Trump immediately fires new prosecutor; All eyes on primetime address

💪 Plus: Hegseth mandates military testosterone screening

12:30 REPORT 12:30 REPORT Thursday, July 16 | By Cate Martel Today in DC: ☀️ 97°  View Online  |  Sign up Your feedback matters to us. Take our brief newsletter survey to help us improve the newsletters you read every day.  It’s Thursday. My informal poll yesterday showed me one thing: there is no consensus on whether we should permanently switch to Daylight Saving Time or Standard Time — or keep the current system. Your answers were all over the spectrum. If you still want to weigh in, let me know your thoughts!  In today's issue: Trump immediately fires prosecutor after his appointment  Tonight’s White House primetime address  Hegseth mandates military testosterone screening  Hazy orange smoke engulfs Boston  🪓 IN THE WHITE HOUSE Easy come, easy go, I guess:   © Getty Images President Trump fired U.S. Attorney Roger Rogoff this morning *less than an hour* after he was unanimously appointed as the top federal prosecutor in the Western District of Washington state.  Why?: Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche accused the district judges who had appointed Rogoff of failing to first consult the Trump administration. “Roger Rogoff has been fired by the President,” Blanche ended his social media post.  Timing: Rogoff was sworn in a little before 8 a.m. PDT in Seattle. But he told The Associated Press that while he was waiting in the lobby of the U.S. attorney’s office, he says he received an email from the Trump administration telling him he had been fired.  Is this legal?: Rogoff told AP that he is talking with lawyers about whether he can sue.   Back story: The role requires Senate confirmation. Trump had appointed a temporary judge Charles Neil Floyd, who could stay in the role for 120 days, but the White House never forwarded the appointment to the Senate for confirmation. Then, when Floyd’s 120 days expired, the Trump administration simply changed his title to keep the unconfirmed prosecutor in the role. The federal judges involved were skeptical whether this was legal, so they unanimously appointed Rogoff for the role.   Six-term Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) is furious: “This administration doesn’t want to deal with advice and consent — they just want to install cronies to carry out a corrupt political agenda,” she scolded the White House.  *Eagerly awaiting the meeting agenda*:  President Trump is set to deliver a primetime address to the American people at 9 p.m. tonight. And while he hasn’t specified the reason, he has teased “big news.”  I mean, there are plenty of topics it could be: The Iran war, his push for a voter ID law before the midterms, the economy, the recent ICE shootings, etc.  Recent polling has not been kind to the president: A new Economist/YouGov poll shows 65 percent of Americans wanting an immediate deal to end the war with Iran. Plus, 57 percent said the war was a mistake.  And just 37 percent of voters approve of Trump’s job performance so far, according to a new Washington Post-Ipsos poll.  Overall, Trump’s approval rating hovers around 41 percent, according to Decision Desk HQ’s average of recent polling. Trump touted a 59 percent approval rating this week, but it’s unclear what data he was referring to.  Other issues plaguing his administration right now:   ICE officers killed two people in six days, renewing criticism of the agency’s practices.  A federal judge accused the Justice Department of colluding with the Trump administration with the “anti-weaponization fund” settlement that permanently bars the IRS from investigating Trump’s past tax returns.  Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche faced tough questioning on Wednesday during his confirmation hearing.  Read Niall Stanage’s preview for tonight: ‘Troubles crowd in on Trump as he prepares for address’  Republicans are pretty nervous: Politico reports that many Republicans are nervous about this primetime address.   Excerpt: “The people I talk to are scared s---less,” a former Trump administration official told Politico. “It’s not scared s---less about the text of what he’s going to say, it’s, what does he add to the text?”  💬 Follow today’s live blog  ALSO HAPPENING TODAY — WELCOME BACK, KAROLINE!:  White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is holding her first press briefing since returning from maternity leave.  💻 Watch it live at 1 p.m.  TRUMP’S NEXT CONSTRUCTION PROJECT:  The president is building a black granite helipad on the White House South Lawn, but as The New York Times pointed out, he has not sought any approvals for the project.  Construction started shortly after the White House UFC fight. It will be 100 feet in diameter and feature a presidential seal. Read more  Oh, and speaking of construction projects: The peeling of the new “American flag blue” paint in the Reflecting Pool is likely caused by application flaws during installation, according to a new Washington Post analysis.  ✡️ ON CAPITOL HILL House Democrats are split on Israel aid: 103 House Democrats voted on Wednesday to cut off U.S. aid to Israel. The measure failed as 98 Democrats voted against the amendment and 10 voted present.  Keep in mind: The measure was widely expected to fail but it served as a litmus test for Democrats’ support for Israel.  Where House leadership landed: “Democratic leaders were split on the vote, too, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (Calif.) opposing the amendment and House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (Mass.) voting for it. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the former House Speaker, also voted for the amendment.”   Related tidbit: Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said at the Hill Nation Summit that has “no plans” to leave the Democratic Party, but warned that Democrats completely turning their backs on Israel could talk him into doing so.  📰 OTHER NEWS: Hegseth plans to screen all military members for low testosterone: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday that U.S. military members 30 and older will be given an annual testosterone screening. Service members with low testosterone will then be offered testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) if they choose.  Why?: He framed it as a way to keep troops “on the leading edge of lethality.”  Does this apply to women?: Yes, according to The New York Times.  It’s highly unusual for a defense secretary to get involved in matters like this: “Defense secretaries typically focus on larger strategic questions, involving alliances, war and weapons production. But Mr. Hegseth, a former Army National Guard officer and Iraq war veteran, has not shied away from getting involved in the minutiae of service members’ lives, such as mandating new grooming standards for troops who, because of skin conditions, had previously been permitted to grow beards.” (NYT)  Read more: What we know about this new testosterone screening  ➤ QUICK HITS: — Vice President Vance told popular podcaster Joe Rogan on Wednesday that the Trump administration “absolutely screwed up” the rollout of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation files.  — Businessman Kevin O’Leary and Fox News are being sued over data center opposition portrayal. Read more ➤ MORE READS: The Wall Street Journal: The AI Backlash Has Tech Executives Fearing for Their Lives  The Atlantic: The Election Deniers Are in Charge Now  Politico: The Last Time America Got It Right, According to MAGA’s Next Generation  🗓️ COMING UP The House and Senate are in. President Trump is at the White House. (All times EDT) 1 p.m. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt holds her first press briefing since returning from maternity leave. 💻 Livestream  1:30 p.m. The Senate votes on a Medicare rule. 📆 Today’s agenda  2 p.m. Trump holds an Oval office policy meeting.  5 p.m. Trump participates in “signing time.”  9 p.m. Trump delivers a primetime address to the nation. 💻 Livestream  🐝 INTERNET BUZZ 🍒🍍 Celebrate: Today is National Cherry Day and National Dole Whip Day!    🍊 Emphasis on the *hazy* days of summer: Canadian wildfire smoke has turned the skies over parts of the U.S. hazy orangey yellow with bad concerns about air quality. The photos in Boston look like they have the sepia filter added. 📸 Like this  📸 And these!   🗺️ Map of the smoke making its way south  🗺️ Map of areas with the worst air quality  👋 AND FINALLY… The Hill’s Colin Meyn sent me an incredible video and it’s only fair that you get to see it, too.    Some dog owners have a new policy: whatever their pups steal, they have to wear. I cannot stop laughing at this one wearing goggles.   Stay Engaged  I love hearing from you — send your feedback, tips and favorite cookie recipes to cmartel@thehill.com. Check out more newsletters here. See you next time! Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe |  View Online  | Sign Up for Other Newsletters 400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 © 1998 - 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

If you believe this has been sent to you in error, please safely unsubscribe.