This is our flagship newsletter Morning Wire. You can subscribe here and we’ll email it to you daily.Welcome back. It’s another big primary day. Our political reporter Meg Kinnard joins us with a preview. Also in the news today: Trump expresses his disappointment in Pirro’s move to drop Reflecting Pool vandalism charges; and a look at the growing interest in AI among college students from non-tech majors. Finally, spicy cocktails are trending, and bartenders are turning up the heat with creative recipes that pack a punch.
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is seen from the Washington Monument, Friday, July 31, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Trump says Pirro ‘folded like an umbrella’ in bid to drop Reflecting Pool vandalism chargesU.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s move to dismiss charges against a former Olympian accused of vandalism was an embarrassing setback for the Justice Department. It marked a rare moment during President Donald Trump’s second term of an aide or political appointee openly defying him. Read more.Why this matters:Pirro, a former Fox News host and longtime ally, was handpicked by Trump as top federal prosecutor in the nation’s capital. Speaking at an unrelated Oval Office event, Trump ducked questions about whether he’d fire Pirro. But the president kept up his drumbeat of sharp criticism, saying he remained disappointed by her assessment that damage to the Reflecting Pool was the result of shoddy construction, not vandalism. Though she has not commented publicly since Trump’s initial social media post criticizing her, Pirro was spotted walking into the White House on Monday evening.Related coverage →
