THE MESS IN TEXAS

Ken Paxton’s former attorney said no one should vote for his old client, as Democrats grow more bullish about flipping the Lone Star State.

• You know things are bad when your own lawyer starts warning folks to stay away from you. Three years ago, the Texas Senate acquitted Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX) of corruption charges in his impeachment trial. Today, a key attorney who helped Paxton beat that rap began actively campaigning against his former client — saying that Paxton has no business representing the state.

• “I’m a fucking criminal defense lawyer,” said Dan Cogdell, who represented Paxton for nearly a decade, in a phone call with What A Day this afternoon. “I wouldn’t endorse the vast majority of my clients who run for political office. I’m there to save them from themselves most of the time.”

• Cogdell’s endorsement of Democrat James Talarico, Paxton’s opponent, sends a powerful message to voters: I’ve worked closely with this guy for years, and I wouldn’t vote for him. It’s a boon for Talarico, who’s holding steady in the polls, as well as the Democratic Party, which hopes to win its first statewide seat in Texas in more than three decades.

• Paxton has “lost sight” of his mission as the state’s attorney general, said Cogdell, who describes himself as a moderate. His main concern is that Paxton will support President Donald Trump no matter what he does. “I don’t think that’s a senator’s job,” he said.

• As for the backlash the defense attorney has received since coming out against Paxton: “We weren’t dating, we weren’t married,” Cogdell said of his ties to Paxton. “My obligation to Ken ended at the courthouse steps. I’m voting my conscience in what I believe in. And last I checked, it’s a free country.”

Democrats dream of winning Texas. This might be their best chance yet.

• Texas is the great Democratic heartbreaker. But this time, Democrats point to Talrico’s historic polls: He’s doing better at this stage than other promising Democrats who fell short of the mark, like Beto O’Rourke.

• “James Talarico is polling better than any Democrat in at least 24 years,” CNN polling guru Harry Enten explained. “Texas Democrats have dreamt about turning it blue. This time, the numbers actually support the idea that they may actually be able to do it.”

• It helps that Paxton is a historically weak, scandal-plagued candidate. He’s an ultra-MAGA flamethrower, widely known for his corruption-tinged imbroglios and messy marital drama. Senate Republican leadership spent upwards of $100 million in ads attacking him, until Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) bowed out of the race after failing to secure Trump’s blessing.

• Talarico, on the other hand, is young, energetic, and connecting with moderate Texans in a way that gives his backers hope. His biggest political vulnerability has been a string of “woke” rhetoric that the right has tossed out to suggest he’s too progressive, or not macho enough, to represent Texas (they’re mocking him as “Low-T Talarico.”) But the groundswell of support for Talarico makes Cogdell think this time could be it.

“I think, if not now, when?” the defense attorney said. “I think he’s got a very good shot.”

WHAT ELSE? 👀

Israel and Iran paused fighting earlier today, following the first exchange of airstrikes since the U.S. brokered a ceasefire between the two in April. Donald Trump tried to stop Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from attacking, according to the Wall Street Journal. When it became clear that Netanyahu wouldn’t listen, Trump told him to keep the strikes limited — and again urged him to stop this morning.

Will a lawsuit spoil Trump’s birthday extravaganza? Trump’s big UFC fight on the White House South Lawn this Sunday — his birthday — might, just might, get stopped by a TKO blow from the courts. A new federal lawsuit aims to prevent the event from taking place. The suit, filed by Public Integrity Project, argues that Trump’s team violated national park rules barring sporting events on federal land, didn’t seek permission from Congress to build the arena, and didn’t perform an environmental assessment.

Trump stormed out of an interview with NBC News’ Kristen Welker after she repeatedly corrected his false claims about the 2020 election. “Your press is crooked. And Meet the Press is crooked,” Trump said. Excuse me! We’re Crooked!

Many Maine Democrats are doubling down on Senate primary hopeful Graham Platner, the veteran-turned-oyster farmer rocked by scandals. “We heard his apologies. We did research and you know we believe him. He’s learned. He’s gone to therapy,” one 73-year-old woman told the Wall Street Journal at a campaign event on Sunday. “He’s grown and developed and that’s a real hope for a lot of people because this means I can continue to grow and develop.”

The Pentagon managed to royally piss off the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by not listing their religion as “Christian” in a new list of designations for servicemembers. “I find this offensive,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), a Mormon and staunch MAGA ally, said in a video. “It’s also just repugnant to any sense of decency.”

Knicks fans are warning Trump that he’ll get a very chilly reception when he attends Game 3 of the NBA Finals in New York City tonight. “I need all my new york homies to boo this motherfucker so thunderously when they show him on the jumbotron that my TV vibrates off the wall,” one popular sportswriter tweeted. But as Crooked’s Dan Pfeiffer thinks the high prices of tickets could help the president. A typical crowd at Madison Square Garden would “boo the daylights out of Trump,” Pfeiffer told the Washington Post. “But he might benefit from a crowd willing to spend $10,000 to sit in the rafters.”

LIGHT AT THE END… ☀️

Pope Leo received a seven-minute standing ovation from Spanish lawmakers after giving a speech, in which he called for protecting migrants’ rights and a “moral renewal” in public life. “The moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to accompany, protect and love those lives that are most fragile,” Leo said.

Scientists uncovered the identity of a Maryland man who died more than 300 years ago, by studying DNA collected from his remains. It’s the first time researchers have successfully used “ancient DNA” — which is at least 100 years old — to determine someone’s identity without historical evidence. “We’re kind of restoring [him] to memory, with new scientific tools that couldn’t have been done 20 years ago,” one expert told the Washington Post.

Speaking of the NBA Finals, the Knicks auctioned off two courtside seats for $1 million for Garden of Dreams Foundation, which helps children in need. It’s the largest donation in the foundation’s history.

Italians on Facebook are reeling after an American tourist posted a scathing review of two ice cream cones she got with a friend in Rome — which cost them $50. It “wasn’t even good,” she said, explaining that they kept adding toppings which they (mistakenly) thought were free. “As an Italian living in Italy, I’m ashamed,” one user wrote on the post, which has over 900 comments.

A Maine Coon cat named Mojo (who lives in Maine) alerted a couple to carbon monoxide poisoning in their house by meowing “like they had never heard her meow before,” the Midcoast Villager writes. Everyone in the house is safe, and “Mojo is getting extra treats for her heroism.”