Supreme Court ruling could boost role of national parties in Paxton-Talarico race

• POLITICO consulted 11 historians to analyze whether Donald Trump's political influence has permanently altered the trajectory of American democracy. • The experts highlighted a critical decline in public confidence regarding the integrity of elections, the judiciary, and local government institutions.

• President Trump delivered a speech at Mount Rushmore on the eve of July 4, praising the nation's founders while labeling his political opponents as "godless" and "evil" communists. • The address served as a campaign rally ahead of the midterm elections, with Trump urging his supporters to avoid being "foolish" or "unwise" to ensure a victory.

• Trump administration officials are proposing a new rule designed to reduce Medicare spending on prescription drugs and hospital services. • President Trump canceled the signing of a bipartisan housing bill intended to lower home prices, demanding that Congress first pass an election integrity bill.

• Richard Haass appeared on "Morning Joe" to warn that American democracy may not survive the next 5 to 10 years. • The discussion took place shortly before the Fourth of July, coinciding with the United States' 250th anniversary.

• Republican lawmakers are developing legislative strategies to challenge a recent Supreme Court ruling that upheld birthright citizenship as a constitutional right. • The effort involves several GOP members seeking legal or legislative loopholes to overturn the court's decision regarding citizenship for those born in the U.S.

• President Trump has faced a significant legal losing streak, with courts blocking at least a dozen election-related cases and several key executive orders. • Recent rulings by district-level judges have halted efforts to compel states to share voter rolls with the Justice Department and outlawed a modified DHS verification system.

• The U.S. has experienced 250 years of cyclical voting rights history characterized by periods of expansion followed by rollbacks and uneven access to power. • This historical pattern provides critical context for current state redistricting battles that are actively shaping the landscape for the 2026 midterm elections.

• President Donald Trump delivered a speech in Philadelphia to mark the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence, focusing on American exceptionalism. • The address shifted from celebratory rhetoric to a "darkly political" tone, featuring warnings about the threat of communism.

• Representative Self and other members of Congress are pushing to repeal the 17th Amendment to change how U.S. senators are selected. • The proposal seeks to revert to the original Article I Section III of the Constitution, where state legislatures—rather than the general public—choose senators.

• Chief Justice John Roberts and Donald Trump both saw successes during the Supreme Court's most recent term when their legal and political interests aligned. • Legal analyst John Yoo notes that while Trump won on certain issues, he failed to overrule birthright citizenship, which would have overturned the 1898 precedent in United States v. Wong Kim Ark.

• The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a presidential executive order attempting to revoke birthright citizenship was unconstitutional. • The decision was reached by a narrow 5-4 majority, highlighting a significant ideological divide among the nine justices.