OBAMA AGENDA: Jailhouse blues
With the first visit of a sitting president to a federal prison, President Barack Obama will focus on an overhaul of the criminal justice system today.
The Washington Post and the New York Times both look back at how the Iran deal came together.
Some analysis of Iran's influence from the Wall Street Journal: "Today’s Islamic Republic stands isolated outside the Shiite-dominated areas, its regional standing undermined by four years of upheaval that split the Middle East along deepening sectarian lines."
Writes Janell Ross in the in the Washington Post: "This Obama might look or sound "brand new" to some Americans. He might even sound a little something like the black president that some white Americans across the political spectrum feared (or hoped for). But to people who watch the White House closely, this is the President Obama that has been developing for some time."
George H.W. Bush broke a bone in his neck in a fall at his summer home.
CONGRESS: Highway bill action
The Wall Street Journal: "The House easily passed a bill extending federal highway spending into December, buying time to try for a corporate-tax overhaul that could provide major new funding for the troubled program."
House Republicans are calling for hearings about Planned Parenthood in the wake of the release of an undercover video purporting to show an official discussing an exchange of parts of aborted fetuses.
National Journal scoops that Paul Ryan is working with Democrats on welfare reform.
OFF TO THE RACES: Burn, baby, burn
The highest burn rates of 2016: Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Rick Santorum.
The AP writes on something we also noted in this publication yesterday: "GOP against Iran deal, with or without reading it"
BUSH: POLITICO looks at how Jeb Bush is preparing for facing Trump in the debates.
He'll release the names of his bundlers.
Reuters examines how Jeb Bush is changing the political playbook by relying on his super PAC.
CLINTON: The New York Times writes that Hillary Clinton is lagging in engaging grass-roots donors.
Women represented more than 60 percent of her donors, msnbc.com's Alex Seitz-Wald reports.
Labor leaders are unhappy with the American Federation of Teachers' early endorsement of Hillary Clinton, POLITICO writes.
GRAHAM: He says: "New Hampshire is going to become my second home."
TRUMP: He claims that he's worth $10 billion, although he hasn't disclosed his entire personal finance form to the public yet.
PROGRAMMING NOTES.
*** Thursday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: Alex Witt sits in for Tamron Hall. She speaks with Law professor at USC Jody Armour and Executive Director of the Sentencing Project Marc Mauer regarding President Obama visiting a Federal prison in Oklahoma today, USA Today’s Reporter Arienne Thompson regarding Caitlyn Jenner’s receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at last night’s ESPY awards, and NBC News Reporter Mark Potter in Mexico on the hunt for Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
*** Thursday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell is back from Vienna, and she Ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee Dianne Feinstein, Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Michael McCaul, Sarah Shourd- one of three American hikers formerly detained in Iran, NAACP Legal Defense Fund Senior Policy Counsel Monique Dixon, April Ryan of American Urban Radio Networks, Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza and USA Today’s Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page
*** Thursday’s “Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: Thomas interviews: Former Governor George Pataki about 2016 & Iran, Glenn E Martin, President of Just Leadership USA about President Obama’s visit today to a federal prison, TIME Magazine’s Michael Scherer about the nuclear deal with Iran, Transgender model and founder of Gender Proud Geena Rocera about Caitlyn Jenner’s ESPY award, John Gibler, Author of “To Die in Mexico: Dispatches from Inside the Drug War” and Texas Tribune reporter Julian Aguilar about the manhunt for El Chapo.