📝 The Readback: What happens in Vegas

IN THIS EDITION

What happens in Vegas…

Epstein drama dominates the House

Congressional linguistics

The primary mess in the Peach State

THE TOP

What happens in Vegas…

Welcome to The Readback, our weekend digest featuring the best of Punchbowl News this week – a quick roundup of all our scoops, analysis and Capitol Hill insight you won’t find anywhere else. We’ve also included a few of our favorite outside reads from the week.

… Stays in Vegas. Except this time! I’ve been here in Las Vegas this week to cover the launch of the messaging war around the One Big Beautiful Bill.

Now that Republicans passed President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda, they’ve got to go out and sell it. So when the House Ways and Means Committee scheduled a big field hearing to launch its messaging push on the tax law, I booked the flights and packed for my first-ever visit to Sin City.

The decision to come to Nevada to launch Ways and Means’ tax bill messaging tour was interesting to me on a few fronts:

1) It says a lot about the pieces of the bill that Ways and Means Republicans see as the big political winners. And to be clear, the GOP has to sell hard.

Las Vegas is where Trump’s “no tax on tips” promise began. Republicans also see Nevada as a good spot to tout “no tax on overtime,” another of the president’s central campaign pledges.

I sat down with Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) for a 30-minute interview here in Las Vegas (we’ll have much more on that in tomorrow’s Sunday Vault). Smith touted Trump’s campaign pledges and several 2017 tax cuts — including the child tax credit and standard deduction.

Smith also told me he pushed the Senate to start more tax cuts in 2025 so Americans feel the benefits before next year’s midterms. For one, Smith said he successfully lobbied the Senate to move up a boost to the standard deduction.

“I want Americans to feel and see the results when they file their taxes,” Smith said.

2) Three of Nevada’s four House members are Democrats. House Republicans came right to Democrats’ home turf.

I talked to Nevada Democrats about how they plan to fight back on GOP efforts to flip seats in their state, especially after passing “no tax on tips” into law. We’ll have much more on that next week.

3) There’s one awkward factor for House Republicans in pushing their bill in Las Vegas. It raises taxes on gamblers, limiting deductions for losses on bets.

A handful of House Republicans already disavowed the change — which the Senate added — even though they voted for it as part of the larger law. We broke the news in the Friday AM edition that Smith joined that camp, telling us he wants to reverse the tax hike and that it could “absolutely” happen this year.

Look out for more dispatches from sunny Las Vegas on Sunday and Monday.

What I’m watching: I just got up to date on the third season of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” on my flights. I’m a little uneasy about where it’s going, but I’m excited to find out.

– Laura Weiss

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Epstein drama dominates the House

The House was captivated by the Jeffrey Epstein drama this week, and I got to observe quite a bit of the chaos.

First, the House essentially froze after Democrats on the Rules Committee kept putting up amendments to legislation to help force the release of information about the disgraced financier. That means Speaker Mike Johnson couldn’t get a rule to pass out of committee or on the floor, leaving him at a standstill.

Ultimately, Johnson prompted the Rules Committee to push through a non-binding resolution to release any materials the Justice Department has on the Epstein case. The speaker, however, refused to put the resolution on the floor under pressure from President Donald Trump who is trying to get away from the Epstein issue.

This didn’t stop lawmakers from taking their own action on the issue though.

I was at the House Oversight Committee’s Federal Law Enforcement subcommittee hearing on Wednesday where Democrats and Republicans approved a blitz of subpoenas related to the Epstein case.

The tiny committee room was extremely crowded with press outside the hall and every seat filled for a hearing that was meant to be about unaccompanied migrant children. (I also lost my Airpods, which I discuss on our podcast.)

Democrats successfully approved a motion to subpoena the Justice Department to release the Epstein files with the help of three Republicans — Reps. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), Scott Perry (R-Pa.) and Brian Jack (R-Ga.).

Republicans also approved several of their own subpoenas against their political enemies including Hillary and Bill Clinton, FBI Directors Robert Mueller and James Comey, as well as several attorneys general.

They also sought communications between former President Joe Biden, members of his administration and the DOJ related to this issue.

Other committees, as we wrote about, were also completely dominated by the issue. Democrats and Republicans both tried to file numerous Epstein-related amendments.

Finally, I spent more than a half hour after votes on Tuesday waiting on Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) who was carrying a binder with his bipartisan resolution to release the Epstein files.

Massie had some critical words for Johnson when we asked him how he thought the speaker was handling the issue.

“Is he going to stand with the pedophiles and underage sex traffickers? Or is he gonna pick the American people and justice for the victims?,” Massie said.

It’s safe to say that the Epstein issue is very, very, very messy — and it’s not going away any time soon.

What I’m listening to: After the recent scandal, I’ve been tuning into some Coldplay for the vibes.

– Mica Soellner

Congressional linguistics

On Tuesday, I sat down with Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) for a Punchbowl News pop-up event on online safety for kids.

I’ve hosted my share of fireside chats and panels, but it was my first public one-on-one with a senator and my first time moderating at a Punchbowl News event.

Needless to say, I was glad that Markey made news on digital tech proposals he’s developing and on Democrats’ appropriations strategy.

But I also enjoy letting lawmakers take the time to answer in detail, show off their personalities and give insight into the peculiar customs of our governing bodies.

Asked whether Democrats should help pass (traditionally bipartisan) appropriations bills given Republican spending cuts, Markey shared advice he said he got during his first week in the House. That was way, way back in 1976.

“There is no educational value to the second kick of a mule in your behind,” Markey said. He meant that helping Republicans wasn’t going to get President Donald Trump to stop his unilateral cuts or the recissions he’s sent to Congress.

It’s a common-enough aphorism, though I wondered who specifically told freshman Rep. Markey not to let himself get kicked around. Sadly I didn’t ask him onstage.

A Google search shows many people attribute the quote to Mark Twain, but I couldn’t find any reliable evidence he said it. The great American humorist, of course, never served in Congress either — though he likely would’ve delivered great floor speeches.

Then-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also used the phrase back in 2013 when ruling out more government shutdowns over Obamacare. McConnell called it one of his “favorite old Kentucky sayings,” according to The Hill.

A useful turn-of-phrase could certainly jump from a Republican to a Democrat in the Senate.

My pet theory, though, is that Markey picked up the adage from the late Sen. Fritz Hollings (D-S.C.) — maybe really during his first week, maybe later on.

Hollings was already a senator when Markey came to D.C., and multiple old news stories show he was fond of the phrase, among other quips and witticisms.

Hollings also led the Senate Commerce Committee for six years during the late 1980s and early 1990s when Congress was setting the frameworks for broadband. That overlaps with the period when Markey was leading the issue from the telecom subcommittee in the House.

Whoever said it, I’ll make clear for history and quotation-hunters that Markey had a D.C.-specific addendum.

After bringing up the mule, Markey added: “You should have learned it the first time, in this town.”

What I’m watching: I’m finally watching “Broadchurch.” Apparently it takes me about 12 years to go from resisting being told what to watch to relenting and agreeing my friends pretty much know exactly which British mysteries I’ll enjoy.

– Ben Brody

The primary mess in the Peach State

Heading into the 2026 cycle, Georgia Republicans felt confident they could knock off Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.). After all, President Donald Trump had just won the state. Gov. Brian Kemp, a popular Republican governor, was considering a run. Things looked good.

But the situation has gotten far more complicated ever since Kemp passed on a Senate run back in the spring. As things stand now, there’s no clear frontrunner in a state that Republicans penciled in as their top Senate flip opportunity.

Given the difficulties that Georgia Republicans have faced recruiting candidates in the past (see Herschel Walker), some in the GOP are concerned that a repeat disaster may be on the way.

This week brought tons of news on the Georgia primary beat. Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King dropped out of the race after failing to build any meaningful momentum.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Kemp was set to endorse Derek Dooley, a former college football coach who isn’t officially in the race yet.

Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) inched closer to running in the primary, bringing a conservative flavor into the mix. And Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) continues to throw around his cash and portray himself as the race’s “MAGA warrior.”

The big question in the race is how Trump gets involved. Does the president stay neutral during the primary and back the eventual nominee? Or does he get involved early and back a figure like Collins, who may be his ideological compatriot? Or does Kemp’s backing convince Trump to support Dooley, despite the coach’s lack of MAGA bona fides?

I broke down the dynamics, and the prospect of a Trump-Kemp feud, in a story that ran Thursday.

One other name to watch that was floated to me: Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, who ran for Senate in 2020 and may be eager to get back into the political fray.

What I’m reading: Any and all memes featuring Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell during this week’s site visit with Trump.

– Max Cohen