Fireworks, Frontlines, and the Fight Over Citizenship

This episode of The Morning Rundown covers the holiday weekend fallout, including heat-related deaths, a shooting in Coney Island, and Trump's decision to overrule evacuation plans and proceed with the DC Mall Fourth of July celebration. The hosts also break down Russia's deadly overnight missile and drone assault on Kyiv ahead of the NATO summit, China's submarine-launched missile test in the South Pacific, and Trump's push for NATO allies on spending and loyalty. The episode closes with a look at domestic politics, including Speaker Johnson's moves on birthright citizenship and voter ID legislation, and a Senate primary shakeup in Michigan.

Listeners will get context on how weekend events and international incidents are shaping political messaging heading into the NATO summit, along with an early look at how 2026 political battle lines are forming in Congress and key state races.

• Trump overruled a plan to cancel the DC Mall celebration despite severe weather and evacuations
• Russia's overnight strike on Kyiv killed at least ten people just before the NATO summit began
• China tested a submarine-launched missile in the South Pacific, prompting regional protests
• Trump is pushing NATO allies on loyalty and funding fairness ahead of separate meetings with Ukraine's and Syria's leaders
• Speaker Johnson is advancing voter ID legislation through reconciliation amid a GOP revolt, while Mallory McMorrow's exit narrows Michigan's Senate primary

Transcript

0:13

[Maya] Good morning and welcome back to the Morning Rundown.[David] Good morning. We've got a full one today.[Maya] The full is putting it mildly. We're starting with the holiday weekend fallout,[David] Mm[Maya] including[David] -hmm.[Maya] Trump's Fourth of July speech.[David] And overnight,[David] Russia hit Kyiv really hard just hours before the NATO summit opened.[Maya] Plus, China tested a missile launch from a submarine out in the South Pacific.[David] Wait, a submarine?[David] Yeah, we need to get into that.[Maya] We will.[Maya] And later,[Maya] Trump's pushing NATO allies on loyalty.[Maya] Beyond just spending numbers.[David] Speaking of which, we're also covering Congress,[David] Speaker Johnson's moving on birthright citizenship and voter ID.[Maya] Plus, a Senate primary shakeup out of Michigan that matters for 2026.[David] That's wild,[David] right?[David] All right, so much ground to cover.[Maya] File that away for now.[Maya] Let's start with the weekend because it did not go quietly.[David] No kidding.[Maya] Okay,[Maya] so I woke up and just,[Maya] the numbers from the weekend are rough.[Maya] At least 25 people died from the heat alone.[David] Over how many states are we talking?[Maya] The Guardian says more than 20 states hit triple digits.[Maya] This heat dome basically sat on the whole eastern half of the country.[David] That's not a heat wave,[David] that's a health emergency.[Maya] And then Coney Island.[Maya] Eight people shot at a Fourth of July cookout,[Maya] four of them kids.[David] Four kids?[Maya] Yeah,[Maya] AP reported a 21-year-old woman was in critical condition,[Maya] everyone else expected to survive,[Maya] and that was just one of nine states with shootings that weekend.[David] Nine states on the one day we're supposed to be celebrating.[Maya] I mean, come on. It's supposed to be barbecues and fireworks,[Maya] not this.

[David] So here's what struck me: 1:55

[David] with all that going on-the storms,[David] the heat-they still ran the Mall celebration in D.C.[Maya] Wait,[Maya] I thought they were evacuating people.[David] They were.[David] The Washington Post reported officials had a plan to cancel the whole thing,[David] and Trump overruled it.[Maya] Trump just said no?[David] Yep, kept it running and then got up and gave the speech anyway.[Maya] What did he even say with people getting soaked?[David] NBC News covered it. He leaned into this.[Maya] So overnight, Russia hit Kyiv with basically everything.[Maya] Missiles, drones,[Maya] the whole arsenal. Right before NATO leaders even sat down for the summit.[David] CBS News is reporting the death tolls at least 10 a day before the summit doors opened.[Maya] Ten people on a Monday.[Maya] That's rough to just sit with for a second.[David] Yeah,[David] and CBS notes every single ballistic missile Russia fired hit its target.[David] That's the number Ukrainian officials keep pointing to.[David] They need more Patriot interceptors fast.[Maya] So the timing wasn't subtle.[Maya] Hit the Capitol,[Maya] then everyone shows up to talk about backing Ukraine.[David] That's kind of the point, I think.[David] Walk into the summit with a fresh crater as the backdrop.[Maya] And it's not just Russia flexing muscle this week.[David] Oh, right.[David] China.[Maya] CBS News reported China test launched a long-range ballistic missile from a submarine out in the South Pacific.[David] Wait,[David] from a sub?[David] That's a different message than a land test.[Maya] Totally.[Maya] And CBS News says neighbors in the region already filed protests over it.[David] Everybody's testing something this week.[David] Missiles,[David] patients,[David] alliances.[Maya] Speaking of testing alliances,[Maya] Trump's NATO ask.[David] So PBS ran a piece on NATO chief Mark Rutte,[David] and basically Trump isn't just pushing allies on spending targets anymore.[Maya] What's he pushing instead?[David] Loyalty. That's the actual word being used.[David] Not a spending number.[David] Loyalty to the alliance itself.[Maya] That's an odd thing to have to ask for out loud.[David] I don't think it's odd,[David] honestly.[David] If you're the country footing most of the bill,[David] you'd want more than a box.[David] Vox checked too.[Maya] Fair point.[David] Follow the money on this one.[David] The U.S. has carried an outsized share of NATO's actual defense spending for decades.[David] Someone's funding those budgets, and it's mostly us.[Maya] So this isn't really about symbolism.[David] No, I'd say it's the opposite.[David] Hitting a spending percentage on paper is easy.[David] Showing up when it actually costs you something?[David] That's harder to fake.[Maya] And Reuters says he's not stopping at the group meeting either.[David] Right,[David] he's got one-on-ones lined up. Ukraine, Zelensky?[David] Minsk and Syria's Al-Shara on the sidelines.[Maya] Two very different rooms to walk into back to back.[David] Different leverage in each.[David] Ukraine needs weapons.[David] Syria needs the world to believe it's not the same country it used to be.[Maya] That's a lot riding on one summit.[David] And it all circles back to the same question.[David] Who's actually paying and what do they get for it?[Maya] Which, funny enough,[Maya] is about to be the question back at home, too.[Maya] Shifting gears closer to home now,[Maya] Speaker Johnson's pushing to restrict birthright citizenship.[David] Yeah,[David] he told reporters he wants Congress to move on it immediately.[David] USA Today had that quote today.[Maya] And the timing's kind of wild too, because polling's shifting,[Maya] right?[David] The Bulwark's Sarah Longwell wrote about this.[David] Voters are landing closer to Trump's position than people expected.[Maya] Wait, closer how?[David] Basically,[David] this stopped being a fringe position.[David] It's a real debate now.[David] Fifty-eight now,[David] not just a talking point.[Maya] That's the part that gets lost.[Maya] People assume it's settled law,[Maya] case closed.[David] Right,[David] but the legal fight and the public opinion fight are two separate tracks,[David] and the second one's moving.[Maya] Okay,[Maya] so Johnson's not exactly short on ambition this week.[Maya] What else is he juggling?[David] The voter ID bill.[David] CNN reported he's pushing it through budget reconciliation.[Maya] Isn't that the process where a few Republicans already revolted?[David] That's exactly it.[David] CNN said Johnson sent everyone home.[David] He came home early after some GOP members stalled the floor.[Maya] So he's downplaying the drama and just trying again?[David] Pretty much—arduous was the word CNN used—he knows it's a grind; he's doing it anyway.[Maya] I mean,[Maya] come on; reconciliation is already a headache on a good day.[David] Follow the incentive,

[David] though: 6:02

[David] voter ID polls well with the base; he's not walking away from that.[Maya] All right,[Maya] one more,[Maya] and this one actually surprised me.[David] The Michigan Senate race?[Maya] Mallory McMorrow dropped out.[Maya] The Guardian had it.[Maya] She's out of the primary entirely.[David] Huh,[David] that's a name Democrats were counting on.[Maya] Totally—now it's just El-Sayed,[Maya] the progressive,[Maya] versus Stevens,[Maya] who's more centrist.[David] Which turns a three way scramble into a real ideological fight for the party.[Maya] In a seat they can't afford to lose,[Maya] no less.[David] Right,[David] that's not a small primary anymore,[David] that's a preview of where Democrats actually stand.[Maya] So,[Maya] between citizenship,[Maya] voter ID,[Maya] and Michigan,[Maya] none of this is going away quietly.[David] Not even close-these are the fights that'll define next year's ballots.[Maya] And we'll be right here watching every twist.[David] Oh,[David] for sure.[David] Buckle up.[Maya] Okay, so today we sat with some heavy stuff.[Maya] The heat deaths,[Maya] Coney Island,[David] And Kyiv right before NATO even opened its doors.[Maya] yeah. But also Trump refusing to let a storm canceled a Fourth.[David] Follow the incentive,[David] like I said.[Maya] You did say that.[David] Honestly,[David] the real takeaway is this.[David] Leaders make choices about optics,[David] whether it's a mall speech or a NATO summit.[Maya] Exactly.[Maya] So if you liked digging into that with us,[David] Hit subscribe,[David] leave us a review,[David] tell a friend.[Maya] We read every single one.[David] Appreciate you starting the Morning with us.[Maya] We'll see you tomorrow for the next Rundown.