©  Getty/NOAA

Tropical Storm Lee has officially strengthened into Hurricane Lee and may intensify to Category 5 winds by this weekend. 

Right now: Winds have reached up to 80 mph and are predicted to rapidly intensify later today, according to The National Hurricane Center. 

Where is the storm headed?: It’s still early to know, but according to The Weather Channel, it should go north of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Depending on several factors, it could hit Bermuda and the Northeastern U.S.  Forecast and projections 

The headline on The Weather Channel’s homepage this morning: “MONSTER IN THE MAKING” 

One image to help you feel caught up: The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore posted a graphic of the possible storm models. Possible storm paths 

It’s Thursday. The heat in the Washington, D.C.-area is unreal right now. Temperature records were broken yesterday at all three nearby airports. And in political news, GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy just handed late-night talk show hosts a gift. While speaking at a campaign stop, the backdrop with the word “Truth” fell onto him. Ramaswamy quickly caught the sign and continued with his speech. Don’t worry, I of course included the video below.  

Filing with the air conditioning blasting, I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-staging.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.  

House Republicans are returning to Washington, D.C., next week facing two politically perilous food fights. 

1. Whether to open an impeachment inquiry into President Biden over his son’s business dealings

2. A debate over how strongly to push for spending cuts and threaten a government shutdown 

But not all House Republicans are on board: Both issues are causing big headaches for the 18 Republicans who are defending seats in districts that Biden won in the last cycle. The Hill’s Mychael Schnell has a helpful read on that awkward dilemma. 

The Senate is planning to consider the first set of spending bills while the House squabbles over partisan packages. 

Which spending bills?: “Top appropriators Wednesday announced the upper chamber will consider what’s known as a ‘minibus’ consisting of the Agriculture-Food and Drug Administration, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development appropriations bills.” How this could play out, via The Hill’s Al Weaver 

Punchbowl News’s Andrew Desiderio posted a photo of reporters swarming Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday following his apparent freeze last week. Photo 

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy got into a heated exchange with MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan this week when the 2024 GOP hopeful repeatedly dodged questions over his past criticism of former President Trump over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.  
 

Hasan asked Ramaswamy: “You say [Trump] behaved in downright abhorrent behavior that makes him a danger to democracy. What was it that was downright abhorrent?” 

The 2021 post that Hasan was referencing: “What Trump did last week was wrong. Downright abhorrent. Plain and simple. I’ve said it before and did so in my piece,” Ramaswamy posted on X, then known as Twitter, on Jan. 12, 2021. 

Ramaswamy’s response: “Let’s actually be really fair to your audience. So, on Jan. 10, 2021, thereabouts, days after that incident, I wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal arguing that censorship was the real cause of what happened on Jan. 6.”  

Hasan kept pushing Ramaswamy, and it got pretty heated. Watch the clip 

Yes, this!: The New York Times’s Jonathan Swan weighed in on the interaction. “A mini masterclass of keeping eyes on the ball and refusing to be spun,” Swan posted. 

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was the only Republican presidential candidate to easily top President Biden in a hypothetical matchup, according to a new CNN poll.  

Haley vs. Biden: 49 percent for Haley, 43 percent for Biden 

Former Vice President Pence vs. Biden: 46 percent for Pence, 44 percent for Biden 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) vs. Biden: 47 percent for DeSantis, 47 percent for Biden 

Former President Trump vs. Biden: 47 percent for Trump, 46 percent for Trump 

• More potential Biden-GOP matchups 

• Full CNN poll 

Omg, a ‘Truth’ sign literally fell onto Ramaswamy: During a weekend campaign stop in Lancaster, N.H., a sign fell onto GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The sign had the word “truth” printed onto it. Enjoy this gift, late-night talk show hosts. WMUR video 

Sometimes, the jokes write themselves. 

A classic New Hampshire campaign stop: New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) campaigned with GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley. The two stopped at a bakery in Merrimack. Photo from WMUR’s Adam Sexton 

Vox’s Ian Millhiser explains “The Republican Party’s plan to rule the state of Wisconsin forever.”  

The gist: “Wisconsin’s legislature is gerrymandered to ensure that Democrats will never win it. Republicans have a plan to keep it that way.” (Vox) 

🏃‍This is a scene straight out of ‘Prison Break’: A convicted murderer escaped a Pennsylvania prison by scaling two parallel walls. Police are still looking for the escaped inmate. Watch the footage 

🚫 Bruce Springsteen postponed his Sept. concerts: Springsteen, 73, is recovering from peptic ulcer disease and has been urged to rest for the rest of the month. (Variety) 
 

🎤 Worth the read: Vogue’s Mattie Kahn published a profile on White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and how she has made history as “the first Black person and first openly gay person to hold the position.” (Vogue)  

🩺 Legal abortions have risen in most states: “The data suggests that thousands of women have crossed state lines to obtain an abortion, in the face of restrictions at home. It also indicates a rise in abortions among those living in states where the procedure is legal.” (The New York Times) 

“A state judge denied Kenneth Chesebro’s attempt to sever his charges in the Georgia election interference case from fellow Trump-aligned attorney Sidney Powell, saying he didn’t deem it necessary to do so to achieve a fair trial.”

But the judge did have doubts about trying all 19 co-defendants together. (The Hill) 

The Messenger’s Marc Caputo reports that former President Trump is hosting a “candlelight dinner” at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to raise money for legal fees associated with his four criminal cases. The dinner could raise somewhere between $500,000 and $1 million. (The Messenger) 

^ I am ready for any and all reporting on this “candlelight dinner.”  

The Senate is in. The House is out. President Biden is in Washington, D.C., and Vice President Harris is on her way back from Indonesia. 

• Today: Harris attended the East Asia Summit in Indonesia. 

• 10 a.m.: Biden received his daily briefing. 

• 11:45 a.m.: Two Senate votes. Today’s Senate agenda 

• 1:45 p.m.: The Senate holds a confirmation vote. 

• 4:45 p.m.: Biden leaves for Ramstein, Germany. 

• Sept. 12: The House returns. House calendar  

All times Eastern.

📝 Hey PR folks, know of any events with livestreams?: If you know of an event that will be livestreamed, please feel free to email me cmartel@digital-staging.thehill.com to be included in this section. 

🍖 Celebrate: Today is National Salami Day! 

🥓 Did I hear bacon tacos??: Stephen Starr, the restaurateur who created popular Washington, D.C., restaurants Le Diplomate and St. Anselm, is opening a Mexican restaurant named El Presidente. Details and photos from DCist — I love the theme! 

🤸🏿‍ We love you, Simone!: Gymnastics star Simone Biles joined NBC News’s “Today” this morning to talk about her return to competition. Watch  

🎙️ What do Obama and Ramaswamy have in common: C-SPAN posted a podcast episode called, “Skinny kids with funny names who grew up to be politicians.” Listen to the 13-minute podcast 

And to leave you with a guaranteed smile, here’s a tiny puppy ordering its first pup cup.  

What an adorable rite of passage. 

Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@digital-staging.thehill.com. A friend forward this to you? Subscribe here.

View past issues of 12:30 Report here and check out other newsletters from The Hill here. See you next time!