Retired judge J. Michael Luttig warned that House Speaker Mike Johnson could install a loyalist clerk to refuse to seat duly elected Democrats after the 2026 midterms, paralyzing the House. The Supreme Court ruled that the administration cannot implement its mail-in ballot screening program before the midterms. Of 30 lawsuits seeking state voter rolls, Trump has now lost all 23 that have been decided, including before judges he appointed. Iran-backed Houthi forces seized the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Yemen’s Red Sea coast and struck a Saudi pipeline, compounding the oil crisis caused by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Diesel prices have surpassed 6 dollars a gallon, the highest on record. Anthropic’s CEO published an essay warning that AI development needs stronger regulation, drawing pushback from the administration. ProPublica reported that a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin bankrolled Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding celebration. The New Yorker reported that Jared Kushner has been negotiating a Ukraine peace deal trading Ukrainian territory for Trump family business rights in Russia. Watch today’s live recording here (https://www.youtube.com/live/1figRUiJ4ew?si=FPnE71kDO4LtJuCk) . Listen on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/politics-chat/id1873028393) Listen on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/6KuFZk2S34bE6xjkA7klsN?si=a8353137c9ed4957) Get full, free access to Letters from an American here (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe) . You can also find Heather: YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hcrichardson.bsky.social) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/) Threads (https://www.threads.com/@heathercoxrichardson) TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@hcrichardson) Get full access to Letters from an American at heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)