At Rep. Thomas Massie's request, House Speaker Mike Johnson successfully appealed directly to President Trump for a truce, multiple sources tell us.

• But Massie broke the truce just days later, accusing top Republicans of covering up the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Why it matters: The personal attacks blindsided the House leaders who'd stepped in to shield the Kentucky Republican from Trump's public rebuke.

• On July 3, Massie met with multiple members of leadership and asked for help in reconciling his relationship with the president, who had just launched a super PAC aimed at ousting him.
• Johnson then spoke with Trump directly and negotiated a peace agreement. All sides agreed to stop the attack ads, according to a source familiar with the matter.
• That night, Massie flipped his vote on a key procedural measure tied to the "big, beautiful bill," surprising colleagues after months of resistance. He still voted against final passage.

Three days later, Axios first reported the Justice Department had concluded that Epstein "had no client list."

• In the days that followed, Massie ramped up his criticism of the administration's handling of the Epstein files.

☠️ The truce was dead: On July 14, a pro-Trump super PAC announced it would spend 800,000 on a new TV ad attacking Massie for "voting with the radical Democrats."

• On July 15, Massie formally introduced a discharge petition to release the Epstein materials.
• Massie posted on X last week: "@SpeakerJohnson, why are you running cover for an underage sex trafficking ring and pretending this is a partisan issue? MAGA voted for this."

🚘 Driving the news: Massie has teamed up with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to force a House vote on declassifying the Epstein files, which is expected to happen when the chamber returns in September.

• If 218 members sign on, House leaders will be forced to bring the resolution to the floor.
• The effort represents a direct challenge to leadership. Johnson has insisted Republicans are working to release all evidence that relates to Epstein, while also ensuring they are "protecting all victims."

Zoom out: Massie has attacked Trump over his strikes in Iran, voted twice against the president's sweeping tax and spending bill, and was the only Republican to oppose a stopgap government funding bill in March.

• Massie publicly has brushed off Trump's attacks, telling Axios in June that Trump will "do some polling and see that he's going to lose and maybe not get [involved] in the race."
• In a show of defiance, Massie launched his first TV ad last week to highlight his call for the release of the Epstein documents.

📢 What they're saying: Johnson has struck a harsh but polite tone when it comes to Massie's personal attacks, quipping "bless his heart" after being pressed on whether he'd support Massie's reelection bid.

• "Thomas Massie is the one trying to bite Republicans. I'm not quite certain what his strategy is," Johnson said at a press conference last week.
• Massie did not respond to a request for comment.

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— Kate Santaliz

Democrats are attacking each other on the Senate floor, Republicans are going at it in committee, and the president is lighting up a key GOP ally on Truth Social.

Why it matters: Party infighting seems contagious this summer. But leaders don't know how to break the fever — and they are in their own standoff over how and when to take a much-needed recess.

• 📈 Stock ban blowup: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) got a stock trading ban through committee today with help from Democrats — but only after thoroughly angering the White House and his GOP colleagues who slammed him in a spicy hearing.
• Trump went off on Truth Social, calling Hawley a "second-tier Senator" and accusing him of "playing right into the dirty hands of the Democrats."
• 💰 Fed meltdown: Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) is escalating his attacks on Fed Chair Jerome Powell, with a resolution demanding interest rates be lowered. It could fracture the GOP. Many Republicans are frustrated interest rates have not been cut, but they are also wary of undermining the Fed's independence.
• Judges drama: Trump also turned his Truth Social ire on 91-year-old Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) last night for allowing Democrats to veto some judicial nominees from their states through a long-followed practice called "blue slips." Majority Leader John Thune told reporters there was little interest in changing the custom.
• Democratic disagreement: Yesterday, Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.) infuriated his Democratic colleagues by accusing them of not doing enough to counter Trump. "We are being complicit to Donald Trump," he said in a heated back-and-forth on the floor with Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.).

🐥 The big picture: The intraparty tensions come as Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer face off in a game of chicken that also could affect how quickly senators can break.

• Democrats have allowed zero nominees confirmed by voice vote or unanimous consent — unprecedented at this point — and are refusing to agree to speeding up the proceedings.
• Republicans are promising to keep working into late hours, weekends and the scheduled time off — and threatening to take more dramatic steps, including rule changes to speed up the process if Democrats don't relent.
• All eyes are on whether a bipartisan deal can be reached to push through a package of 40-plus nominations to satisfy Trump and release the pressure valve in the Capitol.

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— Stef Kight

Go deeper: What to know about Texas' proposed congressional map

— Kathleen Hunter