12:30 REPORT

Tuesday, July 14 | By Cate Martel

Today in DC: ☀️ ° 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 Tuesday. Who else is freaked out about this cyclosporiasis outbreak? 🙋 I basically live on watermelon, blueberries and other fresh fruit in the summer. Hopefully, health officials will figure out the cause soon.

In today's issue:

Trump drops 20 percent Strait of Hormuz toll plan
Inflation falls in June
Justices ask for more security in rare testimony
Lindsey Graham’s sister to be sworn in
How to avoid cyclosporiasis amid outbreak

💰IN THE WHITE HOUSE

Just kidding:

Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP

President Trump says he will scrap his proposal for a 20 percent toll for cargo passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Instead, Trump says he will seek trade and investment deals with Gulf states.

From Trump’s announcement: “Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Those Investments will be MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future.”

Keep in mind: This was a controversial proposal. Just last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a toll on the waterway would be a “violation” of international law. Read more on the nixed proposal

HAPPENING TODAY:

Trump is meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the White House. 💻 Watch live

Maybe the weather could take a hint from inflation:

Inflation cooled in June! The consumer price index dropped 0.4 percent in June after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a peace deal, which became short-lived.

The Hill’s Sylvan Lane pointed out this is the largest single-month price drop since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020.

The numbers: “Energy prices were down 5.7 percent in June, which wiped out increases in food and shelter prices, the BLS said. The annual inflation rate also dropped from 4.2 percent in May to 3.5 percent in June, and from 2.9 percent in May to 2.6 percent in June when excluding food and energy prices.”

For context: This is a bigger drop than economists had expected. They anticipated an inflation rate of 3.8 percent and a 0.1 drop in consumer prices.

But before you get too excited: Expect this price relief to be short-lived as the U.S.-Iran deal quickly fell apart.

💬 Follow today’s live blog

Meanwhile: Millions of Americans are taking on debt to afford food, according to new research. Read more

MR. DEMILLE, I'M READY FOR MY CLOSE-UP, TAKE TWO:

President Trump says the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool will reopen “soon” after it was drained for repairs over the weekend.

Do we think this is the end of the “American flag blue” paint peeling and bright green algae bloom?

WHAT VANCE IS UP TO TODAY:

Vice President Vance will appear on Joe Rogan’s podcast today, per Politico’s Adam Wren.

🪑ON CAPITOL HILL

This is not something you often see:

Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett will testify on Capitol Hill today, asking lawmakers for millions of dollars in funds to address their security concerns.

Keep in mind: This is the first time in seven years that sitting justices will testify on their budget request.

Here are the newsiest moments:

🔷 On threats justices have received: “The threat level is really high,” Justice Coney Barrett told lawmakers on direct threats impacting her.

🔷 On the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.): "I want to express my gratitude towards him, not only for his support, but for, approaching the confirmation process, with the kind of seriousness that he did and the kind of respect he did,” Justice Kagan said. 🎥 Watch

The schedule: They are testifying before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government. Then, they will testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee this afternoon.

🎥 Justices Kagan and Coney Barrett arriving on Capitol Hill

Meet the next senator from South Carolina: Darline Graham Nordone:

The late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) sister, Darline Graham Nordone, will be sworn in this afternoon to finish the rest of her brother’s Senate term.

What to know about Nordone: She’s a mother of two. She has never served in elected office. She has spent time helping individuals with disabilities to find work in South Carolina. She got President Trump’s blessing on Monday and will serve until January of 2027.

CONSPIRACY THEORIES ARE SWIRLING ONLINE:

“In the days since Graham’s death, our era of paranoid politics has produced a string of theories online: He died in Kyiv. He was taken out by Israel. He was poisoned by Iran. He was blown up by Russia,” writes The Washington Post’s Olivia George.

For example:

Far-right activist Laura Loomer questioned whether “he poisoned by a foreign adversary either abroad or upon returning to the US.”

Former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) speculated: “I believe foul play could have been at play here.”

FBI Director Kash Patel included in his post about Graham that “the FBI is assisting local authorities.”

Adding to the chatter: Republican Sen. Ron Johnson (Wis.) cast doubt on Monday about whether the photo released by Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) office is new.

“I’ve just heard from some other sources that was an older photo. So I really don’t know,” Johnson told host Eric Bolling on Real America’s Voice’s “Bolling!”

^ Though, he took that back today. “Discount all of that,” he said on NewsNation.

THIS SIGNIFICANTLY COMPLICATES REPUBLICANS’ AGENDA:

“Graham was one of the most outspoken and effective advocates in the Senate GOP conference for increasing military funding, and he was the lead proponent of President Trump’s other top priorities, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act and legislation to limit birthright citizenship,” The Hill’s Alexander Bolton writes.

“Now, all of those priorities face an uncertain future while Thune looks to replace Graham with Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) atop the Budget Committee and to find other colleagues to fill in for Graham on the Appropriations and Judiciary panels.”

🪱OTHER NEWS:

OK, so what’s the deal with cyclospora?:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating thousands of cases of cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness that causes extreme diarrhea that can last for weeks. The parasite usually lurks in fresh fruits and vegetables. It has been identified in at least 39 U.S. states.

🗺️ Map of cyclosporiasis cases — Michigan has been hit the hardest

What caused this outbreak?: A direct link has not been identified, though health officials in Michigan are beginning to suspect lettuce as the culprit. Past outbreaks have stemmed from raspberries, basil, cilantro, green onions, snow peas, lettuce, mesclun and salad mixes.

Why don’t we know the cause of the outbreak?: It can take weeks for symptoms to appear. That makes it especially difficult to track the cause.

Is it linked to Taco Bell?: Taco Bell has reportedly stopped serving some fresh produce even though a cause hasn’t been identified. Health officials are investigating whether the fast food chain has a connection to the outbreak, per The Washington Post.

How dangerous is cyclosporiasis?: The infection can be treated with antibiotics. However, the extreme diarrhea can cause severe dehydration.

How can you avoid getting it?:

Cooking produce to at least 158 degrees Fahrenheit will kill cyclospora
Washing hands thoroughly
Wash produce thoroughly
Avoid raw berries as they can be hard to thoroughly clean
Peel fruits and veggies

🗒️ Foods most likely to carry cyclospora

➤ QUICK HITS:

— Hunter Biden says his Secret Service protection was pulled after right-wing influencer Laura Loomer shared a photo of him in South Africa with his family.

— A federal judge found on Monday that President Trump colluded with the Justice Department in its settlement with the IRS.

— Standard time could become permanent if a new bill passes.

➤ MORE READS:

The New York Times: Can Democrats Win Rural Voters Turning Away From Trump? It’s a Tough Sell.

The Atlantic: The Most Famous AI Writing Tic Is Also the Most Mysterious: Why chatbots love “it’s not X, it’s Y”

The Wall Street Journal: Meta Is Flooding the Market With Smartglasses. Privacy Advocates Are Up in Arms.

🗓️ COMING UP

The House and Senate are in. President Trump is at the White House. (All times EDT)

12:30 p.m.: Senators meet for weekly caucus meetings. 📆 Today’s agenda
1:30 p.m.: Trump attends a policy meeting.
1:30 p.m.: First House votes of the day. 📆 Today’s agenda
2:30 p.m.: Darline Graham Nordone, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), will be sworn in to finish his term.
3:30 p.m.: Trump participates in a swearing-in ceremony with Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.)
4:30 p.m.: Trump tapes an interview with Fox News’s Trey Yingst.
4:30 p.m.: Last House votes for the day.
9 p.m. Thursday: Trump delivers a primetime address to the nation.

🐝 INTERNET BUZZ

🧀 Celebrate: Today is National Mac and Cheese Day.

🐿️ Alvin and the gang are coming back!: Alvin and the Chipmunks is getting a reboot that includes digital content and a new movie. Read more

👋 AND FINALLY…

Because this made me smile, I had to share. Have you ever seen more perfectly floppy ears than this?

Stay Engaged

📺 Miss the previous issue of this newsletter? Catch up with a 1-minute video.

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!