Happy Wednesday! A tough news cycle for President Joe Biden’s dog. Per the New York Post: “President Biden’s nearly 2-year-old German shepherd Commander bit seven people in a four-month span after former first dog Major was ousted from the White House over similar aggressive behavior, according to internal Secret Service records reviewed by The Post.”

Up to Speed

• After a million-dollar gambit to secure 40,000 unique donors, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum received 1 percent support in a national poll released Tuesday by Morning Consult, making Burgum the seventh GOP candidate to qualify for the upcoming Republican debate in Milwaukee.
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign fired one-third of its staff amid an aggressive effort to cut costs and streamline campaign operations, according to Politico. The campaign also intends for DeSantis to participate in more town halls and intimate gatherings after sticking mostly to speeches and fireside chats in Iowa and New Hampshire, Bloomberg reports.
• DeSantis is unhurt after a multi-car crash in which four cars in his motorcade collided en route to a campaign event in Tennessee Tuesday morning. DeSantis continued to the event, where a female staffer received treatment for a minor injury, according to police.
• The Biden administration sued Texas on Monday for deploying a barrier of buoys in the Rio Grande river that separates the U.S. from Mexico. The administration argues the unauthorized border security measure violates federal law and filed the lawsuit after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas refused to comply with a U.S. Department of Justice request to remove the barrier. “Texas has the sovereign authority to defend our border, under the U.S. Constitution and the Texas Constitution,” tweeted Abbott. “We will see you in court, Mr. President.”
• In response to House Republicans’ probes into Hunter Biden’s business dealings in China, Ukraine, and other countries—which Republicans allege involve Joe Biden—House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he expects an impeachment inquiry to follow. “I believe we will follow this all the way to the end, and this is going to rise to an impeachment inquiry the way the Constitution tells us to do this,” said McCarthy on Fox News. “Their eagerness to go after [Biden] regardless of the truth is seemingly bottomless,” tweeted White House spokesman Ian Sams. 
• The Mitch McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund and One Nation announced record fundraising hauls in the first half of this year. “The Senate GOP-aligned groups together raised roughly $38 million—$10.1 million for SLF and $28.2 million for One Nation—giving Republicans a boost in their bid to flip the chamber next year,” Politico reports. “For SLF, that’s more than double what they brought in during the same time period last cycle.”

Freedom Caucus Member Likely to Run Statewide in North Carolina

Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina, a Republican and member of the House Freedom Caucus who initially opposed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s bid for the gavel in January, is accelerating plans to run for attorney general in 2024 and could announce a statewide bid as soon as August, five people familiar with the matter tell The Dispatch. Two North Carolina House Republicans also confirmed Bishop has approached them about a potential run.

“I wouldn’t say he’s 100 percent yet, but I think it’s getting there,” says one person with knowledge of Bishop’s plans. 

Bishop’s campaign team confirmed his interest in running, which Axios first reported in May, but declined to provide a timeline for his prospective announcement. “This is a two month old story—Congressman Bishop continues to consider his final decision,” a Bishop campaign spokesperson tells The Dispatch.