Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is privately signaling to donors that he's open to a Democratic presidential ticket that isn't led by President Biden, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Despite publicly saying he's "for Joe," Schumer is privately listening to donors' ideas and suggestions about the best way forward for the party, according to three people familiar with the matter.

• The majority leader is one of several Democrats, including former President Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has the political and personal standing to convince Biden to step aside.
• A Schumer spokesman declined to comment.

Zoom in: Biden's command to lawmakers — "end" the talk of replacing him — has not been heeded.

• Today, Pelosi openly suggested Biden should reconsider his decision.
• "It's up to the president to decide if he is going to run," Pelosi said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "The time is running short."
• This afternoon, Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) became the eighth House Democrat to call for Biden to drop out of the race.

The bottom line: Even before Biden's dismal showing, Schumer was telling allies the late June debate date had two obvious advantages:

• It would give Biden time to recover if he performed poorly.
• Or it would give Democrats the option of finding a different standard-bearer if Biden's candidacy wasn't salvageable.

Read more

The House GOP has teed up a potential executive privilege confrontation with the White House, Axios' Alex Thompson scooped this afternoon.

Why it matters: By targeting three low-profile but influential White House aides for closed-door depositions on President Biden's health, the House Oversight Committee looks set to put lasting pressure on the White House until November.

• House Oversight chair James Comer (R-Ky.) wrote in the subpoenas that the committee is "concerned" each official is "one of several White House staffers who have taken it upon themselves to run the country while the President cannot."

The three officials subpoenaed today:

• First lady Jill Biden's top aide Anthony Bernal
• Deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini
• Senior adviser Ashley Williams

Between the lines: Comer previously tried to interview Bernal, Tomasini and Williams during his investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents.

• The White House didn't make any of the three aides available to Comer's committee at the time.

Ahead of an any-day-now announcement, former President Trump dished to Fox News host Brian Kilmeade on the triumvirate of VP hopefuls.

1. On worries about the near-total abortion ban North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum signed in 2023, Trump said: "You know, I think Doug is great, but it is a strong ban."
2. Sen. Marco Rubio's Florida residency would make it "complicated" for the ticket due to constitutional issues, the former president said.
3. He also said he likes Sen. J.D. Vance's beard and thinks it makes him look like a "young Abraham Lincoln."

P.S. Trump's warm-up act for his primetime acceptance speech at next week's RNC will be Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) huddled with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time in person since Johnson put his own political career at risk by putting a sweeping foreign aid package on the floor in April.

• "He provided an update ... on the current status of the situation [and] ... expressed their gratitude for the assistance of the United States," Johnson told Axios.
• Johnson said they discussed restrictions on U.S.-supplied weapons used in Russian territory, telling reporters: "I explained that the will of Congress was to allow them the flexibility to use the weapons and assistance that were sent to prosecute the war as they see fit. So I'm a supporter of that."

Between the lines: Johnson said the two did not discuss additional aid or Ukrainian concerns about how the 2024 election will impact the country's continued support.