Coffee Talk with Tiff

July 13, 2026 12:55 pm EDT Tiff Coffee Talk with Tiff 0
Image credit: AI-generated illustration created with ChatGPT

It’s Monday…

Shitshow’s public schedule for…

Executive Time gives way to an IndyCar showcase on the South Lawn before the afternoon pivots back to politics with House Republicans, Hugh Hewitt, and another executive order.

Freedom 250 Grand Prix Showcase…

The NBC article is paywalled. Since this administration seems to enjoy putting everything behind closed doors, here’s the USA Today version instead.

Ahead of the race, Trump is hosting a “Grand Prix Showcase” at the White House on July 13, where some drivers and other officials will join him. That includes Álex Palou, the current top-ranking driver in the NTT IndyCar Series. The expected appearances were first reported by NBC News.

USA TODAY. 07/13/2026.

The race is scheduled for August 22 and 23. The street circuit was unveiled back in March.

The afternoon begins with horsepower and ends with political arithmetic. After the Freedom 250 IndyCar showcase, Puddle meets with Speaker Mike Johnson and the chairman of the NRCC as Republicans begin recalculating their strategy following Lindsey Graham’s sudden death.

Puddle first addressed Graham’s death shortly after the news broke Saturday night. He would go on to make several more posts throughout the day.

Trump also phoned in to Meet the Press and CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday to mark Graham’s passing. It didn’t take long for the conversation to shift from Graham to Trump. After recounting his final conversation with the senator, Trump argued the best way to honor Graham’s legacy would be for the Senate to pass the SAVE Act.

Once the interviews ended, it was back to the usual Lies Social marathon, with several more posts about Graham mixed in.

He thanks Ben Domench…

Puddle’s next post expressing how “sad” he is features Lindsey Graham holding a large portrait of… Puddle.

This morning, Puddle phoned into Fox & Friends to discuss Graham’s passing. The interview lasted about 23 minutes.

Once he hung up, it was straight back to Lies Social. He announced the U.S. would charge ships for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, urged the Senate to pass the Clarity Act, and suggested Graham’s sister, Darline, as the best choice to temporarily fill his Senate seat.

Piracy is cool when we do it, I guess.

Oil prices jumped Monday after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would reimpose a naval blockade against Iran as Tehran and Washington battle to control the Strait of Hormuz.

Brent crude futures, the international benchmark, advanced 5.3% to $80 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate futures were last seen 5.3% higher at $75.18.

[snip]

The U.S. military launched another wave of strikes Sunday against Iran after hitting 140 targets on Saturday, according to U.S. Central Command. The strikes were in response to an attack by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on a container ship transiting Hormuz.

Iran responded Sunday with strikes on U.S. military facilities in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, according to the state news agency Tasnim.

Iranian state media said the Revolutionary Guard had closed the Hormuz until further notice, but the U.S. military disputed that claim. Centcom said the strait was open to “all vessels seeking to lawfully transit.”

[snip]

The southern route through Oman’s waters remains open to inbound and outbound traffic, said the Joint Maritime Information Center, a U.S.-led naval coalition in Bahrain that provides security updates to civilian ships transiting waters in the Middle East.

But the security situation in Hormuz remains severe, the center said in a notice on Sunday. Mariners should exercise “extreme vigilance,” it said.

CNBC News. 07/13/2026.

Not beating those market manipulation allegations.

The Clarity Act…

The Hill (07/11/2026):

Senators have been negotiating the Clarity Act, the centerpiece of the crypto industry’s legislative aspirations, since last fall. The House’s version of the bill passed last July alongside the GENIUS Act, which was quickly signed into law by President Trump.

The GENIUS Act created a regulatory framework for a narrow subset of digital assets known as stablecoins. These digital tokens are tied to more stable assets, like the U.S. dollar. By contrast, the Clarity Act would cover a much broader swath of the industry.

[snip]

GOP leadership is aiming to start consideration of the Clarity Act during the week of July 20, an industry source told The Hill.

But several key sticking points remain that could imperil Democratic support. At least seven Democratic votes are needed to get the bill across the finish line.

Ethics have loomed over bipartisan negotiations from the beginning. Democrats are pushing for a provision placing limits on how elected officials, most notably the president, can be involved in the industry.

[snip]

However, there has been little movement on the issue in recent weeks, according to a source familiar with negotiations.

Another key hurdle has been law enforcement concerns with a provision shielding software developers from liability. It would declare that developers who don’t control customer funds are not considered money transmitters under the law.

Law enforcement has argued this exemption is too broad and could make it hard to track down bad actors on the platforms, finding support from Democrats like Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.).

[snip]

The chief concern among banks, particularly community banks, is that stablecoin rewards could lead to significant outflows of deposits, which they rely on to offer lending.

“A lot of what we’re trying to do is ask the question — why are we rushing this? Why are we trying to move this so quickly?” ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey said in an interview with The Hill.

The Hill (07/11/2026).

Congress is racing the calendar. Leadership wants to move as much legislation as possible before the August recess. The House is scheduled to leave again on July 27. When lawmakers return in September, attention will quickly shift to the midterms and the increasingly familiar task of trying to avoid a government shutdown.

It may sound cold, but Washington doesn’t stop because someone dies. With Graham gone and McConnell no longer active in the Senate, Republican leadership has to figure out what can realistically move before the August recess. Meanwhile, House Republicans are still struggling to move their own priorities while pressing the Senate to take up measures like the SAVE Act.

Speaking of McConnell…

The whole tweet says:

MCCONNELL releases a photo and statement.

“To my fellow Kentuckians –

“When you elected me to a seventh term and made me our Commonwealth’s longest serving Senator, you did so trusting that I’d keep showing up to fight for you every day. Over the past several weeks, Elaine and I have appreciated both your well wishes and your honest questions about what was keeping me away from the Senate.

“You all know how folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older. Even in the public eye, I feel that same instinct. I can’t help it.

“At the same time, I’ve had more than my share of experience with physical vulnerabilities. Surviving childhood polio meant spending my entire life with mobility challenges. They haven’t exactly gotten easier to manage with age. Last month, I took a fall which landed me in the hospital.

“My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital. While receiving excellent care over the past several weeks, I’ve also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia.

“I can assure you that I’ve been a good patient. At my age, I tend to do what my doctors tell me to do. I’ve submitted to every test they can think of to help figure out what caused this incident, and I’m continuing to do everything they ask to speed my recovery. With signs of continued progress, I’ve been able to move from hospital care to a rehabilitation center where I’ll keep regaining my strength.

“As much as it frustrates me, this process takes time. On the advice of my doctors, I won’t be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet. But rest assured that, in the meantime, I’m not taking a break from the Senate business that matters to you. I’ve been working closely with my legislative staff on current issues, and with my Kentucky team who help me provide timely constituent services across our Commonwealth. I’ve also been keeping in touch with my Senate colleagues on the appropriations process, midterm politics, and everything in between.

“You’re right to expect your representatives to work hard for you. Part of my decision to retire at the end of my term this coming January was being honest about the demands of Senate work. But I still have unfinished business to complete on your behalf, and I have every intention of finishing the job you elected me to do.

“I’ll keep working hard to get back on the Senate floor as soon as possible. I’ll keep you posted on the progress of my recovery. Until then, I’m so grateful for your prayers and well wishes.”

It’s the tweet. 07/12/2026.

I have no idea if the image is real, AI, or some combination of the two. I do know McConnell has been MIA since mid-June. The timing of his office releasing a photo and lengthy statement shortly after Graham’s death, without mentioning Graham once, seems sus as hell.

Puddle eventually circled back to Graham one more time, recommending South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster appoint Graham’s sister, Darline, as the temporary replacement in the Senate. Under South Carolina law, the governor chooses the interim senator until a replacement is elected in a special election.

Whether McMaster takes that advice remains to be seen. The decision belongs to the governor, not the White House.

PS.
Breaking News…

A federal judge Monday said a controversial lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump against the IRS sought to “manipulate the judicial process” and that he acted in bad faith in bringing it.

US District Judge Kathleen Williams is ordering sanctions for the attorneys involved in the lawsuit, which led to an attempt to create the now-defunct $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund for allies of the president. It was also used to justify a Trump administration order giving Trump and his businesses amnesty for any past tax issues.

[snip]

She ordered that her opinion be submitted to attorney disciplinary boards in in New York and Washington, DC, that are currently reviewing pre-existing professional ethics complaints against acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward.

[snip]

The judge also referred one of the private attorneys who represented Trump in the case to the Florida Bar for potential disciplinary proceedings and blocked another lawyer who represented Trump from entering court appearances in the Southern District of Florida for the next year.

Her order indicates that the retired judges who argued she should scrutinize the deal could be entitled to having their legal fees covered.

CNN. 07/13/2026.

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About Tiff 3700 Articles
Member of the Free Press who is politically homeless and a political junkie.