Welcome to The Daily Politic Briefing! Good morning and thank you for joining us today, July 2, 2025. In Washington, a perfect storm of political maneuvering and actual storms is creating drama on Capitol Hill. Today we're bringing you the latest developments on Speaker Johnson's megabill battle, Senate leadership strategies, and how severe weather is impacting crucial votes. In today's briefing, we'll cover Speaker Johnson's uphill battle to pass the Senate-approved megabill through the House before the July 4th deadline. Then we'll examine how Senate Republican leadership successfully navigated their side of the legislative process. We'll also look at how severe weather is complicating congressional attendance, new developments in congressional investigations into former President Biden, and finally, the evolving North Carolina Senate race. Speaker Mike Johnson is facing perhaps his toughest challenge yet as he works to secure enough votes for the Senate-approved megabill. The Speaker must convince dozens of Republican dissenters, including fiscal hawks concerned about deficit increases and moderates worried about Medicaid cuts. Johnson has been working the phones, calling concerned lawmakers and caucuses, attempting to pass the bill without modifications before President Trump's July 4th deadline. Notably, Johnson has hinted at "more reconciliation work" ahead, suggesting this megabill is just the first step in a larger legislative strategy. Meanwhile in the Senate, Majority Leader John Thune and Majority Whip John Barrasso are celebrating their biggest legislative victory since taking control. Their success came after navigating significant last-minute drama, including critical meetings with fiscal hawks who threatened to tank the bill and delicate negotiations with Senator Lisa Murkowski over Medicaid and food-aid provisions. Thune revealed they had "multiple strategies in place" to secure the necessary 50 votes, allowing Vice President JD Vance to cast the tie-breaking vote. This win was a year in the making, with Republicans preparing for this moment since early 2024. Adding to the Capitol Hill drama, severe thunderstorms in Washington D.C. have thrown a weather-related wrench into the proceedings. Over 200 flights into Reagan National Airport have been canceled or delayed, potentially pushing back the House vote on the GOP megabill. Members from both parties are taking extraordinary measures to reach D.C., with Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi driving 14 hours from Illinois, Representative Nancy Mace organizing a van for her nine-hour journey from South Carolina, and Representative Mark Pocan booking alternative transportation after his flight from Wisconsin was canceled. On the investigative front, the House Oversight Committee has secured agreements from several top aides to former President Joe Biden to testify regarding Biden's mental acuity while in office. Former chief of staff Ron Klain, former counselor Steve Ricchetti, and several senior advisers are scheduled for interviews. Separately, the House Judiciary Committee has issued subpoenas to the University of Pennsylvania and Brown University as part of Republicans' ongoing scrutiny of elite universities' tuition pricing practices. Finally, in North Carolina, former Governor Roy Cooper is considering a run for Senator Thom Tillis's soon-to-be-vacant seat, effectively freezing Democratic recruitment efforts. Cooper is widely viewed as Democrats' best chance to flip the seat, with a decision expected within the next couple of weeks. On the Republican side, NRCC Chair Richard Hudson has ruled himself out, while President Trump has indicated his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, would be his "first choice" for the position. That wraps up today's Daily Political Briefing. We'll continue monitoring these developing stories, particularly Speaker Johnson's efforts to pass the megabill before the July 4th deadline and the impact of severe weather on congressional p