CASSIDY on Trump DNI pick Jay Clayton: “I think he's a very poor choice. He has been shown that he'll weaponize personal information to attack an American citizen. I'm a conservative. That should not be what government does. So I strongly disagree.”

NEW @LarrySabato's Crystal Ball, and as reported first in @playbookdc this morning -- Three Senate Rating Changes: Alaska Leans R to Toss-up NC Toss-up to Leans D Ohio Leans R to Toss-up More from @kkondik & @JMilesColeman centerforpolitics.org/crysta…

Notable: Fetterman, eager to dunk daily on who he calls "P-hustle" after Platner's online username, told me he still won't support Susan Collins. "I will be the one Democrat to never defend and pretend that he isn’t an absolute mess and a disgrace as a candidate... The only thing that keeps him alive politically is that there happens to be a ‘D’ at the end of his name.” #MESen

News: Lisa Murkowski tells me she’s interested in chairing the HELP Committee next year if seniority shakes out the right way for her. Cassidy retiring means the gavel is up for grabs if Rs keep their Senate majority

In effort to get Dems to help prevent FISA expiration, Trump posts to Truth Social he's "looking for a permanent ODNI Nominee with experience in National Security" and in the meantime "am asking Congress to send me a short-term extension of FISA to provide time for the selection and confirmation of a permanent Head of the Agency." Yet to be seen if this may be enough to assuage Dems' concerns with Pulte

I'm told the White House did invite Thune to the bill signing. Thune's office citing scheduling issues for his absence.

New: While Cornyn will "support the ticket" in favor of Paxton on the ballot, his help stops there. He offered an unequivocal "no" to stumping for Paxton on the #TXSen trail against Dem Talarico, even as both candidates court his voters. washingtonexaminer.com/news/…

Fair to say John Cornyn isn't interested in becoming Trump's next ODNI "I'm looking forward to a future in the private sector," he says, adding of any Dems floating his name: "I'm gonna go kick em in the shins."

Thune told me yesterday he is "keeping the option open" for 3rd reconciliation but added it "was kind of evident last week that's going to be hard" to get 50 votes. With the House more likely to change hands in November, GOP over there especially eager to go for another.

Seems to be movement from yesterday afternoon, when Thune emphasized they "need Democrat votes" on FISA A liberated Cornyn said he was "still seeking any evidence of qualifications” for Pulte and warned it'd be "dangerous" to let FISA go dark over the appointment washingtonexaminer.com/news/…

A couple nuggets from the story: - I’m told there were discussions about adding triumphal arch funding to the recon bill, not just security dollars for the East Wing ballroom, although it was not contemplated seriously enough for Rs to draft legislative text - During his Tuesday conversation with Todd Blanche, Thune emphasized the degree of R upset over the “lawfare” fund and said a definitive statement on its future, as Blanche was preparing to deliver in congressional testimony, would go a long way to getting the recon bill through the Senate

Flash of frustration just now from Thune toward Cassidy, noting Cassidy spent hours working with Dems and going to the parl but couldn't get there on the anti-weaponization language: "they spent, you know, wasted 15 hours doing it. So you guys got to stay here for a long time, and so did we, and you know I mean all these votes could have been held 12 to 15 hours ago"

Vote-a-rama status update from Thune. Seems to hinge on Cassidy's anti-weaponization fund amendment "He's redrafted it many, many times in the last 13 hours, so we're trying to push to get him to do something with it and soon." On Byrd Rule compliance he's "not sure it's finally resolved yet" "But we're trying to get him to offer it so we can just get it voted on."

Collins on the latest claims against Platner: "These are obviously troubling allegations, and he has a lot of questions to answer." #MESen

Split-screen in the Senate press gallery: Sen. Susan Collins is about to cast her 10,000th consecutive vote as Graham Platner is on @chrislhayes addressing today’s @nytimes story