Good morning! Congratulations to the good people at New York City Hall who just discovered trash cans. In 2022, the city paid consultants at McKinsey $4 million to look into whether putting garbage bags into bins is better than just dumping them on the street like they usually do. Surprising nobody but the people who asked the question, the answer was “Duh.”

PRESIDENCY

👨‍⚕️ The doctor in the basement

Forget the plane, the armored limo with blood* in the trunk, and the song playing when you walk into the room. Unless you’re a big fan of old magazines and people coughing on you, the best perk of being president might just be… having a private doctor’s office in your basement.

The White House Medical Unit is part of the White House Military Office... which is part of the White House Office... which is part of the Executive Office of the President. It’s a team of medical pros who treat the hordes of people who work in and visit the White House — including Biden and Harris.

• The WHMU employs multiple doctors, PAs, nurses, and paramedics.

• One of those docs travels with the president at all times. Air Force One has an operating room for emergencies.

Dr. Kevin O'Connor, a former Army doctor, is one of those pros. O’Connor, as “physician to the president,” is the man in charge of President Biden’s health.

• He's now (RIP anonymity) in the political spotlight after news came out that a neurologist and Parkinson's expert, Dr. Kevin Cannard, visited him at the White House eight times since last July.

• The White House press secretary wouldn’t say why Cannard was there but did say he only saw a neurologist (alongside other specialists) three times as part of his regular health exam.

• O’Connor confirmed that Biden is healthy. But congressional Republicans want him to come testify about the nature of Cannard’s visits.

O’Connor isn’t the first presidential physician to receive unwanted attention (not that he did anything wrong).

Dr. Ronny Jackson, physician to both Obama and Trump, allegedly drank too much, slammed one too many Ambiens, and passed out pills like candy. He was later demoted from his (retired) military rank of rear admiral down to captain. Jackson now unironically represents the Texas Panhandle in Congress.

*Yes, the president's limo carries a few bags of his type of blood in the trunk. Y'know. Just in case (it’s possible they slightly overcorrected after the JFK top-down incident).

Over in the halls of Congress…

• 💰 Attorney General Merrick Garland could be fined $10,000 per day. House Republicans plan to hold him in "inherent contempt" for not handing over tapes of President Biden's potentially disastrous interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur.

• ⚖️ Senate Democrats want the Department of Justice (see: Garland, Merrick) to appoint a special counsel to investigate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. They believe Thomas may have broken federal tax and ethics laws.

• 💔 The super-conservative House Freedom Caucus is falling apart after kicking out a member for supporting another member's primary opponent.

POLITICS

⚪ The world’s unluckiest (dumbest?) criminal tried to carjack — at gunpoint — a U.S. Marshal who was guarding the home of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Needless to say, he got shot. Thankfully his injuries are not life-threatening.

🔵 Biden: After a contentious meeting yesterday (“felt like a funeral”), some Dems still want Biden out. But his support in the party is firming up after the brewing Senate coup withered and Biden wrote a letter to House Democrats confirming he’s in it to win it.

• Congressional Black Caucus leaders have his back.

• Senate Dem. leader Chuck Schumer repeatedly said, “I’m with Joe.”

• Progressive leader AOC says “The matter is closed” and that she’s with Biden.

🔴 Trump: Veepstakes speculation is getting hot ahead of his likely pick before (or at) the Republican Convention next week. What some possible picks are up to:

• Sen. J.D. Vance (of OH) is well-liked by Trumpworld as a reliable pick to double down on the MAGA vibes.

• Gov. Doug Burgum (of ND) is viewed as a “stability” pick who won’t rock the boat.

• Gov. Glenn Youngkin (of VA) is an emerging dark horse pick who could help put his home state in play this fall.

• Sen. Marco Rubio (of FL) attended Trump’s rally in Florida last night but Trump, Jr. doesn’t want him.

• Nikki Haley instructed the convention delegates she won in her primary campaign to instead vote for Trump. She’s an unlikely pick. But never say never.

• Sen. Tim Scott (of SC) is on the outs but still has his backers.

🔵 We’re rerunning the 70s now. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson blamed Richard Nixon for his city’s gun violence problem. This, um, angered the Nixon Foundation. Perhaps not the ghost you want to get on the bad side of.

TRIVIA

The polling gurus at Pew Research Center conduct a national survey every year that loads of other surveys lean on for help. It’s called the National Public Opinion Reference Survey (they’re data nerds, not HBO writers) and this year’s results dropped this week. What percentage of Americans identify as religiously unaffiliated?

Hint: It’s more than Catholic, less than Protestant.

WORLD

🇺🇸 United States: Hurricane Tropical Storm Tropical Depression Beryl — named by the World Meteorological Association — tragically killed 8 people in Texas and Louisiana and knocked out power to millions. President Biden spoke with Acting Texas Governor Dan Patrick (Gov. Abbott is in Asia on state business) and approved a disaster declaration through FEMA to help with recovery efforts.

🌐 NATO: World leaders (including the U.K.'s new guy) are in D.C. this week for NATO's 75th anniversary summit. President Biden gave an important ("gaffe-free") speech calling NATO history's greatest military alliance and declaring that Ukraine "can and will" defeat Russia. But some leaders used the occasion to tailor their messages to a man not in attendance: Donald Trump.

BRIEFS

• Etsy will overhaul its policies and product categories in an attempt to get back to its handmade roots

• Jay Powell, Federal Reserve chair, sees good progress on reducing inflation and hinted that an interest rate cut could come soon

• After a previous bid failed, Skydance is now finalizing a deal to buy Paramount for $6 billion

• Russia issued an arrest warrant for widowed freedom activist Yulia Navalnaya, who lives outside Russia, for "extremism"

• Intelligence bosses for Egypt, the U.S., and Israel are back in Doha, Qatar today negotiating a possible Gaza ceasefire deal

• Former Sen. James Mountain Inhofe (R-OK) passed away yesterday — we mention this only to point out his sick middle name

QUOTE

SNACKS

🧜‍♀️ Mermaid Olympics: What is a sport? Who knows anymore. But a Utah woman was just crowned the fastest fake mermaid in the world after winning the (very real) 2024 Swiss Merlympics.

💪 Steroid Olympics: Ever wonder what the Olympics would look like if everyone openly juiced? Well, you're in luck. Steroids are so in. The Enhanced Games will debut next year and are in the process of raising $300 million to get off the ground.

⭐Fame: Picket fences are so out. Say hello to the new American Dream: making a career out of something you said drunk in Nashville one night. Hailey Welch (aka Hawk Tuah Girl) has signed with a management firm in pursuit of her media dreams.

ANSWER

The 2024 NPORS found that 28% of Americans identify as "religiously unaffiliated." That compares to 41% who are Protestant, 20% who are Catholic, and 8% who belong to other faiths.