenSecrets.
Both Democrats have been floated as potential 2028 presidential contenders, while Ocasio-Cortez has also been rumored to be mulling a Senate run in two years.
▪ The Hill: Anthropic CEO gave $1M to AI safety super PAC.
▪ The Hill: OpenAI employees pour nearly $250K into AI safety PAC.
People gather to denounce President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to dismiss Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov after six months in the post, July 16, 2026, Kyiv, Ukraine. (Danylo Antoniuk, Associated Press)
TO THE STREETS: Thousands of protesters are pushing back on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to oust his defense minister as part of a recent shakeup in his government.
Demonstrators across Ukraine objected to Zelensky’s decision to force out Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who has been widely popular as an innovator of the country’s drone warfare. Fedorov has only served in the role for six months.
Zelensky said he made his decision in response to friction between Fedorov and Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s armed forces.
“I’m just showing that if the sides can’t resolve an issue, I will have to resolve it,” he said.
Fedorov was viewed during his tenure as being key to helping Ukraine gain the upper hand on the battlefield against Russia four years after the war began. One of his accomplishments was securing restrictions to Russian forces’ access to the Starlink satellite communications system.
Fedorov fought corruption and worked to make weapons procurement more transparent.
His removal has mostly angered young Ukrainains, who took to the streets of Kyiv and other cities with chants slamming Syrskyi.
Fedorov is the most recent top Ukrainian official to be replaced. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stepped down on Sunday. The country’s Parliament overwhelmingly approved Serhii Koretskyi, the head of the state energy company, as her replacement.
▪ The Hill: Bill to provide Ukraine assistance, sanction Russia teed up.
▪ Reuters: Who is Ukraine’s new prime minister?
The World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, July 15, 2026. (Jacob Kupferman, Associated Press)
And finally … 👏👏👏 Congrats to this week’s Morning Report quiz winners! They were golden with these World Cup questions.
Here’s who went 4/4: Michael Salanik, Jess Elger, Carmine Petracca, Rick Schmidtke, Richard Baznik, Chuck Schoenenberger, Peter Sprofera, Ned Sauthoff, Jenessa Wagner, Lou Tisler, Mark R. Williamson, Brian Hogan, Robert Bradley, William Chittam, Linda Field, Stan Wasser, Harry Strulovici, Pam Manges and Elizabeth Prystas.
There were 13 teams that competed in the first ever men’s World Cup in 1930. The number increased to 16 in 1934 and now stands at 48.
The best result for the U.S. men’s team also came during the inaugural tournament in 1930, when it placed third, though there was no third-place game at the time. The U.S. hasn’t matched that success since, getting as far as the quarterfinals in 2002. Because some consider the 2002 run to be the true deepest run, both answers are acceptable.
Brazil is the only country to have competed in every World Cup. Germany has competed in all but two.
Ahead of this year’s World Cup, Miroslav Klose held the record for most goals scored in the men’s tournament. He was surpassed during this tournament by both Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.
Predictions on the game were evenly split, with 11 choosing Argentina and 11 choosing Spain. We’ll see who’s right!
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at Al Jazeera ↗ · The Hill ↗
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
- In today's issue: ▪ Trump points finger at China ▪ Tillis stands his ground ▪ Trump’s teleprompter operator suspended ▪ FEC deadline takeaways President Trump’s sweeping claims of…
How we verified this · 78% agreement
The thread
- Oil jumps as Trump claims new Hormuz blockade on Iran
- Trump administration rolls back a key protection for imperiled wildlife
- Trump set to address Iran, election integrity in prime-time speech
- Trump alleges vast conspiracy to commit and cover up election fraud
- Trump alleges China meddled in 2020 election and questions voting security ahead of midterms