A surging effort to unseat some of House Democrats' oldest members is setting up a midterm migraine for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Why it matters: The 2026 election cycle could see dozens of competitive Democratic primary battles, which some members groan will draw money away from Jeffries' efforts to retake control of Congress.

• Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) told us earlier this year that primary challenges to incumbents "take a lot of resources that should be used against Republicans and use [them] in primaries."
• The 78-year-old, who yesterday joined the list of older incumbents facing primary rivals, added: "That's idiotic in terms of capturing the House."
• Of the House Democrats who will be at least 70 years old by Election Day 2026, nearly a dozen are already facing primary challengers with months still to go before the first congressional filing deadlines.

Driving the news: Nonprofit founder Liam Elkind, 26, is challenging Nadler, urging the ex-House Judiciary Committee chair to retire rather than put up a fight.

• "I appreciate his 50 years in office," Elkind told us, "but I'm also cognizant of the fact that when he was first elected, rent in New York was $500 a month and the president was Gerald Ford."
• Former Hartford, Connecticut, Mayor Luke Bronin, 46, launched a run against Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), 77, who suffered a freeze-up on the House floor in February that his office said was due to a complex partial seizure.

Several younger Democrats have launched bids in districts where the longtime incumbents haven't said if they're running — including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).

➗ By the numbers: Some primary insurgents are proving highly formidable, with Bronin announcing he raised more than $500,000 in just 24 hours after launching his campaign.

• That's double the $250,000 that Larson raised in the first six months of 2025, according to FEC filings.

Yes, but: The strength of incumbency is still substantial, and some challengers are facing headwinds from grassroots activists who have led the charge to unseat incumbents and upend the political establishment.

• Elkind, for instance, has been criticized online by allies of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani as an insufficiently left-wing alternative to the progressive Nadler.

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— Andrew Solender

President Trump declared this month that he was sick of Russian leader Vladimir Putin's "bulls**t." Two senators want to give him a chance to show he means it.

Why it matters: Just before the Senate bolts town, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced new legislation to provide Ukraine with an additional $54.6 billion, mostly in arms and ammunition from U.S. manufacturers.

• "This bipartisan bill will strengthen President Trump's negotiating hand with Vladimir Putin and finally put an end to this senseless war," Shaheen said in a statement.

Between the lines: It's also an attempt to replicate the success the Senate had with a sanctions package it considered earlier this summer.

• That bill, which collected 85 cosponsors, never made it to the floor, but Trump eventually adopted its basic concept—secondary sanctions on Russia's trading partners.
• 🏎️ Then Trump accelerated the deadline, to 10 days, which falls on Aug. 8.

🔎 Zoom in: The bipartisan legislation is written to appeal to Republicans, many of whom have deep concerns about America's continued support for a war they don't think is winnable.

• It aims to lower the costs by tapping frozen Russian assets, and it emphasizes that most of the money will flow back into America's defense industrial base.
• The most recent Ukraine aid package, totaling over $60 billion, passed Congress in April 2024. Funding for Taiwan and Israel had to be added for it to clear the House.

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— Hans Nichols

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) is in discussions to move tens of millions of emergency food packages sitting in U.S. warehouses to Gaza and other needy areas.

Why it matters: Democrats are mobilizing to address the humanitarian void they say the Israeli government is leaving behind in Gaza, where starvation is worsening.

• 📢 Kelly told us this week that over 87 million packages of ready-to-use therapeutic food to treat severe malnutrition are sitting in warehouses in Texas, Rhode Island and Georgia.
• The Arizona Democrat has been in regular communication with World Food Programme executive director Cindy McCain about how to get the food — some of which has already been purchased by the U.S. government — to the organization.

"Kids should not be starving to death anywhere in the world, and Israel has got to do a better job of getting this aid in," Kelly said.

What to watch: Separately, Trump is expected to approve a new Gaza humanitarian aid plan tomorrow after his envoy Steve Witkoff visits the enclave and briefs him on the situation.

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— Stephen Neukam

The GOP apparatus is quickly circling the wagons now that North Carolina is officially the first major Senate race with both parties' top candidates locked in.

💰 Why it matters: North Carolina will likely be the priciest and most competitive Senate contest of the cycle, with Georgia and Michigan seats as other top contenders.

• RNC Chair Michael Whatley made his bid official this afternoon, setting up a showdown in November 2026 with former Gov. Roy Cooper (D) to replace retiring Republican Thom Tillis.
• "Michael is a strong conservative voice committed to fighting for North Carolina and will be a crucial part of our growing Senate Republican majority," Senate Majority Leader John Thune said in a statement.

🚘 Driving the news: The National Republican Senatorial Committee has launched a full-court press to get GOP senators and consultants to make fundraising pleas on Whatley's behalf so he can launch his campaign with a bang.

• On Tuesday, NRSC Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) asked senators to contribute the maximum allowable amount to Whatley's campaign during a closed-door lunch, a source familiar with the discussion tells us.
• Scott also urged them to join the NRSC for a fundraiser for Whatley in September.

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— Stef Kight